Pakistani police say bomb kills 6 near capital

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan – A suicide bomber riding a motorcycle slammed into a bus carrying defense department employees on Thursday, killing at least six people, police said.

The attack, the latest in a string of deadly bombings in Pakistan, happened in Rawalpindi, a garrison city and home to the headquarters of Pakistan's military.

City police chief Nasir Durrani said at least six people died in the blast and around 20 more were injured.

"Apparently it was a suicide attack, and the attacker was on a motorcycle," Durrani said, adding that the blast targeted a government bus.

A senior intelligence official told The Associated Press that the bus was carrying employees of the Pakistani military's weapons-making department.

An AP reporter at the scene saw pieces of a charred motorbike lying on the ground, as well as a damaged bus, car and van. Shattered glass and twisted metal littered the road.

One witness, Mohammed Amin, said the motorcycle sped toward the bus before it detonated.

"I saw a motorcycle getting closer to the bus, and I thought it would be crushed under the bus, but suddenly it exploded," said Amin, who was standing nearby. "I saw flames and dust blowing up and people were crying for help."

Islamist militants have carried out scores of bombing across Pakistan in recent years often targeting government security forces.

Rawalpindi lies about 7 miles (12 kilometers) from the capital, Islamabad.

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Day 1 chaotic at Bandra-Worli Sea Link

The Bandra-Worli Sea Link was thrown open to commuters in Mumbai at 7 o'clock on Wednesday morning after it's formal inauguration on Tuesday.

Commuters turned up in large numbers for their first drive on the link, an engineering marvel, which may go a long way in putting in an end to one Mumbai's worst traffic gridlocks.

But the first day of the sea link was, however, chaotic. Traffic moved at snail's pace with everybody wanting to drive on Mumbai's engineering marvel as toll of Rs 50 being waived off for four days. Many vehicles were on the road to get a free ride.

In comparison, the land route was relatively emptier with cars not having to drive bumper to bumper. Roads in Mahim, which are otherwise choked, were the better option on day 1.

The opening of the sea link had become a political rally, which looked as a soft launch to the Assembly elections. The Congress even went ahead and named the bridge after Rajiv Gandhi.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sainiks gathered at the sea link late on Tuesday night to protest against the naming of the sea link after Rajiv Gandhi.

Around 25 Shiv Sainiks gathered together at the sea link with banners, shouted slogans and dispersed.

Their demand was that the link be named after Veer Savarkar who was more connected to Mumbai and Marathi people than Rajiv Gandhi.

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Wheel Chair dnace must be see

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Oscar for Best Picture to now have 10 contenders

Washington: The Oscar for the Best Picture, the most-sought after honour in Hollywood, will have 10 contenders from next year instead of the short list of five so far, a media report said Thursday.

The Los Angeles Times called it "the new Academy Awards era" as it reported Wednesday's "out-of-the-blue" announcement that the Best Picture category at the Oscars will double in size to 10 films.

The "uncharacteristically bold" change caught Hollywood studios off guard and reset all the expectations for Hollywood's biggest prize, which now would seem to have room on its short list for well-regarded popcorn films such as this summer's "Up" and "Star Trek", the Times said.

That would be a major change for a "traditionally staid" award gala that is far more comfortable with art-house fare and lavish period pieces than summer blockbusters, even the well-reviewed ones, it said.

The move is a return to form of the academy's early years, which commonly saw 10 to 12 nominees in the 1930s and 1940s, and is a result of a two-year in-house search for ways to broaden the appeal of the award.

"Last year there were more movies that I thought might have fit in the nominations," Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Sid Ganis said Wednesday, acknowledging that hits such as "Iron Man", "The Dark Knight", and "Tropic Thunder" resonated far more with moviegoers than with Academy voters.

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Urgent from Ka Frank: Indian State vs. The People of Lalgarh

The Indian state is mobilizing its forces to crush the just struggle of the tribal people of Lalgarh, West Bengal. In the last 24 hours, West Bengal’s state police and 11 companies of Central paramilitary forces have started to move towards Lalgarh.

In November 2008, the tribal people (adivasis) of Lalgarh rose up against decades of abuse by the police and goons of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the ruling party in West Bengal. This is the same phoney “communist” party that has tried to give away peasants’ lands in Nandigram and Singur, only to be beaten back and exposed by determined struggle.

In recent years, thousands of adivasis in the Lalgarh area have been imprisoned on false charges of having ties with the Maoist insurgency. They formed the People’s Committee against Police Atrocities, which has extended its influence to 1,100 villages in the region. Led by the People’s Committee, the adivasis have driven the police and CPM cadre out of the area, burning down police camps and digging up roads to prevent the state authorities from re-entering. Activists of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) have played a leading role in the People’s Committee and in extending the struggle into new areas.

jhargram_west_bengal_india-map2This is a critical battle for the Indian people and for people around the world. Our voices must be raised against the preparations of the West Bengal state and the central government to drown the struggle in blood.

The following are from the Times of India:
Security forces begin ops to free Lalgarh from Maoists

18 Jun 2009 — Security forces have moved into the restive Lalgarh region to end the three-day siege of Maoists, who have gone on a rampage targeting CPI(M) cadres and leaders, destroying their homes and party offices and setting up barricades to block police entry.

Fifty villages in and around Lalgarh in West Midnapore district have been captured and declared a ‘free zone’ by Maoists.

Setting up their base camps around Lalgarh, central forces along with state police began closing in on Lalgarh early on Thursday morning. Four to five base camps at strategic locations have been set up with the objective not to concede any more areas to the Maoists. Maoists have formed a three-tier human shield with women and children in the vanguard, men behind them and armed naxals forming the rearguard, according to a senior police officer. Sources say the forces want to minimize casualties and will thus move slowly.

jhargram_west_bengal_india-map“Operation at Lalgarh has started this morning. The operation will be mainly done by the state police but we will be adequately assisted by the Central forces,” West Bengal DGP Sujit Kumar Sarkar said.

Asked about the number of forces deployed, Sarkar said the details “cannot be divulged right now”.

“But there are adequate (state) forces to restore peace and normalcy in the area. The CRPF will give adequate back up and if needed, they will actively participate,” he said over phone from Kolkata.

Agitating tribals of West Midnapore and adjoining areas have been protesting police “atrocities” on them in the wake of the landmine blast at Salboni which was believed to target the Chief Minister.

The tribals, numbering 2000 under the banner of People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities, dug up roads amid reports that they were laying landmines to stop the security forces.

“We will try to shed minimum blood,” Sarkar said adding I cannot tell you the exact timeframe (of the operation).”

Five hundred CRPF personnel, including 200 personnel of the elite COBRA trained in anti-Maoist operations, have been deployed to deal with the situation.

Conceding to pressure from the Centre, the state government had ordered the police to lead the operation with assistance from the central forces.

* * * * * *
‘Our aim is to break CPM shackles’

18 Jun 2009, 0307 hrs IST, Sukumar Mahato, TNN
People burning CPIM offices in Lalgarh uprising

People burning CPIM offices in Lalgarh uprising

He is leading the Lalgarh offensive in West Midnapore district of West Bengal. Around 24 years old, he is a veteran in Maoist ranks, serving as zonal committee secretary of Communist Party of India (Maoist) for West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia districts. Sukumar Mahato speaks to firebrand Maoist Bikash about his party’s plans:

What are your immediate plans?

Our aim is to break the shackles that the ruling CPM has put on the people of this area. For nearly two decades, the people have not reaped the so-called benefits of parliamentary democracy. Gradually, everything began to be controlled by CPM. Its leaders even had a say in marriages and other social and personal matters.

There are many leaders against whom FIRs are pending. The police have taken no action against them. We will punish them. Those who have spent money or used political connections to avoid justice will be tried by people’s courts.

The government is preparing to strike in a major way. How will you counter this?

We have seen media reports in which government officials have spoken about bringing in Central forces, COBRA or Greyhound personnel. We are prepared for any strike. PCPA is with us. In Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapore districts, we have set up gram committees in over 250 villages. We shall ultimately liberate Keshpur and Garbeta. The state cannot stop us by using force.

Why have you resorted to violence?

We were forced into taking up arms by the administration. When we had guns pointing at us, one can’t expect us to respond with flower petals. Violence was started by CPM. We took up arms to counter this. Many of them are educated unemployed youths. Family members of CPM leaders have got jobs that were meant for them.

Why do you target the police? Many of the constables belong to poor families.

We have appealed to the police a number of times, not to blindly follow the diktats of CPM. We have asked the police not to torture poor villagers. There are some who heeded our appeal. Those who we targeted worked at the behest of CPM and paid a price.

What is your ultimate goal?

We want public funds to be used by the people’s committee. They will be accountable for all development work done. We have already done a lot of development work in the villages. CPM talks a lot about land reforms. Anuj Pandey and his two brothers owned 40 bighas of land. We shall distribute such land among the poor.

* * * * * *
Lalgarh in West Bengal Tense, as Tribals take control of the Area
Protests in Kolkata against police excesses in Lalgarh

Protests in Kolkata against police excesses in Lalgarh

Kolkata: The agitating tribals in Lalgarh in West Bengal continued to lay siege in the area and prevented the entry of police and para-military personnel. The CRPF personnel were not allowed to enter the area by over 2,000 angry tribals, who were protesting under the banner of People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA). The situation continued to be tense and volcanic in Lalgarh and Salboni in West Midnapore district.

The tribals are protesting against the alleged police atrocities on them after a landmine blast in Salboni in November 2008, which was targeted at Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and two former Union Ministers Ramvilas Paswan and Jitin Prasada.

The West Bengal government has urged the Centre to dispatch five more companies of CRPF to deal with the volcanic situation and recapture Lalgarh. A massive operation could be launched anytime to bring the area under government control.

The tribals backed by the Maoists, have launched an attack on top CPM leaders, forcing them to flee the area. At least 2,000 CPM workers have reportedly fled the area.

Even the police had to wind up their camps in Lalgarh, surrendering before the tribal agitation. A local CPM leader and two party supporters were killed by the Maoists on Wednesday in Bankasole near Lalgarh.

Law and order situation: Bengal now comes under Central attack
18 Jun 2009, 0124 hrs IST, TNN

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Law-and-order-situation-Bengal-now-comes-under-Central-attack/articleshow/4668390.cms

NEW DELHI: Just when its cadre are on the run in West Bengal with resurgent Maoists and Trinamool Congress having turned the table on them in
Lalgarh and Khejuri, CPM on Wednesday came under attack also from the Centre for not doing enough to tackle the deteriorating law and order situation.

In a strong riposte to the charge levelled by CPM’s Sitaram Yechury that Centre was not helpful, home ministser P Chidambaram said that the state government ought to first deploy its forces to deal with the situation. “We (central forces) are there to assist the state police. The state police must commit its own forces. I don’t know how many men they have committed in the area and what instructions they have been given. But in my talks with the chief minister, I told him that in our view the state police must be given a clear mandate and clear instructions,” suggesting that the Marxist government is reluctant to take on the Maoist challenge.

Yechury had blamed the Centre for allowing the situation to worsen. He alleged that Maoists’ move to acquire arms to achieve area domination was known to intelligence agencies.

Even though Yechury also appealed for co-ordiantion between the Centre and the state, the Maoist takeover of Lalgarh was unlikely to result in a consensus over how to deal with the threat. The fighting came a day ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s meeting with CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharya. They are said to have a rapport, and on Wednesday the Prime Minister repeated his formulation about naxalites being the chief internal security threat. But whether the personal equation of the two leaders will help bridge the divide remained unclear because of the escalating conflict. The Prime Minister must have to reckon with his ally, Mamata Banerjee, an implacable foe of Marxists.

The Trinamool chief will be averse to the idea of organising relief for the Marxists and may get support from Congressmen in West Bengal. On Wednesday, the Left versus the Rest divide aggravated with an unsentimental Congress launching a full-scale assault on Marxists who find themselves beleaguered in their own bastion.

Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari called the Maoist violence a backlash against 32 years of cadre raj enforced by Marxists. “When you sow the wind you can only reap the whirlwind,” he said.

He also echoed Chidambaram’s charge of inaction against Marxists. “The Marxist regime cannot abdicate its responsibility; if it cannot run the government it should step down,” said Tiwari while contending that the “cadre raj” was marked by excesses.

Caught in a pincer attack when their political fortunes appear to ebb, the Marxists were reversing their known positions, such as those on Centre’s jurisdiction with regard to law and order which under the Constitution has been recognised as a responsibility of state governments. Marxists have not zealously supported this division of labour, but have been instrumental in fashioning the intellectual argument for limiting the role of the Centre on `law and order’. They have not been enamoured of central forces or intelligence agencies either.

On Wednesday, however, Yechury pushed for greater involvement of the Centre. “Centre and state should coordinate to get rid of the menace.” He also recalled the Prime Minister’s description of naxalites as the biggest threat.

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Indian court issues arrest warrants for 22 Pakistanis in Mumbai attacks

MUMBAI, India — A prosecutor says an Indian court has issued arrest warrants for 22 Pakistani nationals accused of masterminding last year's deadly Mumbai terrorist attacks.

Public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam says the warrants require Islamabad to extradite the suspects. Pakistan has vowed that it will not transfer any Mumbai suspects to longtime rival India.

Among those sought for arrest is Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, the founder of the Islamist militant group that India blames for the attacks. Saeed was recently freed from house arrest by a Pakistani court.

The 22 warrants were issued Tuesday as part of the ongoing trial of the only surviving suspected gunman in the attacks in November that left some 166 dead in a three-day siege.

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Obama says second fiscal stimulus bill not yet needed

U.S. President Barack Obama said a second stimulus package isn’t needed yet, though he expects the U.S. unemployment rate will exceed 10 percent this year.

“I think it’s important to see how the economy evolves and how effective the first stimulus is,” Obama said at a White House news conference.

He said it is “pretty clear” that unemployment will continue rising before the recovery takes hold and said it isn’t surprising that initial forecasts from his administration missed the mark.

The economy has lost about 6 million jobs since the recession began in December 2007. The jobless rate jumped to 9.4 percent in May, the highest in more than 25 years.

Obama signed the $787 billion stimulus bill in February, and his chief economic advisers had forecast it would help hold unemployment below 8 percent. It included tax cuts and spending on infrastructure projects that the president pledged would save or create 3.5 million jobs.

“I don’t feel satisfied with the progress that we’ve made,” Obama said. He cited the need to speed up distribution of stimulus funds and do more work with a program to modify existing mortgages, which hasn’t “been keeping pace with all the foreclosures that are taking place.”

Foreclosure filings in the U.S. surpassed 300,000 for a third straight month in May and may reach a record 1.8 million by the first half of the year, RealtyTrac Inc. said June 11.

The median price of an existing home has fallen 26 percent from the peak reached in July 2006 as sales slumped and financial institutions auctioned off foreclosed properties. While the losses have devastated some families, others were able to buy a house for the first time because of the drop in values.

Obama defended his initial stimulus projections, saying the economy worsened once the legislation was enacted only weeks into his presidency.

“Nobody understood what the depths of this recession were going to look like,” Obama said. “It was only significantly later that we suddenly get a report that the economy had tanked.”

“It’s not surprising, then, that we missed the mark in terms of our estimates of where unemployment would go,” he said.

For the second time in a month, Obama voiced unease over the results of a $787 billion economic stimulus that he pressed Congress to pass as one of his first acts as president.

New polls indicate that the still-popular president faces some erosion of support over his economic policies. Other polls show Americans are more upbeat than last year but still wary of spending, a sign of uncertainty and a prescription for a slow recovery.

Obama's lowered expectations for employment served to prepare the public for more economic bad news even as the economy shows signs that the worst of the recession is over. Unemployment typically continues to rise even as an economy begins to recover, a political predicament for Obama as he pushes a domestic policy centered on health care reform.

Earlier this month, Obama promised to speed up the outflow of money and create or save 600,000 jobs by the end of the summer. But spending of the stimulus money had been expected to rise in the summer anyway and the 600,000 jobs had been a target for a month.

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Make the Pic Talk!

he last edition of 'Make the Pic Talk' was a great success all thanks to you! There were some great funny caption and it was sure entertaining. So BollyCurry is back with some more masti and entertainment with this edition of 'Make the Pic Talk'

See the picture given below...
Now all you need to do is just become a little tiny winy bit creative and give our own caption to this cute Rab Ne Bana Jodi image! Simple right?


For example,
Shahrukh: Anushka, i didnt knew ur teeth is so dirty...
Anushka: Oh Shahrukh, my teeth is not dirty.. its the glasses of ur specs which is dirty...

So B-town fans, what are you waiting for? Put on your creative thinking caps and start captioning! Enjoy.

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Medical report confirms rape of maid by Shiney Ahuja: police

Spelling serious trouble for Bollywood actor Shiney Ahuja, accused of raping his maid servant, a medical report of the victim has confirmed the crime, a top police official said Tuesday.




Shiney Ahuja'The findings of the medical report confirm the statements in the victim's first information report (FIR),' Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone VI) Niket Kaushik told IANS Tuesday afternoon.


In another disclosure, Kaushik said that a physical examination of the victim indicated she could be aged between 17-18 years, making her a minor as per Indian laws.


'In order to determine her correct age, we are now planning to send her for appropriate dental and bone examination. So I cannot comment anything on this aspect immediately,' Kaushik said.


The victim used to commute by local train from Vasai suburb in neighbouring Thane district to Shiney's home daily for doing cooking and other chores along with two other part-time servants.


On Sunday, she lodged a complaint against Shiney, accusing him of raping her, threatening to kill and illegally confining her, leading to the actor's arrest.


Shiney was Monday remanded to police custody till June 18.

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'Kites' to hit screens in December

Mumbai, June 22 The much-talked about Hrithik Roshan starrer 'Kites' is scheduled for December release and producer Rakesh Roshan and director Anurag Basu have also agreed on how different the English and Hindi versions of the film would be.

Mumbai, June 22 (IANS) The much-talked about Hrithik Roshan starrer 'Kites' is scheduled for December release and producer Rakesh Roshan and director Anurag Basu have also agreed on how different the English and Hindi versions of the film would be.

The supposed steamy scenes between Hrithik and his co-star Barbara Mori would be the same in both versions.

'We can't cheat Hindi audiences. The so-called steamy scenes will be the same in both versions. The visuals will remain unchanged in both. There won't be anything radically different in the two versions because Hrithik and Barbara speak English-Hindi and Spanish, respectively in both English and Hindi,' Basu told IANS.

Also there would be voice-overs in Hindi and English, both done by Hrithik whose love story the film chronicles in a style that would recall David Lean's 'Brief Encounter' and K. Balachander's 'Ek Duuje Ke Liye'.

About being designated the director of the decade at International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards in Macau, Rakesh Roshan said: 'I'm flattered. There were other truly deserving directors in the reckoning. I must've done something right.'

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Bollywood continues to takes cues from Hollywood

Hollywood films have been the inspiration for many of the Hindi film industry's biggest hits.

Right from cult classics like 'Baazi' (1951) to 'Sholay' (1975) and 'Baazigar' (1993) - and even 'Ghajini' (2008) - all have some western movie as the stimulus. The Hollywood influence is evident in some of the forthcoming biggies like 'Paa', 'Action Replay', 'Agyaat' and 'Pyaar Impossible'.

Guru Dutt's debut 'Baazi' was inspired by the Rita Hayworth starrer 'Gilda' (1946), while 'Sholay' is widely called an 'Indian curry Western film', with inspiration from seven Hollywood films including - 'Once Upon A Time In The West' (1968), 'Spaghetti Westerns', 'The Wild Bunch' (1969), 'Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid' (1973) and 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' (1969).

'Baazigar' and 'Ghajini' are said to be Indianised versions of 'A Kiss Before Dying' (1991) 'Memento' (2000) respectively.

'Paa' supposedly draws its plot from the 1996 comedy-drama 'Jack', about a boy who ages faster than normal due to a disease, while Akshay Kumar-starrer 'Action Replay' is an alleged take-off on the reverse-ageing drama 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'.

Promos of Ram Gopal Varma's horror thriller 'Agyaat' suggest sequences from sci-fi horror 'Predator' (1987). 'Pyaar Impossible' is apparently sketched around reality TV series 'Beauty and the Geek' and 1999s 'Notting Hill' - on a relationship between a film actress and her fan.

David Dhawan, Karan Johar and Abbas-Mustan are working on remakes of 'The Wedding Crashers' (2005), 'Stepmom' (1998) and 'The Italian Job' (1969 and 2003).

Film critic Omar Qureshi says it is due to the lack of writers that filmmakers are visiting Hollywood movies for inspiration.

'The biggest motivation for making a successful movie is that it brings money and appreciation. So filmmakers go for a tried and tested formula by taking inspiration from Hollywood. Otherwise there are only a very few talented writers who've come out with original content... it's actually not about writers,' film critic Omar Qureshi told IANS.

Hollywood has been an influence even in the 1940s.

Mehboob Khan's 1940 movie 'Aurat' that he remade 17 years later into 'Mother India' was inspired from Hollywood flick 'The Good Earth' (1937).

'There has been a constant borrowing of ideas between the two industries. Take for example 'The Magnificent Seven' (1960) that was inspired from Akira Kurosawa's 'Seven Samurai' (1954) that went on to inspire 'Sholay'. Even 'The Parent Trap' (1998) has a plot similar to that of 'Do Kaliyan' (1968),' Qureshi said.

US-based Indian origin Hollywood filmmaker Nagendra Karri said: 'It's the lack of scripts and proper writers that is making Indian filmmakers copy Hollywood. In fact that is one of the reasons Kamal Haasan used to get his scripts written by French writers and then adapt them to make classics,' Karri told IANS during a recent trip to India.

'Even if you are adapting or copying, at least give credits to the original, so that they don't feel cheated or offended.'

Film historian S.M.M. Ausaja says that though there is no dearth of good content here, filmmakers don't prefer to invest time in searching for good stories for their movies.

'There is no dearth of content here. It's only a question of shortcut that the filmmakers take because they want a ready script. We've always been inspired from the west... Lifting has been here since the 1940s.

'There are only a few Indian directors who've made authentic films like Ashutosh Gowariker who meticulously gives time to his scripts,' he added.

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan's hits like 'Baazigar', 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai', 'Josh', 'Mohabattein', 'Main Hoon Na' and 'Chak De India' have based their stories respectively around films like 'A Kiss Before Dying', 'Sleepless in Seattle' (1993), 'West Side Story', 'Dead Poet's Society' (1989), 'Never Been Kissed' (1999) and 'Mighty Ducks'.

Ram Gopal Varma, known for making films on the underworld, also took inspiration from 'The Godfather' (1972) to make 'Sarkar'.

Qureshi says things have changed now as Hollywood filmmakers are keeping a close tab to ensure that Indian filmmakers don't lift ideas without taking permission.

'Earlier filmmakers were doing it blindly, but now with Hollywood keeping an eye on us they are doing it with their consent.'

Recently, film banners like B.R. Films, Mirchi Movies and David Dhawan have faced the flak for lifting movies like 'My Cousin Vinny' (1992), 'Harry Potter' title and 'Hitch' (2005) respectively for desi versions of forthcoming 'Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai' and 2008 dud 'Hari Puttar' and 'Partner' (2007).

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Zayed bonds with 'bro' Fardeen

Zayed Khan has been bonding more closely than ever before with cousin Fardeen ever since he lost his father, Feroz Khan. Always known to be fond of one another, the two are now almost inseparable.

Fardeen, who finds it hard to articulate his grief to anyone else, is very much at home with his cousin and had been missing Zayed in Goa where he has been shooting for the past one month for director Rohit Shetty's comedy 'All The Best'.

Trying to be funny on camera while feeling far from amused is the last thing Fardeen wants to do at the moment. Sensing his brother's anguish, Zayed after landing here from Macau suddenly took off for Goa to give him company.

Uncharacteristically, he went without his wife and son.

'But sometimes a guy just has to be with his bro,' Zayed told IANS. 'We've always been close. I guess now my bro needs me more than ever. So here I am. What is family for?'

Meanwhile, Zayed is gearing up for his second innings as his father Sanjay Khan is producing an international jungle adventure featuring him along with his star brother-in-law Hrithik Roshan.

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Bad business: how Maoists are hurting the economy

New Delhi: The growing Maoist insurgency in India over large swathes of the mineral-rich countryside could soon hurt some industrial investment plans just as the country suffers an economic slowdown.

The government banned the Communist Party of India (Maoist) on Monday, bracketing it with Islamist militant groups, but experts said the ban would have little impact in the battle against the rebels.

On the ground, police fight Maoist insurgents with outdated weapons and are often outnumbered by rebels, who are skilled in jungle warfare and are armed with rocket launchers, automatic rifles and explosives.

Last week, hundreds of Maoists declared the town of Lalgarh about 170 km from Kolkata as a "liberated zone", sparking unease among investors.

While the economic impact may be small compared with India's trillion dollar economy, the insurgency and the sense that it is worsening signals that India does not fully control its own territory and adds to risks for companies mulling investments.

The Lalgarh incident worried the country's third-largest steel producer, JSW Steel, which is setting up a $7-billion, 10-million tonne steel plant near Lalgarh.

"We are waiting and watching, so are the others," Biswadip Gupta, chief executive officer of the company's West Bengal operations, told Reuters on Tuesday.

"On top of the economic woes, you have the problem of Maoists now. It is very jittery," Gupta said by telephone from Kolkata.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described Maoists as the biggest internal security threat since independence, and this year more than 300 people, mostly police, have been killed.

The Maoists started their armed struggle in West Bengal's Naxalbari town in the late 1967, and have expanded their support among villagers by tapping into resentment at the government's recent pro-industry push.

The rebels, estimated to have 22,000 fighters, operate in large parts of the eastern, central and southern countryside, and officials say they are now spreading to cities and bigger towns.

The Maoists, who are fighting for the rights of poor farmers and the disenfranchised, regularly attack railway lines and factories, aiming to cripple economic activity.

"It is still a law and order problem, but it has not been taken seriously and can have serious consequences if not dealt with properly," said Anjan Roy, analyst at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, referring to growth of industry.

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Akshay Kumar is a good kisser: Denise Richards

London: Former Bondgirl Denise Richards, who worked with Bollywood heartthrob Akshay Kumar in upcoming film Kambakkht Ishq, says she enjoyed locking lips with the actor as he is a "good kisser".

An impressed Richards has branded the actor India's "sexiest star", Contactmusic reported.

"Akshay was so down to earth and very genuine. He made me feel very comfortable, plus he's a good kisser! I can see why he's India's sexiest actor!," Richards said.

Directed by Sabbir Khan and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, the film also features Hollywood actors Sylvester Stallone and Brandon Routh apart from Denise Richards in key roles.

Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor play the lead in the movie, which is slated to hit theatres this July. Richards admits that she struggled with the language

while filming the movie, her first Bollywood project, but got a helping hand from her co-stars.

"I couldn't believe how kind everyone was and they were so passionate about the film. All the actors were very sweet and gorgeous! They helped translate when I needed to understand something," she added.

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Zardari calls Angelina Jolie to say thank you

Islamabad: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari made a 'thank you' call to Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie for donating a million dollars for the people displaced by anti-Taliban military operations in the country's northwest.

Zardari thanked Jolie and her companion Brad Pitt, who jointly run the Jolie-Pitt Foundation, during the phone call on Monday and also invited them to visit Pakistan, sources said.

The Hollywood power couple have been running the Jolie-Pitt Foundation to assist in humanitarian crises around the world.

Jolie, who has been a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commission on Refugees since 2001, donated a million dollars on World Refugee Day to aid displaced people in Pakistan.

Jolie has said she decided to provide aid to the displaced Pakistanis because the refugee crisis in the country was relatively new and the numbers of displaced persons had "jumped so quickly".

"I think in the last few weeks, there were about 100,000 displaced a day. There's over two million now. I think it's just there has been a giant appeal, a lot of funds have been sent in, a lot of aid has come to the people... But the numbers are so extraordinary and they're growing," Jolie told CNN after making the donation

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US immigration: When only 'geniuses' need apply

In the coming weeks, President Barack Obama will begin his push to overhaul the US immigration system, and almost every aspect of the effort will prove controversial. Millions of undocumented, low-skill immigrants and their supporters will square off against groups like the Minutemen, who want to close the border with Mexico and expel people who are in the country illegally. Technology companies such as Microsoft, IBM , and Google will argue to make it easier for high-skill workers to come to the US, while tech workers will lobby fiercely to restrict such programs.

Far away from these debates lies one quiet corner of US immigration policy: the program for what are known as "genius" visas. These visas are awarded to immigrants with extraordinary abilities in the arts, sciences, education, business, or athletics. The program, for what are officially called O-1 visas, began in 1990 as lawmakers sought to separate these applicants from the pool of those seeking H-1B visas, the visa program for skilled immigrants used by many technology companies. While H-1B applicants must hold at least a bachelor's degree and possess some specialized skill, O-1 visas are allotted to a more elite crowd: those who can prove to US immigration officials that they are the very top in their fields. Peter F Asaad, an immigration attorney and adjunct professor of law at American University, calls the recipients "Nobel prize quality or equivalent."

The awards aren't that rare, but they do go to a small group. According to the US State Dept.—which makes the grants to successful applicants—9,014 O-1s were awarded in 2008, up 40% from 2004. Among current O-1 visa holders are Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, Canadian author Jennifer Gould Keil, Israeli concert pianist Inon Barnatan, and members of the New York dance companies Merce Cunningham and Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane.

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Obama 'committed' to immigration reform

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama Friday said he was committed to comprehensive immigration reform, amid rising calls by Hispanic supporters for
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a path to citizenship for 12 million illegal immigrants.

Obama did not, however, lay out a timetable for action on one of the most perilous issues in the United States, which political leaders struggle to reconcile with the political heat of a two-year congressional election cycle.

"Together we must build a future where the promise of America is kept for a new generation," said Obama, at the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast in Washington.

"We also know that keeping this promise means upholding America's tradition as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants.

"Those things aren't contradictory, they're complementary. That's why I'm committed to passing comprehensive immigration reform as president of the United States."

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Russia, US resume landmark nuclear talks

GENEVA: US and Russian negotiators met in Geneva to discuss new cuts in nuclear weapons arsenals, their last scheduled round of talks before a

summit between their presidents next month.

The third round of talks on replacing the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) was due to last two days.

"The negotiations restarted at 1430 IST today at the Russian mission," a Russian diplomat said.

Negotiators also met on Monday, Russian and US diplomatic sources added.

The attempt to strike a new deal to succeed START, which expires on December 5, symbolises a thaw in US-Russian relations in recent months, although the Russians are insisting on concessions on the US missile defence shield.

The negotiations are meant to prepare the ground for Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's landmark meeting with US counterpart Barack Obama in Moscow on July 6.

"Restarting the US-Russian nuclear arms control process will help repair frayed US-Russian relations, open the way for dramatic reductions in the overall number of nuclear weapons, and improve global cooperation to help meet other nuclear threats," said US disarmament analyst Daryl Kimball.

The stockpiles of several thousand nuclear warheads were the obvious place to start to defuse tensions, while allowing Obama to gain bipartisan support in Congress, he added in a briefing note.

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Air India seeks Rs 10,000-crore bailout

NEW DELHI: India's flagship carrier Air India, which is struggling to cope with a cash crunch, will ask for a Rs.10,000-crore (about $2 billion)

bailout package from the central government, a senior official said.



Airline officials, who discussed the airline's financial problems with Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel on Tuesday night, will meet top government officials again seeking help.

The minister arrived here on Tuesday after attending the Paris air show.

"We are looking for at least Rs.10,000 crore bailout package. I am not sure if the government would agree on this," said the Air India official, who did not want to be named.

Air India earlier said it was looking for a bailout package worth at least Rs.15,000 crore from the government.

Air India chairman and managing director Arvind Jadhav, Civil Aviation Secretary M. Madhavan Nambiar and other senior ministry and airline officials had met the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, T.K.A. Nair, Monday with the demands. But they did not get any assurance from Nair.

Jadhav last week met Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrasekhar.

National Aviation Co of India Ltd (NACIL), which owns Air India, had earlier announced that it would delay the salaries of its over 31,000 employees for 15 days. The management has also asked the top executives of the airline to forgo their one month's salary.

The employees, however, did not accept the management's decision and said they would go for an indefinite strike from July 1 if the management delays their salaries.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the global aviation industry is expected to lose about $9 billion this year.

The Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) says the Indian aviation industry is likely to incur around $2 billion losses this year.

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Nooyi, Narayen among 25 'top gun' CEOs in US : Forbes

NEW YORK: Two India-origin persons --Indra Nooyi and Shantanu Narayen -- have been named among the top 25 chief executive officers in the US, who
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kept their companies on success path despite challenging economic conditions, according to Forbes magazine.

Adobe System's chief executive officer Shantanu Narayen and beverage major Pepsico's Indra Nooyi have been ranked at the 16th and 17th places, respectively in the list of 25 'top gun CEOs' for 2009 who kept their firms thriving amid the recessionary situation.

"This past year has given top executives many reasons to be nervous about whether their firms will stay alive, let alone turn a profit. But some executives did more than just get through hard times and some put their companies on the path to success," Forbes said.

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