Fire at hotel in China leaves 10 dead and 35 injured

At least 10 people were killed and 35 others injured when a fire broke out in a hotel in China's northeast Jilin Province today, local authorities said.

The blaze erupted at Home Inns, the country's largest budget hotel operator, in Dongchang District of Tonghua City in Jilin Province, a statement released by the city's publicity department said.

The fire was put out about half an hour later. Initial investigation found the fire started at the stair hall, which then sent heavy smokes up the floors.

Ten were choked to death, Xinhua reported. The injured have been shifted to a hospital for emergency treatment. Of them, three are critically injured, though the injuries are not life-threatening. Fire fighters combed the scene five times and found no bodies, the report said.

Aish set to launch fashion line

Most actresses want to turn producers (Lara Dutta, Ameesha Patel, Sushmita Sen), or start a restaurant (Katrina Kaif, Bipasha Basu, Shilpa Shetty), at some point in their lives, when they feel the need to explore a new business opportunity. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan does things differently. She wants to launch her signature fashion line.

"A few years ago, Ash was approached by some fashion houses abroad to be the face of their brand, or be associated with them at some level, but she had declined. Now, some big names from Europe are looking at a partnership with her. However, it is unclear if Ash will go for a joint venture or launch her own fashion line. She is keen to launch her exclusive fashion line that will travel globally. Whether it will it be prêt or haute couture, or Indian or Western is still up in the air."

Ash confirms, "I have plans. I have a multiple connected idea and it's something I will definitely get into. I've wanted to do this for a decade, but I had put my plans on a backburner, and now I better get my act together. I always want to give my hundred per cent and more to everything that I do. There was so much happening around me that I had kept it on hold."

Highly placed sources close to the actress say that Ash has been approached by as many as 15 top international designers from London, New York and Italy. Ash by flaunting her saris and gowns on grand Western events and with her insistence on minimalistic makeup and accessories in Bollywood, is considered to be quite a trend starter. This has been noticed by the world over.

Bipasha Basu says Josh Hartnett is very close to me

Almost every time a new pair works together, they get linked. When the pair is as hot as Bipasha Basu and Josh Hartnett, it is inevitable.

There has been a buzz that the Singularity co-stars are dating. The rumours sparked when Bips posted their pictures together on a social networking site. These pictures were leaked and splashed in tabloids. To be fair, their body language in the pictures did come across like that of a cosy couple, but we all know that pictures can lie, so we decided to ask Bips directly.

The actress, who is known to be fortright, has this to say when asked about Josh, "I have decided that I will keep things, that I share with people and the equations that I have with them, upto me. Josh and I have become close, but you know the moment I say something, it will be interpreted in a totally different way and then things generally get out of control. We share a great bond."

Should we read between the lines Bips? Are you seeing Josh? "I will not answer this. I don't want to walk down this road," she fires back. Hmmm.. what do we say now?

Pop star Lady Gaga says no to her boyfriend Luc Carl

Pop star Lady Gaga, known for her bizarre ways, refuses to share a room with her boyfriend Luc Carl once in a week.

Gaga, who is accompanied by her boyfriend on tours, insists on booking separate hotel rooms because she thinks sharing a bed every night would damage her creativity.

"She calls it her 16th century monarch night as she doesn't always allow Luc to sleep in bed with her. She just summons him when she needs him," contactmusic.com quoted a source as saying.

The eccentric singer reportedly shows signs of "crazy" behaviour when she is stressed.

"She often suffers bouts of crazy behaviour when she is tired and stressed. It's certainly happening now. For example, she always has 28 tour buses, 140 staff and an even number of tables, chairs, glasses and plates in her backstage area," the source said.

"She also insists on having her own crockery so she can be sure that no one else has used it and will not sit on a chair that anyone else has sat on before. She even has someone on hand to pour her drinks because she thinks pouring for oneself is bad luck," the source added.

Actress Kate Hudson is under panic in her last days of pregnancy

Actress Kate Hudson is starting to panic as she enters her final few weeks of pregnancy.

The Hollywood actress is expecting a child with her rocker fiance Matt Bellamy and she is due to give birth in the summer, reports dailystar.co.uk.

Hudson is already mother to seven-year-old son Ryder from her marriage to Chris Robinson, but admits she is lacking organisation as she prepares to welcome her second child.

"We're getting close to weeks. Getting close enough to almost not be able to fly. I don't feel prepared. I can't believe how fast it's gone and I already have a kid... I might be one of those who is sitting in the hospital, staring, going 'I don't know what to name my child,' she said.

Actress Vanessa Hudgens confesses that she loves cursing

Actress Vanessa Hudgens confesses that she loves cursing and has a "sailor mouth".

The actress shot to fame in 2006 with her role in the "High School Musical" franchise, but after that she is more in news for posing naked or wearing saucy lingerie for various photos and film footage, reports starpulse.com.

"I have definitely got a wicked side. I have what I call 'sailor mouth'. I can get very gangster at times. I used to be very timid. Now I'm my own person. I don't feel pressure to look a certain way," she said.

Infosys targets acquisitions in Europe & Japan

Infosys Technologies Ltd , India's No. 2 software services exporter, is on the hunt for acquisitions in Europe and Japan and in industries including healthcare and public services, its chief executive said on Sunday.

Speaking to Reuters a day after the company announced changes in its top-level management, S Gopalakrishnan said Infosys was also seeking acquisitions in new areas like cloud computing .

"Our philosophy has always been that you plan organic growth," said Gopalakrishnan, who is set to step down as chief executive and become co-chairman in August. "You keep your eyes and ears open, you have a dedicated team looking at acquisitions," he said.

Infosys would make an acquisition when it found a target that was at the right price with the right strategic fit, he added.

"We do not want to set a target for acquisition because we are not doing acquisition for growth. We are doing acquisitions for strategic fit and adding capability at this point of time," he said at the company's sprawling headquarters campus on the outskirts of Bangalore, India's IT hub.

Gopalakrishnan said by investing in new industries and geographies, Infosys was looking to build multiple engines of growth over the next 3-5 years.

"There are multiple strategic requirements for acquisition so those are the things we are looking at. Typically a smaller acquisition rather than a large one," he said.

Infosys, which is also listed on Nasdaq, on Saturday announced top management changes linked to the retirement of its billionaire chairman and stuck to its practice of giving its founders a shot at running the firm