Upset over 'Vishwaroopam' ban, Kamal Haasan threatens to quit India

CHENNAI: Frustrated by the threats and tangles Vishwaroopam has got embroiled in, Kamal Haasan on Wednesday said he was staring at financial ruin and more legal trouble and even contemplating exile. But later in the day he shook off his sombre air and talk of exile to play a bold hero, ready to make changes to his movie and move on.

In the morning, he said he was serious about leaving Tamil Nadu or even India for a secular place where he could continue his work. The actor, who couldn't release his movie on Wednesday despite a Madras high court interim order, talked about an impending bankruptcy that could swallow his personal wealth, including the house in Alwarpet from where he addressed the media.

"If one movie is threatening the unity of the country, then I say here, take my property. I earned all of it from cinema," he said, pointing to the house where he grew up.

However, he didn't dwell on money. Instead, Kamal laughed it off. "You must be wondering why I am smiling when I talk about it. That is the way my family has dealt with money, it will come and go," he said.

Kamal talked about how he and the protesting Muslims are caught in a political game, but refused to elaborate. Instead, he said that he is thinking of leaving Tamil Nadu. "I don't think they want me here. I will look at all the states from Kashmir to Kerala, excluding Tamil Nadu. If I don't find one which is secular, I will leave for another country. MF Husain had to leave, now Haasan will also leave," he said.

Haasan to move SC against ban

The actor, appearing combative, also announced that he would move the Supreme Court to overturn the ban on the film imposed by the government following protests by Muslim outfits.

However, that wouldn't mean he will stop making Tamil movies, his only love? "Victory and failure are the same to me," said Kamal, adding that he grew up in the industry with the encouragement of stars like Gemini Ganesan, Sivaji Ganesan and MG Ramachandran.

Probably, this was why Kamal Haasan bounced back in a few hours to say that he was willing to cut portions of his movie after settling the issue amicably with his Muslim brothers. By then, fellow actors Sivakumar, Prabhu, Radhika and directors P Bharathiraja and Maniratnam had dropped in to see Kamal.

"My Muslim family has reached out to me. They came and told me which portions they want removed. We have settled it and there are no differences between me and my Muslim brothers," he said.

As far as punchlines go, Kamal had the best lines today. However, the dreary sequel remains yet another complicated legal battle for the actor.

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ISI gave Rs 5 lakh to man who beheaded Indian soldier

NEW DELHI: The terrorist who beheaded Indian soldier Lance Naik Hemraj Singh on January 8 was rewarded with Rs 5 lakh by Pakistani intelligence agency ISI, which executed the attack on Indian troops with the assistance of terrorists, according to a detailed report of Military Intelligence (MI) on the brutality which almost pushed peace talks with Pakistan off track.

According to the MI report, the beheading was done by one Anwar Khan, a local guide who runs a shop in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), and he was also involved in the beheading of an Indian Army captain in 1996 in the same Mendhar area. Anwar, who was handed over the reward by Colonel Siddiqui of ISI, was part of a group led by Subedar Jabbar Khan of ISI. The attackers included members of ISI-backed jihadi terror outfits Lashkar and Jaish-e-Mohammad.

The MI report said ISI masterminded the January 8 beheading of Hemraj and mutilation of Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh's body, and involved terrorists in the execution of the plot aimed at triggering unrest along the border.

The report named several officers of ISI who were part of this operation, directly pointing fingers at Pakistan. The report said the beheading was pre-meditated, with an ISI officer leading the 15-member Border Action Team (BAT) which ambushed the Indian soldiers in Mendhar that day. A brigadier-rank ISI officer oversaw the attack.

The ISI has several BATs for such operations along the LoC and Pakistani army was hand in glove with the intelligence agency in the operation.

According to the report, there was a meeting between senior ISI officers, important terrorist commanders and guides a few days before the attack at Rawalkote in PoK. The meeting was presided over by a brigadier level officer of ISI and included Colonel Siddiqui (of Rawalkote), Azad Khan (of Peshawar), Yousuf Khan alias Pathan (of Muzzafarabad) and Major Abbasi (of Tattapani).

Several guides familiar with the topography of line of control (LoC) were also present in the meeting. Among the guides who attended the meeting were Anwar, Sabar Khan (of Battal, PoK) and Meeru (Madarpur, PoK). A local Lashkar operative Chaudhary Bashir was also present.

"During the meeting, it was decided that local guides aware of the topography of the area would facilitate terrorist groups not only in infiltration along the LoC in Poonch district but also assist in operations by BATs (Border Action Teams). For this a reward of Rs 5,000 for planting of a mine on Indian soil, Rs 10,000 for killing an Indian Army soldier in sniper fire and Rs 5 lakh for beheading an Army jawan was announced. For each of these BAT operations, the guide would be rewarded Rs 2,000 to Rs 12,000," the secret document said.

It added, "Pakistan army units have been asked to recruit local persons from villages near the LoC so that they can be trained and subsequently recruited for acting as local guides."

Giving details of the beheading of Indian soldiers, the report said, "The ambush by BAT from across in Krishna Ghati sector, 10 Inf Brigade, Mendhar, district Poonch in which two Army jawans of 13 Rajputana Rifles were killed was carried out by a group of 15 terrorists, having 10 members of Lashkar and 5 of Jaish-e-Mohammad. The group was led by Subedar Jabbar Khan of ISI unit of Tattapani (PoK) and included among others Anwar Khan, resident of Jabbar Mohalla of village Sher Khan (Rawalkote) as the local guide, Qari Shah of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Ajmat Khan of JeM. Anwar Khan carried out the beheading of one of the soldiers."

The report said that before the act, "the ambush party was stationed at Barmoch BOP, PoK, across Atma Post of 13 Rajasthan Rifles for a fortnight before the incident and terrorists were watching the daily movements of Indian Army jawans".

Till January 9, a day after the incident, this ambush party was camping at Tattapani and was also involved in planting anti-personal mines in Helmet, Chattri, Dayal Top, Atma and Rocket BOPs of KG Brigade.

About Anwar, the local guide, the report said "he was also involved in beheading an Indian Army captain in KG Brigade in 1996 in the same area (Mendhar). He runs a shop in Barmoch Gali in PoK".

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Vishwaroopam may be released soon, compromise on the cards

CHENNAI: Kamal Haasan's 'Vishwaroopam' may soon be released in Tamil Nadu, as the actor and the government appear to be inching towards a compromise.

Two press conferences - one by Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa and the other by a group of film artists - in quick succession on Thursday afternoon gave enough indication that Vishwaroopam may come out of the tangle.

The first bench of the Madras high court had on Wednesday stalled the release of the movie hardly 15 hours after a single judge bench had allowed it. Following protests by some Muslim groups, the state government has been arguing that the movie could trigger law and order problems across the state.

On Thursday, some film artists and the chief minister spoke separately to the media. Jayalalithaa said there was no political motive behind the government decision to prevent the movie's release.

"The actor could thrash out the differences with the protesting Muslim groups and the government would clear the decks for the film's release. We don't want to harm Kamal or infringe on his freedom of expression," she added.

Soon after the chief minister's press conference, a few Tamil film directors and actors met the press at Kamal's office to indicate that Kamal was open to the idea of a compromise.

"We are ready to talk," said Charuhasan, Kamal's brother and partner in his production house which claims to have pumped in Rs95 crore into 'Vishwaroopam.' actor Radikaa Sarathkumar, wife of South Indian Film Artistes' Association president Sarathkumar, suggested that Kamal initiated the talks as the chief minister had suggested. On Facebook, actor Aravind Swamy posted: " Appreciate the Hon CM's candid talk and the direction given to solve the Viswaroopam crisis. We can see the light now."

Sources said veteran actor Sivakumar, who is seen to be close to Jayalalilthaa, has been playing the prime mediator since Wednesday, when an emotional Kamal threatened to leave Tamil Nadu and the country for a place where he could work in peace. Moments before the first bench stalled the movie release, Kamal had presented a few Muslim leaders with whom he said he had struck a compromise and agreed to remove some scenes from the film. "But he wasn't cowed down by the threat from other quarters," said an insider. "He remained firm that he would go ahead with the release in other states and forego Tamil Nadu since the whole issue has been politicized."

The source said Sivakumar and Radikaa stepped in to reason with Kamal that even if the court gave an order in his favour, the going may get tough as theatre owners could be threatened to stop screening. "A lot of people including directors Mani Ratnam and Bharathiraja have been talking to Kamal, and he seems to have understood the need to initiate talks with the protestors," said a film industry source.

The ice being broken, the talks could well be a formality and the movie could release sooner than the scheduled hearing of the case next Wednesday.

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Railways serves ‘rat biryani’ to Gujarati pilgrims

AHMEDABAD: A family from Valsad was served a revolting dish of 'rat biryani' from the pantry of the Sarvodaya Express while returning home from a pilgrimage to the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu & Kashmir.

Teacher Nilesh Patel and his wife Veena had ordered three vegetarian biryanis — one to be shared between their two sons. When their seven-year-old son Monik dug a spoon in the dish, something heavy obstructed him. When Patel tried to help him out, it was found that a rat had been cooked in the biryani.

Half of the about 300 pilgrims from Ahmedabad on the train had ordered the biryani dish. "The experience was horrifying," Patel said. "We have pledged never to have food from the railway pantry again."

Angry passengers later confronted the train staff. A waiter tried to throw out the remaining biryani at the New Delhi railway station, but some passengers recorded his actions using their cellphone cameras. When the protests got angrier, the railway police intervened to contain the situation.

Patel was then able to make a formal complaint. "The pantry manager gave us a written apology and agreed to take responsibility if any passenger suffers from food poisoning," he said.

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'Vishwaroopam' row: Tamil Nadu wants me out, Kamal Haasan says

CHENNAI: Actor-director Kamal Haasan on Wednesday said that he is thinking of leaving Tamil Nadu for some other secular state in India as the problems over his movie Vishwaroopam's release continued.

"I will look at all the states from Kashmir to Kerala excluding Tamil Nadu. If I don't find one which is secular, I will leave for another country. M F Hussain had to leave, now Haasan will have to," said the actor, whose movie's release was stopped by TN state government authorities last week after a few Muslim groups protested.

The actor told media on Wednesday that he will continue to make Tamil movies and love Tamilians even if he leaves India. "Only my passport will change," said Kamal.

The actor, who invested nearly Rs 100 crore to make the spy thriller, said his movie is set in Afghanistan and the US and has no connection to Indian Muslims. "I think Muslim brothers and I have been caught in a political game. I don't know what is happening, I don't want to understand it too much," he said. Despite the interim order from HC on Tuesday, the movie's screening has been stopped and physical copies of the court order are being sought by the authorities to resume screening.

"If its a political game, I can't hazard a guess," said Kamal, when asked if he thought whether he and his movie were being deliberately targeted for political gains. He refused to answer questions about whether the state government and chief minister Jayalalithaa have not given him enough support.

The actor said the HC judge had earlier said that his film will threaten the unity of the nation and can't be released to protect the property of one person. "I have pledged all my property to make the movie. Now, they are with the financier and if the money is not paid back, he will be the owner of everything, including this house," said the actor, pointing to his residence-office on Eldams Road in Chennai where the press meet was held.

"If one movie is threatening the unity, then I say here, take my property. I earned all of it from cinema," he said.

As for his "small desire" to leave Tamil Nadu, the actor said that he has been thinking about if for a while. "It is not a decision taken in anger. My brother Charu Haasan said I should leave because I was called 'ulaga nayagan' (universal hero) as people don't want me to stay," said Kamal Haasan.

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'Vishwaroopam': Madras HC upholds ban, Kamal Haasan to move SC

CHENNAI: Actor Kamal Haasan said on Wednesday that he will file a petition in the Supreme Court to overturn the ban on his film 'Vishwaroopam'.

The Madras high court on Wednesday set aside a single judge order staying the government's prohibitory orders on film 'Vishwaroopam'. As a result, theatres cannot screen the film anywhere in Tamil Nadu.

Earlier in the day, Kamal Haasan said he is ready to cut a few scenes from his movie 'Vishwaroopam'.

"My Muslim family has reached out to me. They came and told me which portions they want removed, they told me the scenes they wanted cut and the words of Quran they wanted removed. They told me which are the scenes that would offend and could be removed," said the actor, who was flanked by Congress leader J M Haroon, lyricist Vairamuthu, and several film personalities.

"We are thankful that he has agreed to remove the Quran words from the film. He immediately came forward to delete the portions," said Haroon.

The actor added that the issue has been settled amicably. "There are no differences between me and my Muslim brothers. I am hearing some alarming news both from my fans and Muslim friends so far. Now it is up to the law enforcement and the justice department to ensure nothing happens to my Muslim brethren and others," he said, adding that the film is in praise of Muslims.

An emotional Kamal Haasan said that he is thinking of leaving Tamil Nadu for some other secular state in India as the problems over his movie Vishwaroopam's release continued.

"I will look at all the states from Kashmir to Kerala excluding Tamil Nadu. If I don't find one which is secular, I will leave for another country. M F Hussain had to leave, now Haasan will have to," said the actor, whose movie's release was stopped by TN state government authorities last week after a few Muslim groups protested.

The actor told media on Wednesday that he will continue to make Tamil movies and love Tamilians even if he leaves India. "Only my passport will change," said Kamal.

Late on Tuesday night, Justice K Venkataraman had stayed the Tamil Nadu government's prohibitory orders, thereby paving the way for the film's release.

Soon after, top government lawyers rushed to the residence of Acting Chief Justice Elipe Dharma Rao and obtained permission to move an urgent appeal today. When the matter was taken up, the first bench comprising Justice Dharma Rao and Justice Aruna Jagadeesan wanted to know if Kamal's lawyers had approached the district collectors challenging their prohibitory orders. When the reply was in the negative, the court said that when the statue permits an officer to exercise a particular power that authority should be allowed to exercise it.

Pointing out that advocate-general sought to file a detailed counter, the judges said the counters could be filed by Monday, and the matter could be taken up by the single judge by Wednesday,

"You have only two options before you. Either approach the district collectors and appeal against their prohibitory orders or wait for the single judge to pass final orders in the matter.

Indicating that Kamal might approach the Supreme Court immediately, his senior counsel P S Raman wanted a copy of the order today itself. The plea was granted by the bench.

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'Starving North Koreans eating own kids, corpses'

Reports from inside the secretive famine-hit pariah state, North Korea, claim a man has been executed after murdering his two children for food.

Shocking reports claim North Koreans are turning to cannibalism including details of one man who dug up his grandchild's corpse to eat and another who boiled his child and ate the flesh.

Details of the incidents were reported by the Asia Press, and published in the Sunday Times.

They claim a 'hidden famine' in the farming provinces of North and South Hwanghae has killed 10,000 people, and there are fears that cannibalism is spreading throughout the country.

The reports come as sanctions are tightened against the backdrop of angry rhetoric over missile testing.

The litany of horrors were documented by Asia Press, a specialist news agency based in Osaka, Japan, which claims to have recruited a network of "citizen journalists" inside North Korea.

The reports are considered credible.

Interviews have led Asia Press to conclude that probably more than 10,000 people have died in North and South Hwanghae provinces, south of Pyongyang, the capital.

North Korea has not confirmed or denied any reports of the deaths.

One informant, based in South Hwanghae, said: "In my village in May, a man who killed his own two children and tried to eat them was executed by a firing squad. While his wife was away on business he killed his eldest daughter and, because his son saw what he had done, he killed his son as well. When the wife came home, he offered her food, saying: 'We have meat'. But his wife, suspicious, notified the ministry of public security, which led to the discovery of part of their children's bodies under the eaves."

Jiro Ishimaru, from Asia Press said: "Particularly shocking were the numerous testimonies that hit us about cannibalism."

Another of the citizen journalists, Gu Gwang-ho, said: "There was an incident when a man was arrested for digging up the grave of his grandchild and eating the remains." A middle ranking official of the ruling Korean Workers Party said: "In a village in Chongdan county, a man who went mad with hunger boiled his own child, ate his flesh and was arrested"

A new UN agreement, passed on Tuesday, extended sanctions already imposed on North Korea after it held nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009.

The current rise in tensions and extension of sanctions follows Pyonyang's defiant decision to push ahead with a long-range rocket launch on December 12 - insisting it was a peaceful mission to place a satellite in orbit. Despite the insistence of the regime that the test was peaceful the rest of the world saw it as a banned ballistic missile test.

The United States, supported by Japan and South Korea, spearheaded the new UN resolution.

This week North Korea once again raised the level of rhetoric over sanctions, threatening war with its neighbours in the south saying: "If the South Korean puppet regime of traitors directly participates in the so-called UN 'sanctions', strong physical countermeasures would be taken," the Nort's Committee for Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland said.

-- The Independent

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Karnataka techie bolts to become fastest 100m online sprinter

MANGALORE: What do Usain Bolt of Jamaica and Roshan Ramachandra of Chintamani share in common? Nothing to say the least. But both have a passion for speed. While Bolt blazes the athletic tracks to be regarded the fastest man on Earth, Roshan Ramachandra has given Bolt a run for his money online.

This 23-year-old software engineer with Infosys Technologies Limited has made Indian online gamers fraternity proud. Roshan became a Guinness World Record (GWR) holder by winning the online game "QWOP", also known as 'Fastest 100 metre QWOP flash game'.

In this game hosted by GWR, a participant who completes 100 metres running race in less time becomes the record holder. GWR had set a target for gamers to complete 100 metres in 70 seconds.

Prior to setting the new world record, Roshan had finished 100 metres in 69 seconds on December 30, 2012 and had clocked 97 seconds on December 17, 2012.

GWR officially declared Roshan the winner on January 23. Working at Infosys here for the past year, Roshan, son of Ramachandra N, a tailor, is a native of Chintamani town in Chikkaballapur district, 75km away from Bangalore. Roshan told TOI that it all started with a thought that, "We are born and we will die, in between we need to achieve something".

He said "I feel Guinness World Record is the kind of platform where one does a known contribution to his or her country. So the thought to register my name in Guinness World Record by representing India, and it came true."

Now Roshan, who is also a cricket enthusiast, is gearing up to hit the cricket ground. "I am planning to set a world record by practising batting in the nets continuously for more than 24 hours."

A gaming freak, Roshan discovered QWOP while surfing recently and made up his mind to set the world record. After practising this game intensely for four hours every day, Roshan, who represented India, emerged as the winner on Jan 4. He set the new world record completing 100 metres in 67 seconds. The previous world record was of Youri from the Netherlands, who has completed 100 metres in 100 seconds.

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Govt, political class slam Pakistan minister's 'concern' for SRK

NEW DELHI: The government as well as the political class on Tuesday slammed Pakistan interior minister Rehman Malik's unsolicited statement asking India to provide security to Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, stating that India was fully capable of looking after the security of its citizens.

"We are quite capable of taking care of the security of our citizens....Pakistan need not worry about it," Union home secretary R K Singh told reporters here on Tuesday morning.

Malik had, while interacting with reporters at a reception hosted by the Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Sharat Sabharwal in Islamabad, said: "He (Shah Rukh Khan) is born Indian and he would like to remain Indian, but I will request the government of India (to) please provide him security".

Malik was reacting to a first-person account by the actor in an Indian magazine focusing on his experiences as a Muslim in the post 9/11 world.

Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi said Malik would rather worry about the security of its own citizens, considering the fragile state of Pakistan's internal security.

"We all know what is going on in Pakistan. Pakistan has no right to say anything about any Indian. Even when Pakistan artistes come here, we provide them security. Muslims are safest in India," said Alvi.

Rebuffing Malik for his remark, the BJP said Pakistan must stay away from meddling in India's internal affairs.

Party spokesperson Shahnawaz Khan said India should send a stern message to Islamabad on the issue.

BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said Pakistan should worry about the security of its own minorities. "We are a secular country," he said, in a snub to the Pakistani motor-mouth minister.

Incidentally, on Sunday, Jamaat-ud Dawa chief and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed had also asked Shah Rukh Khan to move to Pakistan if he did not feel safe in India.

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Narendra Modi meets Rajnath, says ready for role outside Gujarat

NEW DELHI: Narendra Modi told BJP chief Rajnath Singh on Sunday that he was ready to discharge any responsibility assigned to him, reinforcing the estimate that the Gujarat chief minister is going to play a "key role" in charting the BJP's campaign strategy in the run-up to the 2014 elections. The saffron party will look to wrest power from the Congress-led UPA after two terms in opposition.

Modi met the newly nominated BJP chief to discuss preparations for the 2014 general elections that are now certain to include the saffron strongman. "There was a discussion on 2014, quite elaborate discussions," Modi said after the meeting.

Although he avoided responding to questions about his candidature for prime minister, Modi spoke of a likely role outside Gujarat, perhaps for the first time. "I had come to congratulate him and ask him what I should do. How should I work ahead. And what suggestions he has in relation to the state government."

It is understood that the meeting was focused on looking at emerging political scenarios and intended to put the uneasy equations the two leaders have shared behind them. There was a pragmatic touch to the deliberations aimed at forging a new working relationship. The new equation is seen in the context of a recognition that Congress's vulnerabilities over the economy and corruption charges can be exploited only if the BJP can stem the blood letting within due to persistent factionalism.

The meeting is the first between Modi and Singh after the latter was named BJP chief in a last-minute switch that saw Nitin Gadkari being denied a second term as party president. Leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley also met Singh.

The discussions are also significant in the context of Modi's impending induction into the BJP parliamentary board. "The BJP's Gujarat unit should be useful in the service of the country, we also had a detailed discussion about that," said Modi.

A formal announcement on the BJP's prime ministerial candidate is not in the offing, but it is clear that Modi is going to be central to the party's brain trust ahead of the next election. He will be a key strategizer in keeping with his enhanced stature after his third straight win as Gujarat CM.

Factional politics, encouraged by a blurred pecking order, has prevailed for so long in BJP that putting a lid on it will not be easy. Singh will have to begin at home as his previous term as BJP chief was marred for similar reasons. But the meeting with Modi needs to be seen in the light of the CM's enhanced stature after his third straight win in Gujarat.

Until now, both Gadkari and Singh — in his previous stint from 2005 to 2009 — have tended to keep Modi out of the party's central politics. So much so that Gadkari was forced to expel Sanjay Joshi, a Modi baiter, to get Modi to attend a party executive meet in Mumbai last year.

This time around, Modi is clearly first among equals and a strong candidate for the PM's post if the BJP were to come to power. While Singh is close to BJP's ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh, he may find it necessary to acknowledge Modi's growing clout.

The task of pitchforking BJP to power in 2014 and avoiding a deeply demoralizing third successive defeat will require Singh to ensure that Modi is fully on board. Modi's fulsome congratulatory message when Singh became party chief indicates that he is ready to make a fresh start.

Giving Modi his due in the party while not naming him PM candidate is a challenging balancing act, all the more in the light of divisions exposed by the ugly faction fight that preceded Gadkari being ousted as BJP president. While veteran leader L K Advani campaigned fiercely to oppose Gadkari, there were differences of opinion with other top BJP leaders.

The compromise on Rajnath came about after leaders of opposition Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley and senior leader M Venkaiah Naidu came together, along with a few others, to resolve the crisis. Jaitley and Swaraj do not always agree but saw the need to put up an alternative to Gadkari.

Differing perceptions, incessant factional battles and the long delay in ensuring Gadkari's removal after reports of financial irregularities about the Purti group controlled by him surfaced, have hurt the BJP quite severely.

An inability to convey a focused consistent message has prevented the BJP from decisively overtaking the Congress in opinion polls despite the government's problems in managing the economy and battling corruption scandals.

How to download and use alive App

Step 1: Get the Alive app: Give a missed call to 18001023324 or go to aliveapp.in

Step 2: Open Alive app on your phone and scan this picture by focussing your phone's camera on it. Hold your phone about 6 inches over the photo and watch it come alive . Android and iOS phones scan the picture automatically, while Nokia and BlackBerry users need to click options and then, capture.

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Available on select Android (version 2.2 and above), iOS (version 4.3 and above), BB (version 5.0 and above) and Symbian (version S60 and above) handsets.

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Top 5 facts about male condoms

Even though researchers have time and again proved that using a condom is one of the best methods of preventing unwanted pregnancies, STDs, lately the efficacy of condoms has been debated in many forums.

A healthy part of an active sexual life, there has been too much misinformation and insufficient research lurking around on the right usage, advantages and facts about condoms. Thus, in a bid to put an end to confusion and misunderstanding, we reveal to you the top 5 must-know facts about male condoms.

1. In actuality, the chances of condom failures are not more than 2%. Most of the condom failures occur because of not using them in a right way. A condom must be used over an erect penis in order to keep the sperms from entering the vagina. One must use condoms, which are made from latex, polyurethane, and polyisoprene because they help in protection against pregnancies and STIS.

2. One should not be using a condom, if they are allergic to latex.

3. Some people tend to believe that two condoms are better than one. This is not true. In fact, you tend to elevate the risk of tearing the condom because of the high level of friction.

4. Some of the most common causes of condom breakage are - lengthy or rough sex, using oil-based lubricants, anal sex, drying out of the vagina, and opening the condom package with a sharp object.

5. It is important to store condoms in a cool and dry place. This is because with extreme heat and moisture, the condom tends to become brittle and leads to extreme breakage during intercourse.

Read more Personal Health, Diet & Fitness stories on www.healthmeup.com

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'Vishwaroopam' verdict: HC asks Kamal Haasan to consider amicable settlement, order pushed till tomorrow

The Madras high court on Monday advised actor Kamal Haasan to try and settle the controversy surrounding his big ticket film, Vishwaroopam.

Justice K Venkataraman while hearing Kamal Haasan's petition against Tamil Nadu government authorities' orders of prohibiting the release of his film on January 25, said that the court had to take into account the state government's law and order concerns, communal amity in the state and also the actor's investment in the movie.

"Why don't you negotiate the matter and settle the issue amicably?" asked the judge.

Responding to the advice, Kamal's senior counsel P S Raman said, "The hero and director of the movie had returned to Chennai only this morning, and I will discuss the matter with him."

The senior counsel further said that they had filed petitions separately challenging the district collector's individual prohibitory orders restraining theatres in the respective districts from screening the film.

To this, Justice Venkataraman said that the main matter, along with the new petitions, could be heard together on Tuesday. He then adjourned the case to Tuesday for further hearing.

The latest development in this regard came after members of the Muslim organisations objected to the film on the ground that it portrays the community in bad light. They claim that the movie is anti- Muslim.

The Rs 95-crore film has been written produced and directed by Kamal Haasan. The movie stars Rahul Bose, Shekhar Kapur, Jaideep Ahlawat, Pooja Kumar and Andrea Jeremiah. Kamal Haasan also plays an important role in the film.

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Bhutto-Zardaris’ Indian friend helped break LoC ice

NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan used track-II diplomacy to defuse tensions along the line of control (LoC) just after the killing of Indian soldiers and mutilation of their bodies earlier this month which had threatened to set the border ablaze and push the dialogue process off rails.

Well-placed sources said that an Indian contact close to Pakistan's ruling Bhutto-Zardari family came in handy as the two sides groped for ways to keep talks on course amid rising fury in India over the killing of two soldiers , one of whom the Pakistani troopers beheaded.

When contacted, the Bhutto-Zardari contact confirmed playing a "small" role, but insisted on maintaining his anonymity.

Sources said that Indian authorities conveyed it to the Pakistani government that while they were keen to carry on the dialogue, the objective would be helped if Islamabad struck a conciliatory note.

Pakistan, which had until then brushed aside India's protests, responded to the suggestion positively, perhaps because of mounting challenges back home. Within a span of days, cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri laid siege to Islamabad, the killing of Shias triggered an uprising and the SC order to arrest PM Raja Pervez Ashraf.

Water talks put off

Talks between the water secretaries of India and Pakistan, scheduled to be held in Islamabad during January 28-29 , have been put off in the wake of tension between the neighbours over ceasefire violations along the LoC. The Tulbul navigation project was to feature in the talks.

Khar's offer for peace talks bridged the gap

Pakistan foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar on January 9 offered to hold talks to address India's concerns about the Line of Control (LoC) and to find ways to preserve the ceasefire the two sides agreed to in 2003. New Delhi saw the statement as an improvement over the stance Pakistan had taken earlier where it rejected India's demand for an investigation into the LoC killings and said it would agree only to a probe by the United Nations.
India reciprocated a couple of days later, with foreign minister Salman Khurshid noting the positive elements of the statement of Khar and saying relations could reach the "near-normal" stage.

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Vishwaroopam row brings Kollywood divide to fore

CHENNAI: The 'Vishwaroopam' controversy seems to have brought to light a divide in the Tamil film industry. After superstar Rajinikanth threw his weight behind Kamal Haasan on Friday, director and writer Bharathiraja had no qualms in speaking about this "great divide".

He wondered, in a statement issued on Saturday, how creators and artists were maintaining a stoic silence over the issue involving Kamal Haasan. "Though there are many bodies in the film industry I think there is silence because there is a great divide between them. There is no unity among us. If we don't stand together, we fall," he said.

He urged his colleagues to imagine what they would do if they were in a similar situation in the future. "If you think all pain and pressure is only for Kamal Haasan, imagine where you will go when you face a similar situation in the future," he said.

Joining the little chorus of support for Kamal was actor Parthipan who said that it was irrelevant to oppose the Censor board's decision, referring to the fact that the movie had been cleared by the board as per procedure. He said that it was 'terrorism' if one set of people tried to impose its views on the rest. "Power of people is supreme. If they find fault with the film, people will reject it." That is the biggest punishment any film can get, he said.

Bharathiraja said the Censor board comprising eminent personalities, including a Muslim, had cleared the film. But a few wanted to stop its release and because of the ban, the Constitution had lost its importance. "It also makes me think where it stands to protect ordinary citizens like me," he said, adding that having watched the movie, he could proudly say that a Tamilian had made a movie of international standards.

But actor Sarath Kumar, president of the South Indian Artistes' Association (Nadigar Sangam), said though the Censor board had certified the movie, it could still create law and order problems. He urged chief minister J Jayalalithaa to convene a meeting with the representatives of Muslim organizations and Kamal Haasan to find an amicable solution.

Director Ameer, president of the Film Employees Federation of South India and secretary of the Tamil Film Directors Association, said that he hadn't issued a statement as he hadn't seen 'Vishwaroopam'. "The judges are there to take a final stand on whether the freedom of expression of an artist has been curtailed or it has affected the sensibilities of a particular community. At this juncture, making my comments without watching the film is not right," said Ameer, adding that colleagues in the industry should not make personal comments and blow the issue out of proportion.

Popular actor Ajith Kumar didn't talk about the movie but on how sovereign, socialist, secular and democratic values had lost their meaning. "Is India a secular nation or is vote bank politics the basis of all issues? Democracy and secularism are being misunderstood. It is time we lent our ears to the actual values that the country lives for," he said.

Judge views movie

Actor Kamal Haasan's controversial film, 'Vishwaroopam', was specially screened on Saturday for Justice K Venkataraman, who is hearing the actor's petition questioning the state government's decision to prohibit its screening in theatres for two weeks.

Along with the judge, a small group of advocates, litigants and law officers watched the film at a preview theatre in Chennai. At the end of the exercise which lasted for three and half hours no one including the judge was willing to comment on the film.

Hearing on the matter will resume in the Madras high court on Monday. On Thursday, the judge had postponed the film's release till January 28, saying he would view it on Saturday to find out if it contained anything which would offend any community.

The case was filed a day after the Chennai city police commissioner and district collectors issued prohibitory orders, restraining theatres from screening 'Vishwaroopam'. Advocate general A Navaneethakrishnan, however, clarified in court that the government had not issued any instruction to district authorities to ban the film, and that the prohibitory orders were issued by collectors.

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Ind vs Eng: Ian Bell's fine century helps England beat India by 7 wickets

DHARAMSALA: India paid the price for some poor shot selection by their top order batsmen as England rode on Ian Bell's unbeaten century to salvage some pride by winning the fifth and final one-dayer by seven wickets and reduce the margin of defeat to 3-2 on Sunday.

Scorecard | Match in Pics

The visitors first dismissed the hosts for a modest 226 and then relied on Bell's third ODI ton -- 113 not out -- to overhaul the target with 16 balls to spare at the picturesque HPCA stadium which hosted its first international match.

The Indians, who had already clinched the series in Mohali by taking an unassailable 3-1 lead, were done in by some poor shots by their top order batsmen and could never really recover from the early jolts despite Suresh Raina's brilliant effort of 83 under pressure.

Tim Bresnan caused the bulk of the damage with 4/45 while Steve Finn and James Tredwell chipped in with two wickets apiece as the English bowlers exploited the bowler-friendly conditions after winning the toss and putting the home side into bat.

The Indians slumped to a precarious 79 for five as Gautam Gambhir (24), Rohit Sharma (4), Virat Kohli (0), Yuvraj Singh (0) and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (15) perished in quick succession with some of them playing atrocious shots.

Raina's brilliant counter-attacking 83 off 98 balls and some useful contributions from Ravindra Jadeja (39) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (31) took India to 226.

In their bid to chase down the target of 227, England openers Alastair Cook and Ian Bell started confidently putting in 53 runs before Ishant Sharma, who bowled an incisive first spell, broke the partnership.

Since his comeback into the Indian ODI team, this is by far Ishant's best performance as he found the length from his very first delivery which came in after pitching and umpire Sudhir Asnani failed to detect the faint edge off Cook's bat.

The England captain was batting on 13 but he could add only nine runs to get to 22 before another delivery cut back sharply to knock the middle-stump back.

Ishant's brilliant first spell figures read 5-3-9-1 and but Shami Ahmed and Bhuvneshwar Kumar leaked a few boundaries. The Bengal speedster showed a lot of heart by inducing the dangerous Kevin Pietersen to go for a pull shot. The batsman top-edged it and Ravindra Jadeja, running from long leg towards square leg, took a well-judged catch.

Bell, by far England's most consistent ODI player in recent times, carried on with minimum fuss, punishing the bowlers for loose balls and also guiding the talented Joe Root as the duo cruised along in their 79-run third wicket stand.

Root was finally dismissed when Jadeja produced a classical left-arm spinner's delivery as he beat the batsman in flight and the ball turned a shade after pitching to clip the off-bail. Root made 31 off 49 balls.

Bell reached the 90s with a reverse sweep off Ravichandran Ashwin, who was trying too many variations without much success. He reached a well deserved century by clipping Ishant to mid-wicket fence.

Bell was joined by another seasoned pro in Eoin Morgan who hit Ashwin for a huge six followed by even bigger sixes off Shami Ahmed's bowling as they closed the match with consummate ease.

Earlier, a swashbuckling knock by Suresh Raina helped India reach a decent a total of 226 in 49.4 overs after they were pegged back at 79 for five at one stage.

Raina, who scored 83 off 98 balls, added 78 runs for the sixth wicket with Jadeja, to help Indian total gain a semblance of respectability.

Jadeja's contribution was 39 off 65 balls with a boundary and two sixes.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar also did his bit by playing a little cameo of 31 runs that helped India cross the 225-run mark which had looked improbable after the first 15 overs.

But, it was Raina whose innings ensured that the likes of Bhuvneshwar and Shami Ahmed have a total to bowl at.

En route his fourth successive half-century in the series, the left-hander from Uttar Pradesh made a strong case for himself being promoted up the order ahead of Yuvraj Singh whose form has been scratchy of late.

Raina, who was dropped twice on individual scores of five and 61, hit eight boundaries and two huge sixes. He incidentally also completed 4000 ODI runs in his 159th match.

Save those couple of blemishes, it was a treat to watch his strokeplay as the ball raced past the lightning quick outfield. The two sixes, one each of Tredwell and Root, was hit straight into the sightscreen. The standout shot certainly was an inside-out shot over extra cover off Root's bowling which brought up his 50.

Tim Bresnan was the pick of bowlers with figures of four for 45 while their premier fast bowler Steven Finn was miserly giving away 28 runs in 10 overs getting a couple of wickets in the process.

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'Vishwaroopam' gets overwhelming response in Kerala

CHENNAI: Kamal Haasan's " Vishwaroopam" opened to an overwhelming response in Kerala, but after the first screening, the film's run was stopped in several theatres following protest from Muslim groups. Trade insiders say it is a clean movie.

"The first screening of the film was at 11am in approximately 82 screens in Kerala. But the film had to be banned in several cinemas after the first screening. Theatres closer to Tamil Nadu-Kerala border had to stop screening since Muslim outfits intervened," Arvind Nambiar, a distributor, told IANS.

"It's a clean film and is not targeted against any group or community. People should watch and decide for themselves whether it has any scenes that hurt the sentiments of any community," he added.

The shows were disrupted in places like Palakkad, Ettumanoor and some other towns of Kerala.

"There was no buzz around the release of the film as most of the cinemas decided to screen the film at the last minute, which was this morning. Since it released in smaller sections such as B and C, there were no problems initially, but later on the situation aggravated," Nambiar added.

The Tamil and Telugu versions of "Vishwaroopam", which deals with the adversities of war, were scheduled to release on Friday, but the Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday imposed curbs on it following protests from Muslim groups.

A day later, Kamal challenged the ban by the state government in the Madras high court. In his plea, he contended that the movie was cleared by the censor board and the state government could not ban it.

The court has suspended the release till January 28. A judge will watch the film and then decide its fate.

Meanwhile, the Andhra Pradesh government Friday stopped the release of "Vishwaroopam" in Hyderabad after some Muslim organizations complained that the movie hurt religious sentiments of the community.

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Sex addiction is on the rise in India

BANGALORE: Nirmal, 38, is a smooth-talking executive in a Delhi-based software firm. He is married, has two kids and leads a normal life. Except that by now he's had sex with 922 partners, both male and female.

"It started when I was in Class IX," he says. "I found myself suddenly hooked to porn. Then, one day, my friends arranged a girl for me. That was it. By the time I was 35, I had chatted with some 6,500 women. I would leave my number online and then hook up. But it was when I graduated to men that I started feeling mentally tortured. I wanted to stop."

Just that Nirmal, like the growing hordes of sex addicts in a country free, mobile and connected like never before, had nowhere to go for his de-addiction. Sex addiction, which can ruin families and lives, is on the rise in India with bureaucrats, politicians, film stars, doctors and students all falling prey to it. But there are very few clinics in the country that recognize this condition, treated as it is as the hush-hush disease.

Apart from the anxiety of the patients, in a country like India with little security for women (Delhi recorded a 24% rise in rape cases in 2012), it can also be downright dangerous. It's easy for these addicts to turn into sexual predators.

Steven Pinker, professor of psychology at Harvard, recently told TOI: "Ordinarily, men woo and seduce women. But in unregulated settings, and when men are desperate, it can lead to harassment and rape." Sex Addicts Anonymous, a book published in the US in 2005, has first-person accounts by sex addicts who committed rape.

Experts are unanimous in that the time has come to accept that the affliction - also called paraphilia, meaning 'beyond love' - exists in substantial numbers in India and deal with it. "Sex addiction cases I get have doubled in the last decade," says Dr Rajan Bhonsle, head of the department of sexual medicine at Seth G S Medical College, Mumbai. "I have 25-30 cases every month and they come from all parts of India." Sexologist Dr Prakash Kothari says he used to get 1-3 patients a month at KEM Hospital earlier. "Now it's 10-12."

That might be minuscule compared to the US where, according to The Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health, 3-5% of the sexually active population has this problem. "But in India, there is a cloak of hypocrisy," says Bhonsle. "The actual cases would be much more." Even conservative Iran has 1,572 members in Sexaholics Anonymous. India? Just 2. This may change, however, with Sex Addicts Anonymous deciding to start its first India meeting in Delhi on January 28.

Bangalore-based Rajiv, 55, who was hooked to pornography from the age of 11, would perhaps be in attendance. "I would collect 20kg of porno magazines and CDs over a mere six months, dispose them off and buy more," says the engineer. "I had no relations with my wife. For four years, I used escort services and spent Rs 10 lakh on them. I recovered in a rehab abroad. But not all of us can go to foreign countries for treatment. We need such places here. We also need to bring it out of the closet."

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TV producer held for ‘raping’ actress

MUMBAI: The Powai police on Friday arrested a former television executive producer of a production house for allegedly sexually assaulting a 28-year-old TV serial actress who works under the same banner on December 2. The victim, though, lodged the complaint only on Wednesday - a month and a half after the alleged crime. The actress said she did not lodge the complaint initially fearing stigma. She filed a complaint after he allegedly started making threatening calls after the production house sacked him based on her husband's complaint.

The police said both the complainant and the suspect have undergone medical examination to ascertain the veracity of the complaint.

Powai police senior inspector Bajirao Bhosale told TOI on Friday that the suspect was arrested and booked under sections 342 (wrongful confinement), 376 (rape) and 506 (II) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. "The suspect claimed that he was in a relationship with the actress, but was not ready to cooperate and revealed very little about the incident," said Bhosale.

The victim told her husband about the alleged sexual assault four days after it reportedly took place in a makeup room of Katharsis Studios, Powai. In her complaint, she said, "Around 6.30am, the executive producer called me and said my shoot was scheduled at 7.30am. He asked me to reach Jogeshwari railway station as soon as possible, as a bus was scheduled to pick me up there."

She added, "He called me at least three to four times till I reached Jogeshwari. Around 7.45am, I reached the station and checked for the bus. Instead, I saw him waiting on his bike. I refused to travel with him and said I will take an autorickshaw. But he forced me to accompany him on the bike."

When TOI tried to contact the actress and her husband, they sent an SMS saying they were on their way to Gwalior.

Jameel Khan, the show's supervising producer, said, "The allegations are baseless. We sacked the employee immediately after her husband complained to our producer. I have the call sheet and her signature of entry and exit from the studio. She shot the entire day and the time she has alleged the incident took place, there were about 20 people from the production house. No one heard of anything. She should've immediately complained, which she didn't.''

A police officer, though, said, "The accused asked her to go to makeup room number 2 and started assigning work to the ground staff. A few minutes later, he entered the room and raped her. He warned the victim that if she raised her voice, she would kill her and her daughter."

Khan said, "The actor and her husband are only trying to gain publicity. I can tell you one thing nothing happened on our set."

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Narasimha Rao had asked Kalam to be ready for nuclear test

NEW DELHI: Just two days before announcement of results of the 1996 general election, then prime minister P V Narasimha Rao had directed A P J Abdul Kalam, scientific adviser to the defence minister at the time, to keep his team ready for a nuclear test.

However, with the poll outcome throwing up a change in government, Rao ensured his impending successor Atal Behari Vajpaee was briefed in his presence on the nuke test plans and so enabled a smooth takeover of the nuclear programme.

This was revealed by Kalam himself while delivering the 7th R N Kao Memorial Lecture, organized by the Research and Analyses wing of the Cabinet Secretariat, here on Thursday. "I still remember a scene during May 1996. It was 9 'o' clock. I got a call ....that I should meet Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao immediately," Kalam said.

According to the father of India's missile programme, who later went on to become the President of India, Rao told him, "Kalam, be ready with the department of atomic energy and your team for the N-test and I am going to Tirupati. You wait for my authorization to go ahead with the test. DRDO-DAE teams must be ready for action".

Recounting Rao's plans were not meant to be as "the election result was quite different from what he anticipated", Kalam said he received yet another call from the then PM asking him to meet him along with Prime Minister-designate Vajpayee. This was "so that the smooth takeover of such a very important programme can take place," he elaborated.

However, the nuke test plans could not be carried out as the Vajpayee government lasted barely 13 days.

Noting that Rao's act of ensuring continuity of the nuclear programme "reveals the maturity and professional excellence of a patriotic statesman who believed that the nation is bigger than the political system," Kalam revealed that the first task he was assigned after Vajpayee embarked on his second stint as the PM in 1998 was to conduct the nuclear test at the earliest.

The Pokhran tests were finally carried out in May, 1998.

Placing the focus of his lecture on cyber terrorism and counter measures, Kalam on Thursday suggested an empowered coordinating agency be set up to receive information about all cyber attacks. Apart from calling for continuous upgrade of technical capabilities by the intelligence agencies, the former President insisted that hacking skills be imparted by scientists, computer software and hardware experts, on the lines of China where virus writing is taught in its military schools.

Kalam suggested human intelligence and electronic intelligence be used as a tool to penetrate terrorist groups, besides building offensive and defensive cyber capabilities on the lines of nuclear capabilities. "Technology-driven covert operations are becoming the order of the day and inflicting collateral damages through critical information infrastructure is threatening to change the conventional wisdom in warfare," he said and sought crippling of the ability of terrorists to use technology for communication.

Kalam also recommended creation of an intelligence cadre, like the Indian Intelligence Service, by recruiting specifically for intelligence agencies. All these recruits, he said, must be made to pass a strict personality test based on evolved and dynamic physiological and psychological aptitude tests.

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Shah Rukh Khan outranks Salman Khan in earning power

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, whose earnings between October 2011 and September 2012 amounted to Rs.202.8 crore, has topped the inaugural Forbes India Celebrity 100 list.

The list, a ranking of India's biggest entertainers based on their income and popularity, also features Bollywood superstar Salman Khan and cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni on the second and third spot, respectively.

Akshay Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar, Kareena Kapoor, Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli and Katrina Kaif are amont the top 10.

Both Salman and Dhoni are ahead of Shah Rukh in terms of popularity and fame, but King Khan occupies the top spot courtesy his earning power, mainly riding on massive income from brand endorsements, according to the official website of the magazine.

By Forbes India estimates, SRK, who also features on the magazine's cover, earned Rs 202.8 crore, compared to Salman's Rs 144.2 crore and Dhoni's Rs 135.16 crore in the said period.

The Forbes India's special edition "decodes what lies behind the success of India's biggest creative entrepreneurs across eight categories: film actors, directors, sport stars, TV personalities, singers/musicians, authors, models and comedians", it said.

The list was arrived at after a rigorous data collection process that considered the celebrities' income (from the business of entertainment) and fame (as measured by media mentions, online presence and social media followers) in a definite time period.

Dhoni, captain of the Indian cricket team, is the top sportsperson, while Oscar-winning composer A.R.Rahman leads the pack of singers/musicians and is the only representative of the category in the top 20.

Malaika Arora Khan is the leading TV personality, and Karan Johar is the most powerful director. Author Chetan Bhagat, comedian Vir Das and model Esha Gupta topped their respective categories.

A majority of celebrities who made it to the list fall in the age bracket of 30 to 50. However, 12 youngsters, including Saina Nehwal, Virat Kohli, Anusukha Sharma and Sania Mirza have broken into the top 50.

At 23, Saina Nehwal is the youngest celebrity on the list.

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'Vishwaroopam' screening stopped in Hyderabad, Bangalore

CHENNAI: Many theatres in Bangalore and Hyderabad cancelled morning and noon shows of Kamal Haasan movie 'Vishwarooopam' on Friday after authorities requested them to help avoid law and order problems on a day when Muslims celebrate the Milad-un-Nabi festival.

Representatives of Rajkamal Films said that talks were on with police and theatre owners to arrive at a time to screen the movie in both the cities.

"It will release either in the late afternoon or evening slot," said an official. Around 90 screens in Kerala screened the movie in the morning though some shows were disrupted in places like Palakkad.

The cancelled shows will add to the problems of the film, which has not been released in Tamil Nadu due to a state government decision.

Collectors of all districts in the state had asked theatres to not screen the movie after various Muslim organisations, including the Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam and the Tamil Nadu Tauheed Jamaat, objected to the portrayal of Muslims in the film.

After the producer filed a writ petition, the Madras high court put off the release till January 28. It will also review the content to check whether it contains offensive references.

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Kamal Haasan moves HC to get two-week ban lifted on 'Vishwaroopam'

Actor Kamal Haasan lashes out at Tamil Muslim groups protesting against his film Vishwaroopam, which prompted Tamil Nadu government to prevent its screening in theatres for two weeks

Actor-director Kamal Haasan on Thursday decided to seek legal recourse to get his film Vishwaroopam released on January 25 as scheduled. Buckling under pressure from some Muslim organisations opposed to the film saying it showed the community in a poor light, the state government decided on Wednesday evening to prohibit its screening in theatres across the state. The government cited law and order problems if the film was released in theatres in the state on the same day when Milad un-Nabi was celebrated.

Lashing out at Muslim groups protesting against his film, the actor said, despite having always worked for communal amity, he was now being ruthlessly used as a vehicle by small groups seeking a political profile.

"Any neutral and patriotic Muslim will surely feel pride on seeing my film. It was designed for that purpose," said the actor in a brief statement. Kamal Haasan, who is in the U.S. for preparations for the film's overseas release on Friday, said, "Now I will rely on law and logic to come to our support. This kind of cultural terrorism will have to stop."

While he was touched by the voices in support for him and his film, he was appalled at how it was construed to be against "my Muslim brothers", said the actor. "I am not only hurt by these accusations of denigrating a community but my sensibilities are truly insulted," he said. Sources said the actor moved the Madras high court this morning and the case is likely to he taken up shortly.

"My statements in favour of the Muslim community have marked me as a sympathizer. I have always gone beyond the call of my duty as an actor to voice my opinion in favour of what was humane and civil. I have been part of an organization called Harmony India which worked for Hindu Muslim amity," Haasan said in his statement.

Thanking those who "rose to the occasion" and to his support on the Internet, the actor said, "Icon bashing is a great way to be noticed when you are not one yourself. It is happening again and again."

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Google announces redesigned, faster image search

NEW DELHI: Search giant Google has revamped its image search feature. In a blog post, company's associate product manager, Hongyi Li, said that based on feedback from both users and webmasters, the company has redesigned Google Images.
The revamped Google Images page will be faster and more reliable than the current version, claims the post. The images will soon be displayed in an inline panel and will be accompanied by the associated metadata and key information.

In the post on the official Google Webmaster blog, Hongyi Li said users "will be able to quickly flip through a set of images by using the keyboard. If you want to go back to browsing other search results, just scroll down and pick up right where you left off."

Li wrote that important information about any particular image, such as its size, name of the domain hosting it and title of host page, will appear next to the image. Moreover, the domain name will become clickable once the redesigned image search goes live. He also said, "We also added a new button to visit the page the image is hosted on. This means that there are now four clickable targets to the source page instead of just two."

With this update, Google has done away with the policy of loading the source page of an image in an iframe, which optimises the user experience. This update will bring Google Images for desktops closer to its tablet counterpart.

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Where will you go when BJP comes to power? Nitin Gadkari threatens I-T officials

NAGPUR : A day after becoming a "free man", Nitin Gadkari today held out a threat to I-T authorities, probing dubious fundings in the Purti group with which he was associated, saying nobody would save them when BJP came to power at the Centre.

"As BJP president I had to maintain dignity and work within boundaries....Now I am a free man. Congress' boat is about to sink and when our party comes to power, there would be no Chidambaram or Sonia to save them (IT officials)," Gadkari said addressing party workers, a day after demitting office.

On home turf for the first time since the on-field inquiries by taxmen on Tuesday put paid to his hope of getting a second straight term as BJP chief, Gadkari said,"Earlier CBI was doing Congress's bidding and now the I-T people are following suit.

"I know how they are hatching conspiracies against me sitting in Delhi, Nagpur and Pune....I also know their names. Some people in the organisation sympathetic to me and BJP have told me about this," he said.

IT's on-field inquiries at 11 premises in Mumbai belonging to alleged shell companies related to the Purti Group on January 22, a day ahead of the election for the post of BJP president, which Gadkari looked all set to win with RSS backing, had forced a rethink and he was finally elbowed out of the contest.

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Bharti Airtel, Idea raise call tariffs

NEW DELHI: Bharti Airtel Ltd, India's top mobile phone carrier, said it has raised voice call prices to account for rising costs, sending shares of telecommunication companies higher as investors bet that rivals will follow the market leader.

Idea Cellular Ltd, India's No.3 carrier by revenue and No.4 by customers, also said Wednesday it had effectively raised voice call prices in some parts of the country after withdrawing promotional offers. It gave no details.

Vodafone India too has clearly indicated it will hike the prices. According to an official spokesperson of the company, the price rise had become "inevitable given the sharp input and energy price increases" in the country.

Welcoming the "price rationalization" by competitors, Vodafone said it was studying these moves individually across all its circles. "We are inclined to follow to maintain consistency and competitive position though we haven't decided on our precise circle-wise moves," said the company spokesperson.

The price increases come as mobile phone carriers in India face billions of dollars in airwave surcharges after the government overhauled its system of spectrum sales in response to a massive scandal in 2011 over an alleged below-market-price sale of permits and airwaves three years before.

The government will sell airwaves through open bidding in March, four months after the first such auction, with the minimum bid price at both auctions more than six times the previous fees set by the government.

"Part of the tariff hike is driven by cost pressures and also it is sort of a pre-emptive move in order to improve financials because we have got a major auction coming up," said Harit Shah, a sector analyst at Nirmal Bang Equities Pvt. Ltd.

Shah said he expects moderate increases in future prices, which could put pressure on call volumes.

"India being a price-sensitive market, I don't think you should assume no impact on usage," he said.

The market of nearly 900 million customers, the biggest after China, has not seen a sustained increase in call prices in the last three years after a vicious price war sent call rates tumbling in late 2009.

There is no certainty the new rates will stick. Operators dialled back a 2011 increase when they lost market share.

Bharti Airtel said in a statement it did not increase headline tariffs but reduced promotional benefits and free minutes offered to customers, adding that the price change was in line with the increase in its costs.

While the latest move to increase prices may not be sufficient to reverse declining profit at Bharti Airtel, it is at least a sign of things to come as companies struggle with higher regulatory fees and other costs, analysts said.

Shares in Bharti Airtel rose more than 4 percent after the news. Idea was up 4 percent and Reliance Communications Ltd

gained as much as 3 percent, although both fell into negative territory later in the day.

Cutting free minutes
A source familiar with the matter separately told Reuters that Bharti Airtel is reducing free minutes by up to a quarter and has increased prices of some call vouchers for prepaid customers by Rs 5-15 (10 to 30 cents).

The price increase will be extended to all of India's 22 telecommunications zones in phases, the source said, declining to be identified because the information was confidential.

Reliance Communications, the country's third-biggest phone carrier by customers, raised some voice call prices last September. A company spokesman did not offer any immediate comment when asked if they were planning a further increase.

Voice calls account for about 85 percent of industry revenue, with mobile data still at a nascent stage. But call rates are some of the lowest in the world, often less than 1 cent per minute, squeezing profits at operators.

The good news is competition in a market once crowded with 15 players is easing after several smaller operators either folded or cut back operations, following a Supreme Court order last year to revoke their permits.

Still, the market has seven national operators, a large number by global standards, and more could emerge as the government gears up for airwave auctions. The industry has long been ripe to consolidate, but tight rules and uncertainty over regulations have deterred deals.

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Google's search business struggling?

Although Google is scrambling to meet consumers as they flock to mobile devices, the question is whether it is moving fast enough.

When Google announced its fourth-quarter earnings, investors were watching closely for positive signals of Google's progress in the evolution to a mobile world.

They received a disappointing sign: The price that advertisers paid Google each time someone clicked on an ad, known as cost per click, decreased 6 per cent from the year-ago quarter, falling for the fifth consecutive quarter, year over year. It has been declining in large part because mobile ads cost advertisers less, and more people are using Google on their mobile devices and fewer on their desktop computer.

Still, there was some evidence that Google was making progress in solving the mobile challenge. The price for clicks on ads rose 2 per cent from last quarter.

Analysts had mixed reactions to Google's financial report. The company exceeded their expectations on profit, but disappointed on revenue. That was at least in part because analysts are still figuring out how to account for Motorola Mobility, the struggling cellphone maker that Google acquired last year.

Larry Page, Google's chief executive and co-founder, was optimistic in a statement.

"In today's multi-screen world we face tremendous opportunities as a technology company focused on user benefit," he said. "It's an incredibly exciting time to be at Google."

The company reported fourth-quarter revenue of $14.42 billion, an increase of 36 per cent over the year-ago quarter. Net revenue, which excludes payments to the company's advertising partners, was $11.34 billion, up from $8.13 billion.

Net income rose 13 per cent to $10.65 a share.

The fourth quarter is generally Google's brightest because it makes much of its money on retail ads that run during the holiday shopping season. Analysts had expected revenue of $10.47 a share, on revenue of $12.3 billion. Google warned last week that analysts' expectations were off target because Google sold Motorola's set-top box division during the quarter so it did not include it in the quarterly results. Still, even including that division of Motorola, Google's revenue would have missed expectations.

Shares of Google, which fell slightly during the day, were up 4 per cent in after-hours trading. "This is supposed to be Google's quarter to shine, the December quarter, and we're going to have it all mucked up by Motorola," said Colin Gillis, an analyst at BGC Partners.

This holiday season was the first that Google charged e-commerce companies to be included in its comparison shopping engine, and these so-called product listing ads contributed to its bottom line.

"Q4 retail is absolutely crucial for Google's earnings," said Sid Shah, director of business analytics at Adobe, which handles $2 billion in annual advertising spending. "Despite talk about retail having a weak season, Google's product listing ad program has taken off quite successfully."

Nonetheless, Google's mobile challenge overhung even its usual holiday shopping sparkle. Consumers are increasingly shopping on phones and tablets, yet Google and other companies have not yet figured out how best to profit from mobile users.

"You would expect Google to be a key player benefiting from mobile, but that hasn't played out in the last year," said Jordan Rohan, an analyst at Stifel Nicolaus.

One problem is that advertisers pay about half as much for an ad on a mobile device, in part because they are not yet sure how effective mobile ads can be.

Another challenge for Google is that consumers increasingly use apps, like Yelp or Kayak, to search on mobile devices instead of using Google. Even when consumers use Google for mobile searches, they are often doing so on Apple devices like iPhones, for which Google has to pay Apple a fee.

This shift is happening as Google's biggest, most lucrative business - desktop search - is slowing. The share of clicks on Google results that happen on desktop computers has fallen to 73 per cent from 77 per cent in the last six months, while the share of clicks on tablets and smartphones has increased to 27 per cent from 23 per cent, according to data from Adobe.

Meanwhile, Google has a new competitor in search: Facebook, which last week introduced a new form of personalized social search on the site.

Google has also recently become a maker of mobile devices, both by acquiring Motorola and by producing the line of Nexus devices with manufacturer partners. In the fourth quarter, Google sold about 1.5 million Nexus phones and tablets, not including those sold by other retailers, according to estimates from JPMorgan.

In the fourth quarter, a weight was lifted from Google when the Federal Trade Commission closed its antitrust investigation of Google's search practices. But it remains under investigation in Europe, where the outcome is expected to be harsher.

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Ind vs Eng: India beat England by 5 wickets to clinch the 5-match ODI series

MOHALI: A rejuvenated India clinched the one-day series against England as the hosts rode on the batting heroics of Suresh Raina (89 not out) and Rohit Sharma (83) to fashion a comfortable five-wicket victory in the penultimate game and take an unassailable 3-1 lead on Wednesday.

Scorecard | Match in Pics

The Indians first restricted the visitors to 257 for seven and then overcame some anxious moments before overhauling the target with 15 balls to spare in a floodlit contest played in cold conditions at the PCA stadium.

Though the hosts had the game in control after putting England into bat, they conceded as many as 100 runs in the last ten overs with unheralded Joe Root (57 not out off 45 balls) and Kevin Pietersen (76) providing the late sparks with some lusty hits.

Captain Alastair Cook was another notable performer with a knock of 76.

But the Indians held their nerve during the run chase and it was ultimately Raina who guided the team home.

It was a creditable series victory for Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men who had come under fire for indifferent performances in recent times, which saw the team lose a Test series to England and an ODI series defeat against arch rivals Pakistan at home.

It was Rohit Sharma, rated as highly talented but one who has seldom delivered, who turned the spotlight on himself as he grabbed with both hands an unexpected opportunity to feature in the playing eleven as an opener in place of Ajinkya Rahane.

Sharma proved his class with some delightful shots to lay the foundation for the chase and his show will enhance his chances of cementing a place in the ODI team.

Ravindra Jadeja hit the winning runs by taking three off Jade Dernbach to trigger off scenes of wild celebrations in the galleries and the Indian dressing room where the players hugged each other.

The two teams will now move to the picturesque town of Dharamsala for the last and final match on Sunday, though it has now been rendered inconsequential.

India lost opener Gautam Gambhir early but the left- hander, who has been out of form for quite a while, was distinctly unlucky to have been adjudged caught behind by umpire Steve Davis as replays suggested that there was no edge.

Gambhir tried to poke at an outside-the-offstump delivery off Tim Bresnan and the English fielders appealed for a caught behind which was upheld by the umpire. Gambhir was shocked and was seen shaking his head while walking to the pavilion.

The hosts could have been in more trouble had Pietersen not spilled a difficult catch of Sharma when he was on 12, with Bresnan being the bowler.

Sharma and Virat Kohli steadied the innings with a 52-run partnership for the second before James Tredwell struck for his team in his very first over by evicting Kohli for 26.

It was a tossed up delivery and Kohli drove it straight to the bowler for a simple return catch.

Local hero Yuvraj, who joined the action after Kohli's dismissal, did not survive long as he fell prey to Tredwell, who trapped him leg before as he went for a pre-meditated sweep shot.

Sharma notched up his 13th ODI half century and celebrated the moment by spanking Tredwell for a six and a four off consecutive deliveries.

Sharma, who came into the team in place of an out-of-form Rahane, found an able ally in Raina who scored at a brisk race to put the pressure back on the visitors. The pair scored 50 runs off just 37 balls.

Just when they seemed to be going great guns, Steve Finn provided the breakthrough by sending back Sharma with a ball that dipped in sharply, trapping the batsman leg before wicket. Sharma's 83 came off 93 balls and contained 11 boundaries and a six.

Raina was lucky to get a reprieve when he was caught by Cook in the slip but Davis signalled a dead ball as the bowler Finn had knocked the stumps over on his delivery stride, much to the relief of a near-capacity crowd.

Earlier, put into bat, England lost three wickets in quick succession in the middle of the innings after a reasonably good start, but the young Root unleashed a stunning counter attack to steer the total past the 250 mark, which looked doubtful at one stage.

Root, who clobbered eight boundaries and a six during his 45-ball blitzkrieg, and Pietersen were largely responsible for England's recovery.

Spinner Ravindra Jadeja was the pick of the Indian bowlers with 3/39 while Ishant Sharma 2/47 and R Ashwin 2/63 were the other wicket takers.

England's opening pair put on 37 runs for the first wicket before Ishant provided the breakthrough by evicting Bell, who perished to a rash stroke.

Bell decided to step out against Ishant but could not get to the pitch of the ball and Kumar pulled off a brilliant diving catch at the third man region.

Pietersen, who joined the action after Bell's dismissal, started off watchfully and took some time to get off the mark.

The experienced duo of Cook and Pietersen kept the scoreboard moving with gentle nudges and pushes and did not take too many risks as they steered England past 100.

The duo stitched 95 runs for the second wicket before off spinner Ashwin came to the hosts' rescue by dismissing Cook in what appeared to be a dubious decision by Sudhir Asnani.

Cook was wrapped on the pad while trying to play forward but the ball appeared to have pitched outside the leg stump line. Cook slammed 13 boundaries during his knock which came off 106 balls.

The departure of Cook triggered off a collapse of sorts as Eoin Morgan (3) and Samit Patel (1) perished in quick succession as England slipped from a comfortable 132 for one to 142 for four.

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Filipino cities gain in outsourcing ranking

The latest annual ranking of the top 100 global outsourcing destinations by Tholons, an advisory firm for global outsourcing and research, places Manila at No. 3, up from No. 4 in last year's survey. It has pushed Delhi down to No. 4.

The author has posted comments on this articleMini Joseph Tejaswi, TNN | Jan 22, 2013, 06.21AM IST

BANGALORE: The Philippines, led by its capital Manila and followed by secondary cities such as Cebu, Mandaluyong and Taguig, has emerged as a key IT/ITeS destination, posing a challenge to India's outsourcing story.

The latest annual ranking of the top 100 global outsourcing destinations by Tholons, an advisory firm for global outsourcing and research, places Manila at No. 3, up from No. 4 in last year's survey. It has pushed Delhi down to No. 4. Cebu City too went up one rank in the top 10, pushing Dublin (Ireland) down. Indian dominance continues though, with six Indian cities in the top 10 and Bangalore still the No. 1.

The critical factors that are adding momentum to Philippines are its cultural and accent similarities with the US, cost competitiveness, and a strong positive perception of BPO careers (they are not stop-gap careers like in India). The Philippines government is also keeping its focus firm on the development of the industry through grants and infrastructure developments.

Salil Dani, practice director at outsourcing advisory and research firm Everest Group, said the Philippines is cheaper by up to 70% for US companies. "The country is the leader in voice (call centres). But its non-voice story is still untold. A lot of Indian and global BPOs in the financial, analytical, HR and people-based services are expanding in the country. The Philippines' current IT/ITeS market is $14 billion, of which IT is only $2 billion. But remember, a few years ago the total market was barely $7 billion. Look at the way it's catching up," said Dani. Ankita Vashistha, managing director, Tholons, said costs are rising in India. "Infrastructure and quality of life are also under pressure in Indian cities and these could impact growth in the future," she said.

Convergys, a US-based customer management solutions company, has 18 call centres in the Philippines. UnitedHealth, a US-based healthcare provider, has back-office operations in Taguig City. EXL is opening its third centre in Cebu City. IBM is planning to grow its BPO services in the country, focusing on higher value analytics and high-value customer support services. Wells Fargo & Co is setting up a business support centre in Taguig City to provide customer service and back office services. JP Morgan Chase has recently expanded in Manila by establishing a 1,000-employee facility.

Sanjay Dhawan, executive director at PricewaterhouseCoopers, said local government had created a lot of momentum. "More and more corporations are keen to expand to the country as no one wants to put all their eggs in the same (India) basket."

Pradeep Udhas, executive director at KPMG, said the Philippines had learned lessons from India in terms of best practices, talent management and handling taxation challenges. Som Mittal, president of Indian IT/ITeS industry body Nasscom, dismissed concerns that India had reasons to worry: "Our own companies are expanding to the region. Outsourcing is a global play. So it's less about competition and more about partnership."

Malaysian cities have also moved up in Tholons listing, as have Latin American cities. Montevideo, capital of Uruguay, has moved up six places to No. 37, Bogota, capital of Colombia, has moved up six places to No. 49, and Medellin, Colombia's second largest city, has moved up seven places to No. 53. This indicates a sense of urgency in Latin American countries to explore new industries like outsourcing, said the Tholons report.

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Teachers' recruitment scam: Om Prakash Chautala, son get 10 years in jail

NEW DELHI: In a judgement that could have electoral ramifications in Haryana, former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala and his son Ajay Chautala were sentenced on Tuesday to 10 years imprisonment for corruption amidst scenes of violence by his supporters at a Delhi court complex.

Special CBI Judge Vinod Kumar, who last week had convicted the Chautalas and 53 others, including two IAS officers, for corruption in a teachers' recruitment scam and other charges, handed them varying jail terms.

78-year-old Chautala senior, a five-time former chief minister, and his son 51-year-old Ajay Chautala are both sitting MLAs and could stand disqualified from contesting the assembly elections next year if their conviction is not stayed by a higher court.

Under the Representation of the People Act, a person convicted of any offence and sentenced to more than two years imprisonment shall be disqualified from the date of conviction and for a further period of six years after his release.

Unfazed by the violence outside, the judge read out the order of sentencing as Chautala's supporters thronged the court complex threw stones and crude bombs and clashed with police who resorted to lathi charge and use of tear gas in a bid to restore order.

The senior Chautala was not present in the court because of his hospitalisation after being taken into custody last week, his son and all the other convicts were present in the court.

Apart from the Chautalas, the court has awarded ten years imprisonment to Sanjiv Kumar, the then director of primary education, Chautala's former officer on special duty Vidya Dhar, both IAS officers, and political advisor to the then Haryana CM Sher Singh Badshami, curently a sitting MLA.

All the 55 convicts have been convicted and sentenced under sections 120B(criminal conspiracy) , 418(cheating), 467(forgery), 471 (using forged documents as genuine) of the IPC and sections 13 (1) (d) and 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Apart from the five main accused, four others including a woman have been awarded 10 years jail term, one has been given five years and the rest 45 given four years sentence.

Earlier in the morning, much before the court was to pronounce the sentence, hundreds of supporters of Indian National Lok Dal clashed with police which used batons and teargas to control them outside the court where barricades were set up to prevent them from entering.

The supporters hurled bottles filled with flammable spirits into the court complex but none was injured.

The supporters had gathered outside the complex in the early hours and clashed with police after it prevented them from entering the court complex. The police used batons and teargas to control the supporters.

On January 16, the court had held 78-year-old Om Prakash Chautala, his son Ajay Chautala and 53 others guilty of illegally recruiting 3,206 junior basic trained (JBT) teachers in the state in 2000.

Apart from the five main accused, the four others who were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment are Durga Dutt Pradhan, Bani Singh, Daya Saini and Madan Lal Kalra.

Five years imprisonment was handed down to Pushkar Mal Verma.

Earlier in the day, District Judge S K Sarvaria, several judges and senior police officers went around the court complex to inspect security and to see what can be done to manage the welling crowd outside the Rohini court.

The court on January 16, while convicting all the 55 accused in the case of illegal recruitment of 3,206 junior basic trained teachers, had held Chautala senior as the "main conspirator".

The court had relied on the testimony of Sanjiv Kumar who initially was a whistle blower but in the CBI probe that followed he was found to be involved in the scam.

The CBI had filed its chargesheet in a Delhi court after its probe established that a conspiracy on making second lists was hatched at Haryana Bhawan here by calling the chairpersons and members of the district-level selection committees of 18 districts.

They were also called at a guest house in Chandigarh, where the modalities were worked out, it had said.

The court had said that first IAS officer RP Chander (CBI witness), who was the then director of primary education, had given a proposal for declaring the results of successful candidates in April 2000, but he was transferred on the next day itself.

Subsequently, IAS officer Rajni Shekri Sibal (CBI witness), was brought in at Chander's place and she was asked by accused Badshami and Vidya Dhar to change the award lists in the presence of Ajay Chautala, it had said.

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Google may soon replace passwords

LONDON: Search giant Google is set to kill off passwords and is experimenting with USB keys, mobile phones and even jewelry that can act as a physical 'key' to give users access to their account.

The firm's security experts including an Indian are set to publish their findings next month, the 'Daily Mail' reported.

In the upcoming issue of IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine, Google Vice President of Security Eric Grosse and engineer Mayank Upadhyay will detail what is basically a physical key with a 'smart chip' embedded inside it.

"Along with many in the industry, we feel passwords and simple bearer tokens such as cookies are no longer sufficient to keep users safe," the pair write in their paper, according to Wired.

To log, users simply place the tiny Universal Serial Bus (USB) drive into their computer.

The firm is also believed to be experimenting with wireless chips that are already built into some mobile phones, and can even be built in jewelry.

"We'd like your smartphone or smartcard-embedded finger ring to authorise a new computer via a tap on the computer, even in situations in which your phone might be without cellular connectivity," the team writes.

"One option uses a tiny USB key called a YubiKey. When the user plugs the key into a latop, they are automatically logged into all of their Google accounts - without ever having to type in a password," they explain.

"Another option uses a 'smartcard-embedded finger ring to authorise a new computer via a tap on the computer," they said.

The firm is also believed to be addressing the obvious problem with the system users losing their 'key' and is thought to be developing a simple system to replace them.

However, the pair admit that they will have to rely on websites to support the scheme.

"Others have tried similar approaches but achieved little success in the consumer world," they write.

"Although we recognise that our initiative will likewise remain speculative until we've proven large scale acceptance, we're eager to test it with other websites," they say.

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Salman Khan inks 500cr deal with entertainment channel

Bollywood heartthrob Salman Khan has signed a 500-crore deal with an entertainment channel.

According to sources, the agreement, which is first of its kind in India, includes airing all of Khan's films that will release in the next five years.

The 47-year-old actor, who is considered to be the most popular celebrity on social media and whose popularity on TV is supposed to be multiplying with time, seems to have cast an indelible impact on viewers across all age groups.

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Rahul Gandhi’s emotional charge floors Congress members

JAIPUR: Rahul Gandhi left Congress reeling when he went through the pain and tribulation of seeing his childhood badminton partners kill his grandmother Indira Gandhi, melting the gathering at chintan shivir (brainstorming session) with an emotional connect, just when he had enthused it with a 'bomb the headquarters' promise to radically transform the party.

In a stunning revelation, Rahul said as a "little boy", he had learnt to play badminton at 1, Safdarjung Road, with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's two securitymen. He liked to shuffle feet in badminton courts in search of balance in the complicated world. "They were my friends. Then one day, they killed my grandmother and took way the balance in my life," he said.

That the 14-year-old Gandhi scion had played badminton with Satwant Singh and Beant Singh, who later assassinated Indira, surprised Congressmen plonked in Birla auditorium and many others craning their neck at the doors to hear the new leader who was elevated to the post of vice-president on Saturday.

Rahul Gandhi's inaugural speech drifted from hard-nosed idealism to moving sentimentalism, a combination that had the auditorium in splits and roars, only to bring it to tears to conclude the session.

Rahul made the surprise revelation to narrate how his family repeatedly suffered fatal setbacks, first Indira and then Rajiv, but how they had no option of keeping away from politics.

He disclosed his mother's mixed feelings at his elevation on Saturday, at once happy at having persuaded the hesitant son to take the big leap but possibly terrified by what she had suffered.

"Last night, my mother came to my room and she cried. Why did she cry? She cried because she understands that the power so many people seek its actually a poison she can see it," he said, urging the leaders that power was best not chased for kicks but used to empower the weak.

The delivery and narrative was unbridled sentimentalism — quintessentially American in style and substance. Except that it also melted the Indians and the Congressmen present.

But Rahul was not all emotion. He deftly settled into the new position as 'insider-outsider', jibing at Congress with "nobody knows if there are any rules and regulations in the 127-year-old party". He sought to remove the doubts about his persisting 'reluctant prince' image by saying there was no turning back after taking the big leap. "I like to end again by saying that for me the Congress party is now my life," he said.

Rahul chided the Congress, as also the political system, as a closed society that was not responding to aspirations of young, impatient India seeking a voice in "nation's future". He said the solution lay in changing the system rather than improvising it. He mocking of the fake champions fostered by political process evoked loud guffaws. "People who are corrupt stand up and talk about eradicating corruption... and people who disrespect women everyday of their life... talk about women's rights," he said.

The call to change the system surprisingly went down well with the people given that he has been a power centre in Congress for eight years and his family has been at the helm of the party for decades.

It was a veritable Sunday show-stopper from Rahul, strong enough to choke not just the throats but also airwaves and cyberspace. To observers, the debut could not be better for the leader often seen as reluctant and out of place in the game seeking better aptitude from its purveyors. There is also speculation on who Rahul would have consulted for his speech.

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Andhra MP Asaduddin Owaisi surrenders in Hyderabad court

HYDERABAD: MIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, against whom a non-bailable warrant was pending in a 2005 case, on Monday appeared before a court in Sangareddy town of Medak district which remanded him in judicial custody till February 2.

Asaduddin, who is accused number 1 in the case, filed a 'recall petition' in the court seeking cancellation of NBW.

However, the court dismissed his petition and remanded him in judicial custody till February 2, a senior police officer said.

Asaduddin, along with his brother - jailed Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi, were among others booked by the Patancheru police for obstructing the then Medak Collector A K Singhal from discharging his duties, among other charges.

Following his remand, Asaduddin was in the process of moving a bail application in the court, sources said.

Earlier, Akbaruddin Owaisi, who is under judicial custody in connection with an alleged hate speech, was produced before the court in Sangareddy town on January 17 by the Patancheru Police for execution of NBW in the case registered against the legislator in 2005.

The case was registered on a complaint by a revenue official that MIM leaders, including Akbaruddin Owaisi and his brother Asaduddin Owaisi, protested demolition of a place of worship at Muttangi village near Patancheru during a road widening process of Hyderabad-Mumbai National Highway.

They had allegedly engaged in heated arguments with the then District Collector A K Singhal and other officers.

Subsequently, some MIM leaders had appeared before the court and filed 'recall petition'.

However, the Owaisi brothers "failed" to appear before the court, after which a non-bailable warrant (NBW) was issued against them as they did not turn up in court in connection with the case registered in 2005.

Owaisi brothers and others were booked under IPC sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), 147 (rioting), 186 (obstructing public servant while discharging duties) and seven other IPC sections.

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'Sophiya Haque led a life as colourful as her repertoire'

ANAND HOLLA, Mumbai Mirror Jan 19, 2013, 12.00AM IST

(Sophiya HaqueMore Pics )

Sophiya Haque, who captured the imagination of a young India waking up to the global village, led a life as colourful as her repertoire

For those who grew up in the '90s, Sophiya Haque was the brightest star of that trailblazing brigade of young, western and trendy Video Jockeys that let young India in on the sunnier side of a changing entertainment scene.

The vivacious Haque, who wore multiple hats with great elan - actor, singer, VJ, dancer and later even a DJ on BBC Asian Network - passed away in her sleep in London on Wednesday night. Haque, who lived with her partner, musical conductor David White, was diagnosed with cancer recently. She was 41.

Born to a British mother and a Bangladeshi father in Portsmouth on June 14, 1971, Haque dabbled in dance as a child, and studied at the Arts Educational School in London.

Although she first tasted success as a silken-voiced singer when Warner Bros signed a deal with her band Akasa (which means outer space in Sanskrit) in the late '80s, she earned fame and fan following when she turned to VJ-ing for almost a decade - first for MTV Asia, and later for Channel V, most famously for her show Sophiya's Choice.

As an under-revamp Channel V got rid of all its VJs at the end of the '90s, Haque kept herself busy with dance and films. She starred in Sunhil Sippy's mad indie comedy Snip! (2000) and also displayed her dancing chops in the racy September Madham from Mani Ratnam's 2000 film Alaipayuthey (remade as Saathiya in Hindi). But bit roles or dancing with Salman Khan in Aisa Pehli Baar Hua Hai (Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega) couldn't keep her spiritedness interested for long.

In 2002, Haque returned to UK and turned majorly to theatre, starring in ambitious West End productions like Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Bombay Dreams, Wah! Wah! Girls and The Far Pavilions. Meanwhile, she also starred with Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy in the 2008 action film Wanted.

Luke Kenny, one of Haque's earliest collaborators on Channel V, said, "This is such a shock for all of us who have worked with her. We were one large family. What I've heard is that she had been admitted with pneumonia. But when they ran some tests they found she was in the last stage of cancer. We're still waiting to get the complete picture."

Reports say that Haque was diagnosed with cancer just weeks ago and was undergoing tests when she developed a clot on her lungs and died.

Stuart Piper, managing director of Cole Kitchenn, called Sophiya "one of the most inspirational people". "She was the kind of person you always want to spend time with: full of light, warmth, compassion, care and with an infectiously wicked sense of humour and I loved every minute of working with her," he told the press.

Malaika Arora-Khan, her contemporary, said, "I was a VJ with MTV and she was with channel V. We were friends and would meet at numerous parties and events. I liked how bubbly, cheerful and so full of life she was. She exuded class and sensuality."

Michael Ward, producer of The Far Pavilions, said, "Sophiya was this rare, fantastic combination of complete professionalism and a sense of mischief. I have known very few people who were as vibrant as her. On stage, she was like a mother figure, the centre of gravity for the entire cast. On September 17, 2005, the last show of this production, I remember her sitting and weeping. This had meant so much to her and had brought her such immense appreciation from British producers. She had played a courtesan with such humanity. She didn't know how to hold back. She gave everything her all."

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