Mumbai, April 01: Well-known names from Bollywood – Salman Khan, Arshad Warsi and Farhan Akhtar – have spoken up for Shiney Ahuja after he was setenced to seven years in jail for rape.
“Seven years? Seven years is a lot! I have been locked up myself, so I know what happens, ” said shocked Salman, who himself has had brief stints in jail. The 45-year-old was embroiled in a hit-and-run case as well as in a black buck shooting case
New Delhi, April 1: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vijay Jolly Friday asked the Delhi government to ban a controversial book on Mahatma Gandhi, accusing its American author of distorting history.
“The book is a slur on investigative book writing,” Jolly said, referring to the “Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle with India”.
Jolly made the demand at a meeting here also attended by party leaders Arun Jaitley and Arti Mehra.
The book claims that Mahatma Gandhi had a German-Jewish body builder lover.
Mumbai, April 01: She did her schooling in Muscat and her graduation in Mumbai. Now, as former Miss India World Sarah Jane Dias debuts opposite Abhishek Bachchan in Bollywood, she says her ultimate dream is to be a performer.
“When I was growing up, I wanted to sing, I wanted to dance. Basically, I wanted to be on screen, – small, big screen, whatever. With my friendly terms with the camera, I realised my love for acting, ” Sarah, whose first film “Game” releases Friday, told in an interview.
She admits to having initial inhibitions.
Kuala Lumpur, April 01: Islamic clerics in a Malaysian state want Muslims to avoid a popular dance they claim has Christian influences.
The “poco-poco” is a line dance that is common at social events in Muslim-majority Malaysia. It is widely thought to have originated in Indonesia.
Islamic scholars in Malaysia’s Perak state say they believe the “poco-poco” is traditionally a Christian dance and that its steps make the sign of the cross.
Mumbai, April 01: Buzz is that Salman Khan has taken a 12-year-old named Atif under his wings. The boy is a victim of the Bandra slum fire.
Known to keep his charity acts private, Sallu hasn’t talked about it to anyone. Only his family and close friends know.
Apart from taking care of his expenses, Atif’s education and overall well-being is also being looked after. It is all about Being Human!
Mumbai, April 01: Rana Daggubati’s family which is profoundly revered in Telugu film industry, is not amused by rumours linking him with Bipasha Basu and Shriya Saran.
Rana defends himself by arguing, “Baseless rumours always die down on their own. These rumours are of interest for a few days or weeks then nobody is bothered once the film is out. My focus is the film, not rumours. ”
Mumbai, April 01: Vidya Balan will be seen in not one but two cameo appearances.
She has managed to keep her roles in Anees Bazmee’s Thank You and Rohan Sippy’s Dum Maaro Dum under wraps.
Sources reveal that in Thank You, she plays Akshay Kumar’s wife while in DMD, she’s Abhishek’s better half! Some spoiler alert!
-Agencies
New Delhi, April 01: Even before the season of gloom, set-off by the defeat to India in the World Cup semi-final, gets over in Pakistan, Shahid Afridi’s disturbing posers on “the hate towards India” has left many of his fellow countrymen squirming.
The Pakistan captain had upon arrival in Karachi from Mohali, yesterday, apologised to his nation for losing the World Cup semifinal to arch-rivals India, but praised his team for playing beyond expectations in the tournament. He had also made it a point to wish India “all the best for the final”.
Mumbai, April 01: If Abhishek Bachchan has one idol besides his dad Amitabh Bachchan, it’s the basketball legend Magic Johnson. Not too many people know this. But Abhishek’s most prized possessions are two jerseys signed personally by Johnson.
Such is Junior Bachchan’s undying affinity to Magic Johnson’s magic that the joke at the the Bachchan residence Jalsa is, “Give Abhishek an Amitabh Bachchan classic and a recording of a Magic Johnson game… and you’ve lost him for the whole day. ”
Washington, April 01: President Barack Obama has signed a secret order authorizing covert US government support for rebel forces seeking to oust Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, government officials said.
Obama signed the order, known as a presidential “finding”, within the last two or three weeks, according to government sources familiar with the matter. Such findings are a principal form of presidential directive used to authorize secret operations by the Central Intelligence Agency. This is a necessary legal step before such action can take place but does not mean that it will.
Mumbai, April 01: Armed with the wishes of millions of passionate fans and a never-say-die spirit, India are just one win away from becoming the ODI world champions after almost 28 years as they clash with an equally determined Sri Lanka in the first all-Asian cricket World Cup summit showdown on Saturday.
More than two decades after their incredible World Cup triumph at the historic Lord’s, India find themselves on the threshold of probably their biggest cricketing moment as they brace up for a nerve-wrecking battle for supremacy at the renovated Wankhede stadium.
Mumbai, April 01: India were dealt a blow ahead of Saturday’s World Cup final against Sri Lanka with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni saying that pacer Ashish Nehra is “most likely” out of the match due to a fractured right-hand finger.
There was widespread speculation over Nehra’s fitness and Dhoni said the lanky pacer, who returned impressive figures of 2/33 in the semifinal against Pakistan, was virtually out of reckoning.
“Nehra is most likely ruled out. He has got multiple fractures (in his right hand finger),” Dhoni said at the pre-match press conference.
Miami, April 01: Third seeds Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi saved a match point en route to a hard-fought three-set win over Oliver Marach and Janko Tipsarevic to book a berth in the finals of the Sony Ericsson Open.
The third-seeded Indian pair won 6-3, 5-7, 11-9 to set up a clash with second seeds Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor, who defeated fourth seeded Jurgen Melzer and Philipp Petzschner 6-4, 6-1 in their semifinal match.
Bhupathi and Paes led 6-3, 2-0 before Marach and Tipsarevic turned things around to even the match at one set all.
New Delhi, April 01: Praise and admiration rained down on Sachin Tendulkar and Muttiah Muralitharan on Friday, 24 hours before the two superstars bring their World Cup careers to an end.
Tendulkar, playing in his sixth and probably last World Cup at the age of 37, is desperate to capture the only piece of silverware missing from his record-breaking career.
Added spice is provided by Saturday’s final against Sri Lanka being played at his home Wankhede stadium in Mumbai where a century will make him the first batsman to score a hundred international centuries.
Mumbai, April 01: The International Cricket Council on Friday barred Indian television news channels from covering the World Cup final between India and Sri Lanka on Saturday, accusing them of breaching the accreditation guidelines.
Representatives of the channels, who had come to attend the pre-match press conferences of the rival captains and ICC President Sharad Pawar were asked to stay out of the Wankhede stadium complex.
New photos from the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury show the tiny inner planet has far more impressive battle scars from regular high-speed peltings by space rocks.
NASA’s Messenger spacecraft, which began orbiting the planet less than two weeks ago, reveals a pock-marked planet full of craters from pieces of asteroids and comets.
“Mercury has had an exposed surface for at least 3.5 to 4 billion years and some of those surfaces are extremely cratered to the point where there are so many craters they start to obscure one another,” said mission chief scientist Sean Solomon.
Hyderabad, April 01: The frightening prospect of paying up for costly dialysis for a lifetime is forcing large number of Chronic Kidney Diseases (CKD) patients to give up dialysis. But there is a ray of hope, as the trend of costly dialysis is fast changing in the capital. There are cheaper avenues that can be tapped into.
Hyderabad, April 01: The draft legislation of Andhra Pradesh Slum (Identification, Redevelopment and Rehabilitation and Prevention) Act, 2010, is likely to become a major bone of contention among various interest groups and government agencies.
Adilabad, April 01: Red chilli is commanding a good retail price in Adilabad markets this season, thanks to the delayed harvesting. Being sold at Rs. 120 a kg, the retail price of the chilli is said to be more than that in the markets ion cities such as Nagpur in Maharashtra.
The chilli has been cultivated in about 1,850 hectares, mostly in Bhainsa and Bela mandals.
The produce is generally exported to markets in Nagpur, but as it is getting a good price, it is now being locally sold.
Trimula, April 01: The 508th ‘Vardhanti’ celebrations of the saint poet Tallapaka Annamacharya was on Thursday observed in Tirumala with great pomp and gaiety. The processional deities of Lord Malayappa along with his two divine consorts were taken out in a grand procession to the venue – Narayanagiri Gardens.
Speaking on the occasion, the chief pontiff of Ahobila Mutt Srivan Satagopa Narayana Yateendra Mahadesikan lauded the services of the saint poet in the spread of the Bhakti dhara by way of ‘Pada Sankeertana’ comprising over 32,000 songs on Lord Venkateswara.
Kakinada, April 01: Amalapuram MP G.V. Harsha Kumar on Thursday expressed dissatisfaction over the implementation of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and said that he would not remain silent if the Act was not implemented properly.
Kakinada, April 01: Handloom sarees from various parts of the country are a special attraction at the ongoing crafts bazar being organised by the Lepakshi Handicrafts Emporium on Raja Tank premises here.
A good number of the 90 stalls in the exhibition have been allocated to weavers from various districts in the State and the neighbouring Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and West Bengal.
Hyderabad, April 01: The Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Employees, Teachers and Workers, which spearheaded the non-cooperation agitation by Telangana employees recently, suffered a setback on Thursday when a rival group formed a new organisation to represent the estimated 4 lakh employees of Telangana region of the 12 lakh-odd government staff in the State. The leaders of the new outfit going by the name of the Joint Struggle Committee (JSC) of the Unions of Telangana officers, Employees, Teachers and Workers, met Chief Secretary S.V. Prasad led by its chairman, K.
Vizianagaram, April 01: The Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructural Corporation (APIIC) has issued notices to 140 small and marginal entrepreneurs for delay in setting up units in the lands allotted at Bobbili Growth Centre.
The corporation had allotted 876 acres of land for 321 units, which included B.K. Steels (244 acres), Manganese Ore India Limited (112 acres), a joint venture of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, Vizag Profiles (80 acres), and Patil Rail Infrastructure (P) Limited (7.9 acres) anticipating an investment of Rs.11,000 crore.
Hyderabad, April 01 The 108 fast-track courts in the State, for which Central sponsorship ended on Thursday, will continue their work for another year with the State government deciding to bear their expenditure with its own funds.
These courts were established in 2001 in line with a national policy for a period of five years, initially, to reduce the pendency of cases and provide relief to the litigant public, with the Centre bearing 70 per cent of their expenditure and 30 per cent being met by the State.