Month: February 2014

When will you work with us? Salman asks Rahman

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Bollywood superstar Salman Khan is keen to work with internationally acclaimed composer A.R. Rahman and he is awaiting for an opportunity to collaborate with the Oscar winner.

Rahman launched his new album “Raunaq” Thursday and Salman, who graced the occasion, asked Rahman: “When will you work for us?”

When asked about Salman’s desire, Rahman said: “Then he has to do movies which I like.”

Does that mean you don’t like Salman’s films?

“No, no. I like his stuff, they are so energetic and nice,” Rahman said.

UK spy agency collected millions of Yahoo webcam images, including `sexually explicit` pictures

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The UK spy agency, GCHQ reportedly collected millions of Yahoo webcam images, including a large number of sexually explicit pictures.

Classified documents related to the alleged mass surveillance programmes, headed by GCHQ and its US counterpart, the NSA, have revealed that the agency”s Optic Nerve programme indiscriminately collected still images of Yahoo webcam chats in bulk and saved them to agency databases.

Broad tells team to focus on self instead of ‘you didn’t do that’

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England captain Stuart Broad said that the players lacked taking responsibility and there was a lot of ‘you didn’t do that’ on the field as England warmed up ahead of their first match in a three one-day internationals series against Indies.

Broad reportedly told teammates to stop blaming each other for England’s poor performance in the Ashes series and to follow Joe Root’s example in their limited-overs series against West Indies

Telangana fallout: AP under President’s rule after 41 years

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Andhra Pradesh is coming under President’s rule after a long gap of 41 years. The current spell of President’s rule, which the Union Cabinet approved today on the recommendation of state Governor E S L Narasimhan, is not due to any constitutional crisis but a political crisis caused by the resignation of Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on February 19 protesting the bifurcation of the state.

Kiran also resigned from the Congress party but the Governor asked him and the Council of Ministers to continue in office till alternative arrangements were made.

BJP wants both Telangana and Seemandhra to thrive, Congress wants to kill Seemandhra: Modi

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Bharatiya Janata Party prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Friday said his party wanted both Telangana and Seemandhra to thrive, but the Congress believed in killing the mother while delivering a child.

“Look what these fraud Gandhis have done to Andhra Pradesh. We wanted both Telangana and Seemandhra to thrive, but the Congress is a doctor that believes in killing the mother while delivering a child,” said Modi, while addressing a rally in Karnataka.

Obama confesses getting ‘high’ in school and not thinking about harm

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Barack Obama has confessed that he did drugs in school and didn’t think about the harm it could do to him.

The US president, who launched the ‘My Brother’s Keeper’ initiative, spoke to teenagers involved in the ‘Becoming a Man’ program to help at-risk boys in his hometown, Chicago, the Huffington Post reported.

He said that he sees himself in the teenagers and admitted that he made bad choices when he was in school and didn’t take it as seriously as he should have.

Obama added that he made excuses and sold himself short sometimes.

Hunt on for younger Jaya Bachchan

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Veteran actress Jaya Bachchan is all set to return to acting with her maiden television appearance in an adaptation of Gujarati author Kajal Oza Vaidya’s novel “Yog Viyog”. The hunt is on for an actress who can play the younger Jaya.

The team is waiting to find a fresh face to fit the bill.

“The adaptation of Kajal Oza Vaidya’s novel is nearly done. Jayaji is in preparation for her mother’s part. But the producers Endemol are yet to find a younger actress to play Jaya’s role,” said a source close to the project.

I am very much into jewellery: Konkona Sen

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Speaking about the costume range in ‘Kadombori’, based on the life of Tagore’s sister-in-law and her relations with the then-young Bard, the film’s lead character Konkona Sen Sharma says she loves potraying roles steeped into traditions.

“Yes in Kadombori, I am very much into jewellery. The looks demanded the set pieces reflected the by-gone era of the late 19th-early 20th century,” the Wake Up Sid actor told PTI on the sidelines of a heritage neck-wear launch programme by a leading jewellery house.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic reveals why he learnt Taekwondo

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Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is a black belt in Taekwondo, said that he had to learn the martial art as he grew up in a tough neighbourhood.

The 32-year-old footie ace said that he’s very passionate about Taekwondo and am invited to judge at the top Taekwondo tournaments all over the world, FHM India magazine reported.

He said that he doesn’t have the time now because of football, but when he retires it is something that he would like to do. (ANI)

Sonakshi, Imran’s voiceover for ‘Rio 2’

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Bollywood actors Sonakshi Sinha and Imran Khan have lent their voices for the dubbed Hindi version of ‘Rio 2’, the sequel to 2011’s hit animation flick ‘Rio’. PTI File Photo

Bollywood actors Sonakshi Sinha and Imran Khan have lent their voices for the dubbed Hindi version of “Rio 2”, the sequel to 2011’s hit animation flick “Rio”.

Sonakshi and Imran will feature as macaws Jewel and Blu. The characters in the English version were voiced by Anne Hathaway and Jesse Eisenberg.

Akmal”s 2nd ODI ton boosts Pak”s 72-run win over `minnows` Afghanistan in Asia Cup

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Pakistani all-rounder Umar Akmal has helped Pakistan win their crucial Asia Cup match against minnows Afghanistan by 72 runs in Dhaka on Thursday with his second ODI century.

Pakistan managed to overcome early wobbles in the game due to Akmal”s 89-ball 102 not out, which lifted them from a precarious 117-6 to 248-8 in 50 overs before they wrapped up their rivals for 176 in 47.2 overs.

How faraway asteroid with its moon may have formed

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Researchers have said that exotic orbit for the largest Trojan asteroid, (624) Hektor — the only one known to possess a moon, may be products of the collision of two icy asteroids.

In 2006, a small team of astronomers led by Franck Marchis, astronomer at the Carl Sagan center of the SETI Institute, detected the presence of a small 12 km diameter moon around the large Trojan asteroid (624) Hektor.

Trojan asteroids are those that are temporarily trapped in regions 60 degrees in front of or 60 degrees behind the planet Jupiter in its orbit around the Sun.

Ranchi’s Pink crusader face harassment by male auto-drivers

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Women- driven ‘pink autos’, which were launched in Ranchi just last week to provide safety to the fairer sex, have put down the lid because of harassment by male auto drivers.

The women drivers have to put up with vulgar remarks regularly from their male counterparts, particularly when they wait at stands for passengers.

Clarke says would be in ‘wrong place’ if not ‘excited’ by ‘biggest game of Oz summer’

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Australian captain Michael Clarke has said that an Australian cricketer would be ‘in the wrong place’ if he is not excited by the ‘deciding’ third Test against South Africa, which he called as the ‘biggest game of their summer’.

Clarke mentioned that the third Test against South Africa, beginning in Cape Town tomorrow, shapes as one of the biggest Tests of his decade-long career, adding that lining up for the deciding Test of a delicately balanced series against the top-ranked team in their own back yard is as exciting as cricket can get.

Sensex ends above 21,000 level after 5 weeks, rises 133 pts

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The benchmark Sensex today jumped over 133 points to reclaim the 21,000 mark buoyed by gains in bluechips like TCS, Tata Motors and Hindalco, to log the best weekly rise since November 2013.

Brokers said sentiment was strong as foreign investors have remained net buyers of Indian stocks in past ten days. Firm global cues also helped after US Fed Chairperson Janet Yellen yesterday reiterated the Fed is likely to continue tapering asset purchases at a “measured” pace.

Saudi-India JV to build Basmati rice distribution hub in Dubai

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A USD 27 million Saudi-India joint venture to supply Basmati rice to consumers in the Middle East has been established in Dubai, making the city the largest hub for rice storage and distribution in the MENA region.

Prince Mishaal bin Abdullah bin Turki, the second child of Prince Abdullah bin Turki bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud and global private investor V Raman Kumar have formed the joint venture with India’s rice producer, LEAF India (Lakshmi Energy and Foods Ltd.), to create the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region’s largest hub for rice storage and distribution.

Ranveer, Deepika not finalised for ‘Shuddhi’: Karan Johar

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Filmmaker Karan Johar has shot down rumours of “Ram-leela” pair Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone playing the lead roles in his “Shuddhi”.

Karan Malhotra will wield the megaphone for “Shuddhi” to be produced by Karan.

When asked whether he has finalised Deepika and Ranveer for “Shuddhi”, Karan said: “No.”

Earlier, Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor were finalised for “Shuddhi”, but recently the former made an announcement that he is not doing the film.

New pill could be secret to longer life

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A new pill that prevents ageing and keeps people healthier for longer may be a step closer, scientists say.

Activating a protein called sirtuin 1 extends lifespan,delays the onset of age-related metabolic diseases, and
improves general health in mice, a new study has found.

The findings point to a potentially promising strategy for improving health and longevity.

Sirtuin 1, or SIRT1, is known to play an important role in maintaining metabolic balance in multiple tissues, and
studies in various organisms have shown that activating the protein can lead to many health benefits.

Newlands Test the biggest of my career: Clarke

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Australia cricket captain Michael Clarke feels that the decider of the three-Test series against South Africa starting Saturday at the Newlands in Cape Town is the biggest Test of his decade-long career.

Clarke said it was special to win the Ashes 5-0 at home and a series win in South Africa will make it a special summer.

“Test cricket does not get any better than this. The third Test against South Africa, beginning in Cape Town tomorrow, shapes as one of the biggest Tests of my decade-long career,” Clarke wrote in his column in The Daily Telegraph.

Acid attacks are petering out in Karnataka

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Recently, city court sentenced a man who threw acid at his wife to life imprisonment, the second harshest punishment the law of the land prescribes for atrocious crimes.

The judgment seems to indicate a strict stand against acid attacks in the state. Statistics only confirm this: From being a state with one of the highest incidence of acid attacks in the country, Karnataka has at present become one of the states with the lowest number of such cases.

Modi is a good friend, says Karunanidhi

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DMK president M. Karunanidhi said in comments published Friday that he considered the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi “a good friend”.

In an interview published in the Tamil newspaper “Dinamalar”, Karunanidhi said the Gujarat chief minister was a “very hard worker”.

“Modi is very hard worker,” he was quoted as saying. “This is evident from his election campaign. He is also a good friend of mine.”

Karunanidhi was asked about his earlier statement that the DMK would not ally with “communal forces” to fight elections and whether this stand could change.

Tejpal, six others booked for using mobiles in prison

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Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal has been booked for possession of a mobile phone inside prison premises, an official said Friday.

Tejpal is one of the seven inmates at Vasco’s Sada sub jail, located 35 km from here, who were found with a mobile phone during a surprise raid Sunday (Feb 23).

Tejpal, police said, was booked late Thursday under Sections 120 (b), 130 and 188 IPC and violation of other sections of the Prison Act.

Philippine Muslim peace deal to be inked ‘end of March’

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The Philippine government and Muslim rebels will sign a peace deal to end one of Asia’s longest and deadliest insurgencies “by the end of March”, Malaysia’s prime minister said today after meeting his Filipino counterpart.

Prime Minister Najib Razak said President Benigno Aquino invited him to witness the ceremony when “the comprehensive agreement is due to be signed by the end of March”.

An official in the office of Aquino’s adviser on the peace negotiations confirmed the signing was targeted for the end of next month though no exact date has been set.

Dubai’s Burj to stage helipad dinner for charity

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A once-in-a-life time dinner limited to 12 guests will be held atop the world’s fourth tallest luxury hotel here to raise money for a UN food programme.

The Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai will host the dinner at its famous helipad, 212 metres above the ground, at nearly USD 2,722 per person.

With seating limited to 12 guests, the dinner atop the Burj Al Arab helipad on March 13, will give all the proceeds
to the ‘Eat and Feed’ initiative.

Jagan to address series of meetings from Saturday

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The YSR Congress Party on Friday released the tour scheduled of its president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.

According to Programmes Committee Convener T Raghuram, Jagan will address a public meeting in Tirupati on March 1 and will return to Hyderabad the next day. He will address a meeting in Eluru on March 3, in Nidadavolu on March 4, in Khammam on March 5, in Narasaraopet on March 6, in Macherla on March 7. He will also conduct Odarpu Yatra in Marcherla of Guntur district on March 8.

Jagan will conduct Odarpu Yatra in Nalgonda district from March 9 to 14th. (INN)