Blind dates may turn out to be serial con artists!

October 5th, 2009 LONDON - A 7-year-old blind boy has been given the nickname Batboy, for he has learnt how to "see" by using his ears. Lucas Murray, who was born blind, is believed to be the first in Britain to use echoes to visualise his surroundings.

August 22nd, 2009 LONDON - Egyptian grocers have named the finest variety of dates for the month of Ramadan after US President Barack Obama because of his popularity since his visit to the predominately Muslim nation last June. Egyptian traders have the tradition of naming dates after politicians and celebrities to woo customers during Ramadan when the demand for dried fruits usually surges.

August 14th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A man in China is desperate as he can't find a wife for himself after going out on almost 200 dates. Li Hao, of Qingdao, Shandong province, worked in his autobody shop after passing out from college, so couldn't find himself time to date.

July 24th, 2009 PERTH - A blind border collie is said to have overcome some of his difficulties by having a guide dog of his own. According to the Daily Mail, the two, named Bonnie and Clyde, have become inseparable and do all the everyday activities together, including eating, sleeping and going for walks.s two-year-old Clyde is blind, he relies on fellow border collie Bonnie to guide him to water and food.

July 16th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A student team in the Virginia Tech College of Engineering is providing the blind with an opportunity many never thought possible -- the opportunity to drive. A retrofitted four-wheel dirt buggy, designed by them, uses laser range finders, an instant voice command interface and a host of other innovative, cutting-edge technology to guide blind drivers as they steer, brake, and accelerate.

July 5th, 2009 LONDON - A man who lost his eyesight in an accident at work can now see again, thanks to doctors who transplanted his tooth in his eye. Martin Jones, 42, a builder, had been blind for 12 years after a tub of white-hot aluminium exploded in his face while working at a scrapyard.

June 3rd, 2009 ISLAMABAD - A majority of Pakistanis oppose the idea of India and Pakistan jointly producing films and shows, a Gallup survey has revealed. The support for such combined media productions has fallen drastically since 2007 due to escalating security tensions between both the countries.

March 27th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Many candidates of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress in Chhattisgarh have ignored the advice of their parties about the dates of filing nomination papers. They'd rather settle for 'auspicious' timings! In Chhattisgarh, filing of nominations began March 23 and the last date is March 30.

March 14th, 2009 NEW DELHI - How does a blind person communicate effectively with those who can see despite being unable to establish eye contact? This is part of the social skills and personality development that an NGO is to impart to the visually impaired at a mobile training camp here. The Score Foundation will hold a workshop with 50 blind students in Delhi in April where they will also be helped to choose their career.

March 5th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A website to create awareness among the blind and people with low vision has been launched here. The NGO, which took the initiative, claims that the portal is the first of its kind in the country.

March 2nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Election Commission of India is likely to announce the the dates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections Monday afternoon. A meeting of the three-member commission headed by Chief Election Commissioner N.

February 17th, 2009 NEW DELHI - After changing their venue, the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) has also changed the dates of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) that was earlier scheduled from March 20-24. Even though the dates have been advanced and now this business-to-business event will take place from March 18-23 at the Intercontinental Eros, Nehru Place, the dates still clash with Delhi Fashion week (DFW) scheduled from March 19-24.

January 22nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Artists' voices can be both provocative as well as healing and since they represent the people at large they can play a major role in the peace process between India and Pakistan, says Pakistani painter and human rights activist Salima Hashmi. 'A dictatorial government will always try and target the artists first because they represent the voice of the people.

January 20th, 2009 NEW DELHI - After having locked lips in 'Ru Ba Ru' and yet-to-released 'Karma, Confessions And Holi' and 'Rang Rasiya', actor Randeep Hooda seems the next in line to be crowned Bollywood's serial kisser after Emraan Hashmi. But Randeep says he has no such plans.

December 31st, 2008 NEW DELHI - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday condemned the Assam serial blasts and said the government was committed to rooting out terrorism. 'The government would stay steadfast in its determination to root out terrorism and the measures taken recently in this direction would be taken to their logical conclusion,' Singh said in a statement.