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Obama welcomes healthcare pledge

Mr Obama hopes to get a reform package agreed this year President Barack Obama has welcomed a "historic" commitment from US industry groups to help push forward healthcare reform by cutting costs. Groups representing hospitals, doctors, drug companies and insurance firms said they intended to cut spending by $2 trillion (£1.3tn) over 10 years. Mr Obama has made healthcare reform one of his top priorities for 2009. His planned reforms include medical insurance for the 46 million Americans currently without it. Confirming the deal with the health industry, Mr Obama told Americans that he "will not rest until the dream of health care reform is achieved in the United States of America". 'Significant step' The six industry groups delivered a letter to the president outlining their voluntary agreement to cut spending increases by 1.5% a year until 2019. Savings would be achieved, they said, by improving coordination, focusing on efficiency, developing better technology and accepting regulatory reform. No specific commitments were spelled out in the letter, however. The BBC's North America Editor Justin Webb says although today's announcement contains little in the way of specifics, it does suggest that the big industry players think some form of healthcare reform will pass this year, and they want to be in on the discussions. The White House believes the industry groups' proposals could eventually save families as much as $2,500 a year. "I don't think there can be a more significant step to help struggling families and the federal budget," a senior administration official was quoted by the Washington Post as saying on Sunday. Signatories to the deal include America's Health Insurance Plans, the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, the Service Employees International Union and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. They were among the harshest critics of a similar health reform plan set out by President Bill Clinton in 1993. But there is a sense among some industry groups that now may be the best time to act before public opinion, fuelled by anger over costs, turns against them, the Associated Press reports. Obama administration officials predict the move will significantly boost momentum for the president's plans to get a reform package agreed this year. The US currently spends $2.2 trillion a year on medical care, which amounts to 16% of the overall economy.

Source:news.bbc.co.uk

Sonia calls up Paswan after fire at his home

NEW DELHI: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday rang up estranged ally Ram Vilas Paswan to express her concern after a fire broke out at 

the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader's official residence. 

Paswan, who struck a pre-poll alliance with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Lalu Prasad in Bihar leaving the Congress in the lurch, said Gandhi had called him up to inquire about the incident and his well being. 

Paswan is a central minister in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. But during the poll campaign, he and Lalu Prasad had traded barbs with the Congress. 

Paswan had ridiculed the Congress for putting up a candidate against him. 

The LJP leader was watching television with his wife in a room at his 12 Janpath residence when he was told about the fire that broke out in the adjacent drawing room around noon. 

"I and my wife were watching television in the adjacent room, when they informed us about the fire. We came rushing out of the house. If this is the maintenance of the house of a minister then you can guess what will be the common man's plight," Paswan said. 

Delhi Fire Service officials said the fire broke out in an air conditioner installed in the drawing room of the house, that is next to Sonia Gandhi's residence. 

The fire spread in the room and gutted two cupboards besides damaging a sofa set, chairs and several statues kept in the room. 

Two fire tenders doused the flames in half an hour. No one was reported injured in the incident. 

"The fire may have been caused due to short-circuit in the air conditioner because of overheating in the compressor. It then spread and gutted the drawing room," said a fire service official.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes

Lapang sworn in as Meghalaya CM, NCP sulks

GUWAHATI: After months of uncertainty, veteran congress leader DD Lapang was sworn in as chief minister of Meghalaya on Wednesday. A miffed NCP, 

dumped by Congress as its running mate, has hinted at possible fallout of this decision at the national level. 

In a dramatic turnaround, the Congress, after holding discussions with the NCP for formation of the government, chose United Democratic Party (UDP) as its coalition partner. 

According to a statement issued by NCP spokesperson in Meghalaya, James K Sangma: "PA Sangma has met NCP president Sharad Pawar to discuss the scenario and the latter expressed shock over the behaviour of the Congress. 

He also had a telephonic conversation with the Prime Minister and Ms Sonia Gandhi and strongly reacted to this move by the Congress and hinted at the impact on the Congress-NCP alliance at the national level. This is significant in view of the Lok Sabha results which will be out on May 16." 

NCP agreed to enter into dialogue with the Congress due to the personal initiative taken by the prime minister, himself. Mr Manmohan Singh initially discussed this issue with Mr Sharad Pawar. 

Mr Pawar suggested to the prime minister that he should discuss the matter with Mr Sangma. In the meeting held on May 5, the prime minister suggested that NCP and Congress work together for the sake of stability and proper governance of the state and the understanding between the two parties should be fair, reasonable and accommodating, the NCP claimed. 

Meanwhile, governor RS Mooshahary administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr Lapang, who is taking reins of the state for the fifth time. The Congress-led Meghalaya United Alliance has been given 15 days to prove its majority in the House. 

The alliance has 37 MLAs — 26 from the Congress, nine from UDP and two Independents — in the 60-member House, which now has an effective strength of 55.

Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com

12 poll officials trek treacherous terrain for 37 voters

NEW DELHI: Twelve polling personnel had to undertake an arduous trek of over 45 km through knee-deep snow to reach two polling stations in the 

Ladakh Parliamentary seat where votes will be cast on Friday. 

The 12 men began the trek early this morning after attempts to airlift them to the Ralakung and Phema polling stations, located at an altitude of 13,700 feet, had to be called off due to logistical difficulties. 

The Commission's attempts to ensure transport of officials by IAF helicopters to the polling stations located in Zanskar sub-division came to a naught as landing became impossible due to the tough terrain condition. 

The poll party will traverse the distance, passing through the treacherous mountain ranges and cross the Ralakung La pass at a height of 16,700 feet to enable 37 voters to exercise their franchise. 

"We expect these 12 polling personnel to reach the locations by tomorrow night to set up the polling stations for the poll," Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla said. 

He said the Commission would be tracking their movement using satellite phones. Ralakung has 23 registered voters while Phema has 14 voters.

Anthem of anger

Can the national anthem be parodied, or altered in any way? That question has once again come to the forefront with the imminent release of Ram 

Rann (War), starring Amitabh Bachchan. The title song of the movie goes: Jana gana mana rann hai ... iss rann mein zakhmi hua hai Bharat (War has left India wounded). While Varma has reportedly clarified that the song "is not composed to ridicule the national anthem", jurists claim that any form of disrespect to the national flag or the national anthem is in violation of the constitutionally mandated duties of citizenship. 

This is not the first time that Rabindranath Tagore's song has sparked a controversy. In fact, it did so the very first time it was publicly sung, with Tagore himself joining in, on December 16, 1911, during the second day of a convention of the Indian National Congress in Calcutta. As the agenda of the day including felicitating the visiting emperor George V, it was widely surmised that Tagore had written the song in praise of the British monarch who was seen to be the "overlord of India's destiny". 

Reporting the event, the newspapers of the day said that the song had been composed and sung as a tribute to the emperor, though Tagore himself later emphasised in correspondence with a friend that "That Lord of Destiny, that Reader of the Collective Mind of India... could never be George V, George VI, or any other George". 

Royalist associations apart, Jana gana mana has faced flak on other counts, not least being what some critics describe as its lugubrious, dirge-like tone, apart from its geopolitical anachronism which includes Pakistan's Sindh in India, but leaves out Kashmir, among other states. A proposal to replace the word 'Sindh' with 'Kashmir' was rejected by the Supreme Court, which, however, in 1986 reversed a 1985 Kerala high court judgment which had upheld the expulsion from a local school of some students belonging to the Jehovah's Witnesses sect who had refused to sing the song. In its verdict, which reinstated the expelled students, the apex court ruled that "Our tradition teaches tolerance, our philosophy teaches tolerance, our Constitution teaches tolerance, let us not dilute it". 

Will these words of wisdom be heeded in the general outcry that Rann's take on the national anthem will probably provoke? Unlikely. Narrow-minded priggishness posing as patriotism has long been one of the less attractive features of our national life, and Ram Gopal Varma would be prudent in keeping a weather eye open for stormy protests. Some, however, might feel that the episode should be seen as an opportunity to have a national debate on the national anthem. 

Many argue that the Bengali Jana gana mana inevitably gets mangled almost beyond recognition by non-Bengali speakers, and that Iqbal's Urdu lyrics of Sare jahan se achha would have been more appropriate in a country where Hindustani is the commonly accepted lingua franca of the majority. Others, notably members of the sangh parivar, might opt for Bankim Chandra's Vande mataram as India's signature tune. 

As regards the question of lack of respect for the national anthem, the government's ill-advised directive during the 1960s and the 1970s that the song be played in moviehalls after each screening was responsible for overt displays of disrespect as audiences, instead of standing in solemn silence, scrambled to get out of the auditorium while Jana gana mana was playing. If voting with one's feet is any indication, many, if not most, Indians might concur that Tagore's song is out of sync with the times. 

Perhaps what we need is a national talent contest for a new anthem. Or maybe we've already had one, without knowing it, and A R Rahman has won. Maa, tujhe salaam? Why not? 

Source: timesofindia

Salman to gift a dog to Asin?

Salman Khan has come to know that Asindesires to have a pet dog and he plans to gift her one.

He may not have gifted her a flat (as rumours alleged) but Salman may soon gift Asin something sweeter – a dog. Reports say that during the shooting of London Dreams with Salman and Ajay Devgan , Asin told them about how she’s always wanted to have a dog.

The actress reportedly told her two co-stars that since childhood she wanted to keep a dog as pet but her father kept delaying it, after making the promise. Her father apparently believes keeping a dog in house is “unhealthy” and he hoped Asin would understand this when she grew up.

Today, when she is grown up, Asin still hasn’t gotten over her love for dogs. 

According to sources on the sets of ‘London Dreams’, hearing Asin’s story made Salman decide to gift a dog to her. Salman’s love for dogs is well known, and it’s no secret how saddened he was when one of his favourite pets died recently.

However, it remains to be seen whether Salman gifts Asin a cute puppy or a ferocious canine. 

Source: apunkachoice

Sherlyn Chopra says no to condom ad

Celebrities seldom say no to endorsements or advertisements because it’s easy money. But the net-celeb Sherlyn Chopra recently said no to a condom ad. Why?

According to Sherlyn, she liked the ad’s concept, which, she says, was so funny that “even kids would have loved it”. On top of it, she was offered a good pay cheque. And nudity has never been an issue with her. So what prompted the bombshell to drop the offer? 

The buxom beauty is cautious of putting her every step right now that she’s entering what she calls the “big league” with her special role in the Yashraj film Hadippa in which she shares screen space with Shahid Kapurand Rani Mukherjee .

Sherlyn, who is famous for her diamond-studded bra more than her movies or songs, wants to play safe and avoid any kind of negative publicity now,

Another reason cited by the lady is that the ad will be directed by the creative head not by an ad-filmmaker and this made her uncomfortable.

Though Sherlyn has played seductress in a number of films, ‘Hadippa’ would be her first Bollywood film with a big banner and a substantial role. Now, may be the “Outrageous” Sherlyn wants a break from her sexy image.

Source: apunkachoice

Bollywood News: Vishal Bhardwaj changes Priyanka Chopra

Vishal Bhardwaj changes Priyanka Chopra

Recently Priyanka Chopra stated that her character of Sweety in KAMINEY is so well written that it would surely make an impact. Well, considering the fact that director Vishal Bhardwaj has been known for presenting his female leads in a distinct avatar, one tends to agree with Priyanka. After all he is the same man who succeeded in giving a new image to his female actors like Tabu , Kareena Kapoor and Shabana Azmi after working with them in MAQBOOL, OMKARA and MAKDEE respectively. Hence, there is no reason why it should be any different in the film maker's fourth outing KAMINEY. 

''I do hope that I have been able to do justice to Vishal�s vision for this wonderful character that he has created. You don't get to work in a fantastic movie like KAMINEY and play someone like Sweety (the name of her character) every day'', says Priyanka who has been patiently waiting for the film's arrival in theaters. 

CHECK OUT: KAMINEY Kaun? Shahid or Amole

Earlier release plan for the film was 5th June. However, in the current situation when there is still no clarity around the release dates of the films, courtesy the stand off between producers and multiplexes, KAMINEY is expected to be pushed forward by at least a month. 

Priyanka Chopra is also mighty excited about donning an altogether new look for the character of Sweety. However, she is also keeping her fingers crossed to find out whether she has been able to justify the kind of confidence that the film maker has shown in her. 

Coming to the looks department, she has been donning quite a few different looks in her last few films, case in point being FASHION and DOSTANA. So is it right to assume that it was a conscious decision on her part to mix glamorous roles (as seen in DOSTANA and FASHION) with a real look, as seen in KAMINEY? 

CHECK OUT: KAMINEY is far removed from what I have ever done

''Well yes, it was a conscious decision for sure. I am mixing it up and WHAT'S YOUR RASHEE, which would come next, would see me in a completely different light as well'', says Priyanka who has worked with Harman Baweja in this Ashutosh Gowariker directed film. 

Just like KAMINEY, WHAT'S YOUR RASHEE too has been produced by UTV Motion Pictures (though in collaboration with Ashutosh Gowariker Productions). The film was earlier slated for a September release and it has to be seen whether the release of KAMINEY being pushed would have any bearing on WHAT'S YOUR RASHEE. 

Starring Shahid Kapur in a double role and featuring Amol Gupte (Writer of TAARE ZAMEEN PAR) in the role of the main villain, KAMINEY has lyrics by Gulzar and music by Vishal Bhardwaj who is also responsible for the story, screenplay and dialogues of the film. 

Source: glamsham