N Korea says it is entering "state of war" with South Korea - India

29  mar  2013

N Korea says it is entering "state of war" with South Korea

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un watches soldiers of the Korean People's Army as they take part in drills

Seoul: North Korea said on Saturday it was entering a "state of war" with South Korea in a continuing escalation of tough rhetoric against Seoul and Washington after coming under international sanctions for its nuclear test.

"From this time on, the North-South relations will be entering the state of war and all issues raised between the North and the South will be handled accordingly," a statement carried by the North's official KCNA news agency said.

KCNA said the statement was issued jointly by the North's government, ruling party and other organizations.

North Korea has been threatening to attack the South and U.S. military bases almost on a daily basis since the beginning of March, when U.S. and South Korean militaries started routine drills, and has ordered its armed forces on the highest alert.

But the impoverished state has kept a joint industrial zone that is the source of hard currency where hundreds of South Korean workers and vehicles cross enter daily after crossing the rival Koreas' heavily armed border.

Few believe North Korea will risk starting a full-out war.

The two Koreas have been in a technical state of war because their 1950-53 conflict ended under an armistice and not a peace treaty, although Pyongyang earlier in March declared the truce no longer valid.

Sri Lankan Tamils in India: Refugees for generations - India

24  mar  2013

This past week, the run-up to the US-sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka at the UNHRC saw thousands of protesting students and rival political parties in Tamil Nadu talk on behalf of the Sri Lankan Tamils. Ironically, for the Sri Lankan Tamils, raising their voice is not an option either in their own country or in India. We bring you a glimpse into the life of these homeless, landless people and explore whether the Sri Lankan issue should be treated by India as an internal issue of a neighbouring country.

Censor board not doing its job properly, Delhi high court says - India

22  mar  2013

Censor board not doing its job properly, Delhi high court says

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

During the hearing, the bench said the censor board has become “very generous” nowadays and “passing or giving” certificate to every film without any objection.

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Friday slammed the censor board for not doing its job "properly" and asked it and the Centre to respond to two separate PILs alleging vulgar contents in Salman Khan-starrer Dabangg 2 and Saif Ali Khan's Race 2.

"Nowadays, the censor board is not doing its duty properly," a bench comprising Chief Justice D Murugesan and Justice VK Jain remarked while asking the information and broadcasting ministry, CBFC and producers of Dabangg 2 and Race 2 to file their responses by May 14.

While hearing the PIL of lawyer Sanjay Kumar seeking a ban on a "provocative item number" of Dabangg 2, the bench ordered deletion of names from an array of parties like Kareena Kapoor Khan, on whom the song was filmed, director Arbaaz Khan and musicians duo Sajid and Wajid.

"Why you have made the actress a party? This is not a criminal complaint. File a fresh memo of parties. Delete the name of the actress, director and musicians ..." Justice Jain asked during the hearing.

The bench, however, refused to stay the release of DVDs of Dabangg 2 and Race 2 and their further screening on TV channels. It, meanwhile, gave the petitioners liberty to approach it again if they receive information that the films are going to be shown on channels.

"We are not experts and have not seen the movies. How can we stay the films on the basis of photographs we saw here?" the bench said.

The other PIL, filed by social worker Teena Sharma, has sought an immediate ban on further screening of Race 2 in cinema halls and its telecast. It also sought deletion of explicit scenes and "vulgar" dialogues in the film.

'Board generous'

During the hearing, the bench said the censor board has become "very generous" nowadays and "passing or giving" certificate to every film without any objection.

"Nowadays, you have TV in each room of your house. We have now developed a culture that children sleep in a separate room and they are provided TV also ... Parents don't take their children to theatre with them now," it said, adding the content of films should not be "degraded" and it should be such that the whole family can watch them together.

One of PILs alleged "the lyrics of this famous song in Hindi film Dabangg 2, woman is compared to be a grilled chicken to be eaten up with alcohol! And other objectionable and slang words towards girl ..."

The petition has sought a direction to the I&B ministry to "take strict preventive measures and to adopt an effective mechanism to stop these kinds of vulgar songs and obscenity in Indian Films."

Earlier, the bench had disposed of Sharma's PIL against Race 2 and had directed the central government to look into the issue raised by her and take a decision within 15 days.

Aggrieved by "inaction" on the part of the government, Sharma had approached the court again which on Friday issued the notices to the Centre and others.

British military plane takes 1 million euros to Cyprus - India

19  mar  2013

British military plane takes 1 million euros to Cyprus

 

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

London: Britain sent a Royal Air Force plane to crisis-hit Cyprus on Tuesday carrying one million euros ($1.3 million) in emergency loans for British military personnel, the defence ministry said.

The cash cargo flight was a "contingency" plan in case banks in Cyprus stopped giving out money as the island deals with the fallout from a controversial eurozone bailout deal, a spokesman said.

"An RAF flight left for Cyprus this afternoon with one million euros on board as a contingency measure to provide military personnel and their families with emergency loans," the spokesman said in a statement to AFP.

"The MoD is proactively approaching personnel to ask if they want their March, and future months' salaries paid into UK bank accounts, rather than Cypriot accounts."

The British government reaffirmed earlier on Tuesday that it would fully refund any military or government personnel whose Cyprus bank accounts were subject to an EU levy that was part of the bailout deal.

"We're determined to do everything we can to minimise the impact of the Cyprus banking crisis on our people," the spokesman added.

Britain does not use the euro, having stuck with the pound as its national currency.

Around 3,000 British troops are based at two military bases in Cyprus, which are used by Britain as a strategic foothold in the Mediterranean, with around 500 civilian personnel.

National Awards: Paan Singh Tomar, Irrfan Khan win - India

18  mar  2013

National Awards: Paan Singh Tomar, Irrfan Khan win

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

The 60th National Film Awards have been announced and Irrfan Khan has won Best Actor for his performance as athlete-turned-dacoit in Paan Singh Tomar

The 60th National Film Awards have been announced and Tigmanshu Dhulia's Paan Singh Tomar has bagged two of the biggest awards - Best Feature Film and Best Actor for Irrfan Khan's performance as the eponymous athlete-turned-dacoit. Irrfan shared the Best Actor award with Vikram Gokhale who won for Marathi film Anumati.

Marathi film Dhag also scored two awards - Best Actress for Usha Jadhav and Best Director for Shivaji Lotan Patil.

A surprise three wins were in store for Bollywood sleeper hit Vicky Donor with Dolly Ahluwalia and Annu Kapoor winning the Best Supporting Acting awards. Dolly Ahluwalia shared the Best Supporting Actress award with Kalpana for Malayalam film Thanichalla Njan. Vicky Donor also shared the award for Best Popular Film with Malayalam film Ustad Hotel.

Chittagong, directed by NASA scientist-turned-filmmaker Bedabrata Pain scored three awards. It shared the Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director with Malayalam movie 101 Chodiyangal. The song Bolo Na won Best Lyrics for Prasoon Joshi and Best Male Playback Singer for Shankar Mahadevan.

Actress Parineeti Chopra received a special mention for her performance in Ishaqzaade.

A special jury award was given to actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui for his work in Kahaani, Gangs Of Wasseypur, Dekh India Circus and Talaash. Bengali director Rituparno Ghosh also received a special award for his film Chitrangada.

Sujoy Ghosh won Best Original Screenplay for Kahaani, starring Vidya Balan. Kahaani also won Best Editing. OMG, starring Akshay Kumar, won Best Adapted Screenplay.

Other winners include Nitin Kakkar's Filmistan which has won Best Hindi Film and S S Rajamouli's Eega which has won Best Telugu Film.

Malayalam film Thanichalla Njan won the Nargis Dutt Award for National Integration.

Dekh Indian Circus won Best Children's Film and Delhi Safari won Best Animated Film.

Pt Birju Maharaj won Best Choreography for Vishwaroopam, which also won Best Production Design.

The National Film Awards jury was led this year by filmmaker Basu Chatterjee.

Russian fundamentalists sue US, want Alaska back - India

17  mar  2013

Russian fundamentalists sue US, want Alaska back

Moscow: US President Barack Obama must have known that his support of gay marriage would bring him trouble. But of all possible repercussions, a demand to roll back Alaska's 1867 sale to the US was one he was unlikely to have seen coming.

And yet, that was the very claim that an ultraconservative religious group made in a Moscow arbitrage court, citing the need to protect fellow Christians from sin.

Obama's reported plans to legalise same-sex marriage threatens the freedom of religion of Alaska's Orthodox Christians, who "would never accept sin for normal behaviour", according to the non-governmental group Pchyolki ("Bees").

Obama has often spoken in support of LGBT rights, including in his 2012 presidential address.

But though he criticised bans on gay marriage imposed in various US states, he never voiced plans for a federal bill to legalise same-sex marriage.

"We see it as our duty to protect their right to freely practice their religion, which allows no tolerance to sin," the group said in a statement on their website.

The Pchyolki also cited technical violations of the terms of the 1867 deal that saw Russia sell Alaska to the US government for $7.2 million, or two cents per acre.

Payment was made by cheque and not gold coins as specified in the contract, the group said.

The lawsuit, filed in January but not reported by media until this week, was not processed because the Pchyolki failed to include a handful of mandatory papers, including documents to justify their claims, according to Moscow arbitrage court's website.

The group had until last week to provide the required paperwork, but failed to do so for reasons left unspecified.

Among the papers the group failed to file was also a notification to the defendant, the US government, which may account for it not having commented on the lawsuit so far.

The Pchyolki are a relatively obscure group created in 2008 to protect orphans' rights in Russia, which it did by campaigning against sexual education in schools, among other things.

Their biggest claim to fame, until the Alaska lawsuit, was last year's instruction for believers published after punk band Pussy Riot's notorious performance in a Moscow church.

The instruction on protecting places of worship from "blasphemers" advised to distract the offenders by spitting in their faces, ruin their recording equipment - if they have any - with holy water and detain them, with "bloodshed" deemed acceptable as long as it happens outside the church grounds.

The Russian Orthodox Church estimated its flock in Alaska at about 50,000 of the state's total population of 730,000, the BBC said in 2010.

NASA rover finds conditions once suited to life on Mars - India

12  mar 2013

NASA rover finds conditions once suited to life on Mars

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

Washington: An analysis of a Mars rock sample by the Curiosity rover has unveiled minerals, including hydrogen, carbon and oxygen, that are the building blocks of life, NASA said Tuesday.

"A fundamental question for this mission is whether Mars could have supported a habitable environment," said Michael Meyer, lead scientist for NASA's Mars Exploration Program. "From what we know now, the answer is yes."

The six-wheeled robot, with 10 scientific instruments on board, is the most sophisticated ever sent to another planet.

The rock sample was drilled from a sedimentary bedrock sample and found to contain clay minerals, sulfate minerals and other chemicals.

Based on the analysis of those chemicals, researchers were able to determine that the water that helped form the rocks were of a relatively neutral pH.

"We have found a habitable environment that is so benign and supportive of life, that probably if this water was around and you had been there, you would have been able to drink it," said John Grotzinger, Curiosity project scientist from the California Institute of Technology.