Ban for actress Nikhita Thukral over Darshan 'affair'
Nikhita Thukral denies any romantic links with Darshan Indian actress Nikhita Thukral has been banned from appearing in Kannada language films for three years over an alleged affair with another actor.
The Kannada Film Producers' Association imposed the ban on Ms Thukral saying she had spoiled the "domestic harmony of a fellow actor".
She denies having an affair with the actor, known as Darshan, a popular action hero in southern India.
Ms Thukral, from the state of Punjab, said the ban is "ridiculous".
She says that nobody ever consulted her to get her version of events.
The move comes after Darshan was arrested on charges of domestic violence three days ago, following a complaint from his wife, Vijaylakshmi.
She alleged that he had beaten her and threatened her with a gun but she later withdrew the complaint, a police official told the BBC. The argument was reportedly over the alleged affair with Ms Thukral.
After his arrest, hundreds of Darshan's fans held protests in Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka state, forcing police to use canes to disperse stone-throwing groups.
The Kannada Film Producers' Association says that Ms Thukral has created trouble in Darshan's domestic life.
"If Nikhita [Thukral] apologises for her behaviour and says she will just work in films and not get involved in domestic affairs of fellow actors, we will withdraw the ban," association president Munirathnam told the BBC.
He said it was the first time such a ban had been imposed on an actress adding that "it is a lesson for others".
Ms Thukral, who has acted in several Telugu, Tamil and Kannada language films, has consistently denied any romantic links with Darshan.
"There's nothing between us beyond a professional relationship. If Darshan has a problem with his wife, how am I responsible," she asked?
The association said the actress was free to challenge the ban in a court.
Correspondents say that within the film industry, there is opposition to the ban with some members calling it "unprofessional".
Samsung files patent complaint against Apple in France
France joins a long list of countries where Apple and Samsung engaged in legal battlesSamsung has filed a patent complaint against Apple in France.
It claims its US rival infringed on three mobile technology patents in the iPhone and iPad.
Unlike the complaint filed by Samsung in Germany that Apple won last week, the recent case does not concern the actual design of the products.
It is another legal battle between the two giants that have been filing complaints against each other in the US, Australia and Asia since April.
The first hearing is due in December.
Earlier this month, a court in Dusseldorf upheld a ban on the sale of Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet computer, ruling that it was strikingly similar to the design of Apple's iPad.
The decision resulted in a nationwide injunction against the tablet.
Samsung then said it planned to appeal against the ruling.
Mobile technologyThe French case is based on "three technology patents, and not on the design of the tablets," a Samsung spokeswoman said.
The two companies are also facing each other in courts in other countries.
A court in the Netherlands decided to ban three Samsung smartphone models on 24 August following an Apple lawsuit.
Samsung then launched a counter-claim, and the first hearing is expected on 26 September.
The pair are also pursuing legal claims in Australia, North America and Asia.
Chinese Premier says country cannot grow in isolation
Premier Wen will soon step down from his role, and is paving the way for his successorChinese Premier Wen Jiabao has said the country cannot grow in an isolated way, and it will look to develop global and domestic growth.
He added that more open economic and trade policies would help it and the wider world.
Premier Wen added that he was confident the US and Europe would fully recover from their current economic problems.
His comments came on the opening day of the World Economic Forum in Dalian.
China is the world's second-biggest economy, but it has been criticised for some of its economic policies.
The US has been one of its most vocal critics, and the two have clashed over China's trade and currency measures.
China has been accused of focussing too much on driving export demand, and keeping its currency artificially weak to achieve this end.
In his speech on Wednesday, Premier Wen said that China would now focus on boosting its domestic demand, and this in turn would help the global economy.
"I am confident that China's economy will make a new contribution to robust, sustainable and balanced growth in the global economy," Premier Wen said.
The Premier continued that while it would be important to continue the country's rapid urbanisation, China would need to grow in an environmentally sustainable way that also lifts the population's living standards.
The BBC's Juliana Liu is at the World Economic Forum in Dalian and said that while Wen Jiabao was full of confidence about the state of the global economy, many of the delegates did not share that optimism.
Instead they were worried that any US economic recovery would be slow, while the European Union would struggle to resolve its debt crisis.
"There is a sense that the EU and US debt crises will roll on," she said.
Number of Americans in poverty hits record high
President Obama last week launched a new jobs plan to try to increase employment opportunitiesThe number of Americans living in poverty rose to 46.2 million last year, nearly one in six people, according to the US Census Bureau's annual report.
The 2010 data shows the poverty rate at 15.1%, from 14.3% in 2009. The number of Americans without health insurance also rose slightly to 49.9 million.
The poverty rate was the highest since 1983, and tied with the level in 1993.
The number of Americans living below the poverty line has now risen for four years in a row.
The US definition of poverty is an annual income of $22,314 (£14,129), or less for a family of four, and $11,139 for a single person.
More poor childrenThe Census Bureau data also showed that poverty among black and Hispanic people was much higher than for the overall US population last year - at 27.4% and 26.6% respectively.
Outside of the poverty line, the average annual US household income fell 2.3% in 2010 to $49,445 (£31,228).
Even younger Americans were also strongly affected. Twenty-two percent of those under 18 were living under the poverty line - up from from 20.7% in 2009.
Reacting to the data, the Children's Leadership Council, an advocacy group, said: "The rising numbers of children living in poverty is a direct result of the choices made by political leaders who put billionaires before kids. America's children should be our top priority."
Among regions, the South had the highest poverty rate at 16.9% and the highest percentage without health insurance, 19.1%.
'Nobody hiring'Mississippi had the highest share of poor people, at 22.7%, followed by Louisiana, the District of Columbia, Georgia, New Mexico and Arizona.
At the other end of the scale, New Hampshire had the lowest share, at 6.6%.
The slight rise in the number of people without health insurance - up by nearly one million - was mostly caused by losses of employer-provided medical cover in the weakened economy.
Congress passed a health overhaul last year to deal with rising numbers of the uninsured, but the main provisions do not take effect until 2014.
The figures compound a stagnant US jobs report in August, when the unemployment rate was at 9.1% for the second straight month.
In Fort Washington, Maryland, mother-of-five Nekisha Brooks told of her struggle to find work since being laid off from her job at telecommunications firm AT&T several months ago.
Ms Brooks told the Associated Press news agency: "I've been putting in job applications every day and calling around, from housekeeping to customer service to admin or waitresses, but nobody seems to be hiring right now."
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