Shahrukh, Priyanka in Jaipur to promote 'Don 2'

Shahrukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Farhan Akhtar meet fans in Jaipur as a part of the campaign to promote Don 2 in seven cities across India. The promotional was held at Crystal Palm mall in Jaipur. However, Shahrukh Khan won’t be able to make it on time as he was stuck in Ahmedabad as the plane developed a technical snag. “Still stuck in plane with spoilt flaps can't take off from ahmedabad. Waiting for plane from mumbai..will meet all jaipur now in the morning... Sorry guys one of those technical plane thingies. Will make it up to u guys and girls at the mall in the morning...reaching jaipur by 1 am” Shahrukh wrote on his twitter page. The programme at the mall is planned around 11am.

Talking to PTI, Shahrukh Khan said, "It was a nice experience of shooting in a jail in Malaysia and what I learnt is that one should never do a thing which may end in imprisonment." Shahrukh Khan added, “The prison we filmed in Malaysia was one of the advanced kinds having facilities for criminals, but when one is lodged in jail, his freedom ends... and we felt it during our shooting amid tight security arrangements." However, Shahrukh was scheduled to come to Jaipur on Thursday evening, but he was stuck in Ahmedabad due to some technical snag in their aircraft and got delayed. Director Farhan Akhtar and actress Priyanka Chopra also attended the publicity event of Don 2, which was at Crystal Palm mall. Don 2 is slated to release on December 23.

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Pakistani Actress Veena Malik goes missing

The controversial Pakistani actress  Veena Malik who is presently in Mumbai has mysteriously gone missing. As per Prateik Mehta business manager of the actress and Hemant Madhukar a filmmaker, Veena is untraceable since early morning of December 16. Veena alias Zahida Malik who is shooting for a horror flick 'Mumbai 125 kilometres' at a location in Goregoan (West) suddenly disappeared. "Veena without giving her last shot at 5am for my film 'Mumbai 125 kilometres' suddenly disappeared from her vanity van. Her mobile too was not reachable I assumed that the actress was tired and left for home," said Hemant. The filmmaker did receive an SMS from Veena that she was unwell and depressed and was leaving but since Hemant's cell was switched off he discovered it far later. After almost 12 hours of the incident, Hemant and Veena’s manager has discovered that she is mysteriously missing.

She gets limelight by Nude photo on FMH Magzine cover and recent comments on pakistan and FMH. Deeply embroiled in a nude photo scandal thanks to what she alleges is Photoshopping on her recent FHM India cover, Malik has been on the receiving end of extraordinary criticism in her home country. The criticism comes from religious officials (and some government officials as well, though in Pakistan the line between the two is sometimes non-existent) who claim that Malik has disgraced both her country and her religion. She has been threatened with the loss of her citizenship. Her own father disowned her. And the death threats—well, they come daily. And yet despite it all Veena Malik wishes to return to Pakistan. But she's not content to show up with her tail between her legs. Though some in her country would discourage it, Malik is a modern woman, and as such has seen fit to fight back against the abuses thrown her way. The simple act of posing naked on the cover of a magazine (she maintains that she was modestly covered for the shoot, a claim that, given FHM India's history, should be believed until proven otherwise) has given Malik a platform for dishing out some criticism of her own. Malik did so with aplomb, lambasting Pakistan as a country where society "still lives in the Stone Age."

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Govt changes criteria for Bharat Ratna Award

Amid clamour for Bharat Ratna for Sachin Tendulkar, Government has modified rules to pave way for eligibility of sportspersons for the highest civilian award of the country.  The new rules, providing for eligibility of persons excelling in fields other than art, literature, science and public service for Bharat Ratna, were notified on 16th November, Sports Minister Ajay Maken told reporters in New Delhi. "I wrote a letter to Home Minister on April 15. The Prime Minister and Home Minister have very kindly agreed now to change the norm. "Instead of the fields of art, literature, science and public services, now on November 16, Government has notified that for performance of highest order in any field of human endeavour Bharat Ratna could be awarded," Maken said outside Parliament House. He said the decision has paved the way for any sportsperson to get Bharat Ratna award.
The move comes amid clamour for conferring of Bharat Ratna on Tendulkar for his outstanding contribution to cricket. "For me as a sports minister this is one of the biggest days of Indian sport and next biggest day I think will be the day when any sportsperson is named as an awardee of Bharat Ratna," Maken said. Reacting to a question on conferring of the highest civilian order on Tendulkar and legendary Hockey player Major Dhyan Chand, the Minister said the two names from the sports category that struck in his mind is "the wizard of hockey Major Dhyan Chand and our run machine Sachin Tendulkar." "Both of them I think should be the top contender but there are many other contenders for Bharat Ratna award if it is given to a sportsperson. Ultimately, the decision has to be taken by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister takes the decision and recommend it to the President," he said. Bharat Ratna was instituted in 1954. Any person without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex is eligible for these awards. The recommendations for Bharat Ratna are made by the Prime Minister himself to the President. No formal recommendations for this are necessary.

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CBI wants narco test of Bhanwari’s husband

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has proposed a narco-analysis test of missing nurse Bhanwari Devi's husband Amarchand who is presently in the agency's custody.  The CBI, which is handling the case, filed its status report with the Rajasthan High Court today. Sources say that the investigating agency claims Amarchand Nat has revealed that he was given ten lakhs by Sohan Lal Vishnoi, the first man arrested in the case, and Sahi Ram, the alleged mastermind, who remains missing. Bhanwari Devi, a nurse and regular star in folk music videos, was last seen near her home in a village near Jodhpur on September 1. That day, she told Amarchand that she needed to travel to a nearby town named Bilada. He said he needed to get their car repaired, and asked her to take the bus. She was never seen again. The CBI believes she was kidnapped after she met up with Sohan Lal Vishnoi in Bilada. Inquiries reveal that there was nothing wrong with Amarchand's car.
Bhanwari disappeared amid reports that she was using a sex CD to blackmail Mahipal Maderna, who was a minister in the Congress government at the time. After Mr Maderna was arrested, he said he was introduced to the nurse by another Congress politician, Malkhan Singh. Earlier this week, Amarchand reportedly told the CBI that he believes his youngest child was fathered by Mr Singh. It was Amarchand who reported his wife missing and then pushed for Mr Maderna to be charged with her rape and murder. But when the CBI began interrogating him, he tried to run away. He was arrested on December 8. Mr Maderna is in jail. Malkhan Singh is also considered a key suspect in this case but in recent weeks, he is proving to be uncooperative.

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Bharat Ratna to Dhyan Chand, Sachin soon !

Hockey legend Dhyan Chand, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and others may get Bharat Ratna, the government has effected a change in the eligibility criteria. The nation’s highest civilian award will now be awarded in recognition of exceptional service/performance of the highest order “in any field of human endeavour” — covering almost all the fields that had earlier remained out of the purview of the award. Earlier, it was restricted to areas like “art, literature, science and public service”. “The change has been made through a notification by the PMO on recommendation of the home and sports ministries,” said a senior official. Supporting the sports ministry’s demand to include ‘sports’ as a category for the award, the home ministry had written to the PMO in July, asking it to take the call. As the clamour for awarding Bharat Ratna to Tendulkar and Dhyan Chand gets louder, sports minister Ajay Maken had earlier written to home minister P Chidambaram. Maken, however, did not plead for any specific sportsperson or sports.
The recommendations for the Bharat Ratna, instituted in 1954, are made by the PM himself to the President. Though names of persons can be sent by different state/UT governments, organizations and individuals to the PMO for consideration, no “formal recommendation” is necessary. It is also not mandatory that Bharat Ratna is awarded every year. The number of awards is, however, restricted to a maximum of three in a year. So far, 41 people have been conferred with Bharat Ratna. The first three Indians who received the award were Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, Chakravarti Rajagopalachari and Sarvapali Radhakrishnan in 1954. The award has been conferred on a naturalized Indian citizen (Mother Teresa in 1980) and to two non-Indians (Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and Nelson Mandela in 1990). Pandit Bhimsen Joshi was the last recipient of the award in 2009. Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajendra Prasad, Lata Mangeshkar, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Amartya Sen, Jayprakash Narayan, J R D Tata, Rajiv Gandhi, Sardar Patel are among the other recipients of Bharat Ratna.

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AIPMT Exam 2012 date is 1st April 2012

All India Pre Medical Test (AIPMT) Exam 2012 date is finally announced. The AIPMT prelims will be held on April 1, 2012 followed by the main exam on May 13. A statement issued by the CBSE said that it would be conducting the AIPMT in 2012 for the 15 per cent all India quota only.  The statement further said that this was being done "as per communication received from ministry of health and family welfare, regarding seeking permission from the Hon'ble Supreme Court to allow introduction of National Eligibility Cum Entrance Exam for under graduates (NEET-UG) under graduate medical courses from the academic year 2013-14 instead of 2012-13". The AIPMT syllabus, exam centres and pattern of the exam will remain exactly as it was in 2011.

The NEET-UG has been engulfed in controversy right from the start with many states opposing it for various reasons. While Tamil Nadu questioned the validity of NEET all together, Maharashtra sought postponement of the exam till the syllabus could be at par. Maharashtra had approached the Supreme Court in November and was directed to go before the Bombay High Court with their plea. But the state spent almost a month trying to finalize their legal draft even as parents and students grew anxious. In a desperate attempt even chief minister Prithviraj Chavan wrote to the union health ministry expressing his administration's inability to participate in the NEET. Chavan cited differences in syllabus and lack of Urdu and Marathi as medium of language as the issues for seeking a postponement. As the lawyers spent time in finishing the draft, a parents' body from Marathwada region decided to take matters in their own hands and approach the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay HC, which ordered a stay on the NEET. Dr Nandini Babhulkar, an active member of a parents body from the city, said, "CBSE announcing the AIPMT dates has come as a huge relief for the students. It is a further affirmation of the fact that an early NEET will no longer burden the students."

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Kirorimal meets Maderna, Jat-Meena Third front in Rajasthan ?

Tribal leader and MP Kirorimal Meena met former minister Mahipal Maderna in Jail and his family in Jodhpur on Wednesday, in an attempt largely seen in prospects of a third-front in state where politics has been dominated by the Congress and the BJP. Talks about a new combine against the two mainstream parties has been thriving in the political corridors for sometime now, but Kirori’s public display of his support to Maderna family has left little to doubt about it. After his 45-minute meeting with Maderna’s wife Leela and daughter Divya, Kirori hinted at a combined attempt to clean up politics in state. A Kirori aide said, “they have talked about a joint rally, planned sometime early next year. Breakaway groups from Congress and the BJP would also participate in the rally.”
Third front voice raises as Jat community own 17% of vote bank while Meena have 12% of votebank in State. The recent resignation of some of Jat Leaders from BJP and congress may bring a storm in politics of Rajasthan. Earlier some of Jat leaders like BJP MLA Hanuman Beniwal and Jat leader Hari Singh and Chandraraj Singhvi are also believed to be working overtime to put together a new political unit in state. Political pundits believe that Maderna is crucial to third-front plan. “Both Kirori and Maderna have an axe to grind with chief minister Ashok Gehlot; for Kirori it also a means to put up resistance to the BJP in 2013 assmebly polls. Both BJP and the Congress are keenly watching the proceedings, particularly after Divya’s feisty public appearances and recent cooperative poll win for Maderna in Jodhpur.

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Maderna elected unopposed in Cooperative body polls

Former Rajasthan Minister Mahipal Maderna was today declared elected unopposed President to Gram Seva Cooperative Committee(GSCC) of his native village Chadi Chotina in Osian region near here. Maderna, who was sacked from the Council of Ministers in October after his reported illicit relations with ANM Bhanwari Devi and alleged indulgence in her "abduction, sexual exploitation and suspected killing", was arrested by the CBI on December 2 and sent to judicial custody yesterday after expiry of his police remand. Despite his detention for past 11 days, he was elected unopposed to the post. Local people believe that it is all political conspiracy against maderna.
Election was held on Tuesday for the posts of chairman and vice-chairman of the Samiti and Maderna was elected the chairman unopposed as there was no contestant opposite him. Before this, he and his daughter Divya Madera were also elected the members of the samiti unopposed. He is currently lodged in Jodhpur Central Jail and was not allowed to go to the village to file his nomination by the court despite his request on Monday before the CBI court of Jodhpur. The court had cited law and order as the reason for its refusal to grant him permission to go in person to the village to file his nomination after the report sought by the police came in the negative. His wife Leela Maderna had filed his nomination on his behalf. 

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