British Broadcasting Corporation

Kerala's love affair with alcohol

People in the southern state of Kerala are the heaviest drinkers in India, and sales of alcohol are rising fast. The BBC's Soutik Biswas examines why.

Jacob Varghese says he began drinking when he was nine years old, sipping on his father's unfinished whisky and brandy in glass tumblers

http://news.bbc.co.u...

A friend has emailed me some interesting news clips. I hope you will enjoy its...

It's Good to Be a British Criminal
Victim Debra Wilson testified that she had been driven nearly into bankruptcy by loan shark Robert Reynolds, 39, who extorted over time the equivalent of about $135,000. In December, Reynolds was convicted in Durham Crown Court but ordered to repay only the equivalent of about $2,300. (However, the judge warned that if Reynolds failed to pay, he could be jailed for up to 35 days!) [BBC News, 12-23-09]

UAE 'still using child jockeys'

Camel racers in the United Arab Emirates are still using child jockeys in their meetings despite a ban, a human rights organisation says.

Anti-Slavery International has issued pictures of 10-year-olds riding camels at Abu Dhabi's prestigious 12-race competition on 9 February.

Children were officially banned from racing in 2005.

Racing officials said the young riders were Emirati children racing with their parents' consent.

Child jockeys were banned after it was revealed Emirati camel trainers and owners were bringing in hundreds of south Asian and African children to ride camels in races.

In granting nationality to M.F. Husain, the Gulf state of Qatar has done what it always does best — providing refuge to those in trouble back home.
Whatever be the repercussions in India — ranging from shame to jubilation — the decision has further bolstered Doha’s reputation as the ‘exile capital’ of the world.
Husain happens to be just the latest in a long list of people, who, on being driven out of their homes, have found shelter in the sleepy Qatari capital.
The most high profile of them have been the wife and daughters of Saddam Hussein. Saddam went into hiding after the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, while wife Sajjad, accompanied by daughters, Raghad and Rana, slipped into Qatar to live anonymously.

For anyone who has been following Afghanistan at all during the past decade and a half, that's not a trick question. In ABC/BBC/ARD national public opinion poll in Afghanistan, released in February 2009. Question #38 asked: “Now I’m going to ask what you think about some people and groups. Is your opinion of [INSERT] very favorable, somewhat favorable, somewhat unfavorable, or very unfavorable?”

The results (with some details omitted):

a. The Taliban: Favorable 7 | Unfavorable 91
b. Osama Bin Laden: Favorable 6 | Unfavorable 92
c. The United States: Favorable 47 | Unfavorable 52
d. Pakistan: Favorable 8 | Unfavorable 91
e. Great Britain: Favorable 39 | Unfavorable 54
f. Iran: Favorable 57 | Unfavorable 40
g. Germany: Favorable 61 | Unfavorable 31

In a first for the region, ictQATAR partnered with the International Institute of Communications (IIC) on the Digital Literacy Communications Forum, on February 9, 2010, addressing an issue of primary concern for all, with significant implications for everyone.

Being digitally literate means more than just knowing how to use a computer or surf the internet. True digital literacy requires being empowered with information on how to best use digital communications to succeed both economically and socially.

In an engaging forum hosted today by ictQATAR and the IIC , regional and international experts worked to develop a clear definition of digital communications literacy and define its importance in areas such as business, culture, education and creativity.

Doha: Doha resident and dedicated bird photographer Dileep Kumar has scored a major achievement – with a photo taken in Qatar recently being chosen as among the top five out of 39,387 entries in BirdGuide’s online “Photo of the Year 2009”.

"The picture of the Greater Spotted Eagle"

Based in Britain, BirdGuide is a leading international birding site, and competition to be among the photographers whose picture is chosen gets more intense every year. Year 2009 saw a record number of entries.

The Togo team which returned from African cup of Nations after their team bus was attacked. Two members of their delegation were killed and few got injured and now Togo has been banned from the next 2 tournaments and fined 50,000 Dollars because of their withdrawl from the tournament. Were they honestly expected to play after that assault?

Togo banned from next two Africa Cups of Nations

Togo have been banned from the next two Africa Cup of Nations following their withdrawal from this year's tournament.

The Confederation of African football (Caf) also fined the Hawks $50,000 for quitting the competition in the wake of a gun attack on the team bus in Angola.

We've been here over 2 years and we're slowly starting to miss the land they call England :(

I've just found out that you can watch British TV (bbc1/2/3/4), ITV, C4 & five live through the internet for £20 a month! What a bargain!. This also includes bbc iplayer and around 40 other tv channels.

So, the last few nights we've been catching up on some of the UK best shows.

Does anyone else watch British TV live?

Mimi...