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Los Angeles - Pop star Cher, 63, has broken her silence over her daughter's "difficult journey" to change her sex.

In a statement issued late Wednesday to US magazine People, Cher expressed her support on Chastity (Chaz) Bono's decision to become a man.

Chastity (Chaz) Bono, who is a lesbian, began undergoing sex change operations shortly after her 40th birthday on March 4. She has been active in the gay and lesbian movement for many years.

Hamburg - Italy's Pietro Caucchioli and Ricardo Serrano of Spain have been suspended by their teams after the International Cycling Union (UCI) named them among five cyclists who had suspicious data in their biological passports.

The UCI called for disciplinary proceedings to be started against the cyclists and Caucchioli's Lampre team and Serrano's Equipe Fuji- Servetto have responded by suspending the pair, noting that the suspicious values dated from 2008 before the riders joined their teams.

New York, June 18 : A substantial majority of Americans believe that President Barack Obama has not developed a strategy to deal with the budget deficit, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

The poll also found that support for President Obama's plans to overhaul health care, rescue the auto industry and close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, falls well below his job approval ratings.

London, June 18 : To turn the main support base of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan commander Baitullah Mehsud against him, the Mehsud tribesmen, Pakistan has imposed an economic blockade on his mountain stronghold to encourage civilians to flee before a planned ground offensive.

Authorities are also arresting dozens of Mehsud tribesmen and shutting down the businesses of others on the fringes of South Waziristan , according to local officials.

The Times quoted a local intelligence official as saying that the Pakistan Army had blocked all three main roads leading to Mehsud's territory in South Waziristan and allowed only civilians to leave the area.

Frankfurt - A Chinese takeover bid could still be on the cards for German car manufacturer Opel, after Beijing's state-owner car-maker was granted access to the troubled firm's accounts, the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported Thursday.

Opel's US owner General Motors had agreed to the request by Beijing Automotive Industry Corp (BAIC), the paper said.

Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) has announced that it has inked a joint venture agreement with Helios SinoGulf Property Development.

The company has entered into this JV in order to develop a logistics and business park under free zone regulation adjacent to Al Ain International Airport.

According to sources, the first phase of development will attract an investment of Dh900 million, which is slated to be finalized by fiscal 2010-end.