India squads for New Zealand tour announced

The All-India Senior Selection Committee met at the Cricket Centre earlier today, to pick the Indian teams for the ODI series and Test series against New Zealand, to be played in January-February 2014.

The teams are as follows:

INDIAN TEAM – ODI SERIES

M.S. Dhoni (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Ishwar Pandey, Stuart Binny, Varun Aaron.

INDIAN TEAM – TEST SERIES

M.S. Dhoni (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Zaheer Khan, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Ambati Rayudu, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, R. Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Wriddhiman Saha, Ishwar Pandey.

Samsung woos users with upgrade plan

New Delhi: To push its mobile sales, Samsung on Monday launched a scheme under which customers can buy a phone on installments and after six months upgrade to a new handset.

"We are targeting a significant number of new users joining the Samsung family. This not only offers an 18-month EMI programme but also an Easy Buy Back, which will help users upgrade to newer models," Samsung Mobiles and IT's Country Head Vineet Taneja said in a statement.

The smartphones covered under the 'Stay New' scheme are Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Note 2, Samsung S4, Samsung S4 Mini, Samsung S3, Galaxy Tab 3 and Galaxy Tab 10.1.

The company has tied up with HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Citibank and Standard Chartered for this program.

Customers can buy any of these smartphones through these banks' credit card and avail of 18-month instalment scheme, at applicable interest rates.

The scheme will be rolled out in stores across the country from January 1 to March 31.

Ingram Micro, distributor of Samsung gadgets, has facilitated the buy back scheme for upgrading mobile device.

Under this scheme, users can sell their Samsung devices by calling up Ingram Micro within 6-12 months of purchase so as to upgrade their phones.

‘Aishwarya Rai’ is 23-year-old and a Chhattisgarh voter?

Raigarh: Bollywood actor Aishwarya Rai is the native of Chhattisgarh’s Jashpur district if the electoral roll in Ghughri village in Pathalgaon is to be believed.

The Bollywood star’s name figures in the voter list of Ghughri village which falls under Pathalgaon constituency.

The accompanying photo makes it clear that it is not some namesake, but Mrs Abhishek Bachchan herself, Jashpur collector L.S. Ken said.

According to the voters’ list of polling station No. 15, Aishwarya Rai is 23 years old, and stays in house No. 376 in the village.

Her father is one Dinesh Rai. None by these names lives in the area, the official said.

Watch Earth spin from comfort of your home

Washington: Two Russian astronauts, who took a record-breaking seven and a half hour spacewalk outside the ISS, were unsuccessful at installing cameras that would allow people to watch the Earth spin from the comfort of their house.

The spacewalk by Oleg Kotov and Sergei Ryazansky was the third in a week at the orbiting laboratory. US astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Michael Hopkins had two spacewalks on Saturday and Tuesday to remove and replace a faulty cooling pump, Fox News reported.

The Russians' task was shelved after a Russian flight control team outside Moscow was not able to receive telemetry data from the video cam.

Vancouver-based UrtheCast launched the cameras with the Russian's aid into orbit on November 25.

Once calibrated, the cameras are going to start beaming images, and an ordinary web surfer would be able to see the Earth in space with a delay of only 45 minutes to a couple hours at the most.

Gauhar Khan wins Bigg Boss 7

Mumbai: Model-turned-actress Gauhar Khan won the seventh season of reality show 'Bigg Boss' tonight, pipping co-contestant Tanishaa Mukherjee. Gauhar, who won Rs 50 lakh in cash and a trophy, stayed in the house for 104 days.

"I Thank family for support. I am big fan of the show. I did not expect to come so far... till the finale," said Gauhar, who had won critical acclaim for her role in the film 'Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year' (2009). During her stint on the show, Gauhar's romance with fellow contestant Kushal Tandon caught everyone's attention and the two openly declared their love for each other. "They are strong personalities, if they know each other better... They could have been better friends," Gauhar's sister Nigar Khan said.

Last season, television actress Urvashi Dholakia had won the show. In the past, small screen actresses Juhi Parmar and Shweta Tiwari have come out on top in the show. Tanishaa won hearts with her dignity and calmness and hardly instigated fights. She made headlines for her closeness to ex-inmate Armaan Kohli. "I did not expect so much love. It was an unbelievable experience. I took a risk and it paid off. I made good relations on the show," Tanishaa said. "I am happy to see my mother here. I love you a lot and missed you," she said.

Tanishaa's mother, Tanuja, who was also present for the finale, appeared emotional. "I am proud of her. For me, she has won the show, even if she doesn't win. I used to see the show everyday. As I couldn't contact her, seeing the show was the only medium. Whenever she cried on the show, I also cried," said the yesteryears' actress.

Besides Gauhar, other contestants left in the house for the finale were Tanishaa, Sangram Singh and Ajaz Khan. Sangram came out of the house first and was followed by Ajaz, leaving Gauhar and Tanishaa for the final reckoning.

While Pratyusha Banerjee and Kamya Punjabi danced to the beats of 'Dabangg 2's' 'Fevicol Se' with Salman Khan on the occasion, Elli Avram, one of the most-liked contestants on the show, danced to oldies like 'Yeh Mera Deewanapan Hai' and 'Hawa Hawai'. Armaan Kohli seemed to be in a good mood and danced with Salman on 'Bodyguard's' 'Desi Beat' song.

The show featured superstar Salman in two roles, as 'Devil' and also 'Angel'. Participants included Pratyusha Banerjee, Kushal Tandon, Gauhar Khan, Apoorva Agnihotri and wife Shilpa, Tanishaa Mukherjee, Ratan Rajput, Kamya Punjabi, Rajat Ravail, Hazel Keech, Armaan Kohli, VJ Andy, Anita Advani, Sangram Singh, and Eli Evram.

Nothing is impossible, says Kejriwal

Ghaziabad: Set to be sworn-in as Delhi Chief Minister on Saturday, Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said he does not have a magic wand to solve all the problems but nothing is impossible if honest people join hands.

45-year-old Kejriwal, who will be administered oath of office along with six AAP MLAs, at the historic Ramlila Maidan here said there will be no VIPs at the ceremony and 'everyone is invited'.

"It is open for all. No VIP is there. All 'aam admi' will be present. You are all invited," he told reporters.

Portfolios of the new ministers will be announced in the next two days, he said. The cabinet ministers who will take oath along with Kejriwal are Manish Sisodia, Rakhi Birla, Somnath Bharti, Saurabh Bhardwaj, Girish Soni and Satendra Jain.

The Chief Minister-designate asked honest officials and employees of Delhi government to contact him through SMS or email so that they can be deployed at places where they can work to solve Delhi's problems.

"I would request them to contact me through SMS or email, we will depute good people at good places and want to move ahead with them. I don't have a magic wand to solve all the problems, but if good, honest and efficient people join us nothing is impossible," he said.

"For the first time, there is a Chief Minister who is looking for honest officials to work for him, otherwise whenever a new CM comes, he or she looks for those officials who can earn them commission through corruption," he said. If honest officials join us, it can help us giving a corruption-free government, he said.

Asked how AAP would verify if somebody is honesty, he said, "We have a network and we will find out. A team of officials like present education secretary Rajendra Kumar are looking for honest and dynamic officials".

Kejriwal reiterated that as soon as he assumes power he would ensure 700 litres of water supply to each household and said all the necessary groundwork is being done. While calling upon people to come in large numbers at Ramlila ground for the swearing-in ceremony, Kejriwal said he will speak to his guru Anna Hazare and ask him to grace the occasion.

"Anna Hazare is my guru and I would personally talk to him on phone to invite him for the ceremony," he said.

"The invitation would be sent from the government's side and I had asked them to send an invitation to Hazare, Kiran Bedi and Justice Santosh Hegde," Kejriwal said.

In Ralegan Siddhi, Hazare said he would not be able to attend the ceremony on health grounds.

Speaking about the problems facing people, Kejriwal said he will take the help of a team of experts from IIT or IIM as and when required as 'we can't fix everything ourselves'.

Questioned if he would consult Congress which is extending outside support to AAP, on appointment of speaker, he said, "Why will we consult them".

Asked about problems of homeless and destitute who are forced to sleep in the open in the chilling winter night, he said it was an important task which can't be fulfilled without the help of 1.7 crore population of Delhi.

"There are still one lakh people who are fighting cold these days.We will soon install camps for them in different parts of Delhi," he said.

Earlier, Kejriwal held Janta Darbar to listen to the people's grievances and their suggestions. People from as far as Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Kerala, Bihar and Rajasthan had come to meet him.

People from various parts of Delhi including some government employees also met him and demanded an end to the contractual system in the Delhi government. Some also asked him to take into account the pollution in Yamuna river and work on it on priority basis.

Wife helps lawyer in raping minor

Ujjain: An advocate has been arrested along with his wife on charges of raping and holding a teenager girl hostage for 13 days at their residence here, police said on Thursday.

The 17-year-old who had gone missing since December 12 had gone to advocate Balkrishna Nagar's residence in Sampat Nagar here that day to get her caste certificate made.

Soon after the girl entered his office, the advocate downed the shutters and sexually assaulted her after which his wife Angrooabla helped her husband to tie the victim to a bed.

According to police, the advocate raped the girl for 13 days but on Wednesday when the residents heard the girl scream, cops reached the spot and freed the victim.

The advocate and his wife have been arrested and a case has been lodged against them under various sections of the IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. Meanwhile, the victim has been sent for medical examination.

Christmas is deadliest day of the year

A new survey suggests that more people die on Christmas than any other day of the year.

According to Medical Daily, in the 1970s, researchers discovered this phenomenon after they began studying death trends throughout the year.

A wide array of causes seem to contribute to the trend of Christmas Day deaths including understaffed hospitals and an unwillingness by people to bother their relatives for a ride to the doctor's office.

Death by cardiac disease, respiratory diseases, endocrine/nutritional/metabolic problems, digestive diseases, and cancer - the five most common causes of death - see an overall increase during this time of year, Medical Daily reported.

One study from the University of California San Diego examined hospital workforces around the holidays and discovered that Level 1 trauma centers often carry less than a full staff, and have less experienced professionals on hand during the Christmas holiday.

Spain distributes $3.4 bln in x'mas lottery

New York: The country of Spain, which is currently going through a financial crisis, has handed out 3.4 billion dollars in the annual and world's richest Christmas lottery.

" El Gordo " or the "Fat One", the lottery's top prize of 546,200 dollars went to 27-year-old mechanic Raul Clavero and four other members of his family who had also bought tickets with the same winning numbers, the New York Daily News reported.

Unlike other lotteries that offer one large top prize, Spain's lottery offers thousands of dollars to multiple ticketholders.

'Dhoom 3' enters 100 crore box office club!

Aamir Khan-Katrina Kaif starrer 'Dhoom 3', that made an earth-shattering Box Office start in it's opening weekend, has finally managed to enter the elite 100 crore club. According to estimates, this multi-starrer flick has grossed Rs.107.61 crore in the first three days of its release at the domestic Box Office. Trade Pundits further confirm that the film has collected Rs 62.95 cr at the overseas cash counters. Hence, the gross collection of 'Dhoom 3' so far stands upto Rs. 170 crore.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted, "So here's the opening weekend total of #Dhoom3... India Rs 107.61 cr + Overseas Rs 62.95 cr. Worldwide total: Rs 170.56 cr. HISTORIC!" Trade pundits predict that it will amass Rs.250 crore by the end of this week.

'Dhoom 3' got released in approximately 4500 screens across the country. The movie made a record collection of Rs 33.36 crores nett on Saturday. It made a big jump on it's third day, Sunday, by collecting Rs 39+ crores nett at the Indian Box Office.

This multi-starrer thriller had a huge amount of advance ticket booking, registered 95-100% occupancy in both single screens and multiplexes across the country in the morning and matinee shows and its business improved further in the later shows on Friday.

Kohli jumps to career-best rankings

Dubai: Star Indian batsman Virat Kohli jumped nine places to achieve his career-best 11th spot in the latest Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen issued today.

Kohli, who stroked 119 and 96 in the two innings in the first Test against South Africa, was the second highest-ranked Indian after Cheteshwar Pujara, another centurion in the same match in Johannesburg, who remained on seventh spot after earning 37 rating points.

South African A B de Villiers, one of the two South African centurions to help draw the Johannesburg Test, leads the rankings. He leads compatriot and second-ranked Hashim Amla by 25 ratings points.

Meanwhile, South Africa fast bowler Vernon Philander has achieved the coveted number-one ranking on the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers after a stellar performance against India in the drawn Johannesburg Test.

Philander has dislodged team-mate Dale Steyn, who had been at the top of table since July 2009 when he went past Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan. Overall, Steyn spent 186 matches at the number-one position, the second-most ever after Muralitharan.

Philander had entered the Test trailing Steyn by four ratings points. While Philander recorded figures of four for 61 and three for 68, Steyn managed just one wicket. The contrasting performances resulted in Philander gaining 13 ratings points and Steyn conceding 13 ratings points.

This swing means Philander now leads Steyn by 22 ratings points and the 28-year-old from Bellville will now start the Durban Test as the number-one ranked bowler in the world for the first time in his career.

Philander is now the seventh South Africa bowler to claim the number-one rank after Aubrey Faulkner (1914-1921), Hugh Tayfield (1955-1958), Peter Pollock (1969), Allan Donald (1998-1999), Shaun Pollock (1999-2003) and Steyn (2008-2013).

Overall Philander is the 74th bowler to head the Test bowling ranking. Philander has also become the third South Africa bowler after Pollock and Steyn to break the barrier of 900 ratings points, considered a landmark for top bowlers. Philander's total of 912 ratings points is the joint-sixth best ever, with England's Tony Lock and West Indies paceman Curtly Ambrose, and the best-ever by a South Africa bowler.

In the team rankings, New Zealand's eight-wicket win over West Indies in the Hamilton Test has helped it register a 2-0 series win and, thereby, gain seven ratings points to retain seventh position with 82 ratings points. West Indies, on the other hand, has dropped behind Sri Lanka in seventh position in the table headed by South Africa (131 rating points). India are at second place with 119 rating points.

England off-spinner Graeme Swann, who retired from international cricket yesterday, ended his Test career in 15th spot. Swann's highest ranking with the ball was when he achieved the number-two position in March 2010. He reached a peak of 858 points later that year.

Swann also spent 41 matches and 111 days in 2011 as the top ranked ODI bowler, first reaching top spot on 3 July 2011. He has ended his ODI career in 24th rank on the bowling table. He also spent 35 matches and 338 days as the top ranked T20I bowler, first reaching top spot on 30 December 2010. Swann has ended his T20 International career in 17th position.

Samsung launches Galaxy Grand 2

Mumbai: South Korean mobile handset-maker Samsung today launched its latest offering 'Galaxy Grand 2' in a price range of Rs 22,990 to Rs 24,990.

The dual-SIM smartphone will be available in the market from first week of January next year.

"This new Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 delivers an improved HD viewing experience, more powerful multi-tasking features, a premium experience through design and entertainment on the go," Samsung India Country Head, Mobile and IT, Vineet Taneja said.

The device runs on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and is a dual-SIM device with support for GSM+GSM. It also features a 5.25-inch HD TFT display with a resolution of 720x1280 pixels.

Samsung has also introduced a single destination - Club Samsung - for its Indian infotainment content, company's Director, Mobile, Manu Sharma said.

"The Club Samsung digital entertainment store features 4 lakh songs, 5,000 movies, 500 gigs and live TV with over 90 channels all optimised for high-quality display on Samsung devices," he said. The device will be available in black, pink and white colour variants in select regions.

"The device will be launched across the country through its dealership network of 1.2 lakh dealers," Sharma added.

What are Salman Khan's B'day plans?

New Delhi, Dec 23: Salman Khan will turn 48 on December 27 and here's how he plans to celebrate his birthday.

A little birdie tells us that Salman Khan will celebrate his 48th birthday at the Khan family's Panvel farmhouse. So, wanna know who all are invited?

Well, there are a lot of big names like Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao, Karan Johar, Farhan Akhtar, Shatrughan Sinha, Sonakhshi Sinha, Govinda, Sooraj Barjatya and many more that are expected at Sallu's big birthday bash.

AAP to form govt on Thursday

New Delhi: Belying all claims of being a 'non-actor or no factor' in the Assembly elections by the Congress and BJP, Aam Aadmi Party founder Arvind Kejriwal on Monday gave a formal 'yes’ to form a government in the National Capital Territory of Delhi. He will be meeting Leutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung about staking claim to government formation.

Sources said that Kejriwal will take over as Chief Minister on December 26. Sources close to Kejriwal said the AAP intends to hold its oath-taking ceremony either at Jantar Mantar or the Ramlila Grounds, from where it had launched its anti-corruption crusade two years ago.

Speaking to reporters, AAP leader Manish Sisodia said: "If the Lt Governor permits, oath-taking will take place at Jantar Mantar."

Reacting to the AAP decision, Sheila Dikshit said that Congress will outside support to the government and it will be an issue-based backing. "We have not promised unconditional support to AAP. It is for their programmes, let us see if they deliver," she added.

"Aam Aadmi Party has compromised with a party that is known for corruption," said BJP leader Harsh Vardhan referring to the Congress. AAP has betrayed the people of Delhi, he added.

The AAP office in Ghaziabad was swarmed by supporters ahead of a crucial meeting that began at 10 am.

The engineer-turned-bureaucrat, who was largely instrumental in ending the 15-year rule of caretaker CM Sheila Dikshit, had declared he would take a call on government formation only after getting the feedback from citizens through 'jan sabhas' (public meetings), SMSes, phone calls, Facebook and his party’s website.

Aishwarya is a super mom: Abhishek Bachchan

Mumbai, Dec 22: Abhishek Bachchan said his actress wife Aishwarya Rai is a "super mom" and expressed his desire to protect his daughter Aaradhya from the world of showbiz so as to offer her normal childhood.

"Her (Aishwarya's) professionalism and dedication is unquestionable. As a mother (of Aaradhya) she is superb..she is a super mom. As a co-star, I have always loved working with her. It is a pleasure," Abhishek told PTI.

Abhishek said he and Aishwarya wanted their daughter Aaradhya be guarded from the showbiz.

"As her parents, Aishwarya and I want our child to be happy and healthy. I was guarded from all this (media attention and showbiz world). The trade magazine and all was banned in my house. The first time I read a film magazine was when I was 18," the actor said.

Abhishek appealed to media to show restrain in photographing star kids.

"This is one department (of children) where I would want the media to show restrain and responsibility. In our time social media was not there. I appeal to the media to show restrain..Don't do this to them..let children grow up the way they want to. We want to let her (Aaradhya) grow as a normal kid," the actor said.

Praising his wife for her professionalism and dedication to work, Abhishek said, "Aishwarya always knew what is the right film for her and has a knack to pick a right film that suits her. I love her as an actor. I am a big fan of her and she should be given the liberty to choose the films she wants to do".

The buzz is that the real life couple will be seen in adman Prahlad Kakkar's film, probably next year.

"What happens in selection process is (that) you have certain ideas and suggestions and things get worked out, so it is time consuming. It takes time to develop a script to making a film...It doesn't happen overnight," Abhishek said.

Abhishek said Kakkar had met them with a script. "He has a script which he is keen on. We haven't heard it completely yet. If we like it then we will do it," the actor informed.

Virat Kohli reminded me of Sachin Tendulkar of 1996 tour: Allan Donald

Johannesburg: Former South African pace legend and current bowling coach Allan Donald today compared Virat Kohli's century with Sachin Tendulkar, who had similarly counter-attacked the Proteas attack during a Test match in Cape Town back in 1996.

"The one word that comes to my mind is responsibility," he said, talking about the India's new No 4.

"He (Kohli) showed great discipline and responsibility. It reminded me of Sachin Tendulkar when they came here in 1996. I was the first one to say back in 1996 that India didn't have much bottle. One person jumped out and played for the situation, played for his team, and that was Tendulkar. That's what came to my mind when I saw Kohli batting," Donald told mediapersons here today.

Donald explained that Kohli's ability to punish the loose balls when required.

"The way Kohli left the ball and when we were slightly off the line he punished the ball. He paced his innings very, very well. He put up his hand today and showed real fight and he was tight and didn't give much away until the end."

The coach did say that he wasn't very happy with performance of his bowlers although he claims that South Africa is very much in control.

"At the same time, we were slightly wide and short, probably the widest I have seen outside the off-stump, because the ball was swinging. But the game never really drifted away from us. They are five down, and I will take it," he added.

Donald did agree that Indian batsmen showed a lot of patience early in their innings.

"It's a mixture of things, having India in trouble early on. Then, it became sloppy in patches as the day went on. India showed a lot of patience, and left the ball really well today. They also played Imran Tahir very well.

"They have learnt from past matches here, and also we needed to find the right areas with the ball. We could have done it better and it was a tough Test match cricket today," he said.

Kohli had earlier outlined that India will be looking to get 400 runs on the board, and if not they will be really pleased with 350-360 as well. Either way, if that happens, it will put a lot of pressure on the hosts, who have to bat last on this pitch.

"I thought we stuck to our guns really well, and tomorrow we have to come and make a big play. We need to keep our eyes on the pitch, there are a few cracks. The second new ball has come at the right time, and tomorrow we have to come swinging, and there’s no doubt about it," Donald signed off.

Warren Buffett adds $37 million per day in his fortune in 2013

New York: American business magnate Warren Buffett made a fortune of about USD 37 million per day in 2013, according to Wealth-X, making him the billionaire who made the most money this year.

With a gain of USD 12.7 billion in 2013, Buffett's net worth at the end of the year stands at USD 59.1 billion. The notable philanthropist had a fortune of USD 46.4 billion at the beginning of the year. However, Buffett is not the wealthiest billionaire on the top 10 list prepared by Wealth-X.

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates added USD 11.5 billion to his personal fortune in 2013, ending the year with assets totalling USD 72.6 billion. Gates is also the richest person on the list.

According to the report, the top 10 individuals collectively gained USD 101.8 billion in 2013, an average gain of USD 10.2 billion each.

The combined wealth of these individuals stand at USD 347 billion in December this year, up from USD 245 billion in January 2013.

Besides, on an average, they made USD 29 million per day in 2013 and increased their wealth by 41.6 per cent, outperforming the 24 per cent returns seen in the S&P 500 this year.

Gates is followed by casino mogul Sheldon Adelson at the third spot, who raked in USD 11.4 billion in 2013 from his various properties in Las Vegas, Macau and Singapore. His personal net worth is estimated to be more than USD 35 billion in December from USD 23.9 billion in January.

Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos became richer by USD 11.3 billion to take his total fortune to USD 34.4 billion.

Besides, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg gained USD 10.5 billion taking his wealth to USD 24.7 billion. The report said that Masayoshi Son, head of SoftBank Corp, added USD 10.3 billion to his fortune.

Google's founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin have added USD 9.3 billion each to their personal wealth.

Brin's net worth stood at USD 30 billion, while that of Page was at USD 29.9 billion.

Hong Kong's business tycoon Lui Chee Woo made a fortune of USD 8.3 billion in 2013, while private equity investor Carl Icahn gained USD 7.3 billion in the year.
As per the report, the valuations are for the period between January 1 to December 11, 2013.

SunnyLeone most searched personality

New Delhi: More people searched online for Bollywood newcomer Sunny Leone than actors like Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif and cricket maestro Sachin Tendulkar, making the adult star the most searched personality this year, according to Google India's annual Zeitgeist.

The Google India Zeitgiest tracks the year's major events and trends based on Google searches conducted in the country.

Shah Rukh Khan was fifth in the list, followed by singer Honey Singh, Telugu and Tamil film actor Kajal Agarwal, Kareena Kapoor, Sachin Tendulkar and Poonam Pandey.

Bollywood hits and the Indian Premier League topped the trending charts, with Shah Rukh Khan starrer-Chennai Express topping the Zeitgeist chart this year.

Following in the list was Indian Premier League 2013, Bollywood film Aashiqui 2, while UIDAI, Paul Walker and Jiah Khan also made it in the top 10 list.

BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi emerged the leader in the most searched news category, followed by Blackberry phones, Rahul Dravid, Saina Nehwal and Vijay Mallya.

According to the Zeitgeist, there was an uptick in searches for e-commerce sites with Flipkart and Olx.com topping the chart for most searched online shopping sites.

"From a search trends perspective, 2013 was clearly the year of entertainment. Online shopping, banking and e-commerce also continued their upward trend — a clear testimony to Indians embracing online transactions," Rajan Anandan, VP and Managing Director (Sales and Operations) at Google India, said.

Searches on mobile phones were driven by people looking for restaurants, bars and movies, followed by coffee and cricket score.

Exotic travel destinations like Macau, Maldives and Mauritius also saw more searches than places like Boston, Dubai, Amsterdam and Singapore.

Respect Hrithik and Sussanne's privacy, urges Abhishek Bachchan

Mumbai, Dec 16: Hrithik and Sussanne Roshan must be given privacy to sort out their issues, says Abhishek Bachchan, who has been a close friend to the couple.

"If you read the statement, Hrithik has requested his privacy to be respected and that is exactly what we should do. We should respect that privacy and give them strength during this trying time.

"I really feel that it will be wonderful if the media backs off and let them do what they wish to. It is very nice that he has issued a statement, his request for privacy should be respected. I will do so and so should you all," Abhishek told PTI.

Abhishek's reaction comes after Hrithik issued a statement recently about his split from his wife Sussanne.

The couple married in December 2000 and has two children named Hrehaan and Hridhaan.

'Bigg Boss 7': Sunny Leone is back!

Our sources from the production team for 'Bigg Boss' tell us that actress Sunny Leone - who got her first big break on Indian shores through the show - will soon make her way back to it.

Our source claimed that Sunny would be in the house to conduct a special task.

"Sunny will be on the show later this week and will conduct a dating task. All the male contestants will be asked to impress Sunny in a unique way," the source said.

Meanwhile, we hear that Kushal Tandon and Gauhar Khan don't seem to have taken a leaf out of fellow contestants Armaan Kohli and Tanisha Mukherjee's book - Armaan and Tanisha were warned by host Salman Khan to watch their behaviour, especially with all the cameras around.

"Recently, Kushal and Gauhar were heard discussing intimate details about their personal lives. Keeping with the theme of being a family entertainment show, the conversation was heavily edited," our source said.

I'm not marrying Ranbir Kapoor

Mumbai, Dec 10: Actress Katrina Kaif said she is not getting engaged or married to her rumoured beau Ranbir Kapoor, but would love to dance at his wedding.

"I am not getting married or engaged to anyone soon. You can lock it. It's final. I am not getting married to anyone. I don't know if it (marriage) will happen in 10 or 20 years or so," Katrina told reporters here today when asked about her relationship with Ranbir.

Asked who Ranbir should get married to if not to her, the glamorous Bollywood star said he should tie the knot with the woman of his choice.

On whether she would like to dance at Ranbir's wedding, Katrina said she would love to do so and even mentioned a popular song from the just released 'Besharam' (which features Ranbir) in this regard.