Amala Paul Joins 100 Crore Club

Actress Amala Paul has become most wanted actress of South Indian Cinema as she joined 100 Crores Actress Club with the stupendous success of her Kannada movie "Hebuli" starring Kiccha Sudeep and Directed by Krishna.

Now Amala Paul has flooded with Offers from all parts of South India Cine Industry which Includes

1. VIP 2, Directed Soundraya Rajinikanth Starring with Dhanush, Produced by Kalaipuli dhanu
2. AGS Entertainment, "Thiruttupayale" Directed by Susiganesan Starring with Bobby simha
3. Axcess film factory Production, "Min mini" Directed by Mundasupatti Director Ram Starring with Vishnuvishal
4. Baskar oru Rascal Directed by Siddhique Starring with Arvindsamy Produced by Murugan for Harshini Movies
5. New untitled Tamil Movie Starring as Female Lead Produced by Centurion films Mr.Jones and Myna co producer Shalom pictures - Shoot from June
6. Queen Remake in Malayalam Directed by Revathy
7. ACHAAYANS Malayalam Movie Directed by Kannan
8. Untiltled Thriller Malayalam Movie Directed by Anoop

And the list still goes on...

Though Amala Paul has become a Top Actress in South Indian Cinema, She always loves to excel her acting Skills as each and every character that she does explores her acting skills deeper and better.

Mystery deepens over Kodanadu deaths, accused's brother alleges foul play

Family members of S Kanagaraj, the prime suspect in the Kodanadu estate murder case, alleged foul play after he died in an accident in Salem.

His brother S Dhanapal, who said that there were no signs of an accident at the spot where a car had collided with Kanagaraj's bike, claimed that the car driver had given a contradictory statement to the police.

Based on a complaint from the victim’s brother Dhanapal, Attur police registered a case under Sections 279 (rash driving on a public way) and 304A (causing death by negligence) of IPC against Rafiq, who is being questioned.

Dhanapal has also demanded a detailed enquiry. Following a postmortem, the body handed over to relatives. Kanagaraj is survived by his wife and infant daughter.

Mystery also shrouds the circumstances in which the second accused in the Kodanadu murder case, Sayan alias Syam, 35, was involved in an accident.

Sayan was travelling in a car with his family in Palakkad in Kerala when their car rammed against a stationary lorry. He is in a critical condition. His wife and five-year-old daughter died in the accident.

Meanwhile, opposition leaders including M K Stalin, Tamilisai Soundararajan and EVKS Elangovan have demanded detailed probe into these incidents.

Rift widens between OPS-EPS camps, no signs for merger talks

AIADMK (Amma) leader and Finance Minister D. Jayakumar has accused leaders of the rival AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma) of expressing contradictory opinions on the proposed merger of the two factions. Nonetheless, he invited the rival faction for talks and hoped to settle all issues.

Jayakumar pointed out that Panneerselvam had said “conducive atmosphere” prevailed for the merger talks, but others, including former ministers S Semmalai and K Pandiarajan, were making different statements.

“There are contradictions among themselves. Our only stand is let’s talk. “We are clear. Come, sit, talk. We are openly saying that let us settle whatever the disputes be," he told reporters.

Meanwhile, virtually setting a five day deadline for merger talks with the rival faction, rebel AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam is set to launch a statewide tour from May 5.

Panneerselvam has planned to visit all 32 districts and meet his supporters during the tour which is likely to end by May last.

The tour, besides hoping the mop up support for him, is also seen as OPS's attempt to prepare them for local body elections.

What's Ajith doing today?

Today (May 1) is Ajith's birthday and his fans are celebrating it all over Tamil Nadu. But what's the 'thala' doing?

According to sources, it is a working birthday for him as he is busy shooting for his upcoming film Vivegam, directed by Siruthai fame Siva.

Meanwhile, a new still from the flick has been released to mark Labour Day and Ajith's birthday. The photo featured Ajith in a fight sequence with a wooden log on him.

While Ajith flaunted his chiselled physique in the first look, the stor actor is seen in an intense look carrying a log on his shoulders in snow and shouting out loud in pain, while he looks injured.

Director Siva tweeted, “Happy birthday thala ajith sir,honest,humble,great man,it’s truly honour to know u,my sincere prayers for ur happiness and long life,sai sai."

Simran tweeted: "Wishing #Ajith all the luck and happiness on his birthday. #HappyBirthdayAjith.:

Raghava Lawrence wrote: "I wish Ajith sir a very happy birthday. I pray to Raghavendra Swamy for his good health and wealth, and success to his future movies.."

Vidyullekha Raman posted: "#HBDBelovedThalaAjith
will always cherish the memories I had with you in #Vedalam & #Veeram. Thank u Thala fans for the support u give me."

Baahubali 2: Rajini's message and Rajamouli's reply

Superstar Rajinikanth on Sunday watched Baahubali 2 at a special screening in the Qube-equipped theatre at his residence in Chennai.

Soon after watching the film, the top actor tweeted: "'Baahubali 2' Indian cinema's pride. My salutes to god's own child Rajamouli and his team."

Director of the film S S Rajamouli responded immediately, saying: "THALAIVAAAA... Feeling like god himself blessed us... our team is on cloud9... Anything couldn't be bigger... 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻"

Director Shankar tweeted: "Just saw Bahubali 2 - The pride of Indian Cinema.What a Bravery,Beauty, Grandness & Music.. Awestruck.Hats off to 'Raja'mouli artsts n team."

Rajamouli replied: "Thank you SIR.. Your words are an inspiration to work even more harder. Our team is ecstatic & jubilant 🙏🏻🙏🏻"

Priyanka Chopra posted: "More
Congratulations @ssrajamouli Sir on another spectacle! May u keep the flag flying..@karanjohar congrats!❤️. #Baahubali2."

Modi addresses event to mark the inauguration of Basava Jayanthi 2017

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today dedicated the holy Vachanas of Basavanna, translated into 23 languages, and addressed an event to mark the inauguration of Basava Jayanthi 2017, and Golden Jubilee Celebration of Basava Samithi, at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said India's history is not only about defeat, poverty or colonialism. India gave the message of good governance, non-violence and Satyagraha, he added.

Paying homage to Lord Basaveshwara, he said Basaveshwara had envisioned a democratic arrangement, several centuries ago. He said our land has been blessed with great individuals who have transformed our society. He said reform has always come to our society from within, whenever required. He expressed confidence that reformers would emerge from within the Muslim community itself, to put an end to the pain suffered by some Muslim women, because of the practice of “triple talaq.” He urged the Muslim community not to look at this issue through a political lens.

Describing Lord Basaveshwara’s Vachanas as a basis for good governance, the Prime Minister said the fruits of development such as housing, electricity and roads should reach one and all, without distinction. He said this is the true essence of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas.”

The Prime Minister recalled the occasion in November 2015 in London, when he had unveiled the bust of Lord Basaveshwara.

After the event, the Prime Minister walked to the audience to meet the family members of the great Kannada scholar Late Shri M.M. Kalburgi.

Baahubali 2 wows all; Vijayakanth, Dhanush watch on first day itself

Though the early morning shows had to be cancelled due to financial issues, Baahubali 2 hit the screens later in the day and delighted one and all.

Almost everyone who has watched the movie is raving about it, heaping rich praises on director S S Rajamouli and his team and celebrities are no exception.

DMDK president and actor Vijayakanth watched the movie at a special screening and appreciated the team.

Dhanush posted on Twitter: "There is no easy way 2 express wat a mind blowing experience bahubali 2 was.OMG.Speechless.salute 2 d entire team.pls watch it in theatres."

He said further; "And #prabhas .. never seen a face that's so endearing. So innocent yet fierce. Your hard work humbled me. Congrats. Way to go bro."

He added: "@ssrajamouli sir :) 🙏🙏🙏 nothing more to say. #masterpiece #writingatitsbest .. break the rules. Redefined everything. I mean EVERYTHING."

RJ Balaji said, "Watched a film that is gonna be d best Indian film fr a long time to come.Take a bow Rajamouli n team fr creating this proud epic #Bahubali."

He added: "#Bahubali2 is an amazing cinematic experience and by far the best by an Indian film.Idha download panni paatha, computeray kaari thuppidum!."

Bollywood too is no excpetion: Posting a picture of him with SS Rajamouli, Karan Johar wrote: "With the movie man of the decade!!!! it's an honour to collaborate with his genius!! Truly the BEST director of our time!"

Ram Gopal Varma said, "Like world was divided into BC and AD (before death of Christ nd after ) Indian cinema is going to be BB and AB(before Bahubali and after)."

He added: "Every super star nd every super director  in entire Bollywood is shivering in various places looking at impact of @ssrajamouli 's Bahubali2."

It's time to follow Kamal

Piracy is slowly killing Kollywood and the latest victim is Baahubali 2, as the full film was out on net even before it could hit the screens in these parts.

At this juncture, many feel that it's time to follow Kamal Haasan's words, as the actor-filmmaker had said years ago itself that premiering films in DTH and other modes could be the best way to fight piracy.

His film Vishwaroopam was to be premiered on the DTH platform  a day prior to hitting the theatres. But that did not happen due to protest from the industry.

Kamal initially put a brave face to the protest. But he had to succumb later. Speaking about the protest of theatre owners against the DTH release of the film, Kamal had said, "I am doing an honest and legitimate trade. No one has the right to stop me from going ahead."

He added: "I will take legal action against those who threaten me and who try to prevent me from doing this."

"I am a businessman adhering to the laws of the land and exploring new avenues for business not just for myself but for the entire film industry," he had said.

Will other 'businesssmen' in the industry follow him?

Minister supports OPS becoming CM, ex-Min says cadre don't want patch-up

S Semmalai, a senior leader from the Panneerselvam-led AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma) camp who held a meeting with the party’s office-bearers in Salem district, told reporters: “Cadres wish that we should not join hands with the Palaniswami faction.”

He insisted that merger talks could begin only after their demands—a formal ouster of V.K. Sasikala, her nephew T.T.V. Dinakaran and other family members from the party and a CBI probe into the death of former chief minister J. Jayalalithaa—are met.

Minister for milk and dairy development K T Rajenthra Bhalaji said there is no wrong in the demand by Semmalai to make O Panneerselvam as CM again.

Bhalaji however opposed to Semmalai's remarks that AIADMK workers did not want Panneerselvam to join hands with the group led by chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami.

"Semmalai has no right to speak like this," he said and added that works to build a memorial for late chief minister J Jayalalithaa would commence next month and the two teams would come together before that.

It was earlier reported that the two factions—AIADMK (Amma) under chief minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma) led by former chief minister O. Panneerselvam would sit together for merger talks on Monday evening. But that has not happened till this moment.

JEE Main 2017 Result declared, Check Now

CBSE released the result today for JEE Main exams conducted in online and offline mode in April 2017. You can check your score card at cbseresults.nic.in by entering your JEE Main Roll Number and date of birth. Based upon your JEE Main 2017 Scores, we can predict your AIR using JEE Main 2017 Rank Predictor tool and make your way to your dream college easy and smooth.

JEE Main Result 2017 is published in form of Score cards comprising scores by test takers in each section (PCM) and overall. Candidates’ All India Rank and category rank in JEE Main 2017 will be released by the board on or before June 30, post successful conduct of JEE Advanced. Based upon the scores in JEE Main 2017 Result and All India Rank, JoSAA will conduct counseling for the admission in National Institutes of Technology, Indian Institutes of Information Technology and other participating institutes. Although, top 220,000 candidates will called for admission to Indian Institutes of Technology. Here’s how you can check your Result:

• Go to the official website


• Click on the hovered link, “Result Joint Entrance Examination (Main) 2017- With Rank”


• Enter your Registration Number and Date of Birth


• Download and save your JEE Main Score Card

What’s next?

All the qualified candidates will be invited to participate in the counselling scheduled post the announcement of All India Rank. As mentioned earlier, the 220,000 qualified candidates will be shortlisted for JEE Advanced exam that is to be conducted on May 21. The Applications for JEE Advanced 2017 are invited at its official website from April 28.

The Counselling for JEE Main qualified candidates will be conducted in multiple rounds starting from first week of June 2018. The mode of counselling will be online on its official website. The process and important dates for counselling will be intimated to candidates through JEE Main and JEE Advanced official website. Counselling will be conducted by Joint Seat Allocation Authority. However, the counselling for private institute and north-eastern institutes will be conducted by Central Seat Allocation Board.

For more information on JEE Mains, click: http://exams.collegedunia.com/jee-main

Source: Collegedunia

It is the 10th Anniversary for the team Chennai 600028

India may be divided by Religion, caste, language and so on, but it is united by one sport called ‘CRICKET’. It has been well witnessed and proved 10 years before by the super hit blockbuster team - Chennai - 28, headed by the most realistic skipper Venkat Prabhu.

The dialogues ‘Bowling ah Fielding’, ‘Paati Photo Udanjidichu da’ , "Enna kodumai saar" , are still used by the current generation youngsters for their counter comedy attack.The songs and the BGMs composed by Yuvanshankar Raja is one of the major reasons for the team’s victory. It is to be noted that the song ‘Saroja Samanikalo’ composed by him was celebrated by the entire youngsters of Tamilnadu and it had made them to dive crazy for years.

“10 years has been passed just like that and we have won our second innings too. I really feel very special on this day and because ‘Chennai 28’ was the life changing film for me, Jai, Shiva, Premji Amaren, Nithin Sathya, Aravind Akash, Vijay Vasanth, Ajay Raj and our whole team.

Yuvan's music was the curtain raiser to the success. Premji's BGM , Praveen K L's swift editing, and Sakthi Saravanan's cinematography confirmed us the glory of success. This day incidentally marks our decade long innings in the industry.SP Charan was our prime support and he will be sketched in our memories for long. For us this film opened up the way to success and careers too.

My heartfelt thanks to the fans, General Audience and Media friends for their extended love and support for making us win in all our games. Years have passed but our enthusiasm and energy to repeat the feat time and again remake s young forever ” says Venkat Prabhu, the skipper of ‘Chennai 28’ in a joyful one.

மேற்கு வங்காளத்துக்கு வந்தால் நாங்கள் டெல்லிக்கு வருவோம் - மம்தா

மேற்கு வங்காளத்துக்கு வந்தால் நாங்கள் டெல்லிக்கு வருவோம் - மம்தா

மேற்குவங்கம் சென்றிருந்த பா.ஜ., தேசிய தலைவர் அமித்ஷா, 2019 ம் ஆண்டு மேற்குவங்கத்தையும் பா.ஜ., கைப்பற்றும் என கூறி இருந்தார்.

இதற்கு தற்போது மம்தா பதிலளித்துள்ளார். அப்போது அவர், எனக்கு சவால் விடுபவர்களின் சவாலை நான் ஏற்கிறேன்.   வரும் நாட்களில் டில்லியை நாங்கள் கைப்பற்றுவோம்.

பா.ஜ., எங்களை அச்சுறுத்த நினைக்கிறது. நீங்கள் தான் திரிணாமுலை பார்த்து பயப்படுகிறீர்கள் என தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.

Actress Sanam Shetty Launches Label Ruchi Kothari by Ruchi Kothari

Ruchi Kothari, city based Fashionista recently launched her label " Ruchi Kothari" the label unveiling was done by Actress Sanam Shetty of Ambuli fame and Well known Socialite and Doctor Dr.Manoj Beno.

Both of them confidently flaunted outfits by the same label, Sanam looked like a milion dollar princess in a pink sequinned gown while Beno looked dapper in a black blazer.Ruchi, who has been exploring designing and styling for more than a decade has now decided to take her brain child "First Layer" to next level by specializing in Pret,Bridal,Party Wear,Fusion,Ethnic and kids fashion too.

She is more excited about hosting her own label in a full length fashion ramp show in less than a month's time. She is thankful to her husband Mr.Nitya Kothari (Businessman) and her doting daughter who have been her biggest motivation.

Early morning shows of 'Baahubali 2' cancelled in Tamilnadu

Most expected mega budget movie S.S Rajamouli's "Baahubali 2: The Conclusion" early morning show were cancelled on Friday due to financial issues in Tamil Nadu, industry sources said.

Now issue has been sorted out and other shows continues as it planned.

Baahubali2 opens big

The wait is over, as Baahubali 2 has finally hit the screens. The film has hit the screens across the world to massive response.

Baahubali 2 traces the journey of how Amarendra Baahubali, who was supposed to be the king of Mahishmathi, ends up making a rather difficult choice which changes the fortunes of the kingdom.

The success of the first part mainly lies in the climax hook, that paved the way for the sequel. Barring its story, Rajamouli's characters had evoked certain emotions on the audience.

The ticket sales are the highest ever on BookMyShow, beating the record held by Aamir Khan’s Dangal, which Rajamouli’s film had surpassed by 45% on Wednesday.

The film is expected to have major twists and the Kattappa mystery is one of them. Rajamouli, who also wrote the screenplay of the film, should be given due credit for dealing with it ably in the first part and continuing the suspense in the second part.

Baahubali 2 is released across in a massive 6,500 screens in India. Cumulatively, the epic sequel is releasing in over 9000 screens worldwide, which is huge for an Indian film.

Power supply resumes after TN govt pays Rs 250 crore to NTPC

With the Vallur power station, a joint venture of NTPC and TANGEDCO, cutting off 1,000 MW supply over non-payment of Rs 1,156 crore outstanding dues, the Tamil Nadu government has reportedly paid Rs 250 crore as first instalment.

According to sources, following the payment, power supply has been restored. Since Wednesday night, there were power cuts in many parts of the city.

However, power minister P Thangamani said there was a failure in the Manali Mylapore power distribution line and workers set it right by carrying out repairing work in full swing.

"There's no issue whatsoever. There's a power surplus in the state, so residents need not worry about further blackouts," assured Thangamani.

"There is no governance whatsoever. We're all suffering in Chennai, but the government is busy in their own power games. The secretariat today lies empty because the govt is busy in their own party matters. How long can we go on like this," asked TKS Elangovan of the DMK

There are three units of 500MW each at Vallur from where Tangedco gets nearly 70% of the generated power.Apart from Tamil Nadu, Vallur power is supplied to Puducherry, Karnataka and Telangana also.

The TNEB is in a poor financial state, and is running into continuous losses. In fact, the accumulated debts of the TNEB could run up to Rs 1 lakh crore, reports said.

Rajini, Vijayakanth condole Vinu Chakravarthy's death

Superstar Rajinikanth, Vijayakanth and other prominent personalities of the film industry have condoled the death of Vinu Chakravathy

The veteran actor, who was 72, passed away in Chennai on Thursday night. "RIP Vinu Chakravarthi... my condolences to the family," Rajini tweeted.

Only in the morning, Rajini condoled Bollywood actor Vinod Khanna's death and said, "My dear friend Vinod Khanna... will miss you, RIP. My heartfelt condolences to the family."

Vinu Chakravarthy had appeared in over 1,000 films across the four south Indian languages.

The actor had also been a notable feature in several films of actor Rajinikanth including Guru Sishyan, Raajathi Raja and Annamalai.

A statement released by the actor's family said Chakravarthy passed away after battling three-year-long health-related issues.

His last on screen appearance was in 2014 Tamil film Vaaya Moodi Pesavum.

Chakravarthy is survived by his wife, son and daughter. His last rites will be performed on Friday.

Dinakaran, wife questioned in Chennai; house searched

The Crime Branch of Delhi Police continued the interrogation of AIADMK (Amma) deputy general secretary T.T.V. Dinakaran at his residence in Adyar till Thursday night.

Dinakaran, arrested by the Delhi Police in connection with a bribery case, was brought to Chennai on Thursday and searches were conducted at his residence in the city as part of the probe. His wife too was questioned.

Delhi Crime Branch police personnel led by Assistant Commissioner Sanjay Sherawat searched the residences of Dinakaran and that of his associate Mallikarjuna, reports, quoting police sources.

The police had secured warrants from a Delhi court to conduct the searches which were part of efforts to gather "further evidence" in the alleged attempt by Dinakaran to bribe EC officials to get two leaves symbol.

Amid tight security, a team of police officials brought him in a passenger flight to Chennai on Thursday afternoon. A few Delhi journalists who followed him in the same flight said he was calm.

Nanjil Sampth, party propaganda secretary, Karnataka State unit organiser Pugalenthi came to the airport to see him. However, only a handful of supporters gathered at the airport.

Meanwhile, the arrest of Dinakaran by the Delhi Police in the Election Commission bribery case, is a major step towards ‘cleansing’ the politics in Tamil Nadu and making it corrupt-free, BJP State chief Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan has claimed.

Stating that Dhinakaran has been arrested based on evidences against him, she said this (arrest) should put a full stop to such corrupt activities, particularly in the electoral process.

Vinu Chakravarthy dead

Veteran actor Vinu Chakravarthy dead at the age of 70 in Chennai.

Tamil actor, script writer and director who is known for acting in more than 1000 movies in Tamill, Telugu, Kannada, Badaga and Malayalam mostly as a comedian, supporting actor or in a villainous role.

He introduced famous Silk Smitha. Past few months he was sick and admitted in hospital. DMDK leader Vijayakanth also visited in hospital.

Why Kattappa killed Baahubali?

Bahubali 2: The Conclusion, is all set to take over the box office

SS Rajamouli's Bahubali 2 the biggest release of the year and the film will also be releasing in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam,a Kannada and Hindi on tomorrow.

The first part of the movie was a blockbuster and the sequel is expected to be bigger and better. Planned to release over 7000 screens in India and around the world. Prabhas was cast as main lead of the film. Anushka Shetty was cast as the heroine.

Rajamouli's cousin M. M. Keeravani composed the music and background for the film.

Rana Daggubati, Tamannaah, Ramya Krishnan, Sathyaraj, Nassar and others playing the mega budget movie.

Why Kattappa killed Baahubali? will come to know tomorrow.

Rajinikanth condoles death of Vinod Khanna

Actor Rajinikanth today condoled the death of veteran actor Vinod Khanna, and described him as his "dear friend."

"My dear friend Vinod Khanna... will miss you, RIP. My heartfelt condolences to the family," he tweeted.

70 old Khanna died at a Mumbai hospital who suffer from cancer.

Baahubali team cancels premiere after Vinod Khanna's demise

2.5 billion budget 'Baahubali 2: The Conclusion' set release worldwide on tomorrow(Friday).

The team has canceled the films premiere which was to take place on Thursday, as a mark of respect for veteran Bollywood actor-politician, who died on Thursday suffer by cancer.

Over 9,000 screens it hits, about 6,500 would be in India, according to reports. That makes Baahubali a bigger release than all Bollywood films.

Modi launches Rs 2,500 an hour air travel scheme

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated the maiden Shimla-New Delhi flight under a government's UDAN scheme that makes air travel cheaper and accessible to lower middle class.

"Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik"(UDAN) scheme makes air travel cheaper at Rs.2500 an hour flight. This will accessible to lower middle class families of India and plans to enhance connectivity with more airports across the country.

42-seather ATR flight is being operated by Alliance Air a subsidiary of Air India.

TTV Dinakaran taken to Chennai by Delhi Police

A Delhi Police team probing the Election Commission bribery case on Thursday travelled to Chennai with arrested AIADMK (Amma) leader TTV Dhinakaran and his aide to gather details about “illegal channels” used for transferring money from Chennai to Delhi.

The Crime Branch team reportedly took the 9.55 a.m Air India flight along with Dhinakaran and Mallikarjuna. “I’ll talk to you later,” he told reporters outside the airport.

Dinakaran was arrested along with his friend Mallikarjuna on Tuesday night after undergoing four days of questioning by Delhi Police. During the interrogation, he admitted to meeting Sukesh Chandrasekhar.

"Meenakshi Engineering College student murdered in Chennai"

A engineering student along with her mother were found murdered in Saidapet apartment on Wednesday evening.

No valuable was missing from the ground floor flat and the jewellery the slain women wore was intact, police said.

Police identified the women as Hemalatha Shanmugam, a stenographer at Anna University, and her daughter Jayalakshmi Shanmugam final year student of Meenakshi Engineering College in KK Nagar. Hemalatha's husband Shanmugam died last year in a road accident.

Hemalatha's son Balamurugan, 25, a mechanical engineer employed at a private company in Sholinganallur on Old Mahabalipuram Road, is missing, police said.

Police suspect that committed by someone close to the family as there were no signs of forced entry to the flat.

Later police sources said that the boy was arrested and enquiry is going on.

Veteran actor Vinod Khanna dead

Veteran actor Vinod Khanna passes away in Mumbai at the age of 70, after suffering from cancer.

He worked in more than 100 films, and was an active politician, and Member of Parliament from Gurdaspur, Punjab. Vinod is survived by his wife Kavita Khanna, sons Rahul, Akshaye and Sakshi, and daughter Shraddha Khanna. Before marrying Kavita, Vinod Khanna was married to Getanjali but they later got divorced. In his last days he was surrounded by all his children and wife Kavita.

Infosys Launches Infosys Nia™ - The Next Generation Integrated Artificial Intelligence Platform

Infosys (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in consulting, technology, outsourcing and next-generation services, today announced the launch of Infosys Nia, the next-generation Artificial Intelligence Platform building on the success of the Company’s first-generation AI platform, Infosys Mana, and its Robotic Process Automation (RPA) solution, AssistEdge. Together, both these products have amassed 50+ clients and 150+ engagements across all industry sectors, within a year of operations.

Infosys Nia converges the big data/analytics, machine learning, knowledge management, and cognitive automation capabilities of Mana; end-to-end RPA capabilities of AssistEdge; advanced, high-performance and scalable machine learning capabilities of Skytree; and optical character recognition (OCR), natural language processing (NLP) capabilities and infrastructure management services. As a unified, flexible, and modular platform, Infosys Nia enables a wide set of industry and function-specific solutions and allows customers to build custom experiences to suit their business needs.

Infosys’ first-generation AI platform was about IT, simplification, efficiency and cost. Capabilities included socialization of organizational knowledge, deep analytics, service automation, automated incident root cause analysis and others. The next generation platform, Infosys Nia, tackles break-through business problems such as forecasting revenues, forecasting what products need to be built, understanding customer behavior, deeply understanding the content of contracts and legal documents, understanding compliance, and fraud.

Infosys Nia can help clients solve a wide variety of business problems, a few of which are listed below:

1. Infosys Nia can improve order-to-cash process by creating a real-time risk profile to customize the collection strategy, expedite resolution of disputes, predict anomalies, prevent disputes, and enable better visibility and forecasting of cash flow to reduce days sales outstanding (DSO).


2. Infosys Nia can predict variability in manufacturing and material cost, while also reducing product development cycle times.


3. Infosys Nia can create knowledge models of multiple, complex labor contracts with an on-demand, self-service conversational interface to operationalize the knowledge.


4. Infosys Nia can create a customer genome based on internal and external data sources to help develop targeted messaging, accurately identify upselling and cross-selling opportunities, offer personalized solutions, and improve customer satisfaction.

Quotes

Dr. Tom Reuner, Senior Vice-President, HfS Research: "By leveraging and integrating a broad set of artificial intelligence technologies, Infosys is supporting customers on their journey toward business transformation. The modular set up of Infosys Nia allows for more flexibility when addressing diverse sets of use cases. On this journey, Infosys' expansive AI and cognitive computing capabilities provide customers with solutions that put data at the center of their service delivery strategies. While it might sound trite, data really is becoming the new currency."

Dr. Vishal Sikka, Chief Executive Officer, Infosys: "When we launched our knowledge-based AI platform Mana one year ago, we set out on our path of bringing knowledge, data and automation, together with our services to our clients as never before. We have seen tremendous adoption, and indeed, a massive embrace of Mana by our clients, particularly in leveraging Mana to improve service delivery and drive efficiencies and cost performance through automation. But we could clearly see that there was much more potential, an unlimited potential, in bringing AI to our clients’ most sophisticated and complex business problems, as they work toward a vision of bringing technology to every aspect of their businesses. Nia, the next generation of our AI platform now takes our purposeful approach to AI, one in which technology serves to amplify people and empowers them to work in new ways, to new heights. When we bring this together with our unmatched ability to educate and train in AI techniques and emerging technologies, we now have the platform, the services and the skills, to deliver new unprecedented value to our clients.”

Infosys Nia is available to order immediately.

RIL partners with Germany’s Resysta to bring innovative wood alternative in India

Will help save forests; offer durable, waterproof and recycable raw material

Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) announced today that it has entered into a license agreement with Resysta International GmbH (Resysta) which gives RIL exclusive rights of production and marketing of RelWood™, a Natural Fiber Polymer Composite (NFPC), in India. This compound will be the raw material for the production of sheets & various profiles used in a wide range of wood & plywood replacement applications.

Mr. Vipul Shah, COO Petchem, RIL, said “Through this strategic partnership with Resysta, RIL is looking forward to produce the RelWood™ compound exclusively in order to meet the fast-growing demand of real alternative to tropical wood. This agreement is further evidence of RIL’s commitment to sustainable initiatives based on innovative technology. Resysta is a leading German innovator, and together we will offer Indian consumers cutting edge technological product as an alternative to natural wood.”

“Some miracles happen and some are invented”

Resysta succeeded where many others failed by developing a weather and water-resistant material which truly has the look and feel of wood, which is not affected by termites, does not splinter or rot over time, is obtained using a renewable resource and is fully recyclable. It even weathers salt water, sun and wind. The material is a key innovation that was needed to address the crisis of shrinking rainforests, as well as the inferior quality of wood composite products that were used before. This is based on a unique technology which allows the dispersion of natural fiber within the polymer matrix.

Bernd Duna, CEO of Resysta International, said, “We are currently licensing our technology across the world, and have found in Reliance Industries our perfect partner for India. By manufacturing the Resysta Compound locally, the products become even more environment friendly and easily available. As a leading petrochemicals manufacturer in India, RIL is ideally poised to manufacture on a par with our high worldwide standard. We look forward to continuing Resysta’s success story in India in partnership with RIL.”

Punch packed in ‘Ulkuthu’ Tamil Movie

Actor Dinesh and actress Nanditha in the past spun a beautiful tale of love with a hint of magic in ‘Attakathi’. The duo is all set to redefine and recreate the charismatic spell yet again in their upcoming venture ‘Ulkuthu’.

The film has a power-packed action sequences. The film’s crew is quite sure that this will feature Dinesh in new Avatar and audience will see a different version of Dinesh. The film shot in Nagercoil has a authentic content with a very strong message directed by Caarthick Raju.

The film is produced by G. Vittal kumar of P. K. Film factory is all bubbled up and gearing in full swing to hit screens on May 12th. "It is really encouraging to find films of content placed in the orbit of success. Audience influences the exhibitors to screen films of good content in large volume.

This is actually reflecting in our ‘Ulkuthu’ punching its power in the hunt for screens. We are thankful to Abinesh Elangovan for giving us this valuable support" says producer G vittal Kumar of P K film factory.

As CM announces DA hike, TN govt employees 'temporarily' withdraw strike

The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday announced a 4 per cent hike in dearness allowance for its employees and pensioners with effect from January 1, 2017.

Following this, government employees who were striking work for the past two days announced withdrawing the strike, but only temporarily.

The hike was being announced in line with the revision of DA for Central government employees with effect from January 1 this year, Chief Minister K Palaniswami said in a press release.

State government officers, teachers, pensioners, family pensioners, village assistant, Anganwadi and noon meal programme staff would receive an increase of four per cent in DA with effect from January 1.

The DA hike would vary from Rs 244 to a maximum of Rs 3,080 for serving employees and Rs 122 to Rs 1,540 for pensioners.

"A minimum hike of Rs 244 and a maximum hike of Rs 3,080 will be given to employees. Pensioners will get a minimum hike of Rs 122 and a maximum of Rs 1,540," said the chief minister.

The DA increase for the months of January, February, March and April will be pending as arrears. From May, the increase will be reflected in salary. More than 18 lakh employees will get the DA hike.

Sasikala banners removed, but AIADMK merger talks yet to begin

Banners featuring AIADMK general secretary V K Sasikala were on Wednesday pulled down from the party headquarters in Chennai, a move welcomed by the rival Panneerselvam camp.

The removal of the banners and photographs of Sasikala were one of the conditions demanded by O Panneerselvam (OPS) faction to move ahead with a merger with the Sasikala faction of the party.

The OPS faction called the move a ‘positive step’. Though both factions were yet to begin formal talks in open, discussions were underway.

Law Minister C Ve Shanmugam confirmed this to media saying the leaders had discussions on Tuesday night.

An opinion piece published by Namadhu MGR two days ago irked OPS as it praised the Sasikala family and asserted that party cadres will support.

“By removing the Sasikala banners, the OPS faction won the second stage. The crucial part is about the CM post, for which OPS and EPS are still fighting. “Whether Sasikala herself is kept out or not, the merger deal will be sealed if EPS agree to step down as CM,” a minister was quoted as saying.

“Without the family of Sasikala, we are all brothers. We will sort out the differences among ourselves,” said KP Munusamy, heading the talks panel for the OPS faction.

Since both factions have faith in auspicious day, they may commence talks on Friday.

Vishal announces strike from May 30

Tamil Film Producers Council president Vishal on Wednesday said the film industry would go on an indefinite strike from May 30 if the central and the state governments did not take steps to curb piracy.

He said that they have requested both Central and State Governments to completely eradicate piracy with the help of cyber crime and Internet Service Providers.

Vishal said that the film industry needs a permanent solution and if their requests are not met, Tamil Film Producers will go on a strike from May 30.

The TNFPC have decided to send requests to the State and Central Government regarding the piracy issues and also to raise the cap on ticket prices.

"If piracy is not curbed, it will eat away the film industry, which is giving employment to thousands," he added. A popular actor, Vishal was recently elected to the top post of the producers' council. He won the polls with a promise to end piracy.

Baahubali 2 crucial scene leaked

A crucial scene from Baahuabli 2 was leaked on the social media on Tuesday night, dropping hints on the crucial question- Why Kattappa killed Baahubali?

The scene involved a coronation ceremony which itself revealed a crucial twits. It had Prabhas, Rana Daggbuati, Sathyaraj, Ramya Krishnan and Anushka Shetty.

According to a popular online ticket booking site, over 1 million tickets have been sold in 24 hours.

Meanwhile, while those booking online now will have to shell out between ₹120 and ₹550, the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) claims that the government order on capping film ticket price at ₹200 will come into effect by Thursday.

As per a statement issued by Bookmyshow, Baahubali 2: The Conclusion has broke the advance booking record previously held by Aamir Khan’s Dangal.

Ashish Saksena, COO-Cinemas, BookMyShow said, “BookMyShow is experiencing an unprecedented advance booking for Baahubali 2. We have already sold over 1 million tickets across languages, even when the bookings have been live for just over a day.

Though Baahubali 2 is largely perceived to be loved by South Indian audience, the response from Hindi speaking markets has been highly encouraging as well. Once all the cinemas in South come out with their schedules for the film, we expect the online ticket sales for Baahubali 2 to surge at an increasingly fast pace."

Two-year-old girl miraculously escaped in China

A two-year-old girl miraculously escaped without serious injuries after being run over in the road in China.

CCTV camera, shows the little girl running in the road while two SUVs crossing. Suddenly the girl disappears from the video for a moment. Luckily, the girl is seen ducking on the road as the SUV passes over her. She continues to sit in that position until the second car drives over her.

The girl's grandmother, immediately rushed and picked the girl. The girl was immediately taken to a hospital where the doctor said she suffered only minor bruises on the head, say reports.

Narendra Modi interaction through PRAGATI

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today chaired his eighteenth interaction through PRAGATI - the ICT-based, multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation.

The Prime Minister reviewed the progress towards handling and resolution of grievances related to Railways. Noting that a large number of complaints were related to corrupt practices of officials, he directed strictest possible action against Railway officials found guilty of corruption. He asked the Indian Railways to work towards a unified single telephone number for all grievances and queries, including helpline in the case of an accident.

The Prime Minister reviewed the progress of vital infrastructure projects in the railway, road and power sectors, spread over several states including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura and Nagaland.

Among the projects reviewed today are: the Mumbai Metro, the Tirupati-Chennai Highway, long-pending road projects in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Manipur, and important power transmission lines in Jammu and Kashmir and the North-East.

Reviewing Mission Indradhanush for universal immunization of children, the Prime Minister asked for targeted attention in strict timeframes for the 100 worst performing districts in this regard. He said youth organizations such as NCC and Nehru Yuva Kendra could be involved in the outreach effort to ensure that no child was left without the benefit of immunization.

Reviewing the implementation of Swachhta Action Plans, the Prime Minister said that events such as Swachhta fortnights should be converted into movements towards permanent solutions. On the AMRUT Mission, the Prime Minister asked officials to quantify and document the gains achieved through the use of latest technology, such as LED bulbs, so that the benefits could be better appreciated by one and all.

The Prime Minister urged all Secretaries of the Government of India, and all Chief Secretaries of States, to come up with concrete plans and objectives for transformative change, to be achieved by the 75th anniversary of independence in 2022. With regard to cleanliness, he urged for maximum efforts ahead of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary by 2019.

IAN announces their maiden fund worth 350 Crores; marks its first close at 175 Cr

In line with its continuous endeavor to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship across geographies, Indian Angel Network (IAN) today became the first Angel Group globally to raise a ₹350 Crores fund, thereby, becomes the pioneer in the angel community. The fund which marked its first close at ₹175 Crores has industry stalwarts like Kris Gopalakrishnan, Co-Founder, ex-CEO, Infosys, Global Leader in IT Services, Sunil Munjal, Jt Managing Director, HERO Corp and Dr. Devi Shetty, Founder and Chairman, Narayan Hrudalaya as part of its advisory committee.

The SEBI registered early-stage venture fund will focus on investing in new-age disruptive technologies and businesses across a broad range of sectors including healthcare and medical devices, SaaS, marketplaces, fintech, big data, AI and hardware, maintaining IAN’s stance of being sector-agnostic. The Fund will support all the IAN deals as well as independently co-invest with other VCs. The investment committee will comprise renowned leaders including Saurabh Srivastava: Serial Entrepreneur, Co-founder/Past Chairman NASSCOM and co-founder IAN, Padmaja Ruparel: Co-founder & President at IAN, Ajai Chowdhry: Co-Founder, HCL, Raman Roy: Chairman NASSCOM, Founder QUATTRO, & Co founder IAN, Harish Mehta: Founder Onward Group, Co-founder, NASSCOM, Alok Mittal: ex-Canaan MD and entrepreneur, Co-Founder IAN Rakesh Malhotra: Entrepreneur, Founder Luminous and Rakesh Rewari: ex DMD, SIDBI, Govt of India.

“IAN is India’s first now arguably the world’s largest angel group. It has revolutionized this space with its own unique model spanning 7 locations in India and overseas and a global membership comprising 450 of the who’s who of marquee entrepreneurs/CEOs. The logical next step is to create country’s largest horizontal platform in India for early stage investments. With this fund IAN is upping the game, supporting entrepreneurs from Rs 50 lakhs to Rs 30 Cr, co investing with other VCs. Our goal is to distribute money as efficiently as possible to get innovators through the most challenging early stages of funding. I am confident that the fund will have a significant role in creating high-growth companies in our country.” Said Saurabh Srivastava, Chairman and Co-Founder at IAN.

Padmaja Ruparel, President at IAN commented , “We’re excited to be the first angel network group to introduce an early stage fund of this stature. We see this as a marquee turning point for the angel investment segment and the way startups raise capital. We believe this structure is superior for investors and startups alike. As a result, we expect and welcome other investors and startups to follow and build upon the path that we’ve pioneered.”

Together, IAN and the IAN Fund (plus co-investors), would invest approx. Rs 1,500 Cr in 160 odd companies over the next 4 years, making IAN the largest early stage investing platform, capable of writing cheques from Rs 25 lakhs to Rs. 50 Crore.

Indian Angel Network will help raise the bar of angel investment in India, yet again, by launching a Fund which will:

1. Make businesses more lucrative, profitable, and risky at seed-stage, thereby increasing the probabilities of higher returns/better exits


2.  Will create the incentivization to make IAN the platform with the most high quality leads


3.  Increase the liquidity in the ecosystem when the investment sentiment is low


4.  Fill the gap created between angel round and pre Series A Opportunities - Rs. 6 crores to 25 crores, building better propositions for the VCs


5.  Help build strong links with VC ecosystem, helping in financing next rounds / exits & also VCs referring angel level deals to IAN

IAN brings the best in breed investor table, comprising the who’s who of successful entrepreneurs and dynamic CEOs. They not only invest in innovative startups but also provide valuable inputs on strategy, in addition to providing access to their vast global networks. IAN also became the world’s first angel investor group to establish operations outside of its home country, when it started operating in London.

BMW India launches BMW M Performance Training Program in Delhi NCR

BMW India announces the launch of the ‘BMW M Performance Training’ in India. The exclusive driver training program will demonstrate the dynamism, versatility and high performance of the BMW M car range in Delhi, Aamby Valley and Bengaluru.

‘BMW M Performance Training’ program is a specially designed full-day event by BMW driving experts on renowned race tracks in India. Performance car enthusiasts can test and hone their driving skills while experiencing the dynamic nature of BMW M models. The ‘BMW M Performance Training’ program will involve various driving conditions such as cornering, high-speed straights and dynamic braking and avoidance manoeuvres, dual lane changes, oversteering, understeering and timed slalom dramatic changes in elevation. The BMW M3 Sedan, the BMW M4 Coupe, the BMW M5 Sedan, the BMW M6 Gran Coupe, the BMW X5 M and the BMW X6 M will carry adrenaline levels to new heights with their prowess. Thus, guaranteeing a drive filled with pure, unadulterated excitement and ‘Sheer Driving Pleasure’.

Mr. Vikram Pawah, President, BMW Group India said, “The BMW M Performance Training program offers fast and dynamic action on race track environment with the emphasis on highest levels of safety. Professional BMW instructors offer guidance on performance and safe driving both on and off race track developing a perfect command on vehicles in any situation. We are delighted to bring this exclusive program in India imparting petrolheads all the necessary skills a professional driver could ever need.”

BMW M Automobiles are produced by BMW M GmbH (a subsidiary of BMW AG). Sophisticated technology, individuality and safety - the BMW M cars offer an unmatched experience of exclusive, high-performance driving. Presently, the M range in India includes the BMW M3 Sedan, the BMW M4 Coupe, the BMW M5 Sedan, the BMW M6 Gran Coupe, the BMW X5 M and the BMW X6 M.

M. THE MOST POWERFUL LETTER IN THE WORLD.

Motorsport as passion. Driving pleasure as mission. Perfection as driving force. And always with one target in mind: To create automobiles with the potential of becoming legends. We won’t accept anything less.

Driven by motorsport, the exclusively equipped cars meet the highest demands for agility, dynamics and power with ease. Powerful engines combined with an expressive design and top-class functionality are evidence of how much passion was involved in the construction of each vehicle.

Born on the racetrack. At home on every road. M Automobiles. The world’s toughest test track is where M Automobiles learn their moves. The Nordschleife of the Nürburgring is where the soul of every M Automobile is shaped and developed. A soul that is dedicated to motorsport. And that feels at home on every road.

Fascinating Design: Unmistakably M. Perfection and beauty belong together. Aesthetics aren’t just a matter of surface, colour, paintwork or material. They are also expressed through aerodynamic design and other technical qualities. The designers and engineers at BMW M know that form and function go hand in hand and they work to create solutions that combine these two aspects into a single, spectacular piece of art.

A sports car has no unnecessary details. This is true above all for aerodynamics. Which is why the exterior mirrors of a BMW M also have to perform well in the wind tunnel. But air doesn't have to be all about resistance: the wide air intakes in the characteristic M front apron let the engine breathe and cool the large brake discs of the M light alloy wheels, while the airflow along the rear diffusor lends added downforce. M gills on the flanks are immediately visible, as are the obligatory M double tailpipes. Combined, they are the hallmarks of an athlete in peak condition.

M Power: Stirring Momentum. The special thing about all M engines is that they're not tooled-up versions of standard production engines, but independent developments of motorsport technology for the road. Their innovations point the way for other BMW engines. The words ‘M Power’ are an exclusive mark of quality – they promise unique technology, breath-taking performance and quality in perfection.

All curves are enticing. Enjoy them with help from the M Servotronic: The hydraulic rack-and-pinion steering with variable ratio is another M-specific feature, combining precise directional stability with a need for less steering effort when manoeuvring. The intelligent system dynamically adapts the steering power and resistance according to speed. It obeys the driver’s commands precisely at any speed. The power assist reacts with more resistance at high speeds. It automatically decreases at low speeds, on curves and when parking ensuring smoother vehicle behaviour.

Maximum precision means maximum efficiency. This is especially true for a transmission. The more quickly and smoothly you change gears, the less fuel is consumed. Double-clutch transmission: The seven-speed M double-clutch transmission with Drivelogic is an innovative dual-clutch system specially designed for the high-revving BMW M sedans and coupes. It enables extremely fast gear changes without any loss of traction. Two transmission structures with a separate clutch continually transfer the power generated by the engine to the rear wheels.

Steptronic transmission: The eight-speed M Steptronic transmission with Drivelogic in BMW M SAVs stands out with its exceptional precision and impressive fast gear shifting ability. At any time, in any gear, the transmission collaborates perfectly with the engine enabling it to develop its full power and efficiency. Gears can be changed without the transmission of power being interrupted using either the paddles, shift lever or automatic mode for even more dynamic comfort.

Top output that leaves the mundane behind. The remarkable power comes from the M TwinPower Turbocharged petrol engines that react to every touch of the accelerator with a tremendous forward surge. The M TwinPower Turbocharged inline 6-cylinder petrol engine in the BMW M3 and the BMW M4 gives an output of 317 kW / 431 hp that produces a maximum torque of 550 Nm and accelerates from 0 to 100 km / hr in 4.1 seconds.

The M TwinPower Turbocharged V8 petrol engine in the BMW M5 and BMW M6 Gran Coupe gives an output of 412 kW / 560 hp that produces a maximum torque of 680 Nm and accelerates from 0 to 100 km / hr in 4.3 seconds.

The M TwinPower Turbocharged V8 petrol engine in the BMW X5 M and the BMW X6 M gives an output of 423 kW / 575 hp that produces a maximum torque of 750 Nm and accelerates from 0 to 100 km / hr in 4.2 seconds.

No new TASMAC shops for next 3 months: HC to TN govt

The Madras High Court on Tuesday granted an interim injunction restraining the Tamil Nadu government from opening or relocating state run TASMAC liquor shops along national or state highways.

The government-run liquor shops were closed following a Supreme Court ban that took effect on April 1. Further, no liquor shop should be located within 500 metres of the outer edge of national or state highway.

However, on April 21, the Commissioner of Municipal Administration department directed all Corporations and Municipalities to adopt resolutions to bring stretches of highways passing through their territory under the direct control of urban local bodies.

Municipal Administration’s move was considered to circumvent the Supreme Court’s March 31 order and DMK and PMK approached the court against it.

Senior advocate P Wilson for DMK and advocate K Balu for the PMK forum sought an urgent hearing on the issue during the lunch motion, a request which was granted by the Madras HC.

Advocate General R Muthukumaraswamy cited the Punjab example, saying after the administration wanted to change the nomenclature of roads, Haryana High Court had upheld the decision and the Supreme Court was yet to pass orders on the matter.

The bench, after hearing the AG, said it was constrained to pass the order as he could not give an undertaking that efforts to reclassify highways would not lead to reopening of closed TASMAC outlets and bars. It then posted the matter to July 10.

Vishnu Vishal, Amala Paul in Minmini

Vishnu Vishal's upcoming film, in which he would share the screen space with Amala Paul, has been titled Minmini.

“Hii guys my mov with @Amala_ams Directed by Mundaasupatti Ram is titled 'MINMINI' :):) @GhibranOfficial :) teaser soon #MINMINI", the Velainu Vandhutta Vellaikaran actor posted on twitter.

Directed by Ram of Mundasupatti fame, the film has musical score by Ghibran. It is tipped to be an investigative thriller.

According to sources, Vishnu plays an aspiring filmmaker who becomes a cop due to his family circumstances and how his research for a script helps him to crack a murder mystery forms the crux of the story.

Vishnu Vishal and director Ram, who gave us the memorable comedy entertainer Mundasupatti, have come together once again for this film, which is to be produced by Axess Film Factory of Urumeen fame.

Recently, Ram said, " "I'm glad we are back. Every actor will have a path breaking film in their career and we are pretty sure that this action flick will be an image makeover for Vishnu."

Producer Dillibabu of Axess Film Factory said, "It will be a tailor made role for Vishnu Vishal. We are quite confident that this new action avatar of Vishnu Vishal will portray him in a different dimension."

Simran lauds Jyothika

Many may recall that Simran and Jyothika were competitors more than a decade ago. At the same time, they are good friends too.

And now, the former has praised the latter, after watching the trailer of Jyothika's upcoming film Magalir Mattum.

“#Jyothika's #MagalirMattum looks like strong feminism in humorous way! Hats off @Suriya_offl 4 producing such films", Simran posted on her microblogging page.

Suriya replied immediately: "Thank you for the love n support Sim!! We had a lot of happy moments making #MagalirMattum".

Jyothika, who made her comeback with 36 Vayadhinile, is now getting ready for the release of Magalir Mattum with director Bramma of Kutram Kadithal fame.

The Poovellam Kettupaar and Chandramukhi actress will also be soon commencing the shoot of Naachiaar with director Bala and GV Prakash Kumar.

Delhi cops arrest TTV Dinakaran

The Delhi police Crime Branch late on Tuesday arrested AIADMK (Amma) deputy general secretary T T V Dinakaran in connection with an alleged attempt to bribe Election Commission officials to secure the ‘two leaves’ symbol for his faction.

Dinakaran, who was questioned by the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police in the national capital for four consecutive days, is accused of attempting to bribe Election Commission officials to allot his faction of the AIADMK, the party's  symbol, frozen by the poll panel after a dispute.

He was interrogated for 37 hours, and will be produced at Tiz Hazari Court this afternoon after a medical test at Safdarjung Hospital.

Earlier in the day a special court asked the Delhi Police why no action had so far been taken against Dinakaran when there were allegations that he attempted to bribe the EC.

"The whole allegations are against him. Show me the call details where it shows Sukesh Chandrashekar talked to Dinakaran," special judge Poonam Chaudhry told the city police.

Dinakaran is facing a rebellion in Chennai, as his faction of the party has decided that both he and his aunt Sasikala would be evicted from their positions. That move is aimed at facilitating a merger with a rival, though much smaller faction of the AIADMK, led by former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam.

Suvidha special trains between Chennai Egmore to Tirunelveli on 29-4-2017

Suvidha special trains between Chennai Egmore to Tirunelveli

Train No.82603 Chennai Egmore to Tirunelveli Suvidha special train will leave Chennai Egmore at 21.05 hrs. on 29-4-2017 and reach Tirunelveli at 10.45 hrs. the next day.

Train No.82604 Tirunelveli to Chennai Egmore Suvidha special train will leave Tirunelveli at 18.20 hrs. on 1-5-2017 and reach Chennai Egmore at 05.45 hrs. the next day.

Composition: AC 2-tier – 1, Sleeper Class – 12, General Second Class – 2 & Luggage-cum-brake van – 2 coaches.

Stoppages: Tambaram, Chengalpattu, Villupuram, Vriddhachalam, Tiruchchirappalli, Dindigul, Madurai, Virudhunagar, Sattur and Kovilpatti.

Train No.82604 Tirunelveli to Chennai Egmore Suvidha special train will stop at Mambalam also.

Advance reservations for the above trains are open.

Prakash Javadekar inaugurates National Consultation on revised Accreditation Framework

Union Minister of Human Resource Development Shri Prakash Javadekar today inaugurated the one day National Consultation on Revised Accreditation Framework here in New Delhi. Highlighting the importance of quality education the Minster said any accreditation process or any certification or assessment process must also take into account the final product of it. Subject knowledge is one thing, the delivery of subject knowledge, infrastructure and building skill component in a student are another part. But ultimately the aim of education should be to build a good human being and only that kind of education could be termed creative that is capable of doing so and hence it should also be checked whether the parameters of intention, policy and schemes are getting reflected in the very institution, he said.

Shri Javadekar appreciated the observations of MoS Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey in this connection and emphasised to think of education in totality and said it must reflect in the ranking of institutions He said quality of education imparted by any institution will be reflected in its adaptability to change.

The Minister referred to the recent advertisements of institutions citing its NAAC ranking, its certifications and assessment reports and on its basis the trend of students in selecting institutes for further education. He said now the institutes have also added up NIRF ranking as a feather in their caps. The Minister said now the students as well as the society can’t be misguided any more as the pressure of quality is now working. He said there is no substitute for quality and it must be sharpened regularly. Shri Javadekar said our government exists not merely on the majority mandate we have got, rather we are here to reform, transform and perform. He said complete transformation of education is a dire need now. He advised NAAC authorities to expand its team in order to make inroads into reaching out more and more institutions. He also stressed upon the cross checking of data collected and ensure sanctity and authenticity of Data Base created in this area.

The Minister said the system created for this purpose must be transparent with clear cut rules and regulations and there should be no scope for fraudulent means. He hoped that today’s deliberations will pave way for a new transparent accreditation system. Shri Javadekar also pressed for using Aadhar linking and gave examples of stopping of malpractices in LPG distributions, Neem coated urea distributions to farmers thereby savings checking of syphoning of funds. He also cited the example of 4.5 lakh fake registrations in Mid Day Meal schemes in Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh after the scheme was linked with Aadhar. He said so far 112 crore Aadhar cards have been made which is a glaring proof of our nation’s changing and marching ahead.

The Minister also suggested for having more than 4-5 agencies for issuing rankings of higher education institutes as it will give more credibility. The Minister informed that in the forthcoming meeting of IIT Council on 28th April this month we will see whether IITs can also have a say in granting accreditation to institutions. Shri Javadekar said “If we want to reach institutions in a time bound manner and assess them properly we need more valuators and therefore we want to build at least 3-4 more institutes and we should also give a message to institutions in this regard”. He further said that the commitment of Modi Government towards quality of education is unmatched and final as only the quality improvement will lead the nation in marching ahead. He said research and innovations are possible only there we respect the talent. He said the new ranking assessment system being chartered today is very important. The Minister urged the participants to complete this process in next three months preferably before next Independence Day.

Today’s meeting was also addressed by MoS HRD Shri Mahendra Nath Pandey and Secretary Higher Education Shri K.K.Sharma.

The National Consultation is being organized to discuss the revised Accreditation Framework developed recently by the NAAC. The foci of the revised framework are augmented use of technology, greater objectivity, and transparency of the process. Working groups of experts have deliberated and developed the formats for universities, autonomous colleges and affiliated colleges. The outcome of pilot study to validate the framework and feedback by stakeholders will also be considered in National Consultation. Approximately 100 experts comprising of eminent educationists, current and former Vice Chancellors / Directors, Statutory Bodies, Academics, Principals of Colleges will participate in the National Consultation. The inputs of the National Consultation would be used to fine-tune and finalise the revised Accreditation Framework which is slated to be launched from July 2017.

Radha Mohan Singh inaugurates Kharif Campaign 2017

The Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Radha Mohan Singh said that the central government is giving priority to agriculture sector by allocating maximum funds for the farmers’ welfare. Shri Singh said that the government aims at increasing the agriculture production, determining productivity and boosting dairy/livestock/fisheries while promoting agriculture education, research and extension organisation. It was stated by Shri Singh while inaugurating two-day National Conference on Agriculture for Kharif Campaign-2017, which started today in New Delhi.

The Minister of States for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Shri Parshottam Rupala and Shri Sudarshan Bhagat and senior government officials were present on this occasion. Discussion at the conference was centred on last year’s agricultural production, how to increase the production of next year’s Kharif crop, raising agricultural productivity in consultation with the state governments, ensuring the availability of inputs before the cropping season, implementation of technology and new innovations in the agriculture sector.

Shri Singh said that to achieve Prime Minister Narendra Modi's target of doubling farmers' income by 2022, Agriculture Ministry has written letters to the state governments urging them to strategise and work on it. Agriculture Minister said that while strategising, the state governments will have to closely monitor agricultural production and agricultural products processing activities.

Shri Singh said that the government has launched various schemes for the farmers. Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Soil Health Management, Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, E-Nam, Agroforestry (Medh Par Ped) and Neem coated Urea to name a few. To increase milk production, National Dairy Mission was initiated. Blue Revolution is emphasising on inland fisheries and deep sea fishing. The schemes aim to increase the agricultural productivity and improve farmers’ income.

Union Minister said that for the success of schemes, we will have to work together with dedication and sincerity. Shri Singh further informed that this year’s growth rate for the agriculture and allied sectors was about 4 percent.

For the welfare of agriculture sector, the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ministry has converted all its schemes into special missions, schemes and programmes. With joint efforts of all stakeholders, the 2nd advance estimates predict about 271.98 MT production of food grain, which is 8.11 percent higher as compared to the year 2015-16. Shri Singh also said that the production of the foodgrains is 5.82 percent more than the last five years’ average production. There was a record foodgrains production in 2013-14, however, this year’s yield was 2.61 percent higher as compared to 2013-14.

Agriculture Minister said that the farmers have started reaping the benefit of the schemes initiated by the department of Agriculture Cooperation & Farmers Welfare. The schemes include National Food Security Mission (NFSM), National Horticulture Mission (NHM), Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), and Total Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

Shri Singh said that the National Food Security Mission (NFSM), one of the most important schemes of the agriculture ministry covers rice, wheat, pulses, cereals and other main crops. Before the current government came to the power, NFSM was being implemented in 482 districts of 19 states. When the NDA government came to the power, the implementation of NFSM was extended to 638 districts of 29 states. Apart from that, 2.70 lakh hectare area is being used for organic farming. While ensuring the overall growth of agriculture and allied sectors, Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana or RKVY’s aims at achieving annual growth and maintaining the same during the 12th Plan.

Agriculture Minister said that the Ministry is focusing on the production and productivity of oilseeds and equal attention is also being given to the fruits, vegetables and horticulture. The government is also focusing on quality and availability of seeds. Apart from that national seed mission has been initiated under the scheme grants will be given for seed processing, seed storage, improving the quality of seeds and storing of seeds for the emergency.

Shri Singh said that the government is trying to safeguard farmers’ interest by announcing a minimum support price for main agricultural commodities. The thrust of the policy is to create a balanced and integrated structure to meet the overall needs of the economy. To support the prices, central nodal agencies such as FCI, CCI, JCI, NAFED, SFAC etc. start procurement process to ensure that the market price doesn't slip below the MSP fixed by the government. In case the market price of the commodity falls below the announced minimum price, govt agencies intervenes under Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) and procures the entire quantity offered by the farmers at the announced minimum price. During the period of 2014-15 to 2016-17, Indian government procured chilli, apple, ginger, potato, oil palm, grapes, onion betelnut, etc from the farmers of Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland. Any sharp rise or fall in prices not only causes harm to consumers but farmers too. To mitigate volatility in the prices of agricultural produce, a Price Stabilisation Fund of Rs.500 Crore for agricultural commodities was announced, which has been now increased to Rs.1500 crore. To control the rising pulses price, 40,000 metric tonne pulses have been distributed to the states at their behest and meanwhile, the government is creating a buffer stock of 20 lakh metric tonne pulses. Simultaneously government is procuring 20,000 metric tonne onion for buffer stock.

Shri Singh also said that the Kharif season is around the corner, therefore, it is imperative for the state governments to make plans to procure high-quality seeds of several types of crops and fertilisers for the farmers. The state governments should ensure that there is no scarcity of inputs during the cropping season.

To ensure that the farmers avail the benefits of Fasal Bima Yojana, the government launched Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana from 2016 Kharif season after improvising the earlier insurance scheme. The insurance is vast and covers the pre-sowing to post-harvest losses. For soil health, the government has started Soil Health Card scheme. To promote organic farming, Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana has been launched. To increase farmers’ income, the government is also focusing on agroforestry and bee-keeping.

In the end, Shri Radha Mohan Singh urged all the ministers to make efforts for the smooth and timely implementation of all the schemes so that the farmers get the funds on time to start their work. Shri Singh also stressed on transparency in governance.

Rajnath Singh pays tribute to the martyred CRPF personnel

The Union Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh paid tributes to the martyred CRPF personnel, in Raipur, Chhattisgarh today. The Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Dr. Raman Singh and the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Hansraj Gangaram Ahir also paid tributes to the bravehearts who sacrificed their lives in a Naxal attack in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh yesterday. While paying tributes to martyred CRPF personnel, Shri Rajnath Singh said that their sacrifice will not go in vain.

The Home Minister said that the attack in Sukma is a cold blooded murder by LWE groups and it is an act of cowardice. He said that it is an act of desperation and we have accepted it as a challenge. He said that the Government will review the strategy and if necessary, will revisit it. Shri Rajnath Singh said that the Government is working to root out the problem of Left Wing Extremism and LWE groups are anti-development & they do not want development in the area. Later, Shri Rajnath Singh visited the injured CRPF personnel at the Ramkrishna Care Hospital, in Raipur and enquired about their health.

The Union Home Minister and the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh also reviewed the LWE situation in the state at a meeting in Raipur.

Venkaiah Naidu inaugurates 47th Foundation Day of HUDCO

The Minister of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the 47th Foundation Day of Housing and Urban Development Corporation Ltd. (HUDCO) today and said that HUDCO is playing an important role in taking financial inclusion forward in the country, as it is taking care of the housing finance needs of the economically deprived sections.

Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu said that in the last 47 years, HUDCO had constructed 16 million residential units across the country and over 92 per cent of these dwelling units have benefited the economically weaker sections and low income groups. He further said that HUDCO has assisted in the construction of about 67 lakh, viable & low cost sanitation units.

Shri Naidu said that HUDCO executed 51 MoUs with various Primary Lending Institutions for Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme- Economically Weaker Section/ Low Income Group (CLSS-EWS/LIG) and 21 MoUs for Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme for Middle Income Groups (CLSS-MIG). He highlighted that HUDCO has achieved the MoU targets in respect of overall sanctions and disbursements and from the past 5 years, HUDCO is continuously getting excellent rating, with Perfect 1 (One) ‘MoU Rating’ in 2015-16.

The Minister pointed that, HUDCO has refinanced 759 beneficiaries under Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme of PMAY(U) with a subsidy amount of Rs.11.66 Crore, as on March 31, 2017 and was hopeful that HUDCO will target atleast 50,000 beneficiaries under CLSS-EWS/LIG and an equal number of beneficiaries under CLSS-MIG scheme in the coming year.

He said that HUDCO is going through a process of disinvestment of 10% of its equity share though an IPO process and expressed hopeful that the employees of HUDCO will be more responsible towards its growth and take HUDCO to the newer heights.

During the occasion, the Minister gave away awards and released publications namely, ‘Shelter’, ‘HUDCO Darpan’, ‘HUDCO Design Awards 2016’, ‘Sankalp’ and ‘Urban India’.

Chief Vigilance Commissioner Shri K.V. Chowdary, Secretary (HUPA) Dr. Nandita Chatterjee, Chairman & Managing Director, HUDCO Dr M. Ravi Kanth and other senior officers of HUPA were also present on the occasion.

Infosys Expands Footprint in Eastern Europe – Opens Delivery Center in Croatia

Infosys (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in consulting, technology, outsourcing and next-generation services, today announced it is strengthening its engineering footprint in Eastern Europe by opening its first office and delivery center(DC) in Karlovac, Croatia.

In line with the company’s strategy to establish global competency centers, offering the best talent in the market and making it available to customers globally, this DC also marks our expansion into Eastern Europe’s established heavy engineering sector. The new facility will meet near-shoring requirements, support engineering clients worldwide, as well as offer R&D services.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Secretary of State, Mario Antonić, emphasised how Infosys’ strategy to enhance its footprint in the region's established engineering sector is a testament to the local expertise, and by bringing this to organisations across the globe, Infosys DC will also contribute to the growth of research and development activities in Croatia.

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Ravi Kumar S., President and Deputy Chief Operating Officer, Infosys:

“As part of our strategy to increase geo capabilities, the Karlovac delivery center will deliver value to our global clients, specifically in the Nordics. The focus will be on consolidating consulting, IT and engineering skills in the areas of power generation, design and development of large gas and steam turbines, digital solutions for service and maintenance, and development of advanced engineering software tools. As we continue to invest in developing global competency centers, tapping local talent and scaling those centers, we will be looking to partner with local academic institutions, co-innovate with clients and nurture a partner ecosystem to help develop skilled workforce that will deliver next-generation services.”

The Karlovac facility in Croatia is the latest location across 16 regions in Europe which Infosys has opened as part of its ongoing commitment to client servicing and local job creation.

Chennai Power Shutdown Areas on 27-04-2017

Power supply will be suspended in the following areas on 27-04-17 between 9.00 A.M. to 2.00 P.M. for maintenance work. Supply will be resumed before 2.00 P.M. if the works are completed.

ST.THOMAS MOUNT AREA: Magazine road, Butt road, Military quarters & Hospital, Nandambakkam main road, Ramar koil st, St.Thomas mount, Wood creek county Meenambakkam, Alandur, Nasarathpuram, Mount Poonamallee road, Burma colony & Sripuram colony, Police Office road, Achuthan nagar.

Mylapore is place for temples, hotels & more

Mylapore, one of the traditional areasin Chennai, is not just known for the famous Sri Kapaleeswarar temple, but also for its hotels, which offer tasty and homely food at affordable rates.

In fact, some of the hotels in Mylapore are among the best places to eat in Chennai. If you come to the locality, after offering prayers at Kapaleeswarar temple and Sai Baba temple, you can head straight to have best breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Karpagambal mess, Rayar mess and Mami mess are to name a few. This apart, there are many roadside eateries and also posh restaurants to satisfy your taste buds.

But make sure about Mylapore Sai Baba temple timings and Kapaleeswarar temple timings before you visit here.

Big bookings for Baahubali 2 in TN, AP, Telangana

With just two more days to go, Baahubali 2 has received fantastic response in advance booking.

Going by the booking status in BookMyShow and other sites, most of the tickets have been sold for the first weekend in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

SPI cinemas, which ones multiplexes like Satyam and Escape, had opened the pre-booking option on Saturday (April 22). It must be noted that the tickets were sold within few minutes for the first weekend.

Recently, director SS Rajamouli said that Baahubali 2 has more drama than its predecessor. He also said that Anushka will have more screen space in Baahubali 2.

Baahubali 2 is a historical fiction film directed by Rajamouli. It is the continuation of Baahubali: The Beginning.

Initially, both parts were jointly produced on a budget of ₹2.5 billion (US$37 million), however the budget of the second part was increased later.

Baahubali: The Conclusion has made a business of ₹5 billion (US$74 million) before release. The film is scheduled for a worldwide release on 28 April 2017.

Baahubali 2 will be the first Indian film to be released in 4K High Definition format, requiring many of the theaters to upgrade projectors.

Jio plans to double network in coming months,subs cross 108 mn

New telecom operator Reliance Jio plans to double its network size by adding 1 lakh additional mobile sites in coming months.

The company said that in terms of data usage it "has become the largest network globally" and plans to add 1 lakh mobile sites in coming months to double the network size.

"Jio continues its rapid ramp-up of subscriber base and as of March 31, 2017, there were 108.9 million subscribers on the network," Reliance Jio said in a statement.

With more than 110 crore gigabyte of data traffic per month and 220 crore voice and video minutes a day, "Jio has become the largest network globally" in terms of data carried and contributed to India becoming the leading country in the world for mobile data usage.

"Jio users are today consuming nearly as much data as on all the mobile networks in the US and 50 per cent more data than mobile networks in China in a clear indication that India will adopt digitisation and Digital Life faster than anyone else in the world," the statement said.

The Mukesh Ambani-led telecom firm said that it is has built a future ready network which can easily deploy 5G.

"As per TRAI MySpeed Portal, Jio’s average download speed at 15.0 Mbps in March 2017 is almost twice of any other operator...Jio has the world's largest greenfield 4G LTE wireless broadband network, with over 100,000 mobile towers.

And it will add another 100,000 towers to the network in the coming months," the statement said.

Besides, Jio has been expanding its fibre-to-the-home

(FTTH) business offering with beta trials initiated in a few locations.

"It would expand the scope of the beta trials over the next few months," the statement said.

The company launched its 4G service commercially on September 5, 2016 for free and crossed 50 million subscribers in just 83 days, and 100 million in 170 days, adding at an average rate of 6 lakh subscribers per day.

The company started charging for mobile services from April 1 where it is also offering a scheme, Jio Prime'.

Jio subscribers opting for Jio Prime are required to pay one-time plan fee of Rs 99 and then choose monthly rental plan starting 303. The company introduced another plan with monthly rental starting Rs 309 for Jio Prime members.

Sivakarthikeyan Released The Song ‘Yaavum Needhaaney’ From The Film ‘Thiri’

Many popular actors use the social media platform to promote the film of other actors by releasing the First look, Teaser, Trailer, Sneak peek and other promotional creatives. Sivakarthikeyan, who is ever reachable to help other actors, has now released the song ‘YAAVUM NEEDHAANEY’ from the film ‘THIRI’ which has been composed by Ajesh. Directed by Ashok Amirtharaj and Produced by A.K.Bala Murugan - R.P. Balagopi under the banner ‘Seashore Gold Productions’ and Co produced by M.Vetrikkumaran, S.Anton Ranjith and S. John Peter, the film THIRI has Ashwin Kakkamanu and Swathi Reddy in the lead roles.

“We all know that Sivakarthikeyan sir is always very vocal and on his love for his father in many events. Hiis films too will have some intriguing father-son relationship sequences. Hence we thought Sivakarthikeyan sir is the apt person to release our song YAAVUM NEEDHAANEY" says Director Ashok.

"This song Yaavum Needhaaney is about father's love for his son, and also about the son realizing how much love and affection he has towards his father,In the movie, he feels he let his father down, who has been his pillar of support throughout his life, and doesn't know what's going to happen then after. The lyrics portray what are all his father has done to him, and in return what he has given is nothing but disappointment. All of this is brought down to this one song, which is challenging at the same time helps the plot of the movie” commented Siva Karthikeyan on the song.

Bandh starts in TN, tight security across state

A dawn to dusk bandh called by DMK-led opposition parties has started this morning. This is in support of drought-hit farmers.

Meanwhile, the state government has asserted that normalcy will not be affected. Police said all steps have been taken including deployment of adequate personnel across the state to ensure normalcy.

A host of trade unions, farmer bodies and even the film fraternity pledged support to the shutdown.

State police said it has taken several steps, including deploying additional personnel across Tamil Nadu, to ensure law and order.

The strike, according to the DMK is aimed at pressing the Centre and state to immediately address the plight of farmers who are bearing the brunt of the worst drought the state has witnessed in 140 years.

Apart from the Congress, the CPI and the VCK, several workers' unions and bodies have pledged their support for the bandh.

The call of bandh has received backing from trade unions affiliated to the opposition parties, farmer bodies, the film fraternity, a lorry operators association as well as unions representing local vegetable markets, groceries, and auto-drivers.

AIADMK merger talks stalled due to charges, counter-charges

Mrger negotiations expected to begin at the ruling AIADMK's head office in Chennai on Monday evening ran into rough weather.

The faction led by former chief minister O Panneerselvam was provoked by what it described as "loose statements being made by leaders" of the rival camp of Chief Minister E Palaniswamy or EPS.

The ruling AIADMK (Amma) alleged that leaders of the O Panneerselvam group (AIADMK -Puratchi Thalaivi Amma) were looking for reasons to stall merger talks.

OPS camp announced that it was not ready for talks with the ruling group until a CBI probe is recommended into the death of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa and that V K Sasikala and TTV Dhinakaran are expelled from the party.

Reacting, AIADMK (Amma) faction leader and Rajya Sabha member R Vaithilingam said: "There is a public interest litigation relating to Jayalalithaa's death. The state is ready to set up an inquiry commission or order a CBI probe upon the court order. Secondly, the petition on the appointment of VK Sasikala as general secretary is pending in the Election Commission."

Senior Panneerselvam faction leader and Rajya Sabha member V Maitreyan said Sasikala and Dinakaran should be expelled from the party, which should be freed from the clutches of the “Mannargudi mafia”.

Vaithilingam said Panneerselvam was the Tamil Nadu chief minister for 60 days after Jayalalithaa's death and he could have recommended a CBI probe into the leader's death.

Kamal confirms doing television show

It's now official. Kamal Haasan is all set to make his television debut with a reality show, the Tamil version of 'Bigg Boss',.t

According to reports, Kamal has expressed his desire to try out how it feels to host a television show.

It is also reported that Kamal Haasan was all praise for Salman Khan and that he said Salman is doing a wonderful job of connecting with the contestants on Bigg Boss.

The 'Ulaga Nayagan' also said that Salman Khan doesn't indulge in pretense and that he doesn't patronize the inmates of the house either.

Meanwhile, Kamal has congratulated veteran Telugu filmmaker K Vishwanath for getting selected for Dada Saheb Phalke award.

"My K.Vishwanath gaaru is a Dada Saheb Palke award winner. In his humility he would say " I am lucky" .Truth is Indians are lucky. So am I," he posted on twitter.

He added: "Thank u with glistening eyes Vishwanath gaaru for Sagara sangamam. Like Balu of S.S I initiate more applause. Your fame is mine vice versa."

Vijay leaves for Europe

Vijay, Atlee and other members of 'Vijay-61' have left for the cooler climes of Europe for the film's next schedule.

For the Rajasthan schedule of the film, Vijay's stylist was Neeraja Kona and now, the star will be styled by his Theri stylist, the Mumbai-based Komal Shahani, for the Europe schedule.

According to sources, Nithya Menon, one of the three heroines of the movie, has almost completed shooting for her portions in the film.

In recently concluded Chennai schedule, the film’s director Atlee canned scenes with Vijay, Kajal Aggarwal, and Vadivelu.

Produced by Sri Thenandal Films, the film stars Vijay, Kajal Aggarwal, Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Nithya Menen in the lead roles, with S. J. Surya, Sathyaraj and Vadivelu amongst others in supporting roles.

A. R. Rahman is the film's music composer, while Ruben and debutant G. K. Vishnu are working on the project as editor and cinematographer respectively.