If there is heaven on earth it is here, it is here, it is here. And if at all, there is any heavenly body, it is her, it is her, it is her! We are indeed talking about the ‘beauty-licious’ Lara Dutta, who is simply giving the models and actress and everyone alike, a mega marathon run for their money. And it is this very same chic who is all set to set the book stores afire as she is the cover girl for Vogue magazine for this month.

Lara can be accused of giving everyone (esp. men) a stiff neck as they just cannot help turning their heads, only to have a mere glance of this angelic beauty. Such is the impact of this actress, who, in this issue, talks about her obsession with shoes, her most defining fashion moment, shopping list for the season, her shopping secrets (yes…she has revealed them!), her definition of glamour, her style statement, her take on shopping therapy …to name a few…phew! Full marks to the fotog for presenting Lara like never before. Looking at the pictures, one just feels confused thinking whether the clothes and the accessories are complementing Lara or is it the other way round. Surely an interesting edition for all Lara fans.

The week started off with Pandit’s speech at Citi, announcing their plan to cut 52,000 jobs (yike!) and cut expenses by 20%. Citi’s share began falling as investors worry that these measures will not be able to revive Citi from its current situation- they lost $20.3 bn in the last year and some don’t expect it to be profitable in 2009 as they worry about Citi’s exposure to credit card/mortgage losses and toxic debt. On Thursday, Prince Alwaleed of Saudi Arabia announced that he was boosting his shares in Citi from 4% to 5%. That didn’t give other investors much confidence (not everyone’s Buffet), as Citi shares broke the $5 point that day (a 13 year low). This is a very dangerous level to be at, because many institutional investors are not allowed to own shares below $5 and this could trigger a wave of selling before year end. On Friday Pandit assured employees that he would like to keep the company together and does not wish to spin off its Smith and Barney brokerage unit (their crown jewel I guess?). Still, there are rumors of them finding a merger partner or raising capital in the future. Citi is also pressing members of Congress to put back the ban on short selling, as they claim that it is hurting their stock price. Citi’s stock price ended $3.77 on Friday, down from $20 a month ago and $30 a year ago!

Following the lead of Golman and UBS, other Wall Street banks are being pressured to foregoe execute bonus this year. JP Morgan also announced that they will be cutting 10% of their workforce.

The other big driver this week was the auto industry. Discussions started looking bleak on Wednesday (and thus the huge drop on concerns of an even deeper recession if the auto industry collapses), as Congress members continue to bicker with the Big 3. I’m not too sure about the details (cars just don’t interest me that much), but it sounds like they’re concerned about whether taxpayer’s money is going to waste since the auto industry was already not competitive before the this financial crisis and they want to see a sound plan to change them into healthier companies before they come to their aid. I believe the catch phrase of the week is, “You show us the plan, and we’ll show you the money.” Makes sense to me. They will be meeting again in December for the Big 3 to prove to American that they are worth saving. Oh and they seemed to have came up with a good source of where the $25 bn will come from too. Instead of from TARP, it will come from the money already approved in July to help make more environmentally friendly cars. They will give them this money in advance and the Big 3 will slowly pay back this amount into this pool of funds. Makes complete sense to me. That way, we’re not creating extra debt.

Speaking of politics, Bernanke has not been very popular recently. His abrupt change of the use of TARP surprised many, leaving them to wonder what exactly they voted for. His annoucement that he doesn’t plan to use the rest of the $350 bn of TARP until Obama’s administration comes on board, making one question whether he’s given up already. Claiming twice in the last week that the government’s efforts have succeeded in stabilizing the financial system does not make it true- especially given the crazy market movement this week.

Another major factor contributing to the drop this week is the Fed slashing its outlook for the economy through 2009. They lowered the 2008 GDP forecast from 1-1.6% to 0-1.3% and forecasts that the economy could shrink by 0.2% in 2009. They also raised their unemployment projections sharply higher to 6.3% to 6.5% for 2008 and 7.1 for 2009. In addition, the consumer price index also fell by 1% in October, the biggest drop since 1947, suggesting deflation. Many expect this recession would last longer than the middle of 2009. This is gloomy enough news to send anyone running.

Even Berkshire Hathaway was not immune to this market turbulence. On Wednesday, Berkshire plunged over 12%, its worst day since 1987’s market crash. They’ve been getting a lot of bad press lately, with declining earnings in their insurance operations and stocks. They had 9 straight days of decline after they published their third quarter earnings report. Goldman Sachs and General Electric, Buffet’s most recent purchases, also went below the price he got them for. Some suggested that he needed a new crystal ball. But on Friday, it Berkshire bounced by 16%, to $90,000. This week, Berkshire also got over $1 bn for its shares in Anheuser-Busch, a brewer, as the acquisition of it by InBev was formally completed. Buffet says he’s not worried. Incidentally, Berkshire also significantly boosted its shares in ConocoPhillips this quarter, indicating that he’s bull on oil.

On Friday Obama finally decided on the next Treasury Secretary- Timothy Geithner, the current president of the NY Fed Reserves. This appointment was welcoming news to Wall Street as it rallied back up into the 8000 levels. I’m not going to go into his history but he’s had a LOT of experience and is widely seen as a good candidate for the job.

Overseas, Iceland finally got a $10.2 bn loan on Thursday, from the IMF, Dutch, British and the Nordic countries. And did you know that we still had pirates in this day and age? Earlier this week, it captured the Sirius Star, which has an oil cargo of about $100 mn worth. Apparently piracy is still very prevalent these days, there has been a record of 199 since the beginning of the year- most prominently in the Gulf of Aden near Somalia. On Thursday, an Indian navy warship sank a Somali pirate vessel. It’s like the Pirates of the Caribbean in modern times!

( This post is from an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by APakistanNews.Com.)

It’s been a stressful few weeks for US auto makers. Last week, they handed in their proposals to be reviewed by Congress. I’m not sure about the details, but it was along the lines of major cut backs, and the Ford CEO vowing to work for $1 a year if Ford had to take money from the government (they are currently only asking for a loan line for emergency). At the beginning of the week, the senate approved a bailout. On Thursday, it was blocked by opposing Republicans, who thinks that it will be better for the big 3 to pursue a prearranged bankruptcy instead and also because the Unions wouldn’t back down from a wage cut (beggars really can’t be choosers…). Supporters argue that no one wants to buy cars from a bankrupt car company, which is a very valid point (think of the warranty/repair issues!). On Friday, Bush had to step in vowing to save the automakers from collapsing, with the TARP money (which they originally didn’t want to do). A lot is at stake. The automakers claim that 1 out of 10 jobs in the US is connected to the auto industry. That would be devastating to the already weak economy.

A very good example of this trickling effect, would be GMAC the auto financier, which just got approved to become a bank holding company last week. Unfortunately, becoming a bank holding company is not as easy as GS and MS makes it out to be and they’re struggling to raise the capital needed to do so. They are trying to renegotiate with debt holders to swap the debt for a smaller amount of debt, cash and preferred shares. If this doesn’t work then they are highly likely to go into bankruptcy.

The other big news this week was Bernie Madoff $50 billion fraud. This former chairman of the NASDAQ stock market and Wall Street legend, is allegedly the perpetrator of a $50 billion giant ponzi scheme. According to Wiki, a ponzie scheme is a fraudalent investment operation that pays abnormally high returns to investors using the money coming in from subsequent investors. Apparently lots of the super wealthy have been fooled by this scheme. It is amazing how much you can get away with, with a good reputation and an affable character!

It appears though that the markets is already immune to these scandals, because the markets ended (by a tiny bit) up this week!

( This post is from an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by APakistanNews.Com.)

It’s been a week since Karan Johar’s My Name Is Khan released and while the film is breaking records and earning praise for the performance of its main protagonists played by Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, three is yet another actor who is quietly basking in the adulation coming his way. We are talking about the talented and versatile Jimmy Sheirgill who once again excels in a strong character role playing SRK’s younger brother. Bollywood Hungama’s Nikhil Ramsubramaniam got in touch with Jimmy and spoke to him about MNIK and his forthcoming films. Read on!

When My Name Is Khan opened last Friday, a lot of people were surprised to see you in the film since you were not seen in the promos at all. What do you have to say about that?
Well…these things do not bother me. The strategy of who should feature in the promos and who shouldn’t is entirely the makers’ prerogative. Everyone knew that SRK and Kajol are the main protagonists of the film. Having said that, right from when I was offered the film, I knew I had an important role- that of Shah Rukh’s younger brother and I am glad I took it up. It always helps being a part of such a big film. I have been getting tremendous feedback and am really thankful to Karan for considering me for this role.

I knew I had an important role- that of Shah Rukh’s younger brother and I am glad I took it up

You have worked with some big directors like Gulzar saab, Aditya Chopra, Raju Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra. How was it working with Karan Johar for the first time?
I’ve wanted to work with Karan for a long time. In fact whenever we met, he used to tell me that when I have a suitable role for you I’ll call you. So when I got a call for My Name Is Khan, I was really excited. As soon as I heard the script, I knew that I had to be a part of this film since the story had so much to say and plus it gave me an opportunity to work with Karan for the first time ever.

You starred with Shah Rukh in Mohabbatein, which was among your first few films, almost 10 years ago. How was it re-uniting with him after such a long time?
Shah Rukh has not changed one bit since the time we worked in Mohabbatein. I call him ‘Superman’ because there is nothing that is Impossible for him. He still exudes the same kind of enthusiasm and energy which he had almost 10 years ago and that is something which is truly remarkable. He is always concerned about the people he works with and was just like an elder brother to me on the sets.

I call SRK ‘Superman’ because there is nothing that is Impossible for him. He still exudes the same kind of enthusiasm and energy which he had almost 10 years ago and that is something which is truly remarkable.

Your co-star Soniya Jehan has also been appreciated a lot for her act. How was it working with her?
Fantastic…not just Soniya, every member of the cast knew exactly what his / her role was and gave 100%. Under Karan’s guidance, the whole unit was completely focused and yet totally at ease.

A lot of actors shy away from doing supporting roles as they feel that it would affect their prospects of bagging a solo hero project. You, on the other hand, have been doing both solo hero films and multi-starrers simultaneously…
You are right…Right from my early days; I never had any inhibitions about the length of my role or any insecurity of being over-shadowed by any bigger actor. Be it in Dil Vil Pyar Vyar, Munnabhai MBBS, Lage Raho Munnabhai or Eklavya, I have always done roles which may not be big in terms of length but are big in terms of impact. I believe that a role should be exciting enough to hold my interest and that is the only criteria I look at before signing a film.

Right from my early days, I never had any inhibitions about the length of my role or any insecurity of being over-shadowed by any bigger actor.

You are currently shooting for yet another multi-starrer Excel Entertainment’s Crooked. What kind of a film is that?
Crooked is a superb thriller directed by a very talented new director Abhinay Deo. There are a lot of brilliant actors like Abhishek Bachchan, Boman Irani, Anupam Kher etc… The film has quite a few parallel tracks running which are intertwined in a strange way. Since it’s a thriller, I can’t reveal much about the film but I’ll say that I have a kick ass role. It’s the kind of role I have never done before.

Besides Crooked, what else do you have in your kitty?
There is Johnny Mastana which is a gripping drama directed by Shoojit Sircar and stars Amitabh Bachchan, Dia Mirza etc. The film is complete and the producers UTV will be deciding on the release date soon. There is also Anjum Rizvi’s Flat which is a very slick and stylish supernatural thriller starring Sanjay Suri and I. It is one of the most original stories that I have come across in the thriller genre. Besides these, I also have a Punjabi film Mel Kara De Rabba which should release sometime in April.

Filmmaker Sangeeth Sivan is pleased that finally he has a horror film to his name. Though he has Sandhya (Jackie Shroff, Raveena Tandon and Ashutosh Rana) ready for close to a decade now, this horror flick has been lying in cans ever since then and never saw the light of the day. While Sangeeth did get recognition from successful films like Kya Kool Hain Hum and Apna Sapna Money Money, he decided to come out of his comfort zone and chose horror as the genre for his first production Click.

“The idea was to jolt people at least twice in those two hours of Click”, says Sangeeth in his trademark animated tone a day after the release of the film, “I am told that people are reacting at just the right junctures and as long as that is happening, I am happy.”

The film hasn’t opened on a positive note at the box office though the reviews have been mostly positive with word of mouth (from whatever number of people who are watching the flick) encouraging.

“For a film belonging to horror genre and that too with relatively newer faces, it is always difficult to get house full boards on the day of the release. I am happy though people are actually talking about the film now. I never intended to make a master piece but instead tell a commercial horror tale that has a definite storyline to boast”, says Sangeeth in defence of the film.

The double twist towards the concluding reels of Click is being much talked about and this is what is expected to entice audience to step inside the theatres. It is one of the newest ways that a story has been ended in a mainstream Bollywood horror film. Leave aside the shock value, it’s the originality in the way Click takes a somersault towards the end that makes one forget the popcorn and SMS-ing and keeps one glued on screen. Really, one couldn’t see that coming.

“That was the entire idea; to tell something which couldn’t be predicted by the audience. With all due respect to some of my counterparts who have ‘horror hits’ to their names, tell me how many of these films actually managed to jolt you? Personally, I wasn’t taken aback in some of these films which have released over the last couple of years”, adds Sangeeth in a matter of fact tone.

In Click, just when one thought that you had cracked it all and got ready for the rolling of end credits come the double twist did make one all wide eyed. Really, these are the moments that make Click stand out from the likes of Phoonk, 1920 and Bhoot which were all good (and successful) in their own way but followed a set pattern. In fact the only similarity (to a little extent) in the end is with the one in Ram Gopal Varma’s Darling but the fact here again is that not many have seen the Fardeen Khan - Esha Deol starrer.

Hoping that word of mouth will succeed in taking Click to some distance, Sangeeth says, “The film should find patronage amongst the college students and youth in general. The feedback that I have received for the film is positive and that is encouraging enough.”

New Delhi, Dec 9 - Seventeen of India’s 38 tiger reserves were in a “precarious” condition, Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh admitted Wednesday and said a task force had been set up to give recommendations for improvement.

“Of the 38 tiger reserves in the country, we have found that 17 are in a precarious condition and we have set up a task force to examine the status of the tiger reserves,” Ramesh told reporters here.

The task force will make recommendations for improving the condition of these tiger reserves.

“Simlipal Tiger Reserve in Orissa has been selected for the pilot project,” Ramesh added.

He said a Wildlife Conservation and Management Amendment Bill would be introduced in the next budget session to ensure stringent penalty measures against the law breakers.

“The bill will have punishment measures equivalent to the money laundering and foreign exchange law,” Ramesh said.

The minister also underlined the need to strengthen policing across international borders with Nepal and Myanmar to check tiger poaching.

Washington: Kasab Amir Ajmal, sole survivor of the terrorist group of ten sent by the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Toiba to target Mumbai, in essence, says his father sold the group.

Kasab, who was part of the couple that killed 50 and injured over 100 in Chhatrapati Shivaji, the main train station in Bombay, made the suggestion in the tapes included in a new documentary, “Terror in Bombay” is transmitted HBO on Thursday.

Fragments of cellular conversations – some never heard before – between the gunmen and their driver in Pakistan as well as video footage of police with Kasab aired on Sunday in a preview of the documentary by the narrator Fareed Zakaria in his show on CNN.

One of the tapes Kasab question marks of how he became involved with the terrorist group Lashkar:

Kasab, who said: “These people do a lot of money and you too. (Inaudible) We have money, we are not poor. Your brothers and sisters can marry. Look at these types of living the good life. You can be like them, “he said.

Unidentified: His father said this?

Kasab: Yes. So I said, ‘Well, whatever. ”

Unidentified Male: What does for a living?

Kasab: We used to sell yogurt and chips on the street.

Unidentified male: How much you gave? “He put it in?

Kasab: There is no account. They gave it to my dad.

Unidentified male: How much do you give?

Kasab: I dunno. Maybe a few hundred thousand.

In another tape, Kasab recalls how he formed the terrorist group.

Police: How long were you in training?

Kasab: Three months. There were 24 or 25 in our class.

Police: Where were the people?

Kasab: They do not tell you. I only knew of one. He said he was from Lahore. He became my friend.

Police: Can not let you talk with others?

Kasab: We were forbidden to speak to each other. He was very strict. Proper training, where they say, “This boy is ready” – it only takes three months. That’s all.

Police: Did you ever wonder, “Do not you feel sorry for people that I’m killing myself?”

Kasab: I did, but told me to do these things if you are going to be a big man and get rewarded in heaven.

Police: So you came here to jihad? Is that true?

Kasab: (crying) What jihad?

Police: It does not help mourn. Tell the truth. Is that true?

Kasab: You would not understand.

A conversation between another young terrorist with his coach was also broadcast the program. Locked in a bathroom at the hotel Oberoi Mumbai Trident, another Pakistani terrorist named Fahadullah knew the end was near. He was out of food, water, energy and ammunition, and could hear the steady stream of police gunfire getting closer.

Sorce_

Before jet Friday: Where the 2009 Holiday Deals Are Right Now!

Mellody Hobson’s Advice on How to Save by Shopping Early at Target, Walmart, Toys “R” Us and More

Get ready — Christmas is less than six weeks away. With retailers struggling again competing for consumer dollars earlier than ever, now may be the super time to start shopping. “Good Morning America” financial contributor Mellody Hobson has the scoop on where the nonpareil fiesta deals are right as.

2008 was the worst gala sales season in 42 years, according to the familiar Retail Federation, further the projections for 2009 are even worse. The NRF is expecting spare drop of 1 percent control sales, which amounts to a ample $4 billion. Hobson says that’s causing retailers to coil outer the red carpet to consumers earlier than ever to solve your holiday dollars.

Hobson says the pungent conclave thanks to book sales begun when Walmart announced that its online stores would encroachment just $9, shadow free shipping, due to some of the biggest books coming out thanks to the holidays.

shroud Walmart offering that price for books, selfsame because John Grisham’s latest and Sarah Palin’s upcoming biography, retailers, such as Amazon.com and Target were forced to match them. That’s revered counsel for shoppers eclipse book lovers on their index.

Toy retailers establish 40 percent of their money in the final three months of the year, thence the revelry season is very central to them, especially since sales have faltered in youthful years.

Walmart is advertising 100 different toys due to $10 or less, Hobson says, up from 10 toys last year. The newest DVDs are further on sale being $10 at Walmart, and shipping is free. You’ll again find big discounts fix electronics.

This season Toys “R” Us is having particular of the biggest toy sales ever. It is selling 6,000 toys for under $10.

If you buy seeing the Toys “R” Us Web site, shipping is free as purchases of $45 or more, and almost word you want is deeply discounted. Hasbro board games, such due to Candyland, are selling due to $1.99 neighboring rebate. Many brands of bikes, scooters, and dexterity wheels are 25 percent off. You can also put up on electronics enjoy the Sony clock radio for your iPhone, which has an instant $20 savings.

Jail which opened last week would serve as deterrent for potential law breakers. Or so director Madhur Bhandarkar would like to believe.

“Anyone would think twice before committing a crime after seeing in my film what life is like inside a prison,” says the director.

Madhur Bhandarkar’s Jail opened below expectations. The hard-hitting director has no qualms in admitting it. “It was a slow starter. But collections have picked up from the third day,” says Madhur, and adds, “You’ve to admit it requires guts to make a film set in a jail. The other film releasing with us was a light fun filled entertainer. We were fighting formidable competition since Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani was a lavish film. Ours is 12-crore rupee film and we’ll recover our money. The producers are happy. There are still the satellite rights to be sold.”

Madhur fights off comparisons with between Jail and his last film. “Fashion was a glamorous glossy big-budget film. Jail is a grim and honest look at life in a prison. It has a strong word-of-mouth element.”

LONDON: The British economy shrank 0.4 percent in the third quarter, surprising forecasters and dashing hopes the country would follow France and Germany out of recession.

The disappointing figure leaves Britain in the grip of the worst downturn since official records began in 1955 and piles pressure on Prime Minister Gordon Brown’’s government ahead of next year’’s general election.

Economists had expected Thursday’’s update from the Office for National Statistics to be a close call between growth and contraction. But most had plumped for slight growth — and few had forecast a drop large enough to take the total fall in output since the start of the recession to 5.9 percent.

The persistent decline comes despite concerted attempts by the government and Bank of England to boost the economy, including holding interest rates at a record low of 0.5 percent since March, an unprecedented 175 billion pound ($290 billion) injection into the money supply and billions more through fiscal measures.

The main opposition Conservative Party, already significantly ahead in the polls ahead of an election that must be held by the start of June, was quick to use the figures to denounce Brown’’s economic record.

“Britain is still in recession six months after France and Germany came out of recession,” said lawmaker George Osborne, the party’’s Treasury spokesman. “We need urgent new economic leadership in this country.”

Treasury chief Alistair Darling defended the government’’s position, saying he had warned that the recession was always going to be “deeper and more profound than many people thought.” He said there were signs of improvement — the latest data notwithstanding.

“I”ve always said that it will take time to come through it, now our job is to support the economy as we come through toward recovery and whilst I”ve always said I didn”t expect to see growth until the turn of the year, it will come. I”m confident about that,” Darling said.

But economists said the surprisingly weak third quarter figures, marking the sixth consecutive quarterly contraction, left little room for optimism.

“The … data are a real shocker and desperately disappointing,” said IHS Global Insight economist Howard Archer. “It is impossible even to take comfort from the fact that the rate of contraction moderated, especially as the Eurozone and the U.S. seem highly likely to have grown in the third quarter.”

Britain was hit particularly hard by the global credit crunch because of its huge financial sector, where the government was forced to carry out a multibillion pound bailout of major banks, and higher levels of personal debt among consumers. Like the US, it also faces a collapsed real estate bubble.

In contrast, Germany and France avoided credit-fueled housing booms. They were also less dependent to begin with on banking and did not need to intervene to such an extent in the sector.

The two European countries have also benefited from so-called automatic stabilisers, including more generous social welfare systems that kick in during recessions and help support consumer spending.

As a major exporter, Germany has benefitted from the recovery in the global economy, which has in turn led to a pick up in domestic demand.

Both Bank of England governor Mervyn King and Treasury Chief Alistair Darling have said they expect some modest growth in Britain by the end of this year.

But some economists have warned of a so-called “double dip,” or “W-shaped” recession as pressures intensify in 2010 as some stimulus measures, like a temporary cut in sales tax, come to an end. Unemployment is also rising.

“The fact that the economy is still contracting despite the huge amount of policy stimulus supports our view that the recovery will be a long, slow process,” said Vicky Redwood, an economist at Capital Economics.