Sizzling beauty Mallika Sherawat has once again sparked a controversy by sporting a tricolour in the first poster of her upcoming film `Dirty Politics`. The first look of the movie was released recently in Mumbai.

In the poster Mallika Sherawat, who plays the lead role in the film, is seen sitting on an old ambassador car draped in a long tricolour cloth. Not only this, but the poster also shows the Rajasthan Assembly building in the background.

According to reports, the director of the film KC Bokadia is surrounded by political pressure from all quarters to change the poster to a more acceptable form, especially since the using the tricolor has offended many.

The film which is slated to release later this year is reportedly based on the infamous Bhanwri Devi case. Big names like- Om Puri, Anupam Kher, Naseeruddin Shah, Jackie Shroff and Rampal Yadav will also be seen in the movie.

This is not the first time Sherawat has been seen sporting a flag in a raunchy pose. The poster of Mallika Sherawat`s 2011 film `Politics of Love` which saw the actress lying on a bed with Brian White, draped in an American flag had also sparked a controversy.

The background of the poster features the State Legislative Assembly of Rajasthan. Mallika Sherawat is shown flaunting her toned legs with a CD in her hand.
 
However, as expected the poster has given rise to a huge outcry from people all over the country especially from the state of Rajasthan.

Directed by K.C. Bokadia, ‘Dirty Politics’ also stars Jackie Shroff, Anupam Kher, Om Puri and Atul Kulkarni.

Last year, the actress promoted ‘Dirty Politics’ at the Cannes Film Festival.

Talking about the film, in her heavy American accent, the actress had said, “It’s about a woman who gets involved with a politician, who was a nurse (sic),” she said as she kept shuffling between ‘hurr’ American and Indian accent, “And how she gets murrderred in the end… here was this woman who actually had the ‘currrage’ to stand up to this politician who kind of raped her, molested her, abused her and record his misgivings and everything (sic), and release it to the press.”

At a time when new players in the Indian smartphone market are opting for and finding success in the e-commerce route, Obi Mobile, which will launch its first devices in the country this June, has decided to take a multi-channel approach.

Ajay Sharma, CEO of the company which came into limelight for being promoted by former Apple CEO John Sculley’s Inflexionpoint, told indianexpress.com that they would go across channels to sell the new range of phones.

“We are talking about pop and mom stores, mobile stores, regional stores and online. We plan to have a larger width of channel and touch all the distribution points available,” he said. The strategy is in complete contrast to new players like Motorola and Alcatel which are selling only through e-tailers like Flipkart. “We can’t afford to pick just one channel. Some specific models could be launched through individual channels later, but not now.”

“We were first planning to bring in just three devices, but as our launch has got delayed we should be coming in with about 5-6 devices in the R5,000 to R15,000 price bracket. Most of the devices will be priced under R10,000, that is the sweet spot,” he said.

Sharma said they are looking at a 360-degree campaign on TV, online and print to make people aware of the brand. “We also plan to give the customer an experience at the store level to convert the enquiries into sales,” he said, adding that Obi Mobile will, however, have a pan India strategy covering 50 cities initially. The company already has a headstart with distribution as Iris Computers, also owned by Inflexionpoint, has warehouses and offices in 23 Indian cities.

“We will not compete on price. What we will offer the customer is a unique looking device with differentiation and we are working with many design houses on the same,” he said, adding that user experience will also different.

The company plans to offer stock Android at the entry level, some user interface differentiation at the middle range and a completely different UI at the high end. “We are working with companies to offer content on our phones to add value to the user... We really need to help customers access content,” added Sharma, who has worked with companies like HTC and Micromax before.

The Superfight: it’s a term used so often these days that it’s become a novelty.

In theory, it identifies a bout that is designed to bring two fantastic fighters together in a clash that speaks to the best aspects of their relative skills and styles.

In boxing, it has often been used to identify bouts that could never happen: Muhammad Ali versus Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Robinson versus Floyd Mayweather Jr., Roberto Duran versus Manny Pacquiao.

But in the sport of MMA, it is used to describe the dreamlike quality of fights that, while perhaps improbable, are not impossible: Jose Aldo versus Anthony Pettis, for instance.

Or the previously ballyhooed Georges St. Pierre versus Anderson Silva.                     

It’s the proverbial “White whale” of the sport, and no matter how many times such bouts are rumored, only to fail to be actualized, the term endures because there are always new fighters rising to the top; new fights that could answer the question: “Who would win if…”

As fighters fight to answer that question, fans and pundits ponder and posit in the absence of these rarest of occurrences. We question and debate who would win in a bout between two fighters that are so good that they remain nearly untouchable by anyone save perhaps another of their untouchable ilk.

No matter what criteria you favor, you know the fights in question, as we all do. While Anderson Silva may no longer have the title, much of the Superfight debate has been built upon his name and that honestly has not changed.

Even though he lost two in a row to Chris Weidman, he is still thought to be the best because great fighters are not the sum total of their defeats. Muhammad Ali lost to Leon Spinks, when the latter had just eight professional fights, yet even after their bout, no one doubted Ali would be remembered as the greater fighter.

So, we ponder the obvious inclusions, as we always have; this time, we include them all, in one place and at one time. In fact, we will also include one boxing bout—Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao—simply because it has been debated at length in many MMA discussions, which is of no surprise; it is the gold standard for incredible fights that should have been made yet never were.

Last week, I followed TJ Dillashaw as he prepared for his UFC 173 bout against Renan Barao. He was one of the biggest underdogs ever to participate in a championship bout, and few gave him a chance of making it out of the first round, much less pulling off the historic upset.

In my time spent with Dillashaw, I saw a man completely unfazed by the task ahead of him, as though he had no idea what the fans and oddsmakers were saying.

He was relaxed, loose and absolutely confident that he’d be taking the title back to Sacramento. He spoke of all the things he’d need to get used to as bantamweight champion, such as spending fight weeks in the nicest hotel suites available instead of standard rooms.

Where did his confidence come from? How was he able to overlook the long odds he faced?

“Duane (Ludwig) always said he had the utmost confidence in me beating Barao. He isn’t going to blow smoke up my butt when he tells me what he believes. The way he went about it made me super confident getting in there,” Dillashaw says. “And then the rest of my team, Urijah, Joseph, Chad, they all tell me how good I am. Urijah really believed that I could beat Barao.



Dillashaw was on to something. He went in the Octagon and beat Barao from pillar to post before finishing him in the fifth round to become the new bantamweight champion.

He knocked Barao down in the first round, then used the same tactics to befuddle the champion and keep him off balance in the second. He knew then that he had a chance to win. After a dominant third, he realized he’d won the first three rounds going away. Barao had nothing to offer him.

“After that, I was like ‘I’ve got this guy’s number. I can put it on him,’ Dillashaw says. “After the third, I knew I had him.”

The historic underdog hadn’t just defied the odds; he’d trampled all over them and then kicked them out the door. He’d dominated one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world and turned in one of the single best performances in UFC history.

Two police officers in India have been sacked for refusing to help search for two missing girls who were later found gang-raped and hanged, officials say.

They were also charged with criminal conspiracy, police said, adding that three people had been arrested so far.

The government has pledged to set up a fast-track court to prosecute the crime, which took place earlier this week in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Alleged police inaction sparked outrage in the teenagers' village.

The father of one victim told the BBC he was ridiculed by police when he sought help in finding his missing daughter.

He said that when policemen found out he was from a lower caste, they "refused to look for my girl".

Students in New Delhi protest against police inaction over the killings of the girls (30 May 2014) Students in New Delhi held angry protests after the girls' killings

The incident has received top coverage on India's main TV channels such as NDTV, Times Now and CNN-IBN.

"Uttar Pradesh Rape shockers", reads a ticker on NDTV, which accuses the local police of being "complicit" with the attackers and quotes relatives of the two girls saying they have "no faith" they'll receive justice.

"Lawless in Uttar Pradesh" reads a top headline on CNN-IBN, which has started its own campaign using the hashtag #StopThisShame.

"UP: 3 Rapes in 48Hrs" is the lead on the Times Now channel, which reports the growing number of rape incidents in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

"Outrage" is the word used on the front pages of several leading English-language newspapers, including The Hindu and The Indian Express.

In an editorial, The Times of India lays the blame on the government of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Singh, saying the hangings "exposes the state's slide into medieval lawlessness".

A sharp fall in plan expenditure has helped pull India's fiscal deficit for last financial year below the government's estimate, but the cut in spending on productive activities has left an impact on the economy.

The deficit, or the shortfall in the government's revenue to meet expenses, narrowed to 4.5% of gross domestic product in the year ended on March 31, compared with 4.9% initially estimated in the 2013-14 budget and the revised 4.6% given out with the interim budget for 2014-15 in February.

Plan expenditure, which is associated with productive expenditure, fell to Rs 4.53 lakh crore, according to provisional data released on Friday, from Rs 4.76 lakh crore envisaged in the estimates presented with the interim budget. This implies a reduction of more than Rs 1 lakh crore in plan spending budgeted for 2013-14.

The nation's economic growth remained below 5% for the second straight year, as GDP expanded just 4.7% in 2013-14, better than the previous year's 4.5% growth, but below the most recent government estimate of 4.9%, data showed Friday.

Sluggish manufacturing sector growth dented tax mobilisation with tax receipts coming in lower at Rs 8.16 lakh crore compared with the downwardly revised estimate of Rs 8.36 lakh crore. Non-tax revenue, largely in the form of dividends from public sector units, provided some help - at Rs 1.99 lakh crore, it exceeded the February budget estimate of Rs 1.93 lakh crore.

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday sought to put a stop to the race among Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled States to include a chapter on his life in school text-books by articulating his reservations about the move on Twitter which he uses regularly to connect with people.

``Am reading that some states want to include Narendra Modi’s life struggles as part of their school curriculum. I firmly believe that the life story of living individuals should not be included as a part of the school curriculum. Young minds should read about the great stalwarts of India who made our nation what it is & emulate them,’’ he tweeted from his personal and Prime Minister’s Office Twitter handles.

The governments of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat had announced their intent to include a chapter on Mr. Modi in their school textbooks. With the Prime Minister speaking out against such a move, reports from Gujarat suggest that the State Government has already dropped the proposal.

Compared to some of Mr. Modi’s tweets on controversial subjects, this time round his comments did not generate an animated debate on Twitter. Actor-turned-politician Vinod Khanna’s wife Kavita Vinod Khanna differed with Mr. Modi. ``Humbly, I disagree with you. Lessons & inspiration are not just from those deceased but living legends too.’’

Yara Khmidan might have a confusing sounding name, I think it's actually abbreviated oddly, but this Ukranian hottie has nothing but talent ready for prime time in the West with a few fashion model breakout shoots and now this Beach Bunny bikini catalog pictorial. Damn, I'll buy some vowels for this stunning bit of visual wonderment all sultry and alluring in her perfectly fitting two pieces.

I'm not saying I'm prepared to drop everything in my life and run off to the hills with Yara to make many babies but I'm also not saying that. I mean, she does have to say yes, I'm not a brute. Then it's a life of learning the international language of lust, or at least two years before she learns how to say 'Are you just going to sit there all weekend and watch sports again?' before we both decide it's time to find new mating partners. The circle of life.

A few months ago, Rachel McAdams revealed her favorite "Mean Girls" quote -- "I don't think my father, the inventor of Toaster Strudel, would be too pleased with this" -- which came as a surprise since it's a line uttered by Gretchen Wieners (Lacey Chabert) rather than Regina George (McAdams).

In a new interview with Digital Spy, Amanda Seyfried names her favorite quote from the film, and based on her response, it's clear that Seyfried realizes the hilarity of her own character, the "blissfully ignorant" Karen Smith.

"'If you're from Africa, why are you white?' is the best line ever," Seyfried said when asked to pick her favorite quote from "Mean Girls," which turned 10 last month. The "A Million Ways to Die in the West" actress also addressed the potential of a reunion, saying she'd love to reprise the story in a "Saturday Night Live" sketch, but is worried it would fall short of expectations.

"I would do that in a million years, but I would fear that it wouldn't be funny. What if it wasn't funny?" Seyfried said. "So I think the mystery, or the idea of it, is sometimes better than actually following through. If [writer Tina Fey] is not on board or if she doesn't have anything for us to do, then I don't think we should, because that was designed by her and it would have to be designed by her again.

Maya Angelou was a celebrated author and poet, and also a filmmaker: Angelou, who died on May 28 at the age of 86, made the 1998 film "Down in the Delta," which was released by Miramax on Dec. 25 of that year. It was the only feature film she ever directed.

Based on an original script by Myron Goble, "Down in the Delta" focused on Loretta (Alfre Woodard), a struggling single parent who gets sent to Mississippi by her mother (Mary Alice) to clean up her life. There, Loretta meets a coterie of family and friends. Wesley Snipes and Loretta Divine co-starred.

"Down in the Delta" received some positive reviews from critics, including Roger Ebert, who gave Angelou's film three-and-a-half stars.
"Angelou's first-time direction stays out of its own way; she doesn't call attention to herself with unnecessary visual touches, but focuses on the business at hand," Ebert wrote. "She and Goble are interested in what might happen in a situation like this, not in how they can manipulate the audience with phony crises."

In addition to "Down in the Delta," Angelou directed an episode of "Visions." As an actress, she appeared in the hit miniseries "Roots," the 1993 film "Poetic Justice" with Janet Jackson, "How to Make an American Quilt" and an episode of "Touched by an Angel." Angelou is credited as co-writer on the 1979 television adaptation of "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," her iconic autobiography. She last appeared onscreen in 2006's "Madea's Family Reunion."