Leading manufacturer of personal and household products, Godrej Consumer Products had reported a dip in its net profit growth 7.3 per cent to Rs 40 crore for the third quarter ended December 2008, from Rs 43 crore for the corresponding quarter in the previous year.

In a filing to the BSE, GCPL said that it had a consolidated profit after tax of Rs 43 crore in the third quarter last fiscal.

After Annek Dhar, talented Vaishali Made, who hails from Amravati in Vidarbha, Mahrashtra, has won the Zee TV’s reality singing contest ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2009’ after defeating the other two finalists Yashita Yashpal Sharma (second) and Soumen Nandi (third) at an event held at Mumbai, on Saturday (January 24).

This was the first public event that took place at the Gateway of India after the Mumbai attacks.

In its latest report, a top internet marketing research firm comScore revealed that the global number of internet users has crossed nearly 1 billion mark during the last month (December 2008), with 41.3% coming from the Asia-Pacific region.

The comScore survey looked at Internet users aged above 15, who accessed the net from their home or work PCs during December 2008.

Panaji: Activists of the two Hindu outfits forced suspension of screening of globally applauded film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ by staging protest demonstrations and tearing posters in a city multiplex, triggering strong reactions from the film industry.

Ace Bollywood stars including multi-talented Akshay Kumar, gorgeous Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, yesteryears’ dancing diva Helen and cricketer MS Dhoni are among 133 personalities named for this year’s ‘Padma’ awards.

A total 133 people, representing different walks of life, are likely to be awarded the ‘Padma’ Awards for the year 2009.

While 40 people out of these are likely to get the ‘Padma Vibhushan’ (10) and ‘Padma Bhushan’ (30), another 93 are tipped to receive the ‘Padma Shri’.

US film actress Julia Roberts visited the emblem of Love Taj Mahal on Thursday.

Julia was spotted with her husband Daniel Moder and children.

Wearing a scarf to hide her identity from the large number of fans as well as media persons gathered at Taj Mahal awaiting her visit, Julia behaved like an ordinary tourist preferring to walk towards the edifice from the main gateway on the sidewalk rather than the main platform running along the central vista.

Only a few could identify the US actress though many had laid in wait for her and in vain scanned the road from Amar Vilas Hotel, where she was staying, to the Taj.