Busy Tendulkar juggles time between coaching son and business

Sachin Tendulkar is currently focussing on training son Arjun and a new business venture. (TOI Photo)

LONDON: A new business venture and imparting batting tips to son Arjun are the two things that Sachin Tendulkar is currently focussing on before he starts concentrating on the upcoming England series.

The iconic batsman has been regularly visiting the MCC cricket academy to coach his 11-year-old son, Arjun - and passing on tips to other people using the indoor nets.

An honorary life member of the club, Tendulkar, who has been staying at a property he owns near the Lord's, has been visiting the academy for the past few days.

"He (Tendulkar) has been a regular visitor at the Lord's in recent weeks," an MCC spokesman was quoted as saying.

And when he is not coaching little Arjun, he is devoting time in his new business venture in Winchester.

It's about cricket-themed entertainment centres where you will be able to bat against an image of Tendulkar (or other, better international bowlers) that runs in and delivers a semi-hard ball at you; or bowl against an image of him that deals with your delivery after calculating the trajectory and rotations of the delivery.

Tendulkar was accompanied by his children Arjun and Sara. Last week Tendulkar who was watching matches at the Wimbledon interacted with the legendary Roger Federer.

Though he has not had a single net session, Tendulkar will start training from this week for India's four-match Test series against England. In London, Tendulkar has been able to relax, with far fewer bodyguards than normal, the report said.

The champion batsman will be aiming for his 100th international century when India take on England at the Lord's Test, the 100th between the teams, and the 2000th in the history of the game.

Dey murder case: Key suspect arrested by Mumbai police

Dey murder case: Key suspect arrested by Mumbai police

MUMBAI: The Mumbai police on Sunday arrested a key suspect, Vinod Chembur, in connection with senior journalist Jyotirmoy Dey murder case, Times Now reported. Chembur is believed to have financed the killing and identified Dey to the shooters. With Chembur, police have till date made a total of arrests in the case.

Chembur is alleged to be a bookie and aide of underworld don Chhota Rajan.

"Vinod Asrani alias Vinod Chembur, a bookie who was suspected to have helped the shooters identify Dey, was picked up for questioning and subsequently arrested," said a crime branch official.

The official alleged that Chembur held a meeting with the shooters days before the murder and also handed over money to the killers. Chembur was produced before a local court, which remanded him to police custody till July 7.

The Mumbai crime branch on Saturday had also questioned another Chhota Rajan aide DK Rao in connection with the murder on June 11. While senior police officials remained tight-lipped, sources said they grilled Rao to find out whether he had prior knowledge of Dey's murder or not.

The crime branch feels that Rao, who was picked up on Saturday afternoon, would be able to unravel the real motive behind Dey's murder. But the police do not believe the theory that Dey had passed on sensitive information to Rajan's rival Chhota Shakeel during his 10-day Europe tour in May.

On Friday, a person, claiming to be Rajan, called up a news channel and said he got Dey killed as the scribe had "crossed his limits". Rao, who had killed gangster OP Singh inside the Nashik jail in 2003, is a close confidant of Rajan and was acquitted in two cases a year ago. The police said only one case had been pending against him, that of Singh's murder.

Last Monday, the crime branch arrested seven people, including Rohit Thangappan alias Satish Kalia, who told the police that he was paid Rs 5 lakh by Rajan to bump off Dey. The journalist was gunned down on June 11.

Lokpal will have to work within framework of Constitution: PM

Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Pranab Mukherjee at the all-party meet

NEW DELHI: Affirming government's commitment to enact Lokpal Act that will provide for a strong and effective way to tackle corruption in high places, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday said such an institution will have to work within the framework of Constitution.

He told the all-party meeting on Lokpal Bill that strong laws to tackle corruption were necessary but these would not suffice as there was a need to focus on "simplifying procedures, reducing discretion, eliminating arbitrariness and increasing transparency in the way government functions."

Singh noted that there was a feeling that institutional arrangements in place are not strong enough to ensure that the guilty, especially those occupying high positions, are brought to book swiftly and given deterrent punishment.

"I must make it clear at the outset that we, in government, are committed to the enactment of a Lokpal Act, which provides for a strong, effective and quick institutional arrangement for tackling corruption in high places," he said in his opening remarks at the meeting.

"We are also committed to bringing the bill before Parliament in the coming monsoon session," he said.

Apparently acknowledging concerns over certain demands by the civil society which are considered to be creating a "parallel structure", Singh emphasised that "the institution of the Lokpal has to work in harmony with other institutions and laws and it has to function within the framework of the basic structure of our Constitution."

He said the Lokpal will have "to add to and not detract from the legitimate role and authority of other institutions in our democratic structure."

Underlining that the Constitution provides for an "intricate system of checks and balances", he said the new institution of Lokpal has to find an appropriate place in that matrix."

Samsung drops patent-infringement suit against Apple in US

amsung drops patent-infringement suit against Apple in US.

SEOUL: Samsung Electronics Co dropped a patent-infringement suit against Apple Inc, filed at a US federal court in April in response to allegations its Galaxy products copied the iPhone and iPad.

Samsung Electronics dropped the suit on June 30 "to streamline the legal proceedings," Nam Ki Yung, a spokesman for the Suwon, South Korea-based company, said today in a telephone interview. Samsung will continue to defend its patent rights through a counter-claim in an earlier suit Apple filed at the same court in San Jose, California, he said.

Litigation between the two companies, which compete in the mobile-device market, is under way in at least five countries including South Korea, Japan, Germany and the UK. Withdrawal of the California suit won't affect other US cases or patent- violation complaints Samsung raised against Apple in other countries, Nam said.

"Samsung will continue to actively defend and protect our intellectual property," he said. Samsung is the world's second-largest maker of mobile phones.

Steve Park, a Seoul-based Apple spokesman, declined to comment when called by Bloomberg News today.

Cupertino, California-based Apple sued Samsung at the San Jose court in April, alleging Galaxy phones and tablet computers "slavishly" copy the iPhone and iPad. Samsung, which supplies memory chips to Apple, responded with counter-suits.

I never have cash with me: Imran Khan

Imran Khan 

Actor Imran Khan gets candid about his latest film Delhi Belly, the Bhaag D.K. Bose controversy, his rivalry with Ranbir Kapoor and Aamir's critiquing of his work.

He may have mesmerised millions of hearts with his romantic side, but today Imran loses the chocolate-y image as he takes you on a roller-coaster ride with his latest adult-comedy Delhi Belly.

Why do you think the censor board had an issue with the song Bhaag D.K. Bose?
Honestly, I don't understand why there is a hue and cry about the song. There are two aspects to the song; one a gaali (abusive word) and other a name. It depends how you look at it. And, lately there have been plenty of Hindi songs that had far more explicit lyrics and had openly spoken about various sexual acts. This is a youth oriented film and people above a certain age will always tend to react with suspicion as if we're corrupting the youth.

What is the film about?
It's a story about three guys who are friends and flat-mates in Delhi. These guys are not very well off and are udhaariwalas (debtors). The story revolves around them and how they get caught up in a very big crime caper by mistake and then strive to stay alive while keeping it all together.

Have you ever been broke?
(Laughs) I never carry cash with me. My wallet is always empty. Whenever I go out, I always borrow money from other people.

What is your role in the film?
My character in the film is called Tashi, who's a journalist by profession. He is a guy who wants to go crazy and have a good time but doesn't know how. He is not committed to anything nor is he motivated about anything in life. But later, because of the trouble that he gets into along with his friends, he is forced to stand up and take control of his life.

How was the experience working with Vir Das and Kunal Roy Kapoor?
The complete process of making this film was very special. Kunal and Vir are not only fine actors but are also good human beings. We've become close friends. It was a lot fun by just being with these guys, it felt like a boy's club - working and hanging out together.

How do you react when each time you read some controversial story involving Ranbir Kapoor and you?
On a personal level, there has never been an issue between us. Rumors are always floating around in the public eye but I always make sure to call him up and have a Man-to-man talk and it's the same with him too. I appreciate the fact that we give each other the benefit of doubt (Smiles).

Aamir Khan recently said you're "an okay actor". What have you to say about that?
Yes, that's how we are in my family. There are a lot of people who say great things about their families, but in our family we believe criticism is more helpful. We hold each other to very high standards and are expected to maintain it.

The latest trailer of the film displayed you and Aamir in a mock-argument over the lurid content of the film. What's with the unusual promos?
The idea is to warn people about the kind of content that is present in the film. We don't want a situation where someone – anyone – comes in to watch the film expecting something else and later gets upset or offended.

Delhi Belly is 80 percent in English and 20 percent in Hindi. Weren't you skeptical of losing out on a considerable portion of the audience?
The content of the film is not meant for a younger audience. When you're making a film, you have to be honest to the subject matter of the film. You cannot change the content just because it doesn't appeal to certain groups.

Has Aamir liked your performance in the film?
Yes, he has (Smiles). He said I've done well and that's the highest compliment for me.

Jacqueline, Bahraini prince break up!

Jacqueline Fernandez

Jacqueline Fernandez is single again. Her two-year-old relationship with Sheikh Hassan bin Rashid Al Khalifa, a Bahraini prince, has ended.

The break-up happened a few weeks ago when Hassan confronted her about the rumours of her link-up with director Sajid Khan. A source reveals, "It is not just that. There are several factors at play here. Jackie has distanced herself from the prince over time. They were in a long distance relationship, which wasn't the best scenario. Earlier she would make time for him, but suddenly she became ambitious about her career in films and that became a priority. It almost seemed like he was the only one interested in keeping this relationship alive." The source adds that Hassan never stopped her from signing films. "He was always supportive of her work, but she was the one to put the relationship on the backburner. They planned to get engaged but Jackie's attitude changed. It was evident she was no longer interested in him."

Their last meeting ended in an argument and she told him that her career meant more to her at this point than the relationship. She made it clear that she wanted to focus on making it big in B-Town. After that day, she has stopped taking his calls and replying to text messages. The source says, "Their close friends know about the break-up. Hassan doesn't want to talk about it because he wants to keep it private. He has let Jackie go and doesn't want to be bitter over the separation."

The source, however, insists that Jackie's closeness to Sajid Khan isn't the reason for the split. "She made the decision to end her relationship with Hassan early on. During that time she got very close to Sajid, but he isn't responsible for them parting ways." Will they get back together? "No. Hassan and Jackie are done for good," says the source.

Anushka Sharma ignores Ranveer Singh

Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma 

Apparently at a recent international event, Anushka Sharma and good friend Ranveer Singh were at loggerheads throughout.

Says an insider, "She has been signing films with big heroes like Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgn and big banners. She now feels she has moved on. Also Ranveer and Sonakshi Sinha have become very close and did an act together at the event — upsetting Anushka even more. The morning after the event, the two had a fight and there was yelling. While Ranvir felt Anushka was ignoring him and paying more attention to Shah Rukh, Anushka fired him for being too nice to Sonakshi. The fight was in full view of onlookers right outside their rooms. After that they refused to talk to each other."