Indian artist has brush with his fakes

Jan 20, 2009 9:7PM UTC

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Acclaimed Indian artist SH Raza inaugurated a show of his paintings in New Delhi at the weekend -- only to find most of the exhibits were fakes, the Mail Today paper said.

Paris-based Raza had contributed some drawings to the show at a well-known gallery that had put together more than 30 of his early paintings, the artist wrote in the newspaper.

"When I reached the gallery and started looking at the canvases on the walls, I was stunned," Raza wrote. "As I moved from one canvas to the other, I realized that the works were just not mine, they were all fakes."

Raza, regarded as one of India's foremost artists, is best known for his abstracts and brilliant colors.

His works have commanded high prices internationally, with a painting going for about 1.3 million pounds ($1.9 million) at a Christie's auction in London last year.

"I was stupefied and stunned ... I will turn 86 next month. At this stage of my life, this was the last thing I wanted to do -- grace an exhibition of my own fake paintings," Raza wrote.

The gallery, which closed the show shortly afterwards, said it had been duped.

Indian art has boomed in the past five years, driven by fast-paced economic growth that encouraged the newly-rich to chase after symbols of affluence.

(Writing by Rina Chandran; Editing by Alistair Scrutton and Alex Richardson)

Thief and policeman

Thief caught out giving policeman's address

Wednesday, Jan 21, 2009 10:0PM UTC

BERLIN (Reuters) - A German teen-ager caught shoplifting tried to dupe police by lying about where he lived -- but ended up in even more trouble when the address he gave turned out to be the home of an investigating officer.

The 18-year-old from Achim, a town of 30,000 in northern Germany, admitted he had lied when the officer explained that the address belonged to him, said police in nearby Verden.

"It was complete coincidence," said a police spokesman. "The thief gave that address because he'd once lived in the house. The policeman was the guy who moved in afterwards." what a coincidence

(Reporting by Dave Graham; editing by Elizabeth Piper)

Two Burmese survive month at sea in an ice box

Jan 20, 2009 9:1PM UTC

By Rob Taylor

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Two Myanmar fishermen have survived for almost a month in shark-infested waters by floating in a large ice box after their boat sank, rescue officials said.

The men, both aged in their 20s, were on a 12-meter Thai fishing boat with 18 others when it sank in heavy seas off Australia's north coast on December 23, said Australian Maritime Safety Authority spokeswoman Tracy Jiggins.

"They had no safety equipment, no beacons, no means of communication and they'd been drifting for 25 days," Jiggins told Reuters Tuesday, describing the ice box as "desk sized."

"For them to have even been spotted in a huge body of water is amazing," she said.

The men were spotted by an Australian coastal patrol aircraft Saturday. The pair were winched onto a rescue helicopter and taken to hospital Thursday Island, off Australia's far north.

Hospital officials said the pair were hungry and dehydrated after drifting 25 days at sea during the monsoon season and recent cyclonic storms in the region, but they were recovering well and had already been released.

The pair would now be questioned by immigration officials and police, who had not yet determined how the pair survived and what they did for food and water.

Jiggins said the others on board the boat would certainly have perished and no search for other survivors was planned.

"The information they provided to us was that they witnessed other crew members in the water, none of whom had any flotation device, so we've done an assessment and we don't believe anybody would be able to survive 25 days actually in the water," she said.

It was also unclear where the Thai-based fishing boat, crewed by Thais and a handful of people from Myanmar, sank and how far the pair had drifted before they were picked up 60 nautical miles northwest of Horn Island.

"It would be difficult to determine where that search should be. That's a huge amount of water they could have covered, and we have notified search and rescue officials in Indonesia," Jiggins said.

Australia has one of the longest coastlines in the world and the country's search-and-rescue patrol zone covers a tenth of the world's surface, or 53 million square kilometres (20 million square miles) of the Indian, Pacific and Southern Oceans.

The Torres Strait, between Australia and Papua New Guinea, is infested by sharks and the area is regularly fished by both licensed and illegal fishing vessels, many from Asia.

(Editing by Mark Bendeich)

Students hitch ride on Branson's jet to see Obama

Jan 20, 2009 8:54PM UTC

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Two Dutch college students hitched a last-minute ride to Washington on the private jet of British entrepreneur Richard Branson in the hope of joining the crowds hailing Barack Obama, a Dutch news agency reported.

Branson was a guest speaker at an Amsterdam congress on Tuesday, and participants were able to ask questions by sending text messages from their mobile phones, which were shown on a large screen.

"Will you take along two poor students to Obama?" the students' text message read, to which Branson immediately said yes, ANP agency reported.

It was not immediately clear if they would make the actual inauguration of the president-elect Tuesday, but a spokeswoman for the congress said: "As we speak, they are sitting in the private jet of Richard Branson."

(Reporting by Niclas Mika)

Japan learns English from Obama speech textbook

Jan 20, 2009 8:59PM UTC

By Yoko Kubota

TOKYO (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama's speeches are proving a best-seller in Japan -- as an aid to learning English.

An English-language textbook, "The Speeches of Barack Obama," has sold more than 400,000 copies in two months, a big hit in a country where few hit novels sell more than a million copies a year.

Japanese have a fervor for learning English and many bookstores have a corner dedicated to dozens of journals in the language, many of them now featuring the new U.S. leader's face.

"Speeches by presidents and presidential candidates are excellent as listening tools to learn English, because their contents are good and their words are easy to catch," said Yuzo Yamamoto of Asahi Press, which produced the best-selling text book.

"Obama's is especially so. His speeches are so moving, and he also uses words such as 'yes, we can,' 'change' and 'hope' that even Japanese people can memorize," he said.

Speeches by President George W. Bush and former nominee John Kerry's four years ago did not have the same appeal, however, and nor do those made by Japanese politicians, Yamamoto said.

"In Japan, we don't have politicians who have such a positive influence. That's why we have to turn to a foreign president for someone in whom to place our hopes."

The 95-page paperback features Obama's speeches in English from the 2004 Democratic National Convention and during the Democratic Party primaries, in which he defeated Hillary Clinton. They are accompanied by Japanese translations.

The 1,050 yen ($12) book, which includes a CD of the speeches, tops the bestseller list on bookseller Amazon's Japanese Website, http://www.amazon.co.jp/

"Readers have sent in postcards saying that when they heard the speeches, they were so moved and cried even though they don't understand English very well," Yamamoto said.

He said lawmakers from Japan's main opposition Democratic Party had bought the book to study Obama's speeches.

Following Obama's inauguration on Tuesday, Asahi Press plans to issue a sequel that includes his inaugural address, as well as President John F. Kennedy's 1961 inaugural speech. It will also feature a reading of President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg address of 1863.

(Editing by Michael Watson)

Amsterdam's brothels and cannabis cafes 'clean-up'

Amsterdam's brothels and cannabis cafes furious over mayor's 'clean-up'


Amsterdam has long been famed for its relaxed approach to prostitution and soft drugs, making the Dutch city one of the most popular destinations for tens of thousands of Britons on stag and hen parties.


But all that may be about to change. As part of a major 'clean-up' of the city centre, the local authorities yesterday unveiled plans to close half of the brothels and the little coffee shops where cannabis can be bought and smoked, prompting warnings that they will cost the city dear as visitors head elsewhere.


where else can they smoke cannabis or do drugs ? in Indonesia or Malaysia you can get years of sentence for that and life sentence for drug trafficking.





here is a brief overview of Amsterdam famous red light district,


The majority of people have heard about Amsterdam’s Red Light District well before their visit. Leaving nothing to the imagination, most stereotypes about this area are true: there are plenty of sex shops, peep shows, brothels, an elaborate condom shop, a sex museum and of course prostitutes in red-lit windows. In addition to the fact that there is much more to the city than this district, there are a few more truths to be known about this (in)famous part of Amsterdam. .


Let's be honest

Prostitution has enjoyed a long tradition of tolerance in Amsterdam and, as with soft drugs, the Netherlands’ approach is to legalise the trade and impose regulations. Basically, they know people are going to do it anyway, so they may as well keep it safe for those involved. In addition to preventing forced prostitution, this open and honest approach means sex-workers here have their own union, plenty of police protection, an information centre (for visitors as well), frequent monitoring and testing and professional standards.

Visiting the Red Light District

The best time to see the fluorescent red glow of the Red Light District is once the sun goes down. The area is bustling with visitors and groups of tourists. It is best to travel in a pair or in a group, as the area also attracts some seedier characters. Grab a map and venture out or if you’re keen to learn more take one of the many specialised tours.



Not everything goes

There are certain rules in place to ensure the safety of prostitutes and visitors to the Red Light District. It is forbidden to take photos of the women, and this is strictly enforced. Although there is 24-hour video surveillance in most parts of the district, be aware of pickpocketers. They tend to target crowds of distracted tourists, so keep an eye on your belongings and leave your valuables in a safe at the hotel. Many families and people who need to get up for work the next morning live in this area. Respect their neighbourhood, and do not yell or cause disturbances.



There is more to the Wallen
The Wallen, also known as the Rossebuurt to Amsterdammers and the Red Light District to visitors is actually the oldest part of Amsterdam. The neighbourhood is chock-full of interesting shops, pubs, fantastic restaurants, leaning gabled houses and the city’s most charming canals. Don’t miss the vibrant Nieuwmarkt square, the gothic Oude kerk or a walk along the centre of Amsterdam’s Chinatown, the Zeedijk (also home to an impressive Buddhist temple).

taken from http://www.yuwie.com/blog/entry.asp?id=831991&eid=536334&t=The%20Red%20Ligh%20District%20in%20Amsterdam.

Spider-Man celebrates Obama as "nerd-in-chief"

Spider-Man celebrates Obama as "nerd-in-chief"

Friday, Jan 09, 2009 9:59PM UTC

By Claudia Parsons and Karina Huber

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Barack Obama will be "nerd-in-chief" when he takes office as U.S. president this month, according to Marvel Comics, which is putting him on the cover of its next "Spider-Man" comic.

The special edition of the weekly Spider-Man comic features a six-page story about the superhero saving the day when an imposter tries to take Obama's place as president. It is due to hit newsstands next Wednesday.

Marvel editor in chief Joe Quesada said the idea for the "Spidey meets the President!" edition came from a statement from Obama's campaign listing 10 little known facts about the Democrat who will be America's first black president.

"Right at the top of that list was he collected Spider-Man comics," Quesada told Reuters in an interview on Thursday.

"I was inundated with tons of fan mail saying 'Have you read this?'" Quesada said. "I was just floored, absolutely floored, to find out that the future commander-in-chief was actually going to be the future nerd-in-chief."

Excitement about Obama's election has already fueled a boom in memorabilia, from posters to front pages of November 5 newspapers announcing his victory. The Spider-Man edition, likely to become an instant collectors' item, features Obama on the cover, smiling and giving a thumbs-up.

Spidey hangs upside down behind him whispering in his ear: "Hey, if you get to be on my cover, can I be on the dollar bill?"

The story is set on January 20 in Washington, where Spidey's alter ego, Peter Parker, is on assignment as a photographer covering Inauguration Day.

When an imposter turns up, Spider-Man leaps into action, greeting Obama with the words: "Hiya, prez-elect! Loved ya in the debates."

Quesada declined to specify how many copies of the Obama issue would be printed but said it was probably slightly higher than usual. "Spider-Man tends to sell out anyway on a regular basis," he said.

Quesada said that since the stories are set in the real world, there is a long history of presidents appearing in Spider-Man comics, from Franklin D. Roosevelt through to George W. Bush, who has appeared on several occasions.

But Obama has the honor sooner than most because he made a point of saying he was a fan, Quesada said. "We thought 'He gave us a shout out, let's give him a shout back.'"

Obama told Entertainment Weekly magazine in August that his favorite superheroes were Spider-Man and Batman because "they have some inner turmoil."

Quesada has his own theory.

"I think one of the reasons why Obama would be a huge Spider-Man fan is probably because of the mantra by which he lives, ... that with great power there must also come great responsibility," he said.

"As president of the United States, I think that's a credo that he should live by."

(Writing by Claudia Parsons, editing by Michelle Nichols and Cynthia Osterman)

Panda with attitude bites zoo trespasser

BEIJING (Reuters) - A panda with a record of aggressive behavior attacked a man who jumped into its enclosure at a Beijing zoo to pick up a toy, local media said on Thursday.

The nine-year-old panda, Gugu, bit the man on his legs but was driven away by a zoo worker brandishing a broom, the Beijing Youth Daily said.

The man, who jumped into the enclosure to retrieve a toy dropped by a child, was taken to hospital and given a rabies shot, but his injuries were light, the report said.

This was not the first time Gugu has bitten somebody.

Twice before he has attacked people who climbed in to his cage, one of whom was drunk and the other who was simply curious, the newspaper added.

Scientists believe fewer than 2,000 giant pandas live in the wild in China.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Nick Macfie)

"Quantum" tops domestic James Bond box office

Thursday, Jan 08, 2009 9:17PM UTC

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Quantum of Solace" has raked in $167.1 million at domestic box offices, becoming in current dollars the highest grossing James Bond movie in the United States and Canada, the studio behind it said on Thursday.

The film surpassed 2006's "Casino Royale," the previous Bond movie, which made $167 million in the United States and Canada. "Casino" still holds the worldwide box office record for the franchise with $594.2 million.

Since it opened on November 14, "Quantum" has made $550 million worldwide, said studio Columbia Pictures, a division of Sony Corp's Sony Pictures Entertainment. The film is still playing in theaters, and has yet to open in Japan.

Both movies star Daniel Craig as Bond, the British spy.

But adjusted for inflation, "Quantum of Solace" and "Casino Royale" trail the U.S. and Canada box office revenue of the 1965 Bond movie "Thunderball," which has an adjusted total of $538.6 million, according to tracking firm Boxofficemojo.com.

"Quantum of Solace" was produced in a partnership between Columbia and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. Columbia oversaw production, marketing and distribution, but MGM will handle DVD distribution.

Starting with the next Bond movie, the franchise returns to closely held MGM. There have been 22 Bond films overall.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and Xavier Briand)

Yahoo unveils partners for Web TV push

Yahoo unveils partners for Web TV push

Thursday, Jan 08, 2009 4:52AM UTC

By Gabriel Madway

Las Vegas (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc unveiled on Wednesday a list of partners to aid its push to bring the Internet and television together, hoping their joint effort will finally connect with consumers.

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Yahoo said it has forged deals with companies including Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, LG Electronics Inc, Sony Corp and Vizio, which will make high-definition TVs that support Yahoo's online service.

Ever since the dawn of the Internet Age, tech companies have been promising to bring "convergence" of the online and TV universes, but those efforts have failed to take off with consumers who have found such products difficult to use.

The new TVs announced on Wednesday will be in the market as early as the spring and will support widgets -- small Internet applications -- that run alongside broadcast TV content, but not over it.

The applications can be used for a wide array of Web activities, like watching videos on Google Inc's YouTube.com, social networking on News Corp's MySpace.com, tracking stocks and sports teams, buying and selling on eBay, messaging friends using Twitter, or using Yahoo's own photo-sharing website Flickr.

The widgets will allow viewers more interaction with the programs they're watching, Yahoo said. There will also be applications based on Yahoo-branded services such as Yahoo Finance.

Yahoo, which has lagged behind larger rival Google in the Web search market, will use the technology as a new avenue to sell advertising.

In an interview ahead of CES, Patrick Barry, vice president of connected TV at Yahoo, said TV "is still top of mind for advertisers," the place where people spend the most time.

He said the key to successfully bringing the online experience to TV is to preserve what people love most about the Internet -- openness, choice and personalization -- without destroying the viewing experience.

"In a lot of ways, these are two different worlds, but we believe that users are increasingly looking for more out of their media platforms."

The technology also allows outsiders to write TV applications for the platform.

The Web TV effort was originally announced by Yahoo last August in conjunction with Intel Corp, the world's largest chipmaker. However, Samsung, LG, Sony and Vizio will not be using Intel chips in their widget-enabled TVs, a Yahoo spokesman said.

Separately, Toshiba Corp announced that it would be making TVs featuring the Yahoo online service that do run Intel's CE 3100 processor.

Yahoo said it released the widget development kit for developers on Wednesday in partnership with Intel.

(To see blog posts from the Consumer Electronics Show, please visit MediaFile at http://blogs.reuters.com/mediafile. For other CES stories, see http://www.reuters.com/news/topics/CES)

(Reporting by Gabriel Madway, editing by Tiffany Wu, Richard Chang)

Bollywood bids Bush goodbye with a parting shot

Bollywood bids Bush goodbye with a parting shot

Wednesday, Jan 07, 2009 5:44AM UTC

By Tony Tharakan

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Barely two weeks before George W. Bush leaves the White House, Bollywood is ready with a farewell present -- a film that takes pot shots at the outgoing U.S. president.

"The President is Coming," set in Mumbai during Bush's trip to India in 2006, tells the fictional tale of six Indians vying for a chance to shake hands with the visiting head of state.

Bush is a running theme in the film and so are 'Bushisms' -- verbal slip-ups in his speeches -- that have gained notoriety during his eight-year presidency.

"Bush is more of a sort of metaphor for the things that America represents -- good or bad -- but he's also used as a bit of a punching bag because he's an easy target," said Kunaal Roy Kapur, the film's 29-year-old director.

Shot in a mock documentary style, the English-language film depicts a series of farcical tests conducted in a room at the U.S. consulate to single out a young Indian worthy enough to meet Bush.

"The President is Coming," adapted from a play of the same name, opens in Indian cinemas Friday, just days before Barack Obama takes office on January 20 as the first black U.S. president.

"It's definitely a nice little goodbye present for Bush," said Kapur.

WHO PLAYS BUSH?

There is no word yet on whether an actor plays the president's role in the film, although the director has said he used different ways to deal with the problem, including using video footage of Bush.

Television promos for "The President is Coming" showed a person wearing a rubber Bush mask and a business suit walking past various Mumbai landmarks.

Kapur said the film, made at a cost of about 30 million rupees (approximately 414,000 pounds), would have lost much of its charm if Bush had not been the incumbent U.S. president.

"The premise wouldn't have been as much fun if any of the other presidents had been around," the first-time director said.

"The whole fun of it is that it's President Bush."

(Editing by Alistair Scrutton and Sugita Katyal)

Smoking ban in cafes puts French off cigarettes

PARIS (Reuters) - Cigarette sales in France dropped to a record low in 2008, research by British American Tobacco (BAT) shows, challenging old cliches of Parisians hooked to their Gitanes in smoke-filled cafes.

BAT cited bans on smoking in bars and public places as well as high prices as factors encouraging the formerly smoking-mad French to stub out their cigarettes for good.

BAT France said 54.4 billion cigarettes were sold last year in France, down 2.3 percent from 2007. In 1998, almost 85 billion cigarettes were sold in France.

A ban on smoking in most public places came into force in early 2007, followed by a ban on smoking in bars and cafes at the start of last year, as part of government efforts to reduce smoking for health reasons.

"The French market has never been at such a low," BAT said in a statement. "And analysis shows that, when it comes to tobacco, what is lost is never regained."

This winter, many Paris cafes have equipped their outdoor seating areas -- where smoking is still allowed -- with heaters so customers can keep puffing away while enjoying a coffee or glass of wine in the cold weather.

The price of cigarettes, which are heavily taxed, has risen steadily in recent years. The average price of a packet was 5.30 euros last year, up from 2.96 euros a decade earlier.

Cigarette sales in France do not tell the whole story, however, as some French smokers prefer to buy packets abroad where they are cheaper.

"It is clear that from the moment that prices go up in France, people will cross the border where they can get cigarettes more cheaply," said BAT France's head of institutional relations, Yves Trevilly.

He said almost one in four cigarettes smoked in France last year was bought abroad, mainly in Spain, Luxembourg and Belgium.

(Reporting by Caroline Jacobs, editing by Estelle Shirbon and Nicholas Vinocur)

Policeman attacked using own patrol car

p>Policeman attacked using own patrol car

Wednesday, Jan 07, 2009 2:33PM UTC

CANBERRA (Reuters) - An Australian outback policeman was pelted with rocks and beer bottles and his stolen patrol car was used to try and run him down, police said Wednesday.

The officer was attacked by five people Tuesday night at an Aboriginal camp near the desert town of Alice Springs.

The attackers tried to run him down several times with the stolen car before they fled, dumping the vehicle 190 km (120 miles) away. Police condemned the assault as "drunken, cowardly and brutal."

"This incident is an outrage," Northern Territory Police Commander Bert Hofer said in a statement, adding the officer had shown remarkable restraint not to use his gun in response.

"Every day police officers do their best to protect the community and often it's a difficult and dangerous job. But to have this sort of cowardly assault on a lone police officer by a group of people is completely intolerable," Hofer said.

Alice Springs, a base for tourists visiting Australia's outback, has seen a surge in violence in recent months, much of it blamed on local indigenous youths.

The town's mayor last month demanded the riot squad be brought from Darwin, 1,500 km (930 miles) away, in a bid to end lawlessness blamed on chronic joblessness, boredom and easy access to alcohol.

Police said one of the attackers, a woman, was arrested after she was found in the police vehicle. Two men and two other women were arrested Wednesday and were to be charged with assault.

(Reporting by Rob Taylor; Editing by Paul Tait)

Bikers wear fruit shells to avoid helmet law

By Mike Oboh

KANO, Nigeria (Reuters) - Police in Nigeria have arrested scores of motorcycle taxi riders with dried fruit shells, paint pots or pieces of rubber tire tied to their heads with string to avoid a new law requiring them to wear helmets.

The regulations have caused chaos around Africa's most populous nation, with motorcyclists complaining helmets are too expensive and some passengers refusing to wear them fearing they will catch skin disease or be put under a black magic spell.

The law, which came into force on January 1, pits two factions equally feared by the common motorist against one another: erratic motorcycle taxis known as "Okadas," whose owners are notorious for road-rage, and the bribe-hungry traffic police.

Some bikers have used calabashes -- dried shells of pumpkin-sized fruit usually used as a bowl -- or pots and pans tied to their heads with string to try to dodge the rules.

Construction workers have set up a lucrative trade renting out their safety helmets for around 500 naira ($3.60) a day.

"They use pots, plates, calabashes, rubber and plastic as makeshift helmets," said Yusuf Garba, commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission in the northern town of Kano.

"We will not tolerate this. We gave them enough time to purchase helmets. Six months ago the price of helmets was below 800 naira so complaints about non-availability and high prices are no excuse," he told Reuters.

Helmet prices have since risen sharply as sellers cash in on demand.

BIKES IMPOUNDED

He said 28 arrests had been made in Kano. Newspapers have reported more arrests in other cities. Those detained are fined and their bikes impounded until they buy helmets.

There are tens of thousands of Okadas buzzing around Lagos, a chaotic city of 14 million people, many of them given to unemployed and illiterate youths as part of poverty reduction programs or on hire-purchase schemes run by businessmen.

Most have never been taught traffic rules.

Newspapers quoted passengers as saying they feared the helmets could be laced with magic spells so as to knock the wearer unconscious and make them easier to rob, while others feared they would pick up an infection.

One columnist said transportation can already carry a health risk, and recounted how he had picked up a bedbug while sitting on a bus.

"The story is that people who have scabies, craw-craw, ringworm, dandruff and all other such diseases would easily infect others with them through the helmets," Steve Nwosu wrote in the Daily Sun.

"They ironically forget that the same diseases are also deposited on, and generously transferred from, car seats and their headrests."

(For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: http://africa.reuters.com/ )

(Writing by Nick Tattersall, editing by Peter Millership)

Police seek blow-up doll sex bandit

>

Police seek blow-up doll sex bandit

Wednesday, Jan 07, 2009 5:23PM UTC

SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian man broke into three adult shops, had sex with blow up dolls named "Jungle Jane" and then dumped his plastic conquests in a nearby alley, local media reported Wednesday.

"It's totally bizarre. It's a real concern that someone like that is out on the street," said one of the owners of the adult sex shops in Cairns in northern Queensland state.

"He has been taking the dolls out the back and blowing them up and using the dolls and leaving them in the alley," the owner, who gave the name of Vogue, told the Cairns Post newspaper.

Police told the Cairns Post that scientific officers had taken DNA samples, fingerprints and pictures of the crime scene.

(Reporting by Pauline Askin, Editing by Dean Yates)