Sania Mirza to play tennis on Mars

NEW DELHI (T2N2) Indian tennis star Sania Mirza will play an exhibition tennis match on the planet Mars in December in what is being seen as yet another attempt to attract space tourists to the Red planet.

Mirza has agreed to play a match on a makeshift tennis court on Olympus Mons, the highest known mountain in the Solar System.

"I know it will be tough -- playing tennis in a spacesuit is not easy but the experience would be great," the 21-year-old told T2N2 on Friday.

There is no word yet on the identity of Mirza's opponent in the match but ATP and WTA spokespersons said no other professional tennis player had been asked to play.

A source in the Indian government said the match might be a ploy by some Indian fundamentalists to banish Mirza from the country and lock her away on Mars.

A Muslim organisation which had issued a fatwa against the tennis player for playing in short skirts said its members were confused if the decree was valid in outer space.

"I guess if she is playing in a spacesuit, it's okay. We might even send some representative to Mars to cheer her to victory, especially if her opponent is wearing short skirts," a spokesperson said on condition of anonymity. (T2N2)

Indian stray dogs world's sexiest: Report

NEW DELHI (T2N2) Indian stray dogs are set to give desi men a complex. A study released today by an international dog-lovers club 'We Love Animals' has rated them the world's sexiest.

The lowly mongrel beat dogs from around the world, including pedigreed dogs from India, when it came to "prowess in bed," the report said.

"They may not be much to look at but female dogs around the world love them anyways," a spokesperson for the NGO said.

[Image: four-block moku hanga print of Indian stray dog by Serendipity Artist]

The study found that Indian stray dogs romped home on the sexiness quotient both in terms of endurance power and ability to satisfy their "spouses."

During the study, 1756 bitches of various breeds were given leeway to consummate relationships with a dog of their choice.

An overwhelming majority of 1301 zeroed in on the Indian mongrel, which top-scored in categories like 'body-odour, 'curvature of tail', 'shapeliness of the femural bone' and 'licking ability'.

Despite its small size, the Brazilian Chihuahua was adjudged the runner-up, garnering the affections of 91 bitches while the German Shepherd was the chosen mutt for 81.

Interestingly, the British Bulldog remained the hapless bachelor with even the bitch of the same species refusing to entertain his woofs.(T2N2)
(This post was first published on June 27, 2005)

US-India nuke deal hinges on Banarasi sarees

NEW YORK (T2N2) Despite hectic lobbying in political circles to either clinch or scrap the Indo-US deal, the outcome of the nuclear accord may well depend on - believe it or not - sarees.

India has gifted a pure Banarasi silk saree to each US Congressman, State Department sources said here.

The offer comes at a time when interest in Indian apparel is at an all-time high and the wives of US Congressmen may be tempted to persuade their spouses to see the deal through, the sources said.

Apparently, apprehensions were high in India that Bush would not be able to clinch the deal on his own steam, and the freebie sarees were needed to bring the Congress around.

The Indian saree, espoused by several Hollywood leading ladies, has in the last couple of years caused a sartorial revolution in the fashion streets of Milan and Paris. (T2N2)
(This post was first published on March 26, 2006)