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Bigg Boss 5 Result, Winner, Juhi Parmar Won Big Boss 5, Bigg Boss Grand Finale, Bigg Boss won by Juhi Parmar, Runner Up's, Juhi Parmar's Profile

2012-01-07T10:24:00.000-08:00

Bigg Boss 5 Result, Winner, Juhi Parmar Won Big Boss 5, Bigg Boss Grand Finale, Bigg Boss won by Juhi Parmar, Runner Up's, Juhi Parmar's Profile

Out of the Five Contestants Juhi Parmar, Mahek Chahal, Sidharth Bhardwaj, Amar Upadhyay or Akashdeep Saigal Aka Sky. Juhi permar won after spending 98 days in Bigg Boss house.

First Runner Up:- Mahek Chahel
Second Runner Up: Juhi Parmar
Third Runner Up: Siddharth Bharadwaj

Various Performances in Grand Finale given by Salman Khan, Malaika Arora Khan, Sunny Leone, Rakhi Sawant, Pooja Mishra and many more.

Juhi Parmar Profile:
Age: 31
Star Sign: Sagittarius
Nationality: Indian
Occupation: TV Actress
Juhi Parmar was born on 14th December 1980 in Ujjain to Devendra and Hemlata Parmar. She grew up in Jaipur, Rajasthan where she won the Miss Rajasthan title in 1999 and has been a TV personality, anchor, actress, Television Presenter, singer and dancer. She is married to television personality and businessman Sachin Shroff.

SREI Infra's Rs 300 Crore Infra Bond : Issue Size, Details, Tax Exemption, Rating by CARE, Returns

2012-01-03T18:58:00.000-08:00

SREI Infra's Rs 300 Crore Infra Bond : Issue Size, Details, Tax Exemption, Rating by CARE, Returns

The issue size for the SREI infra bonds is Rs. 300 Crores, although the company was eligible for 500 crores of fund raising.
The bonds are being offered in 4 different options with 2 different maturity periods - 10 year and 15 years:
Series 1 & 2 - is for 10 year long bonds paying an interest rate of 8.90% per annum - coupon rate is higher than that offered by earlier issues of PFC issue but similar or lower to IFCI issue (see details below)

Series 3 & $ - is for 15 year long bonds paying an interest rate of 9.15% per annum - again, - coupon rate is higher than that offered by earlier issues of PFC issue but similar or lower to IFCI issue (see details below)
Exit option available after 5 years and 10 years period. Lock in period is 5 years.
The bonds will be listed on BSE or the Bombay Stock Exchange. Each bond will have a face value of Rs. 1000.

Issue Details

Investment upto Rs 20,000 in SIFL Infrastructure Bonds – Tranche 1 will be eligible for exemption under Section 80CCF of the Income Tax Act, 1961
Interest rate is 8.90% p.a. for Series 1 and 2 and 9.15% p.a. for Series 3 and 4. Interest under series 1 and series 3 will be payable annually and interest under series 2 and series 4 will be payable cumulatively (compounded annually)
Buyback facility is offered under all the series at the end of 5 years and one day from the Deemed Date of Allotment
Maturity will be at the end of 10 years from the Deemed Date of Allotment for Series 1 and 2 and will be at the end of 15 years from the Deemed Date of Allotment for Series 3 and 4
Minimum Investment required in SIFL Tranche 1 Issue is Rs 1,000 and in multiples of Rs 1,000 thereafter
Investors will be having an option to hold the Bonds in physical form or demat form.
An applicant is allowed to do multiple applications in SIFL Tranche 1, however tax benefit under Section 80CCF of the Income Tax Act, 1961 would be applicable to ` 20,000 only.
CARE has assigned CAREAA rating to the bonds proposed to be issued. The instruments with a rating of ‘CARE AA’ by CARE are considered to offer high degree of safety regarding timely servicing of financial obligations.
Issue Opens On: December 31, 2011
Issue Closes On: January 31, 2012

Power Finance Corporation (PFC) Tax-Free Bonds : Important Features, Issue Size, Return, Tax Exemption

2012-01-03T18:46:00.000-08:00

Power Finance Corporation (PFC) Tax-Free Bonds : Important Features, Issue Size, Return, Tax Exemption

Power Finance Corporation (PFC) has come out with a Rs 5,000-crore tax-free bond issue. PFC is a Navratna Government of India undertaking with the government holding 73.72% stake in it. Allotment will be made on a first-come-first-serve basis and the issue closes on January 16.

Tax Free Bonds of Face Value of Rs.1,000 Each, In The Nature Of Secured, Redeemable, Non-Convertible Debentures, Having Benefits Under Section 10(15)(Iv)(h) of The Income Tax Act, 1961

PFC bonds score well for those in the highest tax bracket. So if you invest 1 lakh in PFC bonds, and you are in the highest tax bracket, you will get an interest income of Rs 8,300 per annum for 15 years which is tax free. As against this, even if you earn a 9% interest in bank fixed deposit and you are in the highest tax bracket (30.9%) you will earn an interest of Rs 9,000 per annum but will pay a tax of Rs 2,781, so the net interest you earn is only Rs 6,219, or yield of 6.22%.

Why To Apply ?

Tax-free interest of 8.3% is the highest available after PPF, and there is no upper ceiling on investment. Though PPF offers you an interest of 8.6%, it is subject to revision and the maximum amount you can invest is only Rs 1 lakh per annum.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK MORE DETAILS FROM THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF PFC

Top 5 picks for 2012, There Latest Stock Price, Fundamental & Current Valuations : Kotak

2011-12-31T10:26:00.000-08:00

Top 5 picks for 2012, There Latest Stock Price, Fundamental & Current Valuations : Kotak

HDFC bank

One of the largest private sector banks has been a showcasing consistency in its earning growth. It has grown around 30% y-o-y in the past 38 quarters.

In the September quarter, its standalone net profit rose 31.49% to Rs 1,199 crore on y-o-y basis. It has consistently delivered one of the highest CASA mix in the industry.

Its CASA mix remained healthy at 47.3% at the end of Q2FY12, despite the rise in FD rates in last few quarters.

Valuations: P/ABV - 3.1x FY13

LATEST STOCK PRICE OF HDFC BANK

Infosys

The IT bellwether stock replaced Mukesh Ambani led Reliance Industries as the number one stock in the BSE Sensex and the NSE Nifty weightage wise in December.

Kotak remains positive on the medium-to- long-term strategy of the company. It also witnessed a management change as SD Shibulal took over as the new CEO.

Management has reiterated its long term commitment to increase the proportion of non-linear revenues. Kotak concur with the management's view that this is necessary to ensure profitable growth, while providing more value to customers.

Valuations: PE - 16.8x FY13

LATEST STOCK PRICE OF INFOSYS

ITC

ITC has a long track record of high market share in the cigarette business. Coupled with pricing power, this creates an improving profit profile, and high visibility in revenue and earnings growth for the segment.

Tobacco constitutes only 15% of India's consumption pie; which explains ITC's entry in the space. ITC's products show encouraging trends in market share, creating portents for profitability toward the end of FY13.

Over a cycle all other businesses of ITC are self-sustaining, and gel strategically with growth objectives of the company.

Valuations: PE - 21.8x FY13E

LATEST STOCK PRICE OF ITC

IRB Infra

This infra company is an experienced player in road Built-operate-transfer (BOT) segment and is likely to benefit from upcoming project awarded in road segment.

The company has a strong order book of Rs 9,600 crore which can drive growth in revenues at a CAGR of 36% between FY11-FY13.

Valuations: PE of 9.4x FY13

LATEST STOCK PRICE OF IRB INFRA

Cummins India

The Pune based company is one of the largest diesel and natural gas engine manufacturers for power generation, industrial and automotive markets. It is well poised to benefit from recovery in the infrastructure spending in the country.

It has recently set up a greenfield facility in Phaltan near Pune. Commencement of this mega production site is likely to ease out capacity constraints and would add to cash flow generation.

Valuations: PE 14x FY13E

LATEST STOCK PRICE OF CUMMINS INDIA

Bigg Boss 5 : Indo-Canadian porn star Sunny Leone evicted from Bigg Boss house on 31st December 2011

2011-12-31T09:57:00.000-08:00

Bigg Boss 5 : Indo-Canadian porn star Sunny Leone evicted from Bigg Boss house on 31st December 2011

Indo-Canadian porn star Sunny Leone, whose entry into the Bigg Boss house created a buzz, has become the last contestant to be ousted from the reality show this season.

Sunny's eviction came just a week before the finale and she feels that people did not vote for her because she did not create much drama on the show.

"I feel sad that I couldn't make it to the final after being so close. I don't think it's because of my work that people didn't vote, but probably because I didn't create much controversy or pick up fights," Sunny said over the phone from Mumbai.

The 30-year-old actress maintained a low profile in the house and said that she found good friends in fellow contestants Akashdeep Saigal (Sky) and Juhi Parmar.

"I am lucky to have made two good friends in the house. When I came in I didn't think that I will stay in touch with anybody but I will keep contact with Sky and Juhi," she said.

Bigg Boss 5: Japanese Sumo wrestler Yamamotoyama Yama will make a guest appearance in the reality show

2011-12-31T02:01:00.000-08:00

Bigg Boss 5: Japanese Sumo wrestler Yamamotoyama Yama will make a guest appearance in the reality show

After The Great Khali entertained the audiences last year in the 'Bigg Boss' house, this year Japanese Sumo wrestling champion Yamamotoyama a.k.a. Yama will make a guest appearance in the reality show.

Former Japanese sumo wrestler Yamamotoyama, who will be appearing in the reality television show 'Big Boss' as a guest, says he was a little sceptical of the idea because of the language barrier but his interest in the Indian culture made him take up the offer.

Yamamotoyama, known as Yama, will be entering the Bigg Boss house.Yamamotoyama arrives at the airport

The 601-pound or 272-kg wrestler will add zing to the finale week. However, certain changes will be made in the house to accommodate the six feet four inches tall Yama.
The dining area will be converted into a bedroom-cum-eating area for the wrestler so that he has enough space to do his daily chores.
He will be provided with special placards with pictorial representations that will help him to communicate his needs to the housemates.

Bigg Boss 5 : No elimination from the house on 24th December 2011, Christmas Gift from Bigg Boss

2011-12-24T10:15:00.000-08:00

Bigg Boss 5 : No elimination from the house on 24th December 2011, Christmas Gift from Bigg Boss

No elimination in Bigg Boss 5 House 24th dec 2011
Gift from Biggboss for Merry Christmas no evition from Bigg Boss 5 this week.
Today on 24 December 2011 in Bigg Boss season 5 another most controversial lady inmate Mahek Chahl make her wild card entry.

Muthoot Finance Limited Non-Convertible Debentures, NCD : Issue Details, Returns, Lock in period, Issue Size, Rating by CRISIL & ICRA

2011-12-22T18:48:00.000-08:00

Muthoot Finance Limited Non-Convertible Debentures, NCD : Issue Details, Returns, Lock in period, Issue Size, Rating by CRISIL & ICRA

Incorporated in 1997, Muthoot Finance Ltd is the Kerala - based largest gold financing company in India in terms of loan portfolio. Muthoot Finance provides personal and business loans secured by gold jewellery, or Gold Loans. They have 1605 branches across 20 states and two union territories in India.

Muthoot Finance is coming up with a public issue of Secured Non-Convertible Debentures of face value of Rs. 1,000 each, (NCDs), aggregating upto Rs. 300 Crores with an option to retain over-subscription upto Rs. 300 Crores for issuance of additional NCDs aggregating to a total of upto Rs. 600 Crores.

Public issue of Muthoot Finance NCD will remain open from Dec 22, 2011 to Jan 07, 2012. Minimum order quantity for Muthoot NCD is 5 NCDs (Rs 5000) and after that in multiples of 1 NCD (Rs 1000).

The NCD is available for 4 tenors - 24 months, 36 months, 60 months and 66 months. The coupon rate for this NCD is fixed at 13.00% to 13.43% based on the tenors of the NCD. Redemption amount will be repayment of the Face Value plus any interest that may have accrued at the Redemption Date.

The Issue is rated by CRISIL and ICRA with AA-/Stable rating. ICICI Securities Limited, A.K. Capital Services Limited HDFC Bank Limited and Karvy Investor Services Limited are the Lead Managers for this issue.

Issue Detail:
Issue Open: Dec 22, 2011 - Jan 07, 2012
Issue Type: Fixed Price Issue NCD
Issue Size: Equity Shares of Rs. 1000
Issue Size: Rs. 300.00 Crore
Face Value: Rs. 1000 Per Equity Share
Issue Price: Rs. 1000 Per Equity Share
Market Lot: 1 Shares
Minimum Order Quantity: 5 Shares
Listing At: BSE
CLICK HERE TO CHECK MORE DETAILS FROM THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Don 2 : Star cast, Movie Review, Shah Rukh Khan (King Khan), Critics Rating, Movie Details

2011-12-22T11:17:00.000-08:00

Don 2 : Star cast, Movie Review, Shah Rukh Khan (King Khan), Critics Rating, Movie Details

Starting : Shahrukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta, Om Puri, Kunal Kapoor
Directed By : Farhan Akhtar
Produced By : Farhan Akhtar, Ritesh Sidhwani, Shahrukh Khan
Screenplay By : Farhan Akhtar, Ameet Mehta, Amrish Shah
Music By : Shankar Ehsaan Loy
Cinematography : Jason West
Editing by: Anand Subaya, Ritesh Soni
Studio : Excel Entertainment
Distributed By : Reliance Entertainment, Excel Entertainment
In Cinemas : 2D & 3D
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes

DON 2 is most awaiting movie of this year.Don 2 is Striking the Theatres Tomorrow and has lots of expectations from it.

Don 2 Was Released in UK yesterday and had a brilliant response there. The Film Got Excellent Review From the Viewers. All Indian Critics Have Rated the Film not Less than 4 Stars.

Don 2 Has Got Excellent Advance Booking till Now. The Morning Shows are Nearly Full. The Single Screens in Minor Territories are poor but Single Screens Like “Liberty

Critic's Rating: : ****

Force One 4WD SUV Car to be Launched in Auto Expo 2012 : Features, Photographs, Specifications

2011-12-21T09:44:00.000-08:00

Force One 4WD SUV Car to be Launched in Auto Expo 2012 : Features, Photographs, Specifications

Pune-based Force Motors, who forayed into the passenger car segment in August 2011 with its Force One SUV, will be presenting two more variants of its flagship model at the upcoming Auto Expo that will kick start on January 5. The much-awaited 4X4 variant of the Force One SUV will be launched at the Auto Expo along with a luxury edition of the SUV, which the company refers to as 'a luxury weekend getaway version.'

"We will show a four-wheel drive and a concept luxury weekend getaway version at the Auto Expo 2012, with the latter having luxurious interiors," Prasan Firodia, managing director, Force Motors said.

The Force One has already secured a reputation of having incredible road presence thanks, mainly to its impressive personality. It has sourced its 2.5L Diesel engine from Daimler AG. The engine is capable of providing the 4WD SUV a maximum power of 140Bhp with a really impressive peak torque 315Nm. If the two variants live up to the expectation that the auto experts have from them, the SUV segment is definitely going to witness some serious competition in the near future. Market analysts as well as consumers will be interested to know the result of this competition and to see whether Force One is going to win the battle over its rivals, including the Mahindra XUV500.

The New Honda City – Latest Features, Colors, Features, Sun Roof, More Stylish, Price of Different Models

2011-12-20T08:28:00.000-08:00

The New Honda City – Latest Features, Colors, Features, Sun Roof, More Stylish, Price of Different Models

Honda Siel Cars India Ltd., leading manufacturer of premium cars in India, launched the new Honda City with striking new looks and value added features.The New Honda City juxtaposes Honda’s superior design and enhanced premium styling. On the exterior, the new chrome front grille, restyled front and rear bumper and all new taillights accentuate the looks of the car. The newly designed and attractive 10 spoke Alloy Wheels (in select grades) add to its sporty look.

The New Honda City now comes with enhanced ground clearance of 165 mm, 5mm more than its predecessor giving it an extra bit of comfort on bumpy roads. The length of the new City is 4440 mm (20 mm longer than its predecessor).The complete range of the City has been expanded to give more options to the customers and will now be available in 5 variants – Corporate, E, S, V MT/AT and V (Sunroof) MT/AT.

The company has also added new colors in the line-up of the new City apart from existing offering. It will now be offered in Carnelian Red Pearl and Sparkling Brown Metallic which have been first time introduced in the Honda line-up. The existing colour range includes - Taffeta White, Alabaster Silver Metallic, Bold Beige Metallic and Urban Titanium Metallic.

The interiors of the New City incorporate an elegant and attractive design. The plush Beige interiors with high quality seat fabric and improved modern Centre Control Panel with stylish Chrome fittings gives the car an upmarket feel.

The newly introduced V(Sunroof) grade of the New City now comes with a sunroof which has been introduced in this segment for the first time and adds to the premiumness of the car even more.The introduction of new features like Cruise Control System and Turn indicators on ORVM in New City 1.5V and V(Sunroof) complement the look of the car and make it plush with a luxurious feel.

Bookings for the New City has already started at all Honda dealers nationwide and deliveries will begin only from January 2012.
Prices ex showroom Delhi:
1.5 Corporate (MT) : Rs. 6.99 Lacs
1.5 E (MT) : Rs. 7.70 Lacs
1.5 S (MT) : Rs. 8.20 Lacs
1.5 V (MT): Rs. 8.70 Lacs
1.5 V (AT) : Rs. 9.42 Lacs
1.5 V (MT) Sunroof: Rs. 9.50 lacs
1.5 V (AT) Sunroof : Rs. 10.22 Lacs
src-yahoo.com

Bigg Boss 5 : Mahek Chahal to return on Bigg Boss, Mahek will have to compete with Shonali Nagrani and Laxmi Narayan to win this chance to re-enter the show. The person who receives the maximum votes by the audience will enter the house

2011-12-20T08:17:00.000-08:00

Bigg Boss 5 : Mahek Chahal to return on Bigg Boss, Mahek will have to compete with Shonali Nagrani and Laxmi Narayan to win this chance to re-enter the show. The person who receives the maximum votes by the audience will enter the house

This season's Bigg Boss has seen many twists and turns and as we get close to Christmas, one last bomb is yet to explode. Mahek Chahal, whose eviction received a lot of mixed reactions, has been approached to re-enter the house again as a wild card contestant

But Mahek will have to compete with Shonali and Laxmi to win this chance to re-enter the show. The person who receives the maximum votes by the audience will enter the house

When contacted, Mahek confirmed the news, “I have been out for more than a week and in this time all that I have done is viewed the episodes of the 10 weeks that I was in the house. I was quite shocked at most of the footage that I saw and I now know the realities of so many people who are still in the house.”

Mahek added, “I very seriously want to enter the house and teach them a lesson for back-stabbing especially since I considered them to be my friends. Moreover I want to settle scores with Sky and make sure the audience knows about the plotting that Pooja Bedi and Sky have done against me to get me out of the house.”

Since Shonali and Laxmi have not really added any spice to the show, we hope that Mahek does come back on the show as the fireworks that would follow would surely be really worth watching

Equity linked saving schemes or tax saving mutual funds, ELSS - an easy way to save taxes if you have not totally exhausted your 1 lac limit under section 80C.

2011-12-17T13:01:00.000-08:00

Equity linked saving schemes or tax saving mutual funds, ELSS - an easy way to save taxes if you have not totally exhausted your 1 lac limit under section 80C.

Equity linked saving schemes or tax saving mutual funds are one of the better options for you to invest if you have not totally exhausted your 1 lac limit under section 80C.
See whether the investments you have already made such as the PF that gets deducted from your salary each month; life insurance premium that you have paid or need to pay; tuition fee for your 2 kids, if any; and the principal amount of your housing loan, all add upto Rs.1 lac. If not, then ELSS could be the better option to choose from amongst the other products under section 80C, provided you have the appetite for risk.
- First, it is the only product which has equity exposure (100% equity) and thus can offer you superior returns as compared to FDs or NSCs. The New Pension Scheme (NPS) also has exposure to equity, but it is limited to only 50%.
- As a mutual fund, ELSS offers you all the advantages such as diversification, expertise of fund managers, convenience and ease of investing through ECS and you can invest with as little as Rs.500 unlike other equity mutual funds.
- With a lock-in of 3 years, ELSS also has the shortest lock-in period. So, your funds are not tied up for 5 years or 6 years like in FDs and NSCs.
- As a category ELSS funds have performed well, the 3 year lock-in period giving the room to fund managers to take long calls and thus reap benefits.

However, there are some points you need to consider before investing in ELSS.
1. All things said and done, you should invest in an ELSS only if it suits your requirements and goals. The younger you are, higher the propensity to take risk and invest in aggressive investments like equity. So if you are nearing retirement, ELSS may not be the best product for you. Similarly, if you have some important goals coming up within the next 3 years, then locking in your monies in a risky investment like ELSS would not be advisable as markets could be having a bear phase and hence your ELSS investment may not fetch you good returns though you may get some tax advantage.
2. While selecting ELSS you choose should look at its track record and definitely at the mutual fund promoting the ELSS, its investment systems and processes. Always remember there’s more to a mutual scheme than just returns. Look for consistency mainly in the performance with relevance to risk and returns, portfolio turnover ratio expense ratio and the portfolio of ELSS.
3. Now is probably the time you can invest in ELSS and avail tax benefits as once applicable in its proposed form the new Direct Tax Code (DTC) might take away the tax benefit from ELSS, from April 2012. So get going!
src-moneycontrol
Some of the good ELSS funds are given below

Fidelity Tax Advantage Fund-G
HDFC Tax saver-G
ICICI Prudential Tax Plan-G

Bigg Boss 5 : Indo-Canadian porn star Sunny Leone has become India's most googled celebrity

2011-12-17T10:15:00.000-08:00

Bigg Boss 5 : Indo-Canadian porn star Sunny Leone has become India's most googled celebrity

Indo-Canadian porn star Sunny Leone has replaced Katrina, Kareena and Aishwarya as India's most googled celebrity. Leone is also all set to make her Bollywood debut opposite Rahul Bhatt. Reports suggest that the Bhatt camp has already announced that Leone will play the lead in 'Murder 3'.
www.tips4bsense.blogspot.com
Rahul Bhatt participated in last season's Bigg Boss and Leone is the new entrant this season. The Bhatts had earlier approached Leone for a film titled 'Blue Film' but she had turned down the offer. Now, she'll make her debut in 'Murder 3' but not opposite Emraan Hashmi, Rahul Bhatt will make his debut with her.

Sony launches Tablet S, Tablet P in India, Tablet S and Tablet P priced at Rs 29,990 and Rs 36,990 respectively.

2011-12-17T10:04:00.000-08:00

Sony launches Tablet S, Tablet P in India, Tablet S and Tablet P priced at Rs 29,990 and Rs 36,990 respectively.

Sony launched two tablets - Tablet S and Tablet P - in the Indian market, priced at Rs 29,990 and Rs 36,990 respectively. Both Sony tablets are built around a 1 GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 processor.

The Tablet S is wedge-shaped, with one side thicker than the other. The shape mimics that of a magazine that's been folded over

The Tablet S is optimized for rich media entertainment on its 9.4-inch 1,280 by 800-pixel capacitive touchscreen display, and sports 1 GB of RAM, 16 or 32 GB of onboard flash storage.
Sony said the S tablet is unique because of a universal remote inside the computer that can be used to control stereos, cable television boxes and TV sets.

The Tablet S' unique asymmetric design allows for hours of comfortable use and built-in Wi-Fi compatibility means Internet connectivity virtually anywhere there's a hotspot.

The Tablet P aims to be more portable, featuring a unique folding design with two 5.5-inch displays and a total weight of 372 grams

Sony's tablet P, comes with 4 GB of memory and looks like a clutch purse.

Bigg Boss 5: Ex Miss India Shonali Nagrani evicted from the reality TV show Big Boss , She managed to survive in the Bigg Boss house for 75 days

2011-12-17T09:47:00.000-08:00

Bigg Boss 5: Ex Miss India Shonali Nagrani evicted from the reality TV show Big Boss , She managed to survive in the Bigg Boss house for 75 days

The ex Miss India has managed to grab a lot of attention and made a lot of fans.
Well like every Saturday one contestant gets evicted from the Bigg Boss house. This time around Shonali Nagrani is the unlucky one to part ways from rest of the contestants. The IPL anchor has been in the house since inception of the show. She has managed to survive in the dicey atmosphere of the Bigg Boss house for a while now. In the 75 days that spent in the house, she lived every moment.

Shonali was seen dancing to the tunes of the wake up song almost every day and she would not resist herself from flaunting her trademark hip shaking moves! The pretty girl from Delhi has made the most of her time in the house. The beauty queen has also made a close friend in the form of Siddharth Bhardawaj the self proclaimed youth icon.

Shonali was always seen hanging out with him during rough patches and post fights. Siddharth would seek her shoulder whenever he was in trouble. The duo was seen bonding quite often in the show. Shonali would teach Siddharth how to cook, keep his calm and motivate him in not giving up easily. Seems like Shonali would miss a dear friend from the show.

Nissan launches Sunny Diesel : Available for Rs 7,98,000 (XL) and Rs 8,78,000 (XV), ex-showroom, New Delhi., Features, Specification, fuel efficiency of 21.64 kmpl (ARAI certified)

2011-12-14T10:48:00.000-08:00

Nissan launches Sunny Diesel : Available for Rs 7,98,000 (XL) and Rs 8,78,000 (XV), ex-showroom, New Delhi., Features, Specification, fuel efficiency of 21.64 kmpl (ARAI certified)

Nissan Motor India Private Ltd. (NMIPL) has opened the booking for the diesel variant of its mid-sized sedan, the Nissan Sunny, in India.

Available in two variants, the XL and the XV, the Sunny Diesel targets the fast growing demand for diesel cars in the Indian market.

Built on the global ‘V’ platform, the Sunny Diesel is available for Rs 7,98,000 (XL) and Rs 8,78,000 (XV), ex-showroom, New Delhi.

The Sunny Diesel, a result of significant inputs from the Indian market and powered by the most notable K9K diesel engine to emerge from the Renault-Nissan alliance, has a fuel efficiency of 21.64 kmpl (ARAI certified) and is ideal both for a city drive as well as for exploring the countryside.

Built at the Nissan plant in Chennai, the diesel variant is powered by a modern 1.5-liter, 4-cylinder K9K engine that churns out 86PS of power @ 3750 rpm and a maximum torque of 200 Nm @ 2000 rpm, and five speed manual transmission.

The new variant is available in six colors – Bronze Grey, Blade Silver, Storm White, Sapphire Blue, Onyx Black and Brick Red – and is equipped with advanced safety features such as Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA), Engine Immobilizer and Airbags.

The diesel variant is 4425mm long with a 2600mm wheelbase that directly translates into roomy interiors.

Time Magazine Revealed its Person of the Year for 2011 : 'The Protester'

2011-12-14T10:28:00.000-08:00

Time Magazine Revealed its Person of the Year for 2011 : 'The Protester'

Time magazine has revealed its Person of the Year 2011, and the winner is: The protester.

The magazine unveiled its annually-anticipated selection Wednesday morning on NBC's "The Today Show," as managing editor Richard Stengel announced "the protester" to the honor.

Some thought that perhaps the late Steve Jobs might win, or Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot but is on a path to miraculous recovery. They weren't on Time's "short list" since they were recognized in other sections of the magazine. "It's not a lifetime achievement award," Stengel said.

The protester made a big mark on America this year via Occupy Wall Street. It began on a hot summer day in Lower Manhattan and months later had become recognized as a movement springing up throughout the nation.

It's not always an individual that wins the distinction, though last year's choice was Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Time has chosen its Person of the Year every year since 1927, and sometimes it has involved a group, like the protester, or a concept.

The National Transportation Safety Board, NTSB recommends full nationwide ban on cellphone use while driving

2011-12-14T10:22:00.000-08:00

The National Transportation Safety Board, NTSB recommends full nationwide ban on cellphone use while driving

The National Transportation Safety Board today made a far-reaching recommendation to ban all non-driving-related use of personal electronic devices while in the driver's seat, including hands-free use. The recommendation was made to all US states, some of which already have laws on the books regarding cellphone use while driving. So what's a "driving-related" use? The NTSB's director was specific about wanting to ban making phone calls, sending texts, and making Facebook updates, but gave a vague answer regarding possible provisions that would allow for driving-related uses like GPS navigation; additionally, no specific devices or technologies were listed as offenders. Passengers can breathe easy, as the recommendation only applies to those operating vehicles.

The NTSB cited studies regarding electronic device use behind the wheel in justifying its recommendation — it argues that distractions are not just tangible in nature, and that even hands-free use creates a cognitive distraction that has deadly results. While the agency does not have the power to create or enforce restrictions, it can influence federal regulators and state and local governments.

Bigg Boss 5 : Sonali's & Pooja Missra's fight over Parathas, Pooja Missra called Sonali a drama queen

2011-12-14T06:08:00.000-08:00

Bigg Boss 5 : Sonali's & Pooja Missra's fight over Parathas, Pooja Missra called Sonali a drama queen

In recent episodes, Shonali has been branded as the official drama queen on reality show Bigg Boss. Her fellow contestants have accused her of faking fights and then breaking down to tears hoping to earn sympathyfrom the housemates and the audience as well

But her drama reached a new peak in an upcoming episode. Shonali was preparing parathas for the housemates and she politely enquired about the number of parathas Pooja Missra wanted to have

Missra, who was cleaning her bed at the time, responded curtly saying, “Spare me!”

Shonali who was shocked by Missra’s unaccountable angst tried to make sense of the matter but it only got worse. Missra even taunted Shonali of not being able to understand her words as she was speaking in English. She then translated her phrase in Hindi, screaming, “Mujhe baksh do!”

Shonali was about to get teary-eyed, when Missra confronted her saying that she always used her tears as a defense mechanism and to gain sympathy. Shonali was clearly shattered by Missra’s behaviour and confessed her displeasure openly

Missra further blasted Shonali, calling her a drama queen who believes that she can get her way by pretending to be upset and hassled by trivial issues
src-yahoo

Rupee hit its lifel-time low of 52.84/85 Vs dollar on Monday, 12th December

2011-12-12T07:11:00.000-08:00

Rupee hit its lifel-time low of 52.84/85 Vs dollar on Monday, 12th December

The Indian rupee today hit its lifetime low of 52.84/85 against the dollar as demand for the US currency soared amid signs of FIIs pulling out money in the wake negative growth in industrial production in October.

Forex dealers said a slew of measures like plunging stock markets, dollar gaining strength against its rivals in the overseas market weighed against the local currency which lost a whopping 81 paise against the Greenback today.

Analysts said existing economic woes were compounded by decline in industrial output which dent the confidence of investors.

At the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) market, the rupee opened lower at 52.09/10 a dollar and dropped further to finish at all-time record low at 52.84/85, down 81 paise, or 1.56% from its previous close.

Meanwhile, the industrial output, as measured by Index of Industrial Production (IIP) registered a negative growth of 5.1% in October, the lowest in over two years, mainly due to rising interest rate, high prices and global uncertainties.

src-ET

Natco Pharma Rallies after Dilip Shanghvi, Chairman of Sun Pharma bought 3 lakh shares, Latest Stock Price

2011-12-07T18:39:00.001-08:00

Natco Pharma Rallies after Dilip Shanghvi, Chairman of Sun Pharma bought 3 lakh shares, Latest Stock Price

Shares of Natco Pharma rose almost 15% on Wednesday, after reports suggested that Dilip Shanghvi, Chairman of Sun Pharma bought 3 lakh shares of the former company. The purchase represents 1% stake in Natco Pharma.

According to reports, the company has also announced its qualified institutional placement (QIP), which opens at a face value of Rs 10/ share on December 7, 2011. QIP is used by listed companies to raise capital from the domestic markets without the need to submit any pre-issue filings to market regulators.

Natco’s shareholding:
• Promoters: 63.11%
• Foreign institutional investors: 6.36% • Domestic institutional investors: 8.86% • Others: 21.67%

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Bigg Boss 5 : Pooja Mishra reenters with Andrew Symond as his Translator

2011-12-07T10:11:00.001-08:00

Bigg Boss 5 : Pooja Mishra reenters with Andrew Symond as his Translator

Pooja Mishra back to Bigg Boss House.The most violent housemate will help out the Australian cricketer. Wonder how that will end?

Model Pooja Mishra, who was evicted from Bigg Boss 5 a couple of weeks ago, is all set to re-enter the show today. But this controversial housemate will not come as a contestant but as a translator for new celebrity contestant Andrew Symonds. Pooja Mishra herself confirmed the news.

Australian cricket all-rounder Andrew Symonds is set to enter the Bigg Boss 5 house this week. Symonds will be the second international celebrity to enter the reality show after Indo-Canadian adult film star Sunny Leone.

Model and controversial housemate Pooja Mishra, who was ousted from the ongoing season ‘Bigg Boss’, will be re-entering the show as a translator for new celebrity contestant Andrew Symonds.

Earlier, sources had claimed that Pooja Mishra would be entering the show again as a translator for Andrew Symonds and she will be there till the time he is in the show. But she will not be part of the nominations. Speaking about the rumours, Pooja Mishra said, “I am glad Bigg Boss has given me the opportunity to enter the house again, his time as the voice of Andrew Symonds.”

Pooja Mishra is very much excited to come back on the show Bigg Boss 5.

Indiabulls Real shares falls 36% down of deal record date, Latest Stock Price

2011-12-07T09:57:00.001-08:00

Indiabulls Real shares falls 36% down of deal record date, Latest Stock Price

Shares in Indiabulls Real Estate fell as much as 36.45 percent on Wednesday ahead of the record date for determining shareholders entitled to shares in Indiabulls Infrastructure and Power (IIPL) which was created following the spin-off of the real estate firm's power unit.
According to the terms of the deal, Indiabulls Real Estate shareholders will get 2.95 shares of IIPL for every share held.
Dealers said the shares were falling on selling by buyers who had acquired the stock mainly with a view to getting the benefit of shares in the new company.

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Reserve Bank of India, RBI may slash CRR by 25 basis points soon, feel experts

2011-12-04T05:06:00.001-08:00

Reserve Bank of India, RBI may slash CRR by 25 basis points soon, feel experts

With the last date for payment of advance tax drawing closer, pressure is mounting on the Reserve Bank to cut Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) by at least 0.25 percentage points to improve liquidity in the system.

Bankers and analysts believe the RBI intervention may come anytime during the week as the payment of advance tax by companies will be due on December 15. This will result in substantial amount of money being sucked out from the market.

Such a move to lower CRR, which is the portion of deposit that banks are compulsorily required to keep with the central bank, will result in release of about Rs 15,000 crore into the system.

State-run Bank of India (BoI) buys 51% in Bharti Axa Mutual Fund

2011-12-03T06:42:00.001-08:00

State-run Bank of India (BoI) buys 51% in Bharti Axa Mutual Fund

State-run Bank of India (BoI) will pick up a majority 51% stake in Bharti Axa Mutual Fund for an undisclosed amount to run the latter's asset management business.

"Bank of India and Axa Investment Managers Asia Holdings (a subsidiary of Axa Investment Managers, part of the Axa Group) have agreed to enter into a joint venture in asset management business carried on by Bharti Axa Investment Managers," a joint statement from the companies said here.

Bharti Axa Investment Managers is the asset management arm to Bharti Axa Mutual Fund, which is owned by telecom major Bharti Airtel and French financial services giant Axa Group.
"Under the proposed joint venture, BoI will acquire 51% equity and the balance will be with the Axa Group," the statement added.

Ernst & Young India was the advisor to the transaction.

Ram Charan Teja's engagement : Telugu actor and son of actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi, Ram Charan Teja was engaged to his long-time girlfriend Kamineni Upasana, granddaughter of Pratap C. Reddy, Chairman of Apollo Hospitals., Chiranjeevi, Pratap C. Reddy, Pawan Kalyan, Chandrababu Naidu, Kiran Kumar Reddy, Nagarjuna, Venkatesh, Allu Arjun, Rana Daggubati, Jayasudha, Brahmanandam and other celebs were present at the glittering ceremony

2011-12-02T21:57:00.001-08:00

Ram Charan Teja's engagement : Telugu actor and son of actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi, Ram Charan Teja was engaged to his long-time girlfriend Kamineni Upasana, granddaughter of Pratap C. Reddy, Chairman of Apollo Hospitals., Chiranjeevi, Pratap C. Reddy, Pawan Kalyan, Chandrababu Naidu, Kiran Kumar Reddy, Nagarjuna, Venkatesh, Allu Arjun, Rana Daggubati, Jayasudha, Brahmanandam and other celebs were present at the glittering ceremony

Telugu actor and son of actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi, Ram Charan Teja was engaged to his long-time girlfriend Kamineni Upasana at a lavish ceremony held at a farm house in Hyderabad on Thursday night.

The engagement has brought together two most well-known families of Andhra Pradesh.

Upasana is the granddaughter of Pratap C. Reddy, Chairman of Apollo Hospitals.

Politicians, film stars and prominent personalities from various walks of life attended the ceremony held at "Temple Trees" farmhouse of the Reddy family amid tight security arrangements.

Chiranjeevi, Pratap C. Reddy, Pawan Kalyan, Chandrababu Naidu, Kiran Kumar Reddy, Nagarjuna, Venkatesh, Allu Arjun, Rana Daggubati, Jayasudha, Brahmanandam and other celebs were present at the glittering ceremony.

Surekha, Chiranjeevi

Kamineni Upasana, Chiranjeevi

Ram Charan Teja, Pratap C. Reddy

Chandrababu Naidu

Chiranjeevi, Ram Charan Teja, Kamineni Upasana, Pratap C. Reddy, Kiran Kumar Reddy, Anil Kamineni

Gold hits new high at Rs 29,490 on Friday 2nd November 2011 due to seasonal season demand

2011-12-02T21:47:00.001-08:00

Gold hits new high at Rs 29,490 on Friday 2nd November 2011 due to seasonal season demand

Gold climbed a new peak on Friday by rising Rs 50 to Rs 29,490 per 10 grams on sustained buying by stockists to meet the ongoing marriage season demand amid a firming global trend.

The precious metal has surpassed its previous record of Rs 29,440 per 10 grams set on November 30.

Silver followed suit and surged by Rs 1,050 to Rs 56,950 per kg on increased offtake by industrial units and jewellery makers, amid a similar firming trend in the Asian region.

‘I was cast in 'Zeher', then replaced’ : Shonali lashes out at Mahesh Bhatt on Bigg Boss 5 for replacing her in ‘Zeher’ since she wasn’t a known face.

2011-12-02T21:25:00.001-08:00

‘I was cast in 'Zeher', then replaced’ : Shonali lashes out at Mahesh Bhatt on Bigg Boss 5 for replacing her in ‘Zeher’ since she wasn’t a known face.

Ever since Mahesh Bhatt walked into the Bigg Boss house for the special purpose of casting porn star Sunny Leone in his next film, Shonali was noticed to be visibly disturbed by his presence

Once Bhatt had concluded his absorbing interview with Sunny, he allowed Shonali to voice herself as she surely needed to clarify something

On given a chance to speak, Shonali reminded Bhatt of the time when she was cast in his film ‘Zeher’ opposite Emraan Hashmi. It was supposed to be Shonali’s big Bollywood break until she was told 8 months after being cast that she was rejected as the financers of the movie required a known face for the female lead

Shonali was replaced by Shamita Shetty in the film ‘Zeher’ and that had torn her apart completely and she broke into tears even while confronting Bhatt about it. Bhatt quickly grasped Shonali’s hand and comforted her and apologized, begging that he wasn’t even aware of this casting incident

While Shonali seemed to have come to terms with this bitter reality of having lost out on her big Bollywood break, she didn’t seem much convinced by Bhatt’s defense
src-yahoo

Bigg Boss 5 : Mahesh enters, Pooja exits from Bigg Boss 5, Mahesh Bhatt will officially offer Jism 2 role to Sunny Leone

2011-11-29T10:00:00.001-08:00

Bigg Boss 5 : Mahesh enters, Pooja exits from Bigg Boss 5, Mahesh Bhatt will officially offer Jism 2 role to Sunny Leone

Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt entered the Bigg Boss 5 House yesterday to offer the show’s newest entrant, Indo-Canadian porn star Sunny Leone, the role of the leading lady for Jism 2, that his daughter Pooja Bhatt is producing and directing. “Pooja had suggested that we approach Sunny when she saw her on show and read about her in the newspapers.

She feels that the girl has the willingness and the right mix of looks and acting skills needed for the role. If our needs match, she may just agree,” says Mahesh, who is writing the film’s story and script, and is the creative force behind the project.

He adds, “I don’t want to pre-suppose her reaction to our offer because even friends in Bollywood can give you the biggest jolts in terms of reactions to an offer you make to them. She is free to say no. I’m just going inside for a couple of hours and hopefully, will return with some great news for Pooja.”

src-HT

Most Successful Dropouts : James Cameron, Walt Disney, Mark Zuckerberg, Brad Pitt, Abraham Lincoln, Andre Agassi, Steve Jobs, Michael Dell, Tiger Woods

2011-11-27T08:25:00.001-08:00

Most Successful Dropouts : James Cameron, Walt Disney, Mark Zuckerberg, Brad Pitt, Abraham Lincoln, Andre Agassi, Steve Jobs, Michael Dell, Tiger Woods

James Cameron

The Oscar-Winning director/producer/screenwriter dropped out of California State University at the age of 20. Cameron climbed his way up from the very bottom, working as a truck driver and a school janitor to pay the bills as he sought to get involved with the film industry. His first movie-related job was building models for Roger Corman's New World Pictures

Walt Disney

Disney dropped out of high school to join the army when he was 16 years old. Rejected because of his age, he ended up joining the Red Cross and served as an ambulance driver during World War I. Upon his arrival to the U.S. he began his career as an animator, screenwriter, director, producer and developer of the Disney empire that eventually led to him to winning 26 Oscars, 7 Emmys and everlasting acclaim for his plethora of creative creations

Mark Zuckerberg

Zuckerberg created Facebook in his dorm room at Harvard University. After noticing the site's immediate success, he dropped out of college to continue working on his pet social network. Zuckerberg is now a degree-less billionaire, and Facebook currently boasts more than 800 million active users.

Brad Pitt

Pitt left the University of Missouri two credits short of graduating to begin his acting career. The former journalism major moved to Los Angeles two weeks before graduation to take acting lessons. He appeared as a guest in various TV shows and gained breakthrough recognition as the cowboy hitchhiker who seduces Geena Davis' character in the movie "Thelma & Loise." Pitt is now a global star, both for his consistent performances and for his globe-trotting activism with Angelina Jolie.

Abraham Lincoln

Former lawyer turned President of The United States, Abraham Lincoln only had one year of formal schooling in his life. Lincoln taught himself trigonometry for his early work as a surveyor, and being an avid reader, read the likes of "Commentaries on the Laws of England" on his own to become a lawyer. He came to be the 16th president of the United States and led the country during the American Civil War. Lincoln is one of the eight U.S. presidents who never went to college.

Andre Agassi

Tennis player Andre Agassi quit school in the ninth grade after Nick Bollettieri from the Nick Bollettieri's Tennis Academy in Florida called his father after watching him play for 30 minutes and said he had more natural talent than anyone he had ever seen, and could train in the Academy for free. Young Agassi went pro at age 16 and was the first of two male players in history to achieve a singles Career Golden Slam (a singles Career Grand Slam plus the Olympic gold medal in singles).

Steve Jobs

Jobs dropped out of Reed College after only one semester but continued auditing the classes he was most interested in for a while. He went on to say that if he hadn't dropped in on one calligraphy class, the Apple computer wouldn't have the proportionally spaced variety of fonts it has today. After he spent some time traveling India and held a few jobs in the software industry, Jobs went on to star his own business: Apple Computers, in his parents' basement, a company you may have heard of.

Michael Dell

Dell was a pre-med student at the University of Texas at Austin, when he started an informal computer-upgrading business. The business' success prompted him to obtain a vendor's license to bid on contracts for the State of Texas, which he won because he did not have the expenses of a computer store. His conviction that selling PCs directly was more profitable than the conventional way of selling eventually made Dell the 44th richest man in the world.

Bill Gates

Gates dropped out of Harvard during his second year to start a business venture now known as Microsoft. He was ranked the wold wealthiest person from 1995 - 2009 (excluding 2008 when he was ranked third-wealthiest). Gates is currently a Chairman and the largest individual shareholder of Microsoft Corp.

Tiger Woods

Right out of high school Woods was heavily recruited by colleges for his amazing golfing abilities. He chose Stanford, the 1994 NCAA Division I champion, and earned several junior titles during his two years at the university. He eventually dropped out to become a professional golfer. Woods, in spite of his recent personal scandals, has been the highest-paid professional athlete in the world, earning an estimated $90.5 million in 2010.
src-upi

BMW Mini : Will be launched during the 2012 Auto Expo, Features, Price & other details

2011-11-27T03:52:00.001-08:00

BMW Mini : Will be launched during the 2012 Auto Expo, Features, Price & other details

The BMW Mini will be launched during the 2012 Auto Expo. BMW Mini Cooper price in India is most likely to touch Rs 23 lakh. The bookings for the Mini Cooper are expected to begin from 2012. The Mini Cooper is expected to be launched in India in two variants, a two door coupe and as a convertible. The Mini Cooper is going to attract a custom duty of 102% as it makes to the Indian shores as a CBU (Completely Built Unit).

Considering the Indian market to be now fit for small luxury cars, German carmaker BMW has decided to introduce the range of cars produced by it’s wholly owned subsidiary MINI. Mini is its small car range produced in United Kingdom and Austria and was originally launched by British Motor Corporation. The small car Mini was first introduced in 1959 as a two-door and later its estate, convertible and crossover models also emerged. Later, in 1994 BMW took over MINI and the Mini cars were known as BMW Mini or New Mini. The present range of BMW Mini cars includes Hatch, Convertible, Clubman, Cooper and Countryman models.

The BMW Mini will be available in both diesel and petrol versions. The petrol variant will be powered by 1598cc engine that has a maximum power output of 75hp at 6000rpm and a peak torque of 140 Nm at 2250rpm. In petrol, there will also be more powerful engine options available that churn out 98hp, 122hp, and 184hp. The diesel engine on the other hand will again be 1598cc with 90hp power and a maximum torque of 215 Nm at 2500 rpm. The other diesel engine options of Mini outputs as high as 112hp and 143hp. There will be either six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission on the Mini. In India, the BMW Mini is expected to arrive in front wheel drive version only.

Top 10 Best Banks in India : Bank of Baroda, HDFC, Axis, Yes, State bank of Hyderabad, Punjab National Bank, Canara Bank, Andra Bank, Corporation Bank & Indian Bank

2011-11-27T02:08:00.001-08:00

Top 10 Best Banks in India : Bank of Baroda, HDFC, Axis, Yes, State bank of Hyderabad, Punjab National Bank, Canara Bank, Andra Bank, Corporation Bank & Indian Bank

With global ratings agency, Moody's Investor Services, setting off a debate over the robustness of India's banking system after having downrading it, the nation's banks have come under sharp focus.

In this backdrop, financial magazine Business Today and global consulting firm KPMG recently published a list of India's best banks.

All the banks mentioned here have balance sheet size greater than Rs 50,000 crore (Rs 500 billion).

1. Bank of Baroda

Deposits: Rs 305,439 crore (Rs 3,054.39 billion)
Operating profit: Rs 6,982 crore (Rs 69.82 billion)

Bank of Baroda has a network of over 3,000 branches and offices, and about 1,100 ATMs.

The Maharajah of Baroda, Sir Sayajirao Gaekwad III, founded the bank on July 20, 1908 in the princely state of Baroda, in Gujarat.

The bank, along with 13 other major commercial banks of India, was nationalised on July 19, 1969, by the government of India.

2. HDFC Bank

Deposits: Rs 208,586 crore (Rs 2,085.86 billion)
Operating profit: Rs 7,725 crore (Rs 77.25 billion)

HDFC Bank is a major Indian financial services company incorporated in August 1994, after the Reserve Bank of India allowed establishing private sector banks.

The bank was promoted by the Housing Development Finance Corporation.

HDFC Bank has over 1,725 branches and 4,232 ATMs, in 779 cities in India, and all branches of the bank are linked on an online real-time basis.

3. Axis Bank

Deposits: 189,238 crore (Rs 1,892.38 billion)
Operating profit: 6,416 crore (Rs 64.16 billion)

Formerly UTI Bank, Axis Bank is a financial services firm that began operations in 1994, after the Government of India allowed new private banks to be established.

The bank was promoted jointly by the Administrator of the Specified Undertaking of the Unit Trust of India, Life Insurance Corporation of India, General Insurance Corporation, National Insurance Company, The New India Assurance Company, The Oriental Insurance Corporation and United India Insurance.

The bank changed its name to Axis Bank in April 2007 to avoid confusion.

The bank's registered office is at Ahmedabad and its central office is located at Mumbai.

At the end of September 2010, the bank has a very wide network of more than 1,095 branches and over 4,846 ATMs.

4. Yes Bank

Deposits: Rs 45,939 crore (Rs 459.39 billion)
Operating profit: Rs 1,190 crore (Rs 11.9 billion)

The bank was founded in 2003-04 by Ashok Kapoor and Rana Kapoor.

Headquartered in Mumbai, it is involved in corporate and institutional banking, financial markets, investment banking, corporate finance, branch banking, business and transaction banking, and wealth Management business lines

The bank employs about 3,034 people.

5. State Bank of Hyderabad

Deposits: Rs 88,628 crore (Rs 886.28 billion)
Operating profit: 2,319 crore (Rs 23.19 billion)

It was established in 1942, during the reign of the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan.

The bank also managed the Osmania Sicca, the currency of Hyderabad state, which had the distinction of having its own currency during British rule.

In 1956, the bank absorbed, by merger, the Mercantile Bank of Hyderabad, which Raja Pannalal Pitti had founded in 1935.

Hyderabad State Bank was renamed State Bank of Hyderabad in 1956, and its entire share capital was vested with the Reserve Bank of India.

Later, after the Subsidiary Banks Act was passed in 1959, it and the other banks of the princely states became subsidiaries of SBI.

SBH was the first subsidiary of State Bank of India.

6. Punjab National Bank

Deposits: Rs 312,899 crore (Rs 3,128.99 billion)
Operating profit: Rs 9,056 crore (Rs 90.56 billion)

Punjab National Bank is the third largest bank in India.

It was registered on May 19, 1894 under the Indian Companies Act with its office in Anarkali Bazaar, Lahore.

Today, the bank is the second largest state owned commercial bank in India with about 5,000 branches across 764 cities.

PNB has a banking subsidiary in the UK, as well as branches in Hong Kong, Dubai and Kabul, and representative offices in Almaty, Dubai, Oslo, and Shanghai.

7. Canara Bank

Deposits: Rs 293,973 crore (Rs 2,939.73 billion)
Operating profit: Rs 6,107 crore (Rs 61.07 billion)

Founded as Canara Bank Hindu Permanent Fund in 1906, by late Ammembal Subba Rao Pai, a philanthropist, it blossomed into a limited company as Canara Bank Ltd in 1910.

It became Canara Bank in 1969 after nationalisation.

The bank's branch network crossed the 3,000 mark.

8. Andhra Bank

Deposits: Rs 92,156 crore (Rs 921.56 billion)
Operating profit: Rs 2,413 crore (Rs 24.13 billion)

Andhra Bank was founded by the eminent freedom fighter and a multifaceted genius, Dr Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya.

The bank was registered on November 20, 1923 and commenced business on November 28 the same year with a paid up capital of Rs 100,000 and an authorised capital of Rs 10 lakh (Rs 1 million).

It has 1,611 branches in India, and two outside the country.

9. Corporation bank

Deposits: Rs 116,747 crore (Rs 1,167.47 billion)
Operating profit: Rs 2,622 (Rs 26.22 billion)

Nationalised in 1980, Corporation Bank was the second public sector bank in the country to enter capital market.

Its IPO in 1997 was over-subscribed by 13 times.

The bank has many 'firsts' to its credit -- cash management services, gold banking, m-commerce, etc.

CorpBank prides itself on maintaining highest standards of service backed by innovative products.

10. Indian Bank

Deposits: Rs 105,804 crore (Rs 1,058.04 billion)
Operating profit: Rs 3,292 crore (Rs 32.92 billion)

A premier bank owned by the government of India, Indian Bank was established on August 15, 1907 as part of the Swadeshi movement.

Today it serves the nation with a team of over 19,000 dedicated staff.It has overseas branches in Singapore and Colombo, including a foreign currency banking unit at Colombo.
src-rediff

Yuvraj Singh recovering from non-malignant lung tumour

2011-11-27T01:01:00.001-08:00

Yuvraj Singh recovering from non-malignant lung tumour

Yuvraj Singh the India allrounder, had asked the BCCI not to consider him for selection for the ODI series against West Indies because he has been recovering from what his family has called an "illness that threatened his career," caused by an "abnormal tumour" on his lung. The tumour has been found, after tests, to be non-malignant.

According to a statement released by his mother, Shabnam Singh, Yuvraj had been troubled by bouts of coughing and vomitting during the 2011 World Cup but had ignored the problem during the tournament, "assuming it was due to stress."

When the problem persisted after the World Cup, Yuvraj sought medical advice and tests revealed "a golf-ball sized" growth on his left lung, the statement said. Initial reports had suggested that Yuvraj "had what in medical terms is called an abnormal tumor called lymphoma. The danger was, we were told, that it could be malignant."

Early medical treatment and therapy led to Yuvraj feeling better than he did during the World Cup and he "was eager to resume his India duties." However, after returning from the tour of England due to a finger injury sustained during the Nottingham Test, Yuvraj went through several rounds of tests, scans and a recent biopsy in order to ascertain the exact nature of the tumour. "Further reports have indicated that the tumour is non-malignant and non-threatening and can be treated through proper medication and therapy. In medical terms, Yuvraj is now in a much better state and on his way to a full recovery."

Apple's iPhone 4S makes India debut with a starting price of 44,500 rupees

2011-11-26T23:39:00.001-08:00

Apple's iPhone 4S makes India debut with a starting price of 44,500 rupees

The iPhone 4S, the final gadget unveiled during Apple co-founder Steve Jobs' lifetime, hit store shelves in India on Friday with a starting price of 44,500 rupees.
At about four times the U.S. retail price where customers buy mandatory data-service plans, the phone may still find buyers among affluent young professionals in India who are snapping up iconic brands and luxury items.
Unlike their western peers, Indian mobile operators do not subsidise cost of phones.
Airtel and Aircel are selling the 16 GB model for 44,500 rupees, with the 32 GB version priced at 50,900 rupees and the 64 GB model available for 57,500 rupees.
Media reports last week said Indian fans were unhappy that the smartphone will be more expensive in India than anywhere else in the world.
Both mobile operators, which started selling the iPhone 4S from midnight on Friday, are offering discounted data plans.
The final gadget unveiled during Apple co-founder Steve Jobs' lifetime is more expensive that the iPad 2 in India, with the base model of the tablet selling for 27,900 rupees. Even its top-end model, with 64 GB of memory and WiFi & 3G, costs 46,900 rupees.
The new iPhone comes with a faster processor, a better light-sensitive camera, and voice-activated software "Siri".
On Friday, the Aircel website showed that the 64 GB version, both black and white, was sold out.
src-yahoo

L&T Infrastructure to issue tax-saving infra bonds : 2011B Bond Series, Issue Details, Closes on December 24, 2011, Tax Benefit under Section 80CCF of the Income Tax Act, 1961

2011-11-26T10:27:00.001-08:00

L&T Infrastructure to issue tax-saving infra bonds : 2011B Bond Series, Issue Details, Closes on December 24, 2011, Tax Benefit under Section 80CCF of the Income Tax Act, 1961

L&T Infrastructure bond issue will close on December 24, 2011

L&T Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd to issue Tranche 1 Bonds starting , on November 25, 2011, through a public issue of long term infrastructure bonds with a face value of Rs1,000 each in the nature of secured, redeemable, non-convertible debentures having benefits under Section 80CCF of the Income Tax Act, 1961, aggregating up to Rs1,100 crore for FY2012. The minimum subscription will be five bonds and in multiples of one bond thereafter.

The bond issue will close on December 24, 2011, or earlier, as may be decided by the company. The first tranche of bonds will carry an interest rate of 9% per annum payable annually or compounded annually. The Tranche 1 Bonds are proposed to be listed on BSE.

The bonds have been rated ‘CARE AA+’ by CARE and ‘[ICRA] AA+’ by ICRA considered to offer high safety for timely servicing of financial obligations.

The bonds will carry a minimum lock-in period of five years from the date of allotment and can be redeemed after ten (10) years from the date of allotment.

TO CHECK THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE

'Kolaveri Di' song crosses 5 million mark : song sung by Tamil star Dhanush for his film "3", directed by his wife Aishwarya, the daughter of Tamil superstar Rajinikanth & composed by Anirudh Ravichander. Video of the song.

2011-11-25T20:35:00.001-08:00

'Kolaveri Di' song crosses 5 million mark : song sung by Tamil star Dhanush for his film "3", directed by his wife Aishwarya, the daughter of Tamil superstar Rajinikanth & composed by Anirudh Ravichander. Video of the song.

"Kolaveri Di", already a rage, seems on a record breaking spree. In less than a day, the song has got more than a million hits on YouTube and so far has registered 5,375,074 hits. (till morning 25th November.)

The promo of the song was released on YouTube Nov 16 and spread like a viral, thanks to its funny, nonsense Tanglish (Tamil-English). On Thursday evening, the song notched up to 3,020,014 hits on YouTube, and suprisingly the count spiralled to 4,052,189 by Friday noon.

Amitabh Bachchan is going gaga over the foot-tapping music and says he just can't get enough of the song sung by Tamil star Dhanush for his film "3", which is being directed by his wife Aishwarya, the daughter of Tamil superstar Rajinikanth. The song has been composed by 18-year-old Anirudh Ravichander.

"'Why this Kolaveri Kolaveri Kolaveri Di' .. Ahh...just not leaving the lips and the mind and the system...such an endearing experience. Brings a smile and laughter and rhythm instantly to the face... get to YouTube, type Dhanush and Kolaveri Di... its his latest song that has become a rage all over," Amitabh posted on his blog Bigb.bigadda.com.

"Dhanush, son-in-law of Rajinikanth, a young brigade superstar in Tamil Cinema married to Aishwarya, Rajini's daughter...its lovely. 'Kolaveri...' Tamil for rejected lovers rage, in a sweet way...now getting used as verbiage in almost any walk of life, social, political...every where!! tremendous," he posted.

Video : "'Why this Kolaveri Kolaveri Kolaveri Di' .. Ahh..

Few Intresting Things You Should Know About Sunny Leone participant in Bigg Boss 5

2011-11-24T10:46:00.001-08:00

Few Intresting Things You Should Know About Sunny Leone participant in Bigg Boss 5

Adult film actress, Sunny Leone has become a household name in India owing to her induction into the ‘Bigg Boss’ house.

By now, we all know that she is a star in the adult film industry and is an Indian born Canadian. While Sunny Leone may register as just another porn star, there are certain interesting facts about her. Here are 10 things you ought to know about Sunny Leone.
1. She was studying to be a pediatric nurse in Orange County before she was introduced to Jay Allen, a photographer for Penthouse magazine. There was obviously no looking back after she was named Penthouse Pet of the Month in March 2001.
2. When Leone signed her first contract for working in pornographic films, she maintained that she would only perform with women.

3. She made a guest appearance in the 2004 teen flick ‘The Girl Next Door’.
4. In 2004, she was part of ‘No More Bush Girls’, in which she and several other popular porn actresses including Angel Cassidy, Lisa Boyle shaved off their pubic hair in support of the anti-Bush campaign.
5. She was reportedly enrolled in a Catholic school because her parents thought it would be unsafe for her to go to a public school due to her Sikh upbringing.

6. Her first real job was at a German Bakery, when she was 15 years of age.
7. In 2005, Leone made her first mainstream appearance. She was the red carpet reporter for the MTV Awards on MTV India.
8. Her second movie, titled ‘Virtual Vivid Girl Sunny Leone’, fetched her her first AVN Award, which is considered to be the “Oscars of porn.”

9. In 2010, she was adjudged as one of the 12 top female stars in porn by leading men’s magazine, Maxim.
10. Leone was engaged to Matt Erikson, a vice-president of marketing at the famous Playboy Enterprises. The duo has broken up now, but both are, reportedly, great friends in spite of it.
src-yahoo

Two strong earthquakes rattled northern Japan on Thursday,24th November but neither caused any apparent damage or a tsunami.

2011-11-24T10:41:00.001-08:00

Two strong earthquakes rattled northern Japan on Thursday,24th November but neither caused any apparent damage or a tsunami.

A magnitude-6.1 quake struck Thursday evening south of the northern island of Hokkaido, Japan's Meteorological Agency said.
It hit about 465 miles (750 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo and 19 miles (30 kilometers) below the sea surface. The agency did not issue a tsunami warning.
About 3,900 households in the towns of Erimo and Samani lost electricity shortly after the quake, but power was restored about an hour later, according to the Hokkaido Electric Power Co.
The shaking was not felt in Tokyo, though a morning quake was.
That magnitude-6.0 temblor struck just off the coast near the nuclear power plant damaged by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
The two shakings are believed unrelated and did not affect the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi plant or other nuclear plants in the region.
The March 11 magnitude-9.0 earthquake and tsunami wiped out large parts of Japan's northeastern coast and left nearly 20,000 people dead or missing. The twin disasters also triggered a nuclear crisis, forcing about 100,000 people to flee their homes due to leaking radiation.
Japan lies on the "Ring of Fire" — an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones that stretches around the Pacific Rim. About 90 percent of the world's quakes occur in the area.

src-yahoo

Big Boss 5 : Sky tells Mahek : I’ll give you money for facial surgery!

2011-11-24T10:34:00.001-08:00

Big Boss 5 : Sky tells Mahek : I’ll give you money for facial surgery!

Pooja Missra and Mahek were having an argument over captaincy, when Pooja accused Mahek of not backing her to become the captain of the house despite promising to do so earlier

Sky also went on to taunt Mahek by adding, "You are on this show only for the money and I know that you need the money for facial surgery. If you want, I can pay you for the same."

Clearly shattered by these taunts, Mahek resorts to the washroom where she breaks down momentarily and later returns to the kitchen once she feels a little more composed

Once she’s back in the kitchen, she tells Sky that she would never make the kind of statements he has about her. She adds that if Sky were to meet with an accident that would disfigure his face, she would still refrain from making such statements

Sky, who’s hardly bothered by Mahek’s words chooses to ignore her completely and walks away after making fun of her speech

43 Year Old Cyrus P Mistry younger son of construction tycoon Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry to suceed Ratan Tata as Chairman of $71 billion Tata Group

2011-11-24T10:26:00.001-08:00

43 Year Old Cyrus P Mistry younger son of construction tycoon Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry to suceed Ratan Tata as Chairman of $71 billion Tata Group

Cyrus P. Mistry, the newly-annointed heir of Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata, brings to his job a rich and varied experience of managing businesses ranging from construction, to entertainment, to power, to finance.
The 43-year-old Mistry is slated to succeed the $71 billion Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata after he retires next year.
Born July 4, 1968, Mistry is the younger son of construction tycoon Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry, whose company has spread all over the country and even abroad.
Valued at $8.8 billion, Pallonji holds an 18.5 percent stake in Tata Sons, making him the single largest shareholder.
Cyrus Mistry is married to Rohika, the daughter of eminent legal luminary Iqbal Chagla. He has an elder brother, Shapoor Mistry, while one of his sisters is married to Noel Tata, Ratan Tata's half-brother.
A commerce graduate from the University of Mumbai, Cyrus Mistry went on to pursue an engineering degree from the Imperial College, London, and master the science of management at the London School of Business.

He loves to play golf, like many top corporate heads, and is a trustee of the Breach Candy Hospital in south Mumbai. He is also on the board of the Imperial College India Foundation.
After completing his academics, Mistry joined the family business as a director in 1991 and is largely credited with taking Shapoorji Pallonji Group to new heights. Today, the group employs over 23,000 people and has a strong presence in India, besides the Middle East and Africa.
However, he is not a newcomer to the Tata Group, which he joined as a board member of Tata Sons in September 2006, and was part of a five-member selection committee tasked to name Ratan Tata's successor.
Mistry is also the chairman of Afcons Infrastructure, which is into mega civil and engineering projects, that was acquired by the Shapoorji Pallonji Group in 2000.
Besides serving as a director of Tata Sons, Mistry also served Tata Elxsi Ltd. and Tata Power Company. He also is a senior vice president of production, DQ Entertainment Plc.
Mistry is also on the board of various major companies. He has served as a non-executive director of Forbes Gokak Ltd. and was associated with Convergence Media Pvt. Ltd. as senior vice president, operations and planning, and UTV Toons India.
He has over two decades' experience in the Indian entertainment industry in the fields of filmmaking and animation, technical and production pipeline management.
src-yahoo

Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar slapped after a public event in New Delhi

2011-11-24T07:43:00.001-08:00

Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar slapped after a public event in New Delhi

Breaking into a group of officials and journalists, a youth on Thursday attacked Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar after a public event in New Delhi shouting slogans against corruption and price rise, an action that was roundly condemned by political parties.

The 71-year-old Mr. Pawar, who went to a literary function at a public auditorium on Parliament Street, was caught unawares when he was slapped by Harvinder Singh, a local transporter in his thirties who had assaulted former Telecom Minister Sukh Ram outside a court on Saturday after he was sentenced in a corruption case.

The NCP veteran, who has very little security, lost his balance for a moment but regained composure after the assault, moved towards the exit of the auditorium and got into his waiting car.

Private security guards immediately overpowered the youth who was shouting “he is corrupt” and an official landed some blows on Mr. Singh.

“I came planned to the event to slap the Minister,” Mr. Singh told reporters who had gone to cover the literary function.

“All of them are corrupt,” he shouted when he was removed from security and policemen.

SITEX 2011 : Singapore Expo from 24th to 27th November 2011, Great Deals & Innovative technologies, Expo details, Location, Dates & admission

2011-11-23T08:16:00.001-08:00

SITEX 2011 : Singapore Expo from 24th to 27th November 2011, Great Deals & Innovative technologies, Expo details, Location, Dates & admission

Enjoy great deals and the latest innovative technologies at SITEX 2011, the infocomm and consumer electronics event: hardware, software, digital products, etc...

SITEX 2011 Event Details

Event : SITEX 2011
SITEX 2011 Location: Singapore Expo Hall 4B, 5 & 6
SITEX 2011 Date : 24 – 27 Nov 2011
SITEX 2011 Time : 11.00AM – 9.00PM
SITEX 2011 Admission: Free

CLICK HERE TO CHECK THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF SITEX 2011

Shares of Reliance Communications, Unitech, DB Realty gain as execs get bail

2011-11-23T06:38:00.001-08:00

Shares of Reliance Communications, Unitech, DB Realty gain as execs get bail

Shares of Reliance Communications, Unitech and DB Realty today soared by as much as 20% on the bourses, after the Supreme Court ordered grant of bail to the senior executives of these companies.

Cheering the news, shares of DB Realty skyrocketed 19.96% to its highest permissible limit for the day at Rs 64.60 on the BSE.

Soon after the court direction, the Unitech stock also soared 9.86% to Rs 24.50 and Reliance Communications jumped 6.93% to a high of Rs 74.80.
In the first bail in the ongoing 2G spectrum case, the Supreme Court this morning ordered release of five corporate executives -- Unitech's Sanjay Chandra, Swan Telecom Director and DB Realty MD Vinod Goenka and Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group executives Hari Nair, Gautam Doshi and Surrendra Pipara.

They have been asked to furnish two sureties of Rs 5 lakh each to the satisfactiion of the special judge holding the trial of the case as bail condition.

The five executives were arrested on April 20.

Adidas' one dollar, $1 shoes to be sold under Reebok brand in India

2011-11-23T06:28:00.001-08:00

Adidas' one dollar, $1 shoes to be sold under Reebok brand in India

Reebok International is working to develop a "sustainable business model" as part of its German parent Adidas AG's plans to sell "one dollar shoes" in India.

After conducting a pilot test for 5,000 pairs of shoes of an existing design of Reebok in three villages in Bangladesh last year, the firm is now planning to apply the learnings in India in the next stage, which it has termed as 'Phase III'.

"The focus of Phase III is the development of the actual product and the development of a sustainable business model to ensure the program's long-term success," Reebok International spokesperson Daniel Sarro told PTI.
During this phase, Reebok will be testing the technical feasibility of producing a durable, functional and affordable shoes–based on learnings from the Bangladesh market.

When asked if the shoes would be priced at one dollar as envisaged by Adidas CEO Herbert Hainer, Sarro said: "The price of the product is unknown at this time. However, the goal of the project remains – to create an affordable product that meets the needs of the consumer."
src-BS

Tata Motors unveils more fuel-efficient Nano with several new features at no extra cost, Mileage improved to 25.4 km per litre, up from existing 23.6 km per litre, certified by the Automotive Research Association of India.

2011-11-23T06:03:00.001-08:00

Tata Motors unveils more fuel-efficient Nano with several new features at no extra cost, Mileage improved to 25.4 km per litre, up from existing 23.6 km per litre, certified by the Automotive Research Association of India.

Tata Motors on Monday 21st November , unveiled several new features for the Nano car, including improved fuel efficiency, at no extra cost.

The company claimed mileage has been improved to 25.4 km per litre, up from existing 23.6 km per litre, certified by the Automotive Research Association of India.

This comes with a low kerb weight of 600 kg, ensuring the lowest CO2 emission among Indian cars.

'Tata Nano owners, over 90 percent of whom are highly satisfied with their choice, have given us valuable insights on what more can be done. We have introduced some of these ideas,' said Tata Motors India chairman PM Telang.

The car's 624cc engine has also been made more powerful delivering 38 PS power, against 35 PS earlier, the official added.

Other features include a revised suspension set-up, including an anti-roll bar at the front and a new steering mechanism.

Booster-assisted brakes and tip-tap mirrors, presently available in Nano CX and Nano LX models, have now been added to the Nano Standard.

A tip-tap mirror can be added as an accessory on the passenger side in the latter (Nano Standard).

Tata Nano shall continue to be available at existing prices.

Ex-showroom (Delhi), Nano Standard costs Rs.1.40 lakh, Nano CX Rs.1.70 lakh and Nano LX comes at Rs.1.96 lakh.

Citigroup sees 20% growth in India for next 2 years

2011-11-22T18:43:00.001-08:00

Citigroup sees 20% growth in India for next 2 years

Citigroup expects to boost its loans and deposits growth in India by about a fifth in each of the next two years, its India head said, as the US bank enhances its focus on emerging markets.
The bank is "comfortable" with its asset quality in India and has not slowed down lending activity, Pramit Jhaveri said, amid concerns that a series of recent interest rate hikes would result in corporate and consumer loan defaults.
Citigroup global Chief Executive Vikram Pandit is trying to turn the bank around after the financial crisis by focusing on emerging markets, where economies are still growing relatively quickly.
"India is amongst the top five or six emerging markets that is expected to contribute to this growth going forward," Jhaveri, a 24-year Citi veteran who became the head of its India operations last year, told the Reuters India Investment Summit.

The bank, one of the top three foreign commercial banks in India along with Standard Chartered and HSBC, operates across businesses including corporate and investment banking, and wealth management in the country.
src-moneycontrol

Indo-Canadian porn star Sunny Leone to make Bollywood debut with Muder 3

2011-11-22T18:35:00.001-08:00

Indo-Canadian porn star Sunny Leone to make Bollywood debut with Muder 3

Indo-Canadian porn star Sunny Leone is all set to make her Bollywood debut opposite Rahul Bhatt. Reports suggest that the Bhatt camp has already announced that Leone will play the lead in 'Murder 3'.

Rahul Bhatt participated in last season's Bigg Boss and Leone is the new entrant this season. The Bhatts had earlier approached Leone for a film titled 'Blue Film' but she had turned down the offer. Now, she'll make her debut in 'Murder 3' but not opposite Emraan Hashmi, Rahul Bhatt will make his debut with her.

Skoda Rapid Launched, priced at Rs 6.75 Lacs

2011-11-17T09:49:00.001-08:00

Skoda Rapid Launched, priced at Rs 6.75 Lacs

Car manufacturer Skoda Auto on Wednesday launched its first c-segment sedan Rapid priced at Rs.6.75 lakhs (ex-showroom New Delhi).

"We intend to strengthen our presence in the highly competitive C segment in the country with this launch," said Thomas Kuehl, board member and director, sales and marketing, SKODA Auto India.

According to Kuehl, the company expected the car to become a key brand to drive sales.

"Our plans for the Rapid in India are fairly ambitious, given that we expect it to become the bestselling car in our model line-up in India, in the near future," Kuehl said.

Kuehl said the car completes the company's current portfolio. "It fills the gap between Skoda Fabia and the current Laura," Kuehl said.

The car will be produced at the company's Chakan plant in Pune.

"The Rapid is positioned as a family car, compact enough for the city and spacious enough for longer trips," Kuelh said.

Variant wise prices of the new Skoda Rapid

Active 1.6 MPI MT : Rs 6.75 Lakhs*
Ambition 1.6 MPI MT : Rs 7.09 Lakhs*
Elegance: 1.6 MPI MT : Rs 7.99 Lakhs*
Ambition 1.6 MPI AT : Rs 8.09 Lakhs*
Elegance 1.6 MPI AT : Rs 8.99 Lakhs*
Active 1.6 TDI CR : Rs 7.95 Lakhs*
Ambition 1.6 TDI CR : Rs 8.29 Lakhs*
Elegance 1.6 TDI CR : Rs 9.19 Lakhs*

(* All prices are ex-showroom Delhi)

Renuka Sugars dips to 52-week low on poor results, company reported a net loss of Rs 618.5 crore for the quarter ended September 30 2011, Latest Stock Price

2011-11-14T09:00:00.001-08:00

Renuka Sugars dips to 52-week low on poor results, company reported a net loss of Rs 618.5 crore for the quarter ended September 30 2011, Latest Stock Price

Shares of Shree Renuka Sugars fell sharply by up to 30.36% to a one-year low on the bourses today after the company reported a net loss of Rs 618.5 crore for the quarter ended September 30.

Hit by the disappointing numbers, the company's shares nosedived by 30.36% to a 52-week low of Rs 36 on the BSE. The scrip received similar drubbing on the NSE, plummeting by 29.87% to a one-year low of Rs 36.15.

The scrip of the country's largest sugar refiner trimmed some of the losses in later trade and was being quoted at Rs 41.25, down 20.21% from its previous close, at 1125 hours.

The result was announced after trading hours on Friday.

Due to higher interest and huge foreign exchange losses, Shree Renuka Sugars reported a net loss of Rs 618.5 crore for the quarter ended September 30.

The company had posted a net profit of Rs 127.8 crore for the same period last year.
src-BS
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Tata Motors profit for the second quarter of the current fiscal fell 16% at Rs 1,877, compared to Rs 2,233 crore in the year ago period, Latest Stock Price

2011-11-14T08:53:00.001-08:00

Tata Motors profit for the second quarter of the current fiscal fell 16% at Rs 1,877, compared to Rs 2,233 crore in the year ago period, Latest Stock Price

Tata Motors on Monday said its profit for the second quarter of the current fiscal fell 16% at Rs 1,877, compared to Rs 2,233 crore in the year ago period. Lagging market estimates hit by higher costs and foreign exchange losses have been cited for the main reasons for the dismal quarterly results.

Tata Motors, part of India's salt-to-software Tata conglomerate, whose range includes the ultra-cheap Nano and British luxury brands Jaguar and Land Rover, posted a rise of 26% in revenues at Rs 35,940 crore.

The automaker incurred a foreign exchange loss of Rs 440 crore in the period compared with a gain of Rs 65,370 crore a year ago.
Major domestic rival Maruti Suzuki, India's top carmaker, last month reported a more than halving of its quarterly net profit over the same period.

India's car sales slumped 24% in October, the biggest fall since December 2000, and the fourth consecutive monthly slide.
src-BS

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Hindustan Construction Company, HCC one of country's largest builders to revamp Lavasa finances, decide on IPO, Latest Stock Price

2011-11-13T17:18:00.001-08:00

Hindustan Construction Company, HCC one of country's largest builders to revamp Lavasa finances, decide on IPO, Latest Stock Price

Hindustan Construction Company , one of country's largest builders, will revamp the financial structure of its Lavasa arm and decide whether to revive plans for an IPO after the unit won environmental clearance last week to resume construction after a year's delay, its chairman said.
Lavasa, a $31 billion township in the western hills, was ordered to stop construction 12 months ago due to government wrangling over green laws. The delay cost Hindustan Construction $400,000 a day and forced the firm to abandon plans for an initial public offering for the project.

"We must now restructure the whole financial structure of the project," Ajit Gulabchand told Reuters in an interview on Sunday on the sidelines of a World Economic Forum event in Mumbai.
"It's a one-year delay which has added extra costs, so we will have to look at that," he said.

LATEST STOCK PRICE OF HCC

Celebrity transgender Laxmi Narayan Tripathi evicted from Bigg Boss 5

2011-11-13T17:12:00.001-08:00

Celebrity transgender Laxmi Narayan Tripathi evicted from Bigg Boss 5

Celebrity transgender Laxmi Narayan Tripathi became the sixth contestant to bid goodbye to the Bigg Boss house on Saturday.

Laxmi had an eventful 42 days inside the house, often having run-ins with notorious contestant Pooja Mishra.

"I didn't feel sad when my name was announced as I was expecting I would be evicted ever since I was nominated. But staying inside the house for 42 days is a big achievement," Laxmi said soon after coming out from the show.

"I wanted to show that even transgenders can lead a normal life and stay with other people. It was a fantastic experience."

Indian Cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin, 25 years married his childhood friend Preethi Narayananon on Sunday 13 November 2011

2011-11-13T17:03:00.001-08:00

Indian Cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin, 25 years married his childhood friend Preethi Narayananon on Sunday 13 November 2011

Wockhardt reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 127.58 crore for the second quarter ended September 30, 2011, Latest Stock Price

2011-11-12T19:46:00.001-08:00

Wockhardt reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 127.58 crore for the second quarter ended September 30, 2011, Latest Stock Price

Drug firm Wockhardt on 12th Nov reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 127.58 crore for the second quarter ended September 30, 2011 on improved sales in all markets led by the US.

The company had posted a net loss of Rs 96.68 crore for the quarter ended September 30, 2010, Wockhardt said in a filing to BSE.

Consolidated net sales of the company stood at Rs 1,110.63 crore for the quarter under consideration as against Rs 940.07 crore in the corresponding quarter a year ago.

LATEST STOCK PRICE OF WOCKHARDT

Reliance Communications, RCom posted a 43.49% dip in net profit at Rs 252 crore for the second quarter that ended in September 2011.

2011-11-12T19:43:00.001-08:00

Reliance Communications, RCom posted a 43.49% dip in net profit at Rs 252 crore for the second quarter that ended in September 2011.

The Anil Ambani-led Reliance Communications has posted a 43.49% dip in net profit at Rs 252 crore for the second quarter that ended in September 2011.

The company, India's second biggest mobile operator by subscribers, had posted a net profit of Rs 446 crore at the end of the September quarter last year.

This is the ninth straight quarter during which the debt-laden telco has reported lower profits.

LATEST STOCK PRICE OF RELIANCE COMMUNICATION

Coal India posts net profit of Rs Rs 2,593 crore for the September ended quarter, 2011, Latest Stock Price

2011-11-12T19:38:00.001-08:00

Coal India posts net profit of Rs Rs 2,593 crore for the September ended quarter, 2011, Latest Stock Price

Coal India Ltd (CIL), the world's largest coal producer, has registered a net profit of Rs 2,593 crore for the September ended quarter, 2011.

Net sales for the quarter under review have been posted at Rs 13,148 crore.

LATEST STOCK PRICE OF COAL INDIA

Post office savings, National Savings Certificate, NSC and Public provident fund.PPF to give better returns now

2011-11-12T05:51:00.001-08:00

Post office savings, National Savings Certificate, NSC and Public provident fund.PPF to give better returns now

Post office savings scheme, National Savings Certificate, and public provident fund - will soon start earning higher interest rates that are benchmarked to market rates.

The annual interest rate available on these schemes is at present below what an investor can get from bank deposits of comparable maturity.

The government has announced a complete overhaul of the small savings scheme that has benchmarked rates of interest on these schemes to government securities, introduced a 10-year national savings certificate (NSC), increased the ceiling for public provident fund deposits to one lakh rupees every year and discontinued the Kisan Vikas Patra.

The new rules will kick in when the government issues a notification.

The decisions are based on the recommendations by a high level expert panel headed by former deputy governor of the RBI, Shaymla Gopinath.

As per the memorandum issued by the finance ministry, returns on small savings instruments will be linked to government securities of similar maturities, pushing up the current rates on all instruments by 0.2%- 1.3%.

Interest rates on postal savings will go up to 4% from 3.5% at present.

In addition, the maturity period of monthly investment schemes and national savings certificates will be reduced form six to five years.

The ceiling on annual contributions to the public provident funds will also be raised to 1 lakh from 70,000.

The reforms will address the distortion caused by the small savings schemes in the overall interest rate structure of the economy. Depending on the market rates, these schemes either saw a large inflow of the big outflow, affecting the flows into banks in particular.

When market rates are low, the high interest rates on small savings become a kind of subsidy to the investors.

In the event, as is the case now, when interest rates on these schemes are below the market rates they see a big outflow, affecting the government's fiscal management, as funds from these schemes are used by state governments and the centre.

With bank deposits yielding more than 9% per annum, there has been a net outflow from the small savings schemes, which are administered by the National Small Savings Fund (NSSF), in the current year.

This has forced the government to increase market borrowings by 52,800 crores over its budgeted fiscal target.

The benchmarking of interest rates on small savings schemes will end this distortion, and also cut the volatility in inflows into these schemes.

To reduce the cost of administration of the scheme, the government has also decided to lower the commission charged by agents that sell these schemes.

As per the memorandum, the payment of agency commission on all schemes, except the Mahila Pradhan Kshetriya Bachat Yojana, will be either discontinued or reduced by at least 0.5%. Women agents will continue to receive 4%

src-ET

Tamil Actor Dushyanth Ramkumar & Abirami's wedding Pictures : Chiranjeevi, Jayalalitha, Rajnikanth, Vijayakanth, Kamal Haasan, Suriya, Asha Bhosle, M. Karunanidhi, Mani Ratnam, R M Veerappan and other celebs were present at the wedding

2011-11-11T21:58:00.001-08:00

Tamil Actor Dushyanth Ramkumar & Abirami's wedding Pictures : Chiranjeevi, Jayalalitha, Rajnikanth, Vijayakanth, Kamal Haasan, Suriya, Asha Bhosle, M. Karunanidhi, Mani Ratnam, R M Veerappan and other celebs were present at the wedding

Chiranjeevi, Jayalalitha, Rajnikanth, Vijayakanth, Kamal Haasan, Suriya, Asha Bhosle, M. Karunanidhi, Mani Ratnam, R M Veerappan and other celebs were present at the wedding of actor Dushyanth and Abirami. Dushyanth Ramkumar is the son of producer Ramkumar Ganesan and grandson of legendary actor Sivaji Ganesan.

Abirami, Dushyanth Ramkumar

Abirami, Dushyanth Ramkumar, Jayalalitha, Ramkumar Ganesan

Abirami, Dushyanth Ramkumar, Rajnikanth, Prabhu

Abirami, Dushyanth Ramkumar, Vijayakanth, Prabhu

Prabhu, Abirami, Dushyanth Ramkumar, Kamal Haasan, Ramkumar Ganesan

Suriya, Jyothika, Abirami, Dushyanth Ramkumar, Karthi, Prabhu

Ramkumar Ganesan, Asha Bhosle, Abirami, Dushyanth Ramkumar

Mahindra Satyam Q2 for 2011-12 net jumps 10-fold to Rs 238 cr, Latest Stock Price

2011-11-10T06:54:00.001-08:00

Mahindra Satyam Q2 for 2011-12 net jumps 10-fold to Rs 238 cr, Latest Stock Price

IT firm Mahindra Satyam today posted a 10-fold growth in profit-after-tax to Rs 238 crore for the second quarter of the 2011-12 financial year.

The company's profit-after-tax (PAT) stood at Rs 23.31 crore in the July-September quarter of the 2010-11 fiscal.

On a quarter-on-quarter (q-o-q) basis, Mahindra Satyam's profit-after-tax was up 5.77% from Rs 225 crore in Q1FY12.
The company's consolidated revenues surged by 27% during the quarter under review to Rs 1,578 crore from Rs 1,242 crore in the corresponding period a year ago.

On a q-o-q basis, Q2 revenues were up 10% from Rs 1,434 crore in Q1FY11-12.

Commenting on the results, Chairman Vineet Nayar said, "Our growth momentum continues for the fifth consecutive quarter. As we come toward the end of our three-year transformation journey, it is indeed satisfying to see that all our key business performance indicators, such as growth, profitability and talent retention, are on course."

"We have shown significant improvement q-o-q in spite of an uncertain macroeconomic environment," he added.

The company added 36 new customers during the quarter.

The total headcount of the company stood at 32,092 as of the quarter ended September 30, during which net addition of 654 personnel took place. Attrition stood at 15.6% during the quarter.

LATEST STOCK PRICE OF MAHINDRA SATYAM

Cairn India world's fastest-growing oil and gas exploration firm in the world, Latest Stock Price

2011-11-06T18:44:00.000-08:00

Cairn India world's fastest-growing oil and gas exploration firm in the world, Latest Stock Price

Cairn India has been ranked the fastest growing oil and gas exploration firm in the world, even as heavyweights like ONGC and Reliance Industries slipped in a list of top-performing energy firms globally.

With a three-year compounded growth rate (CGR) of 116.5%, Cairn was ranked by energy information provider Platts as the fastest growing E&P company in 2010.

It was also named the fastest growing Asian company ahead of Reliance (ranked 18th in Asia) and state-owned GAIL India Ltd (ranked 20th) in the Platts Top 250 Global Energy Company Rankings. Cairn made its maiden entry at 120th rank in the overall global energy company list, which was topped by US giant Exxon Mobil Corp. For the 2011 rankings, Platts ranked listed energy firms on the basis of their financial performance in 2010.

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Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) promotes 3 players to Grade A Yuvraj, Ishant & Virat, Grades of other players

2011-11-01T10:53:00.000-07:00

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) promotes 3 players to Grade A Yuvraj, Ishant & Virat, Grades of other players

Sachin Tendulkar

Grade in 2011: A

Grade in 2010: A
Current Paycheque: Rs. 1 Crore

Rahul Dravid

Grade in 2011: A
Grade in 2010: A
Current Paycheque: Rs. 1 Crore

M.S. Dhoni

Grade in 2011: A
Grade in 2010: A
Current Paycheque: Rs. 1 Crore

Gautam Gambhir

Grade in 2011: A

Grade in 2010: A
Current Paycheque: Rs. 1 Crore

Virender Sehwag

Grade in 2011: A
Grade in 2010: A
Current Paycheque: Rs. 1 Crore

V.V.S. Laxman

Grade in 2011: A

Grade in 2010: A
Current Paycheque: Rs. 1 Crore

Suresh Raina

Grade in 2011: A

Grade in 2010: A
Current Paycheque: Rs. 1 Crore

Harbhajan Singh

Grade in 2011: A
Grade in 2010: A
Current Paycheque: Rs. 1 Crore

Zaheer Khan

Grade in 2011: A

Grade in 2010: A
Current Paycheque: Rs. 1 Crore

Yuvraj Singh

Grade in 2011: A
Grade in 2010: B
Current Paycheque: Rs. 1 Crore

Ishant Sharma

Grade in 2011: A

Grade in 2010: B
Current Paycheque: Rs. 1 Crore

Virat Kohli

Grade in 2011: A

Grade in 2010: B

Current Paycheque: Rs. 1 Crore

Praveen Kumar

Grade in 2011: B

Grade in 2010: B

Current Paycheque: Rs. 50 Lakh

2011-10-31T19:40:00.000-07:00

Indo Thai Securities Limited IPO will List on Wednesday, November 02 2011, Issue Details, Issue Price

Issue Detail:
Issue Open: Sep 30, 2011 - Oct 05, 2011
Issue Type: 100% Book Built Issue IPO
Issue Size: 4,000,000 Equity Shares of Rs. 10
Issue Size: Rs. 29.60 Crore
Face Value: Rs. 10 Per Equity Share
Issue Price: Rs. 70 - Rs. 84 Per Equity Share
Market Lot: 80 Shares
Minimum Order Quantity: 80 Shares
Listing At: BSE, NSE

Indo Thai Securities IPO Listing Date
Listing Date: Wednesday, November 02, 2011
BSE Scrip Code: 533676
NSE Symbol: INDOTHAI
Listing In: 'B' Group of Securities
ISIN: INE337M01013
Issue Price: Rs. 74.00 Per Equity Share
Face Value: Rs. 10.00 Per Equity Share

Buy Amar Remedies with target of Rs 127 & Rs 140: Nooresh Mirani, Head, AMSEC-Analyse India.

2011-10-30T11:32:00.000-07:00

Buy Amar Remedies with target of Rs 127 & Rs 140: Nooresh Mirani, Head, AMSEC-Analyse India.

Buy Amar Remedies with a target of Rs 127, says Nooresh Mirani, Head, AMSEC-Analyse India.
Mirani told CNBC-TV18, "Buy Amar Remedies with a target price of Rs 127 and a stoploss placed at Rs 114. The stock has been in the range of Rs 80-120 over the last one year, the stock tried to attempt the resistance level of Rs 120, so the volumes have picked up over the last few sessions. So I would expect the stock to head up to Rs 140 in the near term.”
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List of Latest fixed deposit rates offered by banks : HDFC , ICICI, SBI & PNB

2011-10-30T08:08:00.000-07:00

List of Latest fixed deposit rates offered by banks : HDFC , ICICI, SBI & PNB

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Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel wins inaugural Indian Grand Prix

2011-10-30T04:48:00.001-07:00

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel wins inaugural Indian Grand Prix

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel ran away with the inaugural Indian Formula One Grand Prix on Sunday for the double world champion's 11th victory in 17 races this season.

The 24-year-old German, who led every lap of the race after starting from pole position as well as setting the fastest lap, and his team have already won both championships.

Star Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir on Friday 28th October tied the knot with Delhi-girl Natasha Jain

2011-10-30T02:56:00.000-07:00

Star Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir on Friday 28th October tied the knot with Delhi-girl Natasha Jain

Star Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir on Friday tied the knot with Delhi-girl Natasha Jain in a quiet ceremony which was attended by only close family members and friends.

Although a quiet ceremony, there was plenty of buzz at the Westend Farm. The evening saw some high profile guests turn up for the occasion.

Gautam Gambhir wore an outfit designed by fashion designer Shantanu Nikhil while Natasha had Tarun Tahiliani design her outfit for the wedding ceremony.

The 30-year-old left-handed opener met Natasha a year ago. Due to his wedding commitment, the southpaw opted out of India's only Twenty20 cricket match of India's ongoing series.

More than 300 guests were invited for the wedding, the most prominent among them being Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who also co-owns IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders of which Gambhir is the captain.

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Tips4bsense wishes the wonderful couple a happy married life.

Mahima Choudry at the special muhurat trading on Diwali day at the stock exchange.

2011-10-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

Mahima Choudry at the special muhurat trading on Diwali day at the stock exchange.

Mahima rings the bell

Mahima doing the arti

Mahima offering prayers

Mahima poses beside the bull statue.

Taming a bull - is a hard job right?

Aishwarya , Abhishek & Bachchan Family Celebrating Diwali : Photographs

2011-10-29T07:48:00.000-07:00

Aishwarya , Abhishek & Bachchan Family Celebrating Diwali : Photographs

Aishwarya and Abhishek welcoming guests.

Aishwarya exchanging pleasantries with Gowrikar.

Jaya welcoming guests

Aishwarya exchanging pleasantries

Manyata and Sanjay Dutt at Bachchan household

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Maruti Suzuki's decision to set up a plant in Gujarat

2011-10-29T07:40:00.000-07:00

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Maruti Suzuki's decision to set up a plant in Gujarat

Modi welcomes Maruti's decision to set up plant in Gujarat

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today welcomed Maruti Suzuki's decision to set up a plant in the state, saying that it would accelerate the growth of the state's automobile sector.

"I welcome Maruti Suzuki's decision to come to Gujarat. Gujarat is moving ahead fast as Asia's auto hub. With Maruti, the pace will accelerate," Modi said on twitter.

"It's Gujarat's new year and this is Maruti's gift to Gujarat on this occasion," he said.
Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) board today gave approval for purchase of land in Mehsana district of the state for its third manufacturing facility.

Suzuki Motor Corporation Chairman Osamu Suzuki had met the Gujarat Chief Minister in September.

MSI had stated that it could invest, along with vendors, up to Rs 18,000 crore in Gujarat.

The company is seeking about 500 acres from the Gujarat government for the plant, and another 500 acres for its vendors.

Vaswani Industries Limited IPO Allotment status - Enter your application number to check the allotment status, Issue Details, IPO stocks will be traded from Monday, October 24, 2011.

2011-10-23T00:36:00.000-07:00

Vaswani Industries Limited IPO Allotment status - Enter your application number to check the allotment status, Issue Details, IPO stocks will be traded from Monday, October 24, 2011.

Incorporated in 2003, Vaswani Industries Ltd (VIL) is part of Vaswani Group of Industries. VIL is engaged in integrated business of manufacturing Sponge Iron, Steel Billets & Ingots and power generation.

Issue Detail:
Issue Open: Apr 29, 2011 - May 03, 2011
Issue Type: 100% Book Built Issue IPO
Issue Size: 23,490,700 Equity Shares of Rs. 10
Issue Size: Rs. 115.10 Crore
Face Value: Rs. 10 Per Equity Share
Issue Price: Rs. 45 - Rs. 49 Per Equity Share
Market Lot: 120 Shares
Minimum Order Quantity: 120 Shares
Listing At: BSE, NSE

Vaswani IPO Listing Date
Listing Date:Tuesday, September 20, 2011
BSE Scrip Code: 533576
NSE Symbol: VASWANI
Listing In: 'B' Group of Securities
Sector: Steel - Pig Iron / Sponge Iron
ISIN: INE590L01019
Issue Price: Rs. 49.00 Per Equity Share
Face Value: Rs. 10.00 Per Equity Share

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Bajaj FinServ profit for Q2 2011-12 rises by 127% to Rs 158 crore, Latest Stock Price

2011-10-19T09:01:00.000-07:00

Bajaj FinServ profit for Q2 2011-12 rises by 127% to Rs 158 crore, Latest Stock Price

Bajaj FinServ's net profit sprang 127% to Rs 158 crore for the second quarter ended September 2011 as compared to Rs 69 crore a year ago.

Income from operations also jumped a healthy 52% to Rs 714 crore as against Rs 470 crore in September 2010.

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List of Top 10 Best Smartphones : Samsung Galaxy S2, HTC Sensation, iphone-4, Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, BlackBerry Bold 9900, Motorola Atrix, HTC Desire S

2011-10-19T08:50:00.000-07:00

List of Top 10 Best Smartphones : Samsung Galaxy S2, HTC Sensation, iphone-4, Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, BlackBerry Bold 9900, Motorola Atrix, HTC Desire S

1. Samsung Galaxy S2

This Samsung handset is an absolute joy to use - so much so that we struggled to find a flaw with it. From its gorgeous Super AMOLED Plus screen to its super-fast processor and full HD video recording, it ticks all the boxes and then some.

2. HTC Sensation

With its snappy dual-core processor, new intuitive Sense 3.0 UI, eight-megapixel camera and full HD video recording, we reckon the HTC Sensation has got to be the best phone HTC has ever produced. Keep an eye out, however, for the HTC Sensation XE. Expected out by the end of September, it has a faster processor and music playback powered by Beats.

3. Apple iPhone 4

The Apple iPhone 4 is a stunning smartphone backed up by the equally brilliant App Store. But after remaining our top handset for most of the past year, it's starting to be overtaken by newer competition. The iPhone 5 is due to be announced this week - which could mean the cost of the iPhone 4 will drop.

4. Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc is a stunner, thanks to its 4.2-inch display and wonderfully thin profile. It runs the latest version of the Android operating system and has a really excellent camera. Sony Ericsson has recently unveiled this phone's successor - the Xperia Arc S - which benefits from a faster processor for snappier performance. That one will be out soon...

5. BlackBerry Bold 9900

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 is the first of a new range of BlackBerry mobiles and, at the time of writing, it's just gone on sale. It sports a 2.8-inch touchscreen and runs the new BlackBerry 7 operating system on a 1.GHz processor. There's 768MB of RAM, making this is a nippy performer, and it also has a NFC chip for making contactless payments.

6. Motorola Atrix

The Motorola Atrix is a powerhouse of a phone with huge potential, that falls just short of where we'd like it to be. The laptop docking option with the Atrix is a fantastic addition, but the experience could be improved. That said, it is overall a fantastic handset, and another leader among the growing Android clique.

7. HTC Desire S

HTC has quickly made a name for itself as a market-leading mobile manufacturer and the HTC Desire S is one of its best. It's a strong upgrade on the original Desire and packs the latest version of Android.

8. LG Optimus 2X

The LG Optimus 2X was the first of the new breed of super-powered smartphones that run on dual-core processors. This slim handset also offers Full HD video recording and playback.

9. HTC HD7

Our pick of the current crop of Windows Phone 7 mobiles (at least for now), the HTC HD7 has a huge, responsive screen and Microsoft's impressive new mobile operating system. A 'pro' version, with slide-out keyboard, can also be had.

10. Nokia N8

The Nokia N8 isn't as thin as some other current smartphones, but the added heft is worthwhile if you want a mobile that packs a camera of genuine class. The N8's 12-megapixel snapper has a xenon flash, so it will cope with most lighting conditions, and can also shoot high-def video. Bear in mind, however, that Nokia's new Windows Phone handsets are just around the corner.