Sushma thanks PM for statement on CVC, BJP says not enough

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New Delhi:  On an official trip to Jammu, questions put to the Prime Minister focused only on the political developments in Delhi in the last 24 hours.

The Supreme Court yesterday struck the government hard by declaring that PJ Thomas' appointment as India's Chief Vigilance Commissioner was invalid. Mr Thomas was selected in September by a three-member committee consisting of the PM, the Home Minister and Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj. The court said that the corruption charges pending against Mr Thomas should have ruled him out for a job that requires him to check corruption among government officials and bureaucrats.

Dr Manmohan Singh said today that he accepts responsibility and "I respect the judgement of the Supreme Court... it is necessary to ensure that such things don't happen again.... this is not a question that relates to coalition compulsions."

Ms Swaraj reciprocated with equal grace, calling a truce. "I appreciate the statement of the PM owning responsibility... I think this is enough, let matters rest at this and we move forward," she tweeted.

But she apparently does not speak for her party. Sources in the BJP say they will not stop their attack against the PM, declaring him directly responsible for the morass of Mr Thomas' selection.

"The very fact that the PM has admitted his guilt and accepted that it was a fault on his part - appointing a man whose credentials were not good enough to be appointed as the CVC is welcome... but this very statement does not absolve the PM of his moral responsibility," said Rajiv Pratap Rudy, BJP spokesman.

The BJP and the Left have demanded an explanation from the PM in Parliament. The strong remarks made by the Supreme Court against M Thomas' selection committee, led by the PM, presented the BJP with an ace. Sushma Swaraj had placed on record her objections to Mr Thomas' candidacy. At different public events since, she reiterated her criticism.

Mr Thomas was a senior bureaucrat in Kerala in the early 90s when he allegedly pushed a deal for the import of edible oil or Palmolein from Malaysia. Later, it turned out that the government lost money on a deal that many alleged was prenatally corrupt. Mr Thomas was then accused of corruption. But depending on who was in power in Kerala, the case moved in fits and starts, with the Left government pushing it, and the Congress-led government of K Karunakaran trying to stall it. Karunakaran, who was the Chief Minister when the Palmolein deal happened, was among those accused.

The Opposition's determination to corner the PM on Mr Thomas' selection has the Congress prepping its strategy for a debate in Parliament. Sources say the party will argue that it erred in the selection process because the documents on the case against Mr Thomas were not presented to the PM and his committee; and that while the Left has been critical of Mr Thomas in the last few months, its own chief minister in Kerala VS Achuthanandan appointed Mr Thomas Chief Secretary of Kerala in 2007.

Also that he was later given vigilance clearance by the CVC, the highest body that looks into corruption by public officials and bureaucrats.

Bradley Manning, WikiLeaks suspect, forced to sleep naked in brig

INTERACTIVE TIMELINE

Julian Assange and the State Department cables

A look at how events unfolded after WikiLeaks' release of U.S. State Department cables

» LAUNCH INTERACTIVE

The Associated Press 
Friday, March 4, 2011; 10:15 AM

WASHINGTON -- The lawyer for an Army private suspected of giving classified material to WikiLeaks says it's inexcusable that that his client was forced to sleep naked in his cell at a Marine Corps brig in Quantico, Va.

The Marines confirmed Friday that Pfc. Bradley Manning was made to relinquish his boxer shorts for about seven hours Wednesday night due to what 1st Lt. Brian Villiard calls a "situationally driven" event.
Villiard wouldn't elaborate, citing concerns about Manning's privacy.
Defense attorney David Coombs says the conditions of Manning's pretrial confinement are punitive and violate military rules.
The former intelligence analyst is charged with aiding the enemy and other offenses for allegedly leaking classified information.

Mahesh Babu attends Allu Arjun’s Sangeeth

Surprise, surprise… Prince Mahesh Babu, who usually isn’t a social person, doesn’t attend wedding ceremonies and other public/private parties. However, Mahesh Babu put his inhibitions aside and attended Allu Arjun’s Sangeeth ceremony along with his better half Namratha.

Most of the Tollywood celebrities attended Allu Arjun’s Sangeeth but Mahesh Babu is undoubtedly the center of attraction. Ram Charan, Rana and many other stars have performed on the stage. Dances and skits were the highlight at this event. It was a fun event that was thoroughly enjoyed by one and all.

Check out Allu Arjun’s Sangeeth ceremony photo gallery. Allu Arjun, Sneha Reddy marriage will be a grand gala event at Hitex on March 6. Stay tuned for the pics and tidbits.

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China for border negotiations with India

Beijing: China on Friday proposed to "advance" the negotiation process with India on resolving the boundary issue in view of the prevailing "good atmosphere", even as it played down any impact of a sharp hike in its defence budget on bilateral ties saying it poses no threat to any country.

  Special Representative mechanism created by both the countries to resolve the boundary issue has brought about "some momentum" to bilateral efforts to resolve the problem, Li Zhaoxing, spokesman for the annual session of China's national legislature, told the media here.

"We seek to advance the negotiation process on the settlement framework so as to resolve this boundary question which has been created and left by history as soon as possible," Li, a former Foreign Minister, said replying to a question on concerns in India and other neighbours about China raising its defence budget.

He is currently the spokesman for the National People's Congress (NPC), which begins its annual session from tomorrow to consider the draft of the new defence budget as well as the 12th five-year plan.

"At represent there are friendly and stable relations between China and India. This has created a good atmosphere for the two sides to resolve the boundary question through consultations," he said.

Announcing a sharp increase in China's defence budget from the previous USD 77 to USD 91.5 billion, which is due to be approved by NPC, Li defended the hike saying that India too increased its defence expenditure, which in the GDP terms was more than that of China's.

"It is true that China's defence budget is raised a bit, but the ratio of the defence spending in the country's GDP remains very low, much lower than those of many other countries," he told a press conference for the annual parliamentary session.

While China's military spending amounts to about 1.4 per cent of its GDP, "that ratio in India is much higher than two per cent as far as I know," he said in response to a question on whether China's defence budget increase would put pressure on India and other neighbours.

He said China's defence policy is defensive in character and "every bit of China's limited military strength will be used for safeguarding national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity and this will not pose a threat to any country."

People of China and India have a "proud historical and cultural traditions... No force can sow divisions between the people of China and India and the trend of friendship between Chinese and Indian people is an irresistible trend of history," Li said.

Both countries have reached a consensus on maintaining peace and tranquillity at their borders before the dispute is eventually settled, he said adding that Beijing is ready to work with its "friendly neighbour" to implement relevant agreements to maintain a stable situation in border areas, which is conducive to the interests of both the countries.

The Special Representatives held 14 rounds of talks to resolve the dispute over 3500 km boundary.

China claims Arunachal Pradesh is part Southern Tibet besides staking its claim on Aksai Chin in Jammu and Kashmir.

Li said that in recent years China has enhanced its friendly relations with Asian neighbours, including India.

There have been more frequent high-level exchanges, deeper mutual political trust, more integration of economic interests and further expansion of people-to-people and cultural exchanges, he said.

Preity Zinta returns sad and disturbed from the holy pilgrim town…

Preity Zinta found herself in the middle of chaos created by the media while on her pilgrimage to Shirdi. She had gone there for spiritual rejuvenation but came back all sad and deprived, reason: being pushed by the media in the pilgrim town.

“Good morning! Went to Shirdi yesterday and came back with memories of media pushing me instead of the serene face & energy of Sai Baba,” Preity wrote on her Twitter page.

She completely owes it to the media for her spoiled trip.

“In the rut to make anything news, have we forgotten to respect god and someone’s genuine devotion? I fold my hands to the media & request dem 2 Respect us & respect GOD! Not every celebrity goes 2 a temple 4 Tamasha! Some genuinely go 2 pray & 2 disturb them then is BAD KARMA,” she vented out her displeasure.

“I wonder why temples have become so commercial? Why a temple trustee’s urge to be photographed with a celebrity is entertained by media? In front of god, we bare ourselves and look to purify our soul. Instead of feeling uplifted I came back feeling sad & deprived from Shirdi,” Preity wrote.

However, Preity also sees a positive side to her failed pilgrimage.

“Maybe this experience was his (Sai Baba’s) way of taking away all the negativity; & 4 the future I have brought his statue home from Shirdi !  ” she posted.

Rajnikant’s will romance Deepika, Vidya and Rekha…

Its going to be a real treat for all the Rajnikant fans, watching his upcoming flick Rana. The film has Rajni playing a triple role and so its obvious that he would be romancing three ladies. Well, the day the was announced, there has been a lot of speculation on who will bag the coveted parts. However, the names are out now.

Rekha was the first to be named. Deepika Padukone was too busy to commit to the project initially, but walked out of Housefull sequel to take out dates for Rajinikanth. And the third lady, will be none other than the very talented Vidya Balan.

Interestingly, all three heroins are from down south and so there will be no problem for them essaying their dialogues. May be that’s the reason, Rajni finalized theses three ladies…

The movie, will see Rajnikant playing the role of an old man, middle aged man and a young man. The flick is being directed by KS Ravi Kumar.

OKAY!!! Rajnikant playing a young man???? Well, anything and everything is possible with the superstar… 

China to put man on the moon by 2030

Beijing:  China plans to make a manned moon landing by 2030, but the purpose of exploration of the moon should be seen as "peaceful" rather than a threat, a top scientist has said.

Ye Peijian, chief scientist of deep space exploration at the China Academy of Space Technology, said China's space technology still lags far behind the US and Russia, according to China Daily.

China's three-phase moon exploration plan began in October 2010 with the launch of the Chang'e-2. The second phase will see the Chang'e-3 land on the moon in 2013. Then, in 2017, a sample of rock from the moon will be sent to Earth.

China will launch a space module - the 8.5-tonne Tiangong-1 (or Heavenly Palace-1) - in 2011, after which two manned spacecraft would dock with the module in 2012, said a spokesman for the China Manned Space Engineering Office.

The Shenzhou IX and Shenzhou X spacecraft will blast off in 2012 for manned docking with Tiangong-1.

Training of astronauts for the manned missions has begun. China has also recruited its first two women astronauts for training.

The space station, which would have a lifespan of around 10 years, will be cared for by two or three on-board astronauts, and would be open to scientists from foreign countries, officials said.

Controversy over 'fake' Tagore paintings

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Kolkata:  Imitation is the best form of flattery but not where serious money is involved.

Eighteen paintings, purportedly by India's first Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, and currently on show in Kolkata, have triggered off an ugly controversy with some experts claiming they are fakes. The exhibition is being hosted by the Government Art College which has produced some of the country's best known artists. The controversy couldn't have come at a worse time. The whole country is celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Tagore.

Three of the Tagore paintings at the exhibition have come from the Indian Museum and no one is questioning those. But 18 paintings borrowed from a private collector have been labelled fakes by art experts who are questioning the style of the paintings and their provenance.

"What makes me angry is that the whole exhibition devalues Rabindranath as a painter. Where is the mystery, the subtelty which makes Rabindranath a great painter," said Pranab Ranjan Ray, an art critic.  
Ray is not alone. Experts at Shantiniketan's Viswa Bharati have backed him. 

"From the digital images, I am sure that except the paintings that came from the Indian Museum, the rest are fakes, a majority of them are fakes. And they are rather crude fakes," claimed Prof R Siva Kumar, Kala Bhavan, Viswa Bharati.

"I really know Tagore's stroke, colour, palate. These are completely fake paintings, I should say," said Sushobhan Adhikary, Curator, Kala Bhavan Museum, Viswa Bharati.

The show's host, Government Art College, Kolkata, is outraged. According to the principal, the paintings belong to one Jayanta Banerjee of Dhanbad who got them from Rani Mahalanobis who is the widow of Tagore's secretary and friend Prasanta Mahalanobis.

"Tagore has 3000 paintings and he was someone who never developed one particular style. He has painted in many styles. Some people are saying they are too refined. Maybe when he was matured, towards the end of his life...who knows. But what we have to go by are the tests that are available. I am more than willing to do that," said Dipali Bhattacharya, Principal, Government College Of Art And Crafts.

Critics say no test is fool proof. There are also hints at mala fide intent. Exhibiting them at the prestigious College would legitimise the fakes which could then fetch princely sums. At a recent auction in London, a set of 12 Tagore paintings sold for 9.9 crore rupees.

Babri Masjid demolition case: Supreme Court sends notices to Advani, others

New Delhi:  The Supreme Court  has sent notices to top BJP and Sangh Parivar leaders, including L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, on the CBI's plea against dropping conspiracy charges in the Babri Masjid demolition case.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had moved the Supreme Court challenging an Allahabad High Court order that dropped charges of criminal conspiracy.

In its appeal, the agency said that the High Court had not come to the right conclusion and the charges of criminal conspiracy should be restored against them.

The Allahabad High Court had on May 20, 2010 dismissed the CBI plea seeking revival of criminal conspiracy charges against top BJP and Sangh Parivar leaders which also included Ashok Singhal, Giriraj Kishore, Vinay Katiyar, Vishnu Hari Dalmiya, Sadhvi Rithambara and Mahant Avaidya Nath.    

The other leaders were former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma Bharti and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, besides Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray.

Bofors: CBI allowed to close Quattrochi case

New Delhi:  A Delhi court has allowed the CBI to close its criminal case against Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrochi who was believed to be one of the major players in the Bofors scam.

An advocate named Ajay K Agrawal has been urging the court that the CBI must continue with its inquiry. The CBI said that after 25 years and 250 crores, it had not been able to get Mr Quattrocchi extradited to India, despite appeals in both Malaysia and Argentina. He left India in 1993 to avoid being arrested.

In 1986, Bofors landed a whopping 15 billion dollar contract. After Swiss media began reporting a year later that the company had paid massive kickbacks to politicians and defence officials, then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assured Parliament that was not the case. However, the Bofors scandal cost him the general election in 1989.

Mr Quattorchi was believed to have been the main middleman between Bofors and Indian practitioners of power.

In 1990, the CBI filed a complaint in the case.

Mr Agrawal says he will challenge Friday's verdict in the Delhi High Court.

SC notice to Advani, Thackeray in Babri demolition case

others in the Babri Masjid demolition case. The CBI had challenged the Allahabad High Court's order to drop charges against senior BJP leader L K Advani, Bal Thackeray and others in the case.

The CBI had, on February 18, moved the Supreme Court challenging dropping of conspiracy changes against LK Advani and 20 others in the Babri Masjid demolition case.

But the agency's special leave petition comes nine months after the Allahabad High Court's Lucknow Bench upheld a trial court verdict dropping conspiracy charges against Advani, Bal Thackeray, Murli Manohar Joshi, Kalyan Singh and others.

The appeal should have been filed within 90 days of the High Court judgement. The High Court had delivered the judgement on May 20, 2010. CBI has moved an application requesting the court to condone the delay of six months in the filing the appeal against the High Court order.

The probe agency said that the trial court and the high court had erroneously dropped conspiracy charges. "It is submitted that bifurcation which has been attempted by the trial court which has found favour with the high court is completely erroneous in law. The offence of instigation, facilitation, actual demolition of the disputed structure, continuous assault on mediapersons, all form a single transaction," CBI said in its petition.

"It appears that an artificial distinction was made by the trial court attempting to assign a role in respect of each of the accused persons and to see which offences were made out. The trial court erroneously came to the conclusion that 21 persons were not entitled to be tried in the case (pertaining to demolition). The order passed by the high court results in serious miscarriage of justice...," the agency said.

A laptop that can be controlled by the eye

London: A laptop prototype has been unveiled with a device that allows a user to control the computer by sight. The eye-tracking technology monitors the user's gaze and works out where they're looking on the computer screen and means, among other things, that users can play a game where they defeat enemies because the game's lasers hit where they look.

It can also scroll text on the screen in response to eye movements, sensing when the reader has reached the end of the visible text.

In the future, such a laptop could make the mouse cursor appear where the user is looking, or make a game character maintain eye contact, according to Tobii Technology Inc, the Swedish firm behind the tracking technology, the Daily Mail reports.

Now planned for commercial use, the eye tracker works by shining two invisible infrared lights at the user.

Two hidden cameras then look for the glints from eyeballs and reflections from each retina. It needs to be calibrated for each person, and works for those with or without glasses.

Barbara Barclay, general manager of Tobii's analysis solutions business, said rather than a replacement for the traditional mouse and keyboard or the touch screen, the eye-tracking could be complementary, making a computer faster and more efficient to use.

Tobii has been making eye-tracking devices for researchers and the disabled for nearly a decade. The laptop is its way of showing that eye-tracking could expand beyond those uses, Barclay said

The laptop is made by Lenovo Corp, and incorporates Tobii's eye-tracking cameras in a hump on the cover, making the entire package about twice as thick as a normal laptop.

Cases booked against Allu Arjun

Hyderabad: On court’s directive, the Cyberabad police on Thursday booked cases against actor Allu Arjun and his family members for allegedly encroaching four acres of land belonging to their neighbour.

Acting on the directions of the VIII metropolitan magistrate of Cyberabad, the Narsingi police have booked cases under sections 420 (Cheating), 468, 471 and 474 r/w 34 of IPC against Allu Arjun, his mother Allu Nirmala, brother Allu Sirish and aunt, Vasanta Lakshmi. In 2004, Allu Arjun and his family purchased 14 acres, 27 guntas of land in survey numbers 131, 163, 164 and 165 of Narsingi panchayat, inspector Narayana said.
Alleging that the actor and his family members have encroached upon four acres of his land, advocate, R Dev S approached court. “Cases were registered on the directions of the court. We have to verify records before proceeding,” the inspector said.

NATA Official Met CM Reddy for NRI Telugu Exchange Program

Hyderabad: NATA has submitted a proposal for establishing Telugu Exchange Program for NRI children of Telugu parents in the US. 

On March 2, 2011, NATA Executive Vice-president Rajeshwar Reddy Gangasani has met Chief Minister Sri Kiran Kumar Reddy and submitted a proposal for Telugu Exchange Program, an academic collaboration for promoting Telugu language to NRI children via Summer Student Exchange program. Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy said that he will help establishing a NRI Telugu exchange program and going to order Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University in Hyderabad to do need full support for this program.
This is a very good start for American Telugu Exchange Program, said NATA president AVN Reddy.
As part of NATA’s core mission, NATA intends to promote the Telugu language to children of Telugu origin in the United States – so that they can read and write in Telugu or adapt Telugu as second language. NATA proposed that this objective can be achieved efficiently by entering into an academic partnership with esteemed educational institutions in Andhra Pradesh, such as Telugu University, that is committed to promote Telugu language. 
Towards this project, NATA is trying to provide financial assistance in the form of scholarship to few selected students. Ravi Gajullapali is the committee chair for Telugu exchange program under the advisorship of Dr. Stanley Reddy, a board of director.  Upon further confirmation of University officials, terms and conditions of this collaboration are worked out towards writing a MoU for this program, said Rajeshwar Reddy.

Heroine's Problems With Gay Husband

Though the element of Gay relationship is all about rights and proving their identity, the Indian cinema industry managed to provide entertainment to millions of audience through this concept. Now, one top league heroine is having problems with her husband who happens to be a gay.

She is none other than Aishwarya Bachchan. Before you start raising eyebrows towards Abhishek Bachchan, read this. We are talking about Hrithik Roshan….surprised? well, here is the story. Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya are pairing up for a new movie and it is heard that Hrithik will be donning the role of a gay, in a funny way.

It is also heard that the film will have another top hero Shahid Kapoor and both Hrithik- Shahid will be friends who are likely to do the ‘Gay Couple’ thing. Buzz is that the discussions are currently on and a formal announcement is expected anytime soon. Let us see what Ash has to experience in this movie.

Though the element of Gay relationship is all about rights and proving their identity, the Indian cinema industry managed to provide entertainment to millions of audience through this concept. Now, one top league heroine is having problems with her husband who happens to be a gay.

She is none other than Aishwarya Bachchan. Before you start raising eyebrows towards Abhishek Bachchan, read this. We are talking about Hrithik Roshan….surprised? well, here is the story. Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya are pairing up for a new movie and it is heard that Hrithik will be donning the role of a gay, in a funny way.

It is also heard that the film will have another top hero Shahid Kapoor and both Hrithik- Shahid will be friends who are likely to do the ‘Gay Couple’ thing. Buzz is that the discussions are currently on and a formal announcement is expected anytime soon. Let us see what Ash has to experience in this movie.

Junior NTR’s Shakti English Logo First Look

Here’s Young Tiger Junior NTR’s upcoming film ‘Shakthi’ English logo First Look. 

The film is an action-based socio fantasy made with a whopping budget of about 45 crore making it the highest budget film ever in the history of Telugu cinema.

‘Shakthi’ has Andala Khazana Ileana in the female lead and Manjari Fadnis in a key role. It  is directed by Mehar Ramesh and produced by C Aswini Dutt under the Vyjayanthi Films banner.

Film release is expected on 30th of March.

Click on the image below to view the Logo.

Shriya Saran to do the Item Number in Pawan Kalyan's Teenmaar?

Recently, it was reported that Bollywood beauty Deepika Padukone might do the item son in Pawan Kalyan’s forthcoming film ‘Teemaar.’ But the latest buzz is that it was only a rumour. Sources now say that slim sizzling beauty Shirya Saran is under consideration for the item number in the film. She has already done such a song in Pawan Kalyan’s last film ‘Puli.’ 

‘Teenmaar’ is a youthful romantic comedy entertainer directed by Jayanth C Parajani. It is given the tag line ‘Celebration of Love.’ The film is the remake of the Hindi film ‘Love Aaj Kal.’ Pawan Kalyan plays duel role and Trisha is paired up with him as the female lead. Kriti Karbhanda (of Bony fame) plays an important role.

Actor-turned producer Ganesh Babu is producing the film on Parameshwara Arts Productions Banner.

Mani Sharma is composing music, cinematography is by Jayanan Vincent and Narayana Reddy is taking care of Art department. Shiva Babu is co-producer.

Makers of the film are planning to release it as summer special in the last week of March. Audio release is planned in the Second week of March.

Samantha to Pair with Siddharth for Nandini Reddy’s Next Film

Nandini Reddy, the director who bagged success with her very first film ‘Ala Modalaindi,’ is getting ready for her next film. Like her debut, it is also going to be based on a love story and young heartthrob Siddharth Narayan and sweet little beauty Samantha Ruth Prabhu will be playing the lead roles.  

Nandini Reddy is currently working on the script and once she is done with it, the movie will go to sets. It will be produced by Bellamkonda Suresh. Details of the other cast and crew will be announced soon.

Shahrukh Khan and Leonardo DiCaprio to get together for Xtrme City

If sources are to be believed, then Bollywood Badshah Shahrukh Khan and ‘Titanic’ star Leonardo DiCaprio would work for a big flick.

The buzz is that Shahrukh Khan is all set to foray into Hollywood with a film titled ‘Xtrme City.’ He will be sharing the screen with Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio in it. 

The film is said to be a crime-thriller which will be shot mainly in Mumbai, since the story will revolve around the criminal underbelly of Mumbai. It will be directed by Paul Schrader. 

The film screenplay is co-written by Paul Schrader and Mushtaq Shiekh (the screenwriter of Shahrukh Khan’s Om Shanti Om and Ra.One).

SRK is producing the film on his Red Chillies banner in association with acclaimed producer-director Martin Scorsese’s banner Sikelia Productions.

It is learnt that the project was discussed a year ago during the Berlin Film Festival where Shah Rukh had gone for the premiere of his film ‘My Name Is Khan’ while Scorsese and DiCaprio too were there to promote their film ‘Shutter Island.’

Rana Daggubati's First Look in Dum Maro Dum

Bollywood film ‘Dum Maro Dum’ is the forthcoming thriller being directed by Rohan Sippy and produced by Ramesh Sippy. The film stars Abhishek Bachchan, Rana Daggubati, Bipasha Basu, Prateik Babbar and Aditya Pancholi in the lead. 

‘Dum Maro Dum’ is Rana Daggubati’s debut in Hindi. He played a key role in the film. His first look (pic) in the film is out now. 

Abhishek Bachchan played a fearless cop in the film. Deepika Padukone will be seen on a scintillating item number on the remix version of the super hit song ‘Dum Maro Dum.’

Pawan Kalyan’s Teenmaar Release in the second week of April, Audio Release Next Week

Power Star Pawan Kalyan’s forthcoming film ‘Teenmaar’ is expected for release in the second week of April. Earlier, it was reported that the film would hit screens in the last week of this month. But the latest news is that a small part of the film is yet to be shot and hence may take some more time for completion.

Audio release is planned in the second week of this month. It is going to be a grand affair amidst fans. Music is composed by Mani Sharma.  

Speaking to the media, producer Ganesh Babu said “Mani Sharma has scored a good song on Lord Shiva. It was shot beautifully at Kaasi. I am sure that mega fans will like and enjoy it very much. It recalls ‘Bham Bham Bhole….’ song in Chiranjeevi’s ‘Indra’ movie.” Also, it is said that the film will have the remix version of Megastar Chiranjeevi’s all time hit song ‘Chiluka Kshemama’ from ‘Rowdy Alludu.’

‘Teenmaar’ is a youthful romantic comedy entertainer being directed by  Jayanth C Parajani. It is coming with the tag line ‘Celebration of Love.’ The film is the remake of the Hindi film ‘Love Aaj Kal.’ Pawan Kalyan plays duel role in the film and Trisha and Kriti Karbhanda (of Bony fame) are heroines.

1.8 crores for Australian injured in Delhi hotel's pool

New Delhi:  An Australian swimmer, who was paralysed nearly 33 years ago after slipping in a swimming pool of an ITDC hotel in New Delhi, has been awarded Rs. 1.82 crore compensation by the Delhi High Court.

The court held the hotel management "negligent" and responsible for poor upkeep of the pool.

"It is clear that it was on account of the defendant's (Indian Tourism Development Corporation Ltd) negligence that the floor of the swimming pool was slippery on account of which the injury was sustained by the plaintiff (Susan Leigh Beer)," a bench headed by Justice Badar Durrez Ahmed said.

The bench considered the fact that Susan, who was 17 when the incident had taken place, suffered from Quadriplegic, paralysis of all four limbs - both arms and both legs - after receiving head and spinal cord injuries during the jump in the swimming pool of Akbar hotel here on the evening of May 5, 1978.

Susan, who was a member of Queensland women's polo team and is now wheel chair-bound, had come to India on a holiday along with her parents and brother.

Considering the plea that she became disabled and suffered mental trauma after the incident, the court said "thus, Susan is entitled to a decree in the sum of Rs. 1.82 crore along with simple interest thereon at the rate of 6 per cent per annum with effect from January 22, 1982, till the date of the decree."

Chiru touted as next AP Deputy CM?

This may not be very good news for Chiranjeevi fans.
The megastar, who has entertained audiences in 149 films in his 34 year long film career, may soon bid a final adieu to filmdom.
The actor, who has successfully forayed into politics, was about to start his 150th film this year. The film was special for Chiru as his son Ram Charan Teja had planned to produce it as his gift to dad. And it was equally special for Chiru fans, who last saw their idol on the big screen in Shankar Dada Zindabad in 2007.
However, as per new winds of change in the political situation in Andhra Pradesh, Chiranjeevi is being seen as a strong contender for a seat as either the Union Cabinet minister or the Deputy Chief Minister. The development is due to Chiru's plan to merge his political party Prajarajyam with Congress.

If the alliance takes place and Chiru gets what is being promised, it goes without saying that the superstar will become busier than ever fulfilling his political duties. Considering all this, sources in tinsel ville think that it will be difficult for Chiru to find time to do films and plans for his 150th flick look shelved as of now.
V V Vinayak was reported to be directing the film, but it seems it will be long since fans get to see their star on screen again.

Chiru becomes Villain after Heroine! Thu 17th Feb 2011 12:47 PM

Ramgopal Varma is synonymous to sensationalism in Tollywood. He is ready to target all the big heroes on screen with ‘KSD Appalraju’ and off screen Varma seems to be loving to attack only and only chiranjeevi and his camp members. Two days ago, Ramu treated chiranjeevi as heroine and Congress as hero. Less than 48 hours, Varma changed his mind to call chiranjeevi as Villain and YSR as hero. ‘If YSR is a hero then chiranjeevi is a villain but villainy is a perspective and heroism is relative from the pov of objectivistic thinkers,’ tweeted Ramgopal Varma. Now, who cares about the point of view of objectivistic thinkers…what mattes is the view point of Ramu on chiranjeevi.

Indian Americans upset after Rajat Gupta charge

The latest issue of Desi Talk was about to be printed when news broke that Rajat Gupta, a former board member at Goldman Sachs, had been charged with insider trading.

Sunil Adam, editor of the newsweekly for Indians living in the United States, stopped the presses. It was sure to be the most talked-about story of the week. "Rajat Gupta was the first to redefine the image of Indian-Americans from cab drivers to wizards of business and finance," Adam says.

Indian executives make up a tight-knit, rarefied group in American business, populating investment banks, management consulting firms and Silicon Valley startups.

They worry that the accusations against Gupta by federal regulators of illegally passing information to a hedge fund manager before it became public, will cast a cloud over their community.

Gupta, 62, of Westport, Conn., headed the management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. from 1994 to 2003, the first non-Western executive to hold the job. He also served on the boards of several influential companies, including Goldman and Procter & Gamble.

"Rajat is an icon," says Vivek Wadhwa, a director of research at the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University and a senior research associate at Harvard Law School. "Every community has its bad apples, but when someone as respected is implicated, it makes the entire barrel look bad."

The Securities and Exchange Commission says he passed information to Raj Rajaratnam, former head of the Galleon Group hedge funds, who himself is set to go on trial next week for insider trading. Regulators say Gupta was an investor in Galleon funds and a friend of the Sri Lankan born Rajaratnam.

At least two others in the same scandal are also Indian: Rajiv Goel, a former director of strategic investments at Intel Capital and Anil Kumar, a former director at McKinsey, who have both pleaded guilty.

Wadhwa says the scandal hits the community especially hard because Indian professionals are used to more positive portrayals. A study conducted by the University of California at Berkeley found that 15 percent of Silicon Valley startups between 1995 and 2005 were launched by Indians, the largest number for any immigrant group. Indians make up less than 1 percent of the U.S. population.

In addition, 40 percent of Indians in the United States have a master's degree, a doctorate or another professional degree, the highest of any ethnic group and five times the national average.

Gupta, the former chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce, had a powerful sphere of influence. It included former President Bill Clinton and Microsoft founder Bill Gates. In November, he was photographed shaking hands with Korean President Lee Myung-bak at the Group of 20 economic summit.

Now, though, many of Gupta's friends and close associates may be distancing themselves. The Associated Press contacted 10 board members and trustees at the America India Foundation, which Gupta helped found and does philanthropy work in India.

Only one trustee got back. Navneet Chugh, founder of California corporate law firm The Chugh Firm, said Gupta had gone out of his way to help social and charitable organizations and that he was disappointed about the charges. Others didn't return messages from the AP.

The SEC says the inside information from Gupta helped make $18 million for Rajaratnam's fund at the depths of the financial crisis in 2008. Gupta's attorney, Gary Naftalis, has called the allegations "totally baseless."

Regulators say the information included tipping Rajaratnam in September 2008 that Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway was going to invest $5 billion in Goldman. Rajaratnam bought Goldman stock and sold it the next day at a $1 million profit.

Gupta could be fined and barred from serving as an officer in a public company. He remains on the board at the parent company of American Airlines and at Harman International Industries Inc., a consumer electronics company.

Since Gupta, many other Indian-born executives have reached the top, including Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit, Pepsico CEO Indra Nooyi and Motorola's Sanjay Jha. However, Gupta's list of accomplishments was long and his reach much wider.

Orphaned at 18, Gupta joined the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology and was admitted to Harvard Business School in 1971. He has served on advisory boards of the top business schools, including Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. Today he is chairman of New Silk Route Partners, a $1.4 billion private equity fund.

A new generation of Indians was particularly inspired by his role as a mentor and his philanthropic ventures. Gupta helped raise money for Pratham, a nonprofit that provides primary education for children in India, and is an adviser to Avahan, the India AIDS initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He was also chair of The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Tushar Aggarwal, a final-year master's student at Wharton, worked at Goldman in 2003 and remembers Gupta's as willing to advise and talk philanthropy with an informal group of Indian-Americans at the investment bank.

"He focused on giving back to the community, and I look at him as someone who raised the bar for many of us pursuing an MBA," says Aggarwal, who plans on going back to his native India after he graduates from business school this year.

Aggarwal is also chair this year of the Wharton India Economic Forum, an annual conference that brings top Indian business leaders to talk about opportunities and challenges in India. Gupta has been a keynote speaker at the event. Aggarwal says he and the network of students and professionals who knew Gupta are devastated at the charges.

"The broader community is shocked and sad," says Aggarwal. "He didn't need money or access, or prestige or any favors. He was already at the pinnacle."

Steel executive dies after workers attack him in Orissa

Bhubaneswar:  A senior executive of Powmex Steel in Orissa has died in hospital after he was attacked by factory workers. 

RS Ray, who was the Deputy General Manager of the steel plant that's based in Orissa's Titalagarh district, was in his car when it was set on fire.

Workers at the steel plant are on strike, demanding higher salaries.

Reports that 11 employees had been fired reportedly provoked a mob to set Mr Ray's car on fire.

The executive managed to exit the car but sustained 60 per cent burns. He was taken to a hospital in Rourkela, which is 500 km away, since hospitals closer to the factory do not have burns wards. 

Nobody has been arrested so far for Mr Ray's death.

CVC case: Thomas may consider filing review petition, says his lawyer

NDTV Correspondent, Updated: March 04, 2011 11:12 IST

Click to Expand & Play

New Delhi:  PJ Thomas' counsel, Wills Mathews, has indicated that Mr Thomas may consider filing a review petition against the Supreme Court order quashing his appointment as Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC). (Read: Who is PJ Thomas?)

Speaking to PTI, Mr Mathews dismissed reports that Thomas has resigned and said that he would go through the judgement and consider "whether to resign or to file a review petition". He added that Thomas has not yet gone through the judgement and would take a decision only after perusing it.

"I just talked to him. He was prepared to resign long back but at that time there was a legal opinion that he should not resign. So he continued," the counsel said.

Citing the provisions in the CVC Act, Mr Mathews said he can be removed only by the President or alternatively he can resign.

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On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled that PJ Thomas' appointment as CVC is illegal. The government will issue a notification today quashing Thomas' appointment.

The Supreme Court judgement comes at a time when the government is being taken to task by the Opposition for a glut of corruption scandals. "I respect the Supreme Court's judgement," said the Prime Minister to NDTV. He said he will make a statement in Parliament on the controversy.

Dr Manmohan Singh is now in the direct line of fire of the Opposition since he headed the committee that chose Mr Thomas.

Mr Thomas was selected in September by the Prime Minister and Home Minister. The third member of the committee, Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj, had objected strongly because Mr Thomas is accused of corruption himself in a criminal case that goes back to the early 90s, when he was a senior bureaucrat in Kerala.

Like Ms Swaraj, the Supreme Court has stressed during the trial that Mr Thomas cannot be in charge of fighting corruption as the Central Vigilance Commissioner when his own integrity is being questioned. In its judgement on Thursday, the court said, "The touchstone for the appointment of the CVC is the institutional integrity as well as the personal integrity of the candidate." The judges, headed by Chief Justice Kapadia, did clarify that they were not questioning Mr Thomas' personal integrity.

The government, in its defense, had argued in court that the biodata for Mr Thomas considered by the PM did not refer to the corruption charges against him. The Supreme Court has rejected that stand, stating that the committee headed by the PM should have "gone beyond the documents" presented to it.

The court also said that the government was incorrect in suggesting that because the post of Central Vigilance Commissioner is a constitutional one, the Supreme Court is not entitled to review the appointment. The court said that while the government "is not accountable to the courts in respect of policy decisions...however, they are accountable for the legality of such decisions."  (Supreme Court judgement on CVC: Read full text) - Courtesy Supreme Court website

Ms Swaraj, who has voiced her opposition to Mr Thomas' appointment at different public forums, tweeted after the verdict, "The dignity of the office of CVC has been restored." The Left and the BJP now also want a debate in Parliament on why the government insisted on Mr Thomas as its choice.

As Food Secretary in Kerala in the early 90s, Mr Thomas campaigned aggressively for the import of edible oil from Malaysia. It later emerged that the price paid for the oil - palmolein - was unjustifiably high. He has since been charged with corruption and conspiracy.

Those charges are the reason why his appointment has been challenged in the Supreme Court by different Public Interest Litigation cases.

Mr Thomas had repeatedly told the court that the fact that he was promoted over the last few years by the Vigilance Commission proves that the charges against him are incorrect and should not affect his career.   

The 71-page verdict written by Justice Kapadia noted that in addition to the pending corruption case against Mr Thomas, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) had repeatedly recommended "penalty proceedings" against him between 2000 and 2004. The PM's committee, the court said, had overlooked these black marks in Mr Thomas' record.

The court judgement on Mr Thomas comes at a time when the government has been bruised black and blue by a steady stream of scams. Leading that list is the 2G spectrum scam which pushed A Raja from the Telecom Minister's office into jail. Mr Raja stands accused of abusing his position and manipulating government policies to award licences for mobile networks at throwaway prices to companies that rewarded him privately with huge kickbacks.

Mr Thomas was Telecom Secretary till he was made Central Vigilance Commissioner. The Supreme Court, which is also monitoring the CBI's investigation into the spectrum scam, suggested that it would be inappropriate for Mr Thomas to preside over an inquiry that could subject his own actions in the Telecom Ministry to scrutiny. Mr Thomas then recused himself from the 2G investigation.

New guidelines for choosing Central Vigilance Commissioner

In its judgement on Thursday, the Supreme Court has provided guidelines for all future appointments of government secretaries and constitutional posts.

Based on Mr Thomas' case, committee members who dissent or over-rule dissent must explain their reasons. Any relevant information should not be withheld from the selection committee. Civil servants should not alone be considered for these positions. "All the civil servants and other persons empanelled shall be outstanding civil servants or persons of impeccable integrity," the court said. (With PTI Inputs)

Anger again in Andhra Assembly over Telangana

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy today said the Centre would take a decision on the contentious statehood issue only after the eight recognised political parties in the state expressed their views on it.
 
"It is a procedure....We have to follow it. The Centre will take a decision after the political parties expressed their views after studying the recommendations of
the Justice Srikrishna Committee," the Chief Minister said in the state Assembly, minutes before the proceedings were adjourned for half-an-hour following slogan shouting by Telugu Desam Party members.

The Centre would convene a meeting again to elicit views of all parties after they studied the Justice Srikrishna Committee report thoroughly, he added.

Appealing to the agitated TDP MLAs, who disrupted the Assembly proceedings demanding that the Centre keep Andhra Pradesh united, to maintain calm, the Chief Minister pointed out that the state was facing many problems at this juncture.

"Annual examinations are round the corner. Lakhs of students have to write the examinations. Let us all create a peaceful atmosphere so that they can write the exams without any problem," Kiran said.

He criticised the TDP for not even attending the all-party meeting convened by the Centre to handover the five-member Committee report.

Hitting back at the Chief Minister, Telugu Desam Legislature Party deputy leader Gali Muddukrishnama Naidu questioned the silence of AICC chief Sonia Gandhi on the statehood issue.

"Did Sonia Gandhi open her mouth so far on the issue?

Even the Congress party has not clearly spelt out its stand," Muddukrishnama pointed out.

"The Congress is solely responsible for the current political and administrative uncertainty prevailing in the state. Since the party is in power both at the Centre and in the state, it should take action on the statehood issue immediately," the TDP leader said.

TDP MLAs from Andhra-Rayalaseema regions then rushed into the Well of the House holding placards and raising slogans in support of a unified state.

Standing at their respective positions, the four CPI MLAs raised the Telangana demand as a counter.

Deputy Speaker Nadendla Manohar appealed for order, recalling the promise made by floor leaders of all parties during a meeting yesterday to let the House run smoothly from today.
 
But the din continued and the Deputy Speaker adjourned the proceedings for 30 minutes.