Katrina Kaif News – said Hrithik Roshan has charming quality

(1) It’s really very common that Bollywood Celebrities praised each other in public appearance and now this time Katrina Kaif and Hrithik Roshan are in Bollywood Chats.

As per Latest Katrina Kaif Interviews, she said that, He is a very sensitive and charming quality person.

He is an amazing actor with sensitive personality.

She also added that, He is a really nice soul, gentle person and so talented.

Both are co-stars and has worked with Bobby Deol Brother Abhay Deol andDirector Producer Farhan Akhtar in Bollywood Upcoming Movies 2011 - 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara'

Katrina Kaif said that, Farhan Akhtar is a very talented man and he does not like promoting himself. He is a very down to earth person.

She also appreciated Kalki Koechlin who is also starring in the movie and added few words that she is a person who lives life on her own terms and Kalki is a very beautiful soul.

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara Release Date - July 8, 2011.

5th July Tuesday Evening, She looked a class act in a black pencil skirt and white dolman sleeve top at a presser to plug her film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (ZNMD) at the Mehboob Studios in Bandra Mumbai.

Priyanka Chopra Fans – This time Herschelle Gibbs

(1) Herschelle Gibbs who is one of the famous South African Cricketer has always had a thing for Bollywood Celebrities because of earlier expressed his interests on wooingPayal Rohatgi and now this time Piggy Chops.

As per Latest Herschelle Gibbs Twitter Page Updation, he wrote that, "Congrats on your award, big up.Bless" to congratulate about to won an award for her performance in ‘7 Khonn Maaf’ In 2010, both became friends at the IPL awards.

He was clearly attracted to her and was even seen asking for her number.

(2) Before few days ago, Priyanka Chopra and Shahid Kapoor were spotted together at a pet shop, so we can say that “Both are still together”

He wants to build a rather fancy aquarium in his house with exotic fish and temperature controlling amenities.

He dragged her along because he wanted her to also build an aquarium at her home.

A letter to Lala, also known as ‘Boom Boom’

At this precise moment in the ICC Cricket World Cup no one doubts the abilities of the dark horse of the tournament, the Pakistani team. The team has demonstrated their capability and prowess quite clearly in their win against Sri Lanka. They have beaten one of the hosts of this World Cup in front of a packed crowd, on their own turf.

Now since our captain has made it clear after the match that this is everyone’s team, I feel that as a nation, we need to give him a few suggestions.

First of all, anyone who watched the Pakistan vs. Sri Lanka match, one member of the team clearly stood out, and not because of his skills. He was responsible for most of the mishaps on the field that day; from the comical run out to the missed stumpings and the dropped catch – one Akmal was always in the equation and it wasn’t the one named Umar.

See, it is quite simple – with the Sri Lankan top order removed at 96/4 in a 277-run chase they should not have been able to get as close to the target as they did towards the end of their innings. They could have done what England did to India (had to mention it!). For that to happen, our team needs to be quicker and faster in the field, with no excuses for shoddy fielding. Yes, Shoaib Akthar was brilliant in bursts and yes, you our captain, rocked the ground with your bowling but it was not totally our hard work that won us the match, but it was more a combination of chance and circumstance. Thus we need to remove the chief bungler, Kamran Akmal – trust me, the team will be better off without him!

In this match, Abdul Razzaq, who has the ability to knock any team out of the match with his cudgel of a bat, only faced four balls when he was dismissed. Now I understand that this was due to the fact that Misbahul Haq and Younis Khan had to pull a Miandad-esque effort to repair our innings – which I might add, they did to perfection –but Razzaq should have come onto the field sooner than later. In fact, here is an idea: since Misbah has picked up a hamstring strain (I have chewed all my nails off while watching him play), why don’t we let him rest for the next match that is against Canada and have Razzaq play in his position? Imagine what he will do to the team from the Great White North.

Thirdly there is one talented bowler in our dressing room called Junaid Khan. Obviously the match against Sri Lanka demanded the senior, experienced players. However, Umar Gul has yet to show us his magic, so why don’t we give Junaid a chance? Maybe Shoaib Akhtar can pass on some tips (cricketing one’s, please) to the younger talent as they bowl side by side? We will need someone in the future to lead the bowling attack.

Last but not the least, Lala we call you ‘Boom Boom’ for a reason, and if you are wondering why the crowd goes crazy when you walk out on the field, it is in expectancy of what is to happen. So can you make it happen, preferably in all the matches, up until the Semis and the Final? Please?

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan heads home from India

NEW DELHI: Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan will fly home from India on Monday after paying a fine of $33,216 for carrying large quantities of cash out of the country, an embassy official said.

Khan, 37, was charged at the weekend with carrying undeclared foreign currency in violation of India’s Foreign Exchange Management Act and customs rules.
He is rated as one of the top singers in Bollywood, India’s prolific Hindi-language film industry.
The musician, a nephew of late Pakistani legend Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and his group were boarding a plane to Lahore via Dubai on February 13 when authorities found $124,000 in cash in their bags.
“He has paid the fine and he will be taking the first flight to Pakistan,” an official at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi told AFP, asking not to be named.
Under Indian customs rules, visitors are allowed to carry only $5,000 in cash in and out of the country.
The Pakistani foreign ministry had intervened on Khan’s behalf and offered him the support of the High Commission.

I want Gulzarji to write poems for me: Katrina

She is definitely one of the most beautiful women in the Hindi Film industry. However, no one has ever written a for Katrina, she believes that love is the only beautiful thing in the world. The actress wishes that Gulzar saab would write one for her.

Recently at the launch of Pritish Nandy’s book ‘Love Poems’ she says, “Nobody has ever written a poem for me. But if actually someone writes a poem for me, I think that will be very .”

She was looking her best in an off-white knee length dress, Katrina, 26, surprised everyone present there saying, “I want Gulzar saab to write poems for me.”

Gulzar, 74, has written many and innumerable songs, was also present at the event. He said, “Inshallah, I would write a poem for Katrina for sure.”

The entire event was about love poems, and it was obvious that everyone wanted to know Katrina’s views on love and romance. The actress obliged everybody by sharing her views.

“Even though love is known to entail pain, disillusionment, disappointment, still I don’t want to be pessimistic about love. I would rather want to have a positive approach to love. I believe that there can be a happy ending, because love is the most beautiful thing in the world,” said Katrina.

When media asked her about her Valentine’s Day plan she said, “No plans, I will be working on that day.”

I hope Amir comes back strongly: Wasim Akram

KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram admitted that the lengthy bans handed out to Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir for corruption on Saturday represented a new low for the besieged sport in the country.
“I feel sad for all three of these kids, two just over 20 and one just 18,” Wasim told AFP.
“I feel for their families because they are key players. This is a low for Pakistan  cricket.”
The International Cricket Council’s anti-corruption tribunal on Saturday banned Butt for 10 years (five suspended), Asif for seven years (two suspended) and teenager Amir for five.
The bans were handed after an investigation into allegations made by the News of the World that the players deliberately bowled no-balls in the Lord’s Test against England in August.
Wasim said he hopes the punishments will serve as a lesson.
“Not only for cricketers in Pakistan, but also for the players of the world, this should be a lesson, and I sincerely hope that the ICC has set an example with this verdict and this will serve as a clean-up, not only in Pakistan cricket, but in world cricket,” said Wasim.
Wasim said Amir is a special talent.
“I was very happy to see Amir’s progress, but with this punishment his career will suffer. I hope he comes back strongly,” said Wasim, of the teenage left-arm paceman who has been compared to him.
Former Pakistan spinner Iqbal Qasim termed the decision as “upsetting”.
“All three players were the future of Pakistan cricket, so it’s a very upsetting day,” said former spinner Iqbal, who is also the head of the National Bank team for which all three players featured in domestic matches.
“All three had promising careers but it’s sad that they fell into a trap and couldn’t recover.
They could have earned more through playing international cricket,” said Qasim, also a former chief selector.
Qasim said the decision must serve as reminder for other cricketers as well as for Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
“I hope these punishments will help future cricketers be more responsible.
I think it should also serve as a jolt for the PCB who should have curbed this before it happened,” said Qasim.
Former captain Rashid Latif said the loss of the three players will be temporary.
“To gain an honest system, and have unquestionable integrity, you have to lose something and players come and go – this will be a momentary loss for Pakistan cricket,” said Latif, who blew the match-fixing whistle against fellow players in 1994.
Former paceman Sarfraz Nawaz termed the decision as “pre-judged”.
“The ICC had decided to give punishments to the players because there was too much pressure on them to curb fixing,” Nawaz told AFP.
“It’s an important day for world cricket and very sad for Pakistan.”
Nawaz said Amir and Asif will be sorely missed in next month’s World Cup.
“Amir and Asif are a huge loss,” said Nawaz, of the new-ball pairing.
“They are the world’s best opening bowlers and will be missed, while Butt has matured into a solid opener.”
Fans in the street had a mixed reaction, some calling the decision a “conspiracy” against the Pakistan team.
“The ICC is biased,” said student Mohib Alint.
“They banned three key players so that Pakistan could not win the World Cup.”
But other fans blamed the players.
“All three have spoiled Pakistan’s cricket image. We cannot play cricket at home because teams do not travel to Pakistan because of security fears and now because of spot-fixing, teams will refuse to play us anywhere,” said banker Shabbir Hussian.

KJo is the wedding planner

Finally, and Avantika Malik have turned to Karan Johar to plan their wedding and wedding functions. is more than happy to help them. Initially the bride-to-be wanted to do things on her own, but as came closer, it hit her that she is getting stressed with all the planning and needs help.

She did not know whom to ask. The groom was of no help, as he is busy shooting the next movie of Yash Raj productions. A souce revealed, “Avantika was getting stressed about everything from her wedding trousseau to the menu. Imran was in conversation with his I Hate Luv Storys producer and mentioned how his sweetheart was panicking and KJo immediately offered to look at the list and help her with all the suggestions. When he sat down with Avantika and saw her plans, he was not very happy with a few things. So the veteran of all things Shaadi took the reins in his hands and became the unofficial for the couple.”
The first and the most important thing was the trousseau. Karan asked Varun Bahl and Manish Malhotra to design the clothes of the couple. Karan was very specific with the details. He asked Avantika to wear a burnt orange color lehenga and not only this, he picked a green colored Maang Tikka for her as well.

Imran confirmed saying, “Karan has been very helpful. He has been an excellent mentor and a friend to Avantika. He has helped us immensely and sorted our lives. I did not have time for planning but he really helped Avantika in all the planning.”

Preity tries to break the world record, but fails

Preity Zinta has finally taken a first step towards her debut. She has started shooting for the promos of Guinness - Ab India Todega, the show that she will be hosting on Colors Channel.

The actress tried to break an international record at Film City herself!

In a while pulling a truck she says, “Australia ka Derek Boyer ka Guinness World Record aaj main toodoongi.”

Later she stated, “Chaliye main naa kar saki toh kya hua? India kar ke dikhadega. Ab garv se har Hindustani bolega, Guinness World record, Ab India Todega.”

This is a desi version of the international show, produced by Miditech and will be aired later this year.

According to the channel, the never-say-die attitude of Priety echoes the concept of the show and it also represents the spirit of new India. She will try to encourage all the viewers to take a plunge to make or break records.

Surily Goel will be styling Preity for this show. Surily says, “I am excited to style Priety for her television debut. A show like Guinness World Records will be a great platform to experiment with various looks. Her personality is quite sporty, energetic and adventurous, and hence, I will style her keeping her personality in mind. I have given her a waistcoat over a casual shirt teamed with boots and gloves especially for the promo shoot.”

City stumble as Suarez enjoys dream Liverpool debut

LONDON: Manchester City lost ground to local rivals Manchester United in the Premier League title race after twice giving up the lead in a 2-2 draw away to Birmingham on Tuesday.
A share of the spoils at St Andrew’s left Roberto Mancini’s men eight points behind leaders United, having played a game more than the table-toppers.
Carlos Tevez gave Manchester City a fourth minute lead with a neat, clipped finish following a pass from David Silva.

But Birmingham were level 19 minutes later when Serbia striker Nikola Zigic scored from close range after getting on the end of David Bentley’s free-kick.
City suffered a setback when defender Micah Richards, who first needed several minutes of on-field treatment, was carried off on a stretcher following a head injury.
However, they subsequently regained the lead when, four minutes before half-time, Aleksandar Kolarov curled a 25-yard free-kick around the wall for a fine goal.
But City failed to press home their advantage and were punished when, following Patrick Vieira’s clumsy challenge on Kevin Phillips, the hosts equalised through Craig Gardner’s penalty 13 minutes from time.
“If that was a penalty then there would be five penalties in every game,” a frustrated Mancini told the BBC.
Elsewhere, new Liverpool striker Luis Suarez marked his debut by coming off the bench to score the Reds’ second goal in a 2-0 win over Stoke.
Victory saw the Merseysiders, who lost Spain forward Fernando Torres to Chelsea on deadline day, continue their resurgence under Kenny Dalglish.
Liverpool went ahead in the 47th minute at Anfield when Raul Meireles crashed the ball in after Stoke had failed to clear a Steven Gerrard shot.
Suarez, a 22.6 million pounds (36.3 million dollars) signing from Ajax on transfer deadline, came on for Fabio Aurelio shortly after the hour mark.
And in the 79th minute he sealed Liverpool’s third straight clean sheet win under Dalglish when he rounded the keeper and rolled the ball in despite a despairing attempt by Andy Wilkinson, who deflected the strike into his own net, to hack clear.
“We’re all delighted with that result – and three clean sheets in a row is a great return,” Dalglish said.
“Everyone’s pleased for Luis too. He hasn’t even trained with us yet but he showed what he’s all about tonight and I can’t wait to get working with him.”
West Ham climbed off the bottom of the table with a 3-1 win away to Blackpool.
Victor Obinna gave the Hammers a 24th minute lead at Bloomfield Road when Blackpool goalkeeper Richard Kingson allowed a near-post shot from the Nigeria striker to squirm through his grasp.
And the London club doubled their lead when Republic of Ireland striker Robbie Keane, signed from Tottenham on transfer deadline day, scored on his debut to grab his first league goal since November 2009 when he followed up after two blocks from Obinna shots.
Blackpool playmaker Charlie Adam, who saw possible deadline day moves to both Spurs and Liverpool fall through, pulled one back when he beat Hammers keeper Robert Green direct from a corner.
But barely two minutes later the visitors were 3-1 up when Obinna let fly with a superb 30-yard shot.
“We scored three and we could have scored more, I am very happy,” said Hammers boss Avram Grant.
Tottenham maintained their pursuit of a Champions League place with a 1-0 win away to Blackburn Rovers secured by Peter Crouch’s third minute header that saw them close to within three points of fourth-placed Chelsea.
Life for Newcastle without Andy Carroll following the striker’s 35 million pounds departure to Liverpool started with a 1-0 loss away to Fulham.
Damien Duff’s 67th minute goal decided the match and defeat for Newcastle was compounded by an injury to striker Shola Ameobi, who lasted just 13 minutes at Craven Cottage before going off with a suspected fractured cheekbone.
Bolton new boy Daniel Sturridge, on loan from Chelsea, struck in stoppage time after pouncing on a poor backpass from Ronald Zubar to seal a 1-0 win over Wolves that dropped Mick McCarthy’s men to the foot of the table.

Gary Neville calls end to glittering United career

LONDON: Gary Neville called an end to a glittering career of devoted service to his beloved Manchester United and England on Wednesday by announcing his immediate retirement.
The 35-year-old right back spent 20 years at United, playing over 600 matches for the Old Trafford club and helping them win a raft of trophies including the Champions League and eight Premier League titles.
“I have been a Manchester United fan all my life and fulfilled every dream I’ve ever had,” Neville said in a statement on the club website
.
“Obviously I am disappointed that my playing days are at an end, however it comes to us all, and it’s knowing when that time is and for me that time is now.”
Neville broke into the United first team in 1992 and was part of a renowned group of players who came through the club’s youth scheme including his younger brother Phil, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt.
They formed the basis of the team built by manager Alex Ferguson which dominated English soccer in the 1990s, culminating in the treble-winning season of 1999.
Phil Neville, Beckham and Butt left United but Gary Neville, Giggs and Scholes remained and Ferguson created another team who won the Champions League again in 2008.
“Gary was the best English right-back of his generation,” Ferguson said, praising his presence in the dressing room and leadership qualities.
“He is an example to any young professional, hard-working, loyal and intelligent. As a United fan born and bred, his fantastic career at Old Trafford has cemented his place in the affection of the club’s supporters everywhere.”
“RED NEV”
Gary Neville was a fiercely competitive and highly consistent defender who read the game well and created many goals with his ability to cross the ball accurately and with pace.
Born locally, he was known as “Red Nev” and frequently displayed his passion for his club, notably celebrating a goal against United’s arch-rivals Liverpool in 2006 with a wild badge-clenching celebration which earned him a fine for improper conduct.
He was appointed United club captain in 2005 and won 85 England caps between 1995 and 2007, helping the national team reach the 1996 European Championship semi-finals.
The end of Neville’s career was blighted by injuries and he struggled to cope with the pace of the Premier League in the few matches he played this season.
His final appearance was against West Bromwich Albion in January when he joined an exclusive group of players to reach 400 Premier League appearances.
“I have played in the most incredible football teams, playing with some of the best players in the world as well as against them and I have been lucky to have been part of the team’s achievements and the club’s great success,” Neville said.

Google puts iPad in the crosshairs

CALIFORNIA: Google provided a glimpse Wedmesday of tablet computer software crafted to dethrone the iPad and courted developers key to the success of Apple gadgets.
Google showed off a Honeycomb version of its Android operating system that will debut on the upcoming Motorola Xoom tablet that won rave reviews at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last month.
“Honeycomb is tailored for the new generation of tablet-sized computers,”
Google mobile products director Hugo Barra said while demonstrating software features at the Internet titan’s headquarters in Mountain View, California.
“We’ve spent a tremendous amount of time really optimizing performance on Honeycomb.”
The free, open-source operating system is expected to quickly be built into an array of touchscreen tablets in a booming market currently dominated by the iPad launched by Apple last year.
In a sign that Google is intent on wooing the developers behind the “apps” fueling the popularity of smartphones and tablets, executives here stressed that Honeycomb is built as a platform for software innovation.
Google also announced the launch of an Android Market webstore at market.android.com, where people can get work or play applications for devices running on the mobile operating software.
The Internet gian set out to address a long-standing complaint by allowing developers to make money from in-application transactions such as buying virtual goods, music or other digital offerings.
“We’ve gotten a fair amount of feedback from developers that they want more ways to make money from their applications,” said Android engineering director Chris Yerga.
“Today, we are releasing code for in-app monetization to the entire Android developer community.”
Disney Mobile general manager Bart Decrem said the US entertainment powerhouse had held off bringing its hit “Tap Tap Revenge” music game to Android devices until songs could be sold to players.
Tap Tap Revenge was one of three Disney games for Android unveiled by Decrem at the Google event.
“We’ve waited until the announcement today to bring ‘Tap Tap Revenge’ to Android because giving our users the hits they love is a key part of the game,” DeCrem said.
Disney’s most successful mobile game, Tap Tap has been downloaded more than 50 million times.
The slew of applications for Honeycomb demonstrated after the presentation included interactive software to link tablet users to CNN news stories, images and video.
“There is no secret that tablets are becoming a force in the marketplace and something we are going to be watching throughout the year,” said CNN vice president of mobile Louis Gump. “We’ve been hard at work for an Android app for the tablet.”
A free CNN application for Honeycomb tablets will launch “in the near future,” according to Gump.
The Honeycomb event took place on the same day that News Corp.’s Rupert Murdoch unveiled “The Daily,” a digital newspaper created exclusively for the iPad.
Murdoch, an enthusiastic fan of the iPad, said The Daily will only be available on Apple’s tablet computer for now but will eventually appear on other tablets.
“We expect to be on all major tablets. But we believe that this year and maybe next year really belong to Apple,” he said at an event in New York.
The Daily will be sold through Apple’s App Store and iTunes and cost 99 cents a week or $39.99 a year.
Apple has apparently begun more firmly enforcing a rule that financial transactions in applications must go through its payment system, with the Cupertino, California-based firm getting its 30-percent cut.
It reportedly rejected a Sony application linking people to the Japanese firm’s online shop for digital books for its electronic reader.

Amir, Asif and Butt handed lengthy bans by ICC

DOHA: An anti-corruption tribunal of the International Cricket Council Saturday banned former Pakistan captain Salman Butt for ten years,Mohammad Asif for seven years and Mohammad Amir for five years for their role in a spot-fixing betting scam.
A statement read out at the tribunal said: “The tribunal heard the charges as Amir agreed to bowl no-balls, and did bowl no-balls and Butt was party to the bowling of those deliberate balls, and the tribunal imposed the following sanctions.
“On Butt ten years ineligibility, five years of which are suspended on the condition that he doesn’t commit further breaches of the code, and that he participates under the auspices Pakistan Cricket Board in a programme of anti-corruption education.
“On Asif, a sanction of seven years of ineligibility, two years of which are suspended on the condition that he commits no further breach of the code and also participates in an anti-corruption programme.
“On Amir a sanction of five years ineligibility. No further sanctions are imposed on any player.”
Michael Beloff, the head of the ICC’s corruption unit, said the proven charges related to the Lord’s test rather than a preceding match at The Oval.
“The tribunal found that … Mr Asif agreed to bowl and did bowl a deliberate no-ball in the Lord’s test match played between Pakistan and England from 26 to 29 August 2010, Mr Amir agreed to bowl and did bowl two deliberate no-balls in the same test, and Mr Butt was party to the bowling of those deliberate no balls, were proved,” Beloff said in a statement.
The tribunal cleared Butt of batting out a maiden over during the test at The Oval for financial gain, but proved the charge against the opening batsman of failing to report an illegal approach by Majeed.
The decisions came after a lengthy nine-hour hearing at the Qatar Financial Center, and following much argument after the players’ lawyers requested the verdict be adjourned as it could affect the criminal case against the players in London.
The charges relate to alleged incidents during a Test match against England at Lord’s last year, when Britain’s News of the World newspaper claimed the players were willing to deliberately bowl no-balls.
The newspaper alleged the players, who are currently provisionally suspended from international cricket, had colluded in a spot-fixing betting scam organised by British-based agent Mazhar Majeed.
The members of the tribunal, headed by Beloff, heard the case for six days last month before deferring the announcement on the request of players’ lawyers.
Last month Beloff revealed that while Asif and Amir were absolved of the charges relating to another match, the third Test at The Oval (played before the Lord’s match) one charge against Butt remained under investigation.
In a separate development on Friday, British prosecutors charged the three players as well as their agent with corruption offences and summoned them in court on March 17.
The Pakistan trio have repeatedly denied wrongdoing and had shown confidence of resuming their careers.
The bans on Pakistan players have come just a fortnight before the tenth World Cup starts in the sub-continent, highlighting the difficult times the game of cricket is facing against corruption.
Cricket was badly hit by the menace of match-fixing in 2000, resulting in life bans on Pakistan’s Salim Malik and Ata-ur Rehman, India’s Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Sharma and South Africa’s Hansie Cronje.
Butt, Amir and Asif became the first players banned in spot-fixing, the latest innovation in which players obey specific orders during the game pre-arranged with bookmakers.
The players have 21 days to appeal against the sanctions in the Court of Arbitration for Sport, based in Switzerland.

Pakistan hopes hurt by captaincy confusion: Inzamam

KARACHI: Former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq says Pakistan’s World Cup chances have been hampered by the board’s delay in naming a skipper for the tournament.

“I fear the same fate as 2003 and 2007 for this team because just three weeks before the World Cup, the players don’t know who will lead them in such a big event,” Pakistan’s most-capped player told the Daily Jang newspaper on Monday.
“I blame the cricket board for creating this crisis,” he added. “By not announcing the captain it has created two groups in the team.”
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have announced their final World Cup squad but held back on naming a captain with all-rounder and one-day skipper Shahid Afridi vying for the role with test captain Misbah-ul-Haq.
“They are two groups in the team: the Shahid Afridi group and the Misbah group, and in these circumstances it is unnatural to expect this team to perform well,” Inzamam added.
The veteran of 120 tests and 388 one-dayers said the board would be committing suicide by changing the captain so close to the World Cup starting on Feb. 19 and co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
“There is already uncertainty in the team and this will only create more friction and problems,” he added.

Messi double puts Barca seven clear at the top

MADRID: Lionel Messi scored two late goals on Saturday as leaders Barcelona won 3-0 away to Hercules, their 15th consecutive victory matching the La Liga record set by Real Madrid in the 1960-61 season.

Promoted Hercules stunned the champions with a 2-0 win at the Nou Camp back in September, the only defeat Barca have suffered in the league this season, and they made life tough for the visitors until Pedro struck just before the break.
World player of the year Messi scored twice in as many minutes at the end after the hosts were reduced to 10 men following a second yellow card for Francisco Farinos in the 85th.
Barca moved on to 58 points from 21 games, pulling seven clear of second-placed Real Madrid who visit lowly Osasuna on Sunday.
“Scoring just before the break helped us a lot but 1-0 is always a dangerous scoreline, any lost ball can put you in danger. The red card for Farinos helped us a lot,” Barca coach Pep Guardiola told reporters.
It could have been a different story at the Rico Perez if David Trezeguet had been able to put away a good chance in the 20th minute, as Hercules unsettled the visiting defence.
Barca were knocked out of their stride until Xavi picked out Pedro in the area and the Spain forward thumped a shot inside the near post, scoring for a sixth consecutive league game.
They took the sting out of the encounter after the break but were unable to settle the match until Farinos was sent off and Messi, who had had a poor game by his standards, skipped through to score in the 87th.
Two minutes later, Dani Alves crossed for the Argentine to tap in Barca’s third goal, taking his league tally for the season to 21 behind Real’s Cristiano Ronaldo on 22.

Bollywood star slams tax evasion speculation

MUMBAI: Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra has rubbished claims she has not declared her full earnings to Indian authorities as “malicious rumours” after a raid on her home amid suspicions of tax evasion.
“We deny the many malicious rumours being spread in the media on the basis of some unidentified sources,” a spokesman for the actress was quoted as saying by the domestic Press Trust of India news agency.

Chopra was cooperating fully with the income tax department and would make no further comment until the investigations were complete, the spokesman added.
Tax officials in Mumbai raided the homes and offices of Chopra and fellow actress Katrina Kaif, prompting claims in the Indian media that the popular actresses had not fully declared their assets.
Kaif issued a similar statement through her chartered accountant, saying she was “disturbed” at similar speculation.

Ski competition brings normalcy back to beautiful Swat

ISLAMABAD: The spectacular week-long skiing competition held at the picturesque Malam Jabba Ski resort marked the revival of tourism in the scenic valley of Swat that was once termed the ‘Switzerland of Pakistan’ but fell into the hands of militants, thus damaging its trade and travel activity for a couple of years.
Swat’s Pioneer Skiing School, Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and the Provincial Relief, Rehabilitation and Settlement Authority (Parrsa) jointly organized the Peace Ski Gala 2011, which concluded today.
Eight teams, including Swat Red Club, Swat Green Club, Swat Tiger Club, Malakand Division Club, Hazara Division Club, Swat Blue Club, and Swat Shaheen Club participated in the event which was attended by hundreds of skiing enthusiasts.
The event organizers hoped the successful completion of the gala would once again bring the focus back on Swat as it dusts its self off and looks ahead to a future without the bombings and the threat of militancy.
“We have organised this event to let the world know that the situation has come back to normal with peace prevailing in Swat. Swat is no longer off-limits,” said president of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Ski Association Mateeullah Khan.
The Malam Jabba resort, which was captured by militants in 2006 and later destroyed,  has now been rebuilt by the Pakistan army and is fully operational. But the damaged chairlifts, installed by the Austrian government in 1988, are yet to be fixed and caused some discomfort to participants.
“I feel very good but it is very hard this time. There is no chairlift to take up the players or hotel to accommodate participants,” Zafar Ali Shah, who won a gold medal in Piece Downhill Senior, told Central Asia Online.
But all in all, it seemed locals and foreigners alike were pleased to see the steady stream of activity that the gala brought to the tourism hub of Pakistan.

Tourism constitutes a significant source of income for Swat and its residents. Prior to activities being interrupted by militancy, Swat and its environs attracted a good number of visitors from across the world as well as other parts of Pakistan. The area was in particular favoured by trekkers and mountaineers.

Year of the World Cup infuses new spirit into cricket

A study of the rise and fall of cricket teams at the highest level clearly shows that these phenomena are cyclical. Staying at the top of the heap is not an easy task. Over the years South Africa, England, West Indies and the Australians have all had mind boggling teams.

Pakistan and India have also had their moments of glory but after each rise to the top it seems inevitable that a drop will follow. The recently completed Ashes series proves this point emphatically. Pakistan therefore should take heart from this and be assured that their stay at the lower end of the rung will not be for ever.
As the man said ‘this too shall pass’. The reaction of the Australian press and its ex-greats could have been predicted.
Quite naturally when the team does not perform up to the high expectations that have become the norm, all the elements that go to make a strong team come into question; domestic cricket structure, domestic tournaments and of course the selection committee.
The one point which we in Pakistan must note is that none of the harsh criticism about the Australian team has been laid at the doorstep of the president of the ACB. This proves that their system follows the maxim of authority and responsibility being correctly apportioned. The CEO has received some flack but the main recipient of the fall out was the chief selector.
Whilst one can argue about the reasons that bring about this rise and fall in my view the main contributing reason is the difficulty in breaking a winning combination. Human nature makes the selectors stick with top-class players just that bit longer than they should. Who says that the job is easy!!!
The Pakistan team has so far performed creditably in New Zealand.
Winning an away Test series is never easy. Their start of the ODIs has not been very encouraging but it is early days and one hopes that they will improve. The real success has been that the team has stayed away from controversy.
I believe that the lack of a decision about the captain for the World Cup has affected the performance of the players. It is obvious that both Misbah and Afridi have loyalists in the team and indecision in this matter must be having its impact.
Why am I not surprised that our inveterate much-travelling chairman has made sure that he also visits New Zealand in his tenure on the pretext of choosing a captain? These days when modern communication technology can ensure face to face interviews on Skype it is a weak excuse that personal input by the players and team management to the chairman was essential for this decision.
The Pakistan fifteen in the absence of our errant players lacks fire power. It lacks maturity and proven class in the middle order and the opener who was at last beginning to perform has been inexplicably sidelined.
The batting will depend hugely on Younis Khan and the hope that the young players come good. The bowling department has good spinners but the choice of Shoaib Akhtar is very optimistic. On subcontinental wickets I cannot see him being a force. Notwithstanding his abilities to reverse swing, the ball change after thirty-five overs leaves him a very small window. I hope as we all do that the team does well but progress beyond the quarter-finals would be hoping for too much. I would sincerely like to be proved wrong.
My forecast for the final four in the World Cup would be: England, India, Sri Lanka and Australia. Let me assure the readers that these names have not been just picked out of a hat. England has consciously gone about rebuilding their team.
The Ashes has proved that they have peaked at the right time for Test cricket. The ODI series in Australia will provide them a good work up to the World Cup. They have a balanced side with good batting backed by a young group of fast and medium fast bowlers and one good spinner. Their fielding is very good and thus the total makes a winning package. India is certainly a very potent force especially playing at home.
If they have a problem it is that their players have played too much cricket and some of their big guns have been selected in spite of carrying injuries which could become a problem. Sri Lanka is the quiet performer whose cricket is based on arguably some of the best technical players in the game today. This is due to their schools still being the nurseries for almost all their players where formal coaching is prevalent. The team has some fine bowlers who are backed by excellent fielding. Australia makes my last four. I for one will not write them off. They are a fighting unit that has some great and some very good players.
The likes of Ponting and Clarke just have too much class not to come good. I believe South Africa deserves a mention even though I do not see them in the semi-finals. Whatever the reason this team does have a history of missing the killer instinct. The team seems to now be under pressure from this reputation and tends to tense up at critical moments. This carried load makes me opine that they may not make it.

Sachin blasts critics over retaining No. 1 spot

Sachin Tendulkar has blasted critics and detractors who doubted Team India's ability to retain the No 1 world Test ranking soon after they achieved it more than a year ago. The Little Master added that the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side still being on top of the table was proof of the team's calibre.Many people thought we would be on top for only 30-40 days when we achieved the no 1 spot in Tests (beating Sri Lanka at home) as the South Africa series (at home) was next. After losing the first Test at Nagpur we heard we will lose the no 1 spot. But after more than a year we are still standing there. In this competitive era it is fantastic," said Tendulkar at the Castrol Awards function here.


Tendulkar received three awards the Indian Cricketer of the year (2009-10 season), the Test Cricketer of the year and a special award for completing 50 Test tons. In all, he received cash awards to the tune of Rs 9 lakh.

Tendulkar said the team faced many challenges after securing numero uno status and lauded the entire team as well as coach Gary Kirsten.

"I feel extremely proud to be part of this team. To get there (to the no 1 spot) was not easy. We had to face a lot of challenges and stood together supporting each other. We had to work hard. Gary brought a remarkable change in the squad. All batsmen have performed well since 2007," Tendulkar said in an indirect dig at former coach Greg Chappell.

Tendulkar also admitted that his slump in form prior to what is generally described as his "second innings" in his remarkable career was due to the change in his back swing due to the spate of injuries for which he needed four surgeries.

"I underwent four surgeries and each one took four to four and a half months to recover which changed my back swing. But since 2007, I am feeling good and not had any major injuries," he said.

preity zinta beauty secrets and biography

Preity Zinta, the dimpled beauty, is one of those popular faces that is dominating the Bollywood industry at present. Coming from the mountain region of Shimla in Himachal Pradesh, Preity Zinta is the perfect blend of smart mind and worldly wisdom, which is rare. She has proved herself in Hindi cinema in spite of being an outsider to Bollywood. She is capable of making her characters lively, through her acting skills. Her good looks, spontaneity, smartness and intelligence earned her a name, fame and recognition in Bollywood.

Personal Life of Preity Zinta:
Preity Zinta was born on 31st January in 1975 to a Hindu Rajput family at Shimla in Himachal Pradesh. Durganand Zinta, her father was in the Indian Army. When she was just thirteen, her father died in a car accident; Nilprabha, her mother, was severely injured in the accident and was bed ridden for 2 years. Her father's untimely demise along with her mother's sickness made Preity a grown up girl, when she was young. She has two brothers, Manish and Deepankar. Deepankar is in the Indian Army and Manish lives in Los Angeles.



Career of Preity Zinta:
Preity Zinta, a graduate in psychology, got selected for Shekhar Kapoor's ( a reputed director) movie 'Tara Rum Pum Pum', opposite Hrithik Roshan (one of the best actors of Bollywood), but, the film got stooped midway. However, Preity Zinta finally stepped into Bollywood through 'Dil S'e. Though she acted in movies such as 'Soldier' and 'Kya Kehna'. With the delayed release of those two movies, 'Dil Se' became her first acting venture as per bollywood norms. It was quite an unusual movie for debut, as her screen appearnace lasted for only 20 minutes. This film also starred Shahrukh Khan and Manisha Koirala, two popular actors of bollywood. It is to be noted here that she played the lead for ths first time in the movie 'Soldier', opposite Bobby Deol, which was a record hit at box office. Apart from acting in Bollywood, she has also acted in English and Telugu movies. Some of her popular Bollywood movies are 'Lakshya', 'Veer Zaara', 'Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna', 'Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha', 'Koi Mil Gaya', 'Armaan', 'Salaam Namaste', 'Dil Chahta Ha', 'Chori Chori Chupke Chupke' and 'Sangharsh'. She has already proved her versatility by playing different type of characters.

Awards received by Preity Zinta:
Preity Zinta won the Filmfare Best Actress Award for her outstanding performance in 'Soldier' and 'Dil Se'. She has been nominated for popular awards of Hindi cinema, in nearly every year, in the category of Best Actress.

In the year 2004, Preity Zinta has joined the line up of South Asia's commentators for famous BBC News Online. Continue browsing sitagita.com, to know about other popular female actors in Bollywood. 

Sleepy Shahid Kapoor in Priyanka Chopra’s house!!

It was around 7.30 am in the morning when IT officials went in for a raid at Priyanka Chopra’s residence in Versova and Oops!! It was not sexy Priyanka Chopra who greeted them but it was her great friend Shahid Kapoor who opened the door for them in mere shorts looking sleepy and shocked.

The IT officials were equally shocked and for a moment, they thought they had raided the wrong sixth floor apartment in Classic Building on Yari Road but then they realized….

Now, obviously Shahid could not leave immediately. So, he stayed there for sometime and later left the house after getting dressed. It came out later that Shahid had spent the night at Priyanka’s place and she had come from walking the ramp at a fashion show for Shabana Azmi. The two are trying to spend as much time together before PC starts the promotions for her movie Saat Khoon Maaf.

A senior I-T official confirmed that nearly 70 officers drawn from various units raided 12 properties belonging to Chopra and Katrina Kaif yesterday in connection with alleged tax evasion. The officials sealed 12 lockers and verification of documents continued till late in the evening. Officials said many documents were seized from Chopra’s residence, which was created by merging five flats. The residence of Capt Dr Ashok Chopra, the former Miss World’s father, at Lokhandwala was also raided.

“The actresses have done many stage shows abroad. They took more money by cheque to get more exemption and then returned some of it in cash after returning to India. The said money is not reflected in their I-T returns,” said an officer. “The raids are still continuing,” said I-T Director General (investigation) B P Gaur.

All we can now think of is the statement Shahid Kapoor gave on a popular chat show barely a month ago saying, “If I woke up as Priyanka Chopra one day, I would wonder what I was doing in Shahid Kapoor’s bedroom and then walk over to my flat in the next wing.”

The only fifference here is that here Shahid Kapoor wakes up in Priyanka Chopra’s bedroom!!

Veena Malik defends herself from criticism by mullahs

Pakistani actress Veena Malik set the temperatures in the drawing room high with her skimpy dresses and oh-so-hot intimacy with Ashmit Patel in the latest season of ‘Big Boss’. Since returning from India, Malik has been constantly under fire for allegedly misrepresenting Pakistani women, Islam and Pakistani culture on the show.

She has been vehemently criticized by the orthodox community for vulgarity on the show and Mufti Abdul Kawi went on to snub her as “baigharat” (immoral) on a talk show on television. “You tell me is you conscience clear that you didn”t bring a bad name to Pakistan and Islam and that you behaved inappropriate to our religious and cultural values,” Maulana Qavi asked her on the show.

However, not the one to take down criticisms so easily, Veena Malik took the mullahs to task and even said that if she were in the wrong, so was Abdul Kawi because Islam doesn’t permit a man to cast a second look at a woman who isn’t his relative.

“One can be punished for looking at a woman a second time, you should be punished,” Malik told the Mufti on Express News’ Frontline show.

Malik defines her experience in the show as a “beautiful, terrible, exciting, emotional, sad” journey and said, “I belong to the entertainment industry and I went with my agenda. I wanted to show the world that there are other types of Pakistanis too, not just those who are in the news for terror acts.”

She defended her behavior and clothes saying, “It isn’t a religious show either. The format of the show is to get people from various walks of life under one roof… I was contacted for my bravery. I wasn’t even representing office-going women of Pakistan. I was a Pakistani from the entertainment industry. I wore only clothes that I have worn in Pakistan before. I was representing myself… and I am like this only.”

Aisam trains with women’s wheelchair champ

UNDP Ambassador of Goodwill, Pakistan’s tennis star Aisam-ul-Haq received appreciation in Australia when he went on court to train with the women’s wheel chair tennis champion Esther Verger at the Melbourne Park Tennis Complex on Monday.

Aisam was deeply impressed with the track record of Verger, the wheelchair tennis champion, who won an amazing 401 tennis matches without a loss. A record that dates all the way back to 2003, including the fact that Verger has never lost a singles match in a Grand Slam competition.

“I was shocked,” said Aisam. “What an amazing achievement in our sport. She is an inspiration. I told my coach that I wanted to meet her [Verger] and find out how she has managed to achieve so much.”

The fact that Aisam wants to help improve wheelchair tennis, impresses Verger.

 “I think that is amazing. He is already spreading the message of peace through tennis and wheelchair tennis is part of that because wheelchair tennis is going to be big, especially for the soldiers from wars.”

“In my rehab centre I got introduced to sports when I was eight years old, I became paralysed after an accident,” explains Verger.            

Aisam and Verger enjoyed a ‘hit and giggle’ then Verger invited the current world No. 18 doubles player to try playing tennis in a wheelchair, which he accepted.

“He’s an awesome tennis player so he’s able to hit the ball well, but then if he needed to push or go from left to right [in the wheelchair] he had some problems; but it took me 20 years to get at this level, so it was good,” Verger said.

Aisam and Rohan Bopanna, known as Pak-Indian tennis express are trying to remind people that sport is a universal language that facilitates dialogue – which they are promoting through their humanitarian campaign Stop War! Start Tennis.

Aisam and Rohan crashed out of the Australian Open in the third round after losing to Nanad Zimonjic of Serbia & Michael Llodra of France 3-6 7-6 7-6.

The Side Effects of Bodybuilding Supplements

Many body builders turn to discount bodybuilding supplements in order to achieve more noticeable results in a shorter amount of time. In addition, supplements can help to maintain energy levels so that workouts can be longer and more effective. However, both brand name and discount supplements can cause side effects, which should be considered before starting a supplement regimen.

One of the most popular bodybuilding supplements is creatine. Creatine monohydrate is used to increase muscle fullness and body mass. It also helps in shortening the recovery time after an intense workout. Creatine can cause your muscles to retain water, which can lead to dehydration in some people. Also, there might be up to a five pound weight gain during the first week. There are no major known side effects of taking creatine, but some people experience gas, bloating or diarrhea during the first few weeks of use.

Glutamine is taken by those who are doing frequent intense workouts. It is an amino acid that occurs naturally in your muscles, and it also works to help maintain your immune system. It can become depleted through diet or hard workouts, and a supplement can help to keep up immune response. There have been no reported side effects.

Andro supplements have received a lot of negative press as androstenedione is banned at the Olympics. However, andro supplements are not illegal and many believe they help build muscle mass and strength. Andro supplements cause an increase in female sex hormones. When taken by men, it can cause breast growth as well as a decreased sex drive. It also increases the risk of heart disease.

Caffeine is used to burn fat in a way that discourages fatigue. It can increase concentration and some feel it helps with motivation. It also has an effect on muscle contraction. It can be easy to take too much caffeine because many people also drink soda, coffee, or eat chocolate while taking the supplements. If too much caffeine is consumed, side effects include heart palpitations, nervousness, irritability, dehydration and diarrhea.

As with any type of medication or vitamin, you should make yourself aware of the possible side effects of the drug to determine whether the benefits of taking it outweigh any negative outcomes. While many supplements do not have any side effects, some have side effects which should make you think twice before purchasing them. All it takes is a little bit of research and you should be able to take supplements without having to worry about any unwanted results.

FREE BEAUTY TIPS

This is your year to look and feel like you belong in a beauty pageant. You will discover in these pages more than the usual celebrity talent search makeup tricks for hair, skin, and eyes. Prepare yourself for a complete makeover as you discover the inner world of true beauty as we dispense tips and advice on every aspect of beauty from homemade remedy to beauty pageant secrets. Our free tips and advice will work whether your skin is Asian, African American, Indian, or a light complexion. The free beauty tips, advice and secrets contained here are for the mature woman as well as the teen girl still facing the trials of acne.

The information contained here goes past the normal focus of teaching women how to apply their makeup, do their eyebrows, or fix their hair. We will deal with our inner attitudes, how we treat others, our posture, and our diet. We will guide you how to get the most out of what you have and how to find what you might be missing and camouflage what you have more than you need.

Blaming Afridi for defeat absurd: Sallu

KARACHI: Former Test cricketer and chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed Sallu on Monday said blaming skipper Shahid Afridi for Pakistan’s poor show in the first ODI at Wellington is unjust as the whole team had flopped badly to hand convincing win to the Kiwis.

Talking to Dawn, Sallu pointed out that Afridi had scored 601 runs with two centuries and had a strike rate of 144 in 2010, coupled with 19 wickets in the ODIs, and it was unfair to blame him solely for a single defeat at Wellington.

“A few former cricketers are putting the blame squarely on Afridi because they have an axe to grind with the all-rounder,” said Sallu.

“They are also citing Afridi’s performance in the recently concluded 20-20 series against the Kiwis but then they should also consider that it was his bowling (4-14) that was key to Pakistan’s victory in the last Twenty20 game.”

Not mincing any words about Afridi’s critics, Sallu said the agenda of these handful of ex-cricketers was quite obvious to everyone.

“May I ask these critics what was the performance of our openers and middle order batsmen in the first ODI, barring Misbah-ul-Haq?

“All others including opener Mohammad Hafeez, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq and Umar Akmal have been in New Zealand for the past three weeks and well acclimatised with the conditions, and yet they failed to score even 40 runs between them.

“These critics must realise that one-day cricket is not a single wicket competition and blaming an individual for the defeat is quite absurd,” argued Sallu.

“Can the detractors of Afridi tell me how any team could defend a small 125-run target, and that too on a field that had short boundaries? Even Sir Gary Sobers would find it difficult to defend this total in a Twenty20 game, let alone a fifty over match.”

Sallu also criticised senior bowler Shoaib Akhtar who conceded as many as 47 runs in just 4 overs to nearly settle the contest in the hosts` favour.

“Shoaib’s spell is hard to defend and I would even suggest that it would be better if spinners are introduced sooner in the innings since the New Zealanders are traditionally vulnerable to spin,” said Sallu.

“There are another five games to be played and I am confident that Afridi and his boys will come back strongly in the series.”