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Archives for October 2015

Southern Films Round Up

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Rudrama Devi

Raghava Changes Mind And Turns Corrupt

As a follow up to the blockbuster ‘Kanchana 2’ actor & director Raghava Lawrence announced 2 films ‘Motta Siva Ketta Siva’ with Kajal Agarwal as heroine and a supernatural thriller ‘Naaga’ both produced by Vendhar Movies. Now Lawrence has had a change of mind and has decided to 1st do a film for producer R. B. Chowdhary’s Super Good Films to be directed by Sai Ramani whose earlier film is the Jiiva starrer ‘Singam Puli’. Raghava has so far played the role of an innocent & loveable man but he is going for a complete makeover in this new untitled film in which he is going to appear as a corrupt cop. The film is a remake of the Telugu super hit ‘Pataas’ that had Nandamuri Kalyan Ram as the hero.

Keerthy Opts Out Of Mani Ratnam’s Film

Actor Dulquer Salman who was supposed to play one of the male leads in director Mani Ratnam’s upcoming bilingual film has been replaced by actor Naani as the latter is popular among both Tamil & Telugu audiences. Besides actress Keethy Suresh who had signed up for one of the female leads in the film has also opted out of the project. Keerhy’s father and Malayalam film producer Suresh Kumar has confirmed this and also explained the reason behind his daughter’s decision to let go off an offer that is still a dream for many actors & actresses across the country.

Amala Has The Most Dangerous Links Amongst The Tamil Celebrities

It was Dhanush In the year 2014, and now it is the much married & prettier by the day Amala Paul, who tops the list of the “Most Sensational Celebrities” according to Intel Securities Annual survey for the year 2015. Intel, the world’s largest computer chip manufacturing company keeps a watch on cyber criminals who take advantage of people’s search patterns and let loose malicious links to sites & lure unsuspecting users to reveal their sensitive information. Amala Paul’s name is linked to the maximum number of such malicious sites followed by Arya, Suriya, Vijay & Amy Jackson.

Actresss Aachi Manorama Is No More

Born as Gopishantha in Mannarugudi of Tamil Nadu, Manorama started acting in a theater group at the young age of 12. Her excellent skill of dialogue delivery won her a chance to act in films. She 1st acted in an unreleased film starring S. S. Rajendran & Devika. Then she was offered the lead heroine’s role in ‘Malaiyitta Mangai’ produced by ace lyricist Kannadasan and that became her 1st film. After that Manorama migrated to supporting characters laced with comedy and paired up with male comedians of those days like Nagesh. Cho, Thangavelu, V. K. Ramasamy, Thengai Srinivasan and many others. Her performance as Jil Jil Ramamani, a folk dancer in the Sivaji Ganesan – Padmini starrer classic film ‘Thillana Mohanambal’ was one of the highly regarded female supporting characters ever enacted in Tamil cinema and the same is also considered as the towering performance of her career in those days.

‘Rudrama Devi’ Buy 1 Get 1 In USA

Indian’s 1st and biggest historical 3D film, ‘Rudrama Devi’ is running strong in USA. It has already crossed half a million mark by collecting $570k recently and heading towards 1 million club in the overall run. Online ticketing website www.fandango.com offer a buy 1 get 1 free ticket scheme per transaction for those buying tickets and watching Rudrama Devi. This offer was valid only till 11th Oct, 2015 for ticket bought online at www.fandango.com but it was not valid at counter purchases at any other ticketing websites.

Srihari’s Statue Unveiled by Dasari

It’s been 2 years since Srihari passed away and a perfect replacement for him has been not found yet. He made a mark in Tollywood with his versatility and will be remembered forever not only for his acting skills, but also for the philanthropic activities he had done. A statue was unveiled as an honor of this late actor. Dasari Narayana Rao inaugurated the statue at Balanagar in Hyderabad on 11th Oct, 2015. A few Telangana minsters also attended the inauguration event.

Actor Raj Tarun Teams Up With Director Puri Jagannadh

Raj Tarun has now become one of the most sought after young actors in Tollywood. After acting in just 2 films, he got a chance to work with Sukumar for ‘Kumari 21F’, for which the director penned the story, the screenplay & the dialogues, apart from producing it. The latest news is that Puri Jagannadh will be producing one of Raj Tarun’s upcoming films. The ‘Temper’ director is said to have also penned the story & the dialogues for this film, which will be directed by yesteryear actress Revathi.

The Tamil Version Of ‘Akhil’ All Set To Be Released

The Tamil version of ‘Akhil’ will be released simultaneously with the Telugu version of the film on 22nd Oct, 2015. C. Kalyan bagged the Tamil rights of the film and he is planning to hold a grand event in Chennai to introduce ‘Akhil’ to the Tamil audiences. As per the latest update, the Tamil version of the film has been titled as ‘Surya Kavacham’, which is very much linked to the concept of the movie. The film will be a socio fantasy entertainer. V. V. Vinayak is the director of this film and Nithiin is the producer.

Sreenivasan in ‘Ceylon Cinema’

Versatile cine artiste Sreenivasan will play the lead role in a movie titled ‘Ceylon Cinema’. The movie has been written by M. Vineesh. He will also direct the movie. The pooja of the movie was held at Kozhikode.’Ceylon Cinema’ will also star Aju Varghese, Ramesh Pisharody, Dharmajan, Kalabhavan Shajon et al in pivotal roles. Gopi Sunder will handle the music department for this movie. Suesh Sastha is the cameraman.

‘Mulgudi Days’ Official Teaser Released

The official teaser of ‘Mulgudi Days’ has been released. The movie is based in a fictional village and revolves around a school high up in a hilly terrain. Anoop Menon & Bhama play the lead actors in the movie. The teaser of the movie depicts the actors along with school kids. Anoop Menon had gone on record saying that this was one of those movies which has changed him as a person and brought about a new dimension in him. The movie has been completed and is ready for release.

Srinivas Unhappy

Noted producer of Kannada cinema B. K. Srinivasa feels depressed for showcasing him and his Sri Harsha Productions in distasteful manner by the director of his film ‘Dove’ Alemari Santhu. B. K. Srinivasa who lives on the slogan ‘Nambikeye Jeevana’ (Belief is life) believed Alemari Santhu completely in the production of ‘Dove’ but did not know that he would project his name so poorly in his own film. In the title card his name is not spelt properly and the photo that comes with the name is not given prominence for investing crores on his film ‘Dove’. Director Santhu is solely responsible for it. Secondly his prestigious banner Sri Harsha Productions has been kept as the name of a bar & restaurant. Which has hurt B. K. Srinivasa no end.

Welcome To Anoop

A long stay in the cinema industry as producer, Kannada activist & KFCC active member Sa Ra Govindu is an anxious person today. That is because his son’s debut film ‘Dove’ is releasing all over Karnataka. It is a 1st test match for Anoop in the days of ’20:20’. Anoop’s late mother wanted to see his son in a cricket ground hitting six & fours. He has landed in another popular field of cinema. He is watched by lakhs of people like in cricket ground. This is what Sa Ra Govindu lamented when his son was introduced to media for the 1st time at Hotel Le Meredian. Anoop Sa Ra Govindu is taking birth in the profession that has given life for innumerable personalities all around the world. For the connection of a renowned father, there were several best wishes to Anoop in the print media. Anoop Sa Ra Govindu has been already invited for the 2nd film by noted producer Kanakapura Srinivas.

Victims file suit against CIA torture architects for ‘systemic brutality’

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Psychologists James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen, who thus far escaped accountability, face charges of ‘cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment; non-consensual human experimentation; and war crimes.’

Suleiman Abdullah Salim, who survived the CIA's brutal torture regime, was released after five years of being held without charge. (Photo via ACLU)

Suleiman Abdullah Salim, who survived the CIA’s brutal torture regime, was released after five years of being held without charge. (Photo via ACLU)

by Lauren McCauley, Common Dreams

The two psychologists credited with creating the brutal, post-9/11 Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) torture regime are being sued by three victims of their program on charges that include “human experimentation” and “war crimes.”

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Tuesday filed the suit against CIA contractors James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen, on behalf of torture survivors Suleiman Abdullah Salim and Mohamed Ahmed Ben Soud, as well as the family of Gul Rahman, who died of hypothermia in his cell as result of the torture he endured.

The suit, which is the first to rely on the findings of the Senate Intelligence Committee report on CIA torture, charges Mitchell and Jessen under the Alien Tort Statute for “their commission of torture, cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment; non-consensual human experimentation; and war crimes,” all of which violate international law.

The pair, both former U.S. military psychologists, earned more than $80 million for “designing, implementing, and personally administering” the program, which employed “a pseudo-scientific theory of countering resistance that justified the use of torture,” that was based on studies in which researchers “taught dogs ‘helplessness’ by subjecting them to uncontrollable pain,” according to the suit.

“These psychologists devised and supervised an experiment to degrade human beings and break their bodies and minds,” said Dror Ladin, a staff attorney with the ACLU National Security Project. “It was cruel and unethical, and it violated a prohibition against human experimentation that has been in place since World War II.”

In a lengthy report, the ACLU describes each plaintiff’s journey.

After being abducted by CIA and Kenyan agents in Somalia, Suleiman Abdullah, a newly wed fisherman from Tanzania, was subjected to “an incessant barrage of torture techniques,” including being forced to listen to pounding music, doused with ice-cold water, beaten, hung from a metal rod, chained into stress positions “for days at a time,” starved, and sleep deprived. This went on for over a month, and was continually interspersed with “terrifying interrogation sessions in which he was grilled about what he was doing in Somalia and the names of people, all but one of whom he’d never heard of.”

Held for over five years without charge and moved numerous times, Abdullah was eventually sent home to Zanzibar “‘with a document confirming he posed no threat to the United States.” He continues to suffer from flashbacks, physical pain, and has “become a shell of himself.”

Mohamed Ben Soud was captured in April 2003 during a joint U.S.-Pakistani raid on his home in Pakistan, where he and his wife moved after fleeing the Gaddafi regime in Libya. Ben Soud said that Mitchell even “supervised the proceedings” at one of his water torture sessions.

Describing Ben Soud’s ordeal, the ACLU writes:

The course of Mohamed’s torture adhered closely to the “procedures” the CIA laid out in a 2004 memo to the Justice Department. Even before arriving at COBALT, [a CIA prison in Afghanistan] Mohamed was subjected to “conditioning” procedures designed to cause terror and vulnerability. He was rendered to COBALT hooded, handcuffed, and shackled. When he arrived, an American woman told him he was a prisoner of the CIA, that human rights ended on September 11, and that no laws applied in the prison.

Quickly, his torture escalated. For much of the next year, CIA personnel kept Mohamed naked and chained to the wall in one of three painful stress positions designed to keep him awake. He was held in complete isolation in a dungeon-like cell, starved, with no bed, blanket, or light. A bucket served as his toilet. Ear-splitting music pounded constantly. The stench was unbearable. He was kept naked for weeks. He wasn’t permitted to wash for five months.

According to the report, the torture regime designed and implemented by Mitchell and Jessen “ensnared at least 119 men, and killed at least one—a man named Gul Rahman who died in November 2002 of hypothermia after being tortured and left half naked, chained to the wall of a freezing-cold cell.”

Gul’s family has never been formally notified of his death, nor has his body been returned to them for a dignified burial, the ACLU states. Further, no one has been held accountable for his murder. But the report notes, “An unnamed CIA officer who was trained by Jessen and who tortured Rahman up until the day before he was found dead, however, later received a $2,500 bonus for ‘consistently superior work.'”

The ACLU charges that the theories devised by Mitchell and Jessen and employed by the CIA, “had never been scientifically tested because such trials would violate human experimentation bans established after Nazi experiments and atrocities during World War II.” Yet, they were the basis of “some of the worst systematic brutality ever inflicted on detainees in modern American history.”

Despite last year’s release of the Senate Torture Report, the government has prosecuted only a handful of low-level soldiers and one CIA contractor for prisoner abuse. Meanwhile, the architects of the CIA’s torture program, which include Mitchell and Jessen, have escaped any form of accountability.

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) issued a statement saying they welcomed the federal lawsuit as “a landmark step toward accountability,” and urged the U.S. Department to follow suit and criminally “investigate and prosecute all those responsible for torture, including health professionals.”

In the wake of the Senate report, the group strongly criticized Mitchell and Jessen for betraying “the most fundamental duty of the healing professions.”

In Tuesday’s statement, Donna McKay, PHR’s executive director, said: “Psychologists have an ethical responsibility to ‘do no harm,’ but Mitchell and Jessen’s actions rank among the worst medical crimes in U.S. history.”

Man Booker Prize 2015: Marlon James wins for A Brief History of Seven Killings

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Marlon James: "It's totally surreal... it's so exciting, so humbling"

Marlon James: “It’s totally surreal… it’s so exciting, so humbling”

by Tim Masters, BBC

Jamaican author Marlon James has won the Man Booker Prize for his novel inspired by the attempted assassination of Bob Marley in the 1970s.

Michael Wood, chair of the judges, described A Brief History of Seven Killings as the “most exciting” book on the shortlist.

The 680-page epic was “full of surprises” as well as being “very violent” and “full of swearing”.

James was announced as the winner of the £50,000 prize in London on Tuesday.

He is the first Jamaican author to win the Man Booker Prize. Receiving the award, he said a huge part of the novel had been inspired by reggae music.

“The reggae singers Bob Marley and Peter Tosh were the first to recognise that the voice coming out our mouths was a legitimate voice for fiction and poetry.”

The 44-year-old author was presented with his prize by the Duchess of Cornwall.

He admitted it was “so surreal” to win and dedicated the award to his late father who had shaped his “literary sensibilities”.

Set across three decades, the novel uses the true story of the attempt on the life of reggae star Marley to explore the turbulent world of Jamaican gangs and politics.

Wood said the judges had come to a unanimous decision in less than two hours.

He praised the book’s “many voices” – it contains more than 75 characters – which “went from Jamaican slang to Biblical heights”.

He said: “One of the pleasures of reading it is that you turn the page and you’re not quite sure who the next narrator will be.”

But he acknowledged that some of the content might be too much for some readers.

A Brief History of Seven Killings is Marlon James’s third novel

This year’s shortlisted authors: (from left) Sunjeev Sahota, Chigozie Obioma, Hanya Yanagihara, Anne Tyler, Tom McCarthy and Marlon James

“Someone said to me they like to give Booker winners to their mother to read, but this might be a little difficult.”

Wood admitted his own mother wouldn’t have got beyond the first few pages on the basis of the swearing.

“A lot of it is very very funny,” he added. “It is not an easy read. It is a big book. There is some tough stuff and there is a lot of swearing but it is not a difficult book to approach.”

In his novel’s acknowledgements, Marlon James himself thanks his family but adds: “This time around maybe my mother should stay away from part four of the book”.

‘Visceral and uncompromising’

This is the second year the Man Booker prize has been open to all authors writing in English, regardless of nationality.

James, who currently lives in Minneapolis, US, can expect a dramatic boost in sales following his win. After A Brief History of Seven Killings was named on the Booker shortlist last month sales tripled to more than 1,000 copies a week, according to Nielsen Book Research.

“It’s a visceral and uncompromising novel that sheds a stark light on a profoundly disturbing chapter of Jamaica’s history, but it’s also an ingeniously structured feat of storytelling that draws the reader in with its eye-catching use of language,” said Jonathan Ruppin, web editor at Foyles bookshops.

“For booksellers, it’s truly heartening to see such ambition and originality recognised and rewarded, and readers have already been embracing it with great enthusiasm.”

Australian author Richard Flanagan won last year’s prize for his wartime novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North.

Man Booker 2015 shortlist

The six novels on this year’s Man Booker short list

This year’s Man Booker shortlist featured two authors from the UK, two from the US and one each from Jamaica and Nigeria.

  • Marlon James (Jamaica), A Brief History of Seven Killings
  • Tom McCarthy (UK), Satin Island
  • Chigozie Obioma (Nigeria), The Fishermen
  • Sunjeev Sahota (UK), The Year of the Runaways
  • Anne Tyler (US), A Spool of Blue Thread
  • Hanya Yanagihara (US), A Little Life

Indore ODI: Dhoni’s unbeaten 92 takes India to 247

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India's captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni plays a shot during the second ODI against South Africa in Indore on Wednesday. AFP

India’s captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni plays a shot during the second ODI against South Africa in Indore on Wednesday. AFP

Indore: A fighting unbeaten 92 by captain M.S. Dhoni helped India post a respectable 247/9 in 50 overs against South Africa in the second ODI here on Wednesday.

The under-fire Dhoni smashed seven boundaries and four sixes during his 86-ball knock. Dhoni, who walked into bat with India, struggling at 82/3, added 41 runs for the seventh wicket with Bhuvneshwar Kumar (14). He continued the good work in the company of Harbhajan Singh (22) and took India past the 200-run mark.

Earlier, the hosts were off to a poor start with in-from opener Rohit Sharma being castled by Kagiso Rabada for three. Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane put the Indian innings back on track with a 56-run stand for the second wicket. Dhawan was dismissed by Morne Morkel for 23.

Virat Kohli was involved in a mix-up with Rahane and was run out for 12, with the total reading 82. Rahane, who made a fine 51 was bowled round the legs by leg-spinner Imran Tahir as the home side slipped to 102/4 in the 23rd over. Suresh Raina failed to open his account as he was caught behind off Morkel.

Dale Steyn claimed 3/49 for the South Africans.

(IANS)

Shiv Sena reacts to Modi’s Dadri remark; says ‘we respect him for Godhra’

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modi

Mumbai: Just hours after the Prime Minister termed the Dadri lynching incident and cancellation of Ghulam Ali’s concert in Mumbai as ‘unfortunate’, its alliance partner in Maharashtra-Shiv Sena has retaliated that the statements have come from the ‘Prime Minister’ and not ‘dear Modiji’.

Senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut reacting to Modi’s comments raked up the 2002 Gujarat riots and said, “PM Modi got worldwide recognition because of Godhra and Ahmedabad incidents and we also respect him because of that, but if he has made such comments on Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri and Ghulam Ali then it is unfortunate.”

Shiv Sena had earlier forced the cancellation of Pakistan ghazal singer Ghulam Ali’s concert in Mumbai. Columnist Sudheendra Kulkarni was also attacked with black paint by Shiv Sena activists protesting former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri’s book launch on Monday.

Earlier, in the day Modi while speaking to a newspaper had stressed that the BJP was opposed to pseudo-secularism.

On his party’s stand (on such incidents), Modi said, “The BJP never supported such kind of incidents. The opposition is raising the bogey of communalism against the BJP bringing those incidents but are they themselves not doing politics of polarisation”.

He said, “Such debate has taken place in the past. The BJP always opposed pseudo-secularism. Now again this debate is taking place in the face of unfortunate social malaise”.

“This debate can be resolved through dialogue and discussion,” he said.

Modi claimed that this a was merely vote bank politics and those parties resorting to such propaganda did not want the development of minorities.

(Agencies)

Kalburgi’s wife ​Umadevi refuses to accept Basavashri award

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M M Kalburgi

Dharwad: M M Kalburgi’s wife Umadevi has reportedly denied accepting the Basavashri award from Murugha Mutt in Chitradurga.

Reports state that Umadevi in a letter to the Murugha Mutt said that she was still in a shock after her husband’s death and was not able to receive the Basavashri award under such circumstances.

Professor MM Kalburgi was killed by two men on August 30.

The Murugha Mutt had planned on conferring the award on MM Kalburgi posthumously at an event scheduled for October 7. However, on October 9, Umadevi thanked the Murugha Mutt for choosing MM Kalburgi for the award but denied accepting it.

Another report adds that the Mutt wanted to send a person to convince them in accepting the award, but the family said that they were in no position to do so.

(Agencies)

Dadri lynching and banning Pakistan singer regrettable; but don’t blame us: Modi

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Narendra_Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an interview to Kolkata-based Bangla language newspaper Anand Bazaar Patrika, termed the Dadri incident ‘dukhad’ (unfortunate) and questioned the logic behind blaming the Central government for the incident.

He said the Dadri incident and the banning of Pakistani singer Ghulam Ali’s concerts were regrettable, but asked if it “is it fair to blame the Centre?”

Mohammad Akhlaq was beaten to death by a mob which suspected him of having stored and consumed beef. Several members of the BJP are among the suspects in the case.

‘Always practiced secularism’

The Prime Minister said that the “BJP had always practiced secularism in any situation where there have been differences; the party has never supported anyone involved in such incidents.”

He took on the Opposition too, saying that by accusing the BJP of communalism and polarising communities, “isn’t the Opposition itself guilty of polarising the atmosphere?”

(Agencies)

Violence in Punjab after ‘desecration’ of holy book, several injured

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Police lathi charge members of Sikh groups protesting the alleged desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib in Kotkapura. (Sanjeev Kumar / Hindustan Times)

Police lathi charge members of Sikh groups protesting the alleged desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib in Kotkapura. (Sanjeev Kumar / Hindustan Times)

Faridkot: Several people were injured in a clash between Sikhs, who gathered to protest the desecration of their holy book, and the police in Punjab’s Faridkot district on Wednesday, eyewitnesses said.

Sources said that police used cane charge, water cannons and even fired in the air to disperse hundreds of protestors from the spot.

The clash took place in the main square of Kotkapura town, 230 km from here, on Wednesday when police tried to arrest leaders of the protestors.

The protestors had tried to block highways towards Moga and Bathinda towns.

The injured included protestors and police officials.

The protestors had pitched their tents in Kotkapura town since Monday to protest the alleged desecration of a ‘bir’ (holy book) of Guru Granth Sahib in Bargari village, 15 km from Kotkapura.

Tension mounted in Kotkapura area on Monday after over 100 pages of the Sikh holy book were found scattered in a street near the gurdwara.

The holy book was stolen from a gurdwara in June.

Protestors clashed with police in Buttar Kalan village of Moga district on Tuesday, leaving many injured.

Police rounded up nearly 200 protestors in Kotkapura on Tuesday but released them later.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal urged people to remain calm.

(IANS)

Lynching a man to death is small issue, says cop-turned-BJP MP

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Satyapal Singh

New Delhi: Police officer turned BJP MP Satyapal Singh today kicked up a row with his remarks calling Dadri lynching a “small incident”, evoking strong reactions from Opposition parties, which said it was a reflection of the party’s “polarisation” strategy.

“As far as a small incident like Dadri is concerned, our country’s democratic atmosphere is fully competent to handle. Our country is full competent to handle such incidents,” said Singh, who is the former Police Commissioner of Mumbai.

The BJP MP from Baghpat also said Government needs to take a view on the plight of Muslims as well as followers of other religion.

Reacting sharply to Singh’s comments on Dadri, Congress spokesperson Ajoy Kumar said it is a reflection of what the BJP was trying to do.

“I am absolutely dismayed at the remarks of the BJP MP, who was also a former Police Commissioner of Mumbai,” he said, alleging that such remarks reflect the “strategy” of BJP to “usurp” power by “polarising” communities.

SP leader Rajiv Rai demanded an apology from the BJP and alleged that it was aiming at “communal polarisation”, which would be seen more as Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections scheduled in 2017 comes closer.

He wondered if Dadri is a minor incident, what else is a big incident. “They should apologise. I am disgusted that this statement comes from an MP, who was a former police commissioner.”

50-year-old Iqlakh was dragged out of his home by a 200-strong mob and beaten to death after a public announcement from the local temple that the family had slaughtered a calf and eaten its meat in Uttar Pradesh’s Bishada village in Dadri.

The Uttar Pradesh government has submitted a report to the Centre on the issue.

Concerned over communal incidents in Dadri and other places, the Centre had last week asked all states to take strictest action against those who attempt to weaken the secular fabric by exploiting religious emotions.

The incident has triggered a nationwide outrage with a number of eminent authors deciding to return their awards.

(Agencies)

Dutch board says Russian-made missile downed MH17

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Findings do not specify who launched BUK missile which brought down passenger jet over eastern Ukraine in July 2014.

Two hundred and ninety eight people - most of them Dutch and including 80 children - died in the crash on July 17, 2014 [FILE - AP]

Two hundred and ninety eight people – most of them Dutch and including 80 children – died in the crash on July 17, 2014 [FILE – AP]

by Al Jazeera

Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was hit and downed by a Russian-made surface-to-air BUK missile over eastern Ukraine last year, the Dutch Safety Board said.

“Flight MH17 crashed as a result of the detonation of a warhead outside the airplane against the left-hand side of the cockpit,” the chairman of the Dutch Safety Board, Tjibbe Joustra, told a press conference on Tuesday.

“This warhead fits the kind of missile that is installed in the BUK surface-to-air missile system.”

While he insisted investigators had not pinned down the exact location of the missile’s launch site, maps shown to reporters clearly showed the area near Donetsk held by pro-Russian separatists.

Even before the highly-anticipated release of the official report on the disaster, Russian officials were disputing the findings which are sure to further degrade strained ties between Moscow and the West.

Joustra also hit out at the Ukrainian authorities for allowing civil aircraft to continue to fly above the eastern part of the country despite the raging conflict between Kiev’s forces and pro-Russian separatist insurgents.

Visibly shaken

“We have concluded as a precaution there was sufficient reason for the Ukrainian authorities to close the air space above the eastern part of their country,” he said.

Relatives earlier emerged visibly shaken after being privately briefed by Joustra in an conference centre in The Hague about the fate of the Boeing 777 which was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it went down on July 17 last year.

Relative Robby Oehlers said a wave of sadness had swept through the room.

“They showed us the fragments that were inside the plane,” Oehlers said, adding in the room “it was so quiet, you could have heard a pin drop.”

Findings disputed

The findings were swiftly disputed by the missile maker Almaz-Antey, which has carried out its own tests into the crash.

The Russian company had performed a test which “disputes the version of the Dutch,” and the damage to the MH17 pointed to the use of an older type of missile.

“The results of the experiment completely dispute the conclusions of the Dutch commission about the type of the rocket and the launch site,” said Yan Novikov, director of Almaz-Antey.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk meanwhile blamed Russia’s security service.

“I personally have no doubt that this was a planned operation of the Russian special services aimed at downing a civilian aircraft,” Yatsenyuk told a televised cabinet meeting.

The long-awaited findings of the board, which was not empowered to address questions of responsibility, did not specify on Tuesday who launched the missile.

All 298 people – most of them Dutch and including 80 children – died in the crash on July 17, 2014.

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