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Kate Moss calls in her mom to help her in rehab (Go To Top)

     London: Kate Moss's mother Linda reportedly flew to the US drugs clinic, where the model is undergoing therapy, after Moss called her for a family session. According to the Mirror, Linda was on the next flight after the star rang from the exclusive clinic in Arizona where she is battling drug addiction. Kate wants her by her side for a week of "family therapy sessions" as she attempts to overcome her cocaine problem. "Linda spoke to Kate every day while she was in New York when the story broke and spoke to her in Arizona as well," a friend said. "Kate does not really know who her friends are, but she knows she can rely on her mother. When Kate asked her to go out to Arizona, Linda did not hesitate - she booked a flight straight away," she added. Kate's mom is expected to take part in three or four workshop- style therapy sessions with her daughter this week. Staff say this is the crucial part of the treatment. Patients are encouraged to talk about any issues that have led to personal problems. Such sessions tackle the underlying reasons for drug addiction. Two or three patients are placed in groups along with the family members. It is often a very emotional experience. Kate, who checked into the Meadows on September 29 for a 20,000 pounds 30-day programme, has lost a string of modelling contracts. And during the month-long stay she is relying heavily on family visits to keep her spirits up.

Britney clamps junk-food ban on hubby (Go To Top)

     London: Motherhood seems to have brought about drastic changes in 'Toxic' pop-star, Britney Spears' lifestyle, with her turning into a health freak, which is a far cry from her pre-pregnancy days of overindulgence. It also seems to have made her very relaxed and happy, with the change easily visible to Britney watchers, who say that motherhood is obviously suiting her to the hilt. "Britney was smiling away. She seemed very happy and relaxed," Hello magazine quoted an onlooker at Malibu restaurant, Moonshadow, where Britney had come with her hubby, Kevin, as saying. "Motherhood is obviously suiting her - and she's already getting back in shape." he added. But though she looks very relaxed these days, there is still one thing she has strictly banned her hubby from doing anywhere near her, or their son, eating junk food. "If he wants that stuff he has to eat it out of her sight." The magazine quoted a source, as saying. Britney has reportedly hired a team of experts to help her shed the pregnancy pounds as she wants to be back on stage by the spring.She has also been taking tips from mum-of-two, model Heidi Klum, who gave birth to a son just two days before her, who has been sending over diet books and exercise tips to the singer.

Paltrow set to make her directorial debut (Go To Top)

     Washington: Oscar winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow's directorial debut will be screened later this year it's a short film she also co-wrote. The actress teamed up with pal Mary Wigmore to create Dealbreaker, which will be shown as a preview to Ryan Reynolds' new comedy Just Friends which debuts in the US next month. According to Contactmusic, the film, which is part of Glamour magazine and Elizabeth Arden's Reel Moments film project, centres on the dating exploits of a 30-year-old New Yorker.

Bid to check 'honour killings' among Muslims (Go To Top)

     Washington: The British police are perplexed at the increasing number of "honour killings" among the Muslim community living in the country. While the number of such killings in Britain is unknown, the British police had in late 2004 begun re- examining 117 murders to see how many were motivated by `honour'. The issue (of honour killings) has taken on increased sensitivity since the July 7 bombings in London, which heightened attention on ethnic minority communities and their integration into British society, said a report in the Christian Science Monitor. Some experts argue that the issue in Britain may be more cultural than religious. "People from smaller communities and rural areas have maintained a much stronger sense of traditional dignity and notions of honour - not dissimilar to those of Latin American Catholics. I really don't think that it's a matter of religion - it's about cultures and practices," says Haleh Ashfar, a lecturer in politics at the University of York, was quoted as saying."There's huge similarity within all cultures where women are assumed to become property of men on marriage and where the dignity of men is wrapped up in protecting their women," Dr. Ashfar further said adding that the basis behind the `concept' of family honour was the idea that "only women can dishonor the family".

     In the UK, most honour killings involve South Asian parents or brothers killing girls whose lifestyles or ambitions they believe bring shame or disgrace upon their entire family. Citing one such recent case, the paper reported that in 2004 parents of a Muslim girl of Bangladesh origin found their daughter in love with an Iranian They had arranged her to be married to another boy, but she didn't relent. Upon discovering pregnancy in August, the girl and her boyfriend decided to marry. Three months later, the boy was killed and Begum's father and brother are now on trial for the murder - apparently the latest in a series of brutal honour killings to take place in Britain. Here, there is an additional dimension to the issue - the desire of the Muslim minority communities to preserve their distinctive identities, says Humera Khan, who advises An-Nisa, a respected Muslim women's group she helped to found in 1985, and campaigns against forced marriages and honour killings. She adds: "The parents are primarily worried that their daughter will marry someone who will change their whole way of life. A tiny percentage of the community carries out honour killings" For Britain's Muslims, turning in growing numbers to conservative interpretations of Islam, imposing traditional roles on women is often a convenient way to assert a non-Western identity by pointedly rejecting Western lifestyles and values, said the report. The CSM report also quoted Abdul-Rahman Malik, the contributing editor of Muslim Magazine Q News, as saying: "There's a perception that the community is under threat and that they have to defend people they don't agree with. They feel that this is not the time to be critical of other Muslims." According to the report, in order to tackle the honour killings effectively, the police will would have to win the trust of often-insular immigrant communities.

Beyonce in thick of skin colour scandal  (Go To Top)

     Washington: Beyonce Knowles has been caught up in a magazine cover colour war in America, after a new pop culture publication claimed that the pop diva's medium-dark complexion was digitally alterted to appear several shades lighter to fit in with Vanity's new look. Radar magazine's editors have accused Vanity Fair, which has the African-American star on its cover page, because they felt it tried to make the Destiny's Child stunner look "as white as can", reports Rate the Music. However, Vanity Fair bosses have denied the allegations, calling them outrageous. "There are very fair-skinned black people in the world and Beyonce is one of them," said the magazine's publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure.