James Bond has taken me to incredible places: Daniel Craig

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November 15, 2015

Daniel Craig may have fuelled speculation about the possibility of not returning as James Bond but the actor says embodying the popular character in four movies has taken him to great places.

Craig, who is credited for introducing a more physical and vulnerable aspect to the 007 agent, had recently kicked up headlines by saying that he has had enough of the character.

However, in a chat with journalists while promoting the movie in Cancun, Mexico this June, the 47-year-old actor seemed nostalgic about his journey from “Casino Royale” to the latest “Spectre”.

“I genuinely try not to think about it at all (playing Bond), just so I can live as normal a life as possible… But it’s been extraordinary and it’s taken me to places, most incredible places that I never would have gone to, and met and worked with brilliant people and still am,” Craig said.

The actor is happy to collaborate with director Sam Mendes again on “Spectre” after they worked on “Skyfall”.

“When I started shooting these movies, it was a huge eye-opener for me. I’d never been involved with anything and I’m in a very good place. I’m working with a friend who’s come back and done the next movie and that makes me very happy.”

Craig has romanced some of the most beautiful women as Bond and is happy to work with Italian star Monica Bellucci.

“We’ve been blessed with an amazing cast and Monica is part of that and she’s an extraordinary actress. She’s wonderful to work with. She’s incredibly kind and generous and we’re just very, very lucky to have her.”

He has suffered many injuries while working on the action sequences of these movies, latest being a knee injury during the shooting of “Spectre” that reportedly halted the production for some time. Craig said their endeavor has always been to rely on real action over CGI.

Ellie Goulding ‘don’t get involved’ in pop star feuds

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Afternoon Voice

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November 15, 2015

Ellie Goulding may be friends with both Taylor Swift and Katy Perry, but the singer tries her level best to get into a feud with them.

The 28-year-old English singer said she knows one day she will get involved in a nonexistent feud, but will laugh it off, reported People magazine.

“I read a lot of things and just go, ‘Ha!’ and laugh out loud because it’s rarely true. I don’t get involved, but I’m sure something will come up at some point with a nonexistent feud? I never know what to expect. But you just have to laugh at stuff like that,” Goulding said.

The “On My Mind” hitmaker says she manages to maintain drama-free image by keeping parts of her life under wraps.

“I feel like I give a lot of myself as a person. I don’t like going into interviews and being fake. I’m very much myself. I’m very candid and open, which I like to be. But there’s still another side of me that people don’t (know). There’s still a secret side. It’s good to have a little private thing that no one knows about,” she said.

World should unite to fight terror

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Afternoon Voice

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November 15, 2015

As the year 2015 comes to an end, we are shocked by the deadliest terror attacks this time in Paris where about eight terrorists attacked different locations and killed 129 innocent people. This was very similar to the Mumbai terror attacks which occurred few years ago. It’s very sad indeed that the terror organisations and the terrorists have become so bold, cruel, to carry out dastardly attacks to kill hundreds of civilians, with methodical plan and sophisticated weapons and ammunitions.

The terror attacks force us all to think aloud on the remedial measures to be taken to prevent terrorism. Why can’t the superpowers join together for once and for all and smash ISIS and also the terror sponsoring nations? If this is done, can’t the world stop terrorism once for all and witness peace? How did this group become so notorious and big in just a couple of years? Where were they getting those ammunitions, weapons, vehicles from? Who or which are those countries supplying these deadly equipments and encouraging the terror groups? Overnight these terror groups have become stronger and rich in money and ammunitions too?
Very recently, France and other European countries gave asylum to thousands of refugees from some Muslim countries. And, this is what the host countries get in return. All the Muslim refugees should be sent back to their own or to other Muslim countries though I am certain that the refugees will not be willing to return as they know what awaits them there, nor will the Muslim countries be willing to accept them. Compassion shown to the wrong people will result in disaster. This is what is called biting the hand that feeds when will the world learn?

Islamists and Christians have been fighting each other for centuries. After the formation of Israel, Opec and control of Iran by Ayotollah things have been going from bad to worse. While terrorism in any form is completely unacceptable one has to wonder at the double standards of the West in soft pedalling terrorist issues in countries that serve their purpose. If all countries unite to fight terrorism irrespective of their political ideologies then definitely all terrorists can be eliminated. But will they join hands together?

Nobody knows how many terrorists entered France as immigrants! Had they checked these people at that time, the whole world would have erupted against France. This is the sad reality! Be totally like Russia.

It’s high time terrorism is wiped out from this earth. How long are we going to tolerate it? The mistake lies with the developed nations that sell arms. France attacks is a deadly lesson to all especially to the super powers and developed nations too who perhaps, are more interested to sell their arms, weapons and ammunitions not realizing that these equipments are falling into the hands of very dangerous groups which , in turn, plan only to attack the same developed and developing nations in the world.

Did you all notice the coverage of Paris terror attacks, on television? Did you see any dead body or blood or gory pictures of victims? Did you hear any comments from opposition parties? For that matter any interview of any leader or politician? Did you see any media officials trying to put words into mouth of victims? Or short of forcing the mike into the mouth and asking ridiculously “How did this happen? Aapne kya dekha? Aapko kahan dard ho raha hai? It’s high time for our media to learn ethics and discipline whenever such tragic incidents occur. And the leaders should refrain from taking advantage of such tragic events and derive political mileage out of it.

Krishna Kumar

Now Congress MLA Nitesh Rane threatens Girish Karnad

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Afternoon Voice

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November 13, 2015

Rane asks Karnad to apologise for his comments on Shivaji Maharaj failing which he would be denied entry in Maharashtra.

Playwright Girish Karnad’s comments comparing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj with Tipu Sultan have invited the ire of Maharashtra Congress legislator Nitesh Rane. Earlier Karnad had sparked a row saying that if Tipu was a Hindu and not Muslim he would have attained the position in Karnataka what Shivaji Maharaj enjoys in Maharashtra. Rane challenged Karnad to make such remarks in Maharashtra and see whether he can return home. Protests were reported in several parts of Karnataka on the occasion of Tipu Jayanti celebrations leading to VHP activist’s death.

Rane asked Karnad to apologise through his post on twitter. “Whatever happens in Karnataka, it’s their issue…but won’t allow anyone to compare our Shivaji Maharaj to anyone. Maharaj was much greater than all these. I dare Karnad to come and say the same thing on our Maharashtra’s soil and see if he goes back,” Nitesh, son of former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Narayan Rane, posted on his twitter handle.

Karnad earns from our Bollywood for years and then dares to insult our Maharaj. He either should apologise or face the Maratha heat,” he further tweeted.

The MLA from Kankavli constituency said that unless Karnad tenders an apology to Maharashtra, he will not be allowed to enter the state.

“Tipu Sultan could be a good king in his own right but…Shivaji Maharaj was much above,” Rane said.

Nitesh had earlier embarrassed his party with his comments against the Gujarati community for being vegetarians.

Karnad had also come under criticism from the Shiv Sena, which said that Tipu Sultan cannot be compared to the Maratha king, who was a judicious leader and had compassion for the poor and the sons of the soil irrespective of their caste, creed, religion.

Karnad and BJP MP Prathap Simha have allegedly received death threats on social media in the wake of the row in Karnataka over birth anniversary celebrations of 18th century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan.

Karnad, who also came under attack for his remarks that the Bengaluru international airport should have been named after Tipu Sultan rather than the city’s founder Kempe Gowda, received a threat on Twitter that he would meet with the same fate as rationalist MM Kalburgi, who was gunned down recently by two men at his residence in Dharwad in north Karnataka.

Security has been posted at the residence of Karnad in the wake of the controversy over his remarks.

Dear Indian, please stop living in DENIAL

By

Vaidehi Taman

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November 13, 2015

It is India’s misfortune that we don’t support our leaders who speak for the nation. We criticize our PM for his silence, for his undelivered promise within a country is fair but humiliating him on Social media platform asking other nations to insult him is really not fair. I’m also considering myself as a Modi’s critic but I hate when someone embarrasses him when he is representing India on foreign land. In social media, some people supported Pakistanis and Khalistanis’ protesters to denounce Modi’s visit to UK. After being banned from entering for 10 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached in the United Kingdom with critics disapproving moves against freedom of speech in India since his government took power, a year and half ago. Trade and defence deals worth billions of dollars are expected to be signed during Modi’s maiden visit.

Modi had been denied a visa for more than a decade by the UK government over his alleged involvement in 2002 religious violence, in which more than 1,000 people – mostly Muslims – were killed. Critics accuse Modi of doing nothing to stop the bloodshed when he was Chief Minister of Gujarat state. He has denied any involvement or wrongdoing. The word tolerance and intolerance are too vague. “No Indian is tolerant on religious comments that have divisive effect whether from leader of one community or other. Constitution protects freedom and thoughts of every individual,” said Modi. Yes he is right, we’re proud to be Indians and we’re pluralistic in nature. However, his colleagues in BJP are making communal statements and his election campaign was full of hatred rhetoric speeches. Modi told the British journalists that the Constitution protects the freedom and thoughts of every individual. Strangely, he was silent when his party men and those aggressive pushers of Hindutva in India were spitting furious statements. And again, he states the well-known fact that India is the land of Gandhi and Buddha and we are a tolerant society. If it is so, Dadri killing would not have occurred, some rationalists would not have lost their lives and the Delhi police would not have entered the Kerala House to find out what they are cooking in their canteen.

At the Royal Gallery of the British Parliament, PM Modi took a strong stand on terror and reaffirmed India’s stance on climate change. “We need a social movement against extremism in countries where they originate,” he said. This man has made this country proud and lifted its stature in the globe within a short span of time, but the local politicians are pulling his legs irrespective of party lines. However, somewhere BJP is full of moronic politicians with communal agenda which is not going in favour of Modi and his development agenda. He was asked many awkward questions by British media, on which there was no other option than keeping quiet.

Since Dadri killing happened, Modi maintained his dead silence over the issue. The state was burning in communal fights, but today in UK PM Modi said, “India is the land of Buddha and Gandhi, we will not accept any deviation from our values. Every such incident is serious. We won’t tolerate such incidents,’ adding, “The law will deal severely with such incidents. India is a vibrant democracy and we are committed to it.” This has shown his double standards for which he has to face criticism from the opposition. Several other blunt questions were thrown at the two Prime Ministers, with one journalist referring to a visa ban on Modi after the Gujarat riots of 2002, when he was chief minister of the state. Britain ended the boycott in 2012.

He did not answer a question on protests being staged during his three-day visit by some groups that have accused PM Modi of creating an “authoritarian culture” in India. Some 46 British MPs have signed a parliamentary motion urging Cameron to rise what they call human rights issues with the Indian government. Anyway, Modi might have sensed by now that his vitiating speeches against Nehru and Congress are not appreciated globally, because what he blabbered was not proven by any courts of India.

Modi said, “I will only say that many freedom fighters of India found their calling in the institutions of Britain. And, many makers of modern India, including several of my distinguished predecessors, from Jawaharlal Nehru to Dr. Manmohan Singh, passed through their doors,” he said amid criticism from the opposition that Modi in his speeches ignored the legacy of Nehru and the Congress party in India’s progress. Modi mentioning Manmohan to Nehru was very much surprising.

Meanwhile, many used the hash tag to criticize Modi for a failing economy and growing intolerance in the country. #KeepModiGiveKohinoor was trending on Twitter during PM Modi’s UK visit. Taken against Queen Elizabeth by a group of Indians over the Kohinoor diamond alleging it was stolen from India.

All these while, Indians are demanding the United Kingdom to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond. The diamond was, by force, made to be presented to Queen Victoria in 1850, by the Marquess of Dalhousie, the British governor-general of Punjab. Narendra Modi’s maiden visit to the United Kingdom as the prime minister of the country, during which he will also attend a dinner at the Buckingham Palace with the Queen, will coincide with this lawsuit demanding the return of Koh-i-Noor to India. After the Bihar election debacle, BJP-led NDA government at the center and PM Narendra Modi would gain some brownie points if Koh-i-Noor returns to India. However, the British government in 2013 rejected the demands for the return of Koh-i-Noor.

Fadnavis bats for empowering Mayors to achieve Smart City goal

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Afternoon Voice

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November 13, 2015

To make Smart City model a success, Maharashtra Chief Minister #Devendra Fadnavis has called for empowering Mayors to enable better performance. “If we want the Mayor to perform, it is important to empower him with enough powers,” Fadnavis said, while speaking on Smart Cities (project) in London.

Smart City is not merely about technology, but about involving people and understanding their needs, he said, adding that Maharashtra is moving in that direction. Fadnavis also laid stress on the importance of quality of life.

“We’ve to create jobs, provide newer services and give better quality of life. We are building a new city, ‘NAINA’, which will be bigger than Mumbai,” the Chief Minister said. While interacting with CEOs, $Fadnavis assured that while creating infrastructure, there won’t be problems in land acquisition, and cited the Navi Mumbai model of development. Optimum use of services will bring down the cost which is the main objective and his government will achieve this by creating Smart Cities, he said.

“We have to put water and power supply into smart grid to keep a count of every drop of water and every unit of power,” he noted. Fadnavis also interacted with the gathering on Urban Infrastructure, Public-Private Partnership, powers of Mayor, and new technologies at ‘Prabodhan Leaders Conclave 2015′.

Sachin Tendulkar blasts British Airways for ‘don’t care’ attitude

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Afternoon Voice

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November 13, 2015

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar on Friday lambasted airline operator British Airways (BA) for its ‘don’t care’ attitude.

Tendulkar took to social micro-blogging site Twitter to express his sentiments. He Tweeted:

Angry Disappointed and Frustrated.. #BAdserviceBA Family member’s Waitlisted ticket not confirmed despite seats being available.

The master blaster stated he was angry, disappointed and frustrated with BA. He continued his tweet as: And luggage being tagged by @British_Airways to wrong destination and don’t care attitude! #NeveronBA

Tendulkar is currently in Los Angeles to play the final T20 match of the Cricket All-Stars.

An onslaught has followed with Sachin fans ripping into the British airliner with tweets, angry and funny.

Last year, tennis superstar Maria Sharapova was attacked by Sachin fans for having revealed that she had no idea who Tendulkar was. Within hours, ‘Who is Maria Sharapova’ had top trended on Twitter.

Today, that storm had fresh recall.

Sachin Tendulkar, 42, is currently in the United States playing in the Cricket All-Stars series along with other all-time greats from different countries. He remains the world’s highest run-getter and the country’s favourite sportsman.

Maharashtra may challenge lifting of ban on Maggi

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Afternoon Voice

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November 13, 2015

Maharashtra is planning to move the Supreme Court to challenge the lifting of the ban on Nestle India’s Maggi noodles, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Girish Bapat said on Friday.

“Our legal department is examining all aspects, the pros and cons and depending on their (legal) opinion, we plan to challenge the issue in the Supreme Court,” said Bapat.

Justifying the move, Bapat said that certain batches have been tested and there is a possibility that other batches could cause health issues among the consumers.

“Accordingly, we want the ban on the noodles to continue and shall take a decision on moving the Supreme Court soon depending on the legal opinion, as public health is of utmost concern,” Bapat added.

In order to ensure that the government plea is not rejected by the apex court, the state plans to build up “a solid case” against Nestle India to seek reversal of the Bombay High Court relief.

Following the successful test results claimed by Maggi, the Bombay High Court had lifted the ban on August 13 and the product hit the markets just before Diwali.

On October 16, Maggi announced 100 per cent successful laboratory tests on Maggi noodles samples and on November 4, it said results from three labs accredited to the National Accreditation Board for Testing Calibration Laboratories, mandated by the Bombay High Court also were cleared.

In June, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had ordered a pan-India ban on the company’s noodles on the ground that these were “unsafe and hazardous” for human consumption due to presence of lead, allegedly beyond permissible limits.

Later, on August 13, the Bombay High Court gave a significant respite to the company by lifting the ban on the sale of the noodle, while also ordering fresh tests to be conducted in three separate labs to ascertain that the product complied with the country’s food safety norms.

MCGM staffer held for threatening to blast Sion, KEM hospitals

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Afternoon Voice

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November 13, 2015

An employee of Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) was arrested for allegedly making threat calls to Sion and King Edward Memorial (KEM) hospitals.

The call was received by the main control room of the Mumbai Police at around 12:15 PM on Thursday and the caller told the personnel that he had come here from West Bengal and will plant bombs at the two hospitals.

The Sion Hospital is located in suburban Sion while the KEM hospital is in Parel.

Police today traced the caller and arrested him.

“The man, identified as Shakti Velu, is a class IV employee with the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM). He was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Unit (CIU) of crime branch,” DCP (Detection) Dhananjay Kulkarni said.

The officer said that Velu called up the control room from his personal mobile number.

Police said Velu was handed over to the Azad Maidan police and is charged with relevant sections of the IPC.

Police are trying to ascertain whether Velu was mentally unsound.

‘Dilli gang’ ruining AAP: Maha unit appeals for introspection

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Afternoon Voice

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November 13, 2015

Two days after AAP’s face in Maharashtra, Mayank Gandhi resigned from the National Executive, senior leaders here have appealed to the party high command to introspect on the “high-handed” style of working of the “Dilli gang” which is “ruining” the party and take immediate “course correction” to restore AAP’s lost glory.

AAP’s Maharashtra unit was disbanded last month as part of party’s process to restructure and strengthen the unit, a move which had triggered sharp reaction from Gandhi who had said that AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal was playing “gutter politics”.
Senior leader in Maharashtra Ravi Srivastava said, “When an activist like Mayank Gandhi loses interest from AAP politics, this is really disheartening and party should take immediate course correction. Now Delhi MLAs have been entrusted to look after daily affairs of state, despite the fact that they are unaware of local issues of Maharashtra.”

The only two members in the National Executive from Maharashtra – Mayank Gandhi and Subhash Ware – have resigned, alleging party’s “high handedness”.

Another leader Sundar Balakrishnan, who lost 2014 Lok Sabha election from Mumbai South Central, said, “Gandhi was the unanimous and super team leader who was doing an excellent job in the state. Both (Gandhi and Ware) transformed the party by executing Mission Vistar, Mission Buniyad, setting up anti-corruption helpline, organising Shetkari yatras, but unfortunately both had to resign from the post.”

Balakrishnan alleged that AAP has no longer been a “party with difference” and has been bugged by malpractices that have been prevalent in other parties.