Tulip Joshi comes back after three years

Three years after she was seen last in a light hearted role, Tulip Joshi would be back in a regular commercial setup with the release of Superstar

She started off her career in the role of a quintessential Bollywood heroine with a dream launch in Yash Raj Films' Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai . She followed it up well with Dil Maange More opposite Shahid Kapoor but post this Anant Mahadevan directed film, each of her films has dealt with serious issues.

While Matrubhoomi was for festival circuits and got immense recognition and awards for the talented actor, her Dhokha which came last year was also an issue based film. She played the character of a suicide bomber in the film which turned out to be a disaster at the box office. Yet again, though recognition and appreciation came her way, she didn't have a film where she had a song and dance part to play.

Superstar is a film though which gives her that opportunity. Here, she features along with Kunal Khemu who has a double role in the film. Directed by Rohit Jugraj who had debuted with James 2 years back, Superstar is produced by Shree Ashtavinayak Cinevision Ltd and is all set for 8th February release.

News Source : Bolly Vista

Jodhaa Akbar's music launched in grand style

The grand music launch of of the much awaited movie of the year Jodhaa Akbar was held on January 9th in the presence of bigwigs like Hritik Roshan and Aishwarya Bachchan, producer Ronnie Screwvala, Amitabh Bachchan, Javed Akhtar, A R Rehman, Sonu Sood, Sonu Nigam, Madhushree, Javed Ali, Shatrughan Sinha, Akbar Khan, Sanjay Khan, Ila Arun, Zayed Khan and a host of other celebrities. The event was anchored by ravishing Anjana Sukhani and Maharani of Jaipur Rani Padmini, a direct descendant of Jodhaa Bai, launched the music.

With an impressive track record of producing hit soundtracks together for Lagaan, Swades, A R Rehman, Javed Akhtar and Ashutosh Gowarikar have now come up with yet another mesmerizing album in Jodhaa Akbar. Producing the music of Jodhaa Akbar has been an incredible journey for Ashutosh Gowariker, "The experience has been thrilling and unique and one of the main reasons being the repetition of the team. That too if the team comprises of greats like Javed Saab and Rehman then the process of creating music is all the more wonderful and satisfying. Jodhaa Akbar needed a distinct sound, keeping in mind the Rajput and Mughal cultures; it needed to be majestic and epic both in its composition but at the same time it needed to have a contemporary appeal too, which these two magicians have wonderfully woven together effortlessly."

One more exciting revelation made on the occasion of the music launch was the inclusion of Amitabh Bachchan in the crew of Jodhaa Akbar. Well, not keeping the secret for long, Big B happens to be the voice of the introduction of the film. Something similar to the one in Lagaan. Also the fact that UTV launched its own Music Label - UTV Music - with Jodhaa Akbar. Commenting on the development Ronnie Screwvala said, "With an opportunity of working with the maestro A R Rehman coupled with lyrics from Javed Akhtar, it was only very strategic to launch our own music label with Jodhaa Akbar. I'm sure people will love the music."

The most awaited film's fascinating musical journey features 5 tracks. Jointly produced by UTV Motion Pictures and Ashutosh Gowarikar Productions, Jodhaa Akbar will release across cinemas worldwide on 15th February, 2008 after being postponed twice.

News Source : Bolly Vista

Salman's wax figure worth Rs 1.62 crore

Salman Khan's life size wax statue at Madame Tussauds has been made at an estimated cost of £s;200,000 (Rs 1.62 Crores). The statue which will be be personally unveiled by the Bollywood star has been made in 12 weeks by a team of 5 craftsmen. The wax figure is said to have remarkable resemblance to the actor.

The actor gave his measurements to the museum authorities three months back at a five star hotel in Mumbai. They also extensively photographed the actor to get the measurements correct. The actor's statue will not be bare chested as was being rumoured by many. The actor is said to have suggested the particular hair style on the wax figure.

News Source : Bolly Vista

Akshay's Welcome surpasses No Entry

Within a fortnight since its release, Anees Bazmee's Welcome has surpassed the collections that No Entry accumulated in its entire theatrical run!

While No Entry made close to 48 crores at the box office from India when released in 2005, Welcome made more than 35 crore from its first week itself and after two weeks stands tall at 57 crores. The way this laugh riot is currently doing at the box office, a 75 crore total is pretty much on the cards, hence turning out to be a blockbuster outing for the film maker and his star cast.

Anees Bazmee is currently working on his next film with Akshay Kumar, Singh Is Kinng, the shooting of which is more than 70% complete. This Vipul Shah production is getting ready for a 15th August release.

News Source : Bolly Vista

Bush heads for Gulf state talks

US President George W Bush has arrived in Kuwait after rounding off his trip to Israel and the West Bank with a promise to return in May.

He is also due to visit the Gulf Arab states of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Analysts expect his talks to dwell on containing Iran's growing influence.

He ended the first leg of his tour with a visit to Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Holocaust museum and Christian sites by the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel.

BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus says Mr Bush's arrival comes amid strains between Washington and its regional allies over the best way to contain Tehran.

'Chance for peace'

He says the US National Intelligence Estimate on Iran's nuclear programme, released at the end of last year, undermined Mr Bush's policy of isolating Iran.

The document said Iran's military nuclear research effort had stopped, although the Bush administration and key allies said Iran still posed a threat because of its ongoing uranium enrichment programme.

The Saudi monarch King Abdullah now wants to pursue different methods of containing the Iranian threat from those favoured by Washington, says our correspondent.

During his three-day tour of Israel and the West Bank, Mr Bush made what correspondents described as some of the strongest statements to date on the need for a peace deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

He called for an end to the Israeli occupation of land seized in 1967 and he said he believed a peace deal could be signed by the end of this year, Israel's 60th anniversary, before he leaves office in 2009.

"There's a good chance for peace and I want to help you," Mr Bush was quoted by AP news agency as telling Israeli PM Ehud Olmert and President Shimon Peres at Tel Aviv airport as left on Friday.

Concluding his first presidential visit to the Holy Land, Mr Bush visited a number of Christian sites, including the Sea of Galilee and the Church of the Beatitudes and Capernaum.

He also rekindled an eternal flame and laid a wreath at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, which he first visited the memorial in 1998 as governor of Texas.

Wearing a black skullcap, he said the museum was a "sobering reminder that evil exists and a call that when we find evil we must resist it".

News Source : BBC News

SRK pays Rs 27 cr advance tax

Shah Rukh Khan will be the highest income-tax payer from Bollywood for the second year in a row. He has paid advance taxes of Rs 27 crore till December 15, 2007, said sources, putting his income for 2007-08 at over Rs 100 crore. It is a glittering jump from the money he made the previous fiscal when he paid a modest Rs 18 crore in tax.

2007 has been a particularly prosperous year for Shah Rukh Khan, who has often called himself “priceless’’. He has not only had two mega hits under his belt - Chak De, India and Om Shanti Om , which he also produced - but also earned Rs 1 crore for every episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati .

In the income-tax stakes, SRK is far ahead of the competition. Hrithik Roshan, who paid Rs 15 crore last year, had no releases in 2007 though his endorsement list has grown longer. Aamir Khan, who paid Rs 6 crore last year, released only one film, Taare Zameen Par , and is known to have taken the distribution rights as part of his remuneration. He has paid advance taxes worth Rs 3 crore.

The A-list:
Akshay Kumar Rs 7 cr	Abhishek Bachchan Rs 3.7 cr	Aamir Khan Rs 3 cr	Amitabh Bachchan Rs 1.8 cr	Aishwarya Rai Rs 1.6 cr

While Amitabh Bachchan paid Rs 8 crore in income tax last year, his advance tax payment until December 15, 2007 was only Rs 1.8 crore. Bachchan, who is said to have upped his fee in 2008, is no more among the highest paid actors but his endorsement roster is still a blue-chip one.

Among those who have paid a high advance tax this fiscal are Akshay Kumar (Rs 7 crore, although there have been media reports in the recent about the actor paying tax of Rs 26 crore) and Himesh Reshammiya (Rs 2.5 crore). The singer charges Rs 5.5 crore as a composer and actor. Abhishek Bachchan has paid Rs 3.7 crore (much higher than his returns the previous year) while his wife Aishwarya Rai has paid Rs 1.6 crore. Close behind Rai is actor Kareena Kapoor with Rs 1 crore in advance tax.

On the corporate entertainment front, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Pvt Ltd paid advance taxes worth Rs 70 crore. They have done the maximum buying of films in 2007 including hits like Om Shanti Om and Taare Zameen Par . Hindustan Thompson was next (Rs 6 crore) followed by Balaji Telefilms (Rs 4.5 crore), Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies (Rs 3 crore) and Amitabh Bachchan’s company AB Corporation (Rs 2.4 crore).

Eros Entertainment, which bought the worldwide distribution rights of Om Shanti Om for a whopping Rs 70 crore from Shah Rukh Khan, had deducted Rs 7 crore in tax deducted at source in this transaction alone.

News Source : Samachar

Pam’s pregnant...

Pamela Anderson and Rick Salomon are headed back on the road to divorce, despite the fact that the former Playboy playmate is apparently pregnant according to reports on various celebrity gossip sites, including TMZ.com and perezhilton.com.

No details were available on the stage of the pregnancy.

Anderson, 41, filed for divorce in December last year from Salomon, 39 but called it off days later saying they were “working things out”.

Sources tell TMZ she is now moving forward with the divorce, despite the pregnancy. In the divorce petition, Anderson has asked for spousal, but not child support from her poker champ husband of three months.

Salomon has allegedly told friends he believes Pam is “acting crazy” because of the pregnancy and hopes she will settle back into the marriage.

The couple were married in Las Vegas on October 6 last year in a ceremony between magic acts in which Anderson was appearing. It was the former Baywatch beauty’s third marriage.

She was married from 1995 to 1998 to rocker Tommy Lee, with whom she starred in her own famous sex tape,
and for just over three months to rapper Kid Rock.

The marriage to Salomon lasted just 72 days at the time of the original divorce petition.

This is also the third marriage for Salomon, previously betrothed to actresses E G Daily and Shannen Doherty.


Pam locked her father in bus
Pam has revealed that once she had to lock her father in a tour bus after he tried to steal the Stanley Cup. In an interview with talk show host Jay Leno, she said her father is a die-hard fan of ice hockey and once tried to steal the trophy so he could take it back to Canada.

“My dad tried to steal the cup when the Red Wings won in Detroit once. He was scaling the fence trying to bring the Stanley Cup back to Canada where it belongs,” contactmusic.com quoted her as saying.

“He was drinking Canadian beer at the time. He had to be locked on the tour bus,” she added.

News Source : Samachar

Madonna`s ten day India tour ends on spiritual notes

Pop Diva Madonna today got a taste of Mumbai's melting pot of culture when she stopped by at the city's oldest Jewish synagogue, a Afghan church and Haji Ali Dargah capping a ten-day visit to the country.

On an extended New Year break in India, the 49-year-old 'Material Girl" flew out of the country after spending her holiday in the desert towns of Rajasthan and Mumbai. Accompanied by her husband Guy Ritchie and children she arrived in Udaipur on December 31.

During the whistle-stop tour of the metropolis on the third day of her visit, the singer also headed to Moshe's restaurant located at upmarket Cuffe Parade for some Mediterranean food. On Tuesday, she savoured some south Indian delicacies like idli, vada and masala dosa for lunch at a road-side Udupi eatery.

'Shantaram' author Gregory David Robert accompanied the celebrities on ther tour which culminated in a visit to his home at Khola Gada.

A priest at the heritage Afghan church said the singer was impressed by its structure.

"She was amazed at the structure of Afghan church. She read out the names of soldiers who died in Afghan war during 1838-43. She really liked the church," said priest Sunil Awale.

News Source : Samachar

Shakira says no to nude scene

Columbian singer, songwriter and actress Shakira turned down a role in a movie because it involved nudity.

The new movie, Love In The Time Of Cholera, has a nude scene which would require Shakira to strip naked.

The 30-year-old singer, who has been nominated for a Golden Globe for her soundtrack for the Mike Newell film, revealed that Gabriel Garcia Marquez who wrote the original book, wanted her to do the main role.

However Shakira has turned down the offer because she thinks, doing a nude scene might make her parents angry. “There was nudity involved, so I said no. My parents wouldn’t like it at all. So I said thank you, but no thank you,” a website quoted her as saying.

News Source : Samachar

Kaho na Kareena hai!

Mumbai Mirror was the first to tell you that Saif Ali Khan has got Kareena Kapoor's name tattooed on his left forearm arm at Hakim's Alim at Bandra. Well, here is some inside information on what transpired when the tattoo artiste, Vishwas got down to work on Saif's left forearm on January 3.

Saif asked for a tattoo of the letter 'K' which obviously stood for the first letter of his current flame Kareena's name. When the tattoo artiste began his work, Kareena landed up at Hakim Alim's parlour and demanded that her full name should be tattooed on Saif's arm. Then, the tattoo was written in Devnagri.

A well-placed source from the industry tells us, “Initially, Saif was shocked at Kareena's demand. First of all, he was not expecting her to be there. Of course he had told her that he was going to get the tattoo done and had decided to get a 'K' on his left forearm, but he didn't have an inkling that Kareena had other plans for him.”

A friend of Saif says, “Kareena was adamant that Saif should get her full name tattooed on his arm. Saif tried telling her that it would be better if he tattooed a 'K' but Kareena was clear that he do it her way. She pataoed him very lovingly. She did not let him speak much. Eventually, Saif had no choice but to agree.”

Our source adds, “Saif had been planning to get the tattoo for last few months and had been browsing through various calligraphic styles to finalise the shape of the tattoo. Initially, he was a bit uncomfortable about the idea of tattooing Kareena's full name on his arm. But, he is fine with it now and loves it.”

According to the source, Kareena is the dominating partner in her relationship with Saif. “With Shahid, she was very submissive. She gave in to almost all his demands. She not only turned vegetarian for Shahid but also started attending satsang discourses with him,” our source says.

So why did Kareena and Shahid break up? The source reveals that Kareena started feeling very claustrophobic in her relationship with Shahid. “Yeh karo, yeh nahin karo, she started feeling that she had changed too much for Shahid and had completely stopped being herself. It was as if she had lost her own identity. When that realisation sunk in, the relationship ended,” the source adds.

Currently, Saif and Kareena are in Greece shooting for Yash Raj Films’ Tashan. The couple had flown to Greece to enjoy the climate and food and spend quality time with each other before the other crew members of Tashan caught up with them for the film’s shooting.

News Source : Samachar

Ash on life after marrige!

Looking gorgeous as ever, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan reflects the same elegance and charm as her character Jodhaa in Ashutosh Gowariker’s Jodhaa Akbar.

The extended honeymoon with hubby Abhishek Bachchan seems to have added an extra glow to that already stunning smile. Was it easy to slip into the character with so much happening in her personal life? Were there no distractions?

"After marriage when I reported back to the shooting, Ashu and the rest were actually trying to find something that might have changed, but couldn’t. ‘You haven’t changed a bit!’ was their verdict. As an actress, I have a clear demarcation between my personal and professional life, so those two never overlap. When I am in front of the camera I cease to be Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and when I am off it, I cease to be an actress. And that’s the way it has always been with me," the Bachchan bahu said.

Laughing off the numerous rumours that were doing the rounds during the making of the epic love story, including that of her pregnancy, she revealed, "We were too immersed in shooting to either think about the baseless rumours or clarify them."

How was it working with Hrithik Roshan again after the stupendous success of Dhoom 2, their last film together? "Hrithik’s a great co-star and it’s always a pleasure to act with someone as talented, sincere and hard-working as him."

And how was the experience of playing a queen? "Tiring!" she laughed. "Their lifestyle doesn’t cease to amaze me. I mean, it took them ages to get ready for one appearance and imagine staying behind curtains all day long. There is no doubt that there is a certain charm and beauty about that era. But being where I am today and knowing the rights we have as women, I find it impossible to even imagine being born in those times."

So she’d never wish to be born a queen? "Well, the royal treatment is welcome always. But I consider myself lucky to be born in today’s era, where a woman has far more freedom to exercise her rights," Aishwarya said.

News Source : Samachar

Now, the Koirala 'dynasty' in Nepal politics

Following South Asian "dynastic trends", Nepal's Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala on Thursday appointed his only daughter, Sujata, a cabinet minister in the interim government.

With this expansion, the interim cabinet now has 31 members. The new ministers are likely to be administered the oath of office on Friday.

Interestingly, Sujata Koirala's name has been announced as cabinet minister without portfolio, and, according to Nepali Congress leaders, she would look after the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

Married to a German citizen, Koirala's daughter has always been pampered in political circles, is reportedly responsible for major decisions. She is also a powerful member of the party's central working committee.

The nomination of Sujata Koirala as cabinet minister may create discord among both aspiring and senior Nepali Congress leaders. Her nomination to the interim parliament as a Nepali Congress MP in January 2007 was also criticized.

Ram Chandra Raya Yadav, Minister of State for General Administration, a member of Communist Party of Nepal (UML), has been promoted as cabinet minister. Two Maoist cadres--Padam Rai and Nabin BK have been inducted as the state ministers.

Meanwhile, Speaker Subash Chandra Nemwang claimed that the government would announce a new date for the CA elections on Friday. He informed that Koirala consulted some ministers on Thursday on the new election date.

News Source : Samachar

Mt Everest conqueror Sir Edmund Hillary dead

WELLINGTON: New Zealand's Sir Edmund Hillary, who along with Nepal's Tenzing Norgay Sherpa became the first to conquer Mount Everest, has died. He was 88.

"The legendary mountaineer, adventurer, and philanthropist is the best-known New Zealander ever to have lived. But most of all he was a quintessential Kiwi," New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said on Friday while announcing Hillary's death.

Hillary scaled the world's highest mountain in 1953, telling companions after the climb: "We knocked the bastard off". The cause of Hillary's death was not announced, but he had been ill for some time and local media reported he had been suffering from pneumonia.

Hillary was New Zealand's best known son and his picture adorns the country's five dollar note.

"He was a colossus. He was an heroic figure who not only knocked off Everest but lived a life of determination, humility, and generosity," said Clark.

After Everest, Hillary led a number of expeditions to the South Pole and the Himalayas, and devoted his time to helping Nepal's Sherpa people who live in the shadow of Everest.

His Himalaya Trust raised about US$250,000 a year and he personally helped build schools, hospitals, bridges, pipelines and even an airfield.

"The legacy of Sir Edmund Hillary will live on. His exploits continue to inspire new generations of New Zealanders, as they have for more than half a century already," said Clark.

"My thoughts are with Lady Hillary, Sir Edmund's children, wider family, and close friends at this sad time," he added.

News Source : Samachar

President’s pay hike...It was one lakh-y day

NEW DELHI: The sum of Rs 1 lakh was the talking point in the country on Thursday for different reasons: Tata launched his Rs 1-lakh car, the President of India’s salary was hiked to Rs 1 lakh a month and Delhiites got a chance to taste a precious drink worth Rs 1 lakh.

The decision to double the salaries of President, Vice- President and Governors was taken by the Union Cabinet on Thursday. The President will now get Rs 1 lakh a month, up from the Rs 50,000 the holder of this office was getting since the last pay revision about a decade back. The perks, which range from accommodation at Rashtrapati Bhavan and medical expenses, are extra, of course.

Briefing reporters on the decision, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi said that a pay hike for top constitutional offices had been agreed upon in principle several months back. It had, however, been put on hold because of elections for the post of President and Vice- President were due then.

The Vice-President’s salary has now been hiked from Rs 40,000 to Rs 85,000 a month. Governors in the states will get Rs 75,000, compared to the Rs 36,000 they got so far. Former Presidents too will get more facilities, including salaries for their staff.

Similarly, the government has decided to increase the facilities given to the spouses of Presidents and Vice-Presidents after the office-holder’s death. Dasmunsi said one reason why the salaries for the President and Vice-President had to be increased was amendments in the salary structure for members of Parliament.

In 2001 the salary of the US President was doubled to $400,000 per annum - the first salary hike in 30 years. Gordon Brown, one of Europe’s best-paid Prime Ministers, earns about $375,000 per annum.

News Source : Samachar

Sethusamudram project: Centre may change position

The Centre has been forced to rethink its position on the proposed Sethusamudram project to dredge a shipping channel between India and Sri Lanka that threatens the Ram Setu.

The affidavit would be prepared by Cabinet Secretary and three other secretaries.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The Culture Minister Ambika Soni and Shipping Minister Baalu attended meeting.

The government has decided to avoid another controversy by getting the shipping and culture ministries to file a single affidavit on the project.

For this, it will ask the Supreme Court for more time.

News Source : Samachar

She kindled Hillary’s emotions, voted for Obama

WASHINGTON: Irony of ironies! The woman whose friendly question provided Hillary Clinton her emotional moment and an electoral windfall in New Hampshire ended up casting her own vote for Barack Obama. The 64-year-old Marianne Pernold Young said she admired Clinton, but revealed that it was Obama who brought tears to her own eyes with his evocative oratory of “hope and change”. That prompted her to vote for the young Senator from Illinois. Ever since that widely-telecast clip of a “teary-eyed” Clinton which, pundits believe, changed the New Hampshire primary’s dynamics. No, the question was “not any set-up” by the Hillary campaign, Young has been telling reporters on the prowl. Both her question and Clinton’s emotional response with tears welling up in her eyes were genuine and spontaneous, she said. The episode is reckoned to have revealed the “human side” of the former First Lady, who has often been described by critics as “stiff” and “robotic”. Young admitted she was moved by Clinton’s emotional moment, but only for a short while. “We saw 10 seconds of Hillary, the caring woman…But then when she turned away from me, I noticed that she stiffened up and took on that political posture again. And the woman that I noticed for 10 seconds was gone,” Young commented. In the end, Young, who had been an undecided voter, concluded she should vote for Obama. While the media is still debating the issue, Clinton herself believes her turning point in New Hampshire was the candidates’ debate three days before the vote. Clinton told NBC that things started changing for her after that debate last Saturday. “It was the first time that the leading candidates actually were asked some very pointed questions about what we stand for, what we’ve done to help other people, what our accomplishments are and what we want to do for the future,” she said. News Source : Samachar

2 Canadian girls molested

Two girls from Canada, holidaying in the backwater resort of Kumarakom with their family, were allegedly molested by a security staff of a hotel on Wednesday night. This was the second such incident involving foreign tourists in Kerala in the past 10 days.

Police said the girls, aged 12 and 14, raised an alarm when Shyju Varghese, a security guard, tried to molest them in the hotel’s billiards room.

Varghese was arrested on the basis of a complaint filed by the father of the girls. “We took action immediately. Investigations are on,” Kumarakom station house officer Sanal Kumar said. The accused was granted bail on Thursday.

Following the incident, the family cut short their stay and left the resort.

Such assaults on foreign tourists have become a matter of concern for the authorities in Kerala, a priority tourism destination. On New Year’s Eve, two girls were molested on the Fort Kochi beach.

News Source : Samachar

Aussies had it coming: Boycott

Calcutta: Former England captain Geoffrey Boycott has slammed the Australian culture of aggression and said that Ricky Ponting and Co. have no right to cry foul over on-field abuse since they have dished out worse treatment to teams over the years. In his column for The Daily Telegraph, the former opener said Andrew Symonds deserved the lack of sympathy being shown to him. “I can’t help noticing what a resounding lack of sympathy there has been around the world and even in Australia for Symonds and his sad little protestations of racial abuse. “So Harbhajan Singh called him a monkey. So what? The Aussies have been dishing out far worse for years, as anyone in the cricket world will tell you.” Boycott said Australia could not pose as if it was their right to lord it over every opposition. “For some reason, the Australian team think it’s their right to lord it over every opposition team, to disparage them and mock them. Yes, Australia are the world champions. Yes, they’re an exceptionally talented and consistent side. But that doesn’t give them the right to behave like gods who are outside the normal standards of behaviour.” Boycott said that Cricket Australia should tell the players to cut out the nonsense. “…They should keep a closer eye on their team all the time, and not just when there is a nasty scene that makes the news. The administrators must have known that their players were developing a reputation for abusive language.” Boycott said the Australians should have realised that sooner or later they would be paid back in their own coin. “If you keep abusing people, sooner or later someone is going to turn around and talk back to you. My message to Symonds — and to his captain Ricky Ponting, who reported Harbhajan to the umpires — is ‘Don’t be a cry-baby’. If you dish it out, you’ve got to be prepared to take it in return, and not go running to teacher.” He said he wasn’t surprised to hear that the Indians had threatened to call off the tour. “Frankly, I’m not surprised that the Indians threatened to call off the tour. They see this whole affair as a slur on their country. You’ve got to remember how big the cricket team is over there: they are at the heart and soul of India’s national identity. “And cricket still has these long-standing associations with sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct, though I wonder how they have survived with everything that’s been going on.” News Source : Samachar

Wah, Wagh! How Team Tata cut the costs

Girish Wagh, the leader of the Tata Motors engineers who built the Nano, repeatedly used two words to describe how they helped turn Ratan Tata’s dream into reality.

“Team work... team work ... team work,” said the 37-year old mechanical engineer from Pune, who had once asserted that he would seek to institutionalise the “cost-down” efforts during the design and development phase to make a new product more cost competitive.

Tata today acknowledged the contribution of Wagh and his team of 500 engineers, calling him over to the dais near the car and introducing him at the unveiling ceremony.

Girish Wagh: Man behind the machine. Telegraph picture

What Wagh chose to describe as team work could be a combination of innovation in design and development, component engineering, and the skilful management of vendors who are supplying components for the Nano.

Tata Motors has filed 34 patents on various design innovations that went into building the car, some of them relating to its engine, said Wagh, the head of the Small Car Project.

More than 100 vendors are contributing to the Nano, and Wagh indicated that some vendors are playing a role in reducing the cost of the car. “About 80 per cent of the cost is outsourced,” he said.

Bumper-to-bumper, the Nano is 7.05 per cent smaller than the Maruti 800 but provides 21 per cent more space inside. The smaller design of the body and its components means lower costs of materials.

The Nano is the first car to use a two-cylinder gasoline engine with a single balancer shaft. This lean design has helped minimise weight and maximise performance per unit of energy consumed.

Engineers associated with the project declined to share details of design innovations or how they helped reduce the costs.

Wagh had three years ago helped produce Tata’s Ace, India’s first mini-truck — a project he had said was inspired by Tata’s intent to address the needs of those lying at the “bottom of the pyramid”.

Wagh said that long-term agreements “for volumes” have been inked with the vendors who are supplying components for the Tata Nano.

Automotive engineering analysts believe such long-term agreements would prompt vendors to explore strategies to reduce cost of the components.

After the Ace project, Wagh, indicating in a journal of management what he would do differently on a new product, had said: “Systematise and institutionalise the cost down efforts during the design and development phase to make the product more cost competitive.”

News Source : Samachar

Why Pak prefers Scotland Yard over the UN in Benazir case?

Pakistan People's Party leaders may go hoarse seeking a UN probe in the assassination of their leader Benazir Bhutto. But the Pakistani establishment and specially President Pervez Musharraf will never agree to it. Such probes can go horribly wrong.

Musharraf knows well perhaps how the best-known UN-determined probe has fared. The Scotland Yard assistance is something he is definitely more comfortable with - after all, the handle will remain in Pakistani hands.

In the first press conference addressed by the PPP leadership after Bhutto's death, her husband, Asif Zardari, demanded a probe the UN. By then, questions were being raised about the government version of what killed Bhutto.

The slain leader's son, political heir and PPP's newly appointed chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari reiterated the party's demand at a press conference in London on Tuesday. "…Family's and party's request is for a UN-sponsored investigation," he said.

The Pakistanis would dread a UN probe like the one that went into the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, who died in February 1995 as explosives equivalent to 1,000 kg of TNT exploded as his motorcade passed a Beirut hotel.

Hariri was a Forbes 100 billionaire who made his money in Saudi Arabia and returned home to Lebanon becoming the prime minister in 1992. He set the war-ravaged country on the path of reconstruction with economic measures hugely welcomed worldwide.

Hariri resigned in 1995 during the crisis over the extension of the term of President Emile Lahoud. Soon after, he was assassinated. Lebanese opposition and many world governments suspected Syria of involvement as it favoured Lahoud's extension, which Hariri opposed.

The world was shocked. The UN sent a fact-finding mission, which in a report told the Security Council, "Lebanese investigation process suffers from serious flaws and has neither the capacity nor the commitment to reach a satisfactory and credible conclusion".

The Council passed a resolution - number 1595 - set up an international independent investigation commission "to assist the Lebanese authorities in their investigation of all aspects of this terrorist act, including to help identify its perpetrators, sponsors, organizers and accomplices".

UN investigator Detlev Mehlis gave UN secretary general a report in October and saying top Syrian and Lebanese officials were involved in the planning of the details of the assassination plan.

The report said the plot "could not have been taken (place) without the approval of top-ranked Syrian security officials and could not have been further organized without the collusion of their counterparts in the Lebanese security forces."

Some of those named by Mehlis were: head of Syrian military intelligence Asef Shawkat, Syrian foreign minister Faruq al-Shara and the Syrian president Bashar al-Asad. The Syrian government has strongly denied any involvement in the assassination.

Mehlis handed over the investigations to Serge Brammertz, whose report in December 2007 is far more cautious and doesn't blame the Syrians outright. He blamed the killing on "Hariri's political activities in the months and years leading up to his death".

Now, it would be very embarrassing for the Pakistani government and Musharraf in particular if an independent probe did in fact go into Bhutto's assassination and turned up anyone close to the military regime.

And his consent is necessary for the UN to set up an international independent commission. The Hariri commission was instituted with the approval of the Lebanese government. Scotland Yard's assistance may be a little more convenient. Wouldn't it?

News Source : Samachar