Record leap in car insurance costs

Last year saw the biggest annual increase in car insurance  costs on record.
http://images.moneysavingexpert.com/images/Cars_in_a_row.jpg

Prices rocketed by a third over 2010. The 33.2% calendar year rise recorded by the AA was the highest since its Insurance Premium Index started 17 years ago.

The increases pushed the average fully comprehensive policy up by a third to £843.

Home insurance costs also climbed by up to 10.2%.

However, you can help limit the damage by following the MoneySavingExpert.com insurance cost-cutting system.

Car insurance costs up

Prices went up by a £51, or 6.4%, in the last quarter of 2010 alone.

According to the AA, the increase was less than the previous quarter but added to the cost of driving ahead of fuel duty and VAT increases in January as well as the 1% increase in Insurance Premium Tax.

Young drivers were hit hardest with fully comprehensive premiums for 17 to 22-year-olds rising by more than 58% over the year to £2,251.

Third party, fire and theft policies, which are most commonly bought by young drivers, also rose by more than a quarter in the last three months with the average price for the year reaching £1,390, a rise of more than 70%.

Home insurance up

Home insurance also rose sharply due to a growing numbers of weather-related claims.

The cost of contents cover, whilst falling slightly over the last quarter by 0.8%, rose by an average of 8.3% over the year.

The average premium for buildings insurance also increased by 7.7% over the quarter and 10.2% over the year.

Combined buildings and contents policies also increased by 3% in the last quarter and 4.9% over the year.

Slash insurance costs

You can help limit the damage by following our car and home insurance system. Sometimes, the cashback you get is more than the cost of the cover, which can put you in profit.

Here's how it works:

Step 1: Combine the power of comparison sites. These zip your details to a host of insurers' and brokers' websites in seconds, scraping their data to report back the cheapest. No site lists every provider so the key is combining searches to give yourself the widest range in the least time to find the cheapest policy of those that contain your required cover (see the Cheap Car Insurance and Home Insurance guides for full details).

Also note Aviva and Direct Line do not appear on comparison sites so, if you've time, search their sites to add to your comparison. 

Step 2: Grab cashback. Once you know the cheapest provider, check whether you can grab any money back via a cashback website. These pay a cut of their commission if you click through to insurers' or brokers' sites via them (see the Top Cashback Sites guide).

Step 3: Remember next year. Just because you got a super-cheap quote this year, doesn't mean you will next year. So diarise a note six weeks before renewal so you don't up paying your insurer's expensive renewal price.

Comparison sites not for everyone

If you have a medical condition, have a high claims history, if you are sharing a home with friends, or if you have any other complex issues, comparison sites may not offer the cheapest policies.

If you can't find a decent quote, use a broker. You can normally find one via the British Insurance Brokers' Association (Biba).

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/insurance/2011/01/car-insurance-costs-in-record-leap

ECJ gender ruling hits insurance costs

European court of justice prohibits use of gender in underwriting premiums, with car insurance, life insurance and pension annuities set to be affected.
Young women drivers buying car insurance and any man considering retirement will get a worse deal from the end of next year, following a ruling prohibiting the use of gender in insurance underwriting.
The ruling, by the European court of justice, means insurers will no longer be able to use sex as a factor to determine whether someone represents a bigger risk in insurance terms, even though historical evidence shows that being male or female has a bearing on frequency and size of claims.


Maggie Craig, acting director general for the Association of British Insurers, said: "This gender ban is disappointing news for UK consumers and something the UK insurance industry has fought against for the last decade. The judgment ignores the fact that taking a person's gender into account, where relevant to the risk, enables men and women alike to get a more accurate price for their insurance."
read full story..
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/mar/01/ecj-gender-ruling-insurance-costs 

Eminem and Royce da 5'9" Create Converse Sneaker

Bad evildoers wear sneakers, too. Eminem and Royce da 5'9" haves teamed with Converse to create a limited edition version of the brand's classic All-Star model. In a video titled 'Bad Meets Evil Meets Converse,' the Detroit rappers talk about the shoe but not before discussing their recently released album as Bad Meets Evil, 'Hell: The Sequel.'

"If you a fan of real rappity rap, lyrical miracle spiritual, you should get this album," said Royce, the "bad" to Em's "evil," of their new album. "It's a lot of very good rapping on there."
Eminem then discussed how he enjoyed creating music with Royce, who he considers an equal on many levels. "We do think a lot alike," said Eminem. "Our styles are kind of similar but I think we rap about different s---. So a lot of times it would be I want to stop here, and see what he would say here, and he would do the same."

"We played with a whole lot of new flow patterns, too," added Nickel Nine. "Some of the flow patterns I never used before. A lot of them were me vibing off of him. I might do my own rendition of what I heard him doing flow wise, just the way the words land on the beat. It's a real complex and real fun thing to do. Especially since we're like nerds when it comes to the whole hip-hop thing."

As for the shoes, the Bad Meets Evil x Converse Chuck Taylor is black and white and features the group's branding throughout, including logos of Shady Records and skulls on the tongues and the Bad Meets Evil logo by the ankle. "I think that this is dope because Chuck Taylors are such an iconic sneaker," said Slim Shady. "It's cool to give something for the fans too; for them to get something exclusively."

Continued Em, "I couldn't afford Chucks when I was a kid. I was a little white trashy and didn't have much money growing up so I always wanted a pair, and now I have my own pair."
"I had a lot of pair, I loved Chucks," added Royce. "I used to hoop in these. Certain amount of the proceeds are going to charity, we're excited about that. This is great man. This is a good thing to be a part of. I'm wearing mines out."

The Bad Meets Evil x Converse Chuck Taylor were available beginning Thursday (June 16) in New York and Boston and were limited to only 100 pairs.http://www.theboombox.com/2011/06/17/eminem-and-royce-da-59-converse-sneaker/

Chris Brown And Justin Bieber Release 'Next 2 You' Vid

Chris Brown and Justin Bieber have released the official video for their collaborative track "Next 2 You." The song serves as the newest single from Brown's smash album F.A.M.E.. The vid features the two heart-throbs dancing their way through post apocalyptic New York City.

In the six-minute mini-movie, Breezy and the Bieb search through the rubble of Upper Manhattan for their girlfriends who have been lost in the disaster. Brown is fortunate enough to find his love, but she is tragically struck down by a car moments later.

The pair first revealed that they shot a video for the collaboration earlier this spring, when Brown's manager, Scooter Braun, tweeted about the video shoot: "Next2You w/ @justinbieber and @chrisbrown - video treatment is crazy . . . yeah it's coming!!"

The new video is currently streaming across the web.
http://www.rttnews.com/Content/EntertainmentNews.aspx?Section=2&Id=1649175&SM=1

Is Lady Gaga’s ‘The Edge Of Glory’ Video Too Simple?

This past Thursday, the official music video of Lady Gaga’s The Edge of Glory was released on the FOX reality series So You Think You Can Dance, and as it has become typical for Gaga, the video is garnering mixed reviews. Viewers watched the video on the reality series and then it was shortly afterward made available through Vevo. Critics of Gaga are calling the video “too simple” with others saying that they “expected more”. One claimed that it was “shockingly unambitious”. Most of her loyal fans, on the other hand, are defending the video.

WATCH: Lady Gaga’s The Edge of Glory

The reviews of the critics at least make it sound like that the music video is boring, but it is far from it. However, compared to Gaga’s latest outlandish and controversial videos over the years where aliens and birth scenes became the norm, we can see why many are not blown away by it. The video itself is still good, but it appears that Gaga has perhaps overexposed her own gritty brand so much that viewers are starting to feel like they should expect more than what they received. The video itself features Gaga wearing a black and pepper colored wig and dressed in leather Versace appear from behind a building on a deserted street corner. Shortly after the first verse begins, Gaga appears from an apartment’s window and emerges from the fire escape. At that point, smoke begins to appear from the building. One reviewer said that the video felt like “Madonna meets Cher”.

If you have yet to see the video and want it to watch it to see what all the criticism is about, we have put the video up. After watching, we have also set up a poll for you to vote on what you thought of the video.
http://www.etidbits.com/is-lady-gagas-the-edge-of-glory-video-too-simple=4685

Justin Bieber

Lady Gaga pics

iphone

iPhone 

Multitasking

                Now you can run your favorite third-party apps — and switch between them instantly — without slowing down the performance of the foreground app or draining the battery unnecessarily. So you can listen to a ball game while emailing. Or receive a VoIP call while playing a game.  

Folders

                 Drag and drop to organize apps into folders on your Home screens and get fast access to your favorites.

iBooks 

                  More than a full-color ebook reader, iBooks is also an amazing place to browse and shop for books anytime you feel like it.2 It works with PDFs that you can sync using iTunes on your Mac or PC. And you can customize iBooks to suit the way you read — adjust the brightness, change the text size, and more.

Phone

                On iPhone, making a call is as simple as tapping a name or number. And Visual Voicemail lets you play messages in any order — just like email.

 

Twelve Tips for Getting Your Bank Loan Approved

Finding the money needed to start a new business is almost always one of the most difficult obstacles new owners face. The most likely (and easiest) sources of capital are your families, friends and own savings. However, you should not overlook institutional sources as well.
Without a previous track record in business, securing a bank loan may be difficult. Banks cite risk factors and increasing costs of servicing small accounts as the primary reasons for minimizing their exposure to small businesses. Still, it can be done. Here are the steps that you should take to improve your chances of getting that much-needed bank loan:
1. Keep in mind that to stay in business banks need to make loans. Do not be afraid to ask for one. That is what the loan officer wants you to do. To increase your chances of getting a loan, look for a bank that is familiar with your industry and who has done business with companies like yours. Seek out banks that are active in small business financing. Some banks lend on a conventional basis (lending money without government support), while some banks participate in government programs (in the form of government participations involving direct government funds or loan guarantees). However, be aware that banks often demand stiff collateral requirements for start-ups.

2. As an entrepreneur, make sure that you are thoroughly prepared when you go to your banker's office to request a loan. You need to show your bankers that a loan to you is a low-risk proposition. Have on hand a completed loan application, copies of cash flow and financial statement projections covering at least three years, and your cover letter.

3. Learn to anticipate every question that he or she has. Remember, the combination of information and preparation is the most powerful negotiating tool in the world. A confident and thoroughly prepared borrower is four times more likely to have his or her loan approved than a borrower who does not know the answer to some of the basic questions a banker asks. To show the extent of your preparedness, your business plan should also include answers to your banker's questions. These questions normally are:
How much money do you need? Be as exact as possible; although adding a little extra for contingencies will not hurt.
How long do you need it for? Be prepared to go into detail about what the money will do for you and why your business is a good risk.
What are you going to do for it? Businesses use loans for three things: to buy new assets, pay off old debts, or pay for operating expenses.
When and how you will repay for it? Your cash flow projections should provide a repayment time frame. Convince the banker of the long-term profitability of your business and your ability to repay the loan by using your financial projections and business plan.
What will you do if you do not get the loan?

4. Do not take an apologetic and negative attitude. Keep your negativity in check. Present yourself as an entrepreneur who can and will repay the loan. Boost your image by providing your loan officer with any promotional materials about your business, such as brochures, ads, articles, press releases, etc.

5. Dress in a professional manner for the interview. This is a business transaction, so treat it as such.

6. Do not stretch the truth in your loan application. Broad, unsubstantiated statements should be avoided. The lender can easily check many of the facts on your application. If you cannot support statements with solid data, then don't make them. Do your homework and spend time doing research to be able to support everything you say, including every single number in your projections. It is best to keep projections, assets lists and collateral statements on the conservative side.

7. Be sure all your documents are neat, legible and organized in a cohesive and attractive manner. Type all your loan documents. Handwritten documents look unprofessional. Don't forget to include a cover letter.

8. Do not push the loan officer for a decision. Doing so might result in a rejection. Your banker cannot make a decision until all your documentation is complete. To ensure a speedy decision, make sure that your application is complete.

9. Be confident. An attitude of confidence enhances your chance of getting the loan. Show that you can make a success out of the money that the bank will lend to you. Visualize in your mind the positive results of your bank application.

10. Keep trying one lender after another until you get your loan. To improve your position as you change bankers and banks, the best way is to ask for a referral from a successful entrepreneur. Before you decide to approach a bank directly, find an associate, friend or acquaintance that is in good standing with the bank to give you a good referral. Bankers tend to deal more favorably those who were referred to them by their best customers.

11. Failure to discuss risk in your application. You must remember one thing: there is no business without risk. If you do not discuss risk, the bankers will assume that you haven't thought about risk. Let's face it - try as we might, we cannot plan for everything, for every contingency, for every turn of events. Bankers would want to know if you have planned for the major risks and how you intend to manage it.

Then, there is also the risk of too much success. The demand for your products or service may exceed well beyond your expectations, and they would want to know how you intend to handle success.

12. Remember that the first loan is usually the hardest to get. Bankers prefer to lend money to borrowers who have borrowed at least once and have paid back at least one loan on time. They are not venture capitalists that make high-risk loans regardless of the profit prospects of your business. Bankers prefer to lend to low-risk, low profit ventures than to high risk businesses or those with no record of accomplishment.
http://www.powerhomebiz.com/vol12/bankloan.htm

iPhone 5: 20 most-wanted features (updated)

With Apple's WWDC keynote--where the company has typically announced next-generation iPhones--now past, the iPhone 5 rumors continue to fly fast and furious, and it's looking more and more like a fall launch for the next iPhone.

Will it have a completely new design or just be a slightly modified version of the iPhone 4 (the iPhone 4S) with enhanced parts and various tweaks? Will there be a smaller, lower-cost iPhone?

All is unknown. But that hasn't stopped me from updating this list of most-wanted features with information gleaned from the arrival of iOS 5, as well as other new products and services. (I originally posted this column the day after the iPhone 4 launched, which is why you see a lot of comments dating back to June of last year.)

As a reminder, the 20 items in the list are ordered from least important to most in a reverse countdown. I've also included what I think are the odds of Apple actually implementing each request. As always, feel free to agree or disagree with me and make your own suggestions (and to post your own ordered wish list).

Oh, and Android users, don't be shy about extolling the virtues of your phones and saying how most of the items on this list are already available in Android models. It's always nice to see the Android and Apple fanboys (and fangals) mixing it up.
http://reviews.cnet.com/iphone-5-most-wanted-features

Delayed iPhone 5 release testing loyalty, Android gains

Now that we know for certain that there will be no iPhone 5 in June, we will now see if this delay will start to test Apple loyalty. There is also a worry that the delayed device could be Android’s gain, as consumers want a smartphone that offers the latest in technology – something that Apple is unable to offer at the moment
Ok, so we know that iOS 5 will go a long way in making iPhone users happy, but having it on a handset that is over a year old is a little stupid. Apple now believes that they have a mobile OS that will be able to fire a warning shot across its rivals – but they are all laughing. The reason why is due to the fact that these Android devices have some of the most up-to-date hardware, with a dual-core processor being one of the most important.

IBT points out that it is the iPhone that helps to drive Apple sales, and with no mention of a new one coming we have to wonder how much damage it will start to do. Apple has grown from strength to strength over the years, and it has been a new iPhone in June that has helped to bolster sales. However, they do not have that so far this year; so this could be a testing time for the company.

One would have expected Steve Jobs to make some sort of announcement a few days back, even to say that it is coming but will be delayed by a couple of months. It is this uncertainty that will now test how loyal iPhone users are, as Android certainly has much more to offer at the moment.

IBM brings high-performance computing to the cloud

IBM hopes to help companies more efficiently use their high-performance computing resources with new software that links separate pools of resources into a single private cloud.

"It brings together what traditionally has been siloed HPC environments," said Brian Connors, vice president of high performance computing at IBM.

Typically, organizations with heavy engineering operations will have separate server farms used by individual groups of engineers, he said. That arrangement often leaves computing resources unused.

For many businesses, pooling together multiple high-performance computing systems can have benefits beyond the improved efficiencies that come from using otherwise idle resources. By combining all of a company's high-performance computing resources, individual engineering groups could have access to more cores and thus finish projects faster. "It's about getting the job done faster because you're throwing hardware at the job," Connors said.

IBM is making the HPC Management Suite for Cloud software available after using it internally. More than 3,000 engineers around the world in its Systems Development organization shared resources as they developed the POWER7 processor family. It claims to have cut costs in half and reduced the design cycle by six months as a result of using the software.

The product works on X86 machines as well as IBM's Power Platform running Linux operating systems.

It doesn't use virtualization, which engineers typically shun because it can slow down the work. IBM's workload management software levels the loads. Rebooting is not required as workloads shift, Connors said.

IBM is also offering services for customers who might want help installing the suite and getting started using it.

It will also offer industry-specific versions of the HPC cloud offerings starting with one that is optimized for electronics companies and automotive and aerospace manufacturers.

IBM isn't the first to offer such software for better utilization of high-performance computing resources. In 2009, Platform Computing began offering tools to let its customers build private clouds out of multiple clusters.

IBM's HPC cloud products and services will become available in the third quarter.http://www.itnews.com/clusters/33333/ibm-brings-high-performance-computing-cloud

Nadal wins another French Open, again vs Federer

Rafael Nadal is back to being invincible at Roland Garros.

The top-ranked Spaniard won his record-equaling sixth French Open title by beating 16-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer 7-5, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-1 Sunday.

The win improved Nadal's record to 45-1 on the red clay in Paris — and to 6-2 against Federer in major finals.

"You can't win something more special, no?" Nadal said. "It's the highest level of tournaments in the tennis world."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110606/ap_on_sp_te_ne/ten_french_open

Feels Like a Flashback for the Heat

 Chris Bosh squinted, looked down and periodically dabbed his left eye with a tissue. There were tears, yes, though on this particular occasion, no reason to mock or diminish his stature.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/06/sports/basketball/feels-like-flashback-as-heat-defeat-mavericks.html?_r=1&ref=sports

Chavez dethrones Zbik for middleweight title

Mexico's Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr dethroned Germany's Sebastian Zbik by majority decision to seize the World Boxing Council middleweight title in a showdown of unbeaten fighters.

Chavez Jnr improved to 43-0 with one drawn on judges scores of 115-113 and 116-112 while the third judge scored the bout a 114-114 draw.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110605/sp_afp/boxusamiddlemexgerzbikchavez;_ylt=Ar3a7HSv510y8BEBoyquGDoLMxIF;_ylu=X3oDMTMzZ3ZnbDU4BGFzc2V0A2FmcC8yMDExMDYwNS9ib3h1c2FtaWRkbGVtZXhnZXJ6YmlrY2hhdmV6BHBvcwMxNQRzZWMDeW5fYXJ0aWNsZV9zdW1tYXJ5X2xpc3QEc2xrA2NoYXZlemRldGhybw--

Bruins draw on past playoff woes for confidence

Although the Boston Bruins realize they returned home from Vancouver with a daunting series deficit in the Stanley Cup finals, they already know an 0-2 hole isn't necessarily a grave.

After all, this isn't even the biggest jam they've faced in these playoffs. The Bruins were down 0-2 in the first round against Montreal — and both of those losses were at home.

"You've played 102 games up to this point," forward Milan Lucic said Sunday after the Bruins' cross-continent flight. "We're not going to give up now. We haven't given up. If we would have given up, we would have gave up against Montreal in the first round, so we're definitely not going to give up now."
http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7536595475338424029

Dirk's bad pass the last costly turnover for Mavs

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110606/ap_on_sp_bk_ne/bkn_nba_finals_mavericks;_ylt=AiCbHmZBa0IbrAcaMtjkya4LMxIF;_ylu=X3oDMTJ1NWVqczFoBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTEwNjA2L2Jrbl9uYmFfZmluYWxzX21hdmVyaWNrcwRwb3MDMTgEc2VjA3luX2FydGljbGVfc3VtbWFyeV9saXN0BHNsawNkaXJrc2JhZHBhc3M-
Those LeBron James dunks sure look great on highlight shows and commercials. They make good posters, too.

The Dallas Mavericks are getting sick of them.

The Mavericks' turnovers are making it easy for James and the Miami Heat, something they know they have to clean up for any chance to win the NBA title.

"We have to eliminate a couple of the turnovers that lead to the quick points," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "It's extremely difficult when you're watching James go down the court and dunk the ball with his head over the rim. That makes it tough to win."

Sun Devils, Gators to play for NCAA softball title

Even the hottest pitching staff in the Women's College World Series couldn't keep Florida's offense from another productive day.

Kelsey Bruder and Brittany Schutte hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning Sunday night, sending Florida to a 9-2 victory over Alabama and into the finals against Arizona State.

The Gators needed to beat the second-seeded Crimson Tide (53-11) twice to reach the championship round and immediately jumped on Kelsi Dunne to take control in both games.http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110606/ap_on_sp_ot/sof_wcws_ncaa_rdp;_ylt=AnNISLA7.rSBP35x5EYT9ncLMxIF;_ylu=X3oDMTJuNGx0cDlxBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTEwNjA2L3NvZl93Y3dzX25jYWFfcmRwBHBvcwMxNQRzZWMDeW5fYXJ0aWNsZV9zdW1tYXJ5X2xpc3QEc2xrA3N1bmRldmlsc2dhdA--

Guess who? Pujols leads Cardinals past Cubs again

ST. LOUIS – Albert Pujols held the followthrough on his swing for a couple extra seconds, the bat extended like a lightning rod, then high-stepped it to home plate.

The St. Louis Cardinals may be accustomed to his winning hits, but the All-Star slugger still gets pretty excited.

"It's a big game and a big win," Pujols said after hitting a game-ending homer in extra innings for the second straight day, beating the Chicago Cubs with a leadoff shot in the 10th inning of a 3-2 victory Sunday. "It doesn't matter what you do as long as you don't embarrass yourself out there."http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110605/ap_on_sp_ba_ga_su/bbn_cubs_cardinals;_ylt=Au7lpKUnaIqKu.ITw.UVD_gLMxIF;_ylu=X3oDMTJvNGNlNmUwBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTEwNjA1L2Jibl9jdWJzX2NhcmRpbmFscwRwb3MDMTAEc2VjA3luX2FydGljbGVfc3VtbWFyeV9saXN0BHNsawNndWVzc3dob3B1am8-

Xavi: United play better than Madrid

Barcelona midfielder Xavi has claimed Manchester United's approach to football is 'a thousand times better' than that of Real Madrid.

The Catalan giants comfortably beat the English champions 3-1 to claim the UEFA Champions League crown at Wembley last month.

And while they may have found Madrid a trickier opponent than the Red Devils in their semi-final tie, Xavi has no doubts who played the better football.http://www.espnstar.com/football/primera-liga/news/detail/item629484/Xavi:-United-play-better-than-Madrid/

Tough journey made victory special, says nervous Nadal

Having conquered his anxiety and battled through tough situations, Rafa Nadal won possibly the sweetest of his six French Open titles on Sunday.

If the Spaniard was simply awesome in 2008 when he claimed the French crown without dropping a set, this year he had to survive a few wobbles on the way to his 10th grand slam title.

The 25-year-old Nadal clawed back from the brink in a five-set thriller against American John Isner and recovered from a sticky start to beat old rival Roger Federer 7-5 7-6 5-7 6-1 in the final and equal Bjorn Borg's record.http://www.sify.com/sports/tough-journey-made-victory-special-says-nervous-nadal-news-tennis-lggk8ojbbfi.html

South Korea down Serbia in friendly

Goals from Park Chu-young and Kim Young-kwan gave South Korea a 2-1 victory over Serbia in an international friendly match at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Friday.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=50724&Cat=10&dt=6/4/2011

Australia considers 10 years jail for fixing

 Australia is considering stiff penalties of up to 10 years in jail for anybody involved in match-fixing and corruption in sport, sports minister Mark Arbib said on Friday. 
http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=50715&Cat=10&dt=6/4/2011

Nadal into French Open final as Murray

Rafael Nadal moved to within one win of equalling Bjorn Borg’s record of six French Open titles with a hard-fought yet convincing 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 semifinal win over a battling Andy Murray on Friday.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=50712&Cat=10&dt=6/4/2011

Afridi still hoping to get PCB clearance

Former captain Shahid Afridi has called in the lawyers in a bid to secure permission from the Pakistan Cricket Board to play county cricket in England that was denied amid a public slanging match, an official confirmed on Friday.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=50711&Cat=10&dt=6/4/2011

Pressure mounts on FIFA chief and scandal-hit body

Calls for FIFA to reform football’s governance intensified on Tuesday with England’s Football Association urging the postponement of Sepp Blatter’s unopposed re-election and heavyweight sponsors voicing their concerns.http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=50210&Cat=10&dt=6/1/2011

Hamilton apologises to Massa, Maldonado

http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=50209&Cat=10&dt=6/1/2011