BAHRAIN'S rock fans are in for a treat this October, with a live concert by Pakistan's favourite rock band, Roxen.

The show's organisers confirmed yesterday that the venue had been moved to the Gulf Air Club, Salmabad, and would take place in the third week of October.

"The Bahrain audience should brace themselves up for a rocking adrenalin rush, since Roxen is one of Pakistan's most energetic live shows," said organisers.

The band first tasted success after the release of their classic track Yaadein, boosted by heavy airplay on music channels around the subcontinent.

Their demo for Toh Phir Aao, also found favour with fans, despite it being a bit rougher, as did their third single Sapnay.

Comprising Jodi, Umar, Mustafa and Haider, the band is now established as Pakistan's most popular rock band, following in the footsteps of the country's rock pioneers Junoon.

Roxen's debut album Roxen-e-Deewar, popularly shortened to RED, is currently exposing the youngsters to new fans world-wide and making them a household name in Pakistan.

Their video for hit single Jagg Chorh Diya is climbing up the charts steadily and the band has contributed Toh Phir Aao and Tera Mera Rishta from their debut album to the soundtrack of the big budget Bollywood film Awarapan, which is being produced by Mahesh Bhatt and directed by Mohit Suri.

Ticket prices will be confirmed in the coming weeks, said organisers.

A GROUP of 20 Pygmy musicians who were taking part in a Pan-African music festival were housed in tents at a zoo in the Congo city of Brazzaville. This sparked an outcry with human rights activists accusing the organisers yesterday of mistreating the Pygmies. The Pygmies, from Congo's northeast Likouala forest region, had been gathering wood daily in the zoo to prepare fires to cook their food, said executive director of the Congolese Observatory of Human Rights Roger Bouka Owoko. "We denounce this discrimination," Owoko said. He added the group included a three-month-old baby. Organisers of the festival said as Pygmies normally live in the forest, they had hoped to recreate their natural habitat by housing them in the zoo. But officials said they were going to relocate the group to a hotel.

Baby born drunk

A POLISH baby came into the world under the influence of alcohol because his mother was drunk during labour, police said yesterday. Tests 12 hours after the birth revealed a level of 1.2gm of alcohol per 1,000 gm of blood. The baby was in intensive care and although he was in a stable condition, doctors said they feared his brain could have suffered lasting damage. His mother fled the hospital in the southern city of Zabrze after the birth but was later arrested

Intruder found in toilet

A WOMAN who stepped out to buy a newspaper returned home in Virginia to find that an intruder had made himself comfortable on her toilet. The man apparently cut a screen and unlocked a door while the woman in her 80's was out, police said. The man is described as a Hispanic male in his late 20's

US teen birth rate falls

FEWER US high school students are having sex these days and more are using condoms. The teen birth rate has hit a record low. More young people are finishing high school and more little kids are being read to, according to the latest government snapshot on the well-being of the nation's children released yesterday. The teen birth rate was 21 per 1,000 young women ages 15-17 in 2005 - an all-time low.

'Insulting' gesture

FLIPPING up your middle finger at a Dutch policeman is insulting, appeals judges ruled yesterday. A 25-year-old man who made the gesture to two police officers in the town of Almelo on May 25, 2006, was sentenced to three months imprisonment for crimes including theft, public disorder, refusing to give a breath test and the middle-finger gesture.

MONTREAL-based singer, songwriter, producer, and musician Karl Wolf is expected to perform at the Gulf Hotel this October.

"Dates and ticket prices are being finalised and will be revealed soon," show organisers Taz Properties said yesterday.

Karl has written and produced for artists such as Gabrielle Destroismaisons, Mitsou, Quebec's Star AcadŽmie and Emily BŽgin and was a member of both Dubmatique and Sky. He has participated as a songwriter, composer and producer on many multi-platinum albums in Canada.

Stars such as Justin Timberlake, Christina Milian and Mya have all requested his material.

Karl won the 2001 Best Mix and Sound of the Year Felix Award for his work on Gabrielle Destroismaisons' Etcetera, and won the 2004 Socan award for Best Pop Song for his work on Star AcadŽmie.

His debut solo album Face Behind the Face, has made the Canadian Top 100 sales chart and spawned two hit singles, Butterflies and Desensitise, featuring hip hop star Choclair.

The album has been licensed internationally and has made Karl a star in the Middle East.

Butterf-lies reached the No 1 spot on the Virgin Music Charts for eight weeks while Summer Days also achieved Top 10 status.

Karl was born in Lebanon but grew up in Dubai. He moved to Canada in his late teens. For more on Karl, visit www.karlwolf.com.