Dec 8, 2006 - LOS ANGELES - Pop singer Mariah Carey is trying to block porn star-turned politician Mary Carey from trademarking her similar-sounding stage name, saying that fans could get the two performers confused.

But the adult film actress, whose real name is Mary Cook, said on Friday that she would not be intimidated by the international superstar and will press forward with her trademark application.

The star of films such as "Double Air Bags 11" and "Boobsville Sorority Girls," she started using the stage name Mary Carey in 2002 and ran for California governor against Arnold Schwarzenegger. She filed the trademark papers earlier this year.

Mariah's lawyer also demanded that Mary Carey use her name only for "adult entertainment" and that she not sing or perform music.

Mariah Carey, who suffered a brief career slump after dominating the pop charts during the 1990s, had a major comeback with last year's "The Emancipation of Mimi," the best-selling pop album of 2005. She won a Grammy for the single "We Belong Together."

Dec 11, 2006 - TEHRAN - Iran will launch a women-only taxi company in Tehran aimed at women who feel uncomfortable riding in close proximity with members of the opposite sex. 

"The Ladies' Safe Trips" taxi company, due to open for business in the next few weeks, will be the first such private sector firm in the capital. Similar taxi lines have been operating in some provincial cities for several years.

The company will only employ female drivers who will wear uniforms and must be married.

Due to Islamic rules, men and women travel in separate sections in public transportation systems like buses. But in the shared taxis that abound in most cities, women and men are often forced to squash together in cramped conditions, something that many Iranian women find stressful and awkward.