Washington, Dec 9 (ANI): American actress Jessica Alba's leaked photos in the 2009 Campari calendar seem to have been airbrushed to give her a thinner look, say reports.

According to London's Daily Mail, Alba, 27, had an hourglass figure in the shot that was taken previously by celeb photographer Mario Testino, as she posed in a white strapless short suit with a black belt.

But in a later shot, her curves could no longer be seen, and her chin had been altered to look narrower, and her bust was given more definition.

Alba's comment about the shots was that she loved wearing comfortable clothes carrying her daughter Honor around.

"I'm usually walking around in comfy clothes, with a baby on my arm, and it's nice to dress things up and feel sophisticated, sexy, and surrounded by so much beauty," Us magazine quoted her as saying. (ANI)

Quetta, Dec. 30 (ANI): A non-governmental organisation, working for women's rights, has claimed that violence against women has intensified drastically in Balochistan in 2008.

Aurat, a Pakistan based NGO, said that 115 out of 600 cases registered for violence against women in Balochistan were of 'honour killing'. The Baloch society still justifies the killing of women in the name of honour and tradition, the Daily Times reported.

The NGO blamed widespread illiteracy, entrenched tribal traditions, distorted interpretation of Islam and economic dependence of women on men to be the main causes for the violence against Baloch women.

Out of total 600 reported cases in 2008, 255 were related to domestic violence. In tribal areas, majority of cases against women remain unreported due to dominance of men in society, who consider that reporting violence against women would bring disrepute to their tribes.

The most disturbing case this year came from Naseerabad district in Balochistan, where five women were allegedly buried alive by tribal elders in the name of honour, the report said.

The Pakistan Government not only failed to investigate the incident, but Federal Minister, Mir Israrullah Zehri and Deputy Speaker, Jan Muhammad Jamli, shockingly, defended the incident on the Senate floor by calling it "a part of Baloch traditions".

Dostain Khan Jamaldini, a researcher in women's issues, said that a major hurdle in preventing the violence against women was the lack of a serious approach towards addressing it at the community level.

The NGOs and media reporting on the issue face political and communal confrontation. Often, they are accused of spreading western propaganda against Islam while reporting cases of violence against women.

"We need to set our house in order before becoming defensive. The poor state of women's rights is a bitter reality in our society and we cannot ignore this serious matter for long under different subterfuges," Jamaldini said. (ANI)

New Delhi, Oct 23 (ANI): Riding on back of lower prices of food and non-food items inflation fell to 11.07 per cent for the week ended October 11, from 11.44 per cent a week ago.

The prices of fruits and vegetables and eggs declined during the week. And in the non-food category, sunflower and raw cotton became cheaper.

On account of lower prices of furnace oil the index of fuel group too declined marginally by 0.1 per cent.

During the week, the prices of other goods that declined were imported edible oil, oilcakes, polyester, staple fibre and ingots of lead and zinc.

However, tea, ghee, maize, rice, masoor, raw tobacco, mustard seed, lubricants, cotton yarn became expensive during the week. (ANI)

London, Dec.2 (ANI): Manchester United coach-cum manager Alex Ferguson is nowadays plotting to snare his eleventh title in football.

He believes that in the New Year, his team will be perfectly poised to strike.

"You look at the first half of the season and we'll have played away to almost every team who finished in the top 10 last season. That's incredible. I have to say having home advantage against those teams at the end of the season should help us," he was quoted by the Sun, as saying. Of the top 10 finishers last season United have only to play at West Ham.

Ferguson has given his team the target of being within three points of the top by the turn of the year. They have four games before that - but miss the home game to Wigan for their trip to the World Club Championship in Japan.

That is reward for winning the Champions League.

"Traditionally we are always better second half of the season," he said. (ANI)