Ahh, we're well past the halfway stage, at this point. Now it's time to dig into the really meaty awards: best film, actor, actress, director, etc. Where as previous years have dragged, this year's show is flying by.

And we're back, to find the enormously talented, uproariously funny Eddy Murphy on-stage. He gives a classy introduction to film legend and comedy guru Jerry Lewis, who comes on briefly to accept the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian.

And the winner is Slumdog Millionaire!??! Wah! Wah! The film is really and truly hitting a six in cinema's version of the World Cup. Chris Dickens brings it home (Best Film Editing), with a classy and gracious 'thank you'. In true stiff-upper-lip fashion he thanks his Indian hosts, his English friends and his own family. Classy, classy. Slumdog has won four awards!

Another award presented by Will Smith? He might as well have been named co-host. The award is for Best Film Editing. Can Slumdog win another?

And the Best Sound Mixing award goes to Slumdog Millionaire's Resul Pookutty. Amchi Mumbai, the movie is, and it captures the living, breathing pulse of India's most famous megacity, the city of Dreams! And now some genuine, authentic praise of 'Bombay', as he says. Who would have thought? Its sights and sounds are now centre-stage, having captured the world's heart!

Smith is staying on and presenting the Best Sound Mixing award. He's owning the stage! Ahh, Slumdog now has a chance for redemption.

Oh no! It's the first big letdown of the night! Slumdog has lost out to The Dark Knight for best sound editing. It's sad, of course, but one can see why it happened. The truck flip sequence and the countless explosions in The Dark Knight were too much for Slumdog and the sounds of Mumbai to overcome.

Will Smith is flashing his trademark humour, even as he trips over the name of the category. It's a fun show tonight, no doubt. The Oscars are back in a big way.

Now, another Slumdog Nominee category is up - Best Sound Editing.

And the winner is The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a film which is really cleaning up here tonight. Marvellous stuff, too, the work they did on this film.

Now, Hollywood's sure-fire hit star, Will Smith is presenting the Academy Award for best Visual Effects.

Smile Pinki! This is really and truly India's night, ladies and gentleman. Smile Pinki!, the story of a Uttar Pradesh village girl born with cleft lip, is the winner! Megan Mylan, the director, is very gracious in her acceptance speech. Pinki is actually on hand, with her parents. What a trip! From rural UP to the red carpet in LA; the world truly is shrinking. Now, will its big brother -- Slumdog Millionaire -- win a few more awards? Ahh, the suspense!

And now the Best Documentary (Short). Smile Pinki, a film based in Benares, is up for the award. The winner is...

And the winner is The Betrayal. One of the most important, but sometimes overlooked categories, this. Wow, and one of the guys from The Betrayal is balancing the Oscar on his chin! Madness! Isn't this fun?

Bill Maher, of Religulous fame, is on-stage, cracking jokes 'bout religion. That's walking on egg shells, most certainly. Mr Maher is presenting the award for Best Documentary.

Let's take a moment for Heath Ledger, only the second man to win an acting Oscar posthumously.

The winner is Heath Ledger! Tears are in abundance in the audience, as Ledger's parents accept the Best Supporting Actor award and make a touching, poignant, powerful speech.

And now one of the awards we've all been waiting for. It's Cuba Gooding Jr presenting the Best Supporting Actor award. And though there are many who believe that Robert Downey Jr should be tagged for his superb performance in Tropic Thunder, the odds on favourite is the late Heath Ledger, who positively sparkled as the Joker in the Dark Knight.

As for the song, his partner is the inimitable Beyonce. It's a proper musical, with several songs, top-hats, sequined gowns. They've done it up and done it big. It's an homage to High School Musical, to Mamma Mia!, to musicals from years past. Great stuff.

Another song and dance number, kicked off by the personable Jackman. There were many concerns over the Aussie's ability to handle the crowd, but he's been downright masterful. Perfect sense of humour, perfect sense of gravitas, and the perfect smile.

Twitter is abuzz after the Stiller impersonation of Joaquin Phoenix. Absolute incineration, decimation and destruction, they're saying. A BBC correspondent is jokingly saying that Phoenix 'will never work in Hollywood again'.

Now the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film. And the winner is Spielzeugland (Toyland). The show is just flying along this year.

Lots of clever features, diversions, extras. And the show is moving at quite a brisk pace, hopping from montage, to presentation, to humour skit. Now we have Seth Rogan and another stoner from Pineapple Express watching serious scenes from serious films and laughing at them. A funny piece.

And the Oscar for Best Cinematography goes to: Slumdog Millionaire (Anthony Dod Mantle)! It's the year of the dog, Slumdog that is! Soon Mr AR Rahman should be getting in on all this Oscars fun…

We're back. Looking beautiful in pink is Natalie Portman. She's positively sparkling. Alongside her is Ben Stiller, who channels Joaquin Phoenix's bizarre recent appearance on the David Letterman show. And now he's saying that Slumdog Millionaire being shot on a mobile phone. Good stuff, all around. They're presenting the award for best Cinematography.

And the Oscar goes to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button! It was a tough battle, to overcome the crazed Joker's make-up from The Dark Knight. But ultimately, the ability to show Brad Pitt as anything but an incredibly handsome middle-aged man must be applauded! Number two for Benjamin Button.

Another interesting presentation, for Best Make-Up. The utilisation of technology has been very impressive this year. It's like the Academy Awards has been thrust into the 21st century and beyond.

And now for Best Costume Design. Which goes to The Duchess (Michael O'Connor). Congrats. How about Sarah Jessica's gown? It's downright nuptial. Looks like she's getting ready to redo her wedding vows! Hubby Matthew Broderick is on-hand, after all. He's got his eye on you, Danny Craig.

And the Oscar goes to: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button! Ahh, you knew those 13 nominations weren't all for naught. But how many more will it win? And any at the expense of Slumdog. Only time will tell…

Jackman is back, studly as ever. And now another hunk -- new Bond-man Daniel Craig -- is presenting alongside Sarah Jessica Parker of Sex in the City fame. They're presenting the Best Art Direction.

The Academy should be proud of what they've accomplished here. Sagging ratings have prompted the new look, but they've maintained all the regalia of earlier years while adding a hip, intimate new flavour. Good show, guys.

Now, the award for Best Animated Short Film. And the winner is La Maison en Petit Cubes.

And he's right! Wall-E is the winner for Best Animated Film, which doesn't come as much of a surprise. Pixar is breathtakingly consistent, stunningly impressive year after year. They're the best in the business, no doubt!

Jack Black and Jennifer Aniston are on-stage and looking incredible comfortable. Black with some trademark self-deprecating humour. They're here to present the Award for Best Animated Film, which will come down to Kung-Fu Panda and Wall-E. Ask Black who will win, and there's nary a pause: Wall-E.

And Mr Vikas Swarup is indeed on hand. Not only is he the author of QnA (the book on which Slumdog is based), he's also India's deputy high commissoner to South Africa. Thank you, Mr Swarup, for this wonderful story!

Vikas Swarup gets a gracious 'Thank You' from Simon, as does everyone involved with Slumdog. Good show, Simon. India even gets a mention!

And the Oscar goes to Simon Beaufoy and Slumdog Millionaire. Pay attention, folks, because the rout is on! There's no stopping this Slumdog locomotive now..

Now the duo are presenting Best Adapted Screenplay, for which Slumdog Millionaire is nominated. Ooh, a tough bunch, with both Frost/Nixon, The Reader and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. This is a strange way to showcase the nominees, no? The real question is, however: can Simon Beaufoy bring it home??

Ah, some classic Steve Martin humour, spiced with a bit of Tina Fey. The comedy duo is presenting the award for Best Original Screenplay. And the winner is Dustin Lance Black for Milk! A great, heart-felt speech, in which he mentions homosexual rights and his own struggles as a young gay man coming with a Mormon background.

So far, the awards have been fabulous. Jackman's been the consummate host, the new look suits the ceremony, and the way they presented the Best Supporting Actress award was amazing!

And the winner is: Penelope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona! Another classic Woody Allen character brought to life by Penelope in stunning fashion. A great, emotional acceptance speech. Wah! Not too short and not too long.

Now five famous best supporting acress winners have come on-stage -- Whoopi Goldberg, Tilda Swinton and Goldie Hawn, Eva Marie Saint and Anjelica Huston. They say they are here to welcome a new actress into the sorority, then preview each of the nominated ladies.

An interesting montage of acceptance speeches from years past. The new format of the show is definitely working. Instead of being gimmicky, it's actually quite effective. It seems friendlier and less stuffy. Jackman's carrying the day thus far.

Here Jackman starts a song and dance number that previews the show, and names many of the year's films. First up? Slumdog Millionaire, why of course!

And there's our host for the evening (well, morning here): Hugh Jackman! Yes, according to some publications, the world's sexiest man. He's also quite proficient as a host. He's already warming up the crowd with solid jokes and good delivery. And how about this new set-up? The Oscars have gotten a complete overhaul! They've ditched some of the maroons and velvets and golds and turned it in for a modern look. Not bad!

BBC says that the child stars of the Slumdog Millionaire have been collecting autographs from the stars. Some of the hot names the kids are after? Daniel Craig, Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep. Good taste, kids!

Brangelina on the scene! She's in a regal black gown with her hair pulled back. Simply elegant! And Brad is Brad, wearing a tux and making the ladies swoon. She's been hailed for his work in Changeling and he for his work in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Talk about modern-day royalty…

Dev is stylishly rocking a classy black tux, while Freida Pinto is wearing a royal blue gown with sequins. But, get this, only one sleeve! It's a pretty bold move, and the gown isn't 'classically' beautiful. She's getting away with it, however, because the Western press is bowled over by her remarkable beauty.

Danny Boyle looks a little frumpy and a little frazzled. But, hey, that's his style! The guy's eccentric. Anil Kapoor is fabulously and impeccably manicured and primped.

He looks great, but breaks into Bollywood-style dance every five minutes. Still, the Slumdog cast have acquitted themselves quite well. Jai Hind! Now, for those 10 Oscars nominations...

The cast and crew of Slumdog Millionaire are on hand, with director Danny Boyle at the helm. It's a veritable platoon! Gracious responses from both Danny and Dev Patel. Nice going, guys. The Mumbaikar child actors are working the Hollywood paparazzi with decided ease.

Jessica Biel looks lovely in her off-white gown with a big bow. Meanwhile, Beyonce? Not so much! What's she wearing? Kate Winslet in a one-shoulder steel gray and black beaded gown looks lovely. Mickey Rourke, the ultimate resurrection story, is looking cool and relaxed with a cowboy-esque white suit.

Hello and welcome to the 81st Academy Awards! We're just getting underway, and all of Hollywood (and a little of Bollywood) is walking the Red Carpers. The big story of the night, of course, is Mumbai-based Slumdog Millionaire and its staggering ten Oscars nominations!

The Congress-led UPA government seems all set to sign a nuclear cooperation agreement with the United States despite continuing opposition from the Left.

While both prime minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi have been asserting their views in favour of the Indo-US nuclear deal over the last few days, RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav also today voiced support for the nuclear deal.

Meanwhile, an important UPA-Left meeting on the issue has been called of Wednesday citing external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee's preoccupation with the visiting Syrian President Assad.

These point towards the government's resolve to go ahead with the controversial deal despite the Left opposition.

Prime minister Manmohan Singh said a formal deal with the US will open up new possibilities of cooperation with major nuclear powers like Russia and France. The PM also said his government aimed to create an international environment suited for promoting peaceful use of nuclear technology.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi and external affairs minister Pranab Mukerjee also underlined the need for promoting nuclear co-operation with other countries to serve India's rising energy requirements.

The statements seem to be an orchestrated effort with the definite agenda of going ahead with the Indo-US agreement.

While UPA partners like Sharad Pawar and Lalu Prasad Yadav were earlier against a nuclear deal with the US, they too seems to have veered round to the view that there is no alternative other than signing the deal for ending the country's nuclear apartheid.

Now that the general elections are nearing, the Left may also have to fall in line to avoid a political isolation. They may either keep quiet or not oppose the deal in a very vocal manner.

Marxist leader Prakash Karat yesterday warned the UPA government of make-or-break discussions, putting ice on the Congress party's renewed efforts to push through the deal.

Marxist leader Sitaram Yechury, meanwhile, said the UPA-Left meeting would consider any proposal by the government though his party was opposed to "signing the IAEA accord."

"Our objection is not with the IAEA. Our objection is with the India-US deal which, according to us, is very deeply anchored" in American domestic law that will impact India's strategic nuclear programme.

The postponement of the UPA-Left coordination committee meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, seems to be a prelude to the two sides preparing for a parting of ways.

''The government should not proceed to seek approval of the text of the India specific safeguards agreement from the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency,'' a statement signed by Prakash Karat (CPI-M), AB Bardhan (CPI), Debabrata Biswas (Forward Bloc), and T J Chandrachoodan (RSP) said.

''The text of the `draft of the safeguards agreement' has not been made available to the committee. As far as the Left parties are concerned, they have not been able to form any opinion on the text of the safeguards agreement,'' they noted.

However, according to a senior prime ministerial aide, the Left had never formally asked that it be shown the ''frozen text.''

If the Left opts to withdraw support to the minority government the the government falls, a November-December 2008 general election is almost guaranteed.

Talking to reporters at it headquarters here, CBI Joint Director Arun Kumar, who is investigating the case, said Krishna's confessional statement had been recorded under Section 161 of CrPC (confession before a police official) but refused to divulge as to what he had owned up -- either being the killer or part of the conspiracy to kill 14-year-old Aarushi.

The confessional statement is a part of investigation and moresover the statement before police was not admissible in the court of law, Kumar said. The statement is a part of the CBI's case diary that was submitted in the designated court of Sapna Mishra in Ghaziabad.

Kumar said the 'khukri' (machete) was seized from the residence of Krishna, who has been remanded to six more days in CBI custody by a court in Ghaziabad on Tuesday. "Forensic experts are examining whether the khukri was used in the murders," Kumar said.

A CBI team, accompanied by forensic experts, on Tuesday thoroughly searched the room where Rajkumar, domestic help of Talwar's colleague Anita Durrani, used to live in Sector 53 in Noida, he said. The earlier seizures made from his room were being forensically examined, Kumar said. Few days ago my Orkut friend Sandeep-who works for TV18 Group ask me:" What should be the role of media in this kind of story? . Infact this question some time stop us to a point where we aren't sure about the answer i.e~ Investigation.  India's one of well knowen Crime Story anchor , who presented "Bardaat"- told "Our role shouldn't cross a boundary.

The 54th National Film Awards for the year 2006 were announced on Tuesday at Sashtri Bhavan in New Delhi.

Priyanandan's Malayalam film Pulijanmam, which stars Murali, bagged the award for the Best Film while Bollywood director Rajkumar Hirani's Lage Raho Munnabhai was adjudged the Best Popular Film providing wholesome entertainment.

Director Madhur Bhandarkar won the Best Director award for his film Traffic Signal.

Best Hindi Film went to debutant director Dibakar Bannerjee’s hit film Khosla Ka Ghosla.

Tamil actress Priyamani won the Best Actress award for her performance in Ameer Sulthan's Paruthiveeran and Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee, who declined the Special Jury award in 2001 following a controversy about a partisan jury, won the Best Actor award for his role in Suman Ghosh's Podokkhep.

Soon after the awards ceremony, jury member and filmmaker Rahul Dholakia spoke to me over phone (on behalf of Star News © ) about the many controversies that have been plaguing the National Film Awards.

"There are always some favourites, but the majority has ensured that no agenda is pushed through. I am very happy that the lines between art cinema and commercial cinema has blurred and we are talking about good and bad cinema," he said.

LAST WEEK, the Senate considered a bipartisan global warming bill - the closest such a far-reaching measure has ever come to passage. Although the bill failed in the end, over half of the Senate supported action on climate change.

The next Congress and administration will have a historic opportunity to build on this momentum and deliver the American people a comprehensive program to reduce greenhouse gases. The voters this fall must decide an important question: Who is the best candidate to make that happen?

Following Senator John McCain's May 12 speech on global warming, many hastily praised the Republican presidential candidate for breaking ranks with President Bush and his own party's orthodoxy by calling for mandatory greenhouse gas reductions. But we should not be so quick to give McCain kudos. While McCain represents an improvement over eight long years of denial and inaction by the Bush administration, being better than the current president is not good enough. In fact, McCain's record and recent proposals raise real questions about his commitment to the bold measures we need to combat global warming.

If McCain's version of straight talk on the environment means missing key votes for clean low-carbon energy, then we have a lot to worry about. Twice, in December and February, when the Senate failed by one vote to extend key production tax incentives for wind and solar power, McCain not only didn't vote but said subsequently he would have opposed these measures. Senator Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential candidate, voted for them.

While many agree that a "cap and trade" program is probably the best mechanism to achieve the necessary reductions in greenhouse gases, McCain's "cap and trade" proposal comes up notably short. Take, for example, the issue of allocation of allowances to emit greenhouse gases. McCain would initially distribute all of the allowances free of charge to emitters, which the experts agree would likely mean a windfall to these polluters. McCain would have Congress punt to an unelected commission to make a decision - somewhere down the road - on when and in what amounts allowances might be auctioned. Obama advocates a 100 percent auction of allowances from the start. He would use the revenues generated by the auction to help consumers meet energy costs and promote clean technologies.

McCain would also allow polluters to meet all of their obligations by buying emission reductions, or "offsets," from other sectors of the economy or from outside the United States. By opening the door to unlimited offsets, McCain's approach would invite polluters to take credit for alleged reductions that cannot be verified and allow the highest emitting sources to continue operating dirty facilities indefinitely. Obama would limit the use of offsets and would direct EPA to examine rigorously any offsets used.

In addition to a strong cap and trade program, other tools will be required to achieve a serious reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Once again McCain's positions come up short. His global warming plan specifically rejects tighter building standards for energy-efficient homes as burdensome regulation. But then, McCain has repeatedly voted against national renewable electricity standards similar to the standards already adopted in nearly half of the states. By contrast, Obama has made ambitious proposals to boost development and deployment of new efficiency and renewable energy technologies.

While McCain told the online publication Grist last October, "I'm not one who believes that we need to subsidize things," he has long been fixated on subsidizing nuclear plant construction - which already receives substantial federal support. One of the reasons he gave for opposing the recent Senate climate change bill was the absence of sufficient nuclear incentives.

The world's leading climate scientists are absolutely clear climate change is real and the time for action is now. Barack Obama has made bold and comprehensive proposals that will deliver the deep emission reductions scientists say are essential. Although McCain once introduced legislation, his current positions on energy, renewables and a cap and trade program are simply outdated; they have not kept pace with the times.

Carol M. Browner was EPA administrator from 1993 to 2001. Bob Sussman, a campaign adviser to Barack Obama, was EPA deputy administrator from 1993-94.

over the past eight years would be taken to task.

If there is one thing nations can agree on, said U.S. National Security Advisor Hadley, is that "a nuclear-armed Iran would be disastrous for the peace of the Middle East and the world."

Iran has not been forthcoming in addressing the serious concerns raised by the International Atomic Energy Agency, or I-A-E-A, regarding a possible military dimension to its nuclear program, according to the I-A-E-A’s latest report.

The IAEA first raised its concerns on Iranian weaponization-related work and documentation in late 2005. Since December 2007, the IAEA has sharpened its focus on securing answers to its questions in this regard.

The latest I-A-E-A report said, "Iran has not provided the agency with all the information, access to documents and access to individuals necessary to support Iran's statements" that its activities are purely peaceful in intent. "Iran may have additional information, in particular, on high explosives testing and missile-related activities which ... Iran should share with the agency." These remain matters of "serious concern," said the I-A-E-A. "Clarification of these is critical to an assessment of the nature of Iran's past and present nuclear program."

The report also notes that the Iranian government continues to defy United Nations Security Council demands that it suspend uranium enrichment and heavy-water related activities, and that it refused requests by I-A-E-A inspectors to visit several Iranian nuclear-related sites.

U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said that the I-A-E-A’s latest report shows that Iran has been "willfully non-cooperative":

"The Iranians are ... willfully withholding information about their activities related to potential weaponization. There are a number of different questions out there about the military’s involvement in this nuclear program, about Iran’s efforts to fabricate hemispheres of uranium. And I’m not sure -- other than for a weapon -- why you would do that."

Gregory Schulte, U.S. representative to the IAEA, said the new report details how much Iran has to explain about its nuclear program, "and how little it has." Mr. Schulte said the latest report is a "direct rebuttal" to claims by the Iranian regime that it has answered all questions about its nuclear program

As Hillary Clinton prepared to throw her weight behind presumptive Democratic nominee Barrack Obama, a new poll suggested that she could make the difference in a neck-and-neck presidential race with Republican John McCain.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll, the first conducted entirely after Obama clinched the party nomination Tuesday, shows he leads McCain 49 percent to 46 percent among registered voters-a statistical tie, given the question's 3-point margin of error.

But the former first lady, who is expected to 'strongly support' Obama's presidential campaign during an event at noon Saturday, could add about 3 percentage points to an Obama-Clinton 'dream ticket', the poll indicated.

Democratic voters appear to like an Obama-Clinton ticket, it suggested noting that over half of them, 54 percent, would support a joint ticket, but 43 percent would oppose it. A hypothetical Obama-Clinton ticket would currently get 52 percent of the vote, compared with 46 percent for a hypothetical McCain ticket with former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney.

But if Clinton is not on the ticket, 60 percent of her Democratic supporters said they would vote for Obama, 17 percent would vote for McCain, and 22 percent would stay at home in November and not vote for anyone.

'That's just one estimate of the 'Clinton factor,' ' said CNN polling director Keating Holland, 'and it may not be an accurate predictor since it piles several hypotheticals on top of each other and asks people to guess their state of mind five months from now.

'Nonetheless, it does indicate that unmotivated Clinton supporters may be a bigger risk to Obama than defections from the Clinton camp to McCain.'

Thus whether Hillary Clinton can begin to unite the Democrats after a bitter and divisive primary season that stretched over nearly 18 months and 57 contests may be crucial to the party's success in the November presidential election.

Obama and his former rival discussed how to begin unifying the party during a meeting Thursday night in the Washington home of California Senator Dianne Feinstein shortly after Clinton disavowed a campaign by her supporters to make her his vice presidential mate.

Former presidential adviser David Gergen said the meeting may have helped relieve some of the tension that has arisen between the two parties since Tuesday night, noting that there was 'some awkwardness about how each of them was handling this.'

'I think that was very wise of her, after talking to a variety of people, to recognise what she did on Tuesday night and the way her supporters have been trying to pressure him is backfiring.'

The Clinton camp had made it widely known that she would accept the No. 2 slot if it was offered, but the push by her supporters was viewed as putting undue pressure on Obama to pick his former rival.

Obama said Thursday that 'everybody needs to settle down' and let the vetting process run its course.

'It's important that this be done in a careful, methodical way. We're not going to be rushed into making any pick, whomever that might be,' Obama's communications director, Robert Gibbs, told MSNBC.

The extent of Clinton's endorsement will be crucial to the Obama camp as she gained more than 17 million voters during the Democratic battle, and Obama will need many of those to defeat Republican McCain in November.

As Donna Brazile, a member of the Democratic National Committee, said it was important after the hard-fought primary season that Obama and Clinton work to promote reconciliation. 'There's a lot of healing to be done,' she told CNN.

'[Obama] wants to do everything possible to ensure Clinton, her supporters, her donors, the voters who went to the polls to cast their ballots, that he will champion their cause, he will fight for their issues, and, of course, he will earn their support,' Brazile said.