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Why was Ajay tense?

When we visited the sets of Golmaal Returns, actor Ajay Devgan looked a bit tense. Was it the post-production work and release of his directorial debut U Me Aur Hum that had got him all worked up? Nah! Director Rohit Shetty explained, “He has to dance now, and is gearing up to do what he isn’t so fond of. Naturally then, we don’t expect him to play pranks on the sets today.” Looks like Ajay was dancing to other people’s tunes that day.

Uma Thurman is a “hopeless romantic”. The Kill Bill beauty, who is currently dating billionaire businessman Arpad Busson, has been divorced twice from

Though actor Juhi Chawla will next be seen in Rakesh Ros-han’s Krazzy 4, she is glad that she hasn’t lost her mind yet. When we asked her about the crazy things she has done, she simply said, “It’s not the right question to ask me, as I am not the crazy one in the film. But the other four — Arshad, Irrfan, Rajpal and Suresh are. I play a psychologist trying to re-store their sanity.” Another ‘mad’ film in the offing! And Roshan is hoping that it’ll do some krazzy business at the box office.

I’m a hopeless romantic:Uma

Uma Thurman is a “hopeless romantic”. The Kill Bill beauty, who is currently dating billionaire businessman Arpad Busson, has been divorced twice from actors Gary Oldman and Ethan Hawke, but says she still believes in fairytale romance. She said, “I think we have to keep subscribing to the fairytale until we find it. I’m a true believer. I’ve been told, by a very good source, that I’m a hopeless romantic.” She further added, “I always thought I was very cynical because I have quite a biting sense of humour, but a real professional has diagnosed me as the furthest thing from it.” Uma – who has a nine-year-old daughter Maya and six-year-old son Levon with Ethan – also revealed she has never been happier. She told a US magazine, “I’m honestly happier now than I have been at any other time in my life, and I think optimism is what has given me longevity in my career. I really do think we should search for the fairytale ending. Let’s be real about how unreal we are.”

Budget: PC may give push to green products today

NEW DELHI: How green will finance minister P Chidambaram's Budget 2008 be? On the FM's table, there are ambitious proposals that may find their way into the Budget. Consumers buying green products could end up paying less for white goods like refrigerators and microwave ovens, if one such proposal finds favour with the finance minister. Incentives may also be on the cards for manufacturers entering what promises to be a lucrative green-technology market. A 'green venture fund', which could provide seed capital to municipalities ready to undertake citywide energy efficiency along with private partners, is also under consideration. For consumers, the government has a scheme to rate some electrical consumer products on their energy efficiency. The Budget could provide excise relief to products with better ratings, reducing the retail price of such products. The incentives for energy-efficient appliances and products could get extended to vehicles when there is a rating scheme for the automobile sector. An excise duty reduction on buses has also been recommended to the FM as part of a larger policy to decongest city roads and reduce the carbon footprint of India's burgeoning automobile fleet. At present cars and other modes of personal transport attract lower excise rates than buses. The urban development ministry has sought this correction in the duty regime to raise a greener fleet of urban public transport. The government, as mentioned in the Economic Survey released on Thursday, has indicated that the challenge of going green using relatively costlier clean technologies has to be woven into larger development goals. This is a sign that while some fiscal carrots could surely be offered, radical measures would wait. The odds favour caution on part of Chidambaram because of a string of state polls this year leading to general elections next year. Also, with a national strategy document on climate change expected soon, the Budget might look at offering incentives to industry for adaptation to cleaner technology. Such technology is not cheap, and so five-year tax breaks can be considered for industries which commit a certain level of investment to green measures, felt government sources involved in drafting the climate change strategy. The finance minister can also signal the government's recognition of the threat of worsening climate with measures to encourage development of homegrown green R&D. This could be done by hiking the budgets for research projects aimed at seeding green technology and providing incentives to industries willing to be proactive in this field. The new and renewable energy ministry is hoping that the FM will give his nod to subsidies for generation of solar power with plants contributing up to 5MW to the main grid. After many false starts, the government looks at a 50MW target during the 11th Plan period as realistic. A plan for duty restructuring to allow cheaper imports of windmill components is also said to be in the works. So far, duty concessions are available only on import of complete kits. A depreciation incentive has also been suggested for those wishing to enter the wind energy market. Apart from the finance ministry's steps, the ministries of oil, coal and power are expected to step up their energy efficiency as mandated under the 11th Plan. ONGC, for instance, is developing a carbon capture and storage system to minimize emissions during exploration while industry as a whole has invested Rs 70,000 crore in projects which can earn carbon credits. Coal India is going back to underground mining, a measure that would bring down emissions. The framework for a fairly comprehensive climate change strategy is already in place. The Prime Minister's council on climate change is close to finalizing a national action plan. The question is how far the FM will go to show that his heart beats for the environment as he says it does for the kisan and the aam admi . Here, the government's pre-occupation with social sector schemes, under the flagship programme, might hog his attention. The Plan outlay for the environment and forest ministry might only increase slightly. From last year's allocation of Rs 1,351 crore, it could be around Rs 1,500 crore. This is less than the Rs 1,750-1,800 crore the ministry was earlier expecting. But this would not mean more than a stumble if the government announces measures to encourage green initiatives by the private sector. "Over 85% of the work and investment on renewable energy is done in the private sector," a ministry official said. Of the forest and wildlife conservation projects, tiger conservation has already found adequate fiscal support this year with the cabinet clearing a special package for relocation of villages from tiger reserves as well as their management. However, other key programmes under the ministry might need more money.

After 35 years in Pak prison, Indian set for release

AMRITSAR: Kashmir Singh, alias Ibrahim, can finally see his wish of wearing a suit when he meets his wife Paramjit Kaur after 35 years. The amnesty plea of the ex-Army man, who has been in Pakistani prisons for most part of his life, has been cleared by Islamabad. Talking to TOI over phone from Lahore on Thursday, Pakistan's federal minister for human rights Ansar Burney said President Pervez Musharraf has pardoned Kashmir Singh, and he is likely to be released by Saturday. "He is healthy and feels happy," Burney said. "He has expressed a desire to wear pant, shirt and a suit when he meets his wife Paramjit Kaur. I am hopeful President Pervez Musharraf would grant him amnesty, especially because it has been cleared by the Prime Minister. Kashmir has also wished that I accompany him when he is released." Singh was 30 when he was arrested in Pakistan on charges of espionage on June 16, 1973, and was sentenced to death. During his jail term, he adopted Islam and became Ibrahim. Kashmir has spent 14 years in Sahiwal jail, 10 in Multan jail and was there for varying periods in Miawali and Lahore jails. Burney said when he spotted Kashmir Singh in a "death cell" during one of his visits to the jail he was moved to know that the Indian was locked in an overcrowded cell for 23.5 hours a day and was allowed to go out for only 30 minutes so that he could stretch his legs. Told about the news, Paramjit Kaur told TOI, "I am dying to meet my husband. I have worked as a maid all through my life to bring up my children. Now I want someone to be with me." Kashmir Singh had joined the Indian Army on March 4, 1962, to possibly work as a spy in Pakistan from 1968 to 1970. In 1972, he joined the police department but never returned. The family came to know that he was in a Pakistan jail when they received a letter from him in 1977.

Name for miracle baby: Jodhaa or Karishma?

AHMEDABAD: Jodhaa for valour or Karishma for miracle? Parents of the survivor-against-all-odds baby, the 1.4 kg girl who had a delivery through her mother's womb into the toilet bowl of a running train and then right onto the tracks, have zeroed in on these two names. "Jodhaa and Karishma seem most apt. We are finding it difficult to choose between the two," says mother Bhuri Kalbi, after consulting husband Prabhuram. Being from south Rajasthan, where Jodhaa is revered for her valour, the family is leaning toward naming her after the queen whose name has been thrust into the public realm by the controversy over the movie Jodhaa-Akbar. "Our daughter has lived against all odds. Our daughter has proved she is a miraculous fighter," says Prabhuram, the girl's father who works in a packaging unit in Ahmedabad. The buzz created by the story reported in Wednesday's edition of the TOI and flashed all day Thursday by TV channels led to a procession of people to the Rajasthan Hospital, eager to catch a glimpse of the miracle baby. "Where is the little champion?" asked one man. Another peeped into the ICU asking the attending paediatrician if the girl needed any blood. "I am willing to donate blood for God's own daughter," he said. "This girl has generated tremendous excitement and goodwill among people here with her miraculous survival," attending paediatrician Dr Raj Kumar told TOI. On Thursday, the little bundle was mostly busy exercising her fragile lungs crying and also throwing in the faintest of smiles in between as she remained in the incubator. Doctors said that lady luck would have been smiling all along as she did not seem to have landed on the tracks on her head. "Usually, children are born head first. It seems the girl either came legs first or swing around her umbilical cord and landed on her hip. She has no trace of injury whatsoever on her head, though she has some internal injury on the hip bone," said Dr Kumar. The hospital has decided not to charge any fee for treating the girl and her mother since the family is not well-off, hospital chairman Babulal Rungta said. Meanwhile, station master K K Rai sacrificed his day-off on Thursday and boarded a train to Ahmedabad from Ambaliyasan first thing in the morning to check if the girl he saved from the railway track was doing fine! "Her survival is God's will. When we found her, she was lying dangerously close to one track, crying miserably, her body turning blue and cold. I am so glad she has made it," Rai, himself a father of a one-year-old boy told TOI as he peered through the incubator glass.

Shahid patches up with mom

There have been many stories on why Shahid Kapoor has been hesitating to give the go-ahead for his mother Neelima Azim’s debut directorial venture. Here’s the real reason: Shahid was never the same with his mother ever since she married Raza Ali Khan four years ago. However, the situation is now changing. The mother and son are mending bridges. A few weeks ago, Shahid went over to his mother’s house and had a long discussion with her and Raza. A source close to Shahid and Neelima tells us, "Shahid was not comfortable when Neelima informed him that she was marrying Raza. He had strong reservations about the marriage and he told his mother about it. He told her that she should take some time before taking the plunge. However, Neelima had her own reasons to not delay the marriage." "After Neelima’s marriage, Neelima and Shahid began moving apart emotionally. Shahid used to visit her, but the visits became fewer and far in between. However, it seems to be a case of ‘all’s well that ends well’ now. Some time back, Shahid and Raza met to try and break the ice and are on better terms now. It is not easy for Raza too, so both Shahid and Raza have to make a lot of effort in the days to come," our source adds. When contacted, Neelima said, "Well, Shahid had his point of view and I had mine. It’s okay. Things are falling in place now. After all, I am his mother." Buzz is that Neelima plans to cast Govinda, Shahid and Amrita Rao in the main roles in her film. Shahid will soon go through the script and give his reply by end of this month. Shahid’s parents, Neelima Azim and Pankaj Kapur separated when Shahid was only three, and Neelima brought him up single-handedly. Pankaj went on to marry Supriya Pathak.

Saif is the ‘driving force’

We know how Saif loves playing driver driver, (we mean chauffeur) to Kareena Kapoor. He drops her and fetches her from all events, parties ect etc. And is always her at her beck And call whenever she calls for him. Call it joru ka ghulam or pyar, whatever it may be suitable. At the award function, too, he was heard instructing his driver: Meri gaadi, Kareena, Akshay, Shah Rukh ki gaadi, sab Gate no. 1 pe chahiye. Abhi! Looks like there were dinner plans in the offing. And Saif was the ‘driver’.of the plan, we mean! It was another thing that Saifoo lingered on post the award ceremony to bond with Karisma and her hubby Sanjay Kapur.

Katie denies pregnancy reports

Hollywood actress Katie Holmes has denied reports that she is expecting her second child.
Holmes rep confirmed that the actress is not pregnant.
“She’s not pregnant,”Usmagazine.com quoted the rep as saying.
According to the OK magazine, a source said, "She has that special glow that only pregnant women have. I would say there is a strong possibility that she's pregnant."
In an interview to Entertainment Tonight, the 29-year-old actress had agreed that she would definitely have more kids but also said that for time being she was content raising daughter, Suri, who will be turning 2 in April.

Shah Rukh feels cricket is commercially viable

PUNE: Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan has explained that the chance to make money from cricket and channelling it to other sports was the main reason for him to get involved with the Cricket Board-promoted Indian Premier League.
"Commerce and business are very important in today's world. Cricket is commercially viable and we need to make money from this sport," said the actor, who has bought the Kolkata franchise of the IPL, in Pune on Wednesday night. Shah Rukh said this in the presence of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President and MP Suresh Kalmadi who, in turn, appealed to the superstar to share his celeb status with other sports also. "I am very happy with Chak de India and the work you did for hockey. But I'm disappointed you went back to cricket. I want you to be made the ambassador of the Commonwealth Games and Olympic sports in India," said Kalmadi at the inauguration of the Abhijit Kadam Memorial Football Cup. "There are around 10 nations playing cricket at the moment and over 200 countries competing in Olympic sports. Cricket has many fathers and I would love to have you as the brand ambassador for the Commonwealth Games," he added. However, the comments did not go well with the actor, who took a jibe at the IOA President. "Please don't feel bad that I am backing only one sport. Sports should be part of our second nature and I am a sportsperson by heart," he said. "(My) next step would be to take it (money earned in IPL) to hockey, football, kho kho, also kabaddi and gulli danda," he remarked.

Aam aadmi's income may double in 10 yrs: FM

Last year the Economic Survey declared that India had moved into the East Asian growth trajectory. The FM settles all debate this time by saying that the economy has moved decisively to a higher growth phase. The Survey continues to emphasise what it did last time - managing macro-economic growth even while containing inflation. It remains sanguine about economic growth even in the face of a slowing US and global economy and notes that the economy is likely to remain domestic demand driven in the medium term. Even while the Survey talks of effective delivery systems at the state and the local level, it remains to be seen how the budget addresses the issue of effective delivery and of managing and measuring outcomes. This time, it latches on to Per Capita Income and Investment to perhaps make the point that the high GDP growth has trickled down to the Aam Aadmi . It proudly notes that the rate of growth of per capita income has sharply climbed to 7.2% per annum - implying that average income of the Aam Aadmi can virtually double in a decade. It also points that out private final consumption expenditure at per person level is up and so are the saving rates. Interestingly, it also points to the limited capability of state governments to deliver goods and services to people. It suggests a Smart Card based System to enhance the delivery and efficiency of government schemes such as NREGA, Public Distribution System etc. The management of supply is also being viewed as a critical aspect for inflation management. The Eco Survey also indicates that the targets for revenue and fiscal deficits for the year 2007-08 appear well within reach. But, it also strikes a cautionary note by saying that the current revenue buoyancy is riding on the performance of an economy more globalised than before. Thus, global developments that have a bearing on India's domestic economy would need to be watched. It also applauds the move by 26 states to a rule based programme for fiscal reforms. On Inflation, the survey notes that the change in the structure of the economy has made inflation management a more complex task. It mentions that monetary policy mechanisms - particularly to tackle inflation arising of capital inflows-have become important. Even while it acknowledges that agricultural import tariffs remain high, it is unlikely to do much to reduce these rates in an election year, particularly when a sensitive constituency like agriculture needs to be addressed. It sees agriculture as an important sector to push GDP growth upwards and to make growth more inclusive and biased in favour of women. It also sees higher farm incomes providing equitable growth. Even here, it stresses on the need to build outcome oriented perspective in the implementation of public programmes. Increasing productivity in the face of limited area of cultivation is important, it says. It expects capital inflows as a proportion of GDP to decline, but, feels that the decline will be modest but enough to take the pressure on reserve accumulation and exchange rate appreciation. It sees the country continuing to attract significant cross-border portfolio inflows as India is expected to continue to remain a relatively attractive investment destination. It notes the importance of insurance and pension funds for both the equity and the debt markets and hints at further initiatives to expand and deepen both the Government Securities and the Corporate Bond markets. It also sees the debt markets as a critical financing mechanism for the infrastructure sector. Even while it expects pressure on the rupee to weaken, the Survey is not optimistic about exports on account of world GDP and world imports. It says that the outlook for exports in the year 2008-09 is not as bright as it was in the years before. Policy changes and relief measures for export oriented sectors can be expected. Employment is a key area of focus for the UPA government; its flagship NREAGA programme is meant to address precisely this issue. The survey notes that while employment growth actually rose to 2.62% per annum in the period 1999-2000 to 2004-05, unemployment actually rose as an absolute measure on account of a faster increase in the labour force. The share of agriculture in total employment is still declining. Expect the government to latch on to this statistic to further spread the NREGA and other employment initiatives in the budget tomorrow. The survey also points out an improvement in important social indicators but stresses on the need for better governance and improved service delivery at the local level.

Musharraf may be impeached: US intelligence

WASHINGTON: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf faces the threat of being impeached if the two major parties -- PPP and PML(N) -- which have joined hands to form the next government get the support of independents, a top US intelligence official has said. The official said even though the two parties do not have the numbers with which Musharraf can be arraigned since PML(N) leader and former premier Nawaz Sharif had "an agenda to impeach President Musharraf". The Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnel told the Bush administration that the PPP and PML(N) "do not have the votes to do that(impeach), but if they had independents join them, they could possibly have the votes". The ruling coalition needs a two-third majority in a House of 272 to successfully carry out any impeachment. The PPP (88) and PML-N (66) together have 154 seats. The Awami National Party (ANP) which has 10 members and an unspecified number of independents, have also extended support. "We are watching very closely now to see how the coalition is formed, who the members will be and who the prime minister might be," McConnel said On being asked by the Chairman of Senate Armed Services Committee Carl Levin about the fairness of the polls, he said "all the reporting I saw was they were reasonably -- by Pakistani standards, they were reasonable and fair. The number of people voting was a little higher than anticipated and a little higher than average for Pakistan. It was over 40 per cent". Responding to a question that if the polls were a repudiation of Islamic extremism, he said "What I would highlight is those Islamic extremists that had been serving in the assembly were defeated in this election. So at that level, the parties that won are more secular. So there is some level of repudiating extremism".

13 crushed to death by train in Surat

SURAT: At least 13 people were crushed to death under a train in Udhna district on Wednesday night, Railway police said. Bodies of victims, including two women and two children, were spotted besides the track by a driver of another train, they said. The driver of train 'Flying Rani', which runs between Surat and Mumbai, immediately informed the authorities of the incident, Railway Police Inspector H M Patel said. Investigations were on to determine the circumstances under which the accident took place, he added.

After 22 years, UK woman wins baby brain damage case

LONDON: A woman who suffered severe brain damage as a newborn baby following a botched heart operation will receive a massive payout after a judge ruled that her surgeon had been negligent. The operation to boost oxygen levels of an infant was performed by Dr Janardan Dhasmana in May 1985. Dhasmana, who qualified from the Lucknow University in 1964, is believed to be practising in India currently. Marianna Telles, 22, from Gwent, could receive an estimated five million pounds in compensation after her brain was starved of oxygen due to "unacceptable" delays during her treatment. Telles’ case was described as "one of the greatest scandals in the history of NHS". , Her lawyer Simeon Maskrey told the High Court she has had "significant physical, cognitive and behavioural" problems since the operation to treat a congenital heart defect in 1985. He said the surgeon who performed the operation, Janardan Dhasmana, had been guilty of "technical incompetence". Judge Mr Justice Saunders held the South West Strategic Health Authority liable and said Dhasmana had been negligent. The amount of damages will be set at a later hearing. Some experts say they could be worth five million pounds. Telles' family began the legal action after a public inquiry into the high number of babies that died during operations at the Bristol Royal Infirmary between 1988 and 1995. In what became known as the "Bristol heart babies scandal", the General Medical Council suspended Dhasmana for serious professional misconduct. The South West Strategic Health Authority had denied any breach of duty or responsibility for Telles' condition. Telles' mother Anna Redman said after the hearing: "It is a shame that it has taken me 22 years to finally get the truth as to what happened to my daughter at Bristol."

Britney’s date with her kids

Britney Spears was reunited with her sons again on Feb 25. The fall pop princess’ children Preston, 2, and Jayden, 1, were driven to her Studio House by Kevin Federline’s bodyguard for a three-hour visit. It was the second visitation in three days; on Saturday, Spears saw her children for the first time since Jan. 3 after working out a structured visitation arrangement with Federline. A court order preventing Spears from seeing her sons was put in place at the beginning of the year after she refused to return the children to Federline, reports People. After police were called to her Los Angeles home, Spears was taken to a local hospital for psychiatric treatment. She was released but was readmitted earlier this month and spent six days receiving treatment for mental health problems.

Jen freezes her eggs

Jennifer Aniston has quietly made preparations for her own brood by putting her eggs on ice until she meets her Mr. Right, according to reports. The 39-year-old isn’t pregnant yet, but according to a report in Star magazine, she’s frozen her eggs to beat the biological clock. According to an insider, the Friends star could postpone having her first baby until she turns 45, and thus took some precautionary measures. Another source revealed that the actor did consider other options, before deciding to freeze her eggs, reports the Daily Telegraph. There have been reports that Aniston was considering adopting a baby, but she now seems to have rejected that option in favour of her own baby. However, Jennifer’s rep dismissed the Star story, insisting that all the claims were untrue. But the source asserted that Aniston would use the frozen eggs if she had any trouble conceiving naturally.

Aamir's six packs!

Aamir Khan has taken his perfectionism to a new level. The actor had acquired six-pack abs in October during a month-long schedule in South Africa where he had shot for a special dance number for Ghajini. Since then, however, he had lost his six-pack and put on some weight. Now, he had to complete the dance number (about 30 per cent of it was left) at Film City recently. However, when choreographer Ahmed Khan met him, he realised that Aamir’s body was not matching the earlier shoot. Ahmed Khan pointed out that Aamir had lost his six-pack abs and had also become a little plump. So how could they shoot? That’s when Aamir requested Ahmed to give him 21 days to get back to shape for the song. And sure enough, the actor achieved his target in 21 days. He returned with six-pack abs in three weeks! Ahmed Khan says, "We had shot this song in South Africa four months ago, in October, and it turned out to be excellent. Later I wanted to add some variations in the song for it to look better. So I requested Aamir for some extra time. But Aamir got busy with the post-production and promotion of Taare Zameen Par. Finally, when I met him last month to discuss the song, I saw that his six-pack was gone, he was also looking plump. When I pointed this out to him, he requested me to give him 21 days to get back the same look. When I met him 20 days later, he was looking as perfect as he was in South Africa. We shot the song over four days." Needless to say, Ahmed Khan is impressed with the actor’s commitment. He says, "Aamir not only has commitment, but will power too. Imagine getting six-pack abs twice over, for a film!

Campbell undergoes emergency surgery

Naomi Campbell has been admitted to a hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil, for the removal of a small cyst. The British supermodel’s London representative said, “Naomi Campbell was admitted to hospital to have a small cyst removed. Following the successful procedure, she is now resting and is looking forward to getting back to work. She would like to thank he doctors who have kindly looked after her.” Campbell, 37, who often visits the South American country, reportedly underwent an emergency abdominal surgery. Gynecologist Jose Aristodemo Pinotti said, “I cannot reveal what Naomi had, nor how serious her condition was, but I can say I operated on her yesterday and that she is completely cured.”

Dia gets the cold shoulder

Items girls do hard work if this story is anything to go by. Recently, Dia Mirza had to shoot an item number titled Soni Main Soni for director Ashu Trikha’s film Zindagi Tere Naam, in the biting cold of Jaipur. The exotic song was shot on four chilly winter nights near Jaipur’s Sisodia Gardens in January. While the rest of the cast and crew was wrapped in several layers of warm clothes, skimpily-dressed Dia had to run for cover after each shot. Oh, the irony, we say.'' Recalls Ashu Trikha, “We used to shoot from six in the evening to seven in the morning. In fact, even the locals were surprised to see us shooting in the extreme cold. I was amazed by Dia's commitment.” When quizzed as to how tough it was shooting in Jaipur at 2 degrees Celsius, clad in skimpy clothes, Diya Mirza said, “Yes, it was very cold and the chilly breeze made it worse. But Ashu is a good friend and I would do anything for him. I faced the camera for the first time for his film Deewanapan and I owe this to him.” That’s a big price to pay by any stretch. Perhaps Dia just needs a ‘chill’ pill, what say?

Pressure to be glam is killing:Sam

To use a cliche, there’s more to Sameera Reddy than what meets the eye. It’s just that what meets the eye when you meet the tall, striking actress is pretty good to look at, so it’s no surprise that people miss the other stuff. That other stuff includes the fact that she’s a trained classical dancer, a business buff, a techno freak and a former-fat kid. “Oh yes, I was a chubby kid. But it was a jyotishi who told me that I would be an actress. I was around 14 or 15 years old then, and it made my father laugh. He said, ‘She’ll probably be married in a few years, or she’ll go into business with me.’ But I did it!” says Sameera with a grin. That business bit – was her father serious about that? “Oh, I’m a business freak!” Sameera laughs. “I’d much rather figure out what stocks are hot or which shares to pick up than read gossip about filmstars. And even my mobile game (yes, she has her own mobile game) is a way of doing business. If I’m good enough to be a brand on my own, why not exploit it?” Smells perfectly corporate. What about life in cinema – she’s done very diverse roles in regional cinema, hasn’t she? “When I was doing Ishq kabhi kariyo na in Goa, I was juggling it with Kaalpurush in Kolkata. So, I was shuttling between being super-glam, and being as simple as possible. I’m a director’s person. The shift doesn’t worry me.” And being ultra-glam – does that worry her? “I love being called hot. It’s made me what I am. But there’s this pressure to be glamorous all the time,” she says. “It’s killing. One bad day and they rip you apart. The sorts of pictures of me that are published and the sorts of things that are written about – it used to worry my father till some time ago. But when I was on vacation with my family a few times, and there was gossip that I was elsewhere, that’s when he began to be reassured that most of it was concocted.” But she makes sure she switches off from it all when she’s off work. “My phone’s off, I’m unreachable – when I’m off, I’m off,” Sameera says. “I like to keep what’s personal, personal. Even when journalists say they’d like to see my house or meet my family, I refuse. There are always two people – the star and the person. Never confuse the two. I mean, I have to do other things in life. I have to settle down, maybe get into production with my sis...” Huh? “My sister Sushma wants to get into production now. That’s her new baby. Since I do want to get into business one way or another, let’s see. There’s so much to do. You can’t do all that if you keep thinking you’re this diva,” she smiles.

Bangalore hub of techie-terror network

BANGALORE: Bangalore appears to have turned into a hub of radical techies. Under the banner of Muslim Information Technology Professionals’ Association, these techies in the city are said to be networking and aiding radical groups. With members across the country, the network is concentrated in Bangalore. Intelligence officials and police had information about the existence of this network but did not have any proof to act upon. Meanwhile, they kept surveillance. Now, arrested terror suspect Yahya Iyash Kamkutty, a BTech who was a former employee of GE, has revealed details about the activities of MITA. He has told terror investigators that he was also a member of the network and had attended its meetings. He has also revealed the name of another active member of MITA, K M Shariff. Police are looking for Shariff. Under the banner of discussing ways to improve the lot of Muslim youths, the group used to meet once a week or fortnight at various places, like hotels or halls. Yahya told police that MITA members had met a number of times on M G Road, Bangalore’s main business district, and once at Darus Salam on Queen’s road. The meeting expenses were shared by the members. MITA is said to have several members of the banned Students’ Islamic Movement of India. Cops investigating the terror network in Karnataka suspect the group was providing logistic support like crucial data and financial support to SIMI and Lashkar-e-Taiba. MITA’s existence was detected during surveillance after an incident in 2006. In January 2006, immediately after the attack on IISc on December 28, 2005, four young men were found photographing a software company office. Security guards there spotted the four and when they tried to question them, the youths escaped in a car. However, security personnel had noted down the vehicle number.

Where were the Bachchans?

While we heard some lah-di-dahs whisper, “It’s because Shah Rukh is hosting the event, and you know how rude he was to them last time, nah?” Others attributed the absence to them not having bagged too many nominations. The real reason, however, was that the First Family of Bollywood was in mourning. Amitabh’s mother Teji Bachchan passed away a couple of months ago, then close Amar Singh’s dad also passed away recently and the Bachchans aren’t in a celebrating mood.

Shah Rukh: Filmfare for his kids!

SRK was all smiling as he won the Black Lady for his performance in Chak De India. When we caught up with the Badshah Khan, post his win, he shared with us a little secret: You know both my kids brought home a gold from school today. They did well in Taekwondo. And I wanted to take home an award too, just for them. So there are three celebrations at home tonight. That’s ‘chweet’ alright! But it looks like the Khan children prefer going the Akshay Kumar way. Never mind the light and camera, but ‘action’ seems to be on-going in the Mannat home that night!

Riya becomes seedhi saadhi

Is Riya Sen looking for a change of image, at least from the look of her picture alongside, it does show that the actress wants to do something different. Riya will soon be seen playing a village belle in Zor Laga Ke Hayya and will be seen wearing a nine yard saree in the film. When asked if there was reluctance when the role was offered to her, the actress said she agreed instantly, “I always wanted to play a village belle.” Producer Kartikeya Talreja however said, “Riya was a bit reluctant but when we explained to her how it will be a good change for her, she agreed to do the film.” Riya plays a construction worker in the film, so did she meet some construction workers to learn their mannerisms and behaviour? “I have seen them all my life,” she says. Zor Laga Ke Haiyya also deals with issues like redevelopment and environment. Riya works as a construction worker and Mahesh Manjrekar plays a contractor who has the hots for Riya. Mithun Chakraborty is also in the film.

Bollywood fascinated with Chandni Chowk

Delhi’s Chandni Chowk has become a favourite hotspot for Bollywood filmmakers.Just a few weeks back we saw Ajay Devgan hopping terrace-to-terrace and chasing criminals on the labyrinthine streets in the congested locality of Chandni Chowk in Rohit Shetty’s film Sunday .
Similarly, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra gave us a glimpse of the back alleys of Chandni Chowk in his acclaimed film Rang De Basanti . Now, he is making a film entirely based in Chandni Chowk.Dilli 6 is Mehra’s autobiographical recount of the days he spent in Chandni Chowk as a youth. However, Mehra is not shooting the film in Chandni Chowk due to practical reasons. Shootings in Chandni Chowk usually attracts huge crowds that make it difficult for the film’s crew to work. That is why Mehra has got a set depicting Chandni Chowk erected in Jaipur. It is there he has been shooting this biopic with Abhishek Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor .On the other hand, Akshay Kumar will be seen in a film titled ‘Chandni Chowk To China’, which has a story much similar to Akshay’s real life. Akshay grew up in Chandni Chowk before he went to Bangkok to work as a cook. In the film, previously titled Made In China , Akki plays a cook in Chandni Chowk who goes to China to learn martial arts and returns to Mumbai to make a place for himself in the showbiz. In the last few weeks, director Nikhil Advani was shooting the film in the crowded streets of Chandni Chowk, which, the director says, carry “a unique old-world charm”.In fact Akshay still keeps in touch with his childhood friends in the locality and he also has an ancestral home there.While it may still be many months before ‘Chandni Chowk to China’ makes it to the theatres, the old Delhi’s beauty has been recreated by none other than Subhash Ghai in his upcoming film Black And White , which is set to release in early March.The film stars Anurag Sinha as an undercover terrorist who comes to Chandni Chowk for a secret suicide mission to be carried on Red Fort on Independence Day. Anil Kapoor plays a professor of Urdu living in Chandni Chowk with his social activist wife. Set almost completely in Chandni Chowk, ‘Black and White’ tackles the issue of terrorism with a message of communal harmony. Ghai is departing from his usual masala entertainers with this realistic film that raises pertinent questions of the day.Ghai says Chandni Chowk is central to his film’s story because it signifies the unity in diversity.Rightly said, Mr. Ghai.

Deepika-Yuvi split!

Deepika Padukone’s long list of admirers will now have one name less. She is no longer with cricketer Yuvraj Singh. The OSO actress split with Yuvi a few weeks back and is now dating Ranbir Kapoor. Busy beeThe reason for the split is Yuvraj’s possessive attitude. A close friend spills the beans. “Deepika was very serious about Yuvraj. In fact, the two were madly in love. However, after the success of OSO, Deepika got busy and could not give Yuvi as much time. She got busy meeting producers and signing films. This pissed Yuvi who felt he wasn’t getting enough attention from her.” ShowdownThey were also having other problems. Yuvi was giving her instructions on what to wear and with whom to party. “He was upset with the rumours of her growing proximity to Ranbir. Before she left for her Australian schedule with Ranbir for the Yash Raj film, they had a huge showdown. She told him to back off and let her breathe, while he warned her not to get too close to Ranbir.”
Sources reveal that Deepika would avoid Yuvi’s calls while in Australia and that’s when he realised their relationship was over. “After getting back, she met him and called it off. Since then, Deepika has been thick with Ranbir and they are happy together.” Ranbir and Deepika were seen holding hands at Farah and Aqueel’s party after the Filmfare Award night. “They want to keep it private. They’ve dated in the past, but are extremely serious about each other now. In fact, they were also heard exchanging sweet nothings backstage on the awards night.”

Jiah Khan sizzles on UK magazine

She came, she saw, she 'Khan-qered'. She is none other than Jiah Khan, the pretty lass who made her debut opposite none other than the Superstar of the Millennium, Amitabh Bachchan, with Nishabd, a film that bombed at the B-O, but did make people take notice of this dynamite girl!Jiah is yet again in the news, this time, for being on the cover of the popular UK glossy magazine 'Xeher', who had carried out an exclusive shoot in Mumbai for their current Winter-Spring edition with the Jiah chic, who is all geared up for her forthcoming film Ghajini, opposite none other than the Masterstroke himself: Aamir Khan!Jiah stated that this was one of the most beautiful shoots she had ever done! Btw, the idea of the shoot was to show that Jiah was not at all a rebel, as she is made out to be!
Well, if you really want to know if 'Xeher' has managed to capture the lesser known side of Jiah, then, you better wait and watch out this space for more…as we spill out the real story in a few days from now! Till then, feat your eyes with the sultry Jiah Khan in our images section!

Aishwarya Rai looking forward to the 'Unforgettable' tour

Speaking about her first family tour, Ash said: "Yes, it's on in July and August. It's wonderful to be on stage with Abhishek and Pa (the Big B). I remember how wonderful it was when we did 'Kajra re' at the IIFA (International Indian Film Academy) awards two years ago.""That one act featuring the three of us was a rock concert by itself. It was fantastic! Now going on stage as Amitji's daughter-in-law and Abhishek's wife would make it doubly fantastic."The announcement puts an end to speculation regarding the financial and creative feasibility of this celebration of family bonhomie.Hrithik Roshan and Akshay Kumar were supposed to join the Bachchans on the tour. They opted out citing lack of time. Now the final list of actors joining the Bachchans includes Bipasha Basu , Lara Dutta and Ritesh Deshmukh .Though Jaya isn't much of a dancer, the Bachchan clan loves to groove together."You know, we really do have a good time on stage. I've watched pa's earlier concerts, and I've seen how he rivets the audience. Even now when he chooses to go on stage once in a while, he truly has a blast. Abhishek has a party on stage. All three of us love live concerts," Ash said."And we genuinely love music and dance. That's one thing we have in common. So we're going to have a grand party on stage. And I hope the audience enjoys it as well."And would 'Kajra re' still be a part of the Ash's stage repertoire?"Is it possible for the three of us to go on stage and not do that song? Sharing screen and stage space with my husband and father-in-law has always been very special. It just can't get any more special than this for me," Ash said."It doesn't matter how many shows we do. Just the three of us interacting with a live audience is a very special occasion. We'll be up there for the audience, and the audience hopefully will be cheering us," the Bachchan bahu added.

Shahid will watch Kareena and Saif in Tashan

Shahid will watch Kareena and Saif in Tashan
Young actor Shahid Kapur has expressed a desire to watch the forthcoming Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor starrer Tashan.
The actor was talking to an Indian daily, when he responded to a question about the film, saying, “I am a film buff. If it’s a good film, I’ll definitely watch it.” It has been well documented that Shahid and Kareena Kapoor parted ways last year after a long affair, and immediately afterwards, Kareena hooked up with Saif Ali Khan.
Shahid recently celebrated his birthday but was too busy for a party, because of shooting schedules.

Priyanka Chopra not starving herself for 'Fashion'

Priyanka Chopra rebuffs rumours that she has lost weight to play a model in Madhur Bhandarkar's "Fashion"."It's the silliest story I've heard about myself in a long time.... on a par with the one about me being in Sydney with Harman Baweja for the New Year when I was actually shooting an ad in Bangkok," Priyanka told IANS."No, nobody has told me to do anything for the role in 'Fashion'. Madhur Bhandarkar and I share great rapport. He didn't ask me to lose weight for the character," she added.However, Priyanka has worked on herself for her next two roles as well."I always like to work on my character. That's why I work on one film at a time. For 'Fashion' I opted for a toned body. I went on a health-conscious diet, though I didn't cut down on my food or anything. And I'll be using the same physique for my film with Karan Johar," she said."It's set on the beach of Miami. Imagine two months on the sun and sand and so the toned body would be just what the dietician ordered. But, sorry, I don't get into a bikini for Karan's film," Priyanka was firm.Karan's film also features Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham.Priyanka says she doesn't endorse anorexic figures."It isn't about getting thin at all. It's just about toning my body. I don't think you need to be reed-thin to be beautiful. I think Indian women look terrible when they try to get anorexic. We (Indian women) are naturally healthy. And by that I don't mean voluptuous," she says."But, yes, we've been given a certain kind of figure. We're well proportioned and aesthetically endowed in all the right places. And by getting exceptionally thin, we're going against nature."Told that her co-star Kangana Ranaut is inherently reed-slim, Priyanka laughed: "Yes, but she loves her food. She just has her own individual body type. Kangana and I share plenty of health tips. We got along really well. I really think she's sweet."When Madhur decided to cast Kangana, I was so happy. She really suits her part. So, the other story that really bugs is that we're fighting over scenes in 'Fashion'. On the contrary we've a lot of fun together."

Gymming it up: Shahid

Do we see another six-pack story happening here? Well, whatever the reason maybe, SK visits his suburban gym regularly under the watchful eyes of his personal trainer most of the evenings. While Saif and Kareena are busy painting the town red, Shahid is busy pumping weights in his gym. How priorities change, huh? But that’s life.

Are Abhi Ash in Mani’s next?

With the number of trips Mani has been making to Mumbai, and his constant ‘discussions’ with the handsome Bachchan couple, we think we can confirm the news. So, if it all works out, Mani should celebrate not only the successful combination he has managed to rope in for his next, but also his frequent flyer award.

Angelina Jolie shows off baby bump

London (ANI): Angelina Jolie let her body do the talking when it came to telling the world she is pregnant for the second time when she showed off her baby bump at the 2008 Film Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, California on Feb 23.The stunning actress fuelled speculation she is pregnant with her and partner Brad Pitt's baby last month, when she started wearing loose-fitting dresses at many of her recent public appearances and staying away from alcohol. According to the Sun, the actress left no one in doubt that the stork will soon be visiting her and partner Pitt when she donned a tight black dress - clearly displaying her growing belly.
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However, the 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' pair has yet to confirm rumours that they are expecting. Pitt and Jolie already have 4 kids in their family, Maddox, 6, Pax, 4, Zahara, 3, and Shiloh, 1. Their adoption of Pax was made official only last week.

Aishwarya`s world tour with Bachchans to begin in July

Mumbai, Feb 25: The "unforgettable" Bachchan concert tour featuring Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek, Aishwarya and with Jaya probably being coaxed for a friendly appearance, will begin this July. Speaking about her first family tour, Aishwarya told reporter: "Yes, it`s on in July and August. It`s wonderful to be on stage with Abhishek and Pa (the Big B). I remember how wonderful it was when we did Kajra re at the IIFA (International Indian Film Academy) awards two years ago," she said. "That one act featuring the three of us was a rock concert by itself. It was fantastic! Now going on stage as Amitji`s daughter-in-law and Abhishek`s wife would make it doubly fantastic."The announcement puts an end to speculation regarding the financial and creative feasibility of this celebration of family bonhomie. Hrithik Roshan and Akshay Kumar were supposed to join the Bachchans on the tour. They opted out citing lack of time. Now the final list of actors joining the Bachchans includes Bipasha Basu, Lara Dutta and Riteish Deshmukh. Though Jaya isn`t much of a dancer, the Bachchan clan loves to groove together."You know, we really do have a good time on stage. I`ve watched pa`s earlier concerts, and I`ve seen how he rivets the audience. Even now when he chooses to go on stage once in a while, he truly has a blast. Abhishek has a party on stage. All three of us love live concerts," Aishwarya said.

Britney banned from all pre-Oscar parties

Troubled pop singer Britney Spears has apparently been banned from all pre-Oscar parties.According to mirror.co.uk, most of the silencers have not bothered to invite Spears for any of the parties. "While Britney is certainly a name in Hollywood - it's for all the wrong reasons. She's a car crash waiting to happen and organisers don't want to take the risk of her showing up and creating a scene," an informed source said. "Her presence at any party would instantly generate lots of publicity but while it's tempting to send out an invite, it's a hassle that they don't really want," the source added.

Priyanka shoots non-stop for 21 hours!

Meanwhile, Piggy Chopra we hear created a new world record of sorts by shooting non-stop for 21 hours for Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion. We hear that before flying off for Tarun Mansukhani’s film Dostana in Miami, she shot non-stop for Madhur’s Fashion and completed a major portion of it. “We started the shot at 5 am and it went on till the next morning, non-stop, everyone was exhausted but Priyanka was extremely professional, she didn’t complain or throw tantrums even once,” says a unit member. Madhur too confirms the news and says, “Yes, Priyanka was very professional. When she saw that I was not well and inspite of that I was on the sets, 24*7, she just gave in,” he laughs. Let’s hope the Guinness world record guys are reading this!

Arshad Warsi: A craze with dogs

Crazy things happened on the sets of Rakesh Roshan’s Krazzy 4. A scene required a dog to ferociously pull Arshad Warsi’s pants. And what the unit members were expecting was mayhem to the core. However, the dog loved Arshad so much, that he just wouldn’t act ferociously with him. Director Jaideep Sen then decided to show the horse — the dog in this case, the carrot. And put some egg in Arshad’s pants. Egg-ad! Still no luck. A body double — the DOP of the film was then roped in to do the scene.

Beyonce has big shoes to fill

Singer Beyonce Knowles will be coached by singing legend Etta James as she is to portray her in a film. Contactmusic.com reports that James is happy Knowles will play her and is also excited to be helping out as an adviser. James said “I have my own way of putting those songs over, and I was just wondering if Beyonce could, and my son said, ‘They’re thinking about how she looks, but mama, she can really sing!’ It’s a privilege and an honour to have somebody like that girl. I don’t think she looks like me, but that’s all right. They can fix that up. I kinda have a man’s voice. It’s a contralto, more bluesy and religious. I would really like to work with her on that.” James was a heroin addict and she believes Beyonce will have a tough time playing negative parts. She added “Oh my god, she’s going to have a hill to climb, because Etta James ain’t been no angel! I can tell Beyonce some things; some of the things I might not tell her. I wasn’t as bourgie as she is, she’s bourgeois. She knows how to be a lady - she’s like a model. I wasn't like that... I smoked in the bathroom in school, I was kinda arrogant, so those are some of the things I would want to tell her.”

Neil Nitin is in love!

Actor Neil Nitin Mukesh may have swept you off your feet – after all, he does resemble the oh-so-hunky Hrithik Roshan! So, it would indeed be surprising if NNM didn’t have a girlfriend. Well, he does! We hear the newbie is dating a pretty Punjabi kudi based in Delhi, and takes off to the capital city whenever he can – like on his birthday, for example. And though he has reason enough to fly there, he doesn’t have reason enough (yet) to admit to and come out in the open about his dil ka rishta. Give him some time, folks!

Murder accused thrashed in Bihar

PATNA: A murder suspect was brutally thrashed by a mob and left almost dead in Bihar's Hajipur district on Saturday while policemen watched. Ravi Kumar, a student in his 20s, had allegedly killed his friend Om Prakash in a quarrel over a cell phone in Hajipur's Pokhra neighbourhood, just 30 km from the state capital here. The mob snatched him from police custody on Saturday morning and beat him with bamboo sticks and bricks and kicked him repeatedly. Ravi fell to the ground but they did not stop. They went on beating him and then some people smashed his head with bricks, an eyewitness said. Ravi was taken to a local hospital in Hajipur and later shifted to the Patna Medical College. "He is battling for his life in the hospital," a senior police official said. State police chief A.R. Sinha said a police official had been suspended and action would be taken against other policemen present at the time of incident. All the policemen reportedly stood by as mute spectators instead of rescuing the youth. According to sources in Hajipur district administration, after news spread that Ravi had killed Om Prakash, the dead youth's relatives and friends gathered outside the police station to which Ravi had been taken and snatched him from the police and beat him. The incident follows a similar case on Tuesday when a mob lynched an alleged rapist in a village in Saran district. Karia Sah, in his 20s, was lynched by a mob after the alleged rape victim told villagers that she had been gang raped by three people, including Sah, at knifepoint. The mob also assaulted two other men, Munna Mahto and Karia Raqi, after the rape victim identified them. Last week, three men suspected of theft were lynched in Vaishali and Araria districts. In rural Bihar, 'street justice' is common. Last year, over three dozen incidents of lynching were reported and many more may have gone unreported. The worst lynching case was reported in September last year when 10 men from the underprivileged Kueri community in Vaishali district were beaten to death over an alleged theft. Later, a high-level probe found that the men were not thieves as the villagers had suspected. In August last year, a youth was thrashed by a mob and brutally tortured by the police for allegedly snatching a woman's gold chain in Bhagalpur.

Left demands ban on Twenty20 cricket

KOLKATA: The government should ban Twenty20 cricket and ascertain the source of income for the BCCI-backed multi-billion dollar Indian Premier League, veteran CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta demanded on Saturday. Describing Twenty20 cricket as a "gamble" involving "widespread betting" and "free investment of unaccounted money", Dasgupta alleged that a cabinet minister was involved in the "caricature of the game and looting cricket lovers." Dasgupta was apparently referring to Agriculture Minister and Maharashtra political heavyweight Sharad Pawar, who heads the cash-rich BCCI. "No player can exhibit talent in this format. It's a shameful attempt by unscrupulous people to make money. Unfortunately, there is no opposition to this, either from cricketers or from the government," the senior parliamentarian said. "The standards and morality of cricket will go down because of Twenty20 cricket and events like IPL. Cricket will be destroyed," Dasgupta said. Filmstars Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla and Preity Zinta, and industrialists Mukesh Ambani, Vijay Mallya and Ness Wadia were among those who recently shelled out billions of rupees in bids to become franchise owners of Indian Premier League teams and rope in star players from India and abroad. The tournament would be held at eight venues in India from April 18 to June 1.

2 US pension plans sue Yahoo for spurning Microsoft takeover

DOVER: Two US pension funds have sued Yahoo Inc. and its board of directors, saying they breached their duties to shareholders in trying to thwart a takeover by Microsoft Corp. The lawsuit was filed in Delaware Chancery Court on Thursday by lawyers representing Detroit's police and fire retirement system and general retirement system, as well as ``all other similarly situated public shareholders.'' According to the lawsuit, Yahoo's board is pursuing ``value-destructive'' third-party deals in an effort to fight off Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft, which on Feb. 1 announced a takeover bid of $31 per share in cash and stock, a 62 percent premium over Yahoo's previous day's closing price. Sunnyvale, California-based Yahoo, whose shares closed unchanged at $28.42 on Friday, rejected Microsoft's $44.6 billion (euro30.04 billion) takeover bid as inadequate, but indicated that it might be willing to negotiate if the price was right. Yahoo is believed to want at least $40 per share, or about $56 billion (euro37.72 billion). After rebuffing Microsoft, Yahoo reportedly began discussing a possible Internet partnership with media conglomerate News Corp., which owns the popular MySpace Web site, and exploring an advertising partnership with Google, its biggest rival. The company also adopted new severance packages that would protect employees in the event of a Microsoft takeover, a move the lawsuit labels as a blatant effort to drive up the cost of an acquisition. ``Yahoo's directors cannot 'just say no' indefinitely to legitimate acquisition offers,'' the lawsuit reads. ``Likewise, Yahoo's directors cannot pursue transactions that do not require shareholder approval for the primary purpose of making Yahoo unattractive to Microsoft.'' A Yahoo spokeswoman did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment. Microsoft has hired a proxy solicitation group to help oust the 10 members of Yahoo's board, all of whom are up for re-election this year. ``An imminent proxy fight necessitates judicial intervention since it poses a deadline for Yahoo's board to place shares in friendly hands,'' according to the plaintiffs, who allege that Yahoo board members have placed ``personal distaste for Microsoft'' ahead of shareholder welfare. ``Regardless of their emotional ties to Yahoo and their desire to retain their positions as directors at the company, the Yahoo directors owe fiduciary duties to Yahoo and its shareholders,'' the lawsuit states.

Microsoft says no major lay-offs in Yahoo merger

SEATTLE: Microsoft Corp suggested on Friday that it had no plans to make major lay-offs if it succeeded in buying Yahoo Inc, saying there were plenty of employee opportunities throughout the company. Kevin Johnson, president of Microsoft's platforms and services division, said in an e-mail to employees in his unit that the company would dedicate "significant rewards and compensation" to retain Yahoo and Microsoft employees. "While some overlap is expected in any combination of this size, we should remember that Microsoft ... has hired over 20,000 people since 2005, and we would look to place talented employees throughout the company as a whole," Johnson wrote in the e-mail that was posted on Microsoft's Web site. "We have no shortage of business and technical opportunities, and we need great people to focus on them." The e-mail sought to ease some of the concerns expressed by Microsoft and Yahoo employees about a potential merger. Yahoo said earlier this week that it had put in place generous severance benefits that would be given to all employees who might be laid off if the company was sold. Analysts said it was common for a company in play to provide "golden parachutes" to take care of employees. The companies are at a stand-off in Microsoft's $41.2 billion unsolicited bid to acquire Yahoo. Microsoft has offered to buy Yahoo for $31 a share in cash and stock, which Yahoo's board rejected, saying it undervalued the company. Separately, two pension funds sued Yahoo Inc and its board for rejecting Microsoft's offer. The suit said Yahoo was pursuing other deals that were not as beneficial to its shareholders. Lawsuits by Yahoo shareholders have multiplied in the wake of Yahoo's Feb. 11 refusal to entertain the offer, which represented a 62 percent premium over Yahoo's share price at the time. Johnson, whose division would ultimately absorb most of Yahoo, said the company would be "pragmatic" in how to address Yahoo's computer systems since they are not Windows-based. In some acquisitions, Microsoft has prioritized continuity, according to Johnson, and the company has worked to make sure the acquired company's existing systems worked with Microsoft's own technology infrastructure. He also downplayed the cultural differences between the two companies, seen as a hurdle to a smooth integration, saying some aspects of the two cultures will merge quickly, while others will remain unique. Yahoo would bring a Web-centric view, media expertise and advertising talent to Microsoft, according to Johnson, who said Microsoft plans to maintain Yahoo's presence in Silicon Valley if a deal goes through.

Hero and the singer!

Tejaswini Sharma appears like any other girl in her early twenties. Seated in a chair, the girl holds the audience captive with her rendition of a Lata Mangeshkar number. The audience has been requested not to clap during the song, but that doesn’t stop them from erupting into shouts of ‘Once more’ as the mesmerising song ends. And only as she is eased out of the chair by her brother and mother, does one realise that Tejaswini is a special child. "Though physically she’s 20-plus, mentally her age equals to that of a four or five-year-old," says her mother. But this pretty girl is special for more reasons than that. She has overcome all adversities to pursue her only passion singing. And helping her in this endeavour is Akshay Kumar. She waves out to him and beams, "Akshay Bhaiyya!" before proceeding to give the actor a warm hug. "She’s the real star," points out Akshay, and adds, "We are heroes on screen, but she’s one in real life." Akshay who had chanced upon Tejaswini in her hometown of Chandigarh was so moved by her singing, that he decided to take up her cause. "Her eyes and voice spoke to me long after our meeting" They questioned me and the system we support, the society we live in," he says. So Akshay agreed to judge a popular talent show hosted by Aditya Narayan only if they gave her a chance to perform. The channel obliged and not only did they let Tejaswini perform, but also made her a judge alongwith the superstar. "Akshay has been Godsend," says the girl’s visibly moved mother, Harsh, adding that they had approached several music reality shows, but were turned away since Tejaswini was a kid with special needs. Incidentally, Akshay’s an ambassador for special children and has been associated with their cause for several years. Tejaswini also shares a special bond with Lata Mangeshkar even though she has not met the songstress even once. "Tejaswini had not uttered a single word till 12. Her only solace was listening to Lata’s songs. And then what happened can only be described as a miracle. Lata’s song was playing, when midway the cassette developed a snag and stopped. We were shocked to hear Tejaswini hum the rest of the song. That was the first time we had heard our daughter’s voice," says her mother. Soon they got her enrolled for music classes and today the girl can sing some of the most complicated ragas with perfect ease. It’s not surprising that Lata’s on Tejaswini’s wish list. "I just want to meet her once," says the girl who barely speaks a few words, but can sing continuously for three hours and remembers over 200 songs.

Lohan’s father says ‘no’

Lindsay Lohan’s father refuses to look at nude photos of his daughter posing as Marilyn Monroe. Michael Lohan is determined not to see the pictures of 21-year-old Lindsay in the new issue of a New York magazine, but accepts it was “her decision” to agree to the shoot. He said: "I'm not going to look at the photos — that’s my daughter! But Lindsay is an adult, and she knows the direction she wants to take her career. It’s her decision.” However, Michael did recognise that being asked to recreate Bert Stern’s famous ‘Last Sitting’ photos of Marilyn was a huge honour for Lindsay. He added to a US magazine: “The fact that the photographer Bert Stern who did Marilyn Monroe’s pictures would ask Lindsay to re-create them — that’s an amazing thing.” Michael also hopes Lindsay doesn’t fully follow in Marilyn’s footsteps, because the blonde iconic star died of a drugs overdose aged 36. He said: “I pray there are no parallels to her and Marilyn Monroe’s destiny.”

Antara Mali is back

Antara Mali almost vanished after the release of her directorial debut, Mr Ya Miss (2005). Tinsel town’s gossip mills attributed her disappearance to her film tanking at the box-office and her consequent break up (both personal and professional) with Ram Gopal Varma. After two years, she is now bracing herself to get back into the Bollywood grind. However, she rues that she gets more offers to direct a film compared to acting offers. Where did you disappear after Mr Ya Miss? I had taken a break. I travelled across Europe and then when I got back in the country, I headed to Rajasthan followed by Kerala. Alongside, I was also writing film scripts. Were you disappointed with the box-office collections of the film? Did that prompt you to take the self-imposed exile? I was definitely not disappointed as my producer (RGV) got a profit on his table. The film was a slapstick comedy and people were having a good laugh while watching it. Well, you can say that it was a self-imposed exile of sorts. I simply enjoyed my free time and eventually, decided to prolong it. I don’t like to work so hard. I have very simple needs. I’m contented with my lovely house and my car, and I do little work whenever I feel the need.
Antara Mali almost vanished after the release of her directorial debut, Mr Ya Miss (2005). Tinsel town’s gossip mills attributed her disappearance to her film tanking at the box-office and her consequent break up (both personal and professional) with Ram Gopal Varma. After two years, she is now bracing herself to get back into the Bollywood grind. However, she rues that she gets more offers to direct a film compared to acting offers. Where did you disappear after Mr Ya Miss? I had taken a break. I travelled across Europe and then when I got back in the country, I headed to Rajasthan followed by Kerala. Alongside, I was also writing film scripts. Were you disappointed with the box-office collections of the film? Did that prompt you to take the self-imposed exile? I was definitely not disappointed as my producer (RGV) got a profit on his table. The film was a slapstick comedy and people were having a good laugh while watching it. Well, you can say that it was a self-imposed exile of sorts. I simply enjoyed my free time and eventually, decided to prolong it. I don’t like to work so hard. I have very simple needs. I’m contented with my lovely house and my car, and I do little work whenever I feel the need.

No one wants to see Aguilera’s baby!

Pop singer Christina Aguilera’s baby’s pictures are proving to be a flop. A tabloid website reported that the magazine issue to feature the snaps is expected to sell 1.3 million copies, less than the average weekly sales of 1.4 million. The magazine is not considering that as a loss though they shelled out close to $2 million for the pictures.

‘I am not scared of Khali’

After displaying her oomph factor in films like Aashiq Banaya Aapne and Chocolate, Tanushree Dutta is ready for some mind-boggling action in her forthcoming film Rama The Saviour. She’ll be cast opposite the 7 feet 3 inch tall wrestler, 'the Great Indian Khali'. In a tete-a-tete with NT, she bares her soul... IN AWE OF KHALI: "Khali is a real terror and very intimidating. Though I am not at all scared of him and wish to know more about his lifestyle, I am not going to ask him many questions. I am ready to put my best foot forward in the fight scenes and I have been especially trained by a famous action director from Vietnam for the movie." TRICKS OF THE TRADE: "With nary a godfather to support me, survival can be tough in this industry. Today, I know the tricks of the trade and deal with people accordingly. I know ki agar yahaan haath do toh log pauncha pakad lete hain. So, I keep them at a distance and if people call me a snob, I just don't care. It isn't that I don't care for people, but I can't be polite just to please people." ON BODY BEAUTIFUL: "I strongly feel that being called sexy is the best compliment any woman can get. I like it when people say that I have a sensuous body. I work hard to maintain my curves. I eat right, exercise well and take care of my hair and skin." BOLLYWOOD HOTTIES: "I find the four Khans very sexy. But it's none other than Amitabh Bachchan who is the hottest of them all. Mr Bachchan is beyond comparison. I find him really exciting and he has an amazing sex appeal. And let me tell you, Abhishek is a hunk too." FAVE OBSESSION: "I have a fetish for buying shoes even though it sounds a little weird for a lady to choose footwear over lipsticks and nail paints. I travel a lot and the moment I spot a shoe shop, I can't resist buying one. The last time I tried counting the number of shoes was about eight months back and the number was 330. Since then, there have been many more additions to my stock and now I have actually lost the count."

Belly cool, Riya!

Riya Sen is going the Shakira way. No, she isn’t going to sing but is taking lessons in belly dancing. Riya has already completed her first level and will soon move to the next one. She has been learning the dance style under a Brazilian teacher, Veronica Simas de Souza Rosas. Says Riya, “I wanted to learn belly dancing because I feel it is the most sensuous form of dance. I’ve almost completed the basic level. I still have to complete another two levels. But, it will take me another five years to reach the advanced level.” Belly dance, says Riya, has always intrigued her. “I was in Dubai with friends when I happened to watch a show. That’s when I told my friends that I desperately wanted to learn it. I had no idea if there was anyone who could teach me belly dance in Mumbai.” But much to Riya’s delight, she found someone who does!

Madhuri’s comeback plans!

Though her Aaja Nachle didn’t strike gold at the box office, Mrs Madhuri Dixit Nene, we hear will be trying another shot at the box office, sooner than later. And right now the whole project has been kept under wraps. The film is likely to start somewhere next month. We wonder why the secrecy? Maybe somethings are best kept concealed, what say?

Janet to remarry

J anet Jackson is set to marry long-term boyfriend Jermaine Dupri. She has been dating record producer Jermaine since 2002. Eschewing a high-profile ceremony, she is planning it for later this year. A source close to the singer said, "Janet is preparing for her private nuptials at the moment." However, Janet recently revealed to foreign papers she thinks she might be "jinxed" when it comes to marriage after going through two bitter divorce battles. She said: "Maybe marriage isn’t for me. Maybe it’s my fault it never works. I was always faithful. I always tried to give of myself. I was very loyal. But maybe I’m the problem. I think I’m to blame."

It’s a boy and girl for JLo!

Jennifer Lopez and hubby Mark Anthony have become the proud parents of twins, a boy and a girl, confirms the star couple’s rep.The babies were born early Feb 22 in Long Island, N.Y. The girl weighed 5 lbs. 7 oz., and the boy, 6 lbs. "Jennifer and Marc are delighted, thrilled and over the moon," People quoted Lopez's manager Simon Fields, as saying.The twins are the first children for Lopez, and the fourth and fifth for Anthony. Lopez did not confirm her much-rumored pregnancy until early November, when she announced the news to a Miami audience while on a concert tour with her husband.

PPP's Fahim frontrunner for Pak PM's post

ISLAMABAD: Widely respected PPP leader Makhdoom Amin Fahim is emerging as the frontrunner for the Prime Minister's post in the new coalition government in Pakistan as the two main opposition parties on Friday worked for a power sharing formula. The newly elected Parliamentarians of Pakistan People's Party(PPP) met on Friday for the first time after it became the single largest party in the recent elections and discussed the name of Fahim, the 68-year-old vice-president of Benazir Bhutto's party and a few other probables. No final decision has been taken yet, party sources said, adding that the meeting lasting two hours was convened to discuss Thursday night's decision taken by former rivals PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N's Nawaz Sharif to form a "National Consensus Government." The names of PPP's Punjab Province President and a formal Federal minister Shah Mehmood Quereshi, senior leader Yousuf Reza Gillani and firebrand lawyer Aitaz Ahsan were also doing the rounds for the top post. The PML-N has already made it clear that the Prime minister will be from the PPP. "We are waiting for them to nominate a suitable member of the National Assembly," PML-N Joint Secretary Siddique-ul-Farooq said. Neither Zardari nor Sharif are immediately not eligible to be premier because they are not MPs. The ruling party--PML(Q)-- which backed President Pervez Musharraf meanwhile said it doubted that the PPP-led new alliance would be stable calling it a "marriage of convenience." As the new coalition partners PPP and PML-N joined hands with a resolve to strengthen Parliament, Musharraf said in a signed article in the "Washington Post" that he would work with the new Parliament.

Row over UK plans to abolish 'ancestry visa'

LONDON: Amid growing criticism of Britain's wholesale overhaul of its immigration system, an MP of the governing Labour Party has challenged plans to sever the UK's historic ties to tens of thousands of Commonwealth nationals who have an automatic right through descent to live and work here. The so-called 'ancestry visa', introduced 36 years ago by Britain as a mark of appreciation of its former dominions, is available to Commonwealth nationals aged 17 or over, whose grandparents were born in the UK. This visa entitles holders to live in Britain for four years to work and eventually to settle. Statistics show that it has mainly been used by nationals of New Zealand, Australia and South Africa though it is technically available to Indians as well because of the Commonwealth ties. On Friday, Labour MP Austin Mitchell, criticised the move to remove ancestry visa-holders' rights and privileges as an un-British attempt to "shrug off our Commonwealth commitments". Mitchell, who may table a motion in parliament, lamented that "What is happening here is that in a general rush to make ourselves European, we are trying to shrug off our Commonwealth commitments." The government is proposing that 'ancestry visa-holders' face the same restrictions on working here as other non-European migrants. It comes alongside proposals to introduce an "immigrant tax" for non-European visitors and the requirement that non-European spouses and fiancees of British national face and pass an English language test if they are to enter the UK at all. The British Home Office's Green Paper on the issue says, "We need to decide whether a Commonwealth national's ancestral connections to the UK are sufficient to allow them to come here to work without the need to satisfy a resident labour market test." But Mitchell denounced the proposed change as a sign of the government's "contempt for the long historic associations between Britain, New Zealand and Australia". Without mention of India, which offered vast numbers of men in the service of the British Raj in both world wars, Mitchell stressed, "The dominions sprang to our aid when we needed them in two world wars and since. Their inhabitants are of British descent. They are keen to maintain the long-standing Commonwealth ties and associations with this country. Yet, the Green Paper blithely proposes to abolish the ancestry visas granted in recognition of these ties on the grounds that they are 'outdated'."

Learn something from Aamir: Ramadoss tells SRK

BANGALORE: Apparently hitting back at Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan, Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss today said public icons who passed off smoking on screens as "creative liberty" should take a leaf out of the book of actors like Aamir Khan about how to use the artistic tool. "Creative liberty should be used to improve society and not kill mankind", Ramadoss said in response to a query on public icons supporting smoking on screen as their right to creative liberty. "Look at Taare Zameen Par", he said, saying the film has helped in changing the mindset of thousands of teachers and parents in looking at the problem of dyslexia. "That is what creative liberty should do", he said. Shahrukh had recently defended in Delhi on-screen smoking saying it was a creative liberty of artistes. According to Ramadoss, increasing tobacoo abuse by students was a growing matter of concern. The Indian component of the Global Youth Tobacco Survey indicated that nearly 10 per cent of Indian high school going students used tobacco products. Studies from NIMHANS pointed to decreasing age of alcohol consumption from 27 to 24 and now 19 years and an increasing alcohol consumption among women, he said. Changing dietary habits was also giving rise to problems like childhood obesity. "We appear to now even overtaking countries like the US on the issue of obesity", he said. Ramadoss had last month said Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan can learn a thing or two from superstar Rajinikant regarding smoking on screen. He had also said Khan should not have smoked in the stands while watching a cricket match in Mumbai.

PPP's Fahim frontrunner for Pak PM's post

ISLAMABAD: Widely respected PPP leader Makhdoom Amin Fahim is emerging as the frontrunner for the Prime Minister's post in the new coalition government in Pakistan as the two main opposition parties on Friday worked for a power sharing formula. The newly elected Parliamentarians of Pakistan People's Party(PPP) met on Friday for the first time after it became the single largest party in the recent elections and discussed the name of Fahim, the 68-year-old vice-president of Benazir Bhutto's party and a few other probables. No final decision has been taken yet, party sources said, adding that the meeting lasting two hours was convened to discuss Thursday night's decision taken by former rivals PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N's Nawaz Sharif to form a "National Consensus Government." The names of PPP's Punjab Province President and a formal Federal minister Shah Mehmood Quereshi, senior leader Yousuf Reza Gillani and firebrand lawyer Aitaz Ahsan were also doing the rounds for the top post. The PML-N has already made it clear that the Prime minister will be from the PPP. "We are waiting for them to nominate a suitable member of the National Assembly," PML-N Joint Secretary Siddique-ul-Farooq said. Neither Zardari nor Sharif are immediately not eligible to be premier because they are not MPs. The ruling party--PML(Q)-- which backed President Pervez Musharraf meanwhile said it doubted that the PPP-led new alliance would be stable calling it a "marriage of convenience." As the new coalition partners PPP and PML-N joined hands with a resolve to strengthen Parliament, Musharraf said in a signed article in the "Washington Post" that he would work with the new Parliament.

SC dismisses Raj Thackeray's appeal

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray's appeal to re-track the gag order passed against him. The police order was passed by DCP Vijaysingh Jadhav on February 11, prohibiting Raj from organising rallies, giving provocative statements in media, holding press conferences and shouting slogans to cause breach of peace or cause obstruction in Mumbai. "We understand the situation there and what is happening," a three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan said. "This is one country and we will not accept son of soil theory," the Bench also comprising Justices R V Ravindran and Markandey Katju observed. Earlier on Thursday, Raj Thackeray moved an application in the sessions court, stating that the order is "vague" and does not precisely outline what he is to do or abstain from doing. He also stated that he has to move around different places in Maharashtra for propounding the philosophy of his party. Such order of the DCP was infringing his "fundamental right". Raj was arrested for making provocative speeches against the north Indians on February 13 and was released on bail.

Explosives found near Sonia's rally venue in J&K

NEW DELHI: In a major security operation held on Thursday, the CRPF along with the Jammu police busted a suspected Lashkar militant hideout in Baderwah area, where UPA chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, is scheduled to visit on Friday. This militant hideout was just 800 metres away from the Congress president's proposed rally destination. Sonia and Home Minister, Shivraj Patil, are scheduled to visit avalanche-hit areas during their one-day visit to the state. While, the suspected Lashkar militants managed to flee, the police have seized an arms cache comprising 4 kgs of RDX, detonators and grenades. Meanwhile, the joint secretary in charge of Jammu is likely to discuss the security situation with the state authorities and seek more details about Thursday's action against militants. The militants are suspected to be from the Lashkar-e-Toiba group. Even though it is still unclear, if the militants planned to target Sonia, the Intelligence sources have said that the Congress President has always been under the terror radar. The Intelligence inputs have said that the militant group were to target Sonia Gandhi at vulnerable locations. The inputs notched the threat levels higher, especially when she travelled out of the capital, which is considered as her safe zone.

Mush most hated man in Pak: Top lawyer

In his first interview to an Indian newspaper since he came out of detention on Wednesday, PPP leader and supreme court bar association leader Aitzaz Ahsan talks about the issues confronting Pakistan at the moment. Q: Where is Pakistan heading now after this week’s verdict? A: The verdict is very clear. President Musharraf has to go. The verdict is against him. He is the most hated man in Pakistan at the moment. The people have spoken against him but he is hanging on to power. But, under no circumstances can he survive now. He has to go. Q: But, he’s got the backing of the US... A: Americans are trying to micro-manage Pakistan. It’s a mistake. The people of this country have given a verdict. It should be respected. Efforts to save Musharraf through some other means will not lead to a stable government. Q: But, the PPP and PML(N) have differences over the reinstatement of the sacked judges. That can rock the future government. A: Both the parties agree in principle on the independence of judiciary. And whatever differences they have, can be sorted out easily. I am sure the differences will be resolved. Q: While your party took part in the elections, you chose to stay away. Why? A: A country cannot be democratic until it has an independent judiciary. Until that happens, people cannot be empowered. That’s why the lawyers are still fighting for the judges. And they will fight till they get an independent judiciary that protects the rights of the people. Q: Do you believe in judicial activism? In India it has created some serious problems. A: India doesn’t need judicial activism. It has 60 years of democratic experience. But Pakistan needs it. Q: There are talks of you becoming the next PM. Am I talking to the future PM of Pakistan? A: No. I am not in the race. My only objective at the moment is restoration of the judiciary.

Manyata is mother of my son

A Mumbai court Wednesday afternoon directed the Mumbai police to submit by Feb 25 its report on inquiry into Meraj-ur-Rehman's claim that he is the first husband of Manyata, now wife of Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt.Meraj, who is in police custody for sending obscene messages to Bollywood actresses, has in a written complaint to the Bandra metropolitan magistrate contended that Manyata's marriage to Sanjay Dutt Feb 11 was illegal, as he has not divorced her yet.According to Meraj, he married Manyata in 2003 and has a son from her. The son is now in Dubai with Manyata's relatives.Meraj, who has been a struggling writer in the film industry, told the police he only wanted custody of his son and was ready to legally divorce Manyata.This is not the only complication that the newly married Dutt couple is facing. Sanjay and Manyata first had a registered marriage in Goa and then a Hindu ritual marriage in Mumbai.However, the Goa district administration last week ordered re-examination of the marriage registration papers. For a registered marriage in Goa, at least one person must be a Goa resident for a minimum six months.When Goa authorities learnt that the domicile certificate Manyata submitted was false, they served a show-cause notice on her last week and asked her why this certificate should not be cancelled.Manyata has sought a fortnight's time to file her reply to the notice.

When Ash went wrong

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has it all -- looks, brains, good roles and now, a happy marriage.
Unfortunately, her luck at the box office has not always been good. Most of her films -- spanning a decade-long career -- have flopped.
Her latest film -- the much hyped Jodhaa Akbar -- has also opened to mixed reviews and lukewarm response at the box office. We decided to take at a look at some of her much-hyped flops.
Jeans
The film was to be a dream debut for Hollywood-based producer Vijay Amritraj. After making a mark in Hollywood, the filmmaker turned his attention to Bollywood with Jeans, which was directed by Shankar.
Aishwarya was paired opposite South Indian actor Prashanth. The film's music was composed by A R Rahman.
Unfortunately, the film, which boasted of the breathtaking seven wonders, all in a single song, failed to ignite any excitement with the audience. One of the major reasons attributed for this was the film's name which people could not relate to.

Riya Sen learning belly dancing

Riya Sen will be more than just a sizzling Bollywood hottie in a while now. The hot actress is taking belly dancing classes a rarity in Bollywood when most actresses are taking classical dancing classes. The actress said that she is learning the art from a Brazilian dance instructor Veronica Simas de Souza Rosas. And her reason for learning the craft it the most sensous form of dance that she has seen. The actress admits that though she has a long way to go mastering the craft with five years for her to reach all five levels of instruction.She saw a belly dancer in Dubai when she was inspired to take up the dancing form. After learning the basic nuances of belly dancing, she seems to know a little about what it takes to actually be a belly dancing
master. She admits that the dance form involves more breath control and muscle movement as compared to most other dance movements which focuses primarily on leg movements.Another upside that she admits belly dancing has is good for those who want to shed a few pounds. Well Riya, all we can say is that you were doing perfectly fine being the hottie that you were. We can't wait to see you on the screen shaking that waist.

Kunal, Amrita select a cover girl

Kunal Kapoor and Amrita Arora revisited their teen years recently when invited to judge a contest for Seventeen magazine. Their task was to pick out the cover girl from among several beautiful teens. Although judging a contest can be quite challenging, the two stars seemed to be having a blast. They were particularly impressed with the confidence the contestants exuded even in their teens. Check out the judges in action.

Spears estranged manager served with restraining order

Britney Spears' estranged manager Sam Lufti was served with a temporary restraining order on Thursday, ordering him to keep away from the troubled star and her family.

US armyman charged with rape in Japan

TOKYO: The US military and Japanese police on Thursday said that they were investigating new allegations of rape by a US serviceman in Okinawa amid uproar after a string of criminal cases. The case was revealed one day after the US military imposed a sweeping curfew on troops and their families in a bid to stem public anger in Japan, a close US ally. A Filipina reported to police that she was raped by a member of the US army in Okinawa, the southern island which is home to half of the more than 40,000 US troops in Japan, officials said. The incident allegedly occurred at a hotel in the city of Okinawa on February 18, a local police officer said. The Filipina was injured and is receiving medical treatment at a hospital, the officer said. "We are investigating the case carefully," the police officer said, adding that the soldier was in US military custody. The officer declined to specify the extent of the woman’s injuries.

Top luxury mobile phones

Luxury goods companies seems to be realising the potential of Geek fashion. The companies which realised long ago their brands could be extended to more than clothes and bags, have been rushing to embrace the gadgets. And on the top of their attention are mobiles, which has been a status symbol and part of fashion accessories for some time now. International fashion labels Prada, Dolce & Gabbana and Armani are rushing in to release fashionista mobiles. French fashion house Christian Dior, while rumours are rife that luxury crystal specialist Swarovski is all set to follow suit. Here's a look into these Designer Mobiles.

The limited edition Porsche Design phone has been made by French company Sagem. The original model name of the Porsche phone is P9521 that comes integrated 2 mega pixel digital camera. The phone which was released in December last year is made of aluminum. P9521 is designed with a double hinge system, which allows users to open and rotate the phone 360 degrees. The touch-screen phone sports mineral glass on the screen and has a built-in fingerprint scanning device to protect personal data.
Other will be displayed tomorrow.......

Jodhaa Akbar more liked than Lagaan: Ashutosh

A week after his epic period film Jodhaa Akbar checked into the theatres, filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker spoke to Anuradha SenGupta on the making of the film, the controversies surrounding it and what is it like being Ashutosh Gowariker, the auteur.
Anuradha SenGupta: What is your take on the public reaction on Jodhaa Akbar so far? Are people saying better than Swades but not quite Lagaan?
Ashutosh Gowariker: No in fact they are liking it more than Lagaan and Swades. And I can see why because they are liking the romance and the love story aspect in the film. People are also liking the grandeur – the battle scenes, the elephant fight and the lavishness and scale of the film.
Anuradha SenGupta: We have been hearing about the protests against the film. Some people are saying that there are certain inaccuracies in the film and it revolves around the fact that Jodhaa is not Akbar's wife but his daughter-in-law according to their interpretation of history. You have been going blue in the face that the allegations are incorrect, the origins of the person are sketchy in any case and the dynasty, that she is shown to belong, has no problems with the attribution. Is there more to these protests than meets the eye?
Ashutosh Gowariker: I think the History books are probably leading to that confusion. The more the History books, the more different names that are being attributed to Raja Bharmal's daughter. There are several names. So when I started my research even I was quite taken aback that no historian meets eye to eye because each historian does his own interpretation and analysis and presents history.
So when you have six different names going for that princess, there are at least three who call her Jodhaa Bai. And on the other hand you have someone like Satish Chandra saab who has written Medieval India, which is the book that everyone in Rajasthan is referring to. He talks about the daughter of Udai Singh, also known as Mota Raja, who was given to Jehangir. Now he mentions that her name is Jagat Gosain. I also think that there is a difference between Jodh Bai and Jodhaa Bai. So the confusion is within the History books.
Anuradha SenGupta: So you are saying that you understand where these protests are coming from. You don't think that maybe somewhere hidden in these protests, like some people are saying, that there is an anti Hindu-Muslim love story sentiment. You don't think so?
Ashutosh Gowariker: No, I don't.
Anuradha SenGupta: You don't think these protests are motivated by that larger protest, which nobody is articulating.
Ashutosh Gowariker: No, I don't think so because nobody will be shy in articulating it. So here if we have a Rajput lobby that has reservations about the name, I empathise with them because I went through the same thing. At the start of the film I have given a disclaimer, which says that there are several names but I am using Jodhaa because it is the most popular name.
Anuradha SenGupta: You have explained your stand. But do you sense the protesters – the Rajput Karni Sena – are accepting your argument?

Most BPOs clueless about driver info

GURGAON: Under fire for not being able to provide safe transport for employees, particularly women, at night, BPOs in their defence have claimed that they are following emerging best practices. However, security experts feel the greatest threat to employee safety is from the drivers themselves. In most cases, the credentials of the drivers are not known to the transport vendors since they subcontract the work to smaller players. Industry insiders said about 90 per cent of the BPOs depend on such vendors, who don’t have enough cabs to meet the demand. "They start attaching the service of those who own only a couple of cabs. Until this is done away with, there would not be much improvement," said a major transport vendor, who did not wish to be named. Infrastructure managers of some major Gurgaon-based BPOs said they were following best practices to improve safety of employees. Thousands of women report to work at BPOs at night. And going by track record, most of the crimes against women were committed when a lone woman employee had either been picked up first by the driver or had been the last to be dropped. "People in the organisation should be held accountable in case they are responsible for negligence resulting in any loss to employees. Those heading the organisations and looking after the operations are not just there to take the bonus home," said Raman Roy, CEO of Quatrro. However, he added that the state government and police must also be held responsible for their negligence. "Safety and security of all of us is a state subject. The government issues licenses to drivers and even to vehicles. There has to be an all-inclusive effort to achieve safety and security of everyone," he added. However, industry players insisted that they were adhering to the best norms. "The focus is more to put a process in place which will make women more secure from the time they are picked up from their homes and till they are dropped back home. Driver verification has been made compulsory. There is 100 per cent compliance to the installation of GPS and speed governors in cabs," said the infrastructure head of a BPO. Some of the BPOs have even started calling up women employees who are dropped at night to ensure they reach home safely. "Since it’s not just drivers who get drunk, we have started breath analyser tests for housekeepers and security guards. But the biggest challenge is to get the right kind of drivers," a BPO source said. Meanwhile, all this has put the onus on transport vendors. Major cab fleet owner Manav Bahri said his company has started keeping photographs of drivers and recording fingerprints to track them down in case they committed any crime. "We even keep the contact numbers of their family members and relatives," he added. Bahri also pointed out though most of the BPOs were deploying security guards in cabs to ensure the last woman employee was dropped safe, it was desirable that the last person to be dropped should be a male employee.