Kidman and Urban celebrate daughter's birth

Actress Nicole Kidman gave birth on Monday to a girl, her husband Keith Urban told fans on his Web site. "Earlier this morning, Nic gave birth to our beautiful baby girl, Sunday Rose Kidman Urban. We want to thank everybody that has kept us in their thoughts and prayers," said Urban, the New Zealand-born Grammy- and ARIA-winning country music singer. "We feel very blessed and grateful that we can share this joy with you today," he said in the Web posting. This is the couple's first child together. Oscar-winner Kidman, who was born in Hawaii but raised in Australia, has two adopted children from her marriage to actor Tom Cruise.

Pope Benedict set to 'rock' World Youth Day

Pope Benedict arrives in Sydney on Sunday as the headline "rock star" act in the Catholic Church's World Youth Day -- its version of Woodstock, five days of peace, love and Christianity. Already thousands of young Catholics, nuns and priests from around the world have converged on Sydney, which is treating the July 15-20 event as bigger than the Sydney 2000 Olympics. "We are looking forward to see what God has in mind for us," said American Wayne Bolduc, as groups of pilgrims, some wearing backpacks with pictures of Jesus, explored Sydney on Thursday. Organizers are expecting 500,000 pilgrims, but only half that have actually registered so far. Police have been given extra anti-protest powers so they can arrest anyone annoying pilgrims, some 300 roads have been closed and workers have been told to take holidays or avoid the city. Elective surgery in some hospitals has been cancelled and extra doctors rostered on in preparation for injuries. Signs warn motorists that overseas pilgrims are not used to cars on the lefthand side of the road and may step in front of traffic. The city's main horse-racing track, site of the closing gig where hundreds of thousands will gather for a papal mass, has been shut to racing for 10 weeks in preparation. Organizers and local government authorities say World Youth Day will be a religious and financial windfall, with the event estimated to earn the city up to A$200 million (US$190 million). But not everyone is happy. The group "No Pope" is planning to hand out condoms in protest at church's doctrine and protest the extra police powers they say crush civil liberties. Victims of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy plan to protest and call on the Pope to make apologize. There have been 107 convictions for sexual abuse in the Catholic church in Australia. CATHOLIC WOODSTOCK World Youth Day was the brainchild of the late Pope John Paul II who thought a festival which included not only masses and religious events like the stations of the cross, but also music and dance concerts would revitalize the world's Catholic youth. More than 165 outdoor concerts are planned, from religious music to heavy metal, acid jazz, and rap, say organizers who tag the Pope the "rock star" of attraction of World Youth Day. There will even be an underground mass and the remains of a dead Italian saint has been flown out for pilgrims to inspect. For the first three days of his visit the Pope, like most rock stars, will remain in seclusion, resting ahead of his gigs. Inside a Catholic retreat on the outskirts of Sydney, the Pope will rest, pray and play a little piano, says an official from Opus Dei which runs the centre. "He'll probably play the piano more than do sport. I think it's very much a time of rest and preparation," said Opus Dei communications director Richard Vella. The Pope's first gig on Thursday July 17 will see him meet the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and travel by boat across Sydney Harbour to greet thousands of young pilgrims, before heading off in the Popemobile through Sydney's CBD. The church believes that despite Pope Benedict, 81, being the oldest pope elected, he can still engage with young people. "The goals of World Youth Day are to strengthen the faith and goodness of the young people that are coming," said the head of the Catholic church in Australia, Cardinal George Pell. "How the Pope will do that is by his presence and teachings, by his praying with us. He is a very fine teacher," said Pell. Mainstream churches like the Catholic and Anglican struggle to attract worshippers in Australia, unlike small evangelical churches and Buddhism, the fastest growth faith in Australia. Some 5 million Australians describe themselves as Catholic, but less than one million attend Sunday mass, and the number may have dropped to about 100,000 in the past 5 years

Shoaib, Asif in Champions Trophy preliminary squad

Troubled Pakistani fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif have been included in their country's 30-man preliminary squad for the Champions Trophy. Both players have recently run foul of the Pakistan Cricket Board with Shoaib banned for 18 months for disciplinary reasons, and Asif the subject of an internal inquiry after being detained in Dubai for 19 days over a drug-related incident. Chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed, however, confirmed the pair had been included in their preliminary squad for the September tournament, which is being held in Pakistan. "Obviously their final selection is subject to their 100 percent match fitness and form later on and the board," he said. Shoaib was banned for five years in April by the PCB for disciplinary reasons, but had the ban reduced to 18 months on appeal in June. Last week a court in Lahore suspended the ban until it made a decision on whether to hear Shoaib's legal challenge of the PCB's actions. It is expected to make a decision in September. Asif, who only recently returned to playing after six months out with an elbow injury, is facing a PCB internal inquiry after he was stopped at Dubai airport for allegedly carrying a small quantity of contraband. Dubai officials described the contraband as a recreational drug, but prosecutors decided against laying charges. Asif has denied using recreational or performance enhancing drugs, but the PCB is still conducting their own inquiry. "We and the board have the highest respect for the court's directive as far as Shoaib is concerned while Asif's case is being handled by the board committee," Ahmed said.

Sri Lanka allow players to put IPL before England tour

Sri Lanka will allow their top players to compete in the Indian Premier League rather than tour England next year, Sri Lanka Cricket said on Thursday. Sri Lanka Cricket's chief executive Duleep Mendis will inform the England Cricket Board (ECB) on Friday that they are not able to send a full strength side and will discuss alternative arrangements. England invited Sri Lanka for two test matches and three one-day internationals in April and May after the government cancelled Zimbabwe's scheduled visit. However, the proposed tour dates clash directly with the lucrative Indian Premier League, which runs from April 10 to May 25, in which 13 Sri Lanka cricketers have contracts. "We will be taking up the matter with the ECB shortly to find what alternatives we can arrive at without upsetting both parties," Mendis told reporters. "The players were already committed to play in the IPL and they have also assured us that they would give the 2011 tour of England top priority ahead of the IPL. "Taking these points into consideration, we couldn't let them down. "Therefore it was agreed that the players be allowed to play in the IPL next year." Sri Lanka Cricket will see whether the dates can be pushed back, which is unlikely to be possible due to the World Twenty20 Cup starting in June. If England cannot change dates then Sri Lanka will offer to send a weakened squad, Mendis said. All Sri Lanka's top cricketers, including captain Mahela Jayawardene, Muttiah Muralitharan, Kumar Sangakkara and Sanath Jayasuriya, are contracted with IPL franchises on three-year deals.

New iPhone lures black market buyers across Asia

The new iPhone looks set to be a huge hit in Asia countries where it goes on sale on Friday, but the sleek smartphone is already in high demand in black markets from Shanghai to Bangkok. In Thailand, a Southeast Asian hub for pirated goods where Apple Inc's iPhone is not officially for sale, dealers boast they only need a few weeks to smuggle in the trendy phones and "unlock" them for use on local mobile networks. "I'm taking orders this weekend and you'll get it by the end of July. We can sign a contract guaranteeing you will get it," Toew, a phone dealer who is offering 8 gigabyte 3G iPhones for 29,000 baht ($860) on the Internet, told Reuters. At Bangkok's MBK centre -- a treasure trove of pirated DVDs, clothing and luxury goods -- many shops are advertising hacked iPhones with signs that read: "Good price, we unlock very fast". Trading iPhones via the Internet has become more popular in recent months, with prices for the current iPhone soaring 25-30 percent due to tight supply and rumors that the 3G iPhone cannot be hacked despite the claims of online shops. An old iPhone with 8-gigabytes of memory now costs 22,000-24,500 baht, up from 16,500-18,500. A model with twice the memory fetches 25,000-28,000 baht, up around 5,000 baht from a few months ago. "I'm an iPhone addict now. I'm going to sell the old one and buy the 3G phone. No matter what the price is, I'll get one," said Tana Tanaraugsachock, a 41-year old financial executive, who bought her first iPhone during a trip to the United States. A poll by a local website showed more than 77 percent of 2,000 respondents want to buy the new phone, which Apple says has faster Web links faster than the old version and supports third-party software like games. "It's fashion and technology that attract mobile users to the iPhone. They are using more data services to surf the Internet," said Prattana Leelapanang, an executive at Thailand's leading mobile operator, Advanced Info Service. AIS estimates there are 140,000 users of the old iPhone in Thailand, where a 3G network is only in the testing stage for now. Apple is rolling out the new iPhone in more than 20 countries -- including New Zealand, Japan and Hong Kong -- but AIS has not yet reached a deal for Thailand, Prattana said. "WE HACKED IT" In Hong Kong, Hutchison Telecommunications has been flooded with online applications from eager buyers, but retailers in the rest of China -- where the iPhone is not officially offered -- are also gearing up to sell hacked phones. On Shanghai's posh Huaihai Road, a merchant at Cybermart mall said an unlocked iPhone is priced at 3,000 yuan ($437), while a Chinese copy would cost 1,000 yuan. "As soon as we get it from Hong Kong and bring it over and unlock it, you should be able to buy it here by the end of July at the latest," said Zhang, whose shop is at two floor above an authorized Apple reseller. Asked about claims that the new iPhones could not be hacked, he replied: "The Chinese are very quick at unlocking iPhones." "They used to say that the PSP couldn't be hacked as well, but we hacked it." Inside the bustling Cybermart are rows of stalls bearing neon signs with local and global brands. No iPhones were actually exhibited in displays, but when asked repeatedly, merchants would sometimes offer to bring out hacked handsets from the back. Another shopkeeper said most customers prefer the unlocked versions, rather than Chinese copies, which she added were sometimes not of very good quality. "If you look at where a lot of those unlocked phones were going a lot were going to Hong Kong and China...that's a sign of a very big demand," Chris Whitmore of Deutsche Bank said.

Iran tests more missiles, US pledges to defend allies

Iran tested more missiles in the Gulf on Thursday, state media said, and the United States pledged to defend its allies against any Iranian aggression. Washington, which fears Tehran wants to master technology to build nuclear weapons, said after Iran test fired nine missiles on Wednesday that Tehran should halt further missile tests if it wanted to gain the world's trust. Iran said the missiles could hit Israeli and US bases. Speculation that Israel could bomb Iran has mounted since a big Israeli air drill last month. US leaders have not ruled out military options if diplomacy fails to end the nuclear row. Iran has responded by saying it will strike back at Tel Aviv, as well as US interests and shipping, if it is hit. Tehran insists its nuclear program has only civilian goals. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on a visit to the former Soviet republic of Georgia that Washington was sending a message to Iran that it would defend American interests and those of its allies. "We take very, very strongly our obligation to help our allies defend themselves and no one should be confused about that," Rice said after meeting Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. Wednesday's tests rattled global oil markets, pushing up the price of oil. Iranian state TV and radio said the new missile tests took place during the night into Thursday. "Deep in the Persian Gulf waters, the launch of different types of ground-to-sea, surface-to-surface, sea-to-air and the powerful launch of the Hout missile successfully took place," state radio said without giving further details of the missiles. Iranian satellite channel Press TV said Hout was a torpedo. "Iran's Revolutionary Guards test more missiles in Persian Gulf," the Press TV reported in a brief headline. The reports followed remarks on Wednesday night by Guards air force commander Hossein Salami, who had told state television that a "night missile maneuver" was taking place. But he gave no details at the time. Press TV said the new missile tests were part of an ongoing military maneuver.

BB mulls mobile banking to aid remittance

BB mulls mobile banking to aid remittanceBangladesh Bank is contemplating the introduction of mobile phone banking to speed up remittances sent by expatriate workers, central bank governor Salehuddin Ahmed tells bdnews24.com's Abdur Rahim Harmachi