Month: April 2010

Karan Johar getting funny with Shahrukh!

by

Mumbai, April 28: Of the younger crop of Bollywood filmmakers, Karan Johar is undoubtedly the most flamboyant. director, producer, anchor, screenplay writer – he is a man of multi talents. He is known for his brand of cinema, replete with family values, culture et al, barring Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, which was based on adultery.

Yet all his directorial ventures like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and My Name is Khan have been heavy-duty, intense dramas. He is all set to direct a comedy next.

Doctor who killed 8 kids executed in China

by

Beijing, April 28: A mentally-unstable doctor who stabbed eight schoolchildren to death was executed Wednesday in China’s Fujian province, a media report said.

Zheng Minsheng, 41, who murdered the eight children March 23 at the gate of the Nanping Experimental Elementary School, had admitted in court that he ‘intentionally’ killed them.

He was put in front of the firing squad Wednesday,reported.

Zheng had asked the court April 8 to pay more attention to what prompted him to commit the crime, rather than to the crime itself.

Aishwarya heading south for greener pasture!

by

Mumbai, April 28: We have had South Indian stars doing Bollywood films and vice versa. Bollywood beauty Aishwarya Bachchan is reportedly planning to do a couple of Kollywood films. The stunner is no stranger to Tamil having debuted in Mani Ratnam’s Iruvar in 1997. She was raw debutant then. Today, she is a sophisticated star and one of the Bollywood’s top heroines.

Nuclear test ban: Next difficult step on Obama’s agenda

by

Vienna, April 28: After US President Barack Obama’s recent successes with disarmament and nuclear security, his aim of bringing the global ban onnuclear tests into force may seem like just another box to check off on his nuclear to-do list.

But even if the US Senate ratifies the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), it might take a long time before the pact becomes a legal reality, diplomats and experts say.

They point to Iran, which is seen as obstructing the pact, and to other important players like Israel, India and Pakistan, that have yet to fully sign on.

Mortars kill soldiers in N Baghdad

by

Baghdad, April 28: Two Iraqi soldiers have been killed and more than a dozen others wounded in an overnight mortar attack on a security station in northern Baghdad.

The incident took place late on Tuesday when three mortar shells hit a joint army-police office in Baghdad’s Hurriyah area almost an hour after midnight, AFP quoted police and hospital officials as saying.

Fourteen people, including an army colonel, were also wounded in the attack, they added.

‘Manmohan for normal ties with Pak, Cong not supporting him’

by

Thimphu, April 28: In an apparent bid to drive a wedge between the Indian government and the ruling party, Pakistan has said that “well-meaning” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was keen to normalise ties with it but “elements in Congress” did not support him.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi criticised India for refusing to have “meaningful” talks till Pakistan acts against terrorism, saying the contention had been “dragged too long” and “nobody is buying that anymore”.

No marriage for Imran this year

by

New Delhi, April 28: He went down on his knees to propose to sweetheart Avantika Malik, but actor Imran Khan says he doesn’t like the idea of love. “I’ve never been able to read those Mills & Boon romances.

But I did read Eric Segal’s Love Story. I liked it.

” That’s why he could relate to his upcoming film I Hate Luv Storys. “A lot of it is based on real experiences.

But I have little in common with my character, apart from our sense of humour. Like him, I crack jokes with a straight face and I too am opposed to the idea of love.

Imran Khan will be seen in lean avatar for I Hate Luv Storys

by

Mumbai, April 28: Imran Khan. As you have never seen him before. After SRK in Om Shanti Om, and Aamir Khan in Ghajini, this bare-chested Khan is sending temperatures soaring with his new lean body. Imran presently has just seven per cent body fat — the same as top international athletes.

The actor will be seen in this new avatar in his film I Hate Luv Storys that releases on July 2. The Jaane Tu… boy who has always been more ‘brain’ than ‘body’ (that’s changed for good now), built the physique at the behest of his director.

How I did it

Fardeen offers special prayers on dad’s death anniversary

by

Mumbai, April 28: Fardeen observed his dad Feroz Khan’s first death anniversary in Bangalore with family, friends and staff members

Yesterday (April 27) was Feroz Khan’s first death anniversary and Fardeen Khan took his entire family and the staff of his production office in Mumbai to Bangalore to offer special prayers and offer food to the poor to honour of his dad’s memory.

Made more sense…

Aamir leaves vacation mid-way to honour a commitment

by

Mumbai, April 28: Trust the actor to leave his family chutti in France to honour a prior commitment

Aamir Khan, who has been holidaying with wife Kiran Rao and kids in France, took a short break and returned to Delhi so he could honour a prior commitment. Khan is now sanitation brand ambassador and will promote cleanliness in all Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) schools across India.

Netanyahu to meet Egyptian president

by

Jerusalem, April 28: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed hope that the stalled peace process between Israel and Palestine would resume next week.

“I was told that the Palestinian President intends on renewing talks, and I will be very glad if the venture comes to fruition next week,” Netanyahu said adding that Israel wants peace in its own interests.

Netanyahu will meet Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak next Monday to discuss ways to resume talks with the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Xinhua reported.

NYC student pleads guilty to terrorism charge

by

New York, April 28: An American student who studied in London has admitted that he helped a friend deliver some protective clothing to an al-Qaida military commander fighting Americans in Afghanistan.

The plea by Pakistani-born Syed Hashmi to a single count of conspiracy to provide material support to al-Qaida was entered in US District Court in Manhattan, averting a trial that was supposed to begin today.

Criminal case against BJP MLA for land grabbing

by

Lucknow, April 28: Uttar Pradesh police have filed a criminal case against a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator for allegedly grabbing a farmer’s land and assaulting his family members in Rampur district, officials said Wednesday.

Kanshiram Diwakar, who represents the Shahbad assembly constituency in Rampur district, about 200 km from here, forcibly occupied Asharfi Lal’s land last week.

Diwakar’s aides also assaulted Lal’s family members with wooden sticks and rifle butts.

Armed carjacking on busy Dwarka street

by

New Delhi, April 28: Dwarka lived up to its reputation of an unsafe neighbourhood as a 51-year-old realtor was robbed of his car at gunpoint in a busy market on Monday night. What was perhaps more terrifying for Rajesh Sharma was that the armed men took him on a short ride before letting him go.

Four of the six carjackers were arrested within two hours. At the time of the crime — 11 pm — the entire police force of Dwarka was on night patrol.

Albupax drug used for breast cancer

by

New Delhi, April 28: Albupax, a drug used in the treatment of breast cancer, has been declared as sub-standard by the Government due to the presence of certain particles beyond the acceptable limits. The Central Drug Laboratory, Kolkata, in its test report has declared the drug “to be not of standard quality” due to the presence of higher level of Endotoxin than acceptable limits, Health Ministry sources said.

Report Details Torture at Secret Baghdad Prison

by

Baghdad, April 28: The torture of Iraqi detainees at a secret prison in Baghdad was far more systematic and brutal than initially reported, Human Rights Watch reported on Tuesday.

A Baghdad prison. Reports of torture at a secret Iraqi-run prison in Baghdad have fanned sectarian strife. Human Rights Watch spoke to some of the detainees, most of whom are Sunni Arabs.

The existence of the prison, which housed mostly Sunni Arab prisoners, has created a political furor in Iraq, prompted government denials and fanned sectarian tensions.

Rupee falls by 12 paise against dollar in early trade

by

Mumbai, April 28: The Indian rupee depreciated by 12 paise to 44.56 a dollar in early trade today on capital outflows by foreign funds from equities and the dollar”s gain overseas. The rupee closed lower by 6 paise at 44.44/45 a dollar in the previous session.

Forex dealers said capital outflows by foreign funds from equities and dollar”s strength against other major currencies, mainly weighed on the rupee sentiment. Meanwhile, the Bombay Stock Exchange index, Sensex, fell sharply by 229.27 points, or 1.29 per cent to 17,461.35 points in early trade today.

—-PTI

Obama Sticks to a Deadline in Iraq

by

Washington, April 28: When President Obama approved a plan to withdraw combat forces from Iraq this summer, it was based on the assumption that a newly elected government would be in place by the time Americans headed home. Fourteen months later, that assumption is exploding but the plan remains the same.

Two biopics on Kishore Kumar in the offing

by

Mumbai, April 28: One takes a comprehensive look at his life, the other focuses on the great love of his life

The battle of the Kishore Kumar biopics is on, in full ‘sing’. Even as Anurag Basu gears up to make his Kishore Kumar film (with Ranbir Kapoor), Shashanka (Quick Gun Murugan) Ghosh is not in any mood to put aside his own plans of a KK biopic (if Aamir Khan gives the nod).

Why me?
Apparently, Ghosh was supposed to make the biopic for UTV but they had a fall-out and the UTV-Kishore Kumar project went to Anurag Basu.

NASA confirms possibility of sun rising from the West

by

The science of astronomy states that the speed of planet Mars has been decreasing in its course toward the eastern direction in the past few weeks to the level we notice the “waver” between the east and the west and on Wednesday the 30th of July the planet movement stopped going toward the eastern direction.

China lifts travel ban against people with HIV

by

Beijing, April 28: China has scrapped a 20-year travel ban that barred people with HIV and AIDS from entering the country, just days ahead of the opening of the Shanghai Expo, which hopes to welcome millions of overseas visitors.

The decision announced by China’s Cabinet, the State Council, follows similar moves by the United States and South Korea to eliminate travel restrictions for people with the HIV virus. Both lifted their bans on visitors with HIV on Jan. 1.

Manmohan wants normal ties, Congress not supporting him: Qureshi

by

Thimphu, April 28: In an apparent bid to drive a wedge between Indian government and the ruling party, Pakistan has said that “well-meaning” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was keen to normalise ties with it but “elements in Congress” did not support him.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi criticised India for refusing to have “meaningful” talks till Pakistan acts against terrorism, saying the contention had been “dragged too long” and “nobody is buying that anymore”.

United States wants sanctions against Iran: Crowley

by

Tehran, April 28: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made calls to a number of world leaders over the weekend as the Obama administration intensified its effort to get the UN Security Council slapped fresh sanctions against Iran as soon as possible.

“The (US) President wants this done as rapidly as possible. We all do,” the Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, P J Crowley, told reporters.

At present, the US is leading negotiations with the members of the Security Council on this issue in New York.

Sajid Khan to use anti-piracy software to track down film pirates

by

Mumbai, April 28: The Housefull maker activates a software that tracks down illegal downloads of his film and brings the law to your doorstep if you’re a pirate or if you support piracy

Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots was the first film to do so, and now the makers of Housefull are using the same anti-piracy software to track down film pirates and those who download movies illegally from Internet.

Jiah Khan, Sajid Khan, Riteish Deshmukh, Lara Dutta, Deepika Padukone, Akshay Kumar, Farah Khan and Sajid Nadiadwala on the sets of Housefull

Quick fix

Prosecutors object Rana’s plea

by

Chicago, April 28: Federal prosecutors here have objected to terror suspect Tahawwur Rana’s demand for specific details about his involvement in Indian and Danish terror plots, saying the government has already provided “more than sufficient” information to prepare his defence for trial.