Airtel has launched its new 16 Mbps Broadband Plan for high speed internet access.
The service will be initially available in Delhi NCR, Chennai and Bangalore, and will be moved on to the rest of the cities in the next phase.
K Srinivas, Joint President, Telemedia Services, Bharti Airtel said, “Airtel has constantly strived to innovate and deliver high quality products to its broadband customers. We are the leading private broadband service provider in the country and pioneered 8 Mbps broadband. It gives us great pleasure now to be able to introduce the fastest, wired broadband service on DSL. We will be able to offer 16 Mbps broadband to 70% of the households in the 3 cities of Delhi NCR, Chennai and Bangalore.”
The tariff plans offered at the 16Mbps broadband speed are:
* Speed Combo 2999 - 16 Mbps Broadband speed with monthly data transfer limit of 20 GB along with a fixed line connection at Rs. 2999 per month.
* Speed Combo 4999 - 16 Mbps broadband speed with monthly data transfer limit of 50 GB along with a fixed line connection at Rs. 4999 per month.
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Samsung I7500 will be the first Samsung smartphone using Google’s Android OS plus Google Mobile Services.
The new Samsung i7500 Android Phone will feature:
* Android 1.5 (Cupcake) plus Google Mobile Services
* Quad band GSM/GPRS/EDGE connectivity
* Dual band UMTS/HSPA connectivity (3G)
* Qualcomm MSM7200A CPU at 528 MHz
* 3.2-inch OLED Display capacitive touchscreen display with HVGA (480×320) resolution
* 5 MP Camera (Auto Focus), Power LED
* Full Web Browser Google Search, Maps, Gmail,
YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Android Market
* GPS
* Wi-Fi
* Bluetooth® 2.0, USB 2.0
* 5MP camera with LED flash
* 3.5mm headset jack
* 528 MHz Qualcomm MSM7200A CPU
* 8GB of internal memory
* MicroSD card support(up to 32GB)
* 1500 mAh battery
Samsung I7500 Android Phone will cost around Rs.25,000 (US$ 400 in US).
Hi guys.Happy to meet you with this interesting post.Hope you like it. The new Apple iPod shuffle 4GB is the redesigned iPod Shuffle with VoiceOver feature.The new VoiceOver feature that gets around the lack of display in the iPod by telling you which song is playing and who performs it at the touch of a button on the earbud cable. It’ll also call out your playlists and let you navigate to others.
The new voice-enabled iPod shuffle 4GB has a standard 3.5mm headphone jack which can be used for not only for the proprietary headphones but also the non-Apple headphones that will require a special dongle that includes the new three-button controller.
The new redesigned,voice-enabled iPod shuffle 4GB will be available in black or silver for Indian Rupee(INR) Rs. 4,000 (US$80).
Hi guys.Happy to meet you with this interesting post.Hope you like it. The Nokia 2720 fold is a new stylish clamshell mobile phone. Nokia 2720 offers 1.8 inch display, Bluetooth 2.0, 32MB of memory, 1.3 megapixel camera. It also supports easy access to email, Internet connectivity and file sharing applications. It lacks 3G but supports Edge.
Nokia 2720 fold Price - Rs. 3.5k ~ 3.9k /- INR (Indian Rupee)
Hi guys.Happy to meet you with this interesting post.Hope you like it. The new Acer Aspire 4937G is a 14-inch HD display laptop powered by Intel Core 2 Duo processor and based on Mobile Intel® PM45 Express Chipset.
The new Acer Aspire 4937G specifications are:
* Intel® Centrino® 2 processor technology
* Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor supporting Intel® 64 architecture and Intel® Virtualization technology
* Intel® Wireless WiFi Link
* Genuine Microsoft® Windows Vista® Home Premium
* Intel® PM45 Express chipset
* nVidia® GeForce® G 105M with up to 2303MB of TurboCache (512MB of dedicated DDR II VRAM, up to 1791 MB of shared system memory) supporting nVidia® PureVideo™ HD technology
* 3GB RAM
* 320GB S-ATA HDD
* 14″ HD high-brightness Acer CineCrystal™ LED-backlit TFT LCD
* DVD-Super Multi Double-Layer Drive (DVD+/-RW)
* Built-in Bluetooth® 2.0+EDR
* 6-in-1 card reader (SD™/MMC™/MMCplus™/MS®/MS PRO®/xD-Picture Card™)
* Intergrated Acer CrystalEye webcam supporting enhanced Acer PrimaLite™ technology
* Dolby®-optimized surround sound system with two built-in stereo speakers
* 3 years onsite warranty (inclusive of parts and labour) from Acer Direct
* 1 Year International Traveller’s Warranty
* 2.32kg with 6-cell battery pack and optical drive
* 6-cell battery pack
* 65W AC adapter
* Notebook bag
The new Acer Aspire 4937G Laptop will cost around Rs.45,000.
Hi guys.Happy to meet you with this interesting post.Hope you like it. The new Acer Aspire 5738 is a 15.6-inch display laptop powered by Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 processor .The new Acer Aspire 5738 notebook features FingerPrint Reader for enhanced security.
The specification of the new Acer Aspire 5738 Laptop are:
* Intel® Core™2 Duo processor T6400 (2 MB L2 cache, 2 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 35 W) supporting Intel® 64 architecture
* 3GB RAM
* 320GB SATA Hard disk drive
* DVD R/W
* Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium (Service Pack 1)
* Mobile Intel® GM45 Express Chipset
* Wireless LAN,Ethernet,Bluetooth
* 15.6-inch HD 1366×768 pixel resolution,16:9 aspect ratio Acer CineCrystal™ TFT LCD
* Webcam
* HDMI
* 5-in-1 card reader, supporting Secure Digital™ (SD) Card,MultiMediaCard (MMC), Memory Stick™ (MS), Memory Stick PRO™ (MS PRO), xD-Picture Card™ (xD)
* Lithium ion 6 cell battery
* 1 Year international warranty
* Carry case
The new Acer Aspire 5738 Laptop will cost around Rs.40,000.
India's flag carrier Air India, which is struggling to cope with a cash crunch, will ask for a Rs.10,000-crore (about $2 billion) bailout package from the central government, a senior official said.
Airline officials, who discussed the airline's financial problems with Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel Tuesday night, will meet top government officials again seeking help.
The minister arrived here Tuesday after attending the Paris air show.
'We are looking for at least Rs.10,000 crore bailout package. I am not sure if the government would agree on this,' said the Air India official, who did not want to be named.
Air India earlier said it was looking for a bailout package worth at least Rs.15,000 crore from the government.
Air India chairman and managing director Arvind Jadhav, Civil Aviation Secretary M. Madhavan Nambiar and other senior ministry and airline officials had met the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, T.K.A. Nair, Monday with the demands.
But they did not get any assurance from Nair.
Jadhav last week met Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrasekhar.
National Aviation Co of India Ltd (NACIL), which owns Air India, had earlier announced that it would delay the salaries of its over 31,000 employees for 15 days. The management has also asked the top executives of the airline to forgo their one month's salary.
The employees, however, did not accept the management's decision and said they would go for an indefinite strike from July 1 if the management delays their salaries.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the global aviation industry is expected to lose about $9 billion this year.
The Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) says the Indian aviation industry is likely to incur around $2 billion losses this year.
The Union Cabinet has appointed the Infosys Chief Nandan Nilekani as the Chairman of National Authority for Unique Identity.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ambika Soni said the new authority will function under the planning commission, and Nilekani will be enjoying cabinet tatus.
Ms Soni said the authority will have the responsibility to lay down plans and policies to implement the Unique Identification Scheme and will operate the unique identification number database for the citizen's of the country.
In January the Government of India has notified the creation of the National Authority of Unique Identity.
The ambitious plan of unique identification has been allocated Rs 100 crore in the interim budget of 2009-10.
The unique identification number aims at eliminating the need for multiple identification mechanism prevalent across various government departments, and it will ensure that each Indian citizen will carry a permanent identifier from birth to death.
The permanent identifier which will also cover children, will help in at establishing citizenship, reducing identity related frauds, addresses security issues and prevent leakages in different government schemes.
In the beginning the Unique Identity number will be given to all voters who are on current electoral rolls, and gradually, the other persons including those below 18 years of age will be added to the database. Photographs and biometric data will be added to make the identification perfect.
Pakistan outclassed Sri Lanka with their allround performance and won the World Twenty20 championship by eight wickets at the Lord's here Sunday.
Pakistan, which finished runners-up to India in 2007, achieved the target of 139 in 18.4 overs after losing only two wickets as Man of the Match Shaid Afridi, promoted up the order, scored an unbeaten 54 off 40 balls.
Comeback man Abdul Razzaq scalped three wickets as a rejuvenated Pakistan restricted Sri Lanka to 138 for six in 20 overs.
Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara, who opted to bat first, scored an unbeaten 64 off 52 balls while in-form Tillakaratne Dilshan, who was adjudged at the Man of the Series, failed to open his account.
Robbed off international cricketing action due to strife back home, it was a deserving victory for Pakistan that started the the tournamnet on a disastrous note by losing both their warm-up matches and then suffering a crushing victory against hosts England in the group stage.
Kamran Akmal (37) and teenager Shahzaid Hasan (19) gave Pakistan a rollicking start while Afridi's biltzkreig, which had two fours and two sixes, and Shoaib Malik's 24 not out took them home.
Sri Lanka, which had remained the only unbeaten team in the tournament till the final, suffered quick blows after Sangakkara elected to bat on a slow wicket.
They were reduced to two for two in the second over. Razzaq joined the party too and his double strikes reduced Sri Lanka to 34 for four before the skipper led the rescue act with a valiant unbeaten 64 from 52 balls.
Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews (35 not out) added 68 valuable runs for the seventh wicket as Sri Lanka scored 59 runs in the last five overs.
Teenage fast bowler Mohammad Aamir got Pakistan the first breakthrough by dismissing tournament's leading run scorer Dilshan in the first over.
In the next over, Jehan Mubarak skied a leading edge off Razzaq.
Sanath Jayasuriya (17) started the attack by hitting Razzaq for a six, but the bowler took the revenge by castling his stumps two balls later. Razzaq picked up his third wicket when Misbah-ul Haq dived to his right at slip to remove Mahela Jayawardene (1).
According to a global study jointly released by IBM and InfoTech Research Group, even in a very difficult economic environment, Indian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are eager to actively invest in initiatives that reduce the environmental impact of their information technology.
The study is based on a survey of more than 1,000 information technology executives at companies with between 100 and 1,000 employees across industries and in a dozen countries including the India, United States, Canada, France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
The findings show that more than 55 per cent of Indian companies are going to, or have already commissioned third-party environmental audits, purchased emission credits, or have made improvements in their supply chain efficiency to reduce energy consumption. 63 per cent of Indian IT enterprises have completed a retrofit of existing server rooms to increase energy efficiency, or have a pilot project underway.
Almost two-thirds of all companies globally are currently, or are planning within the next 12 months, to add virtualization technology to their servers, consolidate storage systems, or retrofit their server rooms.
�Businesses around the world have discovered that going green isn�t just good for the planet; it�s good for their bottom line,� said Ramesh Narasimhan, Director, General Business, IBM India/South Asia. �Green IT strategies are leading to savings in operational expenditure; lower space and power and higher ROI. The findings in this report highlight how mid-size companies are realizing significant cost savings when they adopt Green IT initiatives.�
Significantly, there are compelling business benefits associated with �going green� and reducing the negative impact on the environment is a welcome addition. The driving factor pushing companies to adopt Green IT to reduce their costs while reducing the negative impact on the environment is an obvious additional benefit.
The study found companies typically fall into one of four IT personalities; green advocates, smart spenders, green observers and green seekers. Green advocates, companies that integrate environmental considerations into all areas of their business, makes up about 25 per cent of the companies surveyed. Smart spenders make up 38 per cent of the survey group and are defined as SMBs willing to make upfront investments to achieve a long-term cost reduction. Green observers, who make up 30 per cent of the survey group, do not have specific environmental goals and need management support for initiatives to improve energy efficiency. Green seekers, at 7 per cent, are interested in adopting energy efficient technology but are unsure of where to start and how to quantify results.
Saving electricity requires the measurement of IT electrical consumption, something many companies cannot do. However, the survey finds that more than 50 per cent of companies have implemented some form of energy measurement for their information technology infrastructure, and about one-quarter plan to do so in the year ahead.
About 60% of the total respondents weigh the importance placed on business benefits against environmental benefits, suggesting that IT initiatives to help improve energy efficiency must yield financial returns in order to get the green light.
Countries with some of the highest fuel prices in the world have not, up to this point, turned to remote conferencing and telecommuting initiatives to reduce both cost and energy consumption. The survey found while 50 to 60 per cent of Indian, Brazilian, North American and British businesses are up and running with telecommuting and virtual conferencing capabilities, Germany, France, and, to a lesser extent, the Nordic countries have been slower to adopt these technologies. Initiatives intended to reduce travel are clearly receiving the most attention from geographically �big� countries over the next 12 months. From Brazil to Canada, more than 30 per cent of businesses will aggressively pursue remote conferencing and telecommuting strategies.
Virtualization is also being perceived as a major step in help achieving energy efficient business operation. The rate of server virtualization across most regions (with an average implementation rate of 48 per cent) is evidence that initiatives with a business case comprised of clear cost savings and environmental benefits will win first. For new initiatives to gain acceptance from stakeholders who may be sceptical, a clear case for cost containment, savings or other business benefits must be made first.
Data indicates that IT equipment recycling has shown good progress. Overall, 56 per cent of the companies surveyed have either completed or are implementing outdated hardware recycling programs.
Approximately 23 per cent of IT departments report plans to adopt IT equipment recycling and energy measurement practices within the next 12 months. 65 per cent of all implementations, the study found organizations� initial goals for these projects are met or exceeded.
The Indian marketplace boasts of more than 35 million small and medium businesses and is now competing globally. They will need to gain a competitive edge to win amidst global competition and technology provides them this edge. IBM offers services, research, hardware and software specifically tailored for the SME market in India that can help mid-size companies to be both greener and leaner.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) should look at eventually reversing the expansionary policy pursued in the wake of the global economic crisis, Governor Duvvuri Subbarao said on Saturday.
"All of you would agree around the world also there is concern, there is attention being paid to reverse these expansionary policies," Subbarao told students at a banking institute. "In the Reserve Bank of India, we will be looking at reversing the expansionary policy at an appropriate time."
Subbarao did not say how or when the policy will be reversed but said he will not do it right now or in the near future.
In its efforts to stimulate the economy, the RBI has cut its key lending rate by 425 basis points to 4.75 percent since the collapse of Lehman Brothers last year. The rate at which it absorbs surplus cash from the banking system has been cut by 275 basis points to 3.25 percent.
As well, it has cut the ratio of cash that banks must deposit with the central bank to 5 percent from 9 percent in the middle of last year.
Subbarao said the stimulus measures of both the government and the central bank have worked to some extent. "Certainly we are seeing our own versions of green shoots in certain sectors like cement, steel and coal," he said.
He also said growth in vehicle sales as well as a pick up in rail freight traffic were encouraging. "But as I said, this is not a complete picture and there are a number of sectors of the economy which have to see a significant revival," he said.
In April, the RBI said it expected Asia's third largest economy to expand by about 6 percent in the fiscal year 2009/10 ending in March, below last fiscal year's 6.7 percent.
Many private sector economists forecast growth of between 5.8 to 7.2 percent. The head of prime minister's economic advisory council predicted on Saturday that growth would match at least last year's level.
Subbarao said although the wholesale price index fell in the first week of June, food and primary articles inflation was significant. Consumer price index inflation was 9 percent, he said.
The governor said the central bank looked at a number of variables of inflation including an assessment of inflationary expectations to formulate its policy.
India's wholesale price index fell 1.61 percent in the 12 months to June 6, compared with the previous week's annual rise of 0.13 percent, government data showed on Thursday. The fall was the first in at least three decades.
"There are definite trends coming through although the headline index is negative ... Oil prices are firming up and commodity prices are increasing around the world. Food production is below the trend level," Subbarao said.
Subbarao declined to comment on whether he expected the government to increase the borrowing programme at its final budget to be unveiled on July 6.
The government has stepped up the pace of its borrowing in recent weeks. It is scheduled to borrow 150 billion rupees via bonds next week compared with 120 billion indicated in the auction calendar. This will be the sixth straight week where the government will be borrowing 25 percent more than originally scheduled.
Security forces today entered Lalgarh to reclaim it from Maoist-backed tribals and were closing in on the police station there. The personnel of paramilitary forces and the state police were just two km away from the Lalgarh police station, which is under Maoist control, a senior police officer said.
The securitymen from CRPF, BSF, State Armed Police, Eastern Frontier Rifles and the Kolkata Police entered the besieged area after crossing a five-km stretch of the Jhitka forest, a Maoist stronghold, he said. They were moving in armoured vehicles fitted with anti-landmine devices and mortars and were carrying mine-detecting units.
Indian Defence Minister A.K. Antony on Friday said that Taliban was a threat to the world peace. Antony said that India has been trying to impress upon Pakistan to take more proactive actions to ban the Taliban.
Elaborating more on India's ongoing process based on the security scenario, he also assured about the implementation of all kinds of required measures.
In a move that will give relief to thousands of tenants residing in centuries-old wadas in the city, the Urban Development Department of the State Government has allowed tenants to carry out the wada repair work at their expense without having to submit a no-objection certificate from the wada owner or any architectural plan of the wada, which had been the pre-requisites till now.
Wada tenants can now forward an application to the ward office of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) before the repair work and the permission will be given within 48 hours. However, the tenants are not allowed to make structural changes to the wada.
The decision, that was taken at a meeting here on Saturday, is likely to be implemented on Monday, said BJP MLA Girish Bapat who briefed the reporters on the development. Urban Development Department Principal Secretary T C Benjamin, Divisional Commissioner Dilip Band, civic commissioner Mahesh Zagade, city engineer Prashant Waghmare, Congress MLA Chandrakant Chhajed and Bapat attended the meeting, besides Town Planning officials.
Bapat said, "There are 17 Peth localities in the city, including Kasba Peth, Somwar Peth, Raviwar Peth, Nana Peth and Navi Peth. These Peth areas house about 10,000 wadas. The PMC has carried out a survey of only 1,600 wadas till now and have issued notices to around 750 wada owners about pulling down the dilapidated structures."
He said it was decided at the meeting that if the tenants and occupants of these wadas submit an application to carry out repair work of their place at their own expense, they will be given permission within 48 hours by the civic officials, without having to submit any extra documents. "Less submission of documents will speed up work and save them from turning homeless."
He said the tenants will not be allowed to make any structural changes to the wada or increase the carpet area under this pretext. "This permission will be applicable only for repairs like plastering or raising support to the structures."
The widely condemned brutal attack on Ludhiana (Central) Tehsildar Major (Retired) Gurjinder Singh Benipal by alleged supporters of SAD councillor Kanwaljit Singh Karwal saw a major development with Karwal's surrender on Sunday.
Karwal surrendered here before the Deputy Commissioner Vikas Garg following the articulation of deep anguish against the incident across all sections of society.
Terming the attack on Benipal as extremely unfortunate, various represenatives said there was no place for such incidents in civilised society. In a meeting of the Democratic Employees' Front held under the chairmanship of its president Ramanjit Singh Sandhu, the employees demanded stern action against the accused who mercilessly beat up the Tehsildar.
The Universal Human Rights Organisation (UHRO) also convened a meeting condemning the incident. Expressing his concern, UHRO president Satnam Singh Dhaliwal said the incident confirms the possible fate of a common man in face of the government's failure to provide security to its officials.
S S Channa, president of the Federation of Pollution and Park Management Committees, strongly condemning the incident stated, "In fact the councillor should have set an example for other people by coming to the Tehsildar's office in queue that too on his terms.
Being an elected representative of the people, councillor should lead the people by example than throwing his weight on the government officials and pressurising officers to do their work out of turn."
The Colonisers and Property Dealers' Association President Kultar Singh Jogi and General Secretary Jatinder Pal Singh Saluja, though condemned the alleged attack but stated the behaviour of some government officials towards general public was not good. Jogi and Saluja said certain officials harrassed the general public and this incident is an indication that people are fed up of the government officials' attitude.
"She was brutally killed even though she kept on begging for her life" — This has been mentioned by the Delhi Police in a chargesheet it filed in the Jigeesha Ghosh murder case on Saturday.
Ghosh, a 28-year-old executive with Hewitt Associates Pvt Ltd (Noida) and resident of the CPWD Colony in Vasant Vihar, was abducted by Ravi Kapoor and his friends from outside her home early on March 18 and later killed.
Having finished its investigations, the Vasant Vihar police have filed a chargesheet against Ravi Kapoor, the main accused, and two of his friends, Baljeet Singh, alias Poppy, and Amit Kumar Shukla. They along with two others, Ajay Sethi and Vijay Kumar, were also involved in the murder of journalist Soumya Vishwanathan on September 30 last year. These murders had raised concerns over security for working women in Delhi. The accused were arrested on March 24.
DCP (South) H G S Dhaliwal said, "An intensive investigation was conducted in this case and our teams have done a lot of hard work. The challan (chargesheet) has also been filed in time."
In the Jigeesha Ghosh murder case, a 448-page chargesheet has been filed under various sections of the IPC, including 302 (murder), 201 (destruction of evidence), 365 (abduction), 397 (robbery with attempt to cause grievous hurt or death), 34 (common intention), several forgery sections including 468, 471 and the Arms Act against the three accused.
The chargesheet, filed 90 days after the accused were arrested, includes the testimonies of 59 witnesses, among them Jigeesha's family, police officers, forensic experts and others. The police have also submitted 10 photographs related to the accused persons and crime spots, and one CD and documents related to recovery of the weapons used by the accused persons while committing robberies and murders.
Since the courts are closed for summer vacations, the chargesheet was filed in the court of Duty Metropolitan Magistrate Jitendra Mishra at the Patiala House complex.
During their investigations, the police found that Ravi Kapoor, Baljeet Singh and Amit Kumar Shukla abducted Jigeesha in a Hyundai Santro (HR18C3409) from the CPWD Colony around 4 am. She had been talking on her mobile phone. The accused then drove towards Mahipalpur. They asked her for her ATM pin at gunpoint and withdrew Rs 20,000 from an SBI ATM in Mahipalpur. After this, they strangled her and threw her body near Bhadkal Lake.
The police also found that Ravi Kapoor also roamed around the city using fake police uniforms, police badges, stickers on cars and arms, for which he was booked for forgery and under the Arms Act.
In the Soumya Vishwanathan murder case, sources said the Vasant Kunj police would be filing a chargesheet against the five accused — Ravi Kapoor, Baljeet Singh, Amit Shukla, Ajay Sethi and Vijay Kumar — by next week. "Investigations are over in that case too and almost all the documentation has been completed," a source said.
The South district police will also file a supplementary chargesheet against the five accused in the coming months under MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act), which was imposed on the accused later, in April.
The word on the Varun Gandhi tapes is out and it says not doctored. The Forensic Science Laboratory's report, which was submitted to the Pilibhit police on Saturday, confirms what many believed—it was indeed Varun Gandhi's voice on the tapes containing the hate speeches he delivered in Desh Nagar on March 7 and Barkhera in Pilibhit on March 8.
Varun had alleged that the recordings were "doctored" and there was a "political conspiracy" to defame him. "These are not my words and not my voice," Varun had said after the footage was aired on TV channels.
After Varun refused to give a sample of his voice to police at the Etah and Pilibhit jail, the police arranged a microchip containing a recording of his March 7 public meeting at Desh Nagar in Pilibhit. A top police official confirmed that the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) has reported that Varun's voice matched with that in the recording. "Three exhibits were sent to FSL—a compact disk, a mini video cassette that was recorded at Barkhera and a microchip, voice recorded at Desh Nagar. All three exhibits were arranged through media houses," added the official.
The Pilibhit police, who have almost completed their investigation and were waiting for the FSL report, are likely to move the state government soon in order to file a chargesheet against Varun in court. "The FSL report is second evidence against Varun. We already have affidavits and recorded statements of 20 people," said investigating officer Mani Ram Rao.
In all, six FIRs have been filed in Pilibhit against Varun, who is at present out on bail.
John Abraham is hurting and it isn't for the first time.
The 36-year-old actor is laid up with a broken ankle he sustained while shooting for David Dhawan's "Hook Ya Crook".
Things are looking up on the professional front though -- after the box-office success of "Dostana", Abraham is back with Kabir Khan's "New York".
The actor spoke to Reuters about "New York", his career and why he likes being called eye candy.
Q: You seem to have hurt your leg
A: "Yes, I have broken my navicular bone. I am getting used to walking on crutches though. In 2006, I broke my other leg in a bike accident. This is actually much worse than that. You know so far, I have broken four bones in my body. Thats a lot isn't it?"
Q: Tell us about 'New York'
A: "'New York' is looking good. The name of my character is Sam, a guy who is a typical jock. He has two friends, Maya and Omar, and it is about a sequence of events that changes their lives."
Q: This movie talks about discrimination and the after effects of 9/11, which is not a very common theme in Indian movies.
A: "Yes, this is not the jingoistic, America bashing film. It is a very unbiased way of (showing) what happened in America post- 9/11 and the way America looks at a certain section of a community and the way that community looks at America.
"We are also trying to tell a story that is commercial enough to be called a commercial Hindi film. The basic subtext of the plot is very different but the way it has come across is very peppy."
Q: There is a particularly disturbing scene of you in the promos, lying chained in a small cell.
A: (Laughs) I wish I could tell you more but all I will say is that you are right -- it is a very disturbing scene and we prepared for it for a very long time. I think that is one of the clinchers of the film. If that affects you positively or negatively, then we are home.
"It is not always about the time you have spent on screen, it is about the impact you make, which is what I have always believed an actor should do. If I have managed to do that, I have succeeded. But that is something the audience can say after having seen the film.
"I could blow my own trumpet and say this is my best performance, so films are better not being spoken of the actors themselves."
Q: So is it your best performance?
A: "Yes. By eons and light years."
Q: Do you remember the first time you went to New York?
A: "I am very familiar with New York. I used to go there in my modelling days. But when I went there post-'Kabul Express', I was taken aside by the authorities and questioned for six hours because I had an Afghanistan stamp on my passport.
"I remember the head honcho (sic) coming in and me talking about 'Kabul Express'. So he asked me to narrate the story to him. At the end of it, he said 'really nice story, when is the film releasing?'
"When I played Sam, it was partly reminiscent of what I went through in a very small way. But obviously, there are greater prejudices in the world and there are ways of looking at it. You either feel crucified or you give the other person the benefit of the doubt. I feel there is always a reason for someone to behave irrationally. That is what 'New York' is about."
Q: Do you face moments of insecurity?
A: "All the time. But then, you have to channelise that insecurity into excelling and doing better for yourself. Either you can sit and brood over what you dont have, or you can work hard and try and achieve what you want.
"I have been the subject of ridicule. I have been pushed into every corner. But these days, because I have broken my foot, I sit across from my father and we talk. And he is a very wise man and he always gave me this example of a fable by William Wordsworth.
"A big man was crossing a bridge that only one person could pass at one time. Little John was crossing it from the other end. They meet at the centre and the big man told John, 'I don't let fools pass'. Little John walked back to his end, stepped aside and said 'but I do'.
"That is exactly my philosophy in life. Give the monkeys peanuts, let them rant, rave and scream, you just do your work. Be a horse with blinkers."
Q: Are you okay with being looked on as the nation's eye candy?
A: "Why should I have a problem with that? I want people to look at me as eye candy, if they don't, I would be in deep trouble. After all it is a visual medium. Why should I feel defensive?
"My audience is the one who comes out of the theatre and says 'John, we loved you in Dostana'. That's it. I don't have to sit at 40 fake award functions and go up and give the same speech 25 times, so that I can prove to the world that I have been liked by my audience. My audience has already rewarded me."
After a thorough interrogation and search Indian authorities confirmed that the military cargo aircraft, which has landed in Mumbai air port yesterday was carrying medicines to the US troops operating in Afghanistan and no weapons or ammunition were on board said IAF spokesperson Wg Cdr Tarun Kumar Singha.
Speaking to ANI Wg Cdr Singha said the aircraft was hired by the US military, from a Russian agency. All the 18 persons including the crewmembers who were in the aircraft were civilians and belonged to the Russian agency.
The hired military cargo aircraft violated the Indian air space near Gujarat yesterday and was forced to land at Mumbai's Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport.
The aircraft was travelling from Diego Garcia island, a military base of the US near Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, to Kandahar in Afghanistan.
Wg Cdr Singha said that according to norms any hired civilian aircrafts for the military purposes has to get an AOR clearance form the IAF on this case the Russian agency did not obtain the clearance, the Mumbai ATR instructed the captain to land the aircraft.
He denied the report of IAF planes escorting the intruded aircraft and said the pilot followed the instruction given by the ATR, so the question of escort does not arise.
The Indian authorities have given the clearance to the aircraft to fly. Shreeraj Gudi
Six people, including two minors, across the country Saturday tested positive for the influenza A (H1N1) virus, taking the total number of affected people in India to 56 though 21 of them have been discharged on recovery.
Among the new cases, three were reported from Delhi, and one each from Hyderabad, Bangalore and Fatehgarh in Punjab, the health ministry said in a statement.
'Three more people have tested positive for the swine flu Saturday, including an indigenous case where the patient contracted the flu without going abroad,' Delhi Health Secretary J.P. Singh told IANS.
Three cases in the national capital include: a 27-year-old male passenger who had travelled from Canada to New Delhi transiting Brussels June 17 and self-reported at the identified health facility, a four-and-half-year-old boy who travelled from Toronto transiting Brussels reaching Delhi June 17, and a 30-year-old man and a family contact of a positive case reported June 17.
The new case in Hyderabad is a 32-year-old man who had travelled from New York, transiting Mumbai. On reaching Hyderabad June 13, he self-reported at the identified health facility with swine flu-like symptoms June 18.
The single case in Fatehgarh Sahib is a 15-year-old boy, part of a group of 20 children and four teachers who had gone to Orlando, the US, on a NASA trip and had reached the Punjab town June 16.
Punjab health authorities were examining all children who had returned from the US study tour. Subsequent to this screening, the boy reported with symptoms of fever, running nose and sore throat June 18. All the contacts of these children have been traced and given chemoprophylaxis.
The single case reported in Bangalore is a 25-year-old man coming from Philaldephia via New York and London. A day after reaching Bangalore June 17, he reported at the health facility with the swine flu symptoms.
Indian health authorities have so far tested samples of 412 people, of whom 56 have been tested positive for the Influenza A(H1N1) virus.
Six of them are indigenous cases who got the infection from the positive cases traveled from abroad.
Among these people, 134 were identified through health screening at international airports, 20 through contact tracing and the rest had self-reported.
Twenty-one of the confirmed cases have been discharged while the rest of them are all stable and remain admitted to the identified health facility.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported 44,287 laboratory confirmed cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection from 94 countries as on June 19. The pandemic has claimed 180 lives.