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Dadri lynching was premeditated, moral policing spreading fast: Minorities panel

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Dadri

New Delhi: The lynching of man in Dadri last month strongly appeared to be the result of “pre-meditated planning” under which people were incited using a temple, the National Minorities Commission has said.

In its report, the minority panel also described as “disturbing” the “irreponsible comments” by politicians to make “capital” out of it

In an obvious reference to statements made by Union Minister Mahesh Sharma and some other BJP leaders following the lyching of Mohammed Iqlakh over rumours of beef eating that triggered a nation-wide outrage, the NCM said it will be “quite an understatement” to say the killing was merely an “accident as has been claimed even by some persons in authority”

A three-member team of the Commission headed by its chairman Naseem Ahmad had visited Bishada village near Dadri in Uttar Pradesh and interacted with family members of the victim, the concerned authorities and locals

“The team feels that a crowd of large numbers appearing within minutes of an announcement from temple’s loudspeaker and at a time when most villagers claimed they were asleep seems to point to some pre-meditated planning

“The facts as reported to the NCM team point strongly that the whole episode was the result of a planning in which a sacred place like temple was used for exhorting people of one community to attack a hapless family,” the report said

Quoting district officials, the NCM noted that two more attempts had been made to “incite” people by spreading a rumour that a cow had been killed but police responded instantly and did not allow the situation to escalate

50-year-old Iqlakh was beaten to death and his 22-year-old son Danish was critically injured by a 200-strong mob on September 28 following rumours that the family had consumed and stored beef

In an apparent criticism of BJP leaders who made controversial comments after the incident, the NCM said such statements further “vitiate” the relations between different communities and this should be stopped at all cost or “things will go out of hand”

What is more “disturbing”, the report said, is that “responsible persons converge at the place of any such incident and make irresponsible statements that further vitiates the relations between communities”

“All the political establishments need to counsel their cadres and sympathisers to desist from making irresponsible statements and making capital out of such outrages,” it said

The malaise of moral policing was spreading fast, especially in Western UP, it said and sought vigilance and curb on the use of social media as it was being extensively used to flare up communal passions.

(PTI)

Lynching, killing cannot damage Hindu culture: Mohan Bhagwat

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Mohan Bhagwat

Nagpur: With Dadri-like incidents triggering outrage, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat today said such “small episodes” cannot damage “Hindu culture” and praised the Modi government for ushering in hope and confidence in the country and enhancing India’s standing abroad.

 

In his annual Dussehra address at RSS headquarters here, Bhagwat hailed Dalit ikon B R Ambedkar for making provisions in Constitution to remove social and economic inequality faced by the weaker sections, a reference to the quota system, whose review he had recently suggested that pushed BJP on the backfoot in Bihar polls.

In his 55-minute speech, telecast live by Doordarshan for the second consecutive year, he also called for a holistic discussion on population, saying its continuous rise becomes a burden.

“Small episodes happen. They get exaggerated and presented in a big way… Small incidents keep happening but it does not distort Indian culture, Hindu culture. Since time immemorial, it respects diversity, coordinates among diversities to establish unity… This is Hindutva,” he said.

“Our country has stood as one and will stand as one. The Sangh has been doing the work of keeping the nation one on the basis of Hindutva for the last 90 years,” he said.

Bhagwat, however, refrained from making any direct reference to recent incidents of communal and caste tensions.

With several fringe Hindutva elements repeatedly demanding a curb on Muslim population, Bhagwat, without naming any community, favoured a “uniform population policy which is applicable to all”.

He deplored that no holistic discussion has taken place in the country on controlling population.

“With rise in population, the burden on the country will grow. Population growth can be an asset too. If we have more mouths to feed, we will also have more hands to work. We have to plan for 50 years hence. How to provide for the education and health of the people,” he said.

Praising the Centre, he said it had brought about hope and confidence among people that had hit rock bottom under the previous government and spoke about the pet schemes of the Modi government like Jan Dhan, Swachh Bharat and Mudra bank.

(Agencies)

If a dog is stoned, don’t blame govt: VK Singh on Dalit children’s killings

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vk singh

New Delhi: The government has nothing to do with the murder of the two Dalit children in Haryana, Union Minister VK Singh said today. And in an afterthought that is expected to land him in controversy, added, “If someone throws stones at a dog, the government is not responsible”.

Asked if the government has failed in view of the Monday’s killings on the sidelines of an event in Ghaziabad, Mr Singh said, “Don’t connect the government with it. It was a feud between two families, the matter in under inquiry.”

The administration failed there, the minister said, then added the controversial comment. Haryana is ruled by the BJP, Mr Singh’s party.

The children — two-and-a-half year old Vaibhav and 11-month-old Divya – had died after their house was set on fire, allegedly by members of an upper caste community at a village in Haryana near Delhi, on Monday. Their father — who sustained burn injuries to save them — said petrol was poured through the window and the house was set on fire.

While Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar put off his to Sonped yesterday in view of the escalating protests in the area, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had met the family and launched a scathing attack on Mr Khattar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and their party, the BJP.

“This is an attitude shared by Prime Minister, the Chief Minister, the BJP and the RSS — If somebody is weak, they can be crushed. What you are seeing is the result of this attitude,” he said. “They are weak and poor, that is why they are being treated like this. This is not the government of the weak.”

Under attack from the opposition, the Haryana government has asked for an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the deaths. Seven people have been arrested in the case so far.

The children were cremated on Wednesday evening, after daylong protests by the locals and the blockade of a national highway.

(Agencies)

Cricketer Amit Mishra accused of sexually assaulting Bengaluru woman

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Amit Mishra

New Delhi: Indian leg-spinner Amit Mishra has been accused of allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in Bengaluru.

Bengaluru Police has summoned Mishra and has directed him to appear within seven days regarding the case. A complaint was registered in Ashok Nagar Police Station, Bengaluru.

“We have shot off a notice, summoning India cricketer Amit Mishra for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in the city last month,” Deputy Commissioner of Police, Central, Sandeep Patil said.

“The woman in her complaint had alleged that she was sexually assaulted after she had visited the cricketer’s room,” the DCP said.
The tweaker was in the city last month for training when he had met the woman, Patil said.

It is learnt that the incident took place in September in Bengaluru.

Mishra is a part of the Indian team which is playing the Mahatma Gandhi-Nelson Mandela series against South Africa on their home soil.

(Agencies)

Ahmed the clockmaker is moving to Qatar to study

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Teenage student, who was arrested in Texas after taking a homemade clock to school, accepts scholarship offer in Doha.

Many believe Mohamed's arrest was influenced by bias against his Muslim religion [AP]

Many believe Mohamed’s arrest was influenced by bias against his Muslim religion [AP]

by Al Jazeera

An American boy arrested for bringing a homemade clock to his Texas school, that was mistaken for a bomb, is moving to Qatar after accepting a scholarship offer to study there.

Fourteen-year-old Ahmed Mohamed’s family announced the move in a statement on Tuesday, a few hours after he was at the White House for an astronomy night hosted by President Barack Obama.

The bespectacled ninth-grader became a global sensation after his September arrest, which many believe was influenced by bias against his Muslim religion.

Mohamed accepted an offer from the Qatar Foundation to study in its Young Innovators Programme.

“This means, that we, as a family, will relocate to Qatar where Ahmed will receive a full scholarship for secondary and undergraduate education,” his family said in a statement.

Mohamed visited Doha earlier in the month and has been on a worldwide tour, visiting a number of foreign dignitaries, including Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, according to Sudanese media.

A statement released by the Qatar Foundation on Tuesday said the Young Innovators Programme “encourages recipients to follow their aspirations in education while fostering a culture of innovation and creativity”.

Quoted in the Qatar Foundation’s statement , Mohamed said, “I was really impressed with everything that Qatar Foundation has to offer and the campuses are really cool.

“I got to meet other kids who are also really interested in science and technology. I think I will learn a lot and also have lots of fun there.”

At the White House on Monday night, Obama briefly met Mohamed as he shook hands with students at the event, giving the student a hug.

At the time of the arrest, Obama’s Twitter feed had a message of support for Mohammed, which read: “Cool clock, Ahmed. Want to bring it to the White House? We should inspire more kids like you to like science. It’s what makes America great.”

“It was amazing, and a honour meeting President Obama,” Mohamed said on Twitter after meeting Obama.

Syria’s Assad in surprise visit to Moscow

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President Assad visits Russian President Putin, believed to be his first trip abroad since the start of the war in 2011.

assad-putin

by Al Jazeera

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad flew into Moscow on Tuesday for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in what is believed to be his first trip abroad since start of the war in 2011.

The leaders discussed their joint military campaign against rebels in Syria, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday, calling the meeting a “working visit”.

The Syrian presidency confirmed that Assad and Putin held three meetings in which Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Defence Minister Sergey Shoygu were present.

After the meetings, Putin said he was hopeful that a solution may be reached for the war in Syria, where Russia has been carrying out air strikes since the end of September.

“We assume that a long-term solution may be reached on the basis of the latest military developments and political process with participation from all political, ethnic and religious groups,” Putin said.

“This decision can be made only by the Syrian people. Syria is a friendly country. And we are ready to support it not only militarily but politically as well.”

It appears the Kremlin waited for the Syrian leader to return home before breaking the news of the one-day visit.

Political steps

The Syrian leader stressed the importance of “further political steps,” according to a Kremlin statement.

He thanked Putin for his decision to launch its air campaign in Syria on September 30, Russia’s first military foray outside the former Soviet Union since its occupation of Afghanistan in 1979.

“I need to say that the political steps which Russia has taken since the start of the crisis prevented the events in Syria from developing along a more tragic scenario,” Assad said in quotes released by the Kremlin.

“Terrorism which has now spread through the region would have consumed much larger areas and would have spread throughout much more territory if it were not for your actions and your decisions,” he said in comments translated into Russian.

About 250,000 people have been killed since the conflict first began in March 2011, and half the population has been made homeless.

Putin said it was the Syrian people that should decide the fate of their country.

“At the end of the day a long-term settlement can be achieved on the basis of a political process with the participation of all political forces, ethnic and religious groups,” the Kremlin strongman said.

“And ultimately, the final word no doubt should rest solely with the Syrian people.”

‘Assad’s departure needed’

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Wednesday said a transition was needed in Syria which guaranteed the departure of Assad.

Davutoglu said there was no change in Turkey’s position that Assad’s government had lost legitimacy.

He was responding to questions from reporters after senior government officials said on Tuesday that Ankara was ready to accept a political transition in which Assad remains in symbolic power for six months before leaving office.

Foreign Films Round Up

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GRAN HOTEL

IRAN PICKS RISE OF ISLAM EPIC ‘MUHAMMED: THE MESSENGER OF GOD’

Iran has selected ‘Muhammad: The Messenger Of God’, the controversial blockbuster about the birth & the rise of Islam directed by Majid Majidi, as its entry for the foreign language Academy Award. Considered the most expensive Iranian movie ever made, the $40 million epic was lensed by Vittorio Storaro and features a score by Indian composer Allah Rakha Rahman. The film recently prompted a fatwa from a Muslim group in India and has also sparked other forms of disapproval from Sunni religious authorities. Many Muslims consider any depiction of Muhammad to be taboo, even fleeting glimpses, such as those in the film. Iran is largely Islam, with the vast majority belonging to the Shiite sect. The partly Government financed ‘Muhammad: The Messenger Of God’ is playing on more than half of Iran’s roughly 320 screens after opening the Montreal Film Festival on 27 Aug, 2015. Box office receipts have hit over 70 billion Iranian Rials, roughly $2 million in 1 month, according to the Government controlled Tehran Times. If that figure is accurate, it’s a nice haul. The Muslim ban on images of Muhammad caused concern in Iran during the 7 year gestation of the religious blockbuster, which depicts the future prophet from birth through the age of 12. In her review, Variety critic Alissa Simon wrote, “Majidi respects Islamic convention by never showing Muhammad’s face and shooting him mostly from the back.” Majidi has said that through the biopic, he aimed to remove the “violent image” of Islam created by jihadist groups.

“PLAYMOBIL” PRODUCTION LAUNCHED

Backed by Wild Bunch & Pathe, Dimitri Rassam & Aton Soumache’s Paris based ON Animation Studios has launched the production of $75 million franchise based movie ‘Playmobil: Robbers, Thieves & Rebels’ on the heels of Toronto, where the project was snatched up by a flurry of international distributors. Cross Creek has acquired distribution rights to ‘Playmobil: Robbers, Thieves & Rebels’ for a wide release in US. The tiny – toy movie follows Lego’s big screen lead. ‘The Lego Movie’ opened to a whopping $69.1 million and grossed $468.8 million worldwide last year. Following a short story presentation at Toronto, ‘Playmobil: Robbers, Thieves & Rebels’, the ambitious 1st animated feature based on the iconic toy brand, locked pre -sales in other major territories, including Germany (Concorde), Latin America (Leda), Benelux (Belga), Switzerland (Impuls) & Middle East (Shooting Stars). Pathe will release the movie in France, while Vincent Maraval’s Wild Bunch handles international sales and will seal more deals at AFM in Nov, 2015.

LANTICA TO CO – PRODUCE ‘GRAN HOTEL’

Driving into higher end international drama under Chris Philip, tapped Jan, 2015 to head up production & distribution, Televisa USA is teaming with Lantica Media to adapt & co -produce TV series format ‘Gran Hotel’. From an original screenplay by Stephen Kornish, Televisa USA’s ‘Gran Hotel’ will be transposed from the original’s Spanish Belle Epoque milieu to the licentious 1950s pre -Castro Havana. Series will be shot at Lantica’s Pinewood Dominican Republic Studios. Lantica are now all set to co -develop & co – finance multiple projects with global producer & distributor Televisa USA. “We are thrilled to be in business with Televisa USA on this and future projects, said Antonio Gennari, CEO of Lantica Media. A romantic murder mystery melding danger & passion, Televisa USA’s ‘Gran Hotel’ 1950s Havana will forseebly amp up format’s crime gristle & licentiousness: Many Havana hotels were built by the mob, including Cuban kingpin Meyer Lansky, taking advantage of lax Cuban gambling laws. In plot, ‘Gran Hotel’ will turn on Julio who, following his sister’s disappearance, ends up searching for her at the opulent Gran Hotel in Havana, where he falls into the arms of the sexy daughter of its wealthy owner.

‘THE WALK’ HEADS TO ROME

Robert Zemeckis’ ‘The Walk’ which opens the New York Film Festival this Sat, will launch into Italy from the Rome Film Festival which has secured several other Italo bows of pics with Oscar buzz and will honor hot Chilean auteur Pablo Larrain with a complete retro. ‘The Walk’, which stars Joseph Gordon – Levitt as famous high wire artist Philippe Petit who performed on a tightrope connecting the Twin Towers of New York’s World Trade Center, will screen at the Rome fest in 3D, ahead of its 22nd Oct, 2015 Italian release via Warner Bros. Ben Kingsley, James Badge Dale, Ben Schwartz & Charlotte Le Bon also star. As previously announced, James Vanderbilt’s ‘Truth’, starring Robert Redford as Dan Rather & Cate Blanchett as his producer Mary Mapes, in a depiction of the “Memogate” controversy that ended Rather’s career as CBS News anchorman, will open the recently reconfigured Rome fest on 16th Oct, 2015. The 16th – 20th Oct, 2015 Eternal City event has a new artistic director, Antonio Monda, who is New York based Italian jouro, writer & academic and also boasts a beefed up market component called MIA – an acronym for Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo. Pablo Larrain, who is 39, will be on hand for the 1st complete retro of his works comprising of ‘Tony Manero’, ‘Post Mortem’ & ‘No’, which form a trilogy on the rise & fall of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. His ‘El Club’, which is about Catholic Church abuses in Chile, won the Silver Bear this year in Berlin and is Chile’s candidate in the foreign language category at the upcoming Academy Awards.

‘JUNUN’ TO DEBUT ON STREAMING PLATFORM MUBI

Paul Thomas Anderson’s new film ‘Junun’ will have its exclusive worldwide premiere on subscription streaming platform MUBI on 9th Oct, 2015 following its 8th Oct, 2015 opening at New York Film Festival. Earlier this year, Anderson, whose credits include ‘Inherent Vice’, ‘There Will Be Blood’ & ‘The Master’, joined his friend & collaborator Jonny Greenwood, guitarist with the band Radiohead & Israeli musician, composer & poet Shye Ben Tzur on a trip to Rajasthan in North – Western India, where they were hosted by the Maharaja of Jodhpur. Their destination was the 15th century Mehrangarh Fort, where Greenwood, with the help of Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich and a group of musicians drawn from across the Indian sub – continent, worked on Ben Tzur’s album, which will be released by Nonesuch in Nov, 2015. The band assembled a makeshift studio at the fort and over the following 3 weeks created the collaboration that became the music and film of ‘Junun’. (The word “junun” is an alternate spelling of “junoon” the Arabic, Persian, Urdu & Hindi word for “mania,” or “the madness of love”).

‘ANGELO RULES’ SEAON 3 LAUNCHED

UK kids / family entertainment distributors Cake Entertainment & France’s TeamTO, one of its leading CGI animation studios, will unveil Season 3 of ‘Angelo Rules’, one of TeamTO’s evergreen franchises, at this weekend’s Mip Junior. Launch comes as the partners confirmed recently that toon series’ 3rd season had sold to prestige partners: Super RTL for Germany & Cartoon Network EMEA for Europe, Middle East & Africa.

Cake will screen 1 episode of Season 3 in Mip Junior’s video library. Others will be available at its stand. Animated series will be ready for delivery by late 2015 and air in 2016 in France, Germany and around Europe. Going into production in 2008 and a TeamTO / Cake co – production for Gallic pubcaster France Televisions & Teletoon Plus, ‘Angelo Rules’, was an instant hit selling to over 100 countries. In 2010, over 1 million viewers in France watched its 1st episode, which punched a 30% 4 – 14s market share. Skein snagged a Pucinella Award for Best Kids TV Series at the 2010 Cartoons on the Bay Festival and a 2013 Emmy Kids Awards nomination. Season 3 once more turns on Angelo, aged 11, a sweet talking genius who, along with best friends Sherwood & Lola, uses planning, irreverence, a rebellious nature, optimism and above all charisma to extricate them from trouble.

SWIPE PICKS UK RIGHTS

Independent distributor Swipe Films has acquired UK rights to Maeve Murphy’s comic crime drama ‘Taking Stock’, which has its world premiere at Raindance Film Festival on 4th Oct, 2015. The 3rd feature by Belfast born director, the film stars Kelly Brook as a struggling actress who is inspired by the legend of gangsters Bonnie Parker & Clyde Barrow to rob the furniture store where she works part time. Star Brook, who recently landed a major role in NBC’s ‘One Big Happy’, produced by Ellen DeGeneres, is a UK actress & model whose diverse screen credits include ‘School for Seduction’, ‘Smallville’, ‘Piranha 3D’ & ‘Keith Lemon: The Film’, alongside West End stage appearances in ‘Calendar Girls’ and Neil La Bute’s ‘Fat Pig’. Murphy said: “I’m so pleased that ‘Taking Stock’ is premiering at Raindance Film Festival and will get released. The festival’s joyous indie spirit fits ‘Taking Stock’ very well. Kelly really shines and it’s a good platform for people to see it. Essentially it is a fun film which shows, in a light hearted way, some of the issues & dilemmas young people are currently facing in UK today.” Swipe, which handled TV sales for Murphy’s 2nd feature ‘Beyond The Fire’ in 2009, plans to release the film in Dec, 2015 subject to Brook’s availability. Known for its alternative marketing strategies, for its recent release of Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s ‘The President’.

GOVERNMENT CONSIDERS SALE OF CHANNEL 4

The UK Government is considering a sale of the publicly owned broadcaster Channel 4, it emerged recently, when a Government official was photographed holding a document identifying privatization as an option. Culture secretary John Whittingdale, who is in charge of UK broadcasting policy, has previously denied that a sale is being considered at present. Last month, he said at the Edinburgh Internal Television Festival: “The ownership of Channel 4 is not currently under debate. Do I say there are no circumstances in which I would ever consider it? No I don’t.” He added: “What I do say is the remit of Channel 4 is a priority and it’s not going to change.” Contradicting Whittingdale’s statement, the photographed document indicates that a sale is being considered. It states: “Work should proceed to examine the options for extracting greater public value from Channel 4 Corporation, focusing on privatization options in particular, while protecting its ability to deliver against its remit.” An insider with the governing Conservative Party commented: “John Whittingdale is interested and wants to do it,” the Guardian newspaper reported recently.

SONY & DISCOVERY INK A PACT

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment & Discovery Communications have inked a multi – year physical home entertainment distribution pact for Discovery’s catalog and future release slate. Beginning this fall, SPHE will distribute Discovery content on physical formats for the home entertainment marketplace throughout Europe, Middle East & Africa. Discovery’s upcoming release slate includes ‘Racing Extinction’, a politically charged documentary from the Oscar winning director of ‘The Cove’, Louie Psihoyos, as well as ‘Bear Grylls: Breaking Point’, in which the survival expert takes ordinary people on a journey to face their fears & ‘Manhunt’, which pits former Navy SEAL Joel Lambert against some of the world’s most experienced hunting & tracking units. Additional releases will include returning franchises such as ‘Through The Wormhole’, ‘Deadliest Catch’ & ‘How the Universe Works’. “We look forward to leveraging our strong distribution channels throughout the EMEA for Discovery’s distinct slate of world class product,” said Man Jit Singh, president, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

BARRY ON SHOOTING ‘NEWCOMER’

Extraordinarily for an opening night film and extremely heartening for aspiring filmmakers everywhere, Kai Barry’s 1st feature ‘Newcomer’ came to Raindance Film Festival programmers’ attention though open submissions. But after his film’s debut at the festival, Barry won’t be under the radar for much longer. Filmed in Belgrade and starring ‘My Brother The Devil’s James Floyd, ‘Newcomer’ tells the story of Alex, an apparently bright young man who finds himself over his head when he applies for a job with a private firm protecting secret information. Barry says: “The original thing was, I read a stat that said, in US, 70% of the intelligent budget goes on independent contractors. Just reading that statistic, I thought, ‘There’s got to be a lot of confusion here, right?’ And I started to wonder: what is that world? Obviously there’s the James Bond world, but what about this world, where nobody knows who anybody really is? Misinformation can be as powerful as shooting people, or blowing things up, and that was the side of the spy world that I wanted to play with and I wanted to keep everything as real as possible from that point forward.”

‘AURORA BOREALIS’ RECEIVES $2 MILLION

The Hungarian National Film Fund, which backed Cannes’ Grand Prix winner ‘Son Of Saul’, has granted 580 million HUF ($2.07 million) in production funding to Marta Meszaros’ ‘Aurora Borealis’. The feature film project starts to shoot next month. Meszaros is the director of ‘Adoption’, which won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 1975, ‘Nine Months’, which won the Prix Fipresci at Cannes in 1977 and ‘Diary For My Children’, winner of the Grand Prix Special Du Jury at Cannes in 1984. ‘Aurora Borealis’ stars Mari Torocsik, who toplined last year’s local box – office hit ‘Swing’ by Csaba Fazekas. Torocsik won best actress at Cannes with ‘A Locsei Feher Asszony’ in 1976. As in her previous films, Meszaros examines a social taboo in ‘Aurora Borealis’, this time the story of children fathered by occupying Russian soldiers. It centers on Olga, who lives in Vienna. She realizes that there are secrets in her family past and she will not be able to put her own life in order until she works out the truth of what happened. After returning to Hungary, her elderly mother did everything in her power to keep the past a secret from her daughter and lied to her for years, but when she falls into a coma, Olga finds a mysterious photograph and starts to search for the truth.

‘NO LONGER HEROINE’ OVERTAKES “ATTACK ON TITAN”

‘Heroine Shikkaku’ (“No Longer Heroine”), climbed atop the Japanese box office this weekend in its 2nd week of release. Based on a best – selling comic by Momoko Koda about the love troubles of its title teen heroine, the film earned $1.95 million on 196,496 admissions from 268 screens, with Warner Japan distributing. This was only 12% down from last weekend, with teenaged girls accounting for most of the audience. ‘No Longer Heroine’ is now expected to finish near $25 million mark. ‘No Longer Heroine’ bumped ‘Attack On Titan: End Of The World’, the 2nd of a 2 part action / fantasy epic, distributed by Toho, after only 1 week at No. 1. Playing on 427 screens, the film took in $1.3 million from 112,487 admissions, compared with $2.7 million from 237,016 tickets for its opening frame. Even this latter figure was down 45.7% from the opening weekend of the 1st film, which bowed on 1st Aug, 2015. Also in its 2nd week of release, Disney’s ‘Ant – Man’ recorded $1.1 million on 96,575 admissions to hold onto the number 3 slot. There were no new entries to the top 10, reflecting distributors’ decisions to open their strongest films prior to the Silver Week holiday, which ran from 19th Sept, 2015 to 23rd Sept, 2015.

I do not recognise India of the present time, says writer Anita Desai

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Image by Ramin Talaie/Corbis

Image by Ramin Talaie/Corbis

London: Noted novelist Anita Desai has said she will return her Sahitya Award if the Akademi does not make it clear that it is not a government body but an independent one that exists to defend free speech and the right to question and dissent.

Her comments came after at least 34 writers, over the past weeks, handed over their Sahitya Akademi awards in the aftermath of the killing of Kannada writer M M Kalburgi and Dadri lynching incident, among other issues.

“If it is not able to declare and pursue such a policy, I will be obliged, in solidarity with my fellow writers, to renounce my membership of the Akademi and the award it gave me when I was a young writer in more hopeful times,” Desai said in a statement distributed by PEN International here.

The 78-year-old author who received a Sahitya Award in 1978 for her novel “Fire on the Mountain” said she was born in an India that enshrined democracy, pluralism and the freedom of speech in its constitution.

“I do not recognise India of the present time where, under the banner of ‘Hindutva,’ intimidation and bigotry seek to silence writers, scholars and all who believe in secular and rational thought,” she said.

The author said in an atmosphere where there is no security or support for those who voice dissent, criticism or rational thought, there can be no intellectual or artistic work of any worth.

“It saddens me that the august body of the Sahitya Akademi has not been able to support and protect writers from the intimidation and violence, verbal and physical, watched publishers withdraw books, universities delete texts from syllabi, distort and manipulate history, and silently witnessed institutions like the National Book Trust, the Nehru Museum and Library, and the University of Nalanda replace distinguished scholars,” Desai said.

“At this crucial moment I appeal to the Sahitya Akademi to make clear that it does not represent any government or its policies, but is an independent body that exists to defend free speech and the right to question and dissent, in short what the constitution of the country promised us,” she said.

Desai, who was shortlisted three times for the Booker Prize was in 2007, was elected as a Sahitya Akademi Fellow, one of the highest honour conferred by the literary body on a writer.

Recently, writers from 150 countries expressed solidarity with Indian authors and artistes who returned their prestigious awards in protest against “rising intolerance” in the country and have asked the BJP government to provide better protection and safeguard free speech.

The president of 1921 founded body PEN International had earlier in a letter to the President, the Prime Minister and the Sahitya Akedemi, urged them to take “immediate steps” to protect the rights of everyone, including writers and artists.

Desai is among many writers including noted writers Nayantar Seghal, Ashok Vajpeyi, Shashi Deshpande and Ganesh Devy who have spoken out against the rising intolerance in the country.

(PTI)

Bachchan requests UP govt to donate pension for charity

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Amitabh Bachchan

Mumbai: Actor Amitabh Bachchan has requested the Uttar Pradesh government to donate the monthly pension announced for him, his wife Jaya and actor son Abhishek as Yash Bharti awardees of the state, to charity.

UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had yesterday announced Rs 50,000 monthly pension to Yash Bharti awardees of the state.

The award is given to eminent persons belonging to the state in the fields of art, culture, sports, literature, medicine, journalism and social service.

The 73-year-old actor, who originally hails from Allahabad, UP, stated that he will write to Yadav on the matter.

“Whereas I respect the UP Govt’s honour of the Yash Bharati Award to members of my family, and their decision as per reports in the press, for providing pension of Rs 50,000 per month to each recipient, I am requesting the UP Govt, with all humility, to redirect the entire amount designated for my family towards any noble charitable scheme or cause that benefits the poor and the needy.

“I shall be writing to the Chief Minister in this regard, in a separate communication,” Bachchan said in a statement.

(Agencies)

Protests in Faridabad over Dalit children’s killing

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Faridabad Dalit

Faridabad: Sanped in Haryana’s Faridabad, where a Dalit family was burnt alive leading to the death of two toddlers, Wednesday erupted in grief and indignation, with the locals blocking Delhi-Agra highway with their bodies in protest as politicians joined them in mourning the horrific killings.

As the bodies of two-and-a-half-years-old Vaibhav and 11-month-old Divya, wrapped in white shrouds, arrived, the village, about 35 km from the national capital, plunged into grief.

Wailing soon gave way to anger and scores of villagers, walking hand in hand and shouting slogans, carried the bodies and placed them on the Delhi-Agra highway, blocking traffic.

As tempers ran high, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi visited the village where he accused the Prime Minister, Haryana Chief Minister, the BJP and RSS of practicing “politics of crushing” those who are weak which results in such incidents.

“This is an attitude shared by the Prime Minister, Chief Minister of the state and the entire BJP and RSS. The attitude is if somebody is weak, he can be crushed. What you have seen is the result of this attitude,” Gandhi said after meeting the distraught family members.

“In Haryana, there is no government for the poor and poor people are being targeted here which is totally wrong. I have assured the victims’ family that I would do whatever they want from me including pressuring the government.

Asked whether he was doing politics over the incident, Rahul angrily retorted: “This is insulting when someone says it when someone comes here. It is not insulting to me. It is insulting to these people. What is a photo op. What you mean? People are dying. I will visit (such places) again, again and again.”

While Vaibhav and his sister Divya had perished in the blaze allegedly set off by some upper caste people of the village who had a running feud with their family, their mother Rekha, 28, suffered serious burns and is battling for life in a Delhi hospital. Their father Jitender, 31, also received injuries while trying to save them.

The killers were alleged to have poured petrol into their house from an open window and set it alight after locking the doors from outside.

11 persons, including a father-son duo, have been booked on murder, rioting and other charges, a police spokesman said.

The incident happened despite the presence of a police post at the village. The police contingent was deployed following the murder of three upper caste people by Dalits some time ago.

The incident came in for sharp criticism by the government as also BJP ally Ram Vilas Paswan of LJP, who termed it as the failure of the saffron party-ruled state government.

(Agencies)

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