ప్రపంచం తీరూ తెన్నూ

Miss Universe Stefania Fernandez (Venezuela)

Young women play in tomato pulp during the annual "tomatina" tomato fight fiesta in the village of Bunol, near Valencia, Spain, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2009. Bunol's town hall estimated more than 40,000 people, some from as far away as Japan and Australia, took up arms Wednesday with 100 tons of tomatoes in the yearly food fight known as the 'Tomatina' now in its 64th year.

A contortionist from the People's Republic of China National Acrobatic Circus performs during a press preview of their show 'Dreams' in Madrid.

Tough economic conditions, and the spiralling cost of living, has forced Chinese to turn their backs on decades of tradition of preference for male children. Even as China's one-child policy has produced a calamitous glut of men, the huge cost of raising a son has meant that for many families, daughters now make more economic sense. A government survey of almost 3,500 prospective parents in Shanghai showed that more than 15 per cent preferred a girl while only 12 per cent wanted a boy. While sons continue to be seen as more valuable in the countryside because they are seen to be traditionally responsible for taking care of parents in old age, the trend is being reversed in urban China, the Daily Telegraph reported today. The surge in cost of living in urban China has also helped diminish the appeal for the male child. Buying a new house for a newly married son is a ruinous expense in many cities, with property prices in China's major centres having soared by as much as 60 per c...

Brand Director Exclusive Motors Pushpanjali Sharma participates in the first ever Women's Driving Event hosted by Exclusive Motors with Bentley and Lamborghini in New Delhi on 2nd August, 2009.

These are times of economic slowdown. But believe it or not what has slumped the rakhi sales in Delhi is the sweltering monsoon heat! Rakhee is just a two days away, but the continued hot summer is making shoppers give the city a miss and instead procure rakhees directly from Kolkatta, say traders. According to a Sadar Bazaar-based trader Gagan, whole-sale buyers from neighbouring states are not coming to Delhi because of the summer and are directly procuring Rakhees from Kolkata. This has led to a 20-30 per cent fall in the market. Adding to the woes of traders are the high metal prices. Traders say demand for rakhees made of gold and silver have gone down as metal prices have firmed up in recent weeks. However, business is likely to improve in the coming days. "Our business has suddenly gone up in the last 2-3 days. It was down before that," trader Anil Bhai Rakheewala. Rakhees made of herbs, sandal and stones are also doing good business, he added.