Rome  - US president-elect Barack Obama has telephoned Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, but the two did not discuss Berlusconi's apparent racial insult earlier in the week, the premier's staff said Saturday.

Obama has been calling world leaders since his victory Tuesday in the US presidential election. He called the Italian premier Friday evening and had a "very cordial conversation," the staff said.

London, Nov 8: A female British sailor is aiming to become the first yachtswoman to circumnavigate the world both ways, surpassing the feats of Ellen MacArthur.

According to a report in the Telegraph, the sailor in question is Dee Caffari, who will set sail in her state-of-the-art 60 ft yacht on November 9, at the start of the Vendee Globe race.

She had earlier sailed the ‘wrong’ way around the world in 2006 when she undertook the Aviva solo global challenge.

The ‘wrong’ way involves sailing against the prevailing winds and currents, going round Cape Horn first.

However, Caffari said that sailing the ‘right’ way would be a totally different sailing experience.

Ace Bollywood actor Ajay Devgan said that he is shocked by the brilliant success of his recently released movie ‘Golmaal Returns.’

The film, which was released during Diwali, had shocking 95-100% occupancy across theaters. This surprised the actor as he didn’t expect such a big opening.

Jakarta  - Flash floods accompanied by a huge landslide in Indonesia's West Sumatra province killed at least two six people and left hundreds of others homeless, media reports said Saturday.

The disaster took place on Friday evening following hours of torrential rain, inundating hundreds of homes and causing a massive landslide in the village of Malalak, Agam district, about 120 kilometers north of Padang, the provincial capital of West Sumatra.

The reported third quarter operating losses – nearly $7.2 billion combined - for General Motors Corp and Ford Motor Co are worse than what were being feared. This, according to an events expert, raises the possibility that one or both will run out of cash within the next year, thereby giving the shuddering economy yet another blow.

While GM posted a $4.2-billion operating loss, Ford reported loss of $2.98 billion. The two companies said their rate of cash burn had accelerated, as an extended slump in car sales raised questions about the future of the US auto industry.

London, Nov 8 : Barack Obama would have found it impossible to become Prime Minister in Britain because of institutional racism within the British political system, the equality watchdog chief has claimed

Trevor Phillips, the chairman of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, believes that the public would embrace a Black leader, but the system would prevent him from getting to the top.