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Mumbai: Keeping its allies happy is turning into Mission Impossible for the Congress. After pacifying the DMK and Mamata Banerjee, a third crucial partner in the ruling coalition is now sulking. Sharad Pawar, head of the Nationalist Congress Party or NCP, said today that he is pained by the Prime Minister's comments on his allies.
The PM in Parliament had referred yesterday to the challenges that a coalition government presents when making policy and other decisions. "The NCP is a disciplined party, we respect coalition dharma," said Mr Pawar, who is Agriculture Minister. Dr Manmohan Singh had said in the Lok Sabha, "The difficult decisions that we have to take are made more difficult by the fact that we are a coalition Government and we have to evolve policy keeping in mind the need to maintain a consensus."
Yesterday, Mamata Banerjee was reportedly upset with the Prime Minister for praising her party's Dinesh Trivedi, whose dismissal as Railways Minister she demanded. Mr Trivedi incensed his party chief by proposing hikes in passenger fares in the budget he presented last week. He resigned on Sunday after considerable political drama. The DMK, another senior member of the ruling coalition, had also threatened to withdraw its ministers from the cabinet if the government did not commit to voting against Sri Lanka for its alleged war crimes at a session of the United National Human Rights Council this week. The PM yesterday told Parliament that India is inclined to vote" in favour of that resolution". That remark diffused the crisis with the DMK.
Ms Banerjee told NDTV last night that though she wants to stay with the UPA, she wants more respect or "izzat." In the recent past, her party, the Trinamool Congress and the DMK have blamed the Congress for not consulting them before taking important decisions. As course-correction, the Congress has begun daily meetings with allies during this session of Parliament to ensure better coordination.
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Onir, whose film, I Am, bagged two National Awards recently, has been invited to the Cannes Film Festival to be part of the CNC Producers Network that takes place between May 17 and 24. “It’s a prestigious annual event and usually people pay to be part of it. But Sanjay (co-producer Sanjay Suri) and I have been invited to attend a special session and our entire trip is sponsored,” he says.
This year, the filmmakers will discuss and try to pitch their three films currently in production —Chauranga, Coach Kameena and Shab. Onir adds, “They will fix up one-on-one meetings with important filmmakers from Europe. That’s a huge bonus for an independent production company like ours that’s trying to get into the world cinema space and get funding from aboard.”
Chauranga, which uses a love story to highlight the upper-lower caste divide, will begin its shoot schedule on June 15. “We are already in talks with a German production house but maybe the Network can get us a co-producer from France too for this film.”
He hopes to also find funding for Coach Kameene, an inspirational sports film set in Punjab that takes off mid-August this year and is also expected to be completed in a month.
While both these films are being directed by debutants Bikas Mishra and Ashwini Malik, Shab, set in Delhi, will be directed by Onir himself. “It (the shoot) will start in mid-October. The story revolves around a gigolo and a call girl,” he says, pointing out that all these films will be made partly with crowd-funding. “We’d like all those 400 co-producers, who are celebrating I Am’s National Awards, to continue to be part of our journey.”
Colombo/ New Delhi: Sri Lanka has urged India to reconsider voting in favour of a resolution on Sri Lanka at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). Yesterday, the Prime Minister told Parliament that India is likely to vote in favour of the resolution which has been moved by Norway, the US and France. Dr Manmohan Singh said that while the text of the resolution is not yet known to India, "We do not yet have the final text of the US-sponsored resolution against Sri Lanka. However, I may assure the House that we are inclined to vote in favour of a resolution that we hope will advance our objective, namely the achievement of a future for the Tamil community in Sri Lanka that is marked by equality, dignity, justice and self-respect."
Sources say Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister called External Affairs Minister SM Krishna today and asked him to reconsider the decision. The government has been under huge pressure from its ally, the DMK, which has warned that it could withdraw its ministers from the cabinet if India either abstained or supported Sri Lanka during the vote. The resolution asks for an inquiry into the alleged war crimes and violation of human rights by the Sri Lankan government as it ended the island's civil war by defeating the LTTE. The reported crimes against Sri Lankan Tamils have provoked an angry response in Tamil Nadu.
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Delhi: A Pune court has sentenced two men to death for raping and murdering a call centre employee in 2007. Jyoti Chowdhari, 22, was traveling in her company's pick-up cab on November 1, 2007, when the driver Purushottam Borate and his friend Pradeep Kokate raped and then brutally killed her. While sentencing the two men to death today, the judge said that the crime was committed with extreme brutality and that sheer lust had driven the accused to rape and murder. He noted that it was a pre-determined act that led a young, hapless girl to lose her life. And that after the crime the two men had calmly pretended that nothing had happened. The judge flatly rejected the defence plea that he show leniency as the accused were young men who should be allowed to reform. He repeatedly mentioned the brutality with which Jyoti was raped and killed. The public prosecutor, Ujwal Nikam, while calling for maximum punishment, had noted yesterday, ''They had cut her blood vessels in the right wrist and thereafter they threw a stone on her head, and then strangled her with her odhni. I further pointed out to the court that even after committing rape and murder the accused person did not show any repentance or remorse.'' The cab driver and his accomplice were pronounced guilty of raping and murdering Jyoti by the court on last Saturday.
Purushottam Borate had reportedly picked Jyoti from her home at 10 pm for her night shift at the call centre, situated at Hinjewadi area in Pune. According to reports, the driver was joined by his friend Pradeep Kokate in the cab. Ms Jyoti was talking on the phone with her boyfriend and did not realise where they were headed. At 11 pm, Ms Jyoti's boyfriend heard her ask the driver why had he stopped the car after which the phone was disconnected and was unreachable, say reports.
Jyoti's body was found next day in Gahunje a Pune village. The autopsy revealed that she had been raped and strangled to death.
"Let me thank the honorable court for delivering this justice to us. We know very well that Jyoti is not coming back but this judgment is a landmark judgment. We hope it will serve as a deterrent," said a relative of the victim today.
Jyoti, who belonged to Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, was a Science graduate from the University of Pune. She lived with her sister and brother-in-law in the Panchavati area of Pashan and had joined the call centre as an associate in December 2006.
The shocking case was an eye-opener for the booming IT-BPO-call centre industry in Pune in 2007; Jyoti's rape and murder made the industry and police review the safety of women working in the IT industry. Most companies now have security guards in office vehicles when women employees are being dropped off or picked up, especially in the night.
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London: Former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi has been declared bankrupt by a London court over unpaid bills of 65,000 pounds (approximately Rs 53 lakh) owed to a private security firm.
According to a report in 'The Telegraph' daily, the order was passed last month and comes at a time when Modi is awaiting the judgment from a libel trial with the retired New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns.
Modi owes the Page Group, an international securities and risk assessment company, fees for services provided in 2010.
Modi in his defence said "Until the order was served, I was completely unaware of any outstanding monies. I have not seen any previous demands but since it came to my attention, I've even offered to lodge the sum being claimed with the court pending clarity. But for some reason, that was refused, by the company concerned."
The former BCCI vice-president and cricket entrepreneur, who now lives in London, feels that it is an attempt to gain cheap publicity by the securities firm.
Stuart Page, the company's chairman, said: "It's unfortunate that we have come to this situation but Modi has given us no other option. We gave Modi a number of security services in relation to threats made against him and his family. We submitted a number of invoices which were not paid."
Page further stated: "(Our) attempts to reach a settlement with Modi were to no avail and we were forced to take the action we have taken."
A hearing will be held in London shortly when Modi will attempt to have the order set aside.
"It is a ridiculous waste of everyone's time and I can only assume it is being done in an attempt to gain some sort of publicity at my expense. Any suggestion that this order means I am unable to pay is equally ridiculous," Modi said.
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Virat Kohli, who led India to victory against Pakistan in yesterday's Asia Cup match, has found an admirer in strip queen Poonam Pandey. The starlet posted a picture in white lingerie for the hot cricketer on Twitter.
She tweeted: "NewPic wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww whattta match muwaaaaah luv u virattttt."
Other related tweets:
Poonam Pandey (@iPoonampandey): Very well played Kohli! massive applauds to your spirit! You done us proud today and we will always remember this special innings.
Poonam Pandey (@iPoonampandey): #thankyoukohli for giving us such a great victory.
Poonam Pandey (@iPoonampandey): Jaise bhagwan Ram ke liye Hanuman, vaise hi team India ke liye Virat Kohli. SANKAT MOCHAN via @rohitbansal002.
Poonam Pandey (@iPoonampandey): Kholi (sic) seems to be prepared to show the finger _|_ after d match.... :P lol.
Poonam Pandey posted lingerie pic for Virat Kohli on Twitter.
This isn't the first time that the starlet has used cricket to promote herself. She had recently tweeted an old nude picture for Sachin Tendulkar when he scored his 100th ton. The tweet read: "This historic moment reminds me of an old picture which one of my fan had Morphed."
Earlier also, she had vowed to strip naked if India wins the World Cup. She had posted videos titled Bathroom Secret, Bedroom Secret and Mirror Act for the Men in Blue.
It looks like brand Vidya Balan has become a hit overseas too. Her latest film Kahaani is writing a success story in the foreign markets. In fact, it has surpassed The Dirty Picture's collection in overseas, according to latest reports.
Excited about the film's success, Sujoy Ghosh tells hindustantimes.com, "It just proves that if a film has the support of an audience then it will succeed."
"My intention was to make a film and play with the script beautifully, I never thought about the commercial aspect," Ghosh had earlier shared with the website.
The figures "Kahaani has emerged a surprise success in Overseas. The film has managed rock-steady figures in its second weekend [at places, better than opening weekend], taking the 10-day total to Rs 8 cr from seven markets [U.K., U.S.A., U.A.E., Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Pakistan]. Viacom18's strategy has yielded good dividends," writes trade expert Taran Adarsh.
Comparison with TDP Drawing the comparison between the box office collections of Kahaani and The Dirty Picture in UK and Ireland BO, Adarsh writes, "The film has collected £ 46,133 on 18 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 2,563. Total: £ 1,57,155 [Rs. 1.25 crores]. The Dirty Picture had collected £ 93,355 after its second weekend."
Kahaani that garnered Rs 24.10 cr in the first week has amassed Rs 38.2 cr nett in the domestic market, according to Adarsh.
When I was a schoolgirl he was my poster boy. The toothy smile, angreezi ada and his commercial capers made him an actor and a gentleman who was simply irresistible.
I waited for Doordarshan to screen one of his movies but hated to see Shashi Kapoor chasing another woman, even if it was all make-believe. Only Sharmila Tagore and Raakhee’s Sharmilee didn’t make the hate list. And that was because few believe my name is really Roshmila since it’s unusual even for a Bengali. They simply correct it to Sharmila or Sharmilee. These names were so much a part of my persona that I could happily believe I was Sharmila or Sharmilee who made Shashi swoon.
I wasn’t the only one with a secret crush on him. Recently, Shabana Azmi admitted that he would drop by with his father, Prithviraj Kapoor, every Sunday to meet her parents, Kaifi Azmi and Shaukat. And every week, schoolgirl Shabana would save her pocket money to buy a new black-and-white movie still of his that she’d shyly ask him to autograph.
My dream of romancing my matinee idol on screen remained a dream. Shabana was more fortunate. But Fakira made her smile and cry too. It happened one morning when she arrived on the sets and the assistant choreographer told her they were shooting a night-after song. He then went on to demonstrate some intimate dance moves that left her appalled and sent her scurrying into her make-up room.
“I can’t do it!’ she told Shashi in tears. He responded with a gruff, “Silly girl, don’t be daft! Guess you didn’t know what you were getting into when you’d tell Shaukatji, ‘Mummy, mummy main bhi actor banoongi. (I also want to be an actor)’”
He walked out of her make-up room but when she arrived on the sets, she found that he’d changed all the steps. Typical Shashi Kapoor!
I never got a chance to interview him but I recall a senior colleague setting up an appointment with him and arriving five minutes late. She was turned away at the door. Shashi was a stickler for punctuality and even at the peak of his career, when he was juggling four films, he never kept anyone waiting on the sets.
I loved Sharmilee, Fakira, Aa Gale Lag Jaa, Chor Machaye Shor, Trishul… And 36 Chowringhee Lane, Junoon, Kalyug and Vijeta too. I found it interesting that Shashi was one of the first Bollywood stars to go international with Shakespeare-Wallah, Pretty Polly and Siddharth, and made his money from commercial cinema and then put all of it back into art-cinema and Prithvi theatre that earned him nothing.
“He was one of the most generous people I know. When we’d go for festivals abroad with eight dollars a day, Shashiji was the one unobtrusively picking up everyone’s tabs,” reminisces Shabana, adding that during Junoon, the star-producer refused to follow the hierarchy of the time and gave both cast and crew equal treatment.
However, the incident that’s etched in stone in her memory involves a hunger strike in ’86. Crusading for alternate accommodation for slum-dwellers whose homes had been demolished, Shabana, with activist-filmmaker Anand Patwardan and three slumdwellers, went on an indefinite hunger strike in Colaba. It was hot and after five days without food, her blood pressure dipped alarmingly.
Shashi heard about the fast and dropped by. Anand explained the issue to him and without a word to anyone, he paid the Chief Minister a visit during which he pointed out that a member of his fraternity was ill and if he didn’t help out now, he should not expect the industry to come together for any government campaigns either.
Immediately, the Housing Minister was sent across and all the demands met. Everyone was jubilant and when the media asked Shabana how the miracle had happened, she pointed to Shashi. “He refused to accept any credit, and when I went on stage and officially broke my fast, I saw a quiet figure disappearing around the corner,” she says, with a catch in her voice.
Today is Shashi Kapoor’s birthday and Shabana who has been invited to a few celebrations, remembers them as quiet family affairs at home. “He was a big star, has won the National Award and the Padma Bhushan, done loads of charity work and contributed majorly to our film industry, yet he’s always played down his achievements,” she says. “My mother who knew his father well says he’s a worthy son. For me he will always be a gentleman-actor.”
Me too! And even though I’m all grown up now, he’s still my Prince Charming!
Kingfisher Airlines has said it will halt international flights and fly just 20 planes as it seeks funding, hours after the government warned the carrier's license may be canceled if it fails to meet safety norms and financial viability conditions.
The embattled airline, which has debts of $1.3 billion, is scrambling to raise funds after banks refused to lend more for its day-to-day operations.
A big cutback in flights has reduced its revenue, leaving the carrier controlled by flamboyant liquor baron Vijay Mallya with little cash to pay staff, airports, tax authorities and lenders.
"If he gives a plan and says I have that many planes, that much schedule, then why should we cancel?," Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said ahead of Mallya's meeting with the regulator to submit a recovery plan for the carrier.
"The problem is, (in the) last two to three months, he has given several plans and he has not adhered to any of them," Singh said, warning that the airline was liable for prosecution over unpaid taxes.
"If passenger safety is compromised we'll not let any airline fly. Safety norms also involves financial viability," Singh said.
Kingfisher said it had submitted an interim plan to operate 20 planes on between 110 and 125 domestic routes a day, and halt international flights by April 10. The carrier's fleet, which earlier had 64 planes, now has 47.
"We have not submitted an ambitious plan. We have submitted a holding plan," Mallya told reporters.
The company has said it is in talks with potential investors, some of which would require India to allow foreign carriers to own up to 49 percent of Indian airlines, a change the government is considering.
"Some of the potential investments depend on the change in FDI (foreign direct investment) policy but there are other investors we are in discussions with," Kingfisher Chief Executive Sanjay Aggarwal told reporters.
Cancellations have already disrupted the travel plans of thousand of passengers across the country and pushed up fares.
UNFRIENDLY SKIES
Shares of Kingfisher Airlines, which has a market capitalisation of about $200 million, hit an all-time low in early trade on Tuesday before closing 5.5 per cent lower.
Kingfisher has never made a profit in a struggling Indian airline industry that is saddled with high fuel costs, stiff competition and low fares.
Five of India's six airlines are in the red and domestic carriers are likely to lose a total of $2.5 billion in the year through March, according to the Centre for Asia-Pacific Aviation (CAPA), an industry consultancy.
"As a government, we don't want to shut down any industry. There are employees and customers involved. Kingfisher had 22 percent traffic. If we close it suddenly, where will the fares go?," Singh said.
Global industry body IATA has suspended Kingfisher from its settlement system, restricting bookings through overseas agents, hitting ticket sales. On Monday, the last of Kingfisher's independent directors resigned.
The carried needs at least $500 million immediately to keep flying and $800 million to return to full operations, according to CAPA.
Kingfisher's billionaire chairman owns one of the world's most expensive yachts as well as cricket and Formula One teams, but he has been unable to raise fresh equity for an airline that was once India's second biggest by passengers.
"Mallya has been talking a lot about capital but I think he's only doing it to calm the situation and postpone the problems. We have not seen any money," said a senior executive at a state-run bank, which recently downgraded Kingfisher's loan to non-performing status.
There are no provisions for companies to declare themselves legally bankrupt in India.
"Right now, it is a complicated situation. We are closely monitoring," said the banker, who requested anonymity as he was not allowed to talk about clients.
Copyright @ Thomson Reuters 2012
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New Delhi: In a bizarre turn of events in the custody case of Indian children in Norway, Indian government sources said the father of the children had told the authorities in Norway that he wanted his children to stay on in the country. The father, Anurup Bhattacharya, however has denied the reports.
Mr Bhattacharya, who along with his wife Sagarika, has been fighting for the custody of his two children, reportedly informed Norwegian authorities that he had been physically abused by his wife. Source reported that he further said that he feared that she might be handed over the custody of their two children if they return to India.
The Bhattacharyas' children, one-year-old Aishwarya and three-year-old Abhigyan, have been under foster care since May last year. This was done after officials of the Child Welfare Services in Norway decided that the parents were negligent.
On Tuesday, Mr Bhattacharya, sources claim, suddenly said that wanted the children to remain under the custody of the Norwegian government. He reportedly cited Indian laws - which favour the mother being granted the custody of children who are below the age of five years - as the reason for his reluctance over the toddlers being sent back to their native country. He also informed the Norwegian authorities that he will be filing for divorce.
But Anurup later said he was still considering filing a divorce, though he admitted he was living separately from his wife. He also said the hearing, earlier scheduled for Friday, was postponed because the Indian government failed to give the legal documents the Norwegian authorities had asked for.
The case has been further complicated by the fact that the uncle of the children, Arunabhash Bhattacharya, has also expressed his unwillingness to be their guardian, according to Indian government sources. Arunabhash, a young dentist from West Bengal, has been undergoing training sessions by the child welfare officials to position him as the children's guardian, and has denied these reports.
Anurup, a geologist, moved to Norway in 2006. Trouble began at Abhigyan's school where teachers found him distant. Visits by local authorities scaled up into a number of charges against the parents - Sagarika was reported as being clinically depressed, though no medical test was conducted. Anurup was evaluated as a parent more committed to work than to his children. Abhigyan, it was said, suffered from attachment disorder. The authorities claimed his reactions suggested he had either been hit or had been witnessing physical violence at home.
The Indian government was nudged into intervention by desperate visits to Delhi by Sagarika's aged parents. They held protests, met President Pratibha Patil and petitioned the media for assistance. As a result of the campaign, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna promised them that their grandchildren would be brought back to India "at any cost". India also rushed a special envoy Madhusudan Ganpathy to meet Oslo authorities and ask them to expedite the process.
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The 100th ton is finally in the history books. And the question on everyone’s mind is: What is next for Sachin Tendulkar? Today, it’s taking Team India to the Asia Cup final and later giving Mumbai Indians a winning chance in IPL Season 5 that flags off in April 4. On April 27, Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Ferrari Ki Sawaari, a film about a young boy whose obsession with a Ferrari takes him to the Lord’s cricket ground, opens. Sachin owns a Ferrari and his son Arjun and Vinod’s son Agni Dev study in the Dhirubhai Ambani International School and play cricket together.
“Agni is a young cricketer and I’d gone to the MIG cricket club to watch him play. He wasn’t happy to see me, cribbing that now everyone would know he was my son. It impressed me to see a 10-year- old trying to make it on his steam, that sparked off an idea which the co-writer and director Raju Mapuskar developed into a film,” reminisces Chopra.
The climax is set in Lord’s and instead of cutting corners and faking the historic venue, Chopra decided to take his film to the London cricket ground. “It wasn’t easy getting permission to shoot. Initially, I got a curt ‘no’, but I went back with a detailed storyboard and eventually was allowed access into the Mecca of cricket, including the iconic Long Room at Lord’s,” he exults.
The Long Room that the players pass on their way to the middle from the dressing room and back, is a long walk lined with paintings of famous English cricketers and administrators and dates back to the 18th century. Only four overseas players from Australia have their portraits up there — Sir Donald Bradman, Keith Miller, Victor Trumper and Shane Warne. “It was such a thrill to walk down the Long Room and on the grounds. I took Agni along for the shoot. He was impressed, but Sachin is still his greatest hero. Whatever I do, I can never be Sachin!”
Sachin in Ferrari Ki Sawaari? The buzz is that the Master Blaster could make an appearance in the film. Last May, he had tweeted, “Vinod Chopra has a script called Ferrari Ki Sawari. Just heard it. Sounds awesome”, then posted a picture on Twitter, saying, “Hanging with Vinod Chopra and Atul Kasbekar... 3 more Idiots (sic)?” Two years ago, Sachin had shot a documentary on Mumbai’s Siddhivinayak temple, Vignaharta Shree Siddhivinayak, directed by Yashwant Ingavale. Prod Chopra on whether the rumour is true and he retorts, “No comments!”
Cricket in Bollywood * All-rounder (1984) * Malamaal (1988) * Awwal Number (1990) * Chamatkar (1992) * Lagaan (2001) * Stumped (2003) * Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004) * Iqbal (2005) * Salaam India (2007) * Chain Khuli To Main Khuli (2007) * Victory (2008) * Dil Bole Hadippa (2009) * Patiala House (2011)
Mirpur:Bangladesh made it to the final of the Asia Cup, defying pre-tournament expectations with consecutive victories against their more fancied neighbours. It was only the second time they had reached the finals of a one-day tournament.
The bowlers restricted Sri Lanka to 232, but rain siphoned off ten overs and reduced the target to 212. The increased asking-rate, 5.30 an over, gave both teams a chance, but enterprising batting by Tamim Iqbal on a spiced-up pitch gave their chase a kickstart. The Bangladesh middle order withstood the pressure and gave the expectant crowd a reason to show up in similar numbers for the final, on Thursday.
Points Table
Nasir Hossain proved once again why he is the find of the season for Bangladesh and Tamim put the farce of his earlier non-selection to rest. Nasir's calm half-century partnership with Mahmudullah ensured Bangladesh did not implode in the rush for a quick finish. The sea of green jerseys in the crowd were rewarded for staying in their seats even as Sri Lanka clawed back. Many clasped their hands in prayer once Bangladesh lost their fifth wicket, Shakib Al Hasan, but the temperament of the sixth-wicket pair showed why Bangladesh could start the finals not as underdogs, but contenders. India, waiting on the result of this game, will be headed home.
Sri Lanka were pegged back at the very beginning, when another Hossain, Nazmul, coming in for the injured Shafiul Islam, nipped out three top-order wickets. The middle order, led by Chamara Kapugedera, gave the innings some respectability, but were not able to post a challenging score on a ground on which two big chases had already been completed in the tournament.
Scorecard
A mid-innings downpour gave the pitch the kind of zip missing during the afternoon. Lasith Malinga tested the top order with bouncers that fizzed past the helmet, while Nuwan Kulasekara got the ball to swerve in to the right-handers to castle Nazimuddin and flummox the captain Mushfiqur Rahim.
Bangladesh were three down for 40, but the passage of play was punctuated by some blistering strokeplay by Tamim. His balance and follow-through were exemplary, especially in his driving through the off side. Mahela Jayawardene tried to plug that gap with a short point, and later with two fielders up close at cover and extra cover, but Tamim was not deterred. He lofted one over the covers and then whipped consecutive boundaries through midwicket, showing his class on both sides of the wicket.
Shakib, after passing a tough test against some short bowling, settled in and crashed Suranga Lakmal for three consecutive boundaries through the off side. Tamim reached his half-century with a clip for four off Farveez Maharoof, and his pleasing strokeplay won the applause of the country's premiere Sheikh Hasina, also in attendance. He was dropped by Sachitra Senanayake, after lobbing a simple chance back to the bowler, but Senanayake finally got his man when an uppish slash was taken at point. Tamim walked back to a hush from the expectant crowd, with their hopes pinned on Shakib.
Shakib's battle with Senanayake was a compelling one. Shakib got on top of him initially with boundaries over extra cover, but once the bowler shortened his length, Shakib looked edgy. Unsure of the bounce, he stabbed at two consecutive deliveries and nearly lobbed both for catches. Senanayake got one to skid through and trapped him in front of leg stump to give Sri Lanka hope, with the hosts still 77 runs adrift.
Sri Lanka were guilty of easing the pressure on the batsmen by feeding them balls full on the pads, which were clipped away to fine leg. Nasir and Mahmudullah kept out the inswinging yorkers, did not panic when they played the ball to the fielders, and calmly picked up singles. Tillakaratne Dilshan was brought on after the quicks failed to take wickets, but the pair didn't change their approach. A firm push by Nasir was parried by mid-on to the boundary, leading to wild celebrations and a victory lap.
The win was set up by Nazmul, who removed the power trio of Jayawardene, Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara. Jayawardene missed a straight one, Dilshan chopped a delivery onto his stumps and Sangakkara spooned a catch to extra cover, bringing an end to an indifferent season with the bat for him.
Bangladesh came out with a sense of purpose, fielding with intent after winning the toss. They were aided by a surface which, though not the same used for the India-Pakistan game, appeared slower and suited their crop of bowlers. The medium-pacers bowled several slower deliveries to tighten the noose on the run-rate.
Kapugedera and Lahiru Thirimanne added 88 for the fourth wicket, but one of them needed to bat through the innings to set a competitive target. Upul Tharanga made a breezy fifty, but not for the first time since his demotion, he had to repair the damage done upfront, again raising questions about the structure of the batting line-up.
Kapugedera, under pressure to keep his place, made good use of his promotion, using his feet to the spinners. A stroke of luck, though, gave Bangladesh the breakthrough when Thirimanne missed a nudge off Abdur Razzak and was stumped after the ball deflected off Mushfiqur's pads onto the stumps.
Tharanga's arrival perked up the scoring, as he punished a wayward Shahadat Hossain for three quick boundaries. Kapugedera managed a face-saving half-century, but his innings was cut short by a sharp reflex-catch by Shakib at extra cover. Shakib struck with the ball soon after, getting two wickets. Boundaries by the lower order pushed Sri Lanka to 232, but one could sense that was always going to be inadequate.
It ended a mixed season for a travel-weary Sri Lanka, following the highs of Australia. Not too long ago, India were at their hotel rooms in Brisbane, hoping for a Sri Lankan defeat to push them into the CB Series finals. This time in a hotel not far from the ground, they were ironically hoping for a Sri Lankan win. There were no back-door entries for a team which has suffered its worst away season in recent history.
Khammam, Andhra Pradesh: At least 14 children are feared dead after a school bus carrying them fell into a canal in Khammam district of Andhra Pradesh this afternoon.
Early reports suggest that the cleaner rather than driver was driving the vehicle when the accident happened.
The bus belonged to LV Reddy School and reportedly had a total of 40 children on board.
It plunged into Tungaram canal in Kothagudem Mandal while trying to avoid a collision with a bike, said an eyewitness.
The accident also left 18 children injured. They were rushed to a nearby hospital.
In a similar mishap in the state last month, four students died after their school bus fell into a river in East Godavari district.
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Srinagar: Forty-three years after it happened, few remember that one of the earliest plane hijacks in the world was carried out with a toy pistol by a 16-year-old Kashmiri boy. But in the mind of Hashim Qureshi, that boy who is now 59 years old, the incident still ticks away like the script of a high voltage Hollywood thriller.
He hijacked an Indian Airlines Srinagar-Jammu flight to Lahore January 30, 1969, armed with a toy pistol and a wooden grenade. From a freedom fighting hijacker to an advocate of peace and progress today, his journey has been arduous.
Hashim, who is still facing a hijack case in a Srinagar court - the trial has been going on for 12 years, says he first went to Pakistan in 1968 to see his sister who had married there.
"I met Maqbool Bhat (founder of the pro-independence outfit JKLF) in Peshawar. Bhat said India would never leave an inch of Kashmir to Pakistan, but an independent Kashmir could always be negotiated," Hashim told IANS in an interview.
Hashim became dedicated to the freedom cause. He came back and circumstances helped him use the Border Security Force (BSF) for his plans.
"In a haircutting salon in Lal Chowk, I met a Kashmiri Border Security Force (BSF) officer. I told him I wanted to go to Pakistan. He agreed to help me cross the border provided I brought some information the BSF needed. I agreed and the BSF managed my clandestine entry into Pakistan through the Sialkot border."
He was actually double-crossing the BSF. In Pakistan, Hashim was trained for the hijack.
"Maqbool Bhat said to highlight the Kashmir problem we must hijack an Indian plane. Javaid Mantoo, a retired pilot, helped familiarise me with a Fokker Friendship plane. He took me to Chaklala airport where I was allowed to see the plane from inside."
After hijack training, Hashim crossed back into Kashmir from the Sialkot border.
"I boarded a bus, but the bus was stopped by police and I was caught with a pistol and a hand grenade. I was taken to a BSF interrogation centre. I told them how I had been trained along with three others for the hijack in Pakistan.
"I was asked by the BSF to keep a watch at the Srinagar airport. An advertisement appeared in a newspaper about the sale of a look-real pistol which could be used to scare away thieves. I ordered one by post. I fabricated a wooden hand grenade and painted it with metallic colour."
Hashim booked tickets on the Srinagar-Jammu Indian Airlines Fokker Friendship flight for January 30, 1969, for himself and his cousin Ashraf.
"Once airborne, I rushed to the cockpit, placed the pistol on the pilot's head and announced the hijack. We ordered the pilot to fly the plane to Pakistan. There were 34 passengers, including the crew.
"We landed at Lahore airport at 1 pm January 30, 1969. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto reached there. The Pakistan authorities asked us to release the passengers. I said not before I had spoken to Maqbool Bhat. We remained at the airport till 8.30 pm February 2, 1969.
"Then a Lahore police official came and told us to finish the drama and set the plane ablaze. Bhat opposed the torching of the plane. He said we should continue the ordeal at Lahore airport to get maximum media attention.
"Finally, one Pakistan army officer came with a canister of fuel and told us Bhat had said we must now set the plane on fire. We did it, but later learnt that Bhat had opposed torching of the Indian plane till the very end," Hashim told IANS.
After the hijack, Hashim and his cousin were treated like heroes in Pakistan for three months. "Everywhere we went, a hero's welcome awaited us," he said.
But glory was shortlived. "I was arrested in April 1971 in Pakistan and released in 1980. After my release, I was told by Pakistan intelligence that we should arrange groups of Kashmiri youth for training in firearms.
"They said after militancy spread in Kashmir, Pakistan would come to our assistance by an armed invasion. It was clear they were looking for Kashmiris to fight Pakistan's proxy war against India without committing themselves to our independence.
"I finally left Pakistan in August 1986 for Holland and remained there till December 27, 2000, when I got homesick."
Today he advocates freezing of the Kashmir issue for 20 years to address the hatred between India and Pakistan.
Hashim lives on a hillside mansion in the Nishat area of the city where he gazes at the Dal Lake from his multi-terraced lawn, playing golf in between - and recounting his story.
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Here's a list of the winners of The Ghanta awards 2012 that reward the worst in Bollywood:
Worst Breakthrough (for the worst new actors/actress): Nargis Fakhri for Rockstar
Worst Couple: Ranbir Kapoor and Nargis Fakhri for Rockstar
Worst Item Number of the year: Dhinka Chika from the film Ready
Worst Supporting Actress: Hazel Keech for Bodyguard
Worst Supporting Actor: Prateik Babbar for Dhobi Ghat, Aarakshan,Dum Maaro Dum and My Friend Pinto
That's Anything But Sexy: Kangana Ranaut for Anything involving Kangana Ranaut in Rascals
WTF Was That: Sonam Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor for How Sonam Kapoor (Aayat) & Shahid Kapoor (Harry) don't manage to exchange a measly phone number over 10 years in Mausam.
Worst Story Ripoff: Desi Boyz
Worst Actor: Salman Khan for Bodyguard and Ready
Worst Actress: Nargis Fakhri for Rockstar
Worst Director: Anees Bazmee for Ready and Thank You
Kanpur: More trouble for the Akhilesh Yadav-government in Uttar Pradesh which has made law-and-order its top priority.
In the Pankhi area of Kanpur, a taxi driver, Ankit Yadav, was allegedly beaten to death today by a local Samajwadi Party (SP) worker Prashant Tiwari after he refused to pay Rs 300.
The two had an argument over Mr Yadav parking his cab too close to the Mr Tiwari's hotel and then subsequently refusing to pay a parking fee, that Mr Tiwari demanded. In the altercation that followed, Mr Yadav was allegedly beaten with a stick by Mr Tiwari. He was rushed to hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.
Ankit Yadav's death triggered angry reactions from his relatives who torched not just Mr Tiwari's hotel but even shops adjacent to it.
The police had to be called in and had to resort to lathicharge to control the violent mob.
A case of murder has been registered against Mr Tiwari who is missing.
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Karachi: Pakistan has banned spy film Agent Vinod due to release on Friday in India.
The reason for the ban is reportedly the reference made in the film to Pakistan's spy agency, the ISI.
The film stars Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor.
"Well Pakistan harbouring terrorists is quite an open fact, isn't it? There are some negative aspects about Pakistan that we have shown," Saif Ali Khan said.
"But we didn't want to offend anyone and the heroine of the movie is a Pakistani, though they would be happy about that We have done the best we could. We don't want to upset Pak viewers, they are a large part of our audience, " he added.
The Islamabad censor board feels that the storyline could hurt sentiments in Pakistan.
Viewers in Pakistan are disappointed as sales of tickets for the film have been stopped and hoardings of the films have been pulled down in most cinemas across Karachi.
After playing a simple Dalit man in Aarakshan, Saif Ali Khan returns as a spy in the thriller.
The movie also found itself embroiled in controversy after an Iranian music band Barobax slapped a legal notice against the makers and music composer Pritam Chakraborty for the song Pyaar Ki Pungi over copyright violation.
Later, Dinesh Vijan, the co-producer of the movie asserted that the song is an original track.
Agent Vinod has been directed by Sriram Raghavan with Saif Ali Khan and Dinesh Vijan as producers.
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Saif-Kareena's spy thriller has been banned in Pakistan by Islamabad censor board. According to sources, several references to Pakistan, have not gone down well with the board. It feels that the storyline could hurt sentiments in Pakistan, say reports.
Youtube posts also suggest that the song also draws from Hassan Jahangir’s Hawa Hawa Khushboo Luta De.
Brushing aside the allegations, co-producer Dinesh Vijan retorts, “There is no infringement of copyright or any other right. And any attempt to initiate proceedings for alleged infringement of copyright is ill-conceived, ill-advised and untenable by law. Any action in this regard will be vigorously opposed and resisted in accordance with the law.”
Meanwhile this is that people are discussing on Twitter about the ban:
@nehathtsme: Agent Vinod banned by Pakistan Censor Board..they say its UnSaif.. :P
@satyajithpinku: Poor Saif Last tym he tried to earn mileage by Arakshan being bannd in many states, now he is trying the same with PAK banning Agent Vinod
@rameshsrivats: Agent Vinod is banned in Pakistan, which therefore, continues to remain, an unsaif country
Seattle: When Justin Bassett interviewed for a new job, he expected the usual questions about experience and references. So he was astonished when the interviewer asked for something else: his Facebook username and password.
Bassett, a New York City statistician, had just finished answering a few character questions when the interviewer turned to her computer to search for his Facebook page. But she couldn't see his private profile. She turned back and asked him to hand over his login information.
Bassett refused and withdrew his application, saying he didn't want to work for a company that would seek such personal information. But as the job market steadily improves, other job candidates are confronting the same question from prospective employers, and some of them cannot afford to say no.
In their efforts to vet applicants, some companies and government agencies are going beyond merely glancing at a person's social networking profiles and instead asking to log in as the user to have a look around.
"It's akin to requiring someone's house keys," said Orin Kerr, a George Washington University law professor and former federal prosecutor who calls it "an egregious privacy violation."
Questions have been raised about the legality of the practice, which is also the focus of proposed legislation in Illinois and Maryland that would forbid public agencies from asking for access to social networks.
Since the rise of social networking, it has become common for managers to review publically available Facebook profiles, Twitter accounts and other sites to learn more about job candidates. But many users, especially on Facebook, have their profiles set to private, making them available only to selected people or certain networks.
Companies that don't ask for passwords have taken other steps - such as asking applicants to friend human resource managers or to log in to a company computer during an interview. Once employed, some workers have been required to sign non-disparagement agreements that ban them from talking negatively about an employer on social media.
Asking for a candidate's password is more prevalent among public agencies, especially those seeking to fill law enforcement positions such as police officers or 911 dispatchers.
Back in 2010, Robert Collins was returning to his job as a security guard at the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services after taking a leave following his mother's death. During a reinstatement interview, he was asked for his login and password, purportedly so the agency could check for any gang affiliations. He was stunned by the request but complied.
"I needed my job to feed my family. I had to," he recalled, after the ACLU complained about the practice, the agency amended its policy, asking instead for job applicants to log in during interviews.
"To me, that's still invasive. I can appreciate the desire to learn more about the applicant, but it's still a violation of people's personal privacy," said Collins, whose case inspired Maryland's legislation.
Until last year, the city of Bozeman, Mont., had a long-standing policy of asking job applicants for passwords to their email addresses, social-networking websites and other online accounts.
And since 2006, the McLean County, Ill., sheriff's office has been one of several Illinois sheriff's departments that ask applicants to sign into social media sites to be screened.
Chief Deputy Rusty Thomas defended the practice, saying applicants have a right to refuse. But no one has ever done so. Thomas said that "speaks well of the people we have apply."
When asked what sort of material would jeopardize job prospects, Thomas said "it depends on the situation" but could include "inappropriate pictures or relationships with people who are underage, illegal behavior."
In Spotsylvania County, Va., the sheriff's department asks applicants to friend background investigators for jobs at the 911 dispatch center and for law enforcement positions.
"In the past, we've talked to friends and neighbors, but a lot of times we found that applicants interact more through social media sites than they do with real friends," said Capt. Mike Harvey. "Their virtual friends will know more about them than a person living 30 yards away from them."
Harvey said investigators look for any "derogatory" behavior that could damage the agency's reputation.
E. Chandlee Bryan, a career coach and co-author of the book "The Twitter Job Search Guide," said job seekers should always be aware of what's on their social media sites and assume someone is going to look at it.
Bryan said she is troubled by companies asking for logins, but she feels it's not violation if an employer asks to see a Facebook profile through a friend request. And she's not troubled by non-disparagement agreements.
"I think that when you work for a company, they are essentially supporting you in exchange for your work. I think if you're dissatisfied, you should go to them and not on a social media site," she said.
More companies are also using third-party applications to scour Facebook profiles, Bryan said. One app called BeKnown can sometimes access personal profiles, short of wall messages, if a job seeker allows it.
Sears is one of the companies using apps. An applicant has the option of logging into the Sears job site through Facebook by allowing a third-party application to draw information from the profile, such as friend lists.
Sears Holdings Inc. spokeswoman Kim Freely said using a Facebook profile to apply allows Sears to be updated on the applicant's work history. The company assumes "that people keep their social profiles updated to the minute, which allows us to consider them for other jobs in the future or for ones that they may not realize are available currently," she said.
Giving out Facebook login information violates the social network's terms of service. But those terms have no real legal weight, and experts say the legality of asking for such information remains murky.
The Department of Justice regards it as a federal crime to enter a social networking site in violation of the terms of service, but during recent congressional testimony, the agency said such violations would not be prosecuted.
But Lori Andrews, law professor at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law specializing in Internet privacy, is concerned about the pressure placed on applicants, even if they voluntarily provide access to social sites.
"Volunteering is coercion if you need a job," Andrews said.
Neither Facebook nor Twitter responded to repeated requests for comment.
In New York, Bassett considered himself lucky that he was able to turn down the consulting gig at a lobbying firm.
"I think asking for account login credentials is regressive," he said. "If you need to put food on the table for your three kids, you can't afford to stand up for your belief."
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Kolkata: The Norway child custody case involving an NRI couple which has already sparked off a diplomatic row has taken a curious turn following the husband and his parents alleging that the wife had "psychological problems".
Anurup Bhattacharya, a geophysicist and the father of two children Abhigyan aged three and one-year-old Aishwarya, who were taken into care by Norwegian social services, has accused his wife Sagarika of having "psychological problem" and is mulling separation from her.
"Yes, Anurup is mulling legal separation from his wife as she suffers from acute schizophrenia. Last night (Monday) Sagarika attacked my son and badly injured him. Since then, he has fled from her and is living elsewhere. She has been attacking him for long," Anurup's father Ajay Bhattacharya told IANS.
"Anurup came to know about her mental disorder shortly after their marriage in 2007 and has been tolerating her bad behaviour ever since. But now he cannot take it anymore. He had kept quiet till now to get back the custody of his children," he added.
He also said that the Norwegian child care authorities are also aware about her illness as they had been observing Sagarika for long.
The two children have been in foster care since May last year after child welfare officials in Norway decided that their parents were negligent.
After the Indian government's intervention, the authorities had agreed to recommend to a court in Norway on March 23 that the children be placed in the custody of their uncle Arunabhas Bhattacharya.
Amid public outrage and protests by the opposition, India last month had sent special envoy Madhusudhan Ganapathi, secretary (West) in the external affairs ministry, to Norway to urge the authorities to help facilitate an early return of the children to India.
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New Delhi: Kingfisher Airlines, owned by liquor baron Vijay Mallya, has decided to end its international flights. The airline, which has a debt of 7000 crores, has committed today to running 125 domestic flights everyday using 20 aircraft. Its fleet number was 64 till a few months ago. Mr Mallya has promised, that unlike in the last few months, these flights will not be cancelled at the last minute because of the airline's expansive financial problems. Mr Mallya had been summoned to meet the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) today to explain recovery plans. Earlier, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh warned that Kingfisher could lose its license if it was not able to furnish a believable turnaround strategy, or if the DGCA found safety being compromised. DGCA chief Bharat Bhushan told NDTV today that a special team conducts safety checks on Kingfisher flights every day to ensure passengers are not at risk. "The problem is, last two-three months, he has given several plans and he has not adhered to any of them," Mr Singh said. "If passenger safety is compromised, we'll not let any airline fly. Safety norms also involve financial viability," he added. After the meeting with Mr Mallya, the DGCA chief said he had no plans for now to revoke Kingfisher's license. Mr Mallya said that operating international flights does not make sense given that it has been suspended by IATA which helps airlines by serving as the middlemen between them and various service providers like caterers and ground handlers for passengers and baggage at different airports. Without IATA, Kingfisher would have to handle these payments directly in different currencies - a logistical nightmare. Mr Mallya said that he is not setting an ambitious target for the summer, and said he is hopeful of foreign investment. The government is considering a proposal to allow foreign airlines to own upto 49% of Indian carriers. Kingfisher employees including pilots have not been paid for several months. Recently, the airline has blamed this on the income tax department which has frozen several of its accounts. Today, Mr Mallya said he hopes to clear all outstanding bills soon for employees.
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New Delhi: BS Yeddyurappa delivered a very embarrassing day on Tuesday for his party, the BJP, which runs the government in Karnataka. Less than half of the BJP's representatives attended the first day of the Budget session in the Karnataka assembly. Most stayed at a five-star resort on the outskirts of Bangalore. They are being hosted there by Mr Yeddyurappa who wants to be renamed chief minister. However, negotiations with his party's central leadership seem to be working. Mr Yeddyurappa has reportedly promised that his camp will show up at work today, where DV Sadananda Gowda, the current chief minister, is scheduled to present the budget. Mr Gowda had been hand-picked by Mr Yeddyurappa in July last year when he was forced to quit office on corruption charges. Last week, a court dismissed those charges, triggering Mr Yeddyurappa's aggressive campaign to return to office.
Mr Yeddyurappa's camp has indicating that Mr Gowda will be allowed to present the budget, but it is important that the party presents a united front in the Assembly.
On Monday, BJP president Nitin Gadkari requested Mr Yeddyurappa to be patient and "not to do anything that will hurt the BJP." In addition to the rebel leader's ability to split the party, the dispute has caste overtones as well. Mr Yeddyurappa, a Lingayat, chose a Vokkaliga to replace him. Both are dominant communities in the state - and the BJP is in a bind now in case they have alienated the Lingayat vote bank. Would one time Yeddyurappa foe turned ally, Jagadish Shettar, another Lingayat, be a potential Chief Ministerial choice that would satisfy Yeddyurappa if he is given the chair himself? And how would the Vokkaliga community react to a Chief Minister from their community being dumped on the demands of the volatile Mr Yeddyurappa? Elections to the state assembly are due in 2013.
Mr Yeddyurappa's group, in a further act of defiance, even put forward a candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls, BJ Puttaswamy. Mr Puttaswamy was promptly suspended from the party for filing his nomination -and notices were issued to the 10 MLAs who nominated him.
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Mexico City: A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck southwest Mexico Tuesday, damaging hundreds of homes and sending panicked people onto the streets of the capital, with no immediate reports of serious casualties.
The quake struck south of the Pacific resort of Acapulco, between the states of Guerrero and Oaxaca, and was followed by several aftershocks, the US Geological Survey said. Initially it had estimated the magnitude at 7.9.
Guerrero governor Angel Aguirre told state radio that some 1,600 houses in four municipalities of the coastal region known as the Costa Chica had been damaged.
He said that authorities were checking schools and public buildings around Ometepec, a town of 20,000 nearest the epicenter.
Many houses showed signs of damage in Ometepec while patients of the main hospital were evacuated into a garden, including women in labor.
The White House said President Barack Obama's 13-year-old daughter Malia, who is on vacation in Mexico, was safe.
"In light of today's earthquake, we can confirm that Malia Obama is safe and was never in danger," said Kristina Schake, spokeswoman for First Lady Michelle Obama.
In Mexico City, buildings swayed, telephone and power lines were cut off and traffic lights stopped working as office workers rushed onto the streets.
Local media reported one person was injured when a pedestrian bridge collapsed on an empty bus in the north of the city.
It was one of the strongest quakes to shake the capital since 1985, when an 8.1 earthquake left between 6,000 and 30,000 dead, according to officials and rescue organizations respectively.
"We were told to evacuate," said office worker Francisco Bernal, standing in the street. "The earthquake was strong but now we're prepared, unlike in 1985."
"I stood up when I saw the lights moving," said Ana Fernandez, another office worker in the central Roma district. "Our boss told us to get out and we followed instructions not to shout, run or push. I was really scared but I made myself stay calm."
German tourist Gernot Nahrung said he was in the city's Chapultepec park and did not feel the long swaying movement of the quake, which lasted several minutes. "My mum told me: 'It's shaking, it's shaking,'" he said.
Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrand said no serious damage was visible during a helicopter survey.
The mayor's Twitter account said the water system and other "strategic services" experienced no problems.
Some windows broke at the city's international airport, and the monorail between the two terminals was stopped temporarily.
The quake's epicenter was 12.4 miles (20 kilometers) deep, 100 miles (162 kilometers) from the tourist city of Oaxaca, according to the USGS.
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Twenty-five children, several of them from North-East and one from Nepal, sailed to the mega final of DID Li'l Masters II, the premier dance reality show on the telly, in the eastern region audition here.
The children, in the age bracket of 5-13 years, were picked up as the panel of celebrity judges - famed Bollywood choreographers Master Geeta Kapur and Master Marzi Pestonji -watched the little ones and mentored as they made deft steps on stage and showed remarkable stage presence, amazing at such young age.
The children included Babu Sangma from Meghalaya, Shalini Moitra from Ranchi, Padmini Patnaik from Bhubaneshwar, Om Chezty from Dispur, Assam's Karbi Anglong district, Bir Sherpa from Silchar, Arpita Dutta from Guwahati, Pratistha Poudel from Nepal and Krishnakanta Singh from Imphal, Manipur.
"We are amazed at the sheer scale of talent at the audition in Kolkata, known as the land of 'kalakars'. We had to raise the number restriction limit from about 10 to 25 as the eastern leg competition standard was really high.
From hip-hop, contemporary, to the pure classical form, many of the children had shown real skills, though these certainly need to be brushed up," Marzi Pestonji told reporters during an audition break on Friday afternoon.
To another query about many child talents fizzling out in the later phase of life, Geeta Kapur said, "we always tell parents don't push the child, be little more patient to allow them grow and acquire the art fully. "We implore the parents, many of them real pushy, not to overdo things and refrain from instant gratification," she said.
On the need to treat the tender-minded little ones in a humane way, Kapur said "yes. We have to certainly ensure the respective child is not bombarded with negative feedback and dealt with encouraging words, like we will definitely see you in the next episode. We have to ensure the child doesn't see it as an end of the world and have to more counsel the heart-broken ambitious parents who seem to be in greater hock than their wards."
Zee TV was conducting auditions across several towns and cities in India including Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bhubaneshwar, Guwahati, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Patna, Dehradun, Indore, Vadodara and Raipur among others.
The first season made a winner out of Jeetumoni, who bagged the show's ultimate coveted Golden Super Wings but was flooded with offers to perform and showcase his dance prowess.
New Delhi: Amidst growing criticism within the BJP over his nomination, Anshuman Mishra, a businessman and the party's candidate for the Rajya Sabha from Jharkhand, may withdraw from the electoral race today, sources have told NDTV. It is a clumsy attempt at course-correction after most senior party leaders like Yashwant Sinha and LK Advani said Mr Mishra was an unacceptable choice and demanded the withdrawal of his nomination, thus creating the sequel to the Kushwaha fiasco. Before the UP elections, the party president had welcomed former UP minister Babu Singh Kushwaha as a member after he was sacked by his party chief Mayawati for corruption. Mr Kushwaha "voluntarily" put his membership on hold after sharp criticism from most senior BJP leaders.
Mr Mishra's background and integrity have been questioned by senior leaders, who have targeted party president Nitin Gadkari for his selection. Just in case Mr Mishra does not oblige, the party has asked its elected representatives in Jharkhand not to vote for him. Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Advani asked for an emergency meeting of BJP leaders to discuss Mr Mishra. He also reportedly said that the BJP should issue a whip to MLAs in Jharkhand ordering them to vote against Mr Mishra, who is an Independent MLA being supported by the BJP.
Mr Sinha told NDTV that his party's support to Mr Mishra would only add to Jharkhand's image as "happy hunting ground for the rich" implying that BJP MLAs could be tempted to sell their vote to the rich businessman. In strong words Mr Sinha said, "Our MLAs should not be auctioned...there are ways for our MLAs to avoid voting for him."
Mr Sinha also reportedly warned his party that the selection of unsuitable nominees makes it tough for him to serve on different parliamentary committees; choosing representatives who have questionable records, he said, will impact the BJP's image and anti-corruption plank. At a meeting of the party leadership, another member Shanta Kumar warned, "Jab satta bikne lagti hai to samapt ho jaati hai" - a warning that translates as "When power is on sale, the end is near."
In Maharashtra, Ajay Sancheti, a businessman and a member of the BJP national executive, has been nominated as the party's Rajya Sabha candidate. He allegedly has links to the Adarsh scam - politicians and bureaucrats helped themselves to flats in a building meant for war widows and Army veterans.
Mr Sinha says he had not even heard of Anshuman Mishra, who, however, claimed on Tuesday that, "I have good relations with all big BJP leaders." Mr Mishra said he was contesting elections with the support of senior leaders and if the party leadership opposed to supporting him, "I will withdraw my candidature."
There is more resentment within the BJP over the denial of a ticket to veteran leader, and BJP's deputy leader in Rajya Sabha, S S Ahluwalia.
As the crisis escalated, Mr Gadkari met with the party's parent-body, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), in Nagpur on Tuesday.
However, on record, party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar has denied the talk of any dissent, saying, "There is no question of anyone being unhappy within the party."
Mr Gadkari has provoked serious dissent within the party in recent months. Before the UP elections, he allowed Mr Kushwaha into the party fold. Mr Gadkari's colleagues like Sushma Swaraj, Uma Bharti and Maneka Gandhi said this would hurt the party's credibility. Mr Kushwaha was persuaded by the BJP to then announce that he had voluntarily decided to put his membership of the BJP on hold till he was cleared of corruption charges. He is now in jail.
Mr Gadkari is also finding it tough to manage a revolt in Karnataka, where the BJP is in power. Former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa wants to return to office immediately. He has the support of more than half the party's representatives in the Karnataka Assembly and therefore has the strength to split the party and bring down the government, if the crisis should deepen.
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Kudankulam: After a brief clampdown, the police have now allowed media persons to visit Idithakarai where the Kudankulam nuclear power plant is located. However, no live coverage is allowed from the site as according to the police, it can aggravate the situation.
The security too has been tightened around the plant.
But the big question is: Will the Tamil Nadu government arrest Dr SP Udhaykumar, the face of the anti-nuclear plant protests? There is uncertainty among villagers who are protesting at the site of the plant.
Yesterday, they refused to hold talks with two local police officers who had come in their personal capacities to end the deadlock. The villagers asked the police to send non-natives for talks about ending the protests.
Dr Udhayakumar is on an indefinite hunger strike at village of at Idinthakarai, which has for seven months been the epicentre of the villagers and fishermen who say the Kudankulam plant is not safe.
A campaigner against nuclear energy for years, the recent Fukushima tragedy struck the right chord with the masses and catapulted him to be the face of the anti-nuclear campaign at Kudankulam.And with Jayalalithaa's U-turn, the state has now turned on the heat on Udhayakumar who is facing charges of sedition, and waging war against the country. "I have not stolen anyone's property, or money. I'm not afraid of arrest. Am I a criminal or a terrorist?" he said. (Watch: Who is S P Udhayakumar?)
Scientists and engineers have entered the plant, escorted by the police, to get to work. The Tamil Nadu government cleared the project on Monday, after initially trying to block it.
The 5000 villagers who are protesting against the setting up of the nuclear power plant are facing tough times. There is no power supply since Tuesday morning at Idinthakarai, the ground zero for the anti-nuclear protests. Villagers have blamed police for the power cut; they also complain there is shortage of drinking water, food and milk.
Prohibitory orders have been clamped and there is tight security near the plant.
Those who live near the project remain worried about their safety and refer often to last year's disaster at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan. "People within 30 km radius of the Kudankulam plant have not been given any disaster training," Mr Udhayakumar said yesterday. "Without doing this, they cannot load the nuclear fuel... the Central Government and the State Government would be held liable for this criminal activity if they decide to load the fuel rods without preparing the people," he added.
In September, the state Cabinet had passed a resolution demanding that the Prime Minister order a halt of operations at Kudankulam till those living in the area were convinced that they are not at risk. Dr Manmohan Singh then deputed experts and ministers to assess the plant and answer the questions of villagers. Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had also commissioned her own panel of experts to study the plant. Her clearance for the project came right after an important by-election in the Tirunelveli district, where the plant is located. In an attempt to pacify the area, she announced a Rs 500 crore package to improve roads and infrastructure in the area.
Dr Srikumar Banerjee, the Chairman of India's Atomic Energy Commission said yesterday, "The nuclear community has learnt a lesson from this agitation... and that (we) need a much better connect with local people." He said that activists and villagers should be rest assured that the safety standards for the nuclear plant meet international standards. "A clear cut disaster management exists for the plant," he said.
The nuclear power project, worth Rs. 13,000 crores and being set up with assistance from Russia, will upon completion have six reactors, making this will India's largest power-generating complex. A pair of two 1,000 megawatt reactors will kickstart production.
The protesters, mostly fishermen from three districts, are worried that the seaside plant may damage the ecosystem with nuclear waste and ruin their livelihoods.
The Prime Minister's recent remarks that protests against Kudankulam were possibly receiving foreign funding provoked much anger among NGOs.
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