Widening its probe into the PNB fraud case, the Enforcement Directorate will soon send judicial requests to over a dozen countries for obtaining information about the overseas businesses and assets of diamantaire Nirav Modi and owner of Gitanjali Gems Mehul Choksi.

            

Official sources said the agency will approach a competent court in Mumbai  with a request to obtain Letters Rogatories to be sent to about 15-17 countries where the central investigation agency has traced the footsteps of the diamond and gold jewellery businesses of the firms owned by Modi, his uncle Choksi and others associated with them.

            

The countries where the LRs would be sent include Belgium, Hong Kong, Switzerland, the United States, the United Kingdom, Dubai, Singapore and South Africa.

            

Some official requests on the basis of agency-to-agency exchange will also be sent to few countries, the sources said.

            

The attempt of sending these judicial requests for exchange of information is aimed at obtaining the details of the overseas financial holdings of Modi and Choksi, who are accused in the Rs 11,400 crore PNB loan fraud case, their bank accounts, assets, partnerships, showrooms, trusts and other assets, they said.

            

These assets and their sources of income will be investigated and if necessary would be attached under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) if it is found that they have been created using tainted funds or the proceeds of crime of the alleged bank fraud, the sources said.

            

Meanwhile, Modi, his wife Ami, and Choksi have been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to appear at its zonal office in Mumbai tomorrow.

            

Sources indicated that if they skip the summons, the agency may approach a special PMLA court to get non-bailable warrants against them.

            

The agency has also asked about 16 other banks, apart from the Punjab National Bank, to share with it the details of loans extended and collaterals offered in the case of Modi, Choksi and their companies.

            

It has also asked the RBI to share with it audit reports of the PNB conducted by it since 2011.

            

The total assets seized by the ED in this case are now over Rs 6,393 crore, officials had said, adding that this was being independently valued. -- PTI

Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah today demanded that Congress president Rahul Gandhi prove his charge that the Narendra Modi government waived loans taken by industrialists.

What Rahul Gandhi is saying is incorrect, Shah said and demanded that the Congress president make public any document which mentions that loans to industries were written off.

"I want to clarify one thing... one statement that the Congress president repeatedly makes is that the BJP waived thousands of crores, lakhs of crores of loans taken by industries. I can tell you with guarantee that after the Narendra Modi government came to power, not even a single paisa of loan taken by any single industrialist has been waived," he said during an interaction with sugarcane farmers.

"If he (Rahul Gandhi) has any records anywhere that industries' loans have been waived, let him make it public... I am ready to answer and seek an apology from farmers of Karnataka. What he is saying is wrong," the BJP national president said.

He said that tax had not been waived for industries, but it has "only been reduced a bit."

Shah is on a three-day visit to north Karnataka region, during which he will interact with party workers in Bidar, Kalaburagi and Yadgiri districts. State Assembly polls are expected to be held in a few months.

"There is already no income tax on anything related to farmers and there is no question of taxing them. Let anyone spread misinformation how much ever they want, government is not imposing any income tax on farmers," he said.

The BJP chief said the Centre's "full focus" was on farmers' welfare and after coming to power in Karnataka, his party would follow a pro-farmer strategy.

Listing out various initiatives taken by the Modi government for sugarcane farmers, Shah said the BJP's poll manifesto would include ensuring on-time payment to sugarcane growers.

"If the BJP comes to power in Karnataka... within 90 days sugar mills would have to make payment to the farmers, as done in Uttar Pradesh. We will include this in our manifesto," he said, adding after forming government in the state, sugar mills in the region would be re-opened.

Mentioning various 'pro-farmer' initiatives of the Union government, such as procurement of pulses, neem-coated urea and the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, he accused the Congress government in Karnataka of not allowing benefits of some of the schemes reach the farmers.

The Congress government in the state fears that it may lead to further rise in Modi's popularity, Shah claimed. -- PTI

Aam Aadmi Party's Uttam Nagar MLA Naresh Balyan has been booked for making "inflammatory" remarks against Delhi government officials.

An FIR under relevant IPC sections was filed against Balyan at the Dabri police station in Dwarka yesterday, based on a complaint of a policeman, who was on duty when the MLA made the remarks at JJ Colony, Bindapur, on February 23, a police officer said.

According to the complainant, Balyan said officials, who throw spanners in public welfare works, "should be beaten up".

He was referring to the alleged assault on Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash.

His comments added to the existing tension between the Delhi government and the bureaucracy after the alleged assault on Prakash, according to the police complaint.

In a speech, the MLA had alleged that officers delay developmental work by "holding up" files for "commission". -- PTI

Pakistan is drifting towards international isolation mainly due to its policy of using groups designated by the global community as terrorist outfits as instruments of foreign policy, the Pakistani media warned today, days after a global watchdog on terrorism financing reportedly placed Islamabad on its watch-list.

"The world, which includes our brotherly friends (China and Saudi Arabia) whom the foreign minister (Khawaja Asif) thanked in a prematurely triumphant tweet on Tuesday, is not impressed with what they see as this countrys continued intransigence," the Dawn said in a stinging editorial, criticising the policies of the government, especially the powerful military.

Now that the news from the just-concluded round of meetings of the Financial Action Task Force held in Paris has been digested, it is important to focus on the fact that both China and Saudi Arabia abandoned Pakistan during the proceedings, opening the way for the motion advanced by the United States to a grey list the countrys financial system, it said.

The FATF in its report released on Friday did not mention Pakistan's name, leading to confusion about the country's status.

"It is now increasingly clear that Pakistan is drifting towards international isolation mainly due to its policy of using groups designated by the world community as terrorist outfits as instruments of foreign policy," the prominent newspaper commented.

"This is precisely the state of affairs that the civilian government has been trying to warn the security establishment about for a number of years now, including in a series of meetings in late 2016 -- but evidently, these conversations did not lead to the desired actions," it noted.

The FATF has been asking Pakistan to fully implement UN Security Council Resolution 1267 ever since the country was taken out of the grey list back in 2015. Once that act was passed in 2015, the next step was action against those groups and individuals that had been designated as terrorists by the United Nations.

The warnings are now pouring in continuously to act against militant groups, or risk international isolation. Pakistan would do well to heed them for its own sake, it said.

Another newspaper, The News, commented that Pakistan needs to reflect seriously about the consequences of its inaction against terrorist finance. The failure to curb terrorism finance is something that the country accepts internally.

"There have been constant pleas within the government apparatus to come up with measures to combat the free flow of terrorist finance. But these efforts remain beset by contradictions," it said.

Currently, the offending entity seems to be the free operation of Lashkar-e-Tayiba and its charity wing JuD, it said.

"The group (JuD) was able to launch a political party this year -- and has not faced action from the state akin to a serious clampdown. Cosmetic action has continued to be taken, which is why the international community remains unconvinced by the presidential ordinance putting Pakistans terrorist organisation list in compliance with the UN list and the recent seizing of LeT assets," the paper said.

"The optics are not convincing. However, there is little evidence that Pakistan is doing worse that it was in 2015 when it was taken off the grey list," The News commented.

The Nation, another leading Pakistani newspaper, in an editorial said, "This is a time to reflect upon the flawed policies which brought us to such a brink of panic.

India's premier defence research institute Defence Research and Development Organisation today carried out "successful" test flight of its Rustom 2 drone, a medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle, at Chalakere in Karnataka's Chitradurga district.

Rustom 2 is being developed on the lines of predator drones of the United States to carry out surveillance and reconnaissance roles for the armed forces with an endurance of 24 hours, officials said.

"The DRDO successfully flew its Rustom 2 today at its Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) at Chalakere at Chitradurga. This flight assumes significance due to the fact that this is the first flight in user configuration with higher power engine," a statement read.

The DRDO said the test flight was "successful" and all its parameters were "normal".

Rustom 2 is capable of carrying different combinations of payloads like synthetic aperture radar, electronic intelligence systems and situational awareness payloads, officials said.

DRDO chairman S Christopher, its Director General of Aeronautical System CP Ramanarayanan, DG Electronics and Communication Systems J Manjula and other senior scientists witnessed the test flight.

The around Rs 1,500-crore UAV project was initiated considering requirement of the the army, the navy and the air force.

The UAV has been designed and developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment of the DRDO, and aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd and Bharat Electronics Ltd are its production partners. -- PTI

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over failing education, health facilities in the Bharatiya Janata Party-led states like Gujarat.

Addressing a rally Bijapu, Gandhi said, "While I was campaigning in Gujarat, people there told me that education is a very expensive affair in the state. Major universities and colleges in Gujarat are backed by private industrialists."

Mocking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's various initiatives, Gandhi said, "Prime Minister Modi started Make in India, sit down India, stand up India, see right India but every product in the market is Make in China."

Further attacking Prime Minister Modi-led government, Gandhi said that he did not receive any answers in connection with waiving the loan of the farmers.

"I met Narendra Modi and asked him to waive the loan of the poor farmers just like he waived the loans of the businessmen. Modiji did not answer my question," the Congress chief said at a rally here.

He then applauded state Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for waving off loans worth "Rs. 8000 crores".

"I posed the same question to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The Chief Minister responded that 8,000 crores worth loan can be waived off. He not only replied but also waived the loan," Gandhi added.

Gandhi further said that the Karnataka government provides "subsidised education" and free education to girls.

He further alleged that the money is snatched from the pockets of poor farmers and transferred to the sack of "ten businessmen". 

He asked the prime minister whether he would waive off the loans of farmers the same way he forgave the loans of ten businessmen. -- ANI

Congress president Rahul Gandhi today approved a 43-member State Election Committee for poll-bound Karnataka, which will be headed by the party's state unit chief G Parameshwara.

Besides Chief Minister Siddharamaiah, All India Congress Committee general secretary in-charge of Karnataka K C Venugopal, secretaries in-charge of the state and all MPs would be part of the SEC, party general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said in a statement.

Senior party leaders from the state, Mallikarjun Kharge, D K Shivakumar, Dinesh Gundurao, S R Patil, Veerappa Moily, B K Hariprasad, Oscar Fernandes and Margaret Alva are also part of the committee.

The southern state, where the Congress is in power, is slated to go to polls in the next few months as the tenure of the 224-member current Assembly ends on May 28.

The BJP is working hard to oust the Congress and has declared to contest the Karnataka Assembly polls under the charge of former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa.

The JDS, another major player in the state, may be the deciding factor in case none of the two major parties get simple majority. The party has already announced a tie-up with the BSP for the polls. -- PTI

Skirmishes between Indian and Pakistani forces were only adding to people's sufferings and governments of both the countries should find a way to restore peace at the borders, National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah said today.

"Unless they (India and Pakistan) find a way out, away from this (border skirmishes), people on both sides will continue to suffer and many will die. Many of our soldiers will also die and a similar situation will be on their side," he said.

The government of India must find a way forward, the NC chief said.

"What that way forward is, is up to the prime minister to decide. I am too small to suggest anything to him. But I will say the same thing to the Pakistani side, to the premier of that side. The time has come when this bloodshed must stop, and peace must be restored on the border and in the state here as well as in the area they hold on their side," the former chief minister told reporters at the sidelines of a function in Jammu.

In response to a question about heavy Pakistani shelling along the Line of Control in Uri sector of north Kashmir, he said the shelling was not one sided but going on from both sides. 

"They are shelling us and we are shelling them back. They shell us one per cent, we shell them 10 per cent as Army chief has said," he said. 

On Pakistani troops targeting civilians, Abdullah said a bomb does not know where it is going to fall. The shelling is resorted to frighten the people, he said.

The NC leader's comment comes against the backdrop of a series of ceasefire violations by the Pakistani forces along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

Asked about amnesty gratned by the state government to stone-pelters, the member of parliament said those released should realise that the time has come when they have to think of their careers and how to take the state out of turmoil.

"We are a tourist state and no tourist will come if there is turmoil. People will suffer, they will continue to suffer and in the long run it will be the state that will become backward," he said. -- PTI

Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan has said legendary actor Sridevi surprised him with her dedication to the craft of acting and he was blown away by her ability to grow as an artiste.

           

The diva, who passed away late last night in Dubai at the age of 54 reportedly due to cardiac arrest, had acted with the actor in 27 films, including director K Balachander's "Moondru Mudichu", which also featured South superstar Rajinikanth.

            

In a video message, Haasan remembered Sridevi as an "astounding talent", which was "no luck" but a result of her hard-working nature throughout a career spanning almost five decades.

            

"Sridevi Kapoor's astounding talent was no luck. It was well-deserved and she worked for it from her childhood. I'm also a child actor, I've known her from her teens. She was still a child then when she came to work with me and Mr Balachander, my mentor sometimes gave me the responsibility of working with her, correcting her and shaping her acting, even her dance moves.

            

"When she came she was not as talented as she is, she was. But she developed everyday she learnt. I was astounded by her climb and every step of it she worked for. She was very fond of me and I was very fond of her. We were working so continuously that our personal lives were on the periphery... So the kind of dedication she had truly matched mine and so it's no wonder that we were fond of each other," the 63-year-old actor said.

          

Haasan recounted his last meeting with Sridevi which took place in January.

          

"We were not prone to showing emotion but we both hugged each other and I'm very grateful for that hug... 'Sadma' song rings in my ears now. I think that (is) favourite lullaby for this talented, beautiful Sridevi. That's our lullaby for her," he added talking about the Yesudas song "Surmayi ankhiyon mein" from the 1983 hit movie.

            

The actor also praised his deceased co-star as a dedicated mother to her two daughters -- Janhvi and Khushi -- and offered his condolences to her husband, producer Boney Kapoor. -- PTI

Image: Sridevi and Kamal Haasan in Sadma.

A job application filled out and signed by Apple Inc co-founder Steve Jobs is expected to fetch USD 50,000 at an US auction.

Jobs enrolled at Reed College for the fall semester in 1972 but dropped out after just six months to preserve his parents meager funds.

However, he hung around campus for a year and a half to audit creative courses, including classes on Shakespeare, dance, and calligraphy -- which helped shape his artistic worldview that influenced the innovation of the Macintosh computer.

The one-page questionnaire was filled out by Jobs in 1972 where he fills out his address, "reed college"; phone, "none"; and major, "english lit."

In the middle section, he wrote "yes" in response to 'Driver's License?' and "possible, but not probable," in reply to 'Access to transportation?'.

Concerning his skills, next to 'Computer' and 'Calculator,' he wrote, "yes (design, tech)."

At the bottom, he described his 'Special Abilities' as "electronics tech or design engineer. digital. from Bay near Hewitt-Packard."

In his 2005 Stanford commencement speech, Jobs had said "If I had never dropped in on that single calligraphy course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts."

In 1974, Jobs put his technical skills to work and secured a job as a technician at Atari, heavily relying on the help of Steve Wozniak.

In 1976, Jobs and Wozniak set out on their own and founded Apple, introducing the personal computer to the masses.

"It's a remarkable document that reveals Jobs's early aspiration to work in the fledgling tech industry that he would one day revolutionize," said Bobby Livingston Executive VP at Boston-based RR Auction.

The auction also features a Mac OS X technical manual signed by Jobs in 2001. The signature was obtained in a parking lot after a training session at Apple in California.

"Steve Jobs was a notoriously difficult signer and his autograph is incredibly scarce among contemporary figures," said Livingston.

The manual is also expected to sell for USD 50,000.

A newspaper clipping from, 2008, featuring an image of Jobs speaking at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference for the introduction of the iPhone 3G, with the headline, "New, faster iPhone will sell for USD 199," signed by Jobs is also up for auction.

Bidding for the items ends on March 7. -- PTI 

Sridevi's brother-in-law and actor Sanjay Kapoor said that the whole family was in shock with the sudden demise of the veteran actor.

He also said that she had no history of heart ailment.

The actor, 54, died on Saturday night at around 11 pm reportedly due to cardiac arrest in Dubai, where she had gone to attend her nephew Mohit Marwah's wedding. 

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Sanjay said that she was in the hotel room in Dubai when it happened.

"We are completely shocked. She had no history of a heart attack," he said.

Sanjay landed in Dubai on Sunday morning.

Meanhwile, Indian embassy officials in Dubai are working closely with the local authorities to ensure that the mortal remains of the Bollywood icon is taken to Mumbai today.

            

It is, however, unclear when the transfer will take place as local procedures need to be completed before the body is repatriated.

According to sources in the consulate, forensic and lab reports are still awaited following which the process of repatriation will begin.

          

"Since this was declared a natural death, post-mortem is unlikely to be carried out," another source added.

Consulate officials said the actor's body is currently at the police headquarters morgue in Al Qusais and a consulate employee is with the family. They are trying to help expedite the procedures for repatriation. -- PTI

The number of cases in the Supreme Court where the government is a party has seen a spike in the last one year, with law ministry officials attributing the spurt to note ban, implementation of the GST and taxation issues.

            

According to latest law ministry data, between January 1 and December 31 last year, 4,229 cases were filed in the top court in which the Centre was a party.

            

In 2016, the number of such cases was 3,497, while between January 1 and December 31 of 2015, 3,909 such cases were filed.

            

This year, between January 1 and February 22, 859 cases have been filed in the apex court where the Union of India is a party.

            

The data states that in 2012, there were 4,149 cases involving the government in the top court and the figure went up to 4,772 in 2013.

            

In 2014, when the NDA government came to power, the number of cases was 4,748 but went down to 3,909 in 2015.

            

Officials in the law ministry said the spurt in cases could be attributed to litigations on note ban, implementation of the GST regime and taxation issues.

            

While the number of cases in the Supreme Court have increased, the number of law officers representing the Union of India has dwindled.

            

Though the number of law officers representing the government in the Supreme Court is set to go up to 10 next week, so far there is no word on who would become the next solicitor general.

            

The law ministry file recommending the names of Aman Lekhi, Madhvi Diwan, Sandeep Sethi and Bikramjeet Banerjee as additional solicitors general has reached the Prime Minister's Office for final approval.

            

Sources in the government said a final nod of the Appointments Committee of Cabinet on the four names is likely next week.

            

After Ranjit Kumar resigned as the solicitor general in October last year, the key post has been lying vacant and so far there is no word from the law ministry on who would be appointed to that post.

            

P S Patwali and N K Kaul had decided against a second term as additional solicitors general when their terms had ended in July last.

            

Maninder Singh, Tushar Mehta, P S Narasimha, Pinky Anand and Atmaram Nadkarni are the other ASGs.

            

Besides Attorney General K K Venugopal, five ASGs represent the Centre in the apex court. There are nine other ASGs who appear in various high courts.

            

Officials pointed out that since there are not many law officers, sensitive cases are also being handled by senior advocates who are on the law ministry panel. These lawyers are paid fees per appearance. -- PTI

The ruling Communist Party of China Central Committee today proposed to remove a limit of two consecutive terms for the president and the vice president, paving the way for President Xi Jinping to stay on beyond 2022.

         

The Central Committee proposed removing the clause that the President and Vice-President "shall serve no more than two consecutive terms" from the country's Constitution, state-run Xinhua news agency reported today.

President Xi, who is also head of the CPC and military, began his second five-year tenure last year, following a national Congress of the CPC.

Xi, 64, was elected as the head of the Party and President in 2013 and later took over as head of the military.

         

In 2016, the CPC officially gave him the title of "core" leader.

The removal of the term limit, which was expected to be endorsed by the Plenum of the party to be held tomorrow was expected to give Xi, regarded as the most powerful leader in modern China, a limitless tenure. -- PTI

Skipper Virat Kohli along with senior most player Mahendra Singh Dhoni were prominent among the host of players rested for the T20 tri-series in Sri Lanka, starting March 6.

            

Rohit Sharma will lead a second string team comprising the leading performers in domestic (Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 and IPL) tournaments. 

Shikhar Dhawan will be his deputy in a side that has as many as six changes.

            

"MS Dhoni was not available for selection as he had requested for rest," national selector MSK Prasad was quoted as saying in a press release.

            

On predicted lines, top fast bowling duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah have been rested along with all-rounder Hardik Pandya after they shared enormous workload on the South Africa tour.

            

"We've kept in mind the workload and upcoming schedule while finalizing the team for Nidahas Trophy. The high-performance team has suggested that adequate rest should be given to our fast bowlers to help improve athletic performance, maximize rest and prevent injury," Prasad added.

            

Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav is also not in the Sri Lanka bound team.

            

A close look will indicate that selectors maintained consistency by selecting all those players, who were part of the home T20s against Sri Lanka in December.

            

Coming back in the team are prolific keeper batsman Rishabh Pant, after a solid season in white-ball cricket including centuries in both national T20s and One-dayers.

            

Off spinner Washington Sundar, pacer Mohammed Siraj and all rounder Deepak Hooda are back in the side after the home series against Sri Lanka.

            

All rounder Vijay Shankar is the like for like replacement for Pandya.

            

Dinesh Karthik is the first keeper while Pant may play as pure batsman.

            

The prominent performer to miss out was Mayank Agarwal who scored 2000 plus runs in the season.

            

"Mayank has not been selected because we are following a pattern. Any domestic performer will have to play India A before being considered for senior team selection," a senior BCCI official close to selection committee told PTI.

            

Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Vijay Shankar, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammad Siraj, Rishabh Pant (wk). -- PTI

This photo is from the Tamil film Aathi Parasakthi, in which late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa played the role of Goddess Parvati while the child artist who is sitting in the lap of Jaya played Lord Murugan's role.

And who is that child artist?

It's Sridevi. 

Sridevi, who made her debut in films as a child artist, shared this photo on her Twitter account after the Jayalalithaa passed away in 2016. 

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today expressed grief over the death of veteran actress Sridevi.

"Saddened at the untimely passing away of Sridevi, one of the most popular actors of a generation. Condolences to her family, her colleagues in the industry and fans," Banerjee posted on her Twitter handle.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi today flagged off the Vrukshathon, the annual marathon to promote environment, water and tree conservation in Karnataka's Vijayapura.

            

Sporting a yellow T-shirt, hundreds of people from all walks of life descended at the entrance of Gol Gumbaz, a 17th century mausoleum for Sultan Mohammed Adil Shah, the 7th ruler of Adil Shahi dynasty and head of Bijapur sultanate, to take part in the run.

           

Amid unprecedented security, Gandhi arrived at Gol Gumbaz with state water resource minister M B Patil and Congress general secretary and Karnataka in-charge, K C Venugopal, and shook hands with some among the cheering crowd.

           

 After flagging off the marathon, he ran a few metres with the participants.

            

Gandhi is on a three-day tour of the northern districts of poll-bound Karnataka. -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation on 41st edition of the Mann Ki Baat programme.

- On National Science Day, I congratulate all our scientists and all those who work in science. India has a legacy of great scientists. Technology and artificial intelligence must be used towards ensuring welfare of poor and underprivileged

- Science and technology are value neutral. It is dependent on how we use machines. Here human intention becomes important. Technology must be used only for welfare of humankind

- In this budget, emphasis was laid on 'waste to wealth' and 'waste to energy' through bio-gas for villages under 'Swacch Bharat' initiative called 'GOBAR-Dhan' (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources). I request you to become a part of the revolution of clean energy and green jobs. Turn waste into wealth in your villages, turn 'gobar' into 'gobar-dhan'

- We hear of music festivals, food festivals and film festivals but in a unique move Chhattisgarh celebrated 'Trash Mahotsav'. The objective behind was to utilise waste creatively and to spread awareness about ways to reuse garbage

- We must become a risk-conscious society and understand values of safety. Staying alert and vigilant will help prevent accidents

- Society is moving from women development to women-led development. 

The documentary on Nobel laureate Amartya Sen will be released in Kolkata on March 9 after a beep on the word 'Gujarat' as recommended by the censor board, its director Suman Ghosh said.

    

The hour-long documentary The Argumentative Indian had courted controversy after the Central Board of Film Certification, Kolkata, asked for muting nine words/phrases, but the CBFC, Mumbai finally let it pass with just one beep on the word Gujarat on July 11, 2017, Ghosh said.

    

"I started to shoot in 2002-2003 with a group of enthusiastic friends and we shot across three countries -- in India, the UK and the USA. Finally in 2017, 15 years since I started the journey I completed the film," the director said. 

    

Referring to the initial Censor hurdle in mid-July last year when the CBFC Kolkata had asked Ghosh to cut or mute six words/phrases - 'Gujarat', 'In India', 'Hindu', 'Cow', 'These days' and 'Hindutva' -- from the documentary for a 'U' certification, "At one point last year I thought that it was a losing battle," he said.

   

"But thanks to the media support all over the country and abroad it gave me the strength to fight it out. Finally the film is finding the light of day. A special thanks to (CBFC chief) Prasoon Joshi for this," Ghosh said.

    

Asking the people to watch the film, the director said, "Let's do this to honour one of the greatest living intellectuals of the world and a proud son of India Amartya Sen who received Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award in India, in 1999.

     

I sincerely believe that such a "voice" is so needed in the current world scenario, he said. -- PTI

Legendary Bollywood actress Sridevi breathed her last on Saturday following a massive cardiac arrest in Dubai. The news of her demise has left her fans across all generations shell-shocked. Social media is flooded with reactions remembering the smile, grace and elegance of the late actor.

Among the millions of tweets posted on the death of the actor, the one from the Indian National Congress has not gone down well with people. 

Remembering Sridevi, INCIndia tweeted: "We regret to hear about the passing away of Sridevi. An actor par excellence. A legend who will continue to live in our hearts through her stellar body of work. Our deepest condolences to her loved ones. She was awarded the Padma Shri by the UPA Govt in 2013."

Soon after the tweet was posted, social media users pounced upon the Congress for playing politics and for trying to gain brownie points even at the time of the death of a loved actor. The Congress was forced to delete the tweet.

On Twitter user wrote, "Also mention, she was born when Nehru was the prime-minister."

Another Twitter user wrote, "Seriously? Was the UPA bit for giving her a Padma Shri really necessary in a condolence message. What kind of idiots are you guys."

Meanwhile, Congress President Rahul Gandhi paid condolence to Sridevi's family. "Shocked to hear about the sudden and untimely death of one of Indias favourite actress, Sridevi. Sridevi was an incredibly talented and versatile actress whose vast body of work spanned a range of genres and languages. My condolences to her family. May her soul rest in peace," he tweeted.

Cyrus Broacha, one of the most popular satirists in the country, has said he would not crack a joke on Amit Shah as he did not on Bal Thackeray when he was alive "purely, purely out of fear".

Broacha was addressing students at Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute on Saturday afternoon.

Responding to a question on whether he was more politically correct now, Broacha said: "We try not to be personal. But I must say there are lots of people we haven't touched. We never touch Mahatma Gandhi. We won't touch Amit Shah. We didn't touch Bal Thackeray while he was alive. This is purely, purely out of fear. I cannot lie."

Broacha said that on "television we have to be careful. Ultimately it is a question of survival. What can you do?"

Living in India now is "almost like" living in the Soviet Union, he added. "It's almost like living in the Soviet Union and now under the present government, it is a bit like that...."

Broacha's session was on the role of humour in motivational man management. "We have to cut down a little bit on the hate that's brewing. It's now a little scary.... I just hope we take it a little laid back and easy," he said, concluding his session.

There was an outpouring of grief from celebrities on Twitter soon after news broke of Sridevi's untimely demise. But one tweet by Amitabh Bachchan, posted hours before reports of the veteran actor's demise, stood out. 

At 1:15 am, Bachchan tweeted that he was feeling an "unusual unease".

Around 3 am, reports started trickling in of Sridevi's death due to cardiac arrest in Dubai. Soon, Twitterati began pointing towards the eerie coincidence. 

Sridevi, the wife of producer Boney Kapoor, reportedly died due to cardiac arrest late in the night in Dubai, where she had gone to attend her nephew Mohit Marwah's wedding. While some of the family members returned from Dubai after the wedding, Sridevi, Boney and Khushi stayed back.

A versatile actor, Sridevi made her Bollywood debut in 1978 with "Solva Sawan". But it was only after five years with Jeetendra-starrer "Himmatwala" that she gained commercial success. Her beguiling eyes, scintillating screen presence and acting prowess soon made her one of the most sought-after artistes in the Hindi film industry. 

And the tributes continue to pour in for Sridevi:

Home Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted, "Anguished to learn of the sudden demise of veteran film actor Sridevi. She had a long & successful career in the film industry with several remarkable performances. Her demise is a big loss to the film industry. My thoughts are with her family & fans. May her soul rest in peace."

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi posted on Twitter, "Shocked to hear about the sudden and untimely death of one of Indias favourite actress, Sridevi. Sridevi was an incredibly talented and versatile actress whose vast body of work spanned a range of genres and languages. My condolences to her family. May her soul rest in peace."

Dancer-turned-politician Hema Malini said, "Sridevis sudden passing away has left me in deep shock. Cant imagine how such a bubbly person, a wonderful actor, is no more.She has left a void in the industry that cannot be filled. Boney is a good friend & Ive seen their daughters grow up. My prayers are with the family."

India and Pakistan have exchanged artillery fire in Kashmir, forcing hundreds of people to flee, police said, raising fresh doubts about a 15-year-old ceasefire between the nuclear-armed rivals in the area.

It was not clear what triggered the latest fighting on Saturday in the Uri sector.

But tension has been running high since an attack on an Indian army camp in Kashmir this month in which six soldiers were killed.

India blamed Pakistan for the attack and said it would make its rival pay for the misadventure.

Police superintendent Imtiaz Hussain said artillery shells fired by the Pakistan army fell in the Uri area and hundreds of villagers had fled from their homes.

Indian forces returned artillery fire, an Indian officer said, the first time the heavy guns had been used since a 2003 ceasefire along the disputed frontier.

The two armies have been exchanging intermittent small-arms and mortar fire over the past couple of years as ties deteriorated. 

Bollywood actor Sridevi passed away on Saturday night after a cardiac arrest. She was 54. Sridevi was not only the most in-demand actress of her time, she also famously made her male co-stars insecure. The actor who made her Bollywood debut with Himmatwala opposite Jeetendra, went on to rule Bollywood for years to come.

In fact, Steven Spielberg, who was making Jurassic Park in 1993, wanted to cast the actress in a small role in the film. She was at the peak of her career and felt the role didn't meet her stature. Sridevi refused Spielberg and we had to wait all the way till Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for a Bollywood heroine to make her mark in Hollywood.

Jurasssic Park went on to become a cult film, with its reboot launched in 2015.

However, Jurassic Park was just one in the long list of film Sridevi refused. She also said no to Darr opposite Shah Rukh Khan a few years later. She had told media then, "After Chandni and Lamhe, I feel Darr would have been an ordinary character for me. If I'm playing Shah Rukh Khan's role, then of course, I would have loved to do it. The character Juhi played was new for her and so it was good for her. But for me, it was something I had done many times before."

Earlier today the report of, legendary actress and often considered as India's first female superstar, Sridevi's death shooked the nation. Such was her aura and people's love and adulation for her that the entire nation is in a state of shock.

Sridevi was an icon of Indian cinema in truest sense. Her glorious and illustrated filmography is a proof of it. After ruling the rooster for decades, she took a break from films in 1997. Apart from a delayed release in 2004, she was away from the big screen for almost 15 years. But then like a true Hindi film superstar she made a comeback and how.

The film was English Vinglish, a critical and commercial success. Last year she was seen Mom, which again saw her in a lead role and this one too was a success at the box office.While she hadn't signed any film post Mom, fans will be able to see their favourite actress one last time on the big screen later this year in Shah Rukh Khan's Zero.

Sridevi will have a cameo in the Shah Rukh Khan starrer where she'll be seen playing herself. She shot for her scene last year in October. According to a report in Pinkvilla, Sridevi will be seen sharing screen space with Karisma Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Shah Rukh Khan. The scene is said to be a film party scene which actresses attend. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday expressed his grief over the untimely demise of veteran Bollywood actor Sridevi.

"Saddened by the untimely demise of noted actor Sridevi. She was a veteran of the film industry, whose long career included diverse roles and memorable performances. My thoughts are with her family and admirers in this hour of grief. May her soul rest in peace," the Prime Minister tweeted.

A Padma Shri recipient, Sridevi passed away on Saturday night due to a cardiac arrest in Dubai, where she was attending a family wedding with her husband Boney Kapoor and her younger daughter Khushi.

Meanwhile, Rishi Kapoor, Preity Zinta, Varun Dhawan and other members of the film fraternity mourned the death of the noted actress.