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  • Perera fires Sri Lanka into tri-series final

    Dambulla: Thisara Perera bagged a maiden five-wicket haul to help Sri Lanka storm into the triangular One-day series final with a crushing eight-wicket win over India on Sunday.
    The 21-year-old seamer, playing his first match of the tournament, finished with 5-28 off 7.4 tight overs as India were shot out for 103 in 33.4 overs - their third-lowest total against Sri Lanka in One-Day Internationals.
    The total was not enough to put pressure on Sri Lanka, who completed the win in just 15.1 overs in the day-night match in Dambulla. The hosts finished their league engagements with 11 points from four matches, while New Zealand have seven points and India five after three games.
    The winners of the last league match between India and New Zealand on Wednesday will qualify for the final. "He (Perera) had a fantastic game today and really won us the match," said Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara.
    "We would also have batted first had we won the toss. But our bowlers bowled a great line and length right from the start. We have got a varied attack."
    Sri Lanka put in a solid all-round performance in the must-win match as their batsmen backed their fast bowlers, with Tillakaratne Dilshan (35) and Mahela Jayawardene (33) adding 79 for the opening wicket in 9.2 overs.
    Sangakkara (13 not out) finished the match when he drove paceman Ishant Sharma through the covers for a four. Upul Tharanga remained unbeaten with 12.
    "We didn't get the kind of start we needed. Their bowlers bowled in the right channels and pushed us into making mistakes," said India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. "Our next game (v New Zealand on Wednesday) is like a semi-final now."
    Yuvraj Singh earlier top-scored with a fighting 38 in a disappointing Indian batting performance after the tourists elected to bat. Opener Virender Sehwag (12), Rohit Sharma (11) and Dhoni (10) were the others to reach double figures.
    Yuvraj was unlucky to be given out leg-before off paceman Lasith Malinga (2-21) as TV replays suggested the ball would have missed the stumps. He was the ninth man out after hitting one six and five fours in his 64-ball knock.
    Sri Lanka jolted India when paceman Nuwan Kulasekara (2-31) trapped Sehwag leg-before and had Dinesh Karthik (nine) caught behind in a lively opening spell.
    Man-of-the-match Perera, who played his last One-dayer in Zimbabwe in June, then wrecked the middle order when he claimed four wickets in five overs to dash India's hopes of posting a challenging total. He was once on a hat-trick when he had Ravindra Jadeja caught by Chamara Silva at gully and Praveen Kumar caught by Tharanga at mid-off with his next delivery.
    Perera ended the innings in the 34th over when he bowled Ishant Sharma. The Sri Lankan pacemen were well supported by wicket-keeper Sangakkara, who took four catches.

    Shashi Tharoor – Sunanda Pushkar Marriage, Photos of Wedding

    Former junior external affairs minister Shashi Tharoor’s wedding with Sunanda Pushkar promises to be a total traditional affair – a 200-year-old ancestral home as the venue, hand-woven attires for the bride and groom and the guests treated to a stay in an ayurveda palace. .....[Check Photos of Tharoor Marriage]

    As August 22 draws closer, Elavanchery, in Palakkad, in Kerela gears up to host Tharoor’s wedding in a grand style. 

    PALAKKAD: A sleepy Kerala village will come alive on Sunday as the much-hyped wedding of Shashi Tharoor and Sunanda Pushkar will be held in traditional Nair style at his maternal village Elvanchery, 30km from Palakkad in Kerala.


    The 200-year-old ancestral home will be the marriage venue where a colourful shamiana has been put up.

    The wedding would be solemnized on Sunday morning with the couple dressed up in traditional Kerala clothes. Tharoor, who reached the nearby town of Kollengode in the evening, visted his 92-year-old grandmother Jayasankari and sought her blessings.


    The former Union minister and Pushkar offered prayers at the famous Sai Baba Temple in Shirdi and at the Shani Shingnapur shrine in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district on Sunday

    Heidi & Karissa: Girl-on-Girl Sex Tape

    http://ll-media.tmz.com/2010/08/21/0821-heidi-shannon-tmz-ex2-credit.jpg
    We're told not too long ago Spencer was at the Malibu house he once shared with Heidi ... moving out some of his stuff.  Sources tell us Spencer came upon a camera with XXX video of Heidi and Karissa -- and the light bulb went off.

    Sources say it was then that Spencer decided he could make a fortune selling his "library" to Vivid Entertainment -- much of it featuring naked, fornicating Speidi.

    We could not reach Heidi and her reps were mum.

    As for Karissa Shannon -- she tells us such a tape does indeed exist, but she's not convinced Spencer really has it. Karissa says if the tape ever sees the light of day, she'll sue the pants off him.

    Then again, he might enjoy that.

    Team India eyes revenge vs Zim

    After the humiliation they suffered in the ODI tri-series, India will look to make amends and take revenge against giant-slayers Zimbabwe in the first Twenty20 International here tomorrow.

    Here with a second-string team, India were dumped out of the just-concluded tri-series after suffering back-to-back defeats against the spirited Zimbabweans.

    The host team, which lost the tri-series final to Sri Lanka, would be plotting another shocker for the Indians tomorrow.

    The break that followed their tri-series ouster has given Suresh Raina's men enough time to chalk out their plans to avoid another stunner from Elton Chigumbura's fighting side.

    The key to India's success is batting and the line-up is desperately missing the heavyweights, who were rested from the series.

    Dinesh Karthik and M Vijay are not exactly the ideal opening pair for Twenty20s as both the batsmen are known to take their time in settling down at the crease before attempting strokes.

    In fact, the duo couldn't make much of an impact in the ODI series failing to score any memorable knock.

    Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Raina himself are the men in form and would look to continue their run in the two Twenty20s.

    A lot would be expected from Twenty20 specialist Yusuf Pathan, who would be aiming to prove his worth after being dropped from the ODI squad for the upcoming Asia Cup owing to poor run of form.

    On the bowling front, the Indian spin attack would be bolstered by the arrival of Piyush Chawla as Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha have not made a mark so far on the tour.

    The pace department is not too impressive either with the Ashok Dindas and Umesh Yadavs conceding too many runs for too few wickets.

    Zimbabwe, on the other hand, are high on morale despite the tri-series final loss to Sri Lanka. The team has shown the stomach for a fight and they would be looking to continue just that.

    Their batsmen showed decent form in the ODIs and would be looking to be slightly more aggressive in the shortest format of the game.

    Hamilton Masakadza, Tatenda Taibu and Charles Coventry are proven performers and the Zimbabweans would be hoping to get some explosive knocks from them to surprise the Indians once again.

    When Jahan Kumar became Jahan Bloch

    Joginder Tuteja, Bollywood Trade News Network
    Jahan Bloch. Or is she Jahan Kumar?

    A lot is there in the name. Daughter of Mehul Kumar, the film makers who made many a 'masala' flicks during the 80s and the 90s, Jahan carries the surname Bloch. 'Now where did this one come from', one is tempted to ask?

    This is what the young girl has to say. "Our family's surname has always been Bloch. My dad is basically Mehul Bloch and that stems from the fact that my forefathers have been from Baluchistan, hence the surname. However, my father chose to be called as Mehul Kumar in Bollywood", says Jahan who is making her screen debut with KRANTIVEER - THE REVOLUTION, the sequel to Nana Patekar-Dimple Kapadia starrer KRANTIVEER.

    Why didn't she also opt for the surname Kumar?

    "Well, it would have looked a little funny to be called as Jahan Kumar", she smiles, "A Kumar is generally associated with guys. Also, I love the sound of Bloch and hence chose to be called as Jahan Bloch. Today, I have found my identity and I am proud to be known with this name."

    Talking about the film, Jahan reveals that her inclusion came during the scripting stage itself.

    "Dad was in the process of writing the script and as the role of this girl became quite powerful and challenging to enact, he asked me if I would be interested in playing it. Of course, I didn't have to think twice about it. I was game for it and soon found myself preparing for it. Now that the film is just a few weeks away from release, I can't wait to see how audience acceptance comes in", she signs off.

    Osama Bin Laden on Twitter!?

    Bollywood Trade News Network
    Here to provide us with his regular updates and opinions, the fake Osama Bin Laden is the newest to join Twitterville.

    Going by the name of "FakeBinLaden", the man in demand already has a plethora of fans on social networking site FaceBook. Reveals an inside source "Following in the footsteps of our many celebrities - the fake Bin Laden is here to entertain us with his thoughts and opinions. He already has created a stir on FB and is now here to take micro blogging site Twitter by storm"

    You can find this fake Osama Bin Laden on http://twitter.com/FakeBinLaden

    The identity of the face behind the "FakeBinLaden" is kept under wraps but he will regularly tweet his opinions and other news on an upcoming film also inspired by him

    The movie in question is Walkwater's and Abhishek Sharma's TERE BIN LADEN.

    TERE BIN LADEN releasing 16th July 2010 is a tongue-in-cheek comedy about an ambitious young news reporter from Pakistan played by Ali Zafar who is desperate to migrate to the US in pursuit of the American dream. His repeated attempts to immigrate are shot down as his visa is always rejected. But when things couldn't look worse he comes across an Osama Bin Laden look alike. And that's when chaos strikes!

    Aruna Shields goes nude

    Bollywood Trade News Network
    After Bollywood hotties like Nandana Sen and Sherlyn Chopra, the relative newcomer Aruna Sheilds is next to bare it all in front of the camera!

    Aruna Shields, who made her debut in bollywood with PRINCE alongside Vivek Oberoi, is creating huge waves for her new film MR SINGH MRS MEHTA. As the bold actress will be seen posing nude for a particular sequence in the movie. Just like Hollywood actress Kate Winslet did in supremely successful film TITANIC, Aruna plays muse for a nude painting, and that is her turning point. For a girl who is trapped in middle class morality, to reach a point where she not only poses naked in front of a man who is not her husband but also doesn't care what the world will think when the painting becomes public

    Aruna Shields has gone for a complete image makeover with her new film MR SINGH MRS MEHTA, which releases on June 25. From a desi Bond babe, Shields has transformed herself into a girl-next-door from a small town in this film.

    Shields plays Neera Singh, an agony aunt columnist who discovers her husband is cheating on her. Also starring Prashant Narayanan, another Brit Asian actress Lucy Hassan and Naved Aslam, the film is written and directed by Pravesh Bhardwaj and produced by Manu S Kumaran and Tutu Sharma.

    MR SINGH MRS MEHTA is the story of Ashwin Mehta (Prashant Narayanan) and Neera Singh (Aruna Shields) who find that their spouses are having an affair. Drawn together by shame and anger, they find comfort in their growing friendship, even as they resolve not to be like their unfaithful mates.

    MR SINGH MRS MEHTA also marks the debut of world renowned sitarist and Grammy nominated artist Ustaad Shujaat Husain Khan as a music composer.

    Unlike other foreign actresses who end up being one-film-wonders in Bollywood, with Mr Singh Mrs Mehta, Aruna Shields is definitely here to stay

    Stewart wants to perform at theatre

    The 20-year-old actress, who plays Bella Swan in the vampire franchise, wants to be on stage at the London's famous West End theatre, although she wants to start off in a small production, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

    'Unlike movie acting, you have to deliver the whole performance there and then. You live it every night. But anything I do will be small,' said Stewart.

    Stewart is said to be keen to appear on the West End after seeing her model-actor friend Eddie Redmayne star in 'Red' at the Donmar Warehouse theatre in London.

    She is in talks with the theatre producer and director who have given her potential projects to consider. The actress is now busy promoting the third installment of the 'Twilight' series which will premiere in the US June 30.

    Kangy Busts Scalpel Saga!

    Kangna Ranaut is quite, quite amused. Tattle over her enhanced twin assets (ahem) and fuller lips, have almost forced Kangy to respond to the grapevine buzz with a plausible explanation.

    Reportedly, Kangy has been asserting to the scribe tribe that her more voluptuous frame is courtesy… a weight gain of seven kgs; a feat she's expressly… thrilled about!

    Declares Kangy in a tabloid chat, "Not only my breasts, but my overall frame has expanded. I do plan to lose the weight, most people have been complimenting me on my weight gain."

    Adds she, "But I do feel that it does make me look older. Though secretly, I do like myself this way and have not started going to the gym or doing yoga. On screen, my hollow cheeks look fuller and better, after the weight gain." Weighty matters, eh?

    And the World Cup winner is...

    Quit stressing over the winner of the FIFA World Cup!

    A Zulu sangoma, after a night of dreams and consultations with the ancestors, looks into the future to see the winner of the 2010 World Cup.

    The 70-year-old fortune teller, a cheerful lady called Constance, plays a critical role in Zulu culture, blessed with special powers to heal and divine the future.

    But she was mighty hard to find.

    A two-day search aided by street sellers and shop owners in the southern city of Port Elizabeth had produced nothing but a series of false dawns.

    It appeared one needed a sangoma to find a sangoma.

    Then a toothless lady of indeterminate age kneading dough on a pavement beside a taxi rank suggested trying a muthi herbal specialist off Govan Mbeki Road.

    The shop, an Aladdin's cave of pills and potions and ointments, had a high counter behind which were two people.

    One, a man, had his face painted in tribal warpaint.

    The other, a woman, was Constance.

    "You've made it," she smiled, as if she had been expecting the visit all the time.

    After negotiating her fee, Constance opened a door into a storeroom packed with sacks of dried roots and animal hides hanging from a makeshift washing line.

    Through a curtain at the back was her "office" -- with a frayed floral couch, more bags of herbs and plant extracts, and shelves crammed with somewhat incongruous tins of Jeyes Fluid household cleaner.

    "I use all this to make my medicines," she said, easing her generous frame into a chair beside, which was a small table with incense and a yellow candle.

    "When someone comes to me and wants me to help them with trouble in their life or look into the future, I get them to light this candle. That way I can see through them, I can see what the problem is," she explained.

    "I help cure people who are mad or who have AIDS using 'muthi'."

    Constance has been a sangoma for 12 years.

    "My father and my sister were sangomas, and when they died they came to me in a dream and told me 'you have to be a sangoma now'," she said.

    "I didn't want to, but they made me ill. They hit me with sticks, I couldn't walk.

    "They sent me into the sea for seven days to sleep. When I woke up I accepted to become a sangoma.

    "I went away to train for one year. Then my ancestors came back to me and said 'you can finish the training now, you are a sangoma'.

    "I then slaughtered five goats and one cow."

    She says she has many clients, rich and poor, black and white, old and young, who turn to her for a multitude of reasons.

    "People come to me because they have problems sleeping, or with their marriage, they want to know the future, or they are ill. I help them all."

    Football players also turn to herbalists for potions, balms or talismans to boost their performance or treat injuries.

    More than 30 percent of African athletes use traditional medicines, according to one survey.

    Johannesburg's Ellis Park stadium is a hop from major medicine markets, and an ox was slaughtered at the showpiece Soccer City site to bless the 10 World Cup pitches.

    Asked about the World Cup, Constance shuts her eyes, as if asleep, in meditation, then opens them sharply.

    "All the teams here are strong, but I have to consult my ancestors, I have to ask them what they think, and they will tell me in my dream tonight.

    "Come back tomorrow, and I will have your answer." The next day, Constance is again waiting behind the counter, with the answer not to eternity but almost as important.

    "Argentina will win the World Cup."

    Is a kiss worth jail+90 lashes?

    They know it is banned, yet they still don't let that fact cut any ice with their love life, or passions!

    A Saudi court has convicted a man and sentenced him to four months in prison and 90 lashes for kissing a woman in a mall.

    The government-owned daily Al-Yom reported on Thursday that Saudi religious police arrested the man and two women after they were seen on mall cameras "engaging in immoral movements in front of other shoppers."

    The report says the man, who is in his 20s, was seen with a woman "sitting on one of the chairs, exchanging kisses and hugs." It's unclear what the other woman was doing.

    The kingdom enforces a strict interpretation of Islam, which bans unrelated men and women from mingling.

    The paper says the man is to receive three batches of lashes and is banned from malls for two years. The women will be tried in another court.

    2010 Suzuki Swift Spied On

    Auto spies never cease to amaze me; this time with the spy shots of the 2010 Suzuki Swift prototype. Slated to break cover at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, the refurbished version of Suzuki’s best-selling model is expected to be Swift by name and swift by nature. In spite of the heavy camouflage, it’s very clear that the new Swift will retain its curvy looks. The stylishly revamped head and tail lamps are clearly evident in the spy shots.
    These spy shots have been doing the rounds since mid 2009. Now, a Hungarian website has released more revealing shots of the new Swift [see the gallery below]. A curvier rear, a pronounced slot for the license plate and the ‘waterfall’ tail-lights and more rounded rear-view mirrors are easily recognisable.

    According to Autocar, the new Swift is expected to offer more passenger space, with an increase in the wheelbase very likely. The car, however, still sports a non-independent suspension at the rear. The engine that powers this car is also likely to be carried over – it’s an evolution of the K-series (K12) motor that powers the current Swift and Ritz. Variable Valve Timing is expected on the European car, and this could come to India as well, just like it did with M16A on the SX4. Suzuki will also continue with the very successful 1.3-Multijet from Fiat, or DDiS. What is clear, however, is the fact that Suzuki seems to have gone the VW way – its new model is very evolutionary.
    Got queries? Let’s discuss on Twitter


    THE GREAT FAKE TAN TEST BEAUTY-CONFIDENTIAL

    Fake Bake is the first self-tanning brand to include new ingredient DMI which promises a faster, longer lasting colour with more intensity. But do you really get better results by spending more on premium products? We tested 25 top brands (including the new Fake Bake), costing from £4.50, to one at £67.
    Clarins Delectable Self-Tanning Mousse, £20 (clarins.com)This feels luxuriously creamy as it's a whipped mousse rather than a spray. it is easy to over-apply, however, and takes a while to dry. Our tester ended up with streaks, due to getting dressed only 20 minutes after applying. Apply sparingly, especially on fair skin. 7/10
    Adonia Bronzing Glow, £39, (michaeljohn.co.uk)
    Out of all the sprays we tried, this was by far the best. it gives a great colour after a couple of hours, but go easy when applying, and always blend well with your hands. This luxurious spray smells beautifully of bergamot and citronella. The bottle is lovely, too.  9/10
    Soap & Glory Glow Getter Spray, £10 (Boots)Sprays tend to be more difficult to get a blended, streak-free look, and this one is best used by experienced selftanners only. The spray can also make a mess of the area around you, so stand on a towel. Gives a good colour, though. 6/10
    adonia bronzing glow    Sisley self tan spray   Soap & Glory Glow Getter  
    From left: Adonia Broxing Glow, £39, michaeljohn.co.uk, Sisley Self-Tanning Spray, £67, 020 7591 6380, Soap & Glory Glow Getter Spray, £10, Boots
    Sisley Self-Tanning Spray For the Body, £67, (020 7591 6380)
    A clear spray that smells amazing, this requires a little work to get it perfect. But if you blend well and let it dry properly, it gives a great colour. The spray is easily directed and the finished result is a healthy glow, rather than a deep colour. 9/10

    Phytomer Creamy Self-Tanning Gel For Face and Body, £27, (01753 827 600 or thebeautyroom.co.uk)This clear gel is good for using on the face, as well as the body. it is easily blended, despite not being able to see where you've put it. perfect for more mature skin as it's more moisturising than some others, and won't develop into a too deep shade. 8/10
    Matis Sun-Kissed Glow Body Lotion, £27, (01322 290101 or matis-uk.com) This gives a natural, sun-kissed colour. however, it is not ideal for those looking for a deep colour, as it gives a gradual tan, and should be used for a few days to build colour. But it smells delicious and is perfect if you are looking for a light, golden glow. 8/10




    SexyHair Aero Tan Instant Temporary Tanning Spray, £13.25, (beautybay.com)
    This gives a good tan with the right application, although the aerosol can makes it difficult to direct properly, and it does make a mess.  Also, it must be blended instantly to avoid streaking and isn't great on fair skin as the colour is deep. 7/10

    M&S Suntan Self-Tan Spray for Face and Body, £7.50, (marksandspencer.com) A no-fuss no-frills spray from Marks&Spencer. it takes a few applications to get a deep colour, but if you've used self-tan products before and are confident with sprays, it will do the job. 8/10
    Top tip: When using a self-tanning spray, spray downwards in fast 
strokes so that the mist settles lightly onto the body
    Top tip: When using a self-tanning spray, spray downwards in fast strokes so that the mist settles lightly onto the body

    Solait Tinted Bronzing Gel For Face and Body, £4.50, (Superdrug) This is in a rather offputting deep brown tube, which makes you think it's very dark. it isn't, but it does streak if you're not careful. Allow half an hour's drying time and re-apply after a couple of days as some of the colour came off in the bath after 24 hours. 6/10
    lavera Sun sensitive Self Tanning Spray    Lush Charlotte Island     st tropez
    From left: Lavera Sun Sensitive Self Tanning Shimmer Spray, £15.50 (lavera.co.uk), Lush Charlotte Island Body Tint, £9.95 (lush.co.uk, St Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Mist, £30, (st-tropez.com)
    Soleil Beauty Bronzing Mist Spray, £6.50, (Tesco)
    Not the easiest tan to apply, as the spray tends to squirt more than you really want. But once it was on and blended it looked good, especially on darker skin. Unfortunately, it came off on the sheets and faded considerably after a day. 6/10

    Avon Magic Tan Moisturising Self-Tan Lotion, £8, (avonshop.co.uk)
    This is great value. it takes around three hours to develop and works well on fair or medium skin, giving a fairly light coverage. There's no mess and it's a pleasant-smelling lotion. 5/10

    Origins The Great Pretender Shimmery Self-Tanner, £15, (origins.co.uk) Definitely the best smelling, but it's an instant 'wash-off' tan. Great for a last-minute boost before going out. 8/10

    TANNING TIPS

    • tess daly
      Tess Daly, right, the TV presenter who has her own range of face and body products (including Daly sun Tan, £7.50) at M&S, suggests: 'Once you have applied the fake tan, always go over the dry areas with a damp cloth or wet wipe to stop those areas grabbing too much colour and going too dark and obvious. less is more with fake tan, so go for a light shade.'
    • James Read, celebrity tanning expert at the Agua spa at The sanderson (0207 300 1414) and founder of thetantalist.com, is the Uk's top spray tanning expert. 'When using a self-tanning spray, spray downwards in fast strokes so that the mist settles lightly onto the body,' he advises. 'Do this all  over the body. When it comes to the back reach over each shoulder and spray directly on to your back. lean forward immediately to allow the mist to settle, then spray the lower half of the back from below.'
    • Katherine Mackenzie Paterson, spa therapist at london's spa illuminata (0207 499 7777), suggests: 'The best tip for getting the bottom half of your legs more tanned is to apply two layers of colour. Apply one before you go to bed, and then in the morning, if you still feel you would like a darker colour, whip another layer on. And don't forget to mix the self-tanner with moisturiser (half of each) over the knees.'
    Fake Bake Self Tanning Lotion, £22, fakebake.co.uk.
    We had high hopes for this, especially as it contains a 'triple tan booster' (Dimethyl isosorbide or DMi) and is supposed to work faster and last longer. But though easy to apply (it is a gooey, dark brown liquid so it's obvious where it is going), the tan lasted only two days on our fairskinned tester. 7/10

    St Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Mist, £30, (st-tropez.com) It a bit messy and sludgy straight after application, but it's worth it for a tropical-looking tan. it's not as instant as some fake tans but the colour is so natural and glowing that we didn't mind all the prescrubbing, moisturising and careful spraying. We found it best to apply at night, wait for it to dry and go to bed. After showering in the morning it produced a gorgeous tan. 9/10
    Garnier Ambre Solaire No Streaks Bronzer Dry Body Mist, £10.99 (boots.com) We reAlly liked this product, it was easy to use, dried instantly and there was no need to rub it in. No streaks or patches, and we liked the fact that the tan built up gradually with each application. The only downside was the smell  -  it wasn't bad, but it was noticeable. 9/10 
    Lee Stafford Fake My Tan, £8.99(boots.com)
    This claims to produce an 'olive not orange' hue, and we agree. it took quite a while to get an even colour with no streaks, but it was worth it for the effect. After a few hours' wear, it washed off easily in the shower. A pleasant smell, too. 8/10

    Lavera Sun Sensitive Self Tanning Shimmer Spray, £15.50 (lavera.co.uk)
    As it's a spray it was difficult to do the back of the legs and we found it was running off the skin before we could rub it in. it is also colourless, so you can't see where you have already applied it. Our tester used it on an area of skin that hadn't seen any sun and liked the natural shade. But overall, not easy to use and it took too long to dry. 6/10
    Lush Charlotte Island Body Tint, £9.95 (lush.co.uk)
    This applies very well and smells lovely thanks to all its natural ingredients. {erfect for pasty-looking legs that need a quick colour boost before a night out. it gives an instant tan that is very subtle. 9/10

    Garnier skin Naturals Summer Body Moisturising Lotion, £4.99 (boots.com)
    Allows the user to gradually build up a tan to the shade they want. After applying it for three days it produced a lovely colour. The only downside was that it left our tester's skin a little greasy. 8/10

    Do you have a beauty problem? Write to Ask Elsa, Beauty Confidential, Femail, the Daily Mail, 2 Derry Street, Kensington, London W8 5TT. or email: askelsa@dailymail.co.uk.

    LIVE - England v Bangladesh: All the Action as it Happens From day Three at Lord's

    After a rain delayed start, play is finally under way at Lord's. Only four hours late. Any comments, rain-related or otherwise...?? Send them to david.lewis@dailymail.co.uk and I'll put it up.... 
     

    LATEST SCORE

    Bangladesh 217-5

    Shakib 23
    Mushfiqur 9
    Last wicket: Ashraful lbw b Finn 4
    England 505 all out
    Click here for the full scorecard 
    216-5: Some scampered running between the sticks nets the tourists some more vital runs.

    210-5: Bowling change Tim Bresnan for Anderson Anderson out of the attack and immediately off the field. Sub is on.
    210-5: Four more for Mushfiqur - edged smartly down to third man this time. 
    206-5: Great hit from  Mushfiqur gets him off the mark. Plays it through mid wicket all the way down the hill for four.
    200-5: 200 up for Bangladesh
    199-5: Ooh and a lovely flash of the blade from Shakib brings the Bangladeshis nearer the milestone. But he's playing with reckless abandon though - almost gets himself out a couple of times. Now is the time for a captain's innings I would have thought...
    191-5: WICKET! Jahurul c Prior b Anderson Wickets tumbling now. Jahurul is walking and Bangladesh are on the ropes all of sudden.... England's bowlers so much more penetrating than yesterday. Mushfiqur Rahim is the new man in.
    190-4: Beauty from the Pavilion End from Finn - misses Jahurul's wicket by a whisker. 21-year-old looking in great touch with the ball.

    190-4: Shakib off the mark with a two - and follows it up with a three. Good running from the batsmen out there.
    185-4: WICKET! Ashraful lbw b Finn 4 Finn on fire out there and picks up wicket no. 2 of the morning. To be fair to the batsman Hawk-Eye suggested it was high... and wide. Skipper Shakib al Hasan is in.

    183-3: Ashraful whacks a quick boundary and is off the mark. Always looks in fluid touch this bloke
    179-3: WICKET Siddique c Prior b Finn 58 Ooh early wicket - Finn picks up his second wicket. Siddique gets the merest of nicks and it floats behind to Prior. Mohammed Ahraful is in.
    179-2: And the sun is out!!! Yes it's official - you heard it here first!!
    178-2: Immediate bowling change - James Anderson for Swann Yep, with these overcast conditions favouring seam - Jimmy is thrown on for a bowl.
    178-2: Jahurul to receive from the 6"8 paceman. Ooh and just two off the over as he guides one down to mid wicket for a couple.
    176-2: Furious cricket ball drying with damp ball from skipper Strauss before tossing it to the new boy Finn.
    176-2: First boundary and indeed runs of the day. Siddique pummels one through the covers for four. Only runs of the over and we'll have some pace from Steven Finn from the Pavilion End.
    172-2: Umpires are out and as are the players. Graeme Swann to open up to Siddique. Finally!
    3.00: Not a sausage in the last hour. But finally a ray of hope. Covers are off and pitch inspection is on. We may get some play this afternoon after all... and it's go. Play to start at 3.15.
    2.00: Nope - absolutely nothing. We're still waiting for something to happen. Anything to happen. Damp squib so far - if you'll mind the weak and somewhat sloppy weekend pun...
    1.15: Lunch over - but still no play. Rain, rain, go away - there's another song...
    1.00: Still raining. Thinking of rain songs... Eurythmics Here comes the rain again... Raindrops keep falling on my head... It's raining men... who could forget the Phil Collins Classic Ooh yes I wish it would rain down... Milli Vanilli sang Blame it on the rain (apt choice). My old favourite November Rain. In fact so good - I'm giving it a picture - see below...
    Guns N' Roses
    Rock and Roll, er, rain: No, not the latest England bowling attack - but rock gods Guns N Roses did understand the problem of rain...
    12.45: Yep, so lunch is taken. Gower interviewing cricket's finest baby-faced assassin Stuart Broad in the media box. Still looks interminably gloomy at Lord's. Forecasts say it could all clear up after lunch...
    12.30: Next pitch inspection at 12.45bst. Good weather for ducks etc.
    12.15: Wow, reading Zimbabwe did India in a one-dayer in Bulawayo. You couldn't make it up! as one columnist might say at this paper...
    12.00: Still drizzling in north London which means.... nay cricket. Brollies up and I would not bet against no play before lunch. Or even an early lunch. And there is talk of an early lunch. Reading on the DM website that West Ham are chasing Beckham, Henry and Joe Cole. The world's gone mad!

    11.45: Absolutely nothing going at Lord's. Still watching England tear into the Aussies in Barbados which, let's face it, is inestimably more interesting than some of the cricket on offer at Lords these past two days...
    Wet weather
    Braving the elements: Oh what a summer's day for cricket fans at Lord's
    11.30: Replays showing England doing the Aussies at the T20 earlier this month. All very nice - but does not bode well for any sort of immediate start at Lord's...

    11.10: Raining cats and dogs in St John's Wood just now. Starting time - anyone's guess.
    10.50: We’re back for day three and the covers are on. Not the most auspicious starts for England after a frustrating day in the field yesterday. Forecasts are for sporadic showers across the day in north London. On Thursday I thought this game would be over in three days – no chance.
    Teams are: ENGLAND: Strauss (capt.), Cook, Trott, Pietersen, Bell, E Morgan, Prior (wkt), Bresnan, Swann, Anderson, Finn
    BANGLADESH: Bangladesh: Kayes, Tamim, Siddique, Jahurul, Ashraful, Shakib (capt.), Rahim (wkt.), Mahmudullah, Shahadat, Robiul, Rubel

    10.50: England’s bowlers lacked some vital punch yesterday – what can they do today?? Not much early doors. It's bucketing down at the home of cricket. Play set to start late....

     Tamim Iqbal
    Run out: Tamim Iqbal is run out on day two at Lord's

    From Dailymail

    Sex kitten Pixie Lott embraces the feline look as she goes clubbing in London

    To celebrate the final concert on her tour with Rihanna, Pixie Lott clearly thought it was time to unleash her wild side.
    So the 19-year-old vamped it up in a sex kitten outfit as she went clubbing in London this week, slipping into a zig-zagged leotard and striped tights.
    She finished off the look with a pair of cat ears and painted black whiskers and a nose on her face, accentuating the look with stacks of leopard-print bangles around her arms and a matching clutch.
    Purrrfect: Pixie Lott holds hands with a friend as she parties in 
London dressed as a cat
    Purrrfect: Pixie Lott holds hands with a friend as she parties in London dressed as a cat
    The blonde songstress treated her friends to a night at posh club Boujis. She and her entourage arrived in black stretch Hummer and emerged dressed as cats.
    She held hands with a male friend as she entered the club and, clearly thinking ahead - whipped out a cat mask which she used to disguise her disheveled appearance as she left.

     
    Not content to call it a night at almost 4am, Pixie continued on to club Jett Black.
    Pixie was clearly planning to celebrate, tweeting before she hit the town: 'Last show of the tour...so excited for tonight gonna make it the best one! crazayy.'
    Her next 'tweet' the following day was testament to her large night, revealing she was 'looking forward to putting the feet up and having a dvd night with the girls tonight.'
    She won't be able to relax for too long, however, as she prepares for appearances this summer at festivals including the V Festival and iTunes Festival.
    Wild night: Pixie covers her face with a cat mask as she emerges 
from the club
    Wild night: Pixie covers her face with a cat mask as she emerges from the club


    From DAILY MAIL

    Another day, another fashion disaster as Britney Spears dons see-through dress, Ugg boots and trilby

    Only Britney Spears is capable of taking several fashion no-no's and rolling them into the one outfit.
    The singer, notorious for blatantly shunning the advice of stylists, revealed another display of her poor fashion sense today when she stepped out in a see-through nightie-style dress, trilby hat and ugg boots.
    To make matters worse, she unwisely chose bright red underwear which could clearly be seen through the poorly-fitting dress.
    Fashion faux pas: Britney Spears fails to go unnoticed despite her
 big sunglasses and trilby hat
    Fashion faux pas: Britney Spears fails to go unnoticed despite her big sunglasses and trilby hat

    Spears, 28, stepped out in Beverly Hills for a spot of shopping as it was revealed she is the first Twitter follower to amass five million followers.
    Despite the fact most of her 'tweets' on the social networking site come from her management team, Spears' popularity has seen her beat popular tweeters Ashton Kutcher and Lady GaGa to the milestone.


    Spears has another reason to celebrate after it was revealed this week she had sacked her manager Jason Trawick so they could pursue their blossoming romance.
    The couple were first linked two years ago, but have had an on-off relationship.
    They chose to stop working together to allow their romance the best chance of success, perhaps thinking of the old adage 'never mix business with pleasure'.
    Spears struggled to keep her dress and hat in place as she made 
her way through the streets of Beverly Hills   Britney Spears
    Spears struggled to keep her dress and hat in place as she made her way through the streets of Beverly Hills
    From Daily Mail

    Beyonce Looks Bootylicious As She Models Her New Clothing Line

    With the material clinging tightly to her famous curves, this black dress looks as if it was made for Beyonce.
    And indeed it was – as it features in the singer’s new fashion line Dereon, which is being launched just in time for Brazil’s Valentine’s Day, on June 12.
    The range includes bandage dresses and tailored blazers with embroidered detail, and is intended to make women look powerful.
    Look like a star: Beyonce models a little black dress from her 
Dereon fashion line
    Look like a star: Beyonce models a little black dress from her Dereon fashion line

    Warrior goddess: The singer designed the clothes with the 
empowerment of women in mind
    Warrior goddess: The singer designed the clothes with the empowerment of women in mind
    The 28-year-old said: ‘The collection was inspired by the theme of the warrior goddess, a sexy, yet empowered woman.
    ‘There are form-fitting silhouettes, sexy dresses and a lot of metal details to give the pieces a strong, but glamorous feel.’
    The line, which follows House of Dereon, is for sale exclusively at C&A stores in Brazil this week.
    House of Dereon was launched by the Knowles family in 2006 as a pret-a-porter fashion line, and followed soon after by the Dereon line, for younger women.
    The gowns range in price from $300-$500 and are on sale in U.S. department stores, including Bloomingdale's, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom.
    Dereon was the maiden name of Beyonce's grandmother Agnèz Deréon, whose married name Agnèz Beyincé inspired the singer's first name.
    Beyonce   Beyonce
    Kick: The range showcases the talents of Beyonce's mother Tina
    The collection is sold with the tagline 'Couture. Kick. Soul' as it represents the spirits of three generations of Knowles women.
    Beyonce's mother Tina is the 'couture' thanks to her design talents, the singer brings the 'kick', while late Agnez had the 'soul'.
    Along with House of Dereon and the Dereon fashion line, the Knowles family recently announced plans to expand their business to include home furnishings.
    Tina said: 'Both Beyonce and I are huge fans of home furnishings and try to stay on top of this ever-changing market.
    'As someone who has also realised many interior-design projects, I am so excited to expand our House of Dereon and Dereon brands in this category.
    'The thought that we would have something to do in brightening up someone's home, especially bedrooms, is truly wonderful.'
    Sexy spy: Beyonce plays a jewel thief in the new Brazilian TV 
advertisement for her Dereon by Beyonce fashion line
    Sexy spy: Beyonce plays a jewel thief in the new Brazilian TV advertisement for her Dereon by Beyonce fashion line
    beyonce stars in a new commercial for Dereon where she is seen 
ducking and diving to avoid lasers
    Limber: Beyonce proves the best advert for her form fitting clingy black dress
    Beyonce is so involved with the marketing of the label she even name-checked their jeans in her 2009 hit Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It).
    In the single, she sings: 'Got me tighter than my Dereon jeans.'
    Before Dereon, Tina was responsible was dressing Beyonce's former group Destiny's Child and custom-made matching outfits for the trio.
    Beyonce recently made the headlines when she played a sexy jewel thief in the new Brazilian TV ad for the Dereon range.
    Flexible: Beyonce performed all her own stunts herself into the 
energetic video
    Flexible: Beyonce performed all her own stunts herself into the energetic video
    Balancing act: Beyonce cartwheels over the lasers
    Balancing act: Beyonce cartwheels confidently over the lasers just managing to keep her modesty
    beyonce
    ... and as you would expect, the soundtrack to the ad is her hit single Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
    Wearing her little black dress, the singer showed off her gymnastic skills as she cartwheeled and flipped over laser beams for the new campaign.
    The advert reveals just how form-fitting and flexible the clothes are, as they cling perfectly to her curves during her daring stunts.
    As you would expect, the soundtrack to the ad is Beyonce's 2009 hit Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It).
    The ad appears to be inspired by a scene from 1999 film Entrapment, which stars Catherine Zeta-Jones as an insurance investigator posing as a thief in a bid to catch Sean Connery's professional criminal.
    Keep its shape: Beyonce models a black bandage dress which sells 
for 79 Brazilian reals
    In shape: Beyonce models a black bandage dress which sells for 79 Brazilian reals
    beyonce stars in a new commercial for Dereon where she is seen 
ducking and diving to avoid lasers
    Bling bling: Beyonce is mesmerised by the gorgeous jewel
    Eyes on the prize: Beyonce finally gets up close to the diamond - 
but will she be able to get it back out of the high-security room?
    Eyes on the prize: Beyonce finally gets up close to the diamond - but will she be able to get it back out of the high-security room?
    Inspiration? Catherine Zeta-Jones as Gin in a scene from 1999 film
 Entrapment
    Inspiration? Catherine Zeta-Jones as Gin in a scene from 1999 film Entrapment

    From DAILYMAIL

    Bikini girl Sheryl Crow plays with son Wyatt in the Bahamas surf ahead of gig

    Touring around the world promoting their work can be a lonely time for a pop star.

    But Sheryl Crow couldn't have looked happier, as she prepared for her upcoming show in the Bahamas.

    It may have something to do with her companion - her two-year-old son Wyatt.
    Sheryl Crow and son Wyatt

    Doting mother: Sheryl Crow played with her two-year-old son Wyatt in the Caribbean surf during her trip to the Bahamas
    Sheryl Crow
    Sheryl Crow
    Sheryl Crow and son Wyatt

    Action packed: The 48-year-old photographed her son to record the moment for the holiday album

    The doting mother, 48, carried her youngster into the warm Caribbean sea, as he squealed with delight.

    Sheryl looked equally happy, playfully splashing him as they sat in the blue water on Paradise Island.

    Wyatt was protected against the sun in a blue T-shirt and goggles, while his mother showed off her defined stomach muscles in a flattering yellow bikini.
    Playful: The pair had fun in the surf

    Playful: The pair had fun in the surf
    Flexible: Wyatt examines his mother's leg

    Flexible: Wyatt examines his mother's leg

    The pair are staying at the luxury Atlantis resort, where Sheryl will perform on Saturday night.

    Sheryl adopted her son when he was just two weeks old, and has made no secret of her love for him.

    In tribute to the blonde haired youngster she recorded the song Lullaby For Wyatt on her sixth studio album Detours.

    The pair live on a 154-acre farm outside Nashville, Tennessee, although this is now up for sale.

    The luxury house includes an interesting feature - a worksurface on top of an aquarium.
    Sheryl Crow

    Soaking it all up: Despite being a working holiday, it was a chance for Sheryl to relax

    Obama And Geithner Have A 'Man-Crush' On Each Other: New York Magazine

    Massive dome lowered at site of huge U.S. oil spill


    BP Plc engineers using undersea robots maneuvered a massive metal chamber to fit over a gushing ruptured oil well in the Gulf of Mexico on Friday in their best chance yet to contain a leak that threatens an environmental catastrophe on U.S. shores.

    The four-story structure, the best short-term hope of controlling the spewing crude, was lowered to the seabed almost one mile (1.6 km) below the surface in an attempt to funnel the escaping oil to a surface tanker.

    BP, which faces major financial losses from the spill, suffered a further blow when ratings agency Standard & Poor's lowered its outlook on the British oil giant to negative from stable.

    It is under pressure from the Obama administration to limit the damage from what could be the worst oil spill in U.S. history. BP has said it will pay all legitimate costs, a bill that is likely to run into the billions of dollars.

    BP officials hope the container will begin funneling oil from the leak next week. Workers will spend the next three to four days making the connections to pump crude to the surface.

    The device has not been tried at that depth, where engineers guiding remotely operated vehicles battle darkness, currents and intense undersea pressure. BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward warned there was no certainty of success.

    "The pressures and temperatures are very different here, so we cannot be confident that it will work," Hayward told CNN.

    BP is drilling a relief well to halt the leak -- which began after the Deepwater Horizon exploded on April 20, killing 11 crew members -- but it could take up to three months to complete. Engineers have also considered pumping heavy fluids into the top of the failed blowout preventer to plug the leaking well in a technique called "top kill."

    They gave up on efforts to close valves on a failed blowout preventer with underwater robots, after trying in vain for two weeks, Doug Suttles, BP's chief operating officer, said.

    Surface containment efforts continue, helped by calm seas. Controlled burns on Thursday removed up to 9,000 barrels (280,000 gallons/1,070,000 litres) of oil, he said.

    It "is a very powerful technique and when the weather is good it will continue," Suttles said.

    Forecasts suggest light winds through Saturday, although they are expected shift and come from the south to southwest, which could push the slick toward the Louisiana shore.

    About 250 boats deployed protective booms and used dispersants to break up the thick oil on Friday. Crews have laid almost 800,000 feet (240,000 metres) of boom, and spread 267,000 gallons (1 million litres) of chemical dispersant.

    On Thursday, after meeting with BP executives in Houston, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said the company and its partners made "some very major mistakes."

    Salazar reiterated the U.S. government will issue no new offshore drilling permits until an inter-agency panel gives a safety review to President Barack Obama by May 28. In the meantime, current drilling will continue.

    DOWNGRADES

    Standard & Poor's, in announcing the negative outlook, indicated a ratings downgrade was likely. Moody's said the spill raised the specter of credit pressure for the five primary companies involved in the project.

    S&P cut its outlook for Anadarko Petroleum Corp, which has a 25 percent stake in the ill-fated well, to stable from positive, saying it is "potentially liable for significant costs and liabilities relating to the clean-up."

    Other companies involved are Transocean, owner of the rig that caught fire and collapsed; Cameron International, which supplied the failed blow-out preventer for the well; and Halliburton, which helped cement in place the blown-out well.

    Hayward a $75 million legal cap on its cleanup and compensation liabilities under federal law, which some U.S. lawmakers now want to raise, would not be a limit for BP.

    BP shares dropped 2.3 percent in London on Friday, less than the broad STOXX Europe 600 Oil and Gas index which fell 3.8 percent. In New York, BP's American Depository Receipts sank 2.7 percent.

    The spill threatens an economic and ecological disaster on tourist beaches, wildlife refuges and fishing grounds in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. It has forced Obama to rethink plans to open more waters to drilling.

    At least 5,000 barrels (210,000 gallons/795,000 litres) have poured into the Gulf each day since the well ruptured.

    A sheen of oil has engulfed much of the Chandeleur Islands, barrier islands that are part of Louisiana's Breton National Wildlife Refuge, the first confirmation of the oil slick hitting land. Some oiled birds have been found in recent days.

    The Breton refuge was closed to the public after a silver sheen and emulsified oil reached the shoreline, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service said. Altogether, crude from the spill could hit 24 national wildlife refuges.

    A Reuters photographer, on a flyover of the coast, saw a band of oil, orange in color and about a mile or two long, running parallel to shore about 17 miles (27 km) south of barrier islands off Mississippi's mainland.

    Numerous black blobs, possibly emulsified tar, were visible just below the surface in shallow water near some marsh coast to the east of the Chandeleur Islands.

    U.S. authorities on Friday modified and expanded the boundaries of the area closed to fishing as a result of the spill, and extended restrictions for another 10 days, to May 17. The closed area represents almost 4.5 percent of Gulf of Mexico federal waters, up from slightly less than 3 percent included in the original ban.

    "This oil spill was the last thing we needed," Lance Nacio, a shrimper with Anna Marie Seafood in Dulac, Louisiana, said on a call with reporters. "I think this is going to devastate the industry which was already tattered by low dockside prices."

    Kevin Begos, a seafood industry spokesman in Apalachicola, Florida, said dealers in his area have seen orders drop. "Right now, it's mostly fear, because oil hasn't come here yet," Begos said.

    Alabama tourism officials planned an ad campaign to let tourists know the beaches were still clean and encourage them not to cancel their vacation plans.

    Fears of massive shipping problems in the Gulf of Mexico have not panned out. Shippers and ports are prepared to clean vessels that move through the oily waters, but so far ships have passed through without contamination.

    (Additional reporting by Matt Bigg in Venice, Louisiana; Matt Daily in New York; Tom Bergin in London; Anna Driver, Bruce Nichols and Chris Baltimore in Houston; Tom Brown and Pascal Fletcher in Miami; Karen Brettell in New York; Steve Gorman and Brian Snyder in Mobile, Alabama; and Richard Cowan in Washington; writing by Jeffrey Jones, John Whitesides and Ros Krasny; editing by Eric Beech)

    Kristen hates getting criticised on red carpet

    London, May 8 (IANS) Hollywood actress Kristen Stewart says she hates the criticism she receives for her downcast expressions on the red carpet, which she believes is an uncontrollable response to the people around her.

    'People say that I'm miserable all the time. It's not that I'm miserable, it's just that somebody's yelling at me. I literally, sometimes, have to keep myself from crying. It's a physical reaction to the energy that's thrown at you,' femalefirst.co.uk quoted Stewart as saying.

    Kristen also insisted most of the negative comments she receives are unjustified because she is passionate about her profession.

    Ambani Gas row: SC favours Mukesh

    A three-judge Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan who demits office on Tuesday, favoured Mukesh Ambani in the high voltage gas pricing and supply dispute between Reliance Industries (RIL) and Reliance Natural Resources (RNRL).

    Chief Justice supported Sathasivam's judegement. Justice Sathasivam said that the brothers need to re-noegtiate the MoU in six weeks as the family MoU was not binding. It added that gas was a national asset and the government will finally decide on the pricing. However Justice Reddy disagreed with the judgement.

    The case is one of India's biggest corporate battles. RIL had appealed to the apex court after the Bombay High Court ruled in favour of RNRL.

    Sathasivam in his verdict said RNRL is entitled to get 28 million cubic meters a day from RIL's eastern offshore KG-D6 fields at $2.34 per mmBtu, a price 44% lower than government-approved rates.

    The case involves terms of a deal under which Reliance Industries was to supply Anil Ambani's Reliance Natural with 28 million standard cubic metres a day (mmscmd) of gas for 17 years at a rate below the government price.

    Stock market participants expected a repeat of the Bombay High Court judgment, which asked Reliance to supply gas to RNRL at $2.34 per unit.

    Case Timeline

    The gas, which Reliance Natural wants at almost half the government-set rate of $4.2 per million metric British thermal unit (mmBtu), comes from the Krishna Godavari basin off India's east coast, which is operated by Reliance Industries.

    Also read: What does Ambani gas row ruling mean?

    The field is India's biggest gas find and should nearly double the nation's gas output when production is at full throttle at 80 mmscmd.

    The disputed deal was part of a 2005 family settlement between the Ambani brothers under which the Reliance empire was split following the death of their father. The brothers have been in several disputes since then.

    Also Read: What has the Reliance gas dispute been all about?

    Reliance Industries argues the private deal cannot take precedence over government policy, which determines who can receive gas and at what price.

    Anil Ambani, who claims otherwise, rolled out a series of front-page advertisements in major newspapers accusing the government of taking the side of Reliance Industries.

    The government initially filed a petition in India's highest court asking to be made a party in the dispute, arguing the family deal was not applicable, and Reliance Industries could only sell gas with its consent.

    The government later modified its stance, saying it only wanted to assert that it is the rightful owner of the gas.

    Downing a quart is child's play for five-year-old 'brandy boy'

    Downing a quarter measure of brandy at one go is child's play perhaps only for the best of tipplers. But five-year-old Eeranna, a school dropout from Davanagere in Karnataka, does just that, and in double-quick time.

    Although the child now drinks the locally brewed liquor for a high, barely 18 months ago the drink used to be his asthma medication - the only relief his parents, both daily wage labourers, could afford.

    Recently, when Karnataka's excise minister M. P. Renukacharya visited Davanagere, local leaders took Eeranna to the minister and the boy showed him his 'skill'. And that heralded change in the child's life.

    The minister was horrified to see the boy polishing off the liquor with relish. He summoned Eeranna's parents and inquired about their circumstances. The minister found that the boy belonged to "an extremely poor family" and that they didn't "even have a proper hut". "The government has decided to adopt Eeranna and take care of his education till college," the minister then said.

    He also directed the Davanagere district administration to allot a house to Eeranna's parents under a housing scheme.

    Srinivasa Naik, who brought Eeranna to the minister, said the boy had even taken to stealing brandy from his relatives.

    "He is addicted to brandy. Whenever his father refused him liquor, he would steal it. His parents did not bother too much about him as they had their hands full," he said.

    Naik said Eeranna's relatives used to show off his "drinking skills". "They would take Eeranna to local fairs and he would down bottles of brandy in minutes before huge crowds," he said.

    Naik had spotted the boy at one such fair and convinced the child's parents to take him to the minister. "The local hospital will conduct a check-up," Davanagere district social welfare officer Dr Suchetna Swaroop said.

    The adventures of a Swami, and his friends

    An always smiling, upwardly mobile 34-year-old Swami is allegedly caught on tape in a secret romp with a Tamil actress; his ashram is under siege; a former devotee who secretly filmed the video files a police complaint against him for alleged rape and harassment; the Swami goes on the run; he is finally arrested from Himachal Pradesh; and an ashram clause referring to tantric sex surfaces.

    Since March 2, 2010, when a sex video surfaced on prime time TV in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, titillating stories and salacious charges concerning Paramahamsa Swami Nityananda have not ceased streaming in.

    Apart from sexual allegations, there are tales about the smiling Swami healing the persistent back pain of a policeman who went to arrest him in Himachal Pradesh. And there are stories of the police, hard pressed to find rape and harassment evidence, asking him during interrogation to at least wipe off that famous smile.

    Meanwhile, a seven-year-old, rapidly flourishing spiritual movement that originated in Tamil Nadu as the Nityananda Dhyanapeetam and has spread to the US as the Life Bliss foundation, is in pause mode as its chief proponent deals with earthly matters like bail and court cases. While the alleged sex video has since been barred from being telecast - on a court injunction sought by Nityananda - his 22-acre ashram located on prime land in Bidadi, 32 km from Bangalore, has been steadily losing devotees.

    Numbers at the India operations of Nityananda Dhyanapeetam have dwindled from a steady 300 permanent residents to merely 50 now.

    Among those left holding the fort for the return of Nityananda are a bunch of young, articulate, well-educated men and women - among them foreign nationals - who gave up careers in software, investment banking and advertising to follow a spiritual calling. Nityananda himself is a mechanical engineering diploma holder who once went by the name A Rajashekharan.

    His followers gave up jobs in companies like Intel and Hewlett Packard, salaries in the range of Rs 70,000-plus for "their spiritual master". These Bidadi ashram inmates have since dug their heels in, and launched Internet and YouTube campaigns to clear Nityananda's name against charges primarily framed by former ashramite Lenin Karuppan a.k.a. Swami Nitya Dharmananda.

    "Why should a sex scandal knock down a pile of achievements in yoga, meditation and public service? You can see that a game is going on when allegations of gold and tiger pelts smuggling are being made," says Sri Nityananda Dheere, a middle-aged US national who has been with Nityananda's movement for over five years.

    "We all come from good backgrounds. Do you think we are stupid to leave that and come here to get some cheap thrills?" says Ma Nitya Shantananda, a former Indian software engineer who joined Nityananda's Life Bliss Foundation in Los Angeles before moving to the Bidadi ashram.

    "When we read in the media that he abuses women, it shocks us. Every woman here will vouch for the character of Swamiji," says Ma Nitya Priyananda.

    Kannada actress Malavika Avinash, in a blog post, backed him too. "Who better than an actress like me to testify that Swamiji did not display any behaviour that caused discomfort to me as a woman?" she wrote.

    Nityananda himself has dodged questions on his presence in the screened sex video, saying he was "in the spiritual state of samadhi".

    Lenin Karuppan, who facilitated the making of the video allegedly featuring Nityananda and actress Ranjitha, has in his complaint accused him of sexually assaulting a male devotee, Sri Vimalananda Swami, and another devotee, Nityananda Gopika, at the Bidadi ashram. The CID in Karnataka, however, has been unable to get statements from the two.

    According to Karuppan, Nityananda preached celibacy but did not practise it. Ashram inmates, however, say Nityananda never professed celibacy but left it to individuals to choose their paths. What has added to the consternation is a non-disclosure agreement that participants in some programmes had to sign that made specific references to possible use of tantric sex practices.

    There are also allegations regarding the mysterious death of a 58-year-old Canadian national, Melvyn Diamond.

    Called in to investigate a case that largely hinges on social and moral issues, the CID police have been at their wit's end, says a senior police officer. "We are trying our best to establish a case, but it is difficult," says a senior Karnataka police officer.

    Not such a Twiglet anymore: Jack Tweed bulks up following 'taunts' in prison

    In jail, he was said to have been called The Twiglet by fellow inmates because of his weedy physique.

    But two years on, Jack Tweed, who was found not guilty of rape earlier this week, was pictured at a fitness centre close to his family home in Essex appearing to have piled on the pounds.

    The widower of late Big Brother star Jade Goody took time out to put some exercise in on what was his first full day of freedom after being cleared of the charge.
    Bulky: Jack Tweed has beefed up since his spells in prison - he was pictured at a fitness centre in Chigwell where he showed off his larger physique

    Bulky: Jack Tweed has beefed up since his spells in prison - he was pictured at a fitness centre in Chigwell where he showed off his larger physique
    Slim pickings: The 22-year-old is pictured three years ago on a holiday in Tobago with his late wife Jade Goody and her son Bobby

    Slim pickings: The 22-year-old is pictured three years ago on a holiday in Tobago with his late wife Jade Goody and her son Bobby

    Last year, it was reported that the 22-year-old had embarked on a weight training regime in prison after he was taunted by other inmates for being slim.

    David Beckham wants sons to carry on his legacy

    Football star David Beckham says it would be great if his sons would take sports seriously and become good players.

    'They're really into playing soccer, but they're also into playing other sports. Now, obviously, living in the US, they're playing football, they're playing basketball, baseball,' femalefirst.co.uk quoted him as saying.

    David also feels Brooklyn Joseph, 11, Romeo James, 7, and five-year-old Cruz David are talented kids.

    'They're talented little boys, but, whatever they want to do, it doesn't matter... but it'd be great for them to be involved in sports, because it's such a great thing.'

    David and his wife Victoria are also keen to extend their family.

    'I think one day, if we're blessed to have more children, it would be amazing. It's a lot having three boys. So, we're just enjoying the boys at the moment. But who knows, one day?' said Victoria.

    Reliance discovers more oil in Cambay basin


    Energy major Reliance Industries has discovered more oil on India's western coast, raising the potential of the exploratory blocks it has been drilling, the company said on Wednesday.

    India's biggest conglomerate whose businesses span petrochemicals, refining, oil and gas exploration and retail said the current flow was at 300 barrels of oil per day (bopd) at the onland exploratory block in the Cambay basin in Gujarat.

    The potential commercial interest of the discovery is being evaluated through more data gathering and analysis, it said in a statement.

    "The discovery is significant as this play fairway is expected to open more oil pool areas leading to better hydrocarbon potential within the block," it said.

    Reliance holds 100 percent participating interest in the block, and three earlier discoveries had a flow rate of 500 bopd. The company has so far drilled 14 exploratory wells in the block that covers an area of 635 square kilometres.

    Last year Reliance, controlled by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, started pumping gas from its block in the vast Krishna Godavari (KG) basin off India's east coast, where it made the country's largest gas find.

    It has been producing 60 million standard cubic metres a day (mmscmd) of gas from the block. At peak output of 80 million mmscmd it could nearly double India's gas output.

    Reliance also produces oil from its D6 block in the KG basin, and holds a stake in the Panna, Mukta and Tapti oil and gas fields off India's west coast.

    The company, which owns the world's largest refining complex in Gujarat, earlier this month agreed to pay $1.7 billion to form a joint venture with Atlas Energy at one of the most promising natural gas deposit regions in the United States.

    At 0745 GMT, shares in Reliance shares, which has a market value of $78 billion, were trading down 2.6 percent at 1,033.80 rupees in a Mumbai market down 0.85 percent.

    (Reporting by Prashant Mehra; Editing by Ranjit Gangadharan)

    (For more business news on Reuters Money visit http://www.reutersmoney.in)

    Siemens arm sets up bogie plant at Aurangabad

    Siemens Rolling Stock, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Siemens, today said it has set up a bogie plant with an investment of Rs 200 crore at Aurangabad in Maharashtra. The factory will manufacture high-performance and superior quality bogies for locomotives, passenger coaches, electric multiple units and metros, the company said in a statement here.

    "Our new plant at Aurangabad was envisaged, keeping in mind the tremendous growth potential of the Indian rail infrastructure segment. India has emerged as the preferred destination for us, as we continue to build and bring technology-intensive manufacturing plants of international standards to India," Siemens Managing Director Armin Bruck said.

    Siemens will provide the latest bogie solutions for the Indian as well Asian markets. The factory has the capacity to manufacture about 800 customised bogies per year, with scope for expansion to suit the market requirement.

    It will provide direct employment to about 250 people and indirect employment to about 1,000 people. The plant has been set up in technological collaboration with the Siemens AG bogie facility at Graz, Austria, the statement said.

    "This bogie factory is the first outside Europe and the US and enables us to offer our customers localised products at highly competitive rates," Bruck said.

    BJP withdraws support to Soren Govt in Jharkhand

    BJP's four-month honeymoon with Shibu Soren ended abruptly on Wednesday with the party withdrawing support to the JMM-led government, a day after the Jharkhand Chief Minister sided with the UPA in the Lok Sabha.

    A meeting of the BJP top brass, headed by party chief Nitin Gadkari, decided to withdraw support immediately giving indications that the new experiment in Ranchi has floundered.

    "The BJP Parliamentary Board has decided to withdraw support immediately to the Shibu Soren government. He (Soren) has behaved in a very dubious manner and voted with the government during the cut motion. BJP has taken very serious note of this betrayal and dubious conduct," senior BJP leader Ananth Kumar told reporters here.

    New equations in Jharkhand appeared to be in the offing with AICC in-charge of the state K Keshav Rao saying, "There is nobody untouchable in politics....(We were) never averse to it (forming a government with JMM). After all we contested the election there to form a government. In politics there is no last word."

    BJP leader and Jharkhand Deputy Chief Minister Raghubar Das will submit a letter to the state governor withdrawing support to the JMM-led government later in the day.

    "The Deputy Chief Minister and all BJP ministers in the Jharkhand government will also submit their resignations to the governor," Kumar said.

    Kumar, who along with former party president Rajnath Singh was part of the negotiations with Soren just four months ago to form a government, refused to comment on whether BJP's coalition experiment has failed in the state.

    With elections to the state legislature throwing up a hung assembly, BJP had formed a coalition government with Soren.

    In the 82-member Jharkhand Assembly, BJP and JMM have 18 seats each, Congress 14, RJD 5, JVM 11, ASJU 5, JD(U) 2, CPI(ML) 1 and others and independents six. One member is nominated.

    High Mass in extraordinary form honors pope's fifth anniversary

    A solemn high Mass in the extraordinary form is celebrated at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington April 24. (CNS/Nancy Wiechec)

    By Richard Szczepanowski
    Catholic News Service

    WASHINGTON (CNS) -- More than 3,500 people crowded into the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception April 24 to attend the first traditional Latin Mass in decades to be celebrated at the high altar there.

    Sponsored by the Paulus Institute for the Propagation of Sacred Liturgy, the Mass in the extraordinary form was celebrated by Bishop Edward J. Slattery of Tulsa, Okla., in honor of the fifth anniversary of the papacy of Pope Benedict XVI.

    Close to 100 priests and seminarians assisted at the nearly two-and-a-half-hour pontifical solemn high Mass that was sung entirely in Latin. Cardinal William W. Baum, a retired archbishop of Washington, also attended the Mass, which was celebrated with ancient chants and with pomp, splendor and majesty.

    During the Mass, the faithful prayed that God would "look mercifully upon thy servant, Benedict" and asked that "by his word and example he may edify those over whom he hath charge, so that together with the flock committed to him, may he attain everlasting life."

    Although the Maryland-based Paulus Institute has been planning the Mass for three years to honor Pope Benedict, it generated negative publicity in the week leading up to the celebration. The originally scheduled celebrant, Colombian Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, was criticized for writing a letter in 2001 as the head of the Vatican's Congregation for Clergy, praising a French bishop for not reporting an abusive priest to authorities. In response to the controversy, the Vatican emphasized that bishops are expected to comply with all civil laws that mandate reporting of sex abuse allegations and to cooperate in civil investigations.

    The Paulus Institute announced April 21 that in consultation with Cardinal Castrillon, it decided to seek another celebrant for the Mass.

    Members of the Chicago-based Survivors' Network of those Abused by Priests had planned to protest Cardinal Castrillon outside the shrine but did not do so after the choice of Bishop Slattery was announced.

    In his homily, delivered in English, Bishop Slattery did not speak directly about the controversy or recent criticism of the pope, but he did not ignore it.

    "We have much to discuss, you and I -- much to speak of on this glorious occasion when we gather together in the glare of the world's scrutiny to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the ascension of Joseph Ratzinger to the throne of Peter," he said.

    Noting the "enormous suffering which is all around us and which does so much to determine the culture of our modern age," Bishop Slattery pointed to "the enormous suffering of His Holiness these past months" as well as the suffering of those who face poverty, abuse, neglect, disease and heartache. Such suffering, he said, "defines the culture of our modern secular age."

    He added that pain and suffering "could dehumanize us, for it has the power to close us in upon ourselves such that we would live always in chaos and confusion, if we do not remember that Christ -- our hope -- has been raised for our sakes."

    Bishop Slattery urged the faithful to turn to God in times of suffering because "he makes himself most present in the suffering of his people." God's saving presence and infinite love, the bishop said, "can never be overcome by the darkness, no matter how thick, no matter how choking."

    He said suffering -- "yours, mine, the pontiff's" -- is "the heart of personal holiness ... It is the means by which we are made witnesses of his suffering and sharers in the glory to come."

    "Do not be dismayed that many in the church have not yet grasped this point, and fewer still in the world will even consider it," Bishop Slattery said. "You know this to be true -- and 10 men who whisper the truth speak louder than a hundred million who lie."

    Noting that the celebration and the controversy that preceded it has drawn much attention, the bishop offered advice to those at the Mass.

    "If then someone asks of what we spoke today, tell them we spoke of the truth. If someone asks why it is you came to this Mass, say that it was so that you could be obedient with Christ. If someone asks about the homily, tell them it was about a mystery and if someone asks what I said of the present situation, tell them only that we must -- all of us -- become saints."

    The April 24 Mass was celebrated following the last version of the Roman Missal used before and during the Second Vatican Council. It is different from the missal published in 1970.

    Among the differences between the extraordinary form of the Mass and the Masses commonly celebrated in this country are that the entire liturgy is sung in Latin, the priest faces the altar with his back to the congregation, he wears gloves for parts of the liturgy, and a blessing and additional reading of the Gospel are offered after the dismissal.

    During the distribution of Communion, the faithful came to the altar rail, where they knelt and received the Eucharist on the tongue. Many women at the Mass wore veils.

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