Latest News

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• Afridi hints at including an extra spinner in Pakistan team
• Ronaldo to announce retirement
• Eating berries may lower Parkinson’s risk
• Shah Rukh Khan in Malaysia to film ‘Don’ sequel
• Sonakshi-Katrina: No love lost over soap
• Criminal complaint against NCP leader for illegal mining
• Sensex soars, broader markets join rally
• Rahat Fateh Ali Khan arrested
• ’7 Khoon Maaf’ – Bharadwaj ready with black comedy
• Gaga wins Grammy

Afridi hints at including an extra spinner in Pakistan team Posted: 14 Feb 2011 12:28 AM PST Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi Monday hinted at playing an 'extra spinner’ in the team during the World Cup which gets underway Feb 19. The experienced all-rounder said Pakistan have several spin options and they are prepared to unleash them on turning tracks of the sub-continent. “The playing conditions here would be quite different to what we encountered during our tour of New Zealand,” Afridi said. Pakistan will play two warm-up matches here before beginning its campaign in Pool A against Kenya in Hambantota, Sri Lanka, Feb 23. “Here we can explore the idea of playing an extra specialist spinner,” he added. Pakistan has two specialist spinners – Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman – in its 15-man squad. Afridi and all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez also add variety to its spin attack. Afridi has also played down fears that Pakistan will be going into the World Cup with a depleted pace attack saying that his fast bowlers have the guts to shine in the mega event. “I don’t think that there is any cause for concern,” Afridi said. “Our team is shaping up well and the boys are all highly motivated to give their best in the World Cup,” he stressed. Pakistan will go into the World Cup after a morale-boosting ODI series triumph in New Zealand earlier this month. Despite the good results, Pakistan are not counted among the top five title contenders because of their depleted pace battery. Pakistan’s two most lethal pacers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif have been banned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on charges of spot-fixing. Left-arm pacer Sohail Tanvir, who was a surprise inclusion in the squad, was also dropped at the last minute due to fitness issues and has been replaced by rookie pacer Junaid Khan. An ageing Shoaib Akhtar will be leading the pace attack that includes Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz and Abdul Razzaq. Akhtar is in the twilight of his international career while Gul has had more than his fair share of fitness problems in recent years. But Afridi is confident of his fast bowlers. “Let me tell you that Shoaib Akhtar is working really, really hard because he wants to be at his best in the World Cup. In terms of fitness, Shoaib may be a bit down but he is totally committed and is improving day by day. I won’t be surprised if he is back at his brilliant best at the World Cup,” said Afridi. He also praised Umar Gul, saying that the lanky pacer will be one of his key men in the World Cup. “Gul is a valuable player. He is a match winner,” he said. Afridi is confident that each of his players can be a match winner on his day. “I have complete confidence in my boys because each and every one of them is a match-winner. They need to click and I’m sure they will do that in the World Cup.”

Ronaldo to announce retirement Posted: 14 Feb 2011 12:26 AM PST Three-time football player of the year Ronaldo was expected to end his career Monday, Brazilian media reported. The 34-year-old striker for Sao Paulo’s Corinthians was to announce the move at a press conference, the Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper reported online. “I would like to continue, but I can’t. I can no longer bear it. It is time. But it has been wonderful,” he was quoted as saying. His contract runs until 2011, but Ronaldo has been criticized by fans after the Corinthians fell out of the Copa Libertadores, South America’s largest football tournament, in the first round.

Eating berries may lower Parkinson’s risk Posted: 14 Feb 2011 12:24 AM PST Eating berries regularly may lower risk of developing Parkinson’s, thanks to compounds called flavonoids. Flavonoids are found in plants and fruits and are also known collectively as vitamin P and citrin. They can also be found in berry fruits, chocolates and citrus fruits such as grapefruit. “This is the first study in humans to examine the association between flavonoids and risk of developing Parkinson’s disease,” said study author Xiang Gao, from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. The study involved 49,281 men and 80,336 women, who were followed from 20 to 22 years. Researchers gave participants questionnaires and used a database to calculate intake amount of flavonoids, according to a Harvard statement. They then analyzed the association between flavonoid intakes and the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. They also analysed the consumption of five major sources of flavonoids: tea, berries, apples, red wine and oranges or orange juice. During that time, 805 people developed Parkinson’s disease. In men, the top 20 percent who consumed the most flavonoids were about 40 percent less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than the bottom 20 percent of male participants who consumed the least amount of flavonoids. In women, there was no relationship between overall flavonoid consumption and developing Parkinson’s disease. However, when sub-classes of flavonoids were examined, regular consumption of anthocyanins, which are mainly obtained from berries, were found to be associated with a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease in both men and women.

Shah Rukh Khan in Malaysia to film ‘Don’ sequel Posted: 14 Feb 2011 12:22 AM PST Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan is back in Malaysia to shoot a sequel to his blockbuster ‘Don’ – this time on a larger scale and with a local baddie to combat. Immensely popular and honoured with the traditional Malaysian title Datuk, akin to knighthood, Khan arrived here Sunday morning along with co-star Priyanka Chopra. “The `king’ of Bollywood is in Malaysia to film the sequel to his 2006 blockbuster hit ‘Don’,” The Star announced Monday. He flew in from Mumbai after a gruelling 58 hours of working on a set. “Datuk Shah Rukh Khan lived up to his tough guy image by proceeding to Malacca state to continue filming,” the newspaper said. Besides Priyanka, a former Miss World, a 60-member crew accompanied Khan to Malacca. “The Indian icon looked relaxed and up to the task of filming `Don 2′, a highly-anticipated action thriller.” His arrival created a stir at the airport as passengers rushed to catch a glimpse of the actors. “Despite their hectic schedule, the duo did not disappoint when their fans asked to take photographs.” “Don 2″ will continue to portray Khan as Don, an undercover police officer masquerading as the leader of an international gang of drug smugglers. Priyanka will play his love interest, Roma. The sequel will promote Malaysia, just as the initial blockbuster did. Local sensation Ady Putra, known for his bad boy roles in hit Malay movies like “Anak Halal” and “Histeria”, will also star alongside Khan, with shooting to be done at Sungai Udang. Khan’s close friend of 16 years, Lorna Enan Muloon, said the Indian actor had set the trend for Bollywood to have Malaysia, especially Malacca, as a preferred location for filming. “The state has a special place in his heart,” she said. “Don 2″ will also be filmed in Kuala Lumpur, the national capital and Langkawi, a popular island resort. Khan will be in the country for about a month.

Sonakshi-Katrina: No love lost over soap Posted: 14 Feb 2011 12:19 AM PST It is her first television ad campaign. Sonakshi Sinha is happy that she is Katrina Kaif’s successor as the face of Dyna soap and says it was a lot of fun getting into the bathtub for it. Sonakshi and Katrina are incidentally both Salman Khan’s protegees and the “Dabangg” newcomer insists there’s no tension between them. Sonakshi is full of admiration for her senior and doesn’t think she has replaced Katrina in the Dyna soap ad. “Katrina had done the Dyna campaign many years back and they haven’t had a brand ambassador after her. So like every brand and celebrity move on, so have Dyna and Katrina. She has moved to Lux. I’ve come in to Dyna, simple!” “Not every newcomer gets to represent one of the highest-selling soaps in the country,” she said. What was it like shooting the campaign, specially since it required Sonakshi, who made her debut as a village belle, to get into a bathtub? “It was good fun. The team was excellent and the shoot went off smoothly. I wasn’t the least self-conscious about the way it was shot. It’s a very aesthetically shot ad. It was completely in my comfort zone,” she said. “Just getting into a bathtub doesn’t mean one has to be unaesthetic,” Sonakshi added.

Criminal complaint against NCP leader for illegal mining Posted: 14 Feb 2011 12:13 AM PST Right to Information (RTI) activists in Goa Monday filed a criminal complaint against Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) national secretary Jitendra Deshprabhu and several top bureaucrats for illegal mining worth Rs.50 crore. Activists Kashinath Shetye, Ketan Govekar and Pradeep Kakodkar have said Deshprabhu had cheated the state government to the tune of Rs.50 crore due to the illegal extraction of ore in his mine located at the Pernem subdistrict in north Goa. “We have filed a complaint against Deshprabhu for illegal mining and the chief conservator of forests, director mining, director transport and chief of the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) and the local panchayats for abetting the illegal mining, by not taking action against the crime in time,” Shetye told IANS. The complaint comes a fortnight after Chief Minister Digambar Kamat told the Goa legislative assembly that the senior NCP leader ran an illegal mining outfit. Kamat, also Goa’s minister for mines, told the Goa legislative assembly Feb 1 that Deshprabhu has already been fined Rs.1.72 crore by the state mining department for illegally extracting nearly 50,000 tonnes of iron ore. Deshprabhu, however, has maintained that while the mine was located in his property, he was not responsible for the extraction of ore because he had leased the property to a contractor. Illegal and unchecked mining is a sensitive issue in Goa, with civil society groups and the opposition voicing concern about the issue repeatedly. According to data submitted in the monsoon session of the Goa legislative assembly, ore worth Rs.4,000 crore was illegally mined and exported out of the Goa to countries like China, Japan, Romania, etc. Leader of opposition Manohar Parrikar claims that nearly 18 percent of Goa’s total 40 million tonnes mining output comprises illegally mined ore. He has also accused Kamat and several of his cabinet ministers of being in hand-in-glove with the illegal mining lobby.

Sensex soars, broader markets join rally Posted: 14 Feb 2011 12:11 AM PST A benchmark index for Indian equities markets was ruling almost 400 points higher amid buoyant buying sentiments across the market breadth Monday. Other Asian markets too were on the rise. The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 17,940.16 points, rose to 18,122.49 points, up 393.88 points or 2.22 percent from its previous close at 17,728.61 points. The 50-scrip S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange moved up 2.14 percent higher at 5,423.75 points. Broader markets also shot up, with the BSE midcap index trading 2.76 percent higher and the BSE small cap index ruling 3.53 percent up. All 13 sectoral indices on the BSE were in the positive, with capital goods, auto and consumer durable stocks leading the gainers. The market breadth was positive, with 2,320 stocks advancing compared to 409 scrips on the decline. A total of 58 stocks remained unchanged. Among gainers on the 30-scrip Sensex were Tata Motors, L&T, Jindal Steel and Tata Power, while the sole loser on the benchmark index was DLF. Other Asian markets snapped a five-day losing spree as rumours did the rounds that economic data coming from China was expected to show inflation lower than expected. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was ruling 1.42 percent up at 23,154.07 points, while a benchmark of Chinese markets, Shanghai Composite index, nudged up 2.44 percent at 2,896.45 points. The Japanese Nikkei shot up 1.13 percent at 10,725.54 points.

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan arrested Posted: 14 Feb 2011 12:10 AM PST Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan was Monday arrested by India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), a day after he was detained at the international airport here on charges of carrying undisclosed foreign currency, an official said. “He has been arrested and will be produced in court,” an official of DRI said.

’7 Khoon Maaf’ – Bharadwaj ready with black comedy Posted: 13 Feb 2011 10:24 PM PST Vishal Bharadwaj’s fetish for big screen adaptations of books and plays is well-known. Continuing with what he is best at, the multi-faceted filmmaker is bringing on screen Friday “Susanne’s Seven Husbands”, which has Priyanka Chopra as a sinister woman who knocks off her husbands one after another. The film is based on Ruskin Bond’s “Susanne’s Seven Husbands” and tracks the story of a beautiful young girl Susanna Anna-Marie Johannes (Priyanka) who ends up tying the knot seven times following untimely and mysterious deaths of her hapless husbands. And due to strange circumstances, Susanna becomes the prime suspect. Produced by UTV Spotboy and Bharadwaj himself, it stars Neil Nitin Mukesh, John Abraham, Irrfan Khan, Naseeruddin Shah, Annu Kapoor and Russian actor Aleksandr Dyachenko. Naseer’s son Vivaan also plays one of the husbands in the thriller. In the film, Priyanka’s character ages from 20 years to 65. The first story titled “Adamkhor Major” has Neil playing the role of Major Edwin Rodrigues. Susanna falls for him as he looks dashing in uniform; he’s however a bit old for her and likes to give orders. Good looking guys are Susanna’s weakness. Post-Edwin’s death, Susanna decides to marry Jimmy, played by John, as she is floored by his good looks and musical talent. She, however, doesn’t have any idea what’s in store for her. This story is called “Ek Duje Ke Liye”. But Jimmy also dies and then enters poet Wasiullah Khan a.k.a. Musafir played by Irrfan. Impressed by his poetry, Susanna marries him too. Although during the day he is gentle, as the dark dawns upon, he becomes something else. This story is called “Mussafir Hoon Yaaron”. “Amar Prem” sees Susanna falling for Nicolai Vronsky, played by Russian actor Aleksandr Dyachenko, from Moscow but this marriage doesn’t last long as Vronsky dies too. Following the death of Susanna’s previous husbands, the police start taking keen interest in the case. So police officer Keemat Lal enters Susanna’s life. He not only persuades her to marry him but also makes it impossible for her to say no. Their story is titled “Pyaar Ki Keemat”. After the death of Keemat, Susanna is attracted to Dr. Modhusudon Tarafdar. Titled “Mashroom Da”, as the story progresses Susanne is now suffering from melancholy and her husband Naseer puts her on mushroom only diet. The seventh husband is played by Vivaan, but the story has been kept under wraps. For her role, Priyanka had to go through seven different age makeovers, for which prosthetics had to play a vital part. Bharadwaj had hired Hollywood special make-up effects artist Greg Cannom of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” fame to create those seven different looks. It is also being said that to make Priyanka look like a 65-year-old woman, the make-up team used Priyanka’s grandmother’s photo for ideas. Like always, Bharadwaj has also composed the music for the film. The Indian version of traditional Russian folk song “Kalinka”, “Darling” instantly struck a chord with the music buffs. It has been sung by Bharadwaj’s wife Rekha and Usha Uthup.

Gaga wins Grammy Posted: 13 Feb 2011 10:20 PM PST Singer Lady Gaga has walked away with the Grammy for best female pop vocal for the song “Bad Romance” at the 53rd edition of the awards. The 24-year-old star beat Sara Bareilles (King Of Anything), Beyonce Knowles (Halo (Live)), Norah Jones (Chasing Pirates) and Katy Perry (Teenage Drama) to walk away with the prestigious honour at a glittering ceremony at the Staples Centre, Los Angeles Sunday night.

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