Opposition heat on Chidambaram over ice cream remark

New Delhi, July 11: Under fire for remarks allegedly mocking the urban middle class on rising prices, Home Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday said he had made a “matter-of-fact” statement that had been distorted by the media and had not taken a dig at the common man. But his opponents, including the ruling ally Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), refused to buy the Chidambaram clarification, saying the remarks by the senior minister were uncalled for.

In a statement, Chidambaram said he was “shocked and disgusted by the deliberate distortion of the relevant question and answer at the media briefing in Bangalore on Tuesday”.

The statement quoted the minister as saying in response to a question on rising price burden on the common man: “We are prepared to pay 15 rupees for a bottle of water but we will not bear one rupee increase in the price of a kilo of wheat or a kilo of rice. We are prepared to pay rupees 20 for an ice cream cone, but won’t pay one rupee more for a kilo of wheat or rice.”

“The home minister made a matter-of-fact statement. He did not ‘mock’ or ‘chide’ anyone. If the interview is viewed, it will be seen that he spoke in a matter-of-fact manner,” the statement said.

Clarifying further, the home minister said that in his Bangalore briefing he had referred to the price of crude oil and how the government was constrained to first raise petrol prices and then how the prices were reduced twice to benefit the middle class.

Admitting that food inflation was high, the minister said that higher procurement prices would benefit millions of farmers though there would be slight increase in food prices.

“The minister used the word ‘we’. He did not use the words ‘why do they make so much noise about price rise’. He did not say ‘There needn’t be any complaint for price rise when things are on the side of poor farmers’,” the statement said, adding that the media had distorted his statement.

Chidambaram’s comment created a storm, with some saying that he was mocking the urban middle class. The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused him of not feeling the pain of the common man.

“The whole country has seen and heard what Chidambaram said.... This is an ugly joke...It is a heartless and insensitive government,” BJP spokesperson and general secretary Ravi Shankar Prasad said and added, “Chidambaram should tell the country, what is the cost of a thali (platter) for the common man, and see how costly it is. This government is playing with the sentiment of the common man.”

The NCP also took a dig at Chidambaram with its spokesperson DP Tripathi saying that the sarcasm was unexpected from a “cultured and educated man like Chidambaram”. (IANS)

Karnataka CM-designate Shettar grapples with ministry formation

Bangalore, July 11: Jagadish Shettar, set to take oath on Thursday as the Karnataka chief minister, was in New Delhi on Wednesday to meet Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders to decide on ministry formation that would be satisfactory to various factions in the ruling party.

Accompanied state BJP chief KS Eshwarappa, Shettar flew to the national capital hours after being appointed by Governor HR Bhardwaj as the chief minister and invited to take oath on Thursday.

Shettar staked claim to form the government shortly after DV Sadananda Gowda submitted his resignation as the chief minister to Bhardwaj at Raj Bhavan.

“I and Shettar are going to Delhi to meet our party president and other leaders tonight to decide who all should be in the ministry,” Eshwarappa told reporters in Bangalore.

He said efforts were on to see that a full ministry was formed at one go. The state can have a 34-member ministry including the chief minister.

This is one of the demands of the supporters of Gowda, who had held up the meeting of the legislature wing of party Tuesday to elect Shettar as its leader to enable him to stake claim to form the government.

Eshwarappa said it was possible that one or two slots might be kept vacant.

Sehttar will be BJP’s third chief minister in Karnataka in four years and will have a short term in office as assembly elections are due next on May.

Gowda too did not complete an year in office. He took office last August 4 after BJP’s first chief minister BS Yeddyurappa was forced to quit on July 31 over mining bribery charges.

Gowda was forced out of office following several months of campaign led by Yeddyurappa. The campaign culminated in Shettar and eight other minister resigning leaving little option to BJP leadership but to ask Gowda to make way for Shettar.

Shettar’s oath-taking ceremony is scheduled at noon on Thursday at Raj Bhavan. (IANS)

Syndicate could turn tables on Pranab: Sangma

Lucknow, July 11: A “syndicate” could turn the tables on UPA presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee, his rival PA Sangma on Wednesday said, recalling 1969 when a conscience vote enabled VV Giri to win although he was pitted against the official Congress candidate.

On the Uttar Pradesh leg of his ‘Garo Hills to Raisina Hills’ journey, Sangma, the presidential candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), AIADMK, BJD and Akali Dal, asked Congress members to “wait and watch” the July 19 presidential polls.

The battle for Rashtrapati Bhavan was at a “delicate and defining point” where people voting in the presidential collegiate were thinking above party lines and many were being “influenced by their conscience”, Sangma said.

He recalled the events of 1969 when Giri threw up a surprise as MLAs and MPs voted for him on conscience vote.

Asked who were the people in the syndicate, the former Lok Sabha speaker said time would spill the beans.

According to him, this was the first time that the common person was “directly involved” in the presidential polls.

“I was in Gujarat a few days back and was pleasantly shocked when legislators told me that common people from their constituencies were asking them to vote for the tribal candidate,” Sangma said. There is a ‘Vote for Sangma or you have had it’ feeling amongst the presidential voters, he chuckled.

Referring to his rival, Sangma said the former finance minister was responsible for all the economic troubles of the country. “I am shocked that the Congress wants to send such a man to the Rashtrapati Bhavan,” he added.

Corruption, he added, had reached a shameful situation when crores were being swindled by ministers.

“Gone are the days when briefcases were used to carry graft money. It is now the lorry and truck culture as the money involved in scams is several lakh crores.”

Asked whether his contesting the presidential polls had put his daughter Agatha’s career in peril, he said neither of them were at the mercy of anyone.

Agatha Sangma, a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP, is a minister of state for rural development in the Manmohan Singh government. The NCP has thrown its weight behind Mukherjee.

Responding to a query on whether she would hear the “inner voice” during the presidential poll, Sangma said the question should be asked to her, not him. (IANS)

Absurd to suggest Narasimha Rao was indifferent to Babri razing: Naresh Chandra

New Delhi, July 11: It’s “absurd and laughable” to suggest that PV Narsimha Rao was indifferent to the December 6, 1992 demolition of Ayodhya’s Babri Masjid and sequestered himself in his prayer room, a key aide to the then prime minister says of the events of the fateful day, whose repercussions are still being felt. His reference was to two new books - a posthumously-published autobiography of veteran Congressman Arjun Singh and of journalist Kuldip Nayar - which contend that Narasimha Rao was “incommunicado” and “remained inside his puja room when the Babri mosque was being demolished”. Chandra, who also served as ambassador to US, admitted that he had not read the books and would reserve further comments on them till he had done so but was forthright in his condemnation of Narasimha Rao’s “negative” projection. "Would any official in the Prime Minister’s Office have let Narasimha Rao relax when the demolition was happening? The prime minister was continuously in touch with both home minister SB Chavan and then home secretary Madhav Godbole during the entire episode,” a combative Chandra said. “If at all anybody important was not in Delhi on that day it was Arjun Singh (then the human resource development minister) himself. People give their views according to what they know or assume they know,” Chandra contended. He said the key issue in the days leading up to December 6 was whether president’s rule could have been imposed in Uttar Pradesh by dismissing the Bharatiya Janata Party government of Kalyan Singh. “This is an issue nobody is talking about. But the prevailing view then was that since Kalyan Singh has given assurances to the Supreme Court and the National Integration Council, dismissing the government using Article 356 would have meant that the opposition parties would have jumped at the Rao government,” he said. “Whether Article 356 was legally or constitutionally possible then, only an expert lawyer can say,” he added. (IANS)

Gujrat riots spurred Abu Jundal to join LeT to take revenge on India

New Delhi, July 11: The 2002 anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat had spurred Abu Jundal, one of the handlers of the 26/11 attackers, to join the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group to take revenge on India and that led to his radicalization and Jihadi indoctrination, Indian investigators say.

He heard about the riots and their impact from his friends in the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) when he was at the Indian Technical Institute (ITI) in Beed and this led to his anger growing, according to Indian investigators, who are continuing to question Jundal here after his arrest on June 21 following his deportation from Saudi Arabia.

The Gujarat riots followed the killing of 58 Hindus returning from Ayodhya by the Sabarmati Express when two coaches of the train were torched at Godhra railway station on February 27, 2002. Over 1,000 people, most of them Muslims, were killed in the carnage.

Jundal, who studied in an Urdu-medium school till class 10, apparently metamorphosed into the mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai attack after he was further filled in on the Gujarat riots and the atrocities on his fellow Muslims by his friends in Aurangabad, Malegaon and Parbhani, the investigators said.

In 2005, he was in Aurangabad in search of a job, but ended up becoming a key activist of the now proscribed SIMI.

It was in Aurangabad that Jundal came in contact with Fayyaz Kagzi, who later got involved in the 2006 arms haul in the city and the 2010 Pune German Bakery blast and is now a wanted man. Kagzi was the extremist element who shaped Jundal’s life from then on and baptised him into the ways of terrorists, as also lit the fire of revenge in him, the

investigators say.

Kagzi, too, belongs to Beed district and their friendship was the key reason Jundal could be led to join the LeT.

“Jundal got trained in a camp in Muridke, Pakistan. That is where Ajmal Kasab (the lone survivor among the 10 terrorists involved in the 26/11 carnage) was also trained later by Jundal himself,” the officer said.

It was at Muridke thatJundal met the LeT’s top commanders, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and Zarar Shah, both accused in the 26/11 attack.

After the two spells of training in Pakistan, Jundal joined Kagzi to form a 10-member module in Beed to plan and execute terror strikes. Jundal, however, was especially chosen for “a bigger job” after his return to India, the investigator said.

He also played a key role in recruiting and sending youth to Pakistan for terror training.  (IANS)

Beyond my powers to probe Mukherjee's signature

New Delhi, July 11: The returning officer for the presidential poll said on Wednesday it was beyond his powers to conduct a detailed probe into objections on UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee’s nomination papers. While interacting with journalists at Indian Women’s Press Corps, VK Agnihotri, also the Rajya Sabha secretary general, cited rules and said the returning officer only had the right to conduct a summery or preliminary enquiry. “The law says returning officer can only have a summery enquiry. We had limited time. In two days, I could not have asked witnesses to come. This was not a regular court,” he said. He also said he had no reasons to doubt that the signature on the resignation letter was not real since Mukherjee had approved it. “Mukherjee said he had resigned. As far as the issue of the signature is concerned, a signature is considered fraud when the person, whose signature has been copied, complains. Once the letter was produced to the returning officer, I had no reason to believe it was forged because Mukherjee said it was his,” he said. Agnihotri had come under the attack of the team backing presidential candidate Purno Sangma after he rejected their application to cancel Mukherjee’s nomination. (IANS)

Court blocks Narayanan- Vajpayee letters on Gujarat riots

New Delhi, July 11: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday set aside the Central Information Commission (CIC) order allowing disclosure of the correspondence between then president KR Narayanan and prime minister AB Vajpayee on the Gujarat riots of 2002. Justice Anil Kumar allowed the Central Government’s plea filed against the CIC order of August 8, 2006. The CIC had asked the government to disclose all the letters sent by Narayanan to Vajpayee from February 28, 2002, to March 15, 2002, relating to the Gujarat riots. Tne release of letters was sought by C Ramesh through the Right to Information act. The government, quoting Articles 74 and 78 of the constitution, submitted that any advice tendered by the union council of ministers or correspondence exchanged between the president and the prime minister enjoyed immunity from public scrutiny. The government said the correspondence between the president and the prime minister were “classified” and “privileged” documents under Article 74 and hence the provisions of the RTI could not overide the same. It complained that the CIC erroneously applied the provisions of Section 6 of the RTI Act in seeking the classified documents from the government. The government had sought the quashing of the impugned judgment of the CIC on the ground that the disclosure of the information Ramesh sought “relates to Gujarat riots and any disclosure of the same would prejudicially affect the national security, sovereignty and integrity of India”. (IANS)

Mayawati replaces UP state unit president

Lucknow, July 11: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Wednesday axed Uttar Pradesh unit chief Swamy Prasad Maurya, replacing him with another loyalist, Ram Achal Rajbhar. Mayawati told party members that they could face a similar fate if they didn’t get serious about the Lok Sabha elections of 2014. Party sources said that Mayawati vowed to act against district presidents if they did not come up to the party’s expectations. The BSP lost considerable ground in the March elections and was reduced to 80 seats, losing power after five years. While it did not participate in the local bodies and municipal corporation polls held recently, the BSP supported many candidates though it did not get the desired success.  (IANS)

Nitish may back Ansari as vice president

Patna, July 11: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is likely to back Hamid Ansari for a second term as vice president if the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) declares his candidature, leaders of the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) said. Nitish Kumar, who heads the JD-U, is supporting the UPA’s nominee Pranab Mukherjee in the July 19 presidential election and is believed to be in favour of Ansari too.  “Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is in favour of supporting Hamid Ansari if the UPA declares his candidature for the upcoming vice presidential polls,” said a senior JD-U leader, considered close to Nitish Kumar. Another leader said Nitish Kumar had told the party that Ansari was the best option for the JD-U’s support. (IANS)

Supreme Court suspends Sajjan Kumar trial in 84 riots case

New Delhi, July 11: The Supreme Court on Wednesday suspended the trial of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar for his alleged involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots that took place in the aftermath of then prime minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination. The apex court bench of the Justice P Sathasivam and Justice BS Chauhan stayed the trial court proceedings till July 27 on Sajjan Kumar’s petition challenging the high court order. The Delhi High Court had, by its order, directed the trial court not to pronounce any verdict in the case and allow the proceedings to go on. Sajjan Kumar has challenged the refusal by the trial court to produce the evidence that was tendered by one of the victims, Jagdish Kaur, before the Justice Ranganath Commission and later the Justice Nanavati Commission. (IANS)

CPI-M seeks probe into 'false' news on ex-leader's killing

Thiruvananthapuram, July 11: The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) on Wednesday demanded a probe into the manner in which “false news” was being circulated by Kerala Police over a former party leader’s murder in May. Former CPI-M leader TP Chandrasekheran (51) was murdered on May 4 in Kozhikode district by a group of hired killers, some of whom have been linked to the CPI-M. “The details of the contacts made by the investigating police and a section of the media have now come out and this has happened when the government submitted an affidavit that there was no news leak by police. So it is appropriate that strict action should be taken against erring police officials,” said the CPI-M.  (IANS)

Delhi India's most competitive city, Mumbai on second slot

New Delhi, July 11: India’s capital has emerged the most competitive city in the country for the third straight time with the commercial hub of Mumbai retaining the second spot, according to a report by an international think tank released on Wednesday.

Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata, in that order, make up the top five in rankings of the India City Competitiveness Report-2012, compiled by the Institute for Competitiveness (IFC) that conducts studies in this area for use by businesses and governments.

“Faridabad, with its high growth has drastically improved in its ranking and holds the 29th spot. Similarly Guwahati recorded a wide improvement in its position,” says the report, unveiled on Wednesday to coincide with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien’s visit here.

The fifth edition of the India City Competitiveness Report is based on a model that has been established by celebrated management guru, Michael E Porter, Bishop William Lawrance University Professor, based at Harvard Business School.

Regarding New Delhi, the report says the city has managed to demonstrate a phenomenal growth over a period of time by balancing demand and development in equal measure. The two areas it is found lagging in are administrative and institutional support.

The report also says that Noida, another city with close proximity to New Delhi, is now giving tough competition to the metros, even as Pune and Ahmedabad, which had very high potential slipped a few notches, but remained in top 10 slots.

Among the smaller cities, while Coimbatore, Mysore, Madurai and Guwahati climbed up, Surat, Lucknow, Agra and Allahabad dropped in their rankings.

“Undoubtedly, Indian cities have the required potential to make their mark across the globe. this is clearly evident with igh urbanization rate of these cities and by the trend of their growth,” says the report. “However, it is required that Indian cities work on their strong areas and use it constructively to attract people from different genres. They should build a brand of their own and not follow some other global city.”

Porter’s model is founded on four pillars -- the factor conditions, demand conditions, context for strategy and rivalry, and the quality of supporting and related industries. These are further divided into 12 sub-pillars to give information on 50 top cities.

“Cities are drivers of any economy. Their growth will enhance the growth of states and eventually that of the country. In the past few years, they have risen from their age-old shells and proving their potential on the global front,” says IFC chair Amit Kapoor.

When benchmarked globally, Indian cities have much to catch up. Delhi, which takes the top slot in the country, is benchmarked at 46.7 -- which is way below 71.4 for New York, 70.4 for London, 55.2 for Shanghai and 69.3 for Hong Kong.

Here’s the ranking of top 10 cities and their score:

-Delhi: 69.732

-Mumbai: 67.856

-Chennai: 62.323

-Hyderabad: 61.782

-Kolkata: 61.464

-Gurgaon: 61.167

-Bengaluru: 61.100

-Noida: 60.406

-Pune: 59.854. (IANS)

Road safety being included in school curriculum

New Delhi, July 11: As India maintains the dubious distinction of having one of the worst road safety records in the world, reflecting the lack of a culture in “road use behaviour”, road safety is belatedly being set to be included in the school syllabus, but not as a “boring” subject.

According to Nitin R Gokarn, joint secretary, ministry of road transport and highways, road safety is being related to all the subjects for Classes 8-12 as part of the Central Board of Secondary Education(CBSE) syllabus.

“It won’t be a boring chapter on road traffic rules, but related to science, civics, history. It will be incorporated as interesting snippets so that students keep it in their mind,” Gokarn said on the sidelines of an event organized by FICCI Ladies Organisation here on Tuesday evening at the FICCI Auditorium.

“The NCERT syllabus committee is fixing up the text. It will be very practical,” he said, adding that the core committee on the syllabus of the human resources ministry would take a final call.

Giving an example, he said students would be asked to ponder over what the impact would be if a motorbike driven at speed of 80 kmph swerves off the road during a turn, relating it to physics.

Earlier, speaking at the event, he pointed out that there was a fatality every nine minutes due to road accidents in the country.

“There are 5 lakh (500,000) accidents in the country every year and 1.4 lakh (140,000) deaths due to accidents. This works out to an accident every four minutes and a fatality every nine minutes,” he said. “The major proportion of accidents was from Tier-II cities, where people tend to break traffic rules more. The fatalities are much more in Tier-II cities,” he added.

Stating that people tend to flout road rules with impunity, Gokarn said one reason was “lack of enforcement”. Gokarn said people in the country don’t have the culture of “road user behavior” and tend to ignore rules relating to right of way, use of service roads among other things.

Explaining how speed could turn fatal, he said for a motorcycle being driven at beyond 20 kmph the chance of an accident is high. “In the case of a bike being driven at beyond 40 kmph, the risk of accident is exponential and beyond 80 kmph, fatality is certain,” he added.

He also said that there were no scientific studies on road safety. (IANS)

'Economic activities behind spurt in human trafficking'

Kolkata, July 11: Human trafficking for purposes other than sex trade has been on the rise in the county. With the increase in the level of economic activities, the demand for cheap labour for industry and agriculture sector has resulted in the increase of the menace, experts say.

“People have a wrong notion that human trafficking is basically for sex trade. There are factors as well like cheap labour for industrial and agricultural sectors, domestic helps, beggars etc.,” said Urmi Basu, founder trustee of New Light.

The phenomenon is not peculiar only to India but also neighbouring countries like Nepal and Bangladesh.

Children are being trafficked and are being used as labourers in the various industries as well as for begging, said Kiran Rupakheti, deputy secretary in the ministry of woman and child welfare, Nepal.

Nearly 70 NGOs from India and neighbouring countries, including Nepal and Bangladesh, working towards preventing human trafficking, had gathered for an initiative launched by the US consulate here to start a regional hub in West Bengal aimed at eradicating trafficking in South Asia.

“We want to bring the issue of human trafficking to the mainstream. Our effort is to raise the awareness among the people and the government about the issue,” Dean Thomson, the US consul general in Kolkata, said.

Officials of the consulate explained that West Bengal and Kolkata were geographically and strategically chosen to set up the regional hub to prevent trafficking as it happens to be the source, destination and transit point for human trafficking. (IANS)

The Dark Knight Rises biggest story I've told: Christopher Nolan

New Delhi, July 11: The Dark Knight Rises, the final part of his Batman trilogy, is the biggest story he has told so far, says maverick Hollywood filmmaker Christopher Nolan, known for his intriguing films Inception and Insomnia.

“By all accounts, The Dark Knight Rises is the definition of epic - shooting on location across three continents, with a daring aerial stunt sequence, a massive crowd scene involving explosions and over 10,000 extras, and a full complement of new gadgets and vehicles. But for me, the massive scale is almost secondary to the emotional headwinds the characters are facing. The characters are larger than life and I will miss that because that is not something you can apply to an ordinary story,” Nolan said in an email interview.

Slated for a July 20 release, the film will see Christian Bale reprising his role as caped crusader Batman. The cast also includes Anne Hathaway, Morgan Freeman and Liam Neeson.

“When I started this journey with Batman, I didn’t anticipate that I’d now be finishing up the third film. But stories have a beginning, middle, and an end, and a trilogy of films naturally lends itself to telling a complete story. From Batman Begins to The Dark Knight to, now, The Dark Knight Rises, I feel a great sense of completion for affording the rare opportunity to tell a complete story with such depth and breadth. I’ve managed to put everything into the movie that I wanted to do with the character. It’s done for me,” he added.

Nolan is one of the rare directors who has used the conventional film method to shoot The Dark Knight Rises rather opting for the digital format.  Explaining his decision, he said: “The resolution of the image, the quality, the scale of storytelling that you’re allowed to do in film format, there’s simply nothing else in the world that lets you do that. It went very smoothly in The Dark Knight, we decided to shoot a lot more of the film that way. All of the action in The Dark Knight Rises is captured by Wally Pfister (Oscar-winning cinematographer), a good portion of it using IMAX cameras. There is over an hour of footage shot with IMAX cameras along with all of the major action in the film.”

He feels that the viewers will have a “unique experience” and claims that “they’ll be seeing something completely unique that no one has ever done before. “It’s going to be a very out-of-the-world experience,” he concluded.

Nolan is moving from one superhero flick to another as he gears to produce Man of Steel (Superman movie) to be directed by Zach Snyder. (IANS)

Discover India with Oprah Winfrey in two-part series

New Delhi, July 11: Oprah Winfrey went to the slums, visited the Taj Mahal, socialized with Bollywood’s gliteratti and explored real India on her maiden visit to the country. Now, the international talk show queen is set to share all that in a two-part series on her show - Oprah’s Next Chapter. The series will be simulcast on Discovery Channel, TLC and Discovery Channel Tamil on July 20 and July 21. In the programme, Winfrey discloses the emotional link that she could feel for the people, culture, and the country. “After 25 years I got myself out of the studio chairs. I moved into the next chapter, and I am having more fun than ever - moving around the country and the world, talking to people I’m really interested in getting to know and I think viewers will be, too,” Winfrey said in a statement. “It is so energizing to be out and about in the world exploring new people, new places and new ideas,” she added.  Winfrey has interviewed over 28,000 guests in her 25-year association with TV. Rahul Johri, senior vice president and general manager - South Asia, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, said: “We take viewers to rediscover India with one of the most iconic TV personalities in the world. Oprah has connected with audience through her chat shows and in Oprah’s Next Chapter, she transitions to a new phase in her life.” “Audience will see her embrace Indian culture through in-depth conversations with people from different walks of life,” added Johri. (IANS)

Severely punish culprits of female foeticide: Aamir

Mumbai, July 11: Aamir Khan says aborting a child after sex determination is wrong and supports the Maharashtra government’s proposal to give severe punishment to those involved in such offences. The state has sought the Central Government’s opinion for slapping a charge of homicide on cultprits of female foeticide.  Commenting upon the state’s decision, Aamir on Wednesday told reporters: “I think female foeticide is a very serious issue. And if it continues the way it is, it will get worse. I am so happy that Maharashtra government is likely to propose this.” He added: “I want to add here that abortion is legal and it should be. I am pro choice for women. But female foeticide, when we find out the sex and kill the girl child, should finish and very severe punishment should be given.” The maiden episode of Aamir Khan’s first television show Satyamev Jayate dealt with the sensitive topic of female foeticide and bias toward the male child. Now the show is coming to an end and Aamir is content with the response to the show that has brought up other social issues such as dowry, malpractices in the medical profession and child sex abuse. “I am happy that people are connecting emotionally with the show. My team and I like that we have reached people’s hearts and have churned ideas. There are so many things which are hidden and they need to be brought out in the public light. These things need to be discussed so that they can be dealt with,” he said. (IANS)

86 designers to showcase at LFW Winter fest

Mumbai, July 11: In its 13th year, Lakme Fashion Week has lined up 86 designers, including veterans Pallavi Jaikishan and Ritu Beri, from across the country. From big names such as Wendell Rodricks, Neeta Lulla, Anita Dongre, Krishna Mehta to young talents Pooja Kapoor, Atithi Gupta, Roma Narsinghani, Isabelle Mittal have been roped in to present exotic designs on the ramp at the upcoming edition of winter-festive 2012 starting on August 3. Other names finalized for the five-day event include, Archana Kochhar, Aartivijay Gupta, Aastha Bahl, Abhishek Dutta, Payal Khandwala, Pernia Qureshi, Anushka Khanna, Pia Pauro, Babita Malkani, Bhairavi Jaikishan, Priyadarshini Rao, Debarun Mukherjee, Deepika Govind, Gaurang Shah, Sanchita Ajjampur, Jatin Varma, Kapil & Mmonika Arora, Shivan & Narresh, and Shyamal & Bhumika Shodhan. Keeping the tradition of introducing new designers, this season LFW will launch Aniket Satam, Mehak Pruthi, Kanika Seth and Ankit Sharma, Asa Kazingmei, Richa Aggarwal, Astha Sethi and Sidharth Arora, Sneha Arora and Kavita Sharma. Another highlight of the event will be the grand finale where relatively young designers Kallol Datta and Pankaj & Nidhi will jointly present their creations.  Also, in a continued endeavour to support and pay tribute to Indian textiles, this season will bring together Jaya Jaitly, Darshan Shah, Maximiliano Modesti, Rta Kapur Chishti and Rodricks for workshops, demonstrations and panel discussions. (IANS)

Ek Tha Tiger not anti- Pakistan, assures Kabir Khan

Mumbai, July 11: Director Kabir Khan is upset after Ek Tha Tiger promos were banned in Pakistan following allegations that it portrays the neighbouring country’s intelligence agency in a bad light. But he says this is a misconception and that his film is neither insensitive nor derogatory. The director, who earlier made Kabul Express on post-Taliban Afghanistan and won critical acclaim for it, says that jingoistic films lead to such situations. According to reports, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), the country’s media regulatory watchdog, has directed cable operators and satellite TV channels to refrain from airing promos/reviews of the movie till it is issued a no-objection certificate by the Central Board of Film Censors of Pakistan. PEMRA alleges that the film shows the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI in a bad light. “I am absolutely sure that once the censor board of Pakistan sees Ek Tha Tiger, they will be more than happy to show the film in Pakistan,” he posted. “I can assure the millions of fans of Salman in Pakistan that Ek Tha Tiger will release in theatres in their country,” he added. (IANS)

Six skeletons found in missing starlet's villa

Mumbai, July 11: Even though Parvez Tak, the stepfather of Bollywood starlet Laila Khan had confessed to killing her and her five family members in a fit of rage, the murders might have been pre-meditated, a top Mumbai police officer said on Wednesday. Making a breakthrough in the case, the police’s Crime Branch recovered six skeletons from Khan’s bungalow in Igatpuri near Nashik, around 130 km from here.  Five units of the Crime Branch, along with forensic experts and toxicology doctors from JJ Hospital in Mumbai, were a part of the search operations that started on Tuesday. “Three bodies were at bottom covered with stoles (scarf-like garment), blood-stained mattresses and pillows. Again, three other bodies were laid on it and covered with stoles. The pit was then covered with sand and stones to keep animals from digging up,” Roy said. Roy said the house was then set on afire with diesel from power generators. “This must have been done to destroy fingerprints, blood stains and other evidences of murder,” he said. Preliminary forensic reports reveal that five skeletons were those of women and one was of a man.  Pieces of jewellery, synthetic clothing and underclothing were found on the skeletons. (IANS)

Cocktail has promoted itself: Producer

Mumbai, July 11: Many feel that there is a similarity between Love Aaj Kal and forthcoming movie Cocktail, but co-producer Dinesh Vijan denies it, saying that to ensure that the film has an individual identity, they opted for online medium to introduce it. “We wanted the film to get its own identity and we went online in a big way. Our trailers went viral. The trailer caught on and the music has done well, which has worked in our favour and the film has promoted itself,” Vijan, who co-owns Illuminati Films with Saif Ali Khan, said. “Someone recommended that these days all the sequels are doing so well, so why don’t you call it Love Aaj Kal 2, so you will get a big opening. But I feel that there is no similarity. The only way you can call Cocktail a Love Aaj-Kal is because it is an aaj kal ki love story. Other than that there is nothing similar,” he said. “The team is same. But they have come together to tell a different story,” said Vijan. (IANS)

Dara Singh critical, MRI shows damage to brain

Mumbai, July 11: Wrestler-actor Dara Singh’s condition continues to be very critical. He is undergoing dialysis at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital here. “His condition is still very critical. MRI is showing significant damage to brain due to decreased oxygen supply to brain when he had the cardiac arrest,” Ram Narain, COO, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, said on Wednesday morning. “His condition is not good at all,” his son Vindu Dara Singh said.  Dara Singh had been hospitalied on Saturday. His close friends Dharmendra, Raza Murad, Farah Khan among others visited him at the hospital. Dara Singh, who won the title of Rustam-e-Hind for his wrestling prowess, entered the film world in 1952 with Sangdil. (IANS)