Six dead in fresh Afghanistan Koran burning protests

Six Afghans have been killed and dozens injured in fresh protests against the burning of the Koran by US soldiers.

Three people were killed in Kunduz province when police fired on demonstrators near a UN compound. Three more were killed in the southern province of Logar.
More than 20 people have been killed since the protests began on Tuesday.
On Friday Nato's Afghanistan commander Gen John Allen appealed for calm while the incident was investigated.
US personnel apparently inadvertently put the books into a rubbish incinerator at Bagram air base, near Kabul.
In Kunduz, capital of Kunduz province in northeast Afghanistan, hundreds of protesters were reported to have massed near a UN compound.
"The protesters are clashing with the police and trying to enter the compound, but police have stopped them so far," Sarwar Husaini, Kunduz police spokesman, told the AFP news agency.
Several shops in Kunduz were also set on fire, police and eyewitnesses told the BBC.
The governor's house in Laghman province also came under attack on Saturday.
"The protesters turned violent and were throwing stones at the governor's palace," a protester told AFP.
Doctors at Laghman hospital told the BBC that 21 people had been injured, two of them critically.
Demonstrations were also reported by police and government officials in Paktia, Nangarhar and Sari Pul provinces.
'Major error'

Friday saw the worst violence yet in the continuing unrest

Friday was the deadliest day of unrest so far. At least 12 people were killed across the country as mobs charged at US bases and diplomatic missions.
Eight of the deaths reported on Friday were in western Herat province, which had seen little unrest previously.
Earlier on Friday, Gen Allen called on "everyone throughout the country - Isaf [International Security Assistance Force] members and Afghans - to exercise patience and restraint as we continue to gather the facts".
"Working together with the Afghan leadership is the only way for us to correct this major error and ensure that it never happens again," he said in a statement.
US President Barack Obama has also apologised for the Koran-burning incident.
In a letter to his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai, Mr Obama said the books had been "unintentionally mishandled".
Muslims consider the Koran the literal word of God and treat each book with deep reverence.
On Thursday the Taliban had called on Afghans to attack "invading forces" in revenge for "insulting" the Koran.
Last year, at least 24 people died in protests across Afghanistan after a hardline US pastor burned a Koran in Florida.

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BMW starts leasing business in India

German luxury car maker BMW today said it has started leasing business in India under the financial services division.
"The launch of BMW Lease is a significant milestone in our growth strategy in India and will beyond doubt provide sheer driving pleasure with complete peace of mind to BMW customers," BMW India President Andreas Schaaf said.
Under the programme, the company will offer cars under lease to both individuals and corporate customers.
In the initial phase, BMW Lease will be launched in six states -- Delhi, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra, the company said, adding that the leasing service will be expanded gradually to all other BMW dealerships in the country.
Under the finance lease arrangement, all substantial risks and rewards incidental to the ownership of the vehicle is transferred to the customer, the company said.
"At the end of the tenure, the customer is provided an option to retain the vehicle at a price substantially lower than the market price," it added.
In the operating lease arrangement, the company said, BMW Financial Services India bears the risk of ownership of the vehicle and at the end of the lease tenure, a customer can decide to upgrade to a new BMW or purchase the vehicle at the prevailing market price.
"BMW Lease is a pioneering product, specially engineered for BMW customers, providing customised financing options, flexible lease tenures and better tax benefits... We are confident that BMW Lease will provide further impetus to BMW India sales," BMW India Financial Services Managing Director and CEO Dan DeChristopher said in a statement.

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High-end bikes from Hero MotoCorp

Hero MotoCorp Ltd (HMCL) on Wednesday said it has entered into a strategic tie-up with the U.S.-based Erik Buell Racing that would help the company introduce high-end bikes in India and overseas markets.

“We are entering into a strategic partnership with Erik Buell Racing (EBR), which currently is more into high-end and high-performance racing bikes as we are completely missing in this category of motorcycles,” Hero MotoCorp Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Pawan Munjal told journalists here. HMCL will receive support in terms of cutting-edge technology and design to develop future models from EBR, the East Troy, Wisconsin-based firm.

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Samsung launches ‘Ultra' notebooks

Samsung on Thursday introduced its new range of ‘Ultra' notebooks, which are thin, lightweight and powerful computing device loaded with latest processor and multimedia capabilities.

The new ‘Series 5 Ultra' notebooks are available in 13 inch and 14 inch screen sizes, priced at Rs.48,990 and Rs.54,390, respectively. The notebooks come with features such as instant starts using ‘FastStart' and the innovative ExpressCache storage. Designed with consumer feedback in mind, the 14 inch model is also one of the firsts in the market to feature a built-in DVD drive and SD card slot, giving users the ability to easily access software, movies, photos and more.

“With the Series 5, our consumers will be able to enjoy superior performance, great looks and complete portability…through these products, we are creating a new segment within the Notebook space, said Samsung India Head (Mobile & IT) Ranjit Yadav.

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Argentina train crash: Full investigation promised

Argentina's authorities have promised a full investigation into the train crash in Buenos Aires that killed 50 people on Wednesday.

Hundreds more were injured when the packed commuter train smashed into the buffers as it came into a station.
The government says it will join the victims as a plaintiff in a legal action against the private company that runs the line.
The auditor-general said the accident followed years of safety failings.
He has said the concession to run the line should be taken away from the company, Trenes de Buenos Aires (TBA).
The company has blamed government price controls, saying that keeping fares down has made it impossible to fund improvements to the line and rolling stock.
It has promised full cooperation with the investigation and expressed its deepest condolences to the victims.
The driver of the train is in intensive care and has not yet explained why he could not bring it to a halt as it came into the Once station during the morning rush hour.
The aging front carriages crumpled like concertinas in the collision, leaving the dead and wounded trapped in the twisted wreckage.
Ten of the 50 dead were from other South American countries - five Paraguayans, two Bolivians two Peruvians and a Chilean.
'Public interest' Planning Minister Julio de Vido confirmed that the government would be joining the legal action against train operator TBA.
"The president has instructed the planning ministry to present ourselves as a plaintiff in court in order to defend the public interest," he said.
"This is basically to be with the victims, whether they are the injured or relatives of the dead, which will present themselves as plaintiffs."
Amid allegations of corrupt relationships between senior officials and TBA, Mr de Vido insisted there would be no cover-up.
"We want it to be clear that neither the former President [Nestor] Kirchner nor the current president have shown that there are mechanisms of protection for anyone in situations like this," he said.
The judge who has been appointed to lead the investigation has a wealth of evidence to examine, including CCTV footage of the moment of impact.
Auditor-general Leandro Despouy said safety failings on the line had been revealed in a 2008 report, but had not been addressed.
"The conditions are in place for the state to proceed to rescind the concession," he said.
The same line - Sarmiento - was the scene of another accident in September 2011, when 11 people died as a train hit a bus crossing the tracks and then collided with another train.
Wednesday's accident was Argentina's worst train crash since February 1970, when a train smashed into another at full speed in suburban Buenos Aires, killing 200 people.

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Coordinated Attacks Bombard Iraq, Killing Dozens

BAGHDAD — Insurgents unleashed a barrage of coordinated car bombings and small-arms attacks across Iraq on Thursday, killing at least 40 people in what Iraqi officials called a “frantic race” to shatter people’s faith in the government’s strained grip on security.

The worst of the violence was concentrated here in Iraq’s capital, where more than two dozen people were killed in explosions and where fusillades of gunfire transformed the morning commute into a landscape of carnage.

Although civilians suffered the worst casualties, most of the attacks were aimed at police officers, security convoys and other symbols of government authority. Bombs exploded outside a police station, a court, a political office and a local council building.

Several assailants targeted the roadside checkpoints where police officers and soldiers check drivers’ identification cards and sometimes search cars. The ubiquitous checkpoints, decorated by security forces with fabric flowers and emblems of religious (usually Shiite) pride, are an almost daily focus of violence.

More than a hundred people across the country were wounded in the attacks.

As workers swept up glass at one bomb site in the Karada neighborhood of Baghdad, wails of grief rose up from one family’s home a block away as they mourned a 16-year-old boy who loved to play soccer along the east bank of the Tigris River. The teenager, Sajad Montasir, was killed as he waited for a minibus to take him to school.

“He just had his breakfast, took his books and left walking,” said his older brother, Mustafa. “I heard the explosion, I ran into the street and I found his shoe.”

A few hours after the attacks in the neighborhood, taxis sat crumpled and deserted in the streets, blood streaking their yellow doors. Shop owners whose windows have been repeatedly blown out looked on wearily at the heaps of glass. Residents near the scene of an explosion weeded their gardens of fragments of an exploded car. For some, it was the fourth or fifth time their homes had been ravaged by a morning bombing.

“Iraq will be like this for 10 or 15 years,” said Abdul Razaq al-Zaidi, 52, whose head was cut by flying glass. “We are used to it. This is a part of our lives.”

Security forces blocked off roads throughout Baghdad, and the wounded were rushed to nearby hospitals. In streets choked with smoke and littered with burned-out wreckage, witnesses described scenes of panic and chaos with “fire everywhere,” according to one.

Several of the explosions raked through predominately Shiite towns and neighborhoods, a strong suggestion that the attacks were an attempt by Sunni insurgent groups to inflame divisions between Iraq’s Shiite Muslim majority and its Sunni minority.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility, but the Iraqi Interior Ministry, which controls the country’s police forces, blamed Al Qaeda in Iraq, one of the Sunni insurgent groups, using the term “frantic race” against the government in a statement. The almost meticulously coordinated nature of the blasts, which happened within a span of two hours in Baghdad, were similar to previous Qaeda attacks.

The Interior Ministry, in a statement, called the bloodshed a “message sent by Al Qaeda to their supporters stating that they are still active in Iraq and have the ability to conduct blasts in Baghdad, provinces, big and small districts.”

The day’s attacks, along with a recent suicide car bombing outside Baghdad’s police academy, punctured a few weeks of relative calm in the country in which violence had dwindled to near its lowest levels since the United States invasion in 2003.

Assaults against Iraqi civilians and government officials had swelled in late December and January in the wake of the American troop withdrawal, as the country was gripped by a political crisis rooted in imbalances of power and festering conflicts between Iraq’s Shiite prime minister, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, and his largely Sunni and secular political opposition.

The crisis eased somewhat as opposition politicians ended their boycott of Parliament and the cabinet. But Iraq’s leaders have not answered deeper questions of how to share power, deliver services and divide control of disputed territories and oil resources, leaving plenty of room for insurgents to attempt to exploit a persistent sense of instability and dissatisfaction with the government.

The attacks elsewhere in the country included some in Salahuddin Province, immediately north of the capital, where four people were killed. Car bombs struck at a local court, a Shiite enclave within the heavily Sunni Muslim province, a local police station and the local headquarters of a Kurdish political party.

Security officials in the province set up temporary checkpoints and imposed a curfew in Tikrit, Saddam Hussein’s hometown.

Three explosions also ripped through Babel Province, a heavily Shiite area south of Baghdad, killing two people and wounding scores more. One of the attacks was aimed at police officers, while civilians bore the brunt of the other explosions, including 30 children who suffered mostly minor wounds when the concussive force of a nearby car bomb sent shards of glass whipping through their school.

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‘Friends of Syria’ consider giving Assad an ultimatum on crackdown

The United States, Europe and Arab nations are preparing to demand that Syrian President Bashar Assad agree within days to a ceasefire and allow humanitarian aid into areas hardest hit by his regime's brutal crackdown on opponents.
U.S., European and Arab officials were meeting in London on Thursday to craft details of an ultimatum to Mr. Assad that diplomats said could demand compliance within 72 hours or result in additional as-yet-unspecified punitive measures, likely to include toughened sanctions. The ultimatum is to be presented at a major international conference on Syria set for Friday in Tunisia. 

 

American officials accompanying U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to the Tunis meeting of the “Friends of Syria” said the goal is to make it clear to Mr. Assad that his regime has a moral obligation to end the shelling of civilian areas and allow assistance into the country. The message will be that the burden is on Mr. Assad to respond to the demands of the international community, they said. 
 
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the ongoing discussions over how the ultimatum will be presented at the Tunis conference. Several nations have proposed creating protected corridors through which humanitarian relief can flow but it was not clear if a consensus could be reached on the matter, as such a step would almost certainly require a military component.
More workable, officials said, would be a ceasefire such as the one proposed by the International Committee of the Red Cross, which is calling for a daily two-hour break in fighting to provide aid.
Ms. Clinton met Thursday in London with foreign ministers and senior officials from about a dozen countries, including Britain, France, Germany, Jordan, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates. More than 70 nations and international organizations are expected at the Tunis meeting.
“Our priority is to facilitate the delivery of the humanitarian assistance, and we have some proposals on the table to prepare the best way to deliver this assistance as quickly as possible — if the regime would accept to open the country to the NGOs or to the Red Cross,” French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said after the discussions.
Mr. Juppe said the “situation in Syria gets more revolting, scandalous and shameful every day,” but cautioned against any military response to the violence.
“There is no military option at the moment on the table, and as I have said before, France could not envisage such an option without an international mandate. It's a clear and constant guideline,” Mr. Juppe said.
“It is a deeply frustrating situation,” British Foreign Secretary William Hague told BBC radio ahead of the talks. He said that the Assad regime “has continued to act seemingly with impunity.”
However, Hague said military intervention was very unlikely, as “the consequences of any outside intervention are much harder to foresee.”
Russia and China, the two nations that blocked an earlier attempt at a UN Security Council resolution against Mr. Assad, reiterated on Thursday their continued opposition to any foreign intervention in Syria.
The Tunis conference will also explore ways to further isolate Mr. Assad and his inner circle as well as boost engagement with the Syrian opposition to help them prepare for an eventual democratic transition.
“I know there is huge pressure, rightly, on everyone in the world — on the United Nations, on the United States, on Great Britain, on the Arab League, to do more to try to stop this butchery and this murder,” Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron told reporters.
He said nations attending the Tunis talks must “work out what more we can do as an international community to back the opposition, to tighten the sanctions, to put pressure on that regime, to say to countries like Russia and China you must not go on blocking important UN resolution that would pressurize this regime.”

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Saif Ali Khan apologises for brawl: Top 10 developments

Mumbai:  Investigators, who had pinned hopes on  CCTV footage for evidence in their probe into the assault case against Saif Ali Khan, were left disappointed. The police say no video cameras were installed in the area where the brawl took place at Wasabi, the uber-fancy restaurant at the Taj Hotel in Colaba.

The 41-year-old Bollywood star, who has been booked for assaulting an NRI businessman Iqbal Sharma has said the midnight brawl on Tuesday is not a "publicity stunt" and that he felt sorry for what had happened.  Saif said that he acted in self defence and that he was attacked first.

Here are  the latest developments in  the case:

1) Sources in the Mumbai Police tell NDTV that the counter complaint filed by the actor last night against Mr Sharma does not stand. In his complaint, Saif has alleged that Mr Sharma's father-in-law punched him first and that the duo abused the women who were accompanying him at the restaurant. He has also alleged that his eye was swollen after he was hit. But sources in the police say that after studying his application, the actor's injuries cannot be ascertained as he has not backed it up with a medical certificate.

2) The actor on Thursday apologised for 'losing control' and said,"...And it is our responsibility that we always behave the right way. So in one way, I would like to apologise about what happened and I think even this could have been handled in a different way. I get angry at things any normal person will get angry at. But it should not be displayed in public."

3) Saif was dining with girlfriend and co-actor Kareena Kapoor and other Bollywood friends - Kareena's sister Karisma Kapoor; actor Amrita Arora and her husband, Shakeel Ladak; and Bilal Amrohi, a producer. In his complaint, the actor has alleged that his eye got swollen after he was punched and that Bilal Amrohi and Shakeel Ladak too have got bruises on their chest.


4) Saif's lawyer Mohan Jayakar said "Saif was provoked after women at the table were abused. Filthy language was used by Mr Sharma."


5) "We are studying the restaurant's CCTV footage. The security cameras at the staircase of the restaurant where the incident occurred did not capture the fight," a senior police official said, adding that statements of actresses Kareena Kapoor and Amrita Arora will now be recorded.


6) At around 7:50 pm on Wednesday, Saif was arrested by the police at his lawyer's office based on a complaint by Mr Sharma. Girlfriend and co-star Kareena Kapoor accompanied him. Around 90 minutes later, he left the Colaba police station after having paid Rs.


7) Giving his side of the story, Saif said Mr Sharma was rude to the women at his table and when Saif intervened, Mr Sharma threw the first punch.


8) In a press statement released just after he got bail, Saif said, "I don't think any gentleman would have behaved differently. The CCTV footage in the restaurant will prove everything."

9)  In his version of events, Mr Sharma says he sent a note to Saif's table, asking his group to talk a little softer. "They were making a lot of noise. And we asked the management to ask them to be quiet so that we could also enjoy our evening. This failed on about three occasions at least." Mr Sharma says his family and he decided to leave the restaurant; on their way out, they ran into Saif who had left Wasabi and was on his way back in. At this point, Mr Sharma says, Saif struck. 15,000 and being granted bail.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/saif-ali-khan-apologises-for-brawl-top-10-developments-179251&cp

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GABBAR SINGH

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GABBAR SINGH

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Birla Mandir (Sri Venkateswara Temple)

Significance: This is a modern temple (consecrated in 1976) built of white marble on top of a hill, dominating the skyline of Hyderabad. The Birlas (industrialists who have also built several temples in India in this century) built this temple. The presiding deity here is Venkateswara (Vishnu).

Architecture: This temple displays a mixture of architectural styles. A Rajagopuram built in the South Indian style greets the visitors. The tower over the main shrine of Venkateswara called the Jagadananda vimanam is built in the Orissan style while the towers over the shrines of the consorts are built in the South Indian style. The brass flagstaff rises to a height of 42 feet.

The granite image of the presiding deity is about 11 feet tall and a carved lotus forms an umbrella for this image. There are several carvings in marble, in the adjoining mukha mandapam - depicting scenes from Indian mythology. The temple is floodlit at nights.

Other shrines in the temple:The consorts of Venkateswara Padmavathi and Andal are housed in separate shrines.

Worship and festivals: Although modern in construction worship is carried out as per the traditional Agama rules, the Pancharatra Agama in particular. 

 

Other shrines in the temple:The consorts of Venkateswara Padmavathi and Andal are housed in separate shrines.

Worship and festivals: Although modern in construction worship is carried out as per the traditional Agama rules, the Pancharatra Agama in particular. 

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Movies nominated for Oscars 2012

Some of the films that made it to the list of Oscar nominations:
Hugo, Martin Scorsese's first 3D movie, has been nominated for 11 Oscars, including best picture and best director, as Hollywood prepared to honor its top pictures of 2011.
 George Clooney remained the inevitable choice for Best Actor for his role in The Descendants.
 The Artist, the film tribute to the silent-picture era, received 10 nominations, including best picture and best director.
 Rooney Mara has been nominated in best actress category for Oscars 2012 for her role in Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
 Meryl Streep has been nominated for her role in The Iron Lady for 2012 Oscars.
 Jeremy Irvine is shown in a scene from "War Horse." The film has been nominated for an Oscar in the best film category.
 Viola Davis is shown in a scene from The Help. The film has been nominated for an Oscar.
 Actors Sophie Nelisse and Mohamed Fellag are shown in a scene from Philippe Falardeau's Monsieur Lazhar. The film has been nominated for an Oscar in the best foreign film category.

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Baba Ramdev may face legal music for his 'cancer cure'

and self-styled healer Baba Ramdev may soon be in trouble for claiming to cure cancer and HIV, apart from other diseases, with yoga and concoctions marketed by his pharmacy.
In a significant move, all state medical councils have united to act against the likes of Ramdev who have been claiming cure for diseases in televised discourses and through other means.
At a meeting held over the weekend in the Capital, state medical councils passed a resolution asking the Drug Controller General of India to book all those claiming magical cures under the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act of 1954.
The Act prohibits any individual or company from claiming to cure diseases such as cancer and conditions like diabetes and obesity in their advertisements.
Several speakers at the meeting pointed out that Ramdev had been giving sponsored programmes on television and claiming to cure all such diseases listed in the Act.
Representatives of 22 state medical councils participated in the two-day meeting, hosted by the Delhi Medical Council, to discuss issues of common interest, including ethics in medical practice and quackery.
Registration of doctors and regulation of medical profession is a major function of state medical councils. But only the drug controller is empowered to initiate legal action against violators of the law against magical remedies.
The meeting suggested several measures to combat the growing menace of quackery. It was suggested that the punishment for those who practice medicine without any qualified degrees should be enhanced under the Indian Medical Council Act.
Under the law, those not trained in one system of medicine are not supposed to practice any other system of medicine.
Ramdev has been promoting cancer cure through television programmes and a video titled 'Yog cancer ke liye', being sold through his website.
In the hour-long video, also posted on the website YouTube, Ramdev claims he has been able to cure several types of cancer, including brain tumours, with a concoction of wheat grass juice, tulsi and leaves.
"You can consume 10 to 50 ml of this juice. Start on this if there is no improvement with chemotherapy or radiation. Consume as much as you can digest. There is no side effect of this juice. With this treatment, we have seen that blood cancer can be cured.
"I am telling you this because we have data and have also published results of our research," Ramdev tells his followers in the video. Along with wheat grass, he also recommends a daily regimen of pranayam for cancer treatment.
After a government servant died a few years ago because of excessive intake of bitter gourd (lauki) juice, as suggested by Ramdev, an expert panel set up by the Indian Council of Medical Research had warned people against consuming this juice.
Apart from Ramdev, the representatives of several states also pointed to the case of Jatin Chaudhry, who claims to be the physiotherapist of cricketer Yuvraj Singh.
The councils resolved to crack down against physiotherapists who use the Dr prefix, which according to a health ministry directive of 2003, can be used only by those practicing allopathy or recognised Indian systems of medicine such as Ayurveda and Unani.

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/baba-ramdev-vs-state-medical-councils-cancer-cure-yoga/1/174863.html

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/baba-ramdev-vs-state-medical-councils-cancer-cure-yoga/1/174863.html

 

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Pointers in love

Movie: Kaadhalil Sodhapuvadhu Eppadi

Cast: Siddharth, Amala Paul

Director Balaji Mohan, with his first film “Kaadhalil Sodhapuvadhi Eppadi”, gives us a feel-good movie that, if nothing else, will definitely leave a smile on your face!

The movie starts with Arun (Siddarth) narrating his relationship with Parvathi (Amala Paul).

The movie describes the various ego clashes between the couple, and how the basic difference between a boy and girl's thought process influences their relationship.

While Arun is the only pampered son of a happy couple, Parvathi's parents have faced a lot of trouble in their marriage.

What it's about

The movie revolves around how Arun realises he has to get his love back leading to a sappy climax.

KSE clearly targets the urban youth, evident from the fact that Facebook and the mobile phone play an important role in the love story!

While the lead actors have performed well, Siddharth steals the show as the helpless boy in love. It's amazing how he looks younger with each film.

Why it works

The entire movie is a narration with the hero connecting directly with the audience, which works very well for a script like this.

Commendably, the director has stuck to minimal exaggeration and avoided clichés so that everything on screen seems very real. KSE is a decent attempt at understanding why we are all so messed up when it comes to love. It is worth watching just because it does not blame one gender nor does it handle the subject in a preachy manner.

Bottomline: Watch this movie; it might either be a cute reminiscence or a rib-tickling warning!

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Saif: I too was assaulted, acted in self-defence

Says he has filed a counter complaint against the NRI businessman

Actor Saif Ali Khan, who was arrested by the Mumbai police here on Wednesday night for assaulting a Non-Resident Indian from South Africa, was granted bail on a surety of Rs. 15,000. He later told reporters that he had filed a counter-complaint against the businessman.

Nose fractured

The police registered a case against the actor and his two friends at around 3 a.m. on Wednesday after Iqbal Navin Sharma (44) complained at the Colaba police station that they had engaged in a fight with him and his father-in-law and that Mr. Khan's fist blow fractured his nasal bone.

The complainant told reporters that he and his family had gone to Wasabi restaurant at the Taj Mahal hotel on Tuesday night for dinner.

Mr. Khan and 10-12 friends, including Malaika Khan, Amrita Arora and fianc?e Kareena Kapoor, were dining there.

“Talking loudly”

“They were talking loudly so we asked the management to tell them to talk softly,” Mr. Sharma said.

Police said the actor retorted that the complainant should go to a library if he wanted peace. The incident happened at around 12.30 a.m.

Mr. Sharma said that Mr. Khan and his friends also assaulted his 69-year-old father-in-law.

FIR lodged

“The argument started over a small issue and there was a fight. The complainant, after receiving treatment at GT Hospital, came to the police station to register the complaint. We have lodged an FIR against Saif and two unknown persons under sections 34 and 325 of IPC [Indian Penal Code],” Iqbal Sheikh, Assistant Commissioner of Police, told reporters.

Section 325 pertains to causing grievous hurt to a person and is a bailable offence.

Phone switched off

Police teams launched a search for him. Mr. Khan's cell phone was switched of and the police could not directly get in touch with him.

Arrested from lawyer's chamber

Mr. Khan was arrested from his lawyer's chamber in Nariman Point and was brought to the Colaba station for recording his statement.

The two friends who were also charged in the FIR are Shakil Ladakh and Bilal Amrohi. They too have been granted bail.

Meanwhile, Mr. Khan told reporters late in the night that he acted in self-defence and that the trader too had assaulted and abused him.

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India home ministry calls gay sex 'immoral'

India's government has told the Supreme Court that homosexuality is immoral, "against nature and spreads HIV".

The home ministry urged the court to reverse a 2009 landmark decision by the Delhi High Court which decriminalised gay sex.
The ruling overturned a 148-year-old colonial law which described a same-sex relationship as an "unnatural offence".
The Supreme Court had earlier asked groups challenging the judgement to define "unnatural sex".
Many people in India still regard same-sex relationships as illegitimate, but rights groups have long argued that the law contravened human rights.
Section 377 of the colonial Indian Penal Code defined homosexual acts as "carnal intercourse against the order of nature" and made them illegal.
In July 2009 the Delhi High Court described the colonial-era law as discriminatory and said gay sex between consenting adults should not be treated as a crime.
Until the high court ruling, homosexual acts were punishable by a 10-year prison term.
The ruling was widely and visibly welcomed by India's gay community, which said the judgement would help protect them from harassment and persecution.
But it was challenged by political, social and religious groups who wanted to have the colonial-era law reinstated.
Last week, the Supreme Court begun a debate on the legality of decriminalising gay sex in private between consenting adults.
"So who is the expert to say what is 'unnatural sex'? The meaning of the word has never been constant," Justices GS Singhvi and SJ Mukhopadhyaya asked a petitioner who challenged the judgement.
"We have travelled a distance of 60 years. Now it is test-tube babies, surrogate mothers. They are called discoveries. Is it in the order of nature? Is there carnal intercourse?" the judges said.

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Midnight crackdown: SC raps Baba Ramdev, Delhi police

The Supreme Court on Thursday castigated the Delhi Police and yoga guru Ramdev for the midnight violent incident at the Ramlila Maidan last year and said it was a "glaring example of trust deficit" between the people and the government.
A bench of justice BS Chauhan and justice SwatanterKumar said that incident showed might of the state which struck at the foundation of democracy.

The bench further observed that the police and the state could have avoided that tragic incident in which one person died and several others were injured.
"It is a glaring example of trust deficit between the people governing and the people being governed," the bench said, adding that police action is meant to bring peace but they breached peace themselves.
The apex court blamed both Ramdev and the Delhi Police for the midnight crackdown at Ramlila Maidan last year and directed criminal prosecution of police personnel and Ramdev's supporters who had behaved violently during the incident.
The bench, however, said that the cops had assaulted sleeping victims and the police and the state could have avoided the violent incident.
There was abuse of power by the Delhi Police and fundamental rights of people were violated, the bench said.
The court awarded a compensation of Rs five lakh for the family members of Raj Bala, who had died in the incident.
The bench also awarded a compensation of Rs 50,000 for those who suffered grievous injuries in the incident and Rs 25,000 for those with simple injuries.
The apex court had taken suo motu cognisance of media reports showing brutality of police action against the sleeping followers of Ramdev, including women and children at Ramlila Maidan on the midnight of June 4-5 last year during his anti-corruption agitation.
The bench had reserved the verdict on January 20.
Ramdev had alleged that the police action was carried out on the instructions of their political masters and demanded action against all people who had directed the crackdown.
Ramdev was agitating along with his followers against corruption and demanding that the UPA government must make sincere efforts to bring back black money illegally parked in foreign bank accounts by tax evaders.
The Delhi Police, however, claimed Ramdev had instigated his followers to indulge in violence, forcing the police to act at that time of the night.

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Salman celebrates Shivaratri with family and villagers

Salman Khan believes in all religion and celebrates all festivals with the same devotion. The way he celebrates Eid, the same way he celebrates Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi, Nabarathri and Maha Shivarathri. Straight from Cuba where he is shooting for Kabir Khan’s ‘Ek Tha Tiger’, he headed to Kajrat, his farmhouse where his father Salim Khan has made all the preparation for the Ganesh puja. The actor on reaching Kajrat celebrated the festival with his family and the 125 villagers staying near his farm house.
His father Salim Khan reached the farmhouse on Saturday and made all the necessary preparations for the rituals. The three Khan brothers-Salman Khan, Sohail Khan, Arbaaz Khan, Malaika were all present. His two sisters Alvira and Arpita all arrived for the puja. A purohit has been called to perform the puja.
"The farmhouse has a Shiva shrine. Salim and Salman have renovated it. They have also appointed a pujari who does a small ritual every morning and also maintains the temple," a friend has been quoted.

Salman kept fast for the entire day. "The celebration will also include over 125 villagers from the neighbouring area. The Khan family reportedly takes Shiv Ratri as seriously as they do Iftaar and on both occasions, food is distributed among the poor and sent to orphanages, old-age homes, besides friends and relatives," informs a source.

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Ameesha's sexy style

Ameesha Patel recently had a spat with Sanjay Dutt at the wedding of David Dhawan's son Rohit, over the dress she was wearing. Reports say Ameesha had turned up in a "particularly revealing" outfit at the sangeet ceremony and it didn't go down well with Dutt.
After his requests to Ameesha asking her to cover up went unheard, the actor went ahead and covered Ameesha's bosom with the dupatta!
 All dressed up for the occasion: Ameesha at Triumph Lingerie show.Ameesha shows off her curvy figure in a blue bikini blouse at Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra's wedding reception in 2009.Ameesha gets it right, looks very sexy in a pink gown at Screen Awards.Ameesha in a bold, strapless dress at Neeta Lulla’s Fashion preview at FUEL in Mumbai.Ameesha Patel at IIFA in 2011.Ameesha Patel in a red gown at Blender's pride fashion tour in 2011.

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Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/gallery/ameesha-sexy-style/1/6580.html

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Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/gallery/ameesha-sexy-style/1/6580.html

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Megan goes Gothic for Armani

Hollywood beauty Megan Fox has modelled for Armani's latest beauty campaign.She strikes a strong resemblance to Snow White's Evil Queen in Armani's latest beauty campaign by sporting a pale complexion and blood red lips.

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/gallery/megan-goes-gothic/1/6520.html

 Megan has been given a Gothic look to go with the theme, she wears sultry lipstick shades and shimmering eye shadows.Fox was the former ambassador of Armani jeans, but was replaced by Rihanna last year.
 The range that is Thirties-inspire pays homage to Hollywood glamour.The Transformers star has been associated with the brand for two years now.

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