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Rahul detained in MP amid high drama, lashes out at Modi

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Rahul Gandhi

Naya Gaon (MP): The farmer movement in Madhya Pradesh moved into high political gear Thursday as Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and other senior party leaders were detained by police when they tried to make their way to Mandsaur, ground zero of the protests.

Police moved in to stop Gandhi as he defied elaborate security arrangements and tried to force his way into the state from Naya Gaon in Neemuch, about 400 km from the state capital Bhopal.

Surging crowds of Congress supporters followed him, shouting slogans like “Jai Jawaan, Jai Kisaan” and “Rahul Gandhi zindabad”.

Hundreds of Congress workers as well as senior leaders like Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot and Madhya Pradesh legislator Jaiwardhan Singh also courted arrest. They were taken to the guesthouse of a cement company, a police official said.

Gandhi, also accompanied by senior party leaders Digvijay Singh, Kamal Nath and Janata Dal-United’s Sharad Yadav, took the opportunity to hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He told reporters that Modi could waive loans worth Rs 1.50 lakh crore of the rich but not for farmers. “He can’t give the right rates for their agricultural produce, can’t give them bonus, can’t give compensation… He can only give them bullets.”

Lashing out at Centre and the Madhya Pradesh government, he blamed both Modi and Chief Minister Shivraj Chouhan for the deaths of five farmers in Mandsaur on Tuesday.

There was high drama as the police tried to stop what had turned into a rally of sorts with Gandhi leading from the front. When police tried to push him back, he ran into a field nearby from where he was detained.

Police tried to stop them saying there was curfew in Mandsaur. At this, Digvijay Singh and Kamal Nath protested, saying they wanted to go there to restore peace but were being stopped.

Determined to meet the families of farmers in distress, Gandhi had walked for close to 100 metres before entering Madhya Pradesh from Dalia village in Rajasthan’s Chittorgarh district.

“Before entering MP, Gandhi rode pillion on a motorcycle in Nimbahed in Chittorgarh district for about five to seven kilometres,” IG Udaipur Anand Srivastava told PTI.

“Gandhi reached Udaipur from Delhi in a chartered plane and left for Madhya Pradesh in a four wheeler by road… After the bike ride, he walked to cross the border,” he said.

There are almost 2,000 people and nearly 150 vehicles with Gandhi, sources at the police control room said.

(IANS)

5,000 BJP workers in Meghalaya quit party over cattle rules

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cow

Tura: Over 5,000 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers in Meghalaya on Wednesday quit the party over the Centre’s new rules that aim to prevent sale of cattle for slaughter.

BJP Youth Wing President of Tura city Wilver Greham Danggo, who was among those who resigned, said it was in protest against the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government’s attempt to “suppress the tribal and other communities who consume beef”.

Danggo said five BJP mandal committees have been dissolved and over 5,000 youth workers had resigned from the party.

“We cannot play with the sentiments of our own people who trust us and we don’t mix politics with religion as the BJP is doing. Any party or individual that hurts the sentiments of our people will be against us… we will protect our tribal land,” he said.

Two senior BJP leader in Meghalaya, Bachu Marak and Bernard Marak, have also quit the party.

Last week, some BJP leaders in the state threatened to quit if the central government did not repeal the new cattle trade rules.

“Most party leaders in Meghalaya are not happy with the new rules which are directly affecting our people,” BJP Vice President John Antonius Lyngdoh said.

“We cannot accept the new rules on cattle trade. We cannot go against our food habits; besides, the economic interests of people dealing in cattle trade and slaughter are put in jeopardy,” he said.

(IANS)

Muslim female student stopped from entering Vidhana Soudha for wearing hijab

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hijab_Vidhana Soudha

Bengaluru: A Muslim student was on Wednesday June 7 refused entry the Legislative Assembly hall in Vidhana Soudha for wearing hijab.

The girl was part of a group of students from Christ College who had come to the Vidhana Soudha to watch the ongoing Assembly session.

While the students were entering the gallery of the Assembly hall, the girl was stopped by the guards and asked to remove her scarf, but the student refused to do so.

News agency IANS reported that the student was asked to remove her burqa.

The police asked her to remove the burqa and subjected her to security check for around 20 minutes, IANS said.

The girl student of Christ Junior College was in tears when the security staff told her to remove the burqa.

“Someone took a video of the police asking her to remove the burqa,” Christ Junior College Principal Fr Biju K Chacko told IANS.

“The police allowed her to enter the assembly gallery only after the teachers assured them about the girl’s identity,” he said.

(Agencies)

Kerala assembly terms cattle ban ‘fascist’ move, passes resolution

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Kerala assembly

Thiruvananthapuram: Ruling LDF and opposition UDF in Kerala joined hands in the assembly today to resist the Centre’s ban on sale of cattle for slaughter in the animal market and termed it as “fascist” move.

During the one-day session, called exclusively to discuss the cattle ban notification, members of ruling CPI(M)-led LDF and Congress-headed UDF opposition held that it was not only an “intrusion” into state’s rights, but also an”infringement” on the rights of people on the choice of their food habits.

The House also passed a resolution asking the Centre to withdraw the notification, which saw the lone BJP MLA, O Rajagopal, dissenting.

Members from both sides also attacked the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and termed the ban as a “fascist” move.

Attack on CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury at A K G Centre in New Delhi yesterday also had its echo in the assembly here with the party members alleging that Sangh Parivar was trying to “silence” political rivals through “muscle power”.

The members of both the Fronts said the ban on sale of cattle for slaughter in the animal market was not only communal, but also essentially anti-working class and anti-farmer.

It thus has to be withdrawn, they said.

They also alleged that the move was an attempt at corporatisation of the meat-trading sector, which was now an additional source of income for small and medium farmers.

Rajagopal said the coming together of LDF and UDF in the assembly was a sign of a “grand alliance” forming at the national level to take on BJP.

He said the House has been “misused” for political purposes as the Centre has already made it clear that it was ready to make changes in the notification after getting suggestions from states.

Moving the resolution Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan slammed the the Centre, saying the ban was to implement the political agenda of Sangh Parivar.

“The NDA government, that has failed to fulfil any of its promises, was raking up issues such as cattle slaughter to divide the people through communal polarisation for political gains,” he said.

Vijayan also brought to the notice of the assembly the serious ‘adverse’ consequences the ban would have on various sectors including agriculture, dairy, leather industry and meat export trade.

“The notification is impractical in Kerala where 95 per cent of the population is non-vegetarian. It is clearly an intrusion into the citizens choice of food,” he said.

On the impact on state’s meat trade, Vijayan said every year 2.5 lakh tonnes of meat worth Rs 6,552 crore was sold in Kerala annually.

Vijayan also mentioned about the farmers unrest in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra and said the community was already in crisis and the new decision would further add to their woes.

The Chief Minister said the state government would implead in the connected case pending in the Supreme Court.

Describing the notification as another “surgical strike” by the Modi government “like the note ban”, opposition leader in assembly Ramesh Chennithala said this was “a sign of arrival of fascism” in the country.

“Modi has transformed himself into ‘abhinava Hitler’ (neo Hitler),” he alleged.

Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan said there seems to be an “indirect interest” behind the notification.

CPI(M) veteran and former Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, KC-M leader K M Mani were among those who spoke on the occasion.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) notified the stringent Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017 under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 on May 25, banning the sale and purchase of cattle from animal markets for slaughter.

Kerala government was the first to protest against the Centre’s notification. It has also decided to convene a meeting of all Chief Ministers to discuss the issue.

Vijayan has also written to his counterparts in other states asking them to “stand together” and “oppose” the ban and urged the Prime Minister to withdraw the new regulations.

The Chief Minister has also written to Modi opposing the ban and urging him to withdraw the new regulations.

Beef fests were held in various parts of the state last month to protest against the ban with some youth Congress activists in Kannur publicly slaughtering a calf to register their protest.

(Agencies)

5 farmers died of police firing, admits Madhya Pradesh BJP govt

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Home Minister Bhupendra Singh

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Bhupendra Singh today said that the five casualties during farmers’ agitation in Mandsaur occurred during police firing.

“Five persons were killed in police firing,” Singh said over the phone.

The minister’s remarks assume significance as the authorities had been claiming that the police had not fired during protests at Pipliamandi in Mandsaur district in which five farmers were killed two days ago.

Minutes after the incident, the then Mandsaur Collector S K Singh had said that the police told him categorically that “neither did they fire nor did they have any orders to fire”.

Asked what provoked the police to fire, the home minister said it is being probed in the magisterial inquiry.

However, he said the situation was now peaceful in western Madhya Pradesh.

Meanwhile, contingents of Rapid Action Force (RAF) were today deployed in Mandsaur which has been on the boil since the violence two days ago.

Two companies of RAF, comprising around 100 men each, have moved into Pipliamandi, the police said.

While two companies of RAF have been posted in the district’s Garoth area, another two have been deployed along the Mwoh-Neemuch Highway to prevent any untoward incidents, they said.

The situation is tense but under control, the police said.

DIG Ratlam Range Avinash Sharma is camping in Pipliamandi where farmers, agitating for the last seven days for loan waiver and better crop prices, defied prohibitory orders yesterday, beat up officials and policemen and resorted to violence and arson.

Senior police officials have also been deployed to oversee the law and order situation in all sub-divisions of Mandsaur district, the official said.

The situation in western Madhya Pradesh is posing a major challenge for Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and providing a rallying point for the opposition parties.

The Shivraj Chouhan government had sought to cool tempers by announcing certain measures, including a loan settlement scheme for those cultivators who had defaulted on repayment of farm loan borrowed by them earlier.

The scheme will cover around six lakh farmers, with accumulated dues of Rs 6,000 crore, according to the government.

(Agencies)

Champions Trophy: England beat New Zealand to reach semi-finals

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England beat New Zealand

by BBC

England are into the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy after beating New Zealand by 87 runs with an accomplished all-round display.

On a cold, blustery and sometimes wet day in Cardiff, England had set a total of 310, Joe Root top-scoring with 64 from 65 balls and Jos Buttler making a rapid unbeaten 61.

With their reply at 158-2 after 30 overs and captain Kane Williamson on 87, New Zealand appeared to be timing the chase with precision.

But Mark Wood’s clever cross-seam delivery saw off Williamson, and when the experienced Ross Taylor fell 10 runs later England took control.

It means they can afford to lose their final group match, against Australia on Saturday, and still qualify for the last four.

New Zealand must now beat Bangladesh here on Friday and hope Australia do not win, their own rain-abandoned fixture against Steve Smith’s men continuing to haunt them.

England a team transformed

When these two sides met at the last 50-over World Cup there was a chasm between them, England seemingly playing cricket from a different, slower era, outplayed by a team alive with innovation.

On Tuesday they produced a true team display: each of their five bowlers picking up at least one wicket, four of their top six batsmen getting in the runs.

Liam Plunkett finished with four wickets, taking three of the last four to fall, but it was arguably Adil Rashid who was the pick, the leg-spinner’s 2-47 off his 10 overs a fine display in a ground with short straight boundaries and in weather conditions far from ideal for slow bowling.

Jake Ball had clean-bowled the dangerous Luke Ronchi in the first over of New Zealand’s reply, and with Wood’s fine dismissal of Williamson and Ben Stokes getting through eight overs unhindered by his recent knee problems, it was a rewarding afternoon for the home attack.

Both Williamson and Taylor appeared unhappy with the behaviour of the pitch, Taylor being hit on the helmet grille by ball that leapt off a length, but it was trepidation about what the ball might do as much as what it actually did that stymied their efforts.

Dystopian Cattle Politics, Utopian Harmony

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by Tahsin Mohammed

mob assam cow death

If one is to rephrase Evelyn Beatrice’s quote on free speech apropos right over choice of food, it would go as – “I don’t approve with what you eat but I will defend to the death your right to eat.”

The Centre’s recent move to ban the sale and purchase of cattle in livestock markets throughout the country under the Prevention to Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules 2017 speaks of a policy in haste lacking serious introspection and foresight into the economic upshots of the ban that has resulted in a great degree of disharmony – in trade, culture and livelihood of millions of people.

The ruling, in a way appears a final push towards imposing an absolute ban across the country in the long-run, and a unilateral decision that infringes upon a State’s prerogative to formulate laws vis-à-vis the cattle slaughter. With an exception to Kerala, West Bengal and a majority of Northeastern states where cow slaughter stands as legal, the remaining have stern laws with a blanket ban on cow slaughter, though not extending over the entire cattle category. However, the new rules notified under Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960 aimed at regulating the animal markets goes a step further to include bulls, buffaloes, steers, camels in addition to the cow in the cattle list.

The PCA Act

The Centre’s overnight notification calling for a nation-wide ban on sale and purchase of cattle for slaughter throughout country contravenes the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960 under which it has been notified. In fact, the PCA does not impose restrictions on the sale of cattle for reasons of slaughter or sacrifices. What the Act mandates under Part 9 is ‘to advise the Government or any local authority or other person in the design of slaughter-houses or the maintenance of slaughter houses or in connection with slaughter of animals so that unnecessary pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is eliminated in the pre-slaughter stages as far as possible, and animals are killed; wherever necessary, in as humane a manner as possible. More, the Act under Chapter V1, Part 28 states that “nothing contained in this Act shall render it an offence to kill any animal in a manner required by the religion of any community.”

The Act explicitly validates slaughter of animals for food under Chapter III, Part 11 (e) that recognizes ‘the preparation for destruction of any animal as food for mankind unless such destruction or preparation was accompanied by the infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering.” The Centre has either overlooked the Act or has misread it in a hurry to pass such a ruling.

Cattle Politics Meltdown

The ruling percolates down heavily on the farmers, traders and millions engaged in the livestock industry. The ruling is not reclusive but part of an aggressive and pungent cow politics that has swamped the nation with a string of gruesome incidents while injecting a new discourse throughout the country’s socio-cultural and political framework. A dystopian culture upsetting the socio-economic harmony is in the offing.

Socially it disturbs the mutual-coherence among the communities’ sharing diverse dietary values and traditions by creating a rift on lines that are religio-cultural in nature leading to a deeper schism of mistrust and inclusiveness among people. Several incidents over the past  two years involving assault and lynching of people to death on mere suspension of possessing beef or trading cattle for slaughter by self-appointed cow vigilantes has only added to the bitterness making peace among communities fragile and utopian.

Economically it trickles down greatly on farmers, who are supposed prove their credentials as agriculturalists and provide an undertaking that they would not sell the cattle for slaughter but for the purpose of farming. The question that arises is, what would a farmer do with the cattle that have outlived its usefulness? It only adds to farmer’s miseries and debt with no buyers in market. The trading community, on whom the livelihood of millions rests upon, is faced with a bleak future. For instance, the meats shops faced a crackdown in Utter Pradesh following closure of slaughter houses on grounds of not possessing the required licenses, with the meat retailers alleging lack of accountability on part of the municipality and the government to provide them with legal abattoirs and required licenses. The leather industry is bound to be hit hard by the notification, which uses cattle hides extensively as part of its trade and exports of finished leather that runs into tones. Meat traders allege that the new rules threaten the annual buffalo meat exports and millions of jobs in the meat industry if they are not reversed.

Consumption and Exports Pattern

The consumer expenditure survey 2011-12 conducted by the NSSO under beef/buffalo category showed that more than 80 million people consume beef or buffalo meat throughout the country. Although the Muslim community stands to be largest consumer of beef/buffalo meat, Hindus stands second in absolute terms with more than 12.5 million Hindus consuming it. Meghalaya tops the table as the largest beef/buffalo consuming state. When it comes to exports, Indian currently accounts for 20% of the world’s total buffalo meat and beef export volume, and stands as the largest exporter by quantity overtaking Brazil and Australia in 2015-16, as per ICRA report. It further predicted a surge in the earnings through buffalo meat exports in next five years touching to the tune of Rs.40,000 Cr from Rs.26,682 Cr in 2015-16. The U.S Dept. of Agriculture holds India as the largest exporter of beef notwithstanding the controversy surrounding the cattle trade and a slew of bans in place to the effect.

Cycle of Violence and Despondency

A culture of violence has been unleashed across the country in the name of cow protection by self-appointed cow vigilante groups, which on most occasions involves elements form the extreme-Hindu right groups and Sena’s, which no longer constitutes the fringe but have become the center. The disturbing aspect of it is the victims of their violence are being treated as suspects in the violence against themselves. The latest being the assault on railway staff of Kochuveli-Guwahati Express in Bhubaneswar over suspension of cattle smuggling, and one on a student from IIT-Madras for participating in a beef fest organised to protest against Center’s unilateral cattle ban ruling. The cattle-related violence is not new, but has gained momentum over the past two years, from the horrific mob violence against Mohammed Akhlaq and his family in Uttar Pradesh’s Dadri in 2015 to the lynching of Dalits in Gujarat’s Unna in 2016 to the gruesome murder of a 55-year old Pehlu Khan in Rajasthan’s Alwar, a dairy farmer from Haryana by self-appointed Gaurkashaks in April-2107. The bone-chilling assaults and brutal killings in guise of cattle/cow protection have only grown louder in measure given the glorification of assaulters and persecution of the victims by the State machinery and authorities who look the other way. This is the case across several States in the country, particularly in the BJP-ruled ones – where the administration and authorities willfully look the other way emboldened by the vilifying statements of those wielding power. What is worrisome is the indifference if not the connivance of the government and the cynical apathy of the civil society in addressing the growing insecurities and despondency of the victims, and the people at large.

The Way Forward

The Allahabad High Court’s recent observation about ‘choice of food and trade in foodstuff being part of right to life’ needs to be ensured and safeguarded as guaranteed under – Art 21 and 19 (1) (g) of the Fundamental Rights in the Indian Constitution that stands supreme. The States needs to tread the constitutional path given the onus of guarding its citizens’ life, property and their right to livelihood.

The States needs to devise and formulate stern laws in dealing with the self-appointed Gaurakshaks as called by the Prime Minister in August, 2016 who had described them as ‘anti-socials’ at night, who otherwise if left unchecked will prove a dire threat to State’s law and order and societal harmony.

We ought to be a society free of fear with peaceful coexistence, as Tagore aptly calls it out in his rhyme –

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high

Where knowledge is free

Where the World has not broken up into fragments

By narrow domestic walls….

Tahsin Mohammed is a student of journalism at Manasagangotri, University of Mysore.

Kuwait’s ruler to meet Saudi King over Qatar row

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As diplomatic crisis hits the Gulf, Kuwait urges Qatar to calm tensions with allies and refrain from escalating dispute.

GCC countries Kuwait and Oman have not severed ties with Qatar [AFP]

GCC countries Kuwait and Oman have not severed ties with Qatar [AFP]

by Al Jazeera

Kuwait’s ruler will travel to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for talks with King Salman over a Gulf Arab dispute with Qatar, Gulf Arab officials said.

Kuwait’s emir, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, is acting as a mediator between Doha and other Arab states which have severed diplomatic and transport ties with Doha.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain cut diplomatic relations with Qatar on Monday in a coordinated move, accusing the peninsula of supporting “terrorists” and Iran.

Yemen’s internationally recognised government also cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of working with its enemies in the Iran-aligned Houthi movement, state news agency Saba reported.

The Maldives and Libya’s out-of-mandate Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni later joined the Arab nations in saying they too would cut ties.

Sanctions include shutting down transport links, including closing borders, airspace and maritime territories, which led to fears of supply shortages.

In an interview on Monday with Al Jazeera, Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Kuwait’s ruler, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, had asked Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar’s ruling emir, to hold off on giving a speech about the crisis late on Tuesday night.

“He received a call from the emir of Kuwait asking him to postpone it in order to give time to solve the crisis,” Sheikh Mohammed said.

Sheikh Sabah called on Qatar’s ruler to focus on easing tension and advised against making decisions that could escalate the situation, Kuwait state news agency Kuna said.

Still, the Qatari foreign minister struck a defiant tone, saying his nation rejected those trying to impose their will or intervene in its internal affairs.

Kuwait, Oman ‘fear escalation’

Analyst Giorgio Cafiero of Gulf State Analytics, a geopolitical risk consultancy based in Washington, DC, told Al Jazeera: “I think the Kuwaitis as well as Omanis … fear the prospects of these tensions escalating in ways which could undermine the interest of all six members of the GCC.

“There are many analysts who believe that a potential break-up of the GCC has to be considered right now.”

He added that if tension escalates, some have warned of a “military confrontation”.

“If these countries fail to resolve their issues and such tensions reaches new heights, we have to be very open to the possibility of these six Arab countries no longer being able to unite under the banner of one council,” said Cafiero.

The dispute between Qatar and the Arab countries escalated after a recent hack of Qatar’s state-run news agency. It has spiralled since.

As it cut ties on Monday, Saudi Arabia charged that Qatar was embracing “various terrorist and sectarian groups aimed at destabilising the region,” including the Muslim Brotherhood, al-Qaeda, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) and armed groups supported by Iran in the kingdom’s restive east.

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry accused Qatar of taking an “antagonist approach” towards Cairo and said “all attempts to stop it from supporting terrorist groups failed”.

Qatar denied the allegations, with a Foreign Ministry statement describing them as “baseless” on Monday.

The group issuing sanctions on Doha “is clearly the imposition of guardianship over Qatar, which is in itself a violation of its sovereignty, and is rejected outright,” the statement said.

The move came just two weeks after US President Donald Trump visited Saudi Arabia and vowed to improve ties with both Riyadh and Cairo to combat “terrorism” and contain Iran.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the move was rooted in long-standing differences and urged the parties to resolve them.

“It is true that the current US administration is adopting to have a bit more Saudi position distant from Qatari position,” Richard Weitz, a senior fellow and director of the Center for Political-Military Analysis at Hudson Institute, told Al Jazeera

“But I still think that the US military contacts can play a good role to help resolve, perhaps, some of the difference, since US military particular want an end to this dispute because of the difficulties to find a space and terrorism cooperation and so on.”

The Gulf countries ordered their citizens out of Qatar and gave Qataris abroad 14 days to return home to their peninsular nation, whose only land border is with Saudi Arabia. The countries also said they would eject Qatar’s diplomats.

The nations also said they planned to cut air and sea traffic. Trucks carrying food had begun lining up on the Saudi side of the border, apparently stranded. The Qatar Stock Exchange fell more than seven percent in trading Monday.

Qatar Airways, one of the region’s major long-haul carriers, has suspended all flights to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain until further notice.

On its website, the carrier said the suspension of its flights would take effect Tuesday and customers are being offered a refund.

The route between Doha and Dubai is popular among business travellers and both are major transit hubs for travellers between Asia and Europe.

Police firing claims 2 lives during farmers protest in in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh

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farmers protest

Bhopal: Violence broke out today during a farmers’ protest in Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh following which curfew was today clamped in Pipalya Mandi area and prohibitory orders imposed in other parts of the district, officials said.

According to unconfirmed reports, two farmers were killed after police opened fire on violent protesters in Bhai Parshnath area, but Mandsaur Collector S K Singh denied it.

“Curfew has been clamped in Pipalya Mandi police station area and in the rest of the district section 144 of CrPC has been imposed,” Singh told PTI over the phone.

When asked about reports claiming the death of two farmers, Singh said he does not have any such information. Farmers in western Madhya Pradesh are protesting since June 1 demanding minimum support price for their farm produce, among other things.

BJP leader and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan yesterday said his government is taking all necessary steps to address the issues of the agitating farmers.

A price stabilisation fund of Rs 1,000 crore would be set up to purchase the farm produce at the minimum support price (MSP), he had said. Mandsaur is about 325 km from the state capital Bhopal.

Since 2005, Madhya Pradesh has been led by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan who met with representatives of farmer unions recently to pledge support.

The agitation by farmers has led to a shortage of vegetables; farmers have been pouring thousands of litres of milk on roads to call attention to their demands.

The western part of Madhya Pradesh adjoins Maharashtra, where farmers have been holding similar demonstrations. They want Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ government to take steps to boost farm incomes and output including waiving all agricultural loans, similar to the $5.6 billion in debt forgiveness announced in April by Yogi Adityanth after he took over as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.

Prices of vegetables and milk have jumped more than 50 percent in major cities such as Mumbai and the information and technology hub of Pune after farmers cut supplies from Thursday.

The outbursts of rural discontent in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh pose a challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has promised to double farm incomes over the next five year

Maharashtra, India’s second most populous state, is the country’s second-biggest producer of sugar, cotton and soybean.

Chief Minister Fadnavis has said the government will waive the debt of marginal farmers who defaulted in the last few years, adding a panel would be set up to find ways to implement the waiver.

Maharashtra needs to spend 305 billion rupees or $4.7 billion to write off debt owed by about 3.2 million farmers who had defaulted on bank loans, he said last week.

But farmers say they want the government to waive all debt and not just marginal, or poorer, farmers who defaulted on loans.

(Agencies)

HARD POWDER INTERNATIONAL RIGHTS ALMOST SOLD

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HARD POWDER

HARD POWDER INTERNATIONAL RIGHTS ALMOST SOLD

Upcoming action thriller Hard Powder, starring Liam Neeson, has sold almost all international rights, with US under negotiation, European film – TV group
Studiocanal stated recently said. The sale of the Rocky Mountains set movie to 9 of the dozen biggest markets for international productions marks the 1st ever to independent distributors for a big title at this year’s Berlin Film Festival. Hard Powder, which is fully financed & sold by Studiocanal, will be distributed directly by the company in its 4 home territories: UK, France, Germany & Australia – New Zealand. The other major licensing deals comprise of. Italy (Eagle), Spain (A Contracorriente Films), Latin America (Leda Films), China (Bona Films) & Scandinavia (Svensk). Other territories sold include Benelux (The Searchers), Poland (Monolith), Eastern Europe (Freeman), Greece (Spentzos), Middle East (Salim Ramia), South Africa (Times Media), Indonesia (PT Amero) & Singapore (Shaw). Japan is in final talks. A number of other territories are still in negotiation, but Anna Marsh, Studiocanal’s head of international film sales, is confident that, apart from North America, Hard Powder will be sold out soon after the European Film Market. Hard Powder stars Neeson as a snowplow driver and pillar of his Colorado community whose life is up -ended by his son’s killing at the hands of a powerful local drug lord. The film is written by Frank Baldwin, directed by Hans Petter Moland & produced by Pulp Fiction’s Michael Shamberg. It is due to go into production next month, shooting at varied locales in Canada. Although the script was sent to buyers just a week before the Berlinale, international sales were boosted by Neeson & Shamberg’s visit to the EFM.

STALIN PROVES A HOT TITLE

On top of selling to IFC Films for North America rights, Armando Iannucci’s The Death Of Stalin has pre – sold to several other territories at EFM, where Gaumont is shopping the pic. Gaumont has inked pre -sales for Switzerland (Ascot Elite), Poland (Kinoswiat), Greece & Romania (Odeon), Israel (Lev films), former Yugoslavia (MCF Megacom), Baltics (Latvian Theatrical Distribution). Previous sales were closed with Madman in Australia & Concorde in Germany. Gaumont is in negotiations to close deals for UK, Latin America, Hungary, CIS & Portugal. The sale to IFC Films followed a bidding war that involved several distributors, including A24 & The Orchard, according to insiders. Adapted from the French graphic novel by Fabien Nury & Thierry Robin, The Death Of Stalin is a comic look at how Joseph Stalin’s stroke in 1953 threw USSR into chaos and inspired a mad power grab among his top advisers. Iannucci, who earned critical acclaim for In The Loop, Veep & The Thick Of It, wrote the screenplay of The Death Of Stalin with David Schneider & Ian Martin with additional material by Peter Fellows. The picture was produced by Main Journey, Yann Zenou & Laurent Zeitoun’s Montreal based banner & Quad Films, the Paris based outfit ran by Nicolas Duval – Adassovsky, Zenou & Zeitoun. The cast includes Jason Isaacs, Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Rupert Friend, Michael Palin & Jeffrey Tambor.

SHUDDER ACQUIRES SLASHER MOVIE LAKE BLOOM

Shudder, the AMC Networks backed genre
streaming service, has picked up exclusive US, Canada & UK rights to the Finnish slasher film Lake Bodom in advance of its premiere at SXSW. Fabien Westerhoff’s Film Constellation is handling worldwide sales in Berlin. Wrter / Director Taneli Mustonen’s film, inspired by real – life events, follows 4 teenagers on a pilgrimage to Lake Bodom, the site of a brutal killing of a group of teenagers in 1960s, where they quickly find themselves repeating history. The film, nominated for 3 Finnish Film Awards including “Best Film”, will be available to stream exclusively on Shudder starting May, 2017. Aurelie de Troyer, VP, global acquisitions, averred: “Lake Bodom perfectly complements the service’s wide – ranging slate of exclusive content, as we continue to grow the variety of thrilling, suspenseful & horror film & TV content available to Shudder subscribers.” Don Films’ Aleksi Hyvarinen, Lake Bodom’s producer & co -writer, averred: “We are absolutely thrilled to be bringing Lake Bodom to a wider audience with Shudder following its successful festival run.” Shudder debuted its 1st ever exclusive premiere in Oct, 2016 with the supernatural miniseries Beyond The Walls. Recent & upcoming exclusives include Sadako vs. Kayako, Dearest Sister, Blind Sun, Always Shine & Prevenge.

FILM MOVEMENT ACQUIRES AMNESIA

New York based distributor Film Movement has secured North American rights to Amnesia, the latest film from Barbet Schroeder. The announcement was made at Berlin Film Festival. Film Movement will open Amnesia theatrically at the Cinema Village in New York before a VOD bow on 21st Jul, 2017 and then a home – video release. Film stars Marthe Keller & Max Riemelt. Film played in 2015 Cannes. “Barbet Schroeder is a master of character studies,” averred Film Movement’s president Michael E. Rosenberg. “And Amnesia is no exception.” Film Movement’s recent acquisitions take in Andrzej Wajda’s Afterimage, Koji Fukada’s Harmonium & Jan Hrebejk’s The Teacher. Amnesia is sold by Les Films du Losange, the company Schroeder established in Paris in 1963.

SODA PICTURES MAKES ITS MOVE

Soda Pictures has acquired UK rights to action thriller Your Move from Premiere Entertainment Group, it announced recently. The film, which marks the directorial debut of singer – turned – actor Luke Goss, is currently in post production. Also starring Goss, alongside Robert Davi & Patricia De Leon, it tells the story of a man who must go to extreme lengths to discover what happened to his kidnapped wife & daughter. Soda intends to launch the film to coincide with the reunion concert tour of Bros, the 1980s’ pop band Luke performed in with his brother Matt. The reunion was originally intended as a one – off concert at London’s O2 Arena on 19th Aug, 2016, marking the anniversary of the band’s last concert in 1989. However, when that show sold out within a minute of going on sale the tour was expanded to include 6 further dates at the O2 and at other venues around UK in Aug, 2016. “We saw an excellent opportunity to distribute Your Move in UK in concert with Luke’s UK arena tour this summer,” averred Ed Fletcher, managing director of Soda Pictures. Premiere Entertainment Group, which is handling international sales, has secured deals for the film in many other markets including VSC for Canada, DBS Star for China, F. I. P. for France, Notorios for Italy, Aya Pro for Japan, California Filmes for Latin America, Flins y Piniculas for Spain, Moby Dick for South Korea, Pictureworks for India, Major Kantana for Thailand, Olin Arts for Turkey, Eagle for Middle East & Daro for Eastern Europe / Africa.

WARNER BROS RESTRUCTURES UK TV OPERATION

Warner Bros. is restructuring & consolidating its UK television development & production operations by bringing together its 5 UK production companies with London based Warner Bros International Television Production. The announcement, made recently by president of Warner Bros Worldwide Television Distribution Jeffrey R. Schlesinger, will see CEOs of UK production outfits Wall to Wall, Twenty Twenty, Ricochet, Yalli & Renegade report directly to Ronald Goes, executive vice – president of Warner Bros Worldwide Television Distribution. Schlesinger stated the move would offer the individual companies better access to the resources of the global production & distribution operations unit already based in London. It will see the companies work more closely with creative & business executives across the global group, designed to offer a more integrated strategic focus and greater ability for the companies to grow & broaden their local audiences while also creating more local versions of their shows around the globe. “With this restructure, we can better empower the experienced & the talented executives of our production companies here in UK to do what they do best – develop & produce great programming & franchises,” concluded Schlesinger. Wall to Wall produces celebrity genealogy show Who Do You Think You Are? for BBC. Twenty Twenty produces reality dating show First Dates for Channel 4.
LA LA LAND BAGS TOP PRIZE

Damien Chazelle’s La La Land dominated the 70th British Academy Film Awards recently, claiming 5 prizes including “Best Film”, “Best Director” & “Best Leading Actress” for Emma Stone. The triumph maintained the musical’s momentum through this year’s awards season ahead of the Oscars on 26th Feb, 2017. “I think film, when at its best, reveals there is more that ties us together than tears us apart,” averred producer Jordan Horowitz. Fellow producer Fred Berger praised UK industry for “challenging us and setting the bar.” Stone also averred, “The film was “one of the greatest working experiences of my life” and went on to thank BAFTA for bringing the industry together to “celebrate the positive gift of creativity, how it can transcend borders and make people feel a little less alone.” Composer Justin Hurwitz scored La La Land’s 1st ever award of the night for “Best Original music. Linus Sandgren also won the BAFTA for the film as “Best Cinematographer”. Casey Affleck claimed the “Best Actor” award for his performance in Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester By The Sea,” which also won Lonergan the BAFTA for “Best Original Screenplay”. “This is an honor I’ll never forget,” averred Casey Affleck. “The reason I act is when I was a young kid my mom took me to Al – Anon meetings for children of alcoholics. It was therapy but it was acting and acting has sort of been that for me ever since.” BAFTA chair Jane Lush took the stage ahead of the ceremony’s official start, hitting the 1st of many political notes of the evening as she commented on diversity issues within the industry.

NAZI THEMED THRILLER SS – GB INVADES EUROPE

BBC Worldwide has pre – sold thriller SS -GB, which receives its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival this week, across Europe. The counter factual series, set in a Nazi – occupied Britain post – World War II, stars Sam Riley & Kate Bosworth. It has been licensed to Germany (RTL), Croatia (Pickbox), Sweden (SVT), Greece (Cosmote), Israel (HOT / Cellcom), Iceland (RUV) & Poland (Showmax). SS-GB, a Sid Gentle Films production, will appear on BBC First Channels in Africa, Australia, Benelux & Middle East, as well as UKTV in New Zealand. The series was adapted from Len Deighton’s 1978 novel by screenwriters Neal Purvis & Robert Wade, whose credits include Skyfall & Spectre. In the series, Hitler’s Germany has defeated Britain and the population of 1940s Britain struggles to adjust to life under German occupation.

MILLENNIM FILMS IN SALES TALKS

Avi Lerner’s Millennium Films / Nu Image may be in sale talks with Chinese financier Recon group, according to reports. Bloomberg News recently reported 2 unnamed sources close to Recon suggesting that Recon might attempt to buy Los Angeles based producer & sales agent Millennium. Bloomberg’s sources stated that Recon might use Shenzhen – listed subsidiary Recon Wenyuan Cable. Recon is headed by Chinese businessman Tony Xia (aka Xia Jiantong.) In 2016 Recon bought control of the English soccer club Aston Villa in a deal reported to have been worth $101 million. Millennium, which has previously produced The Expendables action franchise movies, is known to have been in talks with several Chinese firms over the past year. Sources in China have put the asking price north of $300 million. The company has regularly turned to China for movie finance. Parts of The Expendables franchise were financed in association with China’s Le Vision Pictures, part of the LeEco cluster of companies. Earlier this week in Berlin, it was announced that Chinese distributor & financier Hishow had come on board 2 of Millennium’s current movies, Hunter Killer & Escobar. Recon bought Aston Villa from American businessman Randy Lerner. The relationship, if any, between between Randy Lerner & Avi Lerner is currently unclear. Aston Villa reported that Recon is a “privately owned holding company that owns the controlling interest in 5 publicly listed companies on Hong Kong & Chinese stock exchanges.”

HISHOW SNARES HUNTER KILLER & ESCOBAR
China’s Hishow Entertainment has boarded a pair of upcoming movies from Nu Image /Millennium Films: Hunter Killer & Escobar. The deal is one of the biggest completed so far at the European Film Market, alongside the Berlin Film Festival, and also one of the biggest by a Chinese indie in recent months. The Chinese distributor – investor has paid more than $10 million to buy into 2 films. In both cases it is co – financing the movies and acquiring distribution rights for China. Nu Image / Millennium produces the Expendables series, which also has Chinese co – producers. Directed by Donovan Marsh, Hunter Killer features Gerard Butler as an untested American captain who teams with Navy Seals for a mission to rescue the Russian president. Butler has significant name – recognition in China after the success there of London Has Fallen. Gary Oldman & Billy Bob Thornton also star in the action thriller, which was previously set up at Relativity but shifted after the company’s financial meltdown. Escobar, starring Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem & Peter Sarsgaard, is a fact based drama about a female journalist who strikes up a relationship with the notorious Colombian drug lord. Fernando Leon de Aranoa directs; Bardem shares the production credits.

XXX: XANDER CAGE DRIVES TO $60 MILLION

Released last week, Vin Diesel starring action movie xXx: Return of Xander Cage sped off to a blistering start at the Chinese box office turnstiles and never needed to look in the rear – view mirror. In 3 days of release it grossed $60.2 million, according to data from local tracking service Ent Group. Paramount reported the figure at an estimated $61.9 million. With an opening $20.6 million on Fri, followed by $23.2 million on Sat, it had driven past the North American total of $41.6 million inside 2 days. On Sun it enjoyed a further $16.4 million. The film played a total of some 85,000 screenings per day, more than double the 2nd placed picture, Kung Fu Yoga. Within the film’s 3 day haul, IMAX screens amassed $6 million, the 2nd biggest Feb, 2017 opening in China behind the recent The Monkey King 2. IMAX reports that 8 of the film’s top 10 locations were IMAX theaters. (Prior to this weekend, xXx: Xander Cage had an international score of $114 million and a global total of $156 million.) A long way behind in 2nd place, Jackie Chan starring holdover Kung Fu Yoga earned $15.6 million. That propelled its total to $217 million after 16 days on release, including the Chinese New Year holiday period. Cook Up A Storm, a comedy action romance starring Hong Kong’s Nicholas Tse, started with over 51,000 screenings on its opening Fri, but the number of outlets were sliced back to 42,000 by Sun as its scored slipped. In its 3 opening it managed $12.2 million.

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