Gordon Brown, House of Commons congratulate Manmohan Singh

LONDON - In a felicitation from the world’s oldest democracy to its largest, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has congratulated Manmohan Singh on behalf of the British parliament.

Indian lawyers to defend cricket world cup in England

LONDON - Dumping their stuffy black coats, scores of lawyers from around the Commonwealth are set to descend on English playing fields this summer to play cricket.

Race row over British Queen’s tea party

LONDON - The Mayor of London Thursday accused the anti-migrant British National Party (BNP) of seeking to whip up a ‘political stunt’ after its leader was reported headed for the British Queen’s garden party.

Slumdog Millionaire’ star Ayush Khedekar dream run continues

CANNES - From the Oscars to Cannes, life continues to be a dream run for Mumbai boy Ayush Khedekar, who burst on the global scene as the youngest Jamal Malik in Danny Boyle’s smash hit ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ and subsequently walked the Oscar red carpet as the film swept Hollywood’s most coveted awards.

India’s NFDC ups ante in Cannes market

CANNES - India’s nodal cinema body NFDC seems to be going places. It is not only exploring global distribution avenues for regional language films at Cannes but has also finalised a partnership deal with the Locarno festival authorities.

Mariah Carey left without hairdresser for Cannes

CANNES - Pop singer Mariah Carey’s Cannes Film Festival experience was almost ruined when she was abandoned by her hair stylist.

British lawmakers suspended for corruption

LONDON - Britain’s upper house of parliament, the House of Lords, Wednesday suspended two members over corruption allegations in a move not seen in more than 350 years.

Shakhtar Donetsk win UEFA Cup

ISTANBUL - Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk beat German Bundesliga side Werder Bremen 2-1 after extra time in the UEFA Cup final Wednesday at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in Istanbul.

EU-China summit deadlocked on problem areas

PRAGUE - The European Union (EU) and China Wednesday hit deadlock at a summit in Prague which had been meant to highlight their reconciliation, as they failed to agree common language on any of the key points dividing them.

British government outlines tighter rules on expenses

LONDON - The British government Wednesday outlined plans for a reform of the discredited expenses system for parliamentarians at the centre of a scandal that has engulfed all the main political parties.

Why Elizabeth Hurley quit movies

LONDON - British model-actress Elizabeth Hurley has revealed she sacrificed her movie career to concentrate on raising her six-year-old son Damien.

Rihanna dating new guy?

LONDON - Singer Rihanna is allegedly romancing actor-turned-rapper Aubrey ‘Drake’ Graham.

The 21-year-old hit a New York nightclub with six friends Sunday night and was spotted kissing one of the men in the party and the New York Post has named her new love interest as 22-year-old actor and musician Graham, reports contactmusic.com.

Ex-England cricketer jailed for drug smuggling

LONDON - Former England Test cricketer Chris Lewis was Wednesday jailed for 13 years for smuggling more than 140,000 pounds worth of cocaine into Britain.

UN urged to probe child abuse in Sri Lanka

LONDON - Children under 18 years are being abducted from refugee camps and from Vavuniya town in northern Sri Lanka by paramilitary groups who enjoy the tacit support of the Sri Lankan government, the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers said Wednesday.

China, EU summit begins in Prague

PRAGUE - The 11th summit meeting between China and the European Union (EU) began Wednesday in the Czech capital.

Air France-KLM and Delta form transatlantic joint venture

PARIS - Europe’s largest airline, Air France-KLM, and US carrier Delta Airlines have agreed to a joint venture involving transatlantic flights, the French-Dutch airline announced Wednesday in Paris.

‘Gurkhas to get British residency rights’

LONDON - All Gurkha ex-soldiers who have served in the British Army are to be given the right to settle down in Britain with a formal statement expected Thursday, a newspaper reported.

East Europeans are leaving Britain

LONDON - More and more East European migrants are leaving Britain lured by increasing prosperity in their home countries, the British immigration minster said Wednesday.

Global H1N1 flu tally over 10,200: European health agency

STOCKHOLM - The number of global cases of the new H1N1 influenza virus strain topped 10,200 Wednesday, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said.

Somdev advances in French Open qualifiers

PARIS - India No.1 Somdev Devvarman survived a stern test from Brazilian Joao Souza 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 to advance to the second round of the men’s qualifiers of the French Open tennis.

Indian films’ sales pitch peaks at Cannes

CANNES - With ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ having made waves on the global scene, Indian movie themes and filmmakers are beginning to reap the benefits in the international sales and co-productions arena at the ongoing Cannes Film Market.

Coca-Cola to expand football talent hunt in India with eye on future

JOHANNESBURG - Coca-Cola, which conducts grassroots level talent hunt to build future football stars in 25 countries, will expand a similar initiative in India to cover 50 cities with the aim of producing top-drawer soccer talent who can represent the country.

Pakistan army chief discusses situation with NATO

BRUSSELS - Pakistan army chief General Ashfaq Kayani discussed the situation in his country during his meeting Tuesday with NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and other NATO officials here.

Documentary to be made on Amy Winehouse

LONDON - A documentary is being made on the life of troubled British singer Amy Winehouse.

The 25-year-old singer and her family opened themselves to Israeli-American interviewer Daphne Barak for a documentary shot at Winehouse’s retreat on the island of St. Lucia, people.com reports.

EU calls on Sri Lankan to resolve problems politically

BRUSSELS - With Sri Lanka formally annoucing the defeat of Tamil Tigers Tuesday, the European Union called on Colombo to do all in its capacity to reach a sustainable political settlement that would meet the aspiration of all communities in the country.

Russia, US begin nuclear arms reduction talks

MOSCOW - Russia and the US have started the first round of talks here on a new strategic arms reduction treaty, the Russian foreign ministry said Tuesday.

Penn to play Nazi hunting rockstar in new film

LONDON - Oscar winning actor Sean Penn is set to play a Nazi-hunting rockstar in a new movie.

Seize chance for peace, Britain urges Sri Lanka

LONDON - Sri Lanka has an ‘historic opportunity’ to build a lasting peace after defeating the rebel Tamil Tigers but first it must tackle a grave humanitarian crisis, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Tuesday.

UN to hold Human Rights Council session on Sri Lanka

GENEVA - The UN Human Rights Council will hold a special session on the situation in Sri Lanka next week, after finally gathering enough signatures of member states.

Spielberg to make biopic on Martin Luther King

LONDON - Legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg is set to fulfill his longtime dream of bringing the life of legendary civil rights activist Martin Luther King to the big screen as he has been granted permission to make a biopic on him.