16 August 2008
Legendary producer Wexler is dead :
US record producer Jerry Wexler, who influenced the careers of singers including Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and Bob Dylan, has died aged 91.David Ritz, co-author of Mr Wexler's memoirs, said the producer passed away at his home in Sarasota, Florida.
Mr Wexler rose to fame as a partner in the influential Atlantic Records label with the late Ahmet Ertegun.
He also coined the term "rhythm and blues" while writing for Billboard magazine in the late 1940s.
Mr Wexler produced the hugely popular Aretha Franklin hit Respect, itself a re-working of an Otis Redding song.
He also produced the Percy Sledge track, When a Man Loves a Woman, as well as the Wilson Pickett song, In the Midnight Hour.
He also helped Bob Dylan win his first Grammy award by producing the 1979 album, Slow Train Coming.
Potter film release date delayed :
The release date for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has been pushed back by eight months, to July 2009.The sixth instalment of the teenage wizard's adventures was supposed to have its Royal premiere on 17 November.
Alan Horn, president of studio Warner Bros, said the decision was taken to guarantee the studio a major summer blockbuster in 2009.
He also blamed the Hollywood writers' strike, which hit the film industry hard earlier this year.
Mr Horn said the strike, which ended in February, had "impacted the readiness of scripts for other films."
Fantasy books :
He said: "The picture is completely, absolutely, 100% on schedule, on time. There were no delays.
"I've seen the movie. It is fabulous. We would have been perfectly able to have it out in November."
US demands Russian troop pull-out :
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has demanded that Russian forces withdraw from Georgia immediately.It comes after Georgia's president signed an EU-brokered ceasefire deal, after nearly five hours of talks.
In angry comments at a news briefing in Tbilisi, President Mikhail Saakashvili said his country would never accept the loss of any of its territory.
The crisis began when Georgia sent troops to the breakaway region of South Ossetia, sparking Russian intervention.
Georgian forces launched a surprise attack on 7 August against separatist militiamen that it accused of attacking civilians in South Ossetia.
Scores of people have died since the fighting began and tens of thousands have been displaced.
DIY Olympians told to 'ease off' :
One of the aims of the Olympics is to raise interest in taking part in sports - but it seems some people are pushing themselves a little too hard.A gadget helpline has been receiving calls from people wanting to know how to set their cycling and rowing machines to keep up with Olympians.
One man from Runcorn even admitted he had broken his rowing machine trying to keep up with Team GB.
Sports scientists said people should be aware of their personal limits.
Lawyers set September 15 deadline for judges’ restoration :
RAWALPINDI: Lawyers have set September 15 as new deadline for judges’ restoration. Addressing a press conference here, Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Aitzaz Ahsan has said that ‘minus one’ formula is no longer applicable after the Islamabad declaration. Aitzaz said that lawyers’ movement was keeping a close eye on the developments as regards President’s impeachment and President had better resign. He said whether the President was i ... Full Story Son of former Bulgarian prime minister hurt in car crash :
MADRID: A son of former Bulgarian king Simeon Saxe Coburg was seriously injured in a car accident near Madrid Friday, Spanish media reported. Kardam of Bulgaria, 46, was driving with his wife and suffered serious injuries to his head. He may also have to have both hands amputated. His wife's condition was less severe. For unknown reasons his car, a Jaguar, crashed into a tree as he was driving in the town of El Malor, rescue services told the press. The couple was taken to a hospital in the Spanish capital. Kardam is the eldest of Simeon's five sons. Simeon, a relative of England's Queen Elizabeth and Belgium's King Albert, became king at the age of six and went into exile in Spain when Bulgaria became a republic in 1946.He returned to Bulgaria in 2001 and became the only European royal to have served as prime minister, holding the post in Bulgaria from 2001 to 2005.
Dollar closes at Rs76.35 :
KARACHI: The sliding rupee value against US dollar earlier in the day dipped to a new low at Rs77, later fought back to regain some losses, despite that until close, it was seen plummeted by Rs1.20 and ending at Rs76.35.Dealers attributed this persistent fall in the rupee value to continued political instability and disturbing law and order situation in the country, which triggered flight of capital, zeroed foreign investment, while the gaping deficit in balance of trade and sharply dwindling foreign reserves added fuel to the fire.Economist Qaisar Bengali told Geo News that bringing a turnaround in the existing economic situation shortly seemed such a difficult challenge, which could not be achieved easily. The government would have to make such long-term policies, which could pave way for minimizing dependence on oil imports and develop country’s resources.
Russian armoured convoy moves closer to Tbilisi: report
TBILISI: A convoy of 10 Russian armoured personnel carriers on Friday moved deeper into Georgia before halting just 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Tbilisi, a foreign news agency reporter said. The convoy, with a Russian flag on the lead vehicle, travelled about 25 kilometres from the city of Gori in the direction of Tbilisi, before stopping near the village of Igoeti.Half of the vehicles then split from the others and headed northeast towards the village of Lamiskana.
A spokeswoman for Georgia's ministry of defence told media that Russian forces had told Tbilisi the troop and vehicle movements were part of a plan for the Russian army's eventual withdrawal from Gori. "The Russians have explained the recent movements as a necessity to organise their withdrawal. They said they are organising some kind of corridor for their troops," spokeswoman Nana Intskirveli said. "It is unlikely to be true. Why do they need these vehicles this far from Gori?" she added. Officials said earlier Friday that Georgian authorities were negotiating with Russian commanders for the handover of Gori.
Balochistan MPAs pass no-trust motion against Musharraf :
QUETTA: Lawmakers in the Balochistan Assembly on Friday unanimously passed a no-trust resolution against President Pervez Musharraf and demanded that he should seek a vote of confidence from the present assembly or quit immediately.Balochistan Assembly after passing anti-Musharraf motion became the fourth provincial assembly to reject the beleaguered president. 57 MPAs voted in favour of the resolution, 7 MPAs remained absent including the only opposition member Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind.Balochistan Assembly has 65 members in the house. All the speakers who took part in the debate alleged that President Musharraf was guilty of violating the Constitution twice, creating economic and power crises and being responsible for pitting one province against the other sowing the seeds of confrontation. MPAs also accused President Musharraf of being responsible for the assassination of Nawab Akber Bugti and other Baloch people.
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