London, July 25 : Cycling superstar Lance Armstrong is under fire after it was revealed that his latest bike for the Tour de France has been decorated with hundreds of dead butterflies.

Controversial Brit artist Damien Hirst has designed the machine for America''s seven-time Tour winner to ride into Paris tomorrow.

Hirst, who had earlier created works with insects, bred the butterflies, which were then killed and their wings glued to the hi-tech bike.

But Sam Glover, of animal rights group Peta, called the stunt "barbaric".

Washington, May 19 : Kissing a partner may turn out to be disastrous if one's breath is not sweet. But these concerns may soon be history, thanks to pocket-sized breath test that helps know whether malodorous bacteria are brewing in the mouth.

Tel Aviv researchers, who have come up with this ultimate solution, have revealed that a blue result suggests that a person needs a toothbrush.

However, add the researchers, one would be "okay to kiss" if it is clear.

Melbourne, December 2 : Nicole Kidman seems to be a popular topic of discussion on Facebook – because of users’ hatred towards the actress.

And their hatred has sky-rocketed so much that they are forming anti-Kidman campaigns.

The Academy Award-winner is said to be the target of groups such as "Am I Taking Crazy Pills or is Nicole Kidman the Worst Actress in the World?" "Nicole Kidman is Satan", or simply "I hate Nicole Kidman" - by people never likely to have met the star or known her personally.

Event:"The Eye" Los Angeles Premiere - Arrivals
Venue & Location:ArcLight Cinerama Dome / Hollywood, CA. USA
Event Date:1/31/2008
Photographer:© Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos

Event:"The Last House On The Left" Los Angeles Premiere - Arrivals
Venue & Location:ArcLight Cinemas / Hollywood, CA. USA
Event Date:3/10/2009
Exclusive / Restrictions:Non-Exclusive Rights Managed Image
Photographer:Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos

Event:2009 BAFTA/LA Awards Season Tea Party - Arrivals
Venue & Location:Beverly Hills Hotel / Beverly Hills, CA, USA
Event Date:1/10/2009
Photographer:Bob Charlotte / PR Photos

Amman - Most Arab stock markets rebounded in the last two days of the week curtailing losses they incurred earlier.

But analysts said Friday regional bourses would remain "cautious" pending developments on world markets after the US Fed's decision to slash interest rates by 50 basis points.

"I believe Arab stock markets will continue to assume vigilance because investors are still lacking in appetite for risk and alert to what takes place on leading world markets," Wajdi Makhamreh, Chief Operating Officer of the Amman-based Sanabel International Holding, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

Event:Sylvester Stallone Donates Memorabilia From "Rambo" to Planet Hollywood in New York
Venue & Location:Planet Hollywood / New York City, NY, USA
Event Date:1/17/2008
Photographer:© Janet Mayer / PR Photos

Event:Avril Lavigne In Chicago "The Best Damn Tour 2008" - March 21, 2008
Venue & Location:Allstate Arena / Rosemont, IL, United States
Event Date:3/21/2008
Photographer:© Adam Bielawski / PR Photos

Event:"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" World Premiere - Arrivals
Venue & Location:The Empire and Odeon Cinemas, Leicester Square / London, UK
Event Date:07/07/2009
Photographer:Solarpix / PR Photos

Book closure date from : 09/09/2008 to : 13/09/2008 Dividend : 15.00%

After dipping into negative zone during October, Index for industrial production (IIP) registered a positive growth of 2.4% in November 2008.

Industrial action has contracted by 0.3% in October 2008.

IIP stood at 4.9% during the corresponding period of the last year (Nov 2007).

For the first eight months, IIP increased by 3.9 percent as against 9.2 percent in the corresponding period of 2007-08.

Despite the fear of economic slowdown as a result of continuous rise in the crude oil prices, the net direct tax collections increased by 38.61 per cent in the first quarter.

According to a statement released by the Finance Ministry, the growth in direct tax collections in Nagpur and Kochi witnessed as high as 74.08 % and 68.98% respectively, in the direct tax collection, whereas, it was less than 50% in cities like Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata. In the capital city Delhi, the direct tax collection increased to 53.57%.

Tokyo  - Tokyo stocks ended Monday morning trading almost flat amid a wait-and-see mood ahead of the release of US key economic data.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average edged up 9.76 points, or 0.1 per cent, to 9,796.02.

The broader-based Topix index was also up 1.96 points, or 0.21 per cent, to 920.93.

Tokyo investors retreated to sidelines as they waited for key US economic data such as home sales and durable goods orders to be released later this week.

New York, Oct 17 : Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden today cast doubt on Joe the Plumber, who was a focal point of last night’s presidential debates after he questioned Barack Obama’s tax plan.

“I don’t have any Joe the plumbers in my neighborhood who make 250,000 dollar a year and are worried,” Biden told NBC.

Washington - The United States has rescinded invitations to Iranian officials to attend embassy festivities marking American independence, following the violent crackdown against protestors.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said that no Iranian officials had accepted the invitations announced earlier this month to attend Independence Day celebrations on July 4, as part of the plan to engage Tehran.

Board Meeting :Quarterly Results.

Kullu, June 10 : Trekking season is at its peak in Himachal Pradesh and several enthusiastic trekkers from different parts of the country and abroad are making a beeline for a thrilling experience here.

Thousands of trekkers have thronged to Kullu valley to enjoy its mystic and scenic beauty.

Madrid - Spain's National Court has handed 21 members of a Basque separatist organization prison terms ranging from eight to 10 years, the court said Wednesday.

The court also ordered the dissolution of Gestoras Pro Amnistia, an organization defending jailed members of the militant Basque separatist group ETA.

Gestoras and its successor Askatasuna had already been slapped temporary bans in 2001 and 2002 respectively.

The court ruling followed the outlawing of the separatist party Basque National Action (ANV) on Tuesday. dpa

Event:Rock on the Range 2008 - Day 2
Venue & Location:Columbus Crew Stadium / Columbus, OH, USA
Event Date:5/18/2008
Photographer:© Daniel Locke / PR Photos