Micromax Canvas 4 pre-order starts, specs ‘missing’

TOI Tech Jun 29, 2013, 03.36PM IST

(Micromax has started taking…)

NEW DELHI: Indian mobile manufacturer Micromax has started taking pre-orders for its upcoming Canvas 4 smartphone. However, it has not revealed the specifications or the price of the handset as of now. On the Canvas 4 website, Micromax says that it will unveil the phone and its price on July 8.

Previously, Micromax released two teasers of Canvas 4 on its YouTube channel, which showed that the phone has a 13MP camera on the back. The tagline of the smartphone is "Can Life Be Endless" suggests long battery life. Speculation is rife that the phone will have an eight-core processor, just like Samsung Galaxy S4. Reports citing sources at Micromax claim that the phone will have a price tag of Rs 17,000, run of Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) and a 5MP camera.

Micromax says that 10 customers who pre-book the device before July 6 will be invited to the Canvas 4 launch event.

The manufacturer is taking advanced bookings for Canvas 4 at Rs 5,000. The remaining sum needs to be paid within 7 days of launch and the smartphone will be delivered by July 15. While Micromax requires the Rs 5,000 to be paid in full at the time of booking, the remainder amount can be paid in instalments.

Those who book Canvas 4 but later decide not to purchase it can ask for refunds at the Micromax e-store. The booking amount will be refunded within 7-10 days without levying any interest, said Micromax.

Micromax in January said that it will launch a total of 30 smartphones this year. Since then, it has rolled out devices like Canvas HD, Canvas 3D, Canvas Music, Bolt A35 and Canvas Viva.

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Parents out for shopping, 2-year-old locked in car dies

ALWAR: A two-year-old girl suffocated to death after her parents locked her inside a closed car and went off shopping for an hour. Another sibling and a cousin, who were also left in the car, had to be admitted to hospital in a critical state.

Police said Ishtaq Khan, resident of a nearby village, and his wife Unnas locked the kids, Mahima (2), Parwana (3) and Farhan, their 5-year-old nephew, in Ramgarh town on Friday evening. A police officer said the children soon started suffocating.

"When the couple didn't return even after an hour, the panicked children started banging on the windows in desperation. Some passersby gathered there and saw the children. They tried to break open the window. However, Khan and his wife also reached by then. By that time Mahima had fainted," said the officer.

Khan opened the car's door and rushed the three to a hospital in Ramgarh where the doctors declared Mahima dead. "Parwana and Farhan were admitted to the ICU. However, due to their condition, they were referred to a hospital in Alwar where they are still serious," said the officer.

Police said Khan told them he thought the kids would bother him if he took them along. "He didn't want them to roam around in the market so he locked them in the car and went shopping with his wife," said a police officer. Police didn't say if they were charging the parents for the death and negligence.

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Upbeat India take on West Indies in tri-series

KINGSTON ( JAMAICA): On a roll after their Champions Trophy triumph, the Indian cricket team would aim to continue the unbeaten run when they take on the West Indies, who would be eyeing revenge, in their opening clash of the tri-nation ODI series on Sunday.

The Indians got barely a few days to rejoice after their Champions Trophy win before boarding the flight to the Caribbeans and fatigue could be the only worry for a side which looks in unbeatable form.

The West Indians, on the other hand, would be eager to extract revenge for the loss to India in a Champions Trophy group match.

The hosts have in fact, started impressively in the ongoing series mauling Sri Lanka in their lung-opener. The biggest positive from the game was the return to form of Chris Gayle, who was slightly off-colour in the Champions Trophy.

Gayle's marauding hundred, which included seven sixes and nine fours, helped the West Indies overhaul a 209-run target in a mere 37.5 overs. He would without doubt be the backbone of the West Indian batting against India as well.

Both the sides are well aware of each other's strengths and weaknesses as their key players have played in the Indian Premier League either with or against each other.

Interestingly, rival captains Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo are Chennai Super Kings teammates while Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle turned out for Royal Challengers Bangalore.

A look at the teamsheets will, however, give India the edge. Their batting looks in awesome form. Rohit Sharma, as an opener, proved to be a success in the Champions Trophy.

His partner Shikhar Dhawan is also in sublime form and was the star of India's title-winning campaign. And it is unlikely that India will disturb the winning combination that saw Dinesh Karthik promoted to No. 4 and Dhoni up at No. 5 ahead of Suresh Raina.

On the other hand, in spite of their enormous potential, the West Indies remain a fickle lot. But there is no denying that West Indies have the experience and the talent to give the Indians a run for their money.

Gayle, Johnson Charles, Darren Bravo and Marlon Samuels can see off India's new ball bowlers -- the troika of Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma -- but will have to apply themselves.

West Indies will surely test the Indian batsmen with both speed and spin. Pacers Kemar Roach and Ravi Rampaul can be a handful while spinner Sunil Narine will always have a few tricks up his sleeve.

Squads (from):

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik, Virat Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Amit Mishra, Mohammed Shami, Suresh Raina, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Murali Vijay, Vinay Kumar, Umesh Yadav.

The West Indies: Dwayne Bravo (capt), Chris Gayle, Johnson Charles, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Kieron Pollard, Devon Smith, Darren Sammy, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Sunil Narine, Tino Best, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach.

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Abu Salem escaped this time, but we'll not spare him: Chhota Shakeel

MUMBAI: A day after underworld don Abu Salem was shot at in Taloja jail, a red-faced state government instituted an inquiry and suspended four prison staffers, including a jailor, for dereliction of duty. Around 8pm on Thursday, Salem was fired at by Devendra Jagtap alias JD in the prison's high-security 'anda cell'.

Police sources said the hit on Salem might have been ordered by Dawood Ibrahim aide Chhota Shakeel through Vijay Shetty, who is reported to be operating out of Malaysia. The D-gang, officers added, wants Salem dead because it believes he is passing information on its members to Dawood's bete noire Chhota Rajan.

Shakeel owned up to the murder bid in a phone conversation with TOI: "After Bharat Nepali's death, JD came in contact with me (through Vijay Shetty) and we had a tie-up. Salem escaped this time, but we will not spare him. He ditched bhai (Dawood) and joined hands with our dushman (Chhota Rajan) and tried to take control of the gang in the past. Our enemy's friend is our enemy."

The first round grazed the extradited gangster's right hand; the second missed as Salem jumped behind a 'cardboard cupboard'; and on the third attempt, Jagtap's countrymade revolver jammed. As he stood there steadfast, Jagtap was overpowered by policemen.

The Taloja police have registered a case of attempt to murder against 38-year-old Jagtap and filed a plea for his custody in a Navi Mumbai court. Sources said Jagtap, a professional killer, was promised Rs 5 lakh for Salem's planned assassination. Salem was taken to Mumbai's J J Hospital and after treatment ferried back to Taloja prison.

On Friday, various theories emerged on the motive behind the murder bid and on how Jagtap managed to smuggle a gun into the jail. According to one theory, the firearm was delivered two months ago by an undertrial, Manoj Lahne, lodged at Taloja jail and hidden there all this while by Jagtap. Navi Mumbai police commissioner A K Sharma said the gun was smuggled into the prison some days ago, while another police officer argued: "Four days back, Jagtap's cell was searched, but nothing objectionable was found."

Another theory said JD was passed the revolver on Thursday when he was visiting Mumbai sessions court for a hearing. At the court, sources said, Jagtap met "his underworld boss, Santosh Shetty", who was extradited from Thailand in 2011 to face charges of murder and extortion. Shetty reportedly celebrated his "birthday at the court premises and distributed cake". Jagtap might have smuggled the gun into the prison, sources said, by strapping it to his leg. The Navi Mumbai crime branch is also probing the assertion that Jagtap met his wife and three others at the court.

Jagtap took his first steps into the underworld with ganglord Bharat Nepali and after Nepali's killing shifted loyalties to dons Vijay and Santosh Shetty.

Meanwhile, state home minister R R Patil said additional director general (prisons) Meeran Borwankar will hold a probe into the murder bid on Salem. "Responsibility will be affixed and stringent action, including dismissal, taken against those found guilty." Patil had a closed-door meeting with ATS chief Rakesh Maria on Friday morning and in the evening with Borwankar.

Borwankar conceded that security at Taloja prison had been breached. Its anda cell had no CCTV cameras, unlike many jails in the country.

An old inmate at Taloja jail, Jagtap had a good rapport with the guards there. "This is the reason he was not frisked at the main gate or at the gate of the anda cell, where he was lodged. On nearing Salem's cell, he hurled abuses at the don and then opened fire." said an officer.

(With inputs from Sanjeev Shivadekar)

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Salman Khan spotted with his ladylove

Of late, there's been a strong buzz about Salman Khan's newest ladylove, Romanian actress Lulia Vantur. Reportedly, they've been dating for a while now. Lulia is in India and reports suggest that she is staying with Salman's parents in Mumbai.

While eyewitnesses claim to have spotted the two together, they've been careful to avoid the media glare.

That ended when Salman flew in to Hyderabad for the shoot of Mental accompanied by Lulia on Thursday evening. Though the duo initially walked out of the airport together, on spotting waiting shutterbugs, they exited separately.

While Salman posed, his friend Nadeem was seen shielding Lulia from the flashbulbs. And in a bid to divert media attention from her, Sallu decided to send her off to the hotel in the super luxury car booked for him.

And what did he do instead? Well, he hailed a cab from the airport and hopped into it.

Meanwhile, Telugu Desam Party vice-president, Mohammad Saleem, who was also at the airport at that time, had offered Salman his car so that the star could escape the chaos. But Sallu politely declined the offer and instead took a cab.

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WI vs SL: West Indies defeat Sri Lanka by six wickets

KINGSTON: Opener Chris Gayle was at his attacking best as he smashed a 100-ball 109 to fashion an easy six-wicket victory for the West Indies against Sri Lanka in the opening match of the Tri-series on Friday.

Scorecard | Match in Pics | Points Table

The big-hitting Gayle blasted nine fours and seven sixes in front of his home crowd to make an easy work of the 209-run target at the Sabina Park.

This was Gayle's 21st ODI ton and third on this ground, the previous one coming against New Zealand last year.

Even as Gayle got out after bringing his side to the doorstep of victory -- the West Indies needed just 28 runs for win in 19 overs -- they lost two more wickets after the Jamaican's dismissal.

But skipper Dwayne Bravo and Marlon Samuels kept their cool to see the hosts through for a bonus-point win with 73 balls to spare.

After helping himself to two fours, Gayle did what he is best at -- hitting Jeevan Mendis straight over his head for a six to get the local crowd on their feet.

That was just the beginning of Gayle's assault as he hoicked Nuwan Kulasekara over deep midwicket for another maximum. The next ball was carted over wide long-off for same result.

Sri Lanka's pace spearhead Lasith Malinga was not spared either as his fast bouncer flew off a top-edge for six.

Mendis was hit for two more sixes before Rangana Herath found himself at the receiving end of Gayle's onslaught.

Gayle got to his century with a cheeky single to mid-off, got down on his knees, arms aloft, to celebrate yet another awe-inspiring knock.

Even as Gayle was making a mockery of the chase, the others looked intent on making a heavy weather of it.

While Kieorn Pollard was unlucky to have been wrongly given out lbw by fellow Jamaican Joel Wilson, Darren Bravo's run out seemed unnecessary.

Earlier, West Indies rode on Sunil Narine's 4/40 to bowl out Sri Lanka for a modest total despite skipper Angelo Mathews' battling, unbeaten half-century.

Mathews scored 55 off 77 balls to help Sri Lanka put up a 200-plus total after Mahela Jayawardene's (52 off 52 balls) early enterprise.

Spinner Narine was the wrecker in chief for the hosts, returning impressive figures of 4/40 in 10 overs, as Sri Lanka were bundled out in 48.3 overs.

Narine was well supported by Ravi Rampaul, who finished with 3/38, after West Indies skipper Dwayne Bravo opted to bowl on winning the toss on overcast conditions.

Narine picked up two wickets to put the brakes on Lanka's scoring after Jayawardene and Upul Tharanga got them off to a steady start putting on 62 runs for the first wicket in just over 13 overs.

Pacer Rampaul then came back for his second spell to remove Lahiru Thirimanne and Nuwan Kulasekara as Sri Lanka slumped to 159 for six in the 38th over.

Earlier, Jayawardene hit seven boundaries during his run-a-ball knock, while Mathews found the fence five times.

After being sent into bat, Tharanga had made 25 off 43 balls before Bravo had him caught behind with a short of a length delivery that angled across the left-hander in the 14th over of the innings.

The experienced Kumar Sangakkara got the start but could not capitalise as he was sent back by Narine for 17 off 23 balls. But his long-time teammate Jayawardene looked solid.

While his first boundary looked patchy, Jayawardene got into the groove with a typically elegant four between mid-on and mid-wicket off an overpitched ball by pacer Kemar Roach.

The next one, off the same bower, was dispatched through the deep extra cover region.

However, after getting to his half-century with a reverse-swept boundary, Jayawardene found his nemesis in Narine whose tossed-up offspinner got an inside edge and popped up for wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin to take an easy catch.

The next big wicket came in the form of Sangakkara, Narine being the successful bowler again. The left-handed former captain pushed a flighted delivery straight to Kieron Pollard at extra cover.

After Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal added 36 runs for the 4th wicket, Chandimal was dismissed by Marlon Samuels for a 37-ball 21, innings that also included a six besides two fours.

Even as the others got West Indies the breakthrough, Darren Sammy completed his quota of 10 overs giving away just 34 runs to tie the visitors down in the middle overs.

Sri Lanka needed a substantial partnership at that stage and it looked like they were moving in the right direction before Chandimal gave away his wicket with his team score at 140 for four in 31.1 overs.

Even as Mathews battled hard for runs, Thirimanne and Kulasekara fell in quick succession to leave the Lankans in a spot of bother.

Mathews ensured that his team's total wore a semblance of respectability with his dogged resistance.

Champions Trophy winners India is the other team in the tournament.

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GoAir opts for female crew to save fuel

The airline's 130-odd male flight pursers will keep flying but future cabin crew recruitments will be all airhostesses.

The author has posted comments on this articleSaurabh Sinha, TNN | Jun 28, 2013, 01.14AM IST

NEW DELHI: The falling rupee has claimed a new victim — the male cabin crew. Low cost carrier GoAir has decided to recruit only airhostesses from now on instead of the 'heavier' male flight pursers. The idea is to lighten the aircraft to reduce fuel burn because of increased operating costs.

GoAir currently has 330 cabin crew members, 40% of whom are males. Every additional kg on board costs Rs 3 per flight hour. With an airhostess weighing about 15-20kg less than a male flight purser, Go expects to save about Rs 2.5 crore to Rs 3 crore annually.

The airline's 130-odd male flight pursers will keep flying but future cabin crew recruitments will be all airhostesses. Go plans to induct about 80 aircraft over next seven years, for which it will recruit about 2,000 airhostesses and pilots.

"The rupee's fall has hurt the industry badly. All major expenses — aircraft leasing, spare parts and fuel costs — are linked to the dollar. The fall in exchange rate of a rupee costs us Rs 30 crore on an annual basis. We are looking at every possible way of cost-cutting to remain profitable," GoAir CEO Giorgio De Roni said.

With the rupee's freefall hiking operating costs, the airline has taken other steps to lighten its aircraft and improve fuel efficiency.

"We are reducing the weight on board our aircraft. The size of inflight magazines has been reduced. The potable water tanks are no longer being filled to capacity as only 35% to 40% of that water is actually used. Now the water tanks are filled 60%," De Roni said. Operational procedures have been revised with aircraft now doing single engine taxi to save fuel.

"Our new aircraft will have sharklets (wingtip devices) that will help in reducing fuel burn by 5%. From next year onwards, we will have sharklets installed in five of our existing planes as the remaining 10 will be phased out to have a young fleet," he said.

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15 TV channels break norms, lose licence

NEW DELHI: The I&B ministry has cancelled the licence of 15 channels and suspended the license of seven others for up to 30 days for failing to comply with licensing conditions. Most of these are regional channels. The ministry has also issued notices to 38 channels for making changes in their board of directors and shareholding patterns without government permission.

The move comes on the back of West Bengal-based Saradha group companies acquiring TV channels without prior intimation of the I&B ministry in violation of the uplinking and downlinking guidelines.

"We have also issued notices to about 38 channels that have made changes in their shareholding pattern or board of directors without informing the ministry," confirmed I&B secretary U K Varma.

There are 877 general entertainment and news channels that have been given permission to operate by the ministry in last few years. Following the Saradha group scam, the government had issued notices to the 368 companies running these channels to provide information on their ownership and management control and if there were any changes in that. All channels are supposed to comply by the uplinking and downlinking guidelines or face revocation of licenses.

About 22 channels have not responded to notices of which 15 are not operational. The ministry has decided to cancel their licenses while suspending the license of 7 channels that are operational but have chosen to ignore the government's communication. Most of these are regional channels.

Of the total 238 channels about 25 companies have admitted to changing shareholding patterns while nine have made changes in their board of directors. The ministry has issued notices to 32 channels who made changes in their shareholding pattern while 6 has made changes in their board of directors without informing the ministry.

There are an estimated 100 channels that have sought more time to provide information for which the ministry has asked for a self-certification attesting that no changes in management or ownership have been made.

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Aditya Pancholi adds to Zarina’s woes

Even as his son languishes at Arthur Road Jail, Aditya Pancholi continues to make news for all the wrong reasons. A case was registered against the actor at the Versova police station last night for beating up his neighbour. Pancholi had reportedly trespassed into his neighbour Bhargav Patel's house, abused and assaulted him. Apparently, Pancholi was annoyed with the din created by the ongoing construction work at his neighbour's apartment.

According to the complainant, this was not the first time the family has faced the wrath of the actor. There were similar showdowns on June 6 and June 19 over the same issue. However, this time it turned violent and Pancholi 'pushed, punched and assaulted' Patel. Not willing to take it lying down, Patel rushed to the Versova police and filed a case of trespassing under section 452 and causing voluntarily hurt under section 323 of Indian Penal code.

Cops have recorded Patel's statement and are looking for evidence in the CCTV footage of the building. When they went to the Pancholi residence, Aditya was not there.

In an interview to this newspaper, Zarina Wahab had said that her husband has always been misunderstood. "He is like soda-water," she had said, about his temper that settles down when he is left alone. But the flare--ups have continued. In fact, at Jiah Khan's funeral too, he got into an altercation with mediapersons.

Meanwhile on Thursday, Suraj Pancholi was produced in the Andheri court and his judicial custody was extended till July 1, compounding Zarina's woes.

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Gold, silver prices tumble to lowest since late 2010 on strong US economic data

On Wednesday, gold fell to its lowest in nearly three years.

The author has posted comments on this articleReuters | Jun 26, 2013, 02.02PM IST

LONDON: Gold and silver prices tumbled to their lowest in nearly three years on Wednesday as investors liquidated precious metals after well-received US data fuelled fears the Federal Reserve would rein in its ultra-loose monetary policy.

Spot gold slid to its lowest since September 2010 at $1,233.05 an ounce and was down 3.1% at $1,237.36 an ounce at 0807 GMT. US gold futures for August delivery were down $37.90 an ounce at $1,237.20.

Silver hit its lowest since August 2010 at $18.55 an ounce and was down 4.4% at $18.81 an ounce.

"We've pushed past the $1,270 level seen last week. That's a key technical level so we are going through a whole bunch of stop losses," said Victor Thianpiriya, commodities analyst at Australia and New Zealand Banking Group. Comex gold and spot silver both fell to their lowest since August 2010.

Strong economic data has prompted the Fed's decision to consider a wind-down of bond purchases from later this year and end purchases by mid-2014, raising fears that central banks around the world would pull support. Data on Tuesday showed US consumer confidence jumped in June to its highest level in more than five years, while sales of new US single-family homes rose to their strongest level in nearly five years in May.

PHYSICAL DEMAND SUBDUED

When gold fell the most in thirty years in mid-April after 12 annual gains, strong physical demand in Asia helped cap losses. However, this time around demand has not risen strongly enough to support prices as buyers are waiting on the sidelines for markets to stabilize.

"In April we had a lot of demand, it made it hard to get hold of bullion," said Gregor Gregersen of Silver Bullion Pte Ltd, a gold and silver dealer in Singapore.

"This time, we saw an increase in demand but not the way we saw in April."

Liquidity issues in China have renewed fears of a slowdown in the No. 2 gold consumer. Shanghai gold futures fell nearly 3 percent on Wednesday.

The People's Bank of China has raised concerns of a lasting credit crunch as it tries to curtail a vast informal loan market and shore up growth, although it has sought to allay fears that its tough stance will lead to a banking crisis.

Demand in India, the top gold consumer, has fallen as the government imposes new rules to discourage gold buying in an effort to reduce a record current account deficit.

SPDR Gold Trust, the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, said its holdings fell 16.23 tonnes to 969.50 tonnes on Tuesday, their lowest since February 2009.

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Modi’s Himalayan miracle

On the evening of Friday, June 21, as India reeled from the shock of the calamity in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi landed up in Dehradun with a handful of officers. By Sunday, it was claimed that he had rescued 15,000 stranded Gujaratis from the wreckage of Uttarakhand and sent these grateful folks back home.

This miracle was played up in media. But how was this feat achieved in a day or so, when India's entire military establishment has struggled to rescue around 40,000 people over 10 days?

Reports say that Modi pulled off this coup with a fleet of 80 Innovas. How did these cars manage to reach places like Kedarnath, across roads that have been washed away, over landslides that have wrecked most access routes?

But let us assume Modi's Innovas had wings as well as helicopter rotors. Including the driver, an Innova is designed to carry seven people. In a tough situation, assume you could pack nine passengers into each car. In that case, a convoy of 80 Innovas could ferry 720 people down the mountains to Dehradun at one go. To get 15,000 people down, the convoy would need to make 21 round trips.

The distance between Dehradun and Kedarnath is 221 km. So 21 trips up and down would mean that each Innova would have to travel nearly 9,300 km.

It takes longer to travel in the hills than in the plains. So, assuming an average speed of 40 km per hour, it would take 233 hours of driving to pull off the feat.

This assumes non-stop driving, without a second's rest to identify the Gujaratis to be rescued and keeping the rest of the distressed folk at bay, or any time to load and unload the vehicles. And forget about any downtime for the gallant rescuers.

That is nearly 10 days of miraculous work. And Modi pulled it off in a day.

Actually, in less than a day: a breathless media reported that by Saturday, 25 luxury buses had brought a group of Gujaratis back to Delhi. For some reason, four Boeing aircraft also idled in some undisclosed place nearby.

Modi, ever modest, himself did not make the claim of rescuing 15,000 Gujaratis from Himalayan disaster in a day. It was likely dumped on a gullible media by his public relations agency, an American outfit called Apco Worldwide. In 2007, Apco was hired, ostensibly to boost the Vibrant Gujarat summits, but to actually burnish Modi's image, for $25,000 a month.

He is in good company. Apco has worked for the dictator of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbaev, the governments of Malaysia and Israel and the American tobacco lobby.

For the latter, it set up front organisations to rubbish evidence which proved that tobacco causes cancer. Apco has also worked for pariah regimes like Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan and Nigerian strongman Sani Abacha.

Its powerful advisory council includes former Israeli diplomats Itamar Rabinovich and Shimon Stein, as well as Doron Bergerbest-Eilon, who was the highest ranked officer in the Israel security agency.

Apco is credited with Modi's makeover and his holographic campaigns. Before Apco, Vibrant Gujarat was a tame affair: the first three summits generated investment promi-ses between $14 billion and $150 billion. After Apco, in 2009 and 2011, these jumped to $253 billion and $450 billion.

Apco worked tirelessly to rope in investor interest from America. It also lobbied with politicians in Washington to remove the ban on Modi travelling to the US. The ban was imposed after the massacre of Muslims in Gujarat as Modi presided over the state in 2002. So far, Apco hasn't succeeded in getting Modi a US visa.

And the Vibrant Gujarat numbers are all hot air. An analysis by my colleague Kingshuk Nag in his biography of Modi shows that only 3.2% of the 2009 number has materialised on the ground. Of the 2011 figure, a mere 0.5% is for real.

But Modi does not need Apco to lie. In 2005 he announced that state-owned company GSPC had made India's biggest gas discovery: 20 trillion cubic feet (tcf) valued at more than $50 billion, off Andhra Pradesh. This was 40% more than what Reliance had found in the same area. Modi then egged on GSPC to grab projects in Egypt, Yemen and Australia.

Many suspected that Modi's gas claim was hot air, but in the absence of evidence few could say so. But by 2012, the Centre's directorate general of hydrocarbons (DGH), which analyses and certifies all energy finds, said that it could vouch for only a tenth of Modi's claim: there was only 2 tcf of gas. And that too in areas tough to exploit.

Meanwhile, under Modi's rousing leadership, GSPC had poured in nearly $2 billion into exploration, much of it raised as debt based on its supposed 20 tcf gas find. When the gas vanished, GSPC went bust.

To rescue it, Modi asked the company to venture out into more areas, like city gas distribution. There have been problems with these businesses as well, including a very dubious transaction with a company in Barbados.

In every area the Modi narrative is a tale of bluster and bluff. But his Himalayan miracle is a barefaced, cynical lie.

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Railways tightens ticket refund rules

NEW DELHI: You can no longer cancel a train ticket 24 hours before your journey and still claim a full refund.

The railways ministry, which comprehensively revised ticket refund rules on Tuesday, said the move was aimed at stopping touts from selling cancelled tickets at high prices at the last moment and at giving waitlisted passengers a little extra time to comprehend whether they could undertake their journey.

The new rules will come into effect from July 1.

The railways said it had also reduced the time wherein a passenger could claim back 75 per cent of the booking amount. For this, passengers will now need to cancel tickets six hours prior to departure, two hours fewer than earlier.

If a ticket is presented for cancellation within six hours before the train's scheduled departure and up to two hours after the actual departure, the cancellation charge will be 50 per cent of the fare, subject to a minimum charge. Exiting rules allow the cancellation of tickets up to 12 hours after the train's departure if the journey distance is 500 km or more. Under the new rules, no refund will be granted on a reserved ticket surrendered for cancellation two hours after the train's actual departure.

The time for the filing of refund claims in case of unforeseen circumstances like a strike or any natural causes such as floods has also been reduced from 90 to 10 days of the train's departure.

According to the new rules, even those with waitlisted or RAC tickets will have to cancel their tickets three hours before actual departure to get a refund after the deduction of a clerkage charge of Rs 30.

No refund will be allowed two hours after the train's departure. Existing rules permit cancellation till three hours after departure.

Justifying the revision, the railway ministry said: "Railway Passengers (cancellation of ticket and refund of fare) Rules, 1998, have not been substantially revised in the last 15 years, during which a large number of changes have taken place in the ticketing system of Indian Railways."

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No more nudity or lovemaking in Hollywood

Kritika Kapoor, TNN Jun 24, 2013, 12.00AM IST

(Kate Winslet in Titanic…)

Hollywood films are increasingly choosing not to show nudity or lovemaking. Here's why...

Back in the '80s and '90s, when, judging by Bollywood, flowers got way more action than humans in India did, and a hero and heroine running around trees was largely understood by the Indian audience as code for 'they're doing it', Hollywood was a lot less subtle about shoving lovemaking or woman-stripping-down-to-underwear scenes into every film - whether it was a romcom or a film about Tom Cruise saving the world or even one that was about a bunch of people drowning on a ship. The script demanded it, the audience demanded it, and - judging by host Seth MacFarlane's 'boob song' at this year's Oscars, that detailed how a row of Oscar winning actresses bared their chest in movies they won their Oscar for - the critics demanded it too!

Bizarrely, 2012-13 has seen a role reversal of sorts between the two industries. While sex scenes are turning out to be major crowd pullers in desi theatres (besides still keeping Bhatt sahab in business), a recent market report commissioned by Warner Bros has revealed that more and more US studios, on the other hand, are choosing not to have their protagonists strip/consummate on screen because, apparently, sex doesn't sell anymore. Your reaction to this may be 'whaaat?', and rightly so, because according to the report, "one of the last big steamy moments to heat up cinema screens and score big box-office figures was the intimate in-car moment between Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in 1997's Titanic." That was sixteen years ago! So, what happened?

Sex doesn't sell, superheroes do
Judging by the summer's biggest blockbusters, the world needs lesser sex scenes, and more of the Avengers superheroes and those space-alien-robots from the Transformers series. And more animated/CGI characters certainly wouldn't hurt. Just sample 2012's biggest Hollywood hits worldwide:
The Avengers - $1,511,757,910
Skyfall - $1,108,561,013
The Dark Knight Rises - $1,084,439,099
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - $1,017,003,568
Ice Age: Continental Drift - $877,244,782
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 - $829,224,737
The Amazing Spider-Man - $752,216,557
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted - $742,110,251
The Hunger Games - $691,247,768
Men in Black 3 - $624,026,776

As film research expert Vincent Bruzzese said in a recent interview, "Sex scenes used to be written, no matter the plot, to spice up a trailer. But all that does today is get a film an Adults-only rating and lose a younger audience. Today, such scenes are written out by producers even before they are shot. They ask: do we really need the sex? Can we fill the space with dazzling special effects instead and keep the family rating?"

As per some stats provided by The Sun, a decade ago, 120 films given an 'R' (restricted) rating broke into the US box office top 10. Last year, there were only 80. And the report says most of these movies were certified 'R' because of violence, and not sex. In fact, only one out of the 25 highest-grossing movies - The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 - had any getting-it-on sequence worth talking about.

Adrian Lyne, director of the mega-erotic films Fatal Attraction, Indecent Proposal and Unfaithful too told Entertainment Weekly, "Would Fatal Attraction get made at a studio today? Not in a thousand years. I can't think of the last relationship piece that was a success - I'm not sure the studios even make them anymore. Which is apparently why I haven't done something for quite a while now."

Also, offending women is no longer such a good idea
According to the report, it is women who form a major part of the movie-going audience, and "they find gratuitous sex scenes that don't fit the plot a major turn-off". Recently, Alice Eve randomly and unnecessarily stripping to her underwear in Star Trek Into Darkness was deemed so offensive that its writer Damon Lindelof actually took to Twitter to apologise to his fans, saying, "We should have done a better job of not being gratuitous in our representation of a barely clothed actress." Director JJ Abrams too admitted in an interview, "Some people see it as exploiting her (Eve), and while she is lovely, I can also see their point of view."

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'Captain Cool' Dhoni in a league of his own

LONDON: Men with the Je Ne Sais Quoi: Of whom things can never be adequately described or expressed.

For a man who made critics cringe at his technique, one who famously claimed to have built his biceps on a litre of milk a day and most astonishingly was a goalkeeper-turned-wicketkeeper that provoked many experts to write him off, he now sits on a pedestal where no international cricket captain has ever been.

It cannot be luck alone or the Number 7 factor that Mahendra Singh Dhoni has so distinctively worn on his sleeve. He is not a born genius either. To explain the phenomenon is not the easiest task in the world. The extent of Dhoni's achievements has now gone beyond what even a top cricketer today can aspire for.

He's won the World Twenty20, taken India to the top of the world Test and ODI rankings, has pocketed the World Cup - a second one for India - and is now bringing home the Champions Trophy. It makes him, in terms of success, modern-day cricket's greatest captain. 'Captain Cool' is the cliched phrase we've used for Dhoni. The Lucky One, say some. Those digging deeper see the art of captaincy coming naturally to him. But as he keeps winning more with each passing year, we all scramble for words to describe his success.

Sunday, when he lifted the trophy and handed it over to his jubilant teammates, there was a brief moment when he allowed his emotions to get the better of him. Until then, most haven't seen Dhoni pumping fists in the air, bellowing in the thrill or prancing to Freddie Mercury. But this time he didn't mind when Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and the bunch belted 'We are the Champions'. If he isn't one right now, who is?

In his own words, winning the 2013 Champions Trophy has had a similar effect on him as did the 2007 World Twenty20. Both, says Dhoni, were achieved by a team of young boys-turning-men while the 2011 victory came riding on a slew of performances from cricketers with greater experience. For him though, one was never sweeter than the other.

But the Champions Trophy may be an exception. It's because of where he was coming from — the spate of controversies involving his IPL franchise and his own conflict-of-interest row, the pressure on his team to stay away from the preying eyes of the media. Like a true leader, Dhoni marshaled his bunch and gave them his trust and support. This is something his teammates have glowingly spoken about.

India batted first in the final and scored a low 129 in 20 overs. Dhoni thought it was a little harsh on his team that England's target wasn't revised because of the rain interruptions during his team's innings. But before India walked out to field, he admitted that he blurted out a quick pep-talk.

"This is a Twenty20 and that's how we're going to play it," he told them. His team, like inspired army-men obeying their general, heard it well. England were cruising in chase and the wire had only turned hotter. The crowd was falling silent. Wickets had stopped coming. Shoulders had begun to slouch. All you could see Dhoni doing was shift the widish third-man to deep mid-wicket, remove the gully and bring in a fielder at point. Remove the cover, add an extra-cover. He was in his own zone. And the match turned.

Like he's done over the years, in tune with his own instincts, not reacting to a soul but his own, he won another battle.

5 factors that helped India's win...

India has its own Champions Trophy now, a title that was missing in what is today a very distinguished cupboard. A lot of effort went into achieving this win over the last 23 days. Here are the key factors that made it happen...

MS Dhoni's captaincy
Given the controversies surrounding Indian cricket, the skipper had to plug his ears before going to work. There was a very young team to handle, perhaps one that will now prepare for the 2015 World Cup. He earned their trust and respect, inspired them with not just pep-talk but his own commitment to the cause and marshalled his resources to the requirement of the demanding English conditions where other teams couldn't.

Dhawan and Jadeja: the stars
A talented opener who hadn't quite made it in 10 years and an all-rounder of limited talent who raised eyebrows when he made the Indian team - Shikhar Dhawan and Ravindra Jadeja - are now the toast of an entire nation. Dhoni trusted their abilities and gave them the space and they did not disappoint him.

Strategizing for new rules
It was India's first assignment overseas after the new ODI rules were implemented: The powerplays now demanded that only four players be outside the 30-yard circle, two new balls were used from each end and two bouncers per over were applicable. Dhoni and his team designed a framework. Wickets were saved early on in the innings to surge scoring rates post the 35th over, spinners relied more on their stock delivery to keep the economy rates low, Umesh Yadav whipped up quality pace, Ishant Sharma handled the old ball well and Bhuvneshwar relied on the swing available. Dhoni marshalled his resources to success.

The weather, oh so dull!
Coming from tropical regions in India, it was fascinating to see the young Indian team adapt so well to the fickle weather.

The best-ever fielding unit?
India's fielding in the Champions Trophy will be spoken about in great detail for a long time. Like a pack of wolves hunting prey, they were on the ball every time it came off the bat. It was the biggest highlight of India's achievements.

DHONI: CAPTAIN WITH THE MIDAS TOUCH

* India have reached the pinnacle in Tests and ODIs under Dhoni's leadership. Dhoni has led India to the top prize in all formats — Tests for 18 months commencing December 2009, World Cup 2011 and the World T20 on his captaincy debut in 2007.

* Dhoni has not only won the World Cup as well as the ICC World Twenty20, he has been also proved to be a critical member in India's triumph. Dhoni has the rare distinction of being the only Indian captain to have won both the ICC World Cups and the Champions Trophy.

* Dhoni has also won the Commonwealth Bank series in Australia in 2007-08, defeating Australia 2-0.

* He also has under his belt the Asia Cup, defeating Sri Lanka by 81 runs in Dambulla on June 24, 2010.

* Won the Compaq Cup defeating Sri Lanka by 46 runs in Colombo (RPS) on September 14, 2009.

* His success percentage of 83.33 (six wins, one loss and a no-result game out of nine played) is the highest among the captains in the ICC Champions Trophy.

* No other Indian captain enjoys 50% success rate in all three formats.

* He has averaged 51.76 in a winning cause in Tests — his tally being 1967 runs in 33 Tests, including four hundreds and twelve fifties.

* Dhoni averages 73.09 in winning causes in ODIs — his tally being 4605 runs in 128 ODIs, including six hundreds and 30 fifties. Among captains with 1000 runs or more in a winning cause, his average is the best.

	Played	Won	Lost	Tied/NR/Draw	Winning %
ODIs	140	82	47	11	63.5
T20Is	41	20	19	2	51.25
Tests	47	24	12	11	51.06

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Google marks Antoni Gaudí's 161st birthday with doodle

NEW DELHI: Google on Tuesday marked the 161st birth anniversary of Antoni Gaudi with a doodle.

Antoni Gaudi was a Spanish architect whose distinctive style has left a mark on Barcelona. His works were inspired by oriental arts. Born on June 25, 1852 in Reus, Gaudi is remembered for his unique and creative architectural designs.

He is also credited with the introduction of techniques in treating of materials, such as trencadis, made of waste ceramic pieces. Sagrada Familiaa, a large Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, is considered as a masterpiece of his work. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

As an ardent architecture student, Gaudi spent much of this time collecting photographs of Egyptian, Indian, Persian, Mayan, Chinese, Moorish monuments and Japanese art that inspired his later works.

Gaudi's works are highly imaginative. Inspired by nature, Gaudi put much emphasis to express his work through organic and anarchic geometric forms of nature.

Some of his designed projects include a cemetery gate (1875), a Spanish pavilion for the Philadelphia World Fair of 1876, a quay-side building (1876), a courtyard for the Diputacio de Barcelona (1876) and many more.

Several of his artistic works have been granted World Heritage status by UNESCO.

Gaudi met an accident on June 7 and eventually breathed his last on June 10, 1926. Google pays tribute to this impeccable mind with a doodle that features six magnificent works of Antoni Gaudi's architectural creations.

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Narendra Modi lands in Uttarakhand, flies out with 15,000 Gujaratis

DEHRADUN: In the two days that NarendraModi has been in Uttarakhand, he has managed to completely rile not just the Congress government of Vijay Bahuguna but also the administrative staff involved in rescue operations at Kedarnath, Badrinath and Uttarkashi. But above all, he has also managed to bring home some 15,000 stranded Gujarati pilgrims.

The Gujarat CM, who flew in on Friday evening, held a meeting till 1am with his crack rescue team of five IAS, one IPS, one IFS and two GAS (Gujarat Administrative Service) officers. Two DSPs and five police inspectors were also part of his delegation. They sat again with the nitty-gritty of evacuation in a huddle that a senior BJP leader said lasted till 1am on Sunday.

Around 80 Toyota Innovas have been requisitioned to ferry Gujaratis to safer places in Dehradun as have four Boeings. On Saturday, 25 luxury buses transported a bunch of grateful people to Delhi. The efforts are being coordinated by two of the senior-most IAS officers of Gujarat, one currently stationed in Delhi and another in Uttarakhand.

As if that was not enough to thumb his nose at a government accused of large-scale mismanagement in handling the crisis, Modi later in the day even offered to "completely rebuild" the temple at Kedarnath using "the latest technology available" in such a way that no natural calamity would ever shake it again. The Uttarakhand CM is believed to have dismissed the statement.

What cannot be dismissed, though, is Modi's now trademark style of micro-management, something his supporters say is the need of the hour for India. "It's amazing what he has done here," said Anil Baluni, a BJP leader. "If someone doesn't like it, what can we do?'

Modi's men have not only para-dropped a complete medical team in Hardwar, they have also set up camps across th flood-hit regions. Prominent BJP workers in villages across the state are dealing directly with members of the rescue committee, telling them where food is to be sent, people given shelter and medicines administered. That seems to have helped. When a car owned by a Gujarati was stuck in a road-block by angry residents demanding aid in Badkot, Uttarkashi, an urgent message was immediately sent out by an IAS officer and the vehicle taken to safety.

Asked about the "new model" of rescue and relief operation by Modi that has helped 15,000 Gujaratis get out of Uttarakhand, an angry Congress legislator said, "See, that's what we mean. His model works only for Gujaratis."

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I am Ranbir's father, not his secretary: Rishi Kapoor

Rishi Kapoor, 60, is not just playing the role of India's most wanted man in 'D- Day', but he is also one of India's most sought after actors. He is still as excited as a school kid while going to work. He has inherited his passion from his father and temper from his family and is proud of his arrogance. He is baffled by where his son Ranbir gets his humility from. He talks to TOI about his grounded wife, gutsy son and why Rakesh Roshan is responsible for his second innings as an actor. Excerpts:

What made you play the role of Dawood Ibrahim in D-Day?
D-Day is a patriotic film. Earlier, our freedom fighters were our heroes, then came our farmers who harvested the land with Manoj Kumar representing the patriotic Bharat, we then marched into the war heroes era then we had films with war heroes. Our perceptions of patriotism changed with our problems. Today, terrorism is the big problem which the government could have rooted out but India's most wanted man has now gone into an alien land which does not reciprocate our protocol. So a set of four people set out to bring him back alive as the government machinery has failed to do so for their own convenience. Every Indian wants accountability on what happened and why he was not brought back to the country. I have been selected as he is a humanised character and it needed to be played by an actor. He doesn't look like a Mogambo but has a mind of his own who feels that what he is doing is actually business.

You are one of the busiest actors today. How does it feel?
Which actor would not enjoy that? All my life I struggled to get roles. I was a romantic star with the best of heroines to dance and sing with. I remember Kamal Haasan told me during Saagar, 'Why are you not experimenting with yourself'? I told him, 'I don't have an opportunity to do what you have'. Now is the time I am doing what he told me then. I enjoyed the 25 years of the romantic period as well as now I am happy doing what I am doing today. I am not a star. I like to be respected as an actor. All my life, I have not had the coveted distinction of being called an actor. I was always called a star. I give a lot of credit to my friend Rakesh Roshan in resurrecting my second innings as an actor. He had wanted me to play a one-day part as Hrithik's father in Koi Mil Gaya. I told him 'Guddu, this is not a good thing. It will spoil designs I have of making my career.' He gave me a few abuses and said, 'Yeh kya age hai career banane ki?' I didn't say anything to him as he was right in a way. But I was hurt and had decided in my heart that I would prove him wrong. He was the first man to have challenged me. From that time, I have been trying to build my asset value as an actor. Today I don't have the heart to tell him 'ki yaad hai tumne kaha tha ki aise nahi hota?' A star can cease to be a star, but an actor is always an actor.

Are you arrogant?
I have always been an arrogant man. You can't change me. I don't like people who are complacent and incompetent and who say 'chalta hai'. My arrogance is in my work, my affection, my attitude and on screen when I hold the hand of a girl. It's not there when I have to pray to God or talk to my servants or when I love my granddaughter. I am high-strung and high-energy. My blood pressure is always high and I am always excited to go to work. Diametrically opposite to me is my son. Down to earth, humble. I don't know from where he got these qualities. A successful film makes me happy, a flop makes me sad, but he is oblivious to either and moves onto his next film as soon as one is over. His mother told him, 'Why don't you take me out for dinner? You have a successful film'. He said, 'I will take you out for dinner anyways. What does a successful film have to do with it?' Perhaps he has got his humility from Neetu, or it's probably his own grooming. I am sure one day the Kapoor anger will come to him. Right now, the volcano is dormant.

Who are you most attached to today?
Neetu. We are at times foes and at times friends, certainly not lovers but are husband-wife and inherently love each other even though we may keep denying all the time how our love has gone out of the window. I was attracted to her being down-to-earth. If I am flying high, she has the string of the kite. In my glamour and glitz, she was the only source of my being grounded. At the age of 22, she gave up her flourishing career and had Riddhima the same year. Which actress would be able to do that? Unlike me who is a professional actor, she is only having a blast shooting. She is traumatised with the fact that she has to get up at 8.30 to go to work. She is my anchor and keeps me mobilised.

How similar are you to your father Raj Kapoor?
I am very triggered by my work. That's what I got from him and it's more than enough. I don't think I have any other traits from him. I wish he was there to see Ranbir's success and his work as an actor. Fortunately, his grandmother is alive and she gets most excited about seeing his films when people make comments on him resembling his grandfather.

Ranbir is both a star and an actor.
Ranbir is Raj Kapoor's grandson. I have to remind you that he is Rishi Kapoor's son also. I knew that I am a son of a big father, but now, I have come to know late that I am also the father of a big son. In between Raj Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor, there is also Rishi Kapoor who has contributed successfully for 41 years in the industry.

Why does it annoy you if you are asked questions on Ranbir's success?
I am his father not his secretary. I am not going to go all over town tom-tomming about him. Neetu and I are not those kind of parents and I am sure Ranbir does not want us to be that either. I feel stupid and embarrassed to talk about the achievements of my son. He is being paid to do that. He is not working for free. He is supposed to work and be successful. Period.

As his father, do you have complaints with him?
He needs to give more time to his parents. He needs to eat well. He needs to find a girl to get married. I got married when I was 27, he is 31. We have no reservation on who he wants to get married to but just want him happy. He has made his parents proud and is trying to carry the legacy forward, but only once you get married can the legacy actually go forward. So let it be an issue with him that he needs to have issues.

What do you think has paid off for Ranbir?
His patience and his guts are his biggest assets. He had the guts to do a Rockstar and then Barfi after Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani. The whole world came and said, 'What is your son doing? Sometimes playing deaf and dumb, sometimes playing sardar, sometimes having long hair'. And mind you, he was doing only one film at a time. If it flopped, he would be without a job. You need guts to do this. Other actors do one experimental film and four commercial films along with them which they can fall back on. Along with that, you must have belief that this will work, that is an actor. He walked a path that had not been taken. I say this not because he is my son but because he is an actor. I give credit to him for that and that has paid him off. People at traffic lights roll down their glasses and compliment me for his work. Can you imagine how proud a father I may be? No actor has a 100% record and he may falter in the future but what is special about him him is that he is totally detached to success or failure.

What do you pray for yourself at 60?
I don't consider age as anything but a number. I have the same passion surely for my work, but I wish I have the same physical and emotional strength to continue going the way I am.

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Champions Trophy: Rain curtails India-England final to 24 overs per side

BIRMINGHAM: The Champions Trophy final between England and India at Edgbaston was scheduled to start at 8.50 p.m (IST) on Sunday after more than five hours play was lost to rain.

Scorecard

The match has been reduced to 20 overs a side and India will bat first after England captain Alastair Cook won the toss.

Both teams need to bat for 20 overs to constitute a match and, with no reserve day scheduled, the trophy will be shared if no result is possible.

The rain began to fall as the players sang the national anthems immediately before the scheduled start time of 10.30 a.m.

India named an unchanged team from their semi-final win over Sri Lanka while England recalled all-rounder Tim Bresnan in place of fast bowler Steven Finn.

Teams: England - Alastair Cook (captain), Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Ravi Bopara, Jos Buttler, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, James Tredwell, James Anderson.

India - Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (captain), Ravindra Jadeda, Ravichandran Aswin, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav.

Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena (Sri Lanka) and Rod Tucker (Australia).

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Raanjhanaa

Story: A Hindu Brahmin boy falls in love with a beautiful Muslim girl from his neighbourhood. Does their love pass the acid communal test?

Movie Review: Raanjhanaa is a love story that has a Shakespearean touch and is mounted on a lavish scale. Set in Benaras, in a sense, the heart of India, the first half in the vibrant city where the Ganges flows, just sweeps you off your feet with its colour and feel. The plot follows Kundan (Dhanush), a Tam-Bram settled in Benaras. A slight vagabond, he falls hopelessly in love with Zoya (Sonam Kapoor), a fairly affluent Muslim girl in his neighbourhood. And his feelings are beautifully conveyed through dialogue written by Himanshu Sharma and songs composed by Rahman.

Like an obsessed puppy, Kundan is happy to shadow Zoya from morning to night, till her parents hear of it. Naturally, they think it's preposterous for their teenage daughter to have a crazy Hindu admirer. So she is promptly `banished' to live with an aunt in another city.

But the separation cannot stop Kundan's infatuation from growing wings. Taking a vow of celibacy, he waits patiently for his lady love to come home. When she returns, she talks of how she has fallen in love with another man Akram/Jaspreet ( Abhay Deol), a senior at her university in Delhi. Kundan is devastated but he has a heart of gold. He more or less relents to becoming the best man at Zoya's union to Jassi. But life doesn't play out in a straight line. The various twists and turns that follow unravel a mystery.

And around this time, the chinks in the script also show. All of a sudden, Raanjhanaa seems like two different films. In the first half, it is an interesting, intense, introspective love story, where you empathise with the characters. In the second half, the love story gets diluted to make way for gobbledygook political ideology that is an irritant.

Director Aanand Rai should be credited for drawing a superlative performance from the National Award-winner Tamil superstar, Dhanush, who makes his Hindi cinema debut here. His Kundan is a gem (pun intended). Sonam Kapoor is in top form giving Zoya several shades from giggly to grey. Unfortunately, she gets covered more for her fashion than her true mettle as an actor.

Note: You may not like this film if you cannot digest brooding love stories.

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Arshad shivers after slapping Madhuri

'Dedh Ishqiya' has its share of rustic rawness and violence.

While displaying anger, like he did in the first part, came easily to Arshad Warsi, beating Madhuri Dixit violently put the actor into a quandary. Not surprising, since it would unnerve any seasoned actor if he had to slap a senior actor for a scene.

"Whenever the director told Arshad that the shot required him to hit Madhuri, he was nervous," revealed a unit source.

In one of the scenes, Arshad was required to slap his co-star hard. Naturally, Arshad was apprehensive that he had to hit Mads. "The discomfort was so apparent that Madhuri could not help but feel amused by Arshad's plight. The director had to ask for quite a few retakes as Arshad would invariably end up hitting her softly and the incident became a joke with the unit," said the source.

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Hema Malini's younger daughter Ahana Deol engaged

Sister Esha Deol tied the knot with businessman Bharat Takhtani in June last year, and last evening, Hema Malini and Dharmendra's youngest daughter, Ahana, got engaged to Vaibhav Vora, a Delhi businessman. The private ceremony took place at Hema Malini's residence at Juhu Scheme.

Ahana and Vaibhav, who met last year at Esha's wedding, have been in a relationship for a few months now. However, only close friends and relatives were aware about their liaison. A friend of Ahana told TOI, "After Esha's wedding last year, Ahana and Vaibhav instantly hit it off. The two were very serious about each other and sensing their commitment, both the families gave their consent within no time."

When TOI contacted the family, an elated Hema Malini said, "This is another big day in my life. Last year around the same time, Esha got married. And now, Ahana is getting ready to tie the knot. Once again, it's celebration time for us. Vaibhav is a very nice guy. We are very happy with the arrangement."

Trained in the Odissi dance form since a young age by guru Rabindra Atibuddhi, the youngest Deol has done stage shows all over the country and abroad, along with her mother and sister Esha. Other than classical dancing, she is also interested in fashion designing.

When we asked Hema Malini about the probable wedding dates, she simply said, "I shall tell you when we finalise it."

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11-yr-old fathers child with 36-yr-old woman

PTI Jun 20, 2013, 06.40AM IST

MELBOURNE: An 11-year-old boy in New Zealand has become a father after conceiving a child with the 36-year-old mother of a school friend.

The woman coerced the boy, from Auckland, into repeated sexual encounters over a period of time before becoming pregnant, the New Zealand Herald daily reported. The woman gave the boy beer to drink and then later took part in a sexual encounter with him, the report said. The sexual contact continued for a number of months after the initial encounter. The boy had turned 12 by the time the child was born.

The Child Youth and Family Services, which took a baby into care about two months ago, confirmed it was dealing with a case at the school and that it was before the courts.

According to the report, both the father and child are now understood to be in care after the principal at the boy's school raised the alarm.

The case has caused counsellors working in the area of child sexual abuse to highlight the lack of attention given to women as potential offenders. It has prompted justice minister Judith Collins to step in saying she will seek information on the law. "This case raises an important point. I will seek advice from officials on whether or not a law change is required."

And it has also highlighted disparity in the law of rape, which makes it impossible for a woman to be accused of the crime. Present legislation stipulates the crime of rape applies only when men force sex. In contrast, women who force an unwilling partner to have sex face charges of sexual violation. Both carry a maximum sentence of 20 years but only men can be charged with rape.

The principal said he was shocked when the boy revealed the details.

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Shweta Tiwari set to wed next month

TV actress Shweta Tiwari will tie the knot next month with actor Abhinav Kohli, her boyfriend of three-and-a-half years.

Though the date remains to be fixed, Shweta confirms the wedding will take place in July. She announced the wedding on the set of 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa' recently when Abhinav and her daughter Palak were present.

Confirms the actress, "Since my grandfather is not keeping well, we haven't been able to decide on a date. We will fix one soon. It will be a mix of North Indian and Punjabi wedding complete with mehendi, sagaai, haldi and sangeet."

Busy with her daily soap and reality show, how will she make time for the wedding preparations? "If my graph on Jhalak is anything to go by, I wouldn't last long in the show (laughs). Honestly, I know the schedule is tight but my family manages me somehow. They know I won't compromise on work, so will have fix a date when I am not shooting."

Talking about her daughter's first reaction when she broke the news to her, she says, "We have been planning it for almost four months and she is in the loop. She is happiest because she shares a great equation with Abhinav. She shares all her secrets and gossips with him as she feels he understands her better than me."

Shweta was earlier married to actor Raja Chaudhary, but their marriage ended after seven years after the actress accused her husband of domestic violence. They divorced in October, 2012.

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Raanjhanna

Story: A Hindu Brahmin boy falls in love with a beautiful Muslim girl from his neighbourhood. Does their love pass the acid communal test?

Movie Review: Raanjhanaa is a love story that has a Shakespearean touch and is mounted on a lavish scale. Set in Benaras, in a sense, the heart of India, the first half in the vibrant city where the Ganges flows, just sweeps you off your feet with its colour and feel. The plot follows Kundan (Dhanush), a Tam-Bram settled in Benaras. A slight vagabond, he falls hopelessly in love with Zoya (Sonam Kapoor), a fairly affluent Muslim girl in his neighbourhood. And his feelings are beautifully conveyed through dialogue written by Himanshu Sharma and songs composed by Rahman.

Like an obsessed puppy, Kundan is happy to shadow Zoya from morning to night, till her parents hear of it. Naturally, they think it's preposterous for their teenage daughter to have a crazy Hindu admirer. So she is promptly `banished' to live with an aunt in another city.

But the separation cannot stop Kundan's infatuation from growing wings. Taking a vow of celibacy, he waits patiently for his lady love to come home. When she returns, she talks of how she has fallen in love with another man Akram/Jaspreet ( Abhay Deol), a senior at her university in Delhi. Kundan is devastated but he has a heart of gold. He more or less relents to becoming the best man at Zoya's union to Jassi. But life doesn't play out in a straight line. The various twists and turns that follow unravel a mystery.

And around this time, the chinks in the script also show. All of a sudden, Raanjhanaa seems like two different films. In the first half, it is an interesting, intense, introspective love story, where you empathise with the characters. In the second half, the love story gets diluted to make way for gobbledygook political ideology that is an irritant.

Director Aanand Rai should be credited for drawing a superlative performance from the National Award-winner Tamil superstar, Dhanush, who makes his Hindi cinema debut here. His Kundan is a gem (pun intended). Sonam Kapoor is in top form giving Zoya several shades from giggly to grey. Unfortunately, she gets covered more for her fashion than her true mettle as an actor.

Note: You may not like this film if you cannot digest brooding love stories.

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Man drugged, wife gang-raped

NEW DELHI: A 20-year-old woman was allegedly gang raped in northeast Delhi by two electricians on Tuesday night.

The accused Digambar (30) and Ravi (32) were arrested from their residence in Loni, Ghaziabad. A case of gang rape has been registered.

According to the police, the victim and her husband, residents of Motihari in Bihar, were travelling by train to Ambala after being asked to quit their jobs in Meerut. However, the train terminated its journey midway at Saharanpur and the couple decided to go Delhi via bus. They managed to reach Loni, where they met the two accused.

"The accused took them to Zohripur in Gokalpuri area. They drugged the victim's husband and gang-raped her several times. The accused then fled from the spot," said a senior police officer. On Wednesday morning, the victim was on her way to Anand Vihar in an auto when the driver came to know of the incident. He convinced the couple to lodge a case and dropped them at the police station.

However, Aam Aadmi Party workers have claimed the woman's husband was not drugged and she was locked up for over two days and gang-raped. "The accused locked her up on Sunday," claimed an AAP worker. Late on Wednesday night, AAP protesters were detained at Bhajanpura police station. This led Arvind Kejriwal to urge his party workers to flock to the police station. Kejriwal also tweeted that his men were beaten up, however, this was denied by the police.

The victim has been sent for medical examination to Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital. Confirming that a woman had been gang raped, DCP (northeast) Dheeraj Kumar said further investigations are on to ascertain the chain of events. "We will record the victim's statement with a magistrate soon," he said.

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Asad Rauf got pricey gifts from bookie via Vindu Dara Singh

Asad Rauf (Pakistani umpire who was officiating in IPL 6): "Do you know my birthday is coming up?"

Vindu Dara Singh (film and TV actor): "Asadbhai, don't worry, we will take care of it. I will convey the message to Pawanbhai."

Pawan Jaipur (bookie) to Vindu: "I am sending a watch worth Rs 6 lakh and a gold chain for Asad through Prem Taneja (another bookie) in Delhi. Please ask Asad to collect it from Delhi."

These conversations, tapped separately in April, are the clearest evidence so far that Rauf, who fled India after his name cropped up in the IPL betting-fixing racket, was hand in glove with the bookies and solicited gifts.

The transcript of the conversation tapped through three mobiles of Vindu Dara Singh, arrested for his role in the spot-fixing scandal, was shared with TOI by police sources.

The source said in another conversation around the same time, Rauf is heard insisting that Pawan send the bill for the gold chain or else Rauf would have problems with customs.

The bills for this package as well as two other parcels sent later with gifts for Rauf are with the Mumbai crime branch. In May, the crime branch seized the two parcels containing branded shoes, clothes and other personal effects sent by bookie Prem Taneja to Rauf from Delhi airport's cargo section. The umpire, sensing trouble, had fled barely a day before Vindu's arrest on May 22 without collecting them.

Vindu is also accused of helping bookie-siblings Pawan and Sanjay Chabra alias Pawan and Sanjay Jaipur flee Mumbai at the height of the crackdown on the betting-fixing rackets.

The crime branch on Wednesday had prepared to strongly oppose the applications moved by the absconding brothers for anticipatory bail, but the court adjourned the matter to July 3.

Senior lawyer Adhik Shirodkar, who appeared for the brothers who own a big jewellery showroom, Motison Jewellers, in Jaipur, pleaded that the police be at least directed to withdraw the lookout notices issued against the duo so that they could return to the country.

The court refused, saying there was no hurry and a decision would be taken after the court has gone through the evidence.

Opposing the bail, the crime branch said since Rauf is not available for interrogation, they need to grill the brothers, who have given the umpire expensive gifts, to uncover their roles in the cricket scandal.

"These two bookies were in touch with Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf and had even paid his shopping bills in the country. They also reportedly own a benami stake in the Sri Lanka Premier League," said an officer.

Police said the Chabras fled to Dubai immediately after Vindu alerted them about Mumbai Police raiding super bookie Ramesh Vyas's betting den at Kalbadevi.

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Ind vs SL: India off to a cautious start in chase of 182

NEW DELHI: Openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma got off to a cautious start as India made 40 runs in mandatory powerplay (10 overs) after Sri Lanka set 182.

Scorecard | Match in Pics

Ishant Sharma took three wickets as India restricted Sri Lanka to 181 for eight in the second Champions Trophy semifinal in Cardiff on Thursday.

In a repeat of the 2011 World Cup final India won by six wickets in Mumbai, India captain MS Dhoni saw his decision to field first in helpful overcast and humid conditions well supported by his attack.

Sharma took three wickets for 33 runs as India made a strong start to their bid to face hosts England, seven-wicket winners over South Africa at The Oval on Wednesday, in Sunday's final at Edgbaston.

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews battled hard for his top score of 51 in an innings where no other batsman made more than Mahela Jayawardene's 38.

But the fact Mathews took 89 balls for his runs, including just one six and one four, was testament to the grip India's bowlers exerted.

Sri Lanka were six for one when Kusal Perera edged a drive off Bhuvneshwar Kumar and was caught at second slip by Suresh Raina.

They suffered a further setback when Tillakaratne Dilshan, after playing an on-drive, pulled up with what appeared to be a right calf injury.

He received lengthy on-field treatment but, still struggling, he retired hurt an over later on 12.

Dilshan eventually finished on 18 not out after coming back in when his side were 164 for seven.

Kumar and Umesh Yadav produced a series of full length deliveries moving sharply off the pitch that beat both Kumar Sangakkara and fellow left-hander Lahiru Thirimanne.

Sri Lanka declined to 41 for three after both Thirimanne and Sangakkara fell to well-taken second slip catches by Raina off Ishant Sharma.

It was deserved reward for Dhoni's policy of attacking the batsmen with two slips and only two men outside the circle, with India's bowlers at least making a mockery of the suggestion the side would struggle in classic 'English' conditions.

The 23rd over saw Dhoni pass on his wicketkeeping role to Dinesh Karthik, himself a specialist gloveman but played as a batsman this tournament.

That allowed Dhoni, a medium-pacer, to bowl himself in conditions ideally suited to his style

In his 222 previous ODIs Dhoni had bowled just two overs, yet his decision very nearly proved a master-stroke with his second ball Thursday.

Jayawardene, on five, was given out leg before by Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar only for the batsman -- who two years ago became the only man to score a hundred in a losing cause in a World Cup final -- to overturn it on review.

But a partnership of 78 ended when Jayawardene, swiping across the line, was bowled by Jadeja.

Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin chipped in with three for 48, including a stumping by Dhoni to dismiss Jeevan Mendis.

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Mamata Banerjee's goons silence an entire village

KAMDUNI (BARASAT): "Shut up", West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had shouted at Kamduni women on Monday. Her party toughs ensured they did. When TOI visited the village on Tuesday, the roar of a hundred women the previous day had been replaced by a deadening stillness.

Branded "CPM supporters" and browbeaten by the CM, the women shut up and shut themselves indoors. On Monday, they had rushed to their Didi simply to seek safety in an area where sexual brutality is the order of the day. Mamata's outburst shocked them. Trinamool Congress' scare tactics silenced them.

Party toughs targeted Tumpa Koyal, who had gone eyeball to eyeball with Mamata on Monday, demanding that the Kamduni women be heard. Tumpa was a friend of the rape-murder victim and had studied with her till Class X. She had left her lunch on Monday and run after the CM, pleading to be heard. Mamata turned around and called her a CPM supporter.

On Tuesday, a rough-talking lungi-clad man, who identified himself as gram sabhapati Goutam Naskar, arrived at Tumpa's doorstep along with seven-eight musclemen and threatened her parents, demanding that she apologize publicly for "insulting our beloved chief minister".

"Mind it, this is for your own good," he cautioned.

Luckily, her husband had whisked her away in the dead of night. Naskar then demanded her mobile number. Her parents said they didn't have it. "You want me to believe that you don't have your daughter's contact number?" he thundered, warning everyone around that "party leaders" had started collecting "bio-data on all Kamduni women".

Tumpa's parents pleaded with folded hands to spare her, but Naskar shooed them away, saying Tumpa had to "stand in the middle of the village courtyard and confess she had committed a grave mistake".

"Do you know how easy it is to get hold of someone's mobile number," Naskar warned her parents as he walked off.

The village courtyard, which was bustling for the past few days, looked deserted. The lanes were all but empty. The local school couldn't even muster 30% attendance as the frightened villagers kept their kids indoors. Some women sitting at a tubewell scurried off when TOI tried to talk to them. One of them covered her face with her hands and said: "Don't ask us anything. We haven't seen anything, said anything or know anything. We don't even exist." The stink of fear was stifling.

It took an hour or so of knocking on doors before they opened up. "We ran after Didi just to tell our problems. We thought she would understand the village women's fear. Instead, she treated us like dogs," said Shankari Mondal. "She (Mamata Banerjee) has ruthlessly shattered our confidence. The message is clear to the culprits, they'll reclaim their territory in a few days. The whole village fears the worst."

Their fear is understandable, said Debu Mondal, a villager. "The women had lost all hope on the police and local leaders. Yesterday, they lost their last, very deep-rooted hope when Didi cursed them. Where will they go now?"

"We are scared. The whole village is tagged as 'CPM'. Tell me, do you see a single CPM flag anywhere? This time, only one Left Front candidate could file his nomination in the 12 seats. Trinamool has a clean sweep here. We apprehend her anger will give rise to an evil force. We were only trying to bring some peace and stability in this unfortunate village," said Poritosh Mondal, a farmer.

Another woman said: "We didn't go for a movement. Didi was our last refuge. We just wanted to hold her hand but she let us down. We feel helpless. Who do we turn to?" Kamduni primary school headmaster Pradip Mukherjee understood the villagers' plight. "When the villagers referred to her as 'Didi', how can they be in the opposition? The call 'Didi' itself is so affectionate and cordial. There must have been some miscommunication," he said.

Tumpa's father Probhas, a daily wage worker in a fishery, and her mother Molina were scared even to disclose their identity. "Look at our ramshackle hut. Do you think we work for CPM? My worry is whether I can feed my family the next meal," said Probhas.

On the way back, we saw a young woman hurrying across the culvert on Bidyadhari canal, looking back now and then. It was just getting dark under a cloudy sky. A group of women armed with a lantern and torch emerged from a bylane and rebuked her for daring to move out alone "so late". It was only 5.15pm. One of the women said: "Be careful. The times have changed."

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Nitish Kumar wins confidence vote in Bihar assembly

PATNA: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday won the confidence vote in the state assembly, with the support of 126 MLAs.

With the BJP members not present in the assembly, the trust motion was opposed by only 24 MLAs.

Replying to the debate on the confidence vote, Nitish Kumar hit out at the BJP, holding it responsible for breaking the alliance in Bihar.

He launched a scathing attack on Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, without taking his name.

Nitish said there was no wave in the country in favour of any leader and the BJP would repent its decision in the future.

The Bihar chief minister once again slammed the BJP for sidelining Advani.

Earlier, the BJP walked out of the assembly, accusing chief minister Nitish Kumar of betraying the mandate of NDA.

"We know you have mustered majority in the House to ensure passage of trust vote... therefore we are walking out," BJP legislature party leader Nandkishore Yadav announced in the House.

On Yadav's announcement, BJP MLAs promptly walked out of the legislative assembly while the debate on the trust vote moved by the Nitish Kumar government was going on.

The party had earlier said it would oppose the confidence motion and had also issued a whip to its 91 MLAs to vote against the JD(U) government.

Yadav accused the chief minister of betraying the mandate of the people and said the electorate will teach a lesson to the JD(U) in the next general elections and the 2015 assembly polls.

"The next general elections and the subsequent assembly polls are not too far away in which the people of Bihar will teach a lesson to you (Chief Minister and his party)," the senior BJP leader said.

(With inputs from PTI)

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Shraddha to work with 'younger' Siddharth not 'veteran' Bachchan Jr

She may have been labelled fickle at the beginning of her career but Shraddha Kapoor is displaying wisdom beyond her years post 'Aashiqui 2'.

It was the other day that the actress turned down an old contract for a music video saying she was now a star and too big a brand to honour such commitments. And now, we hear, she has chosen Villain directed by Mohit Suri over Umesh Shukla's next starring Abhishek Bachchan.

Sources close to the actress claim she prefers to be paired with relative newcomers like Siddharth Malhotra in Mohit's film over a 'senior' actor like Abhishek Bachchan in Umesh's project.

A source told TOI: "She selected two scripts from the many she had been reading. She went through both Mohit and Umesh's scripts and felt the former's held better scope for her to flex her acting muscles."

But it wasn't just the script that proved to be the clincher. Shraddha told her close friends that she was not too keen to be seen with 'veteran' actors who have been around for ages.

Said the source: "She doesn't want to tread the same path as other actresses. Even when she was lying low, she had decided she wanted to do meatier, performance-oriented roles. With Abhishek, there was very little scope to perform. Her aim is to work with the Varun Dhawans, Ayushmann Khurranas and Ranbir Kapoors of the film industry."

While Shraddha remained unavailable for comment, a friend of the actress rubbished any such implications saying, "She has no problems working with anyone." Really?

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Priyanka gets emotional on the set

Exactly a week after her father's demise, Priyanka Chopra started filming her next, at a studio in Goregaon (West).

The actress placed a picture of the late Dr Ashok Chopra, in his army uniform, at the mahurat puja. She was accompanied by her mother, Dr Madhu Chopra, and a few close family members.

Priyanka got emotional, but regained composure when her mother comforted her. Incidentally, June 17 was also her mother's birthday. After the puja, the actress, clad in a blue jersey and red shorts, began shooting the film with a boxing ring scene, fighting a US boxer.

Initially, PC was to train under Lucia Rijker, who had trained Hilary Swank in the Hollywood film, Million Dollar Baby. But as she was unwell, Christy Halbert, Team USA's assistant coach, was roped in.

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If Sonia ji asks me to pick up a broom and sweep, I will do it: Union minister Dr Charandas Mahant

RAIPUR: In the latest example of political sycophancy, Union minister of state for agriculture and food processing Dr Charandas Mahant said on Monday that, "If Congress president Sonia Gandhi asks me to pick up a broom and sweep state Congress office in Chhattisgarh, I would do it".

Dr Mahant, who has been appointed as the new working president of Chhattisgarh State Congress Committee (CGPCC), was replying to a question on whether he would be able to do justice to the Congress as state party chief while continuing as Union minister of state.

He said that Sonia Gandhi has entrusted him with the responsibility of state Congress to carry forward the work of his predecessor Nandkumar Patel, who was killed along with other party leaders in a Maoist ambush in tribal Bastar district on May 25.

Mahant is the lone Congress Member of Parliament representing the Korba Lok Sabha constituency from Chhattisgarh and was inducted in the Union ministry nearly two years ago.

The Union minister's statement is reminiscent of Gyani Zail Singh's almost similar reported remarks after his election as President way back in 1982.

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We will be desperate to beat India in semis: Jayawardene

LONDON: The five-wicket defeat to India in a warm-up match ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy will have no significance when Sri Lanka square off against the same opponents in the semifinals, said Mahela Jayawardene.

Jayawardene, who reached 11,000 ODI runs yesterday, said the defeat against India in a warm-up game in Birmingham on June 1 was history. India easily chased down Lanka's 333 for five with Virat Kohli and Dinesh Karthik scoring big centuries.

"Warm-up games or whatever, it doesn't count right now. It's a big tournament. It's the semifinal, so looking forward to that," said Jayawardene.

The Lankans beat Australia by 20 runs at The Oval on Monday to finish second in Group A.

Jayawardene scored an unbeaten 84 to win the Man of the Match award as Sri Lanka scored 253 for the loss of eight wickets in a must-win game.

While defending Nuwan Kulasekara took 3 for 42 and Rangana Herath scalped 2 for 48 to snuff out a late challenge by the Aussies.

The Lankans are travelling to Cardiff on Tuesday to play the tournament's second semifinal against India on Thursday. On Wednesday, England take on South Africa in the first semifinal at The Oval.

Jayawardene, however, admitted that India's batting looked very strong in the tournament.

"I think they're playing some really good cricket. Their batting looks really strong, so those are key areas that we need to focus a bit on," the former Lankan captain said.

On his personal milestone of reaching 11,000-run club, Jayawardene said: "I didn't feel anything. Obviously, pleased when the numbers came up. I can tonight probably reflect more on that achievement because we won the game as well. So importantly the contribution that I made towards the team is much more valuable for me."

Jayawardene said Sri Lanka will be desperate to win the ICC Champions Trophy, a trophy which they shared with India after rain washed out the finals in 2002 in Colombo.

"I'll be desperate for every game to win, simple as that. It's not about trophies or whatever, it's just to win matches. So I'll have that same passion and same desperation to win games, doesn't matter if it's a semifinal or final or just a group game. As long as I have that attitude and the rest of the boys, we'll go a long way," he said.

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