Lucknow: Muslims protest against Obamas visit to India

A group of Muslims in Lucknow city of north India, led by a local cleric, staged a demonstration on Friday against the United States President Barack Obama’s state visit to India.

Chanting slogans and holding up anti-US banners, the protesters said that America and Obama had betrayed India. Obama is neither a friend of India nor of Muslims. Although he has a Muslim name he is enemy of Islam and Muslims. He is also an enemy of small and weak nations. He is coming to India to bluff India because they (Americans) have also betrayed as a friend, said a cleric. The protesters burnt an effigy of Obama to vent out their anger. Obama is due to arrive in Mumbai today where he will launch his four-day visit to India during which he will attend a meeting along with US business leaders.

Beyonce,Artist Of The Decade

LONDON: Ten years ago Beyonce Knowles announced herself to the world with the Destiny’s Child hit Independent Women.Why Beyoncé? Why this stunning 28-year-old singer/performer/actress/businesswoman from Texas now married to one of the decade’s other biggest stars, and worth something like $87 million (Dh319.5 million) a year to boot, and not, well, take your pick…?

Because she made not one but two of the decade’s greatest singles, with Crazy in Love and Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It), not to mention her hits with Destiny’s Child and lot more.Beyoncé tells us about her amazing decade.

Your first huge hit with Destiny’s Child — Independent Women — was released in 2000. Have you changed over the past 10 years?

Absolutely, yes. Eighteen years old. I was a baby. When our first single came out I was 15. My lyrics, and my goals, are completely different now. In the beginning, I was so happy to be in a studio and so hungry for us just to sell half a million records. Now I want to create something that I’ll be proud of 20, 30, 40 years from now — something that will last beyond me. The things that used to excite me just don’t any more. I’m always trying to challenge myself.

You’ve just come back from China on the latest leg of your tour. They must know who you are there…

Wow. The whole experience was pretty overwhelming. I just didn’t expect there to be so many photographers and so much media outside [when I arrived]. It was midnight, and they were really excited. To be able to travel the world, especially to places I never thought I’d be… it’s really, you know, still fascinating for me.

It’s possibly surprising that for someone who comes out of contemporary R&B and hip-hop, your live shows are incredible.

I really believe that when I perform live, I’m the strongest [that I am]. My hand is in everything — from the styling to the designing of the lights to the set list and all the little segues. And all of these things take so much time. For the first five or six months of this tour, I’d watch the show back every night, just to tweak and make things a little tighter. I think there’s always room for improvement.

Similarly, your records push the boundaries…

I did a lot of things differently this time with my album.You know, I feel like the only way I can be around as long as I pray that I can be around is to always push the envelope. And it’s really exciting that now people are allowing music to just be music… and R&B and hip-hop artists are collaborating with different types of artists.Hopefully we can just continue to grow and just step outside of hip-hop or rap or rock or whatever and it can all just be good music.

You told Forbes magazine: “I’ve worked too hard and sacrificed too much to do something silly that would mess up the brand I’ve created all of these years.” What have you sacrificed?

I just sacrificed… life. Being able to walk down the street and being able to make mistakes and not have it recorded forever… being able to have regular relationships and dates… just regular, normal things that people probably don’t even think about. Sometimes it’s hard.

About your relationship with Jaz-Z — it must be quite irritating for you that you’re not the most powerful African-American couple in the world anymore…

That is hilarious. Absolutely not! Thank God for that couple.

You sang for the Obamas for their first dance at their first inauguration ball. What was that like?

I just can’t believe I was part of that moment. Everyone had chills, everyone had tears and you could see everyone’s admiration for the president. And my admiration: I could barely sing. I still get chills when I meet them.It felt like the country was heading down a pretty dark tunnel with the previous president.

Just to return to the Forbes quote: what is the Beyoncé brand?

I don’t really like to call myself a brand and I don’t like to think of myself as a brand. I’m a singer, a songwriter, a musician and a performer. And an actress, and all the other things that I do. When you add it all together, some might call it a brand but that’s not my focus. My focus is my art and that’s what I love to do. I have to be really passionate in order to do something. I’ve turned down many things that I just didn’t believe in.

Is there anyone left you’d still like to record with?

Oh, where do I begin? There’s so many people I’d like to work with still, but I’d like to maybe go outside of the box. My sister [Solange] has put me on to bands like [indie group] Of Montreal and some other different types of artists. I would love to do something like that on my next album.

Walmart Black Friday,Black Friday 2009

TrendPK.com Walmart Black Friday,Black Friday 2009: Walmart Black Friday hours, Best Buy Black Friday deals, online black friday sales. Thanksgiving sales in many of the leading retail chain is going on with many of the retailers reporting good turn out of shoppers and some increase in buying as well. Many shopping malls are

TrendPK.com Walmart Black Friday,Black Friday 2009: Walmart Black Friday hours, Best Buy Black Friday deals, online black friday sales. Thanksgiving sales in many of the leading retail chain is going on with many of the retailers reporting good turn out of shoppers and some increase in buying as well.
Many shopping malls are [...]

Massive security ahead of ULFA’s protest day in Assam

TrendPK.com Massive security ahead of ULFA’s protest day in Assam:A massive security alert was sounded in Assam Friday, a day ahead of the ‘black day’ by the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) to protest the first military offensive launched against the outfit in 1990. We are taking no chances as the

TrendPK.com Massive security ahead of ULFA’s protest day in Assam:A massive security alert was sounded in Assam Friday, a day ahead of the ‘black day’ by the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) to protest the first military offensive launched against the outfit in 1990.
We are taking no chances as the [...]

Obamas” State Dinner was `”magnifiscent”, unforgettable experience: PM

TrendPK.com Obamas” State Dinner was `”magnifiscent”, unforgettable experience: PM:Speaking informally with the media at a reception hosted for him and the Indian diaspora here last evening by the Indian High Commissioner, the Prime Minister, Dr.

TrendPK.com Obamas” State Dinner was `”magnifiscent”, unforgettable experience: PM:Speaking informally with the media at a reception hosted for him and the Indian diaspora here last evening by the Indian High Commissioner, the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, said that his evening with the Obamas at the state dinner in Washington on [...]