Baghdad - Extremists have killed four civilians, a policeman and a US soldier, the US military said Sunday.

London, Nov 9 : Fans inspired by the Lord of the Rings films are making their own movie ‘Born Of Hope’, which has a 25,000 pounds budget, and is being made in the UK.

None of those who are taking part in the making of the movie are getting paid for it, but the Middle Earth subject matter has attracted people from around the globe to join the team, including some of the film''s original cast and crew, Sky News reported.

The low-budget production, which is due for release sometime in November 2009, has according to its backers been well received at many conventions and exhibitions worldwide after a trailer from the test shoot in April 2006 was shown.

New York, Nov 9 : Padma Lakshmi’s friends are rushing to the stunner’s defence after it was reported that she was a gold digger.

The New York Post’s sources had earlier insinuated that the "Top Chef" host used former hubby Salman Rushdie for his fame.

"She does live in the circle of rich, famous people so it would be natural that they are the ones she may date,” the New York Post quoted a pal, as saying.

Kochi, Nov. 9 : V. T. Jolly, a school dropout, in Kochi has acquired a huge collection of discarded pens. Jolly’s passion started three years ago, and till date, he has collected 2,608 pens of over 1050 varieties. 

Though Jolly has failed to matriculate, his is passionate about collecting pens. His passion for discarded pens began at the age of 15. 

He wasn’t well off to buy new pens of different varieties so he opted to collect used or thrown away pens from wherever he could. 

He says this hobby started while painting a house. He noticed a few used pens lying in a dustbin. With the owners’ permission, he took them and then started his collection. 

Kolkata, Nov. 9 : Sharmistha Mullick, an art collector in Kolkata, is trying to give embroidery; a fabric embellishment technique, a new expression by presenting it in an unconventional art form. 

She has received training in embroidery for about three years and has been seeking to give it a new definition since 1992. 

At first glance, it is possible that one may mistake her collected works for paintings or pencil sketches.

Sharmistha says that painting with a brush and colours is much easier. She says mixing can change colours, one can almost re-do the whole work on canvas by colouring over. However, for embroidery art, there are no such easy avenue. 

Bodh Gaya, Nov. 9 : With the onset of winter, Bodh Gaya, the famous holy pilgrimage center of Buddhists, starts witnessing the arrival of a growing number tourists and pilgrims from different parts of the county and world. 

Not many may know but Bodhgaya is today not just known as an important Buddhist pilgrim center and an archeological site, but also for its various meditation courses offered by a number of institutes, in and around the town. 

Most of these courses are conducted in winters. Hence, the number of visitors keep swelling between October and February.