Late Sir Edmund Hillary still tops ‘greatest living New Zealander’ poll!

October 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - If you're in the US or planning to go there, whatever you do don't use the word "Whatever", for a new survey has found that the popular slacker term of indifference irks almost half of Americans. According to the Marist poll, 47 percent of the country's population said there's no phrase more annoying than "whatever." Others in the most irritating phrases list were: "you know" netted 25 percent of the vote; "it is what it is" got 11 percent; "anyway" got 7 percent; and "at the end of the day" ended the day with 2 percent, reports CBS News.

October 2nd, 2009 HAMILTON - A mega function would be held here Saturday by the Indian community in New Zealand to mark the birth anniversary of legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh. And a New Zealander of British ancestry will be one of the sponsors of the programme.

September 16th, 2009 LONDON - A skeleton found at one of the most important but least understood Roman sites in Britain is puzzling experts. University of Nottingham archaeologist Will Bowden who is leading excavations at the buried town of Venta Icenorum at Caistor St Edmund in Norfolk described the burial as highly unusual.

September 2nd, 2009 SYDNEY - Australian actor Hugh Jackman has topped the favourite drinking buddy of choice poll. The poll that surveyed over 1200 people saw model Jennifer Hawkins at the second spot, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.ustralian PM Kevin Rudd bagged the third position; gaining more votes from women wine-drinkers than men.

September 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama's overall approval rating has only dipped a couple percentage points in August. In the latest CBS News poll released Tuesday night, the president's overall approval rating is 56 percent, which is down two points from the last poll taken at the end of July.

August 16th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Over half of the 1050 adult Americans participating in a CBS/New York Times poll have said that women in the U.S. military should be allowed to undertake combat roles.

August 14th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Most Pakistanis hate the Taliban as much as they consider United States as their enemy, a recent opinion poll has reveled. According to Pew Global Attitudes poll about 70 percent of Pakistanis are now against the Taliban's violent policies.

August 13th, 2009 NEW YORK - A new Rasmussen Reports poll has said that over one in four Americans (26 percent) now have a better opinion of former President Bill Clinton than when he left office after he retrieved two imprisoned American journalists from North Korea. According to Fox News, Bill Clinton also enjoyed higher favorability ratings than his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

July 29th, 2009 LONDON - American country band Lonestar's love ballad 'Amazed' has been named as the most popular song to be chosen by newly-weds for their first dance in a new poll. The pop song topped the poll of 2,000 wedding videographers, who were asked for the most requested songs for the bride and groom's traditional dance, reports the Telegraph.

July 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton condemned Friday the bombing of two prominent hotels in Indonesia's capital Jakarta that killed at least nine people and injured dozens. "We condemn these senseless acts of violence and stand ready to provide assistance if the Indonesian government requests us to do so," Clinton, who was arriving in India Friday at the start of a week-long trip to Asia, said in a statement.

July 4th, 2009 LONDON - Legendary playwright William Shakespeare-known for his plays like 'Romeo and Juliet', 'Hamlet', etc.-has officially been named Britain's greatest national treasure in a new poll. The poll was sponsored by ice-cream makers Mivvi.

May 20th, 2009 LONDON - Seven in 10 Britons would like immigration slashed by 80 percent, a recent survey has concluded. The YouGov poll, which was commissioned by Migrationwatch for the Cross Party Group on Balanced Migration, found that majority of the public want net migration to be cut down to less than 50,000 people a year.

May 5th, 2009 LONDON - Harry Potter author JK Rowling's mosaic has been constructed from 48,000 Lego bricks. The giant tribute was built after the novelist came top of a poll to find the "ultimate hero" of the last ten years.

May 5th, 2009 NEW YORK - Recession, it seems, has failed to dampen the American spirit. A whopping 44 percent of Americans feel they have achieved their dreams.

April 24th, 2009 CHICAGO - US President Barack Obama's approval rating might be strong, but a new survey has revealed that first lady Michelle is more popular than him. In the USA TODAY/Gallup Poll survey, 79 percent people said they approve of the way Michelle Obama is handling the job of first lady.