Jr.NTR calls Pawan Kalyan as real life Powerstar

Recently, Powerstar Pawan Kalyan along with his Gabbar Singh movie unit planned a schedule at pollachi (between 6th – 16th february) At the same time, Jr.NTR was also supposed to shoot at same location to shoot with Boyapati Srinu for his ‘Dammu‘ movie. Since both units schedules have clashed at same location, Jr.NTR called upon and requested Pawan Kalyan to allow him to shoot first because of release date planned in march. Pawan accepted his request and called his ‘Gabbar Singh’ producer Ganesh Babu and made him cancel pollachi schedule, though they had to run on schedule and release in april last week. This made Jr.NTR realise Pawan Kalyan’s real personality offscreen...

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Mulayam's U-turn on jobs to rape victims

New Delhi: It seems that Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yafav has executed a U-turn after raking up controversy when he said earlier that his government, if voted to power, would give jobs to rape victims. The Samajwadi Party chief made this statement during a rally in Siddharthnagar on Sunday. The SP chief now says his words were misinterpreted. "I was misquoted by media. I never said that we will give jobs to rape victims in UP," he said. The Congress strongly condemned this statement saying it reflected just how unsafe UP was. The National Commission for Women has also taken up the issue. They've asked the Election Commission to intervene in the matter. Addressing the crowd,...

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Emaar case: CBI arrests Andhra Pradesh home secretary

NEW DELHI: The CBI on Monday arrested senior IAS officer and Andhra Pradesh principal home secretary B P Acharya in a case relating to alleged irregularities in land transfer and sale of villas and apartments in a township in the state. The township has been jointly developed by state-run Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) and Dubai-based infrastructure firm Emaar. A 1983 batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, Acharya, who was the then Managing Director of the APIIC, has been named by the agency in the FIR and his residences were searched in August last year. He was called for questioning at the CBI office in Hyderabad and was later taken into custody,...

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Congress eyes gains in Punjab, Uttarakhand polls

Millions of Indians went to the polls on Monday in Punjab and Uttarakhand where the country's ruling Congress party hopes to regain momentum after a year when its reputation was battered by corruption scandals and a slowing economy. Congress is aiming to wrest back control of the two states, which are ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies, as part of a series of elections in five states that end in early March. A good showing in all five would be a huge boost for Rahul Gandhi, the scion of India's most powerful political dynasty, who has campaigned actively for Congress. The son, grandson and great-grandson of former prime ministers, Gandhi is considered likely...

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Baby Falak critical, may undergo another brain surgery

Two-year-old abandoned and battered baby Falak, who continues to be critical, was put on the ventilator as she developed complications, a doctor said on Monday, adding that she has developed respiratory problems and may have to undergo another brain surgery. "Her condition is critical. She developed respiratory problems, so we put her back on the ventilator around 10.30 last (Sunday) night," Deepak Agrawal, assistant professor (neurosurgery) at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Trauma Centre, told IANS. "She might require another surgery in the brain. But as her condition is critical, her chances of survival are slim. Already we have done a brain surgery and have conducted...

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Australian Open final: Novak, Rafa and the six-hour epic

Melbourne: Novak Djokovic tore off his shirt, flexed his sinewy muscles and roared in celebration, but for once the machismo was not misplaced. After nearly six hours of the most gruelling final in grand slam history, the strutting Serb had shown he was not only supremely fit and talented, but as tough as they come. The lanky world number one with the soft-spike hair came on court early on Sunday evening, played into the night and finished in the small hours of Monday. Until the very last shot, blocking his way to the Australian Open title was the ferocious Rafael Nadal, the 10-time grand slam-winner with aggression to burn and a fearless competitive streak. Djokovic's white...

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Will Leander Paes repeat his magic today?

A day after Leander Paes picked up his first Australian Open men's doubles crown, with Czech mate Radek Stepanek, he has a shot at the the mixed doubles title as he partners Russian Elena Vesnina to take on Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Horia Tecau. At 38, there's nothing old about the fist-pumping, body-slamming champion that is Paes. While most of his contemporaries have either retired or ventured into other businesses, he keeps on winning. Saturday at Melbourne Park was no different. Paes picked up his first Australian Open men's doubles crown, with Czech mate Radek Stepanek. But his seventh Grand Slam was extra special — it completed his career slam. The score line read 7-6, 6-2 at...

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CPM dumps third front dream, moves to ‘Left, democratic’ front

The CPM has finally bid farewell to its third front dream, two years after its experiment failed, leading to an intense internal churning. The focus will now be on forging a “Left and democratic” front, but interestingly that long-term goal would not stop the party from cooperating with regional parties on specific policy and other issues, and entering into state-level electoral understandings. The ambitious idea of forging a third front — the party prefers to call it a third alternative — has been a feature of its political line for many years. The setback in the 2009 general elections, however, came as an eye-opener. The CPM had in the past also talked about a Left and democratic...

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I haven't made any decision on retirement: Dravid

Adelaide: Embattled Rahul Dravid, on Saturday, made it clear that he has not taken any decision on retirement from international cricket but admitted that his glorious career is "definitely nearer the end than the beginning". One of modern cricket's greatest batsmen, Dravid scored just 194 runs at an average of 24.25 in India's 0-4 drubbing in Australia, their second successive on foreign shores after an identical result in England, thus fuelling speculation in the media over a possible retirement.  I am definitely nearer the end than the beginning, there is no doubt about that. "I haven't made any decision and there is no need to make any decisions now, we're...

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UN nuclear team arrives in Iran hoping for progress on probing alleged arms program

TEHRAN, Iran — A U.N. nuclear team arrived in Tehran early Sunday for a mission expected to focus on Iran’s alleged attempt to develop nuclear weapons. The U.N. nuclear agency delega tion includes two senior weapons experts — Jacques Baute of France and Neville Whiting of South Africa — suggesting that Iran may be prepared to address some issues related to the allegations. The delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency is led by Deputy Director General Herman Nackaerts, who is in charge of the Iran nuclear file. Also on the team is Rafael Grossi, IAEA chief Yukiya Amano’s right-hand man. In unusually blunt comments ahead of his arrival in Tehran, Nackaerts urged...

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Baby Falak fights on, main suspect's family traced in Mumbai

New Delhi:  Doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi, who are taking care of Baby Falak - a bruised and battered child brought to the hospital by a teen girl, who claimed to be her mother - are now focusing on bringing the two-year-old out of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and into regular care. While Baby Falak's condition remains stable but critical, her health has not deteriorated in the past couple of days. Her eyes have shown some movement and doctors are trying to control her high heartbeat. The 15-year-old girl who brought Baby Falak to the hospital, had allegedly told...

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Social-network update: Facebook up; Twitter slow?

An image displayed on the Reporters Without Borders Web site. Turns out it's pretty much business as usual today in social-network-land, despite earlier claims hackers would take down Facebook and an ongoing boycott of Twitter by users accusing the company of censorship. Twitter did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment on the impact of the boycott, but the pace of tweets seems to have slowed, from this user's perspective anyway. It being Saturday, however, the news feeds we follow tend to slow down naturally, so it's hard to tell for sure. We'll update this post if we get any feedback today from Twitter. The Twitter boycott is in response to an announcement made by...

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7 killed as 82% vote in Manipur

A woman with her child casts her vote at a polling station in Thoubal constituency on the outskirts of Imphal, India, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. Imphal:In estimated 82% of the electorate on Saturday exercised their franchise in Manipur assembly elections which was marred by militant violence that claimed seven lives, including that of a CRPF jawan and an ultra. According to reports, armed Naga rebels opened indiscriminate fire at a polling station in the hill district of Chandel after their attempt of capturing a booth was thwarted by the police and CRPF personnel. “A CRPF jawan, one underground militant, one woman (believed to be a voter) and four polling officials were killed,” official...

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Homecoming for Amarinder at Rampura Phul

RAMPURA PHUL: It was an emotional homecoming for a confident-looking Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee head Amarinder Singh, who ended his poll campaign at his birth place here on Saturday evening. "I deliberately decided to end my campaign here. I always loved this place and its people. I have a lot of respect for you and it is an overwhelming feeling while I stand before my brothers and sisters," said Amarinder, who was born at Mehraj village here, while addressing the gathering on Saturday evening. All of Patiala mandi (Rampura Phul) wore Congress colours, when Amarinder reached at around 4.40pm. Supporters had to wait long for him as they had arrived at noon. "We want Amarinder...

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Basant Panchami celebrated peacefully in Dhar

The Bhojshala at Dhar in Madhya Pradesh INDORE: Amid tension at 'Bhojshala,' Basant Panchami festival celebrations passed off peacefully in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh on Saturday. Civil and police administration heaved a sigh of relief after the procession was taken out from Lal Bagh to Bhojshala without any untoward incident. However, Cops claimed to have arrested 12 youth while they were taking out procession raising slogans. In all, more than 60 activists of the samiti have b een arrested in last couple of days, while their president Naval Kishore Sharma is on fast at the MY Hospital in Indore. Earlier, he was forcibly lifted from Dhar while he was on fast in support...

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UP Muslims will not be misled by 'communal' Bukhari: Digvijaya

Bahraich: Calling the Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid a "communal person", Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Saturday said that Muslims of Uttar Pradesh will not be misled by his appeal, in which has urged them to vote for Samajwadi Party candidates. "Bukhari was a communal person, who at one time supported Osama Bin Laden and in 2004 issued fatwa in favour of BJP," Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh said. "Bukhari's worth can be estimated from the fact that his opponent has won from the area he lives in. Muslims of UP will not get misled by his appeal," Digvijaya said while talking to the reporters. Holding Congress responsible for the poor state of Muslims, Maulana Ahmad...

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Clarification on Congress ad praising Narendra Modi sought

The All India Congress Committee, the highest decision making body in the Congress, has sought a clarification from the state unit of the Congress over advertisements praising chief minister Narendra Modi. Sources said AICC had taken the matter very seriously and sought clarification from Gujarat Congress leaders. A pull-out by the Congress, distributed with newspapers on Republic Day in some parts of the state, featured Modi’s photograph, and described him as ‘a master organiser and astute election strategist’. The two-page pullout also listed various major achievements of Modi. “He has been trying very hard to convert Gujarat into a vibrant state. He has established a separate department...

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Sena men ransack media office

DAILY'S OFFICE TARGETED: Shiv Sena activists ransacked the loby of the Times of India building in Mumbai on Saturday in protest against a report in the Maharashtra Times, a Marathi daily which belongs to the ToI group. The page one report said a Sena MP was on his way to joining the NCP. The picture shows the vandalised foyer. More than 100 Shiv sainiks vandalised the reception lobby of the Times of India building near CST on Saturday afternoon. The mob was protesting against an article in Maharashtra Times which claimed that Shiv Sena MP from Amravati, Anandrao Adsul, was defecting to the NCP. The incident took place at around 1.30pm. The Sena activists carrying the party flag and shouting...

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Arab League suspends Syria mission as violence rages

Demonstrators gather during a protest against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and against Russia in Kafranbel near Idlib January 27, 2012. The Arab League suspended its monitoring mission in Syria because of worsening violence, a move Damascus said was an attempt to encourage foreign intervention as it struggles to quell a 10-month revolt against President Bashar al-Assad. The Arab League took the decision Saturday days after calling on Assad to step down and make way for a government of national unity. It will take an Arab peace plan to the U.N. Security Council next week. Instability is increasing inside Syria. Saturday, the army launched an offensive against rebels who seized...

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Fire kills 27 at drug rehabilitation centre in Peru

Police officers stand guard after a fire occurred inside a rehabilitation centre in Lima. At least 27 patients of a rehabilitation centre for alcoholics and drug addicts were killed A fire swept through a two-storey private rehabilitation centre for addicts in a poor part of Peru's capital on Saturday, killing 27 people and critically injuring five as firefighters punched holes through walls to rescue residents locked inside. The Christ is Love centre for drug and alcohol addicts was unlicensed and overcrowded and its residents were apparently kept inside "like prisoners," Health Minister Alberto Tejada said. Authorities said 26 people died at the scene, and prosecutors spokesman...

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Woman's body found in wrecked Italy cruise ship

Lawsuit filed in deadly cruise crash Rome (CNN) -- A woman's body was found Saturday in the wrecked Costa Concordia cruise ship, Italian officials said, taking the number of people confirmed dead to 17. Rescuers have been searching the site since the massive liner struck rocks and rolled onto its side in shallow waters off an island on Italy's Tuscan coast on January 13, leading to a panicked overnight evacuation. Fifteen people remain missing. Efforts to remove 2,400 tons of fuel from the liner's tanks have been postponed until at least Tuesday because of bad weather conditions, Italy's civil protection agency said. The operation had been expected to begin Saturday or Sunday. Concordia...

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Murdoch staff arrested, office searched in UK probe

British detectives on Saturday searched the offices of Rupert Murdoch's The Sun and arrested four journalists and a policeman in a widening probe into the bribing of police for information. The development finally drags Britain's biggest-selling newspaper into the turmoil at Murdoch's empire, after its stablemate the News of the World was shut down in disgrace in July amid a scandal over phone hacking. Police said they made the arrests after information was provided to police by Murdoch's US-based News Corporation -- in what commentators said was a clear effort by the company to detoxify the brand. The BBC and a newspaper named the arrested Sun journalists as former deputy editor...

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Sebi eases norms for MFs, insurers’ pref allotments

Mumbai: Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has relaxed investment norms by waiving the six-month lock-in period for insurance companies and mutual funds participating in preferential allotment of shares. “It has been decided to exempt insurance companies and mutual funds which are broad-based investment vehicles representing the interests of the public at large from the provisions of Sebi (ICDR) Regulations relating to sale and lock-in of their pre-preferential shareholding in the issuer company,” said a Sebi release on Saturday. The decision was taken at a board meeting — the second in this month — held at New Delhi today. This would come as a huge relief,...

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Wkly Tech Analysis: Markets likely to turn choppy

The markets are on a dream run so far this year. After having slumped nearly 25 per cent in 2011, the BSE and the NSE benchmark indices have gained nearly 12 per cent this year. In absolute terms, these have recovered around one-thir d of the losses in the previous year. The Sensex ended higher for the fourth straight week this year, up three per cent at 17,234. The most positive aspect of the holiday-shortened week was the index climbed higher peaks through the week.  Among the index stocks, Maruti and Tata Motors were the major gainers, up 10 per cent each. Bharti Airtel, Larsen & Toubro, Mahindra & Mahindra, SBI, Sterlite Industries, ICICI Bank, Infosys and Tata Steel...

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JK Bank Q3 net up 27 pc at `213 cr

Srinagar: J&K Bank has posted a net profit of Rs 213 crore for the third quarter ended December 2011, which is up by 27 percent from net profit of Rs.168 crore earned during the corresponding quarter of the previous financial year.  The net profit of the bank for the nine months ended December 31, 2011 also witnessed an increase of 25 per cent as it jumped to Rs.595 crore from Rs 477 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year.  The total business turnover of the Bank as on Dec 31, 2011 is around Rs 79, 000 crore which has witnessed an increase of Rs 3,000 crore in the quarter. Business turnover was Rs 66000 crore as on 31st December 2010.  Commenting on...

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Race hots up for top job at CIL

An Indian Administrative Service (IAS) Officer R. P. S. Kahlon, the serving Environment Secretary to the West Bengal Government, has joined the race for the post of the chairman-cum-managing director of Coal India Ltd (CIL), the world's single largest coal mining company.A 1984-batch IAS officer from the West Bengal cadre, he holds a post-graduate degree in English. At least three other IAS officers are also believed to have applied to the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) which conducts the interviews for the post which has been lying vacant without any steady incumbent, since the retirement of P. S. Bhattacharyya in February 2011.However, sources in the West Bengal Government...

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Ranbir, Vidya named best actors at Apsara Awards

Mumbai: Bollywood stars Ranbir Kapoor and Vidya Balan picked the best actors` trophies at the star-studded seventh edition of Apsara Awards here Wednesday night for their performance in ‘Rockstar’ and ‘The Dirty Picture’ respectively.The best film award went to " Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara", and Zoya Akhtar won the best director for the movie. Her actor-filmmaker brother Farhan took home the best supporting actor award for the movie too. The best supporting actress award went to Priyanka Chopra's cousin Parineeti, for her portrayal of a bubbly, rich, spoilt Delhi girl in "Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl". The act also bagged the best debutant (female) award for her. The best debutant (male) honour...

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