Bankruptcy filings rise to 6,000 a day as job losses take toll

by

Washington, June 05: Consumer and commercial bankruptcy filings are on pace to reach a stunning 1.5 million this year, according to a report from Automated Access to Court Electronic Records.

While well below the record 2 million filings in 2005, the number of filings is up sharply from last year’s 1.1 million, says Robert Lawless, professor of law at the University of Illinois.

Bankruptcy filings took a dramatic nose dive after a 2005 bankruptcy reform measure was signed into law to curb bankruptcy abuse and make it harder to erase debts.

Rani compares Sherlyn with Sophia Lauren

by

Mumbai, June 05: In a profession that witnesses ugly cat fights due to cut throat competition, Rani Mukherjee has taken the first step of complimenting a co-artist for her performance.

She surprised Sherlyn Chopra, who has a major role to play in the yet untitled Yash Raj Films production, by not just lending her tips on how to face the camera but also comparing her with none other than Hollywood legend Sophia Lauren!

Topless Coffee Shop burned down

by

Augusta, June 05: A deliberately set fire destroyed a topless coffee shop early Wednesday, just hours after the owner talked with local officials about making the business more like a strip club, investigators said.

The fire at the Grand View Topless Coffee Shop was reported just before 1 a.m. by an ambulance that happened to be driving past.

Dhoni giving Viru the cold shoulder?

by

London, June 05: The team management clams up and the players have fingers on their lips. But reports about simmering tensions between Indian captain MS Dhoni and vice-captain Virender Sehwag are fast threatening to undermine India’s defence of the ICC World Twenty20, which begins on Friday.

Blog: Why Dhoni’s Men in Blue are not in pink of health

Rumour mills are abuzz that the two had an ugly faceoff during a team meeting, though it could not be independently confirmed if it was over the status of Sehwag’s shoulder injury.

Symonds went missing from team hotel, reveals CA

by

Melbourne, June 05: Cricket Australia (CA) revealed controversial all-rounder Andrew Symonds had gone missing from the team hotel, prompting the management to throw him out of the Twenty20 World Cup squad for breach of discipline.

Blog: Why Dhoni’s Men in Blue are not in pink of health

Soon after the all-rounder was ordered home two days before the team’s opener against the West Indies following “alcohol-related incidents”, CA general manger of public affairs Peter Young provided partial detail about what exactly happened.

LS debate: Congres takes potshots at BJP

by

New Delhi, June 05: Upbeat over its victory in the Lok Sabha polls, Congress on Friday took potshots at the BJP saying that its ideology of “hate speeches” and “raking up” religion have been rejected by the people.

Initiating the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President for her address to the joint sitting of Parliament, Congress leader Girija Vyas also accused the BJP of stealing the issues of development of the Congress.

Advani demands inquiry commission on Mumbai attacks

by

New Delhi, June 05: Describing the Mumbai attacks as an “invasion of India” launched from Pakistan, Leader of Opposition L K Advani on Friday demanded setting up of an inquiry commission at central level to determine what went wrong and suggest steps to prevent recurrence of such terror strikes.

Speaking on the Motion of Thanks to President’s address in the Lok Sabha, he also asked the government to share with the House the evidence given to Pakistan on 26/11, especially in the wake of release of Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Mohd Saeed apparently on the grounds of insufficient proof.

Men with links to Taliban arrested

by

Islamabad, June 05: Several key figures connected to the Taliban in Pakistan’s Swat Valley have been arrested, Pakistani authorities said.

The arrests come as Pakistan’s military has surged into the Swat Valley, in the country’s north, in an offensive against the Taliban.

Authorities arrested Amir Izat Khan and Maulana Muhammad Alam, both senior members of an organization run by Sufi Muhammad, local information ministry officials said Thursday.

PC confirms link between nabbed LeT man Madni, Saeed

by

New Delhi, June 05: Home Minister P Chidambaram on Friday confirmed that Omar Madni, the LeT commander nabbed from Delhi, is indeed a close associate of 26/11 mastermind JuD chief Hafiz Saeed.

“Man who has been arrested does has links with Hafiz Saeed,” said Chidambaram, adding – with regards to reports that a terror attack in imminent in the South – that there’s no need for alarm.

Debris found in Atlantic not from missing Air France plane

by

New Delhi ,June 05: French search teams have so far found no evidence of the Air France plane that vanished over the Atlantic and areurging “extreme prudence” about suspected debris retrieved so far, France’s transport minister said today.

Dominique Bussereau said an earlier announcement by Brazilian officials that they had recovered plane debris from Air France flight 447 turned out to be false.

He told RTL radio that the search must continue and stressed that the priority was finding the flight recorders or black boxes.

Who will sit next to Advani?

by

New Delhi ,June 05: For many of us in school, it was all about sitting next to our friends or best friend in class. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders it seems haven’t outgrown that stage.

It’s not such an innocent thing for BJP leaders in Parliament. They just want to sit next to the boss, Lal Krishna Advani.

First he failed to make it to the ruling benches in the Lok Sabha, and then his juniors fighting to take over his place in the party. And now L K Advani has a new headache – the BJP’s GenNext leaders desperate to succeed him – are now fighting for the right seat in Parliament.

Muslims see shift in Obama speech, no breakthrough

by

From shopkeepers and students to groups such as Hamas, many Muslims praised President Barack Obama’s address Thursday as a positive shift in U.S. attitude and tone. But hard-liners criticized it as style over substance and said it lacked concrete proposals to turn the words into action.

Sonam to play Saahiban for Rakeysh Mehra

by

Mumbai, June 05: Actress Sonam Kapoor is all set to play the role of Saahiban in an ambitious screen adaptation by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra.

It is very popular about Saahiban that when she stepped out in the streets of Punjab, the nine angels that guard the spheres died on seeing her beauty.

So far no Hindi film based on the Mirza-Saahiban love story has yet been made, there have, however, there have been many screen adaptations in Hindi and Punjabi of legendary romances like Heer-Ranjha, Laila-Majnu and Sohni-Mahiwal.

The idea struck to Rakeysh Mehra during the making of Delhi 6.

AP acid attack victim obtains distinction

by

Hyderabad, June 05: There is not just life after an acid attack, there is even achievement. That is what Pranita, a 22-year-old who suffered an acid attack in December has shown.

Showing exceptional courage, Pranitha passed her final year BTech exams with distinction scoring 82 per cent.

“I was not in a position to even hold or open the books. My father would arrange a table, open the book, flip the page and I would just read with my eyes,” Pranitha said.

Her achievement has brought a smile back on her mother’s face.

Salman Khan buys a yacht along with his brothers

by

Mumbai, June 05: Don’t be surprised if you see the Khan brothers Salman, Sohail and Arbaaz partying on a private yacht in Alibaug. Sources reveal that Salman has bought a yacht, and it is parked at a private stretch of the beach in Alibaug.

A source reveals, “Sohail came up with the idea of buying a yacht because he loves the ocean and swimming. Salman and Arbaaz supported him and decided they get one. The yacht is a medium- sized model that can host a small party of 10 people. Salman and Sohail were spotted partying on it a month back with a bunch of kids from their family.”

A getaway

President outlines road map for next five years

by

New Delhi, June 05: Union Government on Thursday declared that it will pursue a policy of “zero-tolerance” towards terrorism from whatever source it originates and seek to reshape relationship with Pakistan which should confront terror groups inimical to India.

Outlining 10 broad areas of priority for the next five years, President Pratibha Patil said in her address to the joint session of the Parliament that the internal security and preservation of communal harmony, stepping up of economic growth and agriculture, manufacturing and services are among those areas.

Celina manhandled by Tusshar Kapoor

by

Mumbai, June 05: Tusshar Kapoor is too much of a good boy to let anything get in the way of his work. Professional to a fault, he won’t let anything or anyone to bring the shooting to a halt not even his best buddy Celina Jaitly.

When provoked this seedha and shaant boy can get quite ferocious as Celina discovered. Recently, the actor had a showdown with her, followed by a cold war for a few days.

Dawood injured in firing at Karachi

by

Karachi, June 05: According to unconfirmed reports, wanted gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s brother Anees Ibrahim has allegedly been shot dead by unidentified assailants in Karachi late last night. Elder brother Dawood was also injured in the shootout, however, the degree of injuries are yet to be confirmed.

Sources revealed that the assassination bid is being attributed to members of the Bhatti faction, a local gang that has an interest in controlling the drug trade in Pakistan. It is believed that the Bhatti gang is associated with Dawood’s arch rival the Chota Rajan gang.

Obama cites Quran to reach Muslims

by

American President Barack Hussein Obama ended his Middle East tour and headed to Germany Thursday after he addressed the Muslim world from a tightly secured Cairo where he quoted from Islam’s Holy Book and stressed the United States was not in competition with Islam in a bid to heal the rift that has developed between the two.

Obama was in Cairo following a brief stop in Saudi Arabia, where he held talks with King Abdullah, and arrived at Cairo University to give a landmark speech that was a fulfillment of his inaugural speech promise to reach out to Muslims.

Aamir, Akshay, Hrithik nominated for AXN action awards

by

New Delhi, June 05: Bollywood stars Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan are in the race to bag the best actor award at the AXN Action Awards.

While Aamir has been nominated for “Ghajini”, Akshay is in contention for “Tashan” and Hrithik for “Jodhaa Akbar”.

“‘Ghajini’ is a film that required a lot of aggression that exposes the basic crude emotion of human loss. I’m honoured to be nominated in the best action actor category, as the action in the film is more complex and thought provoking, showcasing anger, vengeance and physical violence,” said Aamir in a statement.

Pitt gifts diamonds to daughter on third birthday

by

London, June 05: Hollywood superstar Brad Pitt made sure his daughter Shiloh had a memorable third birthday by presenting her with two diamond and platinum necklaces on the day.

Contactmusic.com reports, the tiny tot celebrated her birthday May 27 and her proud papa surprised her with priceless gifts from designer Neil Lane, including a 1.5-carat chain worth a whopping $15,000.

Little Shiloh wasn’t the only one to be given diamonds.

Bajaj sales down 8.1 percent in May

by

Mumbai, June 05: Bajaj Auto, the country’s second largest two-wheeler manufacturer, has reported 8.1 percent fall in its motorcycle sales last month.

The company said in a statement Thursday that it sold 165,049 motorcycles last month as against 179,649 vehicles in May 2008.

Cumulative sales, including exports and three wheelers, stood at 185,341 units, 8.02 percent down from 201,511 units sold in May 2008.

Exports last month declined 2.5 percent to 58,682 units from 60,215 exported in the corresponding month last year.

Sensex rises 133 points in initial trade

by

Mumbai, June 05: The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex rose by 133 points in initial trade today, extending yesterday’s rally, on sustained buying by funds and retail investors buoyed by hopes that the Government will revive the economy by boosting investment and accelerating reforms.

Buying activity also picked up on firming global markets as renewed hopes that the economy is reviving.

The 30-share index, which had gained 137.78 points in yesterday’s highly-volatile session, shot up by another 133.08 points to 15,141.76, as metal, PSU and capital goods sector stocks rose.

Murder case witness dies in Delhi

by

New Delhi, June 05: The main witness in a murder case succumbed to injuries after being charred by the accused of the crime, said police sources.

According to the sources, Saleem, the witness in a murder case was first abducted and later charred to death by the accused of the crime.

The victim was admitted to Guru Teg Bahadur hospital in the national capital where he succumbed to his injuries after four days on Thursday. It is worth mentioning here that the police did not record any statement of the victim. The relatives of the victim accuse police of negligence in the case.

Amitabh Bachchan’s bald look in Balki’s ‘Pa’

by

Mumbai, June 05: With summer at its peak, everyone almost goes for a crew cut or maybe a completely tonsured look. But one visit to the sets of Pa has a totally different story to tell and see. Everyone’s ground fell apart when realised that the fully tonsured man (which also included his eyebrows!) was none other than Amitabh Bachchan…yes…you heard it right…the Legendary Amitabh Bachchan. And this look of his is not in tune with the summer and its heat. Instead this is how he will look like in his forthcoming film Pa which stars him alongwith beta Abhishek and Vidya Balan.