I don't like the word Bollywood: Amitabh Bachchan

"One is normally used to seeing this on television. But to be a part of it was a huge surprise," says Amitabh Bachchan about carrying the torch at the London Olympics this year. The actor talks to us about how he was surprised when he was approached for this, and how he has been closely following India's prospects. Amitabh also talks about how he would love to play a historical character at this juncture of his career...

What did carrying the torch mean to you?
The Olympics is the ultimate sporting event. And to be asked to be a part of it is a huge honour. I don't know why I was chosen. It feels wonderful that Great Britain, the hosts of the Olympics, has chosen people from different communities, different parts of the world. It shows the spirit of the Olympics, where it preaches the coming together of caste, creed, religion, colour, nations to compete in a friendly atmosphere. And just to be a part of it is a moment of great pride.

Were you surprised when they contacted you?
Yes. One is normally used to seeing this on television. But to be a part of it was a huge surprise.

Have you been following India's prospects?
Yes. We have the largest contingent ever so far in any Olympics. And one wishes them the very best. There are many routines where there were no representatives ever. Initially, India came just as a hockey team and that was it. But now they are in track and field, boxing, wrestling, archery and shooting. These are all routines which were never heard of or at least never heard of as being associated with India. But they all hopefuls.

Today, you are not merely a filmstar, but a legendary Indian. Do the issues that confront India make you think about the way India is progressing?
We are just normal human beings. And just because we happen to be in a profession where you are loaded with the title of a celebrity doesn't mean we are acquainted or equipped or knowledgeable enough to be able to answer some of these questions. But somehow it is just because you are a celebrity it is assumed you will have this great solutions to some of the greatest problems the country is facing. I would just say I am an aware citizen of my country. Yes, what develops in the country affects all of us and we have our opinions. I just feel that expressing it is not what I would like to do because I am not knowledgeable enough.

Any historical character you might like to play?
I haven't played any historical characters. Yes, that would be one of the important options.

Hindi cinema has grown bigger. Today, it is as big abroad as it is in India. How do you see it get better as the years go by?
I don't like this word ( Bollywood) which describes the Indian film industry. Cinema was almost looked upon as infra dig, parents used to go and vet a film before we were allowed to get inside a theatre. Cinema in general was held as an institution where children from good families were not looked as being associated with. But look at the change that has happened now. I don't know if this is good for the country or not; but it's almost become a part of our culture. There are more people who know about the Indian film industry. So, that bodes well. The West was very cynical about our quality of cinema. We made very escapist fare. But one of the points the West did not recognise was that cinema as a medium of entertainment for the common man. I do see Indian cinema progressing very well; gradually, our talent is being recognised, whether in Great Britainor Hollywood, in festivals in Cannes, London, Venice. So, I think we are on the right path.

Apple buys Samsung's mobile security supplier AuthenTec for $356m

Apple Inc has agreed to buy AuthenTec Inc for $8.00 per share, the maker of fingerprint sensor chips used in personal computers said, in a deal valued at about $356 million.

AuthenTec makes security software and chips for mobile phones that it licenses to companies such as Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. It also produces chips for fingerprint recognition and near-field communication (NFC).

Melbourne, Florida-based Authentec disclosed the deal in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Based on Thursday's closing price $5.07, the offer represents a premium of 58 percent for AuthenTec's shares.

AuthenTec, which also counts Lenovo Group Ltd, Fujitsu Ltd and Dell Inc as customers, has annual revenue of about $70 million.

Piper Jaffray advised in the deal, the company said.

London Olympics set to open with magnificent ceremony

LONDON: London presented a vibrant picture of Great Britain's rich heritage and culture as a colourful opening ceremony marked the inauguration of the 30th Olympic Games at the spunky Olympic stadium on Friday night. 

Queen Elizabeth II declared the Games open amidst thunderous cheers from the capacity crowd of 80,000 signalling the launch of the biggest sporting spectacle which returned to Britain after a gap of 64 years, giving the country the distinction of holding the mega event for an unprecedented third time. 

The night sky lit up with dazzling fireworks as the Queen declared the Games open to herald London's moment of glory in the presence of as many as 100 heads of state and a host of other dignitaries who have descended on this historic city to witness the extravaganza, watched by an estimated one billion global audience. 

The 27 million pound three-and-a-half-hour long opening ceremony, which magically transformed the stadium into a rural British idyll, complete with cows, horses, sheep and dogs and synthetic clouds to provide traditional British rain, was designed to give Britons a "picture of ourselves as a nation". 

More than 10,000 performers took part in the opening extravaganza which vividly brought about the country-side scenes -- a cricket pitch, traditional country side cottages, mining wheel and people dressed in the Victorian era. 

Actor Daniel Craig, who has played the fictional spy 007 James Bond in films, was shown in a video accompanying the Queen from Buckingham Palace into a waiting helicopter and then taking her to the Stadium. 

There was also a touch of British humour in the form of Rowan Atkinson who regaled the audience with his famous "Mr Bean" comic act. 

The Ceremony's artistic director Danny Boyle, whose film "Slumdog Millionaire" won eight Oscars, had kept most elements of his show a secret. 

Former England football captain David Beckham brought the Olympic flame on a speedboat on the Thames river before handing it over to five-time Olympic gold medallist rower Sir Steve Redgrave. 

A group of seven athletes nominated by British Olympic champions then took the flame from Redgrave and ran around the stadium before lighting the Games' Couldron made up of 204 copper petals carried in by teams from across the world. 

The competitive action will unfold tomorrow as around 10,500 athletes from 204 countries affiliated to the International Olympic Committee will battle for glory and honour in the next 17 days with powerhouses USA and China expected to retain their supremacy. 

The 17-day sporting spectacle will see competitions in 39 disciplines with the new addition of women's boxing this time around. 

The 204 participating teams walked into the stadium amidst loud cheers from the spectators many of whom had thronged the stadium well ahead of the scheduled start. 

The largest-ever Indian contingent, hoping to make a significant impact at the Olympic level after their path-breaking show in the Beijing Games, got a rousing welcome as they walked into the stadium with the men attired in blue blazers and women wearing yellow saris. 

Beijing bronze-winning wrestler Sushil Kumar led the contingent holding the Indian tricolour as the athletes acknowledged the cheers of the crowd and soaked in the electrifying atmosphere at the brand new stadium built at a cost of pounds 486 million for the mega-event. 

Apart from the fireworks and absorbing cultural programmes, the heart-touching entry of many of the strife-torn countries were some of the highlights of the nearly three hour opening ceremony depicting the theme "Isles of Wonder". 

A segment featuring bike stunts was earlier scrapped from the opening ceremony due to fears that an overrunning show would cause bottlenecks on public transport. 

The Ceremony kicked off with the largest harmonically tuned bell in Europe, produced by the Whitechapel Foundry, being rung by Britain's Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins and the Stadium was transformed into the British countryside for opening scene 'Green and Pleasant', which included real farmyard animals. 

It was then the segment 'Pendemonium' which celebrated Britain's role as the birthplace of the Industrial revolution -- the workshop of the world. 

The Ceremony also included a special sequence celebrating the best of British, featuring volunteer performers from the NHS. 

Danny Boyle, Artistic Director of the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony, said, "Our Isles of Wonder salutes and celebrates the exuberant creativity of the British genius in an Opening Ceremony that we hope will be as unpredictable and inventive as the British people." 

The formalities started with Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by her husband the Duke of Edinburgh, being received at the entrance of the Olympic Stadium by the President of the IOC, Jacques Rogge. 

The Union Flag was carried into the stadium and raided by representatives of the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force. 

Another segment of the programme 'Second to the right and straight on till morning' honoured two of Britain's greatest achievements -- its amazing body of children's literature and its National Health Service. 

It was then time for 'Abide with me', a favourite hymn of Mahatma Gandhi, which was choreographed by Bangladeshi-origin Akram Khan, who has successfully combined classical European and Indian classical forms of dance in his work. 

After the dignitaries took their seats, the procession of the participating teams in the Stadium began with Greece entering the arena first as per Olympic convention while the host nation Great Britain coming in last amidst rousing cheers from the vociferous home crowd. 

After all the nations had arrived into the Stadium, LOCOG Chairman Sir Sebastien Coe gave a brief speech, followed by Rogge who, in turn, invited the Queen to officially declare the Games open. 

"I declare open the Games of London, celebrating the 30th Olympiad of the modern era," the Queen said. 

Once the Games were declared open, the Olympic Flag was then carried into the Stadium and hoisted into the air as the respective Anthem was played. The Olympic Charter states that each flag must fly for the entire duration of the Games - placed in a prominent position in the main Stadium. 

Sarah Stevenson, Taekwondo silver medallist at Beijing 2008, read the Olympic oath on behalf of athletes holding a corner of the IOC flag in their left hand and raising their right, vowing to compete according to the rules of their respective sport. 

Mik Basi, a boxing referee born at Newham, read the judges' oath followed by Eric Farrell, MBE, who reads the coaches' oath. 

The big finale was the entrance of the Olympic Flame into the Stadium. It was passed through the athletes to the final Torchbearer.... who ceremoniously lit the Cauldron, indicating the beginning of the Games. The Flame will continue to burn for the whole of the Games. 

Breath-taking fireworks then lit up the London sky with Beatles' Paul McCartney belting a number as the ceremony came to a dazzling end, setting the stage for the competitions to begin in earnest from Saturday. 

Romney, in London, criticizes Olympic preparations

A worker on a mobile lift stands in front of a giant screen featuring a London Olympics logo in the Equestrian arena in Greenwich, London. US presidential hopeful Mitt Romney made some undiplomatic criticism of London's preparations for the Olympic Games, expressing concern about Britain's readiness to host the event.

US presidential hopeful Mitt Romney made some undiplomatic criticism of London's preparations for the Olympic Games on Wednesday, expressing concern about Britain's readiness to host the event.

"It's hard to know just how well it will turn out," Romney, who is running to unseat President Barack Obama in November's election, told NBC News from London, where he will attend the opening ceremony of the Games on Friday.
"There are a few things that were disconcerting," he said.
"The stories about the private security firm not having enough people, the supposed strike of the immigration and customs officials -- that obviously is not something which is encouraging," he warned.
Romney even called into question whether the British people as a whole were behind the spectacle, saying this would be key to their success.
"Do they come together and celebrate the Olympic moment? And that's something which we only find out once the Games actually begin," he said.
Romney's Olympic eye is keener than most. The multimillionaire former businessman and investor was called in to head the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City after preparations were marred by scandal, and has first-hand knowledge of how to put on a successful Olympics.
There have indeed been hiccups in the preparations for the London Games.
Britain rushed to deploy an extra 1,200 troops in London following a shortfall at the Games' private security contractor G4S, and there was a threat of a strike by British border officials planned for Thursday due to a dispute over jobs, although the labor union called off the strike.
Romney has a personal connection with the London Games. His wife Ann co-owns the horse Rafalca, which will compete in Olympic dressage.
While Ann Romney herself will not ride Rafalca in competition -- the horse's trainer Jan Ebeling will take the reins -- she said in June that competing in the Olympics was "a dream come true."
And yet her husband sounded on NBC like he knew little about competitive dressage, which in London marks its 100th year as an Olympic sport.
"I have to tell you. This is Ann's sport. I'm not even sure which day the sport goes on," he said.
"She will get the chance to see it, I will not be watching the event."
Romney travels to Israel after Friday's opening ceremonies in London.
Romney's on-air comments followed a previous awkward step in London.
He was already facing criticism over comments made by an unnamed adviser to his campaign, who told The Daily Telegraph newspaper that Romney understands the shared US-British "Anglo-Saxon heritage" better than Obama, the first black US leader.
Romney was asked about the gaffe in the NBC interview. "I don't agree with whoever that adviser might be," he said, adding that he believed Obama "understands" the common bond between the United States and Britain.
Romney holds a series of meetings and photo-ops Thursday with top British officials including Prime Minister David Cameron.

London Olympics final countdown begins

London - The opening ceremony of the London Olympics is due to take place later after seven years of preparations.
The three-hour spectacle in the Olympic Stadium is expected to be viewed by a global TV audience of 1bn.
The final day of the torch relay will see the Olympic flame taken along the Thames on royal rowbarge Gloriana - and then used to light the cauldron that will shine during 16 days of sport.
The Games will see the biggest UK peacetime security operation mounted.
Organisers have released a video clip giving a sneak preview of Oscar winner Danny Boyle's opening ceremony, featuring groups in colourful stage outfits dancing to Tiger Feet by 1970s rock group Mud and cyclists with wings pedalling along to Come Together by the Beatles.
Europe's largest bell will ring inside the stadium at 21:00 BST at the start of the £27m extravaganza, featuring a cast of 10,000 volunteers and said to be a quirky take on British life.
Some 15,000 square metres of staging and 12,956 props will be used, and the event will boast a million-watt PA system using more than 500 speakers.
The crowd of about 80,000 will include the Queen and a host of dignitaries and celebrities.
As late as Thursday night, Games organisers said that the ceremony had not sold out and tickets in the two highest price categories, costing £2,012 and £1,600 were still available.
Earlier, the torch relay will make its way through the maze at Hampton Court, before it travels down the Thames.
The final torchbearer of the 70-day relay will be 22-year-old basketball player Amber Charles, who played a key role in London's winning bid and who will carry the flame in front of City Hall and Tower Bridge at approximately 12:45 BST.
The relay ends late in the evening with the lighting of the cauldron during the opening ceremony but the identity of the person who will take on the honour remains a mystery.
BBC sports editor David Bond said the millions of people who have lined the UK's streets to witness the passing of the torch relay reflect an enthusiasm and pride in the Games which has been growing over the last few weeks.
He said Games organisers have not experienced the sort of problems so many other host cities have endured but could find themselves under the spotlight if the transport network fails or if problems with venue security emerges.
The Queen and Prince Philip will host a Buckingham Palace reception for heads of state and government and an opening ceremony celebration concert featuring Snow Patrol, Stereophonics, Duran Duran and Paolo Nutini will be held in Hyde Park.
And the sporting action, which officially began on Wednesday with the women's football competition, continues with archery at Lord's cricket ground.
In other developments:
London taxi drivers will stage another protest as part of their campaign against being banned from using Olympic traffic lanes
A mass bell-ringing, conceived by Turner Prize-winner Martin Creed, is to take place for three minutes from 08:12 BST to mark the official start of the Games. Big Ben will chime 40 times during the period
About 60,000 people gathered in Hyde Park on Thursday night to see the final torchbearer lit a cauldron in front of 60,000 people as London Mayor Boris Johnson wished the crowds a wonderful Olympics, and thanked them for their support
The Team GB men's football team were denied victory on their return to the Olympic Games after a 52-year absence when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Senegal in their opening Group A match at Old Trafford on Thursday in front of a near capacity crowd of 72,476
The mayor of London has hit out at US presidential candidate Mitt Romney for comments suggesting Britain is not ready to stage the Olympic Games
More than 10,000 athletes from 204 nations will take part in the London Olympics.
Some £9bn of public money has been spent on staging the Games but Prime Minister David Cameron, who toured the Olympic Park on Thursday, has stressed the opportunity presented by the Games at a time of economic fragility.
"Let's put our best foot forward, we're an amazing country with fantastic things to offer. This is a great moment for us, let's seize it," he said.

London Olympics 2012: London ready for opening ceremony

London:  The stage is set and the athletes are primed as the seven-year countdown to the London 2012 Olympics reaches its finale with Friday's much-anticipated opening ceremony.

The three-hour spectacle, expected to be watched by a global television audience of up to one billion, will mark  the beginning of 17 days of athletic endeavour which will create heroes, shatter dreams and fire national pride.

But London is preparing for its own intense examination as questions over the city's creaking transport system and the ever-present security threat hang over the event, ready to overshadow on-track achievements.

Prime Minister David Cameron insisted on Thursday that Britain would deliver a memorable Games after US presidential hopeful Mitt Romney backtracked on barbed comments he made about the preparations.

The Republican hopeful, in London to attend Friday's opening, said the build-up had been "disconcerting", pointing to the failure of a private security contractor to provide the number of guards it had promised.

16 Amarnath pilgrims killed in bus accident

Jammu : A truck carrying Amarnath pilgrims fell into a gorge in Kashmir, killing 16, police say.The worshippers were returning from Amarnath cave, the site of an annual pilgrimage, when the incident happened in Samba district late on Thursday.

Sixteen other pilgrims travelling in the truck were injured. They were taken to a local hospital. Hindus revere Amarnath as the abode of the god Shiva.

This is the second major incident involving pilgrims returning from the Amarnath cave this month. On 14 July, 15 pilgrims were killed when a passenger bus returning from the pilgrimage plunged into a gorge near Ramban on a mountain road.

The pilgrims set off from the state's winter capital, Jammu, for Pahalgam, which serves as base camp for the 45km trek to the cave, 4,000m above sea level.

Aung San Suu Kyi condemned for silence on Burma abuses

Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese opposition leader, is facing a backlash from fellow pro-democracy campaigners who are dismayed at her refusal to speak out against abuses being committed by her country's military.
Activists who supported the icon of human rights through her years of imprisonment and isolation accuse her of staying silent on the most pressing human rights issue in Burma today - the treatment of the Rohingya, a stateless group identified by the United Nations as one of the most persecuted minorities anywhere.
Critics contend that she has dodged the subject throughout eight weeks of strife in Rakhine state in western Burma, where hundreds of people have been killed and tens of thousands displaced from their homes.
There have been consistent reports of army beatings, acts of intimidation and extra judicial killings of the Rohingya, who are Muslim.
Her refusal to criticise President Thein Sein, a former military general, for endorsing policies that could be seen as recommending ethnic cleansing have caused particular consternation. Thein Sein said the 800,000 Rohingya population should be put in camps and sent across the border to Bangladesh.
"She is in a difficult position, but people have been disappointed she hasn't been more outspoken," said Anna Roberts, executive director of the Burma Campaign UK.
"She passed up opportunities to say good things on this," said Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch. "This was all blowing up when she was travelling in Europe and she didn't confront it," he added, referring to her recent foreign tour when the Nobel laureate was feted in London, Dublin, Paris and Oslo.
The sweeping reforms that have seen Suu Kyi take a seat in parliament have also eased censorship laws, exposing resentment towards the Rohingya and Muslims among the majority Buddhist ethnic Burmese population.
Some activists said it was unclear if the Nobel Peace Laureate shared commonly held prejudices towards the dark-skinned minority from the subcontinent, who first migrated from Bengal centuries ago. "One has to be suspicious or concerned about what her views are," said Adams. "It's very hard to know what she thinks."
In her first parliamentary speech this week Suu Kyi cited the importance of protecting minority rights, but that was widely regarded as referring to larger Buddhist groups such as the Karen and Shan.
Maung Zarni, a Burmese academic who was on a panel with her at the London School of Economics in June, said: "She has been very non-committal on the issue of the Rohingya."
Other victims of Burma's military regime had been released from prison only to show a "shocking" level of racial prejudice against Muslims, he said.
"Pro-democracy crowds are also cut from the same racist ideological fabric" as the military-dominated government, he added. There have been reports that Buddhist monks in Rakhine have distributed pamphlets urging boycotts of Muslim traders and shops.
When asked about the Rohingya issue, Suu Kyi has vaguely referred to the need for the "rule of law", or for a clear immigration law, which critics say suggests she sees the Muslim group as immigrants. The Rohingya have never been granted Burmese citizenship and a 1982 law excluded them from the list of officially-recognised minorities.
As Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy look to elections in 2015, analysts have said expressing support for the Muslim minority would be politically calamitous. Adams and others disagree. "This is an unequivocal issue, it's something where clarity is needed. She is such an icon, she could bring a lot of public opinion with her if she went after the issue," he said.