Australia’s special envoy for trade, Andrew Robb, exuded confidence about wrapping up FTA talks over the next six to eight weeks, on the grounds that his country had offered India the “best of what it had offered all its FTA partners”.. However, his team seemed disappointed with the bureaucracy’s “lukewarm” response. “We really have no clue about what is going on in their minds and how they want to carry forward the negotiations,” said an exasperated Australian official. Heard of ‘keeping the opponent guessing’?

Now, a film on Hardik Patel

It is the season for biopics. The latest subject is Hardik Patel, 22, leader of the Patidar quota agitation in Gujarat. While he cooled his heels in jail, elsewhere in Surat his father Bharat Patel gave the clap on the muhurat shot for Power of Patidar last week. Directed by Mahesh Patel, produced by Kesar Bhavani, and financed by the Surat-based owner of the production house, Deepak Soni, the film has a budget of ₹1% crore and is expected to be released in three months. Surat-based Bobby, alias Sanjay Dev, plays the lead role.

Doctorates in the fray

In the second phase of the West Bengal Assembly polls, some candidates seem to have taken a leaf out of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s quote that “education is too important to be left to politicians”. Ten candidates have declared themselves as doctorates, and 51 as postgraduates. That’s significant.

All over alcohol

Alcohol has taken centre stage in Tamil Nadu with all political parties promising prohibition if they are voted into power. Now the race is about how fast prohibition will be implemented. AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa says nothing about the fact that alcohol sales have multiplied nearly ten times over the last decade, from about ₹3,600 crore to close to ₹30,000 crore, but emphasises that beer sales have dropped! She says she will implement prohibition in stages. The Opposition is and says it will prohibit liquor sales on the day it comes to power. DMK leader M Karunanidhi has said they will enact a law to stop liquor sales, while PMK leader S Ramadoss went one better by claiming that prohibition would be imposed with an executive order that would stop sales instantly.

Politicians will be politicians

Even as politicians across Kerala shed crocodile tears for the dead and injured in the Paravur temple tragedy and political parties criticised the government , another set of politicians in Thrissur on Thursday demanding that the Thrissur pooram, which showcases the largest fireworks display in Kerala, be held as usual. Leading the fast were the candidates of all three important political fronts — UDF, LDF and NDA — in the Thrissur constituency.

Ancient wisdom

Even 1,100 years ago, the electoral process in Uthiramerur in Kanchipuram district was similar to what it’s like today, be it age limit or criteria for disqualification of candidates for non-payment of taxes or having a criminal record. This is what K Muthukumar, additional director-general of PIB (southern region) pointed out while releasing Election Handbook 2016 . The team stumbled upon this fact while compiling the handbook. Some things don’t change.

Smarting from the offer

A well-known radio cab company has added a new twist to pesky marketing calls. A journalist was recently offered opportunities to become a driver with a radio cab service so he could ‘give his family a better life’.

When he asked what gave the impression he was not giving them a good life, he discovered that the company picked up mobile numbers that are not connecting through smartphones and made the offer to those users. Talk about smart talking!

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