Former 'Baywatch' star Pamela Anderson arrived in Mumbai late Monday amid media frenzy, resulting in a scuffle at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport here. The 43-year-old, who has travelled all the way from Los Angeles to be a guest on Colors' reality show 'Bigg Boss 4', was dressed casually in a grey ganji top with a plunging neckline, and a pair of jeans.





She even sported aviators and left her trademark blonde hair open, as she came out of the airport at 10.50 p.m. - more than two hours later than the scheduled time of her arrival. Even though it was raining, several media persons waited with their still and video cameras to catch a glimpse of Pamela.As soon as she moved out of the airport, all hell broke loose as media persons surrounded her, blocking every way to her car.




Despite the heavy security and five brawny bouncers, Pamela was pushed back to a glass wall of the airport. The scenario became so out of control that she had to turn back inside and move out from a different exit. In the meantime, a scuffle also broke out between a photographer and a policeman, following which, a few other media persons retaliated as well. Other travellers ended up facing the brunt of the frenzy as they weren't able to leave the airport unless the actress did.





Pamela will be entering the 'Bigg Boss 4' house in Lonavala Tuesday morning.She will stay with other housemates for three days, and is expected to boost the oomph factor on the show by leaps and bounds.She has been reportedly paid Rs.2.5 crore for her stint on the show, and she is very 'excited'.






Hollywood actress Pamela Anderson enters the Bigg Boss house in tonight's episode





While most of the housemates were excited to see her, Ashmit Patel and Hrishant Goswami couldn't believe their eyes and hugged each other in pure glee.






Dressed in a beautiful sequined white saree, jhumka, bangles and bindi, Pam looked ravishing!
Pamela was her courteous best and greeted everyone with a polite 'Namaste'!






The former Playmate and ex-Baywatch babe didn't have to introduce herself but the housemates were only too keen to introduce themselves to her.The Hollywood bombshell has made a similar 3-day visit on the Australian version of Big Brother and is well aware of the format of the show

White-Hot Show at Iceland Volcano


A blast of white-hot lightning crackles over Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano on Sunday. Clouds of volcanic ash from Eyjafjallajokull have snarled European air traffic for nearly a week.

National Geographic Your Shot submitter Peter Vancoillie took the photograph from about 18 miles (30 kilometers) away from the volcanic lightning storm, which not "unlike a regular old thunderstorm," said Martin Uman, a lightning expert at the University of Florida in Gainesville.

The same ingredients are present: water droplets, ice, and possibly hail—all interacting with each other and with particles, in this case ash from the eruptions, to cause electrical charging, Uman said.

The volcanic-lightning pictures are 'really very sensational,' Uman said. 'Somebody ought to be up there with an HD movie camera—it's ready for the IMAX theater.'








Purple Bolts at Iceland Volcano

Italian photographer and scientist Marco Fulle flew at sunset on Sunday over Iceland's erupting Eyjafjallajokull volcano to capture this picture of purple lightning bolts streaking through the sky.

Much of the lightning generated by the Iceland volcano is better termed long sparks, said the University of Florida's Uman. Those may include a new type of lightning recently found over an Alaska volcano.

It's unknown how such sparks form, though one possibility is that electrically charged silica-an ingredient of magma-interacts with the atmosphere when it bursts out of Earth's crust, Steve McNutt of the Alaska Volcano Observatory said in February.








Fire, Ice, and Lightning

Fiery lava mixes with blue ash and golden lightning over the erupting Eyjafjallajokull volcano in an April 18, 2010, picture.

The Iceland volcano's lightning is probably creating distinct symphony of sounds, said the University of Florida's Uman. For instance, small sparks of about 30 feet (9 meters) to about 300 yards (91 meters) make sounds like rifle shots, while the miles-long bolts produce the deep, familiar rumbling we associate with thunderstorms, he explained.








Stormy Mix at Iceland Volcano

Pictured Sunday, lightning at the Eyjafjallajokull volcano branches off in many directions-an interesting phenomenon, according to the University of Florida's Uman.

Every bolt has a direction that it travels, Uman explained: A spark begins in electrically charged spot and then travels either up, down, or sideways until it reaches an oppositely charged area.







Lava and Lightning in Iceland

Spurts of lava mix with lightning over Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano on Sunday.

National Geographic Your Shot submitter Oli Haukur Myrdal captured the electrifying light show.

All types of lightning, particularly volcanic lightning, are still largely mysteries to scientists, University of Florida's Uman said.

Since people can't easily get inside thunder and lightning storms, no one knows exactly how they form, he said. However, scientists can install instruments near volcanoes' vents to measure certain data, such as the lightning-detection devices that scientists are installing right now in Iceland, he said.






Flash and Ash at Volcano

Lightning pierces the erupting volcano's ash cloud in a National Geographic Your Shot photograph taken by Olivier Vandeginste on Sunday.

Inhaling the tiny pieces of glassy sand and dust in the cloud can cause irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, say experts who advise Europeans to stay indoors when the ash begins to fall. Finer particles can also penetrate deep into the lungs and cause breathing problems, particularly among those with respiratory issues like asthma or emphysema.

But if people could witness the volcanic lightning safely, it would be an incredible experience, Uman said.

'Everyone would want to see that,' Uman said. 'It's like going to see aurora borealis near the North Pole-it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience.'

Broad bracelets in gold, diamond, wood and metal are in vogue. Flaunted by Hollywood stars Miley Cyrus, Nicole Kidman, singer Rihanna and Bollywood actors Lara Dutta and Sushmita Sen, they have caught the fancy of socialites and college students alike in India.




After belts, purses and anklets became an important part of the wardrobe of fashionistas, it's the turn of broad bracelets. Also called broad cuffs, they are fast replacing multiple thin bangles.




Jewellery designer Farah Khan Ali says: 'Broad cuffs make a statement. These are statement pieces wherein you just wear this one thing and all the attention comes to you. These are bold, colourful, chunky and elegant and lots of women are going in for them because they are better than wearing lots of things that no one notices.'





Among popular broad cuffs are those in silver, gold, diamond, Swarovski and coloured stones such as sapphire, emerald and ruby. For those who like an Indian regal touch, they are available in kundan as well.






While the starting cost of silver cuffs is Rs.1,500, for gold it could start at Rs.30,000 and one can end up paying a steep price depending upon the weight of gold and pure stones used as embellishments.





In India, broad cuffs in gold with ethnic designs are usually passed on as heirloom from one generation to another. 'Pure gold broad cuffs can be very expensive. When people in India buy these cuffs for weddings, they mostly go in for ones in kundan, polki, enamel or stones so that they look dressy,' says jewellery designer Anjali Sikka Sikka.





However, the college-going youngsters don't go for expensive stuff. A lot of them who like to be in vogue without burning a hole in the pocket are going in for stylish broad cuffs in metal and wood.





According to Suman, a spokesperson of exclusive jewellery brand Amrapali, broad cuffs with Indian motifs and designs, especially gold plated ones and silver ones have become immensely popular among international buyers, including tourists.





A word of advice about wearing broad cuffs though. 'The broader these are, the better it is. And every woman must ensure that when she is wearing this piece, she shouldn't wear earrings or just wear small studs and no other excess jewellery like rings, necklace - these should be avoided.





Always wear one huge thing with subdued clothing instead of wearing lots of things. That will do the trick of making you stand out in a crowd.

Nita Ambani celebrates as she is lifted by Harbhajan Singh of the Indians after defeating the Challengers during the 2010 DLF Indian Premier League T20 semi final match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore played at DY Patil Stadium on April 21, 2010 in Navi Mumbai, India.






Lalit Modi, Aliya Modi, Kavita Chellaram, and Ruchir Modi watch from the stands during the 2010 DLF Indian Premier League T20 semi final match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore played at DY Patil Stadium on April 21, 2010 in Navi Mumbai, India.







Sara Tendulkar, daughter of Mumbai Indians skipper Sachin Tendulkar, looks on during the 2010 DLF Indian Premier League T20 semi final match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore played at DY Patil Stadium on April 21, 2010 in Navi Mumbai, India.






IPL Chairman and Commissioner Lalit Modi (L) and his daughter Aliya Modi pose for pictures during the 2010 DLF Indian Premier League T20 semi final match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore played at DY Patil Stadium on April 21, 2010 in Navi Mumbai, India.






Fans Siddharth Mallya and Deepika Padukone of the Challengers look on during the 2010 DLF Indian Premier League T20 semi final match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore played at DY Patil Stadium on April 21, 2010 in Navi Mumbai, India.







Actor Rahul Bose cheers from the stands during the 2010 DLF Indian Premier League T20 semi final match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore played at DY Patil Stadium on April 21, 2010 in Navi Mumbai, India.





Siddharth Mallya, son of Royal Challengers Bangalore owner Vijay Mallya, and actress Deepika Padukone watch from the stands during the 2010 DLF Indian Premier League T20 semi final match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore played at DY Patil Stadium on April 21, 2010 in Navi Mumbai, India.

San Francisco: Online payments' service Paypal has halted personal payments to India following new government regulations that were designed to crack down on money laundering.


Paypal Monday did not cite a specific reason for the suspension apart from concerns raised by PayPal's "business partners and stakeholders". The company noted that commercial payments to merchants in India would continue as normal.



The move is expected to have a serious impact on the thousands of Indian freelancers who are paid via Paypal for web design, writing and software development, PC World reported.



The move is reportedly related to the Indian government's crackdown in November 2009 on international banking transactions, when it instituted new reporting and verification requirements on all banks and financial institutions to prevent international money laundering.

PayPal Halts Personal Payment Transactions From And To India


PayPal isn’t working properly in India. eBay’s electronic payment juggernaut appears to be blocking personal transactions to or from accounts of India-based users. It is reversing personal transactions; transactions involving businesses are still allowed.

A reader checked in with us yesterday to let us know PayPal notified him that the company had stopped allowing personal payments to be sent to or from India (full e-mail can be found below).

This does not appear to be an isolated incident: see here, here and here for more reports, although we gather commercial payment transactions are unaffected at this point.

This is the standard notification e-mail people are receiving in their inbox:




Asked for more information, Binary Turf received a meatier but equally vague response from the customer service department:




The wording seems to suggest that this is a temporary decision, but it’s still unclear why the company decided to take such drastic measures with no prior warning on policy changes whatsoever, and why this appears to be occurring in India only.

We’ve contacted PayPal and will update when and if we hear back.

Update: Anuj Nayar, Director, Global Communications at PayPal tells us:



Guess we’ll have to wait until the issue is addressed.