Middle East in Crisis

The Middle East has been a world troublespot since 1948, when an uneasy peace followed the Arab Israeli war. Israel fought three more wars against its Arab neighbours, and the Palestinians remained without a homeland of their own. Terrorism became a terrible weapon in this conflict, which was bound up with two other issues: the world’s thirst for oil, much of which comes from Middle East states, and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism.

Israel’s population increased during the 1950s as Jews emigrated from Europe, Russia and the US. The Palestinian Arabs, pushed into separate communities within Israel, began a campaign for their own state. Wars were fought in 1956, 1967 and 1973. The first war began after Eqypt took control of the Suez Canal. Britain and France invaded Egypt, but later withdrew. Israel also attacked Egypt. In the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel won control of Jerusalem and the West Bank of the Jordan river.

It fought off Egyptian and Syrian attacks in the Yom Kippur War of 1973.

Israel also became involved in the civil war in Lebanon, where many Palestinians lived in refugee camps. By the 1990s, Israel had signed peace agreements with Egypt, Jordan and Syria, and the Palestinians had attained limited self-government. Yet terrorist attacks by extremist groups opposed to new Israeli settlements, and even Israel’s very existence, continued.

In 1979, the Shah of Iran was overthrown and an Islamic regime took over. Iran went to war with Iraq in 1980. Neither side won a costly conflict. In 1990, Iraq invaded its tiny neighbor Kuwait, but was defeated in the brief Gulf War by a UN coalition force led by the US. Iraq’s ruler Saddam Hussein was finally deposed in 2003, when US-led forces invaded Iraq.

Jagger 'spent millions bailing out fragile Scott'

Rocker Mick Jagger shelled out millions trying to bail girl friend L'Wren Scitt's fashion business out of debt before she killed herself, it can be revealed.

The Rolling Stones legend, 70, bankrolled the firm but top designer L'Wren was said to be "embarrassed by what had happened" financially.

Today Jagger paid tribute to his girlfriend, who was found hanged at her New York apartment on Monday and said he would never forget his "lover and best friend".

In a moving message on his personal website, he said: "I am still struggling to understand how my lover and best friend could end her life in this tragic way. We spent many wonderful years together and had made a great life for ourselves.

His emotional words came as the extent of L'Wren's financial difficulties were revealed. Jagger helped her out repeatedly after her business spiralled into massive debts and friends of the singer said he was "hugely supportive" of her fashion aspirations. Despite this the latest accounts for LS Fashion Ltd, filed in the UK in October 2013, showed the firm had a deficit of £3,545,246.

Kate's too busy to watch her weight

Kate Winslet looked stunning in a radiant red Safiyaa London gown as she made her first post-pregnancy red carpet debut for the Divergent premiere in Los Angeles on Tuesday.


However, the actress, who returned to the shoot of the film just six weeks after giving birth  to son Bear, says she was too busy with the newborn to worry about losing the pregnancy weight.

The actress recently got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony.

"...after having a baby you end up being so busy with the baby and the nursing. And I have two other children as well obviously, so there's so much going on that the difficulty I find is remembering that you have to eat.

"Because when you're nursing you really have to eat, otherwise you don't produce anything that's going to feed your child. So nursing's a great excuse to eat heaps. That's what I've been doing," she said.

Miley's tour bus bursts into flames

Twerking talent Miley Cyrus' tour bus was engulfed in flames in a late night blaze near New Orleans. Luckily the Wrecking Ball singer was in a hotel for the evening, when the bus burst into potentially deadly flames on the roadside.


Tongue twister Miley retweeted one of her sister posts that read: "Cyrus bus down."

Noah Cyrus posted a video and pictures in the early hours of the morning showing a huge blaze surrounding the Bangerz tour bus.

"Yes, everyone got out safe no one is injured what so ever!! everything is okay!!" she wrote. "Thank u God for keeping us safe."

Miley and her crew cheated death as they were in a hotel for the evenings flames on the roadside.

Nawaz-Chitrangada's Bong connect

The actors will be paired in a thriller to be shot in Bengal, directed by Kushan Nandy.

An onscreen marriage between the two actors, who have both risen from indie roots, is finally on the cards. Mirror has learnt that filmmaker Pritish Nandy's son, Kushan, has signed Chitrangada Singh and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, for a comedythriller which will be directed by him. And no, his father's company Pritish Nandy Communications will not be involved, Kushan's producing it himself.

The film, which will go on floors around June this year, will be shot extensively in West Bengal and Bihar. It will mostly be during the monsoons as the rains are integral to the plot of the yet-untitled film.

Said a source close to the production, "Nawaz and Chitrangada are both powerhouse performers and make an exciting jodi who haven't shared screen space together before."

Adds the source, "The makers are also on the verge of signing Amit Sadh but he is yet to confirm." 

Interestingly, Nawaz who has mostly been seen in intense, dramatic roles, will be playing a character with lighter shades. "You'll get to see very different Nawaz," says the source.

The actor who caught the eye in Sujoy Ghosh's Kahaani as a tough cop, now will not only be returning to Bengal but both he and Chitrangada will also be learning Bengali. "Their characters converse in the language in parts of the film," says the source.

Kushan who made his debut with the murder mystery 88 Antop Hill in 2003, and followed it up with the rom-com Hum Dum two years later, is making a comeback after almost a decade. When we contacted he said: "I'm working on a project, but it's too early to talk about the details right now." 

Actress 'groped' in elevator

Rhea Chakraborty who made her debut last year with Mere Dad Ki Maruti has filed a complaint in Khar police station, accusing an unnamed man of groping her in her apartment complex's elevator.

The incident happened on Tuesday and the former VJ then took to Twitter, writing, "I just got groped by a very well dressed man who casually walks into my building in broad daylight, with 2 watchmen chilling in the building (sic)."

Speaking about the incident, DCP Mahesh Patil, spokesperson of Mumbai Police, said, "On 18.3.14, at about 17.40 hours, Rhea Indrajit Chakravorty, aged 21, entered her building's lift when an unknown person, who was using the staircase, suddenly entered the lift and tried to talk to the lady. Sensing trouble, she kicked the person out of the lift, who then fled. Since she was frightened by the incident she called the police station. Necessary assistance was provided and N.C.(non cognizable) complaint was registered." 

Meanwhile, Rhea too issued a statement, saying, "I would like to thank everyone for their support and encouraging words. I tweeted about this unfortunate incident to highlight the dismal reality and ask all women to be more aware. The police are doing their job and I am confident they will get to the bottom of this matter."

It’s my chance to shrug off the pretty boy image

With an exacting director dad behind him, Varun Dhawan is out to prove that he can act.

Two-and-a-half years after making his debut in Karan Johar's Student of the Year, Varun Dhawan is gearing up for his next release, Main Tera Hero. While he played a spoilt campus hero in his first film, the actor graduates to a masala comedy now, directed by his father David Dhawan, which he says he did for emotional rather than commercial reasons.

"It was a privilege working with David Dhawan even though dad does raise the bar. He's worked with seasoned actors like Salman bhai (Khan) and Chi Chi bhaiya (Govinda) in the past and would often forget that this was only my second film. Even when there were other actors in the frame, he'd say that the scene depended on me. Fortunately, I thrive under pressure," he asserts. 

The film opens on April 4 and post the release, Varun intends to cut himself off to prep for Sriram Raghavan's next, a thriller. "It's a different look and performance. I'll go to workshops and the gym.

You won't see me for a while until I come out to promote Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania after which I'll flag off the Any Body Can Dance sequel which will be shot in Vegas and will have another unrecognisable Varun," he promises, pointing out that he grew his hair for Humpty Sharma... and sports seven hairstyles as Sreenath Parsad in Main tera Hero.

"But the focus wasn't on hair and make-up and clothes were one size larger," he hastens to add. "I'm here because of Karan and Student of the Year, but Main Tera Hero is my chance to shrug off the pretty, chocolate boy image and prove that I can act too."  

Act? In a Bollywood masala movie?

Varun insists that it's not easy pulling off a Dabangg act like Salman or boarding the Chennai Express like Shah Rukh Khan.

"The audience expect entertainment in a typical Bollywood movie so you're firing on all cylinders. I don't know how many one-film actors would agree to do a Main Tera Hero knowing that they are performing for a pan-India audience. I may piss off some pseudo-intellectuals because of the genre, but I'd be happy if I can make the aam janta recommend the film to family and friends," he says.

Growing up, Varun's heroes were Salman and Sanju sir (Sanjay Dutt) whose films he watched sitting in the stalls of Gaeity and Chandan cinema.

"There was Chi Chi bahiya too who was an important part of our family and cinematic history. He and dad created magic in the '90s. I must have imitated all these superstars when among friends but there's no attempt to ape any of them in the film, not even Chi Chi bhaiya. No one can ever replace Govinda. So why try? It's Varun all the way," he asserts, dismissing speculations about Main Tera Hero being a take off on Govinda's Hero No 1.

But buzz is, Humpty Sharam Ki Dulhaniya is a tribute to SRK-Kajol's Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge with Varun and Alia Bhatt playing a modern-day Raj and Simran.




Varun vetoes the rumour saying, "DDLJ is a cult film. So, every time a love story comes up, people find similarities. But Humpty is not inspired by any character you've seen on screen before," he insists.

And what's the equation with Alia? Is she a friend or more than that? "I've said this before and I repeat, Alia is a friend and a co-star, period. And at 21 she is a grown-up," he laughs.

So, is the girl in his life Natasha Dalal, a budding designer? Mirror had reported that the couple who had parted ways after a four-year relationship, reconciled recently. Suddenly, Varun clams up, "I don't want to speak about my personal life."

The interview ends with a quick question: Is Natasha the girl in his life currently? "I won't take any names," he retorts. "All I'll say is that people want me to fall for a girl, so I will." A girl or The Girl? That draws a smile and an abrupt, "No comments."