Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who sparked concern when he talked on his blog about feeling pain, has reassured fans that he is in good health. The media-savvy Bachchan always makes a point of keeping in touch with his fans – or his "extended family" as he calls them – on social media, sharing the latest news from his personal and professional lives. Fans feared that Bachchan's post about pain was a cryptic message hinting at deteriorating health. But he later wrote on srbachchan.tumblr.com: "My observations on pain the other day were a general comment. It was not in any way connected with anything to do with my condition." The love from his fans made him feel "blessed", he said. "The concern from all ... is admirable and I feel blessed that they show their love and affection, but I am well and around and smiling and writing and connecting to all. This is indication enough." – IANS
Star Trek inspires Enterprise-ing executive
A Chinese millionaire and Star Trek fanatic has boldly gone where no man has gone before – by designing his new company headquarters in the shape of the USS Enterprise. The office block in the eastern city of Fuzhou has the emblematic circular contours and tubular features of the show's spaceship. It was built by "Trekkie" Liu Dejian, the boss of mobile internet app developer NetDragon Websoft, at a cost of US$160 million (Dh587.7m), People's Daily said. According to a Netdragon insider, the building is called Enterprise. Star Trek began on US TV in 1966. It has spawned four spin-off TV shows and 12 movies, with a 13th expected to film in Dubai this year. – AFP
Daughters claim BB King was poisoned
The aftermath of the death of Blues legend BB King has taken a new twist after two of his children, who have been outspoken about his care in his final days, accused the guitarist's two closest aides of poisoning him. Karen Williams and Patty King allege that family members were prevented from visiting, while King's business manager, LaVerne Toney, and his personal assistant, Myron Johnson, hastened their father's death. However, the lawyer for King's estate said the claims were ridiculous and police confirmed there was no ongoing homicide investigation. Three doctors found that King was appropriately cared-for, and received 24-hour care and monitoring by medical professionals "up until the time that he peacefully passed away in his sleep", lawyer Brent Bryson said on Monday. Toney is named in King's will as executor of an estate that could total tens of millions of dollars. Johnson was at King's bedside when he died on May 14 at home in Las Vegas at the age of 89. No family members were present. "I believe my father was poisoned and that he was administered foreign substances," Patty King and Williams say in legal documents. "I believe my father was murdered." An autopsy was performed on Sunday but the results will take up to eight weeks. – AP
Sri Lanka welcomes Cannes success
Sri Lanka's government on Monday hailed the Cannes success of a film that highlights the plight of the Tamil minority during the island's civil war, saying authorities were working to redress past injustices. Dheepan, a French movie about a former Sri Lankan soldier's struggles in a French ghetto after fleeing the separatist war, was awarded the Palme d'Or, the Cannes Film Festival's top prize, on Sunday. Sri Lankan government spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said it could help to draw international attention to the new administration's efforts at reconciliation with Tamils in the aftermath of the war, which ended in 2009. "The movie talks about a situation decades ago. It is not the current picture," he said. "We have a new government which is serious about reconciliation, ensuring justice and addressing the problems of the minorities. I am glad that the [Tamil] Tigers' use of child soldiers has come to light." The film's star, Anthonythasan Jesuthasan, is a former Tamil Tiger child soldier who escaped and found asylum in France more than two decades ago. He has said his character, Dheepan, is about "50 per cent" autobiographical. – AFP
