RECENT TREND NEWS

Sexiest Asian man-Hrithik Roshan

2012-12-13T02:17:00.002-08:00

For the second year in a row, Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan has emerged as the "sexiest Asian man in the world" in an online survey conducted by a London-based weekly.

The 38-year-old actor pipped the likes of Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, John Abraham and Ranbir Kapoor to clinch the top spot.

"The star of 2012 hit 'Agneepath' beat off tough competition from around the world and won by an even bigger margin than last year as he received votes from all over the world from continents that included Asia, Europe, Africa and South America from fans of all ages and different cultures," the Eastern Eye Newspaper said in a release.

Even though he was the hot favourite and led right from the beginning, the win came as a major surprise to Indian cinema's hottest pin up.

"I am extremely humbled at the decision of the public, also a little embarrassed as I just can't imagine myself as sexy! I'm actually someone who's just trying to get by with his battered, bruised and broken tools. So a big thank you to all for this dose of encouragement! Thank you Eastern Eye readers for this very sweet recognition," said Hrithik.

He beat Pakistani singer-turned-actor Ali Zafar who was the surprise runner up. 'Dabangg' hero Salman Khan finished third and last year's runner up Shahid Kapoor came fourth.

Bollywood newcomer Sidharth Malhotra was the highest new entry at fifth place and narrowly beat off popular TV star Kushal Tandon who was sixth.

Shah Rukh joined the list at seventh place and was followed by John Abraham at eight and Ranbir at nine.

Eastern Eye showbiz editor Asjad Nazir, who puts together the very popular list and is chairman of the judging panel, said despite having the best physique, those voting for Hrithik were impressed by a lot of his other qualities.

"Osama bin Laden" dead!!!!!!----Obama says justice is done

2011-05-02T00:43:00.000-07:00

Osama bin Laden, the glowering mastermind behind the September 11, 2001, terror attacks that killed thousands of Americans, was killed in an operation led by the United States,President Barack Obama said on Sunday.

"Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaida, and a terrorist who's responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women and children," Obama said in a surprise late night White House address.

The world's most wanted man had been killed in a Pakistani compound in an operation on Sunday, which had been carried after cooperation from Islamabad, the US leader said.

Obama said in the historic address from the White House that he had directed the US armed forces to launch an attack against a compound in Pakistan on Sunday acting on a lead that first emerged last August.

"A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties."
A jubilant crowd gathered outside the White House as word spread of bin Laden's death after a global manhunt that lasted nearly a decade.

"Justice has been done," the president said.

The development comes just months before the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Centers and Pentagon, orchestrated by bin Laden's al-Qaida organization, that killed more than 3,000 people.

The attacks set off a chain of events that led the United States into wars in Afghanistan, and thenIraq, and America's entire intelligence apparatus was overhauled to counter the threat of more terror attacks at home.

Al-Qaida organization was also blamed for the 1998 bombings of two US embassies in Africa that killed 231 people and the 2000 attack on the USS Cole that killed 17 American sailors in Yemen, as well as countless other plots, some successful and some foiled.

First look - Rajinikanth in 'Rana'

2011-04-30T06:32:00.000-07:00

After wowing us all with his robotic avatars in the last year’s superhit Endhiran, the south megastar Rajinikanth returns with his next film Rana.

The movie stars Deepika Padukone opposite Rajini. Two more actresses will be roped in as the film has Rajini playing a triple role - a young Rajini, a middle-aged Rajini and an older Rajini.

The first look of the film has been released, and it shows Rajini wielding a sword in a costume that gives a somewhat periodic look. In the background is a masked face.

Rana will be directed by K S Ravikumar. A R Rahman will compose the film’s music.

The first day of the shoot of Rana was quite hectic for superstar Rajinikanth who was hospitalized for a few hours during the day.

However, at the puja and mahurat of the film at AVM Studios in Chennai on Friday morning, what caught everyone’s eye again was the transformation of the 60-year-old actor into a strapping young man in a warrior’s robe.

Also at the mahurat were actress Deepika Padukone, director K S Ravikumar and a number of guests including K Balachandar, RM Veerapan, Vairamuthu and Mahendran. Rajini’s two daughters Aishwarya and Soundarya were also at the mahurat.

The film has Rajinikanth in a triple role. It will be made in three languages - Tamil, Telugu and Hindi.

K V Kamath takes over as chairman of Infosys Techologies

2011-04-30T06:07:00.000-07:00

K V Kamath on Saturday took over as chairman, Infosys Technologies from founder N R Narayana Murthy.

Murthy is due to retire on August 20 when he turns 65. Murthy has been central to Infosys ever since its founding in 1981 and his exit from the $6-billion company will mark a seminal moment.

Kris Gopalakrishnan has been appoined executive co-chairman.

S D Shibulal, one of Infosys's founders and the current chief operating officer, will take over from Gopalakrishnan as CEO as MD.

All appointments will be effective from August 2011. This major management change is the biggest since Nandan Nilekani passed on the CEO baton to Kris Gopalakrishnan in June 2007.

Murthy had said last year that a suitable successor would be announced well before his retirement. The company has a nominations committee to identify and screen individuals qualified to be part of the Board and the management, which has been discussing possible candidates for some time now. The Board will take a final decision on Saturday.

K V Kamath, who transformed ICICI Bank into an aggressive lender and who is now the bank's non-executive chairman, or Gopalakrishnan were exected to succeed Murthy.

The changes come at a time when the company has lost some of its lustre, not so much because of its own performance, which in many ways remains solid, but because some of its rivals like TCS and Cognizant have performed better. The changes announced today could have a big bearing on whether or not these relative performances change.

Amitabh Bachchan to host KBC 5

2011-04-26T08:21:00.000-07:00

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan will host the fifth season of the popular and hit reality game show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati'.

"Preparing now for KBC next season starting I think in a few months... creative and promo discussions today ... very interesting," Bachchan said on micro-blogging site Twitter yesterday.

KBC is an Indian reality game show based on the UK game show 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

The show first aired in 2000 was hosted by the 68-year-old actor making his maiden appearance on Indian TV.

The game show became a huge rage with Bachchan hosting its first and second seasons. Following this, superstar Shah Rukh Khan was roped in for the third. But Big B returned to anchor the show's fourth season which was aired on Sony Entertainment Television.

Earlier, last year, when the makers of KBC had approached Bachchan for the fifth season, he had asked for the opinion of his fans.

Mission Impossible 4 shooting in Mumbai!

2011-04-25T08:45:00.000-07:00

Hollywood star Tom Cruise may not be coming toIndia but his double is moving around in the bylanes of Mumbai searching for Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor.

Yes, Mission Impossible 4-Ghost Protocol which marks Anil Kapoor's debut in mainstream Hollywood is being shot in South Mumbai.

According to insiders, the second unit of the film will be shooting most of the action and outdoor of Mumbai which will mainly be action scenes including car chase.

On Sunday, double of Tom Cruise and the heroine were spotted driving a specially designed BMWSS01 for the film through the bylanes of Bora Bazar situated opposite CST railway station."

A source close to the unit said, "unfortunately none of the main actors of the film including Tom Cruise and Anil Kapoor will be shooting on location here in India. The unit will be travelling toBangalore after completing the Mumbai schedule within a few days."

Tom Cruise and Anil Kapoor have already shot the interior portions of Mumbai and Bangalore inDubai and Vancouver which will be later matched with the sequences shot in India.

Mission Impossible 4- Ghost Protocol stars Tom Cruise, Anil Kapoor, Jeremy Renner and Paul Patton and is slated for December release.

Tendulkar prays for Sai Baba, cancels birthday celebrations

2011-04-23T07:20:00.000-07:00

Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, who turns 38 on Sunday, has decided not to celebrate his birthday and remains doubtful for theIndian Premier League (IPL) match against Deccan Chargers in view of the worsening condition of the spiritual leader Sathya Sai Baba.

Tendulkar is an ardent devotee of the 85-year-old Baba, whose condition is very critical.

Tendulkar said he is praying for Baba's quick recovery.

"I am praying for Shri Sathya Sai Baba's quick recovery. Hope everyone will join me in praying for his return to good health," Tendulkar said onTwitter.

The Mumbai Indians captain did not arrive with the team Saturday for the match against Deccan Chargers on Sunday, but is expected to come later in the day, according to sources in theHyderabad Cricket Association (HCA).

He is, however, uncertain for the match and has also decided not to celebrate his birthday, sources said.

"He may stay away from Sunday's match so that he can visit Puttaparthi, the pilgrim town in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, in case of any eventuality," sources said.

Tendulkar, who has visited Puttaparthi on several occasions to seek Baba's blessings, had planned a party in the hotel to celebrate his birthday. The Mumbai Indians management and HCA officials had even made some arrangements for the party.

ICC says World Cup with Indian team is original

2011-04-04T00:53:00.000-07:00

The ICC today rejected reports that the World Cup with the Indian team is a replica and maintained that it is the original trophy after controversy broke out over news that that it was a fake that was presented to the team on Saturday.

Media reports today said that the Cup given to Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his team was a fake and that the original was lying with the customs in Mumbai over non-payment of duties.

Several former cricketers expressed dismay over the alleged goofup by the ICC and the BCCI.

Following these reports, the ICC came out with a statement this morning saying that the trophy presented to the Indian cricket team is original.

Was India denied the 'real' World Cup?

2011-04-04T00:50:00.000-07:00

The International Cricket Council on Monday confirmed that the World Cup trophy presented to India on Saturday night was indeed the real one and not the replica as was claimed in some "erroneous and mischiveous media reports".

"Contrary to some erroneous and mischievous media reports, the ICC can confirm that the trophy presented to India at Wankhede Stadium on Saturday was the original ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 trophy and the one that was always intended to be presented to the winner of the event," the ICC said through a written statement.

"There is no question that this was a replica. The trophy presented to India indeed carries the specific event logo of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 and has always been the cup that the 14 teams were playing for.

"The trophy seized by Mumbai customs is the promotional, perpetual trophy which remains in the keeping of ICC at its headquarters in Dubai. It carries the generic ICC corporate logo rather than the logo specific to the 2011 event. That trophy will be reclaimed today and will travel back to Dubai with ICC staff as was always intended," the statement added.

The controversy about the replica of the trophy being handed to India arose after a report that quoted a BCCI source as saying that "the original is lying with the customs".

When contacted Customs sources, however, said the Cup was with them for non-payment of duty of 35 per cent of the original value.

"We will release it after payment of 35 per cent customs duty after its valuation," they told PTI.

The Cup, meanwhile, has been in the forefront of the celebrations by the entire Indian nation with players even posing with it along with President Pratibha Patil at the Raj Bhavan on Sunday.

The captain of the winning team, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been photographed and caught on television cameras carrying the replica to the iconic Gateway of India opposite the team hotel on Sunday.

Man of the Tournament, Yuvraj Singh, has been kissing the replica repeatedly in delight.

World Cup final: A nation holds its breath

2011-04-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

India - indeed, the world - is waiting, with baited breath, for Sachin Tendulkar to craft the ultimate fairytale: his 100th international ton, in the World Cup final, before his adoring home crowd. But for the last three days at least, the master's mind might well have been racing down memory lane - to 1996.

That momentous year too, India had crushedPakistan in an emotionally-charged encounter in the World Cup; then too, they had the little matter of strolling past Sri Lanka to 'pick up' the coveted trophy.

Fifteen years down the line, circa now, the first chapter has already unfolded: unlike feared, India outsmarted Pakistan and Sri Lanka are already in wait. This is, of course, one step up - the final, rather than the semifinal as it was in 1996.

Tendulkar was the man in prime form then too; Muttiah Muralitharan is the only other player still in the picture from that bygone era. The Lankan off-spinner was just a vital cog then; now, he is the one man who can destroy India's fairytale again.

India won't be losing too much sleep over him though; their bigger concern is the mood raging across the country. Just like last time, everybody is behaving like the team has already won the Cup; just like then, and very ominously at that, everyone is already in celebration mode.

Tendulkar would be aware of the dangers of premature euphoria; 13 years prior to that Lankan blow at Eden Gardens, West Indies had made the same mistake. They thought they had already won the World Cup and ended up losing it, despite an awesome collection of match-winners.

India can't afford to be caught off guard again. There is a hint of fragility in their batting and more than a touch of unpredictability in the bowling, you never know when the fielding will come apart either.

The good news is that Tendulkar will be showing that page from history to anybody who dares to race ahead of time; equally reassuring is the presence of Mahendra Singh Dhoni at the helm. The captain comes into his own when pressure peaks, when nothing else matters, when destiny is in his hands.

He may not be foolhardy enough to take a mighty gamble, or blindly follow his instincts in this big game; but expect him to take a few chances, to stun you with one or two 'strange' moves. Nobody knows if he will be lucky this time too, or if a backfire is round the corner.

Out here in the fortress called Mumbai, there are no such fears. Excitement has already hit the roof while the scramble for tickets has only become more frenetic. The who's who of India have promised to be there, cheering every shot and every wicket and 'inevitable' victory.

Will even fate have the courage to intervene? If it does, it will have to first stop Virender Sehwag from exploding, prevent Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir from dropping anchor, Yuvraj Singh and Virat Kohli from gathering momentum and Dhoni and Suresh Raina from going for the kill.

It won't be easy. Sri Lanka though might think fate answers to the names of Lasith Malinga, Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis; if there is any assistance in the track, they will exploit it sooner than you can say Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas (the last-minute replacement for Angelo Mathews and the only other player on either side who featured in the 1996 semifinal).

Ironically, India's bowling suddenly looks dodgy after Ashish Nehra's injury. Dhoni might be forced to bring back R Ashwin. Knowing the skipper's luck, don't be surprised if the spinner turns out to be the ace in the pack. It will be even more chilling if he returns to S Sreesanth and the volatile pacer produces a match-winning show.

If the three Ms don't weave their magic, Sri Lanka won't despair, they can still count on their batting. Dilshan, Mahela and Sangakkara are game-changers and they know this is the time to displace Ranatunga and Aravinda de Silva in legend. Unfortunately, they don't have enough depth in the order or solidity lower down.

Tendulkar understands the stakes attached; he has the little matter of completing his destiny too. The 100th ton is beckoning: he couldn't have hoped for a better place, or a better setting, to reach the magical milestone.

It will be the perfect homecoming for India after 28 long years; it is definitely the right time to bury the ghosts of 1996.

Facebook bans 20,000 underage users a day

2011-03-22T19:24:00.000-07:00

Facebook has revealed that about 20,000 children are kicked off the social networking site every day for lying about their age to join the site.

The social networking giant admitted it had to do more to stop young people using Facebook, as it revealed about a third of Australia's population uses the site every day, reported the Herald Sun.

The chief privacy adviser of Facebook, Mozelle Thompson, said many Australian children under the age of 13 were trying to access the site by lying about their age.

"It's something that happens on a regular basis," the Courier mail quotedhompson as saying.

Globally, about seven million children who lie about their age are blocked from the site each year.

Congress, DMK seal deal on seat-sharing in Tamil Nadu

2011-03-08T05:18:00.001-08:00

The Congress and the DMK have reached a deal on seat-sharing for the upcoming assembly polls in Tamil Nadu, which had threatened to break the alliance between the two parties.

According to sources, Congress will get the 63 seats it had wanted. The DMK had earlier walked out after refusing to give in to the Congress demand.

The compromise formula was worked out after hectic rounds of parleys among leaders from both sides. An announcement on this will be made in a short while.

The Congress had earlier today said its hopes were alive for a last- minute resolution.

"They (DMK) are our ally... It is not over... We are definitely hopeful," a senior Congress leader and Union minister said when asked whether the alliance with DMK has come to an end.

The remark came after two rounds of talks DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran had with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee after failure to reach a breakthrough during a meeting with Congress President Sonia Gandhi last night.

The minister, who declined to be identified, dismissed suggestions that Congress was looking at doing business with AIADMK.

Kolkata Knight Riders name Gambhir captain for IPL 4

2011-03-07T06:30:00.000-08:00

India batsman Gautam Gambhirwas on Monday named captain of Kolkata Knight Riders team for the Indian Premier League season four starting next month.

Announcing Gambhir's appointment as KKR captain, the IPL team described him a thorough professional and praised his leadership qualities.

"We are delighted that Gautam Gambhir will be leading our team. He is a thorough professional and his performance and leadership qualities speak for themselves," KKR CEO & MD Venky Mysore said in a KKR release.

Gambhir said he was looking forward to leading the team in IPL 4.

"It's a pleasure and an honour to lead the KKR team. I believe that the KKR management has put together a terrific team. I am looking forward to the season and feel very optimistic," said Gambhir, who was Delhi Daredevils captain last season.

He was bought by KKR for a record-breaking $2.4 million (Rs 11.04 crore) in the IPL auction held in Bangalore in January.

Along with Gambhir, six members of the KKR squad are currently playing in the World Cup. They are Yusuf Pathan, Jacques Kallis, Brett Lee, Brad Haddin, Ryan ten Doeschate and Shakib al Hasan.

Thai Girl Sets World's Hairiest Child Record

2011-03-05T21:07:00.001-08:00

A young Thai girl with a rare genetic condition that causes her to have thick hair over most of her body has set a new Guinness World Record as the hairiest child.

Supatra "Nat" Sasuphan was born with hypertrichosis, which causes excessive hairiness and is sometimes referred to as "werewolf syndrome." The 11-year-old girl's father contacted Guinness World Record staff, requesting that they consider her for the title of hairiest child.

Guinness World Record judges evaluated Sasuphan's body hair using the Ferriman Gallwey method, which consists of measuring the amount of hair on nine different parts of the body – the upper lip, chin, chest, back, abdomen, arm, forearm, thigh, and lower leg.

After assessing Sasuphan, the judges crowned her with the world's hairiest child title on the GWR's Italian TV show, "Lo Show dei Record."

"Being hairy makes me special," Sasuphan told GWR. "This is the happiest day of my life!"

This article was provided by Life's Little Mysteries , a sister site to LiveScience.com.

Justin Bieber's hair makes £25,000 in eBay charity sale

2011-03-05T21:01:00.000-08:00

A lock of Justin Bieber's hair has been sold for $40,668 (£25,024) in a charity sale on Ebay.

Bieber gave the piece of hair to US talkshow host Ellen Degeneres, having changed his trademark swept style in February.

There were 98 bids in total with bidding for the hair, which came in a signed box, closing on Thursday.

The money raised will be go to a charity which rescues and rehabilitates animals.

The star, whose film Never Say Never was released in February, turned 17 on 1 March.

He recently was knocked off top spot in the US billboard chart by UK singer Adele.

WikiLeaks suspect forced to sleep naked in prison

2011-03-05T20:54:00.001-08:00

The Army private suspected of giving classified US documents to the anti-secrecy group Wiki Leaks was forced to sleep naked in a military jail at least once this week, the Marine Corpsacknowledged on Friday after the soldier's lawyer complained.

Commanders of the prison near Washington ordered all of Pfc Bradley Manning's clothing, including his boxer shorts, taken from him Wednesday night under provisions of the Navy Corrections Manual, which governs prisoner treatment, said 1st Lt Brian Villiard, a spokesman for the Marine Corps base.

"It was a situationally driven event but to go into detail about it would be inappropriate because it would violate the detainee's privacy," Villiard said.

Col Thomas V Johnson, another spokesman, said the treatment was not punitive.

Manning, a former intelligence analyst, is charged with aiding the enemy and 33 other offenses for allegedly stealing computer files of more than 250,000 confidential State Department cables, classified video of a deadly US helicopter attack and a raft of Iraq and Afghanistan war logs. The video and thousands of the documents have been published on the WikiLeaks website.

He was arrested in May and brought to Quantico July 29 from a detention facility in Kuwait.

The Navy Corrections Manual permits clothing removal for prisoners who have threatened suicide or made a suicidal gesture, or for strip searches involving suspicion of a crime.

Villiard said Manning hadn't been placed on suicide watch.

The 23-year-old remains in maximum custody and on prevention-of-injury status, designations that keep him confined alone 23 hours a day, and require removal of all clothing except his boxer shorts at night.

Singapore appoints Sikh as Army chief

2011-03-05T20:51:00.001-08:00

Singapore has appointed Brigadier General Ravinder Singh as its next army chief, the first Sikh in nearly 30 years to be given the force's baton.

Singh, 41, takes over from Major-General Chan Chun Sing on March 25, a news paper reported.

A Singaporean of Indian origin, Singh is currently Deputy Secretary (Technology) at the Defence Ministry. He joined the Singapore Armed Forces in December 1982.

Singh also served as assistant chief of General Staff (plans), head of Joint Communications and Information Systems Department and Chief of Staff - Joint Staff.

He is also the first non-Chinese Chief of Army in nearly 30 years. Colonel Mancharan Singh Gillwas the first ever Sikh and non-Chinese to take up the post in 1982, the report said.

Though Major-General Chan is retiring as announced by the Defence Ministry, local media speculated that he would be standing in the coming general election for a parliamentary seat under the banner of the ruling People's Action Party.

Billa-2 Exclusive : Vishnuvardhan Out & Chakri Toleti In

2011-02-18T23:15:00.000-08:00

Prequel of Billa is making news right from Diwali 2010 is a known fact. Here we have more news, though it’s on the wrong front. And now, Vishnu has been removed from the new Billa venture from the producers side due to the commitments he has with the Telugu project.

Vishnu planned for simultaneously shooting Telugu movie with Pawan and Billa in Tamil with Thala. This didn’t go well with the producers as they felt it’s not easy to make two movies in parallel which may also affect the quality of the output. Also, it’s learnt that the final draft of the movie is not ready yet. Though there were continuous interviews to media by Vishnu, given a chance to postpone the project he wasn’t ready to push it.

Although Thala was ready to wait for sometime, there was no action from Vishnu side, which resulted in he being chucked from the project by the producers. Also, from close sources its evident that Vishnu’s focus is no longer on Billa-2 even though it was the first project he committed too, which is evident through Yuvan's tweets. It’s a very costly miss by Vishnu by committing a telugu movie at the same time of Billa-2.

Chakri Toleti, a young, talented and dynamic director who directed Kamal's Unnai Pol Oruvan is to be roped in to direct the mega project film. Chakri Toleti started his career as a child artist in south Indian movies before moving to the US where he got a degree in filmmaking and VFX. The story and screenplay of Billa-2 will be developed by team of writers from production side, along with Chakri.

To add to the surprise quotient, we have news that a completely new fresh team might be formed for this big budget extravaganza “Billa-2” and it’s no lesser than the current team.

STARAJITH confirmed that Yuvan Shankar Raja will be doing the music score and there is no change.

Billa-2 will start rolling in the end of April as soon as Ajith completes Mankatha.

With these changes, Billa grows bigger and stronger and it won’t be surprise if it brings in some hot & happening hollywood celebrities into the south Indian cinema for the 1st time. Its no more a south Indian film, Its going global and its BILLA. It’s a prequel, with a sequel with twist and turns but ensures thrill and success for sure. What may change, one thing for sure is “Billa” is a phenomenon and it will remain the same. Wait for the charismatic Indian actor Thala, taking Indian cinema to a global level in the leagues of James Bond with the name Billa.

Intel CEO on White House jobs panel

2011-02-18T08:40:00.001-08:00

Intel Corp Chief Executive Paul Otellini will be named to a panel of experts advising President Barack Obama on jobs, the White House said.

Otellini will join the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, created in January to focus on lifting hiring and promoting growth.

General Electric Co Chief Executive Jeffrey Immelt was named last month to lead the new outside board advising the White House on economic policy. Other members of the Council will be named in the coming weeks, the White House said.

The Immelt-led board replaces an economic recovery advisory panel Obama named in 2009 to help guide his efforts to rescue the economy and rebuild the shattered U.S. financial system.

Obama, on a two-day West Coast visit, will tour Intel's Hillsboro, Oregon, facility with Otellini on Friday, the White House said.

Obama met with Apple Inc Chief Executive Steve Jobs and other technology industry leaders in Northern California on Thursday as part of a campaign to promote technological innovation as a means of boosting the struggling economy and reducing the 9 per cent unemployment rate.

Coca Cola's secret recipe 'exposed', claims website

2011-02-15T04:20:00.000-08:00

The ingredients of Coca Cola have always been a mystery. Now, a website claims to have uncovered the soft drink's top secret recipe which is said to be guarded 24 hours a day in a vault in Atlanta, Georgia.

'Thisamericanlife.org' claims to have discovered a list in a photograph in a newspaper article giving the secret ingredients and exact quantities to make the drink which was founded by John Pemberton, a medicinal pharmacist in 1886.

The February 8, 1979, edition of the 'Atlanta Journal- Constitution' has a photo of someone holding open a book with a recipe claimed to be an exact replica of Pemberton's, 'The Daily Telegraph' reported.

The recipe reportedly contains the exact measures of all the different oils needed for Coca Cola's secret ingredient, Merchandise 7X. Despite making up only one per cent of the drink's total formula, Merchandise 7X is thought to give the popular soft drink its unique taste.

The secret recipe includes fluid extract of Coca 3 drams USP; citric acid 3 oz; caffeine 1oz; sugar 30 (it is unclear from the markings what quantity is required); water 2.5 gal; lime juice 2 pints 1 qrt; vanilla 1oz; and caramel 1.5oz or more to colour 7X flavour.

The recipe also includes alcohol 8oz; orange oil 20 drops; lemon oil 30 drops; nutmeg oil 10 drops; coriander 5 drops; neroli 10 drops; and cinnamon 10 drops.

'Raja made 3,000cr in bribes'

2011-02-10T18:04:00.001-08:00

The CBI and Enforcement Directorate investigations have estimated that former telecom minister A Raja could have got bribes to the tune of Rs 3,000 crore, and have put the loss to the exchequer due to selling of spectrum at undervalued rates at Rs 40,000-50,000 crore.

The two agencies have linked bribes Raja allegedly got to his order on January 2008 bringing forward the cut-off date for applications for spectrum from the initial October 21, 2007 to September 25, 2007. The deadline switch eliminated many applications, enabling Raja to favor a few with spectrum. In the process, he allegedly became richer by some Rs 3,000 crore.

These are initial estimates of Raja's alleged new-found wealth as well as the loss to the exchequer and are not part of the progress report submitted by the CBI and ED to the Supreme Court on Thursday.

In their report, the two agencies said some companies who got the licenses had got drafts for license fees ready even before the revised cut-off date of September 25, 2007, implying they were aware of the plan to change the deadline. The companies that have been accused of collusion with Raja include Swan, Unitech, Videocon, S-Tel and Aircel.

The new licenses got huge foreign investments. One of them brought in share capital worth S$625 million. CBI counsel K K Venugopal told the court the licenses attracted investments in US, Japanese, and Mauritian currency.

Picasso painting La Lecture fetches $40m at auction

2011-02-08T18:01:00.001-08:00

A portrait of the muse who transformed painter Pablo Picasso's life has sold for £25.2m ($40.7m) at Sotheby's auction house in London.

La Lecture went to an anonymous phone buyer after six minutes of bidding.

The masterpiece depicts Pisasso's secret lover, Marie-Therese Walter, who was 17 when Picasso, then 45, met her in Paris for the first time.

Their relationship was kept secret for many years because of her age and because Picasso was married.

Ms Walter later said she had never heard of the artist when he first approached her saying: "I am Picasso - you and I are going to do great things together."

Until La Lecture was painted, Ms Walter had only appeared in Picasso's works in code with her features often embedded in the background of his paintings.

It was when the picture was exhibited at a Picasso retrospective that the artist's wife, Olga Khokhlova, realised there was another woman in his life and their marriage subsequently broke up.

Ms Walter later had a daughter, Maya, with Picasso.

Ms Walter inspired a number of works including La Reve as well as Nude, Green Leaves and Bust, both painted in 1932.

Rajini's next film-"Rana "

2011-01-28T20:32:00.000-08:00

Just when news about Endhiran is subsiding, brand Rajini is making news again: Not for his next (animated) movie Hara but for his next project with director KS Ravikumar. The news is official now that Rajini and KS Ravikumar have agreed to work on a project together which has been titled "Rana". The USP of the movie is that Rajinikanth will be acting in three roles in the movie. The last time we saw Rajinikanth in three roles was in Moondru Mugam.

Rana will be co-produced by Eros International and Ocher studios. The multi-lingual, which will be released in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi, will have music by AR Rahman who also scored music for Rajinikanht's last movie Endhiran. Editing will be done by Anthony and Ratnavelu, of Endhiran fame, will be the cinematographer. Art direction will be taken care by Rajeevan while The technical & special effects director will be Soundarya Rajnikanth and Charles Darby of Eyeqube Studios. The shooting is expected to commence in March this year and the film is expected to be released in 2012

Make quick fixes quicker on Google Project Hosting

2011-01-25T08:08:00.000-08:00

Have you ever noticed a bug or typo in your code but not been in a position to fix it? Perhaps you were browsing the code online from your Cr-48, or perhaps you just didn’t have Subversion or Mercurial handy. Today the Google Project Hosting team is announcing a new feature for you: the ability to edit your source code files directly in the browser, in our online editor powered by CodeMirror. Just look for the “edit file” link on files in the online source browser:

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Ajith’s Billa-2 shooting to start soon

2011-01-25T04:13:00.000-08:00

Director Vishnuvardan, who directed Ajith in Billa, is back with the sequel which will once again star Ajith. Though the film was announced long ago, Vishnu has been busy working on the script and finalizing the cast. Billa-2 will go on floors by March 2011, if sources are to be believed.

The film will revolve around the circumstances that made Billa a dreaded don (sounds like a prequel?). Ajith will be playing Billa but the rest of the cast is kept under wraps. The crew has been finalized and it will have Nirav Shah handling the camera and Yuvan Shankar Raja composing the music.

Anu Vardan, who set new standards with the costumes, will be designing the costumes for Billa-2. The film will be produced by Suresh Balaji and George Pious under the banner of Wide Angle Creations. With Mankatha proceeding in a brisk pace to release by May 1^st, we are hoping for Billa-2 to hit the screens by the end of 2011.