Bridal Couture Week Kicks off from 15th October

Lahore: Style 360 has organized a press conference in order to declare the launch of Pantene Bridal Couture Week at a local hotel.

Lot of designers and models took part in that event. The event was supervised by Shahnaz Ramzi, GM Public Relations, Hum Network who welcomed guests and declared that the Bridal Couture Week would be held at Pearl Continental from 15^th to 16^th October, 2011.

The whole event comprises four shows with 13 designers participating including those from India.

Vaneeza Ahmed addressed the gathering and gave a briefing about the line-up of designers and models in the two-day event including Ali Xeeshan, Bina Sultan (BNS Couture), Fahad Hussain, Faheem Abbas, Gulzeb Asif, Kosain Kazmi, Mona Imran, Saba (La Chantal), Saba and Misbah (Hijab), Sadaf Arshad, Saira Rizwan, Shayanne Malik (Saman Zar) and Shaziya Kiyani (Shaziya Bridal Gallery). Gutam Rakha, Rahul Rastogi and Shibani Rastogi (Rabani and Rakha) are particularly arriving from India with their collection for event.

She shared the names of the 33 models who will be a part of the event, which include Sunita Marshall, Tooba Siddiqui, Meesha Shafi, Sabeena Pasha, Fauzia Aman, Neha Ahmed, Rabia Butt, Nooray, Mehreen Syed, Zeba Ali, Mehreen Kanwal, Hira Tareen, Rubab, Ayaan, Racheal Gill, Cybil Chaudhry, Konain, Sana Sarfaraz, Marvi Sarfaraz, Sehrish, Baqar, Saima Haroon, Monica Benjamin, Gaiso Khalid, Rehab Daud, Seher Hussain and Amna Babur among others.

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How Food Allergy affect the Body

Food allergy is an immune system reaction to a food that the bodies wrongly consider is harmful.

Once the immune system chooses to treat a particular food this way, consuming that food can quick the enormous release of chemicals known as histamines. These chemicals, in turn, trigger allergic reactions that can affect the respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, skin, and cardiovascular system.

Keep away from these foods altogether is the only sure way to prevent a reaction. Although someone can be allergic to just about any food, the following nourishment account for 90 % of all reactions: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (including walnuts and cashews), fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat.

Never asked Bowler to Cheat during matches: Butt

The former Pakistan captain Salman Butt claimed that he never asked bowlers Mohammad Asif or Mohammad Amir to cheat during a test match against England last year, a British court heard Friday during a trial for claimed spot-fixing.

Butt and Asif, who arrived two hours late for court due to poor health, are facing accusations of scheming to cheat, and plot to gain and accept dishonest payments, following the match in August 2010 when they supposedly conspired with agent Mazhar Majeed, teenage fast bowler Amir and other people unknown to bowl pre-planned no-balls. Butt and Asif refute the accusations.

The jury at London s Southwark Crown Court heard a recorded from police interviews with Butt in September last year, just after an undercover investigation into alleged corruption by the Pakistan cricketers and Majeed that was published in the now defunct British tabloid, the News of the World.
The court heard Butt describing in the police interview,

“There s no way I could tell Amir or Asif (to cheat).”
“They are the two players that most teams would want to have. When we pick our team those are the first two names that we have to write.”

In the first police interview, in which Butt explained Majeed’s subsequently accurate predictions of the three no-balls as “a freak occurrence”, he said he never took money corruptly and insisted his former agent Majeed had no influence over him, contrary to what Majeed said on the News of the World s secret tapes.
Butt mentioned that,

“I don t think anybody could influence me to cheat my country. I play this game for the love of the game and for the love of my country.”
He further added that,

“I have played at all levels for Pakistan and in ten years of playing for Pakistan I have never had any charge against me.”

“This is the first time I have had a charge (against me),” before denying any knowledge of cheating in the
 Pakistan team.

When Asif’s first police interview was played to the court he also refuted any wrongdoing and asserted  that nobody had pressured him into doing something corrupt and said he was “not protecting” Butt.
The court heard Butt saying in the police interview,

“No I m going to protect myself. How can I protect Salman Butt? Even in the game and in my life I am going to protect myself.”

He further included that,

“(There s) no pressure, how can he (Butt) put pressure on me? How can he pressurize me? Nobody can pressurize me as I have played in the (Pakistan) team for a long time.”

Detective Constable Steven Blake later took the witness stand and volunteered in-depth details to the court of Majeed s finances, when probed first by the prosecution and then Butt s lawyer Ali Bajwa QC.

Bajwa highlighted the complex details told to the court of more than 30 bank accounts in Majeed s name. He said that Majeed had bank overdrafts worth around 700,000 pounds ($1.1 million). One of his 21 accounts with the NatWest Bank, the court heard, was 497,949 pounds overdrawn.

Additional, of the 150,000 pounds cash that the undercover News of the World journalist paid Majeed to set up the sting, 104,300 pounds is yet to be recovered.

Pak Updates

Show Cause Notice to ‘Warid Telecom’ by CCP

The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has sent a show cause notice to Warid Telecom for its delusive marketing practices.

Warid Telecom is advertising its ‘Minute’ Package on different media channels, in which, it has been publicized that, ‘Calls can be made to any network from ‘Warid Minute Package’ in Rs. 1.20/min’.

But according to the show cause notice Warid Telecom, through its Advertisement is prima facie spreading wrong or beguiling information to customers regarding the price, character and/or suitability for use of the product advertised in violation of Section 10 (2 – b) of the Act:

The advertisement does not unveil the tax to be charged on the advertised rate i.e. 1.20/min, hence the consumers are not informed about the actual rate/price to be charged from them;

Advertisement does not unveil that the call rates of Rs. 1.20/min can only be availed during 11.00 PM to 4.59 PM;

In addition to the above, Warid Telecom does not unveil the fact that the rate charged can be different for on-net and off-net calls during 5:00PM to 10.59PM i.e. Rs. 1.50/minute + tax for on-net calls and Rs. 1.70/minute + tax for off-net calls.

It has also been asserted that Warid Telecom through its Advertisement of Minute Package does not appear to show clearly to customers its true terms and conditions and there is probably to be an infringe of sub-section (1) of Section 10 in terms of clauses (b) of sub-section (2) of Section 10 of the Act.

Warid Telecom has been given the limit of 14 days to file its written answer and the case has been fixed for hearing on 9^th of September, 2011.

Pak Updates

Ufone Presents UBudget Services

For the first time in the history of Pakistan, Ufone has introduced the UBudget service which permits you to manage your budgets expertly.

Way of subscription:
SMS “Sub” to the shortcode 5656 or dial 5656 IVR to subscribe to the service.

Way of usage UBudget service:
Submit your monthly income, target savings and log your actual payment under various expense divisions like rent, fuel, shopping, education and others and UBudget service will process and propose an ideal expenditure pattern for you.
You can choose the relevant expense divisions from the following:
House and/or Shop Rent
Utility Bills
Groceries
Education
Fuel/Travel
Entertainment
Medical
Other
 
Note:
You can dial 5656 at any time to change your monthly income, target savings and amounts assigned to each expense division.
Way of Unsubscription:
Users can dial 5656 or SMS “Unsub” to the shortcode 5656 at any time to unsubscribe from UBudget.
 
Charges:
Users will be charged subscription charges of Rs.2.50+tax/week (Postpaid: Rs.10+tax/month)
Calls to 5656 will be charged at Rs.0.10+tax/minute
Each SMS to shortcode 5656 will be FOC.

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Shahid Afridi arranges oar with PCB

Islamabad: Finally  All-rounder Shahid Afridi will unite Hampshire next week after talks with the PCB.
The PCB banned Shahid Afridi, 33, from playing in the FL T20 after hanging up his central aggrement for scornful remarks about the board.

But on tuesday after  a meeting, the PCB allowed the player No Objection Certificate. According to Afridi’s lawyer, as BBC quoted him,

Shahid will join Hampshire next week to play T20 tournament, the meeting between Shahid and Ijaz Butt [PCB chairman] went very well and both parties have come to an amicable agreemen.”. He further added that,

“I spoke to Giles White [Hampshire manager] this morning and they’re very pleased that it’s all sorted out, Shahid is very excited to finally be linking up with Hampshire and get back to doing what he loves, which is playing cricket.”

Afridi, who had seen his registration with Hampshire dissimed by the England and Wales Cricket Board because of the oar, was scheduled to make his Hampshire opening in their FL T20 opener against Somerset llast month.

Afridi was also poised to play Twenty20 cricket for Hampshire last summer but selected to lead Pakistan in the Test series against Australia instead.

Recently, Shahid Afridi met PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt in Islamabad on Tuesday  with the aim of resolve the ongoing quarrel between the two is on the cards.  According ti sources that a meeting had taken place on the urgency of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, to whom Afridi had met in London and sought his help in resolving the matter, on Bilawal’s directives the issue had finally been settled, the sources have confirmed.

Shahid Afridi to launch Widyaan

A renowned Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi is enormously applauded by women and girls in Pakistan and with his plans to introduced Widyaan soon, will also enlarge his circle of fans.

Widyaan is the name of Shahid Afridi’s women wear line, launching soon with a awe-inspiring exhibition that will held from 12^th to 14^th August at Imperial Lawn Clifton.

The Women’s wear line will be obtainable in 22 designs in pure silk, chiffon and georgette, with three color variations in every design. Besides being traditional, the designs will include creative decorations on them.
Widyaan, which has already launched in Dubai, comes to Karachi this month and soon it will open its outlet in Lahore to allure woman with latest fashion.

However, Shahid Afridi has already made his debt in the Pakistani fashion industry with his Men’s eastern wear line, but definitely his women’s wear line will prove useful in his career as a fashion designer.

Launch of Bonanza’s store in Lahore

Bonanza a fashion giant has introduced its new store with a fabulous burst of fashion. Bonanza has introduced new store in Lahore, which was followed by a mini fashion show in which models showcased Bonanza’s creations with style.

Bonanza’s latest collection includes formals and semi formal attires for males and females including three piece suits and decorated Kurtas for males, formal outfits and handbags for women. Lots of fashion and film stars attended the event in which film star Momer Rana fashion designer Saim Ali and fashion models glittered the event with their presence.

Pak Updates

Vitamin D fights colon cancer

Long lasting vitamin D deficiency might result in the development of more colon tumors.

According to a research, vitamin D, specifically its receptor (VDR), play important role in slowing down the action of a key protein in the transformation process of colon cancer cells. Researchers at the Vall d`Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) associated with the Alberto Sols Institute of Biomedical Research (CSIC-UAB) for the study. This protein, known as beta-catenin, normally found in intestinal epithelial cells where it helps in their grouping, is produced in large quantities when the tumor transformation begins.

Because of this, the protein remains in the cell nucleus, where it helps the cancer growing process, at this point at which vitamin D, or rather, the vitamin D receptor (VDR) works to prevent it from getting worse.

Hector Palmer, the coordinator of the study and head of the VHIO’s Stem Cells and Cancer laboratory said that,

“Our study has confirmed the pivotal role of the VDR in controlling the anomalous signal that sparks off the growth and uncontrolled proliferation of colon cells which, in the final instance, ends up causing a tumour to emerge,”
he further mentioned that,

“The stimulation of this receptor suppresses the action of the beta-catenin protein, intercepting the series of events that change the intestinal cell into a malignant tumour cell,”

The researchers examined the effect of the VDR on human colon cancer cell cultures and observed that the concentration of the changed protein, beta-catenin, increased in cells without the VDR. Hence it might be claimed that, chronic vitamin D deficiency might result in the development of more dangerous colon tumours.

Onion skins beneficial for reduction of cancer & diabetes

Scientists have recommended that onion’s skin is helpful for human health. The researchers mentioned that the brown skin and external layers are rich in fibre and flavonoids, while the useless bulbs hold sulphurous.

The research was jointly conducted by Benitez“s research group and scientists from Cranfield University (United Kingdom). They carried out laboratory experiments to recognize the substances and possible uses of each part of the onion.

The study suggested that the brown skin could be used as a functional ingredient high in dietary fibre (principally the non-soluble type) and phenolic compounds, such as quercetin and other flavonoids (plant metabolites with medicinal properties). The two outer fleshy layers of the onion also contain fibre and flavonoids.

Meanwhile Phenolic compounds help to avoid coronary malady and have anti-carcinogenic properties. The high levels of these compounds in the dry skin and the outer layers of the bulbs also give them high antioxidant capacity.

The study is detailed in the journal Plant Foods for Human Nutrition.

Wasim Akram offered his services for young bowlers

  Wasim Akram, the former Pakistan captain has presented his services to the PCB as part-time bowling coach.  According to him, he is ready for serving Pakistani Team but he will be available for part time due to his family commitments.
Previously, Waseem Akram has rejected the offer of PCB to be a coach by mentioning his responsibilities as a commentator.
About the series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the UAE, Akram mentioned that Sri Lanka is a good side but not good enough to beat Pakistan. He pointed out that the bowling attack has struggled without Muttiah Muralitharan, who was responsible for 40% of the team’s wickets during his career.
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