Dog may be a staple ingredient in various Asian cuisines, but that wasn't enough to silence South Korean animal rights activists, whose repeated protests lead to the cancellation of a Seongnam festival focused on promoting canine meat's consumption.
As the AFP is reporting, the festival -- planned to “showcase canine food products, including barbecued dog, sausages and steamed paws” and to be held in a traditional open-air market -- quickly stirred fury from South Korean animal advocates and many Internet users, who conducted several online campaigns to force the event's cancellation. "This is making our country an international laughing stock, and making the whole world mistakenly believe that all South Koreans eat dogs," Park So-Youn, head of Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth, is quoted as saying.
The continued protests eventually led to a lack of appropriate space for the event. "We couldn't possibly go on with the plan due to endless phone calls of complaint...now there are few willing to rent us a place for the event," Ann Yong-Geun, an adviser to Korea Dog Farmers' Association and a professor of nutrition at Chung Cheong University, told AFP.
Though the event has already garnered international headlines, just how popular dog meat truly is throughout South Korea remains a matter of debate. As the Wall Street Journal notes, dog meat soup, for example, "is not as popular as most news stories make it seem. A minority of people eat it regularly. It’s consumed most frequently in summer but is available year-round. And it’s more popular with men than women and is said to possess qualities that “help stamina.”
Tom Cruise returns for a fourth chapter in the "Mission: Impossible" franchise, the Brad Bird-directed "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol." Alongside Cruise is the eventual heir to the series, Jeremy Renner, who plays the mysterious Brandt, an agent whose allegiances Hunt is unsure of as the film takes shape.
Filmed in Dubai, it sets up Hunt and his crew on a seemingly impossible escape mission, with any slipup meaning they'll be labeled terrorists. Bird makes his live action directorial debut after helming a number of hit Pixar films, including the animated actioner, "The Incredibles."
Cruise is seen executing a number of insane stunts throughout, including some major building scaling. It wasn't tough to get him to do them, Bird said.
"He actually lives for that stuff. He loves it," Bird told MTV News recently. "Loves it. The day we finished shooting on the Burj, everyone suddenly relaxed because nothing had happened, no one had gotten injured or died, and the only one who was bummed out was Tom because he had to come down from the building. He loves that stuff."
Well, one this is for sure: the producers of "The Paperboy" aren't typecasting.
The thriller, a big screen adaptation of the 1995 Pete Dexter novel of the same name, is in a bit of turmoil. Originally slated to star Sofia Vergara alongside Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron and Tobey Maguire, the film already saw Maguire jump ship, and now, Vergara is dropping out thanks to a scheduling conflict with "Modern Family."
In her stead, The Hollywood Reporter relays that the producers of the Lee Daniels-directed project are in talks with Nicole Kidman to join the cast, a bit of a swing for what is billed as a sexual drama. Kidman, of course, is no slouch, with an Oscar win and two more nominations (including this year, for "Rabbit Hole) under her belt, but is markedly different from the Emmy-nominated Vergara.
Kidman, who just had a child via surrogate, has a busy schedule already; she's due to release the Joel Schumacker-directed, Nicholas Cage-starring "Trespass," later this year, and will soon start filming "The Danish Girl," and "Stoker," a creepy drama alongside Oscar-winner Colin Firth.
Here's the synopsis for the book, courtesy Publisher's Weekly:
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) made her first public appearance since being wounded in a tragic shooting in Tucson, Arizona earlier this year in which numerous victims were hurt or had their lives taken, ABC News reports.
According to the outlet, Giffords attended a ceremony at Space Center Houston in Texas at which her husband astronaut Mark Kelly -- who recently announced his retirement from NASA, effective October 1 -- was awarded the Spaceflight Medal, which is given to shuttle members upon safely returning home from their missions.
ABC News reports:
Her hair was much shorter than in previously published photos. She was wearing glasses, a beige scarf, a light shirt, jeans and sneakers. She smiled and waved to the crowd.
Giffords and Kelly held hands for most of the event. She appeared to chat with people sitting around her, and laughed when the crew of STS-134, the Space Shuttle Endeavour's last mission, was introduced. Kelly commanded the mission.
The Arizona congresswoman herself reportedly received a standing ovation at the event.
In announcing his plans to retire last week, Kelly said that he plans to spend more time by his wife's side.
"As life takes unexpected turns we frequently come to a crossroads," he wrote in a message posted on his Facebook page. "I am at this point today. Gabrielle is working hard every day on her mission of recovery. I want to be by her side. Stepping aside from my work in the Navy and at NASA will allow me to be with her and with my two daughters. I love them all very much and there is no doubt that we will move forward together. After some time off, I will look at new opportunities and am hopeful that one day I will again serve our country."
2011 Amarnath yatra is underway in the middle of tight security arrangements. The annual Amarnath yatra to the south Kashmir holy cave shrine kicks off amid 10,000 security military service have been moving into position.
Around 5,000 paramilitary CRPF have been positioned for security of the pilgrims along the old Pahalgam way and the shorter Baltal way, according to the officials. Security personnel have also been positioned all along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and between Khanabal and Pahalgam in Anantnag district and Srinagar and Baltal in Ganderbal district. The first batch of almost 2,000 pilgrims from Jammu will be travelling to the holy cave shrine from Pahalgam and Baltal from tomorrow. The yatra will concludes on August 13 2011 coinciding with Raksha Bandhan festival.
The temple is a popular yatra destination for Hindus – about 400,000 people visit during the 45-day season around the festival of Shravani Mela in July–August, coinciding with the Hindu holy month of Shraavana. The beginning of the annual pilgrimage, called Amarnath Yatra, to the Himalayan cave shrine is marked by ‘pratham pujan’ to invoke the blessings of Shri Amarnathji. Devotees generally take the 42 km (26 mi) pilgrimage on foot from the town of Pahalgam, about 96 km (60 mi) from Srinagar, and cover the journey in four to five days. There are two alternate routes to the temple: the longer and more traditional path from Srinagar, and the shorter route from the town of Baltal. Some devotees, particularly the elderly, also ride on horse-back to make the journey. Those who so wish and have the money can now make the journey by helicopter.
Anushka Sharma was detained by custom officials at the Mumbai international airport for carrying unaccounted gold, diamond-studded jewellery and other belongings. She was apparently interrogated for over nine hours and was finally let off after that.
The actress, who landed here yesterday at 2:30 pm from the IIFA award ceremony in Toronto was let off, past midnight after questioning for more than nine hours. Her statement has been recorded and she will be called for questioning again if required, customs commissioner, PM Govande told PTI.
Customs officials are also verifying the documents provided by her claiming that the belongings were taken from India, he said.
The 23-year-old Baand Baaja Baraat star claimed that while going abroad, she had taken the valuables from India and had declared the goods at that time and hence need not pay the duty.
She was stopped by the customs while passing through the green channel after she was found in possession of gold and diamond-studded jewellery and two watches collectively worth Rs 35 lakhs approximately, officials said.
The pretty actress seems to be having a rough time of it currently.
