Olivia Munn loves playing Psylocke in ‘X-Men Apocalypse’

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July 15, 2015

Actress Olivia Munn says she is loving playing the character of mutant Psylocke in the upcoming film “X-Men Apocalypse”.

Munn, 35, who will star opposite James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence in the superhero film as the telekinetic mutant, said she is in love with her fearless character.

“She’s a little scary. She has no problem battling and killing. I love how strong she is.”

Munn also revealed she is a certified black belt in karate and practised sword-fighting to get into her character for the film.

“I’m the fourth of five children. All of us started karate at around age 5 and studied it until we were about 16, and we weren’t allowed to stop practising until we had achieved black belts.”

“X-Men: Apocalypse” will release in May 2016.

Could never go back to being a man: Caitlyn Jenner

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Afternoon Voice

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July 15, 2015

Caitlyn Jenner “could never go back” to being Bruce following her gender transition.

The 65-year-old star said his recent trip with three other transgender women was a “truly liberating experience” and made her realise she had made the right decision by becoming Caitlyn.

“Just being able to be myself. Recently I went on a trip with some of my new friends and I had such a wonderful time. I packed for the first time — as just Caitlyn, nobody else — which is the first time I’ve ever done that.

“I was gone for five days and had such a fantastic experience with all of these girls who have all been through the same thing. We had so many stories to tell. We had so many things that we were all dealing with. It was just truly a liberating experience. I knew then that I could never go back,” she said.

The former Olympic athlete made the comments in a new blog post on her website titled “The Future Looks Bright” in which she also said she felt “very uncomfortable” when she was Bruce.

“I knew that my transition would get some response, but I certainly never expected all of this. It’s honestly been incredibly positive,” she added.

Have fun and frolic with responsibility

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Afternoon Voice

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July 15, 2015

How many times have we heard and read the heeding “Don’t Drink and Drive”. The Traffic Control Department has on numerous occasions issued these warnings and at several checkpoints stopped passengers in the middle of the night and have asked them to undergo a breathalyser test. They have booked them in for a few hours in prison and/or asked them to pay a hefty fine for the same.

Recently a spate of these cases has had women being caught in a state of stupor ‘and’ stupidity. The case of advocate Jahnvi Gadkar who crashed her Audi Q3 into a taxi in the wee hours, had three times the alcohol permitted in her blood. The question that emerges uppermost in one’s mind is that when you can afford a luxurious car like Audi why can’t you hire a chauffeur? If Jahnvi felt like speeding and enjoying a ride then she could have gone for long drive on the weekend on any morning. That way you can booze through the night and the same aspect is applicable for all the other women who want to go out drinking. Another two incidents took place a few days later and in both the cases the women refused to get out of the car. TV channels displayed the visuals of a hefty woman in a jeep around 40 who said that she would not come out of the vehicle and dared traffic police officials to do whatever they want to. In another incident, the Mumbai Police had a tough time persuading woman driver Nidhi Parikh to come out of the car. In both cases the police had to break the locks to take the accused out of the vehicle.

While we are at it let’s not forget the women who bring out these drunken drivers who heckle. They are the other simple and strong woman constables who will never be able to afford something like expensive cars but who command respect when they are called in to handle these passengers. Whenever you see them you feel a sense of security and they exude their inner strength in such situations.

The important aspect is that irrespective of your gender, it’s okay to party. Whenever you feel you’ve had consumed too much alcohol and is not accompanied by a driver, hop into a cab. You can park your car with the hotel valet till you get it the next day. If your partying at a friend’s place stay over the night there. Just by behaving in a more responsible fashion we will be able to avoid these mishaps.

Allka V Aswani

Salman Khan believes in word-of-mouth, not strategies

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Afternoon Voice

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July 15, 2015

Superstar Salman Khan, who is gearing up for his film ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’, doesn’t believe in having a detailed promotional strategy for a film, but relies on taking the essence of its story to public through “spread of word”.

The actor also said that creating awareness about any film has become necessary due to the increase in media channels.

The 49-year-old shared his views about film marketing at a promotional visit for his forthcoming film ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ here on Tuesday.

“From our side, there is no strategy. The film’s team tells us to go and do the job and we do it. Earlier it was very simple with just All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan. It used to take just one hour to promote a film.

“But now there are so many channels and newspapers that if we miss one, they start doing negative stories. So, we basically try and go everywhere to spread awareness about the film and its storyline,” Salman told reporters here.

Along with the ‘Kick’ star, director Kabir Khan, actors Kareena Kapoor Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, singers Mika Singh, Adnan Sami, Jubin Nautiyal and Amar Butala, CEO of Salman Khan Films were also present at the event.

The much-anticipated film, which will hit the screens on Friday, unfolds a story of a man and a dumb-mute girl as he takes her back to her home in Pakistan from India. It narrates all the adventures he stumbles upon during his journey to the other side of the border.

Yet to shoot with SRK, Kajol: Kriti Sanon

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Afternoon Voice

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July 15, 2015

Heropanti fame actress Kriti Sanon, who is acting opposite Shah Rukh Khan, Varun Dhawan and Kajol in Rohit Shetty’s ‘Dilwale’, said she is yet to shoot with them together.

“I’m actually yet to shoot with them together. I’ve only shot with Varun till now and of course Rohit sir and the experience has been wonderful. The first schedule you’re warming up to people and gelling together, and the second schedule, I was dying to go back and work because it all felt like a family,” she said.

“Rohit sir, on the outside, appears very strict and quiet, which he is, but on the inside, he is a very warm-hearted person and really takes care of you. Varun is very chilled out, bindaas (carefree) and nautanki (dramatic) and is fun to work with,” said Kriti.

Media should support the cause of Palestine freedom movement

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Afternoon Voice

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July 14, 2015

Al-Quds Committee member Sohail Abidi holds press conferences about this issue every year for garnering support of people.

International Al-Quds Day, an annual event is held on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan in Mumbai and other parts of the world for expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people and the holy mosque Al-Aqsa, located in Jerusalem (Palestine). On this day, peace loving people across the world come together and raise their voice in favour of Palestine’s freedom. Al-Quds Committee member Sohail Abidi wants the media to play a vital role and take forward the Palestine Freedom movement.

“We are supporting the cause of Palestine freedom movement. Israel must end its illegal occupation of Palestinian territories. We are holding press conferences about this issue for garnering support of people” said Abidi

When asked whether holding press conferences will resolve this issue he replied, “We are trying our best every year but the media should take this matter forward. Media can play a vital role in creating awareness about the Palestine freedom movement among citizens. Today media is considered as a strong medium and it has the ability to mobilise the thinking process of millions. With the rise of the press and its power to reach every nook and corner of the state it can also be considered as the fourth pillar of a democracy” he added.

Today peace loving Muslims representatives of Mumbai are united in order to protest against the killings and bombings happening in Palestine. They condemned the America sponsored terrorism incidents happening in countries like Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Bahrain.

Community of Olemas has appealed to the international community to take concrete action so that Palestine people get relief from the military operation undertaken by Israel. They have also condemned the terrorism incidents occurring in Iraq and Syria and wanted America to stop supporting the ISIS which is indulging in terrorist activities. America, Europe and some gulf countries has been supporting ISIS which has been spreading terrorism in Syria since last four years. The same people are sponsoring terrorism in Iraq too.

“America cannot fool the world through its double standards. On one hand America is helping ISIS in Syria and on the other side it is attacking the outfit in Iraq. Thus the true face of America will be exposed before the world” said Maulana Hasnain Kararvi.

The Quds committee is planning to hold a rally from Khoja Shia Jama Masjid, Dongri till Kesar Baug to protest against these incidents on July 17, 2015. Olema will address the people on this occasion.

The rally will be held under the guidance of Maulana Hasnain Kararvi, Maulana Faiyaz Bakir, Maulana Rooh Zafar, Maulana Zaheer Abbas, Maulana Hussain Mehdi, Maulana Vasi Naqvi.

FYUP force weaker sections to discontinue study

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Vaidehi Taman

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July 14, 2015

The controversial four-year undergraduate programme has been the subject of almost every protest in Delhi University in the past one year. In fact, it had united the Left and Right-affiliated organisations on campus with both carrying out protests on day one of admissions. Therefore, news reports stating that the Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani wanted to revoke the programme and replace it with the university’s old three-year programme – was welcomed by many and disapproved too at large.

The FYUP is a deeply inequality programme, designed to force students from economically weaker sections to discontinue their degree education in regular colleges. There would be no problem to economically weaker section of society even. However, some sections of the people feel that this is one of the worst decisions taken by HRD. Meanwhile, FYUP helped in many ways. Acceptability abroad since foreign colleges care only about 4 year degrees. Doing 3 year B.Sc and 1 year M.Sc is not considered the same thing as a 4 year B.Tech or BA program. FYUP would have led to standardization of programs across universities in India and abroad eventually. It would have introduced research and practical projects. Indian universities are very weak in terms of quality of projects and practical work. There are vested teachers interests and ignorant students who will harm the system. This is where an educated Minister can play a critical role. Irani, lacking in higher education, is thus going to be influenced more by political interests than by the merits of the case. India stands to lose if at all Irani cares about BJP’s manifesto. The manifesto could be wrong. She needs to understand the motivations behind the conversion of 3 years to 4 years programs.

The Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) has been knocking on doors and carrying out protests, even sitting on a 50-day hunger strike against FYUP. The All-India Students’ Association (AISA) had carried out intense protests throughout the year and at almost every university function. It had also carried out a referendum, in which overwhelming majority of the students were against the programme. “It is proved yet again that when students and teachers unite for a cause victory is certain. AISA congratulates thousands of students who actively fought against FYUP in their colleges and joined the protests braving the intimidation of the college administration. Even in the last few weeks when majority of teachers and students are on summer vacation the movement has continued through continuous protest actions.

The Right-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, which won the Delhi University Students’ Union elections in 2013 mainly because of their stand on the FYUP will carry out a protest in front of the MHRD to ensure that the Ministry revoked the programme. However, uniformity beyond a set of guidelines can only kill creativity and initiative. It’s even against the nature’s laws. Why don’t we have local subjects, local matters, local materials and environment as the basis for base studies and then a combination of these with non-local precepts as the subject of higher and advanced studies? Education should be ongoing. It should be free to the people. It should not penalize people for topping out when their potential is reached. People should not be taking classes based on “earning potential” which assigns a value in currency to your life. When everyone is contributing to a quality of life that benefits everyone for a greater good, those natural leaders will rise to help guide the communities. Until unless, there is co-mingling and continuous movement within the educational space, we are actually looking at a dead start, Where would the dream of being ‘World Guru’ get fulfilled through such an education system? I think, we would have betrayed our own aspirations by accepting to implement CBCS revoking FYUP in the form that it finds mention here. The notion of autonomous universities sounds ideal. We rack up insurmountable amounts of debt getting “educated”, and then we spend the next 4 decades working in jobs that stress us and degrade us to pay it off, ensuring that we never use our time, efforts, youthfulness, or intelligence to upset the status quo for our ruling elites.

The FYUP is part of several ongoing protests against the implementation of certain controversial reforms at the University of Delhi. The protests intensified between 2013 and 2014, when a new four year undergraduate programme was started by the administrative authorities at the university. In June 2014, the University Grants Commission (UGC) sent a legal notice to the management, directing the university to immediately scrap the four year programme and revert back to the earlier three year undergraduate degree, as it found the four year programme to be in violation with the National Policy of Education in India. Proponents of the FYUP programme, and members of the academic fraternity, felt that UGC’s directive to the university was a step against its autonomy. However, others see these reforms as a move to privatise a public university, as part of the previous Congress-led UPA government’s agenda to enable foreign universities to set up campuses in India. They instead stressed upon the need for greater public policy and regulation in the education system.

Etihad Airways officer arrested for smuggling gold

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Afternoon Voice

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July 14, 2015

The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of the Mumbai Customs today arrested the security officer of Etihad Airways on charges of gold smuggling from the Chhatrapati Shivaji international airport.

“We have arrested officer Deepak Golani and he will be produced in the court tomorrow,” said Milind Lanjewar, Additional Commissioner of Customs adding that this was the 18th case this financial year where an airport staff was held.

AIU officials said that they initially intercepted a passenger Sunil Jagwani who arrived from Abu Dhabi this morning and recovered 1348 grams of gold barks and biscuits valued at Rs 33.08 lakhs concealed inside cigarette packets.

Jagwani was caught while he was handing over the gold to Golani. The duo was later arrested.

Jagwani in his statement told the Customs officials that he has handed over the gold to Gonani on four earlier occasions.

This has been corroborated through messages, call details and CCTV footages, the officials said.

In this financial year, the AIU has till now seized 147 kilograms of gold.

Teesta Setalvad ‘shocked’ as CBI carries out searches at her premises

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Afternoon Voice

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July 14, 2015

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday carried out searches at premises of social activist Teesta Setalvad and her organization.

The search comes days after the CBI registered a case against Setalvad, her husband Javed Anand and associate Peshimam Gulam Mohammad for criminal conspiracy and illegal acceptance of foreign contributions for their company, Sabrang Communications and Publishing Pvt Ltd (SCPPL).

The CBI sleuths carried out searches at four places in Mumbai at the premises of Setalvad, Anand, Peshimam and SCPPL office, a move flayed by the social activist who said that she was cooperating with the CBI.

“We are surprised and shocked at this,” Teesta said, adding, “We have been offering full cooperation.”

The CBI had registered a case on July 8 against all these under IPC section related to criminal conspiracy (120-B) along with provisions of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010 and Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 1976.

“We had written a letter to CBI offering full cooperation and telling the agency that whatever so-called offences are registered against us, we will cooperate. So we don’t understand the rationale behind this entire operation,” Setalvad, who was at forefront of campaign for 2002 Gujarat riots victims, said.

“We believe that it is a caged-parrot in operation and its a political vendetta and they are trying to humiliate and intimidate us,” she said, noting “the team here is very professional but we don’t know where it will end”.

CBI sources said in New Delhi that the case was registered after the agency completed verification of all the documents submitted by the Home Ministry while referring the probe to the agency.

They said it is alleged that the accused named in the FIR, in a criminal conspiracy, accepted foreign contribution without registration and prior permission from the Union Home Ministry as mandated under FCRA norms.

The government had earlier ordered a CBI probe into the transfer of funds by US-based Ford Foundation to SCPPL and even froze a bank account of the firm on June 26.

It was alleged that SCPPL violated rules of FCRA in accepting a donation of USD 2.9 lakh from Ford Foundation without getting clearance of the Home Ministry.

According to the rules, an organisation or a private firm can accept donations from overseas only after it is registered under FCRA. The donation was, therefore, a “serious violation” of FCRA provisions which mandate funding from a foreign source to only those recipients who have FCRA registration, the Home Ministry had said while ordering a CBI case.

A bank account of the firm located in Juhu, Mumbai, had also been frozen at the instruction of the Home Ministry.

The Gujarat government had earlier asked the Home Ministry to take action against Ford Foundation, alleging that the US-based organisation was “interfering in internal affairs” of the country and also “abetting communal disharmony” through an NGO run by Setalvad.

The fund transfer from Ford Foundation has, at present, to be cleared by a nodal official in the Home Ministry. In April, the government had ordered that funds from Ford Foundation should not be released by any bank to any Indian NGO without mandatory permission from the Home Ministry.

There are several cases in which the Gujarat government and Setalvad are waging legal battles. While she has filed several cases against the state government functionaries in connection with post-Godhra riots of 2002, the state police have filed a case of alleged embezzlement of funds against her.

Opposition boycotts Assembly session over demand of loan waiver for farmers

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Afternoon Voice

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July 14, 2015

The Opposition Congress and NCP on Tuesday boycotted the proceedings in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly here demanding that the government announce loan waiver for farmers.

Soon after Speaker Haribhau Bagde called for the questions, Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil demanded that the government first announce loan waiver after which the Opposition would allow proceedings to continue.

All Congress-NCP members entered the Well of the House and shouted slogans in support of their demand.

Agriculture Minister Eknath Khadse said the government was ready to discuss the farmers’ issues, while Speaker Bagde appealed to the Opposition members to take their seats and assured that he would hear them out.

Vikhe Patil said the Opposition would debate the farmers’ issue only after a loan waiver was announced.

Bagde told the Opposition members that people in their constituencies were watching them and asked them to go back to their seats. He also said that he was noting the names of members who were tearing papers.

The sloganeering continued for a while and after few minutes, the Opposition members went back to their seats.

Vikhe Patil said everyday 8 to 10 farmers commit suicide which shows the extent of government’s apathy towards them.

“We would have agreed to discuss the issue, but Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has already rejected the demand for loan waiver,” he said.

Khadse reiterated that the government was open to discussions.

“There is a discussion from government side on farmers’ issue. We will answer all questions related to farmers issues and inform the people through the forum of the august house on steps being taken to mitigate hardships of farmers,” he said.

Khadse said the Opposition was playing politics over farmers’ suicides.

Later, the Opposition members staged a walkout in protest.

The Opposition members, including former Chief Minister Prithivaj Chavan and former Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, squatted on the ground floor of Vidhan Bhawan building, staging mock proceedings of the House.