Manish Malhotra has become the first Indian designer to cross one million likes on
social-networking site Facebook. Malhotra is known for his unique creations in Bollywood be it the urban costumes of Rani Mukerji in ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ or Kareena Kapoor’s wardrobe in ‘Singham Returns’.
Bollywood celebrities took to Twitter to congratulate the ace designer for creating a milestone in his career. Actress Aditi Rao Hydari said, “Manish Malhotra becomes
the first Indian designer to have crossed 1 million hits on Facebook!!! Woohoo @ManishMalhotra1.”
“The superstar designer @ManishMalhotra1 crosses 1 million likes on Facebook! The only Indian designer to have achieved this milestone!,” Karan Johar tweeted.
Apart from Bollywood celebs, the designer has designer costumes for the famous personalities in the West including Demi Moore, Kylie Minogue, Reese Witherspoon, Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell.
Director: Bushan Patel
Cast: Bipasha Basu, Karan Singh Grover
Bhushan Patel’s ‘Alone’, the latest addition to Bipasha Basu’s growing body of ‘horror’ work, presses every available button to rake up the dark past in ways that are both gruesome and intriguing, but it cannot shrug off the sheer banality of the genre.
Bipasha, the high priestess of Bollywood horror, does her bit by plunging into her double role with customary enthusiasm.
Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, Alone is neither original in terms of substance nor does it come up with any strikingly new methods to evoke fear.
It rips off the storyline of the 2007 Thai horror film, ‘Fad’ (meaning Twins), in which two conjoined twins are separated from each other amid destructive envy, distrust and violence when a handsome man falls in love with one of them and arouses the jealousy of the other.
Bhushan Patel already has two successful genre films ’Ragini MMS 2′ and ‘1920: Evil Returns’ under his belt. His experience of the horror domain is both good and bad for ‘Alone’.
On one hand he knows exactly how to employ light, shadow, camera angles and sound effects to create an ambience of dread and foreboding. He puts some of that expertise to good use here, at least in parts.
On the other, the approaches that Patel uses border on the hackneyed and repetitive as a result of the fact that he is working primarily with tropes stored in his directorial memory.
At the outset of ‘Alone’, a happily married couple, Sanjana (Bipasha Basu) and Kabir (Karan Singh Grover), arrive at the woman’s childhood home after her mother meets with an accident. There, an apparition, a mirror image of the heroine, begins to hound Sanjana and the man she loves.
It turns out to be the spirit of her twin, Anjana, who died years ago when the girls were surgically separated.
‘Alone’ is a love triangle that moves back and forth between the present and the past, but the intrigue of the tale wears off rather quickly because the shocks that it delivers acquire a predictable rhythm.
Television actor Karan Singh Grover is given enough opportunities to scorch the screen in the company of the sultry Bipasha.
A secret US cybersecurity report warned that government and private computers were being left vulnerable to online attacks from Russia, China and criminal gangs because encryption technologies were not being implemented fast enough.
The advice, in a newly uncovered five-year forecast written in 2009, contrasts with the pledge made by David Cameron this week to crack down on encryption use by technology companies.
In the wake of the Paris terror attacks, the prime minister said there should be no “safe spaces for terrorists to communicate” or that British authorites could not access.
Cameron, who landed in the US on Thursday night, is expected to urge Barack Obama to apply more pressure to tech giants, such as Apple, Google and Facebook, which have been expanding encrypted messaging for their millions of users since the revelations of mass NSA surveillance by the whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Cameron said the companies “need to work with us. They need also to demonstrate, which they do, that they have a social responsibility to fight the battle against terrorism. We shouldn’t allow safe spaces for terrorists to communicate. That’s a huge challenge but that’s certainly the right principle”.
But the document from the US National Intelligence Council, which reports directly to the US director of national intelligence, made clear that encryption was the “best defence” for computer users to protect private data.
Part of the cache given to the Guardian by Snowden was published in 2009 and gives a five-year forecast on the “global cyber threat to the US information infrastructure”. It covers communications, commercial and financial networks, and government and critical infrastructure systems. It was shared with GCHQ and made available to the agency’s staff through its intranet.
One of the biggest issues in protecting businesses and citizens from espionage, sabotage and crime – hacking attacks are estimated to cost the global economy up to $400bn a year – was a clear imbalance between the development of offensive versus defensive capabilities, “due to the slower than expected adoption … of encryption and other technologies”, it said.
An unclassified table accompanying the report states that encryption is the “[b]est defense to protect data”, especially if made particularly strong through “multi-factor authentication” – similar to two-step verification used by Google and others for email – or biometrics. These measures remain all but impossible to crack, even for GCHQ and the NSA.
The controversy over the clearance to the film ‘Messenger of God’ snowballed today with another censor board member resigning in support of its Chairperson Leela Samson as government rejected allegations of “coercion” and “interference” in its functioning.
A high alert has been sounded in Punjab and Haryana as protests were staged in Haryana and Delhi against the proposed release of the movie on Sunday.
The controversial Dera Saccha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, on whom the movie is based, claimed at a press conference in Gurgaon in Haryana where it was to be premiered today (rpt) to be premiered today, that it does not target any religious section.
“I have clearly said that I am just human. The acts portrayed in the movie are simply stunts,” he said in an apparent rejection of criticism from Sikh groups that he was portraying himself as God and Sikh Guru.
About the release on January 18, he said, “we have not finalised anything. There are still meetings going on about the possibility of releasing within such a short time.”
The clearance by the Appellate Film Certification Tribunal created turbulence in Delhi when Ira Bhaskar, a member of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), decided to resign in solidarity with Samson, who quit last night.
Samson had resigned after learning that the Tribunal had cleared the movie for release even though the CBFC had withheld it.
“I have decided to resign. My resignation has to do with Leelaji’s decision to step down. We were working together and as a group we had discussed resigning earler. But we held on as she attempted to help the Ministry in running the Board,” Bhaskar said.
“But things were clearly not in order. There was no meeting in the past one year though it was mandatory for board members to meet every three months. The last meeting was in January 2014. The censor board CEO said there were no funds to hold the meetings so the board is clearly not required,” she told PTI.
New Delhi: It’s IIT versus IIT, Civil Services versus Civil Services, Ramon Magsasay Award versus Ramon Magsasay Award and India Against Corruption versus India Against Corruption (IAC).
Will the choice for Delhi voters be between BJP’s Kiran Bedi and Aam Aadmi Party’s Arvind Kejriwal, when the capital goes to polls on February 7 to elect its Assembly? Will BJP eventually declare Bedi as its chief ministerial nominee?
By inducting India’s first woman IPS officer, Kiran Bedi, into the party, the BJP has found a trump card to checkmate AAP’s biggest poll agenda: women’s security, which was the one issue in which AAP had scored over the BJP and the Congress. But by introducing Bedi, who was known as a tough, no-nonsense cop, the BJP wants to win over that space.
Though BJP president Amit Shah categorically stated that the chief ministerial candidate would be decided by the party’s Parliamentary Board, speculations are high that Bedi will get the job if the BJP comes to power.
Why are the chances of Kiran Bedi as the BJP’s chief ministerial nominee high? She has the right, no-nonsense credentials that the Delhi voter, who overwhelmingly voted for change, are clearly craving.
Bedi earned the nickname ‘Crane Bedi’ during her tenure as deputy commissioner Police Traffic for extensive use of cranes to tow away wrongly parked cars. Famously, she didn’t even spare the car of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
As DG (Prisons), she introduced reformatory measures in Tihar Jail and also founded two NGOs for welfare and preventative policing, as well as for prison reformation, community policing, prevention of drug abuse and child welfare.
Moreover, until now, the BJP has had no strong leader in Delhi that it can project as a possible CM candidate and lead the charge against the high-decibel poll pitch of the AAP.
Bedi, who is well-kown for being India’s first woman IPS officer (she joined in 1972), brings that star value to the Delhi unit of the BJP, which has until now, been a poor reflection of the party’s status in other states. In the last Assembly elections, the party banked on Dr. Harsh Vardhan, but he has since been moved to the Centre as a union minister.
During Sheila Dikshit’s tenure as Delhi CM, Bedi was denied the post of Delhi Police Commissioner and an officer two years’ junior to her was appointed. She took voluntary retirement and pursued her social work
The proposal for auctioning for phase III of FM channels was given a go ahead by the government today, a process that could add an estimated revenue of over Rs 550 crore to the exchequer.
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi also approved migration (renewal) of private FM Radio licenses from Phase-II to Phase-III in 69 existing cities for 135 channels on payment of migration fee according to TRAI recommendations.
As of now, with the implementation of two phases of private FM Radio — Phase I (1999-2000) and Phase II (2005-06) — there are 243 private FM channels in operation in 86 cities of the country, spanning 26 states and three Union Territories.
“The auction process will add an estimated revenue of over Rs 550 crore to the national exchequer on successful auctions of all proposed channels,” an official statement said here.
Besides, it will beget the amount realised through the migration process which is dependent on the TRAI recommended formula, where migration fee is linked with the discovery of market prices through the FM Radio Phase III auction.
The roll out of the first batch of FM Radio Phase III auction will provide more channels to listeners with richer content in 69 existing cities, the statement said.
MUMBAI: Tata Consultancy Services, co-sponsors of the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon to be run on January 18, on Friday announced it would sponsor the top two Indian finishers in both men’s and women’s full marathons at the TCS New York City Marathon in November.
“We are pleased to announce that the top two Indian men and women finishers in the 2015 Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon will be fully sponsored at the TCS New York City Marathon 2015. All their expenses will be borne by us,” Ajoy Mukherjee, Executive VP and Global Head of Human Resources of the software giant, said at a media conference.
“We will make sure through the Athletics Federation of India that all the necessary training programme to take part in the TCS New York City Marathon are available to them. Hopefully in the long run it will help India to get into the Olympics (marathon),” said Mukherjee.
AFI president Adille Sumariwalla welcomed the decision. Sumariwalla, former national men’s 100 metre champion, said the NYC Marathon is among the biggest in the world and it is a great opportunity for our athletes to run there “with the best in the world outside India where the conditions are not the same.
Top Indian finishers among men and women respectively in the last edition of the Mumbai race – Karan Singh and Lalita Babar – said their focus at present was to do well on Sunday.
“If I do well here I can do well there. My aim is to clock my personal best of 2 hours, 18 minutes,” said Karan Singh who clocked 2:24:08 in the January 18, 2014, race.
Lalita, who won a bronze medal in the women’s 3000m steeplechase event at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, also said her focus was on the race to be held here in two days.
“I first have to do well in the Mumbai Marathon and only then can I make it to the New York Marathon. It’s a good opportunity for me if I qualify,” she said.
Former AAP leader had quit in 2014 after citing the absence of internal democracy in the Aam Aadmi Party. She had contested the 2013 Delhi Assembly elections and 2014 Lok Sabha elections on a AAP ticket unsuccessfully.
Ilmi has stayed out of politics since she left the party in 24 May, 2014 accusing the party of not having any internal democracy. She has since been a vocal critic of the party’s functioningon Twitter, often finding herself being targeted on the medium by the AAP’s supporters.
In an interview to Firstpost in November, Ilmi had said she wouldn’t contest the assembly poll from any political party but said she’s not quitting politics either. Speculation over her joining the BJP had risen after she praised the Prime Minister’s Swachh Bharat campaign, but she had defended her actions.
“Even, if I don’t do anything, rumour or controversy often takes place. When I left the AAP, Arvind on a television channel said since I was joining the Congress, I had left AAP, which was not true. I never joined Congress. PM’s Swachh Bharat mission is a great mission and one shouldn’t allow rotten apples to spoil a good mission,” she had said.
While saying that she still wanted to make a difference, Ilmi had said at the time that she didn’t want to contest any election.
She had also quashed speculation earlier this week that she would be joining the party.
However, it remains to be seen how the former AAP leader does in the BJP given not everyone in the state unit of the party is very pleased about the former AAP leader joining them just before the national capital goes to the polls.
“The BJP needs to understand that people are keen to join us because we are in power and have good prospects in the upcoming Assembly elections. Induction of too many AAP leaders shows that the party has compromised its ideology,” a BJP leader said on condition of anonymity to Firstpost.
New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal today alleged a nexus between Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay and certain power distribution companies, saying firms owned by him were installing and repairing meters for the discoms in the city.
Upadhyay strongly rejected the allegations saying he was not involved in any sale or purchase of power meters and challenged the AAP leader to come out with proof of his charges or quit politics.
Asking BJP to come clean on the alleged nexus, Kejriwal wondered how the party made Upadhyay its Delhi chief when he has alleged links with power discom BSES. He alleged that Upadhyay owns six companies one of which had two VAT numbers which is against law.
Addressing a press conference, the former Delhi chief minister alleged that Upadhyay owns 6000 shares in New Delhi Communication Network Ltd (NCNL) that provides services like installation and replacement of meters to power discoms.
Kejriwal alleged Upadhyay and his wife have 2500 shares each in another company and Delhi BJP vice-president Ashish Sood was its former director. “Their website reveals that it bagged the best vendor award from Reliance Energy, its No 1 in BSES’s metering work and till date has installed and replaced meters in Delhi.
“Installing and replacing meters is done by Satish Upadhyay’s company. People of Delhi have been alleging that these meters are running fast. This is the reason, why the AAP government had ordered probe into installation of the meters,” Kejriwal said.
Rejecting the allegations, Upadhyay said there was no records of the firms mentioned by AAP. “Kejriwal should either give proof of my association with the companies or he should quit politics.”
Kejriwal added that the BJP had been dilly-dallying over its promise of slashing electricity tariff by 30 per cent and did not criticise the firms when the CAG had complained that they did not furnish details of their finances.
“The BJP said it will reduce electricity tariff by 30 per cent, but it could not slash the rate for the past seven months, instead it has increased it by 15 per cent.
“AAP had started audit, but for the past 7-8 months CAG has many a time complained that these companies were doing irregularities, but BJP government did not say anything. In seven months. When BJP was at the helm of affairs in Delhi, they stopped the meter checking work initiated by AAP,” Kejriwal said.
New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal Speaks to NDTV’s Barkha Dutt ahead of Delhi’s Assembly election scheduled for February 7. Here are the highlights of his discussion:
• People are confident that they have to vote AAP this time.
• We will get between 45-50 seats this time.
• Last time we faced disadvantage of a new party. We had to tell people we are also in the field. People doubted us.
• This time people know only two parties in race – BJP, AAP.
• Last time anti-incumbency against congress. This time pro- incumbency in favour of AAP.
• Being in power for seven months the BJP has done nothing; In 49 days we had done much more.
• Comparing Haryana and Maharashtra to Delhi is like comparing apples and oranges.
• In those states the people had no option but to choose between BJP and Congress. In Delhi the Aam Aadmi Party has a presence.
• People of Delhi have accepted our apology.
• I have responded to “maidan chhod diya” allegation.
• People know that Narendra Modi won’t become chief minister. People want strong chief minister.
• Who is main challenger? Jagdish Mukhi. Four senior BJP leaders called us and begged “make me your main rival”.
• Do I look like a Naxal? It is not right to say such things. I urge them to focus on issues.
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