ప్రపంచం తీరూ తెన్నూ

Legendary playback singer Manna Dey, who mesmerised generations of listeners with his inimitable voice for over five decades with hits like 'ay mere pyara watan', 'laaga chunri me daag' and 'poocho na kaise', died at a hospital here today at the age of 94 after prolonged illness. Dey, who was in and out of Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospital in the last five months for respiratory and renal problems, died of cardiac arrest with his daughter Shumita Deb and son-in-law Jnanranjan Deb by his bedside when the end came at 3.50 AM. The condition of Dey, who had made Bangalore his home for the last many years, deteriorated since yesterday afternoon, hospital spokesman Vasuki said. With the demise of Dey, the void has become complete in the famous quartet of singers Rafi, Mukesh, and Kishore Kumar, who dominated the Hindi music industry from 1950s to 1970s. The mortal remains of Dey, whose unique voice lent a rare dimension to his persona, were cremate...

A digital billboard showing US President Barack Obama with an Adolf Hitler mustache has sparked outrage in a small Indiana city.  Residents in Kendallville say the electronic advertisement, installed for two days by the controversial LaRouche Political Action Committee, went "way too far." It depicted Obama with a small, black line across his upper lip — in what may of the area's 9,800 citizens say was an "extremely unfair" comparison to the Nazi Germany leader. "All the hard work we put forward as a community to change our image; to be a positive, growing community, and then a sign like this appears," said Mayor Suzanne Handshoe. "It just undoes everything we've been doing," she told WANE-TV. But the LaRouche group, which is dedicated to advancing the controversial views of former presidential candidate Lydon LaRouche, defended the stunt, New York Daily News reported. Members, who oppose modern banking and be...

Considered a semi-final before the Lok Sabha polls, assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Mizoram will be held in a single phase between November 25 and December 4, while it will be two- phased in Chhattisgarh on November 11 and 19. Counting of votes in all the states will be on December 8, Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath announced. While Madhya Pradesh will go to polls on November 25 to elect its 230-member assembly, elections for the 200-member Rajasthan assembly will be held on December 1. Assembly polls in Delhi with 70 constituencies and Mizoram with 40 seats will be held on December 4. Voters will for the first time also exercise the "None of the Above" (NOTA) option during these assembly polls after the Supreme Court allowed it in a recent judgement. The Commission is making arrangements so that voters can exercise this option and will create awareness on it. "The Commission is working out details and steps for intro...

"Get back on track," Lalu Prasad joked in the Lok Sabha when a fellow MP once complained that interruptions were making him lose his train of thought during a noisy debate. After being consumed by the Fodder scam today, the question being asked is will Prasad's own humourous advice early this year in a reference to his former Railways portfolio hold good for him in his derailed political career. But the next time Parliament is in session, it will be short on humour and miss the wisecracks of the irrepressible Prasad who has enlivened many a proceeding. Arguably one of India’s most colourful politicians, 65-year-old Prasad, son of a milkman, is an unique figure in the hurly-burly of Indian politics and a phenomenon in his hey days. He is one politician who defied stereotypes. Known for his quirky style and mass appeal, in his prime, there were few leaders in India who could rival Prasad's charisma and popularity. Prasad, who rose from a clerk to b...

It is likely to take at least six months for the proposed new state of Telangana to see the light of the day as the move involves a number of steps, including adoption of state re-organisation bill by Parliament by a simple majority. After the Union Cabinet's approval today for the creation of Telangana and formation of a Group of Ministers (GoM) to work out modalities, a series of steps is expected to follow in coming weeks involving both the central and state governments. The GoM will comprise Ministers of Home, Finance, HRD, Health, Irrigation, Power, Environment and Forests, Railways and Deputy Chairman Planning Commission and it will go into the economic issues on the creation of country's 29th state. The Ministry of Finance will appoint an expert committee to recommend measures for smooth transition in terms of financial management and viability of the reorganised state. In view of the normative economic factors that would operate in the remaining state of Andhra Pr...

Now trek 11km uphill and get a 'laddu prasadam' at the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateshswara. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, which manages the famous hill shrine at Tirumala near here, will offer one laddu prasadam free to devotees who prefer to trek on foot the 11-km long stairway leading to the temple from the foot of the hills from October five. This was with a view to encouraging the age-old practice of traditional way of reaching a sacred place. The annual Navaratri Brahmotsavam would commence on October five. An average of about 70 lakh devotees are now reaching the hill shrine on foot spending three to five hours through the stairway from Alipiri annually. While trekking the hills at one point of the stairway, each devotee would be given a coupon and after reaching the hills, the devotee could avail the free laddu by submitting it at a particular counter situated close to the shrine. In 2008, the TTD had introduced a new privilege for pedestrian pilgrims to go...

The top body of gems and jewellery industry today unveiled a model that will help its members to grow business and become more efficient, and also proposed a programme to bring the idle gold back into circulation. The All India Gems and Jewellery Trade Federation (GJF) said its `Trust Mark Model' (TMM) is a unique initiative that will help its members to grow their business and become more efficient. TMM is an exclusive model for expansion through implementation of systems, processes & practices for growth and managing risks, GJF said in a release here. "With the Trust Mark Model, we shall soon change the pattern of working to see that it becomes more productive and efficient," GJF Chairman Haresh Soni said. GJF also proposed a Rashtriya Swarna Nivesh scheme, an initiative which it said has never been attempted before in India or at the global level. The scheme is as an example of public-private participation wherein the jewellers of India will contribute significan...

RJD chief Lalu Prasad was today sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment in a corruption case that immediately disqualifies him as MP and will keep him out of elections for 11 years, raising questions over the leadership of his party ahead of Lok Sabha polls next year. The sentencing by special CBI judge Pravas Kumar Singh of the two-time former chief minister, another former chief minister Jagannath Mishra and sitting JD(U) Jagdish Sharma and other convicts, who are currently lodged in the Birsa Munda Central Jail here, was made through video conferencing. 65-year-old Prasad, who was convicted on September 30 in a fodder scam case, was also fined Rs 25 lakhs. He, like other politicians, was convicted under the provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act. He claimed through video conferencing that he was innocent. Mishra (76), who has faded from politics, was sentenced to four years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs two lakh. Lok Sabha member from Jahanabad, Sharma, also fa...