When Actresses Cried Foul Over Fake Pix

Vidya Balan in the fake picture

It's not all roses being in the limelight. Showbiz comes with its share of hazards as well. Like fake pictures of stars in various stages of undress floating in the internet.

The latest actress to fall prey to this was Vidya Balan, when a picture of her in a bikini started circulating on the net.

The morphed picture put her on the cover of men's magazine Maxim, even though she has never featured in the magazine ever.

The magazine clarified that the picture was not genuine.

We look at other actresses who have had to deal with fake pictures through the years.

Sonakshi Sinha

Sonakshi Sinha

Sonakshi was very upset when she came across a fake picture of her in a bikini as though it was on the cover of Maxim, and voiced her anger on Twitter.

'Quite shocked to see India Today carrying an article on me appearing on Maxim in a bikini!! Yeah right,' Sonakshi tweeted.

'Would've been smart if they checked out the magazine before writing whatever they felt like. It's not about me anymore but about their credibility,' she added.

The actress obviously had not anticipated such a thing so early in her career.

Asin

Asin

Maxim magazine has featured quite a few actresses in their sexiest photoshoots, and that's probably why it's often used as a backdrop to circulate fake pictures.

Asin, who has not ever worn a bikini in her films, was also shown as though on the Maxim cover in a skin-coloured bikini. The picture was a fake.

The actress was shocked to see the picture and claimed that there was a lot of difference between her figure and that shown in the morphed image.

Katrina Kaif

Katrina Kaif

With Katrina Kaif it was not a mere photograph but a fake video that surfaced on the Internet. Titled 'Katrina Kaif's sex scandal', it was a big hit on the Net. But the girl in the video was clearly not Kaif, just a lookalike.

Naturally, Katrina was very upset over the incident and reacted to it, saying: 'The video is disgusting and the girl clearly doesn't even look like me. There's no room for any speculation whatsoever. How can you even call her my lookalike? The girl's face is completely different! I think it's ridiculous to even talk about it.'

Celina Jaitley

Celina Jaitley

Celina Jaitley has no qualms about showing skin in her movies. But a particular fake picture on the Internet got her so mad that she even lodged a cyber crime complaint against two websites, which had allegedly morphed her pictures from a photoshoot she had done years ago.

The picture showed Celina wearing a white t-shirt and black underwear with the words 'Slide to unlock' written on it.

Khushboo

Khushboo

When actress Khushboo saw her morphed pictures in Maxim, she filed a police complaint.

The case was filed under section 292 A and 3, 4, 5 of Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act 1986 and Section 4 of Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act.

The five accused were the magazine editor Sunil Mehra, art director Anjan Das, publisher and printer Xavier Collaco, deputy general manager of circulation Deepak Bhatt and regional circulation manager Fazal Hussain Khan.

While Bhatt and Khan were granted anticipatory bail by the Madras high court, the court denied bail to Mehra, Das and Collaco. The accused approached the Supreme Court for bail, which also dismissed their application.

Negar Khan

Negar Khan

Item girl Negar Khan's topless picture in VI Menn, a men's magazine in Norway, was a big hit on the internet.

But Negar said the picture on the cover, as well as the ones inside the magazine, were fake and that she had never posed for them.

However, the editor of VI Menn magazine claimed that they do not publish morphed images in their magazine.

Life After The Dalai Lama: What Now?

By Sumitha Narayanan Kutty

The Dalai Lama announces retirement; to break away from tradition and transfer power to an 'elected leader'

"During the forthcoming eleventh session of the fourteenth Tibetan Parliament in Exile, which begins on 14th March, I will formally propose that the necessary amendments be made to the Charter for Tibetans in Exile, reflecting my decision to devolve my formal authority to the elected leader."

With these words, the Dalai Lama notified the world his desire to step out of the limelight and relinquish his duty as political head of the exiled movement. A desire he has expressed innumerous times, as early as in the 1960s.

The announcement came in his speech marking the anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan uprising.In his address, the Dalai Lama states that he intends to see the next leader as one elected by the Tibetan people 'in keeping with the standards of an open society'.

The constitutional ammendments will be set into motion when the parliament convenes next Monday in Dharamsala. The assembly is expected to approve his request.

Breaking from Tradition

But what is actually creating ripples is this- the Dalai Lama's proposal to 'elect' his successor and that too before his death. These choices break away completely from tradition. Here's why.

Tibetan Buddhism has evolved a kind of 'inheritance' over centuries. The inheritance flows not from parent to child, but from deceased to his reincarnation. The most revered- the Dalai Lama.

The current Dalai Lama, who is the fourteenth of his line, was himself recognized at the age of two and became His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso.

This would be the first time in history that the political and spiritual head of the community is chosen via elections.

Reports suggest that the revolutionary idea has been met with a fractured response even amongst the Tibetans.

And this would give the 'oppressors', the Chinese, the perfect opportunity to strike.

'Dalai Lama must reincarnate', on China's terms

As soon as the 14th Dalai Lama's announcement made news, all eyes turned to China. The status of the Dalai Lama has forever been a thorn in the Chinese foot.

In fact, ahead of the third anniversary of the riots in Tibet on March 8, the Chinese Communist Party chief of Tibet, Zhng Qingli attacked the Dalai Lama. Qingli called him a "wolf in monk's robes", "double-dealer" and a "secessionist chief" who is seeking separation of the region from the Communist nation.

The Chinese believe the Dalai Lama, though being the living Buddha has done nothing befitting his status.

Reacting to the attack, the Dalai Lama in his speech said, "The Chinese government claims there is no problem in Tibet other than the personal privileges and status of the Dalai Lama. The reality is that the ongoing oppression of the Tibetan people has provoked widespread, deep resentment against current official policies."

But there is huge worry among the Tibetan community both in China and abroad concerning the next step in the succession process.

Many worry that once the 14th Dalai Lama dies, Beijing will simply appoint someone else as his successor.

The result- the emergence of two Dalai Lama's. One recognised by China, the other - the elected head chosen by the exiles with the current Dalai Lama's approval.

This fear is well-founded. In 1995, after the Dalai Lama named a boy in Tibet as the reincarnation of the previous Panchen Lama (the second highest authority in Tibetan Buddhism), China placed him under house arrest and installed another in his place. The Tibetans do not recognise this appointment.

15th Dalai Lama: Much to do, much more to learn

Analysts claim that the Dalai Lama's retirement from political life is definitely 'historic' but no reason for worry.

"My desire to devolve authority has nothing to do with a wish to shirk responsibility. It is to benefit Tibetans in the long run. It is not because I feel disheartened."

Despite his declaration, the current Dalai Lama is expected to continue advising the younger elect. There is much that will have to be learnt from him.

For now, choosing the successor may seem the most daunting task at hand, but what lies ahead for the 15th Dalai Lama is definitely the bigger challenge yet.

Source: India Syndicate

Hottest Faces in Tamil Cinema

Bold, talented and hot....meet the stars of Tamil cinema

Shruti Haasan is the daughter of legendary actors Kamal Haasan and Sarika. She has appeared in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu films. Not only is she a famous star kid, she is also a talented singer. Haasan made her singing debut in Chachi 420 singing a duet performing for the voice of a child, with her father Kamal Haasan, who also directed the film.

Trisha Krishnan
Trisha Krishnan made her first appearance in the 1999 Tamil film Jodi in a supporting role. She won a Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut in the 2002 film Mounam Pesiyadhe. She later rose to fame starring in the successful films, Saamy (2003) and Ghilli (2004) in Tamil cinema and Varsham (2004) in Telugu cinema, for which she secured her first South Filmfare Best Actress Award. She made her Bollywood debut in the 2010 film Khatta Meetha opposite Akshay Kumar.

Samantha Prabhu
Samantha Prabhu is an actress and model who appears in Telugu and Tamil films. Her first release was the critically acclaimed 2010 Telugu romance film, 'Ye Maaya Chesave', directed by Gautham Menon.

Revathi
She is known by her stage name Sandhya and acts primarily in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada films. She made her debut as an actress in the 2004 Tamil film 'Kaadhal' (2004), her performance in which earned her a Filmfare Award and Tamil Nadu State Film Award.

Jyothika Saravanan
Jyothika Saravanan is a Tamil film actress who also acted in a few Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu and Hindi films. Her films include Chandramukhi, Vettaiyadu Villaiyadu and Mozhi.

Meena Durairaj
Meena Durairaj debuted as a child artist in Telugu and Tamil films and has later starred in films produced by various regional industries. She is one of the most established actresses in the southern Indian film industry.

Pooja Gauthami Umashankar
Pooja Gauthami Umashankar is a Sri Lanka-born actress who has appeared in Tamil, and Malayalam films. Following a series of successful commercial ventures, Bala's Naan Kadavul saw Pooja's performance as a blind beggar praised by the critics, securing major awards, including the South Filmfare and Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.

Priya Anand
Priya Anand appears in several popular Tamil and Telugu films including, Vaamanan and Leader.

Sangeetha Arvind-Krish
Sangeetha Arvind-Krish made her acting debut in the mid-90s and is best known for her performances in the films 'Khadgam', 'Pithamagan', 'Uyir' and 'Dhanam'.

Anu Hasan
Anu Hasan made her film debut in the critically acclaimed film Indira (1995) and has since appeared in a few Tamil films, playing supporting roles. She currently hosts the celebrity talk show 'Koffee with Anu'.

Meet Hasan Ali, The '$9bn Man'

By Sumitha Narayanan Kutty

Hasan Ali, time to quit horsing around

He is India's largest tax defaulter with dues over Rs 50,000 crore. Presenting Hasan Ali Khan- the 'Nine-billion dollar man'

Name: Hasan Ali Khan
Age: 58

Occupation:
Khan's I-T records: Scrap dealer

The truth: Stud-farm owner

Worth: Khan's I-T records: Rs 30 lakhs (annual income)

The truth: US$ 9 billion (in Swiss accounts)

Yes, nine billion dollars.

In fact, going by this figure, Khan could well be India's fourth richest man. The only hitch, most of that 9 billion dollars is unaccounted, black money gained through hawala transactions.

To top it up, the Income Tax Department woke up one day to realise Khan had about Rs. 50000 crores dues he had conveniently forgotten to pay. And thus, Hasan Ali Khan, or H A Khan as he is known in racing circles, caught India's attention.

The media's obsession has now shifted from the 'life and times of Libyan dictator Gaddafi' to 'Who the heck is this Hasan Ali Khan?'

An Enigma or Smart Croonie?

On record, Hassan Ali Khan claims to be a scrap dealer whose annual income equals just Rs 30 lakhs.

But we know the man is a Pune-based stud farm owner who has had a decent run in the racecourse.

Truth be told- no one in the racing fraternity knows him well. He remains 'the man who sat in the corner and kept to himself'.

And perhaps it is this knack- to lay low- that helped Khan co-exist peacefully with the world, until now.

The 'humble origins' rumour

Born in 1953, Hasan Ali Khan hailed from a Hyderabadi family. His father was an excise officer.

Hasan Ali has a brother and four sisters. Khan lived with his wife Mahbooba Khan in the posh Banjara Hills before he divorced her and shifted to Pune 10 years ago after marrying his present wife Rheema, sister of a horse-trainer, Faisal Abbas. By 2000, he had moved to Pune and was known mostly in racing circles as Hyderabad ka Ghodawala, a middle-rung horse breeder.

There are stories doing the rounds in Hyderabad that he started out young as a tuition teacher when the family hit a rough patch. But no such 'humble origin' story emerged from during the Enforcement Directorate's interrogation.

Hence, we shall stick to what is officially known. And it does not look pretty.

From the horse's mouth: Bank fraud to Hawala operator

After Class 12, Hassan Ali Khan started out as a petty trickster.

His early career was quite colourful.

*Questioned in an acid attack case (his neighbour) in 1984
*Sold antiques claiming he was a descendant of Hyderabad's royal Nizam family
*Fraudulently withdrew Rs 26 lakh from State Bank of India
*Similar case lodged by Grindlays Bank

In total, between 1991 and 1992, Khan had been arrested twice by the Hyderabad police. He had two cases of bank fraud, four cases of cheating and a case of acid attack against him during his stay in the city.

He walked free in all. How? No one knows for sure.

The failed businessman

Lady Luck may have sided him when it came to his crimes but she never did shine upon his businesses.

After losing in the antiques, car rental and scrap businesses, Khan is said to have started a jewellery shop in Kuwait with a partner based in Jammu and Kashmir sometime in 2006-07. This partnership, which is also under probe, however, did not work out for long. A metal trading company he started, Great Ventures, also went bankrupt.

Despite all that misfortune, today, H A Khan owns 10 horses, besides two floors in a swanky apartment of in Pune's Koregaon Park and a flat in the upmarket Peddar Road in Mumbai. He also owns two Mercedes and a Porsche.

The Downfall

Since 2007, the Enforcement Directorate has sought details of Khan's accounts from Swiss banks. They refused to cooperate.

But finally, there was a breakthrough during raids at his Pune and Mumbai residences between January 5 and 7 by the I-T Department and the ED.

A laptop was seized which contained a list of 10 Swiss Bank accounts reportedly stashed with over Rs 20,000 crore-all of it unaccounted for.

The investigators found solid evidence of Khan's real deal- a hawala operator for politicians and businessmen. Now, links with terrorists and the underworld are also not being ruled out.

When the raids struck, Khan knew he was busted. The 58-year-old immediately rushed to Pune's Jehangir Hospital complaining of 'severe chest pain'.

Two months later, Hasan Ali Khan found himself being handcuffed and led to jail.

So what next for the '$9 billion man'? Hold your horses, Khan would say!

Source: India Syndicate

Ericsson Aims 21 MBPS Data Speed

Ericsson on Thursday announced deployment advanced network infrastructure to support launch of Airtel 3G services in Delhi and the National Capital Region that can deliver data speed up to 21 megabyte per second.

"This is one of the most robust 3G network setups taken up by Ericsson in India thus far where airtel 3G services in Delhi will have a comprehensive presence, delivering speeds up to 21 Mbps even in indoor environments," said Ericsson in a statement.

In September 2010, Airtel has chosen Ericsson India, Nokia Siemens Networks and Huawei Technologies as network partners to launch 3G Services in India.

"Our long standing association with Airtel has reached a new level on Thursday with the introduction of data based services. Thanks to our close collaboration with Airtel, we have successfully rolled out this comprehensive and complex network in a very short time," said Gowton Achaibar, Head of Region, Ericsson India.

Ericsson was selected by Airtel to deploy network across eight circles. The network laid down by Ericsson comprises more than 1800 radio base stations, said statement from Ericsson.

"With the mobile phone fast emerging as the primary device for accessing a variety of data services, we believe that strong network capabilities will play a crucial role in delivering a strong and sustained 3G experience," said Atul Bindal, President-Mobile Services, Airtel.

Mizoram Forest Minister Accused of 'Favouritism'

Aizawl, Mar 11 : State Environment and Forest Minister H Rohluna has been accused of applying underhand tactics to ensure that his 'favourite' candidate gets a job in his department.

Anti-corruption watchdog Prism, in a written complaint to the chief minister today, stated that appointment of a candidate for a forest guard had been annulled to make room for another candidate, allegedly at the behest of the minister.

According to Prism, K Biakmuana, son of Thangkhanliana, of Teikhang village in Champhai district was selected by a selection committee of the department for the post of forest guard on contract basis. The appointment, as mentioned in an official notification dated November 26, 2010, was made through assessment of their conduct.

Biakmuana, whose roll number was 861, was placed in serial number 124.

However, in a fresh order issued by PCCF office on February 1, 2010, the name of Biakmuana miraculously disappeared and a new name Rebecca Hmingchungnungi, daughter of Lalhmangaiha, of Ramthar Veng, Aizawl, cropped up on serial number 124.

"When a disgruntled Biakmuana inquired about this, the forest department officials told him that his name had been mistakenly entered in the appointment order because there were two candidates having the same roll number 861, 861 (A) and 861 (B)," Prism said, adding, "This was a lame excuse to drop Biakmuana and appoint Rebecca on his place".

There was no mention of roll number 861 (A) or 861 (B) in the admit card of Biakmuana, and it was just 861 in the admit card, scanned copy of which was provided to the press by Prism.

Moreover, it was clear from the application form that Rebecca applied for the post of forester, and not that of a forest guard.

''To make the matter worse, the name of Rebecca Hmingchungnungi is not found in the electoral roll of Ramthar Veng, which may indicate that she is not existed or under-aged,'' Prism’s letter said.

The alleged irregularity had been published in some local newspapers on February 12 where the health minister was quoted as saying that he recommended Rebecca.

As a written complaint submitted to the minister on February 20 proved futile, Prism said it wrote to the chief minister demanding him to make things right.

163 forest guards have been appointed on contract basis for five years under ‘preservation and management of forest’ for which the 13th Finance Commission had sanctioned Rs 2,140 lakh.

Monica Lewinsky ‘Still in Love With Bill Clinton’

London, Mar 11 : Bill Clinton’s former intern Monica Lewinsky is reportedly still in love with him and ''always will be''.

Lewinsky, 37, has run a successful business, hosted a reality television show and moved overseas - but has not got married or had children because she still hasn’t got over the former US president, according to friends.

“Monica still hasn’t got over Bill and would take him back in a second,” the Daily Mail quoted a friend as telling the National Enquirer magazine.

“She told me: “There will never be another man in my life that could make me as happy as he did".

“Monica still carries a torch for him. She’s dated some guys, off and on, since the whole White House mess. But she’s never been able to get Bill out of her heart,” the friend added.

Lewinsky was aged 22 in 1995 when she began working in the White House and had an affair with the then US President Bill Clinton, which he famously denied at first.

She now lives in Los Angeles, California, and does not have regular employment.

Massive Earthquake Jolts Japan, Triggers Tsunami

Tokyo, Mar 11 : A massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake shook Japan on Friday, unleashing a powerful tsunami that sent ships crashing into the shore and carried cars through the streets of coastal towns.

Multiple injuries, but no immediate deaths, were reported from the Pacific coastal area of Miyagi on the main Honshu island, police said according to media, and TV footage showed widespread flooding in the area.
The quake hit in the early afternoon, also strongly shaking buildings in greater Tokyo, the world's largest urban area with 30 million people.

At least six fires were reported in Tokyo, where the subway system stopped, sirens wailed and people streamed out of buildings.

The first quake struck about 382 kilometres (237 miles) northeast of Tokyo, the US Geological Survey said, revising the magnitude from an earlier 7.9.

Japan, is located on the "Pacific Ring of Fire" and dotted with volcanoes, and Tokyo is situated in one of its most dangerous areas.

A tsunami warning was issued for Japan, Taiwan, Russia and the Mariana Islands, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said.

"An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines near the epicentre within minutes and more distant coastlines within hours," the centre said in a statement.

It also put the territories of Guam, the Philippines, the Marshall Islands, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Nauru, Micronesia and Hawaii under a lower tsunami watch.

The yen fell to 83.30 against the dollar from 82.81 before the quake struck.

The mega-city of Tokyo sits on the intersection of three continental plates -- the Eurasian, Pacific and Philippine Sea plates -- which are slowly grinding against each other, building up enormous seismic pressure.

The government's Earthquake Research Committee warns of a 70 percent chance that a great, magnitude-eight quake will strike within the next 30 years in the Kanto plains, home to Tokyo's vast urban sprawl.

The last time a "Big One" hit Tokyo was in 1923, when the Great Kanto Earthquake claimed more than 140,000 lives, many of them in fires. In 1855, the Ansei Edo quake also devastated the city.

More recently, the 1995 Kobe earthquake killed more than 6,400 people.

More than 220,000 people were killed when a 9.1-magnitude quake hit off Indonesia in 2004, unleashing a massive tsunami that devastated coastlines in countries around the Indian Ocean as far away as Africa.

Small quakes are felt every day somewhere in Japan and people take part in regular drills at schools and workplaces to prepare for a calamity.

Nuclear power plants and bullet trains are designed to automatically shut down when the earth rumbles and many buildings have been quake-proofed with steel and ferro-concrete at great cost in recent decades.