'Harry Potter': Your favorite Daniel Radcliffe talk show appearance?

The only thing bad about Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opening Wednesday is that Daniel Radcliffe won't have a reason to hit the talk show circuit. I resisted him for as long as I could, then yesterday, binged on the following clips online. Which TV talk show appearance has been your favorite?

The reason this clip got embedded is because Daniel is at his most handsome in this purple button-down shirt -- and because the Today set and wand graphic/sound effect kill me. Also, he gets so excited talking about his ping pong skills and how he cheats at Monopoly.

2 more people arrested in slaying of Fla. couple

Two more people have been arrested in the slayings of a wealthy Florida Panhandle couple known for adopting children with autism, Down syndrome and other disabilities.

The new arrests, both in a nearby county, bring the total to six.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office confirmed the arrests but declined to identify the latest suspects or release other details.

A spokeswoman said that information would be announced later Tuesday by authorities from Escambia County, where Byrd and Melanie Billings were killed. They were shot to death at their home near Pensacola last week by several intruders caught on surveillance cameras.

The couple had 17 children — four biological and 13 adopted. Nine children were at the home when the Billingses were killed.

Sotomayor calls 'wise Latina' remark a bad choice of words

Under tough questioning from Republicans, U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor conceded Tuesday she made a bad play on words in her controversial statement that a "wise Latina woman" could reach a better conclusion than a white man.

Sonia Sotomayor speaks before the Senate Judiciary Committe on Tuesday, the second day of her hearings.

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"I want to state up front, unequivocally and without doubt: I do not believe that any ethnic, racial or gender group has an advantage in sound judging," Sotomayor said on the second day of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on her nomination by President Obama to be the first Hispanic justice on the the nation's highest court.

Facing direct questioning for the first time, Sotomayor remained calm as Democrats and Republicans asked her about past cases and speeches that have been publicized since Obama nominated her in May to become the 111th person to sit on the Supreme Court.

She gave careful answers on two politically sensitive issues -- gun control and abortion -- saying that the 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion ruling was settled law and that she supports the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

If approved by the committee and confirmed by the full Senate, she would be the third woman to serve on the Supreme Court.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, chairman of the committee, gave Sotomayor the opportunity to comment on criticism over her past statements that she hoped "a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."

"No words I have ever spoken or written have received so much attention," Sotomayor said of the statement from past speeches to law students, particularly Hispanic students

Rakhi Sawant to rely on fans for selecting her Mr Right

When it comes to marriage, people either trust their parents and friends or simply follow their heart but Rakhi Sawant is relying on her fans to select her "Mr Right" in the reality TV show "Rakhi Ka Swayamvar". The actress, who is known for her item numbers in Bollywood, says her fans will play a crucial role in the all-important decision-making process.

"I started off as a nobody in the industry. But today, whatever I am, it is because of my fans and I want them to be a part of this important decision of my life.

Although I will take the final call, my fans and friends from the industry would be a constant guide for me to select the right person," Rakhi told PTI in an interview. Television viewers will also participate in NDTV Imagine''s reality show ''Rakhi ka Swayamvar'', where the actress goes on a groom-hunting mission.

The audience would get the opportunity to vote for or against the prospective 16 bridegrooms, who have been shortlisted from thousands of applicants. "My life has always been an open book.

''Swayamvar'' is part of our tradition and culture, girls in those days got the opportunity to choose their life partner so why not now," she said when asked what made her go after searching a life-partner on the small-screen.

Bangladesh players Shakib and Shahadat fined for excessive

Bangladesh spinner Shakib Al Hasan and fast bowler Shahadat Hossain have been fined 10 per cent and five per cent of their match fee while opener Imrul Kayes received a reprimand for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Team Officials during the first Test against West Indies at St Vincent.

The three players were found guilty of excessive appealing by Andy Pycroft of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees in a hearing after the conclusion of the Test in Kingstown on Monday.

They were found to have breached Level 1.5 of the code for excessive and prolonged appealing on a number of occasions during the last day of the Test.

“The effect of prolonging the appeal is just the same as appealing more than once which means pressurising the umpires,” said Pycroft.

“I can understand the enthusiasm and excitement on the field as the Bangladesh players were sensing a long-awaited victory and their first in the West Indies but excessive and prolonged appealing on more than one occasion is against the spirit of the game and has no place in the game.

“Imrul is relatively new to international cricket as he is playing only his third Test match and I am willing to accept that he didn’t fully appreciate the importance of adhering to the ICC Code of Conduct. But I am sure he has now learnt his lesson and will avoid repeating the same mistake again,” said Mr Pycroft.

The charges were brought by on-field umpires Asoka de Silva and Tony Hill, third umpire Clyde Duncan and fourth official Goaland Greaves. Mr Pycroft reached his decision after a hearing attended by the players, the umpires and Bangladesh team manager Shafiq-ul Haque.

Indian markets bounces back

The benchmark Sensex bounced back to record a hefty gain of 453.38 points at 13,853.70 on the BSE on Tuesday, following Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee statement that the economy was showing early signs of recovery.

The Sensex had lost nearly 10 percent in the last few trading sessions.

Mukherjee said in Parliament on Tuesday that the government had to increase borrowing to invest more, in the absence of private investment.

The 50-share National Stock Exchange index Nifty surged by 137.35 points at 4,111.40, after touching the day''s high of 4,128.90.

The market also received a booster following upbeat economic data from Singapore and Australia and a surge in investor confidence data in Germany.

A better opening at European stock markets and an overnight surge on the Wall Street were other supporting factors.

The realty sector index gained the most, 9.38 percent, to 2,995.16.

The metal sector index was the second-best performer, gaining 5.53 percent to 10,273.75, as market participants felt the improvement in economic conditions would raise demand for base metals

Tata Nano makes showroom debut in Hyderabad

Tata Motors on Tuesday rolled out the first commercial consignment of Nano, regarded as the World''s cheapest car to be showcased at Hyderabad on Tuesday.

“The first consignment has come to Hyderabad. Tata Nanos’ have been dispatched particularly for Hyderabad. They have sent 84 cars, out of which 50 are Tata Nano and the rest 34 are Magic,” said S K Singh, Area Manager of Tata Motors.

Residents in the ‘Twin Cities’ of Hyderabad and Secunderabad had been eagerly waiting for the Tata Nano, costing just over Rs 1,00,000.

They contended that this car is a boon for the middle class society.

“In Rs 1,00,000, you get a Pulsar. Here, in one lakh, five people can travel together. I need to find out the details about its mileage. Once these cars start running on road, all motorcycles will disappear,” said Deep Bhavanishankar, a local resident

Dalai Lama’s visit to Lahaul-Spiti promotes tourism in Himachal

Lahul-Spiti, a tribal region which remains isolated for more than half-a-year from rest of world, is presently emerging as a centre for religious tourism.

The place has started drawing a big number of tourists from different parts of the country and world since Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama’s visits to Lahaul-Spiti’s Kaza and Tabo towns. It is also very close to Tibet.

An increasing number of Buddhist devotees are converging from different corners of the world here to attend spiritual sessions by Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama at Lahaul and Spiti.

Hordes of Tibetan and Indian Buddhists, monks, nuns, children, foreign tourists, and others have assembled at the Sakya monastery in Lahaul-Spiti district of the state for the preaching.

Sunn, a Mexican national, is one of such devotees who came to the hill town to meet the Dalai Lama.

"I came here to see Dalai Lama and it''s a beautiful place. It was little bit hard to come here. Very special scenery and the ceremonies were great," said Sunn.

Meanwhile, the arrival of tourists and devotees is giving boost to the enthusiasm of local residents. They are delighted, as they hope that visiting devotees will further promote the region on the map of international religious tourism, especially for Buddhist followers worldwide.

"Tourists are coming here in large numbers. A minimum 400 to 500 visitors arrive here daily. They have come here to attend spiritual sessions and preaching. It is nice as tourists will come and see monasteries and culture here and they will further promote it in the world," said Sohan Singh, a village council head.

Besides Sakya monastery, there are other famous monasteries such as Key, Kibber, Khangsar, Komic and Tabo in the northern region.

The Dalai Lama has been living in Dharamsala along with thousands of his followers ever since they fled from their homeland after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.

An estimated 134,000 Tibetans live in exile, a majority of them in India and Nepal.

BJP asks Govt. act with care during talks with Pakistan

Bharatiya Janata Party has cautioned the United Progressive Alliance government ahead of discussions with Pakistan in the wake of the Pakistani Government’s withdrawal of appeal challenging Pakistan High court’s order to release Hafiz Saeed, the top LeT operative wanted in Mumbai terror attacks of last November.

Senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday said that the Government should take note of release of Hafiz Mohammad Saeed and should act with care.

"Hafiz Saeed (a top operative of the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba) issue is also a major issue and also an example that how Pakistan is trying to be soft on people who are engaging in terrorism. This is a classic case and India should convey it to Pakistan even before the resumption of talks," said Naidu in New Delhi.

As the Supreme Court (SC) was to hear petitions on Tuesday against the release of the Jammat ud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed by
the Lahore High Court, the Punjab government informed the apex court that it has decided to withdraw the case against Hafiz Saeed and filed a plea for withdrawal of the case.( Watch )

The release of Hafiz Saeed and his close aide Col (R) Nazir Ahmed were challenged in the Supreme Court by the federal and Punjab governments

Bumper crop of plums in Kashmir

People in different parts of the country can expect to relish delicious plums or, Aloobukharas in common parlance, as there has been a bumper crop in Kashmir.

Kashmir’s Budgam district, which grows plums had good rainfall coupled with moderate temperature this year.

As per the State Government, 2000 hectares of land of the valley is under plum cultivation. The production of plums this year is expected to touch 5500 metric tons, 500 metric tonnes more than the last year.

"The production is high in the entire region, even the colour of our fruit is better that that was in the last season…every fruit grower is happy as they are fetching good prices for their fruits," Salim Ahmad Bhat, a plum grower said.

As soon as the orchard owners and growers bring their yield to the wholesale markets, they are packed and dispatched to various states of the country.

"According to our information and observation 80 percent of the entire plum produce is of ''A'' grade quality which is better than the last year…we hope that this year growers of the region will fetch good profit," said Manzoor Ahmad, an official with the State Horticulture Department.

Plums have different varieties like sentarosa, silver plum, and chokandra plum. The juicy and tasty plum is much sought after in Mumbai, Kolkota and Delhi.