Month: June 2009

Wish Karisma a warm Birthday!

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Mumbai, June 25: Hailing from the legendry Kapoor khandan, she went from being a simpleton to a stunner in B Town, followed by a high profile wedding to being a proud mother now. Right from her first steps into Bollywood with her debut at all of sixteen with PREM QAIDI, Karisma Kapoor was always scaled for her appearances. With films like DEEDAR and JIGAR to start off with, the Kapoor scion was no match to the reigning hot babes of her era. But with RAJA HINDUSTANI, her oomph silenced all her critics, making her way to the list of style icons in Bollywood.

US beat Spain to reach Confederations Cup final

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Bloemfontein, June 25: The United States ended Spain’s record winning streak with a 2-0 upset victory on Wednesday that gave it an unlikely but deserved place in the Confederations Cup final.

Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey exposed a sluggish Spanish defense and Tim Howard made several quality saves to stop Spain’s record run at 15 wins and put the Americans into their first FIFA men’s final at any level.

Altidore took a deflected pass from Dempsey in the 27th minute, turned Joan Capdevila and beat Iker Casillas with a shot that bounced off the goalkeeper’s hand and into the net.

I am a victim of racism: Mizoram chief minister

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Singapore, June 25: At a time when racial attacks against Indian students in Australia have attracted comments from the top leadership in both countries, Mizoram Chief Minister Pu Lalthanhawla Thursday said he too was a victim of racism – but in India.

Speaking at a conference on water at the Singapore International Water Week, the chief minister said: “In India, people ask me if I am an Indian.”

Oscar for Best Picture to now have 10 contenders

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Washington, June 25: The Oscar for the Best Picture, the most-sought after honour in Hollywood, will have 10 contenders from next year instead of the short list of five so far, a media report said Thursday.

The Los Angeles Times called it “the new Academy Awards era” as it reported Wednesday’s “out-of-the-blue” announcement that the Best Picture category at the Oscars will double in size to 10 films.

Some endorse, others sceptical of scrapping Class 10 boards

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New Delhi, June 25: As Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal mulls over the idea of doing away with the “traumatic” Class 10 board exams, students, educators and parents gave mixed reactions. They are not sure whether the move would relieve stress or add pressure to Class 12 board exams.

The minister has said that the Class 10 board exam was not necessary as it laid undue pressure and traumatized students and parents.

“The choice of whether Class 10 boards should be scrapped… is something that school teachers and parents have to decide,” Sibal told a news channel here.

Man beaten to death

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Lucknow, June 25: A 35-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death by his in-laws over a petty dispute in Thakurganj area of the city, police said on Thursday.

Vishwanath (35), an employee of a gas agency, was brutally beaten up by his in-laws on Wednesday; police said adding that he later died at a city hospital.

The attackers have been identified as Santosh, Amar, Guddu and Manish, police said.

Santosh, father-in-law of Vishwanath, also worked in the same agency.

Five persons have been detained by police in this connection.

—Agencies

Judicial custody for five accused of Soumya’s murder

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New Delhi, June 25: A city court Thursday sent all the five accused in the murder of TV journalist Soumya Vishwanathan to judicial custody.
Duty Magistrate Vina Rani sent Ajay Sethi, Ravi Kapoor, Amit Kumar Shukla, Baljit Malik and Ajay Kumar to jail. She also ordered for providing them with a copy of the charge sheet and posted the matter for July 8, the next date of hearing.

Delhi Police Monday had filed the 620-page charge sheet and said there was strong evidence against the five accused in the sensational killing that shocked the national capital last September.

Iran’s Mousavi defies crackdown

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Tehran, June 25: Iran protest leader Mir Hossein Mousavi says he holds those behind alleged “rigged” elections responsible for bloodshed during recent protests.

In a defiant statement on his website, he called for future protests to be in a way which would not “create tension.”

He complained of “complete” restrictions on his access to people and a crackdown on his media group.

A BBC correspondent in Tehran says the statement is a direct challenge to Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.

Katrina Kaif is over Akshay

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Mumbai, June 25: Katrina Kaif is finally over Akshay Kumar may be this should make Salman Khan a little more than happy. After all Akshay and Katrina have been claiming that they are a lucky pair onscreen. However we wonder if this news will relieve Salman of any of his pain.

Katrina Kaif who will soon be seen on the silver screen with Neil Nitin Mukesh and John Abraham finds this duo much better than Akshay Kumar. The actress claimed to be in high spirits in the company of her latest buddies, “I’ve too much energy and I don’t know what to do with it,” she proclaimed.

Saif chooses Kareena over career

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Mumbai, June 25: Saif chooses to be with girlfriend Kareena rather than with heroine Deepika for Salman’s show, 10 Ka Dum On Wednesday evening, Deepika Padukone, heroine of Saif Ali Khan’s home production Love Aaj Kal, made an appearance on Salman Khan’s 10 Ka Dum, to promote the film. Saif Ali Khan was to join her but begged off saying he was abroad and therefore unavailable.

Mirza hoping for tennis take-off in India

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London, June 25: Sania Mirza hopes that within a few years she won’t be the only Indian tennis star battling at the highest level.

Mirza said there was finally plenty of talent beginning to come through the ranks as interest in the sport picks up.

And though the 22-year-old does not feel lonely on the tour, she is aware of the pressure on her shoulders as India’s only top-100 player.

“I hope there’s a lot more tennis players, especially women, come up from India,” she said.

Sibal moots free & compulsory education for all

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New Delhi, June 25: The UPA government has rolled out its plan to reform the education sector in India, starting with providing free and compulsory education and doing away with the ‘trauma’ of Class X Board examinations.

The minister said all step should be taken to enact the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill, which seeks to make education a fundamental right of every child in the age group of six to 14 years.

“The bill should be passed in this session so that every child is given statutory right to education,” he said.

Kareena keeps mum on kiss with Akshay

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Mumbai, June 25: Hollywood actress Denise Richards has said that Akshay Kumar is a good kisser. However, desi girl Kareena Kapoor has not uttered even a single word though she is said to have kissed Akshay about ten times in their much-talked-about film Kambakkht Ishq.

Buzz up!Kareena may be trying to keep the kissing acts a low key affair but the Kambakkht Ishq insiders are ready to loosen the knot, as the release date of the film is not far off. Sources said that Kareena and Akshay kissed about ten times in the film but they didn’t want to leak it.

Rahman’s secret plans

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Mumbai, June 25: Being an international celebrity hasn’t proven to be the easy task that AR Rahman thought it would be. Following his Oscars, BAFTA and Golden Globe, the music composer is having a hard time keeping prowling media eyes at bay.

The composer, who has always been the darling of the media in South India, turned to a national sensation with films like ‘Rangeela’, ‘Taal’ and ‘Dil Se’. With the advent of the electronic media, the composer has had a harder time acceding to media requests, also owing to his completely unearthly working hours.

Kashmiri-origin woman is Clinton aide for Muslims

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Washington, June 25: Farah Pandith, a Kashmiri-origin woman, has been appointed as special representative to Muslim communities in the US State Department.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has appointed Pandith as in charge of a new office that is responsible for outreach with Muslims around the world, according to a notice of the State Department.

Pandith and her staff will carry out Clinton’s efforts to “engage with Muslims around the world on a people-to-people and organisational level”, the notification said.

Cheers, frowns as Delhi varsity’s first cut-off list out

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New Delhi, June 25: Braving the scorching heat and grappling with their fears, Delhi University aspirants went from college to college to check if they had made it to the first cut-off list for admission that has gone up by a few notches this year in popular colleges.

The cut-off list for admissions to Delhi University’s colleges announced early Thursday saw many students jump for joy, while others were disappointed that they would have to wait for the second list to be out.

Why Preity-Ness called it quit?

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Mumbai, June 25: Once they were the couple and talk of the towm. But things turned sour and the two headed different parts. Click to read why they split…

The spunky stylish diva of Bollywood, Preity Zintawhoimmortalised the uptight ‘Naina Kapur’ in Kal HoNaa Ho had every reason to flash her dimples and jump around in joy.From making in big in Bollywood and working with legends like Yash Chopra to taking her stand on issues and indulging in charitable causes, the zestful actress had it all.

Indians were not targeted in my state, insists Victoria premier

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Melbourne, June 25: Victoria state Premier John Brumby says he is distressed by the recent attacks on Indian students in Melbourne but insists Indians were not targeted and pointed out how so many Indians settled here were well established and successful in their chosen fields.

“It is a pity that these incidents have happened and it is distressing. But I am determined to fix it. Waves of immigration from Asia, Europe, Africa and the Pacific have always made Victoria, and especially Melbourne, the most diverse and multicultural place in the world,” Brumby told IANS.

Bhakra to cut down water supply to four states

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Chandigarh, June 25: In the wake of delayed monsoon, the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) on Thursday decided to cut down the supply of water for irrigation to Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan by 6,000 cusecs till July 10.

After holding a crucial meeting with representatives of all these states, BBMB has decided to supply 22,000 cusecs against the current supply of 28,000 cusecs, a move that would help raise the water level in Bhakra reservoir which has been fast depleting due to lack of rains.

RPF arrest two train robbers

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Mandya, June 25: The Railway Protection Force (RPF) officials have arrested two persons, members of a five-member gang which had allegedly robbed two women passengers of their jewellery.

Will New York bring back old good times

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Mumbai, June 25: The much-talked-about film New York is releasing tomorrow (June 26). People in the film industry must be waiting with bated breathe, as Bollywood has been going through bad time, owing to the on-going global economic recession and the recently ended fight between film producers and multiplexes owners. Now, all eyes are on New York, as it is expected to bring back the good old times.

TDP leader raises banner of revolt against Chandrababu

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Hyderabad, June 25: Still recovering from its poll debacle, Andhra Pradesh’s main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Thursday received another jolt when a senior leader raised ae banner of revolt against party chief N. Chandrababu Naidu.

A few days after the TDP suspended one of its legislators for going public with his views criticising the leadership, former minister T. Srinivas Yadav addressed a news conference to blame the party’s crushing defeat in the recent elections on its support to the demand for a separate Telangana.

Salman Khan gifts saris to poor women

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Mumbai, June 25: Salman Khan, who is known for his generosity, was approached by some sweeper women during the shooting of Wanted and they asked him to buy saris for all the women working there!

According to Source “Salman was sitting in front of his van chatting with friends at Film City when a couple of sweeper women came up to him and started talking to him. They started demanding new saris from him. He joked and said it wasn’t Diwali or Eid so there was no reason for him to buy saris for them. But they started crying and pleading with him.”

Citi says a Bharti-MTN deal will take 4 mths for OK

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Chandigarh, June 25: Bharti Airtel and South Africa’s MTN, which are in exclusive merger talks till the end of July, will still take up to four months for regulatory and other approvals, Citigroup said.

Bharti and MTN last month revived talks to create a major emerging market telecoms group, a year after previous talks broke down over who would control a merged entity.

FDI in education top priority: Kapil Sibal

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New Delhi, June 25: New Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal is strongly in favour of allowing foreign direct investment (FDI) in India’s education sector and also plans to ‘synchronise’ madrassa education with the mainstream.

‘FDI must come into India. Entry into the education sector must neither be limited nor over-regulated. I want the system to be accessible from outside too,’ Sibal, 61, who is a practising lawyer, told IANS in an interview.