Webinfosys's Local News : Souza painting fetches record price at Christie's

LONDON: A work of art by Indian artist Francis Newton Souza has fetched a world auction record price of 1,273,250 pounds at the Christie's here.

"Amongst the masterpieces offered, Francis Newton Souza's Birth (1955) realised 1,273,250 pounds, setting a new world auction record for the artist and for any Indian Modern and Contemporary work of art," Hugo Weihe, Christie's International Director of Asian Art and Yamini Mehta, head of Sale said on Tuesday.

"Today's exceptional sale which realised 5,432,050 pounds, presented Christie's global clients with an inspiring array of works by over 50 of South Asia's leading modern and contemporary artists," they said in a joint statement.

Twelve artists' records were set in total, reflecting the continuing strength and depth of demand for this important and vibrant category. "We are pleased that the works from the Harmony Art Foundation in association with Barclays Wealth were well received, setting 3 world auction records, led by Navjot Altaf's December 15th, which realised 22,500 pounds."

This sale draws Christie's Asian art sales for the first half of 2008 to an exhilarating conclusion, realising an overall total for New York, Hong Kong and London of 13,198,396 pounds - the highest ever total achieved for one season in South Asian Modern plus Contemporary Art.

"We now look forward to offering Syed Haider Raza's key work La Terre at Christie's London Post War and Contemporary Art Evening sale on June 30. This will be followed by a highly anticipated set of autumn auctions, led by Christie's New York on September 16," they said.

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Webinfosys's Local News : Oprah named most powerful celebrity again

NEW YORK: Talk show host Oprah Winfrey is the world's most powerful celebrity for the second straight year and for the fifth time ever, according to the 2008 Forbes Celebrity 100 Power List released on Wednesday.

The annual list also included two couples among its top 10. Actress Angelina Jolie came in at No. 3 and her partner Brad Pitt nabbed No. 10, while music mogul newlyweds, Beyonce Knowles and Jay-Z were fourth and seventh.

Golfer Tiger Woods remained No. 2 and soccer player David Beckham was No. 5, while actor Johnny Depp took sixth.

Music group The Police nabbed No. 8 after reuniting for a successful world tour and British author JK Rowling was No. 9 after the release of the seventh and final Harry Potter book.

"It's not surprising that Oprah Winfrey and Tiger Woods remain at the top this year -- they're certainly some of the biggest earners," said Matthew Miller of Forbes magazine.

The rankings give the most weight to earnings over the past year but also factors in such things as Internet presence, press clippings, magazine covers and mentions on TV and radio.

During the past year Winfrey made $275 million, Woods, $115 million, Knowles $80 million, Beckham $50 million, Depp $72 million, Jay-Z $82 million, and The Police $115 million.

While Jolie's earnings of $14 million and Pitt's salary of $20 million pale in comparison, the popularity of the couple, who have four children and twins on the way, and their constant presence in magazines saw their power soar.

"Had (Jolie) made a couple of millions dollars more she probably would have been close to topping the list because the number of magazine covers that she was on, the number of stories she was mentioned in, far surpassed anyone else on the list," Miller said.

And it was Beckham's move to Los Angeles with former Spice Girl wife Victoria and their three sons in a blaze of publicity that helped propel him into the top 10 for the first time.

In contrast, Rowling earned $300 million in the past 12 months, more than Winfrey, but is a reluctant celebrity.

The 2008 top 100 is made up of 20 film actors, 20 athletes, 10 musicians, 10 talk show hosts, 10 TV actors, five "tween" stars, five directors/producers, five celebrity personalities, four authors, four hip-hop impresarios, four chefs and three models.

The "tween" category, a marketing term that usually refers to an audience ages 9 to 12, is new, Forbes said, with "Hannah Montana" star Miley Cyrus making her debut in the top 100 at No. 35 "following a sold-out concert tour, a hit 3-D movie, and a controversial photo shoot that had the press buzzing."

Among those dropping from the list are Tom Hanks, Jessica Alba, Hayden Panettiere, Adam Sandler and Scarlett Johansson, The Rolling Stones, Elton John and Jessica Simpson.

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Webinfosys's Local News :US again voices support for nuclear deal

WASHINGTON: Maintaining that it is committed to the Indo-US nuclear deal, the US on Thursday sought to push the ball into India's court saying it was for the country's leadership to decide on the pact.

However, the US expressed confidence that the deal could be concluded in the near future in realisation of the Congressional time lines.

"... this administration has been firm in its support for this -- this deal. It continues to be so. Right now we're at a situation where this is with the Indian government and literally with the Indian people. This is a matter for them to decide and then follow through with," acting Spokesman Gonzolo Gallegos replied when asked if the initiative is ‘close to dead’.

"We consistently stated that we stand behind this, that we continue to support it, and that we would like to move apace in terms of proceeding with it," he added.

"I think, however, there's -- you know, the bottom line is, is a reality of the congressional calendar that has to be dealt with. We do hope that can continue and possibly conclude this in the near future," he said.

Asked whether the deal can be formalised before the end of the Bush administration the official replied, "I would be the last one -- if my boss and my boss's boss are loathe to commit to date, I fear it even more than they do"

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