Veteran artiste Nutan Prasad (65) passed away today (March 30) due to prolonged illness, on his way to the Apollo Hospital, Hyderabad. Born as Tadivada Varaprasad in Kaikalur on Dec. 12, 1945, Nutan Prasad started his acting career with the play Naa Votu in Guntur and his most stage play was Gaalivaana.  In 1973, he made acting debut in films with Bapu directed Andala Ramudu. Needa Leni Aadadi (1974), and Bapu’s  Muthyala Muggu (1975) made his position secure. His role of Satan in Bapu’s Rajadhiraju (1980) brought him popular and critical appreciation.

Mumbai: How far can you go to celebrate India’s win at the World Cup this year? Well, nothing can match the scintillating claim of hot Indian model Poonam Pandey who says that she’ll bare all in front of the whole stadium if India lifts the World Cup!
 
Poonam, a self-confessed cricket fan and die hard supporter of Indian cricket team has decided to go nude if India becomes the world champion this year. The beauty who is one of the most downloaded model on the net said that she is just doing this to cheer the team and to keep up their spirits.

SYDNEY: Ricky Ponting, the most successful captain in 134 years of Test cricket, resigned as the Australian Test and one-day skipper on Tuesday but will continue as a batsman with the team.

The 36-year-old, who has led Australia in one-day internationals since 2002 and Tests since 2004, has been under increasing pressure after an Ashes defeat to England and a quarterfinal exit as defending champions at the World Cup.

“Today I’ve decided to stand down as captain of the Test team and the one-day team as of now,” he told a news conference at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).

HYDERABAD: Sri Satya Sai Baba was admitted to the Sri Satyasai super-speciality hospital on Monday evening due to ill-health. Doctors said he was suffering from pneumonia and water has entered his lungs. Allaying fears of lakhs of his devotees, J Ratnakar of Sri Satyasai Trust said that Sai Baba was recovering.

Sources said Sai Baba has also developed breathing problems because of severe infection. “But his situation is improving with constant medical attention. There is nothing to worry about his health,” Ratnakar added.

Police have registered cases against popular South Indian actress-DMK speaker Khushbu and comedian Vadivelu on the basis of complaints lodged with the Chief Electoral Officer of Tamil Nadu that they violated the Model Code of Conduct during their recent election campaigns in Theni and Tiruvarur districts respectively.

In the first case, Khushbu allegedly interrupted road traffic while campaigning at Palani Chettipatti in Theni. Another case against her was booked when eight cars were found to be following her vehicle at two places in the district without prior permission, authorities said, adding that all the eight vehicles have been seized.

SYDNEY: Under-fire Australia captain Ricky Ponting was given just three days to decide his future on Monday as selectors said the next one-day squad would be announced on Wednesday.

Ponting, who let slip Australia’s 12-year grasp on the World Cup last week – just three months after their heavy Ashes defeat – has already hinted that he may step down.

Cricket Australia said a squad for next month’s three-match one-day tour of Bangladesh was expected to be announced on Wednesday, effectively setting a deadline for the veteran skipper.

HYDERABAD: In perhaps the first time in the history of Indian legislature, a minister in the AP government slapped an opposition MLA right in the assembly minutes after the house met for the day. The minister in question is Y S Vivekananda Reddy, the brother of former chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy who is a member of the legislative council and present in the assembly in his capacity as agriculture minister.

Minutes after he slapped TDP MLA C H Prabhakar, the house was adjourned and the main opposition party is now demanding the resignation of Vivekananda Reddy as well as a breach of privilege by a member of another house on a legislator.

AHMEDABAD: Yuvraj Singh was India’s hero yet again as the hosts ended Australia’s 12-year-reign as World Cup champions with a five wicket quarterfinal victory on Thursday.

he left-hander’s unbeaten 57 — his fourth fifty of a tournament where he is averaging over a hundred — saw his team home after they’d been wobbling at 187 for five.

But India reached their target of 261 with 14 balls to spare.

Victory set up a dream semifinal against arch-rivals Pakistan in Mohali on March 30.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting scored his first international century in over a year in a total of 260 for six.

HYDERABAD: Red corner notices will soon be issued against a Sydney-based non-resident Indian (NRI) for allegedly posting defamatory content on actors Balakrishna, Chiranjeevi and their family members on various websites.

In February, Balakrishna and Chiranjeevi Yuvata lodged separate complaints with the Central Crime Station ( CCS) police regarding abusive content against the popular actors on several websites.

During the probe, police found that the websites in contention ihatebalayya.com and ihatechiru.com were hosted in the US and the server was in Sydney, Australia. Police also got the name of the accused, an NRI, responsible for posting defamatory content on several websites and blogs against the actors.

CHENNAI: All is not well in the Indian camp.

Right from the time the World Cup squad was selected, the selectors and skipper MS Dhoni were not sharing the same thought process. With the group stage almost done and dusted, the rift has only increased.

New Delhi: Bollywood director Anurag Basu had plans to visit Japan on the day the massive earthquake rocked that country. He escaped the calamity due to a change in plans.
 
Basu, who is credited for films like ‘Life in a… Metro’, ‘Gangster’ and ‘Murder’, had to attend the Osaka Asian Film Festival, where his film ‘Kites’ was to be screened.

“May GOD be with the people of Japan. I was suppose to be there today to attend osaka film festival. my travel plans were changed last moment (sic),” Basu posted on his Twitter page Friday.

Delhi: Ex-inmate of the ‘Big Boss’ house and Pakistani model Veena Malik has received death threats from Taliban.

According to a leading news daily, the model has received a letter from Maulana Masood, Mujaheddin leader connected with Taliban, accusing her of humiliating Islam and Pakistan`s name during her stay in the ‘Bigg Boss` house.

The actress made headlines during her stint at ‘Big Boss’. The entire country had gaped at her while she had cosied up with her male co-contestants. She was criticised by the Pakistani media at that time.

PALLEKELE: It took Tillakaratne Dilshan just 24 hours to hit the headlines again, this time for the right reasons. Almost all of Wednesday, rumour did rounds that explosive Sri Lankan opener has failed a dope test. The ‘Dilshan scoop’ died only after the Sri Lankan team management vehemently denied it.

On Thursday, the 34-year-old first cracked 144 (131b, 16×4, 1×6), adding a record 282 for the opening wicket with fellow opener Upul Tharanga, who was equally good en route to his career-best 133 (141b, 17×4), and then took an amazing four for four with his part-time off-spin to dazzle in his team’s crushing 139-run win over a hapless Zimbabwe in their World Cup Group A game. He would have bagged a hat-trick too, but missed out by a whisker as Mahela Jayawardene, after snapping up a blinder, grassed a much simpler chance.

Mumbai: B-town hunk John Abraham injured himself while shooting a dare devil stunt in his forthcoming film ‘Force’. The actor is said to have severely hurt his back while filming a stunt where he had to jump from one freight train to another.
 
Film ‘Force’, a venture by Vipul Shah is a hardcore action flick. John Abraham plays the lead role. The film evidently required a lot of risky stunts one of which proved rather painful for John.

Reports confirm that John got hurt at Jogeshwari Yard where the film was being shot. John was doing a stunt in which he had to jump from a goods train to another filled with stones.

Splendor and magnificence marked the wedding of Allu Arjun and Sneha Reddy at Hitex, Hyderabad. While Allu Arjun happens to be the grandson of Comedy King Allu Ramalingaiah, the bride is the only daughter of prominent educationist in Telangana Kanchara Chandrasekhar Reddy.

High profile personalities from the tinsel world, politicians and business men thronged the spectacular event held in the backdrop of an awe-inspiring temple setting.

Clad in a pink-colored Dharmavaram pattu saree with threadwork in gold and diamonds, bride Sneha Reddy arrived at the venue, while Allu  Arjun`s attire exactly resembled that of his role in Varudu. On this occasion, the bride was guided to conduct the Gouri Vratham.

JABALPUR: An alleged sex-for-marks scandal has come to light here, leading to the arrest of two Jabalpur University officials.

Controller of Examination Professor S S Rana and the Deputy Registrar R S Kakodia of Rani Durgawati Vishwavidyalaya (RDVV) here were arrested on March 1. Police had earlier arrested one Raju Khan in this case.

Two other accused, Prerna Atwal, a student, and one Ajay Khandelwal, are absconding, police said.

According to the complaint filed by S Arya, a first-year MBBS student of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College last month, Prerna, her senior in the college, told her that she would have to sleep with Khan if she wanted to get her marks increased in the revaluation.

Los Angeles: During Academy Awards weekend, the `Oscar Bump` proved to be a powerful force in the overseas movie marketplace as `Black Swan`, `The King`s Speech` and `True Grit` took control of the box office chart.

“Black Swan,” for which Natalie Portman won best actress honors, topped the international chart for the second consecutive week with $16.4 million in 41 territories and a worldwide total of $208.6 million. The film has become a sensation with foreign audiences, steadily moving its way up the chart over the past several weeks.

Kevin O’Brien struck the fastest-ever World Cup hundred as Ireland pulled off a sensational three-wicket win over England on Wednesday.

Ireland won with five balls to spare as they finished on 329 for seven after England, who had made 327 for eight, had been cruising when they reduced non-Test playing Ireland to 111 for five.

But a brilliant burst of power-hitting got O’Brien to three figures in just 50 balls at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

That meant he’d obliterated former Australia opener Matthew Hayden’s previous fastest World Cup century record off 66 balls against South Africa at St Kitts in 2007.

HYDERABAD: Unhappy over the delay in the formation of a separate Telangana state, a minister in Andhra Pradesh cabinet on Thursday sent his resignation to Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Other ministers and MPs from the region said they would decide on whether to quit after meeting the central leadership.

Congress MPs from Telangana, including Ponnam Prabhakar, G Sukhender Reddy, contemplated their resignation from Lok Sabha.

BANGALORE: This was a game both India and England deserved to lose but in the end it was a tie. If the Indians seemed listless while defending a more than healthy 338, the English after being in a position to spoil the Indian party on a pitch on which the expected demons did not surface, suddenly seemed to have invoked the devil himself. In the end what transpired was the fourth ever tie in the history of the World Cup.