Kareena Kapoor Khan gushes over hubby Saif Ali Khan with a 'peck'

Kareena Kapoor Khan

Much in love Kareena Kapoor can't keep herself away from her husband Saif Ali Khan, especially her lips.

READ: Kareena Kapoor Khan to sign Pakistani movie by Shoaib Mansoor
The 35-year-old actress, who celebrated her Diwali at Amitabh Bachchan's Jalsa, posted a picture with the phantom star along with Malika Arora Khan and Amrita Arora on her Instagram.



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In the picture, the Bajrangi Bhaijaan star was seen kissing the 45-year-old actor on the cheek, while he smiled for the camera.

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Kareena wore a royal blue lehga with gold wore for the event. She completed her look with golden earring, blue bangle and a simple hair bun.

WATCH: Kareena Kapoor Finds Karisma Kapoor's 'Humshakal' - BT'

Flipkart now introduces mobile website ‘Flipkart Lite’ after pushing its app-only strategy

By tech2 News Staff /  12 Nov 2015 , 08:58

We’ve heard about Flipkart and Myntra’s move to go app only for a long time now. Over the past year, the thought behind an app only strategy has been weighed both from a business as well as consumer’s point of view.

Mostly, it is agreed that a business needs to be where consumers are. This seems to have been evident with the app exclusive sales that have happened during the festive season. While Flipkart decided to go app only, its competitor Amazon went with a mixed strategy between its website as well as app.

Sure the app only strategy cannot completely be ridiculed as having no basis, considering that a significantly high percentage of users are transacting via smartphones. While we have posed these questions in the past when Myntra decided to shut its website, what did stand out is the fact that a business was pushing its way on to consumers rather than give consumers the option to choose which platform suits them the best.

It turns out, Flipkart and Google are working together to create a new mobile optimised website that would aid smartphone users to continue shopping on the ecommerce platform without having to install an application. Moreover, users on platforms other than Android, or iOS could also transact via a mobile browser.

It appears that through the whole controversy around its app only strategy, Flipkart had lost out on an opportunity to convey to its user base that it really cared for its customers and would go the extra mile to ensure that they could continue to shop on the platform of their choice where they were most comfortable.

According to Recode, the launch of the Flipkart mobile site is also a win for Google. The rise of mobile apps effectively means the whole shopping experience is beyond the purview of Google’s search and advertising business which generates the most significant percentage of its revenue.

The Recode piece quotes Peeyush Ranjan, VP of Engineering at Flipkart who said that apps have the advantages of a cleaner interface and the advantage to stay offline. He added that despite these advantages, one significant challenge is that most users access the service via low-end smartphones that aren’t updated regularly. In stark contrast, to stay updated on a browser, a user simply needs to hit Refresh!

What’s interesting is that the partnership between Flipkart and Google to create Flipkart Lite has begun after ex-Googler Ranjan took over as the VP of Engineering at Flipkart.

We believe this move is a positive step and indicates that sense has finally prevailed at Flipkart. For consumers, this also indicates that shopping won’t necessarily mean installing another app, but could be a matter of choice between an app or the good old browser.

Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg says missed being in India for Diwali this year

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who visited India recently, has penned down a post wishing everyone for Diwali. He also revealed that he missed being in India for Diwali.

Image: Facebook/Mark Zuckerberg

Zuckerberg posted the above image along with wife Priscilla, reminiscing a wedding celebration in Goa.  “I missed being in India for Diwali this year, but here’s a picture of Priscilla, and me at our good friends’ wedding in Goa a few years ago,” he wrote in the post.

In the post, he also spoke about the significance of Diwali — the Festival of Lights — as people light candles and fireworks to mark the victory of good over evil. “It’s a moment of celebration for people in India and communities all over the world,” he added.

Zuckerberg was in India recently and hosted a townhall Q&A in Delhi. The townhall had it all, from advice to students over building things and reminiscing his older days to questions on irritating Candy Crush requests and violating net neutrality in India.

In another report earlier today, Facebook has said content restrictions and government requests for data surged in the first half of 2015, which the social network has seen continually increase since it began publicly releasing such data two years ago.

Karnataka govt's obsession with Tipu Sultan: Was 10 Nov his birthday or the day he hanged 700 Melkote Iyengars?

The tragic death of a Coorg man during a clash between pro and anti-Tipu Jayanti protesters was needless and avoidable. But, the question most people are asking is why, after 300 years, does a government insist on spending tax-payer money to celebrate the memory of a person who is disliked by entire communities within the state?

Tipu Sultan. GettyImages

While Tipu’s legacy can be debated by historians, it all becomes clouded when politicians enter the picture. Nobody was demanding that Tipu be celebrated, so why did the government see it fit to thrust another “jayanti” on the state? The BJP regime did something similar when it introduced Valmiki and Kanakadasa jayantis as public holidays. Tipu Jayanti is probably the Congress reply; but there’s a difference. Valmiki and Kanakadasa were not known to have killed people. Nobody protested, very few even cared.

That Tipu Jayanti is a hurried and ill-informed decision is apparent from the fact that the government did not even get its dates right. Former Bangalore University Vice Chancellor Thimappa Manchale Suryanarayanarao called out the government’s ignorance on social media, “I just learnt from a historian that the tyrant Tipu’s birthday falls on November 20. November 10 is the day on which he hanged 700 Iyengars in Melkote.” As a result, the Melkote Iyengars do not celebrate Diwali even today. By cruel irony, that is the day the Karnataka government decided to celebrate its supposedly secular hero. How embarrassing can this get?It’s difficult to imagine that the state government was unaware that entire communities within and outside the state bore a deep resentment towards Tipu Sultan. It’s not just the Melkote Iyengars, it’s the Coorgs, who he killed and converted, it’s the Mangalorean Catholics, whose churches he destroyed, and the Nairs of Wyanad and Malabar, who he tried to exterminate. Evidence for this comes from Tipu’s own letters and diaries. Instead, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah casually dismisses history by saying that the protests were by “communal forces”.

That’s not true, according to Coorgs. Says Coorg-born Gautham Machaiah, former executive vice-president, Zee Networks, “Coorgs are not opposed to Tipu Jayanti because he was a Muslim. He was a tyrant. He butchered thousands of Coorgs, mainly women and children, and forcibly converted innumerable people. We would have equally opposed Tipu Jayanti had he been a Hindu or a Christian.” The seething anger among Coorgs is ripe for exploitation, and that’s where the BJP has stepped in.

The call for a bandh on Thursday came from the BJP and its associated organisations. While the bandh call was political, what the district authorities seem to have failed to grasp is that the bandh was supported by the entire community. Being government-sponsored, there was never a question that the Tipu Jayanti celebrations would take place, but why did the police allow the celebrants to take out a procession? That was when the trouble started; stones were thrown, the crowd was caned, and a person died.

Coorg is a verdant paradise. The people are mostly peaceful; their biggest worries revolve around the rains, which are vital for the district’s coffee crops, and the shortage of labour. They work hard and are known for their hospitality. An unusually high number of homestays welcome visitors from all over the world. Coorgs are outgoing, cheerful, and it takes a lot to upset them. But, there is a tipping point for everyone, and the government should know what that is. While the Coorgs dislike Tipu Sultan, they also reserve equal hatred for the last Hindu king of Coorg, Chikkaveeraraja, who casually killed and raped Coorgs and their women. This is not about religion, as the state government or the likes of Girish Karnad would have us believe when they say Tipu would’ve been revered like Shivaji if he was a Hindu.

There’s little doubt that the BJP and its sister organizations are exploiting hurt sentiments. Tuesday’s violence occurred because some people, from both sides, came prepared for a fight. It should have been anticipated and prevented. Two ministers in the Siddaramaiah cabinet have their roots in Coorg, they did not see this coming?

The situation was further muddied by Girish Karnad, who, while addressing the Tipu Jayanti celebrations in front of the chief minister in Bangalore, made the bizarre suggestion that the Kempegowda International Airport should be named after Tipu Sultan. It was a suggestion that was applauded by the audience, but nobody else was amused. The chief minister, doing the right thing, quickly dissociated himself from Karnad, "We have nothing to do with Mr Karnad’s statement and there is no proposal before us to change the airport's name." That’s missing the point. It is the state’s decision to celebrate Tipu Jayanti that gives intellectuals like Karnad the courage to air such ridiculous thoughts.

However, in an interview to CNN-IBN, Karnad said he was misquoted.

From likely $15 bn trade deals to controversies: All you need to know about PM Modi's UK visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi left on Thursday for a three-day visit to Britain that will see India and Britain sign a number of pacts on mutual investments and defence cooperation.

Here's what you can expect in this round of PM Modi's foreign visit:

Itinerary

PM Narendra Modi. AP

Day One: Modi has a hectic schedule during his three-day visit. After arriving in London this afternoon, he will have talks with Cameron at 10 Downing Street. He will address a joint press conference at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) after the bilateral talks.

A brief stop to pay tributes at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament Square will be followed by speeches at the Houses of Parliament and then at the Guildhall in the financial hub of London.

His talks with Cameron will carry on at the British Prime Minister’s country residence of Chequers in Buckinghamshire, where he is being hosted overnight.

Day Two: On Friday, Modi returns to London for a CEOs round-table which is likely to include representatives from major British companies like Rolls-Royce and Vodafone.

The pomp and ceremony attached to the visit is expected to include a special tricolour flypast by the Red Arrows Royal Air Force (RAF) Aerobatic Team over Buckingham Palace before the Prime Minister sits down for lunch with Queen Elizabeth II in the afternoon.

Then comes the much-awaited the mega Diaspora reception Wembley Stadium in north London. About 60,000 British Indians are expected to attend the function.

Day Three: On Saturday, he will inaugurate a new statue of 12th century philosopher Basaveshwara as well as a new Ambedkar memorial in London. The last item will be a visit to the Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) factory in Solihull, in the West Midlands region of England.

Then he will leave for Anakara, Turkey, for the annual G20 summit.

The importance of the visit

First and foremost, it comes after the drubbing the BJP received in the Bihar elections. Modi would want to project the visit as a major success for trade and business. That will be big boost to his image and also a face-saver.

Also, Modi's visit to Britain is the first bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister in nine years after Manmohan Singh's visit in 2006. Singh visited Britain in 2009 to attend the G-20 summit.

“Leaving for UK. I am hopeful this visit will strengthen economic ties between India and UK & bring more investment to India. #makeinindia,” he tweeted before starting his three-day visit.

"My visit is aimed at strengthening cooperation with a traditional friend that is not only a major economic partner of India but also one of the leading economic players of the world," Modi said in a series of pre-departure Facebook posts.

"India and UK are two vibrant democracies, which are proud of their diversity and multicultural societies," he stated.

"UK is one of the fastest growing G-7 economies and is home to a strong financial services sector... I see immense scope for our economic and trade relations to improve and this will benefit both our economies," he added.

Trade, trade, trade

According to a report in AFP, investment and trade will be the main focus of the visit. In 2014-15, India-UK trade hit $14 billion.

"Our focus is on how can we work together on challenges facing our countries from economic prosperity to security," a Downing Street spokeswoman told AFP, adding "nothing is off the table".

"The main thrust will be on leveraging investors," said Sreeram Chaulia, Dean of the Jindal School of International Affairs.

"India stands out as a rare beacon and the prime minister will play that up, focus on that really, and say, 'look, India's a safe and stable bet'," Chaulia told AFP.

Mitigating against that message is an ongoing tax dispute between Indian authorities and Britain's Vodafone that has become a symbol of the problems foreign firms face in doing business in Asia's third-largest economy.

That will likely feature on the agenda, as will Indian plans to market rupee-denominated "masala bonds" in London.

Defence deals are also on the cards as India undertakes a multi-billion-dollar upgrade of its ageing military hardware.

Among the $15 billion worth of deals reportedly expected to be signed during Modi's stay is an agreement for Britain's BAE Systems to sell 20 more Hawk trainer aircraft to India, AFP said.

Controversies

Modi was not welcome in the UK for a decade after the Gujarat riots of 2002, which resulted in death of thousands of innocent civilians. WSJ has termed the treatment Modi is getting in the UK now as a rehabilitation of Modi. However, there have been protests against Modi's visit, especially due to the rising intolerance in India after his ascension to power in May 2014. An invitation to speak at the University of Cambridge has reportedly triggered a letter of protest from scholars concerned by those attacks. Moreover, the Awaaz Network projected Modi's image on the Palace of Westminster in London, with a message "Modi not welcome" in a grim reminder the recent spate of violence and also the 2002 riots.