subhan Melbourne, July 10: Captain Ricky Ponting and Simon Katich, both seeking different forms of Ashes redemption, were the toast of the Australian media on Friday after batting the Aussies towards a secure position in the first Test against England.
Katich scored his maiden Ashes hundred and Ponting his 38th Test century as the Australians reached second day stumps in Cardiff at 249 for one in reply to England’s first innings 435, a deficit of 186.
Mumbai, July 10: Salman Khan has given away enough paintings. His creations hang from the walls of his friends, family, producers and leading ladies. Now, the actor wants to put his creations for better use. He wants to have an auction to fund his charity organisation, Being Human.
Salman has made several paintings and stored them in his Panvel farmhouse as well as his Bandra apartment. He will now select the ones he wants to auction.
Mumbai, July 10: Priyanka Chopra is suffering from an eye infection. The actress who recently wrapped up the shoot for What’s Your Raashee? and is now shooting for Pyaar Impossible, is walking around with a red eye, due to an infection.
PC, a regular on Twitter (http://twitter.com/priyankachopra) has even tweeted about her eye problem on the site. She has even uploaded a picture of herself with a team of hairdressers in which her red eye is evident.
Mumbai, July 10: Raj Kumar Santoshi has decided to cast Shatrughan Sinha and wife Punam together in his next film.
36 years after the husband and wife appeared in their first and last film together Sabak they will face the camera together in Santoshi’s next.
Santoshi, currently in the process of completing his latest film Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, met the couple and offered them the roles. Punam was an actress, several decades ago. Besides Sabak with her husband, she also acted in other successful films like Jigri Dost with Jeetendra before quitting the scene to marry Shotgun.
Mumbai, July 10: Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor might be busy with their careers not thinking about tying the knot but their parents want to see them married soon.
Saif’s mother Sharmila Tagore said she and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi knew their son and Kareena were serious about each other and by God’s grace their marriage should happen soon.
Washington, July 10: Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says that a vaccine for swine flu should be available by mid-October.
The announcement came after the government renewed plans for an outbreak during the fall flu season. The vaccine could be ready for testing in August.
Sebelius added that the government would on Friday begin to hand out USD 350 million to states and local communities to help combat the A-H1N1 virus, DPA reported on Thursday.
Cairo, July 09: The Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak holds Tel Aviv responsible for the breakdown of a deal which could result in the release of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
On Thursday, the Middle East News Agency (MENA) released parts of Mubarak’s interview with the Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot to be published on Friday.
Shalit was about to be transferred to Egypt when Israel changed its terms for a planned prisoner swap, Mubarak says in the interview.
New York, July 10: European Union External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said Thursday that sanctions should be considered if Iran rejects talks to settle the dispute over results of last month’s presidential elections.
“If nothing will happen, the question of sanctions and strengthening of sanctions will come up again on the EU side,” Ferrero-Waldner told a group of reporters while visiting UN headquarters in New York.
Ankara, July 10: A Turkish civilian has been killed in a blast carried out by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants in Turkey’s eastern province of Siirt.
The explosion took place at Gorendoruk Village in the Eruh town of Siirt province late on Wednesday, the Turkish military said, Xinhua reported.
The military has adopted tougher actions against the PKK, especially in eastern and southeastern Turkey, after the country’s legislature extended a government mandate to launch cross-border operations against the rebels in northern Iraq.
New Delhi, July 09: Putting behind China’s objections to an Asian Development Bank (ADB) loan to India, special representatives of the two countries will meet next month to resume their dialogue on finding a solution to their vexed border issue, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said Thursday.
Florida, July 09: Authorities in the southeastern US State of Florida say a small Cessna aircraft with five passengers has gone down around the region’s Gulf Coast.
The US Coast Guard officials confirmed that the twin-engine Cessna carried five aboard while en route to Tampa, Florida from McKinney, Texas on Wednesday when it disappeared from the radar within a short distance west of Port Richey.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the plane went down after running into severe weather conditions in the afternoon, AP reported.
Harare, July 09: The first major meeting of all key participants in Zimbabwe’s nascent process to draft a new constitution, due to begin on Friday, has been delayed after demands from President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU(PF) party, the head of the draft organizing committee said Thursday.
“ZANU(PF) wanted us to postpone it indefinitely,” Douglas Mwonzora, head of the parliamentary select committee to produce the draft, said after a meeting with MPs. “I don’t understand the strategic importance of a delay. We tried to make sense of it.”
Texan, July 09: Police in the Texan city of Dallas has trimmed high security measures intended to protect former US president George W. Bush over recession woes.
The Dallas Police Department announced on Wednesday it has reduced fortifications around the Preston Hollow, home of the ex-US president over costs.
The Bush house was protected by multilayer security, including ‘Secret Service protection and on-duty tactical officers’ amongst other ordinary safety measures, some of which had to be eliminated due to the city’s increasing budget deficit.
London, July 09: Former coach Duncan Fletcher feels that middle-order batsman Kevin Pietersen and a bowling attack capable of taking 20 Australian wickets holds the key for England to regain the Ashes trophy.
”The two keys are Kevin Pietersen and picking an attack capable of taking 20 wickets,” Fletcher said. ”I wasn’t worried when Pietersen failed twice against Warwickshire- that’s the nature of the beast.
Melbourne, July 09: Former Australia coach John Buchanan hits out at Sachin Tendulkar, asserting that the Indian batting maestro is unfit to play the Twenty20 cricket as he is no longer inventive and fearless.
Mumbai, July 09: Imran Khan, it is learnt doesn’t like the tag of a chocolate hero given to him post his debut film; the romantic comedy Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na’s success.
In fact, it seems he detests the word these days. The actor made it clear that he did not want to be associated with that tag anymore during his recent interview “Please don’t call me that. I have been trying to come out of that tag after Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na and have been doing different roles” he says.
Gorakhpur, July 09: At least 13 persons sustained burns, two of them critically, after a person threw acid upon them in Gorakhnath area here.
Police said Raj Kumar Mistri had a spat with other landlords residing in the same house at Dharamshala bazaar on the intervening night of July 8-9.
In a fit of rage, he attacked the family with acid.
Thirteen people sustained burn injuries in the incident.
A mother-son duo were among those severely injured and all have been admitted to Baba Raghav Das Medical College for treatment.
Tehran, July 09: Jundullah leader Abdulmalik Rigi received $100,000 from US operatives to fuel sectarianism in Iran in just one of their meetings, his brother has said.
“My brother Abdulmalik met several times with US forces in Pakistan,” Abdulhamid Rigi told a group of tribal leaders and citizens in the town of Iranshahr in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan.
Mumbai, July 09: Arshad Warsi Arshad Warsi is playing the lead in Shortkut but the actor says he never believed in taking any shortcuts in real life.
“I only take a Shortkut in the movie but not in real life. In fact I did not even take a shortcut to become a star. I never wanted to become a star. I got the role in my lap. People who take shortcuts in real life and are successful are the blessed ones. It may be the easiest way to success but then one wrong move and things may go for a toss,” he says.
Mumbai, July 09: Basking in the superb opening of her latest film Kambakkht Ishq, the bold and beautiful Kareena Kapoor is back on her own terms again. Believe it or not, she no longer runs after name and fame. All she wants is to be known for her roles, and nothing else matters.
Cardiff, July 09: After destroying England on numerous occassions with the cricket ball, Glenn McGrath was again involved in an active role to plot Andrew Strauss’ men downfall, as the legendary pacer has provided some valuable tips of bowling in English conditions to his former teamamtes ahead of the first Test here.
Jerusalem, July 09: Palestinians Thursday urged greater international pressure on Israel to implement a five-year-old International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling against its controversial West Bank barrier.
Thursday marked the fifth anniversary of the ICJ advisory opinion, which deemed the barrier – part fence, part wall – illegal, because most of it was being built inside the West Bank, rather than on the 1949 armistice line separating the occupied territory from Israel.
New Delhi, July 09: After successful completion of Organisational elections in Punjab and Punducherry, the Congress has decided to conduct such elections in other states before the assembly elections.
Sources said that the party wants to take some steps to strengthen its organisation in the states before the assembly elections.
The organisational polls will also be conducted in politically significant Uttar Pradesh where the party has done well in the recently held general elections. The Party, bagged 21 seats out of 80 seats in UP.
Mumbai, July 09: Anything can happen in Bollywood. Nobody would expect the homely girl Amrita Rao to join ‘skin show’ competition after having donned only decent roles till recently.
But this girl-next-door has turned around following the debacle of her last few films. She will be the surprise element of the much-awaited film Short Kut – The Con Is On, which is releasing tomorrow.
Mumbai, July 09: Success story of Sunaina Touching the heart of the audiences with her mind-blowing performance in Kadhalil Vizhundhen, actress Sunaina has really come a long way in the tinsel town.
The charming diva stepped into the tinsel town when there was a shortage of big actresses for the heroes and made sure that she successfully filled this void. Sunaina proved her versatility when she portrayed a glamorous role in Masilamani.