Washington, Nov. 26 : In May 2007, at the start of the troop "surge" that is credited with quelling much of the violence in Iraq, the U. S. Congress had established 18 benchmarks that it would use to determine whether America was succeeding there.

Now, a year and a half later, there is a mixed reaction to whether those benchmarks have been met.

Fox News quotes White House officials as saying that Iraq has met most of the goals, rendering the benchmarks irrelevant, but others say Iraq still has a lot of work to do.

Nairobi - Some 90 per cent of Kenyans want their MPs to pay taxes on their allowances, a poll published in the Daily Nation revealed Wednesday a day after lawmakers threw out an amendment to a bill that would force them to do just that.

Kenyan MPs pay tax on their basic monthly salary of around 2,500 dollars, but they enjoy tax-free allowances of almost three times that figure.

MPs argue that their allowances, which cover healthcare, entertainment and interest-free home and car loans, should not be taxed as constituents often expect the MPs to help them out financially.

London, Nov 26 : ‘Twilight’ actor Robert Pattinson has revealed that he was forced by the producers of the teen vampire film to get his teeth fixed so that he can have a perfect smile for the movie.

The producers got him to get dental work done on his teeth to attain an alluring smile.

Although the ‘Harry Potter’ actor was delighted about acting in the new Vampire tale, he was daunted about getting major dental work done prior to filming.

Washington, November 26 : Filmmaker Oscar Zoghbi’s plans to make a film depicting the life of Prophet Muhammad has been met with a barrage of criticism.

While Zoghbi that his film ‘The Messenger of Peace’ will clear up "the understanding that all Muslims are terrorists," some critics predict that it will not tell the whole story about Muhammad or Islam.

The Hague - Top Dutch financial managers were due Wednesday to brief the government on the ongoing financial crisis during a special hearing in parliament.

The managers were expected to present their views about the possible consequences of the crisis for the Dutch economy in the coming year.

Chairmen Michel Tilmant of the ING Group, Sjoerd van Keulen of the SNS Reaal Group, and Bert Heemskerk of Rabobank were among those due to address the house.

Board chairmen Jan van Rutte and Jan Peter Schmittman would speak on behalf of the Dutch banking division of Fortis NV, comprising Fortis bank and ABN Amro bank.

Melbourne, Nov 26 : Australian actress Nicole Kidman has been accused of being unable to act, a kiss of death for a movie, a woman who turns off other women and accomplished at being awful by a British columnist.

The Times of London columnist Melanie Reid has cast doubt on the career reputation of the 41-year-old, wife of country singer Keith Urban and mother of their baby Sunday Rose,

"Oh dear, oh dear. The Australians are investing a huge amount of expectation, and many millions of promotional dollars, in an epic movie intended to reinvigorate tourism and a sense of national pride,” the Daily Telegraph quoted Reid, as stating in the Times.