Friday, October 31, 2014

Federer, Murray ousted from Paris Masters

Paris, Nov 1 (IANS) World No.2 Roger Federer was stunned at the BNP Paribas Masters quarterfinals here by Canada’s sole representative in ATP rankings top 10, Milos Raonic while Briton Andy Murray too exited the tennis tournament.


“I’m accepting this defeat,” said the former top-ranked Swiss, who Friday night lost in straight sets to miss the 2,884,675 euros event’s semifinals, reports Xinhua.

Raonic, 23, fired 21 aces in a 7-6 (5), 7-5 win over the 33-year-old Federer, who led 6-0 in all of their previous encounters.

“This was the biggest win for me,” said Raonic after the match. “It’s the first time that I beat Federer. It’s fantastic.”

The victory keeps alive the Canadian’s chance of qualifying for next month’s World Tour Finals in London.

It’s a big blow for 17-time Grand Slam winner Federer, however, especially in the middle of his effort of snatching Novak Djokovic’s world No.1 ranking.

“I think he played well. Clearly served well when he had to,” commented Federer. “If he serves that accurate and that well over a long period of time, he’s always going to remain in the match.”

Raonic will play world No. 5 Tomas Berdych in the semifinals.

“It’s going to be difficult,” said Raonic when asked to see the next match ahead. “He’s playing quite well since the end of the U.S. Open.”

Berdych pulled out a 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-4 victory over 14th seed Kevin Anderson of South Africa earlier in the day.

With the victory, the Czech secured a berth to London where the Finals were slated on Nov. 9-16.

In the other half of the singles main draw, defending champion Novak Djokovic snapped Murray’s gallop around the world collecting titles and ranking points with a 7-5, 6-2 win, while Kei Nishikori of Japan launched a superb comeback to deny Spaniard David Ferrer 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4.

However, the current eighth-ranked Murray, who saw his 11 match winning streak come to an end, achieved his main goal in Paris by booking a London place after making the quarterfinals.

On doubles part, No. 1 seeds Bob and Mike Bryan of the US beat Leander Paes of India and Swiss Stan Wawrinka 6-3, 6-3 to set up a semifinal clash with Thursday’s winners Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau, while Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez will play against Marcin Matkowski and Jurgen Melzer.




Federer, Murray ousted from Paris Masters

Catalonia unruffled by Spanish challenge to independence vote

Madrid, Nov 1 (IANS/EFE) Artur Mas, leader of the regional administration in Catalonia, said that he plans to press ahead with a symbolic vote on independence despite a fresh legal challenge from the Spanish government.


Mas originally planned a formal independence referendum Nov 9, but Spain’s Constitutional Court effectively blocked it by agreeing to hear the central government’s motion against the plebiscite.

Mas then changed tactics, by presenting an informal ‘citizen participation process’ that would exclude the use of official voter rolls.

The symbolic vote would begin Nov 9 and continue for two weeks.

But the government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is now asking the Constitutional Court to bar that exercise as well, Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said at the end of Friday’s cabinet meeting.

The central government wants to avoid a fraud against its citizens and to protect Catalan regional officials from possible prosecution for involvement in a process that has been deemed illegal, she said.

Hours after the announcement from Saenz de Santamaria, Mas told a press conference Friday that preparations for the informal vote on independence were continuing and said his administration would bring legal action against the central government.

The informal vote would be organised by volunteers without any involvement of public employees, Mas said.

Catalonia, one of Spain’s wealthiest regions, enjoys a high degree of autonomy, but has often complained that it pays more into the Madrid state coffers than it gets back.

Nearly two million people took to the streets of Barcelona Sep 11, the Catalan national holiday, to voice their support for a referendum on independence.

–IANS/EFE

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Catalonia unruffled by Spanish challenge to independence vote

'Garm Hawa' to re-release on Children's Day

New Delhi, Nov 1 (IANS) M.S. Sathyu’s National Award winning movie “Garm Hawa”, which was India’s entry for the Academy Awards in the best foreign film, will re-release across theatres in select Indian cities Nov 14.


PVR Director’s Rare will release the movie, digitally restored by Indikino Edutainment, in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune and Ahmedabad.

Sathyu is “touched” by the gesture.

“The film tells a tale of the troubled times when the Partition ran family-deep. Showcasing this film to the people today will help bring about an empathetic connection with those who suffered the plight of the partition,” the noted filmmaker said in a statement.

Starring Dinanath Zutshi and Balraj Sahni in the leading roles of the two Mirza brothers, “Garm Hawa” is the story of the Mirza family at the time of the Partition in 1947.

Halim Mirza (Dinanath Zutshi) decides to immigrate to Pakistan as he feels there is no future for Muslims in India while his younger brother Salim (Balraj Sahni) stays back in hope for better time.

The re-release of the film, which also marked the debut of late actor Farooque Sheikh, is an opportunity for the generation of today to once again experience the cinematic brilliance on the big screen, believes Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, joint managing director, PVR Ltd.

Talking about the restoration of the movie, R.D. Deshpanday of Indikino Edutainment, said: “The greatest challenge we faced while restoring the film was to enhance the quality of the picture and sound without touching the content. Tricky as the entire process was, the end result is something we are quite proud of.”




'Garm Hawa' to re-release on Children's Day

US praises Cuba's contribution in fight against Ebola

New York, Nov 1 (IANS/EFE) US Ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, praised Cuba’s contribution to the fight against Ebola in West Africa, and said that her country is very grateful.


“Although I did not encounter them personally, I have to commend Cuba for sending 265 medical professionals to the affected countries so quickly,” said Power, who recently returned from a trip to Africa, during a Reuters Newsmaker panel discussion in New York Friday.

“We are working side by side, as it were,” the diplomat said, though adding that the US and Cuban efforts are separate.

Power noted the speed with which Havana reacted to the Ebola outbreak, and recalled that the Cuban government would send 200 more health workers to Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, the three countries most affected by the outbreak that has killed nearly 5,000 people.

She also said that, besides treating patients directly, the health workers in West Africa are also training local personnel in how to deal with the epidemic.

Cuba’s contribution to battling the epidemic has been praised by international entities such as the UN and the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as US media outlets such as The New York Times.

For more than 50 years, the US and Cuba have had no diplomatic relations, and Washington has imposed an economic, trade and financial embargo on the island.

–IANS/EFE

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US praises Cuba's contribution in fight against Ebola

One dies as spacecraft explodes in US

San Francisco, Nov 1 (IANS/EFE) One person was killed and another badly injured when Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo exploded over southern California’s Mojave Desert after takeoff on a test flight, the California Highway Patrol said.


The spacecraft normally flies with two pilots.

“During the test, the vehicle suffered a serious anomaly resulting in the loss of SpaceShipTwo,” Virgin Galactic said on Twitter Friday.

The company said it was working with authorities to determine the cause of the accident.

NBC News said witnesses saw at least one person in a parachute near the Mojave Air and Space Port shortly after SpaceShipTwo took off from the facility attached to an aircraft.

The explosion occurred after SpaceShipTwo detached from the airplane and activated its motor.

Virgin Galactic intended to offer would-be space tourists the chance for a suborbital ride on SpaceShipTwo, which is designed to return to earth as a glider.

The company’s founder, British billionaire Richard Branson, had hoped to be part of the first commercial flight of SpaceShipTwo next year.

–IANS/EFE

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One dies as spacecraft explodes in US

Britain to repay part of First World War debt

London, Oct 31 (IANS) British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne Friday announced that the British government will pay off part of the country’s First World War debt as part of the redemption of bonds stretching as far back as the 18th century.


The Treasury will redeem 218 million pounds ($350 million) of debt from the 4 percent Consolidated Loan Feb 1, 2015, Xinhua reported citing a British government statement.

The so-called “4 percent Consols” was first issued by then British chancellor of the exchequer Winston Churchill in 1927, partly to refinance National War Bonds originating from the First World War.

The Debt Management Office estimates that the nation has paid 1.26 billion pounds in total interest on these bonds since 1927, said the Treasury.

These National War Bonds were first issued in 1917 as part of an “unprecedented effort” by the government to raise money to finance the cost of the First World War, which started with the first issue of the first war loan in November 1914, noted the Treasury.

Around two billion pounds of First World War debt remains, data showed.

“Large publicity campaigns were employed throughout the war to attract the general public to make a patriotic investment. And for good measure, the bonds also paid out an attractive rate of interest of five per cent,” it said.

Osborne said in a statement: “We are only able to take this action today thanks to the difficult decisions that this government has taken to get a grip on the public finances. The fact that we will no longer have to pay the high rate of interest on these gilts means that most important of all, today’s decision represents great value for money for the taxpayer.”

In addition to the war bonds, some of the debt being repaid in redeeming “4 percent Consols” dates as far back as the 18th century.

And there are currently 11,200 registered holders of the bond. Around 7,700 investors hold less than 1,000 pounds nominal, and 92 percent of holders own less than 10,000 pounds each. This is one of eight undated government bonds currently outstanding.

This will be the first time that a chancellor has redeemed an undated gilt of this sort in more than 60 years, it added.




Britain to repay part of First World War debt

When Pierce Brosnan tried being Cary Grant

Los Angeles, Oct 31 (IANS) Hollywood star Pierce Brosnan has shared that he studied Cary Grant’s movies very carefully to get inspiration in the initial years of his career.


The former “James Bond” actor made the revelation in an interview to Loaded magazine, reports contactmusic.com.

“The first audition I went on was for (the 1982 US TV series) ‘Remington Steele’, and I got the job. And I had no idea what to do. Bob Butler was the director, and he said, ‘It’s an old movie.’ So I looked at Cary Grant movies and tried to be Cary Grant,” Brosnan said.

He has since starred in movies as popular as “Mrs. Doubtfire”, “Mars Attacks!’ and “Mamma Mia!”.

Brosnan also shared that he had to take out a second mortgage on his home’s central heating to afford a shift to Los Angeles, and that led to his big break in acting.

The 61-year-old star also credited his late wife Cassandra Harris — who died from ovarian cancer in 1991 — for encouraging him to make the move to Los Angeles with her.

“It was my late wife, god bless her, who said we should go to America, and somehow we took out a second mortgage on the central heating, and we went to Los Angeles on a wing and a prayer,” he added.




When Pierce Brosnan tried being Cary Grant

Congress central leadership does not consult state unit: Gnanadesikan

Chennai, Oct 31 (IANS) A day after resigning as Congress’ Tamil Nadu unit chief, B.S. Gnanadesikan Friday charged the party high command with not consulting the state leadership on party issues.


Speaking to reporters here, Gnanadesikan, who Thursday sent in his resignation “to enable the leadership reconstitute a new state unit”, said the party high command does not consult the state unit on any party related matters.

He also attacked the decision to remove the pictures of late party leaders K.Kamaraj and G.K.Moopanar from party membership cards.

“Only when the party is strong at the state level a party would be able to grow at the national level,” he said, stressing that state level leaders have to be empowered for the party to grow.

Gnanadesikan said he tried to bring about unity amongst various factions in the state unit and held several official meetings, but many office bearers did not attend the meetings or even visit the party headquarters.

He also charged former union minister P.Chidambaram with playing a solo role.

Chidambaram has not visited the party office for the past three months and has held some meetings on his own, Gnanadesikan alleged.

Gnanadesikan, said to be part of former union shipping minister G.K.Vasan’s faction in the party, is perhaps the only state chief in the Congress to come out openly against the high command.

The Congress was considered “untouchable” in the state for all other parties during the Lok Sabha elections over its stand on the Sri Lankan Tamil issue and corruption charges.

Even its long-time ally, the DMK, walked out of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

The party’s leading lights, Vasan and Chidambaram, did not contest the general election. Chidambaram’s son Karti Chidambaram contested from his father’s Sivaganga constituency but lost as the party drew a blank in all the 40 Lok Sabha seats it contested (39 in Tamil Nadu and the lone Puducherry seat).

The party high command reportedly did not take the state unit into confidence while trying to patch up an alliance to fight the Lok Sabha polls with DMK and others.

However, according to some Congressmen, the resignation by Gnanadesikan is a strategy to retain the state unit’s chief’s post in the Vasan camp.




Congress central leadership does not consult state unit: Gnanadesikan

Assam bandh: Normal life hit; over 70 detained, released

Guwahati, Oct 31 (IANS) Normal life was affected across Assam Friday in the wake of a Bajrang Dal-sponsored 12-hour dawn-to-dusk bandh to press for the arrest of AIUDF chief Badaruddin Ajmal, ban on the party and sealing of madrassas in the state.


Police said over 70 bandh supporters were detained all over the state for trying to enforce the bandh. All the detainees, including popular Assamese singer Krishnamoni Chutia, were, however, released later.

There were a few incidents where bandh supporters took to the streets and prevented movement of people and plying of vehicles by setting fire to tyres on the roads.

Educations institutions and commercial establishments remained closed in almost all the towns and districts of Assam and government offices recorded thin attendance.

Vehicular traffic, including commercial and private ones, remained off the roads causing severe problems to commuters.

The only respite for passengers was that the Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) plied its buses during the bandh hours.

Although the bandh did not affect flights, movement of trains was slightly upset as bandh supporters tried to stop these at different places.

Some supporters also prevented railway workers from joining duty in the morning at Rangia.

Police and security forces, however, contained the situation in most places.

In Tezpur, the police resorted to mild lathicharge after some bandh supporters prevented movement of vehicles and also damaged public property. No one was, however, injured.

The Bajrang Dal had called the bandh to protest against alleged links between the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) and Bangladesh-based jihadi forces.

A national news channel had recently reported about the alleged nexus between the two and that the AIUDF chief was sending Assamese youths to the neighbouring country for training.

The AIUDF chief has, however, denied the charges and termed it a political conspiracy to defame the party ahead of the 2016 assembly election.




Assam bandh: Normal life hit; over 70 detained, released

Only 5 km road built in Gurgaon in 10 years: Haryana minister

Gurgaon, Oct 31 (IANS) Only 5 km of new roads were built in Gurgaon in the 10-year rule of the Congress, Public Work Department and Public Health Engineering Minister Rao Narbir Singh told media after his first meeting with Gurgaon administrative officials.


“I was surprised to know that just 5 km of new roads were built in Gurgaon district during last decade. It is on the official record,” Singh said.

The BJP’s first ever chief minister in Haryana, Manohar Lal and his nine ministers took oath of office Oct 26.

Earlier, Singh had asked all officials to introduce themselves, indicating the duration of their posting in Gurgaon.

Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) chief engineer B.S. Singroha told the minister that he has been posted in Gurgaon for nearly 10 years.

Nearly all other officers, who introduced themselves, too have enjoyed long tenures in Gurgaon.

“Majority of you have been posted here for long…. Many of you might not have worked in the wider public interest. Our government will work with zero tolerance for corruption,” the minister said, adding that next meeting will be held before Nov 10.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Shekhar Vidyarthi and Police Commissioner Alok Mittal were also present in the meeting.

Singh, a resident of Gurgaon, has been elected legislator from Badshahpur constituency of Gurgaon district.

Earlier, Singh was minister in 1987 and 1996.




Only 5 km road built in Gurgaon in 10 years: Haryana minister

New computerised driving-testing system to eliminate corruption

New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS) A camera-based innovative driving testing system that will ensure a technology-oriented assessment of the driving quality of license-seekers without human intervention will be inaugurated by union Road Transport, Highways & Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari in Pune Saturday.


This technology at the Institute of Driving Training & Research (IDTR) will enable promotion of a corruption-free platform for granting driving licenses and selection of drivers, ensuring the applicant’s quality.

The camera-based system has been developed by the Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT), Pune as an advanced version of the earlier sensor-based testing technologies which are in place at some locations.

The CIRT is a part of the road safety initiatives taken by Gadkari as transport minister, a ministry release said.

Eight IDTRs are being set up across the country under the aegis of the ministry during the 11th Five Year Plan. CIRT also plays the role of monitoring agency on behalf of the ministry for setting up the IDTRs. The IDTR at Pune has been set on a PPP basis with Tata Motors.

The IDTR has state-of-the art facilities, including spacious class rooms equipped with audio visual facilities, a driving range for imparting driving practice on the road for various maneuvers, a driving laboratory displaying aggregate and cut-section models, a testing laboratory for checking physical characteristics, a workshop for routine maintenance activities, a library and a hostel with a capacity of 75 participants. Two driving simulators have also been installed in the IDTR for imparting pollution-free training to the trainees on a range of cognitive skills to deal with complex roadway and traffic conditions.

The training will be conducted by well-trained driving instructors to impart practical, systematic and scientific training to new drivers as well as in-service drivers along with trainers. The IDTR also proposes to train exclusive batches of women drivers for city cabs. This will give a boost to the road safety initiative of the road transport ministry and will also play a catalytic role for the government’s development programme.

India has one of the highest rate of road accidents in the world and the new government has set a target of reducing the accident rate by 50 percent in the next five years. This would be achieved with improved driver training, better road conditions, efficient enforcement and safer vehicle technologies, the ministry said.

The ministry has already released a draft of the new Road Transport & Safety Bill 2014 inviting suggestions from the public and stakeholders. It has also discussed the provisions of the bill in the recently concluded Transport Development Council meeting with the transport ministries of various states. The ministry aims to introduce the bill in the winter session of parliament in November-December.




New computerised driving-testing system to eliminate corruption

Sensex, Nifty touch record highs for second consecutive day (Roundup)

Mumbai, Oct 31 (IANS) A benchmark index of Indian equities markets Friday touched a record high of 27,894.32 points, surpassing previous high of 27,390.60 points hit Thursday.


Good buying was observed in capital goods, banking, auto, oil and gas, healthcare, metal and IT, while selling pressure was seen in consumer durables sector.

The 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex) of the S&P Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 27,439.06 points, closed trade at 27,865.83 points, up 519.50 points or 1.90 percent from the previous day’s close at 27,346.33 points.

The Sensex touched a high of 27,894.32 points and a low of 27,438.28 points in the trade so far.

The S&P capital goods index surged by 413.01 points, bankex moved up by 338.01 points, auto index inched up by 264.20 points, oil and gas index increased by 238.91 points, healthcare index increased by 237.86 points, metal index went up by 221.78 points and IT index got augmented by 205.86 points.

However, consumer durables index plunged by 323.92 points. The wider 50-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) also closed trade up 153 points or 1.87 percent at 8,322.20 points after touching a record high of 8,330.75.

“Markets built up on yesterday’s rally on the back of renewed optimism on fiscal reforms, improved growth in US, liquidity easing by Japan and diminished possibilities of an immediate increase in US interest rates,” said Dipen Shah, head – private client group research, Kotak Securities.

“In the near term, focus will consistently remain on further reform initiatives. Winter session of the parliament will be closely watched for GST, land reforms, etc. Economic growth in China/Eurozone will engage the attention of the market and the remaining quarterly results will have stock-specific impact,” he added.

The major Sensex gainers were: HDFC, up 4.13 percent at Rs.1,105.95; GAIL, up 3.83 percent at Rs.529.15; L&T, up 3.61 percent at Rs.1,654.85 and Tata Power, up 3.36 percent at Rs.93.75.There was only one major Sensex loser Friday, Bharti Airtel, down 2.26 percent at Rs.398.30.

Among the Asian markets, Japan’s Nikkei went up by 4.83 percent, China’s Shanghai Composite Index gained by 1.22 percent and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was up by 1.25 percent.

In Europe, London’s FTSE 100 was up by 1.08 percent, France’s CAC 40 was 1.95 percent up and Germany’s DAX Index increased by 1.72 percent.




Sensex, Nifty touch record highs for second consecutive day (Roundup)

Punjab to promote tourism along Shivalik hills

Chandigarh, Oct 31 (IANS) To exploit the tourism potential of sub-mountain regions of Shivalik hills along its border with Himachal Pradesh, the Punjab government Friday announced the setting up of the Shivalik (Dhauladhar) Tourism Development Board.


Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal will head the board.

“There is ample scope for development of religious-cultural tourism sites into live spaces in the state. Punjab will not only attract tourists from within the country and abroad but also attract investors and hence increase revenue and economic growth,” a state government spokesman said here.

The area of the Shivalik hills falls in Punjab’s districts of SAS Nagar (Mohali), Rupnagar, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot and Gurdaspur.

The spokesman said that Badal had recently visited the Pong Dam and other tourist areas in Shivalik foothills in Gurdaspur and Pathankot districts to activate tourism activities in these areas.




Punjab to promote tourism along Shivalik hills

Court reserves order in Musharraf's high treason case

Islamabad, Oct 31 (IANS) A special court here Friday reserved judgement on dismissing the high treason case against Pakistan’s former president Pervez Musharraf and others till Nov 21.


A three-judge bench headed by Justice Faisal Arab resumed hearing of the case earlier in the day during which Musharraf’s counsel Farogh Naseem submitted a rejoinder in the court, Geo News reported.

A cutting of former Punjab governor Khalid Maqbool’s statement published in Daily Dunya newspaper was also presented before the Bench in which he had mentioned that everyone including he was taken into confidence over the emergency imposed Nov 3, 2007, lasting until Dec 15, 2007.

Naseem argued that all the lawmakers who approved the Nov 3 action were supporters and allies in abrogating the constitution and imposing emergency, and therefore they should be tried jointly.

On this, Justice Faisal Arab remarked that lengthy arguments were presented by both the parties, and hence some time would be required to finalise the judgement.




Court reserves order in Musharraf's high treason case

Pune FC down Churchill 3-0 in Durand Cup

Raia (Goa), Oct 31 (IANS) I-league side Pune FC began their Durand Cup campaign in style with a comfortable 3-0 win over Churchill Brothers SC in a Group IV quarter-final stage match of the 127th Durand Cup here Friday.


Goals from mid-fielders Dhanpal Ganesh (7th minute), Arata Izumi (51st) and substitute striker Thongkhosiem Haokip (65th) handed coach Karim Bencherifa a convincing win in his first competitive game in charge at the Raia Sports Complex. Tuff Laxmi Prasad SC is the other team in the group.

But it wasn’t all rosy for Pune as their goalkeeper Amrinder Singh was sent off in injury time forcing skipper Izumi to double up as the custodian for the final few minutes.

The game kicked-off early in the morning at a frantic pace and Pune went ahead through Ganesh who scored from a goal-mouth melee.


The goal gave Pune confidence as they pressed to extend their lead. Churchill was banking heavily on star striker Odafa Okolie but he was outmarked by defenders Matthew and Salam Ranjan Singh. Pune kept on pushing and saw several of their players go close to scoring, going into the break with a 1-0 lead.

The second half unfolded in a similar pattern that saw Pune skipper Arata doubling the lead. The India international dribbled past a defender on the edge of the box and chipped the ball delicately over an on-rushing keeper into an empty net and Haokip put the match beyond the reach of Churchill when he scored the third goal.

Okolie was still lively, despite his team trailing by three goals, but couldn’t convert the chances that came his way. Pune’s victory turned sour when keeper Amrinder needlessly picked up a second booking for time-wasting.

Pune FC next play Vasco SC in their second group game Nov 4.




Pune FC down Churchill 3-0 in Durand Cup

Fadnavis sworn in as Maharashtra CM, nine ministers also take oath

Mumbai, Oct 31 (IANS) Devendra Fadnavis was sworn-in as the chief minister of the first BJP government of Maharashtra at a gala public function here Friday.


Nine other ministers also took the oath.

Maharashtra Governor C. V. Rao administered the oath of office and secrecy to Fadnavis (44) and the others at a glittering ceremony in the sprawling Wankhede Stadium witnessed by over 30,000 people.

Present on the historic occasion were Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah, business tycoons, film personalities, sportspersons and celebrities from different walks of life.

The ministers sworn-in include Eknath Khadse, former minister and also former leader of opposition in the last assembly and Vinod S. Tawde, the leader of opposition in the legislative council.

Former state unit president Sudhir S. Mungantiwar, former Mumbai unit chief Prakash M. Mehta, late union minister Gopinath Munde’s daughter Pankaja Munde-Palwe, Chandrakant Patil and the party’s tribal face Vishnu R. Savra also took oath as cabinet ministers.

Dilip Kamble and Vidya Thakur, the former deputy mayor of Mumbai and giant-killer in the last elections who defeated Shiv Sena leader Subhash Desai, were sworn-in as ministers of state.

Fadnavis’ oath-taking was cheered loudly by the massive crowd of BJP activists which packed the stadium this afternoon.

Other prominent personalties present included senior BJP leaders L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, chief ministers of several states including Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana, and business tycoon Anil Ambani.




Fadnavis sworn in as Maharashtra CM, nine ministers also take oath

test New Zealand PM invites Indian cricket fans to 2015 World Cup

Mumbai, Oct 31 (IANS) With 100 days to go before the commencement of the 2015 ICC World Cup, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key Friday invited Indian cricket fans to visit his country during the Feb 14-March 29 event, to be co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia.


Key tweeted a link that had New Zealand cricket legend Richard Hadlee inviting Indian travellers to visit their country during the mega event in an official welcome video.

Hadlee is the countrys brand ambassador for the sporting extravaganza.

The upcoming cricket World Cup 2015 to be co-hosted in New Zealand will allow visiting fans to experience the world renowned Kiwi hospitality, along with a great season of cricket.”

“I would like to urge all Indian fans to come to New Zealand, and spend time in the regions during the World Cup. We are all looking forward to the colour and passion that nations will bring to this tournament on the pitch, in the stands and across regions of New Zealand,Hadlee said in the video.

The tweet is primarily aimed at reflecting the vibrant mood of the country ahead of the event and is being viewed by the hosts as an opportunity to showcase itself as one of the worlds most preferred tourism destinations.

New Zealand last co-hosted the cricketing spectacle 23 years ago, in 1992. The 2015 edition of the tournament will be hosted across seven cities of the country; Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, Napier, Nelson and Wellington. One million people are expected to attend the matches and another billion are anticipated to watch it on television.

After successfully hosting the 2011 Rugby World Cup, New Zealand believes a fruitful staging of crickets biggest competitive exhibition will cement the countrys reputation for successfully hosting major sporting events.




test New Zealand PM invites Indian cricket fans to 2015 World Cup

This is testing Israels Temple Mount reopens amid tension

London, Oct 31 (IANS) Israeli police Friday reopened a key Jerusalem holy site after its closure amid tension following the shooting of a Jewish activist.


The Temple Mount or al-Haram al-Sharif was reopened ahead of Muslim Friday prayers, but with restrictions on worshippers as a security measure, BBC reported.

Entry was restricted to men over 50.

On Thursday night, hundreds of people gathered for the funeral of Motaz Hijazi amid a heavy police presence.

The burial passed off without incident, police said.

Hijazi, 32, was shot after opening fire when police surrounded his home.

He was suspected of having attacked Rabbi Glek Lilla as he left a conference on Jewish claims to the Jerusalem holy site.

Rabbi Lilla is a well-known campaigner for the right of Jews to pray at the site, which is currently prohibited.

He was seriously wounded and is on a life-support machine in a Jerusalem hospital.

On Wednesday night, there were clashes in the neighbourhood of Abu Tor between police and Palestinians protesting against the killing of Hijazi.

The compound — known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif — is the holiest site in Judaism, and contains the al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam.




This is testing Israels Temple Mount reopens amid tension

This is testing Israels Temple Mount reopens amid tension

London, Oct 31 (IANS) Israeli police Friday reopened a key Jerusalem holy site after its closure amid tension following the shooting of a Jewish activist.


The Temple Mount or al-Haram al-Sharif was reopened ahead of Muslim Friday prayers, but with restrictions on worshippers as a security measure, BBC reported.

Entry was restricted to men over 50.

On Thursday night, hundreds of people gathered for the funeral of Motaz Hijazi amid a heavy police presence.

The burial passed off without incident, police said.

Hijazi, 32, was shot after opening fire when police surrounded his home.

He was suspected of having attacked Rabbi Glek Lilla as he left a conference on Jewish claims to the Jerusalem holy site.

Rabbi Lilla is a well-known campaigner for the right of Jews to pray at the site, which is currently prohibited.

He was seriously wounded and is on a life-support machine in a Jerusalem hospital.

On Wednesday night, there were clashes in the neighbourhood of Abu Tor between police and Palestinians protesting against the killing of Hijazi.

The compound — known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif — is the holiest site in Judaism, and contains the al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam.




This is testing Israels Temple Mount reopens amid tension

India to launch electronic toll collection at 350 highway plazas: Minister

New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS) Launching an electronic toll collection (ETC) system for the Delhi-Mumbai highway, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari Friday said such a facility will be extended to as many as 350 plazas by the end of next year.


“In the coming time, this system will get revolutionalised. This is our step towards a digital India. I have given orders that before March, there should be over 350 such tolls,” the minister said at an event here to launch the project.

“This will help in savings of as much as Rs.27,000 crore due to delays caused at tolls and Rs.7,000 crore worth of fuel will be saved,” Gadkari said.

“We have currently tied up with two banks — Axis Bank and ICICI Bank. More can also come,” Gadkari said, even as officials explained that the logistics for the Delhi-Mumbai toll plaza had been set up in Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Around Rs.1,200 crore of fuel will be saved annually on the Delhi-Mumbai highway after the installation of the ETC system.

At present, some problems are being faced while collecting toll. People often complain of lack of uniform rates on various parts of the same highway and there are constant complaints of overcharging.

The minister added that there are 18 toll plazas on the Delhi-Mumbai highway. It takes around 10 minutes minimum for the vehicles to pay the levy which results in a loss of at least three hours’ time during the total journey.




India to launch electronic toll collection at 350 highway plazas: Minister

Israels Temple Mount reopens amid tension

London, Oct 31 (IANS) Israeli police Friday reopened a key Jerusalem holy site after its closure amid tension following the shooting of a Jewish activist.


The Temple Mount or al-Haram al-Sharif was reopened ahead of Muslim Friday prayers, but with restrictions on worshippers as a security measure, BBC reported.

Entry was restricted to men over 50.

On Thursday night, hundreds of people gathered for the funeral of Motaz Hijazi amid a heavy police presence.

The burial passed off without incident, police said.

Hijazi, 32, was shot after opening fire when police surrounded his home.

He was suspected of having attacked Rabbi Glek Lilla as he left a conference on Jewish claims to the Jerusalem holy site.

Rabbi Lilla is a well-known campaigner for the right of Jews to pray at the site, which is currently prohibited.

He was seriously wounded and is on a life-support machine in a Jerusalem hospital.

On Wednesday night, there were clashes in the neighbourhood of Abu Tor between police and Palestinians protesting against the killing of Hijazi.

The compound — known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif — is the holiest site in Judaism, and contains the al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam.




Israels Temple Mount reopens amid tension

President asks NITs to adopt villages

New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS) President Pranab Mukherjee has asked each of the 30 National Institutes of Technology (NITs) to adopt five villages and turn them into model ones – on the lines of Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.


He was speaking at a two-day conference of directors of National Institutes of Technology at Rashtrapati Bhavan here Thursday.

Mukherjee said he noticed that NIT Jamshedpur was already working with seven villages, NIT Uttarakhand with 20 and NIT Jaipur with five.

He said villages can be transformed into model villages “by converging various schemes like Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Swachch Bharat Mission and Digital India Programme”.

Modi Oct 11 launched the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana under which every parliamentarian was entrusted with the task of developing physical and institutional infrastructure in three villages by 2019.

The president announced that the In-Residence Programme of Rashtrapati Bhavan would now be extended to young scholars from NITs.

He also called upon the human resource development ministry to take immediate steps for creation of a database of foreign educational experts and Persons of Indian Origin which can be utilised by our institutions for filling up vacant faculty positions.




President asks NITs to adopt villages

Fadnavis is first BJP CM of Maharashtra

Mumbai, Oct 31 (IANS) Devendra Fadnavis was sworn-in as the chief minister of the first BJP government of Maharashtra at a gala public function here Friday.


Maharashtra Governor C.V. Rao administered the oath of office and secrecy to Fadnavis, 44, at a ceremony in Wankhede Stadium witnessed by over 30,000 people.

Present on the occasion were Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah, business tycoons, film personalities, sportspersons and celebrities.




Fadnavis is first BJP CM of Maharashtra

Posco not to quit Odisha project

Bhubaneswar, Oct 31 (IANS) South Korean steel major Posco Friday said it would not pull out of its Rs.52,000-crore steel project at Jagatsinghpur in Odisha.


“We are waiting for 10 years. We wouldn’t quit. No, never,” Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) of Posco India Gee Woong Sung told media persons here.

The Posco CMD met Chief Secretary Gokul Pati at the state secretariat here and discussed various issues, including land transfer, in order to expedite work on its proposed mega steel plant near Paradip.

The meeting was attended by steel and mines secretary G. Srinivasan and Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) CMD Vishal Dev.

“The meeting was successful,” said Gee, without divulging much about the hour-long discussion.

The talks between Gee and Pati assumed significance after the central government sought more clarifications from the state government on granting prospecting license to the company to mine the Khandadhara mines in Sundargarh.

Recently, the Union mines ministry had asked the state government to send two separate recommendations on notified and non-notified areas of the Khandadhara mines.

The Posco India CMD also held discussions with the IDCO CMD separately on the land transfer issue.

IDCO is the nodal agency to acquire land for setting up industries in the state.

Although IDCO has acquired 2,752.03 acres in the first phase for the project, it has sanctioned lease for 2,193.52 acres of forest land, which was de-reserved. Already 1,301.58 acres have been handed over to Posco India, said sources in IDCO.

However, the remaining land is yet to be transferred to the company as it has not deposited Rs.54.22 crore towards the lease value of the 2,193.52 acres of land.

Meanwhile, the Odisha government had forwarded a status report of the Posco project to the ministry of external affairs, which is likely to hold an inter-departmental review meeting in the first week of November, said an official in the state industry department.

Posco had signed a MoU with the state government on June 22, 2005 for a $12 billion steel plant and port project. But the proposed project is yet to see the light of day as it faced various hurdles, including land acquisition, raw material linkage and various clearances.

The impediments forced the South Korean company to downsize its project from 12 mtpa to 8 mtpa.




Posco not to quit Odisha project

Daylight saving risk to diabetics?

New York, Oct 31 (IANS) The twice annual ritual of setting clocks for daylight saving time can affect diabetics adversely, especially those who use insulin pumps.


“Some diabetes patients who use insulin pumps may forget to change the clock that is found in these devices,” said Saleh Aldasouqi, associate professor of medicine at Michigan State University in the US.

“Forgetting to change the time can result in insulin dosing errors that can be harmful,” Aldasouqi added.

Daylight saving time or summer time is the practice of advancing clocks by an hour near the start of spring so that evenings have more daylight and mornings have less.

At the end of daylight saving time people again reset their clock to have an extra hour of morning sleep during the winter.

Dosing errors could cause too little or too much insulin being delivered at the right time for these patients, Aldasouqi noted.

Too much insulin produces hypoglycemia, which could be severe and trigger seizures, fainting spells or coma.

Hyperglycemia is a result of too little insulin being delivered and in the short term is not as harmful as hypoglycemia.

Aldasouqi said he has had a number of patients come into his office who have forgotten to make the time change.

“The implications of remembering to change the clock in these devices means so much more than just remembering to adjust the alarm clock for that extra hour of sleep,” he stressed.

The study appeared in the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology.




Daylight saving risk to diabetics?

When Sadhil took tips from Manish Paul

New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS) Child star Sadhil Kapoor will play host to TV star Manish Paul on the “Captain Tiao” show. He also learned some hosting tricks from his celebrity guest.


Manish will be seen at his comical best in the episode of the chat show.

Sadhil, who has been hosting “Captain Tiao” for a year now, got to learn the secret of good hosting from Manish who has hosted shows like “Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa” and “India’s Got Talent”, read a statement.

From hosting reality shows to making a career in acting, Manish will be seen answering the little host.

The episode will be aired Sunday on Disney Channel.




When Sadhil took tips from Manish Paul

'The Shaukeens' not a 'sleazy comedy'

New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS) Veteran actors Anupam Kher, Annu Kapoor and Piyush Mishra are seen chasing young girls in their forthcoming offering “The Shaukeens”, but they refuse to tag it as a cheap comedy.


“It is not a sleazy comedy. There are no double meaning dialogues of the film and you can watch the film with family. The treatment is simply comedy. In the end of the film, there is a message also that men shouldn’t be like this,” Piyush told reporters here Friday.

Helmed by “Tere Bin Laden” director Abhishek Sharma, “The Shaukeens” also stars Lisa Haydon and Akshay Kumar.

“It has a good story. It is not just song and dance. It is about three ‘shaukeens’ who are retired and want love from the opposite sex.

“They go to Mauritius to find love as Delhi is not safe for them since they can get caught. The film got a U/A certificate. It is nice that we made such a clean film,” said Anupam.

And the actors feel “proud” to be associated with the project.

They also clarified that the “coming-of-age” comedy has no similarity with the 1982 film “Shaukeen”.

“There is no similarity. The concept is taken from there and Rati (Agnihotri) is in this film too. She was in ‘Shaukeen’ as well. She plays my wife in the new one,” said Anupam.

“The Shaukeens” will release Nov 7.




'The Shaukeens' not a 'sleazy comedy'

Can holidays happen without smartphones?

Washington, Oct 31 (IANS) If you are planning your next holiday, apart from your passport and travel money, do not forget to carry your smartphone with you.


A research shows that 69 percent of Britons are unable to go on holiday without their smartphones.

Moreover, a third of those surveyed actually used their smartphones more when they travel than they do at home.

“While 89 percent take their smartphones away with them, 90 percent say that they feel that keeping devices with them on holiday actually enhances their travel experience,” said a survey by global travel firm Expedia and market research firm Egencia Mobile Index.

In fact, 26 percent did research work for their holiday destinations using their smartphone.

While 42 percent plan their holidays in bed, 12 percent use their bathroom to plan it, the findings showed.

Over 17 percent use their smartphone apps to manage an itinerary for the holiday, it added.




Can holidays happen without smartphones?

Sena to attend Fadnavis' swearing-in, after all

Mumbai, Oct 31 (IANS) In a last-minute development, the Shiv Sena has called off its planned boycott of chief minister-designate Devendra Fadnavis’ gala swearing-in ceremony here, a party official said here Friday afternoon.


Accordingly, the top Sena leadership, including party president Uddhav Thackeray, senior leaders, legislators and parliamentarians are expected to attend the oath-taking ceremony at Wankhede Stadium Friday.

The development followed a telephonic talk between Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah and Uddhav Thackeray a short while ago, said Sena MP Vinayak Raut.

Shah is understood to have given a sympathetic hearing to the Sena’s contentions and said the BJP will take a favourable decision in the matter soon.

Earlier in the day, in the party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, the Sena declared it would boycott the swearing-in ceremony of the first BJP government in the state since “the BJP has not accorded due respect and dignity” to its former ally.

Fadnavis will be sworn-in as the chief minister with a small cabinet by Governor C.V. Rao at a glittering public function to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shah, union ministers, top BJP leaders, business tycoons, filmstars, sportspersons and other celebs, besides over 30,000 guests.




Sena to attend Fadnavis' swearing-in, after all

21 IS fighters killed in US-led airstrikes in Syria

Damascus, Oct 31 (IANS) Twenty one Islamic State (IS) militants were killed in US-led airstrikes against the Sunni radical group’s positions in the predominantly Kurdish town of Kobane on the Syrian-Turkish border, a monitoring group said Friday.


An IS commander and a Danish IS fighter were among those killed, Xinhua reported citing the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The US-led anti-terror coalition has recently focused its strikes against the IS positions in Kobane, also known as Ayn al-Arab, to keep the group from capturing that strategic city on the Syrian-Turkish border.

The Turkish government has also allowed Iraqi Peshmerga forces and Turkey-loyal Syrian rebels to cross into Kobane, Syria’s largest Kurdish enclave, via Turkey to join the fight against the IS there.

The Syrian government lashed out at Turkey, accusing it of flagrantly violating Syrian sovereignty by allowing foreign fighters and “terrorists” to cross the borders.

Meanwhile, the observatory, which relies on a network of activists on the ground, said IS fighters in the northern province of al-Raqqa executed as many as 20 Syrian military personnel, most of whom were officers.

It added that the IS had previously captured those officers when its fighters stormed a key military base earlier this year in al-Raqqa, which has now come fully under IS control.

The IS has self-proclaimed an “Islamic caliphate” in areas striding Syria and Iraq. It has also succeeded in capturing almost all of the oilfields in the oil-rich province of Deir al-Zour in eastern Syria on the border with Iraq.




21 IS fighters killed in US-led airstrikes in Syria

Gadkari to attend Nepal Infrastructure Summit

Kathmandu, Oct 31 (IANS) India’s Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Jairam Gadkari will deliver the inaugural speech in the first ever Nepal Infrastructure Summit-2014 in Kathmandu Nov 11.


The summit, organised by the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI), will be held here Nov 11-12 with more than 400 investors, policy makers, government officials, architects and engineers participating.

Diplomats, representatives of real state development companies, banks and financial institutions, and educational and research institutions from Nepal, India, China and Japan are among those who will participate.

“In India, the Modi government has prioritised infrastructure and rural sector development. Hence, we have invited Gadkari to share his ideas that can be really helpful for Nepal,” said Hari Bhakta Sharma, senior vice president of CNI.

The meet on “Accelerating Investment in Infrastructure” aims to start and sustain a national conversation on infrastructure development so that policies, regulations, networks, knowhow, financing and expertise could be pooled and deployed in Nepal in a close coordination between the government and the private sector.

CNI president Narendra Basnet said the event would cover several thematic areas, including tourism, infrastructure, energy, transportation, urban infrastructure and agriculture.

Sharma said the lack of relevant policy and regulations has discouraged domestic as well as foreign investors, so the event would also help the government to identify prospective investment areas.

Besides Gadkari, National Planning Commission vice-chairman Govinda Raj Pokhrel, CNI president emeritus Binod Chaudhary, Investment Board Nepal CEO Radhesh Pant, and Nepal Planning Commission member Swarnim Wagle will be the other keynote speakers.

(Anil Giri can be contacted at girianil@gmail.com)




Gadkari to attend Nepal Infrastructure Summit

15 killed in Turkey road accident

Ankara, Oct 31 (IANS) At least 15 people were killed and 28 injured in a road accident in Turkey Friday.


The mishap occurred in Isparta province, Hurriyet news reported.

The bus was carrying a group of workers, mostly women, employed in an apple plantation near Yalvac district, officials said.

Many of the injured are in serious condition.

According to investigators, the accident is believed to have been caused by brake failure.

The bus first crashed into a wall on the roadside before falling into a ditch.




15 killed in Turkey road accident

President pays homage to Sardar Patel

New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS) President Pranab Mukherjee Friday paid tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on the occasion of his 139th birth anniversary.


Mukherjee paid floral tributes to Patel at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

On the occasion, the president also flagged off the ‘Run for Unity’ from the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The run saw participation by around 2,000 residents and staff of Rashtrapati Bhavan, the President’s Bodyguard, the Army Guard, ITBP and the Delhi Police.

Patel was born Oct 31, 1875.




President pays homage to Sardar Patel

Neera: farmers' lucky charm, drinkers' delight

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 31 (IANS) After waiting in the wings for long, thanks to bureaucratic delays, neera, a coconut water-based non-alcoholic drink, appears to have finally come of age and is all set to become the coconut farmers’ lucky charm and the drinkers’ delight.


Tapped from the bunches on coconut trees, neera is sweet and a proven health drink, while toddy, also from the same source, has an alcohol content of five to eight percent. Hence there was a long delay in rewriting the excise rules for neera.

In simple terms, the difference between neera and toddy is that between milk and curd.

The liquid that comes out from the bunches is collected in pots. A separate pot is used for toddy and the liquid ferments because of the presence of sediments in the pot. A clean pot is used for collecting neera, which has a shelf-life of a few hours and has to be processed before that.

Agriculture Minister K.P. Mohanan said neera will be a win-win situation for farmers and drinkers.

“On an average, a bunch of neera will see the owners of coconut trees richer by around Rs.1,200 per tree per month,” Mohanan told IANS.

A 200 ml pet bottle of neera costs Rs.30.

“To start with, we are planning to process 40,000 litres of neera every day, for which we already have two processing units and plan to add a third next month,” Mohanan added.

Kerala has 180 million coconut trees and according to T.K. Jose, chairman of the Coconut Development Board, the state’s GDP would increase by 17 percent if even 10 percent of trees are tapped for neera.

“We have now completed the training of 600 master neera technicians (tappers). We now plan to provide training to all those who are interested through these master neera technicians,” Mohanan said.

The challenge before the government is to ensure that more coconut trees are planted. For this a plantation drive has been launched at all the educational institutions in the state.

“We are going to provide a new variety of dwarf coconut tree which will not grow tall. Thus, tapping will become easy,” Mohanan said.

According to experts from the Kerala Agricultural University who have been the brains behind this health drink, the daily production of neera would range from one litre to 4.5 litres per tree.

“The challenge today is to ensure the vans reach the collection centres and send the neera for processing within the stipulated time. In due course we plan to have at least one processing centre in each of the 14 districts,” Mohanan said.

(Sanu George can be contacted at sanu.g@ians.in)




Neera: farmers' lucky charm, drinkers' delight

'The Best Of Me' an ideal date film (IANS Movie Review)

Film: “The Best Of Me”; Cast: James Marsden, Michelle Monaghan, Luke Bracey, Liana Liberato, Caroline Goodall, Sebastian Arcelus, Gerald McRaney; Director: Michael Hoffman; Rating: ***


Do you believe in the stars, romance and second chances in life? If you do, then this film is for you.

The story captures the enduring power of true love and the wrenching choices one faces when confronted with second chances.

Based on the novel of the same name by Nicolas Spark, “The Best Of Me” is the elusive love story of star-crossed lovers, Dawson Cole and Amanda Collier.

Set in New Orleans, the film begins in a dramatic manner capturing the routine on an oil-rig in the high seas, where Dawson (James Marsden) is reading Stephen Hawking’s book “The Grand Design”. He looks up at the sky to see the stars and he gets nostalgic.

On a parallel track, we witness Amanda (Michelle Monaghan) as the dutiful Mrs. Reynolds telling her son that destiny is written in the stars.

This is followed by a mishap on the oil-rig. Dawson survives a 100 feet fall in the cold waters of the high sea after seeing an illusion.

And soon after the death of a close friend and mentor of Dawson, Tuck (Gerald McRaney) an elderly widower, the duo reunite after 21 years of being apart.

Narrated in a non-linear manner, we learn that Dawson is hardworking, practical and as a matter-of-fact, sincere. He is the unconventional, youngest son in a family of thugs governed by an abusive father. On the other hand, Amanda is the romantic who believes in the stars and is the only daughter of her wealthy parents.

Soon, the two high school sweethearts find themselves at the cross-roads of romance, when they realise that their backgrounds and circumstances are not conducive to a healthy future.

While the story unfolds in two time frames, we are hooked by the perfect casting and right doses of melodrama replete with elements of love and loss.

Marsden and Monaghan play the older version, while Luke Bracey and Liana Liberato play their younger versions. Their on-screen chemistry reflects in their performances and they are well supported by the rest of the cast.

Though predictable in its approach, the scenes make your heart flutter, smile and weep with the highs and lows of the tale.

With his soft wide-angled lenses, cinematographer Oliver Stapleton captures nature and the lovers in the right spirit. The golden-hued tones on the gleaming surface of the pond, the sun-lit halo on Amanda’s hair and the lovers’ embrace on the cottage verandah offer picture perfect romantic frames.

Also, Patrizia von Brandenstein’s production design along with the flashy cars coupled with costume designer Ruth E.Carter’s splendid outfits and the exotic locales adds to the viewing experience.

In totality, Hoffman and his team capture the flamboyance of the 1990s along with the lilting background score in style, making it an ideal film for a romantic date.

For others, it would be a mushy entertainer nevertheless.




'The Best Of Me' an ideal date film (IANS Movie Review)

New twist to Goa's peculiar 'dual nationality' issue

Panaji, Oct 31 (IANS) Portugal’s new consul general in Goa has given a new spin to the simmering row on the eligibility of indigenous Goans for Portuguese nationality, an issue that has forced the state government to approach the central government for help.


On a day when Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar attended a meeting at the home ministry in Delhi seeking a ‘dual nationality-type’ for thousands of Goans who have opted for Portuguese nationality under Portuguese laws for some of its former colonies, Rui Caravalho Baceira told IANS that the identity card was proof of Portuguese citizenship.

“If you obtained the Bilhete de Identidade de Cidadao Nacional, then you are a Portuguese national,” Baceira said here.

Baceira’s comment comes when the police are reluctantly probing a First Information Report (FIR) filed by an activist claiming several politicians, even legislators, police officers, bureaucrats, lawyers and thousands of Goans have over the years applied and availed themselves of the Portuguese identity card, also referred to as the Bilhete.

Police initially refused to file the complaint filed by Kashinath Shetye but later registered it on the directions of a trial court.

The FIR says people (several of whom are named) who have the identity card should surrender their Indian passports. It wants government officers and politicians in this category to resign.

The ‘dual citizenship’ issue has become a political hot potato with two ruling legislators, Glen Ticlo and Caitu Silva, being accused of having Portuguese passports and processing their Bilhetes after formally registering their birth in Portugal. Both have maintained that their documentation in Portugal was processed by agents without their knowledge.

If Baceira’s logic is applied, both could stand to lose their legislatorship.

Caitu Silva is already facing a petition filed by his political rival in the Panaji bench of the Bombay High Court which claims he is a Portuguese national and, therefore, cannot be elected to political office in India.

The Bilhete is in fact a much misunderstood document. While the Portuguese government issues it as a national identity card, most Goans who register their birth in Portugal, as one of the first steps towards obtaining a Portuguese passport, assume that citizenship is obtained only once the passport has been issued.

A Portuguese passport and nationality automatically has opened doors of the European Union for several thousand Goans over the last three decades. Being a Portuguese citizen helps them bypass stricter European laws against employing ‘foreigners’ versus local talent.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition government has been claiming that the Bilhete alone is not proof of Portuguese identity and the individual continues to be an Indian citizen. The government has also promised to offer a solution to the vexed issue, with Parrikar lobbying with the home ministry for a one-time solution to Goans who have availed of Portuguese nationality.

The issue gains relevance as thousands of Goans have opted for Portuguese nationality since 1974, when Portugal allowed Goans born before 1961 and their children up to the third generation to avail themselves of Portuguese citizenship. Goa was liberated after 451 years of Portuguese rule in 1961.

A few months after the liberation, the central government through a notification under the Citizenship Act 1955 automatically accorded Indian citizenship to every person who or either of whose parents or any of whose grandparents was born before Dec 20, 1961, in Goa, Daman and Diu, which were also Portuguese colonies.

The only exception to the ‘Citizenship Order’ were individuals who had declared in writing that they had chosen to retain their Portuguese nationality accorded to them earlier as former subjects of the colonial power.

According to media reports, Home Minister Rajnath Singh has directed the secretary of his ministry to find an amicable solution at the earliest to resolve the issue.

(Mayabhushan Nagvenkar can be contacted at mayabhushan.n@ians.in)




New twist to Goa's peculiar 'dual nationality' issue

Toddlers copy peers to fit in, apes don't

London, Oct 31 (IANS) The tendency to adjust behaviour and preferences just to fit in a group or community appears in children at an age as early as two years — but not so in our close relatives like chimpanzees and orangutans, a new research shows.


“Our research shows that children as young as two years of age conform to others, while chimpanzees and orangutans instead prefer to stick with what they know,” said lead researcher Daniel Haun from Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany.

The researchers earlier found that both children and chimpanzees rely on the majority opinion when they are trying to learn something new.

But human adults sometimes follow the majority even when they already have the relevant knowledge, just so that they do not stand out from the group.

To find out whether young children and apes would also show this so-called “normative” conformity, the researchers presented 18 two-year-old children, 12 chimpanzees, and 12 orangutans with a similar reward-based task.

The results revealed that children were more likely to adjust their behaviour to match that of their peers than were the apes.

While the human children conformed more than half of the time, the apes and orangutans almost always ignored their peers, opting instead to stick with the original strategy they had learned.

A second study with a group of 72 two-year-olds showed that children tended to switch their choice more when they made the choice in front of their peers than when they made the choice privately.

The study was published in the journal Psychological Science.




Toddlers copy peers to fit in, apes don't

Technology to improve dog-human relationship

New York, Oct 31 (IANS) If a dog is a friend to some, it could be a guide to others and thanks to a new high-tech harness equipped with a suite of technologies, dog lovers can now track the physical and emotional stress of their pets and send appropriate signals to them.


“We have developed a platform for computer-mediated communication between humans and dogs that opens the door to new avenues for interpreting dogs’ behavioural signals and sending them clear and unambiguous cues in return,” said co-lead author David Roberts from North Carolina State University in the US.

A harness-mounted computer, the size of a deck of cards transmits data – when they are sitting, standing and running even when they are out of sight – wirelessly.

“At the same time, we’ve incorporated speakers and vibrating motors called haptics into the harness which enable us to communicate with the dogs,” Roberts said.

The technology could find applications in everything from search and rescue to service dogs to training our pets.

“We developed software to collect, interpret and communicate those data and to translate human requests into signals on the harness,” said study co-author Rita Brugarolas from North Carolina State University.

The technology also includes physiological sensors that monitor things like heart rate and body temperature. The sensors not only track a dog’s physical well being, but can offer information on a dog’s emotional state, such as whether it is excited or stressed.

The researchers said they now have a fully functional prototype, but they will be refining the design to explore more and more applications for the platform.

The findings appeared in the journal IEEE Intelligent Systems.




Technology to improve dog-human relationship

Radcliffe's favourite 'Harry Potter' character? Sirius Black

Los Angeles, Oct 31 (IANS) Actor Daniel Radcliffe finds Sirius Black as his favourite character from the popular film franchise “Harry Potter”, which made him a global star.


The 25-year-old actor says that while he always liked the character, it was actor Gary Oldman’s portrayal of him in the movie which made him feel all the more enamoured with it.

During a chat on Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) App, Radcliffe was asked to name his favourite “Harry Potter” character, reports contactmusic.com.

He replied: “Probably Sirius. Like I always loved the character, and then Gary’s portrayal of him I thought was perfect. Or Lupin, really. Any of the characters my dad used to hang out with, other than Wormtail. There was always something about those two guys I loved a lot.”

Radcliffe tasted immense success and fame thanks to the film franchise, and he can only thank his parents for helping to remain grounded.

“I would attribute it to my parents and also to the crew of the Potter films, who were very good at treating us like kids rather than as actors, as they should have done. But yeah, it’s hard to say what it comes down to,” he said.




Radcliffe's favourite 'Harry Potter' character? Sirius Black

Selflessness is gift of motherhood: Olivia Wilde

Los Angeles, Oct 31 (IANS) Actress Olivia Wilde’s priorities have changed ever since she has become a mother. She says selflessness is a quality that comes naturally once a woman delivers a child.


The 30-year-old gave birth to her first baby, boy Otis, with fiance Jason Sudeikis in April.

“The amazing thing about becoming a parent is that you will never again be your own first priority,” Wilde said at an event here, reports eonline.com.

“The gift of motherhood is the selflessness that it introduces you to, and I think that’s really freeing. And in terms of being a storyteller, I think it allows you to put yourself in other people’s shoes…the empathy that it slugs you with, being a mother. And I think it makes you a better storyteller,” she added.

Motherhood has also helped Wilde “take my place in the world a little bit more seriously”.

“I hope I can tell stories that somehow benefit the world that Otis will grow up in,” she said.

Her six month-old son is “amazing in every way,” said Wilde.




Selflessness is gift of motherhood: Olivia Wilde

Austrian cyclist sets new world hour record

Paris, Oct 31 (IANS) Matthias Brandle of Austria set a new cycling world hour record with his 51.85-km effort, adding more than 700 metres to the old mark set by Germany’s Jens Voigt last month.


Brandle, three-time Austrian time-trial champion, set the new record at Switzerland’s Aigle velodrome Thursday, reports Xinhua.

“I knew after 30 minutes that I was going to succeed,” said the 24-year-old.

“The first minutes were easy and then I wanted to go a lot faster. Halfway through, things became more complicated and I started to feel pain.”

“I am very happy with the result.”




Austrian cyclist sets new world hour record

Norway to send troops to Iraq

Oslo, Oct 31 (IANS) Norway announced that it will send 120 soldiers to Iraq.


The soldiers will not “be in direct combat with the forces of the Islamic State (IS). They shall, instead, assist with capacity building of Iraqi security forces”, Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said Thursday.

Norwegian soldiers will be stationed in Erbil and provide counselling and support for Iraqi security forces in areas near Baghdad, Solberg said.

Norwegian Defence Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide said that the purpose of the contribution is to strengthen Iraq’s ability to protect its own security.




Norway to send troops to Iraq

1984 riots a dagger through India's chest: Modi

New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday said the 1984 anti-Sikh riots was “like a dagger pierced through India’s chest”.


“Our own people were murdered, the attack was not on a particular community but on the entire nation. It was like a dagger pierced through India’s chest,” Modi said while referring to the riots in his address on the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel that is being observed as ‘Rashtriya Ekta Diwas’.

“It is unfortunate that on the birth anniversary of the man who dedicated his life in uniting the country, a tragic incident took place 30 years ago that shook the country and left it deeply scarred,” Modi said.

Over 3,000 people, mostly Sikhs, were killed following the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi Oct 31, 1984 by two of her Sikh bodyguards. The killing occurred after the army stormed the Golden Temple to tackle Sikh militants.




1984 riots a dagger through India's chest: Modi

China captures 180 economic crimes suspects abroad

Beijing, Oct 31 (IANS) China has captured 180 economic crime suspects abroad since a campaign began in July, the ministry of public security said Thursday.


The suspects were apprehended in 40 countries and regions: 104 were arrested by the police and 76 returned to China to give themselves up. The number surpassed that of last year, Xinhua quoted the ministry as saying.

A total of 44 among them are involved in economic cases worth of over 10 million yuan each, it added.

China launched the Fox Hunt 2014 operation in July to “block the last route of retreat” for corrupt officials at a time when a major crackdown on graft had already narrowed the space for abuse of power.

Thanks to cooperation and support of related countries and regions, the operation made “breakthroughs” in Africa, South America, the South Pacific and Western Europe, the ministry said.

China has sent 20 teams to Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Cambodia and other neighbouring countries, arresting 75 suspects.

Liu Jinguo, vice minister of the ministry of public security, urged police around the country to strengthen publicity and encourage people to provide tips.

Liu also vowed to hold officials accountable if their negligence of duty leads to absconding of economic criminals, and pledged to bring to justice those that provide fake identities and passports to suspects.




China captures 180 economic crimes suspects abroad

Another Bangalore school girl raped, suspect arrested

Bangalore, Oct 31 (IANS) A physical training teacher at a private school was arrested Thursday for allegedly raping a six-year-old student twice this week, a police official said.


“We have arrested the accused, Jaishankar, on a complaint by the victim’s parents that he had allegedly raped their young daughter twice in the school in Indirangar area,” Additional Commissioner of Police Alok Kumar told reporters.

A criminal case was registered against Jaishankar under sections 4 and 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 and section 376 of the Indian Penal Code on the complaint, which is based on the victim’s version.

“The sexual assault seems to have taken place on two occasions – Oct 28-29. We are questioning the accused for details,” Kumar said.

The latest incident comes within days after a three-year-old child was allegedly raped Oct 21 by an office assistant of a top school.

The accused Gundappa was arrested Oct 25 and sent to 14 days judicial custody for further investigation.




Another Bangalore school girl raped, suspect arrested

JK Laxmi Cement Q2 net profit soars 197 percent

New Delhi, Oct 30 (IANS) JK Laxmi Cement Thursday reported a 197 percent rise in net profit for the second quarter ended September at Rs.30.61 crore as against Rs.10.30 crore in the period July-September 2013 on the back of increased volumes.


The company posted double digit growth of 11 percent and 13 percent in production and sales respectively in the quarter in question over the corresponding quarter over the previous year.

Increased volume enabled the company to achieve sales of Rs.638.35 crore in July-September 2014 which is higher by 27 percent as compared to Rs.500.86 crore in the same period of 2013.

The improved volumes and reported a better realization aided the company’s operating profit to rise to Rs.90.34 crore in the quarter as against Rs.64.84 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous year.




JK Laxmi Cement Q2 net profit soars 197 percent

Soria named coach of Bolivian national team

La Paz (Bolivia), Oct 31 (IANS) The Bolivian Football Federation (FBF) has named Mauricio Soria as coach of the national football team for the 2014-2018 period.


FBF head Alberto Lozada Thursday said Soria, who up to now served as interim coach, was chosen to lead the team to the 2015 Copa America in Chile, and the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, reports Xinhua.

A pleased Soria told reporters, he would officially be team coach during Bolivia’s Nov 18 friendly against Venezuela.

“I’m no longer going to head the team as interim coach, and all that’s left is to sign the contract,” said Soria, whose eight- member coaching team includes four trainers who work with him at Blooming, the Bolivian pro-club he is signed on to coach until the end of the year.

Soria is expected to call up 23 players for Bolivia’s last friendly of the year.




Soria named coach of Bolivian national team

Bollywood is getting more sophisticated: Hollywood's Michael Hoffman (IANS Interview)

Mumbai, Oct 31 (IANS) Hollywood director Michael Hoffman says the Hindi film industry is not only finding space at international festivals but is also becoming more “sophisticated” while remaining rooted.


“Bollywood is shifting and changing. Bollywood is getting more sophisticated and broader but still maintaining the roots of Indian cinema,” Hoffman, who is here to promote his movie “The Best of Me”, told IANS in an interview.

“It’s getting more respect from all over the world, and even at the (international film) festivals it is making its place,” he added.

His keen eyes have noticed not just the growth of Bollywood; they seem to be in tune with the movies that matter.

“I have heard a lot about ‘Haider’ and ‘Maqbool’. These are some interesting films,” said Hoffman, praising Vishal Bhardwaj’s two most appreciated works, which are adaptations of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” and “Hamlet”.

Interestingly, his “The Best Of Me” too is an adaptation. It is based on Nicholas Sparks’ similarly titled romantic novel.

Despite making good movies, an Oscar is still a distant dream for Bollywood filmmakers. How so?

“I don’t know that… Indian films are different. It has a more realistic approach, but one thing that gets difficult for India is the existence of the massive Bollywood tradition,” he said.

But he was confident that it would one day hit the bull’s eye.

“I also feel that Bollywood is sort of coming up. People are a lot more interested and the marriage between the Bollywood style and strong content like ‘Haider’… that kind of film (with) serious content and distinctive style will definitely get a crossover recognition,” he added.

Hoffman’s “The Best of Me” hits the screens in India Friday.

Asked what prompted him to make a film on the novel, he said: “I was going through a phase in my life where I had lost faith in love and this came along. So I thought I should make it and it worked.”

Hoffman teamed up with James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan to bring this intriguing love story on the big screen.

Lately, quite a few Hollywood directors are inclined towards adaptations of bestsellers.

Talking about the trend, Hoffman said: “In the case of these books, there is a huge readership. Everybody wants a brand that people can associate with because the audience is already educated about the story.”

He felt that viewers can easily connect with adaptations.

“If people are working on a fresh script, they are working on a standing start. There is a reason why we are here. There is an Indian audience for these kinds of films. In India, I walked into a bookshop and there were two shelves of Nicholas’ novel.

“There you go, that’s what Hollywood is attracted to: branding. The adaptation of a novel has always been there and many of them ended up getting Oscars,” added the director, who is known for films like “One Fine Day” and “Promised Land”.

(Uma Ramasubramanian can be contacted at uma.sagit@ians.in)




Bollywood is getting more sophisticated: Hollywood's Michael Hoffman (IANS Interview)

Union Carbide ex-chief Warren Anderson is dead

Washington, Oct 31 (IANS) Warren Anderson, who headed Union Carbide when a gas leak in its Bhopal pesticide plant killed thousands, is dead, the New York Times reported.


Anderson died Sep 29 at a nursing home in Vero Beach, Florida, aged 92, the Times said. His death, not announced by his family, was confirmed from public records.

Anderson flew to Bhopal four days after the world’s worst industrial disaster and was arrested. But after paying bail he left India and never returned to face trial.

Indian authorities made multiple requests to extradite him, and officially labelled him a fugitive. A judge declared him an “absconder”.

Toxic gas leaked from the Bhopal Carbide plant on the night of Dec 2-3, 1984 killing over 3,000 people instantly and thousands over the years. The plant made insecticides.

The disaster left many thousands injured and maimed, many suffering lung cancer, kidney failure, liver disease and serious eye disorders after coming into contact with methyl iso cyanate (MIC).

In 1989, Union Carbide paid $470 million to the Indian government to settle litigation stemming from the disaster. The settlement was denounced by rights activists as peanuts in view of the tragedy.

Anderson at one point of time “ruled over an empire with 700 plants in more than three dozen countries”, the Times said.

After the Bhopal horror, “for the first time in his life, Anderson couldn’t sleep; at one point he holed up for a week at a hotel…

“He and his wife, Lillian, spent evenings reading newspaper articles about the tragedy to each other,” the daily said.

When they went to restaurants, he was afraid to be seen laughing because people “might not think it was appropriate”.

In 1986, at age 65, he retired from Union Carbide. In later years he gardened and fished with his wife, who survives him, and baked Swedish bread, following an old family recipe.

His death passed almost unnoticed until an article appeared in Vero Beach 32963, the weekly newspaper of the Vero Beach barrier island.




Union Carbide ex-chief Warren Anderson is dead

ICC chief greets Nepal, Uganda for moving up in world league

Dubai, Oct 31 (IANS) International Cricket Council (ICC) Chairman N. Srinivasan Friday congratulated Nepal and Uganda for qualifying for ICC World Cricket League Division 2 (WCL Div.2), which will be played in Namibia Jan 17-24, 2015.


Nepal and Uganda sealed their progression after reaching the final of Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 3 in Kuala Lumpur Thursday.

In the final, Nepal defeated Uganda by 62 runs and the two sides will now join hosts Namibia, Canada, Kenya and the Netherlands in WCL Div.2.

“The two finalists competed consistently over the past week, and deserve to be promoted. Their performances demonstrate the strong standard and depth of cricket in Associate and Affiliate countries, and I congratulate both teams on their achievements,” said Srinivasan in an ICC release.

“Nepal and Uganda now progress to Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 2, which is the final step in the qualification pathway to the ICC Intercontinental Cup, as well as the 50-over Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Championship.

“Following the recent decision to provide Associate and Affiliate Members a clear pathway to Test cricket through the ICC Intercontinental Cup, these two teams are taking the next step on that pathway towards Test cricket, and I wish them well,” he said.

Srinivasan also thanked the tournament organisers and the venues for staging a successful tournament.

“I would like to thank the Malaysian Cricket Association, the venues and all the staff and volunteers for their role in organising this important ICC event,” he said.




ICC chief greets Nepal, Uganda for moving up in world league

Low key birthday celebrations for Chandy

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 31 (IANS) Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy celebrated a low-key 71st birthday Friday. He visited the church, heard people’s complaints and met school children.


The morning began with the routine meeting with a crowd and discussing their problems.

He also met school children from two local schools who greeted him with roses.

“He is a person who does not believe in celebrations. After meeting people, he went to the state party headquarters to attend the commemoration meeting of (late prime minister) Indira Gandhi,” a close aide of Chandy told IANS.

“He has many meetings and it will be like any other normal day,” the aide said.




Low key birthday celebrations for Chandy

Austrian cyclist sets new world hour record

Paris, Oct 31 (IANS) Matthias Brandle of Austria set a new cycling world hour record with his 51.85-km effort, adding more than 700 metres to the old mark set by Germany’s Jens Voigt last month.


Brandle, three-time Austrian time-trial champion, set the new record at Switzerland’s Aigle velodrome Thursday, reports Xinhua.

“I knew after 30 minutes that I was going to succeed,” said the 24-year-old.

“The first minutes were easy and then I wanted to go a lot faster. Halfway through, things became more complicated and I started to feel pain.”

“I am very happy with the result.”




Austrian cyclist sets new world hour record

Australians looking for surrogate mothers in India denied visas

Canberra, Oct 31 (IANS) Childless Australian couples looking for surrogate mothers in India are being denied visas to enter the country, media reported Friday.


Surrogacy advocates said India had effectively frozen out Australians from the surrogacy industry following recent revelations that a child was abandoned in India by an Australian couple, ABC reported.

“India has put a freeze on all new applications for new intended Australian parents wanting to engage in surrogacy,” said Sam Everingham from Surrogacy Australia.

He said couples trying to embark on the surrogacy process are being denied visas, while those who have pregnant surrogates in India are facing long delays in having their visas issued.

“For those who have got pregnant surrogates we have seen a lot of anxiety and a lot of panic around getting a visa in time for the person,” Everingham said.

In a statement to surrogacy advocates, the Indian Consulate in Sydney said the cause of the current visa delays is over its concern for the welfare of surrogate children born for Australian parents.

It was recently revealed that in 2012 an Indian surrogate gave birth to twins for an Australian couple who left one baby behind, saying they could only afford to take one child.

Indian authorities said they have asked Australia for clearer guarantees that children born under surrogacy arrangements will be granted Australian nationality.

The consulate said it will issue visas if those guidelines are met.




Australians looking for surrogate mothers in India denied visas

Australia, US lift sanctions imposed on Fiji

Canberra, Oct 31 (IANS) Australia and the US have lifted sanctions they imposed on Fiji after the 2006 coup, media reported Friday.


Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop Friday began a two-day visit to Fiji, and expressed hope the two countries could begin a new and improved relationship together, Xinhua reported.

Both Australia and the US imposed several sanctions on Fiji, mainly relating to visa restrictions, following the bloodless coup by former military commander Frank Bainimarama.

Australia also withheld the sale of military equipment and military cooperation to Fiji, but will now hope to restore those ties following last month’s polls.

Bainimarama’s Fiji First party won September’s general elections by a landslide. He was sworn in as the prime minister.

“Today marks the start of a new era in the relationship between Australia and Fiji,” Bishop said.

“Just an election does not make a country a democracy, there also has to be a commitment to democratic values and democratic institutions. That’s why we will be working with Fiji to support the restoration of a number of democratic values, such as freedom of speech.”

Fiji was restored to the Pacific Islands Forum last week following a six-year suspension.

However, Bainimarama has refused to rejoin the forum, highlighting the difficult process in renewing a stable relationship.

Bainimarama has not publicly announced any measure to restore ties.




Australia, US lift sanctions imposed on Fiji

Acting with one's wife even more exciting: Hiten Tejwani

Mumbai, Oct 31 (IANS) TV actor Hiten Tejwani is joining the cast of “Meri Aashiqui Tumse Hi”, which stars his wife and actress Gauri Pradhan Tejwani. He is “excited” to work with his real life partner in the show.


Hiten and Gauri were the leading pair in “Kutumb”, which went on air in 2001, and after many years, they are sharing the screen space once again.

“Any role for an actor is exciting, but acting with your (one’s) wife is even more exciting. We’ll be spending more time on the sets now. Earlier, we used to shoot on different locations, now we’ll get to spend more time together,” Hiten told IANS by phone from Mumbai.

When asked how the experience of “Meri Aashiqui Tumse Hi” will be different from “Kutumb”, the actor said: “Well, the characters are different. Also, when we were shooting ‘Kutumb’, we weren’t married. But now we’re married.”

“When you are performing opposite to your wife, the comfort level is very high from the beginning. With other co-actors, it takes a little while to reach a certain comfort level.”

The couple tied the knot in 2004 and welcomed twins, son Neevan and daughter Katya, in 2009.

Gauri had previously mentioned that she would like to work with her husband when she joined “Meri Aashiqui Tumse Hi”, and now that her wish has come true, she is pretty excited too.

Although Hiten and Gauri’s five-year-old twins aren’t allowed to watch TV, the actor is willing to bend the rules for this show.

On being asked how his children would react on seeing them together on the screen, he said: “They will be happy to see us together. Actually, they are not allowed to watch TV as of now, but we will let them see a scene or two where we are together.”

Although Hiten’s schedule is busy with “Meri Aashiqui Tumse Hi”, the actor is willing to take up new projects.

“I’ll be busy with ‘Meri Aashiqui Tumse Hi’, but let’s see what happens. Talks are going on. If something really nice turns up and I have time, then I’ll do it,” he said.




Acting with one's wife even more exciting: Hiten Tejwani

Thursday, October 30, 2014

'Roar' - a bore you may abhor (IANS Movie Review - Rating: **1/2)

Film: “Roar – Tigers of the Sundarbans”; Cast: Abhinav Shukla, Achint Kaur, Nora Fatehi, Ali Quli Mirza and Subrat Dutta; Director: Kamal Sadanah; Rating: **1/2


If you’re looking for a rewarding cinematic experience with a coherent plot and well-rounded characters, then “Roar” may just prove a bore that you’d probably abhor.

But if you’re the sort (like me) who grants leeway to movies for stretching its neck out beyond the domain of the conventional, then “Roar” has quite some visual swagger and splendour to it.

Consider this. It’s shot entirely in the dense Sundarbens forest. Now the dilemma that debutant director Kamal Sadanah must have faced is…should he make a documentary about the tigers of Sunderbans (which would get no audience) or a fictional story set in the tiger sanctuary (which hopefully would attract an audience).

Regrettably, “Roar” suffers from an over-written, excessively punctuated plot that groans and heaves forward wheezing with baggage fatigue.

The narrative, underlined by an insistent background score (fortunately no songs), strains so hard for effect that you fear for its life-force. Moreover, the editing is abysmal. Scenes written to highlight the irreconcilable differences between Man and Nature meander to an incomplete full-stop.

Stunning shots of the natural beauty of the Sunderbans cannot compensate for the lack of consistency and logic in the plot about a bunch of adventurers’s revenge on a white tiger, which finally lurches to a whimper rather than a roar. The characters are all written for the sake of creating a shock effect as one by one, the plot’s populace pops off the face of majestic map.

Time after time, the editing exposes the lack of coherence in the plot. Characters jump into the danger zone and then wait for the script to decide their future. The film was obviously written as the shooting progressed, thereby providing a rationale for the vast expanse of incidents that are crammed into this jungle-adventure story.

The killings in the sinister marshland are well-staged. In fact, the film’s cinematography by Michael Watson is so brilliant that it makes you want to shove the characters and their inane prattle out of the way to just savour the magnificence of Sunderbans. Like I said, Kamal Sadanah wanted to tell a fictional story. Wish he had saved the fiction for another day, another location.

The acting is uniformly amateurish with the two female actors Himarsha and Nora Fatehi joining together to create a wildlife cleavage club. They look and speak out of place in the jungles. Attempts to add glamour to the grisly goings-on are downright clumsy. You can almost smell the director’s unease and awkwardness in trying to infuse acceptable commercial trappings into the sun-kissed rugged picturesque locales.

One tiger in Ang Lee’s “Life Of Pi” signified a comment on the entire relationship between Man and the animal kingdom. Here in “Roar”, there are several tigers, plus repeated invocation of snakes and other wild crawly creepy creatures that jump out of nowhere to create more shock than the ‘shauq’ value that the film purports to validate.

What we get to know finally from this film about the relationship between Man and Nature is, it is one helluva screwed-up alliance.

This could have a brutal avatar of “Born Free”. If only it didn’t conceal the exuberant computer-graphics in streams of tribal folklore dressed up in swanky clothes. Images from the National Geographic meet “Fear Factor” in this brilliantly photographed adventure saga.

You may not think much of the characters’s shallow shindings during the time of exceptional stress. But one thing is for sure. You’ve never seen anything like this in Hindi cinema. And I don’t necessarily mean that in a positive way.

The film claims to have not hurt any animals. But what about the poor audience? There ought to be a parallel SPCA — Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Audience.




'Roar' - a bore you may abhor (IANS Movie Review - Rating: **1/2)