Windows 7: Microsoft unveils ‘Life without walls’ in India

Microsoft Corporation India Pvt. Ltd. today announced the availability of Windows 7 for its customers in India. In line with Microsoft’s commitment to releasing a new OS at periodic schedules, keeping in mind evolving technologies, lifestyles and business needs, Windows 7 is designed to be more reliable and responsive, delivering a simplified PC experience for consumers.Windows 7 delivers on a simple premise: make it easier for customers to do the things they want on a PC through a streamlined user interface and several new features that make everyday tasks faster. This launch marks a significant milestone for Microsoft and is a result of extensive feedback from millions of customers and partners around the world.

Announcing the Windows 7 launch, Ravi Venkatesan, Chairman - Microsoft India said, "Proactive engagement and feedback thereof with partners and consumers was fundamental to the development of Windows 7. It has helped deliver what is the highest quality OS in the history of Windows. It enhances the user experience by its sheer simplicity and caters to their connected lives across work and play. We are delighted by the initial reviews from partners and the technology community. Over 90% of testers from around the world have rated it as "good" or "extremely good" and consider Windows 7 to be responsive, simple to use and stable."

Over 600 new feature ideas for Windows 7 were tested through global quantitative research early in the engineering process, helping Microsoft determine the features that best address consumers' top needs. Further, Windows 7 saw the largest beta testing program in the history of the industry, with 8 million testers worldwide.

Nielsen blames Ishant Sharma's decline on lack of support

Australian cricket team coach Tim Nielsen believes that young Indian fast bowler Ishant Sharma is not getting adequate support from the management or the coaching staff at a time when he is clearly declining from a form point of view.

Nielsen believes the sacking of fast bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad and fielding coach Robin Singh reflects grave fears about the development of Sharma and other young players.

"That's may be one of the reasons why they've changed their staff, trying to spark a bit of a change of message or voice to their younger players who might've gone a little off the boil over the last little while," Nielsen said.

"Sharma's an example of young players when they do start well there's expectation on them the whole way through, they find it difficult, they become targeted by opposition teams. Rather than being the second or third fast bowler in the group, you all of a sudden become the one everyone's very aware of," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Nielsen, as saying.

He also finds it amazing that Prasad and Singh had worked with the Indian team on a series-by-series basis since their appointment in 2007 and neither were ever permitted to sign a contract.

They were crudely informed of their removal via the Indian media, and there appear no plans to have fresh staff in position by the time the one-day series against Australia begins at Vadodara on Sunday.

"'I am deeply disappointed and hurt by the way in which it has been handled," Prasad told the Hindustan Times.

Chandrayaan: India leaves its mark on the Moon

Chandrayaan, India's solo mission to the moon, is symbolic of India's footprints on the Moon. Among the major breakthrough findings, country's first ever Moon probe, established the fact that there is water on the Moon.Chandrayaan, India's solo mission to the Moon, is also symbolic of country's footprints on the celestial body. On the first anniversary of Chandrayaan-1 launch, we recreate the magic of India's mission to the Moon.

Among the major breakthrough findings, country's first ever moon probe, established the fact that it generates water; that there is iron in its rock like structures; and that Apollo, the US fourth mission was not hoax.

The next sequel of the moon quest then boils down to the query if Moon is fit for habitation. NASA recently bombed Moon surface and has yet to come back with detailed findings on water probe. Chandrayaan established that water on the Moon is in molecular form and not in moisture or gas form.

Vettaikaran to Valiban for Anushka!

Here’s the latest buzz from our sources - Before starting on the last schedule of Gautham Menon’s ‘Vinnaithandi Varuvaya’ Silambarasan had got in touch with Andhra girl Anushka.

So what’s the reason behind this call? - was our question...

After completing this romantic entertainer with Trisha, Silambarasan will jump into the process of making his ‘Valiban’. Looks like the entire script of ‘Valiban’ is ready now.

Silambarasan had contacted Anushka for ‘Valiban’ through his producer S.S.Chakravarthy’s production manager. But, the beauty had replied that she will call back if her role in the film was a strong one. Following this Silambarasan had asked if he can contact Anushka through SMS. Instantaneously Anushka had called our hero and both had deep discussion over phone for nearly half an hour.

Know what? Sources say that Silambarasan will be narrating the script of ‘Valiban’ to Anushka as soon as he is back from the shoot of ‘Vinnaithandi Varuvaya’. But even before that producer S.S.Chakravarthy’s people are trying their best to get the actress’s call-sheet.

Adadaa... Anushka is shifting from Vettaikaran to Valiban’s hands soon!?!

Tanisha goes to Hollywood

Bollywood actress Tanisha Mukherjee, who had acted in the 'Neevalle Neevalle', is all set to feature in a movie produced by a US studio. Reports say that Tanisha is in Los Angeles for the last few weeks preparing for the shoot.

If sources are to be believed, the actress, accompanied by her sister Kajol, met a couple of producers in Los Angles earlier this year, where they saw her previous work and agreed to rope in for their projects.

“She is playing an Indian girl who's recently relocated to the US and how she comes to terms with the clash in culture. She is happy to be the part of the project,” sources were quoted as saying.

It is also said that the actress is presently staying in LA with a friend and will only return once the shoot is complete. “She plans to extend her stay there if required, but as of now she's gone for a couple of months.”

Strength of narrative attracts Aswini Dutt

A new film by Prakash, a software engineer trained in New York Film Institute, has been launched with Navdeep, Kajal, Bindu Madhavi and Nikhil in the lead roles. Prakash's unique narrative reportedly spell binded ace producer Ashwini Dutt (of Vyjayanthi Movies) who gave a green signal to the project.

Three Angels, owned by Dutt's daughter, which recently produced Banam, is the banner under which this film titled Om Shanthi is going to be canned from first week of November.

Pretty girls Kajal Agarwal and Bindu Madhavi will be seen opposite Navdeep and Nikhil.

Navdeep, who hasn't had a single hit, is expected to become a name after Arya2's release (the young lad is playing an interesting role in the Allu Arjun-starrer).

Nikhil Siddharth of Happy Days too didn't strike gold since his debut film. Seems that Om Shanthi is a film that is coming with the weight of its story and script than names.

Kurbaan poster is symbolic – Kareena

‘Kurbaan’ is making noises with its bold visuals and steamy scenes. The ‘Kurbaan’ poster that has Kareena and Saif featuring topless is garnering lots of ooohs and aahs. The movie also promises sizzling lengthy lip-locks. But the lady who dared it out is pretty cool and confident about it.

The actress said that she didn’t feel awkward even once while shooting any scene for the film. “It's always easier to shoot for romantic and passionate scenes with someone you are dating, because of the comfort level. Also I am very close to Rensil D'Silva (the director) while Karan is like family and I trusted them completely. I knew whatever they shot would come out very classy. And the poster proves that,” revealed Kareena. She feels that everything in the poster is symbolic; like Saif's wound and her wet hair represents passion, sensuality and emotional violence.

“Kurbaan is a love story with an undertone of violence a combination of love and violence. Everyone - from my mom to my sister Karisma is eagerly waiting for Kurbaan to release. It will remain one of my top three favourite films along with Omkara and Jab We Met,” added the hot gal.

Yes, I’m back’ – Yash Chopra

An aggressive and aspiring entity wouldn’t keep away from the passions they’re always adhered to. Doubtlessly, the ace auteur of Indian cinema – Yash Chopra can be brought under the spotlights as the best exemplification… When most of the filmmakers do plan about getting relieved from filmmaking tasks in accordance to age factors, Yash Chopra is likely an exception.

After delivering the most cherishing flicks of all seasons – ‘Dil To Pagal Hai’, ‘Chandni’, ‘Silsila’, ‘Trishul’, ‘Deewar’ and ‘Veer Zaara’, Yash Chopra is all set to wear the director’s hat again.

It isn’t a mere buzz, but something confirmed straight from shoulders of Yash Chopra as he received 55th National Awards representing his son Aditya for ‘Chak De India’. Interacting with media channels, the ace filmmakers cleared the airs saying that he will start the project by December. This romantic-entertainer will feature happening stars of B-town in lead roles and official confirmation is scheduled to be made in November…

Abhi-Ash come together for ad, first time

Finally here is the Bollywood’s most lovey-doevy couple gracing the ad scenario. Lux, the prominent soap brand, has roped in Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for its new range of soaps with beauty oils. Birdies have it that the couple were paid a huge amount for the commercial. Abhishek and Aishwarya will be seen together for the first time here as a couple, although they have given few movies together.

JWT Mumbai has handled the commercial and the ad is said to be directed by Stephen Mead. The background score has been given by composing trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. Whereas, the costumes are done by designer Aki Narula and make-up by Mickey Contractor.

Going over the concept of the commercial, the makers of the ad wanted to show the couple in a way that they had never been seen before. According to Tista Sen, (executive creative director and senior vice-president at JWT India), “It’s a side of the couple that has never been seen before; it’s young, fun and in keeping with their real characters.”

The husband-and-wife celebrities will be featured in a very playful and naughty mood. Watch out for the ad releasing this month, people!

India vs Australia -- Players to watch

The seven-match one-day international series between India and Australia starts in Vadodara on October 25, 2009 and ends at Mumbai's Brabourne Stadium on November 11. While Australia are coming off a thumping 6-1 victory against England before winning the Champions Trophy, India will look to make a fresh start after crashing out in the league stages of the CT in South Africa.

Virender Sehwag

Swashbucking Indian opening batsman Virender Sehwag missed the Compaq Cup tri-series in Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy as he was recovering from a shoulder injury. Sehwag got back into action at the 2009 Champions League, and a couple of his performances in that tournament for Delhi Daredevils show that he has fully recovered and is raring to make a statement on his return to international cricket against the Australians.

Prabhu Deva to launch Nayantara in Bollywood!?!

The grapevines are excited with the latest buzz. Our sizzling Nayantara is said to step into Bollywood!

Pokiri’s Hindi version ‘Wanted’ went on to become a huge hit and now the rumour mills are going over the movie’s sequel, titled as ‘Most Wanted’.

According to sources, the producer Boney Kapoor was keen to repeat the success magic by working with the same team again. So the director Prabhu Deva believed to have suggested Nayantara’s name for the female lead.

Boney, who knows about Nayantara’s fame down here, was glad to have her on board. However, the producer stated that nothing has been finalised as of now and they are still working on it.

Hmm, earlier we had it that Nayantara had specially travelled to Mumbai for Wanted’s screening for her beau. And now this news adds more spice to the couple’s relationship.

President to honour Prakash Raj today

The biggest names in Indian cinema will gather in New Delhi today for the 55th National Film Awards to be presented by President Pratibha Patil. From legendary singer Manna Dey to veteran director Adoor Gopalakrishnan to versatile actor Prakash Raj, a host of prominent faces will be honoured by the Government of India at a colourful function this evening.

Prakash Raj will take home the best actor award for his role in ‘Kanchivaram’(Tamil). This category saw stiff competition from the likes of Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan. Filmmaker Priyadarshan's Tamil film ‘Kanchivaram’, a period drama about silk weavers of the south, will receive the Best Feature Film award at the function.

Says Prakash Raj, “I am on cloud nine. It is a honour to be honoured by the President of India.” For Priyadarshan, the award would motivate him to make more such meaningful movies in the future.

While Manna Dey would be conferred the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award, director Adoor and actress Umashree, National Award winners for 2007, will collect their coveted trophies. Shah Rukh Khan-starrer ‘Chak De India’ will receive the award in Wholesome Entertainment Category.

Adoor will receive the Best Director's award for his film ‘Naalu Pennungal’. This will be his seventh National award. Seasoned Kannada film actor Umashree will be honoured with the Best Actress award for her performance in Girish Kasaravalli's Kannada film ‘Gulabi Talkies’, which depicts the transformation of the people of a small fishing village after their exposure to cinema.

Ravi Teja- Krishna Vamsi movie 'Kandhireega'

reative director Krishna Vamsi came in with his recent release ‘Mahathma’ and while the movie has been getting mixed responses, he has signed up for another venture.

This time, he is pairing up with his regular favorite, crazy star Ravi Teja. Sources reveal that the film has been titled ‘Kandhireega’ and this one is slated to be a full entertainer with fantasy elements.

The producer for this is Bellamkonda Suresh and it is expected to hit the floors during late November.

It is also said that Ravi would be seen doing the role of great grandson of the historic king Sri Krishnadevaraya. Currently, the other details are being worked out such as the heroine and other crew

London Dreams & Co to perform live

The entire star-casts of ‘London Dreams’ Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn and Asin along with the music director trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have decided to perform live in London October 28. The film is slated to hit screens on October 30 and is completely based on a rock band performing stage shows.

With accordance to film’s theme, producer Vipul Shah has decided to get along for innovative promotional activities.

In the film, Salman Khan and Ajay Devgn have performed at Wembley Stadium, London. But the team couldn’t get the same venue for the live performance due to short notice. Now the venue has shifted to London Excel Arena which has the capacity of about 40,000.

According to the sources, the crewmembers have planned to reach London a day prior to event while Salman Khan will join them directly on the day of event. Later, the entire team will be flying down to Mumbai on Oct 29 and in Pune on the day of film’s release.

It’s worth mentioning that even Aamir Khan had laid similar plans of performing live for the promotion of his upcoming film ‘3 Idiots’.

President to honour National Award winners today

The biggest names in Indian cinema will gather in New Delhi today for the 55th National Film Awards to be presented by President Pratibha Patil. From legendary singer Manna Dey to veteran director Adoor Gopalakrishnan to versatile actor Prakash Raj, a host of prominent faces will be honoured by the Government of India at a colourful function this evening. Prakash Raj will take home the best actor award for his role in ‘Kanchivaram’. This category saw stiff competition from the likes of Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan. Filmmaker Priyadarshan's Tamil film ‘Kanchivaram’, a period drama about silk weavers of the south, will receive the Best Feature Film award at the function.

While Manna Dey would be conferred the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award, director Adoor and actress Umashree, National Award winners for 2007, will collect their coveted trophies. Shah Rukh Khan-starrer ‘Chak De India’ will receive the award in Wholesome Entertainment Category.

Adoor will receive the Best Director's award for his film ‘Naalu Pennungal’. This will be his seventh National award. Seasoned Kannada film actor Umashree will be honoured with the Best Actress award for her performance in Girish

Kasaravalli's Kannada film ‘Gulabi Talkies’, which depicts the transformation of the people of a small fishing village after their exposure to cinema.

The Three Kings to unravel Parveen Babi’s secrets

Hollywood director Reynold Baines is going to bring up a film based on yesteryear actress Parveen Babi. Actress Shikha Puri - who had recently posed topless for a documentary film “The Dog” - will be seen playing Parveen Babi in the film “The Three Kings”. The film also features characters that bear some resemblance to Mahesh Bhatt, Kabir Bedi and Amitabh Bachchan.

Sources said that in the film, Shikha will pose nude for a bathroom scene. There are about 3-5 nude scenes in the film which will be made at a budget of Rs 10 crore. Shika Puri said that she has yet to officially sign the film. When queried about the nude scenes, she said, “As a professional actress, I have no problem doing nude scenes in front of the camera. The film depicts certain true aspects of Parveen Babi’s life, including her addiction to drugs like LSD in the later part of her life and her multiple love relationships.”

According to Executive Producer and script writer Flynn Remedios, Shikha has just signed the film and we are “yet to get the final script.” The film is in Hinglish and is primarily targeted at an international audience, but will also be screened in India, he said.

Flynn Remedios added that as the script writer, he has been researching the project for the last three years. “I have unearthed certain untold secrets of Parveen Babi’s latter life, including footage of scenes she shot which were never shown on screen. Then there were certain aspects of her love life that haven’t been told yet.” We are trying to get Mahesh Bhatt to be part of this project, he added.

Deepika turns to smoking

No, no this lass has not got into the habit. In fact, Deepika Padukone has got into the character of a smoker for her film.

In her forthcoming film ‘Karthik Calling Karthik’, Deepika plays a very modern girl who smokes. In the course of the movie she is advised by the hero, played by Farhan Aktar, to forgo it. According to sources, Deepika hates smoking in real life. The very thought of smoking for the film was enough to make her tense. However, producer Ritesh Sidhwani ordered for nicotine-free cigarettes and the actress made up her mind to go ahead with it.

Now, this has also served a purpose according to the producer. “It’s a film about a lovable loser and a modern, hip girl. Farhan makes Deepika quit smoking. So we have a nice message in the end. We didn’t want to be responsible for inculcating a bad habit and that’s why these organic cigarettes were needed,” justified Sidhwani.

So, guys, here we have Deepika to smoke you out!

Priyan wants Aamir and Tabu together

Priyadarshan has almost completed his multi-starrer ‘De Dana Dan’ and is gearing up for his next on AIDS. Aamir Khan was already confirmed for the project and now, he’s trying pull in Tabu for the female lead. Of course, this will be the first time they’ll be spotted together in a film. Though, they had starred together in ‘Fanaa’, the duo didn’t have any scenes to perform together.

Filmmaker Priyadarshan confirms saying that Aamir Khan has already signed the deal and talks are going on with Tabu to pair up with him. Also Priyan mentioned that he wanted to make this film a year back in time, but wanted to experiment with audiences’ reaction over his offbeat film ‘Kanchivaram’. And now with the film winning laurels across the Nation, he’s more confident with this realistic cinema.

Totting up about the project, he said, “It will take 3 more months to complete the script works. Pulling in an actor like Aamir Khan will gradually help in drawing more attention from wider-range of audiences…

Bomb blast rocks Islamabad university: police

Police say two explosions have been heard on the campus of a university in the Pakistani capital. Police officer Mohammad Aslam says there was no word on casualties as a result of the Tuesday's blasts.

He says they took place on the campus of the International Islamic University in Islamabad. Students from around the world attend the campus. Most take Islamic studies.

According to the Pakistani media, one person has died and eight others have been injured in the explosion.

Support offensive against insurgents

Pakistan's army chief has appealed to members of a major tribe linked to the Taliban to support an offensive against the insurgents, a move aimed at further isolating an enemy blamed for a wave of bloodshed in the nuclear-armed, U.S.-allied nation.

The Pakistani military's operation against the Pakistani Taliban in South Waziristan is considered its most critical fight against Islamist extremists threatening its stability, and its strategy involves convincing other warlords and tribes in the region to stand aside during the fight, even if they are involved in anti-U.S. activities in Afghanistan.

Army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani's letter -- dropped as leaflets from the air in South Waziristan -- was addressed to the Mehsud tribe, whose members populate the top ranks of the Pakistani Taliban, a group bent on overthrowing the central government.

The Mehsuds are a huge tribe with several subsections. Many members live far from the tribal badlands, and are involved in a range of professions and businesses. The tribe dominates Pakistan's transport sector.

Female Sportspersons who have appeared for Sports Illustrated magazine

Hot and happening! Sizzlers on the playing field and off it too. MSN India brings to you the list of ladies who have posed for Sports Illustrated. The players include the likes of Steffi Graf and the bootylicious Anna Kournikova. Warning: These images can cause harm!In 2000, Kournikova became the new face for a company selling shock absorber sports bras, and appeared in the "only the ball should bounce" billboard campaign. A skimpily clad Kournikova has appeared in various men's magazines, like the 2004 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, where she posed in bikinis and swimsuits, and in other popular men's publications such as FHM and Maxim. Kournikova was named one of People's 50 Most Beautiful People in 1998, 2000, 2002, and 2003 and was voted "hottest female athlete"