Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor will be seen in a new avatar for Pepsi's new commercial, contrary to his usual look.The 27-year-old will sport a dragon tattoo on his left arm and a motif of the same on his black-blue costume and neck-piece. The messy and carefree look is complemented with a stubble and a mop of hair falling on his forehead.
Ranbir, who recently replaced superstar Shah Rukh Khan as the brand ambassador of Pepsi, is ready with "The Game", an upcoming TV concept from Pepsi.
The new look is slated to premiere on television March 27.
A 12-year-old maid was allegedly hit again and again with a hot iron rod by a hotel owner's family for eating salty tidbits meant for their pet dog, in a horrifying instance of how Indians continue to treat underage domestic helps.
Ria Malakar, a rickshaw puller's daughter battling for life in the Kailashahar district hospital, told IANS from her hospital bed: "I was starving. They had not given me any food for two days, so I ate the 'namkin' kept for the pet."
The incident took place earlier this week in the North Tripura district town of Kailashahar, 150 km north of state capital Agartala. Police say the accused are on the run.
"Dadu (the hotel owner) and Thamma (his wife) struck me with a hot iron rod on my entire body. They also beat me up ruthlessly with a spiked stick. I ate namkin that was kept for the dog," she said.
The victim was Saturday questioned by a three-member team of the State Women's Commission, which has offered to take over her custody for treatment and support, including education.
"It was gruesome," said commission chairperson Tapati Chakraborty, referring to the girl's torture.
As witnessed by IANS, the child's entire body, including the lower parts, was covered with burn marks and doctors say Ria may never be able to conceive due to the torture.
Ria's employer, Subhash Ghosh, along with his wife and two daughters allegedly tortured her in their home till she fainted.
North Tripura district police chief Deepak Kumar told IANS that the Ghosh family is missing and suspected to be hiding in neighbouring Assam. He said help has been sought from their counterparts in Assam to hunt the couple down.
Ria, who called Ghosh 'dadu' (grandpa) and his wife as 'thamma' (grandma), had started working for them a few months back. At the time of bringing her home, Ghosh assured her poverty-stricken father, Nepal Malakar, that he would put her in a school.
In his police complaint, Ria's father said the Ghosh family engaged her as a maid and began beating her mercilessly for "every mistake". (IANS)
Ria Malakar, a rickshaw puller's daughter battling for life in the Kailashahar district hospital, told IANS from her hospital bed: "I was starving. They had not given me any food for two days, so I ate the 'namkin' kept for the pet."
The incident took place earlier this week in the North Tripura district town of Kailashahar, 150 km north of state capital Agartala. Police say the accused are on the run.
"Dadu (the hotel owner) and Thamma (his wife) struck me with a hot iron rod on my entire body. They also beat me up ruthlessly with a spiked stick. I ate namkin that was kept for the dog," she said.
The victim was Saturday questioned by a three-member team of the State Women's Commission, which has offered to take over her custody for treatment and support, including education.
"It was gruesome," said commission chairperson Tapati Chakraborty, referring to the girl's torture.
As witnessed by IANS, the child's entire body, including the lower parts, was covered with burn marks and doctors say Ria may never be able to conceive due to the torture.
Ria's employer, Subhash Ghosh, along with his wife and two daughters allegedly tortured her in their home till she fainted.
North Tripura district police chief Deepak Kumar told IANS that the Ghosh family is missing and suspected to be hiding in neighbouring Assam. He said help has been sought from their counterparts in Assam to hunt the couple down.
Ria, who called Ghosh 'dadu' (grandpa) and his wife as 'thamma' (grandma), had started working for them a few months back. At the time of bringing her home, Ghosh assured her poverty-stricken father, Nepal Malakar, that he would put her in a school.
In his police complaint, Ria's father said the Ghosh family engaged her as a maid and began beating her mercilessly for "every mistake". (IANS)
Bharti Airtel and Apple will launch the iPhone 3GS in India soon.
The Apple iPhone 3GS will be available at Airtel Authorised Stores and will work only with Airtel sim cards. Launch date has not announced yet.
How to buy Airtel iPhone 3GS
For Existing Airtel Customers : No requirements. You can walk into any Airtel Stores to buy iPhone3G. Please ensure you are carrying your existing Airtel SIM card.
For New Customers : You are required to provide the following documents to buy Airtel Post Paid or Prepaid connection:
1. Proof of Identity and Address (Passport/Arms License /Driving License/Photo Identity Card having Address/Election Commission Id Card/ Ration Card with Photo and Address of person whose photo is affixed/CGHS/ECHS Card)
2. Photograph
3. Proof of Address ( Ration Card/Water Bill not older than last 3 months/Telephone Bill of fixed line not older than last 3 months/Electricity bill of state company not older than last 3 months/Income tax assessment order/Vehicle Registration Certificate/Registered Sale or Lease Document . It will take around 4 Hours to activate the new connection.
The Apple iPhone 3GS will be available at Airtel Authorised Stores and will work only with Airtel sim cards. Launch date has not announced yet.
How to buy Airtel iPhone 3GS
For Existing Airtel Customers : No requirements. You can walk into any Airtel Stores to buy iPhone3G. Please ensure you are carrying your existing Airtel SIM card.
For New Customers : You are required to provide the following documents to buy Airtel Post Paid or Prepaid connection:
1. Proof of Identity and Address (Passport/Arms License /Driving License/Photo Identity Card having Address/Election Commission Id Card/ Ration Card with Photo and Address of person whose photo is affixed/CGHS/ECHS Card)
2. Photograph
3. Proof of Address ( Ration Card/Water Bill not older than last 3 months/Telephone Bill of fixed line not older than last 3 months/Electricity bill of state company not older than last 3 months/Income tax assessment order/Vehicle Registration Certificate/Registered Sale or Lease Document . It will take around 4 Hours to activate the new connection.
Aircel will launch its services in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan by July 2010.Aircel which currently has GSM operations in 18 circles will complete its network in all circles in India by then.
Aircel is India's fifth largest GSM service provider with a subscriber base of 33 million as of January 2010
A man died and his wife was critically injured after they were pushed out of a moving train by a Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) in Bihar's Kaimur district Saturday.
Police said the couple, Shiv Shankar and Sandhya Devi, bought a general ticket for Chandauli in Uttar Pradesh and boarded the Howrah-Dehrahun Express train at Sasaram railway station. They, however, entered a reserved compartment instead of the general compartment.
When the TTE discovered this he demanded extra money to make reservations for them but the couple refused to heed.
This led to a heated exchange following which the TTE in a fit of anger pushed them.
The couple fell from the moving train between Bhabhua and Kudra railway stations.
The Government Railway Police have lodged a case and began investigation. The TTE has not been arrested yet. (IANS)
Police said the couple, Shiv Shankar and Sandhya Devi, bought a general ticket for Chandauli in Uttar Pradesh and boarded the Howrah-Dehrahun Express train at Sasaram railway station. They, however, entered a reserved compartment instead of the general compartment.
When the TTE discovered this he demanded extra money to make reservations for them but the couple refused to heed.
This led to a heated exchange following which the TTE in a fit of anger pushed them.
The couple fell from the moving train between Bhabhua and Kudra railway stations.
The Government Railway Police have lodged a case and began investigation. The TTE has not been arrested yet. (IANS)
Godrej Group has launched a new social networking website GoJiyo.com. GoJiyo is not like the current social networking websites like Orkut, Facebook etc. It is an Indian version of the much popular SecondLife virtual world.
GoJiyo is a highly animated vitrual world where the users can land in a new planet where time travel was a possibility, teleportation a reality & flying a daily activity?
The virtual world is open to all users where they can join a tribe, build a new life, a new world.
The new planet has a size of 2.6mn KM2 and now with a residents of more than 5000 and population of more than 12,000
You can chose Male/Female avatars and dwell in regions like urban super CITY, ANCIENT KINgDOM, MOON COLONY
Excited? Play GoJiyo Now
GoJiyo is a highly animated vitrual world where the users can land in a new planet where time travel was a possibility, teleportation a reality & flying a daily activity?
The virtual world is open to all users where they can join a tribe, build a new life, a new world.
The new planet has a size of 2.6mn KM2 and now with a residents of more than 5000 and population of more than 12,000
You can chose Male/Female avatars and dwell in regions like urban super CITY, ANCIENT KINgDOM, MOON COLONY
Excited? Play GoJiyo Now
“National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education” developed by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) was released by the Hon’ble Minister of Human Resource Development, Shri Kapil Sibal.
This Framework is an outcome of a major exercise undertaken by the NCTE towards improving the quality of teacher education by incorporating a newer vision of school education and dovetailing the same into a vision for teacher education. Two significant developments – the National Curriculum Framework, 2005 and the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, have guided the development of this Framework. The document deals with preparing and re-orienting teachers for enabling the child to learn through activities, discovery and exploration of his environment and surroundings in a child friendly and child-centred manner, inclusive education, perspective for equitable and sustainable development, gender perspectives, role of community knowledge in education and ICT in schooling as well as e-learning. The focus of this Framework is towards preparing professional and humane teacher who becomes a reflective practitioner of educational thought and practice.
The Framework is the first step in a journey, the milestones of which will be advocacy of the concerns detailed therein, initiating meaningful and novel curriculum development ventures, professional orientation and training of teachers and teacher educators, and a fillip to research in teacher education.
The Framework has been evolved through a nationwide consultative and participatory process involving experts, teacher educators, teachers, researchers, educational administrators, material writers drawn from NCERT, Universities, colleges of education, DIETs and the State Governments.
This Framework is an outcome of a major exercise undertaken by the NCTE towards improving the quality of teacher education by incorporating a newer vision of school education and dovetailing the same into a vision for teacher education. Two significant developments – the National Curriculum Framework, 2005 and the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, have guided the development of this Framework. The document deals with preparing and re-orienting teachers for enabling the child to learn through activities, discovery and exploration of his environment and surroundings in a child friendly and child-centred manner, inclusive education, perspective for equitable and sustainable development, gender perspectives, role of community knowledge in education and ICT in schooling as well as e-learning. The focus of this Framework is towards preparing professional and humane teacher who becomes a reflective practitioner of educational thought and practice.
The Framework is the first step in a journey, the milestones of which will be advocacy of the concerns detailed therein, initiating meaningful and novel curriculum development ventures, professional orientation and training of teachers and teacher educators, and a fillip to research in teacher education.
The Framework has been evolved through a nationwide consultative and participatory process involving experts, teacher educators, teachers, researchers, educational administrators, material writers drawn from NCERT, Universities, colleges of education, DIETs and the State Governments.
The government is likely to decide on a new common toll collection system for highways by July.
The government is planning to launch a system using technology that will enable a commuter to buy a smart card for use at all toll plazas. Crossing toll plazas is currently is a time-consuming process as the commuter has to pay many times to complete the journey on a highway stretch.
"We want a system which is modern yet user-friendly. We want a technology common for the country. We cannot have different technologies in different states," Road Transport and Highways Minister Kamal Nath said at a conference here.
The government has set up a committee, headed by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) Chairman Nandan Nilekani, to identify the system that can unify toll plazas across India. The committee will submit its report in the next three months.
"We set up the committee under the guidance of Nandan Nilekani to identify what is best in toll technology for India. In next three months, the committee will come up with its findings and then we will decide on the new toll technology common for India," Nath said.
The new toll technology will help integrate the back-end software of all toll plazas. At present, the toll plazas are connected only to the central server at the headquarters of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) but not with each other.
According to estimates, the government is losing over Rs.1,500 crore annually due to leakages in toll collections. (IANS)
The government is planning to launch a system using technology that will enable a commuter to buy a smart card for use at all toll plazas. Crossing toll plazas is currently is a time-consuming process as the commuter has to pay many times to complete the journey on a highway stretch.
"We want a system which is modern yet user-friendly. We want a technology common for the country. We cannot have different technologies in different states," Road Transport and Highways Minister Kamal Nath said at a conference here.
The government has set up a committee, headed by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) Chairman Nandan Nilekani, to identify the system that can unify toll plazas across India. The committee will submit its report in the next three months.
"We set up the committee under the guidance of Nandan Nilekani to identify what is best in toll technology for India. In next three months, the committee will come up with its findings and then we will decide on the new toll technology common for India," Nath said.
The new toll technology will help integrate the back-end software of all toll plazas. At present, the toll plazas are connected only to the central server at the headquarters of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) but not with each other.
According to estimates, the government is losing over Rs.1,500 crore annually due to leakages in toll collections. (IANS)
Mantri Developers has announced the opening of Mantri Square – the largest mall in India. The mall, located at No.1 Sampige road in Malleswaram promises a truly international retail experience. With a wide variety of stores offering shopping, entertainment and dining, Mantri Square would complement Bangalore's status of 'global city'. Designed by internationally renowned Chisel Architects and Bentel Associates of South Africa, Mantri Sqaure will combine modern design with contemporary Indian aesthetics through its unique and innovative architectural design.
Mantri Square is credited with many firsts:
At 1.7 million sq.ft., Mantri Square will be largest mall in India
The only mall in Bangalore to have 5 department stores - Lifestyle, Marks & Spencer, Reliance Trends, Pantaloons and Shoppers' Stop - all under one roof.
The other unique features of the mall include:
Over 1,000 brands across apparel, footwear, accessories and other lifestyle products.
Over 200 retail outlets selling a wide variety of merchandise and offering the best of national and international brands.
Over 36 Options in F&B - from the food court (with the largest seating capacity of 750) to 4 fine dining restaurants to fast food outlets to coffee shops, juice bars and lounge bars.
A 6 theatre multiplex with a 71 Seater gold class.
Over 2,00,000 sq.ft. of leisure & entertainment!
Mantri Square is credited with many firsts:
At 1.7 million sq.ft., Mantri Square will be largest mall in India
The only mall in Bangalore to have 5 department stores - Lifestyle, Marks & Spencer, Reliance Trends, Pantaloons and Shoppers' Stop - all under one roof.
The other unique features of the mall include:
Over 1,000 brands across apparel, footwear, accessories and other lifestyle products.
Over 200 retail outlets selling a wide variety of merchandise and offering the best of national and international brands.
Over 36 Options in F&B - from the food court (with the largest seating capacity of 750) to 4 fine dining restaurants to fast food outlets to coffee shops, juice bars and lounge bars.
A 6 theatre multiplex with a 71 Seater gold class.
Over 2,00,000 sq.ft. of leisure & entertainment!
Alarm and grief swept through Nepal Saturday after former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala - architect of the peace negotiations that ended a decade of Maoist insurgency - died following fortnight-long respiratory problems. He was 85.Armed police forces were deployed in the capital and around the residence of Koirala's daughter, Sujata Koirala, as politicians cutting across party lines, diplomats, civil society leaders and hundreds of grieving followers arrived there to pay their last respects to the man who spent more than six decades in the service of the nation.
Koirala's former protege and ex-prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba announced Koirala's passing away to the crowds that had gathered outside his residence after the news spread that he had sunk into a deep coma.
Koirala died at 12.10 p.m., Deuba said, after the Nepali Congress that Koirala headed called an emergency meeting of its central committee members.
Nepal's Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, who went to Koirala's residence to pay his last respects, called an emergency meeting of the cabinet to discuss the death and a state funeral for the former prime minister.
Koirala's body will be kept at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu Sunday morning for thousands of admirers to pay their last tribute. It will be then taken to Aragyaghat, the cremation area at the Pashupatinath temple, for the last rites.
Koirala, hailed by former US president and Nobel Peace Laurate Jimmy Carter as his hero for having brought the Maoist guerrillas to mainstream politics, had been discharged from the Shahid Gangalal Memorial Heart Hospital Wednesday, where he had been admitted after suffering from a low haemoglobin count due to chronic lung problems.
Once a chain smoker, Koirala had asked to be discharged from hospital and to be taken to the residence of his daughter, Deputy Prime Minister Sujata Koirala, rejecting the recommendation by doctors to be flown abroad for treatment.
In the recent past, he had been admitted to hospitals in New Delhi, Thailand and Singapore.
Koirala, who began his career as a trade union leader from a jute mill in Biratnagar town in southeastern Nepal, was exiled to India for taking part in a pro-democracy movement opposing the absolute rule of Nepal's hereditary Rana prime ministers.
He was also jailed by King Mahendra for opposing the absolute rule of the Shah dynasty of kings.
Hailing from a family that saw three brothers become prime ministers, Koirala himself ruled Nepal as prime minister five times.
Though his leadership was marred by feuds within the party that saw it split and stoked the Maoist insurgency due to rising corruption, Koirala is respected for his unflagging opposition to king Gyanedra's attempt to rule Nepal with the help of the army.
He is also regarded as an unwavering friend of India though his exile in India became controversial after his admission that he had been involved in counterfeiting Indian currency to raise funds for the pro-democracy struggle.
His leadership saw Nepal become secular from a Hindu kingdom and hold a historic election to choose a constituent assembly that is writing a new pro-people constitution.
The government of Nepal had decided to nominate Koirala for the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in signing a peace pact between the Maoists and the major parties.
The passing away of the octogenarian leader could deal a grave blow to Nepal's peace process that is to culminate in a new constitution in May. In Koirala's absence, there may be no other leader of his stature who can hold the bickering parties together.
The Nepali Congress also faces an internal war of succession. Koirala, who kept an iron grip on the party, had indicated he wanted his mantle to fall on his daughter.
However, her bid to lead the party is likely to be opposed by Deuba, who had split the Nepali Congress in the past after a leadership tussle.
Oppnxt Website www.oppnxt.com features links for Online Tests, Job fair, Fresher Job, Employer Login, Green Dream Job Fair 2010 etc
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Nepal's ruling parties are pitted against one another and the Maoists have joined the uproar as Nepal's government finally decided to award a prestigious contract for printing smart passports to a state-owned company in India.
The Nasik-based Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India has bagged the contract to print 4 million machine-readable Nepali passports for three years after the cabinet took the decision Friday.
The green light came only after much wrangling between Deputy Prime Minister Sujata Koirala, who was rooting for the Indian company, and Home Minister Bhim Rawal, who has expressed concern that it may cause security problems.
The cabinet nod has also set Nepal's opposition party, the Maoists, seething. The former guerrillas, who are now the biggest party in the Himalayan republic, called the decision another instance of Nepal's government surrendering to its bigger neighbour India.
The decision has also angered Nepal's parliamentarians, who had advised the government to float a global tender.
The parliamentary Public Accounts Committee had rejected the Indian offer, saying it was the most expensive. Instead, it had asked the government to continue with the earlier bidding process it had initiated.
As per the norms of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), Nepal needs to switch over to the more progressive machine-readable passports.
The government called for a global tender and four companies were shortlisted. They included firms from France, Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia.
However, Sujata Koirala urged the government to award the contract to the Indian company, saying a quick decision was needed to meet the April 1 ICAO deadline.
International travel norms require that Nepalis have the machine readable passport from April 1, failing which they will be barred from travelling abroad.
Nepal is a major exporter of manpower and according to the foreign minister, daily nearly 600 people head for jobs abroad while another 400 leave for education and other purposes.
Stung by the cabinet ignoring its recommendation, the parliamentary committee has called a meeting of its members Sunday to discuss its next course of action. (IANS)
The Nasik-based Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India has bagged the contract to print 4 million machine-readable Nepali passports for three years after the cabinet took the decision Friday.
The green light came only after much wrangling between Deputy Prime Minister Sujata Koirala, who was rooting for the Indian company, and Home Minister Bhim Rawal, who has expressed concern that it may cause security problems.
The cabinet nod has also set Nepal's opposition party, the Maoists, seething. The former guerrillas, who are now the biggest party in the Himalayan republic, called the decision another instance of Nepal's government surrendering to its bigger neighbour India.
The decision has also angered Nepal's parliamentarians, who had advised the government to float a global tender.
The parliamentary Public Accounts Committee had rejected the Indian offer, saying it was the most expensive. Instead, it had asked the government to continue with the earlier bidding process it had initiated.
As per the norms of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), Nepal needs to switch over to the more progressive machine-readable passports.
The government called for a global tender and four companies were shortlisted. They included firms from France, Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia.
However, Sujata Koirala urged the government to award the contract to the Indian company, saying a quick decision was needed to meet the April 1 ICAO deadline.
International travel norms require that Nepalis have the machine readable passport from April 1, failing which they will be barred from travelling abroad.
Nepal is a major exporter of manpower and according to the foreign minister, daily nearly 600 people head for jobs abroad while another 400 leave for education and other purposes.
Stung by the cabinet ignoring its recommendation, the parliamentary committee has called a meeting of its members Sunday to discuss its next course of action. (IANS)
Freida Pinto model and actress who rose to popularity with Oscar winning movie Slumdog Millionaire will be the next Bond girl.Freida has signed an agreement to become the heroine in the next James Bond movie to be directed by Sam Mendez, reports mirror.co.uk
Frieda will join beauties like Ursula Andress, Diana Rigg and Britt Ekland to acheive this feat.
US actress Olivia Wilde, will be the other heroine in the movie.
The Maharaja express, the luxury tourism train of Eastern Railway will be launched by Railway minister Mamata Banerjee today. Meanwhile the map in the advertisement regarding the inauguration of Maharajas’ Express from Kolkata to Nalanda which was displayed in leading newspapers today showed Delhi in Pakistan.
The map showed Kolkata, Gaya in Bay of Bengal, Varanasi in Orissa, Gwalior in Maharashtra and Delhi in Pakistan, Zee news reports
Priyanka Chopra, who looked stunning in a sari as she received the National Award for best actress, has another reason to celebrate with her family - her dad Dr. Ashok Chopra is releasing a music album! Priyanka Chopra would do the honor of releasing her dad Dr ashok chopra's music album on 20th march 2010 evening at Le-Meridian hotel in Delhi.
This album ( Haal Mureedan da Kehna ) Presented by the International Punjabi Association, comprises of 8 Shabads from Gurbani. The acclaim for music composition goes to Surjit Parmaar and Dr Chopra himself and HMV saregama is releasing it.
"My entire family including parents and my grandparents were here for the National Awards ceremony. It's was a big moment for me and I wanted my entire family to be part of it. On Saturday, my father's music album releases. So the family has double reason to be together," Priyanka said from New Delhi.
Priyanka, who got the best actress award for her performance in "Fashion", is looking forward to shooting her second film with Vishal Bhardwaj. Tentatively titled "Saat Khoon Maaf", Priyanka has seven husbands in the film.
While she already has Naseeruddin Shah, Mohanlal and Neil Nitin Mukesh as husbands in the movie, Anu Kapoor is the latest actor to join Priyanka's bandwagon of husbands.
Anu and Priyanka are joined by their love for music and singing. And many antakshari sessions with the two heading teams are anticipated in Coorg during the shooting.
Filmmaker Karan Johar will start shooting the sequel to "Dostana", a light-hearted tale about three friends, this summer with actors Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham once again in the lead."'Dostana 2' starts filming this summer. The final cast will be announced (by the) end of the month...of course flagbearers AB (Abhishek) and John lead the way," Karan, who produced the first movie in 2008, posted on micro-blogging site Twitter.
The filmmaker, whose last release was Shah Rukh Khan-starrer "My Name Is Khan", says preparations are in full swing for the forthcoming movies under his banner Dharma Productions.
Karan is completing the last shooting schedule of his yet untitled film with Kajol, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal. The upcoming movie is an adaptation of Chris Columbus' 1998 comedy-drama "Stepmom".
Also, Saturday will be the last shooting day for "I Hate Love Stories", starring Imran Khan and Sonam Kapoor.
"Sonam Kapoor's last shooting day today for 'I Hate Love Stories'...one song with Imran Khan left and its a film wrap...summer release," he posted.
New-generation private sector bank, Yes Bank, plans to recruit over 1,000 personnel, including 500 specialists, during 2010.
More details awaited
More details awaited
Sanal Edamaruku, president of Rationalist International, challenges tantrik Pandit Surendra Sharma to prove his claim that he could kill anyone with magical powers.
Tantrik tries to kill Sanal Edamaruku in live TV program with his "magical powers".
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bmo1a-bimAM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpwCuv_izn4
http://www.youtube.com/v/t9taL2vcOJ0?hl=en_US&fs=1
Tantrik tries to kill Sanal Edamaruku in live TV program with his "magical powers".
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bmo1a-bimAM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpwCuv_izn4
http://www.youtube.com/v/t9taL2vcOJ0?hl=en_US&fs=1
Praveen Kumar HattrickIPL 2010 Mar-18-2010
Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals
at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Naseeruddin Shah’s youngest son Vivaan is set to make his Bollywood debut opposite Priyanka Chopra in the forthcoming movie directed by Vishal Bhardwaj. Vivaan is casted as one of the seven husbands of Priyanka Chopra in the movie tentatively titled 'Saat Khoon Maaf'Naseeruddin Shah plays Priyanka’s oldest husband while 20-year-old Vivaan plays the youngest reports TOI
Naseeruddin Shah, Irrfan Khan, John Abraham, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Anu Kapoor, an undisclosed Russian actor and Vivaan Shah are casted as the seven husbands of Priyanka Chopra in the film.
The 'Namaste India' festival will be flagged off in Paris April 14, 2010 to seal the Indo-French cultural exchange that began with Bonjour India, the three-month festival of France in India.
Karan Singh, president of the Indian Council For Cultural Relations, will inaugurate the festival of India in France that begins with a dance choreography by Mallika Sarabhai and her ensemble.
"The festival of India in France will feature a whole gamut of cultural activities like classical dance, classical music, folk dances, Indian cuisine and fashion festivals. We have designed the programmes in such a way that it represents the multi-faceted culture of India," Karan Singh told IANS.
"For me, this reconnection with France is special because I was born in a hotel suite in Cannes in 1931 where my father was attending a round table conference. I was born in Hotel Martinez in suites 318-319-320 which were occupied by my father. The weather was misty and cold outside and my mother was closeted in the suites. The bond I share with France is spiritual," Karan Singh said.
The ICCR chief said the resurgence of the cultural festival in 2008 after a hiatus of 20 years has been a shot in the arm for the promotion of Indian culture abroad.
"The trend which was in vogue during the reign of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had stopped after his assassination. The government has revived it," he said.
In 2008, Russia showcased its culture in India with a yearlong Festival of Russia in India followed by the Year of India in Russia in 2009.
"On April 7, the external affairs minister will inaugurate the festival of India in China," he said.
French Ambassador Jerome Bonnafont said that Bonjour India, which began in December, featured 200 events in 18 cities with 250 artists, designers, entrepreneurs and researchers.
The festival included exhibitions, concerts, literature, cinema, arts, debates, economic and scientific exchanges. It was jointly organised by the Culturesfrance and the Embassy of France.
"The festival was different because it brought to India the diverse components of the contemporary French culture including ethnic and immigrants' culture with which Indians were not familiar. But it is not enough. We intend to organise another festival in one-and-a-half years to keep the momentum alive," Bonnafont told IANS.
The festival ended with a tribute to celebrated European classical composer Frederic Chopin on his 200th birth anniversary in a hour-long piano recital at the Embassy of France Friday evening. (IANS)
Karan Singh, president of the Indian Council For Cultural Relations, will inaugurate the festival of India in France that begins with a dance choreography by Mallika Sarabhai and her ensemble.
"The festival of India in France will feature a whole gamut of cultural activities like classical dance, classical music, folk dances, Indian cuisine and fashion festivals. We have designed the programmes in such a way that it represents the multi-faceted culture of India," Karan Singh told IANS.
"For me, this reconnection with France is special because I was born in a hotel suite in Cannes in 1931 where my father was attending a round table conference. I was born in Hotel Martinez in suites 318-319-320 which were occupied by my father. The weather was misty and cold outside and my mother was closeted in the suites. The bond I share with France is spiritual," Karan Singh said.
The ICCR chief said the resurgence of the cultural festival in 2008 after a hiatus of 20 years has been a shot in the arm for the promotion of Indian culture abroad.
"The trend which was in vogue during the reign of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had stopped after his assassination. The government has revived it," he said.
In 2008, Russia showcased its culture in India with a yearlong Festival of Russia in India followed by the Year of India in Russia in 2009.
"On April 7, the external affairs minister will inaugurate the festival of India in China," he said.
French Ambassador Jerome Bonnafont said that Bonjour India, which began in December, featured 200 events in 18 cities with 250 artists, designers, entrepreneurs and researchers.
The festival included exhibitions, concerts, literature, cinema, arts, debates, economic and scientific exchanges. It was jointly organised by the Culturesfrance and the Embassy of France.
"The festival was different because it brought to India the diverse components of the contemporary French culture including ethnic and immigrants' culture with which Indians were not familiar. But it is not enough. We intend to organise another festival in one-and-a-half years to keep the momentum alive," Bonnafont told IANS.
The festival ended with a tribute to celebrated European classical composer Frederic Chopin on his 200th birth anniversary in a hour-long piano recital at the Embassy of France Friday evening. (IANS)
Veena S, who contests in BBMP elections from Okalipuram has secured the title as thee first transgender to contest in elections from South India.
Veena is contesting the BBMP election from Okalipuram (ward number 96). Veena with hut as her election symbol is planning to rope in transgenders and volunteers from the city
Veena is contesting the BBMP election from Okalipuram (ward number 96). Veena with hut as her election symbol is planning to rope in transgenders and volunteers from the city
Religare Mutual Fund has unveiled a new fund named as Religare Fixed Maturity Plan - Series II - Plan F (13 Months), a close ended debt scheme.The New Fund Offer (NFO) price for the scheme is Rs 10 per unit. The new issue will be open for subscription from 25 March and close on 26 March 2010.
www.religaremf.com
SBI Mutual Fund announces a new payment facility through State Bank of India (SBI) ATM Cum Debit Card in the schemes of SBI Mutual Fund for online investments through SBI Mutual Fund website. The new facility is being introduced with effect from 22 March 2010.This facility will be available for all SBI Mutual fund schemes except Magnum Instacash Fund, Magnum Instacash Fund - Liquid Floater, SBI Premier Liquid Fund and SBI Short Horizon Debt Fund - Ultra Short Term Fund.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday greeted the nation on the occasion of Navroz, the Parsi new year.Marking the first day of spring, Navroz symbolises renewal and brings the message of hope and celebration.
"The festival is a living symbol of the rich diversity and the vibrant composite culture of India," the prime minister said in a statement.
It also reinforces the values of peace and religious harmony in India, he added.
The Poems are published at Leena Manimekalai’s blog ‘Ulagin Azhagiya Muthal Penn’.
Indu Makkal Katchi of Tamil Nadu has filed a compalint against Leena Manimekalai, filmmaker and poet for posting poems in her blog. According to the complaint the poems portrayed women in an obscene manner.
The Poems are published at Leena Manimekalai’s blog ‘Ulagin Azhagiya Muthal Penn’.
Indu Makkal Katchi of Tamil Nadu has filed a compalint against Leena Manimekalai, filmmaker and poet for posting poems in her blog. According to the complaint the poems portrayed women in an obscene manner.
The Poems are published at Leena Manimekalai’s blog ‘Ulagin Azhagiya Muthal Penn’.
Delhi Government Procurement portal
http://delhi.govtprocurement.com/
Tender Website of Government of Delhi , Procurement e-marketplace
http://delhi.govtprocurement.com/
Tender Website of Government of Delhi , Procurement e-marketplace
'Arthasasthram Unga Vazhi, Dharmasasthram En Vazhi'
Superstar Rajinikanth's movies are famous for punch dialogues delivered by him. These dialogues which blends with the screenplay of the movies becomes an instant hit among his fans.
Endhiran - the Robot, the new movie by Superstar Rajinikanth also has some of the so called punch dialogues. Some of these dialogues has been out in the internet includes
'Arthasasthram Unga Vazhi, Dharmasasthram En Vazhi'
'Vazhkkai Koduppavan Vakkaalan, Vaaikkarisi Poduravan Vetpaalan'
'Arasiyalil Endrumey Naan Nirayuthapani'
Endhiran, regarded as one of the highest ever film budgets of the Indian film industry is expected be released in July 2010.
Manohar "Mike" Vaswani, an Indian-American who has worked for integrating all Asian communities into one strong and cohesive entity, has received Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director's Community Leadership Award for 2009.
India born Vaswani was among 51 community leaders recognised in a ceremony Friday at FBI Headquarters by Director Robert S. Mueller for having "demonstrated outstanding contributions to their local communities".
"Those honoured here today represent people from different backgrounds and beliefs, from different corners of America, but share some things in common: a willingness to lead, a commitment to improving the lives of their neighbours, and a desire to make the nation safer for their fellow citizens," he said.
Selected by the Las Vegas Division of FBI, Vaswani is the president of the Asian American Group (AAG) and the Asian American Coalition of Las Vegas.
Vaswani who came to the US in 1970 became a naturalised citizen in 1978. He is a 2009 graduate of the Las Vegas FBI Citizens' Academy.
As the founder of the AAG, Vaswani has emphasised the importance of integrating all Asian communities into one strong and cohesive entity so the community members become strong citizens, FBI said.
Some of the Asian groups represented in the AAG include: Chinese, Vietnamese, Koreans, Indians, Pakistanis, Filipinos, Thai, Malaysians, and Singaporeans.
By organising and participating in many cultural festivities throughout the year, the AAG promotes a strong unity among Asians. The AAG also promotes and encourages the active involvement of all Asian youth in various social and political functions.
By continuously providing opportunities and information for Asians to broaden and strengthen their understanding of mainstream American traditions and lifestyle, the AAG helps achieve the ultimate goal of assisting Asians in assimilating comfortably into the American culture, FBI said.
Many cities throughout the US boast of having strong Asian associations; however, in Las Vegas, mainly as a result of Vaswani's leadership, over 30 Asian associations have united under the AAG.
For many years, Vaswani has personally availed himself to the Las Vegas community for legal, citizenship, and immigration issues. Vaswani has also served as the main conduit between FBI Las Vegas and the Asian community, helping to foster trust and communication. (IANS)
India born Vaswani was among 51 community leaders recognised in a ceremony Friday at FBI Headquarters by Director Robert S. Mueller for having "demonstrated outstanding contributions to their local communities".
"Those honoured here today represent people from different backgrounds and beliefs, from different corners of America, but share some things in common: a willingness to lead, a commitment to improving the lives of their neighbours, and a desire to make the nation safer for their fellow citizens," he said.
Selected by the Las Vegas Division of FBI, Vaswani is the president of the Asian American Group (AAG) and the Asian American Coalition of Las Vegas.
Vaswani who came to the US in 1970 became a naturalised citizen in 1978. He is a 2009 graduate of the Las Vegas FBI Citizens' Academy.
As the founder of the AAG, Vaswani has emphasised the importance of integrating all Asian communities into one strong and cohesive entity so the community members become strong citizens, FBI said.
Some of the Asian groups represented in the AAG include: Chinese, Vietnamese, Koreans, Indians, Pakistanis, Filipinos, Thai, Malaysians, and Singaporeans.
By organising and participating in many cultural festivities throughout the year, the AAG promotes a strong unity among Asians. The AAG also promotes and encourages the active involvement of all Asian youth in various social and political functions.
By continuously providing opportunities and information for Asians to broaden and strengthen their understanding of mainstream American traditions and lifestyle, the AAG helps achieve the ultimate goal of assisting Asians in assimilating comfortably into the American culture, FBI said.
Many cities throughout the US boast of having strong Asian associations; however, in Las Vegas, mainly as a result of Vaswani's leadership, over 30 Asian associations have united under the AAG.
For many years, Vaswani has personally availed himself to the Las Vegas community for legal, citizenship, and immigration issues. Vaswani has also served as the main conduit between FBI Las Vegas and the Asian community, helping to foster trust and communication. (IANS)
A new serial with the banned cartoon character Savita Bhabhi as the lead is getting ready to be broadcasted in Jay Hind, internet TV portal.Divya Dwivedi, aka Rekha Kumari will do the role of Savita Bhabhi reports Indiatimes.
Actress Divya Dwivedi has earlier acted in movies such as ‘Jahan Jaaeyega Hamen Paaeyega’, ‘Hot Money’, ‘Kuch Kaha Aapne’ etc.
Five bidders had lined up for the available two teams in the fourth season of Indian Premier League 2011. The teams which are ready for bidding after the cut-off time for submission of bids are Videocon, Sahara India, the Adani Group, Jaypee Group and a Pune consortium of Cyrus Poonawala and Ajay Shirke, TOI reports. The bids will be opened in Chennai on 21 March.
"3 Idiots" might have gone on to become Hindi cinema's highest grosser till date with record collections of about Rs.400 crore (Rs.4 billion). But actor Boman Irani, who will be seen next in Shyam Benegal's "Well Done Abba", says the movie still awaits its true test."The euphoria of '3 Idiots' never died down. There's great value for it...(but) at this point of time it's a little premature. The true test of the movie is not how much money it makes, but whether after 10 years if people recall it as a reference point and in fun as part of their movie conversation," Boman told IANS in a telephonic interview from Mumbai.
"Very few movies remain in public memory as landmark films and I want to see whether '3 Idiots' will be up there with some of the wonderful films that have come out of this country...Hopefully, we'll come to know in a few years whether it can become one of the great films," he added.
Produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and directed by Rajkumar Hirani, "3 Idiots" also starred Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi and Kareena Kapoor.
After a humble beginning with Mansoor Khan's "Josh" in 2000, Boman shot to fame as the eccentric doctor J.C. Asthana in Hirani's "Munnabhai M.B.B.S." and followed it up with the portrayal of a Sikh property dealer Lucky Singh in "Lage Raho Munna Bhai".
While both the movies gave him new nicknames, Boman says he likes his monicker 'Virus' (Viru Sahastrabudhhe) from "3 Idiots" as well.
"I am very proud to be a part of '3 Idiots' and happy that the character has worked in a big way. The wonderful thing is I used to be called Mamu (from 'Munnabhai M.B.B.S') earlier, then Lucky Singh happened for a while and now I am called Virus," said Boman, who is equally excited about "Well Done Abba".
Inspired by two short stories - "Narsaiyyan Ki Bavdi" by Jeelani Bano and "Phulwa Ka Pul" by Sanjeev, "Well Done Abba" is a light-hearted political satire that narrates the story of Armaan Ali (Boman), a driver working in Mumbai.
He takes a month's leave to find a suitable match for his teenage daughter, who lives in a small neighbourhood close to Hyderabad. But he returns to work only after three months and his employer wants to sack him.
Talking about the film, Boman said: "Buying a house in this country and getting a daughter married are among the greatest responsibilities for anyone...It's a completely Indian film about Indian people and an honest effort which will charm and entertain them.
"It sounds very sad but it's a satire...It's very beautifully told and the comic situations are lovely, sweet and very charming. It's like a fable. It's very funny and touching. It's almost like a book with wonderful illustrations," he added.
Produced by Big Pictures, the film also stars Minissha Lamba, with Ila Arun, Sonali Kulkarni, Rajit Kapur and Yashpal Sharma also in pivotal roles.
Prior to its release, "Well Done Abba" has been to film festivals in Montreal, London and Dubai.
Besides "Well Done Abba", Boman will be seen in "Hum Tum Aur Ghost", "Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai", "Mirch", "Housefull", "Dostana 2" and "Don 2".
He has also lent his voice to Nikhil Advani's animation movie "Ab Dilli Door Nahin".(IANS)
A British Phd student has discovered a terrifying new species of dinosaur in China, an eight-foot long creature with scythe-like claws.Michael Pittman and an American colleague stumbled on the near-complete fossil skeleton of Linheraptor exquisitus during a field trip to Inner Mongolia and found that the creature is related to the Velociraptor, one of the frightening stars of the film "Jurassic Park", reports dailymail.co.uk.
Like its famous cousin, Linheraptor had a large curved toe claw on each foot which may have been used to dispatch prey.
The 25 kilogram (55 pound) dinosaur, which lived 75 million years ago, would have been agile and swift on its feet.
Pittman, from University College London, said it was a childhood dream come true to discover the animal's fossil bones sticking out of a cliff face.
He was visiting the Wulansuhai Formation, a site of red sandstone rocks in Inner Mongolia where a number of other dinosaur finds have been made, with Jonah Choiniere from George Washington University.
"Jonah saw a claw protruding from the cliff face. He carefully removed it and handed it to me. We went through its features silently but he wanted my identification first... I told him it was from a carnivorous dinosaur and when he agreed I'm surprised nobody in London heard us shouting," said Pittman recalling the discovery.
"I've always wanted to discover a dinosaur since I was a kid, and I've never given up on the idea. It was amazing that my first discovery was from a Velociraptor relative," he added.
Choiniere also echoed the same.
"It was a total surprise that the whole skeleton was buried deeper in the rock. This fossil is going to tell us a lot about the evolution of the skeleton in the group that includes Velociraptor," he said.
Both Linheraptor and Velociraptor are dromaeosaurids, an extended family of meat-eating bird-like dinosaurs from the Cretaceous Period.
Linheraptor is the fifth dromaeosaurid to be unearthed from the Wulansuhai Formation.
It is most closely related to the species Tsaagan mangas discovered in Mongolia in 1993.
Professor Xu Xing, from the Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Palaeoanthropology in Beijing, China, who heads an investigation into the region's dinosaur history, said: "This is a really beautiful fossil and it documents a transitional stage in dromaeosaurid evolution." (News:IANS Image: NatGeo)
Composer Shankar Mahadevan and singer Shaan will vie for the "Music Ka Maha Muqqabla" title Saturday night after 13 weeks of competition on the STAR Plus reality show. Shankar is the captain of "Shankar's Rockstars" that has Rahul Vaidya, Sharib Sabri, Sanjeev Kumar and Neetii Muhan. They will be representing the theme of fire.
While Harshit Saxena, Anweshaa Dutta Gupta, Debojit Saha and Shadab Faridi, who are members of Shaan's team called Shaan's Strikers, will be symbolising water at the grand finale.
"Music Ka Maha Muqqabla" had Mika, Himesh Reshimyya, Mohit Chauhan and Shreya Ghoshal in the race earlier.
The show had its share of controversies. For instance, in one of the episodes of the semi-finals Shankar sang all the songs by himself because he was not confident about his team. He ultimately won the competition, understandably so. Is this fair?
The finale will be held at the BPCL Ground in Chembur here and will be telecast live, starting 9 p.m. (IANS)
Nine telecom operators, including market leaders Bharti Airtel and Reliance Communications, have applied for radio frequency spectrum to provide third generation (3G) telephony."Nine companies have applied for 3G," a department of telecommunications (DoT) official said here Friday, the last day for submitting applications.
For broadband services, the department has received applications from 11 companies, including Bharti Airtel, Qualcomm, Tata Communications, Tikona and Vodafone.
"We have applied for 3G as well as broadband wireless access services," an Airtel spokesperson told IANS.
The government hopes to garner Rs.35,000 crore ($7.69 billion) from the spectrum auction that will begin next month.
The two state-run telecom companies, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd, already have licences for 3G services. Both have been offering the service in their operating circles for the last one year.
Third generation telecom services allow faster connectivity than what is available now, and will enable applications such as Internet TV, video-on-demand, audio-video calls and high-speed data exchange. (IANS)
Kareena Kapoor has become the highest taxpayer among all actresses in Bollywood, a source said Friday.While what she paid has not been disclosed, it has been said that the 29-year-old coughed up a staggering amount to the income tax department.
"Kareena is a style icon and powerhouse performer. She is distinctive and has a loyal base fan which only seems to be growing. Her increasing body of work as a star and popularity with brands reflects in the taxes she's paid for 2009-10," said a source.
Last year, Kareena was seen in films like "Main Aurr Mrs Khanna", "Kurbaan" and "3 Idiots".
India's largest coal producer, Coal India Ltd (CIL), expects to hit the capital markets by July, company chairman Partha S. Bhattacharyya said here Friday.The government, which holds 100 percent stake in CIL, will divest 10 percent through an initial public offer (IPO) of 63.1 crore shares, Bhattacharyya told reporters on the sidelines of the 20th Asian Corporate Conference organised by industry lobby CII.
The company will reserve 6.3 crore shares for its employees.
"We hope to file the draft red herring prospectus for the issue with Securities Exchange Board of India by mid-June post our annual general meeting," Bhattacharyya said.
Bhattacharyya added that the company's net profit would be around $1.7 billion in the current fiscal.
The company is now producing 430 million tonnes of coal, which is expected to reach 700 million tonnes over the next 10 years, Bhattacharyya said.
CIL has also secured exploration licences for two blocks in Mozambique and expects to start work there soon.
"We are expecting one billion tonnes reserves from these blocks," he said.
Bhattacharyya also spoke about the company's corporate social responsibilities. "As we are expanding our coal mining operations, its our responsibility to grow more trees than we have cut. We are passionately pursuing the afforestation programme."
The company is adopting clean technology to reduce the impact of mining on the environment, he said.(IANS)
Former union minister Mani Shankar Aiyar and lyricist Javed Akhtar were among five people nominated to the Rajya Sabha Friday by President Pratibha Patil.The three others nominated to the upper house of parliament are Ram Dayal Munda, Bhalchandra Mungekar and B. Jayashree, according to an official statement.
The nomination has been made against the vacancies caused by the retirement of nominated members, the release added. (IANS)
The cabinet Friday approved the creation of the National Population Register (NPR) that will complement the issue of identity cards to every resident of the country.
"The project would cover an estimated population of 1.2 billion and the total cost of the scheme is Rs.3,539.24 crores," Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told reporters after a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
She said the creation of a digital database with identity details of all individuals along with their photographs and finger biometrics "will result in the creation of a biometrics based identity system in the country".
Such a database "will enhance the efficacy of providing services to the residents under government schemes and programmes, improve the security scenario and check identity frauds in the country".
Data for the NPR will be collected along with the house listing and housing census starting in April and will be completed by September.
"Once finalised, the NPR database will be sent to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) for biometric de-duplication and assigning of a unique identification number. This UID number will be added to the NPR database," Soni said. (IANS)
"The project would cover an estimated population of 1.2 billion and the total cost of the scheme is Rs.3,539.24 crores," Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told reporters after a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
She said the creation of a digital database with identity details of all individuals along with their photographs and finger biometrics "will result in the creation of a biometrics based identity system in the country".
Such a database "will enhance the efficacy of providing services to the residents under government schemes and programmes, improve the security scenario and check identity frauds in the country".
Data for the NPR will be collected along with the house listing and housing census starting in April and will be completed by September.
"Once finalised, the NPR database will be sent to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) for biometric de-duplication and assigning of a unique identification number. This UID number will be added to the NPR database," Soni said. (IANS)
Adam Dell, younger brother of computer tycoon Michael Dell, is the father of supermodel Padma Lakshmi's daughter Krishna, according to sources.
The "Top Chef" host announced her pregnancy in October. But she refused to reveal the father's identity.
Lakshmi, 39, and Dell, 40, are trying to work out visitation rights with their daughter, who will be a month old March 20, reports people.com.
He would like "more time and involvement with the child. It's all in negotiations. They are trying to work it out. They are trying to avoid anything messy", the source added. (IANS)
The "Top Chef" host announced her pregnancy in October. But she refused to reveal the father's identity.
Lakshmi, 39, and Dell, 40, are trying to work out visitation rights with their daughter, who will be a month old March 20, reports people.com.
He would like "more time and involvement with the child. It's all in negotiations. They are trying to work it out. They are trying to avoid anything messy", the source added. (IANS)
New York-based American music composer Wayne Sharpe has composed a new version of India's national patriotic song Vande Mataram. The song will be included in the forthcoming movie Rajneeti.The song is penned by Gulzar, and will be the first attempt by a foreigner to modify and recreate an Indian patriotic song.
Amitabh Bachchan, who counts "3 Idiots" and "Kaminey" as amongst his favourite films of last year, Friday inaugurated voting for the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) 2010 awards."It has always been my desire that the talent that we have in our country and the place that Indian cinema enjoys in our society should expand beyond our shores. Thanks to IIFA and some of the association that we have, it has enabled us to build the bridge culturally and economically," Amitabh told reporters before he voted for IIFA Awards 2010 at J.W. Marriot here Friday.
"As you all know the voting for IIFA awards in an individual process. There is no jury. It's the people from film fraternity that votes. It's a very welcome change from all the other awards ceremonies that are constructed in our country. PricewaterhouseCoopers is the holder of the legacy of its results," he added.
His "Paa" has been getting many of the major awards this year and his performance has garnered huge accolades.
When asked to pick his favourite film, the megastar said: "I liked '3 Idiots'. I liked the film. Youth population in India is indeed one of the largest populations. What youth want should be taken seriously. '3 Idiots' was a film that addressed many of those problems. Apart from that I liked some of the work that Ranbir (Kapoor) did. 'Kaminey' was a fantastic film.
"Shah Rukh (Khan)'s 'My Name is Khan' yet another exemplary film. I am yet to see the film as I was touring abroad. I have seen the promos. I loved the way Shah Rukh has portrayed the disability... it was away from what he has done in the past."
This is the eleventh year of IIFA celebrations. Bollywoods three Khans - Aamir, Shah Rukh and Salman - have not been seen at IIFA events the last two years.
"Some were not available. Some were busy with their early commitments. In my last 10 years of experience, every one, be it Shah Rukh or Salman has come to the award function. May be some year they have missed, but that must be because of their shooting schedules," said Amitabh. (IANS)
Amitabh Bachchan has agreed to be the brand ambassador of Kerala."The Kerela government sent me a letter asking me to be their brand ambassador to promote tourism. I have accepted that and (am) now waiting for their response," Amitabh told reporters here Friday.
He was speaking at a meeting organised to inaugurate the voting for 2010 International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards.
(IANS)
Disgraced golfer Tiger Woods' alleged mistress Joslyn James has put 122 explicit text messages sent by him on her website. The messages from the golfer revealed how he wanted to take part in perverted sexual practices, reports dailystar.co.uk.
Their three-year affair was stripped bare in graphic detail as James, 32, built her own website - sextingjoslynjames.com - to publish it.
She launched the site Thursday but it crashed just minutes later after millions around the world logged on to read Tiger's sex texts.
The front page of the site carries a warning about its explicit content as Woods' dirty texts are littered with swear words and sexual content. (IANS)
Film: "Love Sex Aur Dhokha"; Cast: Anshuman Jha, Shruti, Raj Kumar Yadav, Neha Chauhan, Arya Devdutta, Herry Tangri, Amit Sial; Director: Dibakar Banerjee; Rating: ***The million dollar question making the rounds is - Does "Love Sex Aur Dhokha" have a story?' The answer is yes. In fact, there are three stories, each of them being shown in episodic manner with 'Love', 'Sex' and 'Dhokha' being the plot drivers for the respective tales.
Do they work? Yes, they do though it is apparent that there are ups and downs in the pace of these stories. While each of these stories starts with a bang and has a valid culmination, there is a slight dip that comes in occasionally and makes you pine for some faster movement.
So there is a young couple who fall in love during the shooting of a diploma film, get married secretly and then face the wrath of their family. Since the film is set in a filmmaking school, the presence of a camera right through this story does come across as quite valid.
The second story is about an unemployed young man stationed at a retail shop who takes advantage of a naive girl by capturing their lovemaking moments through a security camera. The third story is about a sting operation where an aspiring dancer gets back on a superstar by capturing the entire casting couch proposal on film. Both these stories have seen quite a few predecessors in real life.
Does the film work with disjointed episodes like this? Certainly yes, if one is willing to drop all preconceived notions about how a feature film should look. This is why after 15 minutes, one has to get used to a shaking camera, sync sound, leading to quite a few audio disturbances and random frame capturing.
However, one does feel that treatment like this comes with its own limitations. Since the film is about how a camera follows the lives of people in every nook and corner, the narrative has to be real and there cannot be any dramatisation of an event.
Nevertheless, this very limitation also works as a strength for Banerjee. Whether it is body language, intimate moments or the framing of a scene, done excellently by Nikos Andritsakis, everything is captured 'as-is'.
Also, be warned that the foul language in the film is as explicit as it gets. Never before in a Hindi film has one heard the kind of cuss words that one hears in "Love Sex Aur Dhokha". Again, quite justified since this is the first film that truly fits into the bracket of 'slice of life'.
"Love Sex Aur Dhokha" couldn't have been what it is without the effort of its cast. Everyone - Anshuman Jha (Rahul), Shruti (Shruti), Raj Kumar Yadav (Adarsh), Neha Chauhan (Rashmi), Arya Devdutta (Naina), Herry Tangri (Loki Local) to Amit Sial (Prabhat) - everyone is superb.
"Love Sex Aur Dhokha" has one factor which completely works for it - its genre which is unconventional, unprecedented and unheard of.
This is a kind of film where a filmmaker can afford to play around without worrying much about universal acceptance. That's exactly the route that "Love Sex Aur Dhokha" takes as it is made for a very niche audience that wants something non-Bollywood.(IANS)
JPMorgan Mutual Fund has launched a new open-ended income scheme JPMorgan India Short Term Income Fund. The scheme aims at generating income by investing primarily in money market and short term debt instruments.The New Fund Offer (NFO) is open for subscription from March 18 to March 23, 2010. The New Fund Offer price for the scheme is Rs 10 per unit.
Sky gazers in the capital are looking forward to watch the spring equinox Saturday - when the sun shines directly overhead as viewed from the earth, making the night and day equally long.
According to scientists, equinox marks the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere and the word 'equinox' is derived from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night). Around the equinox, the night and day are approximately equally long.
In Delhi, SPACE (Science Popularisation Association of Communicators and Educators) will be organising a public outreach programme at Jantar Mantar Saturday to explain the concepts of equinox, using the ancient instruments located there.
The sky watch will take place between 10 a.m. and 12.30 p.m.
"Astronomers are able to measure shadows created by the sun during equinox day to determine the earth's location. Finding your location by just observing the movement of the sun is something unimaginable for a layman. But astronomers can do that easily using simple tools to create shadows, and measuring the angle of the sun," said SPACE president C.B. Devgun.
An equinox happens twice each year. During this period the centre of the sun can be observed to be vertically overhead. It occurs approximately around March 20/21 (Vernal) and Sep 22/23 (Autumnal) each year.
Explaining the process, Devgun said: "We know that the earth rotates about itself and it is tilted at an angle of approximately 23.44 degrees. It also revolves around the sun in an elliptical orbit. Because of the tilt of the earth, for the whole year, the sun shines at different altitudes above the horizon as viewed from earth.
"But there are two days in the year when the sun shines directly overhead as viewed from the earth's equator. On these two days, day and night are of equal lengths anywhere on the surface of the earth, called Spring Equinox and Autumnal Equinox," he added.
According to scientists, equinox marks the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere and the word 'equinox' is derived from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night). Around the equinox, the night and day are approximately equally long.
In Delhi, SPACE (Science Popularisation Association of Communicators and Educators) will be organising a public outreach programme at Jantar Mantar Saturday to explain the concepts of equinox, using the ancient instruments located there.
The sky watch will take place between 10 a.m. and 12.30 p.m.
"Astronomers are able to measure shadows created by the sun during equinox day to determine the earth's location. Finding your location by just observing the movement of the sun is something unimaginable for a layman. But astronomers can do that easily using simple tools to create shadows, and measuring the angle of the sun," said SPACE president C.B. Devgun.
An equinox happens twice each year. During this period the centre of the sun can be observed to be vertically overhead. It occurs approximately around March 20/21 (Vernal) and Sep 22/23 (Autumnal) each year.
Explaining the process, Devgun said: "We know that the earth rotates about itself and it is tilted at an angle of approximately 23.44 degrees. It also revolves around the sun in an elliptical orbit. Because of the tilt of the earth, for the whole year, the sun shines at different altitudes above the horizon as viewed from earth.
"But there are two days in the year when the sun shines directly overhead as viewed from the earth's equator. On these two days, day and night are of equal lengths anywhere on the surface of the earth, called Spring Equinox and Autumnal Equinox," he added.
The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) Friday said it will set up a Centre for Internal Quality Assurance (CIQA) to ensure quality in open and distance learning education system in the country.
"(The move) has been initiated in order to augment quality-related activities and introduce effective accreditation and audit practice to develop self accountability in the system," said V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai, chairman of IGNOU's Distance Education Council (DEC).
Pillai, who is also the vice chancellor, said the draft for setting up CIQA had been prepared in consultation with all state open universities.
"The DEC has developed various guidelines, norms, policies. We have provided facilities for strengthening the academic capabilities of distance learning institutions," he said. (IANS)
"(The move) has been initiated in order to augment quality-related activities and introduce effective accreditation and audit practice to develop self accountability in the system," said V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai, chairman of IGNOU's Distance Education Council (DEC).
Pillai, who is also the vice chancellor, said the draft for setting up CIQA had been prepared in consultation with all state open universities.
"The DEC has developed various guidelines, norms, policies. We have provided facilities for strengthening the academic capabilities of distance learning institutions," he said. (IANS)
Actress Priyanka Chopra will make her debut on small screen as the host of the adventure reality show "Fear Factor- Khatron Ke Khiladi". She will host the special Indian Premiere League (IPL) edition of the show on the Colors channel. The glamorous actress, who has replaced action star Akshay Kumar as the host, will be taking 13 cricketers to task.
"It feels fantastic to be associated with one of the biggest shows on Indian television today. It fits perfectly with my personality. I have been a huge fan of the show and thoroughly enjoy watching it.
"I am looking forward to begin an all new innings in TV with this show which pumps up the adrenaline levels. It's exciting to be a part of the concept which is unique and is associated with some of the biggest names in cricket," Priyanka said in a press release.
The special edition of the show will feature Indian as well as international cricketers competing with each other to vie for the "Fear Factor - Khaton Ka Khiladi" title for 2010.
Colors' programming head Ashvini Yardi says Priyanka has replaced Akshay due to a change in format.
"Akshay took this show to great heights with his inimitable style. However, this year we're changing the format. So far you had seen 13 beauties with one khiladi. This season get ready to witness 13 cricketing khiladis (macho men) and ek haseena (one beauty)," said Yardi.
"We're delighted to have Priyanka on board. When you combine her glamour, mass appeal and athleticism with cricketers' energy and adrenalin, what you get is the best possible combination for a show like 'Fear Factor - Khatron Ke Khiladi'," she added.
The Union Cabinet today decided to release an additional instalment of Dearness Allowance (DA) to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners with effect from 1.1.2010 representing an increase of 8% over the existing rate of 27% of the Basic Pay/Pension, to compensate for price rise. The increase is in accordance with the accepted formula, which is based on the recommendations of the Sixth Central Pay Commission. The combined impact on the exchequer on account of both dearness allowance and dearness relief would be of the order of Rs.6969.36 crore per annum and Rs.8131.20 crore in the financial year 2010-2011 (for a period of 14 months from January, 2010 to February, 2011).
Tamil Nadu Budget 2010
Click here for Live Webcast of Tamil Nadu Budget 2010
Tamil Nadu Finance Minister K. Anbazhagan Friday presented a deficit budget with no additional tax for the financial year 2010-11.
"The total revenue receipts of the government for 2010-11 are estimated at Rs.63,091.74 crore and the total revenue expenditure is estimated at Rs.66,488.19 crore. Accordingly, the revenue deficit is estimated at Rs.3,396.45 crore," he said while presenting the budget in the assembly.
He said the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations was the main reason for the deficit.
The total capital expenditure, including loans and advances (net), for the coming financial year was projected at Rs.12,825.68 crore. The projected fiscal deficit will be Rs.16,222.13 crore.
"This would constitute 3.7 percent of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP). Taking into account the net Public Account, the overall deficit will be Rs.8 crore," he said, adding that the deficit would be lowered by cutting expenditure and through better tax administration.
Declaring that the state had achieved all the targets set by the central government regarding revenue and fiscal deficit in the last four years, Anbazhagan said: "The fiscal deficit for the year 2010-11 is permissible as per the recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission."
According to the Medium Term Fiscal Plan (MTFP) presented alongwith the budget, implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations, the increasing expenditure on various existing and new welfare schemes and the slowdown in revenue growth due to global economic meltdown, Tamil Nadu will have a revenue deficit of Rs.5,019.54 crore and fiscal deficit of Rs.12,860.45 crores in 2009-10.
In the coming financial year also (2010-11), the Pay Commission arrears have to be paid and the state is again expected to be in a revenue deficit of Rs.3,396.45 crore.
Further, due to the high level of capital expenditure planned by the government, the fiscal deficit will be Rs.16,222.13 crore and fiscal deficit-GSDP ratio is expected to be 3.72 percent. This is as per the recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission.
According to the MTFP, the state has been very careful in managing its debt. The outstanding debt of the government as on 31.3.2009, which includes liabilities like the provident fund, has been Rs.74,858 crore. The increase in debt in the three-year period from 2006-07 to 2008-09 has been Rs.17,401 crore.
"The total capital expenditure during the same period has been Rs.22,519 crore showing that the mobilised debt has been utilised for productive purposes. The debt-GSDP ratio of the government at the end of 2009-10 will be 23 percent," the MTFP states.
Click here for Live Webcast of Tamil Nadu Budget 2010
Tamil Nadu Finance Minister K. Anbazhagan Friday presented a deficit budget with no additional tax for the financial year 2010-11.
"The total revenue receipts of the government for 2010-11 are estimated at Rs.63,091.74 crore and the total revenue expenditure is estimated at Rs.66,488.19 crore. Accordingly, the revenue deficit is estimated at Rs.3,396.45 crore," he said while presenting the budget in the assembly.
He said the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations was the main reason for the deficit.
The total capital expenditure, including loans and advances (net), for the coming financial year was projected at Rs.12,825.68 crore. The projected fiscal deficit will be Rs.16,222.13 crore.
"This would constitute 3.7 percent of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP). Taking into account the net Public Account, the overall deficit will be Rs.8 crore," he said, adding that the deficit would be lowered by cutting expenditure and through better tax administration.
Declaring that the state had achieved all the targets set by the central government regarding revenue and fiscal deficit in the last four years, Anbazhagan said: "The fiscal deficit for the year 2010-11 is permissible as per the recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission."
According to the Medium Term Fiscal Plan (MTFP) presented alongwith the budget, implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations, the increasing expenditure on various existing and new welfare schemes and the slowdown in revenue growth due to global economic meltdown, Tamil Nadu will have a revenue deficit of Rs.5,019.54 crore and fiscal deficit of Rs.12,860.45 crores in 2009-10.
In the coming financial year also (2010-11), the Pay Commission arrears have to be paid and the state is again expected to be in a revenue deficit of Rs.3,396.45 crore.
Further, due to the high level of capital expenditure planned by the government, the fiscal deficit will be Rs.16,222.13 crore and fiscal deficit-GSDP ratio is expected to be 3.72 percent. This is as per the recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission.
According to the MTFP, the state has been very careful in managing its debt. The outstanding debt of the government as on 31.3.2009, which includes liabilities like the provident fund, has been Rs.74,858 crore. The increase in debt in the three-year period from 2006-07 to 2008-09 has been Rs.17,401 crore.
"The total capital expenditure during the same period has been Rs.22,519 crore showing that the mobilised debt has been utilised for productive purposes. The debt-GSDP ratio of the government at the end of 2009-10 will be 23 percent," the MTFP states.
Wear loose cottons while doing yoga. Make well- fitting, comfortable attire for gym workouts. For, what you wear while exercising can accentuate the posture and the feel good factor, say fitness experts."Wearing appropriate workout clothes can enhance and optimise your workouts and thereby increase your benefits," Vinita Shetty, a Reebok fitness trainer, told IANS.
"Right clothes give you the comfort and support that is greatly needed in addition to helping you maintain an optimum body temperature during intense workout sessions.
"Well-fitting attire can also help accentuate your form and posture so as to be monitored better. The feel good factor of right clothing cannot be underestimated either. All these factors contribute to getting a better performance out of the participant," Shetty added.
According to Delhi-based yoga expert Yatharth Sehajpal, uncomfortable clothes are a big no-no for a workout session.
"One should avoid stiff and uncomfortable clothing because a session requires performing different and difficult body postures, so one should go in for loose and comfortable clothing that absorbs sweat," he said.
Earlier, people used to wear anything for a workout session and there was less awareness about the right clothes for exercising. However, with changing times more people are getting hooked to the latest fitness outfits available in the market.
"People are becoming conscious about fitness and are adopting a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, the demand for sportswear has increased," said Andreas Gellner, managing director, Adidas India.
Also, a fact that has been noticed is that men use fitness clothing more than women.
"Typically, men indulge more in fitness shopping as they are more involved in sports and related activities. But slowly the trend is changing as more and more women are becoming conscious about their fitness regime and do not mind spending on fitness clothing," added Gellner.
Colours also play an important part while you select your clothes for workout sessions.
"Light colours like white, beige, pink etc are ideal for a yoga session since they are pleasing to the eyes and absorb less heat," said Sehajpal.
Manufacturers of fitness wear also say that colours like black, blue and white are the basic popular colours, but the demand for bright colours is on a high too.
As far as suitable fabric is concerned, the winner is cotton. Trainers and fitness experts swear by it for a workout session.
"It's very important that the clothes you wear while exercising are cotton or semi cotton and not synthetic at all because when you sweat you need to wear something that absorbs the sweat. That is very important," Leena Mogre, fitness expert and director Leena Mogre Fitness, told IANS.
Mogre has trained Bollywood actresses like Katrina Kaif, Kangana Ranaut and Sameera Reddy among others. (IANS)
You may not be a cricketer, but you can sure get a taste of what it means to be part of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Go for the special menu that a restaurant here has drawn up keeping the team members' culinary preferences in mind!From Sunday, Cappuccino - the 24-hour coffee shop at Sheraton Park Hotel and Towers - will dish out to its guests 'The Super King's World Menu'. They are the official hoteliers for the Indian Premier League (IPL) here, after all.
"The menu is made with the consent of the players," executive chef Parveen Anand told IANS. It will contain gastronomic delights that the CSK cricketers have confessed their weakness for.
A look at the menu reveals that the CSK players like to quench their thirst with rose milk or a mango smoothie - when they are not busy devouring rivals on the field.
While it takes butter chicken with extra butter to stump team captain and wicketkeeper M.S. Dhoni, foodie Mathew Hayden loves to have several helpings of prawn curry with kal dosa.
M. Muralitharan gets bowled over by steamed idiappam with chapa pulusu while Suresh Raina satiates his hunger off the field with grilled chicken sandwich.
Club sandwich and banana milkshake form all-rounder Albie Morkel's power play combo. Parthiv Patel is content with home-style dal tadka, steamed rice and jeera aloo while fast bowler L. Balaji is happy to be served pepper chicken gravy with veechu paratha.
Medium pacer Joginder Sharma gives the thumbs up to pindi channa with bhatura and right hander Subramanian Badrinath loves mutton biryani with baingan ka salan and raita.
CSK's coach Stephen Fleming likes to dig into braised lamb shanks with barbeque sauce and baguette. And guess what the '12th man' in the menu card is? None other than the thayir saadam/curd, pickles and the pappad as they go well with most other items.
And you can have all this on a platter, feeling right royal like a 'super king'. Howzzzat! (IANS)
A planet discovered 1,500 light years from Earth is remarkably similar to those in our own solar system, according to astronomers.The Jupiter-size world, called Corot-9b, is orbiting a distant star in our Milky Way every 95 days, reports dailymail.co.uk.
Scientists believe it could become a 'Rosetta stone' by helping them to understand other 'exoplanets' elsewhere in the galaxy.
"Corot-9b is the first exoplanet that really does resemble planets in our solar system. It has the size of Jupiter and an orbit similar to that of Mercury," said Hans Deeg, one of the scientists from the Institute of Astrophysics.
The planet was detected by the CoRoT space telescope operated by the French space agency, CNES.
Its Sun-like parent star, Corot-9, is in the constellation of Serpens, the Snake.
More than 400 exoplanets have been discovered to date, but most are so-called 'hot Jupiters' - gas giants that hug their parent stars in close orbits and have surface temperatures of 1,000 C or more.
These are the easiest planets to find using the common method of measuring the "wobble" their gravity gives their parent stars.
About 70 exoplanets have been found using a different method which relies on the planet passing in front of its star, or "transiting". The planet reveals itself by blotting out some of the star's light causing it to dim.
Corot-9b was identified by the transit method. The planet took eight hours to pass in front of its star, which provided astronomers with a lot of information.
The planet turned out to be unusual because it was not a "hot" Jupiter. Depending on the extent of reflective clouds in its atmosphere, it has a surface temperature of between minus 20 and 160C.
Didier Queloz, from the University of Geneva in Switzerland and co-author of the research published today in the journal Nature, said: "Our analysis has provided more information on Corot-9b than for other exoplanets of the same type."
"It may open up a new field of research to understand the atmospheres of moderate and low-temperature planets, and in particular a completely new window in our understanding of low-temperature chemistry," he added.
Claire Moutou, from the Astrophysical Laboratory of Marseille, France, another member of the 60-strong international team, said: "It is bound to become a Rosetta stone in exoplanet research."
The planet was spotted by CoRoT in 2008. Land-based astronomers manning the 3.6 metre European Southern Observatory at La Silla, Chile, followed up the discovery by looking in detail at the star system.
Using an instrument called HARP which measures light wavelengths they confirmed that Corot-9b was an exoplanet about 80 per cent as massive as Jupiter.
"Girls Aloud" star Cheryl Cole wants to date pot bellied man.The "Fight for This Love" hitmaker - who separated from her soccer player husband Ashley Cole following the exposure of his string of affairs - has vowed she will never be romantically involved with a toned, muscular man again.
She wants her next lover to be a normal guy with a rounded stomach, reports femalefirst.co.uk.
When asked what type of men attracts her attention on the beach, she said, "A guy could be in the Speedos and be ripped to within an inch of his life and I don't think I'd look again.
"It would have to be the Bermuda shorts and the pot belly."
Cole is also keen to do a cameo role in a movie or on her favourite TV show "Coronation Street".
"I would love to play a cameo. I wouldn't mind doing that if I could just speak in my accent, be me in something for half an hour, I would enjoy that. But I can't see myself being an actress. I love music," she added. (IANS)
To avoid a possible death sentence and extradition to India, Pakistani American terror suspect David Coleman Headley has pleaded guilty to a dozen federal terrorism charges, admitting his role in planning the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
In pleading guilty Thursday to all 12 counts that were brought against him in December and were repeated in a subsequent indictment in January, Headley, 49, admitted that he attended training camps in Pakistan operated by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a designated foreign terrorist organisation, on five separate occasions between 2002 and 2005.
Prosecutors said in late 2005, Headley received instructions from three members of LeT to travel to India to conduct surveillance.
Son of a Pakistani father and an American mother, he changed his name from Daood Gilani in 2006 to visit India five times to scout targets for the Nov 26 Mumbai attacks that killed 164 people including six Americans.
Appearing before US District Judge Harry Leinenweber in Federal Court here, Headley dressed in an orange jump suit with his hands and legs shackled also pleaded guilty to planning an attack on a Danish newspaper that had published cartoons lampooning the Prophet Mohammad.
At Thursday's hearing Headley pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bomb public places in India; conspiracy to murder and maim persons in India; six counts of aiding and abetting the murder of US citizens in India; conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism in India; conspiracy to murder and maim persons in Denmark; conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism in Denmark; and conspiracy to provide material support to Lashkar.
Headley's co-accused, Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 49, a Pakistani-Canadian living in Chicago, was indicted in January on three counts of conspiracy to provide material support to the Mumbai attacks; conspiracy to provide material support to the Denmark plot; and providing material support to Lashkar.
He has pleaded not guilty and remains in federal custody in Chicago while awaiting trial.
Headley, Prosecutors said has cooperated with the Government since he was arrested on Oct 3, 2009, and the plea agreement states that he "has provided substantial assistance to the criminal investigation, and also has provided information of significant intelligence value."
In light of Headley's past cooperation and expected future cooperation, the Attorney General Eric Holder has authorised the US Attorney in Chicago not to seek the death penalty against Headley, prosecutors said.
Provided that Headley continues to provide full and truthful cooperation, prosecutors will seek possibly a life sentence, which will be solely up to the Court to decide.
"When directed by the US Attorney's office, Headley must fully and truthfully participate in any debriefings for the purpose of gathering intelligence or national security information," they said.
Headley has also agreed that, "when directed by the United States Attorney's Office, he will fully and truthfully testify in any foreign judicial proceedings held in the United States by way of deposition, video-conferencing or letters rogatory."
"Today's guilty plea is a crucial step forward in our efforts to achieve justice for the more than 160 people who lost their lives in the Mumbai terrorist attacks. Working with our domestic and international partners, we will not rest until all those responsible for the Mumbai attacks and the terror plot in Denmark are held accountable," Holder said.
"Not only has the criminal justice system achieved a guilty plea in this case, but David Headley is now providing us valuable intelligence about terrorist activities. As this case demonstrates, we must continue to use every tool available to defeat terrorism both at home and abroad." (IANS)
In pleading guilty Thursday to all 12 counts that were brought against him in December and were repeated in a subsequent indictment in January, Headley, 49, admitted that he attended training camps in Pakistan operated by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a designated foreign terrorist organisation, on five separate occasions between 2002 and 2005.
Prosecutors said in late 2005, Headley received instructions from three members of LeT to travel to India to conduct surveillance.
Son of a Pakistani father and an American mother, he changed his name from Daood Gilani in 2006 to visit India five times to scout targets for the Nov 26 Mumbai attacks that killed 164 people including six Americans.
Appearing before US District Judge Harry Leinenweber in Federal Court here, Headley dressed in an orange jump suit with his hands and legs shackled also pleaded guilty to planning an attack on a Danish newspaper that had published cartoons lampooning the Prophet Mohammad.
At Thursday's hearing Headley pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bomb public places in India; conspiracy to murder and maim persons in India; six counts of aiding and abetting the murder of US citizens in India; conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism in India; conspiracy to murder and maim persons in Denmark; conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism in Denmark; and conspiracy to provide material support to Lashkar.
Headley's co-accused, Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 49, a Pakistani-Canadian living in Chicago, was indicted in January on three counts of conspiracy to provide material support to the Mumbai attacks; conspiracy to provide material support to the Denmark plot; and providing material support to Lashkar.
He has pleaded not guilty and remains in federal custody in Chicago while awaiting trial.
Headley, Prosecutors said has cooperated with the Government since he was arrested on Oct 3, 2009, and the plea agreement states that he "has provided substantial assistance to the criminal investigation, and also has provided information of significant intelligence value."
In light of Headley's past cooperation and expected future cooperation, the Attorney General Eric Holder has authorised the US Attorney in Chicago not to seek the death penalty against Headley, prosecutors said.
Provided that Headley continues to provide full and truthful cooperation, prosecutors will seek possibly a life sentence, which will be solely up to the Court to decide.
"When directed by the US Attorney's office, Headley must fully and truthfully participate in any debriefings for the purpose of gathering intelligence or national security information," they said.
Headley has also agreed that, "when directed by the United States Attorney's Office, he will fully and truthfully testify in any foreign judicial proceedings held in the United States by way of deposition, video-conferencing or letters rogatory."
"Today's guilty plea is a crucial step forward in our efforts to achieve justice for the more than 160 people who lost their lives in the Mumbai terrorist attacks. Working with our domestic and international partners, we will not rest until all those responsible for the Mumbai attacks and the terror plot in Denmark are held accountable," Holder said.
"Not only has the criminal justice system achieved a guilty plea in this case, but David Headley is now providing us valuable intelligence about terrorist activities. As this case demonstrates, we must continue to use every tool available to defeat terrorism both at home and abroad." (IANS)
Sandra Bullock triumphed at the Oscars by winning the best actress trophy for her impressive performance in "The Blind Side", but reports of her husband's infidelity gave her little time to savour the victory. The star Monday left the Southern California house that she shared with Jesse James, people.com quoted a source as saying.
James had an 11-month relationship with Michelle 'Bombshell' McGee, reports dailymail.co.uk. McGee, whose whole body is covered with tattoos, told In Touch magazine that she called 40-year-old James her 'Vanilla Gorilla' and gave salacious details of their time together.
Following the reports, Bullock cancelled the London screening of "The Blind Side". She was expected to attend it on Tuesday with her co-star, newcomer Quinton Aaron.
Warner Brothers announced that the event and its accompanying parties were off because "unforeseen circumstances" had arisen which meant Bullock was "no longer available to travel".
The actress had a string of unsuccessful relationships before meeting James, a former bodyguard to heavy metal groups, when she took her young godson to the set of his now-axed TV show "Monster Garage" in 2004.
The couple married a year later, in July 2005 in a sunset ceremony at a ranch north of Santa Barbara attended by 300 guests. She became his third wife almost five years ago. (IANS)
A 14-year-old girl was shot dead after being taken hostage by her neighbour following an altercation over repair and renovation in an apartment complex here Thursday morning. The man was gunned down and two policemen injured in an effort to save the girl, police said.
Additional Police Commissioner (West) Amitabh Gupta said 65-year-old retired customs official Harish Madoria went on a shooting spree after a scuffle with his neighbour Ketan Mehta and took the latter's daughter Himani hostage outside their home in Saujanya Apartments in Bhardawadi in Andheri West.
"They had some argument over some private matter and Madoria is said to have taken Himani hostage," Gupta told reporters.
Neighbours alerted a police patrol which attempted to rescue the girl.
At this, Madoria opened fire killing the girl and injuring two policemen, Gupta said.
Police retaliated, wounding Madoria who later succumbed to his injuries.
The injured policemen - identified as Uday Patil and Phalke from D.N. Nagar police station - have been taken to a nearby hospital.
According to eyewitnesses, Madoria and Mehta had been at loggerheads for some time over matters related to the housing society. (IANS)
Additional Police Commissioner (West) Amitabh Gupta said 65-year-old retired customs official Harish Madoria went on a shooting spree after a scuffle with his neighbour Ketan Mehta and took the latter's daughter Himani hostage outside their home in Saujanya Apartments in Bhardawadi in Andheri West.
"They had some argument over some private matter and Madoria is said to have taken Himani hostage," Gupta told reporters.
Neighbours alerted a police patrol which attempted to rescue the girl.
At this, Madoria opened fire killing the girl and injuring two policemen, Gupta said.
Police retaliated, wounding Madoria who later succumbed to his injuries.
The injured policemen - identified as Uday Patil and Phalke from D.N. Nagar police station - have been taken to a nearby hospital.
According to eyewitnesses, Madoria and Mehta had been at loggerheads for some time over matters related to the housing society. (IANS)
Corporation Bank, a leading Public Sector Bank, invites Online applications from Indian Citizens for recruitment in Probationary Officer and Specialist Officers Cadre
Last date for online registration : 08/04/2010
For more details visit Corp Bank website
Last date for online registration : 08/04/2010
For more details visit Corp Bank website
Hrithik Roshan’s older sister Sunaina Roshan married secretly to a businessman named Mohan Nagar on January, 2010, Times of India reports.
Since the past few weeks, there were rumours in the industry that Rakesh Roshan’s daughter had secretly remarried. Sunaina has confirmed that she has marriage Mohan Nagar, who is in the construction business.
Since the past few weeks, there were rumours in the industry that Rakesh Roshan’s daughter had secretly remarried. Sunaina has confirmed that she has marriage Mohan Nagar, who is in the construction business.
About 40 hours after a six-year-old boy fell into a 400-foot-deep borewell in Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam district, rescue operations were still on to pull him out, officials said Thursday morning.
Suraj Rathore, who fell into the open and disused borewell while playing in a field in Malvasa village in Ratlam district, around 350 km from here, Tuesday evening, is presumed to be alive, though there has been ro response from him after 9.30 p.m Wednesday.
He was earlier responding to calls by the rescue team.
The boy's father, Virendra Rathore, had removed the casing of the borewell Monday after it failed to harvest any water.
"Every effort is being made to keep the boy alive. Oxygen is still being pumped into the borewell, hoping to increase the chances of his survival," an official said.
"He is either unconscious or dead. Doctors are ready to give him aid if we are successful in pulling him out alive. But the chances of survival are very low," District Collector Mahendra Gyani said.
"The land around the borewell is being dug up in a bid to reach the boy. However, the earth around the pit keeps on caving in," he said. (IANS)
Suraj Rathore, who fell into the open and disused borewell while playing in a field in Malvasa village in Ratlam district, around 350 km from here, Tuesday evening, is presumed to be alive, though there has been ro response from him after 9.30 p.m Wednesday.
He was earlier responding to calls by the rescue team.
The boy's father, Virendra Rathore, had removed the casing of the borewell Monday after it failed to harvest any water.
"Every effort is being made to keep the boy alive. Oxygen is still being pumped into the borewell, hoping to increase the chances of his survival," an official said.
"He is either unconscious or dead. Doctors are ready to give him aid if we are successful in pulling him out alive. But the chances of survival are very low," District Collector Mahendra Gyani said.
"The land around the borewell is being dug up in a bid to reach the boy. However, the earth around the pit keeps on caving in," he said. (IANS)
The Indian unit of the Renault-Nissan alliance will start selling Micra hatchbacks from July and aims sales of 80,000 units in the financial year ending March 2011. The new plant of Renault-Nissan was inaugurated at Chennai yesterday. The plant is made at a cost of 45 billion Rupees and will initially employ 1,500 workers at start of production in May 2010.
http://www.itbprecruitment.in/ The Indo-Tibet Border Police (ITBP) has launched professional SMS, help line service and a new website for recruitment.
A new recruitment website http://www.itbprecruitment.in/ will be available with details of various ITBP recruitments
A helpline would answer the queries in both English and Hindi languages.
The SMS based service would provide information about flow of information related to medical examination, written examination centers.
A new recruitment website http://www.itbprecruitment.in/ will be available with details of various ITBP recruitments
A helpline would answer the queries in both English and Hindi languages.
The SMS based service would provide information about flow of information related to medical examination, written examination centers.
Former Indian captain Anil Kumble has launched his photography collections in a book. The book titled Wide Angle, showcases photographs captured by Kumble during various cricket tours in his career.The book was released on Wednesday by Shane Warne.
Videocon Group has now launched nine mobile handsets which includes a Triple SIM CDMA handsets, QWERTY keypad DUAL SIM with Optical Track pad, Attractive Touch screen devices and Dual SIM Multimedia, Camera and Music phones.
Videocon has launched `Videocon VC1425' positioned as Grab the Power of 3. This combines the both GSM and CDMA technologies in a handset with 2 SIMs and 1 RUIM.
On the music category front various models comprise: V204, an entry Colour FM phone that allows to record and play, and V1300, which adds a handy Ultra Violet Currency Checker.
Videocon's latest Camera phone launches include the V1402 with which one can shoot, Groove. Flaunt! This is the entry camera phone in the portfolio. V1420 has a 3.5mm jack to connect to external speakers, and doubles up as Your Media and total music. Rolled into One!
Multimedia gets the 3.2MP evolution with the introduction of the dapper V1705. V1602 adds meat to the mid range 2MP line-up. The V1602 with the existing V1604 would seek to turn up the action in the 2MP multimedia market for Videocon.
In the touch category, Videocon has redefined the fourth screen by allowing the user to watch movies on the handset which plays the enhanced RMVB (Real Media Variable Bitrate) format enabling you to watch movies with just a touch. .
With Social networking taking the centre stage, Videocon V1675 addresses the s-net platform with the brilliant V1675 which has all widget support to s-net applications. The QWERTY interface along with the optical track pad makes for a neat browsing and messaging handheld.
Videocon has launched `Videocon VC1425' positioned as Grab the Power of 3. This combines the both GSM and CDMA technologies in a handset with 2 SIMs and 1 RUIM.
On the music category front various models comprise: V204, an entry Colour FM phone that allows to record and play, and V1300, which adds a handy Ultra Violet Currency Checker.
Videocon's latest Camera phone launches include the V1402 with which one can shoot, Groove. Flaunt! This is the entry camera phone in the portfolio. V1420 has a 3.5mm jack to connect to external speakers, and doubles up as Your Media and total music. Rolled into One!
Multimedia gets the 3.2MP evolution with the introduction of the dapper V1705. V1602 adds meat to the mid range 2MP line-up. The V1602 with the existing V1604 would seek to turn up the action in the 2MP multimedia market for Videocon.
In the touch category, Videocon has redefined the fourth screen by allowing the user to watch movies on the handset which plays the enhanced RMVB (Real Media Variable Bitrate) format enabling you to watch movies with just a touch. .
With Social networking taking the centre stage, Videocon V1675 addresses the s-net platform with the brilliant V1675 which has all widget support to s-net applications. The QWERTY interface along with the optical track pad makes for a neat browsing and messaging handheld.
Tired of flipping through hundreds of cable channels to find something to watch? Google may be able to help you.The web search giant has teamed up with Intel, Sony and Logitech to develop a new television platform that the company hopes will extend its dominance from computers and cellphones to televisions, The New York Times and Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.
The reports said that the Google service will run on set-top boxes or built-in TV hardware that uses Intel's energy-efficient Atom processors, Google's Android operating system and remote controls developed by Logitech.
The open-source Google TV platform will be open to third-party developers to write their own plug-ins, as they have for the Android platform, the paper reported. Sony is hoping build the new service into its TV sets in a move that could help it gain against increasingly fierce competition from Samsung and others, the reports said.
Is he an alcoholic? Is she a party animal? Was she dating anyone before? These questions typically bother the parents of prospective Indian brides and grooms, especially those who use matrimonial websites. And for answers they tap detective agencies."We have been offering investigation services for prospective spouses for 10 years, but there has been a considerable spurt in the number of applications over the years," says Jitendra Satpute, deputy general manager, TRIPL (TOPSGRUP Risk Intelligence Private Limited).
"People don't want to risk their child's life and hence demand the verification of credentials of the prospective spouse of the child," Satpute told IANS.
It is this growth of the online matrimony market that has led to a surge in demand for reliable information about prospective partners as parents fear attractive and seemingly perfect profiles could be tailormade to impress, says Satpute.
According to industry sources, the overall online matrimony market is worth Rs.2.5 billion and there are as many as 40 million people registered on various matrimonial websites in India, including bharatmatrimony.com, shaadi.com and jeevansathi.com.
Sanjeev Kumar Deswal, managing director of Aider Detectives Pvt Ltd, also confirms that the increase in demand for detective services is directly related to the rise in matrimony websites.
"Around 15-20 years back, marriages were mostly arranged through family or friends' contacts, so the guarantee that the boy or girl is suitable or not used to be there," said Deswal, who claims his company receives at least 10 inquiries for pre-marital investigations a day.
"But nowadays a lot of children go abroad or to another city for studies or to work and the extended family hardly knows them. So, no one knows about his or her daily activities, friends group or lifestyle and this is where private detectives are stepping in these days.
"Matrimony sites do the basic verifications from their end, but for further in-depth information, people contact detective companies," he added.
Most of these investigations include surveillance about family background, education and job credentials, but parents also want to be aware of the habits, vices, social standing and peer group of the person concerned.
These investigations may cost anything from Rs.5,000 to Rs.50,000 depending on individual requirements, and 60 percent of the clients making use the service belong to high income groups in cities like Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, New Delhi and Mumbai.
Satish Chawla, who has a son and a daughter, says he won't mind spending money on these services.
"Why not? If I can spend around Rs.5 million on my child's wedding, can't I spend one percent of that to ensure that it is safe to get my child married off to a person?
"I don't think online matrimonial alliances are always safe and it is better to be discreet about choosing a life partner for your child rather than repenting the decision later," said Chawla.
Spokespersons from matrimony sites feel they do their bit before a profile is put up for use.
Gourav Rakshit, business head, shaadi.com, said: "We provide a Shaadi SEAL. It is a free profile attestation service available to all our members. SEAL stands for Screened, Examined and Attested Label. All the profiles on shaadi.com undergo this process and if the profile has a Shaadi SEAL, it means that we have screened the profile and obtained documentary proof for the key information provided."
Murugavel Janakiraman, CEO of BharatMatrimony group, feels profiles can be verified only to a certain extent and there is no harm in hiring detectives to dig out more details about candidates.
"As an online matrimony site, we can offer identity verification, age verification, job verification for a person, but not about his or her lifestyle, friend's group, etc. We provide a platform for prospective brides and grooms to meet. But if two people find each other interesting enough, it is up to them and their parents to meet and decide whether they have made a right choice," Janakiraman told IANS.
(IANS)
Do you want to talk to Amitabh Bachchan? Well, you may get an opportunity to do so as the Bollywood megastar is going to call up his fans through vogging or voice blogging. Bachchan Bol: Voice blogging by Amitabh Bachchan in his blog
The 67-year-old will call back those who grab his attention with their feedback or questions through a new talk-back feature on his blog - Bachchan Bol, launched a week ago.
Fans can leave their messages, opinions, feedback or suggestions by calling Bachchan Bol on 505678910 and tapping into the 'talkback mechanism'. Amitabh will listen in and comment on his favourite messages and play it out to the nation.
"The talk-back feature on Bachchan Bol makes it truly the first of its kind interactive service where consumers can leave their messages, feedback and anything they want to talk to Mr. Bachchan about... Mr. Bachchan will call back a select few people that grab his attention with their messages for him," Rahul Merchant, director operations-Asia, Inside India Ltd, told IANS over e-mail from Mumbai.
"The same will be played back onto the portal for others," he added.
The talk-back feature has earned wide interest from the actor's fans. A lady, who dropped in a message for Big B, claims to have married her husband only because his voice was similar to the megastar. (IANS)