Deepika at Siddhivinayak

Tuesday, January 1, was pandemonium at the Siddhivinayak Temple in Prabhadevi.

Naturally, the start of the new year falling on a Tuesday could not have been a more auspicious occasion for devotees of Lord Ganesh at this popular shrine.

That is why Deepika Padukone chose to come on Wednesday. Accompanied by father, former badminton champion Prakash Padukone, mother Ujjala and sister Anisha, Bollywood’s new sensation slipped into the temple quietly and sought the deity’s blessings.

She was leaving for Australia early in the new year to begin shooting with Ranbir Kapoor for a Yashraj film to be directed by Siddharth Anand. And she had another film with Akshay Kumar to look forward to.

If 2007 had been kind to her, Deepika was especially keen that the trend continued in 2008, that is why she was praying to Lord Ganesh at Siddhivinayak. The girl is also celebrating her birthday on the 5th of this month.

The Padukones had always wanted to come here, but somehow could never make it together. The new year presented the opportunity and the reason. The temple’s trustees, delighted with their celebrity devotee, informed the family that Siddhivinayak drew a lot of the Bollywood crowd, especially on Tuesdays.

But the media always got wind of their presence and created a frenzy, the trustees added. The last time this happened, was in November, when Madhuri Dixit visited Siddhivinayak.

That is when Ujjala Padukone, who is a shy and soft-spoken woman, interrupted to say that if her husband, the stoic and reticent Prakash, had been around that day... he would have outdone the media! “He is a big Madhuri Dixit fan,” added Ujjala smiling, “but has unfortunately not met the actress as yet.”

Perhaps, with Lord Ganesh’s blessings and daughter Deepika’s intervention, Papa Prakash’s dream might come true as well this year.

News Source : Samachar

Mallika says, pyaar kiya toh darna kya

Remember the immortal song Pyaar kiya toh darna kya performed by Madhubala in Mughal-E-Azam? Well, now
many decades later another actress is getting ready to dance on the same number.

And that person is Mallika Sherawat. She is all set to perform the number in her soon-to-be-released comedy caper Maan Gaye Mughal-E-Azam that has been produced by Ratan Jain and directed by Sanjay Chhel.

Mallika’s film has got two things in common with the 60’s classic. One is the title of the film and another the famous song Pyaar kiya toh darna kya made immortal by Madhubala’s dancing.

“The song Pyaar kiya toh darna Kya is one of the greatest songs in the history of Indian films. No one can ever make such a beautiful song nor can anyone copy Madhubala or forget her performance in the song,” says Anu Malik who has composed the new song. We hope it will be a visual delight for all Mallika fans.

News Source : Samachar

I am looking for a suitable girl:Shahwar

Model-actor, Shahwar Ali seemed to be in a confessional mood during a recent trip to Ahmedabad to attend a fashion show. And yes, he even said some of the most clichéd lines that every tinseltown visitor says when he comes to town.

Like most of them, he too seemed to have a real liking for the ubiquitous Gujarati thali. For someone who has visited the city many times over, Shahwar says he likes the idea of being served, “various courses during a meal. But I like the sour kadhi, not the sweet one.” Ask him about the fashion quotient of the city and he feels that while youngsters have become trendy, “the city has a long way to go,” when it comes to fashion.

Modelling might be his first love, but Shahwar admits that he’s still trying his luck at the movies. After a cameo in Om Shanti Om, he’s also wrapped up a Hollywood movie Hidden and a typical Bollywood comedy, Amar Joshi Shahid Ho Gaya. Coming up next will be Turning Point with Tulip Joshi, set to hit the screen soon.

His wishes to play the role Al Pacino played in Scarface in future. One-time fitness trainer Shahwar believes in staying fit. His tip to being healthy? “Eat sensibly and burn out those extra calories by going to the gym or indulging in any kind of sports. Physical activity is very important.” An accidental model, Shahwar once had dreams of playing hockey at the national level and had assumed he’d end up taking a government job someday. But given the way his life has taken shape, today, Shahwar doesn’t believe in, “planning for the future, anymore.”

As someone who has been part of the glamour industry for seven years, Shahwar has been showered with lots of compliments. But the best one came from Amitabh Bachchan. “During an award function in Dubai, Mr Bachchan told me that I looked good on the ramp. I was over the moon.”Shahwar, who owns a boutique and a nightclub in Mumbai, feels newcomers should never take the easy route in life. “Work hard and success will be yours. There will be plenty of distractions, but stay focused and you’ll reach your goal.”

And does he have a woman in his life? Shahwar says he’s single and ready to mingle. “Actually I am looking for a suitable girl, but I haven’t found her yet. My definition of Miss Right is simple: she has to be down-to-earth, pleasant and easy-going and a lot like me, ” he quips. If any of you suitable girls fit Shahwar’s wishlist, you know what to do!

News Source : Samachar

Nicole Kidman confirmed pregnant

Oscar-winning Australian actress Nicole Kidman is pregnant and has pulled out of shooting her next film "The Reader" with her baby expected around mid-2008.

"Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban confirmed today that they are expecting a baby," Kidman publicist Wendy Day said in a statement released on Tuesday. "The couple are thrilled."

Kidman, 40, has been pregnant once before with then-husband Tom Cruise but suffered a miscarriage. Kidman and Cruise adopted two children, Isabella and Connor.

Leaving a Sydney restaurant with her husband Urban on Tuesday, Kidman said she felt "very excited". Asked if she was having a boy or a girl, the statuesque actress said "secret".

Rumors of Kidman's pregnancy have circulated for a few weeks, with reports she told her family over Christmas holidays in Australia that she was expecting.

"Very pleased, really pleased indeed, nothing else would make me come out straight from the pool onto the front door step," Kidman's mother Janelle told local television from the door of her Sydney home. "I think it's (expected) in July," she said.

Publicist Day, a close personal friend, said she had only learnt on Tuesday morning of the pregnancy.

News Source : Samachar

Speed dater Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey wants to try speed dating. The Hero singer is so desperate to find a new man she is planning on going to a speed dating evening - an organised event where women meet a number of different men on ‘mini-dates’.

She said, “I really like the idea of speed dating. I like the idea of 15 mini-relationships - each lasting three minutes and then you go home alone.”

Mariah, who divorced her record executive husband Tommy Mottola in 1997 after four years of marriage, said she doesn’t like the “formality” of traditional dates. She said, “What is a date supposed to be like in the 21st century? It’s a bit old-fashioned and formal for me. I don’t need to know if the guy can afford to buy dinner, do I? With me it just moves from hanging out with a guy to them becoming my boyfriend without too much hassle.”

Since her divorce, Mariah has been romantically linked to Latino singer Luis Miguel, music executive Mark Sudack, rapper Eminem and baseball player Derek Jeter.

In a new development, it has been learnt that Carey has pushed back her new album, which was tentatively scheduled to be released in February, to mid-April.

News Source : Samachar

Microsoft bids for Norway's Fast

Microsoft Corp made a $1.2 billion offer to buy Norwegian Web search software company Fast Search & Transfer in a deal that would help the world's largest software maker expand into the market for business-oriented search.

Fast designs real-time data search and filtering software and helps filter internal corporate sites. Its clients include Dell Inc and IBM, and it has been viewed by industry analysts as a takeover candidate.

"The problem businesses have around the world is they generate lots of files and they don't know where they put them," said Kim Caughey, senior equity analyst at Fort Pitt Capital, which holds about 203,000 Microsoft shares.

"Microsoft has had desktop search for a while but it really does need a more corporate approach to tracking and storing," she said.

Fast said its board had unanimously recommended that shareholders accept the Microsoft offer, which represents a 42 percent premium to Fast's closing share price on January 4, the last day on which it traded.

The offer values the fully diluted equity of Fast at 6.6 billion Norwegian crowns, or about $1.2 billion.

Shareholders with 37 percent of Fast's stock, including its two biggest institutional investors -- Norway's Orkla and Hermes Focus Asset Management Europe -- have agreed to accept the offer, Fast and Microsoft said.

Fast shares, which were suspended all day on Monday, jumped to the bid level of 19 crowns per share and then eased off slightly to 18.80

News Source : Samachar

No Bucknor for Perth Test, Harbhajan free to play

Controversial West Indian umpire Steve Bucknor was on Tuesday removed from officiating in the remaining India-Australia Test series and Harbhajan Singh was cleared to play pending his appeal against a three-Test ban as the ICC yielded to a strong Indian protest.

Bucknor was replaced with New Zealand's Billy Bowden for the third cricket Test between the two sides in Perth starting January 16. He will stand alongside Pakistan's Asad Rauf, who had been originally appointed for this game.

The ICC also cleared Harbhajan, who was slapped with a three-match ban for allegedly racially abusing Australian all rounder Andrew Symonds, to play until a decision is made on the BCCI appeal against the ban.

Besides, the ICC appointed Chief Referee Ranjan Madugalle as facilitator for the smooth running of the Perth match.

"It is accepted that Steve, and his on-field colleague Mark Benson, did not have good games by their very high standards and we feel that given the added pressure and attention Steve's presence would have at the third Test, it is better for the match and for Steve himself if he does not take part," ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed said.

The fourth and final Test at Adelaide, which starts on January 24, will be umpired by Bowden and Rauf, as per the original appointments.

Madugalle has been brought in to assist in ensuring the match is played in the "best possible spirit".

"The decision was made in the interests of giving the series a fresh start following instances of ill-feeling between the teams and some on-field umpiring errors that have been made in the series so far," the ICC said in a statement.

"It is also designed to create an environment whereby the match can be played without undue attention and added pressure being heaped on the match officials," it added.

Madugalle has been asked to travel to Perth in order to assist the Match Referee and the two captains in re-establishing an atmosphere of goodwill and mutual respect between the two teams.

Mike Procter will continue as match referee for the remainder of the series as planned.

News Source : Samachar

Chaos in City as fog hits Delhi flights

Ten flights scheduled to leave Bangalore for the Capital were held up and later rescheduled. Kingfisher Airlines said two of its flights from Bangalore were held up for a few minutes.

A thick cover of fog which engulfed the national capital affected flight operations to and from the city, causing hardship to air travellers, as a number of flights were delayed or cancelled for the third day on Monday. About 50 flights were delayed by about 30 minutes to three hours, as the Runway Visibility Range (RVR) dropped in the early hours, while five services were cancelled due to the fog, airport officials said. Three flights, two of Indian and one of Air India, were diverted to Jaipur and Lucknow, causing inconvenience to passengers. Most of the flights coming to Delhi were delayed, while five flights — two of Simply Deccan, two of Jet Airways and a Jetlite flight — were cancelled. “Flights of Jet Airways, JetLite, Indigo and Air Deccan bound for Jammu, Srinagar, Mumbai, Bhubaneshwar, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bangalore and Shimla were affected. One international flight and one domestic flight was diverted towards Jaipur airport,” an airport official said. Ten flights scheduled to leave Bangalore for the Capital were held up and later rescheduled. Kingfisher Airlines said two of its flights from Bangalore were held up for a few minutes. News Source : Samachar

Eleven dead in South Korea fire

CHEON (SOUTH KOREA): At least 11 people were killed and nearly 30 others are missing following a fierce blaze in a South Korean warehouse, firefighters and witnesses said on Monday.

Hundreds of firefighters and police have battled the fire, which swept through the two-storey building in Icheon, 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of capital Seoul.

Firefighters had put out most of the blaze and recovered 11 bodies, witnesses said.

But the rescue services said the total number of fatalities could rise. Yonhap news agency said 29 people were still missing.

News Source : Samachar

UK not to deport foreign students for overstaying

News that immigration officers have been told not to deport foreign students who overstay their visas, unless they have broken other laws, has stirred political and public disquiet here.

Some observers raised fears that bubbling discontent with the leaked news may make overseas students – most of whom are non-European Union nationals – the target of a new hate campaign in a Britain that is increasingly sensitive and reactive to immigration issues.

On Monday, a screaming story in the right-wing, foreigner-bashing 'Daily Mail' newspaper revealed it had a leaked memo to show the immigration authorities had been ordered to be lenient towards foreign students – the biggest category for long-term visitors to Britain and arguably, one of its biggest money-spinners.

The memo is understood to have arisen out of the woeful case of a Chinese student who applied for a legitimate visa-extension but faced deportation because of a technical error outside her control. Indians and Chinese are two of the biggest national groups who come to Britain to study.

The Chinese case prompted the chief executive of Britain's Border and Immigration Agency, Lin Homer, to instruct her officials that foreign students should only be removed from the country if there were evidence of corruption or fraud.

But many believe any political pr public attempt to smear foreign students as potential illegal immigrants may rebound on Britain, even as it hard-sells its universities to India and elsewhere and tries to head off competition from Australia and New Zealand.

The 'Mail' declared that "The secret edict makes a mockery of government claims to be running a "robust" immigration system."

It said foreign students did not need leniency because unnamed immigration service "insiders" admitted that "hundreds of thousands of students - including many who never had any intention of studying - could be staying on illegally and were effectively being granted an amnesty."

Meanwhile, shadow home secretary David Davis of the main opposition Conservative Party criticized the government for its "astonishing... warped priorities". He said it was wrong to order "our immigration authorities (to) turn a blind eye to those with no right to stay in the UK."

Numbers of foreign students here have been rising year on year with 309,000 arriving in 2006, up nine per cent on 2005. Student visas issued in a single year are understood to be more than double the number of foreigners granted work permits, leading some commentators to fear this category of non-European visitor may be next on immigration-obsessed Britain's pet peeves.

News Source : Samachar

Osama paid $10 million to ISI to overthrow Benazir's govt

In one of her last media interviews, slain former premier Benazir Bhutto had voiced fear that she may be targeted by terrorists and went on to urge US President George W Bush to reverse the pro-Musharraf policies which were "breaking up" Pakistan.

"I am what the terrorists most fear," she had said in the interview with Parade magazine, "a female political leader fighting to bring modernity to Pakistan. Now they're trying to kill me."

Asked what she would you like to tell President Bush, the Pakistan People's Party leader had said that she would say propping up Pervez Musharraf government, which is infested with radical Islamists, is only hastening disaster.

"I would say, 'Your policy of supporting dictatorship is breaking up my country.' I now think al-Qaida can be marching on Islamabad in two to four years."

The interview with Parade magazine, which is distributed as an insert with many American newspapers like the Washington Post, the Boston Globe and Los Angeles Times, was recorded just days before the former premier was killed in an attack in Rawalpindi on December 27.

The magazine went to print on December 21. Bhutto had also said the Pakistani army decided to overthrow her in 1996 after she announced plans to crack down on terrorism.

She had said she first heard the name of Osama bin Laden in 1989, when he sent USD 10 million to the ISI to help it overthrow her first government.

"I was ignorant of the extremist war of these new radical Islamists until my second term."

News Source : Samachar

Harbhajan is innocent: Sachin

Upset over the ban imposed on Harbhajan Singh, Sachin Tendulkar on Monday sent an sms to BCCI chief Sharad Pawar assuring him that the off-spinner was innocent and suggesting that India should play the third Test only if the punishment is revoked.

"Harbhajan is innocent and I can assure you on this. In this hour of crisis, the Board should stand by him. I suggest we should play in Perth only if the ban is lifted," Tendulkar reportedly told Pawar through the text message.

Sachin was among the five Indians, who attended the ICC Match Referee Mike Procter's hearing into the allegation of racial abuse made by Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds.

Pawar, meanwhile, said he spoke to Indian skipper Anil Kumble and team manager Chetan Chauhan also before the appeal against Procter's verdict was prepared and the BCCI was expecting a response from the ICC by Tuesday.

"I have seen the draft and it was approved by Arun Jaitely and other colleagues. I spoke to skipper Anil Kumble, Sachin Tendulkar and manager Chetan Chauhan, understood the situation and took their views and assessement."

"We have demanded the supension of the ban. We are expecting (a response) from the ICC by tomorrow. We also have a Working Committee meeting, so will take the final decision tomorrow," Pawar told reporters in New Delhi.

News Source : Samachar

Seething India force hectic parleys

The resentment gripping the Indian squad in the wake of the Sydney Test insult can be gauged by the mood at the team meeting at Sydney on Monday morning which authorised skipper Anil Kumble to tell the board that a clean chit for Harbhajan and a change of umpires was the bottomline. The resentment of the players also shaped BCCI's response.

The seething players sat in the coach that was to take them to Canberra for a couple of hours before returning to their rooms. BCCI saw their point of view and immediately informed the hotel authorities that it would pick up the tab for the extended stay. The threat implicit in not travelling to Canberra was clear — even though a tour pullout was the last resort, the team would not play without issues being resolved.

BCCI working committee is holding an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss the standoff and firm up its strategy. With both sides likely to suffer financial losses and an unprecedented disruption of the cricketing calendar if the Indians return, Cricket Australia seemed anxious for an early de-escalation. James Sutherland, CA chief executive, said he was confident the tour would progress and asked Kumble and his Australian counterpart Ricky Ponting to sort out their differences.

That is going to be difficult considering that relations between the two teams have hit an unprecedented low. The confrontation over Bhajji has led Kumble to revoke the understanding the two sides had on taking the captain's word on contentious catches. Kumble is believed to have argued that the arrangement is off since Ponting refused to walk when he was clearly out.

It was on the basis of the Aussie skipper's testimony that Sourav Ganguly was declared out in the second innings of the Sydney Test. But in its toughly worded appeal against the ban order, which has been put together by DDCA president Arun Jaitley and lawyer Amit Sibal, son of science and technology minister Kapil Sibal, BCCI has said that there was no evidence, audio or video, to back the allegation levelled by "interested parties" against Harbhajan.

The appeal said that there ought to be "clear, convincing and unimpeachable" evidence to justify a ban which has serious consequences for a player.

The BCCI response was broadly crafted at a meeting of senior board members at the residence BCCI president Sharad Pawar. Those who were part of the huddle — Rajeev Shukla, I S Bindra and Jaitley — were unanimous that while BCCI should try to avert a pullout, it could not be out of sync with the popular mood where a sense of shock and disbelief rapidly gave way to angry protests.

"The unreasonable order without any material on record is unacceptable. And we are not ready to accept any arbitrary decisions," said BCCI vice-president Shashank Manohar. BCCI grew more determined after it learnt that match referee Mike Procter, a former South African player of apartheid vintage, simply went by the words of Andrew Symonds — who Harbhajan allegedly abused — Matthew Hayden and Michael Clarke.

Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar said they did not hear any abuse. Even the two umpires denied hearing Harbhajan hurl the abuse. Though ICC's arbitration procedure may take 10-15 days, BCCI is pressing for an early disposal even if Harbhajan is cleared to play in the Perth Test. The board is keen that the matter be settled in the spinner's favour much before the final Test is played at Adelaide.

As it settled into a battle of nerves with ICC and Cricket Australia, the board also lodged a complaint against Aussie spinner Brad Hogg for allegedly abusing Kumble. Hogg has been accused of uncivil language against the Indian skipper when Kumble, clearly playing for time on the last day of the Sydney contest, was confabulating with MS Dhoni. "Get ready soon, you b*****d" the spinner, who had a luckless time against the Indians, is said to have shouted. It was not clear whether the tit-for-tat complaint was an afterthought.

But sources admitted that they expected it to drive home the perils of the decision to haul up players on the basis of complaints from rival teams. "All you have to do is to accuse the best players of the other side of one misconduct or another," said a source involved in drafting of the appeal.

BCCI's calculation is that India's status as an economic powerhouse in the game should make ICC blink. Cricket Australia which stands to lose a lot if the tour gets scrapped was already trying to douse fires.

There were indications ICC, faced with a tough BCCI, may have expressed its willingness to drop Bucknor and Benson but was citing logistical problems — there are only eight umpires on the elite panel and with three series on, it may not be possible to shuffle them in time for the Perth Test.

Moreover, since Bucknor, a Jamaican, cannot officiate in the matches featuring West Indies, the task gets even more difficult. But BCCI has argued that two more umpires can be accredited to the panel at short notice.

A pullout will not be without costs as a penalty of $2.53 million, suspension of engagements with Australia which are the champion team and disruption of the international cricket calendar will follow. But the board is not in a position to step back in view of calls for a strong retaliation.

News Source : Samachar