Report: Mercy James' Father Consents to Madonna's Adoption

The father of Mercy James has reportedly consented to Madonna gaining custody of the girl after the Malawian Supreme Court approved the adoption on Friday.

"Let the child go ... My only plea to Madonna is that she should seriously look after the child," Mercy's biological father, James Kambewa, reportedly told the news agency Reuters. "I am asking Madonna to make sure that, while the child is growing, she must be informed of me as her biological father ... she really must know that while she is far away the father is still alive."

Madonna issued a statement to ET regarding the adoption of Mercy, 4, saying, "I am extremely grateful for the Supreme Court's ruling on my application to adopt Mercy James. I am ecstatic. My family and I look forward to sharing our lives with her."

Salman-Katrina’s sex video leaked out?

Media has got yet another spicy news to cook up with some more masala and flashed on the channels and at the same time give some headache to the broke-up couple, Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif. The couple who has made news very often for their on and off relationship has another problem to deal with. A sex video featuring characters resemblance to Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif has been played across Canada.

The video is selling like a hot cake in Canada. The video shows Salman-Katrina look alike doing all sorts of vulgar activities. The video is in high demand and on reaching Mumbai, it became the talk of the town. The video is also now available on some sex websites and resulted in heavy downloads.

Salman and Katrina have so far did not comment on the issue and things turned bizarre when rumor spread that the sex couple is not Salman-Katrina look alike but the pair itself.

Shiney Ahuja arrested for raping his maid

Bollywood actor Shiney Ahuja was arrested late Sunday night for allegedly raping his 19 year old maid servant. The action has been taken on the basis of the complaint lodged by his maid at the Oshiwara police station in Andheri (West) on Sunday evening. Shiney was arrested for interrogation.

According to reports, the maid has been working at Shiney's house for nearly a year and involved in domestic household chores. According to the girl’s verdict, Shiney took her into his bedroom, gagged and raped her. The incident took place in the evening between 3 to 5 pm. Shook by the incident, she went to her relatives and along with them, she went to the police and filed the report of rape.

The girl was later taken to Nagpada police hospital for a medical examination and the report confirmed positive. The police are yet to conduct the medical test of Shiney to determine whether he is involved in the rape.

The actor who is married to Anupam and having a two year old daughter is said to have accepted of having sex with the women but not forcibly. However, the girl claims that she was forced.

Investigation is on and if Shiney is found guilty, he will have to face the consequence.

Shiney is all alone in the house as his family is out of the country.

Jodhaa Akbar bags 10 awards at IIFA

Ashutosh Gowariker’s Jodhaa Akbar shines bright at IIFA bagging 10 trophies. Hrithik Roshan won the best actor award for the film while Priyanka Chopra took away the best female actress for Fashion. AR Rahman was given away the best music director award for Jodhaa Akbar and singer Javed Ali was felicitated for crooning Jashn-e-bahaara in Jodhaa Akbar.

Ace lyricist Javed Akhtar won the best lyricist award for penning the song Jashn-e-bahaara for Jodhaa Akbar. Art director Nitin Chandrakanth Desai won the award for designing the historical set of Jodhaa Akbar.

Among the other winners is Kangana Ranaut, she won the best supporting actress award for Fashion and Arjun Rampal honored with best supporting actor award for Rock On! Akshaye Khanna received the best actor award in a negative role for Race and the best actor in a comic role was given away to Abhishek Bachchan for Dostana.

Aishwarya Bachchan was given the special award for an outstanding achievement in international cinema. Veteran actor Rajesh Khanna was honored with lifetime achievement award. Best debutante award went to Asin for Ghajini.

Rock On received the best cinematography award. Neeta Lulla was awarded for designing the clothes of Jodhaa Akbar and Madhav Kadam received the best make-up award for Jodhaa Akbar.

Building brick for Lippi

FIFA Confederations Cup
USA v Italy

Marcelo Lippi has identified the Confederations Cup as a building brick upon which Italy can construct solid foundations ahead of their World Cup title defence back in South Africa next year.

And the man who crafted the Azzurri's 2006 World Cup win will be anxious to see the first stone safely laid along the path to 2010 against the United States in the country's state capital on Monday.

In what is their debut appearance in this traditional World Cup dress rehearsal, the Italians limbered up for their Group B opener with a 4-3 reverse to Group A competitors New Zealand on Wednesday.

Lippi may have picked an experimental side for that encounter in Pretoria, yet the leaking of three goals for a country where defence is considered an art form and against one of the self-proclaimed dark horses of the competition was hardly ideal.

The 61-year-old, back in charge since Roberto Donadoni's departure after the Euro, had been in sanguine mood before the midweek win over the Kiwis.

"The last time I had the players together for a long period we did not do too badly," he joked with reporters after a training session, making reference, of course, to Italy's triumphant campaign in Germany three years ago culminating in the penalty shoot-out win over France.

He has stressed the importance of his team getting their Confed Cup campaign off on a winning note as they seek to draw a line under what was for them a disappointing quarter-final exit at Euro 2008.

"The most important match is the first one," he told fifa.com.

"We need to make sure that we beat our first opponents. If the first game goes well, then logically the others will follow suit. If it goes badly, it will be more difficult for us to regain our momentum."

Their opposition Monday are Confed Cup veterans fully capable of giving them a run for their money.

The Americans, who have been winning over local fans with open training sessions this week, owe their presence in South Africa to a defeat of Mexico to win the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

The bulk of Bob Bradley's squad are based in Europe, including the English and Scottish Premier League quintet of DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers), Tim Howard (Everton), Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Jonathan Spector (West Ham) and Craig Dempsey (Fulham).

All-time leading US scorer Landon Donovan, the Los Angeles Galaxy playmaker, is one of the few in a squad which also features Bradley's son, Borussia Moenchengladbach midfielder Michael, plying his trade at home.

The USA, aiming to improve on their two third place Confed Cup finishes, arrive here on the back of a timely 2-1 North America World Cup qualifier win over Honduras.

The USA last played in the competition in France in 2003 where they finished bottom of a table comprising Cameroon, Turkey and Brazil.

In 1999 a 2-0 group win over Germany helped them into third place to match their finishing position in the inaugural four-team edition in 1992.

Awkward test for Dunga

FIFA Confederations Cup
Brazil v Egypt

Five-time world champions Brazil open their Confederations Cup defence against Egypt on Monday, aware that any slip-up could cost them dear.

Judging by recent form, Dunga's men are hot favourites although the African champions are renowned for their defensive prowess and have enough depth in their squad to cause some problems.

Brazil faced a gruelling trip here after beating Paraguay 2-1 in World Cup qualifying on Wednesday and have had little time to overcome their fatigue and acclimatise to the chilly South African winter.

In a wake-up call, Dunga reminded his star-studded squad that their season was not yet over and they must retain their focus.

"Brazil must always play to win," he said.

"Even if we're at the end of the season, the players' spirit and mentality out on the pitch must always be focused on winning."

Brazil, who won the last tournament in 2005 by beating Argentina in the final, are without out-of-form Ronaldinho and are also missing Manchester United midfielder Anderson and Chelsea centre-back Alex, who are both injured.

But Dunga still has has plenty of talent to chose from with Manchester City's Robinho leading the frontline along with Sevilla's Luis Fabiano and AC Milan's Alexandre Pato, while Real Madrid's Kaka will anchor the midfield.

Barcelona's Daniel Alves and Bayern Munich's Lucio are their defensive lynchpins.

Lucio, the captain, said their recent World Cup qualifying wins over Paraguay and Uruguay, which cemented their place at the top of the South American table, boded well for their chances here.

"Even though this is a different competition, the two qualifying wins were very important," he said.

"These results put us in the best possible frame of mind for the matches ahead. We're going to fight for the title, that's our goal."

Following their clash with Egypt, the South Americans face CONCACAF winners USA on June 18 before a heavyweight bout with fellow contenders and world champions Italy.

Only the top two teams go through to the semi-finals.

Egypt, who were dealt a blow this week when former Wigan striker Amr Zaki was ruled out with a hamstring injury, are still reeling from losing a World Cup qualifier 3-1 in Algeria last Sunday.

Coach Hassan Shehata warned his shell-shocked squad they must rebuild their confidence, and quickly.

"Egypt cannot afford to fear Brazil in our opener because if we enter the first match with such a feeling, we will remain with the same fear against the other teams," he told reporters.

"We are aware Brazil and Italy are considered favourites in the group while Egypt and the United States are looked upon as outsiders.

"But we are also a big team now and should not be afraid of our opponents. We have managed to win the African Nations Cup six times, including the last two in a row."

"We are not in South Africa for fun."

Shehata will be looking to the key members of his squad, such as goalkeeper Essam al-Hadary, defender Wael Gomaa, midfielder Mohamed Aboutrika and striker Mohamed Zidan, to lead the way.

After Brazil on Monday, they meet Italy in Johannesburg three days later and the United States in Rustenburg a further 72 hours into the tournament.

Gayle wants it to end

ICC World Twenty20

West Indies captain Chris Gayle would love nothing more than to get the better of England when the sides meet at the Oval on Monday in the Super Eight stage of the World Twenty20.

Earlier this season England hammered the West Indies in both a Test and one-day series.

It was an unexpected tour of England for the West Indies, only drafted in after Sri Lanka pulled out because of their players' Indian Premier League commitments.

Gayle, who had to cut short his own stay in the lucrative Twenty20 event, then had his own commitment questioned after he said he would not mind too much if Test cricket died out.

But having hammered a blistering 88 in the West Indies' defeat of Australia at The Oval earlier in the World Twenty20, Gayle's enthusiasm for this form of cricket is not in doubt.

West Indies beat defending champions India by seven wickets in the second round Super Eights at Lord's late on Friday, only to lose by 20 runs to tournament favourites South Africa after the fixture schedule saw them playing in Saturday's early game across London at the Oval.

"It would be nice to get the last say for the summer against England by beating them," Gayle, who revealed he might need an ankle operation, told reporters at the Oval.

"This is the important one, they have been getting the better of us and it's a must-win. We have everything to play for and will give it our best.

"We are confident we can beat them and have done it before. There's no two ways about it, we will have to step up, it's a crucial game and can put us through to the semi-final."

In the meantime Gayle criticised the schedule, saying it had been unfair to his side although an International Cricket Council (ICC) spokesman told AFP that all teams had a chance to request changes several weeks ago and that the West Indies had not asked for any alterations.

"It might not look like it affects you, but it's a mental thing as well," Gayle said.

"We played a day/night game then came here to play a day game. Less than 24 hours later and you are back on the field again.

"It would have been nice if it was another five o'clock (1600GMT) game to give us a bit more of a break.

"We didn't get much time to plan for South Africa, but we are cricketers and this is what we are here to do.

"Twenty20 may look simple but it takes a lot out of you mentally and can be draining but the itinerary was like this and we came to play a good game of cricket today."

He added: "It's disappointing to lose, but I have to commend the guys for the efforts that they put in after the victory against India and then coming here."

Gayle's own form has deteriorated since his 50-ball innings against Australia.

He sat out the match with Sri Lanka and could only manage a laboured 22 against India while Saturday's match saw him manage a mere five runs before he fell to South Africa teenage quick Wayne Parnell.

SA can win title: Smith

ICC World Twenty20

South Africa captain Graeme Smith said his side were well-placed to triumph at the World Twenty20 after extending their unbeaten record at the tournament with a 20-run win over the West Indies.

That victory, coupled with a seven-wicket defeat of hosts England earlier in the week, meant South Africa had won their opening two Super Eights matches.

The Proteas, who are within touching distance of the semi-finals, complete their second round programme against defending champions India at Trent Bridge on Tuesday.

"I really believe we can win it," said Smith after South Africa's win over the West Indies at The Oval.

"But there is a long way to go, a lot of cricket to be played and a lot of good teams in this competition.

"It's been a successful week but a tough one. We get an extra day now before we play India and I'm comfortable with where we are, you can't argue with the performances or the results we have turned out in this competition so far.

"As a team we try to challenge ourselves. There are always things to improve but if we play our best and with our intensity, if we perform to our potential, then we will be difficult to beat."

South Africa made 183 for seven, Herschelle Gibbs top-scoring with 55, before holding the West Indies to 163 for nine in an innings where teenage left-arm quick Wayne Parnell took four wickets for 13 runs.

"You really need to be on top of your game against the West Indies, especially here at the Oval where the conditions suit them," explained Smith.

Parnell, 19, who took three wickets against England, said: "It's still a batsman's game but if you bowl well you can pick up wickets.

"I enjoy bowling at the death. I have developed my yorker in the last 10 months and I am adding other things to my game."

India went down to a seven-wicket loss to the West Indies at Lord's on Friday.

Before they play South Africa they face England on Sunday at Lord's and Smith said of his team's clash with the title-holders: "There is a lot of cricket in the group before that.

"India had not been really tested in the competition until Friday. I think they will have taken a lot of lessons from that.

"It was their first real competitive game so it going to be interesting to see how they go before Tuesday."

Younus hails heroes

ICC World Twenty20

Pakistan captain Younus Khan lavished rich praise on Abdur Razzaq and Umar Gul after his team roared back into the World Twenty20 after a stunning win over New Zealand.

Needing a win to stay in the competition, Pakistan rode on seamer Gul's amazing figures of five wickets for six runs in three overs to skittle New Zealand out for a paltry 99 at the Oval on Saturday.

Pakistan surpassed the modest target in 13.1 overs for the loss of four wickets to come back strongly after losing their opening Super Eights match to Sri Lanka by 19 runs on Friday.

Gul became the first bowler in history to claim five wickets in Twenty20 internationals, but Younus said it was the seamer's partnership with Abdur Razzaq that clinched victory for his team.

"It is all about partnerships. You need a good start in Twenty20 cricket and Razzaq gave us that," the Pakistani captain said.

Razzaq made a memorable return to official cricket after two years when he grabbed a wicket off his fourth delivery and another one in his third over to reduce New Zealand to 37-3.

The 29-year-old was called up as a replacement for the injured Yasir Arafat after breaking links with the rebel Indian Cricket League.

Asked to open the bowling by Younus, Razzaq had the dangerous Brendon McCullum caught at point before trapping Martin Guptill leg-before.

Gul, brought on as the sixth bowler, claimed four of the last five wickets to leave Pakistan chasing a modest target of 5.5 runs an over.

"I am delighted that Razzaq is back," said Younus.

"We do not have experience of Twenty20 cricket because we do not play so much of it at home or international matches. We did not even get to play in the Indian Premier League this year.

"But Razzaq is our most experienced player in the short game because he played cricket in England for Surrey and the Oval is like a home ground for him.

"Those early wickets by him really helped the team. Half the battle is won in Twenty20 if you get a good start."

Scott Styris' 22 was New Zealand's top score on the easy-paced wicket as eight batsmen failed to reach double figures.

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori rued the lack of runs, saying the Black Caps were under pressure from the start.

"It was a good wicket, there were plenty of runs in it," said Vettori. "We needed at least 180 to compete, but there just were not enough runs on the board.

"That put is consistently under pressure. In Twenty20, there are about six to seven overs when you can make the charge and turn the game around.

"But that did not happen today."

Pakistan and New Zealand both have one win from two games in group F, while Sri Lanka still have two matches to play against the Kiwis and minnows Ireland.

The top two teams from the group will advance to the semi-finals.

Pakistan next play Ireland at the Oval on Monday, while New Zealand take on Sri Lanka in their last match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham on Tuesday.

"We can't wait to play Ireland," said Younus, referring to Pakistan's shock defeat at Irish hands in the 50-overs-a-side World Cup in the Caribbean which knocked Inzamamul Haq's side out of the tournament.

"My advice to the boys about that game? Just crush them."

SL's sigh of relief

ICC World Twenty20


Sri Lanka preserved their unbeaten record at the World Twenty20 with a nine run Super Eights win over Ireland at Lord's on Sunday but only after they'd been given a huge fright by the minnows.

Set a modest 145 to win, Ireland, who in the first round beat Bangladesh, were on course at 87 for one before Andrew White holed out to Nuwan Kulasekara.

It was the start of a collapse that saw three wickets lost for four runs in seven balls with spinner Ajantha Mendis striking twice to get rid of Kevin O'Brien and brother Niall, who made a game 31 before he was stumped.

At 91 for four Ireland were in trouble and Lasith Malinga then took two wickets in two balls to reduce them to 105 for six.

But John Mooney (31 not out) kept Ireland in the hunt and off the last over, from the unorthodox Malinga, they needed 18 to win - a target that proved beyond them as they finished on 135 for seven

A fine all-round display in the field saw Ireland, who at the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean beat both Bangladesh and Pakistan, restrict Sri Lanka to just 144 for nine.

Only former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene's 78 prevented complete collapse in an innings where only three batsmen made double figures and the next best score was Sanath Jayasuriya's 27.

Brisbane-born seamer Alex Cusack, who took two wickets in an over, finished with fine figures of four wickets for 18 runs in his three overs.

But Sri Lanka were already in trouble before he came on.

Former Ireland captain Trent Johnston, also born in Australia, took one for 18 in his four overs while the recalled Boyd Rankin had two for 27.

Tight bowling was backed up by fine fielding, Niall O'Brien setting the tone with three catches and a stumping.

Ireland captain William Porterfield got their reply off to a sound start.

The left-hander, who plays for English county Gloucestershire, then cover-drove Kulasekara for well-struck boundaries.

But Niall O'Brien aggravated the right ankle injury he'd sustained in the win over Bangladesh after first slipping and then diving into the crease to make his ground.

O'Brien, who needed several minutes of treatment, then reversed swept Mendis to the boundary and lofted Angelo Mathews for four over long-off.

But a stand of 59 ended in the 10th over when Porterfield was caught behind by Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara off Muttiah Muralidaran.

Earlier Jayawardene, who came in at 14 for two, batted with typical elegance during a 53-ball innings featuring a six and nine fours before he was clean bowled by Cusack.

Ireland took a wicket off only the second ball of the match when the dangerous Tillekaratne Dilshan saw a miscued pull off Rankin held by O'Brien.

The keeper then took an even better catch when, standing up, he held an edge from opposing gloveman Sangakkara off Johnston.

Ireland complete their Super Eights programme against Pakistan at the Oval on Monday while Sri Lanka are in action 24 hours later at Trent Bridge when they face New Zealand.

SCORES IN BRIEF
SRI LANKA: 144 for 9 in 20 overs (Jayasuriya 27, Jayawardene 78, Mathews 10; Rankin 2-27, McCallan 2-33, Cusack 4-18)
IRELAND: 135 for 7 in 20 overs (Porterfield 31, O'Brien 31, White 22, Mooney 31 not out; Mendis 2-22, Malinga 2-19)
Result: Sri Lanka won by nine runs.
Man-of-the-match: Mahela Jayawardene.

India crash out

ICC World Twenty20
Defending champions India bowed out of the World Twenty20 after losing to hosts England by three runs in a key Super Eights match at a packed Lord's here on Sunday.

India restricted England to 153-7 after electing to field in good batting conditions, but then fumbled their reply to be stopped at 150-5 despite scoring 56 runs in the last five overs.

Needing 15 off the last three deliveries, Yusuf Pathan smashed Ryan Sidebottom straight for six off the first, but managed only a single of the next before skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni hit the last ball for four.

Dhoni (30 not out) and Yusuf (33 not out) added 63 for the unbroken sixth wicket after half the side was back in the pavilion by the 14th over with only 87 on the board.

India paid dearly for conceding 16 extras in England's innings, including 14 wides as two deliveries from off-spinner Harbhajan Singh went for boundaries behind the wicketkeeper.

India needed to win to stay in the tournament after losing their opening Super Eights match against the West Indies at Lord's on Friday.

England, who also lost their first match to South Africa, now face the West Indies at the Oval on Monday in a match that will almost certainly take the winner into the semifinals along with the Proteas.

India slipped to 24-2 by the fourth over as Sidebottom, who replaced leg-spinner Adil Rashid in the England team, removed Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina.

Gautam Gambhir and Ravindra Jadeja took the total to 62-2 in the 11th over when Dmitri Mascarenhas broke through by having Gambhir caught at fine-leg by Stuart Broad.

Off-spinner Graeme Swann grabbed two wickets in four balls to reduce India to 87-5 by the 14th over.

Swann had Jadeja caught in the deep after the batsman, playing his first match in the tournament, plodded for 35 balls to make 25.

Yuvraj Singh, who hit the first ball he faced for a six, was stumped by James Foster in the same over after making 17 off nine balls.

Earlier, Kevin Pietersen top-scored for England with 46 off 27 balls, with three fours and a six, after sharing a second-wicket stand of 71 with opener Ravi Bopara (37).

Harbhajan picked up three wickets, but England's lower order retrieved the situation by adding 53 runs in the last five overs.

Pietersen and Bopara took charge after Luke Wright had fallen in the second over, top-edging a pull off Rudra Pratap Singh.

The duo brought up their 50 partnership off 35 balls before left-arm spinner Jadeja broke the stand in his first over by bowling Bopara.

Jadeja then claimed Pietersen leg-before as the batsman attempted to sweep.

Harbhajan lured Owais Shah (12) to hole out to Jadeja on the mid-wicket fence before removing James Foster and Swann off successive deliveries.

SCORES IN BRIEF
ENGLAND: 153 for 7 in 20 overs (Pietersen 46, Bopara 37, Mascarenhas 25 not out, Shah 12; Harbhajan 3-30, Jadeja 2-26)
INDIA: 150 for 5 in 20 overs (Yusuf 33 not out, Dhoni 30 not out, Gambhir 26, Jadeja 25, Yuvraj 17; Swann 2-28, Sidebottom 2-31)
Result: England won by 3 runs.
Man-of-the-match: Ryan Sidebottom.

Akshay chooses Trisha

A new south sensation is going to firm her foot in Bollywood opposite stunt hero Akshay Kumar. South star Trisha is going to make her Bollywood debut with director Priyadarshan’s 'Khatta Meetta' to be produced by Akshay’s production company Hari Om. It is learnt that Trisha is the personal choice of Akki. He saw some of Trisha’s Kollywood films and impressed with her acting and style. When he expressed his desire to meet the actress, Trisha flew down to meet him. Impressed with her, Akshay Kumar signed Trisha.

Trisha was over excited to debut in Bollywood. She has delivered number of hits in the South and was waiting for the right opportunity to step in Bollywood. What excites her the most is that she will be directed by that same man who has introduced her to film industry. Trisha is again looking forward to work under director Priyadarshan.

She expressed her thrill in the following words, "Priyadarshan is the person who has introduced me to films. Even after I completed Lesa Lesa, I was not of the idea of continuing my career as an actress. But Priyadarshan only guided me properly and advised me to continue. Now once again he is giving me a new dimension through his Hindi movie. I’m glad that Priyan has given me this opportunity and all I want is to go and do my best..."

Priyadharshan commented, "Trisha is playing the heroine opposite Akshay Kumar in this film. Akshay was keen on doing the film with a new face, that too from south and after seeing Trisha’s performance in a few South Indian movies, Trisha has become his only choice..."

Ash, Sonam end up rivalry, turn friends

Dumping the L’Oreal issue, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor turned friends. They joined hands at Karan Johar’s party. Ash has sorted out the differences. The duo garnered much attention recently due to their cat-fights. The spark from both the sides was so strong that the issue became a national news. However, everything between them has now sorted out and they are now making news for their new friendship.

Sonam Kapoor is even going to make her stage debut at the IIFA event in which the Bachchans are playing the most important part. In fact, the Bachchan bahu is also going to perform this IIFA.

Sonam will shake her legs and body to the Masakali song from Delhi-6. She is quite excited and looking forward to this great event with high hopes.

All’s well between Deepika and Ranbir’s mom

Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor are couple for more than a year and their parents also support their relationship. In between, something wrong happened between Deepika and Neetu Singh and Neetu expressed her disliking for Deepika. When media stopped to cook up the story, Deepika again erupt the issue by commenting on her and Neetu Singh’s relationship. She said that Neetu Singh is not at all upset with her and everything is fine between them.

"I believe that if there was any truth in this, she (Neetu) would tell me herself and not through newspapers and media. I think she`s an extremely talented and mature person, so why would she tell the media and not speak with me directly?" Deepika said.

Deepika who accepted Ranbir’s proposal soon after stepping into Bollywood said that she and Ranbir are very much professional and do not discuss professional life in private meetings, "We both are very professional. Sometimes I don`t come to know whether the film I`m offered is also offered to Ranbir. We don`t speak about our films that much because it would be extremely unprofessional".

"We read scripts separately and meet directors separately too and this may be the reason that post `Bachna Ae Haseeno` we haven`t done any film together," she said.

Team for prep camp named

Tour of Windies

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Saturday announced a 20-member provisional squad for the preparation camp for the tour of the West Indies.

Young wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Mithun was the only player to be dropped from the ICC World Twenty20 squad and Sahagir Hossain came in his place.

"Because of his [Mithun's] strike-rate we considered him in the T20 squad, but Sahagir is more experienced and has been playing good cricket for last few months," explained chief selector Rafiqul Alam.

The national players got few more days to prepare for the series as they failed to reach the Super Eights of the ICC World Twenty20 in England following heartbreaking six-wicket defeat to Ireland.

The training camp will start from June 15 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur and Bangladesh A team coach and former national skipper Khaled Mahmud will oversee the training programme in the absence of head coach Jamie Siddons who is now in Australia on leave and join the team in Caribbean.

The Tigers will leave for West Indies on June 29 to play one Twenty20, three one-day internationals and two Tests.

PROVISIONAL SQUAD
Mohammad Ashraful, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal, Zunaed Siddiqui, Rokibul Hassan, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Nayeem Islam, Abdur Razzak, Shahadat Hossain, Syed Rasel, Mahmudullah Riyad, Rubel Hossain, Shamsur Rahman, Mehrab Hossain, Imrul Kayes, Nazmul Hossain, Mahbubul Alam, Enamul Haque and Sahagir Hossain.

* P

Glamour back at Real

Only a few weeks have passed since Barcelona completed their historic treble but now the return of Florentino Perez to Real Madrid has already stolen the limelight from their bitter enemies with the audacious signings of Ronaldo and Kaka.

Perez is believed to have more big names on his shopping list.

In the build up to last month's elections at Real, Kaka was unveiled by the Perez campaign as the big money signing for 65 million euros from AC Milan, in what appears to be a return to the galacticos days when the club brought in a major star each season.

But it has been the signing of Ronaldo for 94 million euros which has really set pulses racing in the Spanish capital and caused indignation around the rest of the country.

This campaign from Perez may have lacked the bravado of that in 2000 when he won the election by signing Barcelona's most emblematic player of the time, Luis Figo, but the impact is likely to be as considerable.

Real stumbled to the end of the season with a caretaker president, Vicente Boluda, and coach Juande Ramos unable to motivate his players once Barcelona had moved over the horizon in the league.

To give full justice to Ramos, his arrival at the end of last year led to a run of 17 wins in 18 matches, which saw Real keep on the shoulders of Barcelona, but the stunning 6-2 destruction by Barca at the Bernabeu ended the championship race and emphasised the difference in class.

As Barca imperiously went on to win the league and cup followed by their Champions League victory in Rome, Real were left wondering where it had gone wrong.

Their only answer was to look to Perez as their salvation and his promise of returning success to the club, forgetting that only a few years before he had left in failure.

Standing down in February, 2006, he admitted with the team ten points adrift, that his policy of expensive signings had not worked.

Perez followed up the transfer of Figo with Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and David Beckham in a policy which supposedly mixed these players with youth products.

But most of the players coming from the Real academy were forced to leave and while the club did enjoy the success of two domestic league titles and one Champions League, between 2003 and 2006 they failed to win a major trophy.

With the signings of Kaka and Ronaldo, along with Zidane and Figo previously, Perez has now overseen the four most expensive signings of all time and Valencia's David Villa appears to be close to following them to the Bernabeu in what would be another sizeable fee.

Real were also looking to raid Valencia for David Silva and Raul Albiol, with the latter appearing the more likely to move as the club from the Mestalla claim Silva is non-transferable.

Especially with the poor state of the defence last season it will be interesting to see whether Perez, a second time round, will pay more attention to the backline, with a replacement for Fabio Cannavaro at centre-half a priority

The reaction from treble winners Barcelona has been incredulity at the amount of money spent and the possiblity that Perez could take his summer spending up to 300 million euros.

The big question is where is he getting the money from?

"I don't know where this amount of money which Florentino Perez plans to spend on players is coming from, he says he will recover it by selling shirts but that means he will have to sell 30 million shirts," said Barca director Xavier Sala i Martin.

"We would never pay 65million for a player you can be sure, for that amount of money you could have bought the whole of the side which won the Champions League in Rome.

"Someone is giving him the money and it would be good to know who. How is it that a football team has all this money when you consider the current economic climate and the credit restrictions which banks have put in place."

There was considerable controversy at the start of Perez's first spell as president when he used money from the sale of the club's sports complex in the centre of Madrid, which had been given to Real by the local government, to finance the galacticos.

Now there is a suspicion that Perez, the owner of a major construction company in Spain, has now similarly found another way to bring in finance.