Hyderabad: A leaked diplomatic cable dispatched by the US Consul General in Chennai in 2007 had nailed the then Congress government headed by YS Rajasekhara Reddy in Andhra Pradesh for 'widespread corruption that was beyond the pale' even for India. In the name of social programmes targeted at the common man, the YSR government had engaged in corruption beyond the norm for India, Wikileaks said, quoting the cable. The YSR...
12:50 PM, Sep 16, 2011
Coimbatore: Days after the notorious forest brigand Veerappan was shot dead by the Special Task Force in October 2004, a senior IAS officer in Tamil Nadu had reportedly expressed fears about the likelihood of a successor emerging, according to partial extracts of a US Cable released by WikiLeaks. The terrain is ideally suited for a Veerappan Junior, the then State Public Secretary Pitchandi was quoted as having told US Consul...
09:50 AM, Sep 16, 2011
Karan Thapar examines if WikiLeaks revelations have embarrassed the politicians and bureaucrats. ...
10:30 PM, Sep 09, 2011
A recently disclosed WikiLeaks cable suggests that the ban put by Shiv Sena was one of the prime reasons behind the mega success of last year's blockbuster 'My Name is Khan'. Featuring Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol as the lead pair, MNIK had faced the wrath of Shiv Sena, a Maharashtra based political party. The cable explains that the Shiv Sena had threatened to ban screenings of 'My Name is...
01:02 PM, Sep 09, 2011
A new WikiLeaks cable dealing with the issue of Hollywood-Bollywood partnership has unfolded the role of bribery in shooting a film in India. The cable primarily explains the prospects of filmmaking in India, by giving an over view of the market situation. Several Hollywood film studios are getting interested in Indian film market due to its large base and high production qualities. Sony, Warner Brothers, Walt Disney and Twentieth Century...
06:48 PM, Sep 08, 2011
New Delhi: Although the major Hollywood film studios have started to claim their part in Bollywood, world's largest film making market, still the growth so far should be considered slow, says a recently released WikiLeaks cable. The cable further says that the lucrative Indian market has been targeted by all top U.S. studios including Sony, Disney, and Warner Brothers that have produced Hindi movies in collaboration with Indian makers. However,...
02:54 PM, Sep 08, 2011
New Delhi: The entry of foreign studios and availability of multiple financing options have built up unrealistic expectations, especially with regard to actors' salaries, whistleblower WikiLeaks said in a leaked cable recently made public. The February, 2010 cable with the subject 'can the Indian film industry go global?' is a detailed trade analysis of the risks and scope of the worlds largest film industry and explores the changing dynamics of...
05:25 PM, Sep 07, 2011
Washington: American officials knew for a very long time that ISI had created various terrorist groups, including those based out from Nepal, to carry out attacks in India including the 1996 Lajpat Nagar blast, according to the latest US cables released by Wikileaks. The US cables clearly show that Americans also knew that Tiger Memon, the prime accused in 1993 Mumbai blast case and an aide of global terrorist Dawood...
04:49 PM, Sep 07, 2011
New Delhi: As Julian Assange's WikiLeaks continues to cause embarrassment to governments across the globe, its latest target is the world's largest maker of movies Bollywood, the reference of which appears in several of the leaked embassy cables made public by the whistleblowing website. Many of the cables are surprisingly succinct and contain detailed analysis of the Indian film industry that churns out almost 1000 films a year and generates...
12:02 AM, Sep 07, 2011
A WikiLeaks cable had said that Mayawati sent a private jet to Mumbai to get a pair of sandals for herself. ...
11:41 PM, Sep 06, 2011
Catch the day's top stories on India at 9 with Rajdeep Sardesai. ...
11:28 PM, Sep 06, 2011
Mayawati called WikiLeaks' owner mad after the cable revealed that she sent a private jet to Mumbai to get her a pair of sandals. ...
10:08 PM, Sep 06, 2011
UP Chief Minsiter Mayawati says WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is a lunatic to suggest that she sent her private jet to Mumbai to pick up her favourite pair of footwear. ...
08:48 PM, Sep 06, 2011
New Delhi:WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has demanded that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati apologise for her attack on him and quipped that he would send her a range of the finest British footwear if she sends him a private jet. Assange's comment came in response to Mayawatis allegation that the Wikileaks founder had either gone mad or is working with her opponents. The WikiLeaks official account posted Assange's response on...
07:20 PM, Sep 06, 2011
New Delhi: A fan who committed suicide citing actor Chiranjeevi's indecision about entering politics, may have helped the "distraught" Telugu film star make up his mind, according to a leaked embassy cable made public by WikiLeaks. The March 5, 2008 cable that was published August 8, 2011 said Chiranjeevi was toying with the idea of floating his own political party at that time. "With an enormous and dedicated fan base...
05:46 PM, Sep 06, 2011
A leaked US diplomatic cable has said that Bollywood welcomed funding from gangsters and politicians, known in India as "black money." While there is no direct reference of Dawood Ibrahim which allegedly financed a number of movies, the cable said that in recent decades, the Bollywood film industry has been associated with the notorious Mumbai underworld, at the nexus of gangsters, money, and politics. According to Jehil Thakkar, Head of...
04:32 PM, Sep 06, 2011
Following intensive investigation which also included a visit to the shooting site of 'My Name is Khan' the US Consulate in Mumbai in 2009 concluded that Bollywood generally does not misuse the US visas issued to its crew, a WikiLeak cable has said. "The study found that O2 travelers have a low overstay rate of 1.6 per cent. Site visits to major Indian production houses and no evidence of fraud...
03:58 PM, Sep 06, 2011
New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati has a "penchant for personal corruption" and a strong authoritarian streak, according to WikiLeaks. The whistleblower site claims that Mayawati's close confidante and Rajya Sabha MP Satish Mishra told US officials on May 29, 2007, 16 days after she took oath as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, that she was corrupt However, Satish Mishra has flatly refuted ...
12:42 PM, Sep 06, 2011
In the backdrop of the WikiLeaks revelations, tonight at 10, Sagarika Ghose asks a panel of experts whether Mayawati is caught in an image.
12:36 PM, Sep 06, 2011
New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange alleging that "he had either gone mad or is working with our opponents". Reacting to WikiLeaks revelations about the money spent by her, Mayawati termed the claims by the whistleblower site as wrong and baseless. However, during her entire speech, Mayawati didn't mention the name of Julian Assange and referred to him...
12:14 PM, Sep 06, 2011
