UN summit ends with pledges and lingering pessimism

UNITED NATIONS: US President Barack Obama called for greater urgency in the fight against the world’s social ills as a UN poverty summit ended with tens of billions of dollars of pledges but lingering pessimism about the impact.

Obama unveiled a new “big hearted” but “hard headed” US aid policy to push the poorest countries toward prosperity. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon launched a 40 billion dollar drive to save the lives of millions of women and children. Britain, China and Japan also promised more help.

But many leaders still accused wealthy nations of failing to keep their promises to provide assistance. Aid groups said millions would still die unnecessarily in the final five years of UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) initiative launched in 2000.

Obama and the UN chief highlighted advances made to reduce poverty and disease, spread education and

Irans Bushehr nuclear plant starts fuel-loading

Russia will begin loading nuclear fuel into the reactor of Iran’s first atomic power station on Saturday — an irreversible step marking the start-up of the Bushehr plant after nearly 40 years of delay.
Russian specialists and their Iranian counterparts are to begin loading uranium-packed fuel rods into the reactor on Saturday — a process that will take 2-3 weeks. Rosatom chief Sergei Kiriyenko and head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation Ali Akbar Salehi are expected to attend the official launching ceremony.
Russia agreed in 1995 to build the Bushehr plant on the site of a project started by German company Siemens in the 1970s, but delays have haunted the 1 billion dollar project and diplomats say Moscow has used it as a lever in relation with Tehran.
The United States has criticised Moscow for pushing ahead with the Bushehr project at a time when major powers including Russia are pressing Tehran to allay fears that its nuclear energy programme may be geared to develop weapons.
But western fears that the Bushehr project could help Iran develop a nuclear weapon were lessened when Moscow reached an agreement with Tehran obliging it to return spent fuel to Russia. Weapons-grade plutonium can be derived from spent fuel rods.
The U.S. State Department said it did not regard Bushehr as a proliferation risk, but emphasised that broader concerns remained about the direction of Iran’s nuclear programme.

US Actor James Mitchell Dead at 89

LOS ANGELES: US Actor James Mitchell Dead at 89, US actor James Mitchell, who became widely known for his role as Palmer Cortlandt on the long-running ABC show “All My Children,” has died at the age 89.
The newspaper said Mitchell had died Friday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease complicated by pneumonia.

Mitchell joined “All My Children” in 1979, playing a self-made millionaire who loves his family.

His final appearance was earlier this month for the show’s 40th anniversary episode, the report said.

He was nominated for seven Daytime Emmy Awards for his role in the soap opera.

Mitchell was born on February 29, 1920, in Sacramento, California, The Times said. In the course of his career, he had leading roles in such Broadway musicals as “Bloomer Girl,” “Billion Dollar Baby,” “Brigadoon” and “Paint Your Wagon.”

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US Actor James Mitchell Dead at 89 was first posted on January 25, 2010 at 5:50 pm.

The Real Housewives Of Orange County

The Real Housewives Of Orange County — now in its 4th season — has seen Gretchen Rossi uploading some of her high-end garbs in a garage sale , Jeana Keough took her daughter shopping at cheapie retailer H&M, Tamra Barney has fired her maid. And Lynne Curtin’s family is slammed with an eviction notice ordering them out of their posh Laguna Beach home.

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The Real Housewives Of Orange County was first posted on December 18, 2009 at 7:57 pm.

Avatar movie Expected $100 Million Opening Weekend

“Avatar” movie review :- “Avatar” Expected $100 Million Opening Weekend.

Film industry analysts expect Avatar, which opens Friday, to be one of the year’s biggest debuts, pulling in almost $100 million when it opens in 3,453 theaters in North America over the weekend.

“For a lot of older people, it’s going to be the first film that they see in 3D,” said Jeff Bock, box office analyst with Exhibitor Relations Co. “Don’t be surprised if it hits that billion dollar mark (worldwide during its entire run) if it really takes off and becomes the event film of the season,” he said.

Avatar — which stars Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana — received four Golden Globe Award nominations including best drama film as nominations were announced in Beverly Hills on Monday.

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Avatar movie Expected $100 Million Opening Weekend was first posted on December 18, 2009 at 8:14 pm.