News Brief: Barbers demand jobs as teachers

Saloon and salon owners in Bangalore gathered outside Oxford School and protested against the school and the teachers for cutting the hair of children admitted under the Right to Education Act (RTE). The head of the Barber Association of Bangalore said "It was illegal of the teachers to cut the hair of the students. This is clearly an invasion of work. An encroachment into our space of livelihood. If the teachers wanted to cut hair, they should have summoned a professional barber from a nearby saloon/salon. Cutting hair is not the teacher's job."

The association has already written to the state government requesting teaching jobs at the school.

Hugh Hefner has no taste : Rakhi Sawant

Starlet Rakhi Sawant said that Hugh Hefner and his Playboy team do not have right taste. Speaking at a celebrity event, Sawant was responding to questions regarding Sherlyn Chopra. Miss Chopra is the first Indian woman to be a 'playmate' and will be stripping for Playboy for the cover page.

Ms Sawant said "Dekhiye, ye jo Playboy ke log hain, unki taste utni achi nahin hai. Sherlyn ke jo hain... wo bade hain, lekin mere wale usse bade hain - popularity aur ambition.Uske pakke hain, lekin mere jitne nahin - irade aur foundation. Aur mere zyada naram hai, nazakat aur ada".

Translated, "See, these people from Playboy don't have good taste. Sherlyn might have big ones, but I have bigger - ambition and popularity. She might be firm but I have firmer - intentions and foundations. And I have softer - femininity".

She said that these reasons prove why she would have been a better choice.

In a related news, a Swedish tourist in India collapsed lauging after reading about the war of words in a newspaper. The woman was identified as Lena Söderberg.

Protests in India against Huffington Post. Parliament divided

A wave of protests has engulfed large parts of India after the Huffington Post (HP) published its list of 10 foods to try before you die". The list featured the Masala Dosa, which is a popular dish in South India. People from other parts of India however feel that they have been cheated. Various protest groups have started agitations and online protests demanding HP add other foods to its list. Protest groups across "North" India claimed that the Madrasis had lobbied to get the dish included, and the list was biased.

The list was also discussed in a specially convened session of the parliament. Some politicians, including Digvijaya Singh & Kapil Sibal suggested that it was an international (Pakistani) conspiracy to divide India by not having foods from the North, West, and East of India in the list. External affairs minister S.M. Krishna, and Home Minister P. Chidambaram, were in a 'dharma sankat', 


The Prime Minister did not issue a statement because he was busy eating a dosa.

Image courtesy: http://opencage.info/pics.e/large_13564.asp