HDFC Standard Life for claims delay

India's insurance regulator Wednesday imposed a fine of Rs.500,000 on Mumbai-based private life insurer HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company Ltd for not having in place effective procedures to comply with regulations and delaying settlement of a death claim.

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) also directed HDFC Standard Life to '...put in place effective claim settlement procedures and take all such measures that deem fit for both pro-active and timely settlement of all types of claims'.
HDFC Standard Life has to confirm to IRDA within 15 days the action taken to comply with the IRDA (Protection of Policyholders' Interests) Regulations.
The IRDA order came on a complaint lodged by Kunti Devi against HDFC Standard Life with IRDA for non-settlement of claim April 14, 2009.
IRDA, in turn, forwarded the complaint to the company July 29, 2009.
Nearly six months later, HDFC Standard Life informed about the repudiation of the claim on the grounds of concealing material facts.
Perusing the records, IRDA said the claim was repudiated 12 months after it was lodged and on investigation, the regulator found the timeline followed by HDFC Standard Life to decide on death claim is on the higher side.
The regulator also found during its investigation that HDFC Standard Life has been sitting on the admissibility of individual death claims for more than six months and in the case of a group insurance policy, one claim is outstanding for more than a year.
During a personal hearing, HDFC Standard Life's CEO Amitabh Chaudhary submitted to IRDA that the company has reduced the turnaround time for death claims from 34 days in 2009-10 to 26 days in 2010-11 and 86.35 percent of the investigated claims are settled within that time.
According to IRDA, life insurers have to initiate and complete claims investigation within six months from the date of lodging of a claim.
The insurer should pay or dispute the claim, giving reasons within 30 days of getting relevant papers and clarifications, it said.

Rakhi to make Ramdev lose

After yoga guru Baba Ramdev called her confessions of love an ochi baat, the self-proclaimed hottest item girl Rakhi Sawant has challenged him to come on 'Bigg Boss' and she'll make him lose his virginity.
After Baba Ramdev publicly snubbing Rakhi Sawant on singing reality show, Rakhi Sawant has challenged him to accompany her to celebrity reality show 'Bigg Boss'.
With full confidence she stated that when Ramdev comes face-to-face with her adaayein, he will definitely lose his virginity.
"I can make Ramdev lose his virginity," said Rakhi.
She added that if Colors invite her as a wild card entry in 'Bigg Boss 5' along with Ramdev then she will show him her capabilities.
Rakhi confesses that she loves Ramdev despite his not-so-appealing looks.
"There are many people who tell me that they find Ramdev quite ugly. Par dil laga gadhi se toh pari kya cheez hai! I still love him! After all, he fought for corruption and I lost weight because of his yoga. He should be proud that the hottest item girl of India has fallen for him despite his sad looks!"
Rakhi plans to shave off Baba's beard: "I don't like his beard, and I would like to know how he looks

Falsified Beauty

The title's a bit of a misnomer, actually. Beauty queens, by definition, are false in the strictest sense of the word, for the most part. There's not much under that gown, or indeed, under the bikini, that's au naturel, let alone the award-winning answers of noble aspirations of feeding the poor and the hungry.

So why the big hue and cry about Miss Universe's crown princess of this year? Allegedly, this year's Miss Universe Leila Lopes used falsified documents to gain entry (Gasp! Who woulda thunk?) and win the contest (Double gasp! Sacrilege!) To be precise, she obtained documents that suggested she was a student of a British business school, even though she's never lived outside her home country, Angola, to enable her to participate in the beauty contest.
Beauty pageants, even those that have garnered a loyal following over decades now find themselves mired in scandals and controversies, thanks to overambitious aspirants who will not let a small thing like their citizenship, risque photo-shoots, drug possession, unsavoury connections to moneyed men and other skeletons in their closet come in the way of their beauty queen dreams.
But scandal is no stranger to beauty pageants - they just seem to be surfacing more often than they used to during the times of Aishwarya Rai and Sushmita Sen. Last year's Miss USA and Miss Universe contender, Rima Fakih, was asked to hand over the title and the crown after pictures of her pole-dancing in a 'Stripper 101' contest made news. Hollywood actress Vanessa Williams was stripped of her Miss USA crown for similar reasons in 1984. Some contestants have actually lied about their ages or marital status. Check out this detailed slideshow on the controversies that have dogged beauty pageants over the years.
However, does the blame lie squarely with the contestant? Or are the organizers equally to blame for not doing sufficient background checks? For every claim of falsifying information that crops up after a beauty queen is selected, there's a counter claim of racial bias or political motive.
Whatever be the case, beauty contests don't seem to have the dazzle and the flair of the nineties, back when our Bollywood divas ruled supreme on the international stage. There was something sincere, if overeager and judge-friendly, about Aishwarya Rai's pearly whites or Sushmita Sen's poise and from-the-heart quotes. These pageants didn't seem so, well, manufactured. Now, not only do our country's representatives seem awkward and ill at ease, they also lack a certain je ne sais quoi that any beauty queen must possess in order to charm her way into the hearts of millions and subsequently win the crown. That aside, why do you think beauty pageants are this

Celebrates Of Ganesh Chaturthi

With chants of 'Ganapati Bappa Moraya', lakhs of Mumbaikars Thursday welcomed Lord Ganesha on the first day of the 11-day festival that saw idols of the elephant-headed god being installed in homes and at thousands of marquees across the city. Some of the prominent marquees and idols have been insured for crores of rupees.
Religious fervour and gaiety marked the beginning of the Ganesh festival and the morning saw devotees consecrating the idols, reciting mantras, filling the air with holy sound waves, and the evening was geared up for the first 'maha aarti' of the day.
According to state Home Minster R.R. Patil, nearly two lakh idols were installed across the city -- of these 10,350 are at Ganesh Mandals (associations) and 1,80,650 belong to local households.
Since last week, nearly 250,000 big and small idols started arriving in the city from artisans' studios in different parts of Mumbai and Raigad for the festival, said Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samanvaya Samiti (BSGSS) president Naresh Dahibhavkar.
With the biggest Ganesh mandals getting an insurance cover worth crores, the GSB Mandal in King?s Circle of central Mumbai has insured its pandal, devotees and the deity?s ornaments for a whopping Rs.222 crore this year.
?Including a `Standard Fire and Special Perils with Terrorism?, the mandal has also insured the members of the trust, an all-risk policy for the gold ornaments of the deity and personal accident insurance for devotees,? said trustee Satish Nayak.
The insurance is for 15 days starting Aug 27. Last year, the insurance cover for the mandal stood at Rs.49.5 crore. This year, it is around five times more.
Over 12,500 registered associations, apart from the 40,000 private housing complexes, have been preparing for the festival for the past few weeks.
The festival, which is the most popular in the state, attracts hundreds of domestic and foreign tourists.
Among the various pandals across the city, `Lal Baughcha Raja? (King of Lalbaug area) in central Mumbai, with a 12-foot tall idol towering over the devotees, attracted huge crowds. The pandaal was insured for Rs.14 crore. The Lord Ganesha here is believed to fulfil the wishes of its devotees.
The mandal, which entered its 78th year since inception, is thronged by several prominent personalities from politicians to top bureaucrats.
The other popular mandals in the city include 'Ganesh Galli', just a stone's throw from the Lal Baughcha Raja, Khetwadicha Raja on Grant Road, and Chandanwadi Ganesh mandal in Kalbadevi.
Film and television stars like Nana Patekar, Govinda and Jackie Shroff also celebrated the festival with enthusiasm. Several Bollywood celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Bipasha Basu, and Anupam Kher sent online greetings to their friends, family and fans.
In the wake of the July 13 blasts in Mumbai, security has been beefed up across the city for the festivities.

Bollywood's Serial Kisser:Emraan

Filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee doesn't guarantee an image change for Emraan Hashmi with his political thriller 'Shanghai' but says the film will bring out the 'true acting capability' of the actor who is otherwise tagged as a 'serial kisser'.
'I don't know if 'Shanghai' will bring in an image change for Emraan as such. But I am sure the audience will sit up and notice his true acting capability. Of course, he has acted well all through, but the focus has always been on his kissing. 'Shanghai' will be different for him,' Banerjee told IANS over phone from Mumbai.
So far, Emraan has locked lips in films like 'Murder', 'Zeher', 'Aksar', 'Gangster - A Love Story' and 'Crook'. But he confessed a few months ago that he is quite irritated with the 'serial kisser' tag.
'Emraan is so much more than just a serial kisser. He is a very nuanced and first class actor. He can be very funny in a natural way, which has worked for his role in 'Shanghai'. He carried his role very well. I am sure that more than being irritated, he is bored of being called a serial kisser! He is quite a professional,' said Dibakar.
'Shanghai' is an adaptation of Greek diplomat and author Vassilis Vassilikos' book 'Z'.
In the film, which also features Abhay Deol and Kalki Koechlin, Emraan plays a rugged, roadside photographer.
'We shot in places like Latur and Baramati in Maharashtra...where there weren't even proper loos. Still Imran worked in a dedicated way for 42 days with us,' said the director.
The 40-year-old filmmaker says it is very easy to tag people and it is easier to make money out of those tags in Bollywood. But he appreciates that Emraan has tried to get out of this zone.
'Tags and labels help us make money in this industry...But I am sure Emraan wants to expand and exploit his talent, which is commendable,' said Banerjee.

Hrithik And Katrina Meet With A Minor Accident

Katrina Kaif took Hrithik Roshan for a bike ride yesterday to promote ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA. But it wasn't a smooth ride as Katrina's bike almost rammed into another one.

An eyewitness reveals, "Katrnia's bike was surrounded by many other bikes and cars. There were media people trying to record the bike ride on camera. A bike which was in front of Katrina and Hrithik's bike, suddenly stopped and Kartina wasn't able to stop her bike on time. She ended up ramming it from the side."
The eyewitness further adds, "Katrina and Hrithik didn't fall. Thankfully, it wasn't a major accident and Hrithik and Katrina escaped unhurt. After the incident a little peeved Hrithik asked all the bike riders to be more careful."
In ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA, Katrnia Kaif is seen riding a bike for a scene. In the media interaction that followed the event, the actress said, "I'm sure it would have been easier if there weren't so many people in front of me. But it was fun. I used to ride before but it actually started when I got my training for ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA."
Hrithik Roshan added, "We all should give Katrina a huge round of applause. I feel very proud. Not many men can do what she has done. In the middle of so many bikes and cars, she did this. It's unbelievable. I'm really impressed."

Jolie And Parker Highest Paid U.S. Actresses

Angelina Jolie and Sarah Jessica Parker, with annual salaries of $30 million each, are the highest paid actresses in Hollywood, according to a new ranking. Jolie topped the Forbes.com list thanks to the worldwide success of her action film "Salt," which brought in $300 million, and "The Tourist," which also featured Johnny Depp and earned $280 million in global sales. Much of Parker's hefty salary comes from reruns of her hit television show "Sex and the City, which she starred in and produced, and earnings from the second film from the series which generated $290 million. "People may be surprised to see Sarah Jessica Parker up there but they may not realize that in addition to acting, she earns big from her perfumes and endorsement deals," said writer Dorothy Pomerantz of Forbes.com. "Also she's coming off of Sex and the City 2 which turned a healthy profit." Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon were not far behind in the rankings with each actress bringing home $28 million. Aniston film "Just Go With It" is her fourth highest earning film in the U.S. The top 10 earning actress made a total of $218 million between May 2010 and May 2011, according to Forbes.com, which compiled the list by talking to producers, lawyers, agents and Hollywood insiders to estimate what each actress earned. Last year's top earner, Sandra Bullock, has enjoyed a 12-month movie hiatus and dropped to No.9 with earning of $15 million.

Big B Raps Mumbai's New Booze Law

The 68-year-old actor backed up the city's youth who have been up in arms with the new regulation that permits only wine and beer for people at the age of 21. Posting on his Twitter account, the Big B said, "Also, on drinking age limit increase to 25 ! Err .. old and mature enough to vote for the country, or join army and fight for the nation ... but not old and mature enough to be told when you are allowed to drink ???? Strange?!!!!" While many believe that the rule seems out of touch with the times since by the age of 21, people in India are allowed to drive, vote and even get hitched, most feel that it will have little effect on people who really want to drink. Like in Delhi, where the lowest permissible age for drinking is 25 as well but there is hardly any enforcement of the law and liquor shops freely sell to much younger people, youth in Mumbai feel the new regulation will mainly be for the books. However, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan says, "In most states excise brings in a lot of revenue. But there is also the risk of not being able to control drinking. This is what we are making an attempt to control."

Romeo Santos' `You' Tops Billboard Latin Charts

Romeo Santos' number 'You' made its debut in the No. 1 spot this week on Billboard's Latin Songs, bumping Mana's ballad 'Lluvia al corazon' into second place.
The Mexican regional group La Adictiva Banda San Jose de Mesillas moved up from fifth to third place on the list with 'Te amo y te amo', while their compatriot Fidel Rueda's 'Me encantaria' slipped from third to fourth place.
'Corazon sin cara', by Prince Royce, fell from second to fifth place on this week's list.
The album 'Drama y Luz' by Mana remained in first place for the fourth consecutive week on the Latin Albums list, while 'Prince Royce', by the same-named urban bachata performer, rose from third to second place.
The latter exchanged places with Cristian Castro and his tribute to Jose Jose, with 'Viva el Principe' falling from second to third place.
'Los huevos rancheros' by Mexican singer-songwriter Joan Sebastian remained firmly in fourth place, and rising from sixth to fifth place was Enrique Iglesias' award-winning album 'Euphoria'.