Imran Wants Ranbir's Support In His Cause

Imran Khan, who is leading from the front against the raise of drinking age bar by the state government, has urged the bollywood fraternity and his fans to support him in his cause.

Talking to the media about his cause, Imran said, "I think raising the drinking age is an attack on personal freedom. When we are allowed to have kids at 21 years and die fighting for the nation, why raise the drinking age."

He Added,"I also believe that drinking does not affect a particular age group alone. Any one above 25 can also abuse their drinks.

I have decided to approach the courts regarding this issue and will accept whatever verdict is delivered."

In reply to a question about support from bollywood actors, especially Ranbir Kapoor, Imran added, "I would love to have Ranbir's support in this cause.

For that matter I would want all the actors, politicians and other people in positions of influence to support this cause."

Imran is the only actor who has come forward to file a PIL against the state government's decision.

Hackers Group Offers To Help Sega

Last week, security was breached at servers belonging to Sega and Bio Ware, and no hacker has claimed responsibility for the same so far.

Tr`ue to the phrase: "It takes a thief to catch a thief", the hacker group LulzSec, which has recently been in the limelight for hacking several high profile websites, has offered a helping hand to Sega for nabbing the hackers.

It has been reported that hackers took sensitive information on about 1.3 million customers from Sega's servers. This includes customer names, dates of birth, e-mail addresses, and encrypted passwords. LulzSec has Tweeted, "We want to help you destroy the hackers that attacked you. We love the Dreamcast, these people are going down".

 We must mention here that this group has been responsible for the recent attacks against Eve Online, MineCraft, and Bethesda Softworks, and therefore it seems ironical that it is actually offering help against those responsible for activities similar to its own.

Meanwhile, Bio Ware lost user names, passwords and other personal information of more than 18,000 Neverwinter Nights users from its more than decade-old community server system.

In this case, no one has claimed responsibility for this attack, and nobody has offered any help to track the attackers either.

GTL Tanks 55%, Firm Says Fall; Attack On Group

Shares of the GTL group plunged on Monday; even as it is not yet clear what triggered the sell-off in them.

Flagship GTL was down nearly 55% to Rs 135, and market talk is that the slide could have been accentuated by margin calls getting triggered. Promoters hold around 48% in the company, of which a little over 24% has been pledged with lenders; according to the company's filing with the stock exchanges as on March 31.

In April this year, GTL had informed the exchanges that the company had invested Rs 1500 crore in Chennai Network Infra. Ltd a special purpose vehicle formed by GTL Infra.Ltd to purchase a portfolio of 17,500 telecom tower assets from Aircel Ltd, Aircel Cellular Ltd and Dishnet Wireless Ltd. The transaction is expected to be completed in July 2011.

 Brokers say there is speculation on whether the deal will be completed, and that could have been a trigger for the sell-off. Shares of GTL Infrastructure were down 41% to Rs 17.50. GTL holds 36.22% in GTL Infrastructure.

There is also speculation that Mauritius-based Technology Infra, which holds 23% in GTL Infra, has sold a sizeable chunk. Technology Infra is classified as foreign direct investment in GTL Infra's prospectus.

Market sentiment in general was undermined by speculation that the Indian government was in talks with its Mauritian counterpart, to renegotiate the Dounle Taxation Avoidance Agreement between the two countries.

Over the years, this has led to many foreign portfolio investors routing their investments through Mauritius to save on short term capitals gains tax they would otherwise have to pay in India.

Movie Review of Bhindi Baazaar Inc.

Director : Ankush Bhatt

Music : Sandeep Surya

Lyrics : Ghalib Asad Bhopali

Starring : Kay Kay Menon, Prashant Narayan, Piyush Mishra, Pawan Malhotra, Shilpa Shukla, Deepti Naval, Gautam Sharma, Shweta Verma, Vedita Pratap Singh and Jackie Shroff

"Khel mein haarna ya jeetna maaine nahin rakhta, aisa usi nein kaha hoga jo hara ho. Khelna sirf jeetne ke liye hona chahiye," quips Tabrez aka Tez while talking to Shroff in a scene from the avant-garde film, BHINDI BAAZAAR INC... Apart from Kay Kay Menon in a cameo, the film boasts of no big stars, but manages to score high on the entertainment quotient.

Set in Mumbai's popular Bhindi Bazaar area, the story oscillates between the past and present over a game of chess between Tez and Shroff. Through flashback scenes we are introduced to the two rival pick-pocketing gangs headed by Mamu and Pandey respectively.

A treacherous game of love, deceit, betrayal and malice ensues, involving a host of other characters. You'll find a lot of filmmakers falsely claiming that their film is different, but the tag certainly holds true for BHINDI BAAZAAR INC... It might be director Ankush Bhatt's debut film, but he certainly knows how to do his job.

The style of narration using chess is unique and makes for a compelling watch. The characters are excellently related on the chess board. Also, the sub-plots of all the characters are culminated with precision.

Ram Shreyas Rao's cinematography captures the by lanes of Mumbai effectively. Sandeep-Surya's music is disappointing.

Gautam Sharma underplays his raw character perfectly. Prashant Narayanan delivers an excellent performance. Piyush Mishra is impressive. Pawan Malhotra is good in his menacing act. Kay Kay Menon, who only appears intermittently, is great.

Vedita Pratap Singh has scope for improvement. Deepti Naval, who plays Mamu's wife, is efficient. Shilpa Shukla, who falls for Fateh, acts well. Shweta Verma, who plays Gautam's girlfriend, is passable. Caterina Lopez sizzles in her item number. Jackie Shroff sleepwalks in his cameo.

A riveting thriller backed by superlative performances make this BHINDI BAAZAAR certainly worth shopping.

Movie Review of Bheja Fry 2

Director : Sagar Ballary

Music : Ishq Bector, Sneha Khanwalkar, Sagar Desai

Lyrics : Shree D, Sonny Ravan, Shakeel Azmi

Starring : Vinay Pathak, Minissha Lamba, Amole Gupte, Kay Kay Menon, Suresh Menon, Rahul Vohra and Aditi Govitrikar

BHEJA FRY was one of those small films that made it big. No one would have expected it to be such a rage. Now, after four years, director Sagar Ballary returns with its sequel, BHEJA FRY 2 with some new faces. Obviously, the expectations are sky high.

Vinay Pathak is back as the irritating simpleton, Bharat Bhushan. Winning a TV show called "Aao Guess Karein" lands the tax inspector on an opulent cruise. It's on this cruise that he's acquainted with Ajit Talwar, a sly businessman who's trying to evade the Income Tax department.

When Ajit learns from his reliable sources that an Income Tax officer is on board to get him, he suspects its Bharat Bhushan and plans to get rid of him. Actually, he mistakes him for tax inspector and Bhushan's colleague M.T. Shekharan, who's on a mission to bring him to Justice.

After an unexpected turn of events, Ajit finds himself on a secluded island with Bharat, who's at his usual annoying best. He takes "Situational Songs" to a new level, having a song for every occasion. Their island adventures form the rest of the story.

Director Sagar Ballary has got it all wrong here. It seems the film was made just to cash in on the success of BHEJA FRY, without using any "Bheja". Apart from M.T. Shekharan and Bharat Bhushan mocking each other, all the gags fall flat on their face.

The flow of the film is depressingly slow as you wait for something exciting to happen, only to be disappointed.

Vinay Pathak acts decently but is too loud to digest this time. Kay Kay Menon delivers a fine and restrained performance. However, the chemistry between Vinay and Kay Kay is missing. Suresh Menon is hilarious.

Minissha Lamba acts well. Amole Gupte goes over-the-top. All the other Actors are fine in their respective roles.

BHEJA FRY 2 makes your bheja ache. Not Funny !!!

Tenth Anniversary of Lagaan

It was party time for Aamir Khan Productions, which celebrated its decade in existence, as well as the tenth anniversary of Lagaan.

Almost everyone associated with the Production house - including Abbas Tyrewala, Abhinay Deo, Ashutosh Gowariker and even Bhanu Athaiya - was present to be part of the celebrations, which commenced with the screening of Madness in the Desert, a documentary about the making of Lagaan. Directed by Satyajit Bhatkal, the documentary was almost as long as the movie itself.

Post the screening, director Gowariker and Aamir were visibly emotional as they reminisced about the making of the film, which took around 138 days. They repeatedly said that they were “eternally grateful to each other” for making the film.

Javed Akhtar too joined in the celebration, along with Amitabh Bachchan who lent his voice for the film. “I knew it was a unique film as soon as I watched the first cut,” said Amitabh Bachchan, Praising Gowarikar and Aamir’s courage and faith in the subject.

Aamir also passed around the microphone to the entire starcast of Lagaan, and each of them recounted fun moments from the Lagaan shoot. Gracy Singh looked particularly cheerful throughout the party.

Aamir was a gracious host and it was a pleasure to see him giving ample credit to his ex-wife, Reena Dutta, for being “the greatest support system and driving force” during the making of Lagaan.

Also present at the event were Kiran Rao, Avantika and Imran Khan, Aamir’s kids - Ira and Junaid, Omkar Das Manikpuri, music composers Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Tisca Chopra, Manjari Phadnis, Vir Das and Siddharth Roy Kapoor.

The two prominent absentees were Anusha Rizvi and Amole Gupte, who Aamir praised immensely for writing the scripts of Peepli Live and Taare Zameen Par, respectively.

We Will Kill Also A New Chief of Al-Qaeda - Zawahiri:- United States

US officials have said that new al-Qaeda Chief Ayman al-Zawahiri "lacks a peculiar charisma that Osama bin Laden had", but warned that he would face the same fate as his Predecessor.

Al-Qaeda named Egyptian born Ayman al-Zawahiri as the successor to bin Laden on Thursday.

Calling the 59-year-old long-time number two as an "armchair general", the officials said that Zawahiri not only lacks combat experience, but is also a divisive figure who could divide al-Qaeda.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen warned Zawahiri to expect the same treatment like that of bin Laden, who was killed by US Special Forces in his Abbottabad hideout, Pakistan, on May 2.

"As we did both seek to capture and kill - and succeed in killing - bin Laden, we certainly will do the same thing with Zawahiri," The Telegraph quoted Mullen, as saying.

Big B Dons "Yaarana" Light Bulb Jumper Again

Amitabh Bachchan was seen glowing at the shoot of his forthcoming flick Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap at Filmistan Studios, on Thursday.

As part of a special medley composed for him, the Big B shot the famous Sara Zamana Haseeno Ka Deewana track in the exact same way he did in 1981. In sunglasses and an electric light bulb suit !!!

Shaad Ali, the director of Bunty Aur Babli in which Bachchan starred too, called the shots for the shoot and Shiamak Davar did the choreography. Says a source, "Amitabh Bachchan and the background dancers (24 girls) wore similar costumes as in the original song.

The sets were also identical to the original. Art director, Amrita Singh, had been given the brief to create a replica." Adds the source, "It was nostalgia time for Bachchan. He was shooting for the same track he shot for 30 years ago. He still clearly remembered every move. The shoot wrapped up late last night."

The song is part of a medley of Big B's yesteryear tracks like Khaike Paan Banaras Wala, Rang Barse and Pag Ghungroo, which have been specially redone for the movie.

The Original Track

It was Amitabh Bachchan's suggestion to use light bulbs on the jacket, for the song Saara Zamana Haseeno Ka Deewana from Yaraana in 1981. He got this idea after watching a bull fight sequence from an English film starring Robert Redford.

He told director Rakesh Kumar, who instantly agreed. The switches for the lights on the outfit were in Bachchan's hands. He synchronised the flashing of lights, while dancing to the rhythm of the music.

Tempo Crushes 6-Year-Old Boy On His Way To School

A six-year-old boy on his way to school was killed after he was crushed by a speeding tempo on PL-Lokhande Marg in Chembur on Wednesday. The incident occurred around 12.30 pm when the boy, Tushar Jadhav, was trying to catch up with one of his classmates on the road.

His mother, Ranjana, sustained minor injuries in the incident. Investigators said it was the boy's first day at Sree Narayan Guru High School in Chembur after it reopened. The Deonar police said the speeding tempo knocked down his mother who fell on the other side of the road, while the boy came under the front wheel of the vehicle.

Ranjana, in her complaint, said, "The road is narrow and dug up for widening work. A speeding tempo hit us and I lost consciousness. When I came to, I found that my son had been crushed under the tempo."

The tempo driver, whose identity is yet to be established, abandoned his vehicle and fled from the spot. The victims' neighbours said that Tushar was a cheerful and intelligent child. "Tushar was a lovable child. Everyone in the locality knew him," said a neighbour of the Jadhavs.

The Deonar police are on the lookout for the driver. He has been booked for culpable homicide as well as rash and negligent driving.

Imran To File PIL Against New Drinking Law

Bollywood may have expressed shock over the legal age limit for alcohol consumption being raised to 25 years, but it is Actor Imran Khan who appears to have taken it upon himself to file a PIL against the new ruling.

A decision which no doubt will make Imran popular with the youth, just as his Next Film Delhi Belly hits the theatres on July 1. The actor is likely to file a PIL later in the day today.

Imran's call to action has his I Hate Luv Storys co-star Sonam Kapoor saying cheers as well.

"If you can vote, get married, have children, drive a car. why on earth can't you drink? It's ridiculous we are not living in the dark ages," said Sonam.

While Bollywood may cheer Imran, we can't help wondering if this is part of a finely orchestrated publicity stunt for Delhi Belly, which targets the 18-25 age groups.

Aamir Khan said: "If the legal age for voting and marriage is less than 25 which are frankly much bigger decisions, I don't understand the point of this new ruling. It is not that I support Consumption of alcohol but then the Freedom to be able to choose cannot be taken away from the youth."

Aamir's director wife Kiran Rao says: "Imran Khan is the face of the youth in many ways, he has a huge fan following, so if he is taking up a cause like this I think it will make a difference. The youth should be allowed to make their decisions."

Interestingly, before Imran decided to take on the party poopers it was Bollywood's youngest 'Buddah' who first reacted strongly against the ruling.

Big B had tweeted: "I was never told what to do or how to behave when I was young."

So we'll just have to wait and watch if Imran's initiative gives youngsters a reason to raise their glasses.

Researchers Discover New Molecule To Fight TB, HIV

A molecule drawn out from a marine microorganism could possibly be the next biggest progression in the treatment of two fatal illnesses including tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency Virus.

This declaration has been made by scientists on Wednesday.

Providing novel hope to those suffering from HIV and TB, a group of researchers from the Tuberculosis Research Centre, IIT-Madras and Periyar University drawn out the molecule, Transitmycin, from the marine Micro-organism, Streptomyces SP, which was detached from a soil model amassed from the coral reef off the coast of Rameshwaram.

Scientists stated that the brominated and pigmented antibiotic has been discovered to be active against both the diseases.

Principal investigator and head of the department of bacteriology at the TRC, Dr. Vanaja Kumar said, "Transitmycin inhibited drug sensitive, multidrug resistant and XDR Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains as well as bacterial pathogens."

It was also discovered to be active against latent bacilli.

Exciting them more, the compound was detected to slow down two most widely prevalent clades of HIV-1, the Sub types B&C.

Medical specialists stated that the latter subtype was most prevalent in India and portions of the African continent, reportedly accountable for the worst outbreaks and around half of all contagions.

Notably, this compound is said to be effectual against both Mycobacterium and HIV, a distinctive trait that permits the cure of patients who have been infected with both these pathogens unlike the subsisting medications, which cannot be taken at the same time as they counteract, the researchers said.

Preclinical study, comprising animal researches, are to be adopted before examining this compound in human clinical trials, they said, adding that it would be ready in a period of ten years if the plan fell in place.

Dhoni Adopts Tiger In Mysore Zoo

Agasthya is one Lucky Tiger. For he's been adopted by no less a personality than India's Cricket Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The 2011 World Cup winning skipper on Wednesday handed over a sum of Rs 1 lakh to former India speedster Javagal Srinath, to be given to Mysore Zoo.

While it may not make much of a dent in his deep pockets, for India's tiger conservation plans, the noble gesture is bound to go a long way in inspiring many more philanthropists to come forward and contribute their mite for the noble cause.

"I am adopting Agashtya to endorse and encourage our people to love animals and to stand for the cause of animal rights and conservation," said Dhoni, before he embarked on a long haul to the West Indies for the three-match Test series. "The tiger, our national animal, needs protection," added Dhoni.

He also passed on the message of live and let live to the Indian populace, asking for animals to be allowed to co-exist peacefully with humans. For Mysoreans, as also the thousands of tourists who throng the city of palaces, this will come as an added attraction.

Srinath, who coordinated the whole thing with Dhoni, said a special enclosure is being created for Agashtya, and signboards, some of them containing Dhoni's photograph, will lead visitors thronging Mysore Zoo to the majestic animal.

The combined pull of the highly successful Indian captain and the 9-year-old male tiger would be too good an opportunity to pass up on.

Know Your SSC Results Tomorrow Mumbaiii...

The long wait is set to come to an end for lakhs of SSC Students; For, the Maharashtra Board will announce the SSC Results at 1 PM on Friday.

And, once again this year, the results will be declared online and no toppers will be announced . Instead, subject-wise toppers will be announced after 10 days.

Though board officials were planning to announce the results at least a week earlier than last year, it would now happen on the same date as 2010.

"A proper schedule of assessment has to be followed as we don't want any problems after the results are announced. We are happy that we could announce the results as early as possible ," said Ujjwaladevi Patil, Board Chair-Person, Pune.

Last year, the SSC results were delayed since at the last moment , the board decided to declare them based on the Best-5 system. Sources in the education board pointed out that this was the same reason why the results took time this year as well.

A total of 3.55 lakh students appeared for the exams this year, of whom 1.71 lakh were from the Mumbai division, 1.44 lakh from Thane and 40,297 from Raigad.

"Students should not worry about anything as everybody will get what he/she deserves. Even college admissions will be smooth this year. Students can collect their original marksheets from their respective schools on June 27," said Ravindra Bhise, SSC Board Secretary, Mumbai region.

Students Can View Their Results On -

• http:// mahresult.nic.in

• http://msbshse.ac.in

• http://results.nic.in

Students Can also type in Mobile - "MHSSC" and Send it to 08800654242 And BSNL Users Can Type - "MHSSC" and Send it to 57766 and get their Marks on their mobiles.

1 Year Baby With 34 Fingers To Be Operated On...

One-Year-Old Has Seven Digits On Each Hand and 10 On Each Foot.

When Amrita Saxena (His Mother); saw her son - Akshat - She started crying in joy. But the mirth soon turned to shock when she realised that her son was born with a total of 34 fingers; seven on each hand and 10 on each foot.

"I was so happy to see my baby as it was our first child. But later, when I saw his fingers, I was shocked and surprised," she said. At the time of birth in March last year, Akshat was weak, therefore his parents waited till he put on weight before he could be operated on. On Sunday, they finally came to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences for the operation.

"He was a premature baby and was really weak at the time of birth. So we thought that we will wait till the time he gains some weight. Now that he is fine, we have come here for the treatment. Akshat has problems standing but we believe that he will be perfectly fine after the treatment," said Akshat's father, who works in Bareily.

Akshat was born with a rare condition called polydactyly in which a patient has extra digits. He has been admitted at the orthopaedics unit at AIIMS for multiple congenital anomalies which includes anomalies of both hands and feet.

"The condition can be called rarest of rare and has not been reported so far. Akshat has been evaluated for other organ anomalies in the hospital but there is no other organ anomaly. The patient is being investigated regarding anomalies of blood vessel," said Dr. & Head of department, Orthopaedics, AIIMS.

"Akshat does not have a thumb, so he requires surgical operations in his hand which includes excision of the extra digits and reconstruction of the thumb.

The thumb will be reconstructed using one of the fingers which will look like a normal thumb and the feet also require excision of the extra digits and correction of deformity so that the patient restores normal gait pattern," added Dr. Mother and Father never took it as a negative symbol for their son. For them, their son brought them luck.

HTC Launches Facebook Phone In India

HTC has launched the HTC Salsa, it's "Facebook phone" in India. The Salsa will be powered by Google's Android 2.3 Operating System and will feature HTC's Android skin HTC Sense.

With its emphasis on easy social connectivity, the HTC Salsa will provide one-touch access to the key functions of Facebook, integrated throughout the HTC Sense experience, via a dedicated Facebook button.

According to Country Manager of HTC India, "HTC has always understood that different people want different things and the new HTC Salsa offers special new ways to socialize through a mobile device.

With Indians increasingly getting hooked on to the social web, we wanted to create the ultimate socially connected phone which makes this experience simple and convenient."

The HTC Salsa is powered by a 800 Mhz Qualcomm processor and features a 5-megapixel camera, a 3.4-inch with a 480 x 320 resolution, and a VGA front-facing camera for video calling.

Previously, HTC released high end Android phones such as the Incredible S and the Desire HD but none of these devices featured a dedicated social networking experience.

The HTC Salsa will be available for Rs.22,000 at all authorized HTC resellers across the country.

US Diver Launches Underwater Search For Osama's Body

Eccentric California salvage diver and entrepreneur Bill Warren, 59, has announced that he wants to find Osama Bin Laden's body as proof the Al Qaeda leader is really dead.

"I'm doing it because I am a patriotic American who wants to know the truth. I do it for the world," Warren told the New York Post.

The nearly decade-long hunt for the elusive Al Qaeda leader, believed to be the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, ended on May 2 after US Navy Seals gunned him down in the Pakistani garrison town Abbottabad.

The terrorist's body was buried at sea. The White House said it would not release graphic images of Osama's corpse, but the CIA did later show the photographs to select US lawmakers.

"I have a Russian girlfriend, and she tells me that over there, in intelligence circles, they don't believe bin Laden's really dead," Warren said. "I do not trust my government or Obama."

Warren expects the search will cost about $400,000 and will rely on several boats and high-end technology. If Warren finds the body, he will hold a DNA test at the ship.

A Beginner’s Guide To The Lunar Eclipse

On June 15, we will see the Century’s Longest and Darkest Lunar Eclipse. On this occasion, dnaindia.com gives you all that you need to know about the phenomenon. Gayatri Kaul takes you back to school, explaining the lunar eclipse in simple English.

This June 15 we all have a Date with the moon.

A blushing moon that hides behind the earth’s veil is an all too familiar tale we have all heard.

For most, childhood is far behind and confusion abound. Does the sky burn bright or is it a diamond ring in the sky, are amidst so many questions that heckle the mind.

To begin with, let’s dissolve those illusions and delusions - there are no werewolves, and if you’re pregnant, your kid won’t be born with missing toes and oddly-shaped marks. So all those mom's feel free to shuffle around !!!

In an attempt to vanquish demon superstitions - here’s what those 160-something IQ-ed science geeks have to say:

First, you cannot have a lunar eclipse without a full moon at night, and unlike its alter ego - the solar eclipse, you can view the event from several spots on earth. So, if you’re planning to travel, make sure you hit Africa, Central Asia, South America, Europe, Australia or the Philippines - or just sit back at home in India.

Lucky for us, we will be witnessing what is called a total lunar eclipse. A total eclipse sees an inflamed moon, crimson-hued in the darkest of skies eclipses could have. For those who value their sleep, the eclipse lasts for almost three and a half hours. The eclipse shall commence with a dimming disappearance of the moon, also called the partial phase.

When it’s time, the moon shall shy away behind the triumphant shadow of the earth. Blocking out the light of the sun, the moon will slowly be eschewed till it reappears with its fiery facet during the total phase. Playing hide and seek once again, the body disappears to resurface in its placid tone of grey thereby ending the eclipse.

Perplexities often arise on understanding how the moon changes its colour when the sun is blocked out. It is merely a reflection of the earth from the residue rays of the sun that filter through. The ash and dust in the atmosphere determine the shade that the moon would be adorning. Experts are excited this year, as they are hoping to see what effect the ash cloud over Europe would have on the eclipse.

For those who wish to capture the moment, your can take a long look with your bare eyes. Unlike solar eclipses, you wouldn’t need those shades! And for them clickers, you needn’t protect your camera with filters - the same logic works here.

So fuel-up with some Red Bull and keep those shutters ready. Total lunar eclipses can be quite a sight, quite a rare one in fact.

So, from 11:52pm to 3:30am, don’t forget to eat your way through superstition, and celebrate the moon in full bloom.

Facebook Beats Google For Local Business Advertising

Local marketing has adapted well to the digital era, learning how to optimize for search engines, social sites, and even mobile apps. But while we knew that the worlds of local and online were colliding, we didn’t have a clear sense of what online services were winning - until now.

Social networks, and especially Facebook, are trumping Google when it comes to marketing local businesses on the web. The study was conducted by Merchant Circle, and involved the 4,942 survey completions from small business owners. The majority of the businesses involved were categorized as “very small”.

Questions examined the expectations of the business owners, their projections for growth, their confidence in the economy, and their advertising practices.

Here are some highlights from the web-oriented section of the study:

The single most popular advertising method for local businesses was creating a free profile on a social network. 40.9% of business owners selected this answer as very important, compared to only 37.1% for email marketing, 25.9% for local review sites, and 21.7% for print newspapers.

• 65.7% of businesses used Facebook to create a free page for their business.

• 53% of businesses used Google to advertise for their business.

• 22% of businesses used Facebook advertising, and nearly two-thirds (64.9%) would do it again.

It’s of note that much of what’s being discussed with “Facebook marketing” here is the creation of a free page, not Facebook advertising.

However, Google also has free page creation options (such as in Maps and Places) that compete directly with this element of Facebook’s model.

Slice it whatever way you’d like: Facebook is trouncing Google in the local business category.

Do Not Write Off Mumbai Police: CM Prithvi Raj Chavan

A day after mediapersons demanded a CBI probe into the killing of senior journalist Jyotirmoy Dey in Mumbai, Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Tuesday said the Mumbai police should not be "undermined" and given a fair chance to investigate the brutal murder.

"I am confident Mumbai police will get to the bottom. Give them time. There is no pointing in jumping the gun and blaming someone or the other. Just give some time to Mumbai police to investigate," Chavan told reporters at a CII function in Mumbai.

The CM said that the journalists had demanded a CBI enquiry into the incident and asked for enactment of a law to protect them, to which I told them, "Lets not write off Mumbai police and not undermine their morale..What about the common man who will they go to."

On a query about suspected oil mafia's involvement in the killing, Chavan said, "It is for the police to say that who they think are responsible." "Also, I will like to inform my media friends that I had a meeting with senior police officers . They told me that investigations are proceeding. I met them yesterday afternoon. They said they have further progressed...Late night, I got to know that there is more progress...We hope to catch the culprit soon," he said.

When asked about the sketch of the alleged killer, released by the police, Chavan said, "I can't tell you about the sketch...You need to ask the Mumbai police about that."

Police had released a sketch of one of the four killers of Dey yesterday on the basis of description given by an eye-witnesses to the shoot-out incident. The alleged killer is in the 20-25 age group and of medium built, with a height of around five-and-a-half feet. His complexion is black and he was wearing a blue raincoat at the time of the incident, police said.

Dey, who headed the crime bureau in Mid-day tabloid, was shot dead by four unidentified gunmen at Hiranandani complex in suburban Powai on June 11.

Citigroup Reduces Stake In HDFC By 1.5 %

Citigroup today said that it has reduced its 11.4% stake in Housing Development Finance Corporationby 1.5 % to a 9.9 % beneficial interest. Reducing its holdings in HDFC to below 10 % is a part of Citi's mitigation efforts ahead of the adoption of Basel III capital rules.

The transaction resulted in a pre-tax profit of approximately USD 160-million, a press release issued here stated. Citigroup has no plans to sell any additional shares of HDFC, it added. "We have been an investor in HDFC since 2005 and continue to have a very strong and productive relationship with its senior management team.

This transaction was motivated by our capital planning, as we prepare for the implementation of Basel III, rather than strategic considerations," Citigroup''s Chief Financial Officer, John Gerspach, said. "Citi remains deeply committed to India and we continue to invest in our franchise in this very important market.

We have unique experience, deep relationships and local insights, all of which are strong competitive advantages," Citigroup India''s CEO, Pramit Jhaveri, said.

Over the past three years, Citigroup raised around USD 60-billion from capital markets for its clients in India and advised on nearly USD 25-billion of India-related mergers and acquisitions.

In the consumer business, Citigroup has 42 full-service Citibank branches in 30 cities and a market share of over 20 % in credit card spends.

Today Cambodia Celebrates World Blood Donor Day

Cambodia on Tuesday marked the World Blood Donor Day, calling for more blood donations.

The event under the theme "more blood, more life" was presided over by Cambodian Minister of Health Mam Bunheng and attended by about 500 health officials, foreign embassy officials to Cambodia, non-governmental organization officials, and students.

Mam Bunheng appealed to the public to donate more blood as it is very important to save lives.

"The blood transfusion will not damage your health; instead, it will save lives of the patients who are in urgent need of blood, " he said.

Hok Kim Cheng, director of National Blood Transfusion Center, said that 3 out of 1,000 people donate blood in Cambodia; it's still low if compared with other developing countries that the blood donation rate is up to 5 among 1,000 people.

Last year, the center has received voluntary donations of 40, 245 units of blood, up 12 percent from 35,895 units in a year earlier.

All blood had been tested for four types of diseases: HIV, hepatitis B and C, syphilis, and malaria, he said, adding that last year, 9 % of the blood was founded with these diseases and destroyed.

One of the blood donors Moeung Dara said that he donated his blood regularly every three months and he has done it for three years.

"In the past, I had a disease and needed an urgent surgery, at that time, the center donated blood to save my life in the surgery, " he said. "So, to express my grateful thanks to the center and the previous donors, I decided to donate my blood regularly to the center."

A Buddhist monk Svay Sothea is one of the donors.

"This is the 24th time that I donate my blood to the center," he said. "I'm very happy to donate the blood as it will be helpful to save lives of patients in urgent need."