Nasheman

India's largest selling Urdu weekly, now also in English

You are here: Home / Archives for 2015

Archives for 2015

Movie Review: Brothers is strictly recommended for die hard fans of action movies

by

brothers

Director: Karan Malhotra
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Jacqueline Fernandez, Siddharth Malhotra, Jackie Shroff, Shefali Shah, Ashtosh Rana, Kiran Kumar, Ashok Lokhande et al & Kareena Kapoor – Khan in an item number.

Director Karan Malhotra in his last outing ‘Agneepath’ had made a really decent film. But his latest offering ‘Brothers’, which is an official remake of ‘Warrior’, leaves enough room for doubts. In a way he does not fully live up to the audience expectations. Besides the film has too much of blood & gore in the excessively violent street fights as well as the boxing ring fight sequences.

The loosely emotion less plotted scenario of ‘Brothers’ opens with the release of Gary (Jackie Shroff) from a jail after having served imprisonment for accidentally killing his wife Maria (Shefali Shah). Upon his release from the jail, he is received by his son Monty (Sidharth Malhotra). When Gary asks Monty about his elder son David (Akshay Kumar), the story goes into a flashback mode which reflects the past life of Gary and all the reasons & incidents that led him to be jailed. Realising his mistake, when Gary goes to David to ask for forgiveness for all his misdoings, David refuses to forgive him. David’s life now only revolves around his wife Jenny (Jacqueline Fernandez) and his 6 year old daughter Maria, who is suffering from a serious kidney ailment. It is for the treatment of Maria that David doubles up as a Physics professor as well as a street fighter. However, fearing the impression that he will leave on his students, the school authorities debar him from his job. This makes David furthermore helpless and street fighting becomes his only hope of survival. Around the same time, enters Peter (Kiran Kumar) who is all set to give the street fighting a much needed facelift in the form of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) by organising the world renowned ‘R2F’ tournament (Right To Fight) in India, which boasts of a prize money that amounts to a whopping Rs. 9 crores to the ultimate winner. Monty, who is already a street fighter, gets attracted to this contest while Paasha (Ashutosh Rana) signs up David as his fighter for the tournament. Monty receives all the possible training under his ex – fighter father Gary, on the other hand, knowing this is a lifetime opportunity David grabs it with both the hands. With no trainer guiding him, David starts his set of hardcore training for the deadly combat. The tournament begins and David & Monty beat their powerful opponents one after the other. After having defeated all the opponents, there comes a time when the final battle is between David & Monty and the one who ‘cripples’ the other will become the ultimate winner.

Incidentally speaking director Karan Malhotra deserves brickbats as wells kudos for this Hollywoodian remake. Brickbats, because he failed to convey the exact emotionalism quotient mainly because of the poorly scripted  characterisation. Kudos for his depiction of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) and also in portraying the struggles of a middle class Indian family.

Performance wise Akshay Kumar tops the list, first as a Physics lecturer and then as a street fighter and of course as an emotionally charged father too who goes to all lengths, just to save his daughter’s life. But then he lacks conviction in portraying his angst against his own father. The next towering performance, in fact his career’s best act, has been delivered by none other than Jackie Shroff. Its sad that Siddharth Malhotra has been pitied against the 2 excellent performers namely Akshay Kumar & Jackie Shroff. Yet Sidharth Malhotra has stood his ground and delivered a credible performance. Jacqueline Fernandez as a de – glamorised mother, her career’s first, of a 6 year old ailing kid has delivered a very realistic & convincing performance. On the other hand Shefali Shah has delivered an excellent performance in her strong albeit briefest role. The other notable performances has come from seasoned actor’s like Kiran Kumar, Ashutosh Rana et al. By the way a special well – deserved mention must also be made of the child artistes
and the young actors who have played the childhood and the younger versions of Akshay Kumar & Siddharth Malhotra respectively.

Tail Piece: Strictly recommended for lovers of action films & fans of Akshay, Jacqueline & Siddharth. Period!

Movie Review: Gour Hari Dastaan – The Freedom File is a brilliantly crafted film that are made once in a lifetime

by

gour-hari-dastaan-the-freedom-file

Banner: Siddhivinayak Cinevision
Producers: Sachin Khanolkar & Bindiya Khanolkar
Director: Ananth Narayan Mahadevan
Cast: Vinay Pathak, Konkana Sen Sharma, Ranveer Shorey, Tanishtha Chatterji, Asrani, Rajit Kapur, Vikram Gokhale, Neha Pendse, Vinay Apte, Mohan Kapur, Achint Kaur, Khusboo, Viju Khote, Vipin Sharma, Neena Kulkarni, Bharat Dhabolkar, Ganesh Yadav, Murli Sharma, Siddharth Jadhav & Gary Richardson
Music: Dr. L. Subramaniam

Anant Narayan Mahadevan, an actor – director of repute & one who has also delivered milestone gems earlier, in his latest directorial offering ‘Gour Hari Dastaan – The Freedom File’ has depicted the painstaking struggle, of over 3 decades, of an ex – freedom fighter Gour Hari Das to get his overdue rights of being properly & lawfully recognised as one of the original freedom fighter by the Indian Government. The film has been brilliantly crafted portraying all the right nuances, of a helpless man, at the right places & at the right time.

Gour Hari Das (Vinay Pathak) an ex – freedom fighter from Odisha is now residing in Mumbai & working in Khadi Kraft. He is living a happy life with his wife (Konkana Sen Sharma) & son. But somewhere along the way he is also troubled by the fact that no one believes him or takes him to be an ex – freedom fighter. So along with his Khadi Kraft job he also struggles, by running from pillar to post, to get his Tamrapatra, given by the Goverment to ex – freedom fighters in recognition of taking part in India’s struggle for Independence from the British Raj, which will ultimately prove that he was indeed an ex – freedom fighter and had also gone to jail in the process. Little did Gour Hari Das knew that he will also get viciously caught in the beaucratic web. At last his over 3 decades of the painstaking struggle ends and he ends up getting his due recognition, in the process of which he is also helped by 2 media guys namely Ranveer Shorey & Tanishtha Chatterjee and many others. While there have also been people who have discouraged him in fulfilling his mission.

As a director Ananth Narayan Mahadevan indeed deserves a salutation oriented standing ovation for presenting on the celluloid silver screen, a real life saga of an ex – freedom fighter named Gour Hari Das now residing in Dahisar. That apart the producers duo of Sachin Khanolkar & Bindiya Khanolkar also deserves full marks for backing director Ananth Narayan Mahadevan’s ambitious & heart touching project. For over a year the film ‘Gour Hari Dastaan – The Freedom File’ has been doing the Indian & global Fest circuit rounds and bagging awards & adulations galore. But though the film will be liked by the elite & the classy cine goers, its main drawback is its exceedingly slow pace Which may not appeal to the masses.

Performance wise Vinay Pathak has delivered an extraordinnaire performance by literally living the life of a forgotten hero Gour Hari Das on the celluloid silver screen. His complete transformation as the real hero Gour Hari Das is really seen to be believed and speaks volumes of his histrionic prowess. In fact he really walks away with all the acting honours. The rest of the cast comprising of veterans as well as others like Konkana Sen Sharma, Ranveer Shorey, Tanishtha Chatterji, Asrani, Rajit Kapur, Vikram Gokhale, Neha Pendse, Vinay Apte, Mohan Kapur, Achint Kaur, Khusboo, Viju Khote, Vipin Sharma, Neena Kulkarni, Bharat Dhabolkar, Ganesh Yadav, Murli Sharma, Siddharth Jadhav & Gary Richardson have formed a picture perfect foil to Vinay Pathak’s Gour Hari Das, albeit in their briefest cameo roles.

Tail Piece: As mentioned earlier ‘Gour Hari Dastaan – The Freedom File’ is primarily meant for the classes and not for the masses. Besides at the box office it may not set the cash registers ringing, but it will certainly shower awards galore for director Ananth Narayan Mahadevan.

Congress slams Modi for targeting previous govts on foreign soil

by

modi-uae

New Delhi: Congress today hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his barb on foreign soil that he inherited “lethargy” from previous governments, saying he should have desisted from raking up domestic politics abroad.

“Prime Minister should have maintained dignity of the high office he holds. There is no problem if he targets previous governments when he is in the country. But he should have refrained from doing so on foreign soil”, party spokesman Meem Afzal said.

Afzal said that it was not proper for Modi to rake up domestic politics abroad despite repeated uproar by the opposition for his earlier such actions.

The Prime Minister, who is the UAE, said, “I have got some problems in legacy. I cannot take only the good points and leave aside the problems… Some things were stalled due to the indecisiveness and lethargy of the governments (in the last)… It is my priority to kickstart those things”.

Noting that the Prime Minister had visited the historic Sheikh Zayed Grand mosque, the world’s third largest, during the visit, Afzal said it would be good if he visited a mosque in India too.

Another Congress spokesman Sanjay Jha tweeted, “It is abominable that PM Modi continues his pathetic lowbrow jibes at opposition party when abroad. A huge embarrassment”

The Prime Minister, on a visit to attract investments from the UAE, told the business community there that all leading institutions like IMF, World Bank and Moody’s agree that India is the world’s fastest growing economy.

Afzal reminded the PM that the vast growth in the trade turnover with UAE from 160 million dollars to 60 billion dollars was mainly due to the efforts by the earlier governments, including those of the UPA.

“India receives 10 billion dollars remittances annually from 26 lakh NRIs in the UAE which invests 15 billion dollars in the Gulf country”, he said.

(PTI)

PM Modi offers $1 trillion investment opportunity to UAE

by

Modi

Masdar: Inviting investors from UAE, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said India has an immediate investment opportunity of USD 1 trillion and the government will take urgent steps to address concerns of the businessmen from this country and erase “deficit of 34 years”.

Modi also said his government has got some problems in legacy and his immediate priority would be to kickstart the things which were stalled by the “indecisiveness and lethargy” of the past governments.

“I have got some problems in legacy. I can not take only the good points and leave aside the problems… Some things were stalled due to the indecisiveness and lethargy of the governments (in the last)… It is my priority to kickstart those things,” Modi said while addressing the business leaders from the UAE here at the Masdar City.

Modi, who is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit UAE in the last 34 years, said India has huge investment opportunities for investors from the UAE in sectors like infrastructure, energy and real estate and urged them to come to invest in India and together make the 21st century ‘Asia’s Century’.

The Prime Minister said all major global institutions such as IMF, World Bank and Moody’s agree that India is the world’s fastest growing economy and it has huge development potential.

“On one hand India is growing fast and on the other hand, the world is looking at Asia. But is Asia complete without UAE? I can clearly see that the UAE should be at the centre of mainstream of things in Asia. UAE’s power and India’s potential can make it Asia’s century,” he said.

Modi said he has been told about some problems being faced by investors from the UAE and he wants to assure them that the government is solving those problems.

“I will send my Commerce Minister to try and find solutions to the problems faced by some UAE investors,” he said.

The investors told the Prime Minister that they need steps like single window clearance and cited cumbersome and complex processes for doing business in India. To this, Modi assured that these problems will be resolved.

In their meeting with the Prime Minister, the businessmen also said that the government needs to be a strategic partner to create a conducive business environment for the investors who need safety of their investments.

The issue assumes significance as a number of investors, including some from the Middle-East region, have in the past faced problems due to taxation and policy related issues.

Modi said he needs investments to build infrastructure for India’s growth and “there is immediate potential for investments totalling USD 1 trillion in India.”

Stating that he is well aware of the fact that USD 1 trillion is a big number, Modi said such investments can very well come to India as it has now got a decisive and stable government.

Talking about no Indian Prime Minister having visited the UAE in the last 34 years, Modi said, “We have lost 34 years. I want to erase the deficit of these 34 years. I want all of you to come to India and make 21st Century Asia’s century.”

Modi said there are 700 flights between India and UAE, but but it took 34 years for an Indian Prime Minister to visit. “I promise this will not happen again,” he said.

Those present in the meeting included members of Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, top government officials and Indian origin industrialists including Yusuff Ali, B R Shetty, Ravi Pillai and PNC Menon who have set up businesses here.

Listing out investment areas, Modi said, “We want technology, speed and quality construction when it comes to housing. Low-cost housing is very important for us.

“It is now commonly believed that India is one of the fastest growing economies. There are several opportunities of development in India.

“I feel India is a land of many opportunities… 125 crore people of India are not a market but they are a source of great strength.”

“In the agriculture sector we need cold storage network and warehousing network where UAE businesses have another advantage. Infrastructure development and real estate offer tremendous opportunities for UAE businesses in India.

UAE’s power and India’s potential can make the dream of an Asian Century a reality.” Addressing the roundtable meeting of business leaders at this planned city project in Abu Dhabi, which relies on solar energy and other renewable energy sources, Modi said several sectors including insurance, railways, defence manufacturing have been opened up for foreign investment in India.

Heads of companies like Etisalat, Etihad Airways, Emirates, DP World, Commercial Bank of Dubai and Emaar Group were also present during the meeting.

Modi also talked about renewable energy, port-led development and low-cost housing as sectors with huge investment potential.

Earlier, the Prime Minister was accompanied on an hour-long visit of Masdar City, by senior City officials, who briefed him on various aspects of the project.

Modi also travelled briefly on the PRT (Personnel Rapid Transit) car – a driver-less vehicle which runs from point to point on magnetic strips.

He also visited the Micro-Nano Fabrication Facility and the Microscopy Lab. The Prime Minister also took a brief walking tour of the city’s public spaces and was briefed on the sustainable building methodology and key architectural elements.

Throughout the hour-long tour of Masdar City, Modi was greeted by residents and professionals in the city, which include a large number of members from the Indian community. “Vigyan Jeevan Hai” he wrote, as he signed on a Digital Visitor’s Book at Masdar City.

(Agencies)

Enhanced ex-gratia for 1984 victims from Monday: Arvind Kejriwal

by

Arvind Kejriwal

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Saturday that the enhanced ex-gratia amount of Rs.5 lakh to the kin of the 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims will be distributed from Monday.

Delivering his first Independence Day speech as chief minister, the Aam Aadmi Party leader also praised Home Minister Rajnath Singh for making efforts to secure the enhanced compensation and said he would request the minister to give away the first cheque. “The first cheque will be distributed on Monday,” Kejriwal said.

“I appreciate Rajnath Singh’s efforts behind the enhanced compensation. I will try to have the first cheque given away by Rajnath Singh,” he said. As per official records, 3,325 people were killed in riots that broke out across the country after two Sikh bodyguards shot dead then prime minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, triggering mob attacks on innocent Sikhs. Of them, 2,733 were killed in Delhi, which was the worst hit in the mayhem. Killings also took place in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan among other states.

In 2006, the UPA government announced a Rs.717 crore rehabilitation package for the riot victims. Of this, only Rs.517 crore was disbursed and the remaining Rs.200 crore got bogged down because of disputes over claimants. An additional relief of Rs.5 lakh was announced by Rajnath Singh in October last year.

(IANS)

Saluting Courage: Memorial for Vasant Rajab

by

Vasant Rajab

Gujarat violence (2002) was horrific. In this, after the burning of train in Godhra in which 58 innocents died, the same tragedy was made the pretext to launch the massive violence in which over one thousand people perished. In the aftermath of that I got many occasions to visit different parts of Gujarat and also to come to know about two legendary youth who had laid down their life to protect the people when the communal violence was going on in Ahmadabad in July 1946. These two young men, Vasant Rao Hegishte and Rajab Ali Lakhani, close friends and workers of Congress Seva Dal, came to the streets to stop the killings. Vasant Rao trying to protect Muslims and Rajab Ali stood firm to save the Hindus. Both were done to death by the mobs.

The activists in Gujarat started celebrating 1st July as the day of communal harmony. Recognizing this fact government in Gujarat has raised a memorial in their memory, Bandhutva Smarak (Brotherhood Memorial). In the news of coverage of this program what struck me was that while Vasant Rao’s relatives were present for the program, the relatives of Rajab Ali were not there.

The acts of violence continued in the country after 1946 with increasing intensity. Relatives of Rajab Ali were targeted in the subsequent violence to the extent that first they started concealing their relationship with Rajab Ali, then started assuming Hindu names and finally some of them not only adopted Hindu religion, but also migrated to Canada and US! The person who stood for the amity of religious communities must not have envisaged that while he stood for such noble values, his own kin will be subject of attack by the divisive elements. This also reflects the trajectory of events where in India the Hindu-Muslim violence led to the condition where Muslims started feeling insecure. This in turn led ghettoisation. Today the percentage of religious minorities as the victim of communal violence is number of times more than their percentage in population. The ministry of Home affairs data of 1991, quoted by researches show that while Muslims were 12 odd percent in population then, they formed over 80% as the victims of communal violence.

In the aftermath of Gujarat violence one also saw that while a large number of prominent Hindus and Muslims were part of peace efforts, at the level also activists of both communities came forward for peace efforts. Today with the new Government in power the number of communal incidents has gone up by 25% right in just one year. The overall direction of the intercommunity relations is on trial and the fate of peace maker Rajab Ali’s kin is a sad reminder of the state of affairs.

Communal violence, violence in the name of religion, has been the cancerous phenomenon, which came into being with the colonial policies of British, policy of ‘divide and rule’. They introduced communal historiography where the religion of king became the central marker of his rule and his major policies related to taxation were down played. Kingdoms’ central focus of power and wealth was substituted by ‘religious identity’ and this was picked up by communal organizations. These communal organizations remained aloof from freedom movement and did their best in spreading hate against the ‘other’ religious community. Communal clashes began and there by a ‘social common sense’, which looks down on the other community; became the norm. The prevalence of myths, stereotypes, biases against minorities came in handy for the practitioners of communal politics in instigating the violence. The conclusions of investigation of communal violence and lately Yale University study tells us that, the areas where the violence takes place, the instigating communal organization becomes electorally strong and that’s what we are witnessing in India today. Climbing the ladder of violence the communal organizations come to the seat of power.

With increasing violence many a leaders voiced their concern for peace and amity. Gandhi and his close associates were the main force for promoting amity, Hindu Muslim Unity being the central credo of Gandhi’s politics. Notwithstanding that; violence went on rising in intensity and people like Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi went to the extent of laying down their lives to quell the riots, to save the innocents’, that’s what the victims of communal violence are.

Today we are in a phase where the violence has changed its form; from the massive bloody phenomenon to sub-radar actions where the minorities get intimidated on some issue of mosque or a church or eating beef or some other social practice. The major goal of communal forces is to polarize the communities along the religious lines.

What would a Gandhi have done in such a scenario? Many an experiments in peace have been floated, Mohalla Committees (Area level intercommunity committee), Shanti Sena (Peace Army), Awareness programs about need for harmony, interfaith dialogues, intercommunity celebration of religious festivals, promotion of films on harmony, Kabir Festivals have been popular amongst others. Social activists have also focused on getting justice for the victims of violence and promoting people to come together for programs cutting across religious lines. How to undo the ghettoization, how to create an awareness for amity overcoming negative perceptions does remain a challenge today, greater than ever before. The issue needs to be addressed to ensure that the likes of Rajab Ali’s kin do not have to hide or change their identity.

Revealed: Pentagon blocking release of cleared Guantánamo detainees

by

Exclusive reporting by the Guardian reveals that the U.S. government is intentionally “dragging its feet” on allowing Shaker Aamer, others to go home

Demonstrators call for the release of cleared Guantanamo Bay detainee Shaker Aamer. (Photo: Justin Norman/flickr/cc)

Demonstrators call for the release of cleared Guantanamo Bay detainee Shaker Aamer. (Photo: Justin Norman/flickr/cc)

by Nadia Prupis, Common Dreams

The U.S. Pentagon is blocking the release of Guantánamo Bay detainees who have been cleared to return home through diplomatic deals between the U.S. and UK governments, the Guardian revealed on Thursday in an exclusive report.

Among those detainees is Shaker Aamer, a Saudi citizen and UK resident who has been held at the U.S. military base in Cuba for more than 13 years without charge and has twice been cleared for release. In 2010, the Pentagon itself participated in a federal review of Aamer’s case, as well as that of another detainee, both of whom were deemed to pose no threat to national security and cleared to go home.

But as one official told the Guardian, the U.S. government’s defense secretaries have been playing “foot-dragging and process games” to keep the diplomatic deals that secured his release from going through.

The Guardian reports:

Pentagon chief Ashton Carter, backed by powerful US militaryofficers, have withheld support for sending Aamer back to the UK. The ongoing obstruction has left current and former US officials who consider the detainees a minimal threat seething, as they see it undermining relations with Britain and other foreign partners while subverting from the inside Obama’s long-stifled goal of closing the infamous detention facility.

[….] The transfers have the backing of the US Justice Department, the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

But since White House rules depend on full administration consensus, Aamer remains at Guantánamo until Carter and the Pentagon say otherwise.

The Pentagon is also blocking the release of Ahmed Ould Abdel Aziz of Mauritania and Abdul Shalabi of Saudi Arabia. Carter has yet to sign the diplomatic deals already brokered between the U.S. and the men’s home countries which would enable their release.

Aamer’s case has drawn widespread support from human rights groups and peace activists. A campaign for his release, which operates under the banner Save Shaker Aamer, stages regular actions and protests to call attention to his continued illegal detention. According to legal charity Reprieve, which represents Aamer, he has been subject to force-feedings, solitary confinement, and beatings by guards up to eight times a day while in custody at Guantánamo Bay.

Climate change ‘set to fuel global food crisis’

by

Global food shortages to become three times more likely due to climate change, according to report by US and UK experts.

Global food

by Al Jazeera

Global food shortages will become three times more likely as a result of climate change according to a report by a joint US-British taskforce, which warned that the international community needs to be ready to respond to potentially dramatic future rises in prices.

Food shortages, market volatility and price spikes are likely to occur at an exponentially higher rate of every 30 years by 2040, said the Taskforce on Extreme Weather and Global Food System Resilience.

With the world’s population set to rise to nine billion by 2050 from 7.3 billion today, food production will need to increase by more than 60 percent and climate-linked market disruptions could lead to civil unrest, the report, published on Friday, said.

“The climate is changing and weather records are being broken all the time,” said David King, the UK foreign minister’s Special Representative for Climate Change.

“The risks of an event are growing, and it could be unprecedented in scale and extent.”

Globalisation and new technologies have made the world’s food system more efficient but it has also become less resilient to risks, said King.

Some of the major risks include a rapid rise in oil prices fuelling food costs, reduced export capacity in Brazil, the US or the Black Sea region due to infrastructure weakness, and the possible depreciation of the US dollar causing prices for dollar-listed commodities to spike.

Global food production is likely to be most impacted by extreme weather events in North and South America and Asia which produce most of the world’s four major crops – maize, soybean, wheat and rice, the report found.

Such shocks in production or price hikes are likely to hit some of the world’s poorest nations hardest such as import dependent countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the report found.

‘Violence or conflict’

“In fragile political contexts where household food insecurity is high, civil unrest might spill over into violence or conflict,” the report said.

“The Middle East and North Africa region is of particular systemic concern, given its exposure to international price volatility and risk of instability, its vulnerability to import disruption and the potential for interruption of energy exports.”

To ease the pain of increasingly likely shocks, the report urged countries not to impose export restrictions in the event of extreme weather, as Russia did following a poor harvest in 2010.

The researchers said agriculture itself needs to change to respond to global warming as international demand is already growing faster than agricultural yields and climate change will put further pressure on production.

“Increases in productivity, sustainability and resilience to climate change are required,” the report said.

This will require significant investment from the public and private sectors, as well as new cross-sector collaborations.”

China orders evacuations as chemical fears grow

by

Fire re-ignites at site of twin blasts in Tianjin, as death toll rises to 85, with more than 700 wounded.

china

by Al Jazeera

Residents living close to the site of giant explosions in the Chinese port of Tianjin have been evacuated over fears of toxic contamination as new fires ignited.

Armed police were carrying out evacuations within 3km of the blast site on Saturday after highly poisonous sodium cyanide was found, the Beijing News said.

The blaze ignited again at the warehouse where the blasts struck on Wednesday night, with several small blasts heard by reporters from the Xinhua state news agency.

“Out of consideration for toxic substances spreading, the masses nearby have been asked to evacuate,” Xinhua reported.

Authorities announced on Saturday that the death toll has risen to 85, with more than 700 others still being treated in hospitals, including 25 who are in critical condition and 33 who are in serious condition.

A survivor was pulled from a shipping container on Saturday morning, state media reported. His identity was not immediately known. Television video showed the man being carried out on a sketcher by a group of soldiers wearing gas masks.

A team of chemical experts has been called in to the site to test for toxic gases.

Shockwaves from the blasts late on Wednesday were felt by residents in apartment blocks kilometres away in the city of 15 million people.

Furious residents and victims’ relatives railed against authorities outside a news conference on Saturday for keeping them in the dark as criticism over transparency mounted.

Residents and relatives were prevented from entering the press conference and could be heard shouting outside.

“Nobody has told us anything, we’re in the dark, there is no news at all,” screamed one middle-aged woman, as she was dragged away by security personnel.

The man survived for three days in a shipping container following the blasts [Reuters]

China has a patchy industrial safety record and the disaster has raised fears of toxic contamination after officials said they were unable to identify precisely what chemicals were at the site at the time.

Tianjin work safety official Gao Huaiyou listed a host of possible substances at the briefing, adding that the firm’s recent large exports had included sodium bisulfide, magnesium, sodium, potassium nitrate, ammonium nitrate, and sodium cyanide, among others.

China on Friday defended the work of firefighters who initially hosed water on a blaze in a warehouse storing volatile chemicals, a response foreign experts said could have contributed to the explosions.

The explosions have disrupted the flow of cars, oil, iron ore and other items through the world’s 10th largest port.

The blast sent shipping containers tumbling into one another, leaving them in bent, charred piles.

Rows of new cars, lined up on vast lots for distribution across China, were reduced to blackened carcasses.

Tianjin is the 10th largest port in the world by container volume and the seventh largest in China, according to the World Shipping Council, moving more containers than the ports of Rotterdam, Hamburg and Los Angeles.

It handles vast quantities of metal ore, coal, steel, cars and crude oil.

Authorities have only released limited information about the accident, a criticism often levelled at Chinese officials in the aftermath of disasters, and restricted discussion of it online.

More than 360 social media accounts have been shut down or suspended for “spreading rumours” about the blasts, Xinhua reported citing the Cyberspace Administration of China.

Karnataka: File report on farmer deaths, HC tells State Government

by

karnataka high court

Bengaluru: State government has been asked to file an affidavit in two weeks listing out the measures taken to prevent farmers from committing suicide by High Court on Friday.

The directive came from a division bench of acting Chief Justice Subhro Kamal Mukherjee and Justice B V Nagarathna which was hearing the PIL filed by the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority over non-implementation of programmes launched for farmers such as Suvarna bhoomi.

Advocate Poonam Patil, representing KSLSA, drew the attention of the bench to the issues of farmers. Advocate General Ravivarma Kumar sought two weeks’ time to file the affidavit. Kumar told the court that the state is facing severe drought. He also said that the farmers are further stressed due to falling prices of sugar — it has dropped from Rs 30 to Rs 20 per kg — and non-payment of dues by sugar mills.

(Agencies)

KNOW US

GET INVOLVED

PROMOTE

Archives