Italian prime minister Berlusconi elected ‘Rockstar of the Year’

October 25th, 2009 HUA HIN - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday admitted that there have been delays in some Commonwealth Games projects, but said eventually it will be a "spectacular show". The Commonwealth Games 2010 will be held in New Delhi Oct 3-14.

October 12th, 2009 PATNA - After "Lalu Chalisa" and "Nitish Chalisa", now there is "Amitabh Chalisa". A Bihar-based lawyer has composed a specially-structured hymn in praise of the Bollywood megastar, who turned 67 recently.

September 12th, 2009 KATHMANDU - Though former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell aka Ginger Spice kicked up a furore in Nepal by hugging and kissing Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal in public, Indian and Australian singing divas, who too are currently touring the Himalayan republic for a good cause, are not spicing up their acts with similar encores. Bollywood sensation Sunidhi Chauhan and Australian pop singer Kate Miller-Heidke are taking part in the MTV End Exploitation and Trafficking (MTV EXIT) campaign, sponsored by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and London-based charity MTV Europe Foundation to raise awareness about domestic and cross-border human trafficking through a series of concerts that end Sep 19.

September 8th, 2009 TV host who popularized quiz shows in Italy diesROME — Mike Bongiorno, a TV host who popularized quiz shows for generations of Italians and became a symbol of national television, has died. He was 85. Bongiorno died of a heart attack at his home in Monte Carlo, the ANSA news agency and satellite TV station Sky Italia said.

August 19th, 2009 LONDON - Author of a new biography of Imran Khan claims that the cricketer-turned-politician was romantically involved with late former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto when both of them studied together at Oxford University. In his book, Christopher Sandford writes that Bhutto became infatuated with Khan, and the pair enjoyed a "close" and possibly "sexual" relationship.he author has also alleged that Khan's mother even tried to organise an arranged marriage between the pair, but to no avail.

August 3rd, 2009 MUMBAI - His latest venture "Love Aaj Kal" has opened to a favourable response worldwide. And Imtiaz Ali, who is basking in his second success, has no immediate plans of reviving his 2006 project "Rockstar" or facing the camera in the near future.

July 24th, 2009 LONDON - He doesn't like Prime Minister Gordon Brown or opposition leader David Cameron and he is a Liberal Democrat -- "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe revealed all this and much more in an interview to a gay magazine. According to thesun.co.uk, Radcliffe got candid about his political views while speaking to the magazine Attitude.

June 25th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday promised a film industry delegation that called on him that he would protect the industry against piracy, and that he wanted "Indian cinema to flourish". "Piracy is like the kiss of death for us.

June 24th, 2009 MUMBAI - Singer Adnan Sami said his father, a prominent Pakistani diplomat, passed away in a hospital here Monday and as per his last wish the body will be flown to Islamabad to be buried near his home. Arshad Sami Khan died from cancer of the pancreas and the funeral is to be held Friday, the singer said.

June 20th, 2009 CHENNAI - After successfully holding an international screenwriting workshop here, acclaimed actor-director Kamal Haasan now plans to produce, direct and act in some short films - based on the Tamil Nadu capital. "My whole life revolves around Chennai.

June 14th, 2009 MACAU - Bipasha Basu should be India's environment minister because she was "the real reason for global warming all over the world." This was the choice of International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards hosts Boman Irani and Riteish Deshmukh who unveiled their dream cabinet before a packed auditorium at the Chinese resort here as the annual event marked its 10th anniversary. The comic duo announced their choice that they said should have been appointed by Bollywood after the recent elections, much to the delight of the 15,000 strong crowd here Saturday night.

June 12th, 2009 MUMBAI - Filmmaker Mukesh Bhatt says his bad experience with the multiplexes during the release of "Raaz 2" inspired him to become a crusader for producers' rights during the standoff with multiplex owners over profit sharing. He now wants to meet the prime minister to remind him about an independent government cell that he promised to set up to safeguard filmmakers' interests.

May 31st, 2009 Berlusconi slams paparazzi, laments media scandalROME — Premier Silvio Berlusconi slammed the paparazzi Sunday for taking photos of a New Year's party at his Sardinian home that was attended by an 18-year-old at the heart of a political and personal storm. At a campaign stop in Bari, the premier also lamented that the scandal was playing out on the front pages of newspapers, saying such personal matters belonged exclusively in the private, family sphere.

May 30th, 2009 BANGALORE - After a shock defeat in the general elections, it was a low-key birthday for film actor-turned-politician M.H. Ambareesh without the usual fanfare and line-up of politicians.

May 4th, 2009 Italy's Berlusconi demands apology from his wifeROME — A peeved Premier Silvio Berlusconi has demanded a public apology from his wife, who announced she was seeking a divorce from the billionaire media magnate because she was fed up with his roving eye for younger women. Going on the counterattack, the 72-year-old, perma-tanned conservative premier, who in recent years has had hair transplants and plastic surgery around the eyes, appeared more intent on saving his wounded pride than his foundering marriage.