What made Aamir Khan cry at a press conference?

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan is all set to spread the message of change with the second season of his popular chat show Satyamev Jayate. The actor recently talked at length about the second season of the show, and how it changed his life. However, the Dhoom 3 actor couldn’t control his feeling and started crying during the conference.

The actor was discussing about the episode from last season, which affected him the most, when tears fell off from his eyes. He used his T-shirt to wipe his face and continued with the discussion. He said that it was the Honor killing episode which affected him the most.   

Aamir Khan also informed that he cried for 15-20 minutes in every episode of Satyamev Jayate 2, but most of the part has been edited.

Megan Fox gives Hindi name to her newborn

Hollywood beauty Megan Fox, who welcomed her second child with husband Brian Austin Green last week, has named the baby boy Bodhi Ransom Green. 

According to a birth certificate, the 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' star gave birth to Bodhi on February 12, reported Us magzine. 

The moniker Bodhi means 'awakened' in Buddhism and can sometimes be translated to 'enlightenment' in English. 

Fox, 27, and Green, 40, who wed in June 2010, are already parents to son Noah, 17 months. 

The couple had announced that they were expecting their second child together last August. At the time, Fox was busy filming 2014's 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' in New York City.

Miley Cyrus turning lesbian post breakup, shocks fans by kissing Katy Perry

Miley Cyrus never ceases to shock her fans with her wild gimmicks.

 

Coming up with yet another idea of making heads turn, Miley Cyrus kissed her good friend Katy Perry and even ‘loved it’ while performing on her Bangerz tour.

 

Hinting at her shifting priorities post her break up with Liam Hemsworth, Miley said, “I just kissed a girl and I really liked it a lot,” after kissing Katy who was cheering her from the front row. 

 

Miley Cyrus was performing on her song ‘Adore You’ and could not hold herself form planting a kiss on Katy Perry.

Is Sunny Leone’s Baby Doll song similar to the Jugni Ji number?

 

Sunny Leone’s foot-tapping number ‘Baby Doll Main Sone Di' from the film Ragini MMS 2 has caught the music world by storm and is ruling the top chartbusters with over 4.8 million views on the YouTube. However, the song reminds us of Kanika Kapoor’s hit Punjabi number Jugni Ji that released in 2012. While both the songs are peppy and have been sung by Kanika Kapoor (Indian origin singer based in the UK), it looks like the Baby Doll is hugely inspired from the Jugni Ji track.   

 

 

When  contacted Tanuj Garg, CEO, Balaji Motion Pictures, regarding this song from Balaji's upcoming movie Ragini MMS 2, he responded saying, "The only similarity between the two songs is Kanika Kapoor the singer. It is because the same singer has sung both the songs, the two just sound similar." Kanika's Jugni song was composed by Dr Zeus, while the Baby Doll song has been composed by Meet Brothers and Anjjan.   

 

 

 

The Jugni song reminds one of the Saif-Deepika-Diana starrer Cocktail where the song featured during the climax of the movie. Says Tanuj, "The Jugni song is originally a folk number by Arif Lohar. While some have used this folk in their films, Kanika had sung its rap version in her Jugni Ji single."  



Not just the music, the beats and the tone of the Baby Doll song, even its video has come under the scanner for having been strongly inspired from JLo and Nicole's videos. Balaji has ruled out these similarities as well.
Whatever be the case, inspirations are so frequent in the film industry --- especially when it comes to songs -- that it hardly surprises us now.
   


 

Kangana Ranaut masters the risque look ahead of Queen

 

Time and again Kangana Ranaut has proved her fashion stakes in Bollywood and the hottie makes sure to climb higher and higher on the style chart. 

 

Kangana did slip into traditional churidars and anarkalis for the Queen promotions but the diva cannot hide her fetish for cleavage revealing dresses. The fashion queen posed for a small photoshoot in a similar dress ahead of the Queen promotions and flaunted her tattoo in another backless peplum dress.

 

  

Blessed with an hourglass frame and curls, Kangana Ranaut has claimed the biggest fashionista tag by putting her best fashion foot forward at events in risqué outfits. The diva does not shy away from stepping into racy outfits and experimenting with her looks. 

 

Sunny Leone shoots topless for Ragini MMS 2 in snake-filled lake

 

Sunny Leone cannot just groove to the Baby Doll beats in a super sensuous avatar but can also be a sport in the field of acting.  

 

Sunny shot a scene in water at midnight for her upcoming horror-erotica film Ragini MMS 2. Sunny is seen entering the lake during the night and is being followed by her co-star who desires to get intimate with her. 

 

“I saw dead fish. The water was dirty, I was scared as hell,” she said sharing her shooting experience.  

 

The lake was in Vasai on the outskirts of Mumbai, in a scary and quiet location. The makers wanted to shoot the scene in cold water at midnight to get the desired effect. Sunny was required to emerge from the water in darkness but was terrified to the core. The actress had to walk a long way from her vanity van and the rumours of water snakes made her shiver. 

 

Sunny shot for the entire night for the scene but fell ill the next day and even developed a minor skin allergy. 

 

 

 

 

Bhoothnath Returns: Amitabh Bachchan to fight elections!

 

Amitabh Bachchan is back again as the horrible ghost in Bhoothnath Returns. The actor launched the trailer of the Bhoothnath sequel in the presence of his co-star and child actor Parth. 

 

Bhoothnath is seen contesting the elections opposite corrupt politician Boman Irani in the film trailer. The child actor plays the role of Akhrot in the film, who is the only human to able to see ghost Amitabh Bachchan. 

 

Surprising their fans, the senior Bachchan and Parth arrived in their reel avatars at the trailer launch. 

Shah Rukh Khan has a supporting role in the film whereas Ranbir Kapoor is plays a cameo.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I want to work with Amitabh Bachchan, says Yami Gautam

 

Yami Gautam is busy in promotion of her upcoming film Total Siyapaa. The actress doesn’t want to leave any stone unturned to create a buzz. The diva recently came to Dailybhaskar’s office with her co-star Ali Zafar.

When we asked her about the Bollywood actor she dreams to work with, the 25-year old actress chose the safe option. “I don’t want to name any actor because they all are good, but I would love to work with Mr Bachchan,” she said.


Yami Gautam and Ali are busy in promotion of Total Siyapaa.
  

Total Siyapaa is Yami Gautam's second film after Vicky Donor.

Moonmoon, Riya Sen to play mother-daughter onscreen

Moonmoon Sen and Riya Sen are playing out their mother-daughter relationship on screen for the first time. Both are excited to see how the idea shapes up in the film "Kolkata Calling", which is a collage of three stories set in the 70s and 80s, directed by Mainak Bhowmik.

Moonmoon said that Mainak was persistent that they did the scenes together. "We two feature in one of the three stories and Raima appears in another story. So you might dub it as a film where all three of us are part of it."

She said that she had earlier done ad shoots with Riya and a telefilm with Raima. "However, this is the first time we have fully fleshed out characters. Maybe I am not exactly happy with my role, but the youth will identify with the subject," Moonmoon said.

She said she would like to do new challenging roles, provided the young group of directors want her. Riya, who had earned critical acclaim for her role in Rituparno Ghosh`s Noukadubi, said, "Maa has three scenes in the film and they are intense ones. Scene-wise the figure may be small but each frame is detailed and embedded with the story."

Riya said the Sen women didn`t think about doing a film together, but since it is Mainak`s story, they agreed because he treated women`s issues and relationships very well. "As we understand each other, Maa wishes to be around whenever I shoot for a film," she said.

Riya`s role in the latest film of Srijit Mukherjee Jaatiswar also won praise from critics. "I enjoy the new innings in Bengali films. Happy to see how different subjects and portrayals of characters are being appreciated and I hope we will also be applauded as mother-daughter."

Riya said that Kolkata Calling was not entirely a retro film. "It is a mixture where there are contemporary references and I play a 22-year old."

Aamir Khan talks his heart out for the second season of Satyamev Jayate

 

Mr. Perfectionist Aamir Khan who brought a drastic change with his talk show Satyamev Jayate is all set for the second season of it will which be aired from 2 march 2014.

Aamir Khan spoke his heart in the media interaction about the second season of show. 


Firstly why only four episodes for the second season?

I want that the people should connect themselves with each and every topic and stay with it for the long time, every topic is heavy to consume, and after 3 months we will come up with more four episodes and it will be continued.

What change did Satyamev Jayate bring in you?

I don't know the specific change, but yes I have grown up as a person and got a lot of knowledge on every topic. In every topic I was surprised and shocked in both the way happily and sadly, more importantly I have learnt how to forgive people.


This time the show will be in multi languages will you please elaborate?

Yes it’s in Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. All the episodes are dubbed. I dint dubbed because it would consume a lot of time and we didn't had that much time for it, because the edit of the show required a lot of time. For title track song, I have sung 2 to 3 lines in Marathi.

Did you get any threats for any particular topic?

No. I didn't get any threats, all the rumors are false.
The show is being aired before elections; do you think it will help people to make firm decisions?

Hmm. Your trying to know about my topics (laughs).Well I can say; we have tried to time it well.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and you are almost highlighting the same issues on a different platform. So will you ever support AAP Party?

I am very clear, I want to stay away from politics, I support the thought and not any political party. 

Parts of Pistorius trial can be on live TV

Johannesburg: Parts of Oscar Pistorius` murder trial can be broadcast live on television by three remote-controlled cameras in court, but testimony given by the double-amputee Olympian can`t be shown, a judge has ruled.

Pistorius` lawyers failed in their bid to stop any part of the trial being broadcast as a judge sitting in the North Gauteng High Court, where the trial will open next week, yesterday ruled mostly in favour of the South African TV and radio applicants.

A live audio-only feed can broadcast the entire trial. Judge Dunstan Mlambo`s decision opens up much of Pistorius` blockbuster trial to the expected scrutiny of millions of fascinated followers around the world.

"Court proceedings are in fact public and this objective must be recognised," Mlambo said.
The decision came two days after a Twitter site to be used by members of Pistorius` family during the trial became active. It already has more than 20,000 followers.

Mlambo, who won`t preside over the trial, granted permission to the South African media houses to install unmanned television cameras in unobtrusive locations in the courtroom before the trial starts Monday.

Still photographs can be taken by two mounted cameras operated by photographers, but TV footage or photographs cannot show "extreme" close up images of anyone and some witnesses who object can stop their testimony from being broadcast.

Trial judge Thokozile Masipa can stop the recordings at any time, Mlambo said.
Pistorius` lawyers argued that broadcasting the trial in any way would harm his chances of a fair trial. Brian Webber, a lawyer for Pistorius, declined to comment on the ruling, saying he had yet to study it.

Pistorius was charged with murder for the shooting death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp a year ago, unleashing a wave of intense interest in the already world-famous disabled athlete.
He faces 25 years in prison if he is convicted on the main charge of premeditated murder, which he denies.

Mlambo called Pistorius "a local and international icon" and said the broadcast decision was a "balancing act" between guaranteeing him a fair trial and also respecting the freedom of the media. South African democracy is relatively young and the justice system is "still perceived as treating the rich and famous with kid gloves whilst being harsh on the poor and vulnerable," Mlambo said.

Trial judge Thokozile Masipa can stop the recordings at any time, Mlambo said.
Pistorius` lawyers argued that broadcasting the trial in any way would harm his chances of a fair trial. Brian Webber, a lawyer for Pistorius, declined to comment on the ruling, saying he had yet to study it.

Pistorius was charged with murder for the shooting death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp a year ago, unleashing a wave of intense interest in the already world-famous disabled athlete.
He faces 25 years in prison if he is convicted on the main charge of premeditated murder, which he denies.

Mlambo called Pistorius "a local and international icon" and said the broadcast decision was a "balancing act" between guaranteeing him a fair trial and also respecting the freedom of the media. South African democracy is relatively young and the justice system is "still perceived as treating the rich and famous with kid gloves whilst being harsh on the poor and vulnerable," Mlambo said.

Chess world champ Carlsen launches app and criticises own game

Oslo: Norway`s Magnus Carlsen, the world`s 23-year-old reigning chess champion, has launched an app based on his own past games to make chess more popular, but he`d prefer its players not get good enough to beat him.

Carlsen, whose talent and boyish good looks have earned him lucrative sponsorships deals and front-page coverage in his native country, is king of the roost in the chess world since beating Viswanathan Anand of India in November.

A grandmaster since he was 13, he already had the highest rating in the history of the game, ahead of chess great Garry Kasparov`s 1999 record, and was the world chess number one.

Now he is the second youngest player to have become world champion - after Kasparov, by a few months, but he also can be his own toughest critic.

"I make positional mistakes, I make evaluation mistakes, tactical mistakes," he told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday. "I make mistakes in the opening, I make mistakes in the end games, I make mistakes in the middle games."

Anyone who wants to find out more about his playing style can do so with Carlsen`s new app that allows users to play him at the different levels he has achieved since the age of five.

The app is built on hundreds of thousands of different positions from Carlsen`s games, be they classical, rapid or blitz, to determine what moves he would make at those ages.

The aim is to promote chess among as many people as possible to make the sport more popular and accessible.

"The good thing is that you can play me at any age. At age five, anyone has a chance to beat me," Carlsen said.

So what is it like for Carlsen to play against his younger self?

"He is really tricky," the champion said. "Even Magnus at 11 years old was a very gifted tactician. A while ago I played as a test Magnus (aged) 14. I outplayed him at some point positionally. And just boom, boom, he tricked me tactically.

"But he makes mistakes as well, so I just have to be patient."

Can the app help find his next opponent?

"I am hoping it is going to create some competitors at some point. But I really hope it won`t create anyone who is better than me. Because I don`t want that," he said with a laugh.

His motivation, now that he is at the top, is to continue to improve his game.

"As long as I feel there is much to learn, that there is much refinement to be made, that is really a powerful motivation for me," he said. "And to continue to have fun."

Senior women national c'ship to begin in Bhopal from March 13

New Delhi: Thirty two teams will battle it out for the title at the 4th edition of the Hockey India Senior Women National Championship, to be held in Bhopal from March 13-23.

The Championship will be played on a league-cum-knockout basis at the Aish Bagh Hockey Stadium and Hockey Stadium Mayur Park in Bhopal.

It will be played in two phases -- Division A and B. There will be 16 teams competing in each of the two divisions. Division B of the championship will be played from March 13-20, while Division A will be played from March 18-23.

Each division will have four pools with four teams each. With the inclusion of two new teams -- Vidarbha Hockey Association and Hockey Gangpur - Odisha -- in this edition, the championship is expected to be more competitive.

The inaugural match of Division B will be played between Assam and Goa in Pool A on March 13. The final match of will be played on March 20.

In Division A, inaugural match will be played between defending champions Haryana and Odisha on March 18 and the final will be played on March 23.

In the previous edition of the championship, Haryana defeated Railways 4-1 to clinch the title.
Other major events for senior women`s team this year include Champions Challenge 1, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.

Hockey India selectors, Government observer and coaches are expected to keep a close eye on the performances of players during the national championship, so as to select the best talent for the preparations of these major tournaments.

Bigger court, four-point shot just talk - league

New York: The NBA moved quickly to play down an ESPN report that the league was exploring the possibility of introducing a four-point shot and increasing the dimensions of the court to accommodate the increased athleticism of players.

"No one at the NBA, nor the competition committee, has had any serious conversations about increasing the size of the floor or adding a four-point line," league spokesman Tim Frank said in a statement on Tuesday.

In an interview with ESPN.com during the All-Star break, NBA president of basketball operations Rod Thorn and vice president Kiki VanDeWeghe acknowledged that the league office had informally weighed the possibility of making such changes.

They spoke of the concepts mostly from a hypothetical standpoint but conceded that both ideas have been presented for discussion at a league level, ESPN said.

The report brought a pointed response from Frank.

"Rod Thorn and Kiki VanDeWeghe were entertaining a line of questioning about out of the box ideas and ESPN.com chose to make a story that doesn`t exist," he said.

The NBA has employed a 94 feet by 50 feet (28.65 metres by 15.24 metres) court since the 1940s.

"Making the court bigger - it`s an interesting idea and we`ve actually looked at it," former NBA All-Star player and head coach VanDeWeghe said in the interview.

"We keep a list of ideas on what we should do and how we can make the game better, of course. But arenas are obviously built in a certain way and that would take a lot of adjusting to actually make the court bigger."

Thorn also raised the issue of spectator proximity.

"Those seats that are very close to the court are obviously very expensive seats to start out with. And most of them come right up to the floor," said the longtime former NBA general manager.

"You could probably extend it lengthwise easier than you can sideways. So there are a lot of things you have to look at there."

The NBA adopted the three-point shot from the old American Basketball Association starting in the 1979-80 season.

As for the prospect of a four-point shot, Thorn said that too, was "something that`s come up" as an informal proposal.

Uttarakhand men, Indian Rlys women start with a win

New Delhi: Defending Champions Uttarakhand men and Indian Railways women started their campaign on a winning note by getting the better of their respective opponents in the 64th National Basketball Championship here on Wednesday.

While Uttarakhand men defeated Indian Railways 68-62, Indian Railways women beat West Bengal 68-40 on the opening day of the championship.

In the match between Uttarakhand and Indian Railways both teams were matching basket for basket throughout the game.

Scores were tied at 15 in the first quarter and Uttarakhand managed to nudge past Indian Railways 68-62 at half time. The third quarter saw Indian Railways taking a 45-39 lead.

Amritpal Singh scored a double-double with 25 Points (22 Rebounds), Riyaz Uddin 16 (two 3 pointers) and Yadwinder Singh finished with 12 points for Uttarakhand.

Gagandeep Singh scored 20 and Prakesh Mishra added 10 points for Indian Railways.
Indian Railways, who were leading 37-27 at half time scored through Anju Lakra, who top scored with 13, Manisha Dange, Krishnan Radha and S Kokila scored 12 points apiece.

S Oraon (11) and S Tudu finished with eight points for West Bengal.

The winner will take home Rs 1,00,000, while the first and second runners-up will receive Rs 75,000 and Rs 50,000, respectively.

The rest of the teams will be playing the qualifying league in the Pools `C,D,E,F` for a chance to be promoted to Level 1 for the 65th Senior National Basketball Championship.

116-year old Indian farmer clears 200 metres in 46.74 secs, clinches gold

Coimbatore: Dharmapal Gujjar, a 116-year-old athlete from Uttar Pradesh, on Wednesday cleared 200 metres in 46.74 seconds at the 35th National Masters Athletic Championship here.

Born on October 6, 1897, Gujjar was the only athlete in this category, as others were younger to him.

Hailing from Gudha village in Meerut District, Gujjar, an agricultural labourer, said he was fit and had participated in many marathons across the country, including the one held in Kochi last year. He won the 400 metres yesterday here.

He was winning minimum three to four gold medals in events like this, Gujjar said.

Stating that his co-workers were helping him financially to participate in the event and at times also by providing food, he said he had not sought any financial help from the government.

His only disappointment was that he was not able to represent India in international events, due to paucity of funds, Gujjar said.

Pawar, Bhat enter third round of German Open

Mulheim an der Ruhr (Germany): Indian shuttlers Anand Pawar and Arvind Bhat entered the third round of the men`s singles of the USD 120,000 German Open Grand Prix Gold after registering contrasting victories, here on Wednesday.

While it was an easy outing for World No. 34 Pawar, who outplayed Slovenian Iztok Utrosa 21-16 21-12 in just 28 minutes, former national champion Bhat, ranked 82nd, overcame a stiff challenge to stun World No. 10 Yun Hu 21-17 16-21 21-11 in a contest that lasted 59 minutes here at the RWE-Sporthalle.

In the next round, Pawar will take on Tien Chen Chou of Chinese Taipei, while Bhat will meet the winner of another second round match between Rajiv Ouseph and Daren Liew.

Later today, ninth seeded Parupalli Kashyap will clash against compatriot H S Prannoy in a second round men`s singles match, while P C Thulasi and Arundhati Pantawane will play their respective women`s singles first round matches.

Rose withdraws from PGA event to rest shoulder

Washington: World number six Justin Rose of Britain has withdrawn from this week`s $6 million US PGA Tour Honda Classic to rest a nagging right shoulder injury, the tour announced Tuesday.

The 33-year-old reigning US Open champion has tendinitis in his right shoulder and does not want to risk a setback in rehabilitation by playing four weeks in a row.

The Englishman has played the past two weeks and will compete in next week`s $9 million World Golf Championships (WGC) event at Doral.

The only higher-ranked player taking the week off will be Australian Jason Day, who jumped to fourth in the world after winning the WGC Match Play Championship title last Sunday, defeating Frenchman Victor Dubuisson in 23 holes in the final to conclude a gruelling week in the Arizona desert.

Rose will defend the US Open crown he won last year at Merion in June at Pinehurst with the year`s first major championship, the Masters, looming before that in April at Augusta National.

Rashid eyes Asian Tour title this season

New Delhi: Rashid Khan on Wednesday launched his full Asian Tour season with a sizzling career-best 11-under 61 in the opening round of the SAIL-SBI Open and the young Indian golfer said his target is to win a title in the region this year.

The 23-year-old Rashid, playing on his home course, went on a birdie spree as he picked up nine of them and one eagle in a flawless card, in which he didn`t put a foot wrong.

"I shot the best round of my career. My last best score here was an eight-under in SAIL Open last year. Of course, I hit nine-under in Sri Lanka at the Standard Chartered Open a couple of weeks ago but it has been a great round.

"This is my opening event of the Asian Tour and I was seven-under at the back nine and I am very happy with my round," said Rashid, who claimed the number one position on the 2013 Rolex Rankings.

This was the second best score at the DGC, where Liang Wen-Chong of China had set the 18-hole Tour record with a stunning 12-under 60 in the opening round of the 2008 Indian Open. He had won the title with a total of 16-under 272.

"Everything went fine today for me. The tee shots, the short game, everything combined well for me. It has been a satisfying round," added the Delhi golfer, who turned pro in 2010 but missed out on an Asian Tour card at the Qualifying School Final Stage in 2011 and 2012.

Relying on sponsor`s invitation, Rashid made five cuts in five attempts with his best effort of tied 29th at the Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters in Malaysia.

"I will concentrate on the Asian Tour this year and my aim to win atleast a title in the tour this season," said the Indian, who finished 10th and fourth in the PGTI Ahmedabad Masters and Standard Charter Open respectively in the early domestic season.

Playing his front nine, Rashid fired birdies on the first, second, seventh and eighth holes, before setting the course ablaze in his back nine with birdies on the 11th, 13th, 15th, 16th and 18th.
However, the icing on the cake was the eagle at the 14th hole.

"I hit it close to the pin today. All my shots landed around 5-10 feet away from the hole. I was hitting very well. At the 14th hole, I used a three-wood rescue and then sank a 14-feet putt," he said.

Asked about his game, Rashid said: "I am generally a fast player. I made a few changes in my swing and alignment during the practice round. I knew how to play the draw shot but Ashok Kumar helped me with the fade."

In sizzling form, Sri Lanka`s Mithun Perera, who won the Standard Charter Open and PGTI Eagleburg Open in the last two weeks, fired a six-under 66 today with the help of an eagle at the eighth hole and birdies at 7, 9, 10, 13 and 18th holes, the only blot being the bogey at the 15th.

"I came into the tournament supremely confident with two victories and then scored the best card here at DGC. So it was a good day," he said

Rashid fires career-best score to lead by five strokes

New Delhi: Indian golfer Rashid Khan fired a career-best 11-under 61 in the opening round of the USD 300,000 SAIL-SBI Open to lead the field by a huge five-stroke margin after the first day at the prestigious Delhi Golf Club here on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old, playing on his home course, went on a birdie spree as he picked up nine of them and one eagle in a flawless card, to launch his full Asian Tour season in style.

Rashid produced incredible golf to set the second best score at the DGC, where Liang Wen-Chong of China had set the 18-hole Tour record with a stunning 12-under 60 in the opening round of the 2008 Indian Open. He had won the title with a total of 16-under 272.

Sri Lanka`s Mithun Perera, who won the Standard Charter Open and PGTI Eagleburg Open in the last two weeks, produced a six-under 66, same as Japan`s Akinori Tani, to stay five strokes behind, while Australian Scott Barr and Bangladesh`s Siddikur Rahman was at the fourth spot with a card of five-under 67.

Two-time European Tour champion, SSP Chowrasia, S Chikkarangappa, who narrowly missed out on qualifying for the elite Asian Tour golf recently, 2009 Indian Open winner C Muniyappa, Sanjay Kumar and England`s Steve Lewton were tied fifth after carding a matching 68.

Two-time defending champion, Anirban Lahiri faltered on his back nine to bring home a card of two-under 70, along with Mukesh kumar to lie tied 21st.

Among prominent names, Jyoti Randhawa, Manav Jaini, Rahil Gangjee and Himmat Rai -- all carded one-under 71 to lie tied 28th.

The day belonged to Rashid as he braved the early morning chill and set ablaze the course after making back-to-back birdies in the first two holes. After four par holes, he picked up two more strokes at the seventh and eighth holes.

Rashid hardly put a foot wrong as he kept his shots close to the pin, and on his back nine picked up a stroke at the 11th before sinking a 20-feet birdie putt at the 13th hole.

The Indian then used a three-wood rescue and knocked down a 14-feet putt at the par 5 14th hole to bring up the eagle. He ended the day with three more birdies in the last four holes at the 15th, 16th and 18th.

"I shot the best round of my career. My last best score here was an eight-under in SAIL Open last year. Of course, I hit nine-under in Sri Lanka at the Standard Chartered Open a couple of weeks ago but I have bettered it today," said Rashid, who finished runner-up at the 2013 SAIL-SBI Open after losing in a playoff to Lahiri.

"This is my opening event of the Asian Tour and this is my first year as a card holder on the Asian Tour and it`s great to start the season in this manner. Winning a tournament on the Asian Tour is my main goal this year. I`ve improved with every passing year and I want to do the same in 2014," said Rashid, who claimed the number one position on the 2013 Rolex Rankings.

Mithun, who fired an eagle at the eighth hole and birdies at 7, 9, 10, 13 and 18th holes, the only blot being the bogey at the 15th, said: "I came into the tournament supremely confident with two victories and then scored the best card here at DGC. So it was a good day."

Lahiri said: "I could have made more birdies. I made four birdies and two bogeys. I am disappointed I could not cover any ground. I lost my concentration in back nine. I am disappoint but I will take a two-under. I have to shoot really low score tomorrow."

Siddikur said: "I always look for a five-under score in each round. So if I can do that, I can still win, if I don`t then also no problem. I had seven birdies and two bogeys. My putting was not so good. I missed a few short putts

Rob Smedley follows Felipe Massa to Williams F1 team

LONDON: Former Ferrari race engineer Rob Smedley is following Brazilian driver Felipe Massa to the Williams Formula One team, where he will take on the new role of head of vehicle performance.

Williams said on Tuesday that Smedley, whose radio conversations with Massa during races have made him an F1 personality, would start work before the Bahrain Grand Prix in April.

The Briton had been expected to move to Williams after Massa, with whom he had forged a close working relationship, joined the team from Ferrari at the end of 2013.

At the German Grand Prix in 2010, it was Smedley who gave Massa the message `Fernando is faster than you` when Ferrari controversially decided to impose `team orders` to ensure Spaniard Fernando Alonso won the race.

The order, which has gone down in Formula One lore, was devastating for Massa who had been on course for his first win since 2008 - the year before he suffered a near-fatal head injury - but finished second.

Massa`s race engineer this year will be Andrew Murdoch, who worked previously with departed Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado.

Williams said Richard Lockwood had also joined the team from Marussia as head of race strategy.

Technical head Pat Symonds said the latest appointments reflected the former champions` determination to move back up the grid after a disappointing 2013 season. Williams finished ninth overall last year with a meagre five points.

"2014 gives us the biggest change to the technical regulations that I have seen in my career, and so it will be important to add further depth to the talent we already have here," Symonds said in a statement.

Novak Djokovic begins his quest for titles again

Dubai: Novak Djokovic returned to his quest for titles after one of the biggest disappointments of his career with a hard-hitting, straight sets success before a packed stadium at the Dubai Open.

The 6-3, 6-3 victory over Denis Istomen, a talented world number 53 from Uzbekistan, was ideal competitive rehabilitation for the seven-time former Grand Slam winner after the loss of his Australian Open title to Stanislas Wawrinka in the semi-finals at Melbourne.

The ambience was lively enough to summon adrenaline, the opposition capable enough to create good rallies, and the outcome encouraging enough for Djokovic to feel he can win his fifth title here.

If he does, he will equal the record of Roger Federer, whom he should meet in Friday`s semi-finals.

But, even more important for Djokovic is to feel that the "food for the soul" he says he took from childhood haunts during a five-week break is now feeding his self-belief.

He projected more than 20 unforced errors, but often served well, too, despite missing some chances to finish rallies, and yet he always won the points and games that really mattered in a colourfully patchwork performance.

"My game isn`t where I want it to be," Djokovic admitted. "But I am still happy with this start.

"It`s just the match situation - it`s quite different from the practice court. You have thousands of people watching you and it can be mentally tough.

"And not having competed for so long, it takes a toll. My body feels it a little bit. But I will get back to work. It`s work and I love it at the same time."

Djokovic next plays Roberto Bautista Agut, the world number 51 from Spain, while Federer will take on Radek Stepanek, the former top ten player from the Czech republic who has won deciding matches in Davis Cup finals twice.

The tournament`s second seed however did not survive. Juan Martin Del Potro, the former US Open champion who became the ATP Tour`s comeback player of the year after recovering from a career-threatening wrist injury, was struck down by a similar ailment.

The courageous and usually hard-hitting Argentine lasted little more than an hour and only one set in the Dubai Open, before requiring lengthy treatment on his left wrist after which he called it quits against Somdev Devvarman, a wild card entry from India.

"My wrist is hurting a lot and, you know, everybody knows what`s happened to me four years ago with my other wrist.

"It`s hurting all the time, sometimes less and sometimes a little more. But it`s hurting, and I have been in contact with my doctor all the time. He`s trying to keep me motivated to keep playing, but I know what is my limit playing on court. Today was enough.

"I cannot say that (it will be surgery) yet - but I`m feeling similar pains to the other hand and what I felt four years ago. It`s not really positive for my future."

Tomas Berdych, the third-seeded Czech who reached the final last year, may be one of those who benefits from Del Potro`s misfortune as they were seeded to meet in Friday`s semi-finals.

Berdych scored his 13th win in 14 matches, a 6-3, 6-4 success against Marius Copil, a Romanian qualifier.

"Always you can make from basically any kind of situation that you can put pressure on yourself, but that`s probably not the best idea to do," said Berdych, when asked how much he focused on maintaining the streak.

"So I`m just trying to profit from that, trying to build up on the form, try to bring the confidence as far as I can, and really just go one by one. That`s not really counting the matches."

Rafael Nadal offered 1.1 mln dollars per night for IPL-style IPTL

Sydney: World number one Rafael Nadal is reportedly being offered 1.1 million dollars per night to play in three of the eight matches of the inaugural International Premier Tennis League (IPTL), which has borrowed its format from the lucrative Twenty20 tournament Indian Premier League ( IPL).

If all goes to plan, five teams - based in Hong Kong, Mumbai, Singapore, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur- will send their officials to India armed with minimum budgets of 4.4 million dollars each, to sign up a handful of players - men, women, and champions of yesteryear - for the off-season event, scheduled to take place in December.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Indian tennis star and ITPL`s creator Mahesh Bhupathi may have offered the Spaniard 1.1 million dollars per night for three of the event`s matches, adding that Nadal is understood to be the keenest member of the `Big Four`- which also includes Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Roger Federer.

However, the report said that Federer has never shown any interest in the project, while Djokovic and Murray are understood to be weighing up their options, adding that the players` agents are questioning the fact that firm details, whether about the ownership of the teams or the sale of TV rights, have been hard to come by.

Several top-ten players of both genders, including Stanislas Wawrinka , Tomas Berdych, Richard Gasquet, Agnieszka Radwanska, Victoria Azarenka and Caroline Wozniacki have reportedly signed up already for the event.

According to the ground rules, `marquee` players - those who have been world No.1 or won grand slams - are entitled to pick and choose their appearances, while others are in it for the three-week duration, the report added.

Agassi advises Murray to improve tennis instead of focusing on rankings

London: American tennis legend Andre Agassi has advised Wimbledon champion Andy Murray to concentrate on improving his tennis instead of focusing on increasing his world rankings, in order to win more Grand Slams.

The British No.1 has slipped down to world No.7 since winning Wimbledon after undergoing back surgery.

According to the Mirror, Agassi, Murray`s childhood idol, won eight Grand Slams after his Wimbledon win in 1992 although he needed over two years to win his next Major title, and the American admitted that it is a different mindset being a player who is expected to win versus a player who is an underdog.

However, Agassi said that eventually it does not matter if a player is a favourite or an underdog, adding that the only thing that is really important is improving one`s focus in the game and making it more consistent.

Agassi also said that although some players struggle with keeping that perspective after they taste victory, ultimately a champion learns that the only obligation he/she has to himself/herself to constantly push and improve, adding that once a player has hit the stride, the rest are just numbers.

Agassi will play his old rival Pete Sampras in the World Tennis Day at Earl`s Court on Monday while Ivan Lendl will play Pat Cash in a rerun of another Wimbledon final, the report added.

Somdev's campaign ends after defeat to Jaziri

Dubai: A profligate Somdev Devvarman crashed out of the singles event of the Dubai Duty Free Championships after a straight set defeat against fellow wild card Malek Jaziri in the second round, here on Wednesday.

Coming into the match following an upset win over second seed Juan Martin Del Potro, the 78th-ranked Indian suffered a 3-6 5-7 defeat against his Tunisian rival, who is ranked 137.
Somdev had three break chances in the first set but converted none while dropping his serve twice.

The second set was no different as he could cash in on only two of the seven break chances. He lost his serve thrice.

While serving to stay in the match, Somdev saved two match points but netted a forehand on the third and Jaziri, who was ranked 69 in 2012, raised his arms up in joy.

Somdev will collect 45 ranking points and USD 24,475 as prize money.

Chelsea '10 times better than Galatasaray' - Drogba

London: Didier Drogba has said former club Chelsea are "10 times better" than his current side, Galatasaray, ahead of the teams` Champions League meeting in Istanbul on Wednesday.

"Are Chelsea better than Galatasaray? Yes, they are 10 times better," the Galatasaray striker, now 35, told the BBC on the eve of the last 16 clash.

"If I play it is to win. It will be tough but Juve were better than us, so anything can happen. If there`s a one percent chance of us winning. I`ll believe it."

Drogba spent eight years at Chelsea, scoring 157 goals in 342 games and won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups and also scored the winning penalty against Bayern Munich in the 2012 Champions League final -- his final kick in a Blues shirt.

"It will be difficult," he said of playing against London club Chelsea.

"You don`t stay eight years in a place you don`t like, especially in football -- it is very emotional. I love Chelsea but I play for Galatasaray now and I will give everything for them.

"When you`re happy at a club, you want to stay forever," said Drogba who joined Chelsea from Marseille for £24 million ($40m, 29m euros) in July 2004.

"But sometimes you can`t do everything you want to do. I am proud of what I achieved."

Asked about the possibility of working again with Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, the Ivory Coast forward said: "They say in French `avec des si. Rome ne s`est pas construite en un jour` (there are lots of ifs. Rome wasn`t built in a day). It is only if and if and if. We are not there yet."

And he insisted he was happy working under current boss Roberto Mancini, the former Manchester City manager.

"They`re very different, two different personalities but with the same mentality. They want to win, they want to win trophies. They are winners."

But he said he was still friendly with Mourinho.

"There is a lot of respect. When there is somebody that important, who looks at you like a friend, you forget that he is `The Special One` and you are the striker. "It is a man-to-man relationship, a friendship.

"These kind of moments are special, because they are very important, very precious. He was the one who helped me to make my decision to come to play for Chelsea.

"He was always fair with me. When I deserved to play, I played. When I didn`t, I didn`t. That is why I respected him so much."

And Drogba said that when Mourinho, now in his second spell as Chelsea manager, left Stamford Bridge in 2007 he too considered quitting the west London club.

"Yes I did. When you are young and emotional you react straight away and later you end up realising it was not the right thing.

"Maybe I`d have dealt with it differently today, but I was affected because the man who believed in me was leaving. It was normal."