Watch Pawan Kalyan the reason for Chandrababu’s Success – MLA Roja
Why Is US Turning Indian Students Back?
Washington: Call it pre-election rhetoric or post Paris and St Bernardino paranoia, Indian students coming to the US have been caught in a bind, with many deported or denied entry for no fault of theirs. They all came with valid F-1 student visas issued by US missions in India with the requisite I-20 forms from educational institutions certifying their admission, but have been sent packing back home at the port of entry. There are no official figures available, but an estimated 60-70 students have been turned back so far. The process of deportation continues despite New Delhi making a strong plea to Washington to honour their visas.
It all started from San Francisco about two weeks after the December 2 terrorist attack in St Bernardino by a Pakistani couple, with Air India asked to fly back 14 Indian students who had come to join two allegedly “blacklisted” dodgy schools. Both Silicon Valley University (SVU) in San Jose and Northwestern Polytechnic (NPU) in Fremont have denied being “blacklisted” or “under any sort of governmental investigation or targeting”. NPU has even blamed the whole mess “on the actions of Air India” which after the first deportations declined to seat US-bound students claiming it had been informed by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) about the two schools being under the scanner.
NPU suggested that Air India was not allowing its students to board as it has to fly back at its own cost any individual denied entry to a country. Air India is reported to have now resumed bringing in Indian students provided they commit to pay for their return in case they were not allowed to enter. Over the last couple of weeks, several students coming through Chicago or New York and on other airlines to join other schools, some of them well reputed, have also been turned back.
Yet, according to diplomatic sources, the US has denied any large-scale denial of entry of Indian students and claims that CBP agents decide each case on its own merit whether it is genuine or not. In some cases, the students did not even know what courses they planned to study, where they would stay or how they would meet their living expenses as students are not allowed to work. Some immigration officers are even giving spot tests to incoming students. A majority of students hail from Andhra Pradesh but there is apparently no racial profiling or targeting of Indian students as students from other countries including China too have been denied entry.
NPU president Peter Hsieh in a posting on the school’s website also said that several incoming students had informed it that “as long as students have proper documentation and are able to answer questions, they are being allowed into the US.” “They also report that this is not limited to NPU or F-1 students but also to other foreign travellers on H-1 visa and the like,” he wrote. But whether the system has been gamed by some unscrupulous elements is beside the point.
There seems to be a dysfunction between the consulates in India and the border agents, informed sources said. The fact that so many students have been denied entry indicates that the US consulates in India were not doing due diligence before issuing visas. Unless the US authorities can find a quick fix, Indian students who, according to the 2015 Open Doors Report, make up 13.6 percent of the total international students in the US, would continue to suffer.
The US too stands to lose as with a whopping 29.4 percent increase, a record high of 132,888 Indian students studying in the US in 2014-15 academic year contributed $3.6 billion to the US economy.
Ram’s Brother Steps Into Films
Ram is on cloud nine with Nenu Sailaja striking gold at the box office. His uncle Sravanthi Ravi Kishore heaved a sigh of relief after Nenu Sailaja as his previous film Shivam was a forgettable disaster.
Ravi Kishore is planning to do another film with Kishore Tirumala, the director of Nenu Sailaja. So Ram and Kishore will be teaming up again immediately for another film. Ravi Kishore asked the director to take as much time as he wants to come up with a good script like Nenu Sailaja.
Ram’s elder brother Krishna Chaitanya will be producing this film on Sravanthi Movies and Ravi Kishore will be presenting it. Krishna Chaitanya has given up his career as pilot to become film producer. He has been looking after the production work of Sravanthi Movies until Nenu Sailaja and he is confident of producing a movie now.
Ram hasn’t signed up any movie post Nenu Sailaja. He is not in a hurry and is looking for good scripts. If nothing comes across before Kishore Tirumala readies another script, Ram’s next will be directed by Nenu Sailaja director only.
When Aish Calls Rekha ‘Maa’
Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha’s alleged affair has always been the hot topic to discuss and this time the Bachchan Bahu, Aishwarya has done something unimaginable by calling Rekha ‘Maa’ during the recent Stardust Awards.
The Jazbaa actor called Rekha as her ‘maa’ in front of the audience during the function. The show which broadcasted on January 10 saw some great performances and this statement shocked not only the live audience but also the viewers watching the show at home.
The former model was awarded the Power Packed Performer title for her amazing comeback in Sanjay Gupta’s Jazbaa from the beauty queen Rekha. It was at this time that Aishwarya said, “It’s great to receive it from maa.”
Rekha then replied, “I hope I can give it to you for many more years.” The award show turned out to be even more shocking when Jaya Bachchan and Rekha were seen hugging out their differences and greeting each other cordially.
Terrorist’s Son Tops In 10th Class Exams
When a terror strikes the nation, the anger and outrage against the attackers and their family storms, the hunt for the guilty ones comes to an end when they are set behind bars or punished in view of justice to affected victims.
However, most common thing to hear is that the infuriated kin carry forwards the goals or missions of their lost ones, the so-called Jihadis, who try to infringe the peace by attacking the country’s heart. It is easy for them to follow the footsteps keeping the past in mind rather than moving on. However, this isn’t the case in Jammu and Kashmir.
Afzal Guru, who was found guilty of attacking Parliament in 2001, was hanged to death in 2013 after his conviction. But his son has set out a new example. The nation respects the young Ghalib Guru.
Ghalib secured 95% in 10th finals conducted by Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Examinations. Despite of being from the background unlikely to gain respect and way filled with thorns, Ghalib’s decision to stay away from terror and arm himself with knowledge and books pushed him till the throne of success. Ghalib, son of Afzal, did not pick up arms or ammunitions nor followed what his father did.
According to the results, which were declared on Monday, Ghalib gained 474 marks out of 500. Besides securing A1 grade in all subjects, Ghalib also ranked 19th in state level.
The achievement of Ghalib turned out to be talk of the nation. The netizenz expressed their respect towards the boy via social media.
Anshul Saxena: Terrorists/Naxals families should learn from Ghalib Guru, son of terrorist Afzal Guru, Instead of Jihadi, be Judicious, India will respect u
Pia: Kudos to Ghalib Guru, son of Afzal Guru, scored 95% in his 10th Board Exams. No matter, how’s track record of ur family, U must always shine
Even the separatist leaders had nothing except lauding the boy for his success.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq: Congratulations to all who have done well in matriculation exam specially Young Ghalib son of Shaheed Afzal Guroo,4 securing 94% way to go!!
Ghalib sets an example of not letting history overshadow his future. Being from a family of a convict, Ghalib might have faced many hardships, however, now he can hold his head high in the crowd by being himself.
Man donates finger at Tirupati @ National Herald case
A man has claimed that he chopped off his left hand’s little finger and offered it at Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh as a “token of gratitude” after Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were granted bail in the National Herald case.
Suresh said he had been to Tirupati on December 25 last year and “chopped off” his little finger and dropped it in the temple’s hundi (donation box).
As the news was brought to the notice of State Housing Minister M H Ambareesh, Suresh claimed he was immediately summoned to the Congress leader’s house on Saturday and given the epithet of ‘Congress Eklavya’.Suresh said after he cut off his finger, he got himself treated in a hospital adjacent to the temple.
Sonia and her son Rahul had got bail in the National Herald case on December 19 last year after a local court rejected complainant Subramanian Swamy’s opposition to the relief for them. (PTI)
Priya Mani New Avatar!
National-Award winning actress Priya Mani has donned new hat. Priya Mani tested her hand at singing as she lent her voice for a Kannada film. Priya recorded a number for the film ‘Devravne Budu Guru’ which stars Akul Balaji in the lead role.
Akul and Priya participated in a dance reality show and both share good rapport. It’s Akul who convinced Priya to sing a song in the album. What’s surprising is that even Akul didn’t know that Priya has agreed to sing the song.
It’s been kept as secret and he was told that someone he knows well has sung the song. He was kept guessing for the days and finally he got to know that it’s Priya Mani after she spoke to him over phone after the song recording.
It’s learnt that the song is very tough song as one has to sing in three different ways. Notwithstanding that it’s her first song, Priya said to have done great job.
Rajamouli family brings luck to NTR?
NTR and Rajamouli are the closest of friends known to anyone. It is often said that most of the movies that Jakanna’s family watches the premieres of, turn out to be good hits.
According to reports, Rajamouli and his entire team will be going on a short break from the Baahubali 2 filming for five days to celebrate Sankranthi festival and also to watch NTR’s Nannaku Prematho which will be releasing on January 13.
Sources further revealed that Rajamouli along with his entire family and crew members will be watching the movie first day, first show. It is even emerged that Rajamouli had advised the confused actor to not reject Sukumar’s movie and take up the opportunity to work in it.
Baahubali 2 is currently being shot at Ramoji Film City. The massive construction of the sets was created by Sabu Cyril and Prabhas is still the leading man of the story. Since Nannaku Prematho is the talk of the town, here’s wishing the team all the luck.
‘Sukumar Helped Me Discover The Actor Within’
Rakul Preet Singh, who worked with filmmaker Sukumar in the forthcoming Telugu release “Nannaku Prematho”, said the experience helped her discover the actor within and perform beyond her own expectations. “Working with Sukumar was amazing. He’s someone who trusts his actors and allows them to experiment with dialogues and scenes. When you’re working with him, you learn a lot subconsciously and that helped me in discovering the actor within,” the former model told IANS.
Rakul believes she has given her career’s most natural performance in the film. “Sukumar comes from a very different school of working style. He never shoots with set dialogues and scenes. Most of it is improvised on the spot. He’d tell me, ‘Rakul, if this is your character, how would you behave? Show me’,” she said. “Instead of making us act, he’d make us become the characters we play. He’d pick up these nuances from our day-to-day lives. He’d remind me of how I did something over breakfast in the morning and then ask me to include it in my performance,” she added.
Paired with actor Jr. NTR for the first time, Rakul plays the daughter of a multi-billionaire in the film. “It’s a character I haven’t played before, so there was no reference to it. The testing part was to look believable in the role, because unlike any other character, a billionaire’s daughter carries herself very differently, be it the way she dresses or even walks,” she said. Talking about her experience of working with NTR, she said she experienced initial jitters. “It’s because I’ve only met him once before briefly. I didn’t know him as a person or know his mood will be before the shoot. But slowly the ice was broken and I thoroughly enjoyed working with him,” she said, and added he’s extremely talented.
“He’s someone who is brilliant in every sphere of cinema. When you’re working with him, you’re automatically pushed to the edge and that’s very rewarding, because when you have a talented co-star, you want to perform even better,” she said. Rakul was also nervous to match steps with NTR, who is an exceptionally good dancer. “Dancing with him was tough. He wouldn’t rehearse and just takes a minute or two to do a step. Even though I’ve danced with actors, it wasn’t the same with NTR,” she said.
“Nannaku Prematho” is the first release of the year for Rakul, treats all her projects equally. “Before the release of my film, small or big, the feeling is always the same,” she said. She is currently shooting for Allu Arjun-starrer Telugu actioner “Sarainodu”. She will next team up with Nithiin for a yet-untitled project in the language.
‘It’s a defensive step against U.S.’
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said the country conducted a hydrogen bomb test as a self-defensive step against a U.S. threat of nuclear war, state news agency KCNA reported on Sunday. North Korea’s fourth nuclear test on Wednesday angered both the United States and China, which was not given prior notice, although the U.S. government and weapons experts doubt the North’s claim that the device it set off was a hydrogen bomb.
‘U.S. to blame’ “The DPRK’s H-bomb test … is a self-defensive step for reliably defending the peace on the Korean peninsula and the region from the danger of nuclear war caused by the U.S.-led imperialists,” KCNA quoted Kim as saying. “It is the legitimate right of a sovereign state and a fair action that nobody can criticise,” he said. Kim’s comments were in line with the North’s official rhetoric blaming the U.S. for deploying nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula to justify its nuclear programme, but were the first by its leader since Wednesday’s blast.
Strategic weapons The U.S. has said it has no nuclear weapons stationed in South Korea. But it has been in discussion with the South about deploying strategic weapons on the Korean peninsula after the test. These could include nuclear-capable B-2 and B-52 bombers, and a nuclear-powered submarine, according to the media. Experts believe the test, which produced a seismic tremor of 5.1, too small to be a proper hydrogen bomb test, was designed to set the stage for a rare general meeting of its ruling Workers’ Party, the first since 1980.
Ideological cause Kim noted the significance of the timing of the test as being held in the year of the party congress, “which will be a historic turning point in accomplishing the revolutionary cause of Juche,” according to KCNA. Juche is the North’s home-grown state ideology that combines Marxism and extreme nationalism established by the state founder and the current leader’s grandfather, Kim II Sung.
Smart and warm home
A heating vent might not be the best home accessory to update, but a new high-tech option lets you control each room individually and save big on energy costs along the way.
In most cases, a home’s thermostat controls the heating and cooling systems in a one-size-fits all way. If you’re blasting the heat, it typically warms all rooms, including ones you don’t use that much (and often not at optimal times), such as an office at night or a bedroom during the day.
With the Keen Home Smart Vent, temperature control is no longer limited to the thermostat. You can open and shut these app-enabled vents from your phone, or let their temperature and pressure sensors automate the task based on your preferences. Ideally, this will allow you to save money by closing off rooms when they’re not in use, focusing heat toward the living room during the evening, for example, or the bedroom at night. While a single family home can have 25 vents throughout, the overarching concept is to replace four to six in rooms that you’d want to control. Installation is easy enough: You unscrew the existing vent and pop in a Keen Home version, which comes in four sizes. The vent is retrofitted to work with both standard and smart thermostat options.
It works with smart platforms like the Lowe’s Iris system, Samsung’s SmartThings platform and the Nest smart thermostat.Each vent costs about $ 79, and because you’d likely want a few in the home, the investment isn’t cheap. But over time, it could pay for itself, considering heating and cooling makes up 50 percent of a homeowner’s energy bill. According to studies conducted by Keen Home across 25 homes in the U.S., the planned opening and closing of vents could result in a 10 percent to 20 percent reduction in monthly heating bills, depending on location.The product also comes with a faceplate (and the option to buy more) to dress up the vent.
Consumer education about the product may be a hurdle: While the smart home category is considered the next big innovation in tech, getting consumers on board with the trend and outfitting their homes with new technology is a challenge companies continue to face.
Ram Charan is doing special workouts!
Ram Charan is on special diet these days. No Sankranthi pindivantalu for him this festival season. He has already started working to develop awesome physique to look terrific in the role of a police officer for his next film that will be started from Feb 10th.
Ram Charan is doing special workouts and also maintaining a diet chart that is prepared by his trusted physical trainers. In the next 20 days, he will be transforming into even fitter Charan. Ram Charan’s next film is remake of Tamil hit, Thani Oruvan, which is to be directed by Surender Reddy. Allu Aravind and NV Prasad are to be producing it jointly and Thaman is likely to be providing the music.
The film will have handsome Aravind Swamy as antagonist. Hence Charan is trying to look tough and sturdy. He has also informed his fans that he would be sharing his food plans and tips to get the fit body through Facebook.
GHMC elections are an acid test for TDP
The upcoming GHMC elections are an acid test for the Telugu Desam Party. If the party does not manage to put up a decent show or assert themselves, they can kiss their hopes of coming to power in Telangana, a huge goodbye. Chandrababu’s flight to Amaravathi seems to be more like an attempt to extricate himself from the cash-for-vote scandal than a desire to speed up Amaravathi.
And while he has been absenting himself from Hyderabad, it has naturally worked to the advantage of the TRS. Therefore, the GHMC polls will decide the future of the TDP in Telangana, once and for all. With YSRCP more or less expected to be a non-entity in the polls, the TDP-BJP combine will vie for Seemandhra votes.
Despite all his misdeeds in AP, the Seemandhras in Hyderabad might vote for the TDP purely along regional lines. But if they opt to vote for KCR or if KCR wins despite Seemandhras voting for TDP, then it might be the end for TDP in Telangana. For the TDP, it is a question of survival.
Rajamouli Stops Baahubali 2 Shoot For NTR
Rajamouli and his team will be taking off from the shooting of their magnum opus Baahubali 2 for five days starting from January 13, 2016. As NTR’s Nannaku Prematho is releasing on Jan 13th, Rajamouli and his family have decided to catch the movie on the first day first show.
That NTR and Rajamouli are thickest friends is known to everyone and Sukumar is Rajamouli’s favorite director in Tollywood. When NTR was in two-minds about doing Sukumar’s film after the disastrous release of 1 Nenokkadine, it was Rajamouli who advised his friend not to reject Sukumar’s movie. As Nannaku Prematho is creating huge buzz all over, Rajamouli is eager to see the film with his entire family and crew members on the first show on release day.
Hence Rajamouli is not shooting for Baahubali 2 on 13th. As Sankranthi festival follows the next day, the team is taking holidays for other four or five days too. Baahubali 2 is being shot at Ramoji Film City where the massive sets were created by Sabu Cyril. Prabhas is currently shooting for the film while rest of the lead cast has not joined yet.
This Hero Gifted Himself A Cool Rolls Royce
Superstar Hrithik Roshan brought in his 42nd birthday in style. On Saturday, the actor, who gifted himself a Rolls Royce, ever the doting dad took his sons, Hrehaan and Hridhaan, for the first ride in the swanky car. Late evening, he celebrated his day at a midtown five-star.
Apart from parents, Rakesh and Pinkie Roshan, sister Sunaina, and friends like Shah Rukh Khan, Ranveer Singh, Arjun Kapoor, Ameesha Patel, Vivek Oberoi and Mika Singh among many others. Duggu partied with his 200 plus guests till the wee hours of morning. The actor who will be seen in Ashutosh Gowariker’s ‘Mohenjo Daro’ says he is very proud of this film.
“‘Mohenjo Daro’ has taken the entire year. The film has shaped up very well and I am very proud of this film. You all are going to see me in more than one film this year,” said the 42-year-old.
