Newsmakers: The week that was!

Although there's news everyday and follow up stories. There are some that make news throughout the week. These hot news items become the trending topics on social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and other popular micro-blogging sites.

Every weekend, Sakshipost brings to you the newsmakers who continued to generate interest. This weekly column will give you a roundup of the most happening news over the week that passed.
Let's take a look at the hot topics that stayed in news over the week...

Salman Rushdie: Every time he steps into India. He never fails to generate news. This time around too was no exception. Salman Rushdie was to visit Kolkata to promote Deepa Mehta's movie "Midnight's Children" based on his award winning novel by the same name. He called off his visit in the last minute owing to security concerns. It may be recalled that a fatwa was being issued on his life after Rushdie's book "Satanic Verses" hit the stands.

Vishwaroopam: The much anticipated Kamal Haasan movie Vishwaroopam was banned by the Tamil Nadu government over objectionable content in the movie. Despite the movie getting the support from veteran actors from across the film fraternity, the Madras High Court failed to lift the ban saying the movie will create communal unrest as it was anti-Muslim and would hurt the sentiments of the community. The ban sent shockwaves across the globe with many arguing the ban was an attack on freedom of expression. The controversy also pushed Kamal Haasan to the edge with him losing his cool and saying, he would leave the country which was in no way secular. The issue was finally resolved after the legendary actor met Muslim group to arrive at an consensus. Kamal Haasan has now agreed to delete a couple of scenes considered anti-Muslim from the movie.

IPL: The IPL auction is no less than Sotheby's. Only difference is it's the players and not objects auctioned here! Some 101 cricket players go under the hammer in chennai on Sunday for the next edition of Indian Premier League 6. The stakes are high and betting on the hot favourites has already begun! The moolah the auction rakes in is something uncomparable in the sportsworld!

Blackberry 10: Although Apple's iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy series are more popular than the Blackberry considering the latter's restrictive access, the launch of Blackberry 10 too generated enough hype. Blackberry maker Research in Motion officially launched Blackberry 10 to survive in the competitive smartphone market. The BB 10 is all set to break new ground by letting users to flip between applications seamlessly and without first passing through a home page, to boost efficiency and multitasking. With these features and more, BB hopes to be back with a bang!

Shanker Rao: The Congress MLA who had been evading the police ever since the residents of Greenfields colony accused him of fraud, was finally taken into police custody. Shanker Rao is accused in a land grabbing case where he's submitted false documents. The story didn't end there. As with every politician, he too suffered chest pain soon as he saw the police and was admitted to Gandhi Hospital for treatment amid high drama.

Botsa: AP politics has been witness to a flurry of activities over the last week. PCC chief Botsa Satyanarayana announced that he had sacked nine Congress legislators for indulging in anti-party activities. Botsa's statement drew flak with his former colleagues slamming him saying, he was conspiring to snatch the CM's chair! Interestingly, some Congress members of those who resigned have already expressed their interest to join Jagan's YSR Congress party.

Kiran Kumar Reddy: The increasing number of resignations, the Telangana issue, the political instability in the state—all these issues and more have only added to the woes of the ruling party. The state government was shaky. Now, as if to add insult to injury, Botsa talks about expelling members leading to Congress losing its majority in the House. Now, with YSRCP daring the TDP to move a non-confidence motion against the ruling party, Kiran's post looks threatened.

YSRCP: It would not be wrong to say that YSR Congress party headed by Andhra's youth leader, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is emerging as the strongest political party in the state. Each day, there's at least one new member joining the party. What with migration of members from other parties to YSRCP continuing, the buzz in the political circles is that it will be an ongoing phenomenon till the 2014 elections. To up the glamour quotient in the party, yesteryear actress Jayaprada a staunch supporter of the Samajwadi party in UP, has expressed her willingness to join the YSRCP. After enthralling the Telugu audiences through her performances in Tollywood, Jayaprada is all set to serve the Telugu people!

Asaduddin Owaisi: If MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi thought being released from jail was freedom, then he was mistaken. As a shocker to the entire Muslim community, the Maharashtra Police banned his entry into Auranagabad where he was to hold a public meeting. The police said it could lead to communal unrest. However, the Bombay High Court questioned the ban and sought an explanation from the police as to why Owaisi should not be allowed into the city.

For all the news and gossips that rock the world every week, watch out for this column every Sunday...
Reshmi@Sakshipost