Is Taylor dating Taylor?

American actor Taylor Lautner has sparked off rumours that he is romancing country singer Taylor Swift after the two of them were seen together in Los Angeles.

Both the Taylors were snapped sitting side-by-side as they enjoyed a game of hockey between the Los Angeles Kings and the Columbus Blue Jackets at the city's Staples Center last weekend, reports the Daily Express.

Speculations of a relationship between the two have been floating ever since they were seen hugging each other after one of Swift's shows in Chicago, Illinois earlier this month.

Although, Swift's reps had tried to clear the air by saying the duo were "just friends", the pair's latest public outing has kicked off gossip again.

According to the New York Daily News, the pair went to the same hotel after the hockey match and left the Beverly Wilshire together early the next day. (ANI)

Work underway to implement goods and sales tax from April: Pranab Mukherjee

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday said that central and state government officials are working on implementing a goods and services tax from the planned deadline of April 2010.

Speaking to reporters on the sideline of the meeting of the state finance secretaries and commissioners here Mukherjee said

3,000 additional personnel to be inducted into Coast Guard shortly: Antony

Defence Minister AK Antony on Wednesday announced a quantum jump in the number of Indian Coast Guard personnel to make it a potent force to counter terrorism from the sea.

Addressing the 28th Coast Guard Commanders' Conference here, he said the Government has sanctioned nearly 3,000 additional personnel at various levels and this needs to be filled up on a priority basis.

He said the concept of 'security' has changed in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks and the spectrum and nature of duties of Indian Coast Guard have undergone a sea-change.

He said the Government is making all out efforts to help Indian Coast Guard become one of the finest Coast Guards in the world in a couple of years.

"The modern day dynamics of security and geopolitics mean that the Coast Guard cannot rest on past laurels and can ill-afford to be complacent. The responsibilities on Coast Guard have been increasing. The terror attacks on Mumbai last year have resulted only in a bigger role for the Indian Coast Guard," he added.

The Minister said additional responsibility of coastal surveillance has been given to the Coast Guard and for the efficient discharge of their responsibilities the Government has approved a vast array of ships, aircraft, equipment with manpower and development of support infrastructure.

He said the Coast Guard is in the process of acquiring 20 Fast Patrol Vehicles (OPVs), 41 Interceptor Boats, 12 Coastal Surveillance Aircraft (Dorniers) and 7 off-shore Patrol Vehicles(OPVs).

He also said work is in progress to put in place a chain of 46 Coastal Radars spanning 9 Coastal Stations across the country. Moreover, 9 new Coast Guard Station have been approved.

"These need to be established early", he added.

Referring to the progress made in the production of indigenous vessels, he said, presently 50 ships are being constructed at various Indian shipyards.

"These projects must be monitored carefully to ensure that these platforms are delivered on time, with requisite quality. The growth of the Coast Guard fleet over the next five years makes it essential that it plans the expansion meticulously, so that trained manpower and shore infrastructure are available to operate the assets at optimum levels in the future," he said.

The Minister said recently a new Regional Headquarters has been set up at Gandhinagar.

"This will facilitate synergy between the Coast Guard, State Government and other Central Government Organisations in a critical area of our coast. Measures are also being taken to enhance the efficacy of Coast Guard surveillance and Search and Rescue operations," he added.

He asked the Coast Guard top brass to explore innovative ways to develop infrastructure support for the Coast Guard fleet in the days to come.

"Since its inception, Coast Guard has maintained its fleet with minimal shore infrastructure. You have been managing the fleet through outsourcing repairs and refit. However, the massive expansion being charted through ship acquisition will significantly develop the shore infrastructure," he later added. (ANI)

India, UK ties built on shared values and traditions: Patil

Emphasizing that ties between India and the UK are built upon shared values and traditions, visiting Indian President Pratibha Devisingh Patil said on Tuesday night that the real strength of any relationship lies in the people-to-people contacts.

"The fact that almost a million people from our two countries travel annually for tourism and business purposes, and that there are over hundred flights a week linking various cities of India and the UK, forms a strong foundation to build on these contacts," said Patil at a State Banquet held in her honour.

She further went on to say that the UK is host to more than one and a half million citizens of Indian origin, representing two percent of the population who contribute between four to five percent of the country's GDP.

"They are also participating in the social and political life of the UK. The Diaspora serves as a strong asset in the development of our relationship," Patil said.

Describing London as a big, old but dynamic city, she said

Dannii Minogue agreed to strip for Playboy to pay off 150k pounds debt

Dannii Minogue has revealed that she decided to bare all for Playboy mag when she found herself in the midst of a financial crisis after her split with ex-hubby Julian McMahon in 1995.

The singer then decided to strip her way to money in order to pay her 150,000-pound debt rather then asking her superstar sis Kylie for help.

"My parents didn't want me to do it. My dad was saying, 'Doing this is forever - you can never, ever change it'," the Daily Express quoted Dannii, as saying.

"Kylie knew why I was doing it - I could have asked her for the money, but it wasn't in my nature. I never wanted to admit the trouble I was in. I should have been looking at my finances," she said.

She added

97 per cent Americans want texting-while-driving to be banned

A whopping 97 percent Americans believe that texting while driving should be made illegal, a new poll has found.

Just one percent thinks the practice should be legal.

According to the CBS News/New York Times survey, both men and women, frequent drivers and those who drive less frequently, and Americans from all regions of the country agree that texting while driving should be illegal.

Earlier this month, President Barack Obama signed a legislation banning federal employees from text messaging while driving.

Currently, texting while driving is banned in 18 states of America.

On the question of punishment for those found texting while driving, 52 percent said the punishment should match the punishment for drunk driving.

Forty-four percent say the punishment should be less severe, and two percent say it should be more severe.

Americans over the age of 45 are more likely to favour harsher punishments for texting and driving than younger Americans, the poll found.

More than two in three Americans say driving and talking a hands-free cell phone is safer than talking on a hand-held phone.

Twenty-eight percent say the level of safety in both situations is the same.

Driving while talking on a cell phone is illegal in seven states. (ANI)

'Physical and ideological terrorism pipeline' links Pakistan with Britain

A report published by a US think-tank, Heritage Foundation, has described Pakistan as the centre of all terror plots hatched against Britain and said there exists 'a physical and ideological terrorism pipeline' between both the countries.

"More than a quarter of those convicted of terrorism in the United Kingdom trained or tried to train in Pakistan or Afghanistan," the report said.

The report, which was based on data examining the 'major Islamist terror plots in Britain', said that homegrown terrorism was a serious issue, which should be dealt with utmost concern.

The report, prepared by Ted Bromund and Morgan Roach, revealed that 19 out of the 87 individuals convicted of terrorism offences in Britain had families in Pakistan.

"At least one was a Pakistani citizen and 61 were affiliated with Al Qaeda," The BBC quoted the report, as saying.

Both Bromund and Roach stressed on the need of destroying this 'terror pipeline' between Pakistan and Britain before the situation goes out of control.

"Breaking that pipeline is just as important as, but far more difficult than, ending the flow of trained men from Pakistan into Britain," they opined. (ANI)