Agneepath Sets All Time Record. Made Over Rs 23 Crore In One Day

         The much awaited release of Agneepath came with a bang, as it did not only hit the box office, but made a stunning record of Rs 25 crore the very day it was released.. The movie is a remake of the 1990 Agneepath which was directed by Mukul Anand and starred superstars like Amitabh Bachchan playing the iconic character of Vijay Dinanath Chauhan, and Danny Denzongpa played Kancha Cheena, the baddie. 

        It is no conincidence as it was released same day India is celebrating her 63rd Indepence day on January 26 which sums up to 8. This number is governed by the planet Saturn, which indicates that Agneepath will achieve success. It says that the film will be lucky in finances and may benefit through a windfall. Produced by Karan Johar and directed by Karan Malhotra it was Set in a small village, Mandwa, Agneepath tells the story of a young man whose only motive in life is to avenge his father’s death. 12-year-old Vijay Dinanath Chauhan (Hrithik) lives a traumatized life when his father was murdered by the evil drug dealer Kancha (Sanjay Dutt). A shattered Vijay leaves Mandwa for Bombay with his pregnant mother, only to come back after fifteen years, and seek revenge against Kancha. All throughout his journey, his only support is his best friend Kaali (Priyanka Chopra).
Johar's version of Agneepath has made a huge success, collecting over Rs 23 crore in one day and it is anticipated to make over Rs 75 crore in the next few days.
"The film has received a tremendous opening. The film is running in 125 screens with five shows per screen on an average," Sunil Punjabi, CEO of Cinemax India, said.
According to reports, the total investment of 'Agneepath' is approximately Rs 75 crores. The satellite rights of the film were sold for about Rs 35 crores, audio rights for around Rs 9 crores and overseas and home video rights for nearly Rs 12 crores.

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Apple to offer employees $500 off Macs, $250 off iPads

Apple has announced plans to start offering substantial discounts on both Macs and iPads, according to a new report. According to 9to5Mac, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced the discount plan—which offers a $500 discount on purchases of Macs and a $250 discount on purchases of iPads—at yesterday’s employee-only Town Hall event. The report claims that the discount program will go live in June, and that employees may only use the discount once every three years. The discounts will reportedly be available for any employee who has been with the company for at least 90 days.

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India celebrates 63rd Republic Day

The Republic of India is joyfully celebrating its 63^rd Republic Day, marking the 62^nd anniversary of being a complete republic nation on 26^th January 1950.
The celebration began in the capital around 10 a.m. when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh laid a floral wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti to pay tribute to unknown soldiers who laid down their lives for defending the nation. Union Defence Minister A K Antony and chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force followed the PM.
Indian President Pratibha Devi Singh Patil unfurled the tricolour and awarded Ashok Chakra - the highest peacetime gallantry award - posthumously to Lieutenant Navdeep Singh who died foiling an infiltration attempt by Pakistan-based terrorists along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir thereafter. His father received the award.
After ending the tricolor unfurling episode, 21-guns saluted and MI-17 helicopters scattered the rose petals in the sky.
The President who is the head of the Indian armed forces took salute on dais of the well-uniformed men and women soldiers of Indian armed forces - Military, Naval and Air Forces.
Thailand's first woman Prime Minister Yinluck Shinawatra was the guest of honour at this moment.
Lt Gen Vijay Kumar Pillai, general officer commanding, Delhi Area and his deputy Major General Rajbir Singh commanded the parade.
The colourful ceremony began thereafter with a grand parade on the Rajpath. The marching contingents of Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, paramilitary and other auxiliary forces including Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Assam Rifles, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Coast Guard, Sashastra Seema Bal, Central Industrial Security Force, Railway Protection Force, Delhi Police, National Cadet Corps and National Service Scheme march pasted on the Rajpath and saluted President.
The Indian Navy's contingents was led by Lt Commander Manikandan K and the Air Force contingent by Flight Lieutenant Sneha Shekhawat - the first woman ever to lead an IAF contingent at the Republic Day parade.
The 19 children out of 24 national gallantry award winners for 2011 was one amongst the prime attractions of the parade.
The soldiers of Indian armed forces demonstrated various acrobatically show in the parade and won the attraction of the public.
The audience first time saw 'Agni-IV' missile (which range is 3000 k.m.), 'Prahar' missile (range 150 k.m.), unmanned reconnaissance aircraft 'Rushtam-1', and 'C-130J Super Hercules' fighter plane in the parade.
Moreover, T-72 Tank, Multi-trajectory Rocket System, Pinaca Multi-barrel rocket system, VHF Jammer station and indigenous light-weight chopper 'Dhruv' were also displayed in the parade.
The tableaux from 23 states and central ministries displaying the varied historical, architectural and cultural heritage of the country were also the part of the parade.
Besides President and Prime Minister of India, Vice President Hamid Ansari, defence minister A K Antony, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Marshal of Air Force Arjan Singh and top political and military brass were also present in the celebration parade.
The Republic Day celebration is also going on other parts of the country and head of the states have unfurled the tricolour at the scheduled venues. The Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) were also celebrating the Republic day festival in their respective countries.

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Norway NRI row ends, uncle to get kids' custody

New Delhi: There was finally some good news with the end of an ordeal for an Indian couple in Norway. Anurup and Sagarika Bhattacharya's two children, three-year-old Abhigyan and one-year-old Aishwarya, who were taken by the Norwegian authorities after allegations of poor treatment by parents, will now finally return to India.

The Norwegian government has agreed to return the children to their uncle Arunabhash Bhattacharya, but will take assurance from the family. The solution was arrived at after India took up the issue with Oslo at the diplomatic level.
The kids' uncle has offered to be their guardian and the parents will have unrestricted visitation rights.
Sagarika expressed her happiness about the developments and hoped that the ordeal would be over soon.
"I am extremely happy that they will give the custody to my brother-in-law. He is like a family. We are fine that a person from the family will come here and take the custody of the children. Both the children are in the same foster family now. May be we will get the children as soon as possible. Indian Embassy met the children a few weeks back. They told us that they are fine," said Sagarika.
An out of court settlement has been reached and both the governments were satisfied, but the stamp of approval will have to come from court.
"We hope the children would be able to come to India soon, as soon as we manage to get the signatures that are required. This agreement between the parents and the child support services has been an out of court settlement but it would need the formal approval of the court," said the couple's lawyer Svein Kjetil Lode Svendsen.
One of the kids had shown autistic tendencies. Therefore, Oslo has asked for and got an undertaking that the Indian Health and Child Welfare Ministry will monitor the care the two kids receive.
For the grandparents of the children and the rest of the extended family, this is the best possible solution under the circumstances. Arunabhash is getting set to leave for Norway and he will return with the kids to the relieved relatives soon.
Once the children are under their uncle's custody and come back to India, there would be no problem if the parents came back and met or stayed with their children.
External Affairs Minister SM Krishna personally intervened in this case on Monday. He told his Norwegian counterpart that the best interests of the kids would be served if they were with the extended family.
The pressure paid off, but Oslo still maintains that there were no cultural misinterpretations in this case.

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India offers Pak oil pipeline

In a major peace initiative, India on Wednesday proposed to build pipelines to Pakistan if it provides long-term guarantees on buying petroleum products. India now has excess refining capacity and is exporting petrol and diesel, among other petroleum products, to various parts of the world, including Europe.

Federal Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas of Pakistan Asim Hussain being welcomed by Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Jaipal Reddy during a meeting on the TAPI pipeline project in New Delhi

“We proposed exporting petroleum products and petrol to Pakistan. They have shown interest. We will work out the details in the next few weeks,” petroleum minister S. Jaipal Reddy said after meeting Pakistan’s oil minister Asim Hussain.
He said India was exporting petroleum products to distant countries, while Pakistan was importing them. Mr Reddy said the Pakistani minister “has kindly agreed to have this proposal considered within the ministry and the government there before responding”.
Dr Hussain said groups from both countries will meet soon to sort out the issue.
India has offered to export petrol, diesel, aviation turbine fuel (ATF), polyethylene and polypro-pylene, which Pakistan currently imports.
It was pointed out to Pakistan that it would save a lot in transport costs as several Indian refineries are close to the Pakistan border.
A India-Pakistan joint working group on petroleum and petrochemical products has been constituted recently to go into the specific details of facilitating trade in this sector. Both ministers agreed to advise their respective officials to hold the first meeting of the JWG at the earliest.
India currently has the refining capacity to process 193 million tonnes of crude oil annually, which is expected to rise to 232 million tonnes by 2012. India exports 59 million tonnes of petroleum products worth $43 billion annually.
Pakistan bans the import of petrol from India.
Pakistan had allowed diesel imports from India in 2009, but no Indian supplies were sent in the face of preferential prices offered by Pakistan’s Gulf allies.
On transit fees for the Turkmenistan, Pakistan, Afghanistan and India (Tapi) gas pipeline, both sides agreed that negotiations would be held in a transparent manner, keeping in mind the overall economics of the project and in accordance with international practices.

India, Sri Lanka take steps to end fishermen's travails 

India is for a formal pact, but Sri Lanka wants informal solutions to start with

India and Sri Lanka have intensified efforts to resolve the issue of fishermen from both countries plying their trade in a “limited pool of water,” according to officials briefing journalists on External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna's recent visit to the island nation.

After a meeting of the Joint Working Group on Fisheries, when all problems were discussed, the two sides are looking at an interaction between fishermen, wherein some solutions are likely to be aired.

India was keen on a formal document with legal implications. Sri Lanka did not express its reluctance in as many words, but favoured informal solutions to start with.

Sustainable aquaculture

India presented a non-paper and proposed a variety of options for joint management of resources, setting up of bio-parks and promotion of sustainable aquaculture. “Our endeavour is to reach an agreement that addresses livelihood issues on both sides, and fishing takes place in a safe and secure manner,” informed sources said.

Asymmetry

India recognises that there is asymmetry on its side in terms of the number of boats and their size. “We felt that is natural because of the country's size. But this issue has been compounded by the Sri Lankan government's very stringent measures on fishing till the end of the conflict in July/August 2009. They are now getting back into the waters, and there is bound to be some situation in which there are competing claims for very limited resources,” the sources said.

Besides the Centre, the Tamil Nadu government has some measures in mind. These include creating harbours in the northern part of the State for mechanised boats to go straight to the Indian Ocean, bypassing areas that have limited resources. Tamil Nadu is also trying to phase out bottom trawlers by denying refinance or not renewing the licences.

The sources said the Sri Lankan government was very helpful when a cyclone hit the region late last month, leaving more than 40 Indian fishermen stranded in eight or nine Sri Lankan ports. Colombo hosted them, got their boats repaired and escorted them to the maritime boundary, where the Coast Guard took them under its wings.

The Sri Lankan government contrasts this with the treatment of their fishermen detained in the Indian States that do not have a joint interrogation team. On Andaman & Nicobar Islands, for instance, six Sri Lankan fishermen have been detained for two years with no end in sight to their travails, the sources said.

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Thailand's first woman PM Yingluck Shinawatra to be chief guest at Republic Day

NEW DELHI: Yingluck Shinawatra the first woman Prime Minister of Thailand who will be the chief guest at the 63rd Republic Day parade, arrived here today.

Yingluck will attend a ceremonial reception tomorrow at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan and will later in the day lay a wreath at Mahatma Gandhi's samadhi at Raj Ghat here.

Besides holding a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Yingluck will also call on President Pratibha Patil and Vice President Hamid Ansari.

The invitation by India to Yingluck, who is the youngest sister of former premier and tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra, is part of New Delhi's effort to boost its' 'look East' policy.

Yingluck is expected to hold talks on ways to increase trade and investment opportunities between the two countries, particularly in energy, petroleum and food industries. 

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