ICC to probe Pakistan players over fresh claims

 Pakistan's beleaguered cricket team came under the officials' spotlight again on Saturday following "suspicious scoring patterns" in the third One-Day International againstEngland.

Pakistan won Friday's match by 23 runs, however the International Cricket Council has since launched an investigation after receiving information from a British newspaper.

The Sun claimed Saturday it has evidence that shows bookmakers knew details of the Pakistan innings before the match had begun. ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said the match featured "a certain scoring pattern" that warranted further investigation.

"Following information received by the ICC from a British newspaper and its source, the ICC now believes a full investigation is warranted," an ICC statement read.

Lorgat added: "A source informed The Sun newspaper that a certain scoring pattern would emerge during certain stages of the match and, broadly speaking, that information appeared to be correct."

"We therefore feel it is incumbent upon us to launch a full enquiry into this particular game although it is worth pointing out at this stage that we are not stating as fact that anything untoward has occurred. Only in the fullness of the investigation can that be established."

"The ICC maintains a zero-tolerance approach to corruption in cricket and, as a matter of course, follows up on all credible information that is received, whatever the source. Any player or official found guilty of an offence will face the full rigour of our robust Anti-Corruption Code so that we can ensure the integrity of the sport is maintained."

The investigation is yet more bad news for the beleaguered Pakistan team, who have been under the spotlight this summer amid allegations of 'spot-fixing' against members of the touring party.

Salman Butt, Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif have all been questioned by police over an alleged plot to purposefully ball no-balls during last month's Test series while a fourth player - seamer Wahab Riaz

I didn't want a hush hush debut: Narmmadaa

Bollywood actor Govinda's daughter Narmmadaa Ahuja, said, before taking plunge in the industry she wanted to be 'perfect' in every way.

"Before entering into the industry I want to be perfect in every way. I did not want to come unprepared or unpolished, make a hush-hush debut and disappoint my family and audiences," said Narmmadaa.

Ever since the 21-year-old Narmmadaa escorted Salman Khan during the IIFA Awards in 2007, there has been speculations that she would enter Bollywood.

"This has been the biggest misconception that I was debuting in 2007. I was 18-years-old that time and was pursuing an acting course from Kishore Namit Kapoor Acting Institute, after that I went to the London Film Institute," Narmmadaa said.

When asked is Govinda upset with Salman as he did not help in launching her, Narmmadaa said, "These are all baseless stories and completely false. I met Salman in 2007 but we did not speak about my debut and all...it was all too early."

Now that Narmmadaa is all set for her debut, she thinks being a star kid has its own drawbacks. "Being a star kid one is expected to be over perfect as they have acting background. There are so much expectations from us. Then there are comparisons being made with our parents and all," the star daughter said.

About the advantage of being a star kid, she said, "Without much struggle you get offers."

We are engaged: Lara - Hesh

It is official. Tennis ace Mahesh Bhupathi and the former Miss Universe 2000 have formally announced their engagement. Mahesh it seems popped the question to Lara in New York during the recent US open.

A very happy Bhupati has tweeted 'So @DuttaLara and me got engaged in NY last week. Its official now...'

The pair were seen together during the the Filmfare awards and then again during the IIFA weekend at Sri Lanka.

The couple who had earlier denied reports of their affair, have come out in open and we wait for more details.

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RAMAYANA THE EPIC 2010 Trailers

'India may face shortage of 26 mn houses by 2012'

India will face shortage of over 26 million houses by 2012, which would lead to spurt in housing prices as demand-supply gap widens amid rising purchasing power of the middle class people, a consultancy firm has said.

'With India back on a high growth trajectory, demand for commercial and residential space is likely to witness an upward trend,' consultancy firm Ernst and Young said in a report.

Demand for residential property is rising sharply because of growing young working population, increasing urbanisation, declining household size resulting in more nuclear families with growing household income and improved availability of loans.

Co-chairman of FICCI Real Estate Committee Pranay Vakil said over $1.2 trillion investment was needed to meet the rising demand for urban development.

He said that the urban population in India would nearly double to 600 million in the next 15 years from nearly 350 million now, and this would put massive pressure on urban infrastructure, including roads, power and water supply.

Dean Hodcroft, partner-head of real estate for Europe, Middle East, India and Africa at Ernst and Young, said India needed institutional reforms to attract more investments in infrastructure development projects.

He said the country's macro-economic fundamentals were in great shape and it was poised to reap huge benefits of growth. 'India needs to fix the institutions to attract more private investments, including foreign investments,' he said.

Comparing the investment climates in India and China, Hodcroft said: 'While it is easy for investors to get into China, it is extremely difficult to get out. In contrast, it took time for foreign companies to enter India, but exiting is comparatively much easier.'

Baig bought Bakery blast gadgets in Mumbai, say cops

Mirza Himayat Baig had bought the haversack and the mobile phone used in Pune's German Bakery blast from two shops in South Mumbai's Crawford Market, police said, adding this was revealed during interrogation.

An earlier forensic probe had found the trigger used was an alarm ringer within the cellphone with the IED placed inside a red haversack.

Baig is believed to have travelled to Mumbai by bus and stayed at a guesthouse in the Crawford Market area for a day under the name Yusuf. The guesthouse is a dormitory with Rs 180 as daily rent. The state ATS has seized the guesthouse register and identified "his handwritten name and signature", sources said.

The documents of purchase and the registers at the two shops have been seized. The agency is now tracing Baig's travels within the state to establish the chain of events leading to the blast. The shopkeepers and guesthouse manager will be called to an identification parade to pick out Baig. It is learnt Baig also visited certain "public locations" in South Mumbai.

In a search of the Udgir house where Baig lived, investigators reportedly found he had three election identity cards, issued from Beed and Latur, each with his photo but with the names Imaamuddin Sheikh, Khayum Sheikh and Ahmed Baig. A card for a handicapped person issued by the Samaj Kalyan Organisation was issued in the name of Ahmed Baig, with "speech and hearing impairment" stated as the handicap. He is believed to have told the investigators that if caught, "he could always claim that he could neither speak nor hear". A motor driving licence with his photograph was in the name of Prakash Bung.

The search also allegedly found photo copies of five other election ID cards, which were being used to procure SIM cards and driving licences. Also seized were nine blank caste certificates signed by the relevant authority; their purpose is still under probe. Baig has allegedly revealed the identities of various agents involved in procuring genuine documents in fake profiles, whose statements are now being recorded by a separate team in Udgir.

PROBE UPDATE BILAL, 27, did a recce of Nagpur city, probe into LeT's Nashik cell allegedly reveals. Security up in locations surveyed

Security audit by ATS chief Rakesh Maria and Force One chief Sadanand Date of several locations in Nashik, including Shird

Saber PatelKhurshid Alam and Abdul Indori of Udgir, allegedly close to Baig, taken to Pune for questioning

ATS saysSyed Abdulah Khwaja, son of Udgir's Municipal Council chief, in whose name broadband connection to the Global Internet Cafe was given, not involved in blast conspiracy

Court rebuffs move to defer Ayodhya case verdict

An effort to defer the judgement in the 60-year-old title suit in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute was on Friday rebuffed by the Allahabad High Court, which will now pronounce its verdict on September 24.

A three-judge Special Bench of the Court rejected a petition (filed by one Ramesh Chandra Tripathi) seeking deferment of the judgement for working out an out-of-court amicable settlement of the issue saying there was no merit in the application.

The Special Bench, comprising Justice S.U. Khan , Justice D.V. Sharma and Justice Sudhir Agarwal, decided to imposed a heavy fine which would be announced later though Justice Agarwal proposed a fine of Rs. 5 lakh.

The judges asked the parties whether they were interested in going for any discussion for a compromise and none of them showed interest. Following this, the court rejected the petition for deferment of the judgement.

Mr. Tripathi, a defendent in the case, had filed the application for making another attempt to reach a solution to the dispute through reconciliation and deferment of the verdict.

Objections were filed on Thursday by Sunni Central Board of Wakf and the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha before the Court against any deferment of the verdict and with Friday’s order they have become infructous