Inaugural Champions League in India put off

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - This year's edition of the Champions League Twenty20 tournament has been cancelled over security concerns following last month's Mumbai attacks, organisers said on Friday.

The inaugural edition of the $6 million event, involving eight teams from five countries, will now be staged in October 2009, an official told Reuters.

However, league chairman Lalit Modi said various issues, including scheduling, were considered before taking the decision.

"The inaugural edition of the Champions League Twenty20 will now be held in India in October 2009," Modi, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice-president, said in a statement.

"The governing council, comprising the founder board members, took this collective decision after taking into account all aspects."

The governing council, comprising the Indian, Australian and South African cricket boards, also took into consideration the busy international calendar and domestic schedules of the participating teams, it added.

Teams from Australia, England, Pakistan, South Africa and India were due to have played in the event originally scheduled from Dec. 3 to 10 in Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai.

At least 179 people were killed in the three-day siege in Mumbai from Nov. 26, triggering player safety fears ahead of the initial postponement.

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Bebo: I don't want be size zero any more

"I weigh 54 kg now, which for a girl of my height is quite fine. People used to wonder what 'size zero' is and I'd joke, 'Just look at me'. I don't want that any more,” says Bebo.The actress has been in the news for having fainted due to exhaustion on her sets. And it seems that is now forcing her to re-think her take on her fitness level.“I want to look like a normal healthy girl. My forthcoming releases required me to get back to a fuller shape," said Kareena."In Kambakht Ishq, my character flies to Italy to become a supermodel to support herself financially. I didn't want to play the character looking like an international model because she's basically in another profession. So she can't really have the figure of Victoria Beckham, can she? I had to look more filled up," she says.In Mr & Mrs Khanna too, Kareena is sporting the same slightly chubbier look."Again, for my next release Mr & Mrs Khanna with Salman Khan, I play a wife. So I wanted to look more filled up. Not that wives can't be curvaceous. The one I played in Golmaal Returns certainly was," she says.

For all you Bollywood buffs, here is a table of the 10 most popular

No.	Artist
1	Katrina Kaif
2	Aishwarya Rai
3	Salman Khan
4	Hrithik Roshan
5	Kareena Kapoor
6	Shahid Kapur
7	Deepika Padukone
8	Shah Rukh Khan
9	Mallika Sherawat
10	Genelia D'Souza

Top 10 Most popular Movies as per Google's 2008 India Zeitgeist list:-

No.	Movies
1	Jodhaa Akbar
2	Dasavatharam (Tamil)
3	Singh Is Kinng
4	Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na
5	Jannat
6	Tashan
7	Ganesha
8	Fashion
9	Rock On
10	Race

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NEW DELHI: Sports Minister MS Gill on Friday sent a strong message across the border by bluntly suggesting that the Indian cricket team's tour of Pakistan should not go ahead in the wake of the terror attacks in Mumbai. He said it was not the right time to play cricket with Pakistan when "people from their soil were indulging in mass murder in India".

"Is it possible for one team to arrive in Mumbai and indulge in mass murder, and have another team go and play cricket in the winter afternoon sun at Lahore, immediately after," he said.

Gill said he was not in favour of the Indian team playing in Pakistan but it was upto the government to take a final decision. The Sports Minister's categorical comment came on a day when Pakistan Cricket Board's chairman Ejaz Butt is scheduled to meet ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat and BCCI officials at Chennai in a bid to salvage the series.

The Indian team is scheduled to play five ODIs, three Tests and a Twenty20 match during their January 6 to February 19 tour, subject to government clearance.

The Sports Minister said sporting contact meant to enhance friendship and the cricket series was not a commercial drama to go ahead under the surveillance of thousands of security personnel.

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Kareena Kapoor faints, says no to size zero

No more size zero: Kareena Kapoor says she wants to look like a normal healthy girl.

Size zero is out for actress Kareena Kapoor. And certainly after collapsing on the sets on Rensil D'Silva's untitled film. In her next release, Kambakht Ishq, she plays a surgeon who moonlights as a supermodel and for it she has put on extra pounds.

"I weigh 54 kg now, which for a girl of my height is quite fine. People used to wonder what 'size zero' is and I'd joke, 'Just look at me'. I don't want that any more. I want to look like a normal healthy girl. My forthcoming releases required me to get back to a fuller shape," said Kareena, who sported size zero in Tashan and Golmaal Returns.

"In Kambakht Ishq, my character flies to Italy to become a supermodel to support herself financially. I didn't want to play the character looking like an international model because she's basically in another profession. So she can't really have the figure of Victoria Beckham, can she? I had to look more filled up," she told IANS.

In Mr & Mrs Khanna too, Kareena is sporting the same look.

"Again, for my next release Mr & Mrs Khanna with Salman Khan, I play a wife. So I wanted to look more filled up. Not that wives can't be curvaceous. The one I played in Golmaal Returns certainly was," she said.

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Friedel gets glowing praise from O'Neill

Martin O'Neil has praised the start Brad Friedel has made to his Aston Villa career and thinks that competition from Villa's number two Brad Guzan will help his American compatriot. Earlier this month Friedel made a record 167th successive Premier League start in the goalless draw against Fulham. And after joining Villa from Blackburn in the summer, has pleased the manger with his performances.

"Brad has been a terrific goalkeeper for a number of years," he said. "His performances have been fantastic for many years and that was a significant reason for signing him.

"There have been one or two games for us where he felt he could have done better. He hasn't been completely happy with a few of the goals he has conceded and it's great he is looking at these sort of things.

"He is a professional still thinking greatly about his game. He has come to Villa and he really wants to prove himself here."

O'Neil also commented on competition from fellow American keeper Brad Guzan.

He said: "It's fantastic to have Guzan pushing him too, I think he has real competition."

In Pics: Taj Hotel after Attacks

Terror struck the country's financial capital late on 26th November as coordinate serial explosions and indiscriminate firing rocked eight areas across Mumbai including the crowded CST railway station, two five star hotels--Oberoi and Taj-- leaving over 100 persons dead and 300 injured.

As the injured were taken to hospital, an explosion was heard inside the Oberoi Hotel. Hundreds of hostages are said to remain inside the hotel buildings.

Operations to free those inside continued throughout the night. Many clung onto curtains and clambered to safety.

The attacks were condemned by the UK and US governments, whose citizens were apparently targeted by the gunmen. As day broke in India's financial capital the flames were brought under control at the Taj Mahal Palace, although the hostage drama was far from over across Mumbai.

A fishing trawler that went missing on November 14 may have carried the terrorists to Colaba coast to hold Mumbai hostage on November 26

"This is slightly complicated operation and our job is to ensure safety of people trapped inside. We are moving in floor by floor and ensuring that nobody is inside the rooms. Some rooms are locked from inside which we are asking them to vacate. There are dead bodies and injured on the floors. We are sending them to hospital," Dutt said.

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The Ferrari Motorcycle Arrives!!

According to auction house Bonhams, this built-from-scratch motorcycle was the brainchild of MV Agusta guru David Kay, who conceived of the bike as a tribute to Enzo Ferrari.

In a letter enclosed with the motorcycle which will be auctioned soon, Enzo's son Piero granted Kay "the approval to place the Ferrari badge on your motorbike"

The product of 3,000 hours of labor, this one-off bike features:

1) A tubular chassis constructed of Reynolds 531 alloy
2) A 900cc four-cylinder engine that produces 105 horsepower
3) A dry weight of 379 lbs
4) A top speed of 165 mph

Scheduled for auction on December 20, 2008, this unusual motorcycle is expected to fetch around $300,000. Don't even try converting that to Indian Rupees. But browse on for more delicious pictures! Enjoy.

The Ferrari's 900cc engine is built from scratch, and features dual overhead cams with magnesium and alloy casings. It produces 105 horsepower at 8,800 rpm.

The Maruti Suzuki Splash!

Few had thought that the Hyundai i10 would be such an extraordinary success - though it started slow, the sales have boomed in the later half of 2008.

But its not all plain sailing for the i10 in 2009 - to beat its closest rival, Hyundai, the largest passenger car maker Maruti will do all it can to hurl the current darling i10 off its throne.

Although it was shown as a concept at Maruti Suzuki’s pavilion at Auto Expo ‘08, Splash has been in the international market for a while now. The Splash is Suzuki's fourth strategic world model and is based on the hot selling Swift. Targeting the Indian families, Splash will roll out to Indian roads in Q1 200

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