BAGHDAD: Sitting in a barber shop in Baghdad's Shi'ite Sadr City slum, three friends agreed after a long and hard argument that U.S. forces brought democracy to Iraq. But they found it difficult to utter the words without raging about the flip side of what they saw as the U.S. occupation of their country. "OK, we have democracy. We can talk freely with no fear. We can demonstrate and vote freely. All these are available, and all were not before 2003," said student Hussain Ali, 20, as he waited for his haircut. "But why don't you ask us about the other side of the story of the...
Published On: 2011-11-17

KATHMANDU: Over the years, the culture of eating out has grown and transformed tremendously in Nepal, especially in the metropolitan areas where restaurants specialising in various cuisines have sprouted in almost every nook and corner. To provide the unique — perhaps even rare — opportunity for people to enjoy cuisines from all over the world at one venue, The Himalayan Times (THT) is organising the seventh International Food Festival 2011 (IFF ‘11) at Gokarna Forest Resort on November 26. THT has had a long and close connection with food, being the pioneer in terms of org...
Published On: 2011-11-16

KATHMANDU: With bated breath, the arrival of Michael Learns to Rock (MLTR) band members was being expected. And with the appearance of the three members: vocalist and keyboardist Jascha Richter, drummer Kare Wanscher and guitarist Mikkel Lentz, the wait was over for those who were keenly waiting for them at Tribhuwan International Airport on November 16. Cameras clinked and flashed as they came into sight. “Thank You” expressed the drummer Wanscher after a warm welcome of garlands and khadas. “Hi to everyone, thank you for inviting us,” he said as a message for the Ne...
Published On: 2011-11-16

BERLIN: A recent wave of spam flooding Facebook users' pages with graphic pictures depicting sex and violence has mostly been stopped, but the social networking site said Wednesday that people need to remain vigilant to keep their accounts from being hijacked. Facebook in Germany said the latest attack tricked users into pasting and executing malicious JavaScript in their browser URL bar, exploiting a browser vulnerability that caused them to unknowingly share the content, according to a statement to news agency dapd. "Our team responded quickly and we have eliminated most of the spam c...
Published On: 2011-11-16

FAREWELL SPIT: More than 60 pilot whales died in a mass stranding at a remote New Zealand beach, conservation officials said Wednesday. Tourists found the pod of 61 beached whales on Monday at Farewell Spit, on the top of the South Island, the Department of Conservation (DOC) said. DOC local manager John Mason said a large number were already dead and hopes the survivors would refloat at high tide on Tuesday were dashed when the whales swam back to shore. He said 18 whales remained alive early Wednesday and DOC staff decided to euthanize them, rather than prolong their suffering. "It'...
Published On: 2011-11-16

KUALA LUMPUR: Claims that a nocturnal Asian lizard can be used to help treat the HIV virus have led to a sharp boom in smuggling of the reptile, putting it at risk, a conservation group said Tuesday. Demand for the Tokay Gecko has skyrocketed in recent years after online blogs, newspaper articles and wildlife traders extolled the consumption of the lizard's tongue and internal organs as a miracle cure for HIV, TRAFFIC Southeast Asia said in a report. TRAFFIC said such claims were unfounded and "indicative of an elaborate hoax." The Philippines' government in July also warned that u...
Published On: 2011-11-16

LONDON: Britain should introduce a ban on all smoking in cars to protect people from second-hand smoke, a leading doctors' union said Wednesday. The British Medical Association (BMA) urged the government to take a "bold and courageous step" and extend current laws to include a ban on smoking in private vehicles. Britain banned smoking in public places such as pubs and restaurants in 2007 but has avoided legislating for private areas. "The UK made a huge step forward in the fight against tobacco by banning smoking in all enclosed public places, but more can still be done,"...
Published On: 2011-11-16

RICHMOND: The Virginia-based Marine who took Justin Timberlake to her unit's annual ball said she didn't know what to expect from the evening but had a great time. Cpl. Kelsey De Santis said she was honored that the singer and actor accepted her invitation via YouTube video to the Marine Corps Ball in Richmond. De Santis said Tuesday on the "Today" show and "Good Morning America" that the experience was wonderful. She said she and Timberlake had one dance, and the rest of the time they enjoyed mingling among the crowd. "He had a smile on his face the entire time an...
Published On: 2011-11-16

LONDON: Julian Barnes, who won this year's Man Booker Prize for Fiction, and Carol Ann Duffy, Britain's poet laureate, were among the nominees for the 2011 Costa Book Awards announced Tuesday. English author Barnes is one of four shortlisted for the best novel category for "The Sense of an Ending," the work that won him the coveted Booker award last month at the fourth time of asking. Scottish writer Duffy, who was made the nation's poet in 2009, has been shortlisted in the poetry section for "The Bees." The winner of each of the five categories -- novel, first novel, bi...
Published On: 2011-11-16

SAN FRANCISCO: Apple Inc. has named Arthur Levinson as its non-executive chairman, a move that rewards the longtime Apple board member who chose it over Google Inc. when the technology giants began competing with each other. Levinson, 61, fills the vacancy left when co-founder Steve Jobs died last month at age 56 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Jobs had been chairman for less than two months, a position created when he stepped down as chief executive in August. Robert Iger, president and CEO of The Walt Disney Co., was tapped as a director. The appointments were announced Tuesda...
Published On: 2011-11-16