The Malaysian Insider

Over the past 20 years in India, 10 million female babies have been aborted. The pressure to have sons is terrifying - mothers who bear daughters are beaten or cast aside by husbands and in-laws desperate to escape the financial burden of a girl's dowry. Now mothers are being urged to "save the girl child" as the country tries to end decades of tragic abuse...

NOV 24 - The birth of Rekha's second daughter should have been one of the happiest days of her life. Instead, she lay on the bed of her home on the outskirts of Delhi, the newborn child on the floor, screaming in terror as her mother-in-law poured paraffin over her.

This was her punishment, the older woman said, preparing to strike a match: Rekha had failed again to deliver a son and it would be better for everyone if she were dead. Suddenly the door burst open and her neighbours
rushed in, roused by the frantic screaming. They bundled Rekha and her daughter out of the house, never to return.

CAIRO, Nov 24 - More than half a century ago, a prominent Egyptian archaeologist unearthed a stunning ancient mummy mask at the Saqqara pyramids near Cairo — the golden image of a noblewoman’s face.

Mohammed Zakaria Ghoneim deposited the 3,200-year-old relic in a warehouse at Saqqara, where he meticulously documented his discovery. Seven years later, in 1959, Egyptian records show it was still in the same storeroom.

What happened to the burial mask of Ka Nefer Nefer in the four decades that followed is a mystery.

By Rachel Metz

NEW YORK, Nov 21 - With the recent releases of three new BlackBerrys across three different wireless providers, Research In Motion Ltd has fired back at Apple Inc in the Great Smart Phone Skirmish of 2008.

The introduction of the touch-screen BlackBerry Storm, business-savvy Bold 9000 and consumer-geared Pearl Flip 8220 may not have come a moment too soon for RIM, which has long dominated the market for high-end cell phones that double as e-mail devices. Consider that Apple reported selling 6.9 million iPhone 3Gs during its last quarter, while RIM sold 6.1 million BlackBerrys in roughly the same period.

But while RIM’s latest offerings are packed with features like stereo Bluetooth, standard headphone jacks, video recording, multiple e-mail options and, in the case of the Storm, a unique touch screen, the multifront attack may not be enough to unseat the mighty iPhone.

KABUL, Nov 21 — Afghanistan is telling the world that it has a trendy, new replacement for its dreaded poppy crop: sweet, juicy pomegranates.

The country will stamp a logo on all boxes of the pomegranate for export: a drawing of the sliced, red fruit with seeds spilling out and a label that announces, "Anar, Afghan Pomegranate." Anar is the word for pomegranate in various regional languages.

Afghanistan officials hope the Western-style sales savvy will raise the pomegranate's cachet and provide its farmers with a lucrative alternative to growing opium poppies.

LONDON, Nov 12 - 2008 was something of a vintage year for popcorn-munchers. Is there a 2009 film that can equal the colossal success of The Dark Knight? Which hot franchises will step up to fill the spaces left by Batman, Bond and Indy?

We’ve taken a look through the studio schedules and picked out the most promising prospects for the coming year. History tells us that when times are tough, box office takings boom. Here’s our selection of the best
Hollywood has to offer us in 2009.

50: The Pink Panther 2 (Feb, 2009)

Moviegoers might well be tempted by the impressive cast lining up for this wholly unnecessary sequel to a completely superfluous continuation of the once mighty comedy franchise. Steve Martin, Jean Reno, John Cleese and Andy Garcia may be acting greats, but for signing up to this they should hang their heads in shame.