London, Jan 14 : Acclaimed author J. K. Rowling has received a special gold-dust invitation for US President-elect Barack Obama's inaugural ceremony, according to reports.

The author received the special early invitation because Obama is a huge fan of Harry Potter books.

The invitation may see Rowling rubbing shoulders with celebrities like George Clooney and Will Smith at the star-studded inauguration ceremony and White House dinner on Tuesday.

London, Jan 14: When it comes to workplace and relationships, brunettes are more successful than blondes, according to a British survey.

Dark-haired women are twice as likely to earn a salary of 45,000 pounds to 55,000 pounds than blonde or redheaded colleagues, a survey of 6,000 people by cosmetics line Garnier has found.

Three in four people also think brunettes are the brainiest women, the study found.

Most men also rated brunettes the most confident lovers and 71 per cent chose them as their preferred partner, reports the Sun. (ANI)

Washington, January 14 : Rumours are rife that the Jonas Brothers, who have been nominated for a Grammy, will also give a performance during the award ceremony on February 8.

Sources have revealed that the group will belt out one tune, according to E! Online.

The Jonas Brothers' contest for the Best New Artists award is against Adele, Duffy, Lady Antebellum, and Jazmine Sullivan.

"At the end of the year, we were nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy," Us magazine quoted Kevin, Nick and Joe as writing recently on their My Space page.

Tel Aviv - Israel appeared Wednesday to be increasing its pressure on Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip, as its the air force attacked 60 targets in the salient overnight, bringing to 160 the number of airstrikes carried out in the past 24 hours.

A military spokesman said early Wednesday morning that the latest targets attacked included police headquarters in Gaza City, rocket launching sites, nine arms depots and 35 smuggling tunnels running under the Gaza-Egyptian border, which Israel believes are used to bring weapons into the salient.

Aircraft also gave air support to troops on the ground, the spokesman said.

Islamabad, Jan 14: Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif has stressed on the supremacy of parliament by saying he is ready to back Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani if President Asif Ali Zardari attempts to take back his power to dissolve the assemblies.

"If the presidency tries to create hurdles in our way, then the PML-N will extend its support to the Prime Minister," Sharif told reporters at the Punjab House here.

Washington, Jan 14: A new research has suggested that the earliest known bird, Archaeopteryx, had a similar hearing range to the modern emu, which suggests that the 145 million-year-old creature, despite its reptilian teeth and long tail, was more birdlike than reptilian.

The research was done by a team of paleontologists and biologists from London, Munich and Ohio.

Islamabad, Jan 14: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt has said that the Board is on the verge of bankruptcy due to the "wrong policies" of his predecessor, Dr. Nasim Ashraf.

Ijaz was summoned by the Pakistan Senate Committee on Sports to explain the controversy of "illegal appointments"' and "unnecessary sackings" of lower grade employees in the PCB, The News reported.

Washington, Jan 14 : University of Oklahoma researchers are developing a process that would help convert biomass into eco-friendly gasoline.

The research team led by Lance Lobban, director of the School of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering are interested in how best to use catalysts (solids that accelerate certain chemical reactions) and chemical reactors to convert biomass into new fuels that would alleviate dependence on foreign oil.

Melbourne, Jan 14 : Hollywood actor Brad Pitt was left shocked after a drunken woman called him an "ugly dog" at the Golden Globes after party.

The 45-year old actor was at HBO''s party after the Golden Globes event when he was confronted by the drunken woman, reports Daily Telegraph.

"Brad was enjoying a cocktail and chatting with friends at party when this woman, who was clearly drunk, approached him," a source told Daily Mail.

Washington, Jan 14 : Taiwan researchers are developing a bicycle that would tell the riders when to change the gear.

They are designing a computer for pedal cyclists that tells them when to change gear to optimise the power they develop while maintaining comfort.

While riding a bicycle, few people know how to adjust the gears to get the most power out of their pedalling without becoming uncomfortable either through having to pedal too fast in a low gear on level roads or straining when going up hill or to maintain a high speed.

Researchers from National Defense University, Tashi, Taiwan, ROC have developed a computerised system that would tell exactly when to change gear.

San Jose, Costa Rica - The Costa Rican government is seeking international aid in the wake of last week's devastating earthquake, news reports said Tuesday.

According to Costa Rican authorities, the death toll in the 6.2-magnitude quake has risen to 20 and damage has been estimated at around 100 million dollars.

Eight bridges, 7 power lines, 61 villages and 26 roads were badly damaged in the earthquake, officials said.

London, January 14: Devastated couple John Travolta and wife Kelly Preston have expressed their gratitude to Florida neighbours for their support after the tragic death of their son Jett.

The pair bid their 16-year-old Jett a final goodbye on January 5 after the teenager died from a seizure during a family holiday in the Bahamas, reports the Telegraph.

Washington, Jan 14 : Based on a new research, a dinosaur, whose remains were found in the state of Texas in the US, is up for a change of name.

The research, carried out by Southern Methodist University (SMU), has proven that the dinosaur Pleurocoelus, which is the official state dinosaur of Texas, has been misidentified.

State Representative Charles Geren of Fort Worth filed a resolution on January 7th to change the name of the state dinosaur from Pleurocoelus to Paluxysaurus jonesi, in an effort to correctly name the massive sauropod, whose tracks and bones litter the central Texas Jones Ranch.

London, January 14 : Indian polo player Kolin Dhillon has revealed that friend Prince Charles is a man of `zero prejudice' and had "affectionately" nicknamed him Sooty.

Dhillon's statement comes after the Royal family came under the scanner in a new race row, with Prince Harry facing probe by Army officials for calling a fellow Asian comrade "Paki" in a 2006 home video.

Melbourne - Roger Federer stepped up his preparation for the Australian Open as he claimed his eighth career victory over Carlos Moya 6-3, 6-4 on Wednesday's opening day at the AAMI Classic.

Joining Federer as a winner at the promotion-relegation event was Olympic doubles partner Stan Wawrinka, with the number 16 hammering off-form Marcos Baghdatis 6-2, 6-2.

Stock market analysts have suggested investors to ‘sell’ ICICI Bank stock with a target of Rs 415.

According to them, interested investors can sell the stock between Rs 425-430 with a strict stop loss of Rs 438.
 
Today (Jan 14), the stock opened at Rs 440, against its last closure at Rs 426.25 on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on Tuesday (Jan 13). Current EPS & P/E ratio stood at 37.03 and 12.10 respectively. The share price has seen a 52-week high of Rs 1465 and a low of Rs 282.15 on BSE.

The near-term outlook is bearish for ICICI Bank so analysts have recommended ‘sell’ on this stock.

Islamabad, Jan 14 : Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has said that parliament is authorised to decide on the powers of the President and the Prime Minister, and added that he would accept whatever decision is made regarding amendments to the Constitution.

"I believe in the sovereignty of parliament and the strengthening of the democratic institutions," he told a four-member delegation of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) delegation in a meeting at the Presidency.

Washington, January 14 : Alaska Governor Sarah Palin might have been unsuccessful as the Republican vice-presidential candidate in the 2008 U. S. election, but still continues to attract criticism as well as admiration.

The media is so fascinated with Palin that there is no sign of letting up when it comes to covering any conversation about her, even as her opponents prepare to enter the White House.

New Delhi, Jan. 14: India and Nigeria have expressed keen desire to take forward the existing cooperation between the two countries in the hydro-carbon sector.

At a bilateral meeting held in New Delhi on Tuesday with Dr. Emmanuel O. Egbogah, Adviser to the President on Petroleum matters, Additional Secretary in the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry S. Sundareshan informed that in the two blocks awarded to ONGC Mittal Energy Ltd. (OMEL), the company has strived to fulfill its obligations.

London, Jan 14 : In a new research, scientists have claimed to detect evidence for granite highlands on Venus in data almost two decades old, which suggests that the planet may have once been far more like Earth, with oceans and continents.

According to a report in Nature News, the data includes nighttime infrared emissions coming from the surface of Venus, which was detected by NASA's Galileo spacecraft in 1990.