New novel by ‘Da Vinci Code’ author

October 13th, 2009 LONDON - A portrait, which was previously unidentified, is said to have been revealed as being one of famous Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci's, courtesy a fingerprint. The painting, titled Young Girl in Profile in Renaissance Dress, had recently been sold for 12,000 pounds, and it was billed at a Christie's sale in 1998 as "German, early 19th century", reports the Telegraph.

September 17th, 2009 LONDON - American writer Dan Brown's new book 'The Lost Symbol' is said to have broken sales record in the first 36 hours of its release in the UK, after it sold more copies than any other adult hardback novel. The book, which went on sale on September 15, has sold more than 300,000 copies in the UK.

September 12th, 2009 LONDON - 'The Lost Symbol', the much-awaited sequel to Dan Brown's 'Da Vinci Code', is expected to break all book records as it hits UK stores next week. More than 6.5 million copies have been printed of the sequel to the 2003 mega hit tome.

August 21st, 2009 LONDON - Dan Brown, the author behind the controversial book 'The Da Vinci Code', has been revealed as the most donated author to Oxfam's high street shops. Oxfam, the largest retailer of second hand books in Europe and the third-biggest bookseller in the UK, found that Brown, one of the world's bestselling authors, was likely to be the top writer to be dropped at shops by readers.

July 1st, 2009 LONDON - A new documentary claims that the Turin Shroud, which is a linen bearing the image of a man, actually has the face of artist Leonardo Da Vinci etched on it and not the face of Jesus Christ. Da Vinci had long been suspected of faking the image of Christ on the fabric with pioneering photographic techniques.

June 16th, 2009 LONDON - After being hidden for almost a century within the panelled walls of a library, a naked portrayal of the Mona Lisa will form one of the centrepieces of a new exhibition at the Museo Ideale in the Tuscan town of Vinci, near Florence. The mystifying portrait of a semi-nude woman, looking straight at the viewer with a smile and her hands crossed, bears a stark resemblance to Mona Lisa, which was once attributed to Leonardo da Vinci.

May 11th, 2009 CHENNAI - Two Tamil television channels - Kalaignar TV and Jaya TV - have been booked for allegedly violating the model code of conduct, an election official said here Monday. 'Jaya TV violated the code by showing scenes that may incite violence.

May 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Hollywood star Tom Hanks has promised his fans in India that his controversial 'Angels & Demons' will live up to their expectations as they have a 'soulful liking for thrillers'. He also says he would love to come to India to 'be among the most lovable human fraternity'.

April 29th, 2009 Medina Garrigues advances to quarterfinals in FezFEZ, Morocco — Top-seeded Anabel Medina Garrigues advanced to the quarterfinals of the Grand Prix SAR on Wednesday by rallying to beat Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic 1-6, 7-6 (1), 6-3. Medina Garrigues, who lost last year's final to Gisela Dulko, had her serve broken eight times but held on to set up an all-Spanish match against Lourdes Dominguez Lino.

April 23rd, 2009 LONDON - French actress Audrey Tautou has replaced Australian actress Nicole Kidman as the new face of French perfume Chanel No.5. 'The Da Vinci Code' actress also re-teamed with her 'Amelie' director Jean-Pierre Jeunet to film a two-minute advertisement for the top fragrance brand, which will debut May this year, reports contactmusic.com.

April 22nd, 2009 LONDON - Even before his latest novel 'The Lost Symbol' could hit the bookshelves, film bosses of 'The Da Vinci Code' have announced a third instalment in the franchise, based on the latest offering by its author Dan Brown. Contactmusic.com reports, executives at Columbia Pictures, the studio behind the movies, have given a nod to the third sequel of the film even when the book is to release in September this year and the second sequel 'Angels & Demons' still to hit the screens May 15 in the US and India.

April 21st, 2009 LONDON - After becoming one of the world's most read authors courtesy The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown is geared up to release its much-anticipated sequel. 'The Lost Symbol', which Brown describes as "a strange and wonderful journey", will see the main protagonist Robert Langdon's journey through a 12-hour frame.

March 24th, 2009 LONDON - The Vatican is reportedly planning to authorise a boycott of Ron Howard's upcoming movie 'Angels & Demons', a prequel to his 2006 controversial hit 'The Da Vinci Code'. Directed by Howard, the picture stars Tom Hanks and is due for release this summer.

March 24th, 2009 LONDON - The Vatican is considering calling for a boycott of Angels and Demons, the prequel to Hollywood blockbuster The Da Vinci Code. The film starring Tom Hanks, which is based on the novel by Dan Brown, opens worldwide on May 15.

January 7th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Violation of the model code of conduct of the Election Commission is no ground to set aside the election of a candidate as the guidelines do not have legal sanctity, a Delhi court has ruled. The model code of conduct apparently has no statutory backing and many of its provisions are not legally enforceable and it is the political parties which have themselves consented to abide by the principles embodied in the code, Additional District Judge Kamini Lau said in a ruling this week.