New Delhi, Jan. 21 : Former President R Venkataraman, who has been admitted to the Army Hospital Research and Referral here, continues to be in critical condition.

President Pratibha Devisingh Patil visited him in the hospital at around 10:30 this morning to enquire about his medical state. She was there for nearly 30 minutes.

Venkataraman has been in the hospital for the last ten days after complaining of dehydration.

"His condition remains critical and he is on life support system," Brigadier A K Sharma, Administrative head of the hospital said.

Baghdad - A car bomb on Wednesday ripped through the motorcade of

Mumbai, Jan 21, : The fraud-hit, Satyam Comuters Ltd is making attempts to secure funds and retain its international clients to regain the loss.

Speaking to Media, Deepak parekh, one of the members of Satyam's newly setup board said, "its new board would meet on Thursday and Friday to discuss issues regarding appointment of top executives and ways to raise funds.

Parekh said that they have received a mixed response from their domestic and foreign clients and they are not happy with the status of company's current accounts.

Ankara - The trial of 60 people allegedly involved in the October torture death of activist Engin Ceber got under way in Istanbul on Wednesday, the Anadolu news agency reported.

A group of around 100 people gathered outside the court protesting the murder and calling for justice.

Ceber was arrested in September during a protest against the police shooting of another leftist activist.

He was allegedly first tortured at a police station in Istinye and then again at Metris Prison.

He was transferred to a hospital on October 3 and died of brain injuries on October 10.

Washington, Jan 21 : Singer Lily Allen once got so drunk that she ended up buying a beach in the Caribbean.

In an interview to U. K. radio host George Lamb, the 23-year-old singer revealed that she owns piece of land in Jamaica but refused to reveal the exact location.

"I bought a beach! It''s in Jamaica, I''m not gonna tell you the road. I''m happy I bought the beach, best drunken buy ever!" Contactmusic quoted her as saying.

Allen had recently revealed that she was so depressed after suffering a miscarriage that she turned to professionals at a UK facility to help her come to terms with the tragedy.

Johannesburg - The plight of Zimbabwe's growing legions of starving people moved a group of senior public figures in neighbouring South Africa, including Nobel peace laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, to begin a three-month rolling fast and hunger strike Wednesday.

Around half of Zimbabwe's population, estimated at 11 million, can no longer feed itself, as food production tracks the country's economic collapse. Growing numbers of hunger-related deaths, particularly in rural areas, are being reported.