We were always meant to be: Abhishek on life with Aishwarya

Actor Abhishek Bachchan is truly, deeply, madly  in love with his wife and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai. The couple have been married for seven years now and have a cute little daughter Aaradhya.

Aishwarya is my anchor, says Abhishek Bachchan

Son of India's most revered actors Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan and husband of world's most beautiful woman, Abhishek spills the beans about his love for Ash on TV chat show -Look Who's Talking with Niranjan.

Speaking to Niranjan Iyengar, Abhishek recalls how he cofessed his love for Aishwarya.

It was during the shooting of Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. An extremely emotional scene where he had to hold his father's picture and tell Rani that he is no more broke him down so much that even director Karan Johar started crying. Then Micky Contractor took him for a long drive after that where he opened up and confessed that he was in love with Aishwarya.

Abhishek says, "Aishwarya is my anchor. She is my buddy, my closest friend. I can discuss anything with her. Our relationship is not based on her being Aishwarya Rai or me coming from an illustrious family. It is just about two people falling in love which has organically grown. We started during Guru. It was meant to be."

Well, so much in love Abhishek is sure a lucky guy!

Bigg Boss 8: Super fight for luxury budget

It is now common knowledge that since Karishma's Superheroes won the first leg of the luxury budget task "Superheroes vs Supervillains", her team also wins the luxury budget for the coming week. As the day commences, the luxury budget is announced and what a joyous moment it turns out to be.

Bigg Boss Season 8

Bigg Boss not only applauds Karishma's team for winning the task but also the efforts of many other team members and awards them a larger luxury budget. However, where there are rewards, there are also some deductions. Bigg Boss recognized every moment that the contestants broke the house rules and deducted points from the contestants for every mishap.

In the end, the contestants had a total of 1400 points that they could use to purchase luxury items that were placed in the store room. But when the game is Bigg Boss, nothing can be super easy!

Bigg Boss had spread out all the luxury items in the store room with every product being priced differently. Karishma was allowed to take one of her team members and head to the store room to pick out their necessities. However, there was a catch!

Bigg Boss 8: Diandra and Karishma sort items of luxury budget

The contestants had to shop within a span of 2 minutes and could not go beyond the 1400 points limit. In case they managed to go beyond the points limit, all the products that they had shopped for would be taken away by Bigg Boss and the contestants would be left without any luxury items.

Will Karishma manage to bring luxury budget home?

Diesel rate may be cut by Rs 2.50/litre post state elections

A Rs 2.50 per litre cut in diesel prices and a little less than Re1 a litre on petrol is in offing as international oil rates fell to a 27-month low.

Prices may be cut after Maharashtra and Haryana assembly elections are completed on October 15, sources privy to the development said.

Benchmark Brent crude on Wednesday slid by as much as $1.35 to $90.76 a barrel, its lowest level since June 2012.

Prices have declined 18 per cent this year.

The drop in rates will result in profit on sale of diesel expand from Rs 1.90 a litre calculated based on average rate prevailing in the second half of September.

Despite wiping out of under-recoveries or the difference between retail selling price and its imported cost, on sale of diesel on September 16 and the subsequent resultant over- recovery to Rs 1.90, the government has not cut rates due to election code.

Petrol on the other hand, had been deregulated in June 2010 and rates have since then moved every fortnight in tandem with the cost. Petrol rates last cut by 54 paise on October 1 in line with international trend.

Sources said a petrol price revision will take place on its due date of October 15 as per the practice of fixing rates on 1st and 16th of every month based on average international prices in the previous fortnight.

It is unclear if diesel price review would also happen on the same day. Though desired diesel prices are also calculated as per the fortnightly formula, the commodity continues to be under government control.

Sources said the Oil Ministry is of the view that while the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) on January 17, 2013, allowed a monthly increase in diesel price of 40-50 paise per month to wipe out the under-recovery, it wasn't envisaged that there would be over-recovery.

Despite the over-recovery, diesel prices have not been deregulated or freed yet.
Softening international oil rates have meant that diesel under-recovery or the difference between retail price and its imported cost was wiped out and there was an over-recovery of 35 paise a litre from September 16. This over-recovery swelled to Rs 1.90 a litre on October 1 and is further projected to rise to Rs 2.50.

Oil industry wants diesel rates to be reduced to protect their market share which they otherwise would lose to private retailers who price the fuel in tandem with international prices.

BSE Sensex, Nifty plunge on increased capital outflows

The benchmark Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) index Sensex fell over 159 points in early trade on Monday on continued capital outflows by foreign funds and selling by retail investors after industrial production growth slowed to five-month low in August amid a weak global trend.
The 30-issue Sensex declined by 159.35 points (or 0.61 per cent), to 26,138.03 with realty, metal, auto, capital goods and banking stocks, leading the fall.
Brokers said selling activity gathered momentum on disappointing economic data as the country's industrial production growth slowed to a five-month low of 0.4 per cent in August.
The BSE barometer had plunged 339.90 points in its previous session on Friday.
Similarly, the National Stock Exchange (NSE) index Nifty moved down by 52.00 points (or 0.66 per cent), to trade at 7,807.95.
Besides, a cautious approach by participants ahead of quarterly earnings of bluechip company Reliance Industries (RIL), to be announced after market hours on Monday and a weak trend in other Asian markets, influenced trading sentiments in the domestic market.
Shares of RIL were down 0.72 per cent to Rs 953.40 in early trade.
Among other Asian markets, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was down by 0.89 per cent, while Japan's financial markets are closed on Monday for a public holiday.
The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.69 per cent lower in Friday's trade.

India-West Indies third ODI called off

The third One-Day International (ODI) of the five-match series between India and the West Indies, scheduled here for Tuesday, has been called off due to the cyclonic storm 'Hudhud', the BCCI said.

The ODI was set to take place at the Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium here.

Board of Control for Cricket in India joint secretary Anurag Thakur said the Andhra Cricket Association was confident of hosting the ODI on Tuesday but "due to extreme weather conditions" they have decided to call it off to avoid any risk.

"Due to extreme weather conditions, the BCCI has had to cancel the ODI. It is disappointing but we cannot overcome natural calamities," Thakur was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

"Even though the host association was hopeful of staging the match, if the weather cleared, the BCCI didn't want to take any risk."

Severe cyclonic storm 'Hudhud' hit the country's east coast earlier Sunday and left six people dead. Authorities in Andhra Pradesh evacuated 90,013 people across the four districts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhaptnam and East Godavari, while about 68,000 people were evacuated from coastal districts of Odisha.

The BCCI had earlier over-ruled the possibility of shifting the ODI due to logistical issues.

After the first two matches, the series stands levelled at 1-1. The opening match was won by the visitors, who thumped India by 124 runs.

But in the next ODI in Delhi, the hosts levelled the series with a 48-run win.

GOVERNMENT TO SPEND RS.33,000 CRORE ON BROADBAND IN 3 YEARS

New Delhi, Sep 23 : The government is planning to spend around Rs.33,000 crore in the next three years on its broadband projects, Telecom Secretary Rakesh Garg said here Tuesday.

The projects are National Optic Fibre Network (NOFN) and Government Users Network (GUN).

"Government will spend Rs.33,000 crore in the next three years in these projects," Garg said.

He was speaking at the 10th national summit on "E-governance & Digital India: Minimum Government, Maximum Governance", organised by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).

The government has already approved Rs.21,000 crore for the NOFN programme that aims to connect 2.5 lakh gram panchayats by 2017 through broadband connectivity.

ARCTIC SEA ICE HELPS BALANCING CO2 LEVEL

London, :-Arctic Sea ice removes carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and if Arctic Sea ice is reduced further, we will face an increase in atmospheric concentration of CO2, says a study.

Because of global warming, more and more parts of Arctic Sea ice melt in the summer and when these freeze over in the winter, the ice is thinner.

As the Arctic summers get warmer, we may see an acceleration in global warming as reduced sea ice in the Arctic will remove less CO2 from the atmosphere, the researchers said.

"If our results are representative, then sea ice plays a greater role than expected, and we should take this into account in future global CO2 budgets," said Dorte Haubjerg Soegaard from Nordic Center for Earth Evolution, University of Southern Denmark.

It was known for long that the Earth's oceans could absorb huge amounts of CO2 and it was thought that ocean areas covered by ice were not capable of such absorption given their impenetrable nature.

"However, this is not true. New research shows that sea ice in the Arctic draws large amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere into the ocean," Haubjerg Soegaard added.

The chemical processes in sea level have a deeper impact on the ability to remove CO2 than biological processes, showed researchers.

"In summer, when the sea ice melts, calcium carbonate dissolves, and CO2 is needed for this process. Thus, CO2 gets drawn from the atmosphere into the ocean - and therefore CO2 gets removed from the atmosphere," Haubjerg Soegaard explained.

Frost flowers, flower-like ice formations formed on the surface of newly formed sea ice, in the winter hold extremely high concentrations of calcium carbonate, which can have a further significant impact on the potential CO2 uptake in the Arctic, found Dorte Haubjerg Soegaard.

'INDIA'S SPACE SUCCESS UNDERSCORES TECHNOLOGICAL CAPABILITY'

CHENNAI, Sep 24 (AGENCY) The success of the Mars mission “underscores the country's technological capability in the space sector", said a senior nuclear scientist Wednesday.

India Wednesday made history by becoming the first country in the world to enter the Martian orbit in its maiden attempt.

"The nation must celebrate this achievement. The success of this Mars mission just underscores the country's technological capability in the space sector," Anil Kakodkar, former chairman, Atomic Energy Commission and now a member, told IANS.

However, he does not considers that India's success in the space sector will add pressure on the country's nuclear establishment in delivering as per promises made.

"There is no competition between the two sectors (space and atomic energy). And there is no pressure on the atomic power sector owing to the success achieved by the Indian space scientists," Kakodkar said.

According to him, the Indian atomic energy establishment is achieving success in its own sphere of activity.

"The 500 MW prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR) is around the corner. It will demonstrate the huge technological feat of India in the nuclear power sector. There is also good progress in the advanced heavy water reactor project," he said.

The indigenously designed PFBR is expected to go on stream next year at Kalpakkam near here.

According to him, addition of nuclear power generation capacity through international collaboration would happen once the foreign suppliers understand the Indian law on nuclear liability issue.

However, suspense still continues about the starting power generation on commercial basis at the first 1,000 MW unit at Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP).

India's atomic power plant operator Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) is setting up two 1,000 MW Russian reactors at Kudankulam in Tirunelveli district, 650 km from here. The total outlay for the project is over Rs.17,000 crore.

The KNPP is India's first pressurised water reactor belonging to the light water reactor category.

The first unit attained criticality July 2013, which is the beginning of the fission process.

SENSEX UP 50 POINTS; HEALTHCARE STOCKS GAIN

Mumbai, Sep 24 : A benchmark index of Indian equities markets Wednesday was trading 50.47 points or 0.19 percent up as healthcare stocks gained.

Good buying was observed in healthcare, consumer durables and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sectors, while selling pressure was seen in auto sector.

The 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex) of the S&P Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 26,817.94 points, was trading at 26,826.16 points (at 09.37 a.m.) in the early session, up 50.47 points or 0.19 percent from the previous day's close at 26,775.69 points.

The Sensex touched a high of 26,844.70 points and a low of 26,741.38 points in the trade so far.

The S&P healthcare index gained 124.01 points, consumer durables index 79.47 points and FMCG index moved up by 60.98 points. However, auto index was down by 17.25 points.

The wider 50-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) was also trading 8.90 points or 0.11 percent up at 8,026.45 points.

TOKYO, People attend an anti-nuclear demonstration in Tokyo, Japan, Sept. 23, 2014. 16,000 people participated in the demonstration.