Reports

Hollywood and Bollywood, two of the largest film industries in the world, agreed to strengthen their cooperation Wednesday with the signing of a historic agreement. As part of the pact signed Wednesday, Hollywood and Bollywood have agreed to “develop and strengthen motion picture production, distribution, technology, content protection and commercial cooperation.” The two industries also supported the creation of a Los Angeles-India Film Council to encourage Indian film production in Los Angeles...

Egyptologists have discovered 19 objects not known earlier to belong to Pharoah Tutankhamun in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. These would now be duly sent back to Egypt. British archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter, the man who is credited with having discovered Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922, had retained a few artefacts which were bequeathed to the museum after his death in 1939. These artefacts were quite small and at the time it was not known that they were from the tomb itself...

The clashes between Moroccan forces and rebels in the disputed region of Western Sahara has taken a toll on reportage. Morocco has been accused of increased hostility towards Spanish journalists trying to cover the conflict. According to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), 10 Spanish journalists were on Monday prevented from reaching the city of Laayoune in the conflict zone. Their tickets on a Royal Air Maroc (the official carrier) flight from Casablanca were cancelled...

Amazon will start paying publishers more when they sell magazines and newspapers on its Kindle reader. It will pay publishers 70 percent of the retail price - compared to the current 30 percent - for each magazine or newspaper sold at its store. "We are constantly working at improving the Kindle magazine and newspaper experience for both customers and publishers. Building on the recent introduction of Wi-Fi-enabled Kindles and the upcoming availability of newspapers and magazines on Kindle Apps...

The Japanese journalist detained for illegally entering Myanmar (Burma) has been deported. Toru Yamaji, a journalist with the video and photo agency APF News, had been arrested during Sunday's election in Myawaddy on the eastern border with Thailand. An unnamed official told Agence France-Presse (AFP), "We released him and deported him. We did not take any action against him because of the complicated situation." Yamaji, who had initially be charged under the Immigration Act, crossed over back...

A Russian court has convicted of slander a journalist who is confined to a wheelchair and brain damaged after a savage attack two years ago. He has, however, been spared the punishment. According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), Mikhail Beketov, editor of the weekly, Khimkinskaya Pravda, was on trial for slander for accusing the local mayor of being involved in an abortive attempt to blow up his car. Beketov had made the allegations against the mayor of Khimki, Vladimir Strelchenko, in September...

Prime-time anchor Keith Olbermann of MSNBC will return to the air on Tuesday night after being suspended for making political contributions to Democratic candidates. He had been penalised for violating NBC policy on contributing to political candidates. Olbermann had been suspended on Friday last without pay for contributing $2,400 each to three Democratic candidates in the midterm elections without prior approval from the network. Olbermann had contributed to the campaigns of Kentucky Senate...

The best place to do business is Singapore, says a World Bank index which ranks economies on their ease of doing business. Among others in the Top 10 are Hong Kong, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States, Denmark, Canada, Norway, Ireland and Australia, says the report titled Doing Business 2011. Overall, doing business remains easiest in the high-income economies of the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) and most difficult in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The...

Canadian universities will be funding a series of India-specific initiatives valued at over $4 million. These investments include the new Globalink Canada-India Graduate Fellowship. A statement issued by the Indian ministry for human resources announced today that eight Canadian universities would be providing graduate fellowships for top Indian students who wish to pursue a Masters or PhD in Canada. The Globalink Canada-India Graduate Fellowship Programme will provide 51 scholarship valued at...

US News & World Report magazine will cease printing its monthly magazine in 2011, an internal memo from editor Brian Kelly posted to journalism website Romenesko has revealed. Kelly said in the memo on Friday that the publication would cease printing the regular monthly magazine for subscribers. Instead, it would publish only a series of single-topic issues that will be available on newsstands and for “targeted distribution.” The December issue would be its last print edition. US News & World...