Posts Tagged ‘nominee’
Written by Rahul on 05 April 2009
Senior BJP leader and the party’s leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Jaswant Singh will contest from the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat in
West Bengal. He will be supported by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) led by Bimal Gurung, the breakaway faction of GNLF led by Subhash Ghishing.
The BJP’s candidates in Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri will also be supported by the Gorkha party.
The support from the Gorkha outfit is part of a deal where BJP has agreed to highlight the cause of the “Gorkha people” and their “demarcated area of habitation” at the national level.
Though the party manifesto to be released on Friday will not include any commitment towards a “separate state” for Gorkhas – the principal plan of the GJM – Gurung and his colleagues are happy with the outcome.
“For now, the recognition as Gorkha people within the boundaries of India at the national level is a major step forward for the movement,” said a source close to Gurung. There was no constitutional recognition of the Gorkha people, their land or aspirations so far, he added. Gurung, who was reluctant to contest polls himself, offered to leave the seat for one of the top-rung leaders of BJP.
The idea of having a top ranking BJP leader contest from Darjeeling was to have him “carry the obligation” of pushing the Gorkha agenda forward, that is to ensure that Gorkha cause was not dumped by the party after winning. In fact, Gurung had suggested L K Advani for the Darjeeling Hill seat, as a second seat after Gandhinagar for this Lok Sabha polls. The other names that were considered were Sushma Swaraj and even S S Ahluwalia. But Jaswant Singh’s name was finally agreed upon and Singh too agreed.
GJM, which seems to enjoy majority support of Gorkha people in the Darjeeling Hills and also in the north Bengal areas of Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri, is hoping to win the Darjeeling seat with BJP. Expectations for Alipurduar are also high since Gorkhas, along with adivasis, constitute a good chunk of the population in the constituency.
Singh is the second outsider to have been fielded by a Gorkha outfit. In 1989, Inderjit, as the candidate of GNLF, won the elections. Inderjit lost the polls next year to CPM when he contested as a Congress nominee backed by the GNLF.
Tags: agenda, ahluwalia, Alipurduar, area, aspirations, Bimal, bjp, bjp leader, breakaway, Breakaway Faction, candidate, cause, chunk, commitment, congress, constituency, contest, CPM, Darjeeling Hill, Darjeeling Hills, deal, fact, faction, Friday, Gandhinagar, Ghishing, GJM, GNLF, Gorkha, Gorkhas, Gurung, habitation, idea, Inderjit, india, Jalpaiguri, Janmukti, Jaswant, Jaswant Singh, L. K. Advani, land, leader, leader of opposition, level, Lok, lok sabha, majority, Majority Support, manifesto, Morcha, movement, name, nominee, north bengal, obligation, opposition, outcome, outfit, outsider, part, party, Party Manifesto, plan, population, rajya sabha, recognition, S Ahluwalia, seat, Senior, senior bjp, Singh, source, state, step, Subhash, support, Sushma, swaraj, West Bengal, year
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Written by Rahul on 05 April 2009
IPL chairman Lalit Modi is also on the hitlist of underworld don Chhota Shakeel, interrogation of his arrested hitman Rashid Malabari has
revealed and the cricket honcho, currently away in South Africa, has been warned of the terror threat.
The Chhota Shakeel plot to create a terror sensation during the elections was busted by the arrest of Malabari in Karnataka after which he revealed his likely targets included Varun Gandhi, BJP’s nominee from Pilibhit, who was arrested for delivering an anti-Muslim hate speech and Pramod Muthalik of Shri Ram Sene.
Security sources said that there was no enhanced threat perception to the Indian teams playing in the IPL which has been moved to South Africa. It is also being probed whether Modi was in Shakeel’s crosshairs because he failed to respond to a demand for payment. Investigators hope to speak to Modi as soon as he is available in India.
Though Modi is not in India, sources said D-company and other Middle-East based gangs had contacts in South Africa which had also been part of a betting ring. The ability of the underworld to deliver a strike in South Africa cannot be ruled out and the IPL chairperson was expected to take precautions.
Tags: ability, anti, arrest, bjp, cannot, chairman, chairperson, Chhota, chhota shakeel, company, Cricket, Crosshairs, d company, demand, East, gandhi, gangs, Hate Speech, hitlist, hitman, honcho, india, interrogation, investigators, IPL, Karnataka, Lalit, middle, modi, Muslim, Muthalik, nominee, part, payment, perception, Pilibhit, plot, Pramod, RAM, rashid, Rashid Malabari, ring, Security, security sources, Sene, sensation, Shakeel, Shri, South Africa, speech, strike, terror, terror threat, threat, threat perception, underworld, Varun
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Written by Rahul on 05 April 2009
BETTIAH: Filmmaker-turned-politician Prakash Jha has assets worth Rs 33 crore, according to the affidavit submitted by him while filing nominations
for the West Champaran parliamentary constituency in Bihar.
Jha, a Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) candidate for the seat, has declared that he has Rs 4,72,236.00 in cash, while Prakash Jha productions have cash worth Rs 13,46,366.00.
Similarly, Jha, who recently parted ways with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for whom he had campaigned during the 2005 Lok Sabha elections and switched over to Ramvilas Paswan’s LJP, has declared deposits worth Rs 22,719,683.00 with banks and financial institutions. His firm has deposits to the tune of Rs 18,513,865.00 and motor vehicles worth Rs 39,28,528.00.
The LJP nominee also possesses bonds, debentures, shares in companies and private companies worth Rs 86,442,502.00.00, besides investments of Rs 1,668,432 in listed companies.
Jha’s investments in NSS, postal savings, LIC policies etc stand at Rs 20,000 and other assets are Rs 16,931,963.00.
Tags: affidavit, assets, Bettiah, bihar, bonds, candidate, Cash, Champaran, chief, Chief Minister, constituency, crore, Debentures, Filing, Filmmaker-turned-politician, financial institutions, firm, Investments, Janshakti, Jha, Kumar, LIC, LJP, Lok, lok sabha elections, Minister Nitish, Motor, motor vehicles, nominee, NSS, parliamentary constituency, party, Paswan, politician, Postal Savings, Prakash Jha, private companies, Ramvilas, rs 1, sabha, seat, tune, West Champaran
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Written by Rahul on 03 April 2009
Members and workers of the Junagadh unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are in a fix. They do not know how to approach the voters in the constituency, as the party has not yet declared the name of the candidate for this Lok Sabha seat.
The party on Monday inaugurated its central election office in
the town.
The BJP has already declared its candidates for the remaining 25 seats in the state. Earlier, the party leadership had said that the candidate for the Junagadh seat would be declared after the Congress announced its candidate. They had termed the delay as a strategic move.
However, despite the Congress having declared the name of the party’s sitting MP Jashubhai Barad for this seat a week ago, the BJP is yet to come out with the name of its nominee.
Nobody in the BJP office here wants to speak officially over the issue. Local BJP leaders and office-bearers of the various units of the party just maintain that it is up to the party high command to take the decision.
A local BJP leader, on condition of anonymity, said, “We have already launched our campaign offices. But, in the absence of the candidate, we don’t know how to face the voters.”
Another party leader said they have “no answer” when people ask them about their leader. Sources said the party may nominate a high profile leader from here.
Tags: absence, anonymity, answer, barad, Bharatiya, Bharatiya Janata Party, bjp, bjp leader, bjp leaders, campaign, campaign offices, candidate, central election, command, condition, congress, constituency, decision, delay, election, Election Office, fix, issue, Janata, Jashubhai, Junagadh, leader, leadership, local, Lok, lok sabha, members, Monday, move, mp, name, nobody, nominee, office, party, party leader, party leadership, Profile, puzzles, sabha, seat, silence, state, town, unit, week
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Written by Rahul on 02 April 2009
The Congress on Tuesday declared its candidates for Gandhinagar and Navsari constituencies, thus clearing apprehensions that it may back the candidature of danseuse Mallika Sarabhai in Gandhinagar.
Suresh Patel, who is Congress’ sitting MLA from Kalol, will contest from Gandhinagar, while Bhavna Patel is the candidate from Navsari.
On Tuesday, senior Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia said the names have been cleared by the party high command. Suresh Patel is considered to be right candidate from Gandhinagar because of his influence among Patel voters, who account for around one-third of the total electorate of the constituency.
As for Bhavna Patel, Modhwadia said she had been involved in social activities in the Navsari area and hence connected with people at the grassroots level, which might help her in the polls.
However, the candidate for Rajkot seat is yet to be declared, as Congress’ ally at the Centre, Nationalist Congress Party, has claimed for the seat.
Mallika has declared to contest as an independent from Gandhinagar constituency against BJP’s prime ministerial candidate L K Advani.
However, Mallika had told mediapersons earlier that she would welcome it if the Congress supported her candidature. However, she had made it clear that she would not fight under the banner of any political party but as an independent candidate.
Sources said the Congress wanted Mallika to fight on its ticket, if she wanted the party’s support.
Tags: ally, apprehensions, area, Arjun, banner, Bhavna, bjp, candidate, candidature, centre, clearing, command, Cong, congress, congress leader, constituencies, constituency, danseuse, electorate, Gandhinagar, Grassroots Level, independent candidate, influence, Kalol, L. K. Advani, leader, level, mallika, Mallika Sarabhai, MLA, Modhwadia, nationalist congress party, Navsari, nominee, one-third, party, polls, prime ministerial candidate, Rajkot, Sarabhai, seat, support, Suresh Patel, ticket, Tuesday
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Written by Rahul on 02 April 2009
Thiruvananthapuram, April 1 (IANS) The Janata Dal-Secular, until recently an ally of the Left Democratic Front (LDF), is in trouble. One section has has quit the alliance while another wants to remain with the Marxists.
The problems confronting the JD-S came to the fore after its request that it be given the Kozhikode Lok Sabha seat was turned down by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), which heads the LDF.
The Kerala JD-S, led by media baron M.P. Veerendra Kumar, has over the years survived several splits. History is set to repeat itself with two of its five state legislators openly defying Kumar.
Kumar was elected to the Lok Sabha in 2004 from Kozhikode but the CPI-M told him this time to contest from Wayanad.
In protest, Kumar withdrew from the government of Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan JD-S nominee Mathew T. Thomas, Kerala’s transport minister. He also vowed to defeat LDF candidates all over Kerala.
On Wednesday, two legislators, former minister Thomas and Jose Thettayil, said they preferred to be with the LDF.
In New Delhi, JD-S spokesman Danish Ali announced that his party would continue in the LDF.
A delegation led by Thomas also met former prime minister H.D. Deva Gowda in Mangalore and asked him to convince Kumar to remain in the LDF.
K. Krishnankutty, the JD-S secretary general, told reporters that there was no going back on the decision of the state party to work against LDF candidates.
‘The CPI-M has ditched us. There is no question of reversing our decision,’ said Krishnankutty, a close aide of Kumar.
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Written by Rahul on 13 March 2009
Lucknow, Mar. (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati reportedly is keen to be the newly-constituted Third Front’s Prime Ministerial Candidate.
The decision on who will eventually be the candidate will be made on March 15 at a dinner in Lucknow. Most likely, Mayawati is going to be newly formed coalition’s nominee for the top slot.
Sources claimed that Mayawati wants the Third Front to finalize the PM candidate by March 15, which also marks BSP founder Kanshi Ram’s birth anniversary.
She revealed her ambition soon after Third Front’s was launched.
There are very few candidates to choose from for the post, so the battle won’t be that keen.
It is believed that Mayawati, who was in two minds about joining the coalition, sent her second-in-command Mishra, to the launch a rally only after being assured of the top slot. (ANI)
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Written by Rahul on 09 March 2009
New Delhi, Mar. 8 (ANI): The CPI (M) has released its first list of 59 candidates in 16 states for the coming Lok Sabha elections. The list, which includes 17 sitting MPs, features only three women.
CPI (M) will announce the candidates for Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Orissa and Lakshadweep in its second list, as seat sharing talks with allies in the states are still on.
“This is for the first time that the party is contesting from Lakshadweep,” CPI (M) General Secretary Prakash Karat told reporters after the two-day party Central Committee meeting on Sunday.
“We have identified 60 seats to contest in the first list. Candidates for 59 seats have been identified while the nominee for one seat in Assam will be announced by tomorrow evening,” he added.
The party is introducing 12 new names in the elections while only three women, including two sitting MPs from Bengal Susmita Bauri and Jyotirmoyee Sikdar, were nominated for fighting the elections.
“Hopefully there will some more women in the next list. I agree that party should make more efforts in this regard. More needs to be done,” Karat said, adding that his party was vociferous in demanding the passing of Women’s Reservation Bill. (ANI)
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Written by Rahul on 24 February 2009
Melbourne, February 24 (ANI): Hugh Jackman has managed to gather mixed reviews from US critics for hosting the recent Academy Awards in Los Angeles.
The World’s Sexiest Man, who opened the event with a musical tribute spoofing this year’s best picture nominees, also managed to up the US telecast ratings by as much as 6 per cent.
However, the Aussie actor held assorted criticism as the first-time-Oscar-host.
“Jackman did his best. His mission just wasn’t accomplishable,” News.com.au quoted the New York’s Daily News, who were also less impressed with his “human excrement” joke in the opening song, as saying.
To the New York Post, Jackman “performed like a cheesy cruise-ship entertainer to the endless hours of awards to dull men we’ve never heard of for categories we don’t care about”.
The Los Angeles Times said it did not care for “chorus boy spaz-out” and found it “weird” when he sat on nominee Frank Langella’s lap.
But, the New York Times praised Jackman as a “shrewd, even thrifty choice for a recession-era Oscar night – the hosting equivalent of a value meal.”
The Toronto Star credited Jackman for turning the ceremony “vastly more entertaining than it has been in years”. (ANI)
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Written by Rahul on 22 February 2009
Mumbai/Varansai, Feb 22 (ANI): As Hollywood’s Academy Awards are to get underway later on Sunday, residents of Dharavi in Mumbai, are hopeful of Oscars for ‘Slumdog Millionaire’.
Residents are very happy with the movie’s nomination in ten categories, hopeful that the Oscars glory would encourage slum children to move forward in life.
“If the movie wins Oscar, it would definitely take our country to new heights. After this movie, we know that children from India can do a lot. This movie would especially benefit children from poor families, as they would be encouraged to move forward in life and achieve something in life,” said Zaheer, a resident.
They are hopeful that the movie would pocket a couple of awards, having done good business across the world.
Another resident Mohammad Nafees added, “The movie should get the award. The movie has done a good business. Slum children have also worked in the movie so it would be good for them if it wins.”
The film had received mixed response across India as some slum dwellers found it offensive since it depicts the lives of impoverished Indians and the treatment of the cast.
Its director, Danny Boyle, has faced accusations from some parts of the Indian media that his film was ‘poverty porn’.
Bollywood actor Sushmita Sen disagreed with controversy and said that the movie shows reality, which everybody wants to see.
“People like to look at reality. What are we doing miles away, we don’t even know half the things. And who knows by films like this people will also come forward to want to know India. Because when I see Slumdog, I say Mercedes as well as a bullock cart run on the streets of my country,” said Sen.
Meanwhile, people in Varanasi offered special prayers to the Ganga river for the film getting honours at the Oscars.
“Today at the Ganga river bank, we are offering prayer for the Oscar nominee ‘Slumdog Millionaire’,” said Ravikant Vishvakarma, a resident.
“Slumdog Millionaire” is nominated for 10 Oscars, including best picture and best director. It already has won at the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild, and the British BAFTA awards. (ANI)
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Written by Rahul on 19 February 2009
Washington, Feb 19 (ANI): An unauthorized biography of Sarah Palin, written by a People magazine Assistant Editor, has been criticized by Alaska Governor’s spokeswoman, who said that it can’t be trusted.
The newly released ‘Trailblazer: An Intimate Biography of Sarah Palin’, written by Lorenzo Benet, contains an intriguing claim that runs counter to previously published reports about how Palin ended up as GOP presidential nominee John McCain’s running mate, reports Politico.com.
The book states that Palin learned that she was on the vice-presidential shortlist at a February 2008 governors’ meeting in Washington – six months earlier than recounted in a statement released in August by the McCain campaign.
An advance copy of the book states, “She had spent the previous few weeks increasing her national profile. She had traveled to Washington, D.C., for the National Governors’ Conference, where she met privately with John McCain and learned she was on the short list as a running mate,” However, Benet’s account has been disputed by Palin, whose camp is accusing the author of writing ‘fantasies’ and practicing ‘bad journalism.
In a statement, Palin spokeswoman Meghan Stapleton said there was no movement on the vice presidential selection until August, a story corroborated by accounts from within the McCain campaign.
According to several sources familiar with the February meeting, it marked the first time Palin met McCain in person.
“The author has his facts wrong on this one. Nothing happened on the VP selection until August. Getting such an important fact wrong casts doubts on whatever else might be in the book.
And attributing his conjecture to the governor is bad journalism. The governor did not authorize this book and is not responsible for whatever fantasies the author might conjure up,” Politico.com quoted Stapleton, as saying.
Benet said that his account of the exchange between Palin and McCain was not based on information provided by the governor. It’s my belief that was when she knew she was in the game. I can’t say whether that’s what she was told or if that’s what she wanted,” Benet said.
Benet added that the line was ‘based off my own sourcing’ and that ‘it’s my own gut instinct; she didn’t tell me that.’ (ANI)
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Written by Rahul on 18 February 2009
Patna, Feb 18 (ANI): A court in Patna on Wednesday postponed the hearing in a case filed against Oscar nominee film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ till February 24, in which the petitioner has charged that the title is offensive and derogatory.
The petition has been filed against music director A R Rahman, actor Anil Kapoor and other Indians associated with the film.
” We have not filed a case that will cause massive harm to the makers of the film. The truth is that we have been hearing ‘dog’ for quite some time and we have raised objection against the same,” said Shruti Singh, advocate for the petitioner.
Tapeshwar Vishwakarma, General Secretary of Slum Dwellers’ Joint Action Committee said that the title of the film is an insult to the people residing in slums.
Vishwakarma expressed his disgust at the society that is regaling over the title of the movie just because the film happens to be a nomination for the Oscar Awards and not looking at what he called the Indians insulting fellow Indians.
Irrespective of the controversy, ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ has won critical acclaim both in and outside India.
It has swept award shows and even garnered 10 Oscar nominations. (ANI)
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Written by Rahul on 18 February 2009
Washington, Feb 18 (ANI): British actress Kate Winslet credits her toned physique to “a wing and a prayer”, insisting she’s “too busy” to even think about exercising.
The Oscar nominee, who has struggled with weight since she was a teenager, insists she hasn’t been slimming down for the big ceremony.
When asked if she was dieting, Winslet said, “N.O. (I) absolutely do not. I’m very sort of relaxed and vocal about these things. I have not done a stitch of exercise since October. I literally have not had the time.”
“I’m just going to eat normally, I’m not going to make cuts.
“If I’m keeping it together it’s by a wing and a prayer. I just want to enjoy this,” she added.
The 33-year-old actress is winning accolades for her role in The Reader, and is tipped to win the Best actress at the Oscars.
She has already scooped two awards in Golden Globes and walked away with Best actress gong at the Baftas. (ANI)
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Written by Rahul on 11 February 2009
Washington, Feb 10 (ANI): John Mayer has revealed that till date he feels bad about his 2005 ‘Song of the Year’ Grammy Award – because he believes fellow nominee Alicia Keys was the real winner.
The singer/songwriter, who was honoured with Best Male Pop Vocal Performance gong at the 51st Grammy Awards ceremony, held on February 8, 2009, for his hit ‘Say’, has admitted that he didn’t feel his ‘Daughters’ track should have won gold four years ago.
“I’m still enough of a music lover to know when people get it right and when people get it wrong. Every once in a while I’ll get a Grammy and I’ll go, ‘Yeah, I really thought that was a special moment that I had on tape,’ but then other times I think other people should win it,” Contactmusic quoted him, as saying.
“I won Song of The Year for a song called Daughters… and Alicia Keys, who I love so much, was up against me with a song called If I Ain’t Got You and she played at the Grammys, and I was like, ‘This is the most amazing thing in the world.’
“I won and I didn’t think I should because she had a better song,” he added.
The win haunted Mayer for years – until he got the chance to work with Keys and give her part of his Grammy trophy.
“She came over to my apartment and I said, ‘There’s something I’ve gotta give you,’ and I took the Song of The Year Grammy and, with my brute, semi-drunk strength, removed the top half of the Grammy and gave it to her,” he said. (ANI)
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Written by Rahul on 07 February 2009
New Delhi, Feb. 6, (ANI): Former President of The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) Kiran Karnik was appointed as the chairman of Satyam Computers Services Ltd. on Friday.
The decision of Karnik’s appointment came a day after appointment of A. S. Murthy as its new chief executive officer. Karnik would be the chairman of Satyam’s six-member board.
The Government had initially constituted the board of Satyam with three members including Karnik, Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) chairman Deepak Parekh and past presiding officer of Securities Appellate Tribunal C. Achutan.
The government later expanded the board of Satyam by nominating three more members including Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) chief mentor Tarun Das, Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) nominee S Balakrishna Mainak and past president of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), T. N. Manoharan.
Karnik was NASSCOM President in 2001-02 and earlier held several key positions in the IT sector. He has also served as managing director of Discovery Network in the country.
In his career, spanning over three decades, Karnik has been conferred many awards and accolades. He has been awarded the Padma Shri award in 2007. Business Week named Karnik as one of the ‘Stars of Asia’ in 2004.
He was also selected as Forbes magazine’s ‘Face of the Year 2003′, for being a driving force behind India’s off shoring wave. (ANI)
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Written by Rahul on 07 February 2009
Washington, February 6 (ANI): Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie has asked the Thailand Government to free around 110,000 Burmese refugees who have been locked inside camps for up to 20 years in the country, and let them move around and seek higher education.
The 33-year-old Oscar nominee, who is also a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. Refugee Agency, made this request after a visit to Thailand’s Ban Mai Nai Soi refugee centre on Wednesday.
“I was saddened to meet a 21-year-old woman who was born in a refugee camp, who has never even been out of the camp and is now raising her own child in a camp,” People magazine quoted her as saying in a statement, released on Thursday.
Her appeal comes at a time where there has been an increase of migrants from Myanmar, amidst accusations of flagrant crimes against ethnic minorities levelled against the country’s military junta.
Jolie met orphans at a boarding school, and teenage girls who worried about a return to Myanmar, during her visit.
“I hope we can work with the Thai authorities to speed up the government admissions process and that you will not be forced to go back to Burma if danger remains,” she said. (ANI)
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Written by Rahul on 07 February 2009
Washington, Feb.5 (ANI): The White House’s nominee for Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Leon Panetta, earned over 700,000 dollars in speaking and consulting fees since the beginning of 2008, with some of the payments coming from troubled financial firms and from a firm that invests in contractors for federal national security agencies, according to financial disclosures released Wednesday and reviewed by the Wall Street Journal.
Panetta received 56,000 dollars from Merrill Lynch and Co. for two speeches and 28,000 dollars for a speech for Wachovia Corp., according to disclosures released ahead of Thursday’s scheduled Senate hearing on Panetta’s nomination.
Both Merrill and Wachovia reported big losses last year and were acquired by larger firms. The Wachovia honorarium was dated October 30, and the last Merrill Lynch honorarium was dated October 11, according to disclosure forms filed by Panetta in connection with his nomination.
At the time, Bank of America had agreed to a rescue of Merrill Lynch; Wachovia had agreed to be acquired by Wells Fargo and Co.
The former White House chief of staff’s disclosure form also shows the delicate balance President Barack Obama is trying to strike — trying to curb the influence of lobbyists in his administration, while relying on long-time Washington veterans who often help clients navigate the halls of power.
Panetta’s forms show that he performed government affairs consulting last year and also sat on the board of a public affairs firm that lobbies Congress, though Panetta doesn’t violate Obama’s ban on hiring registered lobbyists. (ANI)
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Written by Rahul on 26 January 2009
Washington, Jan 24 (ANI): Brad Pitt has confessed that he doesn’t know how to operate a computer.
When asked during Newsweek’s 13th annual Oscar Roundtable if he’s ever “googled” himself, the 45-year-old Oscar nominee replied, “Dear God. No. Never. First of all, I don’t really know how to operate a computer.”
The hunky actor said that he is glad he isn’t trying to launch his career these days, reports Us magazine.
“I feel for the people who are just getting into the business. It sets the wrong focus,” he said.
He added that he is thankful that he is at a certain point in his career.
“I have nothing to prove anymore,” Pitt said.
“The only thing that’s worth anything is when you explore something that’s interesting. I did a film a couple years ago, The Assassination of Jesse James, and it’s on the books as a failure. I loved that movie, I had such a great experience.
“My point is, I am absolutely free to follow the things that interest me,” the actor adds.
“I believe if it interests me, there will be a few other people interested as well. To me it comes down to discovery,” he said. (ANI)
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Written by Rahul on 26 January 2009
London, Jan 23 (ANI): If experts are to be believed, critically acclaimed ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ is at 2-7odds of winning the prestigious Academy Award for the Best Motion Picture.
The film, which has won four Golden Globe Awards and has garnered 10 nominations at the Oscars, tracks the story of Jamal Malik, a dirt-poor orphan from the slums who astonishes India when he does well on the country’s version of ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire?’
Indian music composer AR Rahman has been nominated for original score while director Danny Boyle is a nominee in Best Director category.
Damian Smee, film expert from William Hill, one of the largest bookmakers in the UK, has been compiling Oscar odds for 27 years and picks up the winner ‘eight times out of ten’.
He said that Slumdog Millionaire is at 2-7 odds of winning the Oscars while The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button is at 4-1 odds.
Boyle is at 4-9 odds of winning the Oscars for the Best Director compared to 7-2 for David Fincher, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, 8-1 for Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon, 8-1 for Stephen Daldry, The Reader, and 10-1 for Gus Van Sant, Milk.
Kate Winslet has 8-15 odds of winning the Best actress award for The Reader, while Anne Hathaway is at 8-15 odds of winning for Rachel Getting Married.
Angelina Jolie (Changeling) and Meryl Streep (Doubt) are at 8-1 odds of winning the gong.
Mickey Rourke’s role as retired professional wrestler Randy in The Wrestler puts him at the highest odds of winning the Academy Award for Best Actor with 4-6 odds.
Brad Pitt has 14-1 odds of winning award for The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, while Sean Penn is at 6-4 odds of winning the gong. (ANI)
“The biggest prizes have never looked as settled as they do this year,” Times Online quoted a spokesman for the betting company as saying.
“There’s normally at least two contenders for each award but this year the favourites are all nailed on,” he added. (ANI)
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Written by Rahul on 21 January 2009
Washington, Jan.21 (ANI): President Barack Obama has won the full U.S. Senate’s approval for six of his Cabinet nominees, just hours after he took the oath of office.
According to Fox News, the Senate unanimously confirmed the Cabinet members with a single voice vote, though the vote for Secretary of State nominee Hillary Clinton was postponed until Wednesday over the objections of a single senator, Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn.
Cornyn said he still had concerns about foreign donations to the foundation headed by Clinton’s husband, former President Bill Clinton.
But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid spokesman Jim Manley said Clinton would nevertheless “receive overwhelming bipartisan support.”
Among those confirmed Tuesday were Obama’s energy secretary Steven Chu, homeland security secretary Janet Napolitano; agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack; education secretary Arne Duncan; interior secretary Ken Salazar; and veterans affairs secretary Eric Shinseki.
The Senate also approved Peter Orszag, recently the director of the Congressional Budget Office, to head the White House’s Office of Management and Budget.
Obama signed nominating papers for his Cabinet choices about an hour after he took the oath.
The Senate traditionally moves quickly to affirm the new president’s Cabinet.
By comparison, George W. Bush won approval for seven nominees as soon as he took office.
Cornyn’s spokesman Kevin McLaughlin said the senator is not trying to block Clinton confirmation, but is seeking more debate on the donation issue.
Several Republicans raised questions at Clinton’s confirmation hearing about possible conflicts of interest from Bill Clinton’s fundraising work and his acceptance of large donations from foreign countries and companies.
In her testimony, Clinton said the foundation would provide a clearer picture of its annual donations.
Timothy Geithner, Obama’s nominee to head the treasury department, faces the Finance Committee Wednesday, where he will have to explain his initial failure to pay payroll taxes he owed while working for the International Monetary Fund.
The Judiciary Committee is expected to vote as early as Wednesday on Eric Holder to be attorney general.
Also still in the confirmation process is former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle, Obama’s pick to head health and human services and spearhead his efforts to reform health care.
Robert Gates, who has served as defense secretary under Bush, will continue in that position in the Obama administration. (ANI)
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