PM talks to Norway counterpart about custody row, stresses strong family values

Seoul:  Dr Manmohan Singh has told the prime minister of Norway that he hopes there will be "a positive outcome" for the Indian parents fighting to bring their children back home from there. Sagarika and Anurup Bhattacharya have been trying their best to convince Norwegian officials that their young son and daughter should be released from foster care. Aishwarya (1) and Abhigyan (3) were taken away by child welfare officials in Norway who said the Bhattacharyas were negligent parents. Anurup was posted as a geologist in Stavager. His family's visas, and his own, expire this month.

Dr Singh told the Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg that India places much emphasis on strong family values. The meeting took place on the sidelines of a nuclear summit in Seoul. "It is a matter of municipality and judicial court.  The sentiments of parents should not be hurt," Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai said. Mr Stoltenberg reportedly told Dr Singh that the local municipality is planning to take the next steps in consultation with the district court and all parties concerned.

The Indian government stepped in a few months ago to point out to Norway that the children are Indian citizens and cannot be treated as "stateless orphans." A series of diplomats were deputed to meet child welfare and other authorities to help them accept Anurup's younger brother, Arunabhas, as the children's custodian. They would be allowed to return to India in his care with supervision by Indian authorities. But a Public Relations nightmare for the government erupted last weekend when different newspapers claimed that Anurup had said his wife is prone to violence and that he would prefer for his children to stay in Norway. Child welfare officials cited the dispute to say that the solution offered by the Indian government and the family no longer seemed acceptable. "In the light of the great uncertainty that now prevails, the Child Welfare Service (CWS) cannot maintain that a move to India would be in the best interests of the children," Child Welfare Service chief Gunnar Toresen had said.

The Indian government then asked the Bhattacharyas to clearly state what they wanted for their children. Anurup released a press statement that said that his wife and he remain committed to bringing their children home. The government has decided to back them. And the leaders of all major political parties have formally requested the Indian government to handle the case.

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I laughed over reports about weight loss: Asin

SPOTTED: New moms Aishwarya, Lara at an event

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It’s about dreaming big with Krrish: Hrithik Roshan

By Hindustan Times

"I’ve been emulating superheroes all my life; a recurring childhood dream was to fly. After doing that in my dreams for all these years, it’s suddenly coming true in real life,” says Hrithik Roshan, who is back to playing the masked crusader in Krrish 3, the 3D science-fiction sequel to Krrish
(2006).

While the 38-year-old actor is jumping off skyscrapers, his six-year-old son, Hrehaan, wants to hop off stools. According to the star father, he has just about begun understanding the art of slow-motion fighting. “I had to sit him down and explain the laws of gravity,” he laughs.

Last year, Hrithik’s father, producer-director Rakesh Roshan, almost considered scrapping the sequel after watching his son writhe in pain from a knee injury and a double slip disc. “I was in a dark place that was full of negative vibes,” reminisces Hrithik, who consulted friends, therapists, surfed the Internet and finally connected with trainer Kris Genthin and his nutritionist wife Marcia Johnson to get back into shape.

Isn’t it heartbreaking to lose the hunky body for another film role, which may require him to gain weight (Guzaarish, 2010) or get a leaner look (Agneepath)? “No, there’s no attachment to the image of a Greek God because I know it’s all transitory. For me, this body is just a torso, a pair of hands and legs and a stomach, that everyone has. The idea is to use food and the gym as tools to sculpt a body and lifestyle, which can benefit me professionally and personally.”

Impressed with Kris and Marcia’s routine, the actor has hinted that he would like to share the know-how with other health enthusiasts soon. But he doesn’t say how, exactly. “Once we wrap up Krrish 3 in August-September, I’ll take time off and work on that. For now, it’s about dreaming big with Krrish and Rohit Mehra (name of Krrish’s father in the film), and about completing the trilogy that began with Koi Mil Gaya (2003).”

The Rs 100 crore club
Karan Johar’s Agneepath, which made Rs 125 crore at the box-office, has marked Hrithik’s entry into the elite Rs 100 crore club. “I’m happy. Though I have started understanding the business now, I don’t get into figures. Money for me is not a motivator, it’s the creativity that counts,” he says, adding, “I’m just elated with the response my portrayal of Vijay Dinanath Chauhan has elicited.

I’ve had to work hard for a year-and-a-half to enter this club, but it was worth it. It’s reaffirmed my belief in the power of a good script and a director’s vision, while nullifying my reservations about remakes.”

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Raja Bhaiyya, controversial minister, allegedly lied about his age

Lucknow:  The decision to make Raja Bhaiyya a minister in the new government in Uttar Pradesh has generated new controversy - he has apparently lied about his age. The MLA from Kunda in the Pratapgarh district of Eastern Uttar Pradesh has serious cases pending against him including charges of murder and dacoity. The new chief minister, Akhilesh Yadav, made him the minister for prisons and five other ministries including food and civil supplies and consumer affairs.
In the documents submitted to the Election Commission before he contested the election, Raja Bhaiyya, whose real name is Raghuraj Pratap Singh, said he is 38 years old. This means he would have been 19 when he won his first election in 1993. That's impossible because any candidate for an election has to be at least 25 years old.
Akhilesh's father, Mulayam Singh Yadav, has defended the minister. "Who knows it might be the handiwork of some members of opposition parties...it's a conspiracy against the party," he said.

Sources in the Election Commission say that Raja Bhaiyya cannot be disqualified for lying about his age. At most, he could face six months in prison or be charged a fine.

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Bollywood raves about Sachin's 100th ton

By Hindustan Times

Sachin Tendulkar has created history by becoming the first batsman to score 100 international centuries. B-Town celebs like Amitabh Bachchan, Sonakshi Sinha, Abhishek Bachchan, Akshay Kumar and many more have posted congratulatory messages on Twitter.

Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan): T 685 - India breathes normally ..!! Sachin completes an incredible feat !! A hundred 100's .. Never done before, perhaps never after !!!

Lata Mangeshkar (@mangeshkarlata): Namaskar. Sachin ne aaj phir se itihaas racha hai. Sachin ko meri bahut shubhkamnayein aur badhaai.

Abhishek Bachchan (@juniorbachchan): CONGRATULARIONS SACHIN!!!! @sachin_rt WOW!!!! it's an honor to witness this master play. we're lucky. COME ON INDIA! how good is Sachin? he's the BEST. period! stop analyzing him. stop being cynical. just celebrate him! (sic)

Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar): Salute to the man who never gave up in spite of all the criticism. Finally he did it. #Sachin creates history in world cricket! Congrats to Sachin Hundredkar :D #Respect

Sonakshi Sinha (@sonakshisinha): Master blaster... Salute!

Madhur Bhandarkar (@mbhandarkar268): The god of cricket has proved again y he's called so. Congrats Sachin fr the century of tons. U make us proud always! (sic)

Ranveer Singh (@iRanveersingh): finally finally.thank u god. #sachin gets his #100th ton.congrats india.bahut intezar karwaya sachin ne. atlast thanx sachin. sau sau salam @sachin_rt tere naam..india party on...now my back pain has suddenly gone,feel like dancing. (sic)

Arjun Rampal (@rampalarjun): Phew!!! Love u Sachin, truly remarkable well deserved, thank you for making us enjoy every one of those Tons. Sooooo happppppyyyyyy. (sic)

Anupam Kher (@AnupamPkher): Once again Sachin gives us reason to smile, to celebrate, to dance, to scream with joy and to feel Proud to be an INDIAN. Jai Ho.:)

Riteish Deshmukh (@Riteishd): Sachin TON TONNA TON - all those who thought sachin should retire- time for them to retire from making such statements. (sic)

Lara Dutta Bhupathi (@DuttaLara): Congratulations Sachin! Even for the humility and grace in acknowledging such an amazing feat!! We celebrate your accomplishment and you!

Dhanush (@dhanushkraja): Hey come-u mama SACHIN !! All hail the god of cricket !! Hail sachin !! (sic)

Shobhaa De (@DeShobhaa): Chalo. 100th international cricket century in the bag.Congrats! Important milestone and all that. Ek announcement baki hai, bhai: Retirement.

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US radio episode about Apple factory abuse retracted

Washington:  A popular US radio program on Friday retracted a story about harsh working conditions at factories that make Apple products in China, saying it contained "significant fabrications."
The 39-minute episode of "This American Life," which is distributed by Public Radio International, featured Mike Daisey, a monologist who recounted his visits to Foxconn factories in China and the abuses he encountered there.
Mr Daisey is the author of the one-man show "The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs," and the episode aired by This American Life was an excerpt from the show, which has been performed to packed audiences around the country.
This American Life executive producer Ira Glass said the episode was being retracted.
"We've learned that Mike Daisey's story about Apple in China -- which we broadcast in January -- contained significant fabrications," Mr Glass said in a statement. "We're retracting the story because we can't vouch for its truth."
Mr Glass said Mr Daisey's interpreter during his visit to Shenzhen in southern China had "disputed much of what Daisey has been saying on stage and on our show."
"Daisey lied to me and to This American Life producer Brian Reed during the fact checking we did on the story," Glass said. "That doesn't excuse the fact that we never should've put this on the air.
"In the end, this was our mistake."
This American Life said it will broadcast a programme detailing the errors in the story, "Mr. Daisey and the Apple Factory," the show's most popular podcast ever with 888,000 downloads.
"Some of the falsehoods found in Daisey's monologue are small ones: the number of factories Daisey visited in China, for instance, and the number of workers he spoke with," This American Life said. "Others are large.
"In his monologue he claims to have met a group of workers who were poisoned on an iPhone assembly line by a chemical called n-hexane," it said. "Apple's audits of its suppliers show that an incident like this occurred in a factory in China, but the factory wasn't located in Shenzhen, where Daisey visited."
In a statement on his blog, Mr Daisey said "I stand by my work."
"My show is a theatrical piece whose goal is to create a human connection between our gorgeous devices and the brutal circumstances from which they emerge," he said. "It uses a combination of fact, memoir, and dramatic license to tell its story, and I believe it does so with integrity.
"What I do is not journalism," Mr Daisey said. "The tools of the theater are not the same as the tools of journalism. For this reason, I regret that I allowed This American Life to air an excerpt from my monologue," he said.
"This American Life is essentially a journalistic, not a theatrical,  enterprise, and as such it operates under a different set of rules and expectations," he said.
"But this is my only regret," Mr Daisey continued. "I am proud that my work seems to have sparked a growing storm of attention and concern over the often appalling conditions under which many of the high-tech products we love so much are assembled in China."
Apple has repeatedly said it seeks to provide a safe working environment for workers in China and agreed in January to allow inspections of Foxconn plants by the Fair Labor Association.
The retraction of the This American Life report came on the same day as the new iPad went on sale around the world.
Protestors motivated by the reports of abuses at Foxconn factories in China staged demonstrations outside Apple stores in New York, San Francisco and other cities.

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Will try to convince Mamata about new passenger fares: Dinesh Trivedi to NDTV

New Delhi:  After Railways Minister Dinesh Trivedi announced a nominal hike in train ticket fares today - the first in nine years - sources say his party chief Mamata Banerjee has told him to either resign or roll back the increased prices. Publically she has said that the hike is not acceptable.

The railway minister said, "I have done my duty... now I leave it to God." Referring to the precarious financial health of the railways, he said, "The railways was getting into the ICU and I have pulled it out of ICU. You cannot have everything together." The fares are nominal - two paise per km for the cheapest tickets and 30 paise per kilometre for the more expensive ones.

This was my Budget, not Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's, not Mamata Banerjee's, said Mr Trivedi, hours after being publically reprimanded by his party for hiking fares. The Railway minister held that he was "very happy with my budget...MPs across party lines have congratulated me. The general feeling is it is a very good budget. I have done my duty to the best of my ability." He said the country came first, he had taken a conscious decision and that "I have no clue" why his party was hitting out at his budget, for he had been "too busy" with his budget. He also said that he would resign if he was asked to by his leader, who he said  he had not consulted on his budget, but insisted he would stand by good economics versus politics.

The final Triamool word comes from Nandigram in West Bengal, where Mamata Banerjee said, "I assure you that we will not accept this fare hike." Mr Trivedi said he would try to convince Ms Banerjee.

Immediately after Mr Trivedi presented his first rail budget, his party colleagues attacked him. First, the Trinamool's Rajya Sabha MP Derek O Brien, tweeted, "Railway Budget... what was all that about increasing fares across the board? Upper class... maybe ok... but all? Sorry, cannot agree." Then, fellow TMC minister Sudip Bandopadhyay demanded that the hike be withdrawn. "We are opposing because of our party leader Mamata Banerjee who has taught us to protect interests of poor people. We have told Dinesh Trivedi to withdraw the hike. The party has not discussed anything with minister on the railway budget," he said.

Ms Banerjee's diktat today causes huge embarrassment not just for Mr Trivedi, but for the UPA as well, where her party is a senior member. The Prime Minister praised Mr Trivedi's Railways budget, describing it as "forward-looking with emphasis on safety and modernisation." First reactions from passengers all over the country have been largely the same: that the fare hike is too nominal to really hurt passengers; they all said they would readily pay a little more for a safer journey. (Rail Budget: Passenger fares hiked after eight years; focus on safety, fiscal prudence) But with her 19 Lok Sabha MPs, Ms Banerjee has the power to topple the government. So no demand is dismissed out of hand. Referring to reports of her differences with the Railways Minister, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said this was "an internal TMC matter" and said issues like a potential rollback of fares would have to be "looked into."

"If you roll back the fares, you have to roll back safety too," countered the Railways Minister. His party chief's opposition was ideological, he said, making a point of the fact that "it is wrong to think that the railways ministry is run from Writer's Building (the seat of the West Bengal government in Kolkata)." The minister also said a difference of opinion did not mean a falling apart.

But sources say Ms Banerjee has been upset with Mr Trivedi for a while now, possibly because of his perceived closeness to the Congress. They say that Mr Trivedi meeting Rahul Gandhi recently did not wash well with Ms Banerjee, though Mr Trivedi had said it was to discuss some railway related matter. The, last week, Mr Trivedi said that his party may not be opposed to early general elections - Ms Banerjee later said that her MPs had been asked not to express their personal views.

As Dinesh Trivedi braves it out in political isolation, there is also a theory doing the rounds that Ms Banerjee and her minister could be playing good cop, bad cop. That the entire drama will play out to a denouement where Mr Trivedi will eventually roll back the fare hike and Ms Banerjee will be the political hero. For now, Mr Trivedi is resolute that there shall be no roll back.   

Sitaram Yechury of the Left says Ms Banerjee's stand today is duplicitous. "The Rail Budget is cleared by the government of which Dinesh is a part then they (TMC) go and protest," he said.

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Flight attendant 's rant about 9/11, safety rattles passengers

Dallas:  Passengers on American Airlines Flight 2332 were settling in for a trip to Chicago on Friday when they say a flight attendant took over the public-address system and launched into a rant that included references to 9-11 and the safety of their plane.

At first puzzled, and then frightened, several passengers wrestled the flight attendant into a seat while the plane was still on the ground at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

The pilot returned the plane to the gate, where it was met by airport police and the FBI. After a delay of more than an hour, the plane finally took off.

A federal law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was continuing said that airport police determined the incident was a medical issue and not a security threat.

The official said the flight attendant was taken to Parkland Hospital in Dallas for evaluation. American said two crew members went to hospitals after the incident.

Bethany Christakos of Dallas, seated toward the rear of the plane, said passengers started "freaking out" as one of the flight attendants launched into a rambling, 15-minute speech.

"She said, I'm not responsible for this plane crashing," Christakos said.

Another passenger, Stephen Tremunde, said, "We were pretty frightened. She made two comments that if we didn't go back to the gate we would crash."

"The last thing I heard her say before someone pulled the mic out of her hand was, 'Hey pilot, I'm not going to be responsible for your crash,'" said Greg Lozano of Elmhurst, Ill.

Brad LeClear of Fox Lake, Ill., said he was one of several passengers who restrained the flight attendant. She said something about 9-11 - that she wished she could have stopped the terror attacks that used hijacked jetliners, he said.

"She mentioned being bipolar, and I asked her if she had taken her medicine, and she said, no," he said.
LeClear said he felt sorry for the flight attendant, but was glad to land safely in Chicago. If an incident like that happened in flight, he said, "She could have opened the door and done something to jeopardize the safety of all the passengers."

Other passengers stood at their seats to see what was happening in the front of the economy-class section. Some called 911.

In a passenger's video obtained by The Associated Press, a woman can be heard sobbing while another woman reassures her, "It's OK ... thank goodness we're on the ground."

The pilot radioed air traffic controllers for permission to return to the gate and to be met by airport police.

American Airlines spokesman Ed Martelle confirmed that "an incident occurred involving some of the cabin crew," and that two flight attendants were taken to local hospitals for treatment. He declined to provide their names or information about their injuries or conditions.

Martelle said the cabin crew was replaced before the plane took off for Chicago's O'Hare Airport behind schedule. He said customers were not in danger at any time.

A spokesman for Dallas Fort Worth Airport said no state criminal charges were being considered.

FBI spokeswoman Lydia Maese said agents responded as they routinely do when there is a report of a possible crime on a jetliner, but they decided that there was no need to investigate further.

Airline industry officials said incidents such as Friday's are extremely rare. A JetBlue Airways flight attendant, Steven Slater, made a flamboyant exit from his job in 2010 when he took over the Public Address system, cursed a passenger, snatched a beer, pulled the emergency chute and slid to the tarmac. Slater said he cracked under the pressure of health and family problems.

The Federal Aviation Administration requires pilots to pass medical and psychological tests, but it doesn't require the same for flight attendants. American declined to say whether it screens applicants for mental health.

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Heroine not about Manisha Koirala: Bhandarkar

Bollywood spins never-before-seen pairing!

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