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Madonna does not talk to her brother (Go To Top)

        New York: Sibling rifts do not spare the celebrities too. Recently singer Madonna's brother was seen sulking at the opening of the Ice Bar at Abbey in LA. According to New York Post, Christopher Ciccone complained that Madonna "Won't talk to me." The brother - sister duo has had a number of rift owing to Christopher's hard drinking habits, though this time the reason behind their rift remains oblivious. Christopher's public sulking coincided with the opening of his sister's Great Westersn Forum concert.

Man's name keeps girls at bay (Go To Top)

          Singapore: A Taiwanese man had great difficulty in finding a wife for himself because of his name. Apparently Mr. Lan Shang Ta could not find a bride for himself as women were embarrassed to marry him because his name sounds like 'lan seung tua' which means 'penis too big', in Hokkien. His burly build does not help either, Mr Lan told Taiwanese newspaper United Daily News. 'The girls were probably scared off by the strong suggestion of sex in my name as well as my body weight of more than 120kg!," Lan was quoted as saying by Strait Times. His grandfather, who gave him the name, had apologised upon learning that it was the cause of his bachelorhood, he added Two years ago, Mr Lan married a Vietnamese bride. He said: 'Perhaps it's because she's Vietnamese and does not understand Hokkien, that's why she's not afraid to marry me!'

Chinese under invasion from English (Go To Top)

          Singapore: China is under a threat from English! The language scholars in China are highly concerned about invasion of English language and the resultant corruption of Chinese language. English words such as 'CEO' and 'okay' are being commonly used in daily conversation among Chinese speakers and in the media, reports The Strait Times. China's increased interaction with the world and the popularity of the internet has brought about this new trend. In a recently held seminar on this issue, the experts agreed that it has become a social issue that is detrimental to the healthy development of the national language, even causing ambiguity in the spoken language. Chinese language experts are not against the use of foreign words or abbreviations where it is necessary and appropriate, but were against overuse, admits Social linguistics expert Li Bin. "Why use a foreign word when there is a Chinese word for it? For example, there is a Chinese term for the abbreviation CEO, which is not understood by the common people," Bin was quoted as saying. "The question is how to standardize use rather than to forbid it," another language expert Li Xingjian said. One of the main problems with the overuse of foreign words mainly from English is that most of the Chinese people do not understand them. "Using such words in the newspapers is not convenient for older people who won't understand them," explained Bin. The seminar concluded that there was a need to restrict the indiscriminate use of foreign words in the Chinese media.

Breast reduction may prevent chances of breast cancer (Go To Top)

          Washington: According to a study published in the June issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery(r), the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), women at high risk of developing breast cancer may have an additional preventive alternative to having their breasts removed that is breast reduction surgery. Although the complete removal of a woman's breasts can diminish the chance of developing this potentially fatal disease, most women find it extremely difficult to choose to remove their breasts. Women may now have an additional preventative option, based on this report, to have their breasts reduced rather than removed. This represents a real alternative for someone who is a candidate for breast reduction, even though the amount of tissue removed may be small. "Breast reduction is a risk reducer, not a preventative guarantee," said Leroy Young, MD, author of the study and chair of ASPS Emerging Trends Committee. "For the majority of women with a high inherited susceptibility to breast cancer, completely removing their breasts is not a desirable option as primary prevention. This study strongly indicates that women, who are breast reduction candidates, can choose to have their breasts reduced instead, thus decreasing their chance of developing breast cancer."

Baby talk by Cameron makes Timberlake uneasy (Go To Top)

          London: Hollywood beauty Cameron Diaz apparently got high at the Hotel du Cap Eden Roc during the Cannes film festival and admitted that she would love to have a baby. The admission by her was enough to flabbergast her much younger boyfriend, Justin Timberlake. "Justin was obviously completely surprised by what she said and didn't know how to respond," an onlooker told Star. The sultry actress in an inebriated state was quoted as saying to ladies present at the bar, "All my friends are having babies. It would be nice to have [kids] at the same time so our children could grow up together." The source added, "Cameron seemed a little tipsy, but sounded sincere about wanting kids. Justin just sat there in silence with this hang-dog look on his face."

Wife gives away ex-husband (Go To Top)

          London: Here is one of those rare men whose marriages end on a good note, in fact so much so that when a British man Mike McKee decided to get married again, he asked his ex-wife to give him away. McKee whose marriage of fifteen years with Kay Wittacker ended fourteen years ago asked his ex-wife and her current fianci to be his best men at the wedding. According to The Sun, Wittaker and her current boyfriend Steve Downey even accompanied McKee and his new bride on their honeymoon. McKee, 55, runs a museum and a haunted house attraction and has continued to remain good friends with his ex-wife. Kay, 49, admitted to being thrilled when Mike fell for Christine Griffiths in 1999 after meeting at a party. "Asking Kay to give me away seemed the right thing to do. We've been through our rough patches but now we've put our differences behind us and she was as happy as everyone else to find out I was getting married," said McKee. McKee is now gearing up to be the best man at Steve and Kay's wedding. "I'm happy to see Mike so happy. And Christine's wonderful, not a lot of women would be so good with their partner's ex," said Kay.

Ash is the new face of L'Oreal (Go To Top)

          Mumbai: Aishwarya Rai is the new face of L'Oreal. This Paris based company is world's leading cosmetic brand who are in the business of hair colour, skin care, make up and hair care categories. L'Oreal also announced their 10 years of operations in India, which coincided with 10 years of Aishwarya winning the Miss world crown. After international beauties like Laetitia Casta, Andie McDowell, Milla Jovovich, Noemie Lenoir, Virgie Ledoyen, Agbani Darego, Gong Li and Catherine Deneuve- Aishwarya has joined this international dream team. Aishwarya truly personifies the L'Oreal Paris beauty with attributes like beauty, sophistication, charm and modernity. A perfect symbol of L'Oreal Paris understanding of the diversity, Aishwarya Rai will now be seen in the new L'Oreal television campaign shot in Britain for excellence hair colour as well as print campaign for L'Oreal Paris skin care brand Dermo expertise. All geared up for her next release 'Kyon Ho Gaya Naa' and her first international film 'Bride and Prejudice' Aishwarya truly represents L'Oreal catch line 'Because I am worth it'.