65th Cannes Film Festival admires 'Amour'

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Director Michael Haneke, actress Emmanuelle Riva (L) and actor Jean-Louis Trintignant (R) pose after receiving the Palme d'Or award for the film "Amour" (Love) during the awards ceremony of the 65th Cannes Film Festival, May 27, 2012. [Photo/Xinhua] Source: China.org.cn

KKR beat defending champions CSK to win maiden IPL title

Indian Express: Kolkata Knight Riders became the new champions of the Indian Premier League as they defeated defending champions Chennai Super Kings by five wickets in a nerve-wracking final, to win their maiden IPL final, here today. Chasing a stiff target of 191, little known Manvinder Bisla played the most defining innings of his life as smashed the CSK bowlers to all corners to notch up 89 off only 48 balls (8x4, 5x6) ably supported by Jacques Kallis (69, 49 balls, 7x4, 1x6) as most popular franchise of the cash-rich league finally lived upto its reputation. The moment Manoj Tiwary hit Dwayne Bravo to the square leg boundary for the second successive boundary, the delirious KKR players were all into the ground as their principal owner Shah Rukh was engaged in a frenzied celebrations. The day however belonged to Bisla wasn't supposed to play this match had Laxmipathy Balaji not suffered hamstring injury. The decision to drop Brendon McCullum was widely debated but the lad from Himachal Pradesh put all the speculation to rest as he emerged as an unlikely hero among the galaxy of stars. Despite losing Gautam Gambhir early, Bisla played a blinder as he took on the CSK attack by the scruff of their neck. Four boundaries of an Albie Morkel over set the tone and couple of clean sixes of Ravichandran Ashwin meant that the Knights were certainly there in the match. The best part was that Bisla-Kallis duo saw Ben Hilfenhaus' first spell without taking any risks and then launched into the other bowlers. As Bisla started spanking the CSK bowlers, Mahendra Singh Dhoni suddenly started worrying. Bisla's 50 came off only 27 balls but the former India colts player knew that he has a job at hand. Dwayne Bravo was bowling his slowers but in his two overs he was hit for two sixes over long. The calm Kallis was ready to drop anchor as he nudged the singles and rotated the strike with ease. Bisla's fifth six was a majestic one off Ashwin over extra cover. The duo added 136 runs for the second wicket before Bisla whose momentum was broken by the strategic time-out finally tried to slash Morkel only to offer an easy catch to Subramanium Badrinath. Bisla departed with 52 still to get but Kallis ensured that KKR got one boundary per over. Finally it was Shakib Al Hasan and Manoj Tiwary who held their nerves to seal the issue. Earlier it was Raina's blitzkrieg and Hussey's priceless knock that helped defending champions Chennai Super Kings post a commendable 190 for three after winning the toss. Hussey (54, 43 balls, 4x4, 2x6) along with Murali Vijay (42, 32 balls, 4x4, 1x6) set the platform with blistering opening partnership of 87 runs. Raina (73, 38 balls, 3x4, 5x6) then complemented the opening duo's effort as he hit some of the biggest sixes in the tournament with a few of them flying out of the stadium. Along with Hussey, he added 73 in less than 7 overs. Another highlight of the CSK innings was brilliant running between the wickets by trio of Hussey, Raina and Vijay on a humid Chennai evening. When it mattered most, the KKR bowling attack flopped badly but as they say that all's well that ends well. Laxmipathy Balaji's absence was felt as Brett Lee (0/42 in 4 overs) turned out to be very expensive as the trio of Hussey, Vijay and Raina took him to cleaners. Such was the pressure on Sunl Narine (0/37 in 4 overs) that he ended up with his worst figures in the tournament. After quiet first two overs, the mayhem started in the third over bowled by Lee. Hussey first played a lofted shot over bowler's head for a boundary and then Vijay played his trademark shot over mid-wicket for another boundary. In the very next over from Shakib Al Hasan, the seasoned Aussie first swept over fine leg and then played a reverse sweep as floodgates opened. A desperate KKR skipper Gambhir had to bring in his trump card Sunil Narine early for an over but it was the sixth over bowled by Lee that shifted momentum in favour of 'Men in Yellow'. Both Vijay and Hussey hit Lee for a six each as CSK reached 50. The over from Lee cost KKR 19 runs. Even more impressive was their running between the wickets as senior pro Hussey pushed Vijay for converting ones into twos. It needed an inspirational catch from Shakib Al Hasan in the deep to break the partnership as Vijay didn't get the required elevation off Rajat Bhatia's slower delivery. The tempo however didn't drop as Raina brought up team's 100 with a huge six over deep mid-wicket off Kallis's bowling after Hussey had played a nice square-cut. Hussey reached his 50 off 38 balls. As Raina went on a hitting spree, Hussey started playing the second fiddle until he played a cross-batted shot off Jacques Kallis' bowling. Source: Indian Express

Miss World Guam 2012, Jeneva Bosko

Jeneva Bosko was crowned Miss World Guam 2012. The 19-year-old beauty beat 8 other contestants to win the tittle and the right to represent Guam in Miss World 2012 Pageant to be held on August 18 in Ordos, China. The first runner-up was Tiara Lizama and the second runner-up was FelicianaTainatonga, while the third runner-up was Christiana Williams. Nine of Guam’s most beautiful women competed for the chance to represent Guam in the Miss World competition scheduled for August in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, China. But it was Jeneva Bosko, 19, from Chalan Pago, who was crowned Miss World Guam this year. The pageant included an opening

dance number featuring the contestants and the swimsuit andevening gown competition. Reigning queen Sierra Roberts took her last walk on the runway before she turned her crown over to Bosko.* Tiara Lizama, 22, Santa Rita, was 1st runner up, * Feliciana Tainatongo, 19, Piti was 2nd runner up, * Christiana Williams, 18, Dededo was 3rd runner up. Source: Travelfwd+

Cambridge dominates university subject rankings

Indian Express, Agencies : London, Cambridge has beaten arch rival Oxford yet again as it topped the Guardian University Guide league table, while London School of Economics has climbed up to the third place. St. Andrews, rated third last year, is now in fourth place, while Warwick climbed up to the fifth place. University College London (UCL), Durham, Lancaster, Bath and Exeter make up the top 10. The guide is accompanied by rankings across the main subjects. Cambridge dominates, coming top in 16 out of 47 subjects including biosciences, chemical engineering, computer science, maths, medicine and veterinary science. Oxford came top in seven subjects including business studies, chemistry, law and physics. The Guardian's guide is aimed as a first step to help students who are thinking about applying for a course. The ranking is based on measures such as how highly final-year students have rated their experience, a value-added score, universities' spending per student, staffing ratios, and graduate career prospects. Source: Indian Express

Dalai Lama fears 'revolution' in China

Indian Express: The Dalai Lama has said there are hopeful signs that China will push through political reforms in China and Tibet in order to avoid another "cultural revolution." But the exiled Tibetan leader warned that there were still "worshippers of the gun" in Tibetan areas of China, where more than 30 protestors -- many Buddhist monks and nuns -- have set themselves alight since March 2011. "The same cultural revolution is returning that was the cause of a crisis in 2008 when several hundred people were killed or disappeared," he said in Hawaii, where he spent the weekend before a trip to the US mainland. "Now the time has come that the Chinese authority must investigate the causes" of Tibetan protests, the Dalai Lama said. "The local (Chinese) authority (in Tibet) I think .. are worshippers of the gun, as Chairman Mao Zedong once expressed that power comes from the barrel of the gun. Unfortunately some hardliners still believe that," he said. But the Dalai Lama said he sees hopeful signs in statements last month by outgoing Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, that China has no way forward but through economic and political structural reform. Wen said on March 14 that China could see a repeat of the Cultural Revolution's deadly chaos without "urgent" political reform, in a dramatic parting shot at his final news conference as premier. "Without a successful political structural reform, it is impossible for us to fully institute economic structural reform and the gains we have made in this area may be lost," said Wen. The Dalai Lama said that Wen's statement, and an apparent crackdown on some government corruption, indicate "that the majority of the Chinese leadership is thinking seriously of some change, and that is a hopeful thing." The exiled spiritual leader is due to fly to San Diego, California this week, before visiting Los Angeles and Chicago. From there he will travel to Canada and on to Europe.Source: Indian Express

Armani ends DLF JV, partners with Genesis

Fashion United: Giorgio Armani has parted ways with its Indian joint venture partner DLF Brands. The Italian fashion house has now decided to ink a franchisee deal with Genesis Luxury to expand its retail footprint in India. Genesis also has a joint venture with Burberry in India and represents brands such as Canali, Jimmy Choo and Bottega Veneta in the country. Armani has joined the list of many other global luxury brands such as Versace, Corneliani and Guess, who are planning or have already parted ways with their Indian partners. Versace and Corneliani have decided to split with their Delhi-based partner Blues Clothing Company and would scout for a new partner to start afresh. Guess too is expected to look for a new partner after its long-time partner Planet Retail decided to restructure its business. The American clothing maker will now tie up with Major Brands, the marketer of Mango and Aldo in India. According to DLF Brands Chief Executive Officer Dipak Agarwal, the break-up with Armani is in line with its strategy of withdrawing from luxury. And Armani wanted to move to a franchise mode which DLF could not do. Once the deal is signed-it is expected this week-Genesis will take over the management of the three Armani stores in India. It plans to open 20 more Armani stores over the next four-five years and take Emporio Armani, Giorgio Armani and Armani Jeans brands to cities such as Chennai, Bangalore and Kolkata. Apart from expanding its retail footprint in the country, Armani is also trying to grow its wholesale business, whereby it sells its garments, eyewear, accessories, cosmetics and perfumes through departmental stores and other multi-brand outlets. Armani recently tied up with designer Suneet Varma to bring in its kidswear brand Armani Junior into the country.The retail arm of real estate developer DLF and Giorgio Armani set up a joint venture in 2008 to roll out retail stores of the luxury brand. Armani held 51 per cent equity in the venture. The venture has so far opened only three outlets-two Emporio Armani stores in Delhi and Mumbai and one Giorgio Armani store in New Delhi.According to consumer goods and retail consultancy Third Eyesight, about one-third of the more than 150 international fashion brands launched in India over the past seven years have either changed partners or exited the market and around 26 brands have changed partners, while 23-26 exited the market with at least half of those later returning either as a wholly-owned subsidiary or with a new partner. In 2009, for instance, luxury brand Gucci parted ways with its partner Murjanis to move to a joint venture with Ashok Wadhwa`s Luxury Goods Retail. Murjanis had earlier ended their relationship with Jimmy Choo and Bottega Veneta, both of whom are now with Genesis Luxury. Source: Fashion United

Yes, celebs and stars do matter!

Journalist Barkha Dutt and Richa Anirudh host similar talk shows that deal with causes, but if Aamir Khan’s Satyamev Jayate caught the nation’s attention, it has got to do more with his star status. When it comes to pausing for a cause, celebs do matter, says Youngistan in unison, Pratima Shantaveeresh: The moment the clock struck 11 am on May 6, 2012, nearly 27 million viewers in India got hooked to television to watch ‘Satyamev Jayate’. Yes you read it right! The latest TAM data released by Star Plus says that the first episode of the show on female foeticide opened with an aggregate rating of 4.09 across the country. The show which dealt with female foeticide that week became the No 1 trend on microblogging site Twitter till Monday, more than 24 hours after its telecast the first week. More than 64 nursing homes have been suspended in Bhopal and 1,00,000 people called Aamir Khan to discuss the issue. It wasn’t just impact. It was IMPACT!!!!  Have we sat up to take notice of such issues only because a celebrity – a star – is out there talking to us? ‘We the people’ a show which is hosted by journalist Barkha Dutt on NDTV also works for the similar causes as being shown on Amir Khan’s show. Zindagi Live on IBN 7 hosted by Richa Anirudh is also a show about societal problems and development issues. Yet, none of them received so much response. Soon after the second episode of Khan’s show, Barkha Dutt displayed her indignation through her tweet, “Ofcourse @aamir_khan impact & influence way more than us; congrats to him. But disagree journos ignore such stories, having had them on WTP.” The question here is - is our society so much into glamour, showbiz, celebrities and star status that work done by politicians, journalists, parents, teachers and the Government goes completely unnoticed? Mumbai-based Harish Iyer, a victim of child sexual abuse who featured on all the three talk shows - Satyamev Jayate, We The People and Zindagi Live as well - says “When I was on Barkha's show Twitter was abuzz with activity. When I was in Richa's show, Facebook was buzzing with updates about me. I got mails after both the shows, but I received a whopping 6000 emails, and most of these by survivors of child sexual abuse. People started giving me their seats in local trains, people asked me to pose for photographs. And random strangers poured out their hearts to me about their darkest secret of their life.” He thinks Aamir gets in his celebrity factor to the show and the way the show is packaged also makes a lot of difference. While Barkha and Richa are stalwarts in the industry when it comes to the same, Aamir is an actor who is in a new domain. So they elicit different kind of responses. Brand Satyamev Jayate was more popular than the ambassador Aamir Khan. Talking about the show’s ‘x factor,’ Harish says, “The show democratised viewership by getting all star channels and DD to play it parallelly. So the mukhiya of your gaon and the NRI at New York and London can watch it”. Taking it personally, he added “Let me give you a firsthand account - he is a deeply emotional person and doesn’t really care about his overworking tear glands when he shoots. His eyes have more water than Niagara Falls.” Krushita Adiha, student, St. Francis College for Women, says, “Actors and stars have an aura that can charm people. People get easily influenced by whatever they say. So the response to his talk show, his movie Taare Zameen Par which dealt with dyslexia have all had a profound impact because of his star status more than anything else.” Kanchan Devda, also from the same college, says, “We The People was in English and not many people in our country understand the language

whereas Satyamev Jayate is in Hindi and other regional languages. It has a very wide reach. People relate to Aamir better than they connect with Barkha or Richa because of our obsession for movies and movie related news.” Perhaps, the importance that these causes are receiving after Satyamev Jayate is different not because of the celebrity factor but because of the democratised viewership element. Satyamev Jayate is in Hindi and other regional  languages. People

relate to Aamir better than they connect with  Barkha or Richa because of their obsession with movies and movie related news -Kanchan, Student, St Francis College, Aamir Khan is a deeply emotional person and doesn’t really care about his overworking tear glands when he shoots. His eyes have more water than Niagara Falls -Harish Iyer, Victim of child sexual abuse who featured on Satyamev Jayate, We The People and Zindagi Live Source: The Hans India::