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Mani Ratnam likes to shoot his films in complete isolation and at a stretch, without interruptions, but he allowed Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to zip back to Mumbai to be with her father, Krishnaraj Rai on his 70th birthday. Aishwarya is shooting for his film, Raavan, in the jungles of Cochin. Aishwarya also took the opportunity to fulfill a longstanding commitment for an endorsement before flying back to Cochin to resume shooting. Our source close to the film’s unit said, “When Mani heard that it was her father's birthday, he let Aishwarya go to Mumbai without a second thought.” Frail, but stable, Krishnaraj Rai got the surprise of his life when his daughter showed up at the special family reunion on his birthday. Talking about the birthday celebrations, our source said, “There was no party because of Krishnaraj’s frail health. Only the immediate family was present and of course, the in-laws, Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan.” Abhishek couldn't make it for the birthday. He said, “I would...

Russian leader sees Obama flexible on missile defense: LIMA: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Sunday urged Barack Obama to drop US plans to install a missile defense shield in countries Moscow considers to be within its sphere.Speaking to reporters at an Asia-Pacific forum in Peru, the Russian leader held out hope of improved ties under the administration of the future U.S. president. Obama has yet to state his position on the George W. Bush administration's controversial plans to establish missile shield facilities in the Czech Republic and Poland.Asked if he saw a chance of a shift on the hot-button issue, Medvedev told reporters: "I think there are chances, because if the position of the current administration on this question looks extremely inflexible, the position of the president-elect looks more careful."US plans to place a missile defense radar in the Czech Republic and linked interceptor missiles in Poland have raised a storm of protest from Moscow, which ha...

BEIJING: China's second-richest person, who made his fortune building up the nation's largest home appliance chain, has been detained on suspicion of market manipulation, state media reported on Monday. Hong Kong-listed shares in Huang Guangyu's company, Gome Electrical Appliances Holdings, were also suspended on Monday, according to a statement from the firm to the city's stock exchange. The shares were suspended "pending the release of an announcement in relation to price sensitive information", the statement said. This followed a report on the website of Chinese state-run finance magazine Caijing saying Huang had been detained and was under investigation on suspicion of market manipulation. The magazine, which did not reveal its sources, said the detention took place Wednesday last week, and other Chinese media outlets carried the story. With assets of 18.4 billion yuan ($2.7bn), Huang was ranked as number two on a list of China's richest people issued ...

LONDON: Lawyers for Michael Jackson have reached a settlement with a Bahraini sheik who claimed the singer owed him $7m after breaching a signed contract, the pop star's spokeswoman said Sunday. Celena Aponte said the out-of-court settlement means Jackson will not be giving evidence at London's High Court as scheduled on Monday. Scores of journalists and fans had been expected to cram the courtroom for the appearance by the always-unpredictable King of Pop. Aponte said Jackson was informed of the deal as he was about to board a flight to London. "As Mr. Jackson was about to board his plane to London, he was advised by his legal team to postpone his travels since the parties had concluded a settlement in principle," Aponte said. "Therefore, he will not be attending court on Monday." A representative for the sheik could not immediately be reached for comment late Sunday. Sheik Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa said he gave the singer millions of dollars and planned...

Oil prices plunge below 50 dollars per barrel: NEWYORK: Oil prices crashed below 50 dollars a barrel on Thursday as plunging equities and weak US data sparked fresh fears that a worldwide recession would ravage energy demand.In New York, light sweet crude for delivery in December plunged 4.00 dollars a barrel to close at 49.62.The December contract expired at the close after hitting an intraday low of 48.64 dollars, a level last seen in May 2005.The contract had not been below the 50-dollar level since January 18, 2007.The New York contract broke the psychological barrier shortly after Brent North Sea crude for January crashed it in London.Brent fell as low as 47.82 before settling 3.64 dollars lower at 48.08 dollars a barrel.Analysts said sentiment was hammered by a dismal unemployment report in the United States, the world's biggest energy consumer.Official data showed initial claims for unemployment benefits shot up to a 16-year high last week as the economy appeared to be headi...

Oil prices plunge below 50 dollars per barrel: NEWYORK: Oil prices crashed below 50 dollars a barrel on Thursday as plunging equities and weak US data sparked fresh fears that a worldwide recession would ravage energy demand.In New York, light sweet crude for delivery in December plunged 4.00 dollars a barrel to close at 49.62.The December contract expired at the close after hitting an intraday low of 48.64 dollars, a level last seen in May 2005.The contract had not been below the 50-dollar level since January 18, 2007.The New York contract broke the psychological barrier shortly after Brent North Sea crude for January crashed it in London.Brent fell as low as 47.82 before settling 3.64 dollars lower at 48.08 dollars a barrel.Analysts said sentiment was hammered by a dismal unemployment report in the United States, the world's biggest energy consumer.Official data showed initial claims for unemployment benefits shot up to a 16-year high last week as the economy appeared to be headi...

Clinton accepts Obama sec. of state offer: U.S. media WASHINGTON: New York Sen. Hillary Clinton has accepted an offer from President-elect Barack Obamato become U.S. secretary of state, U.S media confirmed on Friday, quoting two Clinton associates. "She's ready," one of the sources told US T.V channel, which said Clinton came to her decision after additional discussions with Obama about the nature of her role as the top U.S. diplomat and his plans for foreign policy. Democratic Party sources have said Clinton was on track to be nominated, with an official announcement expected after the Nov 27 Thanks giving holiday. U.S. opposes Chinese reactor sales to Pakistan WASHINGTON: The United States this week objected to Chinese plans to build two nuclear reactors in Pakistan near Chashma. Senior Pakistani officials announced last month that China had agreed to build two additional reactors at Chashma, where Beijing has already built one nuclear power station and is erecting anot...