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Saturday, 30 July 2011

Sanjay, Arshad and Hirani out of 'Munnabhai' series?


Reports are suggested that Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi famously known as Munnabhai and Circuit, might not return with the next film in the Munnabhai series. 

Producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra wants a complete makeover for his super hit series Munnabhai and the surprising element is that there might not be any presence of real Munnabhai and Circuit in the third part of the series despite the fact is that these two are the main reason behind the film being successful. 




A close friend of Vidhu Vinod Chopra explained, “"Sanjay and Arshad looked very different in 2006, by the time the third part is ready, it could be another two years. Keeping this in mind, a fresh and young cast is being considered for the two male leads."

Also Rajkumar Hirani might not direct the movie; he might co-produce it with Chopra. A source close to Hirani said, "Hirani has finished writing his super script which he refers to as his dream project. Naturally, it will be with a big hero. He is fast working out the cast. He is very close to the Munnabhai series. Even if he doesn't direct the third, he will be attached to the project in some way. He might co-produce it with a completely new director."

Vidhu Vinod Chopra is now searching a new director who can handle the responsibility and pressure of this much anticipated hit series. Reports also suggested that either Do Dooni Chaar director Habib Faisal might step into Hirani's shoes or Kites director Anurag Basu may take command behind the camera.

The third film in the Munnabhai series was supposed to be Munnabhai Chale Amerika. A few trailers had also been shot for the project with Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi back in 2006-07. But now the scene is totally different. The Munnabhai Chale Amerika script has been dropped by Hirani.  The new and fresh script for the third part will be ready shortly and an official announcement will be made soon in this regard.

Speak Asia COO Arrested in Fraud Case



Chief Operating Officer of Online survey company Speak Asia, Tarak Bajpai, along with other 4 executives were arrested by Mumbai police in fraud case on Friday on charges of cheating and criminal conspiracy.



 
Based on a subscription model, Speak Asia collected Rs 11,000 from each member. The members were then paid for completing the surveys commissioned by various companies. However many companies deny commissioning such surveys and the Mumbai police estimates that the total amount collected could well be over Rs 1320 crore. A case was also filed in the Economic Offences and police suspects that large sums of money were already transferred out of India. 

 A statement released by the company said, "Speak Asia has always offered complete and total cooperation to all authorities about its functioning. This sudden development has shaken us up as it puts a blot on our integrity and promise to the millions of people who are part of Speak Asia. This rather uncalled for action has further led to the delay in the company offering various initiatives it had committed. No stone will be left unturned by us to resolve the issue as soon as possible and resume work as usual.”

Bollywood’s July Box-office Collection - The Best Ever


July box-office collection creates history in Bollywood as the profits for this month touched Rs. 210 crore fuelled by movies like Delhi Belly, Zindagi Na Mile Dobara, Buddhah Hoga Tera Baap, Murder 2 and Singham. Box office success which had started from June with Ready and Double Dhamaal, good times continued to roll in July too.

With Rs 210 crore net box office collections, it is the highest-grossing July ever seen in the history of Bollywood, increased by 80% from July 2010.





Trade analyst Taran Adarsh said, "Every film that released in July has broken the previous releases' weekend opening record, from Ready to Singham. This month has broken the myth about audience spending in the first half of the month but this month has been just the opposite. The weekend collection of this month has been nothing less than Rs 120 crore for all the six films and biggest surprise has been the weekday collection at times has beaten the weekend business which one considered to be the time of business of cinema.''

Previously Bollywood was worried about the performance of two films-Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Harry Potter which released after the 13/7 terror attack. The audiences amazed them all with Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara breaking the previous week release Murder 2's first weekend collection and Salman Khan's Ready which was released on June also contributed to about 26% of the total box office collection in July. Audiences pour into the cinema halls for Aamir Khan's Delhi Belly and Mohit Suri's Murder 2 which was released with adult certificate. Also there was a treat for Amitabh Bachchan fans in Buddhah Hoga Tera Baap.

Prices of film ticket increased by 15% in the last one year but that did not stop the cine-goers from walking into cinema halls both multiplexes and single screen cinemas.


Sucheta Kadethankar Becomes First Indian Woman to Cross Gobi Desert


33-year-old Sucheta Kadethankar from Pune becomes first Indian women who has successfully crossed Asia’s largest and world’s fifth largest Desert, Gobi Desert. Sucheta crossed 1623 km of the Gobi desert in a multi-national expedition consist of members from Australia, England, Scotland, Hong Kong, Singapore and India.





The 13-member team was led by Ripley Davenport and during the expedition six of them were opted out due to injuries and other causes. Sucheta Kadethankar being one of the three successful women trekkers who completed the journey, other two were from Australia and Singapore.

In an interview with PTI, Sucheta said, "The main challenge in crossing the Gobi was how to keep oneself motivated to complete the mission. In contrast to the visual apetite one gets while on a mountain expedition with a changing scenario at every step, you are confronted by the monotonous sight of an unending stretch of sand in a desert trek,"

"As expected we encountered extreme weather-- hot days and cold nights---and sand stroms during our journey. But there was also the most pleasant sight of an oasis that seemed to make up for the rigours of the trek momentarily," Sucheta adds.

Salman Khan Becomes the Highest Paid Actor in Bollywood


Salman Khan becomes the highest paid actor in Bollywood. After delivering series of success at the recent box-office, Salman has increased his fees, becoming one of the highest paid actors in Bollywood. He is now demanding Rs. 50 crore for his next venture.

At present Salman is in a commanding position at the box-office, whatever he is touching, turning into gold. Salman previously used to charge around Rs 40 crore for his films but after his recent success run in Bollywood, with two back to back hits in Dabangg and Ready, he has now raised his fees at Rs 50 crore per
film.




Filmmaker Bhushan Kumar confirms the news and said, “when Salmanbhai did Ready the film industry was facing a huge financial crunch. But he agreed to cut down his price from Rs 40 crore to Rs 17 crore. This was the only way we could have made Ready at that time. Now the market has changed for the entire film industry. So, we are currently re-negotiating with him for our next film."

Interesting to watch Salman’s enemy number one Shah Rukh Khan and buddy Aamir Khan’s next move.


Hyundai Will Sponsor ‘Monthly Medal Round’ at Classic Golf Resort


The second largest car manufacturer in India Hyundai Motors announced that they will sponsor the ‘Monthly Medal Round 2011-12’ at Classic Golf Resort, Manesar and it will be known as ‘Hyundai Classic Monthly Medal Round 2011-12’ from now. The contest which will begin from tomorrow will be attended by Classic members and invitees.





The Hyundai Classic Monthly Medal Round 2011-12 will organize one event every month and will continue until June 2012. Hyundai Santa Fe and Hyundai Sonata Transform would be prominently displayed inside the golf course during tournament.
Speaking on the occasion, Arvind Saxena, Director-Sales and Marketing, HMIL said, “We are delighted to announce our association with the ‘Classic Monthly Medal Round 2011-12’. Golf as a sport is gradually gaining prominence in India and our country holds great potential in terms of golfing talent. With this endeavour, we aim to support the development of the game in the country and we remain committed in our efforts to bring excitement to sports.”


Zara Philips to Marry Mike Tindall in Royal Wedding


Queen Elizabeth's eldest grandchild and Prince William's cousin Zara Phillips is going to get marry this weekend to rugby player Mike Tindall in Edinburgh, Scotland. Edinburgh is getting ready for this royal wedding ceremony which is which will be attended by whole royal family members.





Mike Tindall (32) proposed Zara Phillips (30) last December and it will be biggest event for royal family after prince William got married to Kate Middleton on April.

According to media report the church, which is under heavy security coverage, has been decorated with more than 400 white roses and hundreds of beech tree branches. Florists have also brought dozens of white carnations and white stargazer lilies into the chapel, along with small box trees and ivy.

Reports are also suggested that guests are expected to party on Friday night at pre-wedding celebration at the Windsors' retired vessel, the Royal Yacht Britannia.


Friday, 29 July 2011

Samsung Mobile Q2 Rresult: 45% Increase in Sales


Despite tough competition Samsung Mobile Q2 result shows a 45% net profit than last year. Samsung mobile’s revenue for Q2 was $11.55 billion and operating profit of $1.58 billion with Samsung Galaxy S II and other smartphones driving the demand up. 




Samsung had shipped around 19 million smartphones globally which puts it ahead of Nokia, and its 16.7 million smartphones is close to current market leader Apple's sale of 20.3 million smartphones. The Average Selling Price of Samsung mobiles also went up by over 10%.

Samsung plans to drive sales even further in Q3  by adding new LTE-enabled handsets to their lineup.



Kate Moss to Write Her Autobiography


According to media report supermodel Kate Moss has decided to write an autobiography. The news generates lots of surprise to many people as Kate Moss is always considered as one of the most private celebrity and never discusses her personal life in public.





It is interesting to see what the supermodel will deliver in her side of story through her autobiography regarding  what went on at her wild 30th birthday party and her role in that infamous cocaine scandal exposed by the Daily Mirror newspaper. It will be highly anticipated to see her experience in the modelling industry, being a mother to daughter Lila and her love affairs with actor Johnny Depp, Babyshambles frontman, Pete Doherty and current hubby Jamie Hince.

A friend close to her said, “Kate has always held back from giving interviews so the public don't know what she's really like and what's she gone through in her life.  She's never opened up about her parents' divorce, having daughter Lila or her relationships with former boyfriends including Johnny Depp and Pete Doherty.”

Kate Moss married The Kills rocker Jamie Hince in the Cotswolds, South West England, earlier this month.


Alcohol Withdrawal May Cause the Death: Amy Winehouse's Father


 Amy Winehouse's father Mitch Winehouse told at her funeral service at Edgwarebury Cemetery in north London, that the Winehouse family believes her decision to stop drinking may have contributed to her sudden death.

He told the mourners that although doctors had told Amy to gradually reduce her alcohol consumption and avoid binging, Amy was not been able to follow that.






Mitch Winehouse revealed that recently his daughter Amy Winehouse who "just completed three weeks of abstinence," told him, "Dad I've had enough of drinking, I can't stand the look on your and the family's faces anymore.”

Despite her three weeks on the wagon, Winehouse was reportedly seen drinking shots of gin mixed with energy drink Red Bull on the Wednesday before she died. On the same night Winehouse was seen joined her goddaughter, Dionne Bromfield, on stage at the iTunes festival held at Camden Roundhouse.

Earlier this week a post-mortem report proved inconclusive and no cause of death given. However Police said that they will wait up to four weeks for the results of toxicology tests to prove her cause of death.




HSBC To Cut Over 10,000 Jobs


As per some media reports HSBC Bank is planning to cut thousands of jobs as it embarks on a cost-cutting drive to push economic recovery. The plans have not yet been finalised, but could see more than 10,000 jobs being cut.

HSBC has about 330,000 staffs globally and they are looking forward to a sustainable cost savings of $2.5 billion to $3.5 billion in order to reach a cost efficiency ratio target of 48-52% by 2013.





The reports also said that HSBC would be considering a strategic review of its cards business in the United States, and would limit its retail banking operations in US. HSBC had already cut 700 jobs out of 55,000 in its UK retail banking arm in June this year.

Already Standard Chartered, Llyods, Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse and UBS banks have announced their job cuts plans recently. 


Merck & Co. to Cut Thousands More Jobs


The second largest drug manufacturer in US, Merck & Co. plans to reduce its workforce by 12 to 13% by 2015 and therefore thousands of employees are going to lose their jobs. The step was taken by Merck & Co. to save cost of additional $1.5 billion.





Merck & Co. had 100,000 employees at the end of 2009 and by 2010 company eliminated almost 12,500 positions and hired about 6,000 employees. A company spokesperson clarifies, "It's hard to know what the job count will be in 2015”. He also explains that the overall impact of the job-cut initiative will be major cost savings, some of which could be funded back into research and developments.

With the new job cuts, the restructuring program will contribute annual savings of $4 billion to $4.6 billion by the end of 2015, compared with an earlier estimate of $2.7 billion to $3.1 billion by late 2012, Merck said.



Wednesday, 27 July 2011

Politicians Raising Objects Over 'Aarakshan'


Aarakshan’s dilemma continues. After series of controversy and dispute over censorship clearance, now Prakash Jha's dream project again meet a fresh censorship imposing by politicians on release of Aarakshan. The film is a socio-political drama based on caste-based reservations in government jobs and educational institutions. Already the National Commission for Scheduled Castes tagged 'Aarkashan' as "anti-dalit".

Politicians are now expressing apprehension over the tone in this multi starrer movie, 'Aarakshan' which is scheduled to be released on August 12, features Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone, Prateik Babbar, Shabana Azmi and Manoj Bajpai in lead roles.





"If someone is trying to propagate against the concept of reservations, enshrined in the Constitution, then we will oppose the film," senior NCP leader and minister of Maharashtra, Chhagan Bhujbal said.

"A lot of discussion has been going on the issue outside," Bhujbal said. "If the film propagates against reservations, then we will oppose it. We cannot allow someone to misuse their freedom of expression to oppose concepts which have the protection of the Constitution," he adds.

RPI leader Ramdas Athawale has also expressed his objection to the film, saying his party would oppose Prakash Jha's film as its contents are anti-dalits.

 Interesting to see how other politicians reacts in coming days...


Two Indians win Magsaysay Award


This year’s Magsaysay Award announced today and 2 Indians are among 6 recipients for getting prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award, 2011.

Every year the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation gives away the prize to Asian individuals and organizations for achieving excellence in their respective fields. Often it considered as Asia's Nobel Prize. The award is named after famous Philippine president who died in a plane crash in 1957.
This year’s awardees are:





Harish Hande – For his revolutionize work by bringing solar lights to over 120,000 households in India.
Nileema Mishra – For working tirelessly with the poor for their development in Maharashtra
Filipino charity group - Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation
Hasanain Juaini
– For set up an Islamic school for girls in Indonesia,
Tri Mumpuni – For promoted micro hydro power technology in Indonesia
Koul Panah - working to restore democracy in Cambodia

The winners will receive a certificate, a medallion and a cash prize in Manila on August 31, 2011.

Harish Hande was recognized for "his passionate and pragmatic efforts to putsolar power technology in the hands of the poor, through a social enterprise that brings customized, affordable, and sustainable electricity to India's vast rural populace, encouraging the poor to become asset creators".

Nileema Mishra was recognized for "her purpose-driven zeal to work tirelessly with villagers in Maharashtra, organizing them to successfully address both their aspirations and their adversities through collective action and heightened confidence in their potential to improve their own lives".

Previously Acharya Vinoba Bhave, Jayaprakash Narayan, Mother Teresa, Arun Shourie, T N Seshan and Kiran Bedi was honoured with this prestigious award.


HCL Technologies to Hire 3,000 Employees


Software service provider HCL Technologies is going to hire about 3,000 employees in the July-September quarter.




 
CEO of HCLT, Vineet Nayar told media, "We have already hired 3,000 people in the June quarter. In this quarter, we will hire an additional 3,000 freshers,” "We expect the September quarter margins to drop 300 basis points. Of this, about 250 bps would be on account of wage hikes and the remaining 50 bps on new hires, however we are expecting a 300 bps drop in margins in Q1, we will recover in the next three quarters" he adds. The company has given a 12-14% wage hike for its Indian staff in July-June fiscal and increased onsite salaries by 2-3%.

The company also plan to increase its capital expenditure to USD 230 million for FY'12. "Last year, our capex was at USD 170 million. This year, we are stepping up our capex to USD 230 million. Most of this will go toward expansion of campuses," HCLT CFO Anil Chanana said.

This is very good news for the Indian IT industry as already TCS has announced their plan to hire 60,000 staffs this fiscal year while Wipro and Infosys are also hiring aggressively. The hiring process is coming this big as all the major IT companies are building up their bench strengths to handle the bigger size and variety of projects they expect to grab in the coming months.


Maruti Suzuki Q1 Net Profit Rises 18%


India’s largest car manufacturer Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) has announced their Q1 result and despite all negativity in the auto industry due to hikes in interest rates, inflation and fuel prices, Maruti Suzuki registered 18% growth with net profit of Rs. 549.2 crore against last year’s Rs 465.4 crore in the same period of time.




Ajay Seth, CFO, MSIL told, “External environment was challenging from both volumes and margins perspective. Petrol prices were unprecedented and interest rate hikes hurt customer confidence.”



RBI Increased Interest Rate, Industry Fears Slowdown


Yesterday's “unexpected” 50-basis point rise in repo rates by the Reserve Bank of India makes the industry across all spectrums nervous. Market analysts fear slowdown in growth, especially in sectors like Real Estate, automobiles and infrastructure and the companies from these sectors are heavily criticizing RBI’s step on increasing interest rate at this point of time.

While real estate companies fear that rise in the cost of funds would affect their projects, auto manufacturers are panic as sales of vehicles would heavily fall down. Infrastructure companies scared of falling shortage of funds and implications on new projects and as it is surely home loan rates are bound to go up. Industry is complained that already interest rates are in the range of 11.5-12% for long-term financing and there was no need for RBI to increase the rate at this moment.

Chambers of Commerce severely criticized RBI on rise of interest rate,  “It’s clear RBI had decided to sacrifice growth to tame inflation, with 11 consecutive interest rate increases in the past 15 months.”

Industry Pundits are now saying that RBI’s hike of interest rates may not help it to curb inflation rather it would create backfire, with growth slowing considerably. This hike may not deliver the results as expected but surely growth will be hit significantly due to the high-interest system. Already growth momentum is under severe pressure due to inflation and this step may raise more difficulties to even achieve projected growth rate of 8% for 2011-12.


MAXX Launched MX401 & MQ601


MAXX Mobiles unveiled the innovative series of KHAMOSHHH… handsets - MAXX MX401 and MAXX MQ601. Now Users will able to enjoy crystal clear voice calls thanks to revolutionary SAM technology which will restrain external background noises.




The MAXX MX401, a dual-SIM bar phone, priced at Rs. 2833/-. The MAXX MX401 comes with 1500 mAh battery, a talk time of up to 5.5 hours along with a standby time of up to 450 hours. MAXX MX401 supports MP3/WAV/AAC audio and 3GPP/AVI/MP4 video player. With a 2.4” TFT screen MAXX MX401 available in two colours, Yellow and Blue and the handset features a 2.0 MP camera.




 
The dual-SIM QWERTY set MAXX MQ601 is economically priced at Rs. 2970/- and is available in two colours Black and Grey. MAXX MQ601, a 2.3” TFT screen, comes with a 2.0 MP camera and is powered by 1000 mAh battery that enables a talk time of up to 4.5 hours and a standby time of up to 350 hours. MAXX MQ601 is not only JAVA enabled providing a great web-browsing experience but also supports Audio (MP3/WAV/AAC), Video (3GPP/AVI/MP4) and wire-free FM Radio (with FM scheduling).

Speaking on the occasion, Ajjay Agarwal, Chairman & Managing Director, MAXX Group said, “A mobile device has become more than just a communication device, it has become a lifeline to most of us! Whether it is a conference call for a business pitch or catch-up call with old friends, a mobile phone has become indispensable. But our conversations are never without the hustle-bustle of everyday life. Crowded restaurants, busy offices, chaotic commutes make it difficult to have a quiet conversation. In India, where there is still a very high preference and dependence on voice calls, we believe feature-rich yet affordably priced Khamoshhh… series is the perfect device for an Indian audience.”


The Features & Specifications of MAXX MX401

  • Camera: 2 .0 MP
  • 2.4" TFT
  • 1500mAh battery
  • Expandable memory up to 8 GB
  • MP3/WAV/AAC supporting music player
  • FM Radio with FM scheduling
  • 3.5mm audio jack
  • Bluetooth
  • Big Speakers
  • 3GPP/AVI/MP4 supporting video player
  • Social networking: Facebook & Twitter

The Features & Specifications of MAXX MQ601

  • Camera: 2 .0 MP
  • 1000mAh battery
  • Expandable memory up to 8 GB
  • MP3/WAV/AAC music player
  • Wire-free FM Radio with FM scheduling
  • 3.5mm audio jack
  • Bluetooth
  • JAVA enabled
  • 3GPP/AVI/MP4 supporting video player

  

HTC Offers Talk with Apple Prior To ITC’s Final Rulings


The latest news in the Apple-HTC saga is that HTC is willing to negotiate with Apple before both companies get penalized against each other by International Trade Commission (ITC)of US. 

ITC found that both HTC and Apple has violated rules and in an unprecedented ruling ITC may go ahead with banning products of Apple as well as HTC in the US market. ITC ruled that HTC had violated two Apple patents on “system and method for performing an action on a structure in a computer" and a "real-time signal processing system for serially transmitted data”, while Apple violated two HTC patents on “fixed-rate block-based image compression with inferred pixel values.”

Indicating a possible deal between Apple and HTC before such verdict, HTC spokesperson Winston Yung told to media, “We are open to all sorts of solutions, as long as the solution and the terms are fair and reasonable.”  “On and off we’ve had discussions with Apple, even before the initial determination came out,” he said.

Already Apple is fighting a very nasty legal battle with Samsung for copyright issue where Apple has accused Samsung of copying its entire style and Samsung is accusing Apple of infringing in its telecommunication technology patents.


Tuesday, 26 July 2011

Amazon To Start Their Operation In India From Next Year


World’s largest online retailer Amazon.com is all set to start their operation in India from early next year. Amazon currently is in talk with three major e-commerce portal in India Flipkart-.com, LetsBuy.com and Exclusively.in and they are about to finalize the whole process.


Market analysts are saying that Amazon is not looking for acquiring any Indian company at this moment; rather they are looking forward to build their own set-up and partner with some big players to smoothen its operations. 

Hiring has been started at Amazon’s Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai offices and more than 200 people are to be recruited to build the initial Amazon India Team.

Amazon is about to complete one warehouse in Mumbai and the news is that they have already bought a space of 80,000 sq ft in Chennai. Amazon already has a Kindle development centre in Chennai.


Salora Launches SM401 in India


Salora International is venturing into the Mobile Handset market with the launch of SM401. SM401 is an entry level phone with Dual SIM facilities.

SM401 combines smart design with colors of light green & blue. SM401 allows users quick access to social networking sites.

SM401 has 1.3 megapixel camera with Flash & Zoom facility.

The SM401 is available in the market with priced at only Rs. 2,499/-




Features & Specifications:
Mobile Type: GSM, Dual SIM
 
Display: 2.2 TFT Display, 3.5 mm Jack
 
Camera: 1.3 MP Camera with Flash & Zoom
 
Memory: Expandable Up to 16 GB
 
Short cut Music Keys with K series amplifier
 
Video Player (MP4, 3GP) & Recording
 
Audio Player / Recording
 
Other Important Features:
  • Big Speakers
  • Torch
  • FM Radio with Recording
  • Answering Machine
  • Bluetooth with A2DP
  • Call Recording
  • Social Networking
  • WAP / GPRS / MMS enabled
  • Long Battery Life
  • Dual Charging Port
 
 

iPhone 5 launching on 5 September in the US?


Reports are claiming that the iPhone 5 will launch on 5 September in the US and on 5th October in UK. There is no official confirmation yet from Apple.

Previously there were rumors of delay in launching iPhone 5 due to overheating of the dual-core Apple A5 chip that would power the iPhone 5.

But now the reliable sources are confirming that in this fall only Apple going to unveil iPhone 5 and on 5th October for the European launch of Apple's latest phone.




Big Bollywood Movie Releases in August 2011


Movie: I AM KALAM




Director: Nila Madhab Panda
Producer: Smile Foundation
Music: Deepak Pandit
Cast: Gulshan Grover, Pitobash Tripathy, Harsh Mayar
Release Date: 05 August, 2011
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Movie: AARAKSHAN



Director: Prakash Jha
Producer: Prakash Jha,  Firoz Nadiadwala
Music: Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Prateik Babbar, Deepika Padukone, Manoj Bajpai
Release Date: 12 August 2011
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Movie: SOUNDTRACK




Director: Neerav Ghosh
Music: Midival Punditz
Cast: Rajeev Khandelwal, Soha Ali Khan, Mrinalini Sharma
Release Date: 12 August 2011
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Movie: CHATUR SINGH TWO STAR


Director: Ajay Chandhok
Producer: Mohamed Aslam
Music: Sajid Ali,  Wajid Ali
Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Ameesha Patel, Anupam Kher
Release Date: 19 August 2011
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Movie: BODYGUARD


Director: Siddique
Producer: Atul Agnihotri
Music: Pritam, Himesh Reshammiya
Cast: Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Mahesh Manjrekar
Release Date: 31 August 2011


Bollywood Movie Release for Next Week (29 July 2011)


Movie: KHAP




Director: Ajai Sinha
Producer: Sangita Sinha,  Siddhant Sinha
Music: Annujj Kappoo
Cast: Om Puri, Govind Namdeo, Manoj Pahwa
Release Date: 29 July 2011

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Movie: GANDHI TO HITLER



Director: Rakesh Ranjan
Producer: Dr. Anil Kumar Sharma
Music: Arvind, Lyton
Cast: Neha Dhupia, Raghuvir Yadav, Aman Verma
Release Date: 29 July 2011

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Movie: BUBBLE GUM




Director:
Sanjivan Lal
Producer: Sushma Kaul
Cast: Sohail Lakhani, Apurva Arora, Sachin Khedekar
Release Date: 29 July 2011
 

Monday, 25 July 2011

First Blind Student of IIM


Driven by hope, determination and self-belief, 26-year-old Suresh Reddy, a complete blind student from Kolkata has battled against all odds and finally made it possible – he enters to the prestigious management school - IIM.

Suresh lost his vision when he 13 years old. Everyone asked him to give up studies but fought on. With help from friends and new technology, he cracked the IIM entrance - the first person with 100% visual impairment to get admission into India’s elite management school.

"My credibility of carrying an IIM tag should compensate. If I say I am from x school people just walk off. If I am from IIM, people will pay at least one second attention. It is that one second that I am looking for," said Suresh Reddy told media. 

For fellow students, teachers and institute Reddy is an inspiration. Now IIM Calcutta has also come forward to help Reddy in his fight. From scanners to e-books to giving extra attention, the institute too is finding ways to help Reddy.

"I have no other choice but to be optimistic and at least to follow if not to lead," Suresh said.

Harry Potter’s Revenue Crosses $7 Billion


Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2 achieved record breaking run in the box office for first week of the eight and the last instalment of the boy wizard story. The film has already crosses including $214.9 million from US box office and $425.3 million internationally. And with that, the Harry Potter franchise has crossed the $7 billion mark worldwide.




 
Dan Fellman, president of domestic distribution of Warner Bros. Pictures, said: "Becoming a $7 billion-plus franchise is a stunning achievement, which is shared by everybody involved in any or all of the Harry Potter films.”

President of Warner Bros Pictures Group, Jeff Robinov told media, "It is an extraordinary privilege for everyone at Warner Bros to share in this piece of cinema history. We are extremely grateful to the Harry Potter fans who have remained loyal to the movies for more than a decade."


Sachin Tendulkar One Step Closer To Get Bharat Ratna


Batting Maestro Sachin Tendulkar is a step closer to getting India's top award ‘Bharat Ratna’.  Last week Home ministry has recommended sports be included in category for Bharat Ratna consideration. The home ministry has written to the Prime Minister's Office to take the necessary steps to include sports as a category in Bharat Ratna.





This recommendation will clear the technical hurdle for cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar to be awarded with India's highest civilian award. If awarded, Sachin will become nation’s first sportsperson to be honoured with Bharat Ratna.

 The claim became louder after Sachin helped India to lift the World Cup earlier this year.

President of the Mumbai Cricket Association, Vilasrao Deshmukh, said, "Sachin deserves Bharat Ratna. Being the president of Mumbai Cricket Association, I would talk to the sports minister, home minister and Prime Minister and request them to change the norms for the award to include sportspersons too in its category of recipients,"

Paul McCartney to Marry For a Third Time


Former Beatle star Sir Paul McCartney (69) is going to marry Nancy Shevell (51) in a quite ceremony in London. The date yet not been confirmed by McCartney or Shevell.

Last 4 years they are together and in May, McCartney proposed Ms Shevell with a vintage Cartier engagement diamond ring.





The ceremony in London is said to be a private one in presence of his close family and friends. The couple will then fly back to New ‘York to celebrate with Nancy Shevell’s family members.

It would be Nancy Shevell’s second marriage. The businesswoman had married before to Bruce Blakeman for 20 years, and has a son with him, Arlen (19).

Paul McCartney has been married twice before, first to Linda McCartney from 1969 until her death from breast cancer in 1998 and then to former model Heather Mills from 2002 and separated in 2006.  Sir Paul has 5 children, Heather (48), Mary (41), Stella (39), James (33) and Beatrice (7).


 

Apple to Conquer Chinese Smartphone Market


Apple is all set to conquer the Chinese market as two of the largest telecom giant in China, China Mobile and China Telecom is in competition to secure the right to sell Apple’s devices including iPad and iPhone. Both the company is in serious talk with Apple.

Currently the devices are exclusive only with China Unicom. Unicom’s 3-year contract with Apple has started in 2009. Recently an American blogger living in Kunming revealed the existence of two, incredibly convincing, fake Apple stores.




 
Buzz is that China Mobile wants to delay the deal with Apple as they wish to wait till Apple’s 4G long-term evolution technology released in the market end of 2012.

Currently in China 907 million mobiles are being used by users and among them 80 millions a smartphone users. Apple wants to explore this vast market as the popularity of buying smartphone is increasing day by day.  Currently users are using 3G smartphones and they are eagerly waiting for upgraded 4G version of iphone and ipad.



Discount Offers are pouring from Hyundai, Volkswagen, Chevrolet, Honda, Mercedes


This rainy season brings lots of bonanza for the car buyers. Hyundai, Volkswagen, Chevrolet, Honda, Daimler, Mercedes tempt customers with discount, offers, price cuts and low interest rates to improve their sales. Due to price rise and tight loan policies automobile companies suffered a setback and to boost the sales consumers are being lured with new offers every week.

Hyundai has been providing its own loans up to Rs 3 lakh for the Santro and i10 at 5.99% for tenure of 3 years.

Volkswagen is offering to provide finance at 6.99% if consumers buy the Vento petrol sedan.




 
Fiat is offering to upgrade chosen buyers to the diesel version of the Linea and Punto models if they book the petrol one. All buyers of Fiat cars in July will be provided free fuel for next three months and free 50-month roadside assistance. Fiat is covering all bases including free maintenance.

Chevrolet is offering free maintenance for 3 years (or 45,000 km, whichever comes earlier) if customers pay a fixed upfront amount when while buying the car. The fee ranges from Rs 14,499-39,999, depending on the model.

The best offer comes from Honda so far- an enormous Rs 1. 75 lakh price cut for its Jazz to boost the sales of the premium hatchback. Honda had already slashed the price of its City model by Rs 66,000.


Friday, 22 July 2011

Honda to Launch Honda Interceptor VFR800 in August


Honda is scheduled to launch its latest sports bike Honda Interceptor VFR800 in India on August and is expected to be priced approximately Rs. 800000/-.

The Interceptor VFR800 bike is powered by a 4 stroke DOHC V4 VTEC engine which has a displacement of 781cc. The bike delivers a 107bhp of max power at 10,500rpm, and a peak torque of 80Nm at 8,750rpm. The bike’s engine is well balanced with a manual 6 speed gear box to provide more use of acceleration.





Interceptor VFR800 features the latest suspension and braking system to ensure safest control and with much comfort. Interceptor VFR800’s front gets a disc brake equipped with three piston LBS callipers and the rear gets a 256mm single disc equipped with LBS three piston callipers.

The bike is having the largest wheelbase in the two wheeler market, with a 1458mm wheelbase. It also features mounted a bigger fuel tank, LED tail wheels, rear view mirrors, step up seat, a centre exhaust system, a digitalized instrument panel and a multi reflector headlights.


Airtel Call Tariff Hikes by 20% in Six Circles


Bharti Airtel announced hike in its call tariffs by 20% in six major circles including New Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The hike in tariff will be affected both pre-paid and post-paid customers. Now Tariffs have been increased from1 paise per second to 1.2 paisa per second.

A leading Indian telecom company Bharti Airtel mobile has a total of 169.2 million subscribers and is the fifth-largest mobile operator globally with operations in 19 countries including South Asia and Africa.

The hike comes as Bharti combats fierce domestic competition that has resulted in cutting call rates and now is struggling with high interest costs on debt accumulated to purchase mobile licences in India and to expand into Africa.

Vodafone is Searching Global Private Equity Partner


India’s third largest mobile service provider Vodafone is seeking for global private equity partners for its India arm. After losing Indian partner Essar, UK-based telecom giant Vodafone has now started searching for new partner and already have initiated talks with few private equity companies to sell some stake in its India operations.

In 2007 Vodafone spent $11.1 billion to acquire 67% stake in the former Hutchison Essar in 2007. But now after Essar’s exit from the venture Vodafone is suppose to transfer remaining Essar's 33% stake and it will cross the limit on foreign holding in a telecom company by 1%, forcing Vodafone to divest some to a domestic partner.

Currently Vodafone has $5.46 billion subscriber in India and they have invested already around $18 billion for its India operations.


Cognizant to Become Third Largest IT Company in India


Cognizant is all set to oust Wipro to become India’s Third Largest IT Company on August 2, the day when they will declare their quarterly result. On Wednesday Wipro announced their revenues at $1.408 billion for the Q1 which is about $40 million less than Cognizant's April-June quarter revenue guidance of $1.45 billion.

Apart from that Infosys's and Wipro's results all other IT giants like TCS, IBM and Accenture have shown incredible growth in the IT sector. Cognizant is also expected to meet the target and beat the expectation. Infosys's and Wipro's dismal result only is due to own company-specific issues.
 
Analysts explain that Cognizant's focus on faster growth rates and market share gain with lower margins has helped it to surpass Wipro. It invests significantly higher than its competitors in sales and marketing and recruits lots of highly qualified employees from MBA background. 

Market forecast that Wipro to grow at 13.5% for the 2011-12 FY while Cognizant is expected to grow at around 29% growth rate. And if this trend continues then Wipro will no longer remain third largest IT service provider in India and it would be very difficult for them to catch up with Cognizant in the near future.


AT&T Q2 Net Profit UP, Beats Market Forecast


AT&T declared its second quarter result and they had done a lot better than expectation. The company earned $31.5 billion in revenue, up 2.2% than last year, and its operating income of $6,165.0 million is also up by 1.3% than the same period last year.

Wireless subscriptions were up 1.1 million to reach 98.6 million, with 331,000 signed up for post-paid connections. iPhone additions were steady from last quarter, with 3.6 million iPhone activations. AT&T has found great success with aggressive marketing of Android phones.

The company is now geared up for the possible merger with T-Mobile. Although this merger is facing some blockage from the Federal Communications Commission and senate members, the management of AT&T is confident of completing the process within the stipulated time.

The said merger would be massive for AT&T as the second and fourth largest wireless companies in the U.S. would create a giant that would outshine current first place holder Verizon.



Thursday, 21 July 2011

Disappointing Q2 for Nokia, posts $523 million loss


Leading mobile manufacturer in the World, Nokia, has registered a loss of (euro) 368 million ($523 million) in the second quarter. The company posted a profit of (euro) 227 million in the same period last year. Nokia said its revenue fell 7% to (euro) 9.3 billion from (euro) 10.0 billion last year.

Over a decade Nokia ruled the mobile industry, but things have started changing fast for Nokia. The manufacturer giant is now losing its grip substantially and its market share dropped below 30% earlier this year for the first time. Nokia is now being squeezed in the low-end market by Asian manufacturers like ZTE and in the high-end market by the makers of smartphones like the iPhone, Google Android and Blackberry devices.

It was the lower shipping volumes that reduced Nokia’s sales. Nokia shipped 20% lesser units this year compare to last year. Nokia's smartphones also posted a 31% decrease in shipment volumes and their gross margin for Q2 went down to 25.7%

Nokia's CEO Stephen Elop is very optimistic and hopeful that Nokia will bounce back very soon with launch of some new products. He described Nokia's challenges as ``manifested in a greater than expected way'' in the April-June period. Stephen Elop also said that they've received "optimistic" responses to their Windows Phone 7 developments. Starting this year they will do "a sequence of concentrated product launches in specific countries".



Hero Honda Q1 net profit up by 13%


India's largest motorcycle manufacturer Hero Honda Motors record a better-than-expected result in the first quarter with 13% percent growth in net profit driven by strong market demand. The company saw the growth in profit after four consecutive quarters of declines and helped lift its shares more than 2%.




Hero Honda’s Managing Director, Pawan Munjal said, "Our first quarter performance has set the outlook for coming quarters and we are confident of achieving our initial guidance for fiscal 2012 to sell over six million units."

Hero Honda which makes two wheelers like Splendour and Glamour and scooters sold more than 1.5 million bikes during April-June quarter, its highest ever quarterly sales.

Earlier this year, Hero Investments agreed to buy Honda Motors' 26% stake in Hero Honda for around $851 million. The deal allows Hero Group to enter the new markets and explore new products which earlier they had been barred due to a joint venture with Honda.


HTC and Tata Docomo to Launch HTC ChaCha Together in India


Smartphone manufacturer giant HTC Corporation and Tata DOCOMO, the GSM arm of Tata Teleservices Ltd, announced the launch of the HTC ChaCha in India. The new smartphone HTC ChaCha will be available at Rs. 15, 990 in all authorized HTC dealers across the country. 

Tata DOCOMO 3G prepaid customers can avail 3GB free data valid for a period of 90 days whereas 1GB free data is offered free each month to postpaid customers across all 3G circles valid for 90 days. All 3G customers will also get 3 hour of free Mobile TV that includes data access charges valid for 90 days. Tata DOCOMO 2G prepaid customers can avail 3GB free data and 300 Tata to Tata local calling valid for a period of 90 days and 1GB free data and 100 minutes Tata to Tata calling is offered free each month for 3 months to postpaid customers across all 2G circles.




The HTC ChaCha is smartly designed to provide a seamless, social experience by allowing you to stay in touch with your friends anytime, anywhere. HTC ChaCha is the specially designed smartphone for the Facebook generation. The HTC ChaCha features a dedicated Facebook button that allows you to share just about anything at a single touch.

Speaking on the occasion Faisal Siddiqui, Country Manager, HTC India said, "At HTC, we have always strived to take mobility experience to newer levels and add multi dimensions to our devices. Featuring a dedicated Facebook button and one-touch Facebook access, the HTC ChaCha aims to make it simpler and convenient for its users to share and connect through their favourite social networking site. We are extremely pleased to launch the HTC ChaCha in India with Tata DOCOMO, and are positive that this social smartphone will garner a favorable response from Indian mobile phone users."

Mr Sunil Tandon, Head - Mobility Services & Devices Management, Tata Teleservices Limited, said "Devices are an important element of the entire 3G ecosystem to drive penetration and increase the adoption of 3G services. Tata DOCOMO partners with various smart phone handset makers and is taking a conscious leap in co-promotion that is not only affordable but in-built with rich features and capabilities.”



HTC Salsa: The Smartphone For Facebook Users


The HTC Salsa is a very proficient mid-range Android phone which offers a slick design, solid hardware and a dedicated Facebook button. If you're a social-networking fanatic then this is your phone!

HTC Salsa is a typical Android package with more familiar context. Salsa let users quickly upload entries to your Facebook wall at the touch of a button. HTC went on to give the Salsa more than just that tiny Facebook button. It has video calls, HD video and web Flash support along with other familiar features. 

SIM-free and unlocked, one can expect to part with around £320 for the Salsa. Contract prices are still to be announced, it can be expected that the phone would be free on a £15-per-month contract.





Features and Specifications:

Device type:            Smart phone
Network Support:     Quad-band GSM and dual-band 3G support
Weight:                  120 gm
Size:                      3.40 inches
Display:                  Capacitive Touch Screen
Talk time:               9 hours
Operating System:    Android (2.3.3)
Processor:               Single core, Qualcomm MSM7227, 800 MHz
Memory:                 512 MB RAM & 512 ROM
Memory Expansion:   32 GB (2GB card included)
Camera:                 5 megapixels, Auto focus
Music:                    MP3, AAC, WMA, WAV, M4A, AMR, OGG, MIDI
Video Playback:        MPEG4, XviD, AVI, 3GP, 3G2
Built-in online:          Facebook, Twitter
Connectivity:            Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB, Headphone
Other features:        Video Calling, YouTube player, Accelerometer,  proximity sensor, HTC Locations app and HTCSense.com integration