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Sydney, Oct 24 : No matter how enthused people are about hitting the gym, they make excuses to skip working out at least once a week, says a poll.

In a recent News poll survey in which 979-health club members were investigated, it was found that 63 per cent of gym goers opted out of a workout at least once a week.

In the poll the respondents cited several reasons for de-motivation with cold weather and dark nights being common excuses but mental fatigue was the reason most often given.

Jeff Bond, former head of Sport Psychology at the Australian Institute of Sport, said that attitude was very essential to long-term fitness.

New Delhi, Oct 24 : Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, who is on a four-day visit to India, was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan today.

The Queen, on the first such visit in 21 years, met with President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh besides other top leaders.

The two sides are expected to explore ways to strengthen bilateral ties, particularly in the sectors of trade and economy.

The bilateral trade between the two countries amounts to nearly 2.28 billion dollars and business houses in both countries are looking at doubling this in the next five years.

London, Oct 24 : A petrol station cashier stunned an armed robber by calmly telling him that she was “too busy to deal with him.”

Linda Faulkner was on duty when David Collinson walked into the petrol station in Cheltenham at around 8pm on February 12 and ordered cashier Hayley Holder to fill his bag with money or else he’ll shoot.

"He then placed down what appeared to be a gun. Miss Holder started to do what he told her and put the notes from the till into the bag. Then when he pointed the gun at her, she started to put £1 and £2 coins into the bag. He added, 'The other till as well', pointing to Linda Faulkner's till,” the Daily Mail quoted prosecutor Brendon Moorhouse, as saying.

But when Holder asked Linda to put money into the bag, the latter flatly refused.

Chennai-based firm, Sun TV Network has announced better-than-expected re

London, Oct 24 : Almost nine out of ten dog owners in the UK love their pets to an early grave by feeding them cakes, biscuits and yoghurts, a new study has found.

The findings, from a poll of more than 1,000 owners by confectioner Mars, also revealed that 60 per cent of cat lovers are do the same to their felines.

The poll found that almost half of all dogs and cats in Britain are now officially overweight.

For example Beau, the Rottweiler of Farnworth, Lancs weighs 14 stone, while Fidget the cat of North Shields weighs 18lbs.

But the researchers also said that most owners are not aware of the health hazards it poses for animals.

Wellington, Oct 24 : A new study has shown that one in four New Zealand women are sexually abused as children.

The study, by the University of Auckland, revealed that 23 per cent of Kiwi women in urban areas and 28 per cent in rural areas experienced some form of sexual abuse when under 15 years-old.

The researchers also found that around half of the women had experienced the abuse on more than one occasion and in most cases, one perpetrator was involved, generally a male family member.

According to the team, the average age of the victim at the start of the abuse was nine, while that of the abuser was 30.