Libya relocates parliament after attack

Libya's interim parliament is moving to a different location after it came under attack by protesters and armed rioters that killed one guard and injured six lawmakers.

Hussein al-Ansari told The Associated Press on Monday that the parliament will now hold its sessions in a five-star hotel in downtown Tripoli, after month-long tensions between the country's biggest political blocs and their militias hit a new high on Sunday.

Protesters, many of them angry at growing violence, especially in the eastern part of the country, have demanded parliament disband since its mandate expired last month. On Sunday they stormed the parliament while it was in session, torched lawmakers' vehicles and furniture.

Security official Essam al-Naass says one guard was killed while trying to rescue workers held inside the parliament.

Polish official in 'Heil Hitler' outburst quits party roles

Statement from Tusk's Civic Platform party says Protasiewicz informed PM of his resignation & it was accepted. PHOTO: REUTERS

WARSAW: A senior politician with Poland’s ruling party accused of drunkenly shouting “Heil Hitler!” at a German customs officer apologized on Friday and stepped down as head of his party’s group in the European parliament.

Jacek Protasiewicz, by his own account, drank two bottles of wine on a flight from Warsaw to Frankfurt, and then got into an argument with the customs officer as he tried to leave the airport terminal.

The incident heaped embarrassment on Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who has tried to build a new partnership with Berlin by putting to one side animosities that still linger after Germany’s occupation of Poland in World War Two.

A statement from Tusk’s Civic Platform party said Protasiewicz had informed the prime minister of his resignation from his roles as head of the party campaign for the European parliament election in May, and as leader of the Civic Platform faction in the European parliament.

“The resignation was accepted,” the statement said.

It was not immediately clear if Protasiewicz would be able to continue in another role, as vice president of the European Parliament. Tusk said this week that Protasiewicz’s behavior at the airport had been unacceptable.

In a statement issued through Poland’s state news agency on Friday, Protasiewicz offered apologies to anyone for whom “my inappropriate behavior caused distress.”

Germany’s Bild tabloid quoted eyewitnesses as saying Protasiewicz had been drunk when he landed at Frankfurt airport, shouted “Heil Hitler!” at the customs officer and asked: “Have you ever been to Auschwitz?”

Protasiewicz had earlier this week defended himself, saying the customs official provoked him by addressing him rudely and shoving him.

I’m with the times, not behind: Hooda

For Highway, he prepared for his role with such sincerity that in order to keep the initial distance with Alia Bhatt’s character, Randeep Hooda didn’t speak to her for 25 days. PHOTO: FILE

NEW DELHI: Randeep Hooda may not be a quintessential Bollywood hero, but the tall and handsome actor sweeps you off your feet as a rough-around-the-edges yet affable villain in Highway. Conscious of the fact that he cannot compete with the ‘Rajs’ and ‘Prems’ of Hindi cinema, the actor acknowledges that there is enough space for him to show his creativity in both commercial and parallel cinemas.

“A Bollywood hero, for most people, has been a Raj, a Rahul or a Prem… it’s now a part of the psyche. Earlier, there were bigger superstars playing the lead roles, the hero was different – a clean, good guy. But I never adhered to it,” said Randeep.

If Imtiaz Ali’s fresh approach to Highway affirms the director’s creativity, the way Randeep carries his role in the road movie reflects his command over his skills, and shows why actors with a theatre background have something different about them.

“I have been working relentlessly and equally hard on all my films throughout my career. But I knew that working with a name like Imtiaz will give me an audience of a lot more people,” said the actor.

“A lot more people have watched Highway; it has a wider and more urban audience. I have received great feedback for the film. Lots of people have said it’s the ‘redefining Randeep Hooda performance’,” he added.

The 37-year-old, who leaves a lasting impression as Mahabir Bhati, a violent kidnapper with the vulnerability of a child in Highway, says: “The hero is changing in Bollywood and I approach a role by focussing on his weaknesses. I feel the weaknesses of a character to make them more alive, relatable and human. Gladly, that’s gaining acceptance among viewers these days and the success of Highway is proof. In that sense, I am glad that I am with the times, and not behind,” he added.

As a big screen performer, Randeep began his tryst with Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding in 2001. Following that, he featured in D, Ru Ba Ru, Love Khichdi and the likes. But he reinvented himself with 2010 film Once Upon A Time In Mumbai, in which he played a cop and the role truly brought Randeep to the forefront.

“It was a very well-packaged movie with the likes of actors like Ajay Devgn and Emraan Hashmi playing key roles. I had myself put this roadblock in my mind about not choosing commercial films, but with Once Upon A Time In Mumbai, I realised the importance of being able to do all kinds of movies,” he said.

It was then that Randeep stepped out of his comfort zone and did Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster,Jannat 2, Jism 2, Heroine and Murder 3.

“I saw the reach of these films and saw what being a part of songs can do to you. You get recognised for your work, and I guess this whole idealism about not doing songs or commercial cinema is hogwash. Every actor’s deepest desire is to reach a huge audience. So, I don’t look down upon commercial cinema…there’s a beauty in it that you understand sooner or later,” he said.

Deepika is feeling the strain of success

Rumour has it that Deepika, who is at the top of the heap these days, is being boycotted by her contemporaries. PHOTO: FILE

Deepika Padukone is hands down the current queen of Bollywood. Every director and filmmaker wants to work with this Ram-leela actor, but from the looks of it, seems like Deepika’s growing popularity and success hasn’t gone over too well with her contemporaries.

Last year, Deepika was outstandingly successful at the box office. The dusky beauty delivered four back-to-back blockbusters, all of which entered the Rs100 crore club. Her romantic comedy film Chennai Express co-starring Shahrukh Khan went on to breaking several box office records and raked in more than Rs2 billion, making it one of the biggest grossers of all time. Looking at her success rate in 2013, it would be safe to say that Deepika even managed to leave behind the ruling Khans of Bollywood in the rat race. Unsurprisingly Deepika has raked in all the awards this year. But it seems she is now paying the price for being at the top of the success ladder, according to bollywoodlife.com.

A couple of B-town actors have stooped low and decided not to share their designers with the Ram-Leela actor, according to bollywoodlife.com. While talking to a tabloid, a source said, “They don’t acknowledge her anymore. Some have even told their dress designers to stop designing for her.” Though Deepika said on Koffee with Karan that she is friends with her contemporaries Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif, her close friend Priyanka Chopra was there to rebut that and state otherwise.

It appears that Deepika’s success has not gone down well with many of her peers. If they have decided to boycott all of her fashion demands by strictly telling all their personal designers to boycott her, the girls seem to have ganged up on this reigning queen of B-Town. As long as our Cocktail babe has her acting skills in her kitty and those long legs to kick everyone out, she has nothing to worry about.

The 10 best moments from 86th Academy Awards

This biggest night in movies made history multiple times this year. Here are the moments you need to know about.

Ellen Degeneres took a break from her Oscar hosting duties to take a picture with the entire A-List of Hollywood. A picture which then turned into what is being described as the ‘best selfie ever’, according to Daily Mail. Celebrities stepped into the frame, and the picture soon expanded to include Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Jennifer Lawrence and Kevin Spacey, and was taken by Bradley Cooper. Ellen tweeted the picture, where it broke the record for most retweets, with 1,076,971 in less than an hour. Social networking website Twitter crashed temporarily due to the influx of retweets. 2014 will forever be the year that Ellen actually broke Twitter.

Red carpet shenanigans

The Oscars are universally known to be a glamorous, and serious, event. Benedict Cumberbatch clearly didn’t get the message. In what can only be described as epicness of Cumberbatch proportions, the Sherlock actor took it upon himself to photobomb not just anyone, but photobomb U2. The result? See for yourself. We can’t stop laughing.

Jennifer Lawrence also treated audience to an encore performance of her Oscar fall.  Everyone was waiting for it, and it happened. She tripped, but on the red carpet this time, grabbing onto a woman standing infront of her in order to break her fall. Of course, in true Jennifer Lawrence fashion, the American Hustle star cracked up. We love her!

The directors who made history

British director Steve McQueen’s unflinching portrayal of pre-Civil War American slavery won the Academy Award for Best Picture, reports Reuters, making history as the first movie from an African-American director to win the film industry’s highest honour in 86 years of the Oscars. Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron won the Best Director statuette for his space thriller Gravity, also an Oscar first as the first win for a Latin-American director.

The biggest winner

Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity took home the most Oscars, with seven in total. The movie won seven out of the 10 categories it was nominated for, including Best Director and Best Visual Effects. It was a great night for the cast and crew of the space thriller.

Emma Watson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt: Our new dream couple

The pair took the stage at the Oscars on Sunday to present the award for Best Visual Effects, and the internet has decided that they should become an on-screen couple, an off-screen couple, or even both, and we completely agree.

When Pharrell made the ladies happy to groove

The infectious hit Happy from Despicable Me 2 is one that will get anyone dancing, and Pharrell proved it at the Oscars. During his live performance of the song, he managed to shake a leg with not only Lupita Nyong’o and Amy Adams, but even the iconic Meryl Streep! It was a blast to watch, but we must say, Lupita’s got the best dance moves.

Everyone loves pizza

Ellen Degeneres is definitely a gracious host, and she ensured her guests at the Oscars didn’t go hungry by ordering pizza for the audience! Not only that, she got Brad Pitt to help her pass out paper plates. We now know what an A-list pizza party looks like, and we’re happy to see that the stars really are just regular people, who enjoy a good pizza, especially our girl J Law.

The acceptance speeches

Lupita Nyong’o had us in tears when giving her Oscar acceptance, and we weren’t the only ones. Her co-star Benedict Cumberbatch was moved to tears during her speech. Our favourite part? Nyong’o said, “When I look down at this golden statue, may it remind me and every little child that no matter where you’re from, your dreams are valid. Thank you.”

Jared Leto did something nobody else did. He mentioned the dreamers, the fighters and the protestors.  “To all the dreamers out there around the world watching this tonight in places like the Ukraine and Venezuela, I want to say we are here and as you struggle to… to make your dreams happen, to live the impossible… We’re thinking of you tonight.” This part of Leto’s speech was in response to Venezuelans launched a campaign on Twitter urging Oscar participants to speak out in support of anti-government demonstrators at the ceremony. The Oscars weren’t broadcast in Venezuela, reports Fox News, as a result of Leto’s show of solidarity.

In memorium

Both Paul Walker and Philip Seymour Hoffman, who passed away in a car accident and due to a drug overdose respectively, were honoured by their peers at the Academy Awards this year. Former Glee star Cory Monteith however, was one of the celebrities not mentioned during the service.

Singing her speech!

Darlene Love received a standing ovation after her speech. Why though? Because she sang the whole thing! Love’s film 20 Feet From Stardom took the stage to accept the Academy Award for Best Documentary and she couldn’t help but sing her happiness!

Chinese airport enlarges storage capacity to accommodate Pakistani fruit

China’s KashgarInternationalAirport set to become the first and only designated entry point for fruit imports has enlarged its storage capacity to accommodate maximum quantity of Pakistani fresh fruits.

A local news agency reported that the airport received official approval for the designation from the country’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) on February 12. “As of now, there are over a dozen storages in the airport, with each holding a capacity for more than 100 cubic meter of fruits. This shows Kashgar airport’s considerable storage capacity,” Kashgar Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau Prepatory Office prefectural-level Director Kejian Wang was quoted as saying.

“From now on, Pakistani mango and citrus exporters can be assured of sufficient storage rooms after their products left Pakistan,” Wang told the publication.

Yimit Resuri, Deputy Director at the Xinjiang Entry-Exit Inspection And Quarantine Bureau told newspaper Xinjiang Daily that citrus and mangoes from Pakistan, and cherries from Tajikistan are currently allowed into China.

Wang added that transportation time for Pakistani fruits to China would also be significantly cut down.

“Before the establishment of the new entry point, imported fruits from Pakistan must be carried on ground transportation through the KhunjerabPass.

This long land route poses high risk of transportation damage to the fruits. In contrast, with the new air entry point, Pakistani fruits can quickly arrive in Kashgar after a 70-minute flight,” Wang was quoted as saying.

The Kashgar Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau is working closely with the Kashgar airport, Pakistani-based Rayyan Airlines and a variety of international trade firms on the promotion of the new import options.

Currently, there are two other fruit import entry points in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region the UrumqiInternationalAirport and the KhunjerabPass.

The provincial-level Xinjiang Entry-Exit Inspection And Quarantine Bureau after inspection released a statement announcing that it had passed the required approval tests for the storage.

Victory so sweet

Sahid Afridi reacts (R) and Junaid Khan (L) looks on after winning the sixth match of the Asia Cup one-day cricket tournament between India and Pakistan at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on March 2, 2014. PHOTO: AFP

Pakistan beat India by one wicket in their Asia Cup clash on March 2, an encounter that created more hype than the event itself and is destined to be the main topic of discussion even more than the final of the tournament. After a stop-start innings, India compiled a 245-run total, a figure Pakistan were expected to make look even bigger with their reputation of being poor chasers. What transpired was a script that few imagined, with all-rounder Shahid Afridi finishing off the memorable chase for the team’s fourth win in 17 attempts at going past a total of 240 or more. Pakistan began in menacing fashion but, as usual, the run chase took a turn for the worse. The middle order faltered and, despite Mohammad Hafeez’s well-crafted innings, it all came down to Afridi. If Pakistan were to script a successful run-chase, it had to be a dramatic one. Afridi, who just cannot be ignored through his performance or lack of it, hit two successive sixes off the final over to hand India a rude awakening and revive memories of Javed Miandad’s last-ball six at Sharjah. The win put Pakistan firmly on track for the final, where they are likely to face Sri Lanka and revived hopes that the team still have what it takes to compete with India in multi-nation tournaments.

The real test for Pakistan starts now. While celebrating the team’s win, especially in the context of how well pressure was handled and the showman Afridi finally delivering in the tournament, it is crucial to remember that there is a bigger picture to it. A game against Bangladesh is left and the final is still to come. If Pakistan are to retain the Asia Cup, it is imperative that the team pull up its socks since the defeat against Sri Lanka, and even the two victories against India and Afghanistan, have raised eyebrows. Fielding lapses and batting collapses will prove much more costly as the tournament heads into its final act. Pakistan still need to do much better than they have done so far to retain the Asian champions tag.