Sunday 31 August 2014

Petrol prices slashed, diesel prices hiked

State-owned oil marketing companies (OMCs) on Thursday decided to cut retail petrol prices by Rs 1.09 a litre and increase retail diesel price by 56 paise a litre with effect from midnight of July 31. The OMCs also reduced the diesel price for bulk consumers by 72 paise a litre and price of non-subsidized LPG cylinder by Rs 2.50 for a 14.2 kg cylinder and that of commercial LPG cylinder by Rs 4.00 for a 19kg cylinder.

Private oil firms like Reliance Industries (RIL), Essar Oil and Shell are also likely to reduce petrol prices to make their prices at par with OMCs.

This is because the international prices of petrol, diesel and LPG have fallen in the global markets and the Indian Rupee slightly depreciated against the US Dollar. This is the first drop in petrol prices since April. Petrol prices were last slashed on April 15, by 70 paise per litre, excluding local levies.

After revision, petrol will be sold at Rs 72.51 per litre in Delhi, Rs 80.30 a litre in Kolkata, Rs 80.60 in Mumbai and Rs 75.78 per litre in Chennai. Similarly, diesel will be sold at Rs 50.40 in Delhi, Rs 63.22 per litre in Kolkata, Rs 66.63 per litre in Mumbai and Rs 62.30 per litre in Chennai.

A petrol pump in Chandigarh. (TOI file photo)

Due to the hike, the under-recovery in diesel will fall to Rs 1.33 a litre from Rs 1.83 a litre, taking the fuel closer to deregulation.

The international crude oil price of Indian basket went down to $ 106.12 per barrel on Wednesday compared $106.34 per barrel on Tuesday. In rupee terms, the price of Indian basket decreased to Rs 6383.12 per barrels on Wednesday as compared to Rs 6391.03 per barrel on Tuesday.

A diesel pump in Kochi. (TOI file photo by Jipson Sikhera)

The last revision in fuel prices were undertaken on June 30 when petrol prices were hiked by Rs 1.69 per litre and diesel by 50 paise per litre. The government in January last year decided that diesel prices should be raised by 40-50 paise a litre every month until losses are wiped out.

The government freed petrol prices from its control in June 2010 and since then state-owned oil firms like BPCL, HPCL and Indian Oil have been revising rates on the 1st and 16th of every month based on the fortnightly average of international oil prices and the rupee-dollar exchange rate.

OMCs from mid-July were incurring combined daily under-recovery of about Rs 261 crore on the sale of sensitive petroleum products like diesel, kerosene and domestic LPG, which is expected to come down with 56 paise hike in diesel price. The under recoveries for the financial year 2014-15 are projected to be Rs 91,665 compared to Rs 1, 39,869 crore in the 2013-14.

Top 10 Fat to Fit Celebrities

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'Unbelievable' is the word which strikes your mind when you come across the pre-stardom pics of these celebs. These eye-candy Bollywood icons were overweight before they hit the stardom. These celebs' 'Fat to Fit' story is as interesting as their rise to stardom. Here is our pick of top ten celebrities who shed pounds and worked hard for that perfect look.

Sonakshi Sinha, daughter of famous actor and politician Shatrughan Sinha was offered Dabangg by superstar Salman Khan. An overweight Sonakshi took the challenge and the result was for all to see when Dabangg released. Sonakshi is considered as one of the most beautiful and in demand actresses of the new generation!

A cute and chubby Bebo (as she is fondly called) went from the overweight lass in her debut film Refugee to a sie zero in Tashan. Her bikini body and size zero figure created national hysteria, making Indian audiences aware of the existence of size zero. She also made fellow actresses insecure about their weighty issues!

Sonam Kapoor weighed 95 kilos and was an obese child who piled on the kilos thanks to her intake of junk food! It was on mum Sunita’s prodding that Sonam decided to lose weight and began to take this new project seriously. She set a target of losing 35 kilos and today the actress has been super successful in her mission. Sonam is considered the most stylish actress in Bollywood today, having strutted her stuff on the red carpet at Cannes.

The obese singer had an emotional connect to food, consuming huge amounts in both happy and sad times. But it was when Adnan Sami weighed 206 kilos that he was given an ultimatum by his doctor. Unless he shed the weight, he would not survive beyond six months. That’s when Adnan took the challenge seriously and lost 130 kilos with the help of surgery and a strict diet and exercise regime. Today, the results are for all to see.

Son of famous producer Vashu Bhagnani, Jackky wanted to act in films like all star kids. But the one big problem that prevented him from doing so was his weight problem. A determined Jackky went abroad to shed all the kilos and made his acting debut with the film Kal Kissne Dekha, having lost a cool 60 kilos! Today, Jackky’s chiseled features stand out.

Esha Deol will be more than happy to forget her fat days when she first debuted in Bollywood. But everyone started noticing a slim Esha as she donned a bikini for Dhoom, causing people to sit up and take notice of her! Esha has maintained her weight ever since.

Sameera Reddy is one actress who has taken to fitness very seriously. This overweight actress has toned her body and lost excessive weight over the years, making it hard for fans to believe that this is the same Sameera Reddy who at one time called fat.

Rani Mukherjee’s weight has been like a yo-yo, swinging from one extreme to another. From her initial Kuch Kuch Hota Hain days, Rani was considered bold for wearing short skirts in spite of her big frame. This continued for a while until Rani decided to do something. She began to look petite in films like Saathiya. Her weight has been the topic of discussion ever since, with Rani going from fat to slim ever so often!

She drew flak for being overweight in her debut film Veer opposite Salman Khan. And Zarine Khan took matters to heart. Her considerable weight loss for her special song ‘Character Dheela’ in the film Ready was much appreciated. But Zarine was still far from her target. In recent times, the actress has gone on to shed oodles of weight as seen in the film Houseful 2 and Zarine seems to pursue her target.

To play the role of Parma in his debut film Ishaqzaade, star kid Arjun Kapoor had to work hard on his looks. Motivated by fitness buff Salman Khan, Arjun initially weighed 170 kilos but managed to shed all the excess weight! And today, Arjun looks dapper and his abs are killer!

29 BRUTALLY HONEST ADVERTISING SLOGANS THAT WILL TOTALLY CRACK YOU UP

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Brand identity is all about great company image. Or is it really? When it comes to branding there’s always more than what meet the eyes. This is what Nashville-based graphic designer Clif Dickens thought when he replaced the popular brand taglines by these honestadvertising slogans, most of which makes more sense than the real ones. He came up with the idea of pairing catchy, tongue-in-cheek taglines with their actual brand logos, and the result is mind-blowingly hilarious. Check it out.

Brutally Honest Advertising Slogans That Will Totally Crack You Up

Congress CMs not to share stage with PM Modi to avoid humiliation

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Prime Minister Modi is a mass puller and manages to capture hearts with his soul – touching speeches. But whilst the people adore their PM, he in turn is proving to be a thorn in Congress’s flesh. After Haryana CM Bhupinder was left red in the face at Kaithal (Haryana) when Modi took potshots at his party and the crowd booed at him, Hooda publicly said that he will not share stage with Modi again.

Even Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan has decided to skip the launching ceremony of Nagpur Metro.

B S Hooda has accused BJP of turning an official function into a party event.

After Hooda, now Prithviraj Chavan has also decided not share the stage with Modi again.

According to sources in the Congress, Chavan is unhappy with his experiences he had while sharing the stage with the PM during two functions on Saturday - at Nhava Sheva, during a JNPT function, and at Solapur, where he was accompanying the PM for the inauguration of the four-lane National Highway number 9.

At the JNPT function, Chavan drew Modi’s attention to 146 SeZs that were cleared by the state but had failed to take off due to reasons such as the non-delivery of promised facilities and administrative hurdles.

“As many as 23 SeZs have been scrapped,” the CM had said. When it was his turn to speak, Modi used the CM’s statement to take pot shots at the previous Congress-led UPA regime at the Centre.

“Chavan must have had these concerns before as well, but was probably unable to voice them at the time. This is an old disease and it requires a good doctor. I will address it now,” said the Prime Minister.

At Solapur, CM Chavan had to abandon his speech midway after the crowd began chanting Modi’s name. His speech was disrupted when he was demanding a stretch of road connecting the Pune-Bengaluru national highway to the Konkan region.

Congress has now realized that it would be better to avoid sharing dais with Modi as it would save them from humiliation and face the party’s face too.

While sources say that Congress CMs have been unofficially asked not to share the stage with Narendra Modi, one can conclude that the PM is indeed alienating his Chief Ministers, thus.

Congress compelled me to contest bypoll, says Manturam Pawar

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Congress compelled me to contest bypoll, says Manturam Pawar

Manturam Pawar, who was expelled after he withdrew his nominations as Congress candidate for bypoll to Antagarh assmebly constituency, Saturday alleged that he was fielded by the party despite his refusal to contest the election.

Speaking to reporters here, Pawar alleged that there are factions in Congress due to which he was not getting any cooperation from the party and said he was denied any financial support from the PCC when he asked it to fund his election campaign.

Refuting his charges, PCC chief Bhupesh Baghel said “Manturam was given ticket only after he expressed his desire to contest with zeal and full confidence.”

Baghel termed Pawar’s allegation as conspiracy and said he was just “reading” what he had been given.

He also said party taken advise of every leader and they are consulted whenever party takes any decision and added that he will inform high command over Pawar’s act, due to which party had to face the problem.

Narenda Modi In Tokyo. "PM Narendra Modi visits ancient Buddhist temple in Kyoto"

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Kyoto: Clad fully in white down to his slippers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday began second day of his tour to Japan with a visit to the ancient Buddhist Toji Temple in Kyoto.

He was accompanied by his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe when he went around the famous temple

PM Narendra Modi visits ancient Buddhist temple in Kyoto

He was at the temple complex for about half an hour during which he enquired about the history of the eighth- century Buddhist pagoda.

Sources in the Ministry of External Affairs said that the Japanese Prime Minister thanked Modi saying the visit will enhance ‘mutual trust’ between the two countries.

“This is my second visit to the Toji temple. Before this, I had visited here when I was in school. I got an opportunity to visit Toji temple for second time with you,” Abe said.

Chief Monk Mori took Modi around the complex having wooden temple including the five-storied main pagoda.

It stands 57 meters tall, making it the tallest pagoda in Japan, and has become a symbol of both the temple and Kyoto as it can be seen from many places across the city.

Monk Hasi, who accompanied Modi, said: "We are happy that the Prime Minister visited us. It is a matter of pride for our temple. He has a big heart."

When Modi arrived at the temple, a number of Indians carrying the Tricolour were there to see him. He went and shook hands with the excited crowd. Toji Temple is one of Kyoto's many UNESCO world heritage sites.

Modi then went to the spectacularly pretty Kinkaku-ji temple. He met the 83-year-old Head Priest Venerabale Yasu Nagamori of Kinkau-ji Temple and discussed the possibility of the Buddhist shrine working with Sarnath.

“Prayer for peace! Prime Minister Narendra Modi meditating in the tranquility of the Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) Temple in Kyoto,” official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Syed Akbaruddin, said in a twitter post.

During his visit to the Kyoto University, Midi met Nobel Prize winner for Medicine (2012) S Yamanaka and discussed inventing treatment to the Sickle Cell Anaemia

The Only Real Piece of Advice You Will Need To Succeed

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We are living in a world of multiple inspirations, but are still confused about what to do. The next time you are confused about what to do next, just stop and think: What should I be doing if there were no status quo commanding me what step to take next? Make that your next step, without further ado. If you want to truly succeed, delete the word ‘Status Quo’ from your mental dictionary. This two-letter word is like an imaginary chain tying you down, telling you what to do, where to be.

The Only Real Piece of Advice You Will Need To Succeed

Civilizations advance when unique individuals think and act differently; shattering the status quo permanently and changing the way things are done.

In life, you have two options. Either chart your own path, or take the path that everyone is taking, and be stuck in a jam for the whole of your life!

Looking back, we don’t care to remember the names of those who decided to take the easy path. But we certainly know the names of those entrepreneurs and innovators that killed the competition, disrupted markets, and changed the way we live. But as you remember them, don’t focus on their lives’ end product. Focus on their process — what they did when their great work was still just a work-in-progress; how they tackled failure, exactly what helped them arrive at that creative breakthrough, and take a cue out of their lives.

Sadly, our culture, education and family values have pushed us into a collective groupthink, conditioning us to become perfect little mindless drones with the bare intelligence to secure a comfortable monthly salary.

The wise and old tell us to follow the wisdom of the crowds. But wisdom doesn’t come from crowds or collectives. Neither do breakthrough ideas, inventions and innovations. They come from exceptional individuals and small teams powered by exceptional individuals. The only thing that comes from crowds is herd behavior, best seen in that Shiksha.com advertisement featuring human sheep.

How To Actually Become Super Brand You: Our generation is obsessed with the word ‘Personal Branding’. Instead of going out and learning on the job, learning the gritty details of how business works, and gaining experience in the real world, a growing segment of the population thinks they can be headhunted just by sitting at home and building theirpersonal brand on LinkedIn and other networking sites, blogging, tweeting and networking. Instead, get out there. Apart from your job, work as a consultant for other businesses. Involve yourself in a startup or two. Take up six different online courses. Work. Work. Work towards your goals. That is the only way to move forward.

Just Skip the Motivational BS: It’s funny how millions of people think that just by reading terabytes of mindless motivational inspirational feel-good fluff that’s flooding the Internet, they will magically transform themselves into the next Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg. They won’t. Unless they give a 100 percent committed and honest try.
Don’t Burden Yourself With The Self-Improvement Frenzy: The notion that learning the personal habits, qualities, and behaviors of successful people will somehow make people more successful is nonsense. Don’t spend your valuable time reading gibberish like 7 Things All Successful People Do. Instead, read up on industry news and actually learn something you can use later.

Get Real, Marketable Skills: Learning dance is great, but will it help you in your life as a Social Media Marketer? Not likely. Learning marketable skills, gaining experience, taking risks, and working hard is what will make you successful.

Now, let’s cut straight to the chase: If you want to have a successful and fulfilling career, then find out what you’re really good at– hopefully something marketable – and strive to do it better than anyone else. That’s all there is to it.

Ambani drops out of PM delegation to Japan

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Mukesh Ambani, the world’s richest energy billionaire and head of Reliance Industries, has dropped out of a business delegation accompanying Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his visit to Japan.

Ambani, who was to be part of a group of industrialists accompanying Modi on his first major bilateral visit, outside the sub-continent, sent regrets, government sources said.
While the sources gave no reasons for the move, an RIL spokesperson did not offer any comments.

Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani, Sunil Bharti Mittal of Bharti Enterprises, Essar Group head Shashi Ruia, Wipro Chairman Azim Premji and ICICI Bank chief executive Chanda Kochhar were among the industrialists who are to travel to Tokyo to participate in the meeting of India-Japan Business Leaders’ Forum (IJBLF) on September 1.

The forum is co-chaired by Chairman of Bharat Forge Baba Kalyani. Maruti Suzuki Chairman R C Bhargava, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw of Biocon and Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) Chairman and Managing Director Dinesh K Sarraf are other members of the business delegation.

Sources said while Modi reached Koyto today, members of the delegation will arrive in Tokyo by tomorrow afternoon.

20 Personalities Who Have Changed The Face Of Bollywood In The Past Decade

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20 Personalities Who Have Changed The Face Of Bollywood In The Past Decade

There was a time when Bollywood, in the eyes of people not completely familiar with it, stood for convoluted plots, synchronized dancing and a lot of drama. Not anymore – at least, not all of it. With every new generation, Bollywood has slowly changed itself to adapt to newer audiences. And while the superstar and item number syndrome will always make for 100-crore-movies, these 20 personalities (in no particular order) have brought in a fresh breath into the very idea of the Hindi film industry.

1. Yo Yo Honey Singh

Personalities Who Have Changed The Face Of Bollywood In The Past Decade

His songs might be offensive, but he is a phenomenon that would have pervaded Bollywood sooner or later. Remember those days when Bollywood music always required a token black rapper to make the peppy numbers more upbeat? Well hey, now we have our own ‘desi kalakar’ who infuses the soundtracks with that very pep – and keeps it real for the desis. However, when we speak of Honey Singh, we are absolutely not taking into account his acting skills, or the lack thereof.

2. Kangna Ranaut

Ever since she started out in the industry, her talent was never in question. However, except for her first couple of films – nothing she did provided her with a platform that equaled her skills. And then came 2013 with ‘Queen’ and ‘Revolver Rani’ – and if not change the way men viewed women-oriented movies, she definitely sealed the deal on that one.

3. Nawazuddin Siddiqui

This man proved that being respected as an actor has absolutely nothing to do with fair and handsome looks or six-pack abs. After making his presence felt in ‘Peepli Live’, there was no looking back for this talented man. Since then, most of his movies have been screened at international film festivals – because he is one of the few actors who can truly act, and not just perform.

4. Sunny Leone

Another personality who can be credited with changing the face of Bollywood is Sunny Leone. While it is true that her reputation precedes her, this is also the first time that a porn star has become a part of the Hindi film industry – and if she can prove her detractors wrong by choosing to do some performance-oriented roles instead of the item numbers, she will definitely have paved the way for more Indian porn stars to go mainstream.

5. Anurag Kashyap

At a time when the rest of Bollywood was making run-of-the-mill romcoms like and ‘Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani’ and action flicks like ‘Wanted’, Anurag Kashyap gave a whole new spin to the love triangle story by directing a modern-day version of Devdas. With his eye for detail and a gritty take on all of his films’ subjects, Anurag Kashyap has definitely been a breath of fresh air in the industry.

6. Imtiaz Ali

Imtiaz Ali’s fresh take on romance was a change from the typical YRF fare when he burst into the scene with ‘Socha Na Tha’. A decade later he still mesmerizes with his aesthetic shots and his ability to bring out the raw and genuine performance in his actors.

7. Vikramaditya Motwane

Some directors make you wish they would make more movies more often. And such is the case with Vikramaditya Motwane – who delighted us with brilliant movies like ‘Udaan’ and ‘Lootera’. One of the reasons to include Motwane in this list was the way he took the most mainstream actress of current times like Sonakshi Sinha and brought out such a poignant performance from her – upping her acting skills by leaps and bounces.

8. Vidya Balan

While our yesteryear actresses were none too skinny, there came the zero-figure fascination in Bollywood where your popularity depended on how thin you were. Among figures like Kareena Kapoor and Deepika Padukone, along came Vidya Balan with her unapologetic big frame and exceptional acting prowess. She has been instrumental in bringing back curves – and paving a path for future actresses like Sonakshi Sinha.

9. Priyanka Chopra

Some stars balance being an A-lister and constantly experimenting with their talent, pushing the boundaries with aplomb. With every role – save for those masala entertainers where she is easily overshadowed by the male leads – she has done something new, whether it’s playing multiple characters, an autistic girl or played real-life personalities.

10. Irrfan Khan

A seasoned actor, a favorite in Hollywood as much as in Bollywood and a personality whose work speaks louder than his words – Irrfan Khan is a complete professional. He shines in offbeat movies like ‘The Lunchbox’ and he without fail maintains his own in multi-starrers like ‘Gunday’. The day Bollywood tipped the scales in favor of sensible movies over masala entertainers will be the day actors like Irrfan Khan will be the biggest names in the industry.

11. Anaita Shroff Adajania

Another important personality who has slowly been changing the face of Bollywood is Anaita Shroff Adajania. This stylist has revolutionized the look of the characters in movies. From Deepika and Saif’s fresh looks in ‘Love Aaj Kal’ to Kareena’s hot saree look in ‘Ra.One’, she has definitely created better aesthetics in the industry.

12. Farhan Akhtar

If every actor were like Farhan Akhtar, we would only need a handful of them in Bollywood. Director, singer, actor and producer – this man has left no stones unturned. It is no mean task to make some absolute super-hits and yet not be assimilated into the superstar clique. And his dedication is there for all to see – the amazing transformation he went through for ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ is a testimony to his talent.

13. Sanjay Leela Bhansali

The man who should be credited with revolutionizing the look and feel of Bollywood movies is Sanjay Leela Bhansali. His films always have great music and an epic plot – but what overshadows everything else is the pure aesthetics of the sets he uses in the movies. From ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ to ‘Devdas’ to ‘Goliyon Ka Raasleela – Ram-Leela’, every one of them is a pure pleasure to watch.

14. Manoj Bajpai

If Bollywood had one Manoj Bajpai for every five vacuous star, the industry would have gone even further than it has today. He proved his mettle with ‘Satya’ in 1998 – and his performances in later movies like ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ and ‘Special 26’ reinforces the fact that there is no substitute for talent.

15. A.R. Rahman

There are music directors, and then there is A.R. Rahman. Every time Rahman works for a movie, you can just tell it is him. Not because he is predictable, but because his melodies are something that you have never heard before. Take his latest movies – ‘Raanjhanaa’ and ‘Highway’ for examples. And because of his musical genius, he is in demand even in Hollywood.

16. Kareena Kapoor

Kareena Kapoor might not have made any significant movie in the recent past – but this leading lady brought about a revolution in the way actresses were paid. Traditionally, actors have always been paid more than the actresses. However, when Kareena was paid close to 8 crores for ‘Heroine’, she opened up avenues for other actresses like Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif to demand payment as per their potential.

17. Aamir Khan

The only ‘famous Khan’ to make this list is Aamir Khan – who, thanks to his perfectionism, opts for movies that actually make sense than go for mass appeal, weeding out dozens and hundreds of bad scripts in the process. Except for his recent dud in the form of ‘Dhoom 3’, the man has brought about a certain class to Bollywood with movies like ‘Dhobi Ghat’ and ‘3 Idiots’.

18. Vishal Bharadwaj

Vishal Bharadwaj can easily be ranked among the best directors of Bollywood. There are an awful lot of things that could go wrong when adapting Shakespearean plays into Hindi films – but Bharadwaj skirts those problems with ease.

19. Anand Gandhi

Although he is just a couple of films old – and best known for ‘Ship of Theseus’, he is the kind of director there needs to be more of in Bollywood to make intelligent cinema for every Rohit Shetty or Sajid Khan entertainer. There is a long way to go before Bollywood can cut the umbilical cord of filmi music and convoluted dramas – but the entry of directors like Anand Gandhi might just be the wind of change that changes the status quo.

20. Emraan Hashmi

The last person we credit with the changing face of Bollywood is Emraan Hashmi. Bollywood was still hemming and hawing about regular portrayals of kissing and other intimate scenes when Hashmi waltzed in and changed the industry forever. His uninhibited performances in such scenes rightfully earned him the moniker of ‘Serial Kisser’.

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Sunday 31 August 2014

Congress compelled me to contest bypoll, says Manturam Pawar

Saturday 30 August 2014

1. Yo Yo Honey Singh

2. Kangna Ranaut

3. Nawazuddin Siddiqui

4. Sunny Leone

5. Anurag Kashyap

6. Imtiaz Ali

7. Vikramaditya Motwane

8. Vidya Balan

9. Priyanka Chopra

10. Irrfan Khan

11. Anaita Shroff Adajania

12. Farhan Akhtar

13. Sanjay Leela Bhansali

14. Manoj Bajpai

15. A.R. Rahman

16. Kareena Kapoor

17. Aamir Khan

18. Vishal Bharadwaj

19. Anand Gandhi

20. Emraan Hashmi

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