Big B open to working with Rekha again

Mumbai: An all time popular on screen couple, Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha might have parted ways over decades but Big B doesn`t rule out the possibility of reuniting with her again on the silver screen. "If there is a good story and like it then I don`t mind working with her," the megastar said at a function here Saturday. The two have earlier worked together in films like `Silsila`, `Mr Narwarlal`, `Muqaddar Ka Sikandar` among othe...

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Rumours about Salman Khan don't bother me: Katrina Kaif

Actress Katrina Kaif, who is teaming up with Salman Khan again in Ek Tha Tiger, says she is not bothered about the gossip that goes around regarding her and the actor. Katrina reportedly dated Salman when she started off her career in Bollywood but later separated. And their new movie has got the rumour mills spinning again. She was last seen with the Dabangg star in 2008 movie Yuvraaj. "When we start working for a movie we go in as professionals. I am here to do my job and if people want to highlight baseless stories then it's up to them. I don't think that these stories will have any affect on my work and the film. "I am never bothered about such stories. Why should I? I think it's...

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Defence Ministry had looked into Tatra issue 7 years ago

Seven years before the issue rocked the country, the Defence Ministry had gone into the procurement of Tatra trucks through an intermediary company and not original manufacturers and had closed the matter.With Army Chief Gen V.K. Singh raking up the issue of alleged bribes in procurement of Tatra trucks, the CBI is probing alleged irregularities in the procurement of trucks.It is probing into alleged irregularities in assigning of supply from Czech Republic-based Tatra, with which the agreement was originally signed in 1986, to the Tatra Sipox U.K. owned by Ravi Rishi in 1997, showing it as Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and the fully-owned subsidiary of the Czech company.There...

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Chen Guangcheng's escape sparks China round-up

Chinese authorities have begun to round up relatives and associates of blind activist Chen Guangcheng, who fled from house arrest last week, reports say.Several people involved in Mr Chen's escape have been detained or have disappeared in recent days, and fellow activist Hu Jia is being questioned. Mr Chen is believed to be sheltering at the US embassy in Beijing. The US and international rights groups have frequently expressed alarm at the treatment of Mr Chen and his family. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who has demanded his release in the past, is due in China this week for a previously arranged meeting which is now likely to be overshadowed by Mr Chen's case. The US government...

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Petitions filed in Pak court against Gilani holding PM office

Two petitions have been filed in a Pakistani court asking it to restrain Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani from holding office in the w ake of his conviction for contempt by the Supreme Court. The petitions filed in the Lahore High Court yesterday asked it to direct Gilani to explain under which law he was claiming to be the chief executive of the country after his conviction. The petitions were filed by Shahid Naseem Gondal and Rana Ilamuddin Ghazi, who are known for approaching courts on such issues. The petitioners' lawyer AK Dogar, also the counsel for Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, said the apex court had convicted and sentenced Gilani for failing...

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Maharashtra, Karnataka topped cyber crime list in 2010

Maharashtra and Karnataka topped the list of cyber crimes registered in 2010 with 246 cases and 176 cases respectively, Communications and IT Minister Kapil Sibal said. "With the increase in the proliferation of Information Technology and related services, there is a rise in number of cyber crimes and cyber security incidents. The trend in increase in cyber incidents is similar to that worldwide," Sibal had said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. Maharashtra recorded the highest number of cyber crime cases at 104 under IPC (Indian Penal Code) in 2010 and had registered 142 cases under the IT Act in the same year, putting the combined cybercrime count at 246. Similarly, under the...

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Sukma collector in good health, say mediators after meeting Maoists

Abducted Sukma District Collector Alex Paul Menon is in "good health", said the two mediators who briefed Maoists on their talks with the Chhattisgarh government on their demands for release of the IAS officer. B D Sharma, a former IAS officer, and Hyderabad-based academic Professor G Hargopal, who have held two rounds of talks on behalf of the Maoists, returned to Chintanlar today after visiting Tadmetla forests, where they had gone yesterday to update Maoists about the deliberations with the government. The two mediators told reporters that they will now meet the government-appointed interlocutors Nirmala Buch and S K Mishra and give them details of their talks with the Maoists....

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Antony meets Karunanidhi on Prez poll; to report to Sonia

Congress leader and Defence Minister A K Antony today met DMK chief M Karunanidhi as part of consultation process among UPA allies on the Presidential election to arrive at a consensus leader to succeed incumbent Pratibha Patil, who is retiring on July 25. After more than an hour-long meeting, Antony told reporters that he would convey the DMK leader's views on the issue to Congress President Sonia Gandhi. "It was a very, very fruitful meeting. I will report to the Congress President whatever he said", he told reporters, refusing to disclose details about his discussion. Observing that Gandhi had asked him to meet the DMK chief to discuss about the "present political situation", he...

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Norway killer used computer wargames to plan attack

Norwegian anti-Islamic fanatic Anders Behring Breivik told a court on Thursday that he used computer games to prepare for his attacks, once spending an entire year isolated from society playing a game for hours on end. Breivik, on trial for massacring 77 people last July, said he spent "lots of time" playing Modern Warfare, a first-person shooting game, and also took an entire year off to play World of Warcraft, a multi-player role-playing game with more than 10 million subscribers. "I don't really like those games but it is good if you want to simulate for training purposes," Breivik said as he discussed Modern Warfare, smiling when asked about the aiming system. Breivik killed eight...

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Security tightened for PM's visit in Assam

Security has been tightened for in Assam in view of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh day-long visit tomorrow with the ULFA's anti-talk faction calling a 12-hour Assam bandh in protest. Police and para-military personnel have been posted on all major thoroughfares, vital installations and patrolling has been intensified throughout the state, official sources said. A security alert has been sounded throughout the state with police and security forces kept on high alert to thwart any subversive attempt by the ULFA and all forces engaged in counter-insurgency operations are meeting regularly to coordinate operations and share intelligence. According to intelligence sources, there are reports...

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CBI searches BEML chairman's office, residence

 Bangalore: The CBI Thursday searched the office and residence of V.R.S. Natarajan, chairman and managing director of the state-run Bharat Earth Movers Ltd. (BEML), here for evidence related to a tender process for hiring a consultancy firm. "The searches began around 8 a.m. simultaneously and our officers were going through voluminous documents and files pertaining to hiring Astral Consulting Ltd., as irregularities were found in the tendering process," a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) spokesperson told IANS from New Delhi. A six-member CBI team also started interrogating Natarajan at his residence after seizing a number of documents from his office and residence as part...

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3 killed, 17 hurt as commuters fall off crowded Mumbai train

Three commuters were killed and 17 injured after they fell from overcrowded local train during the morning rush hour in the continuing chaos on the second day on Mumbai’s suburban railway on Thursday. Suburban services have been seriously affected since Wednesday morning following twin fires at signal cabins near Kurla. Union Railway Minister Mukul Roy has announced a compensation of Rs2 lakh for families of the deceased. Railway officials said that according to prima facie information on Thursday around 9am, some protruding object from a speeding fast Badlapur local heading towards Mumbai CST hit a signal post near Nahur station. This lead to the signal leaning towards the passing train,...

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Agni-V launch: India demonstrates ICBM capability; China reacts cautiously, says India not rival

NEW DELHI: India on Thursday demonstrated the capability of launching a nuclear-tipped inter-continental ballistic missile ( ICBM) as Agni-V hit a target over 5,000 km away. With this, India has joined an elite group of nations which have mastered such technology. The 5,000 km-range missile gives India the capability to hit targets in China, including Beijing, eastern Europe, east Africa and the Australian coast. "This launch has given a message to the entire world that India has the capability to design, develop, build and manufacture missiles of this class, and we are today, a missile power," V K Saraswat, director general, Defence Research and Development Organisation, said. He...

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India scales down tsunami warning, authorities on alert

New Delhi: Hours after a tsunami warning was issued on Wednesday following the 8.6-magnitude earthquake in Indonesia, India withdrew the warning, saying that there was no cause of panic. Home Secretary R K Singh said, "Apart from Nicobar, the tsunami warning has been reduced to tsunami alert." Referring to the second earthquake in Indonesia, which measured 8.2 on the richter scale, Singh said, "Let us see what waves are generated by the second quake." According to Singh, the authorities have been asked for evacuation in South Andaman. Meanwhile, reports suggested that some people had already been evacuated from South Andaman as a precautionary measure. Reports also said that Andaman...

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Indonesia earthquake: No damage to ocean basin, India withdraws tsunami warning

India has withdrawn the tsunami warning it issued after the first massive earthquake hit waters off Indonesia, which triggered off at least two more powerful aftershocks. Parts of Indonesia's Sumatra island still remain in danger from a tsunami following the series of powerful earthquakes off the Indonesian coast on Wednesday, but damage across the Indian Ocean basin is not expected, an official with the US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. ''So far all we've seen is on the order of about a metre or three feet or so, peak-to-peak,'' said Barry Hirshorn, a geophysicist at center, referring to waves measured by gauges mounted on buoys. ''And we've observed that on our closest gauge...

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