Telugu Movie Chandamama Kathalu Trailer

Chandamama Kathalu Theatrical Trailer 

Chandamama Kathalu theatrical trailer. Chandamama Kathalu is an upcoming Telugu anthology film directed by Praveen Sattaru and produced by Chanakya Bhooneti. The film has eight sub-stories revolving around love. The lives of the central characters in the sub-plots get intertwined with each other. Lakshmi Manchu, Aamani, Naresh, Krishnudu, Chaitanya Krishna, Abhijeet, Naga Shaurya, Vennela Kishore, Amitha Rao and Richa Panai play the lead roles. Mickey J Meyer composed the music. The shooting was wrapped up in December 2013

Chaar Botal Vodka Full Song Feat - Ragini MMS 2

Chaar Botal Vodka Full Song Feat. Yo Yo Honey Singh, Sunny Leone | Ragini MMS 2

"Chaar Botal Vodka" performed by Yo Yo Honey Singh and Sunny Leone from Bollywood movie Ragini MMS 2.

Singer: Yo Yo Honey Singh
Music: Yo Yo Honey Singh
Lyrics: Ustad Bhagdarh Ali Khan Sahab
Music Producer: Yo Yo Honey Singh
Mix and Mastered by: Vinod Verma
Movie: Ragini MMS 2
Music Label: T-Series

Ragini MMS 2 is the sequel to the 2011 horror movie Ragini MMS starring Sunny Leone, Parvin Dabas and others, directed by Bhushan patel and is set to release on 21 March, 2014

Modi Signals Shift In Favour Of Big Retail

Indian opposition candidate for prime minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday the country's millions of family-owned traders must learn to work with large modern stores and online retailers, in comments that could signal a shift in thinking. Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) opposes a policy to allow foreign supermarkets to open in India, which it says is a threat to millions of grocery stores and traders who are a backbone of the party's support.Sketching out his economic views ahead of a general election likely to be held in April and May, Modi declined to reiterate that stance or oppose a proposal to allow foreign investment in online shopping, which is growing rapidly in India. Instead, he said small traders should put an emphasis on the quality of their products to compete better. He said they could enter into contracts with big online retailers to create "virtual trade".

"We should not worry about the challenges from global trade," Modi told a meeting of the Confederation of All India Traders. "The government should not look to curb online trade. We should not worry about these things, our children have taken IT to the world. We'll have to embrace it." Modi also said he favoured introducing a nation-wide goods and services tax (GST), a long-planned reform to usher in a uniform market, cut business costs and boost government revenue. The country's states have stood in the way of a GST, fearing that they would face revenue losses if the current array of inefficient levies were replaced. Chief minister of Gujarat, one of the country's most industrialised states, Modi is campaigning on the back of a record of strong growth over more than a decade in office. But until Thursday he had given few details about how he would steer the economy, which has seen growth at its slowest in a decade.

Economic diplomacy

The Hindu nationalist leader also said India needed to cut red tape by reducing the number of laws, and called on the foreign ministry to focus on "economic diplomacy" to improve India's commercial standing in the world. "Times have changed, the core work of external affairs ministry today is trade and commerce," he said. In an effort to attract overseas investment and revive the economy, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh threw open the country's $500-billion retail industry to foreign investors late in 2012. That allowed companies such as Wal-Mart Stores and TESCO Plc to own majority stakes in Indian chains for the first time, pending approval by individual states.

This month, the newly elected BJP government of the western state of Rajasthan became the second state government to roll back the policy. Fewer than half of India's 28 states have agreed to implement the policy.
The traders had hoped Modi would vow to make opposition to foreign retailers a part of the party's manifesto, which is due to be released in the next few weeks. "This looks like a strategic direction which is being set ahead of the elections and it's a very welcome one," said Kishore Boyani, chair of the retailer Future Group. "These comments and clarity will help everyone in the industry and foreign players to take decisions."

Rahul Dev Played Mast Gul’s Role in Unfinished Dus

A recently released Pakistani Taliban pic showing Mast Gul (left) with the Mufti Hassan Swati of TTP.
Pakistani militant leader Haroon Khan alias Mast Gul resurfaced recently with a suicide attack on a hotel in Peshawar on Tuesday that killed nine persons.

As a Hizbul Mujahideen commander, Gul held Indian security forces off during a two-month siege of the Chrar-e-Sharif Sufi shrine in March 1995 and escaped into Pakistan. He wasn’t seen for over a decade until he re-emerged recently as a Pakistani Taliban commander, ironically, fighting the state that once backed him. A photograph released by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan showed a henna-bearded Gul, 47, sitting cross-legged cradling an AK-47.

Gul was the inspiration for a Gabbar Singh-esque lead villain in an unfinished blockbuster in 1997. Actor Rahul Dev reacted with bewilderment and nostalgia to the news of the real Gul’s return. “It’s like the 1990s again man,” Rahul Dev said. “Mast Gul is out and Sanju is back in jail,” he said. In 1996, the Delhi-based model spent many months studying his pictures and videos to play Gul in Mukul Anand’s “Dus”.

The big-budget military thriller starring Sanjay Dutt, Salman Khan as army commandos infiltrating Pakistan, was shelved after Anand died suddenly of a heart attack in September 1997. The previous year, Anand had wrapped up a 40-day schedule in Salt Lake City and the rugged Rocky mountains of Utah. The remote US state stood-in for Jammu and Kashmir where Dev played the main villain, Mast Gul.

“Mukul Anand was fascinated by his name. He had lots of video footage of Mast Gul and a pin board studded with his photographs in his Worli office,” Dev recalls. Anand had made the acclaimed ‘Agneepath’ with Amitabh Bachchan in 1990, was trying to regain lost ground in Bollywood after the disastrous ‘Trimurti’ in 1995. Dus was his best shot. Unit members recall the film’s spectacular action sequences of being anything that the industry had produced, a reason why Anand shot in the US. He recreated India Gate and Rajpath in Utah for a sequence where the lead characters heli-rescue the Pakistani Prime Minister from an exploding limousine.

Dev, who now runs the fitness centre, Breathe in Delhi, has fond memories of the 1996 shoot in Utah. “Sanju had just got out of prison and was in peak physical fitness. We used to wake up at 5 am every morning and work out together and go for mile-long walks. Producer Nitin Manmohan briefly attempted to complete the half-finished film with other directors but gave up. “Dus was Mukul’s baby,” he said a few years ago. “No one else could realise its vision.” Manmohan released outtakes of the unifinished film in a music album in 1997 and made another big budget movie in 2005 using the same title. The reel Mast Gul gathers dust in film cans in Manmohan’s Neha Arts production house, the real one is free to wreak havoc in Pakistan’s north-western region.

Infosys to give 5-7% salary hikes in FY15

Infosys, the information technology services giant, told its employees in India on Wednesday they would get pay increments of five to seven per cent in FY15, a source told Business Standard. Though the second pay rise in nine months, analysts say it is much below the sector average and could lead to several more staffers resigning in the coming months at the Bangalore-based company, especially with the recent improvement in demand. "Everyone was expecting at least 10-12 per cent more. Five to seven per cent is really low," said an analyst with a domestic brokerage house. "Already the company is seeing elevated levels of attrition and this is more bad news for that front."

Despite the earlier salary rise of an average eight per cent, announced soon after co-founder N R Narayana Murthy returned to the company as executive chairman, staff attrition has continued to be steep. For the October-December 2013 quarter, it was 18.1 per cent, highest among peers and in marked contrast to close rival Tata Consultancy Services' 10.9 per cent. Infosys refused to share details about the development and said, "We will announce the salary increments for FY15 during our financial results announcement on April 16. The new salary hikes come nine months after we announced our last salary increases in July 2013."

Some media reports had earlier claimed Infosys, after several senior-level exits in recent months, would look at giving double-digit raises to boost employee morale. While the Indian IT services sector has seen subdued pay rises in the past two years, amid a slump in the business environment globally, experts and employees had high hopes this year. For, demand in the key markets of America and Britain had started showing sign of recovery and most companies have said they expect 2014 to be better than 2013. Experts had said Indian IT services companies might give double-digit raises, going as high as 18 per cent in 2014, against the tepid three to nine per cent in previous years.

Their optimism was fuelled after Nasscom, the sector body, had earlier this month said it expected 13-15 per cent growth in the Indian software and business process outsourcing export segment during 2014-15. In 2013-14, it estimated the growth at 12-14 per cent; the sector managed 13 per cent. In 2012-13, the growth was 10.2 per cent, compared to the original prediction by Nasscom of 11-14 per cent. "IT firms are expected to be quite positive on compensation this year, with expectations of salary hikes to be an average of 11-18 per cent," Surabhi Mathur-Gandhi, senior vice-president at TeamLease had said earlier this month. "We will definitely see a skew of hike considerations on the basis of experience levels, skills specialisation and demand generation by individual firms; ranging from eight to 10 per cent on the lower spectrum to as high as 18-22 per cent on the higher end."

Goddess Amma to India's Next PM: Here Are Funny Posters Of Jayalalithaa

 A day after the Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa's supporters presented the whole parliament in form of cake to her and put up her silly posters, hoardings all over the state on her 66th birthday, the social networking sites went abuzz with Amma's silly photographs on Tuesday. From displaying the Tamil Nadu CM as a goddess to the country's next PM, the netizens had fun posting silly photographs on various social networking sites.

The posters and hoardings displaying US President Barack Obama, former President George Bush and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe bowing to 'Amma' went viral on the Internet. With the CM not keeping her prime ministerial ambitions hidden, some supporters of AIADMK’s Jayalalithaa went overboard and also presented her a mammoth size cake in a shape of "Parliament".

However, the followers justified their move of selecting the parliament-shaped cake for the celebration as they wanted to show their commitment towards the goal and their revolutionary Leader.

Indian Railways Modifies Rules, No Refund For Non-Travellers

Indian Railway informed on Wednesday that passengers not turning up or less number of persons travelling in groups will not be refunded from March 1. Central Railway senior divisional commercial manager (SrDCM) Dr Sumant Deulkar said that Railway Board has issued a circular to all general managers in the country, intimating them to implement the decision from March 1.

This new move is part of a modification under 'Computerized Coaching Refund Scheme'. However, refund will be granted for reserved and RAC tickets in cases of lower class travel, failure of AC in coach, discontinuation of journey by passengers due to dislocation of train services, accommodation not provided and cancellation of trains. For waiting list tickets, refund will not be granted under this system but will continue to be granted as per existing rules. Earlier, one could get 50% of the fare refunded if the ticket was presented for cancellation up to two hours after the actual departure of the train irrespective of distance.

Hennessey’s Venom GT Now The World’s Fastest Car At 270.49 mph Video

The Venom GT set a new world record for 2-seat sports cars by reaching 270.49 mph during a run on the 3.2-mile Space Shuttle landing runway at the Kennedy Space Center. A representative from Racelogic was on hand to independently verify and document the Venom GTs speed record. The record run was made over a distance of 2.4 miles, which allowed the Venom just eight-tenths of a mile to stop. GPS data showed that the Venom GT was still accelerating at an average rate of 1 mph per second as it took just 10.1 seconds to go from 260 to 270 mph. Here comes the debate. In the eyes of Guinness, the Bugatti is still the world’s fastest production car. As TopGear.com explains, to get official status, the car must complete two runs, which are then averaged. In addition, the manufacturer must build a minimum of 30 cars. NASA reportedly allowed just the single run on its landing strip, and Hennessey is only building 29 Venom GTs.

World's Fastest: 270.49 mph Hennessey Venom GT

On February 14, 2014, the Hennessey Venom GT set a new world speed record for 2-seat sports cars by reaching a top speed of 270.49 mph (435.31 km/h). The run was performed at the Kennedy Space Center on the 3.2-mile Space Shuttle landing runway. Brian Smith, Director of Miller Motorsport, experienced race driver and a former Michelin tire test engineer, drove the Venom GT to its record speed. A representative from Racelogic, world-renowned maker of GPS data-acquisition systems, was on hand to independently verify and document the Venom GT’s speed record. “The Venom GT attained a maximum speed of 270.49 mph as measured by our VBOX 3i GPS system,” said Racelogic engineer Joe Lachovsky. The VBOX GPS data showed that the Venom GT was still accelerating at an average rate of 1 mph per second as it took just 10.1 seconds to go from 260 to 270 mph. The record run was made over a distance of 2.4 miles, which allowed the Venom just eight-tenths of a mile to stop. Thankfully, its Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes were able to haul the car down from 270 mph well before the end of the runway’s 1000-ft. threshold. “I knew the car had it in it, but it’s a thrill to officially validate the Venom GT’s 270-mph speed,” said Hennessey CEO Don Goldman. “Venturing anywhere above 200 mph—let alone 270—is not to be taken lightly, and we’re elated to have accomplished our goal.”

The Hennessey team can now add absolute top speed to its growing list of speed records. The Venom GT also owns the title for world’s fastest from 0-300 km/h (13.63 sec.) and 0-200 mph (14.51 sec.). With a curb weight of 1,244 kilograms (2,743 lb.) and a power output of 1,244 bhp from its 7.0-liter twin turbo V8 engine, the Venom delivers 1 horsepower per kilogram of curb weight, making it the hardest-accelerating and fastest series-produced vehicle in the world. Achieving the world record is a dream realized for company founder and president John Hennessey. “I wanted to be an astronaut when I was a kid. Neil Armstrong was my childhood hero. Even though the astronaut thing didn’t work out for me, we are humbled to have had the opportunity to set our speed record on the hallowed grounds of the American space program,” said Hennessey. “Building and validating our Venom GT as the world’s fastest has been a long journey and a lot of hard work. But as President Kennedy once so eloquently said, ‘We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.’ As a result we have built a better car and a better team at Hennessey Performance (HPE).” “It was still pulling,” said driver Brian Smith after the record run. “If we could run on an 8-mile oval we could go faster than that. On the very top end there was a little wandering but, hey, we’re going 270 mph! The Venom GT didn’t require any big corrections, and the Michelins held traction really well.” To date, HPE has built and delivered eleven Venom GTs to owners around the world. Each vehicle is built to order and takes six months to complete. As the production run will be limited to a total of just 29 units worldwide, the Venom GT is not only the fastest but also one of the most exclusive hypercars ever produced. Its components and systems, by necessity, need to meet the extraordinary demands inherent in achieving such rarefied velocities, and the Venom GT’s Pennzoil Platinum synthetic motor oil is no exception. Said Chris Hayek, Global Brand Director for Pennzoil: “We constantly pursue the latest advancements in technology, and we couldn’t be more excited that Hennessey Performance achieved this world speed record using Pennzoil’s new full synthetic motor oil made from natural gas.”

source: myfox8.com

World Record of making World's Biggest Rangoli

Golden Book of World Records Biggest Rangoli NCL Stadium Singrauli MP Mr Manickam Selvendran Collector

The World Record of making World's Biggest Rangoli has been achieved by Mr. Manickam Selvendran- Collector & DM Singrauli; in association with Mr. Tejinder Singh- Chairman, Sheela Foundation and Northern Coalfields Limited, Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh, India.

Logo of 'Save Girl Child Campaign' was made in rangoli; measuring 22,863 square meters (2,46,095 square feet). On April 14, 2013; more than 1500 students at the NCL stadium Jhingurdah, Singrauli, made the Rangoli in which about 50,000 kg of rangoli colors in seven shades were used.

Filmmaker Priyadarshan Marriage Life Rumours

Lizzy and I are together: Priyadarshan
"I have sorted out the problems with my wife," says acclaimed filmmaker Priyadarshan

Reacting to rumours of a rift in his marriage, Priyadarshan has said that he is "very much together" with his wife Lizzy. He says arguments are a part of every couple's life, but "no one has the right to put our marriage on display".

The prolific filmmaker, who made Bollywood film 'Rangrezz' last year, suddenly surfaced in the news this week with reports of a rift with his wife, former actress Lizzy.

Breaking his silence on the matter, he says he has sorted out the problems with his wife.

"I was shooting in the interiors of Kerala completely oblivious to the growing whispers about my marriage. Let me assure everyone, Lizzy and I are very much together," he said.

Not that the National award winning filmmaker of 'Kanchivaram' fame is denying differences with his better-half. He says they are normal domestic issues.

"Come on, which couple doesn't argue and fight? Sure, Lizzy and I had some difference of opinion. It all started over a recent Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) match. But the argument was between us.

"Like any marriage, there are things that happen between a couple that should remain private. No one has the right to put our marriage on display without our knowledge," said the co-owner of CCL team Kerala Strikers.

He says he is in the dark as to who leaked out the information on his marital discord to the press.

"Somebody definitely played dirty with us. And I suspect it is someone who is close to us," he said while sharing his suspicion that "one of our so-called friends has spread this lie about my marriage".

Next year, Priyadarshan and his wife will complete the silver jubilee of their marriage.

"We've been married for 24 years. Next year we plan to have a grand silver jubilee celebration," he said.

Shocked by the divorce rumours, he says that "maybe in the entertainment business some people come together and separate as and when they wish", but "our marriage is built on a solid foundation".

"Lizzy gave up her acting career to be my wife and to look after my home. She has given me a wonderful son. I can't express enough gratitude for her presence in my life.

"It's shocking to even mention 'divorce' in our marriage."

Sonakshi Sinha And Alia Bhatt Childhood Pics

Bollywood's 'Dabangg' girl Sonakshi Sinha, who is known for her chubby cheeks and voluptuous figure, shared a piece of her childhood in the form of her old picture with her fans on Instagram. Though Sonakshi has lost a lot of weight now but must say her cheeks are still the same. She also wrote: “Some things just dont change #cheeks #BlastFromThePast found these on set.. Hehehe.” Sonakshi Sinha is working very hard to get herself in perfect shape.

Highway girl Alia Bhatt, who is gearing up for her second release Highway, was always daddy's li'l girl. The doting father also tweeted a pic of his youngest one when she was a child. We must say she was super cute then as well. "Treasures from the past!," he tweeted.

United Bank of India Chairperson Archana Bhargava Resigns

According to sources, Bhargava cited health reasons for her resignation. Bhargava had taken charge on April 23, 2013, and her term was due to end on February 28, 2015. 

United Bank of India Chairperson Archana Bhargava has resigned from the state-owned lender that is being probed for misreporting bad loans. "She has taken voluntary retirement and her request has been accepted by the government," Financial Services Secretary Rajiv Takru told PTI. The application for voluntary retirement of Archana Bhargava, Chairperson and Managing Director of the bank, has been accepted from February 20, 2014, he said. According to sources, ited health reasons for her resignation. Bhargava had taken charge on April 23, 2013, and her term was due to end on February 28, 2015.

Executive directors Deepak Narang and Sanjay Arya will be jointly in charge of the Kolkata-based bank until the CMD's post is filled. An administrative enquiry is under way to find out why United Bank's non-performing assets, or bad loans, had been under-reported. Narang had yesterday clarified that there are no "inherent deficiencies" in the software that had initially been blamed for faulty classification of UBI's loans.
UBI's gross NPAs rose 188.3 per cent to Rs 8,546 crore at the end of December, an addition of Rs 5,582 crore. It had Rs 2,963.8 crore of bad loans on March 31, 2013. The gross NPAs of the bank had risen to Rs 6,285.89 crore at the end of September from Rs 2,417.73 crore at the end of the second quarter of the previous financial year.

Following the rise in NPAs, the Reserve Bank of India had ordered a forensic audit by a firm, which has submitted its report to the central bank. The government holds an 88 per cent stake in the bank and had provided Rs 700 crore as capital in this financial year. Hard-pressed for funds, UBI plans to raise an additional Rs 1,000 crore as capital. The board approved raising Tier-I capital of up to Rs 1,000 crore through bonds on private placement basis to eligible institutions or the issue of preference shares to the central government or other institutional investors, the bank said in a recent statement. 

15th Lok Sabha, PM Manmohan Singh Walks Into Records Books

As curtains come down on 15th Lok Sabha, PM Manmohan Singh walks into records books 

Manmohan Singh carried on in Parliament as if it was just another day in his life. Friday marked the last working day in Parliament for the Prime Minister of India. As curtains came down on the 15th Lok Sabha on Friday, Singh, who has already declared that he won't seek a third term in office if UPA is voted back to power, sat through the mandatory niceties of farewell speeches of the outgoing members as one of the participants. If there was something strikingly unusual —  going by Singh's usual speeches on formal thanksgiving — the PM missed out, for whatever reasons, mentioning Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi, while thanking MPs in general and, naming a few senior colleagues like Sharad Pawar, Sushil Kumar Shinde, Speaker Meira Kumar and the Leader of the Opposition for their co-operation in running the 15th Lok Sabha. When Singh spoke, Sonia was sitting just two seats away and Rahul was missing in the House. Singh's wife Gursharan Kaur made a rare appearance in the Speaker's Gallery during the zero hour, making many think she was there to watch her husband speak one last time as the PM.

By the time Singh spoke in the evening, she had left. When Dr Singh's second consecutive term as the PM will formally end in May, he will become the first PM, after Nehru, to have two consecutive full terms of five years each. While Nehru had a continuous spell of over 16 years as the PM, a record in itself, Indira Gandhi was a close second with almost 16 years as PM before she was assassinated. Since Indira had opted for snap polls, she did not serve two consecutive full five-year terms. Singh made his political debut as Finance Minister of India under his political guru PV Narasimha Rao who started with a 'minority government' in 1991.

On Friday, Singh achieved another double-record — successfully leading two minority governments to its full terms. While the UPA-1 was dependent on the Left for crossing the majority mark till the break-up over the Indo-US nuclear deal, the UPA-2 managed its numbers by banking on many outside supporters, including UP turf-rivals SP and BSP. Fifteenth Lok Sabha was known for almost unending political turmoils as the UPA-2 was in the thick of a series of political controversies.

The Opposition was at its aggressive best, at least in its statements and posturing, while targeting the government over corruption charges and policy paralysis. In the  middle of all that, Singh created one more record — his UPA-1 and UPA-2 regimes never faced an Opposition-sponsored no-confidence motion. Although some anti-Telangana Congress MPs had threatened to move a no-confidence motion, no major opposition party was ready to support them. During UPA-1's tenure, Singh had moved a confidence motion after the Left withdrew support over the nuclear deal.

During his speech on Friday, Singh said, "The manner in which the State of Telangana is being born is yet another indication that this country is capable of taking some of the most difficult decisions without any rancour, without worrying too much about the pros and cons of things that do not matter...". When Singh intervened during the Telangana debate on Thursday in the Rajya Sabha, the anti-Telangana brigade virtually created a war-like situation in the Well. But, Singh appeared totally unaffected and disconnected. 

Bollywood Movie Highway Review

Highway is a problematic film. Elements in it have great beauty — starting with Anil Mehta’s cinematography. The film was shot and improvised as the cast and crew drove across six states. Mehta’s camera caresses the changing terrain so that we can almost taste the bleached salt pans of Rajasthan and the crisp air of Kashmir.

There is AR Rahman’s soulful music — especially Patakha Guddi — and above all, Alia Bhatt’s performance. There are two scenes — one a long monologue — in which she lays bare her soul and becomes utterly broken. It’s deeply moving. Her honesty and courage, both as actor and character, is exhilarating. And yet, I left the theatre deeply dissatisfied. Writer-director Imtiaz Ali is one of Bollywood’s most original and interesting storytellers. Here he courageously goes off the formulaic star-driven, song-driven path and returns to his favourite genre – the road movie. Imtiaz gives us a portrait of two damaged souls who, through a journey across north India, help to heal each other. So Veera Tripathi, an affluent Delhi princess who lives in a mansion with a Rolls-Royce, ultimately finds peace in the arms of Mahabir Bhatti, a rough Gujjar criminal, played by Randeep Hooda. The idea of a victim falling in love with her kidnapper isn’t new – the Stockholm Syndrome in which the hostage forms an emotional bond with the abuser has often been cinematic fodder, especially in Hollywood. But here, it is both uncomfortable and unconvincing. Veera becomes relaxed around her kidnappers fairly quickly. Early in the film, she says to them: Yahan aake aacha lag raha hai so thank you. After her initial horror, she behaves like a friend, chatting and laughing. Later in the film, she tells Mahabir: Kafi cute lagne lage ho tum. This to a man who, at regular intervals, threatens to sell her to a brothel.

The film posits kidnapping as therapy. It tells us: So what if you’ve been abducted, heal yourself as you travel the undiscovered countryside. Given the horror inherent in the situation, this just feels false and fundamentally wrong. Imtiaz skillfully creates moments that are at once, tender, funny and fragile. But my problem was that I simply didn’t buy into the story.And yet, both Veera and Mahabir stayed with me. They are compelling, intriguing characters. Randeep is extremely effective as the brutalised and brutal Mahabir. I just wish they had met under different circumstances.

source:hindustantimes.com

Quinn: Facebook's WhatsApp deal points to how Silicon Valley has changed

In a little over a decade, Silicon Valley has witnessed two nearly $20 billion deals. In 2002, Hewlett-Packard paid $19 billion for rival PC maker Compaq, in a bid by the storied Silicon Valley company to resuscitate its fortunes. And of course there is now Facebook's bid this week to buy WhatsApp, a hot mobile messaging service based in Mountain View. Both deals helped define their eras -- but that's about where the similarities end. And their differences illustrate just how much the valley has changed in such a short period of time. For HP, the Compaq deal was about grabbing market share. It was about cutting costs and finding those ever-elusive "synergies" that corporate types like to talk about. It was a defining deal for the era because it was an effort by the valley's largest company to try to do something bold for boldness's sake and thereby ensure its survival in the post dot-com bust world. Whether it helped or not is debatable; HP became the No. 1 global seller of personal computers, but the PC is no longer the dominant device in the tech industry.

Now what matters are Internet speed, high risk and fast growth, all spurred by users shifting to the uncharted mobile market. Deals aren't about the economics, they're about users and momentum. Worried that its growth is slowing, Facebook saw WhatsApp as a rocket it needed to ride even though the destination -- how it will integrate with Facebook and make money -- remains unknown. And we're in the midst of a boom, not a bust. The WhatsApp deal defines this era because it's the most ambitious attempt so far by a dominant valley company to fend off a future in which it's no longer dominant, an issue that worries all the giants of tech these days. "It's equally quixotic," said Michael S. Malone, who wrote "Bill and Dave: How Hewlett and Packard Built the World's Greatest Company."

The valley is still getting its bearings with the price tag for WhatsApp. The deal, potentially worth up to $19 billion, has inflamed talk of a bubble, although that does not seem to concern Wall Street, which is quite bullish on the big tech companies. But this is a strange new valley, in which apps are born and grow in what seems like obscurity, only to emerge announcing they already dominate the planet. A common reaction for all but a few after the news Thursday seemed to be "WhatsApp? What's that?" Try one of the fastest-growing mobile messaging services ever, with 450 million users and on track to have a billion by the end of this year. "It's the only app we've ever seen with higher engagement than Facebook itself," said CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Sure, HP of the early 2000s and Facebook today are vastly different companies.

Founded in 1939, HP is a global tech giant with an extensive array of products and services. For a period of time after the Compaq deal it was the largest tech company on the planet, measured by revenue. But it suffered then, and does now, with the impression that its glory days are behind it. Facebook is just 10, but it dominates our social Web lives. It does one thing really well, operating a social network that includes a significant fraction of humanity, and under Zuckerberg's laser direction it has executed on a straightforward business model focused on advertising.

And the deals are different. Although the HP-Compaq merger led to a big shareholder battle over whether the two companies' business lines and cultures were a good fit, one could argue that the deal made some business sense. Compaq, founded in 1982, had a strong balance sheet, extensive sales channels and thousands of paying customers. Like HP, it had problems but it felt like a business.

Forget that playbook.

Rather than months, Zuckerberg made the deal in less than two weeks, perhaps pushed by rumors of Google's interest. And there won't be a shareholder revolt; Zuckerberg holds all the cards. Unlike the HP-Compaq deal, Facebook isn't talking about WhatsApp's balance sheet (does it have one?) or how to weave the companies together or cut costs. It wants WhatsApp as a front-row seat to watch and shape the future.

In the "old valley," companies talked about the future but really looked to the past. Combine big companies, offer a complete menu of products and services to customers, and cut costs. In the "new valley," companies jump at new services that may not have revenue but are wildly popular. "It's a land grab for users," said John Furrier, an entrepreneur who founded Silicon Angle. "The HP-Compaq deal was about desperately trying to not fall into the past; Facebook-WhatsApp is all about fleeing into the future," said Paul Saffo, a Silicon Valley forecaster. "The old strategy was to purchase synergy; the new strategy is to buy velocity."

Business school metrics and strategies dominated discussions around the HP-Compaq merger. But that was a fading industry move, a consolidation deal between two old fighters who leaned into each other to soldier on. Zuckerberg doesn't want to be in that position. With WhatsApp, he is bolting a piece of the future on to his company. Who knows where it will take him.

Upendra's Brahma To Be Dubbed In Telugu

When director R Chandru set out to make his latest film Brahma, he felt that making it only in Kannada would not do justice to the project. "Over the years, I have established a market for my films in the Telugu industry too. My first film Taj Mahal was remade and was a big hit. Thereafter, Ko Ko was remade, and the rights for a Telugu version of Charminar have been sold. With Brahma, though, it made sense to just shoot it simultaneously in Kannada and Telugu as both my lead stars are known names in Tollywood," says Chandru.

Upendra, explains the filmmaker, has been a part of hits like Kanyadanam, Okke Maata, Raa, Neethone Vuntanu and Toss, while Pranitha has also established herself in the Telugu film industry with films like Em Pillo Em Pillado, Atharintiki Daredi and Pandavalu Pandavalu Thummeda. "So there is a sense of anticipation for audiences there to see a film starring the two actors together. Also, the fact that all three of us are known names in Tollywood, and that we have successfully blended my style of cinema, which includes heart-touching emotions, with that of Upendra's — full-on mass elements —should work in favour of the film when it releases in Andhra Pradesh later this month or in early March," adds the filmmaker.

Alia Bhatt - 'I'm doing what I love'

She might be the daughter of film-maker Mahesh Bhatt but actress Alia Bhatt is busy creating her own identity and career path, independent of family ties. The 20-year-old will be seen opposite Randeep Hooda in Imtiaz Ali’s ‘Highway’, where she portrays the role of Veera Tripathi, a rich industrialist’s daughter who is abducted on a highway and feels liberated only in captivity. Shot across six states of India in difficult terrains and weather conditions, the film paved the way for Alia’s internal journey too. “This journey was a first for me and my character. So I was bound to go through the same transformation that she went through. I became a stronger person and it gave me a better perspective on life,” says Alia during her visit to the City recently.  “It was difficult but it was good in a way. It was the kind of feeling you get when you go to bed knowing that you’ve done good work that day,” adds Alia, who has also sung Sooha Saha for the film.

While she made her debut in Karan Johar’s ‘Student of the Year’ opposite Sidharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan, Alia was equally at ease working with the older and more experienced Randeep Hooda. “Age is just a number. Randeep was great to work with and we got along very well. I feel like he’s younger than me sometimes! Both of us were very close to and affected by our characters while we were shooting. Whatever happened was just magic after that,” she shares. Comparing the two experiences, she says, “‘Student of the Year’ was special for different reasons because it was my first film. But this took me to another level as a person.” It was a learning experience working with Imtiaz, adds Alia. “It was the most enriching experience for me because every actor wants to work with Imtiaz at some point in his or her life and I got the opportunity to do that this soon in my career. The film and character taught me a lot but Imtiaz taught me how to be a human being,” she notes, adding that she is also keen to work with Rajkumar Hirani and Zoya Akhtar.

Was acting always her dream? “I never make plans because most of the times, I can’t stick to them. This was the case even in school. I’m content because I’m doing what I love. This was always the career choice. There was no alternative,” she states, adding that she enjoys painting when time permits. When it comes to Bangalore, her attachment is mostly to the food. “Bangalore has superb food and weather! But whenever I come here, I don’t get to spend enough time. I do make it a point to get the South Indian food, especially rasam!” she wraps up.Alia will next be seen as Ananya Swaminathan in ‘2 States’, following which she will feature in Karan Johar’s production Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania.

Airtel loses Nigeria court case, may face $3 bn payou

Bharti Airtel has lost a court case in Nigeria and potentially faces $3 billion in payouts over a 5 per cent stake claimed by Econet Wireless in its Nigerian unit.

Bharti said it will appeal in Nigeria’s Supreme Court against the judgement of the court, which held that Econet Wireless remained a bona fide stakeholder in Airtel Nigeria, a unit of the Indian firm.

An Appeal Court in Lagos, in its judgement on February 14, said Airtel failed to get the rulings of two lower courts quashed over attempts by Econet Wireless to reacquire its stake in the company.

“Bharti Airtel, a 79.06 per cent shareholder in Airtel Networks, Nigeria (Airtel Nigeria) is not satisfied with the judgement of the Court of Appeal, Lagos… and will lodge an appeal against that decision at the Supreme Court of Nigeria,” Airtel said in a statement.

Asia Cup: India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to miss tournament

India's captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been ruled out of the Asia Cup with a side strain.

Dhoni suffered the injury during the second Test against New Zealand in Wellington and has been replaced in the squad by Dinesh Karthik.Virat Kohli will now skipper the side in the competition which begins in Bangladesh on February 25.

However, Dhoni is expected to be fit for next month's World Twenty20 which is being staged in the same country.A statement from the Board of Control for Cricket in India read: "MS Dhoni has been ruled out of the forthcoming Asia Cup to be played in Bangladesh in February and March.

"He sustained a Grade I left side strain injury during the course of the second Test against New Zealand. He will be undergoing rehabilitation for ten days."The All-India Senior Selection Committee has picked Dinesh Kartik as his replacement in the Indian squad for the tournament."

Parliament passes Telangana bill, state just President nod away

Telangana crossed a major hurdle on the route to becoming India's 29th state with Parliament approving the bill to divide Andhra Pradesh in the face of repeated adjournments and continuous disruptions and sloganeering. It was 8.05pm on Thursday when Rajya Sabha deputy chair P J Kurien finally declared "the bill is passed", setting off raucous celebrations among Telangana supporters in the House and in central hall where Lok Sabha MPs from the region crowded around TV sets. The announcement was greeted with loud cheers in Hyderabad as Parliament's seal of approval makes the Telangana story practically irreversible as presidential assent and notification by gazette expected to be matters of procedure with few variablesPolitical jockeying over Telangana has seen the pendulum swing wildly with Congress's indecision putting the statehood proposal on the back burner for much of the 15th Lok Sabha, until the wheel turned afresh in last few months.

The bitter opposition of Seemandhra MPs, supported by some regional parties, led to extraordinary scenes with a cordon of Congress MPs shielding Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Rajya Sabha on Thursday against aggressive Telangana opponents. In a first, tourism minister Chiranjeevi stood up to soundly criticize the Telangana decision for being forced upon the state - a criticism of the council of ministers of which he is himself a part. Singh intervened to assure Seemandhra MPs about the Centre's commitment to compensate for revenue losses due to the loss of Telangana territories following intense back channel negotiations between the government and the main opposition BJP. Though they kept up their protests, Seemandhra MPs from Congress and TDP seemed increasingly reconciled to the inevitability of Telangana as they limited protests to sloganeering and holding up banners rather than physical obstruction.

The Trinamool Congress contingent, however, set a new precedent by placing itself strategically before every speaker in the discussion to raise slogans against Congress and BJP for supporting Telangana while one MP tore and flung pieces of paper. With the government and BJP hammering out an agreement to pass the bill, the legislation was passed by a voice vote amid vociferous protests by members from Seemandhra region as also Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena. The bill had a rocky passage through Parliament with violence breaking out in Lok Sabha last week during its introduction that led to the suspension of 16 Seemandhra MPs after expelled Congress MP L Rajagopal unleased a pepper spray in the House.

The suspense over the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill, 2014 came to an end with the Prime Minister announcing a six-point development package for successor state of Andhra Pradesh, including grant of special category status that provides for tax incentives to Seemandhra.

As Singh rose to make his intervention, he was cordoned off by Congress MPs as members from Seemandhra region as also those from Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena stormed the Well with TMC members even tearing papers and throwing them on the floor.

CPM MPs walked out in protest after the chair rejected demands for a division on the plea that there was no order in the House.

CPM and DMK staged a walk out before the bill was passed, while the Shiv Sena, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, AGP were among the parties that opposed the bill. BSP and CPI supported the legislation.

Seemandhra members belonging to the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) raised slogans of 'Save Andhra Pradesh, Save Democracy' near the chairman's podium during the debate on the bill while those belonging to Telangana supported it.

Veteran Congress MP K V P Ramachandra Rao, who held a placard supporting united Andhra Pradesh through the day, collapsed during the debate. The chair asked the staff to remove Rao to a hospital but the MP continued his protest by squatting on the floor.

The Upper House looked like a whirlwind had passed through it during the five-hour proceedings, which saw seven adjournments as members resorted to slogan shouting and tore papers describing the bill as illegal. After repeated adjournments and protests by members from Seemandhra region and TMC, the house took up the bill for a threadbare discussion in the evening.

Though Congress sought credit for delivering on Telangana, it faced uncomfortable moments with tourism minister Chiranjeevi not only opposing the decision in the presence of the Prime Minister but also claiming that no state leader other than chief minister Kiran Reddy was consulted. BJP leader Arun Jaitley asked if Chiranjeevi had the right to question a decision of the council of ministers of which he is a part. During the proceedings rural development minister Jairam Ramesh was seen actively managing the floor and repeatedly made brief intervention to assuage the concerns of members, mainly of BJP leader Venkai Naidu on issues raised by them. The upper house saw a heated debate spanning around three hours despite unprecedented protest with members of TMC, TDP and Shiv Sena storming the well with huge placards sometimes even overshadowing the Chair.

The proceeding was telecasted live. 

While supporting the bill, Jaitley said that the process of creating Telangana by bifurcating Andhra Pradesh should be "legally correct". "Law and order belongs to state. Governor is a representative of the central government. Can you do so (give him the powers of law and order) without amending constitution?" he asked.

Day after SC reprieve, Jaya says all 7 Rajiv convicts will walk free

In a stunning political move that caught practically everyone off guard, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday announced her government had decided to release all seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, including the three whose death sentences were commuted by the Supreme Court on Tuesday. She told the state Assembly that the Centre had three days to respond to the decision, after which her government would exercise its power to free the convicts. While commuting the sentences of A G Perarivalan alias Arivu, Sriharan alias Murugan and T Suthentiraraja alias Santhan, the Supreme Court had left it open for Tamil Nadu to grant remissions to them under the executive powers of the state government.
On Wednesday morning, Jaya convened a meeting of her cabinet to discuss the release of these three, and four others serving life terms in the same case: Sriharan’s wife Nalini, B Robert Payas, S Jayakumar and PRavichandran. “Taking into account that they have spent nearly 23 years in prison, the state cabinet has resolved to release them, exercising the power of remission vested in it under section 432 of the CrPC,” Jaya said in the Assembly.

However, as the case was investigated by CBI, a central agency, and tried and convicted under the now-repealed TADA, the state would have to discuss it with the Union government under section 435 of the CrPC, she added. “To proceed with the consultation, the state cabinet’s decision to remit the sentences of the seven persons will be forwarded to the Centre immediately. If the Union government delays its response beyond three days, the state government will exercise its powers and will release Perarivalan, Sriharan, Santhan, Nalini, Robert Payas, Jayakumar and Ravichandran,” Jaya informed the House. Tuesday’s Supreme Court decision had triggered demands to free the convicts from Perarivalan’s family, activists and all political parties except the Congress. Jaya was silent on Tuesday, but on Wednesday she criticised former chief minister M Karunanidhi for remaining indifferent to the matter while he was in power.

The five MLAs of the Congress, which had protested against the decision to commute the death sentence, walked out of the assembly after the Speaker did not allow them to raise their point. Jaya’s decision left even the families of the convicts speechless. “This is so unexpected that I feel I am floating weightless. I know it takes a lot of political courage to take such a decision, and we cannot thank the chief minister enough for this mercy,” said Perarivalan’s father T Gnanasekaran alias Kuildasan, a school teacher who was active in the Tamil outfit Dravida Kazhagam. Perarivalan’s younger sister Arulselvi, an assistant professor in the computer science department at Annamalai University, Chidambaram, was in class when she got the news. “We had been campaigning to save his life. Now all of a sudden, not only has he been spared death, he is going to be back with us. It all seems incredible,” she said. DMK chief Karunanidhi told reporters that the Centre should support the state government’s decision. He said he had been demanding their release for a few years. “I congratulate Chief Minister Jayalalithaa for heeding to that demand,” he said. Had the state government discussed the matter in detail beforehand, the seven convicts could in fact have been released immediately, Karunanidhi said. Political parties including the CPI, PMK, MDMK, VCK, SDPI and several others welcomed the decision.

Facebook to buy WhatsApp for $19 billion

Facebook Inc (FB.O) will buy fast-growing mobile-messaging startup WhatsApp for $19 billion in cash and stock, as the world's largest social network looks for ways to boost its popularity, especially among a younger crowd. The acquisition of the hot messaging service with more than 450 million users around the world stunned many Silicon Valley observers with its lofty price tag. But it underscores Facebook's determination to win the market for messaging, an indispensable utility in a mobile era. Combining text messaging and social networking, messaging apps provide a quick way for smartphone users to trade everything from brief texts to flirtatious pictures to YouTube clips — bypassing the need to pay wireless carriers for messaging services.

And it helps Facebook tap teens who will eschew the mainstream social networks and prefer WhatsApp and rivals such as Line and WeChat, which have exploded in size as mobile messaging takes off. "People are calling them 'Facebook Nevers,'" said Jeremy Liew, a partner at Lightspeed and an early investor in Snapchat. WhatsApp is adding about a million users per day, Facebook co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said on his page on Wednesday. "WhatsApp will complement our existing chat and messaging services to provide new tools for our community," he wrote on his Facebook page. "Since WhatsApp and (Facebook) Messenger serve such different and important users, we will continue investing in both."

Smartphone-based messaging apps are now sweeping across North America, Asia and Europe. "Communication is the one thing that you have to use daily, and it has a strong network effect," said Jonathan Teo, an early investor in Snapchat, another red-hot messaging company that flirted year ago with a multibillion dollar acquisition offer from Facebook. "Facebook is more about content and has not yet fully figured out communication." Even so, he balked at the price tag.

As part of the deal, WhatsApp co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Jan Koum will join Facebook's board, and the social network will grant an additional $3 billion worth of restricted stock units to WhatsApp's founders, including Koum. That is on top of the $16 billion in cash and stock that Facebook will pay. "Goodness gracious, it's a good deal for WhatsApp," Teo said.

TERMS

Shares in Facebook slid 5 percent to $64.70 after hours, from a close of $68.06 on the Nasdaq. Facebook said on Wednesday it will pay $4 billion in cash and about $12 billion in stock in its single largest acquisition, dwarfing the $1 billion it paid for photo-sharing app Instagram. The price paid for Instagram, which with just 30 million users was already considered overvalued by many observers at the time. Facebook promised to keep the WhatsApp brand and service, and pledged a $1 billion cash break-up fee if the deal falls through.
Facebook was advised by Allen & Co, while WhatsApp has enlisted Morgan Stanley for the deal.

Pill made from rose-hip extract can cut arthritis pain in sufferers by 90pc

A new pill made from rose-hip extract has been found to reduce the agony of osteoarthritis sufferers by an astonishing 90 percent. Human trials suggest a wonder supplement called Gopo - named after a key ingredient of the plant - could provide a breakthrough for six million Britons whose lives are blighted by joint pain. Pills containing the supplement are now available in the UK for the first time - for just 15 pence each, the Daily Express reported. Scientists said that they have proved the herbal remedy possesses special properties which can alleviate the condition in the hand especially.

Danish researchers found the specially cultivated compound reduced nagging pain in nine out of 10 of the 30 people who took part in clinical trials. Debilitating stiffness in finger and thumb joints - the calling card of osteoarthritis - can make tasks like opening jars, holding cutlery and tying shoelaces near to impossible. The results of investigations carried out at Frederiksberg University in Copenhagen show the natural extract could offer the closest thing to a cure. The pill gave round-the-clock relief, and sufferers were a third less likely to use conventional painkillers after taking the supplement.

Rose-hip, also known as rose haw, is the fruit of the rose plant and is commonly used for jam, jelly, syrup, soup, wine and marmalade. It contains high levels of vitamin C and lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that helps lower cholesterol. Gopo was discovered more than 20 years ago in Denmark. The compound is extracted using a special patented process after drying rose-hips. The findings are published in the Open Journal of Rheumatology and Autoimmune Disease.

Akshay's 'Holiday' leaves Pooja Bhatt miffed

 Actress-turned-filmmaker Pooja Bhatt is not happy with the title of Akshay Kumar starrer `Holiday - A Soldier Is Never Off Duty`, as she too released a film titled `Holiday` in 2006. She says that she had refused to share the title with producer Vipul Shah.

"Vipul Shah approached me for `Holiday` and I refused. He approached (the) Guild (Film and Television Producers Guild Of India) - Rejected. Next stop? IMPPA (Indian Motion Pictures` Producers Association) where he registered `Holiday` with a tag line," Pooja posted on Twitter Wednesday. "Holiday - A Soldier Is Never Off Duty" also stars Sonakshi Sinha.

Pooja had problems with another Akshay starrer - "Thank You". She had registered the title for a remake of her father Mahesh Bhatt`s film `Arth`. However, it was used by Anees Bazmee. "First `Thank You` and then `Holiday`! Akshay Kumar`s producers have an affinity for the titles of my films. Gentle Reminder - `Karma can be a bitch`," she posted.

Uninor loss at Rs. 132 crore in December quarter

 Mobile service provider Uninor, controlled by Norwegian firm Telenor, today reported an operating loss of Rs. 132 crore in the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2013 as compared to Rs. 444 crore in the same period a year ago. The figures are converted at an exchange rate of 10 into rupee from the Norwegian krone. "In the fourth quarter, we have seen solid intake of consumers. ARPU increased for the fifth quarter in a row and reached Rs. 106, up by 17 per cent compared to same period in 2012," Telenor Group CEO Jon Fredrik Baksaas said while announcing result. Uninor was one of the company whose licences were cancelled in 2012 by Supreme Court and the company had to buy spectrum afresh to continue operations. The company now operates in six service area- Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Prdesh East and West.

The accumulated loss of company also narrowed to Rs. 14,300 crore at the end of 2013 from about Rs. 16,100 crore in 2012. Uninor will deploy 5,000 mobile tower sites in the six service area to expand network coverage. "We plan to redeploy 5,000 sites this year primarily for geographic expansion in our existing circles where we cover about 42 per cent of population. With this redeployment of sites it will go above 50 per cent," Baksaas said. The company estimates investment in India during the year to be around Rs. 600 crore which will comprise Rs. 300 crore on capital expenditure and Rs. 300 crore on operational expenditure.

Revenue of Uninor increased by 3.2 per cent to Rs. 836 crore during the reported quarter from Rs. 810 crore its posted in same period of 2012. "The competitive environment seems to be improving with signs of price increases with some natural consolidation leaving few operators in some circles," Baksaas said. Telenor report said that gross margin of Uninor in six service area improved by 4 percentage points to 66 per cent due to price increases at the end of reported quarter. For year ended December 2013, operating loss of the company narrowed to Rs. 576 crore from Rs. 6,283 crore in 2012. The annual revenues of the company in 2013 declined by 18 per cent to about Rs. 3,001 crore from Rs. 3,716 crore. Uninor net subscriber base during the quarter grew by 20 lakh. The company had 3.23 crore subscribers at the end of November 2013 as per latest data released by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

"My Heart Bleeds to see what is happening in the House," PM, Manmohan says

Five Union ministers defy PM, Manmohan says his ‘heart bleeds’ over chaos

In an unprecedented action, five Union ministers on Wednesday defied Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the Telangana issue, prompting him to say that his heart "bleeds" over such happenings. The Lok Sabha witnessed a never-before seen spectacle of four ministers trooping into the 'Well' of the House and disrupting presentation of the interim railway budget. The ministers from Seemandhra region were protesting against the move to bifurcate Andhra. "My heart bleeds to see what is happening in the House," the Prime Minister said later.

But even that anguish was not acceptable to another Seemandhra minister, Pallam Raju, Cabinet minister for HRD, who argued that Singh's comment was not "fair". The ministers were expected to put up a "final battle" against the bifurcation, said Raju, who did not move into the Well. The four ministers who did were K S Rao, D Purandeshwari, K Suryaprakash Reddy and Chiranjeevi, whose action led to an abrupt cutting short of the budget speech by railway minister Mallikarjun Kharge. He laid his speech on the table.

"It is sad for democracy that such things are happening even after all appeals for calm," the Prime Minister said. Parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath also condemned the incidents in Lok Sabha. "It is very unfortunate.... the obstruction and creating disturbances and all kinds of unruly scenes....This is a very bad precedent for the future Lok Sabhas," Nath told reporters outside Parliament House. He said that the rules clearly state that the House belongs to every member and protecting its dignity is the duty of all sections.

"....It doesn't belong to a particular section. It is the duty of the government and all members to protect the dignity of the House and ensure that the House functions as per rules. Parliamentary democracy is to discuss, debate, oppose and dispose," the minister said. Asked whether it was the government's duty to do the floor management, Nath said, "It is not the duty of the government. It is (of) all the members of the House....The basic thing is that the House is not to be controlled by the government. The House is to be controlled by the Speaker and the members."

Worried Industry Asks RBI to Cut Rates After Dec IIP Contracts

Worried over industrial output shrinking by 0.6 per cent in December, India Inc today asked the Reserve Bank cut key rates and demanded that the government take immediate steps to revive manufacturing.
"We are especially concerned about the performance of the manufacturing sector, which continues to be in the red even as the mining output shows muted growth rates during the month," CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee said. "We look forward for an accommodative monetary policy to spur demand and revive investment activity especially as inflation has started receding," he added. Industrial production growth rate remained negative for the third month in a row, contracting 0.6 per cent in December 2013, mainly due to sluggishness in manufacturing sector. The manufacturing sector, which constitutes over 75 per cent of the index, declined by 1.6 per cent in December 2013 as against a contraction of 0.8 per cent a year ago.

The mining sector, with a weight of about 14 per cent in IIP, grew by 0.4 per cent in December as against a dip of 3.1 per cent in the same month in 2012. "The significant fall in the production of consumer durables indicates that high level of interest rates has been affecting growth through demand contraction. Therefore, we strongly recommend for a paradigm shift in the RBI's policy approach," Assocham Secretary General D S Rawat said.

The consumer durables segment contracted by 16.2 per cent in December 2013 as against a decline of 8.1 per cent in the same month in 2012. "The negative growth of the capital goods and the consumer durables sector reinforces the view that the escalating interest costs are adversely impacting investment decisions in the respective sectors," Banerjee said.

"The industrial sector continues to face structural constraints, such as inadequate, relatively inefficient and high cost infrastructure, high costs of borrowed funds, inflexibilities in labour markets and other institutional rigidities that inhibit the pace of industrial restructuring," PHD Chamber of Commerce President Sharad Jaipuria said. The RBI should soften its monetary policy stance going forward, he added. "While the negative growth in manufacturing is certainly disappointing but we hope that growth has bottomed out. Government and serve Bank need to work in tandem to create balance between growth and inflation," Ficci Secretary General Didar Singh said. In terms of industries, 8 out of 22 industry groups in the manufacturing sector have shown negative growth during the month of December.

Wipro Invests In Two Tech Start-ups

Nasscom has projected a growth between 13 to 15% for the industry in next financial year

Taking note of the IT industry’s need to push the innovative agenda, the country’s third largest software services firm Wipro has invested in technology two start-ups, its chief executive officer of the IT business and executive director TK Kurien said. Speaking at the three-day flagship event of industry body NASSCOM on Wednesday, Kurien added that the company has invested $19 million in the two companies. “There is innovation capability lying outside the organisation and so there is a need to invest in the same,” he said. More details on the name or business of these companies was not immediately known.  Moving up the value chain through innovation and intellectual property creation is top of the agenda for the $100 billion Indian IT industry. Traditional IT services companies such as Wipro and its peers are currently trying to adapt their business models to the growing popularity of social model, mobility, analytics and cloud.
 
Audit and consultancy firm KPMG also said on Wednesday that the IT industry will increasingly depend on innovation to achieve its projected growth of $300 billion by 2020. Creating, managing and monetising intellectual property (IP) is expected to drive the industry in the coming decade, the report said. Nasscom has projected a growth between 13 to 15% for the industry in next financial year translating into addition of $15-17 billion of incremental revenue in 2013-14, with improvement in the economic situation in the US and Europe – the industry’s key growth markets. Kurien also said that he expects next fiscal to be better than the current financial year but was of the view that hiring in the sector will not keep pace with the growth as the industry tries to delink revenues from headcount.
 
Kurien added that the impact of proposed US Immigration Bill on the Indian IT sector could be felt in the short-term. Concerns over the bill – which is at the conferencing level currently between the US House and the Senate -- haven’t ended yet and that there would be some impact of the bill on sector but only in the short-term. 

Million Dollar Mitch: Ashes Hero Mitchell Johnson a Big Ticket Item At IPL Auction

Mitchell Johnson looks on during an Australian nets session at Centurion Park

Pietersen a $1.6 million man
Mitchell Johnson struck a rich vein of form before he even stepped onto the field against South Africa at Centurion, becoming a million-dollar man when a Kings XI Punjab executive called his name in a luxury hotel in Bangalore. In the most blatant expression of cricket's commercial side and India's position at the centre of the cricket universe, Indian Premier League franchises spent more than $25 million in a few hours.

Johnson's supreme hostility in the Ashes made him a big ticket item, and he was the most expensive of the Australians to be sold in the first session of bidding on Wednesday. The Kings XI splurged $1.15 million on the Australian fast bowler. David Warner commanded $978,000 from Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he will form an explosive opening partnership with Aaron Finch ($710,000). Most Australian players are free to take part in the IPL this year because of a rare gap in the international schedule. Mitchell Starc, for

instance, will make his first appearance, and will earn $887,000 for his trouble. In the past, Australian Twenty20 captain George Bailey has subsisted on cut-price IPL deals but his astonishing hitting in the recent ODI series in India evidently made an impression on the owners of the Punjab Kings XI, who forked out $578,000 for the Tasmanian. Cricket's newest free agent, Kevin Pietersen, has 1.6 million reasons to feel better about the end of his international career, after he was snapped up by the Delhi Daredevils.
But even Pietersen's price tag was small beer compared with the $2.5 million reserved for Indian hero Yuvraj Singh by Royal Challengers Bangalore.

David Hussey, who in 2011 was one of the biggest earners in the IPL, was one of the players overlooked but he can go back in the auction of Friday if the franchises have any spare change. His brother Mike is still one of the most sought-after Twenty20 players, and went to Mumbai Indians for $887,000.
On Friday, the feelgood story of the Big Bash League, power cable operator Craig Simmons, will find out whether his record-breaking exploits for the Perth Scorchers were enough to score an IPL contract, and so will the player of the BBL, Ben Dunk.

Kejriwal Govt's Big Sop For Power Bill Defaulters

Delhiites, who didn't pay power bills from October 2012 to April 2013, will need to pay only half their power bills with the Aam Aadmi Party government declaring a Rs.6-crore sop to meet the half the bills.
Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia, who made the announcement of 50 per cent subsidy for "inflated" power bills, said these power consumers need not pay a penalty. But those who have paid the bills will not get any benefit.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP, in a petition, had asked citizens not to pay their power and water bills since they were over-priced. Though some 10 lakh people signed the petition, some 25,000 people defaulted on their bills. Kejriwal halved power tariff within days of becoming Delhi CM. Reports said nearly 24,000 power users would benefit from the sop.

Yuvraj, Karthik Big Winners At IPL Auction

Flamboyant all-rounder Yuvraj Singh was the surprise recipient of a windfall at the IPL players' auction, fetching a record bid of Rs 14 crore from the Royal Challengers Bangalore while Dinesh Karthik also clinched a mind-boggling Rs 12.5 crore purse from Delhi Daredevils here today. Both Yuvraj and Karthik, who are not even regular members of the Indian team, triggered stunning bidding wars among the franchises to set a new record in earnings in the cash-rich league. They surpassed the Rs 11.04 crore that was bid on Gautam Gambhir in 2011, the highest till now. Controversial batsman Kevin Pietersen, whose England career came to an abrupt end after a disastrous Ashes campaign earlier this month, fetched a huge Rs 9 crore purse, bought by Delhi Daredevils, the franchise he played for last season. Upcoming New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson, who scored the fastest ODI century smashing a 36-ball ton to breach the record set by Shahid Afridi in 1996, expectedly got a decent package of Rs 4.5 crore with the Mumbai Indians though there was strong buzz of him emerging as the highest paid from this auction.

Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson (Rs 6.5 crore, Kings XI Punjab), all-rounder Glenn Maxwell (Rs 6 crore, Kings XI Punjab), Indian opener Murali Vijay (Rs 5 crore, Delhi Daredevils), South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis (Rs 5.5 crore, Kolkata Knight Riders), Robin Uthappa (Rs 5 crore, KKR), West Indian batsman Dwayne Smith (Rs 4.5 crore, Chennai Super Kings), Amit Mishra (Rs 4.25 crore, Sunrisers Hyderabad) and Aaron Finch (Rs 4 crore, SRH) were some of the players who triggered intense bidding in the auction.

"It's a grand affair and every edition IPL has grown bigger. The seventh edition would be no exception, it will be grander and more entertaining for fans and franchises," IPL Chairman Ranjib Biswal said before the start of the star-studded auction where Bollywood actors and business tycoons were present. Actress Preity Zinta, co-owner of Kings XI Punjab, Juhi Chawla, co-owner of Kolkata Knight Riders, businessman Vijay Mallya, Nita Ambani (Mumbai Indians), cricketers Rahul Dravid (Rajasthan Royals), Anil Kumble (Mumbai Indians) were among the celebrities present at the auction which was beamed live.

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