Prague - Czechs will be able to travel to the United States without visas from November 17, a symbolic day that marks the collapse of communism in the former Czechoslovakia, a senior US official said Monday.

Announcing the date at a press conference in Prague, US Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff called the step a sign of Czech Republic's progress after the end of the Cold War.

November 17 marks the 19th anniversary of a student march that led to the peaceful fall of communism in then Czechoslovakia, known as the Velvet Revolution.

Washington, Oct 27 : Ex-Aussie spin master Shane Warne hopes that leg spinner and Test captain, Anil Kumble would play in the third Test in New Delhi, starting on Wednesday at the Ferozshah Kotla ground.

Warne said Kumble, 38, deserved the chance to play in the last two Test matches, given that this could be his final series.

"Knowing what Anil is like, he''s very, very competitive - he''s a gentleman, but he''s very, very competitive deep down - and I''m sure he''ll fight back in this Test match and will be very dangerous," added Warne.

New York, Oct 27 : The sexy Sarah Palin look-alike porn movie star, Lisa Ann, has speculated that the original vice-presidential nominee’s sex quotient lies in her sexy underwear and bra.

In an interview to MarieClaire. com, the Pennsylvania-born brunette said that the Palin’s most likely wears a "really cool sexy panty with a nice matching bra."

The busty beauty, stars in the porn take on Palin, called "Who''s Nailin'' Paylin?"

Kabul  - US military spokesmen confirmed that Taliban rebels shot down a US helicopter in central Afghanistan Monday.

The helicopter crew engaged with Taliban fighters on the ground in Wardak province, about 50 kilometres west of Kabul city, US military spokesman Major Johan Redfield told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

He said the chopper was hit by "enemy fire" but none of the 10-member crew was killed.

The engagement was still ongoing, Redfield said, but he declined to provide any details, including whether the soldiers suffered injuries.

A Taliban spokesman in the area, Ahmad Baheer, said their forces shot down the helicopter with rocket-propelled grenade, killing all aboard.

Washington, Oct 27 : Vaccinating new mothers and other family members against influenza can protect newborns against the life-threatening virus, say researchers from Duke Children''s Hospital.

The researchers suggest that vaccinating new mothers and other family members against influenza before their newborns leave the hospital creates a "cocooning effect" that may protect infants from contracting the disease.

Washington, Oct 27 : Erstwhile pop king Michael Jackson’s attorney Mundell is reportedly bent upon dragging him into a new trial drama, although the singer doesn’t have a clue about it.

Mundell, who represented Jackson in a lawsuit he more or less lost to former partner Marc Schaffel, thinks that there’s more life to this story.

The attorney is said to be on the verge of filing a motion for a new trial in the case that earned Schaffel 900,000 dollars from Jackson for un-reimbursed expenses.