Newsviews

Katie Price and Alex Reid spent their wedding night at the world's biggest strip club. They shunned a romantic evening in their hotel room to go with pals to the Sapphire Gentlemen's club in Las Vegas. The couple spent more than four hours in a $1,000-an -hour private room called the skybox, reported thesun.co.uk. The wedding took place Tuesday in a 20-minute ceremony at the Wynn hotel. They are staying in a Planet Hollywood suite complete with a pole dancing pole. "Katie requested the suite with a stripper's pole", told hotel source.

The European single currency tumbled to the lowest point since June on Thursday amid stubborn worries about Greece as the country tries to put its strained finances in order, analysts said. The euro sank to 1.3827 dollars, a level last seen on June 22, 2009. In later trade, the single currency stood at 1.3839 dollars compared with 1.3884 dollars late on Wednesday in New York. The dollar fell to 90.83 yen from 90.99 late Wednesday. Markets were awaiting interest rate decisions due Thursday from the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Bank of England (BoE).

A parliamentary sports committee will meet Pakistan President Asif Zardari to recommend changes in the national cricket set-up which lawmakers believe has failed, an official said Thursday. The parliamentary committee has grilled the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over its alleged poor management and the national team's dismal performance on tour in Australia. Pakistan lost the three-Test series 3-0 and five-match one-day series 5-0, a whitewash which prompted the committee and fans to demand the sacking of coach Intikhab Alam and PCB top officials, including chairman Ijaz Butt.

Former South Africa paceman Allan Donald has said he would welcome the chance to return to the role of England fast bowling coach following the departure of Ottis Gibson. The England and Wales Cricket Board are looking for a replacement for Gibson, who resigned Tuesday to become the new head coach of the West Indies. Donald was immediately identified as a possible candidate, having spent four months in the role in 2007 before pulling out for family reasons.

A bomb blast near a girls' school in northwestern Pakistan has killed three American soldiers involved in a low-profile joint US-British programme to train the country's paramilitary Frontier Corps. Two more US military personnel were wounded in the attack in Lower Dir, near the Afghan border, which also killed a Pakistani paramilitary soldier and at least three children, according to American and Pakistani officials. They were the first US military casualties in Pakistan since 2008, when two American military personnel were among those killed in a massive bomb attack on the Marriott hotel in Islamabad.

Twitter world is in frenzy with celebs tweeting their views frantically about the brewing storm. Tension is growing over the release of SRK's new movie My Name is Khan since he has been caught in the controversy with the Shiv Sena. "We can't release the film and put our audience under threat unless the matter is resolved," said a senior executive of a national multiplex chain on condition of anonymity. Responding to such news, Vir Sanghvi tweets "SRK is the first movie star to stand up to Shiv Sena even when his film is releasing. Wish Bollywood had more like him."

The most memorable moment of the 52nd annual Grammy Awards on Sunday may be the onstage appearance of Michael Jackson's two eldest children to accept their father's lifetime achievement award. "To all his songs, his message was simple, love," 12-year-old Prince Michael said. "We will continue to spread his message and help the world." With a voice that sounded more mature than his age, he then thanked "God for watching over us these last seven months and our grandma and grandpa for their love and support."

Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi, who was slapped two Twenty20 International ban for ball tampering in the final ODI against Australia here, was booked under article 2.2.9 of ICC Code of Conduct and the match referee imposed him the maximum penalty for his offence. Afridi, who led the visiting side in place of regular skipper Mohammad Yousuf, will miss Pakistan's next two Twenty20 Internationals against the same opponents on February 5 in Melbourne and against England in Dubai on February 19. "Shahid was charged with an article 2.2.9 offence of the ICC Code of Conduct which relates to 'changing the condition of the ball in breach of Law 42.3 of the Laws of Cricket'. He has received two suspension points after breaching the Code. Two suspension points in the code means a ban of a Test, two ODIs or two T20Is," ICC said in a statement.

Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi was on Sunday banned for two Twenty20 Internationals after pleading guilty to a ball-tampering charge during the fifth and final ODI against Australia in Perth. Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam confirmed that Match Referee Ranjan Madugalle has banned Afridi for two matches after holding a hearing on the complaint by on-field umpires Asoka De Silva and Paul Reiffel immediately after the match. "It is unfortunate what has happened because Afridi was due to lead Pakistan in the Twenty20 match next week against Australia," Alam said from Perth.

J.D. Salinger was catapulted to fame in 1951 with the publication of a short novel, The Catcher in the Rye, which has become the treasured handbook of alienation for generations of angst-ridden teenagers. With its themes of rebellion, young sexuality and lost innocence, it tells the story of teenager Holden Caulfield, who is both protagonist and narrator. Caulfield, apparently the victim of a mental breakdown, reflects on his expulsion from the privileged surroundings of his Pennsylvania boarding school and his subsequent experiences over three days in New York.

CHINA has cancelled all military exchanges with the United States in response to the proposed $US6.4 billion ($7.23 billion) sale of advanced missiles and helicopters to Taiwan by Washington. Beijing has also imposed sanctions on the companies selling the arms and threatened to review co-operation on other issues. The US responded defiantly, insisting that the sales would contribute to regional security. The angry row escalates frictions between Beijing and Washington, who are at odds over trade, climate change and a threat by internet giant Google to leave the Chinese market in protest against computer hacking of its members' accounts. It is a further blow to the hopes of the US President, Barack Obama, to secure Chinese support for tougher measures against Iran over its illicit nuclear program.

Toyota Motor Corp. says it has figured out how to fix a problem with sticking accelerator pedals and will update employees with details. The company said in an email to workers Thursday night that it presented a remedy to federal regulators. The email obtained by The Associated Press says that plans are being developed on a variety of fronts. The company says it will update workers on Friday. The company says its engineers are working around the clock to fix the problem in eight of its models, including the top-selling Camry midsize sedan.

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has said he is 'scared' of getting into relationships and finds himself socially and emotionally inept. "There are days I feel lonely. I have never gotten into relationships, because I'm scared to. I lost my parents, so now I don't like to lose relationships," Shah Rukh has been quoted as saying in 'GQ India' magazine's latest issue. About his reported uncomfortable relationships with contemporaries and seniors in Bollywood, where he has spent nearly two decades, Shah Rukh said his fall-out with Salman Khan was personal and not work-related. "With Aamir (Khan) and Amitabh Bachchan, there is no fall-out," the 44-year-old actor said.

The rebellious teen anti-hero is so common in today's cinema it's easy to forget that such a kid was not as prominent in American culture before Holden Caulfield. The protagonist of the J.D. Salinger novel "Catcher in the Rye" shook the literary world when he debuted in 1951, full of angst and railing against the adult world. He also ushered in a disillusioned demographic of movie characters who wear their nonconformity as comfortably as a T-shirt.

After the blood-in-the-water, Tiger shark-like frenzy leading up to the unveiling of Apple's new tablet this week, it's understandable that you might feel, well, a tad underwhelmed. Even the Apple rumor mill can't peg every nut and bolt, so there's always something that was touted by the gossip, but didn't show in the real deal. No, the iPad - a name that's struck some as offensive - doesn't make popcorn. It won't recharge by setting it in a sunny spot. It won't even run Flash, for cryin' out loud. What will it do? What's inside? And most important, what's it going to cost? Surprisingly, there were some surprises yesterday when Apple CEO Steve Jobs - still looking thin but no longer sickly gaunt - showed off the iPad, beginning with its price, which was lower than most had predicted.

The government has yet to take a call on Home Minister P Chidambaram's visit to Islamabad for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) interior ministers' conference next month, but indications are that he could make the trip, government sources said on Friday. "Obviously the home minister himself needs to make up his mind in the first place after consultations with the ministry of external affairs. But given that he has been doing some tough talking against Pakistan, it may be worthwhile to test the waters there," said a senior government functionary.

Ryan Harris took his second consecutive five-wicket haul as Australia won the fourth one-day international in Perth by 135 runs to take a 4-0 series lead. Australia made 277-8 batting first, with Mike Hussey hitting 67 and Nathan Hauritz 53 not out from 39 balls. Pakistan were reduced to 39-4, and only 38 from Umar Akmal and 29 from 10 balls from Shahid Afridi allowed them to reach 142 in 37.5 overs. Harris, who took 5-43 in Adelaide, took 5-19 in only his third ODI. There is only one game remaining in the series, also in Perth on Sunday.

"Hum Sirf Angrezon Ka Khoon Peetey Hai," (We only drink blood of the British) roars Mithun, when offered Angrezi sharaab (English liquor), and goes on to chop off Jackie Shroff's arm. And we rub our hands in glee, all set to watch another over-the-top entertainer by the notorious Anil Sharma, the guy behind laugh riots, including Gadar and Hero: The Love Story of a Spy. The film made news about creative differences between Salman Khan and Anil Sharma. After watching it, we have a few theories on where they didn't see eye to eye.

Westerners seeking to understand the volatility of modern Pakistan are getting a good look at the country in a new movie examining the life and legacy of slain leader Benazir Bhutto, screening at the Sundance Film Festival this week . Documentary "Bhutto" has earned solid reviews with its tale of the former prime minister, her family and husband, who is currently facing calls to step down as president of the nuclear-armed nation. Bhutto, the first female leader of a Muslim country, was killed by a suicide bomber in late 2007 after returning from exile to seek the country's leadership for the third time.

Mobile phone maker Motorola has been rumored quite a few times before to be working on a new Android device called the "Zeppelin," and now a few more details on the matter emerged into the wild. Originally, the handset was said to be on its way to the Chinese market with Google's mobile operating system on board, yet it seems that it will actually make an appearance on the floor at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month and that it won't be that China-bound phone we though it might be.