Deepika Padukone Fires On Media
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Fake website fuels Johnny Depp's death rumours
SOURCE : NDTV
In what seems to be another celebrity death hoax circulating across the Internet, Hollywood actor Johnny Depp was rumoured to have died in a car crash near Bordeaux in France.
The rumour circulated on various online portals that claimed the Golden Globe award-wining actor was involved in a fatal car accident.
The rumour was fuelled by a report posted in a leading news source, which claimed that the 46-year-old actor had died in a car accident. Incidentally, the news report was dated March 25, 2004.
In what seems to be another celebrity death hoax circulating across the Internet, Hollywood actor Johnny Depp was rumoured to have died in a car crash near Bordeaux in France.
The rumour circulated on various online portals that claimed the Golden Globe award-wining actor was involved in a fatal car accident.
The rumour was fuelled by a report posted in a leading news source, which claimed that the 46-year-old actor had died in a car accident. Incidentally, the news report was dated March 25, 2004.
Padma Lakshmi beats Ash
SOURCE : TIMESOFINDIA
Supermodels Padma Lakshmi and Lakshmi Menon have beaten Indian actresses Aishwarya Rai and Freida Pinto in a most desirable women poll conducted by a portal.
According to the top 99 women poll by askmen.com, Padma Lakshmi has grabbed the 15th spot while Menon sits at the 45th position leaving behind "Slumdog Millionaire" star Pinto and former Miss World Aishwarya in 50th and 63rd positions respectively. "I am delighted that the readers of this portal have chosen to include me on their list. I am extremely flattered," the website quoted Padma as saying.
Beating all of them, however, is Canadian actress Emmanuelle Chriqui, who tops the list. It also features singer Beyonce Knowles at sixth position, Spanish actress Penelope Cruz and "Tranformers" star Megan Fox at seventh and 11th spots respectively.
After a six-week long voting period, six million votes decided the ranking of these beautiful wom
Supermodels Padma Lakshmi and Lakshmi Menon have beaten Indian actresses Aishwarya Rai and Freida Pinto in a most desirable women poll conducted by a portal.
According to the top 99 women poll by askmen.com, Padma Lakshmi has grabbed the 15th spot while Menon sits at the 45th position leaving behind "Slumdog Millionaire" star Pinto and former Miss World Aishwarya in 50th and 63rd positions respectively. "I am delighted that the readers of this portal have chosen to include me on their list. I am extremely flattered," the website quoted Padma as saying.
Beating all of them, however, is Canadian actress Emmanuelle Chriqui, who tops the list. It also features singer Beyonce Knowles at sixth position, Spanish actress Penelope Cruz and "Tranformers" star Megan Fox at seventh and 11th spots respectively.
After a six-week long voting period, six million votes decided the ranking of these beautiful wom
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BASIC meet: China questions global warming
SOURCE : NDTV
The BASIC group of countries (Brazil, South Africa, India and China) came together for the first time after the Copenhagen Climate Summit to send out a strong message to the developed countries.
Doing the unexpected, the BASIC nations - in a meeting on Sunday - promised to put down in writing about exactly how much they will cut back green house emissions.
"The ministers expressed their intention to communicate information on their voluntary mitigation actions to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) by January 31, 2010," said Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh.
"This should be a slap in the face of the developed countries. Frustration comes from Copenhagen as the rich countries did not come up with cuts, but we will not cry about that," pointed out Brazil's Environment Minister Carlos Minc.
The meeting in New Delhi came just days ahead of an earlier deadline set by the United Nations for countries to sign up on the Copenhagen accord reached just last month.
Reports suggest that the deadline has been shifted now as developed nations want more time to decide on how much they were willing to cut back on carbon emissions. The BASIC group and the US were largely responsible for drafting the accord.
India has pledged to cut its carbon intensity by 20-25 per cent by 2020 and China by 40-45 per cent. Now they aim to pressurise developed countries to give honour their commitments.
Put the money on the table if you are serious about climate change - that's the message from the BASIC countries to the developed world. Not just that by announcing their intention to communicate their emission cuts to the UN they are hoping to take the moral high ground in climate negotiations.
But the real surprise came from the Xie Zhenhua, Vice-Chairman, National Development and Reform Commission of China. In the backdrop of the error-ridden report on Himalayan glaciers, Beijing's representative wondered whether global warming was a natural, and not a man-made, phenomenon.
"There have been different views that climate change has been caused by cyclical elements of nature itself. I think we need to adapt and open attitude to scientific research and be open," Zhenhua said.
None of the other BASIC ministers responded, but the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's admission of putting out wrong information on global warming had worried many that it would arm sceptics. Does that now include China, the world's biggest polluter?
The BASIC group of countries (Brazil, South Africa, India and China) came together for the first time after the Copenhagen Climate Summit to send out a strong message to the developed countries.
Doing the unexpected, the BASIC nations - in a meeting on Sunday - promised to put down in writing about exactly how much they will cut back green house emissions.
"The ministers expressed their intention to communicate information on their voluntary mitigation actions to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) by January 31, 2010," said Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh.
"This should be a slap in the face of the developed countries. Frustration comes from Copenhagen as the rich countries did not come up with cuts, but we will not cry about that," pointed out Brazil's Environment Minister Carlos Minc.
The meeting in New Delhi came just days ahead of an earlier deadline set by the United Nations for countries to sign up on the Copenhagen accord reached just last month.
Reports suggest that the deadline has been shifted now as developed nations want more time to decide on how much they were willing to cut back on carbon emissions. The BASIC group and the US were largely responsible for drafting the accord.
India has pledged to cut its carbon intensity by 20-25 per cent by 2020 and China by 40-45 per cent. Now they aim to pressurise developed countries to give honour their commitments.
Put the money on the table if you are serious about climate change - that's the message from the BASIC countries to the developed world. Not just that by announcing their intention to communicate their emission cuts to the UN they are hoping to take the moral high ground in climate negotiations.
But the real surprise came from the Xie Zhenhua, Vice-Chairman, National Development and Reform Commission of China. In the backdrop of the error-ridden report on Himalayan glaciers, Beijing's representative wondered whether global warming was a natural, and not a man-made, phenomenon.
"There have been different views that climate change has been caused by cyclical elements of nature itself. I think we need to adapt and open attitude to scientific research and be open," Zhenhua said.
None of the other BASIC ministers responded, but the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's admission of putting out wrong information on global warming had worried many that it would arm sceptics. Does that now include China, the world's biggest polluter?
Top Maoist leader writes open letter to Mamata
SOURCE : NDTV
Top Maoist leader Kishanji has written an open letter to Trinamool chief and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, inviting her for talks, however, he says there is no question of Maoists giving up arms.
"The Maoists will never agree to abandon arms before talks, be it with the Centre, the state government or any political party. Maoists don't believe in parliamentary politics. But you have to make it clear whether you want to talk as a Trinamool leader or a Central government representative.", said, Kishanji, in his open letter to the Trinamool chief.
Mamata had visited Lalgarh area earlier in the month and urged Maoists to come to the negotiating table. She had even given them a time frame but the Maoists did not respond.
Top Maoist leader Kishanji has written an open letter to Trinamool chief and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, inviting her for talks, however, he says there is no question of Maoists giving up arms.
"The Maoists will never agree to abandon arms before talks, be it with the Centre, the state government or any political party. Maoists don't believe in parliamentary politics. But you have to make it clear whether you want to talk as a Trinamool leader or a Central government representative.", said, Kishanji, in his open letter to the Trinamool chief.
Mamata had visited Lalgarh area earlier in the month and urged Maoists to come to the negotiating table. She had even given them a time frame but the Maoists did not respond.
Sugar prices are a collective decision: Sharad Pawar
SOURCE : NDTV
The blame game on the rising prices on vegetables, pulses and sugar continues. It has already lead to strained relations between Congress and its ally the NCP, as Union Agriculture Minister and the NCP chief Sharad Pawar.
There is also a war of words on between Pawar and state chief ministers, especially Mayawati in Uttar Pradesh.
But again Pawar refused to take the sole blame on sugar saying commodity prices were a collective responsibility of the Cabinet in consultation with the Prime Minister.
Sharad Pawar has also been charged with deliberately stalling the import of raw sugar to promote the interests of the sugar barons in a petition filed by an NGO, which will be heard in the Supreme Court today.
The blame game on the rising prices on vegetables, pulses and sugar continues. It has already lead to strained relations between Congress and its ally the NCP, as Union Agriculture Minister and the NCP chief Sharad Pawar.
There is also a war of words on between Pawar and state chief ministers, especially Mayawati in Uttar Pradesh.
But again Pawar refused to take the sole blame on sugar saying commodity prices were a collective responsibility of the Cabinet in consultation with the Prime Minister.
Sharad Pawar has also been charged with deliberately stalling the import of raw sugar to promote the interests of the sugar barons in a petition filed by an NGO, which will be heard in the Supreme Court today.
Pak tunnels near border worry government Sachin Parashar , TNN, 25 January 2010, 01:00am IST Text Size: | Topics: * Pakistan * India * Government * Sargodha district of Pak Punjab * intelligence agencies * tunnels near border NEW DELHI: As the war of words between India and Pakistan reaches a crescendo, New Delhi has cause for fresh alarm, due to some of the activities Twitter Facebook Share Email Print Save Comment being carried out across the border. Intelligence agencies in India have brought to the notice of the government that Pakistan has been frantically building up tunnels in areas not far from the border with India. According to these inputs, the tunnels have been dug up in the Sargodha district of Pakistani Punjab and can even be noticed by, as a top intelligence officer put it, a discerning eye on Google satellite imagery. "An attempt is being made to establish the purpose of digging up such tunnels which are really big in size. These clearly can't be meant for transport as is obvious from the images available; unlike ordinary tunnels they don't lead on to roads," said the official who is involved in analysing the information. Pakistan is well within its rights to carry out any construction work on its territory and Islamabad is known to have constructed storage sheds for missiles and weapons in Sargodha, a known nuclear installation, in the past. However, the sheer size of the tunnels and the fact that these don't seem to be leading on to roads have raised suspicion that these could be used to store nuclear weapons or missiles which are battle ready. The official said Pakistan has been known to store some of its deadliest, but unassembled, missiles like the Chinese M-11 in a sub-depot near the central ammunition depot in Sargodha. It is also the place where Pakistan's nuclear capable F-16 aircraft are said to be stationed. Located on the west of Lahore, Sargodha has always been the hub of Pakistan air force and, in fact, is home to its central air command. If what Pakistan is doing is just a precautionary measure, considering Sargodha is a sensitive nuclear facility under threat from the Taliban and other terrorists, this has not been communicated to India either by Islamabad or the US which is fast taking it upon itself to safeguard all nuclear facilities in the country. In fact, the first attack on a nuclear installation by terrorists in Pakistan took place in Sargodha in November 2007. According to Indian officials, Pakistan in the past has used Sargodha to store M-11 missiles which had been delivered unassembled to it by China. However, the pace at which these tunnels are coming up suggests that, as the official put it, Pakistan is up to something. Sargodha is also the place which the Chinese are said to regularly visit to train the Pakistanis in handling weapons and missiles.
SOURCE : TIMESOFINDIA
NEW DELHI: As the war of words between India and Pakistan reaches a crescendo, New Delhi has cause for fresh alarm, due to some of the activities being carried out across the border. Intelligence agencies in India have brought to the notice of the government that Pakistan has been frantically building up tunnels in areas not far from the border with India.
According to these inputs, the tunnels have been dug up in the Sargodha district of Pakistani Punjab and can even be noticed by, as a top intelligence officer put it, a discerning eye on Google satellite imagery. "An attempt is being made to establish the purpose of digging up such tunnels which are really big in size. These clearly can't be meant for transport as is obvious from the images available; unlike ordinary tunnels they don't lead on to roads," said the official who is involved in analysing the information.
Pakistan is well within its rights to carry out any construction work on its territory and Islamabad is known to have constructed storage sheds for missiles and weapons in Sargodha, a known nuclear installation, in the past. However, the sheer size of the tunnels and the fact that these don't seem to be leading on to roads have raised suspicion that these could be used to store nuclear weapons or missiles which are battle ready.
The official said Pakistan has been known to store some of its deadliest, but unassembled, missiles like the Chinese M-11 in a sub-depot near the central ammunition depot in Sargodha. It is also the place where Pakistan's nuclear capable F-16 aircraft are said to be stationed. Located on the west of Lahore, Sargodha has always been the hub of Pakistan air force and, in fact, is home to its central air command.
If what Pakistan is doing is just a precautionary measure, considering Sargodha is a sensitive nuclear facility under threat from the Taliban and other terrorists, this has not been communicated to India either by Islamabad or the US which is fast taking it upon itself to safeguard all nuclear facilities in the country. In fact, the first attack on a nuclear installation by terrorists in Pakistan took place in Sargodha in November 2007.
According to Indian officials, Pakistan in the past has used Sargodha to store M-11 missiles which had been delivered unassembled to it by China. However, the pace at which these tunnels are coming up suggests that, as the official put it, Pakistan is up to something. Sargodha is also the place which the Chinese are said to regularly visit to train the Pakistanis in handling weapons and missiles.
NEW DELHI: As the war of words between India and Pakistan reaches a crescendo, New Delhi has cause for fresh alarm, due to some of the activities being carried out across the border. Intelligence agencies in India have brought to the notice of the government that Pakistan has been frantically building up tunnels in areas not far from the border with India.
According to these inputs, the tunnels have been dug up in the Sargodha district of Pakistani Punjab and can even be noticed by, as a top intelligence officer put it, a discerning eye on Google satellite imagery. "An attempt is being made to establish the purpose of digging up such tunnels which are really big in size. These clearly can't be meant for transport as is obvious from the images available; unlike ordinary tunnels they don't lead on to roads," said the official who is involved in analysing the information.
Pakistan is well within its rights to carry out any construction work on its territory and Islamabad is known to have constructed storage sheds for missiles and weapons in Sargodha, a known nuclear installation, in the past. However, the sheer size of the tunnels and the fact that these don't seem to be leading on to roads have raised suspicion that these could be used to store nuclear weapons or missiles which are battle ready.
The official said Pakistan has been known to store some of its deadliest, but unassembled, missiles like the Chinese M-11 in a sub-depot near the central ammunition depot in Sargodha. It is also the place where Pakistan's nuclear capable F-16 aircraft are said to be stationed. Located on the west of Lahore, Sargodha has always been the hub of Pakistan air force and, in fact, is home to its central air command.
If what Pakistan is doing is just a precautionary measure, considering Sargodha is a sensitive nuclear facility under threat from the Taliban and other terrorists, this has not been communicated to India either by Islamabad or the US which is fast taking it upon itself to safeguard all nuclear facilities in the country. In fact, the first attack on a nuclear installation by terrorists in Pakistan took place in Sargodha in November 2007.
According to Indian officials, Pakistan in the past has used Sargodha to store M-11 missiles which had been delivered unassembled to it by China. However, the pace at which these tunnels are coming up suggests that, as the official put it, Pakistan is up to something. Sargodha is also the place which the Chinese are said to regularly visit to train the Pakistanis in handling weapons and missiles.
Rs 400 crore insurance scam hits Railways
SOURCE : TIMESOFINDIA
NEW DELHI: In a financial fraud estimated to involve more than Rs 400 crore, Delhi Police arrested a 52-year-old senior accounts officer of the Indian Railways for allegedly siphoning off money contributed by 65,000 employees for a Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) policy as part of a group insurance scheme. Police said the contributing employees were kept in the dark even as the cooperative society collected Rs 32.5 lakh from them every month and ran their own insurance scheme, even paying off claims.
The police have now roped in auditors to assess the cooperative society accounts to understand the amounts involved and what was done with the money. The fraud was reportedly going on for the past 10 years from Baroda House and investigators say more arrests are likely. Another employee who headed the cooperative society is already under scanner and some LIC employees could also be involved, police said.
The first accused, Ajay Bhatnagar, was arrested by the Tilak Marg police recently after it was revealed that he, as member of the elected body of the cooperative society, took a whopping Rs 1.2 crore as commission from LIC for another employees' policy. The commission was collected in the name of Bhatnagar wife and sister-in-law.
It all started in 1998 when the Northern Zone Railway Employees Cooperative and Thrift Credit Society Limited (NZRECTC Ltd) decided to launch an LIC scheme for its members. As per the scheme, each member had to contribute Rs 50 per month against which were to be allotted an LIC policy. The society paid Rs 32.5 lakh per month as joint policy premium and it was agreed with LIC that there will be no commission for the premium.
The society took two LIC policies. The first (policy No. OGI-311434) with a premium of Rs 32 lakh per month for all members was opened at the KG Marg branch of LIC. The other scheme ^ individual policies for 35,663 members - was started at Wazirpur branch.
The first policy lapsed in 2002 due to non-payment and LIC informed the society about it. The cooperative's governing body did not inform its 65,000 members about the lapse and diverted the amount into the society's account at Allahabad Bank. Initially, Rs 64 lakh was deposited and it was decided among governing body members that the Rs 32.5 lakh collected every month will go into the account. A letter from LIC, asking the society to settle claims from the reserve funds, was also forged.
Meanwhile, Bhatnagar, who was the accounts officer of northern India, made sure that the money from the employees' salaries was deducted every month. ``It was easy for him as he used to handle the accounts of all employees. For the second LIC policy, which is still running, Bhatnagar's wife and sister-in-law were paid Rs 1.2 crore as commission,'' said a senior police officer.
When contacted, Additional CP (New Delhi) Shankar Dash confirmed the arrest and said, ``We have arrested Ajay Bhatnagar for his role in the scam. A case had already been registered and we are investigating the matter. The roles of a dozen railway employees are under the scanner and involvement of some LIC officials cannot be ruled out.'' It has emerged during investigations that fraudsters paid death claims from the reserve funds to nearly 1,200 employees during the period without referring it to LIC. A majority of members were not even aware that the policy had lapsed.
The fraud first came to light when an employee of the Indian railways approached the police in 2006 alleging misappropriations of funds. After this a case under sections 403 (dishonest misappropriation of property), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 408 (criminal breach of trust by a clerk or servant), 409 (criminal breach of trust by a public servant) and 420 (cheating) of Indian Penal code was registered at the Tilak Marg police station.
The investigations into the scam were initiated but no one was arrested as the scamsters managed to avoid detection. Police added that they are questioning other suspects who are employees of northern railways and were responsible for running the society. Police also added that based on these LIC premiums, employees of Indian Railways claimed income tax concessions every month and thus had caused a huge loss to the Income Tax department over 10 years.
NEW DELHI: In a financial fraud estimated to involve more than Rs 400 crore, Delhi Police arrested a 52-year-old senior accounts officer of the Indian Railways for allegedly siphoning off money contributed by 65,000 employees for a Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) policy as part of a group insurance scheme. Police said the contributing employees were kept in the dark even as the cooperative society collected Rs 32.5 lakh from them every month and ran their own insurance scheme, even paying off claims.
The police have now roped in auditors to assess the cooperative society accounts to understand the amounts involved and what was done with the money. The fraud was reportedly going on for the past 10 years from Baroda House and investigators say more arrests are likely. Another employee who headed the cooperative society is already under scanner and some LIC employees could also be involved, police said.
The first accused, Ajay Bhatnagar, was arrested by the Tilak Marg police recently after it was revealed that he, as member of the elected body of the cooperative society, took a whopping Rs 1.2 crore as commission from LIC for another employees' policy. The commission was collected in the name of Bhatnagar wife and sister-in-law.
It all started in 1998 when the Northern Zone Railway Employees Cooperative and Thrift Credit Society Limited (NZRECTC Ltd) decided to launch an LIC scheme for its members. As per the scheme, each member had to contribute Rs 50 per month against which were to be allotted an LIC policy. The society paid Rs 32.5 lakh per month as joint policy premium and it was agreed with LIC that there will be no commission for the premium.
The society took two LIC policies. The first (policy No. OGI-311434) with a premium of Rs 32 lakh per month for all members was opened at the KG Marg branch of LIC. The other scheme ^ individual policies for 35,663 members - was started at Wazirpur branch.
The first policy lapsed in 2002 due to non-payment and LIC informed the society about it. The cooperative's governing body did not inform its 65,000 members about the lapse and diverted the amount into the society's account at Allahabad Bank. Initially, Rs 64 lakh was deposited and it was decided among governing body members that the Rs 32.5 lakh collected every month will go into the account. A letter from LIC, asking the society to settle claims from the reserve funds, was also forged.
Meanwhile, Bhatnagar, who was the accounts officer of northern India, made sure that the money from the employees' salaries was deducted every month. ``It was easy for him as he used to handle the accounts of all employees. For the second LIC policy, which is still running, Bhatnagar's wife and sister-in-law were paid Rs 1.2 crore as commission,'' said a senior police officer.
When contacted, Additional CP (New Delhi) Shankar Dash confirmed the arrest and said, ``We have arrested Ajay Bhatnagar for his role in the scam. A case had already been registered and we are investigating the matter. The roles of a dozen railway employees are under the scanner and involvement of some LIC officials cannot be ruled out.'' It has emerged during investigations that fraudsters paid death claims from the reserve funds to nearly 1,200 employees during the period without referring it to LIC. A majority of members were not even aware that the policy had lapsed.
The fraud first came to light when an employee of the Indian railways approached the police in 2006 alleging misappropriations of funds. After this a case under sections 403 (dishonest misappropriation of property), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 408 (criminal breach of trust by a clerk or servant), 409 (criminal breach of trust by a public servant) and 420 (cheating) of Indian Penal code was registered at the Tilak Marg police station.
The investigations into the scam were initiated but no one was arrested as the scamsters managed to avoid detection. Police added that they are questioning other suspects who are employees of northern railways and were responsible for running the society. Police also added that based on these LIC premiums, employees of Indian Railways claimed income tax concessions every month and thus had caused a huge loss to the Income Tax department over 10 years.
