Facebook banned by Indian government

Indian newspaper The Times of India is reporting that the Maharashtra Government has blocked access to online social networking site Facebook from its government offices in Mantralaya.

Due to a drop in productivity and a rise in complaints, the government’s IT department was instructed to block the site after employees were allegedly seen spending “hours on it” according to the report.

However, the ban hasn’t gone down well with one employee saying the government is wrong in its view that productivity has suffered through Facebook use. According to the TOI report, Facebook was only being used during lunch times and when there was no other “important” work.

Government officials however are remaining firm on the decision, claiming web access is for office purposes only.

Harsh times in India

Facebook banned by Indian government

Indian newspaper The Times of India is reporting that the Maharashtra Government has blocked access to online social networking site Facebook from its government offices in Mantralaya.

Due to a drop in productivity and a rise in complaints, the government’s IT department was instructed to block the site after employees were allegedly seen spending “hours on it” according to the report.

However, the ban hasn’t gone down well with one employee saying the government is wrong in its view that productivity has suffered through Facebook use. According to the TOI report, Facebook was only being used during lunch times and when there was no other “important” work.

Government officials however are remaining firm on the decision, claiming web access is for office purposes only.

Harsh times in India

John Abraham has been taken aback by his ex Bipasha Basu going to town that she is single. All this while he felt that as Bips was not talking about the breakup, it was understood that both would maintain a silence on what went wrong. But Johnny boy has taken her outburst even more badly than the split! Ouch!

John Abraham has been taken aback by his ex Bipasha Basu going to town that she is single. All this while he felt that as Bips was not talking about the breakup, it was understood that both would maintain a silence on what went wrong. But Johnny boy has taken her outburst even more badly than the split! Ouch!

I'll be a softie mom: Mandira Bedi

A pregnant Mandira Bedi has done a photo shoot exclusively for the latest issue of PEOPLE magazine which hits stands today. The anchor-actress talks about the most beautiful phase in her life and how she and hubby Raj Kaushal are preparing to welcome their bundle of joy which is due next month. Extracts from the interview...

On having a baby 12 years after marriage:

"I have worked for most part of my married life and I kept delaying it. No one really pressurised us, not his family or mine, to have a baby."

On coping with pregnancy: "You have lots of ugly days and suddenly your wardrobe is limited to literally 14 things that I'm pulling off hangers."

On motherhood: "It's a beautiful phase. Motherhood is something that everyone should experience and I didn't want to be left behind."

On what kind of parents she and Raj would make: "I reckon Raj will be the disciplinarian. I'm a bit of a softie."

I am not pregnant: Shilpa Shetty

Shilpa Shetty has denied that she is pregnant. The actress tweets, "Sick and tired of all the congratulatory messages and calls. So, for the last time, 'I am not pregnant'. All this is so annoying...grrrrrrrrr." Last week there were speculations of a bundle of joy being on its way.

I kissed a girl... and was traumatised

Keerti Kulhari on her first gal-on-gal smooch in Bejoy Nambiar's 'Shaitan'
After playing a fairly gharelu Punjabi kudi in the madcap comedy Khichdi The Movie, Keerti Kulhari was compelled to get bold for her role in Bejoy Nambiar's Shaitan.


Kalki and Keerti Kulhari kiss in Shaitan

In the Anurag Kashyap production, she plays Tanya, a girl next-door who's part of a wild group and is compelled to lose her inhibitions.

Read on to find out how the lines between her reel and real life have blurred.
Tell us about Tanya...
She is the most sober in the gang of shaitans.

How does she end up kissing another girl, Amy (played by Kalki)?
Tanya doesn't want to kiss Amy. They're playing truth and dare. Amy is a cool girl who likes to try different things. It's her turn and she 'dares' to kiss me.

How do you rate Kalki as a kisser?
It was hardly a kiss.

Is it the only time you have been kissed by a girl?
(Laughs) Yes. And it will be the last time ever.

Has any girl made a pass at you?
Yes. In Standard 10, there was a girl in my badminton team. I think she had the hots for me. Though she never said anything, the way she used to talk and give me attention, made her intentions very obvious. She would
feel very jealous if I talked to guys...

Were you told that you would have to kiss a girl?
No. Bejoy told me about everything else but the kiss. Well, he did bring it up once, but I thought he was kidding. It wasn't until we were rolling, that Bejoy announced that the scene was on. Kalki kisses me in that scene.

Did you enjoy it?
I was traumatised. Thankfully, it was just one take. The reaction in the film was what I was actually going through at that time. I haven't even kissed a guy onscreen. And I did my first kiss with a girl! That was an experience.

Did your co-stars tease you?
Yes, they were all teasing us after the shot. After the shot, Kalki even fooled around. She started behaving like she had the hots for me. She tried to run her hands on my thighs. I told her to stop it and let me regain my senses. I was very amused.

How did your family react?
They were shocked. But they completely understand that it's part of the profession. They have been supportive.

What is your take homosexuality?
To each its own. I like to kiss a guy and want to be kissed by a guy, but I have nothing against people who have homosexual tendencies. I have gay friends.

Nokia T7-00 leaks, to come in HSDPA and TD-SCDMA flavors

It appears that Nokia is about to add a new Symbian^3 smartphone to its range of devices. The Nokia T7-00 is obviously the first representative of a whole new series that should join the existing C, E, N and X handsets.

Unfortunately, the leaked Ovi publisher slide tells us little about the specs of the Nokia T7-00. It will be fully compatible with Symbian^3 apps written for the usual nHD resolution and, more excitingly it will also support VGA apps.

That got us hoping that the T7-00 will be the first Symbian^3 smartphone to have a higher-res screen, but this seems pretty unlikely. A couple of XMLs were found on the Nokia website that reveals the nHD resolution of the smartphone.

However those files confirm that there will actually be two versions of the T7-00. One will be working on regular GSM networks with UMTS 3G and HSDPA, while the other will obviously be heading to China as it packs a TD-SCDMA radio.

We’ll be on the lookout for more information about this new Nokia handset and will keep you updated if anything comes up (a photo would be nice).