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For the first time in many years, Bollywood  will witness some big ticket releases with huge star-power all in the month of January, generally considered a ‘jinx’ for the industry. Bollywood Dhamaka 2016  - From megastar Amitabh Bachchan, action hero Sunny Deol, superstar Akshay Kumar to filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani, all are set to release their films in the first month of 2016, leading to many clashes at the box office. The year will begin with “Wazir”, starring Bachchan and actor Farhan Akhtar. The high voltage drama-thriller is produced by filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra and helmed by “Shaitan” director Bejoy Nambiar. “Wazir” will clash with the social-drama “Chauranga”, produced by Onir and starring actor Sanjay Suri, Tannishtha Chatterjee among others. It will be followed by “Ghayal Once Again”, releasing on January 15, which has been directed, written and produced by Deol. It is the sequel to the 1990 super-hit action drama “Ghayal” and will mark the comeback of Deol who starred

Pakistan Prime Minister  Nawaz Sharif  has invited India to hold talks with the country on all issues, saying that the two neighbours cannot live like enemies. According to the Dawn, Sharif said that India and Pakistan need to resolve all issues in a comprehensive way. His statement came while he was addressing a foundation stone-laying ceremony for the western route of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project here on Wednesday. The route will cover Zhob-Mughal Kot (N-50) and Qila Saifullah-Wagum (N-70). Sharif also said that National Security Adviser Nasser Janjua had held meetings with Indian officials to discuss issues and conflicts between the two countries.

Deadly extreme weather  on at least five continents is driven in large part by a record-breaking El Nino, but climate change is a likely booster too, experts said. The 2015-16 El Nino, they added, is the strongest ever measured. “It is probably the most powerful in the last 100 years,” said Jerome Lecou, a climate expert at the French weather service Meteo France, noting that accurate measurements have only existed since the mid-20th century. Flooding and mudslides unleashed by torrential rains have killed at least 10 people and driven more than 150,000 from their homes in Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay in recent days. In central and southwestern United States – where temperatures in Texas are forecast to drop from a balmy 28 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit) Saturday to zero (32 F) on Monday – clashing weather fronts have given rise to snow-packed blizzards, freezing rain and a spate of tornadoes that have claimed at least 43 lives. Across the Pacific, meanwhile, wildfire

The three-way merger between Reliance Communications (RCom), Aircel and MTS (brand of Sistema Shyam) is on course to create a formidable company, with best-in-class spectrum and reasonably strong financials. Even as the entities have written to the  Competition Commission of India (CCI) for approval, both RCom and Aircel are working on lowering their debt, which they have agreed to cap in the new entity at Rs 20,000 crore.Sistema Shyam has agreed to settle its liabilities ahead of the merger with RCom. After the sale of its tower and fibre assets, RCom’s debt is expected to come down to Rs 10,000 crore, which will be transferred to the merged entity. Aircel, too, is planning to bring down its debt to Rs 10,000 crore from the present Rs 26,000 crore. Sistema Shyam will also pay off its Rs 4,153 crore debt. Experts said the company would have found it difficult to incur capital expenditure if the debt of the combined entity remained elevated. Emailed questionnaires to Aircel an

Iconic Marathi poet and  Padma Bhushan  recipient Mangesh Keshav Padgaonkar passed away here today after a brief illness. He was 86. Born on March 10, 1929 in Vengurla, Sindhudurg district in Maharashtra, he received a Master of Arts degree in Marathi and Sanskrit from the University of Bombay. He taught Marathi at Ruia College for some years, and then during the 1970-1990 period served as an editor at the US Information Service, both in Mumbai. Along with poets Vinda Karandikar and Vasant Bapat, Padgaonkar was part of many poetry recitation programmes that were held in Maharashtra in 1960s and 1970s. He has also written lyrics of many Marathi film songs. Sung by Arun Date, his songs “Ya Janmawar, Ya Jaganyawar Shatada Prem Karawe”, “Bhatukalichya Khelamadhali” and “Shukratara Mand Wara” are well known. Read More News :  National Herald case  |  Paris climate change |  INS Kolkata .  |   Premier Badminton League   |  India-Russia Summit | Reliance Jio   |   Google projects   | 

Researchers have recently found that a new oral drug for  breast cancer  named, Palbociclib, has potential to combat other types of cancer as well. Scientists from University of Pennsylvania said that Palbociclib targets the rapid division of tumor cells by inhibiting the activity of the enzymes CDK4 and CDK6, which propel cell division and increase in number in most cancers. It is the first CDK4/6 inhibitor to be approved for the treatment of breast cancer. Lead author Amy S. Clark said that all living cells undergo cell division and Palbociclib has a unique capacity to halt the cell division process, therefore it has potentially broad applicability. Clark added that pairing Palbociclib with other anti-cancer therapies such as endocrine therapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy can create a powerful combinatorial effect with real promise for addressing a variety of cancers. Read More News :  National Herald case  |  Paris climate change |  INS Kolkata .    |   Premier

The Indian Navy on Wednesday successfully test-fired the long-range surface-to-air missile, Barak-8, from onboard  INS Kolkata . The missile system is being jointly developed by IAI, DRDO, Israel’s Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure, Elta Systems, Rafael and other companies. The Ministry of Defence expressed jubilance over this quantum jump in air defence capability of the Indian Navy. In a series of tweets, the Defence Ministry said, “Indian Navy achieves a significant milestone in enhancing its anti missile defence capability. Successfully test fires long range surface to air missiles from INS Kolkata. Aerial targets destroyed at extended ranges.Quantum jump in air defence capability of Indian Navy. LRSAMs being fitted in capital warships progressively.” Read More News :  National Herald case  |  Paris climate change  | SpiceJet   |   Premier Badminton League   |  India-Russia Summit | Reliance Jio   |   Google projects   | 

Contagious cancers  may not be as rare as thought, say scientists who have discovered a second transmissible cancer in Tasmanian devils - small dog-sized ferocious carnivores found in the Australian island state of Tasmania. Transmissible cancers - cancers which can spread between individuals by the transfer of living cancer cells - are believed to arise extremely rarely in nature. One of the few known transmissible cancers causes facial tumours in Tasmanian devils, and is threatening this species with extinction. The discovery by researchers from the University of Tasmania in Australia, and the University of Cambridge in UK, calls into question our current understanding of the processes that drive cancers to become transmissible. Tasmanian devils are iconic marsupial carnivores that are only found in the wild in Tasmania. The size of a small dog, the animals have a reputation for ferocity as they frequently bite each other during mating and feeding interactions.  Read More New

It was a mixed bag for  Bollywood in 2015  where content-driven films found space while superstars-led movies earned big bucks, with the year ending on a high note after the success of Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol starrer “Dilwale” and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Bajirao Mastani”. Stars were seen experimenting in the big budget format as Salman ditched his action-man image to play a simpleton in “Bajrangi Bhaijaan”. He had another hit in “Prem Ratan Dhan Payo”, which was big on nostalgia so was Shah Rukh’s box office outing “Dilwale”, whose promotions were centered around his iconic chemistry with Kajol. The unusual father-daughter chemistry of Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone in “Piku” was loved by the audience, Akshay Kumar’s thriller “Baby”, based on covet operations and S S Rajamouli’s epic historical film “Baahubali” too received appreciation from people. Ajay Devgn-starrer “Drishyam” was also a major success. The year, however, truly belonged to Deepika as she had three back-to-b

Actress Priyanka Chopra is off on a “much needed” vacation post her debut outing in international TV show “Quantico” and her stint as Kashibai in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “ Bajirao Mastani ”.  The 33-year-old former Miss World had a busy schedule this year.  “Off off and away… Much needed… Wishing everyone wonderful holidays… Feel loved and smile…,” Priyanka posted on Twitter.  The actress is all praise for Bhansali, who also worked with her in “Mary Kom”.  “Admiration always.. What an artiste you are #sanjayLeelaBhansali love you always.