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New World Cup Stats Website 11v11.com Gets Managed Hosting Support From iomart

June 12, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

GLASGOW, UNITED KINGDOM, Jun 11 (MARKET WIRE) —
iomart Hosting, one of Europe’s leading providers of managed hosting and
cloud computing services, has been signed up by football statistics
website 11v11.com to provide round-the-clock managed hosting support in
preparation for a surge of interest during the World Cup.

11v11.com is the Association of Football Statisticians’ official website
and has almost every possible World Cup statistic and fact. It aims to
create a real-time online community where fans from all nations can
discuss the tournament with a Twitter-based application allowing
supporters to recreate the terrace atmosphere during matches.

Phil Worms, marketing director of iomart Hosting, said: “11v11.com
is planning to be the number one website for World Cup facts and figures
and it is a great resource for solving those trivial pub arguments often
had with friends. Once the tournament gets under way, and we get caught
up in the excitement, we’ll find ourselves digesting every little piece
of footballing trivia that comes to hand. Who has scored the most goals
at the finals? Who has lost most often? It’s compulsive and sometimes
more entertaining than the matches themselves!

“11v11.com contains an amazing wealth of information which needs to
be stored and updated so a stable and reliable hosting platform is
absolutely essential. iomart Hosting will ensure that it can be accessed
from Australia to Honduras 24/7.”

The 11v11 website contains comprehensive data on all 32 competing
nations. Not only does it have a back catalogue of results, lineups and
goal scorers from the past 100 years, it also has detailed information on
player transfers, disciplinary records, team head-to-heads and an
analysis of the top 50 goals scored in the World Cup, as featured
recently on Channel 5.

Maintained by a community of football historians and statisticians it has
also created an international player ranking system so every player at
the World Cup can be judged on attributes such as match performance,
appearances and honours. Results will be updated online immediately after
each match so whether it is Lionel Messi or Wayne Rooney, supporters can
see exactly how each and every player has performed.

Mark Baber, managing director of 11v11.com, said: “Our aim is to
establish ourselves internationally as the leading source of historical
and statistical football information so we required a web hosting company
with similar attributes and ambitions. We decided to use iomart Hosting
because they offer fantastic customer service, value for money and, most
importantly, have a real willingness and enthusiasm towards football and
helping us reach our goals. We currently have 1,000 visitors to our
website every day but in the midst of World Cup fever, and with the help
of iomart, we’re expecting this to multiply many times.”

iomart Hosting owns and operates its own network of five UK data centres
and is part of iomart Group plc which recently announced a 55% increase
in revenues and a doubling of its hosting customers in its full-year
results.

Based in London, 11v11.com has gained a reputation for being a top
independent statistical information website. Plans are in place to
implement complete historical and up-to-date statistics for each and
every league side in England, in time for the start of the 2010/11 season
in August, with Scottish, German, French, Italian and Spanish versions of
the sites also in the pipeline.

Notes to editors

About iomart Hosting

iomart Hosting is one of the UK’s leading providers of hosting services.
From a single server through to private cloud networks, iomart
specialises in the delivery and management of mission-critical hosting
services, enabling customers to reduce the costs, complexity and risks
associated with maintaining their own web and online applications.

By physically owning and managing its own network infrastructure,
including five state-of-the-art data centres in the UK, it offers
world-beating levels of service to its customers.

For more information visit www.iomarthosting.com

About 11v11.com

11v11.com is the offical site of the Association of Football
Statisticians and offers a wealth of statistical and historical
information on football; new national team sites; a community forum for
discussion of football facts, trivia and records and a unique
Twitter-based live match application. As well as providing the most
comprehensive source of information on world football, 11v11 provides
football data, information and IT services to media, publishers and
football organisations.

For more information visit www.11v11.com.

Contacts:
iomart Press Office:
+44 (0) 141 931 6400
marketing@iomart.com
www.iomarthosting.com

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: 100 years, Association Of Football Statisticians, back catalogue, Channel 5, Computing Services, Disciplinary Records, excitement, Football Historians, Football Statistics, glasgow, Goal Scorers, honduras, international player, Iomart, Player Transfers, statistic, Trivial Pub, World Cup Facts, World Cup Stats, Worms

Allergies, not drugs, land Houston in hospital

April 8, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Whitney Houston has slammed media reports that she is using drugs again, labelling the claims “ridiculous”.

Houston was hospitalised in Paris on Tuesday (local time) after suffering a respiratory infection.

On her release, Houston told People magazine that she was looking forward to returning to the stage after postponing several dates on the European leg of her world tour.

“I’m feeling great,” she said. “I’m just ready to move on and continue my world tour.”

The 46-year-old is expected to retake the stage on April 13 in Birmingham, England.

Cancelled shows in Paris, Manchester and Glasgow will be rescheduled.

“My health is terrific, but this is a time when I get a lot of allergies,” she told the magazine.

Houston was once one of the bestselling US female vocalists of all time, but years of battling drug addiction took their toll.

Last year she released I Look To You, her first studio album in seven years to top charts worldwide.

But her performances during a recent tour of Australia were panned by critics and some fans walked out, complaining she was off-key, out of breath and looked exhausted.

The negative reviews and postponed concerts in Europe led some tabloids to speculate that Houston had relapsed into drug use.

She says that is “ridiculous”.

“At this point I just don’t respond,” she told People.

“I don’t even read it.”

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Brad Pitt once fled UK after fling with bad guy’s ex

March 25, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Melbourne, March 25 (ANI): Brad Pitt has confessed that he had to escape from the UK after falling in love with a girl whose ex-boyfriend was a “bad guy”.

The ‘Troy’ star said that wasn’t in the Hollywood limelight that he’s today in when the incident took place while on a tour to Scotland.

“I went everywhere, saw it all. Edinburgh and Glasgow were special. I even went up to Loch Ness to see what that was all about,” News.com.au quoted him as telling the Sun.

He added: “When I was in Glasgow I got involved with this girl. She happened to be the ex-girlfriend of a bit of a bad guy.

“I ended up having to get out of town because I was getting ”that” look from a guy behind a bar.

“I think there is something about rival gangs in the city and I was about to find I was involved. I had to get out of there. It was heavy.” (ANI)

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Indian murderer in Scotland jail wants to go home

March 8, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

LONDON: Indian citizen Roshan Dantis, who has been jailed for life in Scotland for brutally murdering a Nepali student and extorting money from her husband, wants to be transferred to a prison in Goa.

Dantis, 30, was imprisoned for life in January, and must serve at least 24 years in jail before being considered for deportation. He is lodged in the Barlinnie prison in Glasgow.

The police in Glasgow described Dantis as “one of the most dangerous murderers Scotland has known.”

Dantis has asked his representative, legal company Beltrami Berlow, to lodge an application with the Scottish Government to have him transferred to Goa. He is reportedly keen to meet his mother, who cannot travel to Scotland.

Britain signed an agreement with India in 2005 to allow citizens convicted here to serve their sentence in their native country.

Dantis’s solicitor, Matthew Berlow, said: “We’re exploring the possibility of my client being transferred to a prison in India. I cannot comment further at present.”

The sensational case involved Indian engineering student Dantis, and his close friend, Nepali student Nagendra Shah, 32, and Shah’s wife, Khusbu Shah, 23. The Shahs married in Nepal before arriving in Glasgow in 2008.

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Now, Scot players to test a waterproof football kit

September 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Edinburgh, Sep.13 (ANI): Scotland may be out of the World Cup, but it leads the globe on one footballing frontier – testing out a new range of all-weather soccer gear.

US sportswear giant Under Armour has handpicked two players from the ranks of the Scottish junior leagues to trial shirts, shorts, socks and boots which provide “head to toe” protection against the elements.

Chris Taylor and Kevin MacDonald, from Glasgow, were chosen from thousands of players by the expanding company to try out its new kit over a six-month period.

As well as the waterproof boots, the pair has been given the company’s specially made weather-resistant tops and shorts to try out in Scotland’s harsh winter climate, the News of The World reports.

The boots are made from kangaroo leather, renowned for its water-resistant qualities.

The shirt is made with specially formulated polyester containing “perforated microfibre”.

MacDonald, 26, a betting shop manager, plays for Kirkintilloch Rob Roy. Taylor, 31, plays for Ayrshire side Darvel, and travels from his Glasgow home for training and matches.

The company’s decision to choose Scotland as a testing ground for their waterproof football kit was backed by ex-players yesterday. (ANI)

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Brain’s face processing ability does reduce with age

September 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, September 9 (ANI): A British study suggests that the ability to identify a face, when it is shown for only a fraction of a second, reduces as people age.

Lead researcher Guillaume Rousselet, from the University of Glasgow, came to this conclusion after analysing electric activity from the brains of young and old people as they watched pictures of faces with cloud-like noise.

He said: “Very few studies have attempted to measure the effect of ageing on the time-course of visual processing in response to complex stimuli like faces. We found that, as well as a general reduction in speed in the elderly, one particular component of the response to a face, the N170, is less sensitive to faces in the elderly.”

The N170 occurs 170 milliseconds after a stimulus is presented.

The researchers revealed that it was more closely associated with the appearance of a face among the young subjects.

However, in older subjects, the researcher said that it occurred also in response to noise, perhaps implying reduced ability to differentiate faces from noise.

Revealing the findings of the study, Rousselet said: “Our data support the common belief that as we get older we get slower. Beyond this general conclusion, our research provides new tools to quantify by how much the brain slows down in the particular context of face perception. Now, we need to identify the reasons for the speed reduction and for the heterogeneity of the effects – indeed, why the brains of some older subjects seem to tick as fast as the brains of some young subjects is, at this point, a complete mystery.”

The study has been published in the journal BMC Neuroscience. (ANI)

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Gerard Butler’s mum makes him scrub the floor

September 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Aug 31 (ANI): Gerard Butler might be one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, but not for her mother because she even makes him scrub the floor.

The ‘Ugly Truth’ actor has credited his mother for keeping him grounded, for she refuses to treat him like a movie star.

The actor makes regular trips to his parents’ home in Glasgow, Scotland.

He has revealed that his mother insists that he helps out around the house, and carries out his share of the chores.

“I go home and they’ll cook Christmas dinner, and she’s like, ‘C’mon, give a hand, come on, wash the dishes or put the dishes away.’ “And I’m like, ‘Mum, I am a major Hollywood movie star, I can’t be doing this. It’s embarrassing,’” Contactmusic quoted Butler as saying.

He added: “I end up on my hands and knees, wiping up the floor.” (ANI)

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Wenger dubs game against Celtic more ‘massive’ than fixture against Man U

August 26, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Aug 26 (ANI):Arsene Wenger has called Arsenal’s upcoming European battle against Celtic a bigger game than the upcoming match with Manchester United.

Although, Arsenal hold a 2-0 aggregate lead in their Champions League play-off, the Frenchman has no plans to take it easy.

The Sun quoted Wenger as saying: “This game is a more important one than Saturday for the club, by far. We have to give absolutely everything be- cause tomorrow you cannot come back.

“Saturday, even if we drop points against Manchester United, we can always catch them up – you have 35 games still to go.

“If we lose the game against Celtic, we have zero. It is a massive game.”

Arsenal could bag around 25- million pounds even they only play the Champions League group stages.

But Boss said it was not just about money.

Wenger said: “It’s not the huge amount money that makes it such a huge fixture for us.

“It’s not the financial blow that matters, it’s that we want to be in the Champions League and this is a much bigger game for us than Saturday.”

After romping home in their first-leg victory in Glasgow, Arsenal are huge favourites to make it through.

However, Wenger believes there is not time to rest.

He insisted: “It is not job done, it is job to do. That is how I approach it.

“Celtic have no choice, they have to come out and have a go at us. We will be faithful to our tactical approach.” (ANI)

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‘Teen-proof’ room cuts out the clutter

August 25, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Aug 24 (ANI): The days of teenagers’ messy bedrooms may finally be over, courtesy an Edinburgh-based company, which has designed a room they can’t ruin.

Design firm IDP claims to have created the ‘teen-proof’ bedroom, which provides solution for the cluttered spaces that have enraged parents for decades, reports the Scotsman.

It features drawing pin friendly fabric wallpaper; a wipe-clean desk; a swivel chair with secret pockets for stashing chocolate and electronic gizmos; stain-resistant carpets; and enough space under the bed to hide a mountain of clothes and computer games and still leave room for a set of iPod speakers.

Gilly Corkery of IDP said: “It was an incredibly challenging project. How do you counteract the natural messiness of teenagers?”

The room includes shelves tailored to the size of CDs, along with compartments in the bed space so that electronic equipment such as stereos or PlayStations can be plugged in – great for easy access when the teens are still lounging in bed at noon.

The room will be exhibited at the Homes and Interiors Scotland Exhibition at the SECC in Glasgow next weekend.

The design firm is keeping some details a closely guarded secret – just releasing a rough sketch of a suspiciously tidy-looking room and a sample of some dog-themed furniture decor.

Corkery, who modelled the design on the taste and habits of her son Jamie, 12, said: “We’ve tried to do little quirky things that teenagers will think are quite cool,” says

“No self-respecting teenager wants to move for too long so we’ve designed a desk chair which has a pocket where they can keep a remote control, their iPod, pens, chocolate or whatever, without having to move.

“Then there’s the upholstery fabric on the walls, which means they can put posters up with drawing pins without leaving a mark,” Corkery added. (ANI)

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Females ‘don’t fall for flashy males with strong sexual display’

August 22, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Aug 22 (ANI): In the marine world, attracting a mate can be really tricky. A new study on three-spined stickleback fish has found that females do not always trust males who emit strong sexual signals.

Three-spined stickleback is a species of fish in which breeding males develop a red throat in order to attract females. Sticklebacks can breed several times over the course of the summer, but pay a heavy price since few survive for another year.

Now, in the study, evolutionary biologists, from Glasgow and Exeter universities, found “initial flashy displays” by males were not always successful at attracting a mate.

The study said some females waited until sexual signals were more honest as weaker males exhausted themselves with “shows” they could not sustain, reports The BBC.

Lead researcher Dr Jan Lindström found that the honesty of mating displays could vary dramatically over time.

Dr Lindström said: “Honesty in males mostly depends on how many opportunities there are to breed.

“If males can breed now but the future promises little in terms of further matings, all males should immediately reveal their ‘true colours’ – so that the signals they produce are a reliable indication of their quality.

“But if males can potentially breed several times over the course of a breeding season, it pays those in best condition to keep some of their strength in reserve.

“In contrast, those males in poorer condition cannot afford to delay seeking a mate, so must signal as hard as they can – with the result that at the start of the breeding season a female cannot reliably judge a male’s quality from his signal.

“However, as time goes on, the poorer condition males must drop out of the competition, leaving only the better ones and making it easier for a female to pick a high quality mate.”

Dr Lindström added: “We found that the redness of the males changed over the summer, with all starting out red but only those in good condition being able to sustain their colour.

“As predicted by our model, females seemed to ignore the redness of a male when choosing a mate in early summer, and only developed a preference for redder males later, once it became a more honest signal of a male’s quality.”

The study will be published in the scientific journal, American Naturalist. (ANI)

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Big Ben ice sculpture being created in London

August 20, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, August 20 (ANI): Sculptors are creating Big Ben on ice as part of a reconstruction of the London skyline.

The sculpture, measuring 10m in length and 3m in height, is being crafted by some of the world’s top ice sculptors amongst five landmarks.

“This is the first time we have been asked to design and produce a project of this scale,” the Telegraph quoted sculptor Duncan Hamilton as saying.

“The challenge to present such unique large sculptures in five city centres, at the same time and on the same day is wonderful,” he added.

Each scaled-down replica, weighing up to a 3.5 tonnes, is estimated to take four men about five hours to assemble and create.

They are to be unveiled by the Smirnoff Co in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, Liverpool and London on September 11. (ANI)

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Andy Murray’s life story to be turned into Hollywood flick

July 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, July 12 (ANI): Tennis ace Andy Murray’s life story is all set to be turned into a Hollywood movie.t least three major studios are in the run to grab the rights to the star’s life story for millions of pounds.

The rush for the rights began when studio bosses found out that the 22-year-old tennis player survived the Dunblane massacre.

Andy was just eight when Thomas Hamilton shot dead 16 pupils and a teacher at Dunblane Primary School on March 13, 1996, before killing himself in the gym.

Andy, who reached the Wimbledon semi-final last month, rarely speaks of the nightmare that unfolded before his eyes that day.

However, the Glasgow-born battler, who is now the world’s No. 3, might just reveal the story in return for millions of pounds.

A senior executive at Fox said his studio would “easily match” Andy’s career earnings of 4.7million pounds to acquire the film rights to his life story.

“This guy is an absolute inspiration,” the Daily Star quoted him as saying.

It is believed that Universal and Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks are also hoping to sign him up. (ANI)

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BBC suspends Brit Sikh star over sex pest claims

July 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, July 12 (ANI): The BBC has suspended Brit Sikh Hardeep Singh Kohli, the star of the One Show, after he was accused of sexually pestering a female researcher.

According to reports, furious Beeb bosses have axed the comedian from his roving reporter role on the show for six months.

The female researcher lodged her complaint about Harpreet’s behaviour two months ago.

Kohli, 39, who had been regarded as one of the BBC’s rising stars, was hauled in front of bosses who demanded that he apologise to the woman.

A spokeswoman confirmed his removal from the BBC1 show yesterday.

She said: “The producers of The One Show received a complaint regarding Hardeep’s behaviour towards a production colleague. Hardeep was reprimanded and immediately apologised.

“He agreed to take some time away from the show to reflect on his behaviour. This leave of absence has been agreed to be six months.”

The One Show, hosted by Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley, has become one of the BBC’s flagship magazine programs, regularly pulling in six million viewers a night.

Kohli – instantly recognisable by his brightly-coloured turbans – had become one of its main attractions.

The Glasgow-born star has appeared in a number of other high-profile shows, most recently a two-part special called Famous, Rich and Homeless, where he lived on the streets for three nights to experience the life of a down and out.

Kohli – who has a 16-year-old daughter and a son, 11 – had a messy split from wife Sharmila two years ago and moved out of the family home in North London into a trendy loft apartment in the centre of the city.

Kohli’s ban only applies to The One Show and not other BBC programs, the corporation said last night. (ANI)

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Aircraft passenger saves holidaymakers from flight delay fixing technical fault

July 8, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, July 7 (ANI): Holidaymakers aboard a Thomas Cook plane were saved from a flight delay when their plane developed a fault, as a passenger among them turned out to be an aircraft engineer and fixed the problem.

The captain of the Thomas Cook flight TCX964L from Menorca to Glasgow had announced that they were delayed because of a technical fault.

He told the passengers that they would have to get an engineer flown out from Manchester to fix the problem, and it could take up to eight hours.ut a man sitting in the plane told cabin staff that he was a qualified engineer and offered to help.

He managed to resolve the problem and the plane took off and landed in Glasgow, after just 35 minutes from its scheduled time on Saturday.

A Thomas Cook spokeswoman has said that the company followed procedures to check the man’s licence and ensure he was qualified before allowing him to work on the Boeing 757-200.

His documents revealed that he works for Thomsonfly, which has a reciprocal maintenance agreement with Thomas Cook.

The spokeswoman said that the passengers could have faced a “considerable” delay if the man had not come forward, as no other engineer was available.

“We are very grateful to the man as it meant the delay was very short when it could have been a lot longer,” the Telegraph quoted her as saying. (ANI)

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Energy intake reaches a limit despite abundant food supply

July 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, July 1 (ANI): Contradicting Charles Darwin’s theory, scientists have now shown that despite abundant food supply, energy intake reaches a limit even in animals with high nutrient demands, such as lactating females.

Darwin and his contemporaries postulated that food consumption in birds and mammals was limited by resource levels, which meant that animals would eat as much as they could while food was plentiful and produce as many offspring as this would allow them to.

Scientists at the Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology in Vienna have now suggested that energy intake reaches a limit due to active control of maternal investment in offspring in order to maintain long-term reproductive fitness.

The new research led by Dr Teresa Valenca showed that Brown hares could increase their energy turnover and rate of milk production above normal levels when their energy reserves were low, or when their offspring were kept in cooler temperatures.

That indicated that, ordinarily, the hares were operating at below their maximum capacity.

It also showed that this is not due to any kind of physiological constraint, such as length of digestive tract or maximum capacity of mammary glands.

As the hares were also provided with plentiful food, there could be no limitation of energy turnover due to food availability.

The way that females regulated their energy expenditure according to pup demand and their own fat reserves but did not exceed certain levels was in line with the group’s theory that using energy at close to the maximum rate has costs for animals which may compromise their ability to successfully reproduce in the future.

For example, if a hare puts most of its energy into a litter of pups then it will have little left over for growth and body repairs, which may shorten its life or make it less able to produce or care for young in the future.

Thus, by actively limiting the rate of energy turnover, a mother can prevent this and maintain a higher level of reproductive success over her lifetime.

The study will be presented at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Meeting in Glasgow. (ANI)

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Scottish Muslim rights lawyer charges UK with ‘criminalising minority groups’

June 28, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Glasgow (Scotland), June 28 (ANI): A Scottish human rights lawyer Aamer Anwar has charged the British Government with criminalizing minority communities.

Speaking at the Ethnic Minority Achievement Awards here, Anwar said: “The fact that today’s racism takes culture or religion as its raw materials does not make it any less real for its victims. This government has exploited the politics of fear by bringing in tougher anti-terror laws, cracking down on asylum-seekers. The result of stop and search is the criminalisation of entire communities. In many communities, there is a growing climate of fear.”

“I am tired of our government lecturing on how my community has to integrate. I was born and bred in this country and am against violence, and do not have to apologise for each act of terror. I live and work in and walk in the same streets as the next person and am just as likely to be blown up by a terrorist bomb,” Anwar said.(ANI)

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Jackson may have been saved with antidote, says leading Brit doctor

June 28, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, June 28 (ANI): A leading British doctor has said the sad demise of Michael Jackson may have been averted had proper medical procedures been followed.

Dr Michael Serpell, leading expert on pain management at Glasgow University, said if the King of Pop was showing adverse effects, such as suppressed beathing, caused from painkiller Demerol, then he should have been given mouth to mouth resuscitation and a dose of Nalexone which acts as an antidote to Demerol.

“A dose of Nalexone completely wipes out the effects of Demerol. He would wake up and be breathing again. It’s life-saving. I have done it myself,” The Daily Express quoted Dr Serpell as saying.

“If we were giving this drug by injection we would give it in a secure setting such as a hospital as the risks are high. Doctors administering this should always have the antidote available to give in case of adverse reactions.

“Patients should be monitored very closely because the risk of overdose with this drug is significant. If there are signs that breathing is suppressed then the antidote should be given. Even if there were other drugs involved it is still worth giving, and there are antidotes to the other drugs which can be given too,” he added.

Dr Russell Newcombe, one of the countries’ leading drug experts, also said a combination of Demerol and its antidote may have worked as a safer alternative.

Dr Newcombe said: “It seems hard to understand why Jackson was given this drug when a combined pill with an antidote was available, particularly as he may not have been well.”

According to entertainment news website TMZ, the Thriller hitmaker got a shot of Demerol on Thursday, the day he died.

Other reports suggested the 50-year-old’s increased drug dependency made him take cocktails of various drugs.

Medical examiners in Los Angeles are yet to determine the cause of his sudden death, but officials confirmed Jackson was on prescription medication. (ANI)

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Modern day Robin Hood reunites 200 brides with paid-for wedding dresses from bankrupt shop!

June 20, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Jun 19 (ANI): After a bridal store went bust due to recession, a man swiped 200 paid-for wedding dresses from the shop and gave them to their owners.

Glasgow’s Capri Skies bridal store was set to have its assets, including the dresses, seized after being hit by recession, but thanks to the man, who told a local newspaper that “insiders” helped him get into the shop, the dresses were saved.

In a letter to the newspaper the man explained why he had stolen the dresses.

“I got out as many dresses as I could and delivered them to brides all over Scotland,” the Sun quoted the modern day Robin Hood as writing.

“Nobody knows who I am, but I like to think that I have done the owner of the shop and all the brides a favour by reuniting dresses with their true owners. The fat cats haven’t won this time,” he wrote.

The mother of one bride- to-be who got her dress praised their benefactor on June 18.

“My daughter was delighted the dress arrived on time. Getting it back saved the day, and we can’t thank the man enough. I’m glad someone went in and got the dresses out when they did,” she said.

A Strathclyde Police spokesperson had at first said that officers were investigating the incident, but later revealed that after some inquiries had been made, they decided no further action would be taken.

The spokesman said the matter was now one for the authorities overseeing the closure of the business. (ANI)

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Painting featuring Madonna, Guy Ritchie naked up for grabs

May 27, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, May 27 (ANI): An oil painting featuring Madonna and her former husband Guy Ritchie naked is up for auction.

The controversial painting by artist Peter Howson was made in 2005, while the former duo divorced last year.

In the painting, Madonna is featured reclining while Guy’s hand is placed on her thigh.

McTear’s auction house in Glasgow is expecting the controversial painting to fetch a whopping 22,000 pounds.

“There is no doubt that the recent split of Madonna and Guy has generated increased interest in the painting,” the Telegraph quoted Brian Clements from the auctioneers as saying.

“The painting created a huge amount of controversy when it was unveiled a few years ago and I think it’s safe to say it is one of a kind,” Brian added.

Howson is known for painting multifarious naked celebrity portraits. (ANI)

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PCB consider Ireland and Scotland as hosts

May 22, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Venues in Ireland and Scotland are in the running to host Pakistan’s international matches against Australia next year, as the expense of hosting a series in England becomes clearer to the Pakistan board.

Discussions between the ECB, Cricket Australia and the PCB are already underway for Pakistan to ‘host’ Australia for two Tests and two T20Is in England next summer.

But the venues have yet to be finalised and the prohibitive costs of organising a Test series in England for a financially-struggling PCB means other options are being looked at.

“There are proposals from Scotland and Ireland and we are seriously looking at them,” a PCB official told Cricinfo.

“They are cheaper than the options in England, which are quite high, in terms of accommodation and travel.

We were scheduled to play a match in Glasgow against India which was eventually washed out, so we will look at it.” Cricket Australia would be comfortable if the engagements were held in the United Kingdom.

“It’s their [Pakistan's] series, so it’s up to them to work out the venue,” a Cricket Australia spokesman said.

Both Warren Deutrom, the chief executive of Cricket Ireland, and his Scotland counterpart, Roddy Smith, confirmed an interest in hosting matches, with Deutrom even proposing Stormont in Belfast as a possible venue for a Test match.

Both boards, however, said they had not received any feedback from the PCB since holding preliminary discussions earlier this year.

“Discussions haven’t really progressed that much further in the last few weeks,” Deutrom told Cricinfo.

“Our proposal was simply outlining some headline costs for accommodation and transportation, and we forwarded that information to the PCB.

Thus far we haven’t had a response, so I’m guessing they are still considering all the options.

“We clearly wanted to throw our hat into the ring for any match, whether it was a Twenty20, ODI, or a Test match, because it’s an excellent opportunity to host Pakistan, and potentially to play against them as well.

We are already hosting Australia next year in an ODI, and if Pakistan are over here as well it would be unseemly not to suggest we have the opportunity to play them too.” Ireland are currently on a high after topping the table at the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in South Africa, and Deutrom believes that the challenge of hosting a Test match would not be out of the question.

“We hosted India and South Africa at Stormont in 2007, and played five ODIs in nine days,” he said.

“Obviously they were played on different pitches, but if Ireland’s facilities are good enough to host four-day Intercontinental Cup matches, we could also host a five-day Test match.” Cricket Scotland have rather more limited ambitions, but nevertheless remain interested in bringing Pakistan and Australia north of the border for one-day contests.

“In all honesty I think they will play in England as it makes more economic sense to play in big stadia,” Smith told Cricinfo.

“But we’ve been consistent all the way through that they we’d love to play them, and also we could be used as a venue.

“It all depends on the economics – we can’t provide a 15-20,000-seater stadium, our grounds are nearer 4000-5000,” said Smith.

“We have a large Scottish Asian population but not the numbers they have in England.

But the ball is in the PCB’s court, so we’ll wait for firm discussions and proposals on both sides.” The PCB, for their part, seem unconcerned about the limited capacity of Scotland and Ireland’s grounds, even though some English counties, most notably Yorkshire, believe they could attract full houses if they were to stage Pakistan international fixtures.

“Though there are no stadiums as such, they have grounds there,” said the PCB official.

“Temporary erections can be put up there like they used to do at the ground in Toronto where the Sahara Cup used to be held.” An ECB spokesman confirmed that England’s stance had not changed since last week, when the chief executive David Collier welcomed the prospect of offering Pakistan a temporary home in the country.

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