|
|
Congress leader slams NEW DELHI, Nov 16: In an open rebellion against the party’s stand on POTO, prominent Congress leader Maninderjit Singh Bitta today charged his ....more Vice
President for NEW DELHI, Nov 16: Vice-President Krishan Kant today called upon the Governments to pool their resources to provide relief to mediapersons who...more Inter-state
council NEW DELHI, Nov 16: Karnataka today favoured developing the inter-state council as a meaningful and effective forum for ....more India
dismisses Pak’s ON BOARD SPECIAL IAF PLANE, Nov 16: Dismissing Pakistan’s contention that its troop movement close to border....more |
|
Jihad shouldn’t violate Quran: Mehbooba From B L Kak NEW DELHI, Nov 16: Ms Mehbooba Mufti, a prominent political activist from Kashmir, has, once again, demonstrated that she can be more courageous than her .......more ISRO
taking steps to BANGALORE, Nov 16: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) today said it would take all possible steps like suspending camera operations........more Plans
afoot to make DEHRA DUN, Nov 16: Plans are afoot to make training for Gentlemen Cadets (GCs) at the Indian Military .......more Mumbai: Historical link of first Indian, Iranian talkie MUMBAI, Nov 16: Talkie cinema made its advent in India and Iran around the same time in the early 20th century with .......more |
 |
Congress leader slams party for opposing POTO NEW DELHI, Nov 16: In an open rebellion against the party’s stand on POTO, prominent Congress leader Maninderjit Singh Bitta today charged his party and those opposing anti-terrorist laws with "playing vote bank politics and forgetting the sacrifices made by thousands of cadres." "The sacrifices of thousands of party workers have gone in vain. Parties do not bother about their leaders and cadres once they are dead. They play politics on the dead bodies of the martyrs," a visibly anguished Bitta, himself a terror victim, told reporters on the eve of a meeting of Chief Ministers convened here by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to discuss POTO that needs congress backing for approval in Rajya Sabha. Terming the provisions of POTO as "mild", he demanded a sterner ordinance to crush terrorism incorporating among other things death punishment to the guilty and setting up of anti-terrorist courts under the purview of the armed forces. Recalling that both former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi were victims of terrorism, he urged the party to review its stand in "the larger national interest." He regretted senior party leader Gulam Nabi Azad’s reported statement that bringing TADA by the then Congress Government was a "mistake". He also took exception to Salman Khursheed’s reported statement that POTO was "against Islam." Bitta said his outfit All India Anti-terrorist Front would stage a march to Parliament on December five in which surviving victims of terrorist attacks and their families belonging to all political parties would participate. Asked whether his views were not violative of party discipline, Bitta said, "the nation comes above everything. I do not want to be an MLA or MP. I am ready to face the worst if it is a crime to tell the truth." He also criticised BJP’s attempts to make POTO a poll issue. The December five ‘march to Parliament’ was aimed at opening the eyes of all political leaders to the "ugly face of terrorism" and to demand harsher anti-terrorist laws, he said. He suggested formation of an all-party high power committee to inquire into excesses if any, committed by law enforcement authorities under the cover of POTO. He, however, said the action under POTO should first be taken against politicians who support terrorists. "The nexus between politicians and terrorists brought out by the Vora committee report should be brought forward. We have politicians like Mohd Shahabuddin who are hand in gloves with criminals and action should be taken against such people," he said. On apprehensions that POTO would target minorities, he said, "a terrorist is a terrorist. He has no religion. Anyone who indulges in that, whether he be Hindu , Sikh, Muslim or Christian should be punished." Bitta said he would soon launch a ‘war against terrorism’ website besides honouring actress-turned-MP Shabana Azmi and her husband lyricist Javed Akhtar at a function in the capital on November 19. "They opposed Delhi Jama Majid Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari’s pro-Taliban views and thus helped in preventing a communal divide," he said. (PTI) |
|
Vice President for relief to mediapersons in conflict zones NEW DELHI, Nov 16: Vice-President Krishan Kant today called upon the Governments to pool their resources to provide relief to mediapersons who risk their lives to report on conflicts. "There is urgent need to minimise these risks mediapersons face in conflict situations and that requires deep thinking and consensus among nations," Mr Kant observed while inaugurating the day-long National Press Day Seminar, organised by the Press Council of India (PCI) at Vigyan Bhawan here. Eminent jurists, editors and social activists are participating in the seminar on "projection of women by media in present day context" and "occupational hazards faced by mediaperons in conflict situations: Relief and rehabilitation measures in fatal cases". Earlier, in his presidential address PCI Chairman K Jayachandra Reddy also called upon the Government to review the existing legislation to provide sufficient monetary benefits as well as adequate relief and rehabilitation to mediaperons working in dangerous situations. The Vice President wanted to know if the international community had so far laid down any internationally accepted rules and norms for treating mediapersons covering conflicts. "I would very much welcome that something like the Geneva Convention or the Red Cross Convention should be agreed upon in order to give mediapersons the freedom and the space to function during conflicts," he said. Only the other day, some journalists representing a few western newspapers lost their lives in Afghanistan while on duty and the audience which saw realistic images of conflicts all over the world little realized that those who brought those images through their writings and their cameras accepted life-threatening risks, the Vice President said. On projection of women in the media, Mr Kant observed that it either showed intellectual and political concern about the status of women or it commodified women. He advised the journalists to rather play a salutary and a liberating role to give the women the distinctive and the exclusive space so that they generate the ethical and moralising impulses for the entire society. On relief for scribes, Justice Reddy stressed that all newspapers establishments and media organisations also owed a moral and professional obligation to offer solace - not by empty words by constructive means - to the families of those who died while covering conflicts. Justice Reddy, referring to PCI’s recommendations on the issue, contained in its report "crisis and credibility" that examined the role of the press in Jammu and Kashmir, noted that the mediapersons who were exposed to or were vulnerable in any manner to threat must receive protection from the state. "Reporting assignments in disturbed areas must be given on rotational basis to journalists and the latter must be given full institutional support. It also recommended that mediapersons working on perilous assignments must receive special incentives, including group insurance cover, and compensation must be paid to them in cases of death, injury, hospitalisation or loss of property. Housing in relatively safer locations or in clusters, especially for those required to work at odd and unearthly hours must be provided, he added. On projection of women in media, PCI Chairman cautioned that any deviant or negative projection of women by the media would result in severe repercussions, the shock waves of which in turn were bound to cause tremors and major upheavals. The PCI Secretary Reva Khetrapal also echoed the views of Justice Reddy. (UNI) |
|
Inter-state council should be developed as an effective forum NEW DELHI, Nov 16: Karnataka today favoured developing the inter-state council as a meaningful and effective forum for discussing crucial policy initiatives and come up with speedy decisions. In his address at the seventh meeting of the inter-state council, Chief Minister S M Krishna said the council can become an effective platform for discussing policy initiatives and issues of common interest to the states and the centre. "To achieve this objective we have to free ourselves from the recommendations of the Sarkaria Commission which had occupied the time and attention of the Central and State Governments. It is time to move on to crucial issues and subjects which came in the way of speedy development and removal of poverty," he said adding, "there is no time to be lost." Mr Krishna said the finances of the states had deteriorated at an alarming pace because of large outgo on wages, salary, pensions and interests payments, a fact recognised by the tenth plan papers. Borrowed funds were diverted to bridge the revenue gap leaving insufficient funds for investment in core sectors. "The Union Government has to play a major role in rectifying this situation and states have to be provided with adequate funds to improve the infrastructure and the lives of people," he said. He said though the Centre alone could not bring about fiscal discipline in the country, the states should cut down non-productive expenditure, reduce subsidies and augment revenues to provide conducive environment to catalyze growth. Karnataka had prepared its medium-term fiscal plan to address these problems, he said. On Value Added Tax (VAT), Mr Krishna said the Finance Ministry was seeking VAT introduction from the next fiscal but had not made commitments on critical issues. Providing a financial back-up if there were shortfall in revenues because of shift to VAT, empowering states to tax services concurrently with the centre, and amending the central statutes to facilitate levy of VAT on declared goods were the concerns the centre should address, he said. The Government should take an immediate decision to enable the states to draft their vat legislation, Mr Krishna added. He said institutional framework for continued coordination between the states and centre to make country move towards a rational dual VAT system should be brought before the inter-state council. He said the Centre needed to work out a mechanism to replace high-cost loans with fresh low-cost borrowings. The centre should provide debt relief in the form of reduced interest rates for the existing loans and the rate of interest on plan assistance should be linked to prevailing RBI rates, he said. About the Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS), the Karnataka Chief Minister said it should be of pilot nature, testing out ideals for universal application. Once, these schemes were evaluated against quantified objectives and a decision to extend these to be left to the State Governments. Karnataka, he said had taken early steps to introduce governance and fiscal reforms and compress non-productive expenses and focus on development. The objective was to eliminate revenue deficit and contain fiscal deficit around three per cent by the year 2005. The electricity board had been corporatised. (UNI) |
|
|
|
|
Plans afoot to make IMA training more consolidated DEHRA DUN, Nov 16: Plans are afoot to make training for Gentlemen Cadets (GCs) at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) more academic without diluting the military aspect of the training. "We are trying to work out a plan by which the training period may be extended by six months and made two years during which the gcs would be able to follow an academic education and get a post-graduate degree," Lt Gen T S Shergill, Commandant, IMA told mediapersons here today. "This would give the country more professionally trained officers. We are working out various options in this direction," he said. The curriculum would have to be reorganised and a balance would be maintained between military and academic syllabi, he added. Gen Shergill said his goal would be to produce officers of high self-esteem, enormous confidence, intitiative and the spirit to lead even in the toughest of situations. About the Tehelka episode, the IMA commandant said it was a sad chapter but the Army took prompt action. He said it was wrong to say that the "best" was not coming to the Army. "We are getting the best." About suicide squads being used by the militants as part of their offensive strategy, Gen Shergill said it had proved a failure. "It does not take great skill to become a human bomb. It is a clumsy technique," he added. Training at the ima makes the GCs ready to face any eventuality. "The most important training is that of the mind. Mental cool in every situation helps neutralise the enemy or the terrorist," the Commandant said. About the recent tragedy when two cadets and an instructor were killed in a mortar blast during training, he said experts had been called to conduct an inquiry and the final report was yet to come. He said the IMA campus would be expanded over the next few years to keep up with growing requirements of the training. "Land has already been acquired by the academy for the purpose". (UNI) |
|
||
Mumbai: Historical link of first Indian, Iranian talkie MUMBAI, Nov 16: Talkie cinema made its advent in India and Iran around the same time in the early 20th century with Mumbai, being the common thread. The first Indian talkie "Alam Ara" was made by Ardeshir Irani of the imperial film company here in 1931, while the sound recording of Abdolhosein Sepanta’s "Lor Girl", the first Iranian talking motion picture, was also done at the imperial and was released in iran in 1933, according to information culled from archives at the cultural house of Iran here. The warm welcome given to this film in Iran encouraged the production of several other Iranian motion pictures. Among them, the popular ones are "Shirin and Farhad", "The black eyes" and "Leili and Majnoun". Iranian cinema, which celebrated its centenary last year, will be a major focus of the fourth Mumbai International Film Festival beginning here from November 21. As many as 15 films made in the last decade would be shown in the section "Focus on Iran" — "Two women", "The boot", "Willow and wind", "My lady", "Birth of a butterfly" are some of the classics which are to be screened during the film fest. In the 50s, Iranian cinema was at its peak of film production. Esmail Koushan established the first film studio in Iran during this period, and several others produced motion pictures on a large scale. With the change in Iran’s political atmosphere from 1936 to 1948, which imposed tough censorship on art, and the eruption of the second world war, the country’s cinema stagnated. It must be noted that till then, Iran’s cinema was not so popular and the few cinemas in tehran and other major cities just served the aristocracy and some particular classes of the society. After 1953, with the establishment of several companies by some investors and cinema’s enhanced publicity, cinematic activities flourished in Iran. Unfortunately, however, with the limitations on the garnering of profit from investment in cinema and curbs on freedom, the main engine of cultural growth, due to the socio-political situation in Iran’s pre-islamic revolutionary era, Iranian cinema mainly churned out commonplace and cheap movies which became part of Iran’s film making tradition in those days. But happily in the later years, some film makers like Samuel Kachikian, Hooshang Kavoosi, Farrokh Ghafari, Ebrahim Golestan, Masuod Kimiaie, Dariush Mehrjooie, Fereidoon Rahnama and Ali Hatami inspired a fresh cultural trend in Iran’s cinema. According to the records, the establishment of the centre for the intellectual training of children and young adults in 1969 was also a good opportunity to mould Iran’s cultural cinema. The co-operation of UNESCO with this centre as the distributor of children’s movies in Iran, which started with the trip of Nooroddin Zarrinkelk to Belgium, left a significant impact on the elevation of the centre’s cultural level. The cultural trend set by the renowned film makers, the establishment of the cultural centre for children and young adults and the fading public interest in cheap entertainment elements like violence, sex and gangsters, especially among the youth, all combined to produce a new constructive current in Iran’s cinema between 1971 and 1978. Bahram Beyzaie, Abbas Kiarostami, Khosrow Sinaie, Kamran Shirdel, Dariush Mehrjooie, Naser Taghvaie, Ali Hatami, Amir Naderi and some others played a major role in forming the new wave and prepared grounds for Iran’s cinema to take more creditable steps in the later years. After the Islamic revolution, between 1978 and 1983, due to lack of definite film-making rules, Iran’s cinema became disorganised. After 1983, when film-making rules were outlined as per the post-Islamic revolution criteria, violence and sex were forced out of Iran’s cinema. Despite less profit, Iranian directors made some movies whih aroused the admiration of critics around the world. In that period young film makerspsuch as Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Ebrahim Hatamikia, Ja’afar Panahi, Vajid Majidi and Abolfazi Jalili, who had entered cinema with their own different tendencies, gradually gained enough experience and expertise to employ various elements of cinema and contribute their share to its development. (AGENCIES) |
||
|
||
|
| home | state | national | business| editorial | advertisement | sports | |
