NEWS SNIPPETS

• The Madhya Pradesh Congress distributed 50-paise pouches of the extremely addictive gutka to shore up its chances in the recent Lok Sabha bypolls in Vidisha, a largely rural area near Bhopal. The gutka brand shares its name with the Congress candidate, Rajshree. Gutka is a well known cancer perpetrator and the Congress-led Union government is thinking of banning its sales across the country. Seems like there's a disconnect between the party's central leadership and it's MP minions.

• Sweet Land, a film directed by Ali Salem is earning accolades. It's carbon neutral. This means all the carbon dioxide emitted by the filmmaking process was totalled and offset by comparable investments in renewable energy.

"For me, it's less of a political statement about global warming, and more about a a nicer, cleaner way to make a film,' Salem said in an interview before the movie's Washington opening.