Katrina will be seen reprising Hema’s role in ‘Seeta and Geeta’ remake

Remake of Bollywood classic ‘Seeta aur Geeta’ might finally see the light of the day. Right from it’s onset, the modern version of this cult was jinxed as the script of the film ran into legal hassles over licensing issues.

However, according to latest reports it has been confirmed that the film is all set to go on floors and it will be made by Sunil Bohra and Viacom 18.

The makers have roped in Katrina Kaif to reprise Hema Malini’s role in the film. And insiders reveal that Abhay Deol and Akshay Kumar are being considered for the role of Sanjeev Kumar and Dharmendra respectively.

Considering nothing more than the lead has been finalised and revealed yet, we hope the makers do justice to the remake. And most of it all, the real question is – Will Katrina be able to re-create Hema’s magic?

India mulling partial boycott of London Olympics?

In protest of London Olympics Organising Committee’s denial to withdraw Dow Chemicals’ partnership, India is considering boycotting the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2012 Games, according to media reports on Wednesday.

Indian contingent is likely to take part only in the events as mark of protest, which IOA say is the least they can do.

However another report, quoting a highly placed source, said no decision has yet been taken on the matter. The source said the Government had written a letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on February 24 and would rather wait for a response before deciding on the future course of action.

"It is a little premature to talk about boycotting the opening and closing ceremonies at this stage. We will have to first wait for an answer from IOC", the source said.

After IOA failed to convince the IOC to drop Dow Chemicals as the London Games' sponsor, the Government had stepped in to ask the IOC to "go beyond lesser considerations" and cancel the deal.

In a letter to IOC President Jacques Rogge, the Sports Ministry has sought Dow's removal as Olympic sponsor. Dow currently owns Union Carbide, the company responsible for the 1984 Bhopal Gas tragedy.

The move came after the IOC refused to entertain pleas by the Indian Olympic Association.

"We cherish and celebrate the noble ideals of the Olympic movement. India stands firmly committed to these ideals and the values they promote of friendship, unity, brotherhood and compassion," the letter stated.

"We strongly believe that there is no better medium than sports to inculcate and foster the feeling of friendship and solidarity among the people of the world. This being so we are dismayed that the IOC has not respected the sentiments of a large group of stakeholders including Olympians and withdrawn its association with Dow Chemicals," said the letter signed by Rahul Bhatnagar, joint secretary in the Ministry.

IOA had repeatedly expressed its opposition to the Dow Chemicals as one of the sponsors for the London Olympics because of its ownership of the infamous Union Carbide which was responsible for the worst industrial disaster in India.

IOA had urged the IOC and London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) to withdraw Dow as Games Sponsors.

In a letter to IOA acting president Vijay Kumar Malhotra, IOC chief Jacques Rogge had said that "IOC recognises that the Bhopal tragedy in 1984 was horrific event for India and the world. The Olympic Movement sympathises with the grief of the victims` families and regrets the ongoing suffering people face in the region."

"The IOC and LOCOG were aware of the Bhopal tragedy when discussing the partnership with Dow. Dow had no connection with the Bhopal tragedy. Dow did not have any ownership stake in Union Carbide until 16 years after the accident and 12 years after the USD 470 million compensation agreement was approved by the Indian Supreme Court," he said.

Meanwhile, UK government defended Dow Chemicals by saying Dow wasn’t operating the plant at the time of Bhopal tragedy. They also urged Indian athletes to participate in the Games.

“Dow didn’t own or operate the plant at the time of tragedy,” UK High Commission said.

UK government justified their stand by saying it was not their decision to hand Dow sponsorship but it was decided by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). “Dow sponsorship was decided by the IOC and the decision was taken with all knowledge of facts,” it said.

Osama Bin Laden hid future terror attack codes in Bible?

Two copies of the Bible found at Osama bin Laden's hideout in Pakistan may contain coded clues to future terror attacks by al Qaeda, British media on Wednesday quoted Pakistani ISI officials as saying.

The books had been concealed at the house of the slain al Qaeda chief in Abbottabad, where he was shot by US Navy Seals last May.

They may contain coded clues to future terror attacks, the Sun tabloid reported.

The concealed Christian holy books were unearthed by demolition crews sent in to bring down the three-storeyed mansion to the ground.

Several pages of the English-print editions had been folded over and particular texts marked, it said.

Also members of Pakistan's ISI security service were examining the volumes in a bid to find out more.

Now Pakistani intelligence officials suspect a coded pattern for past and future al Qaeda attacks may be hidden within the Bibles' pages.

Another theory is that the terror chief may have been seeking out Christian texts to justify his actions.

Two cunningly-concealed working radio sets were also uncovered at the building, yards from a Pakistani army barracks.

"We had already cleared the compound before demolition but found two copies of the Bible and two radio sets. The Bibles were in English and we cannot be sure why they were there.

These copies were found as we checked the rooms for the final time before demolishing the building," an ISI commanding officer among those who oversaw the demolition of the Bin Laden compound was quoted by the tabloid as saying.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik when asked about the items discovered from Osama's hideout, said, "The belongings of Osama Bin Laden will not be handed to anyone. We will keep them and maybe burn them later when they are of no use."

"If there is a Bible there, it will be sent to a library or a church," he added.

A Major terror plot foiled; 2 LeT agents held

A major terror attack was foiled on Tuesday in the capital with security agencies arresting two Pakistan-based Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives who had planned to trigger explosions in crowded localities in the next few days.

Police said the attacks were "very imminent" and both the arrested, whose identity was withheld, were Indian citizens, one of whom was trained in Pakistan in bomb-making and using weapons.

"It is a very important breakthrough," Home Minister P Chidambaram told reporters today while complimenting security agencies.

Giving only brief details about the case as operation was still continuing to nab more terrorists of the module, Delhi Police Commissioner B K Gupta said the duo were apprehended from Tughlaqabad Extension in south Delhi yesterday following inputs from central intelligence agencies and cooperation of police in Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir.

"The arrest of LeT terrorists is a good catch," Gupta said adding the police has got "valuable evidence" from the memory card seized from the duo.

The two LeT militants have been identified as Ethisham and Shafaqat.

Investigators have seized a memory card, a matrix (code language used for communication), mobiles and explosives, including sulphuric acide, used for making bombs, P N Aggarwal, Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell), said.

Sources said five mobile phones were seized from the accused apart from the memory card which had footages of terror training camps and fabrication of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) besides how to fire AK-47s.

However, both Gupta and Aggarwal refused to provide the names of the arrested saying it could affect the ongoing operations to arrest "one or two more terrorists in the module".

They were produced in chambers before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Smita Garg who sent them to ten day police custody. Police ensured that the two did not attract any media attention and used the back door to enter and exit the court.

Aggarwal said one of the arrested persons has gone to Pakistan in December 2011 on valid travel documents and returned last month with a mission to carry out a terror strike in Delhi in the very near future.

Asked whether the arrested persons were involved in the recent attack on Israeli embassy car, he said, he did not think so.

Earlier, Chidambaram said, "there was no VVIP on their target."

"They were planning to detonate a bomb or more than one bomb in crowded localities," he said, adding more details would come after their detailed questioning.

Some more people have been detained in this connection, he said.

Boat collides with ship in Kerala: 2 fishermen dead

In yet another case involving fishermen off the Kerala coast, fishing vessel Don 1 was hit by an unknown vessel in the wee hours on Thursday morning.

Two fishermen were killed and two others are missing when the collision took place off the Kollam coast.

Of the six fishermen in the boat, two swam to safety, it is being said. The deceased were identified as Francis Justine and Xavier, police said.

A massive search operation has been launched by the Navy and the coast guard to search the missing vessel.

Brahmaputra river suddenly found dries up in Arunachal Pradseh

The Siang (Brahmaputra) river originating from Tibet was suddenly found to have almost dried up at a town in Arunachal Pradesh, a state government spokesman said on Thursday night.

People of century-old Pasighat town in East Siang district found that the water level of the river receded so much this evening that it almost dried, Tako Dabi said.

Dabi, also the political advisor to Chief Minister Nabam Tuki, expressed apprehension that China could have diverted the water of the river, which is known as Yarlong Tsangpo in Tibet, or there could be some artificial blockade due to which this has happened.

On June 9, 2000, the water level of Siang rose suddenly by 30 m and inundated almost the entire township causing widespread destruction to property besides claiming seven lives following the collapse of a hydropower dam in Tibet, said Dabi, who himself inspected the dried bed of the river.

Dabi suggested that the Centre and its agencies like the Central Water Commission should immediately conduct a study in collaboration with the state government to find the crux of the problem.

The panic of the people cannot be simply brushed off, he said.

Yarlung Tsangpo, the highest river in the world, is a watercourse that originates at Tamlung Tso Lake in western Tibet, southeast of Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar.

It later forms the South Tibet Valley and Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon, before entering India at Tuting in Arunachal as Siang, takes the name of Brahmaputra in Assam and enters Bangladesh and is known as Megna.

In the Upper Mekong Basin in Yunnan Province, China has planned to construct eight cascade hydropower dams, the first of which, the Manwan Dam, was completed in 1996.

Cricketer Yuvraj Singh feeling weak after second chemo cycle

Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh, who is currently undergoing treatments for lung cancer in the USA, has informed that his conditions would be assessed on March 7, the day when a scan would take place.

Yuvraj also informed that his second chemo cycle has finished on Thursday and he was feeling weak after that. He, however, hoped that tomorrow his condition would be better.

Yuvraj wrote on micro blogging site Twitter: “Second cycle has finished today ! Had a bleomycin shot feeling weak but I`m sure tom will be a better day ! My next scan dated on 7th march (sic).”


Yuvraj Singh is currently undergoing treatment for rare germ cell cancer in Boston. He is expected to be back in his cricketing gear by May, according to his doctor. The treatment will continue till the last week of March.