Mumbai, May 19 (IANS) Diversified conglomerate Larsen and Toubro (L&T) has signed a pact with the US-based GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy to build boiling water reactors for nuclear power plants, the company said Tuesday.

L&T had earlier signed similar pacts with Westinghouse Electric of the US, Atomic Energy of Canada and Atomstroyexport of Russia.

By Sumit Khanna
Jalandhar, May 19 (ANI): Punjabi singers Gurdas Mann and Harbhajan Mann’s success is not just inspiring many youngsters towards singing but also instilling a feeling to take to acting world in Punjabi cinema.
Since Roshan Prince of Jalandhar won a music reality show award – `Awwaj Punjab De’ – he has become a famous singer in Punjab. The good-looking singer has turned his attention to acting.
He has got his first break in Narinder Syaal’s romantic Punjabi film–`Lagda Ishq Ho Gaya’–in which he plays the lead role. Punjabi film producers now prefer popular singers as actors as the films stand to gain from their fan following. “Producers believe that the singers already have many fans and their presence in the film in lead role will make the film a hit. They are correct to an extent but I feel the new actors should enter Punjabi cinema after having proper training in acting. Then they will be very good actors. Singers like Harbhajan Mann, Gurdas Mann are already famous world over for their singing and they have got recognition as actors because of their hard work,” said Roshan Prince, singer-turned-actor.
The 600,000-dollar budget film `Lagda Ishq Ho Gaya’ will soon hit the screens the world over. In the film, Roshan Prince has sung most of the songs in `Lagda Ishq Ho Gaya’ much like Gurdas Maan and Harbhajan Maan, who sing their own songs in their films. Since taking interest in acting in various music videos, the upcoming Punjabi singers have familiarised themselves with cameras. They say it’s helping them in their new roles as actors.“The reason for taking singers in the film is not only because of their profession but it also depends on the characters in the film. I was making a romantic film and when I saw Roshan Prince’s music video on channel MH1, I felt he suited the role of a lover boy in my film. Moreover, he is a singer, so it’s an extra benefit for us that he is well-known. And also having done lots of videos, the singer is no longer camera shy,” said Film Director Sukhminder Dhanjal.

Centurion, May 19 (IANS) Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said their bowling against Kolkata Knight Riders was one of the worst of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after they failed to defend a score of 188.

Riding on Brendon McCullum and Brad Hodge’s blistering knocks, Knight Riders overhauled the stiff target to register their second win in the tournament. The loss leaves Super Kings with a must-win game against Kings XI Punjab in their last match.

Islamabad, May 19 (IANS) Sixteen Taliban militants and three security forces personnel were killed in separate overnight clashes in Pakistan’s restive Swat Valley, officials said Tuesday.

According to the authorities, the security forces are currently consolidating their positions in the valley. Three Pakistani soldiers were killed in the overnight clashes against the militants in the area, officials said.

Washington, May 19 (IANS) Armed with a stable people’s mandate, India should exercise the kind of regional and global leadership expected of a rising power now and find a way to resolve tensions with Pakistan over Kashmir, the New York Times suggested Tuesday.

New Delhi, May 19 (IANS) Global electronics manufacturer LG is planning to launch 31 new models in the star-rated colour television (CTV) category by 2009-end, a top official said Tuesday.

“Even though the industry is witnessing 4 percent category growth, we are looking forward to achieve 7 percent growth by 2009-end,” said Amitabh Tiwari, business group marketing head of LG India.

Washington, May 19 (ANI): The Supreme Court of United States has dismissed a lawsuit seeking to hold FBI Director Robert Mueller and former Attorney General John Ashcroft responsible for wrongful detention of Muslims after 9/11.
The apex court ruled that the complaint, against Mueller and Ashcroft for allegedly violating the constitutional rights of post-911 detainees, must be dismissed because the plaintiff failed to present sufficient facts to justify the lawsuit.
“A plaintiff must plead that each government-official defendant, through the official’s own individual actions, has violated the Constitution,” Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion.
A plaintiff must “plead sufficient factual matter to show that [government officials] adopted and implemented the detention policies at issue not for a neutral, investigative reason but for the purpose of discriminating on account of race, religion, or national origin.”
The case was is poised to give reprieve to high-level government officials – and former Bush administration officials – from similar war-on-terror lawsuits, the Christian Science Monitor opines.

Washington, May 19 (ANI): A Democratic donor and Sarah Palin’s friend has tried to forge an alliance between the Alaska Governor and US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton.