pons
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146,679 Vanni people missing within a year of war: Bishop of Mannaar
May 10th
According to records of the SL Government Agent offices of Mullaiththeevu and Ki’linochchi districts, the population of Vanni was 429,059 in October 2008. The total number of people who got into SL government control after the war was 282,380, according to UN update as of 10 July 2009. “Due clarification should be made regarding what happened to 146,679 people, which is the discrepancy between the number of people who came to government controlled areas between October 2008 – May 2009 and the population reported to be in Vanni in early October 2008,” said the Catholic Bishop of Mannaar, Rt. Rev. Dr. Rayappu Joseph in his submission to the LLRC Saturday. The Bishop has also raised the issues of militarization, colonisation, land grab, Sihalicization, Buddhicisation and civil as well as human rights abuses that take place in the Tamil land following the war.
The LTTE, other armed Tamil groups and the war, are not the cause, but only results of the conflict. Their actions were prompted by the failure of successive governments to respond favourably to Tamil’s efforts to resolve their problems through peaceful and political means. Roots of the conflict and reasons for the war that caused so much pain, destruction and polarization dates much further, the Bishop pointed out.
Citing the case of Rev. Fr. Jim Brown, whose case of disappearance in 2006 was part of the mandate of a previous presidential commission proved futile, the Bishop said “we must express our disappointment that previous Commissions of Inquiry have failed to establish the truth into human rights violations and extrajudicial killings they were inquiring and bring justice and relief to victims and their families.”
“Although establishing the truth is not explicitly mentioned in your mandate, we believe you will share our conviction that there can be no genuine and lasting reconciliation without truth,” the Bishop told the LLRC.
Commenting on colonisation activities the Bishop said: “There is suspicion amongst historical inhabitants in the district that these are part of a government plan to bring about demographic changes in terms of ethnic and religious composition of the districts and the Northern Province as a whole. Such efforts in the past have been a key factor that led to the conflict, war and violence and as we try to move towards reconciliation, it is crucial to learn lessons from the mistakes made in the past and not repeat such mistakes.”
While expressing his disapproval over limiting the amount of money spent on each permanent house in the North and East to 3,25,000 which is hardly enough for decent housing, the Bishop also has cautioned against possible obstacles to the Indian plan to build 50,000 houses.
Source : http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=33380
Upcoming Movie Kalakalappu
May 9th
Cast: Vimal, Shiva, Santhanam, Anjali, Oviya, Ilavarasu, Panju Subbu, John Vijay, George, Balaji Mohan, Thalapathi, Dinesh, V.S. Raghavan
Director: Sundar C
Producer: Khushbu Sundar, Ronnie Screwvala, Siddharth Roy Kapur
Banner: Avni Cinemax, UTV Motion Pictures
Music: Vijay Ebenezer
Background Music:
Sound: J.D.Babu
Lyrics: Pa Vijay
Cinematography: U.K.Senthilkumar
Editing: K.L. Praveen, Sreekanth
Art Direction:
Screenplay: Sundar C
Dialogue:
Story/Writer:
Action Direction:
Choreography:
Costume: Rajendran
Source : http://www.nowrunning.com/movie/9730/tamil/kalakalappu/cast.and.crew.htm
Derailment delays trains by 6 hours
May 8th
VELLORE: Three wagons of a Chennai harbour-bound empty goods train from Mettur derailed at Kavanur near Gudiyattam, in the wee hours of Monday. Owing to the derailment, 12 trains heading to Chennai were delayed by five to six hours. The derailment occurred around 1.30 am. Chennai Division Railway Manager S Anantharaman arrived at the spot around 2.30 am and over 250 workers were involved in re-railing the derailed wagons. Thousands of passengers on trains bound to Chennai from Bangalore, were stranded. Sources said that all the trains passing through the section were stopped at various points.
Totally 12 trains, including Allapuzha Express, Thiruvananthapuram Express, Cheran Express and Blue Mountain Express, were delayed by over five hours.
Train services towards Jolarpet resumed around 2.30 am but the Salem passenger that was supposed to leave Katpadi at 5.45 am was, however, cancelled. He said train services resumed at 6.30 am on the other track were Chennai-bound trains operated.
Three special teams have been formed to probe into the incident, he said adding that the train was proceeding at a speed of 73 km/h when the wagons derailed. Sources said one of the three wagons has been totally damaged.
Source : http://ibnlive.in.com/news/derailment-delays-trains-by-6-hours/255726-60-118.html
Satyamev jayate hits the right chords
May 7th
Satyamev Jayate the most awaited TV show of the year was finally aired on Sunday.
This ambitious project undertaken by film star Aamir Khan has hit the right chord and has received a grand opening.
It is definitely a show to awaken the mass on the serious issues in the society and this is what I expected from ‘anAamir Khan show’.
The first episode of Satyamev Jayate focused on female foeticide, an issue which has influenced almost the entire country.
The first guest in the show was a woman from Ahmedabad, who shared her tale of how she was first duped in to having an abortion and then forced into having six abortions in eight years by her husband and in-laws.
Another guest that followed was a woman from Madhya Pradesh who told her horrifying story, where her husband disfigured her face by biting it because she was going to give a birth to their third girl child.
Contrary to our assumptions, that such cases only take place in rural areas and within the illiterate population of the society was broken when a doctor from New Delhi, who was married in a well educated family narrated her tale of harassment she had faced by her in-laws for giving birth to a girl child.
The inhuman stories got everyone emotional, there were moments when your eyes well up with tears but the show did not get into the trend of emotional drama.
It was a pang of shock when two journalists who had executed a sting operation on female abortion in Rajesthan seven years ago revealed that no action was taken against the doctors who were involved in this inhuman practice and even after having them caught red handed on the camera, the issue still remained unsolved.
This was followed by interviews with experts, doctors and it also focused on the long term consequences of such illegal practices.
Through this show Aamir has promised to write to Chief Minister of Rajasthan to set up fast track courts to settle the impending cases against the doctors caught red handed in the state.
It would be unfair to compare Aamir Khan with other filmstars who have hosted the TV shows in the past, as the concept of this show is completely different.
Yes, the show is definitely highlighting the most serious issues that are bothering the country, but the question is what the outcome is?
Is this show another money making scheme or it really has the potential to help the country in its own little way!
We shall wait and watch.
UbiSlate tablets get multi-language support
May 5th
Datawind in collaboration with Reverie Language Technologies Pvt. Ltd has added multiple language support for its UbiSlate tablets. The company will offer support for all major regional Indian and world languages.
Announcing the alliance, Suneet Singh Tuli, CEO of Datawind said, “We are very happy to have formed this strategic partnership with Reverie for supply of language solutions. We feel strongly that technology should reach every corner of the world and knowledge of English should not be a barrier.”
With the help of this alliance, UbiSlate will provide operating system level of integration that will ensure overall user experience in the consumer’s preferred language. Through its text-rendering technology, UbiSlate tablets will be capable of displaying all languages with complex scripts and keypads for supported languages along with transliteration technology.
Datawind had launched two affordable Android tablets – UbiSlate 7 and UbiSlate 7C on April 26, 2012. The prices of these tablets range between Rs. 3,000-4,000.
Source : http://gadgets.ndtv.com/shownews.aspx?id=GADEN20120201857&Sec=NEWS&nid=206375
U.S. slaps 80,000 dollar fine on Air India
May 4th
The U.S. Transportation Department has slapped a USD 80,000 fine on Air India for failing to post customer service and tarmac delay contingency plans on its website and adequately inform passengers about its optional fees.
This is the first penalty assessed for a violation of the Department’s new airline consumer rules that took effect last August.
“Our new airline consumer rules help ensure that passengers are fully informed about airline services and fees and what to expect if their flight is delayed on the tarmac,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said on Thursday.
From August 2011, foreign carriers operating to the U.S. with at least one aircraft of 30 or more seats have been required to adopt contingency plans for lengthy tarmac delays as well as customer service plans, and to post these plans on their websites.
U.S. carriers have been covered by this requirement since April 2010, the Department of Transportation said in a statement.
Also both U.S. carriers and foreign carriers with a website that sells tickets to U.S. consumers have been required to include on their homepages a prominent hyperlink that takes viewers directly to a page that shows all fees for optional services the carrier charges, including baggage fees.
Air India failed to post its customer service and tarmac delay contingency plans and to provide a link to its optional fees by the required date, the statement added.
Source : http://www.thehindu.com/business/companies/article3383127.ece
Nityananda threatens to sue heads of mutts
May 3rd
Even as the head of Madurai Adheenam, Arunagirinatha Gnanasambanda Desika Paramacharya, defended his decision to appoint Nityananda as his successor, the latter has threatened to sue the heads of other mutts who have opposed his induction in the oldest Hindu mutt.
“I was denied an opportunity to clarify my view point on the issue, though I approached the heads of those mutts. They have now dragged me into the controversy, forcing me to defend myself in the court of law,” Nityananda told reporters, along with the head of the Mutt here on Wednesday.
Heads of several Saivite Mutts, who met at Dharmapuram on Tuesday, wanted the Madurai Adheenam to remove Nitayananda from the post as the appointment was against customs and tradition, failing which they would seek legal course on the issue.
Nithayanda clarified that he very much belonged to the Saiva Vellala community making him eligible to become the head of Madurai Adheenam. Three elderly persons, said to be relatives of Nitayananda, supported his claim.
On the contention that a criminal case was pending against him, Nityananda said that the rape case filed against him was strange and unique, as no one had been cited as the victim of the crime. “There are many cases against people in public life and this case against me has no basis,” he said. He claimed that he was ready to resign the new post of spiritual leader, if his clarification was not acceptable to the heads of other mutts.
Stating that the heads of mutts had defamed him, he warned them to take back the words uttered against him within 10 days to avoid being sued for defamation.
“My followers from all the centres will file the cases, for conspiracy, promoting enmity between different groups and for outraging religious feelings against all those who had signed the resolution passed against me,” he said.
Stating that his followers would begin an indefinite fast in front of the Dharmapuram Adheenam, he said that they would sign with their blood a memorandum seeking the State Government’s permission for filing case against the heads of the mutts under Section 295A of Indian Penal Code (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings).
“The heads of mutts have been instigated by vested interests who had encroached upon the property of Madurai Adheenam,” he alleged.
Arunagirinatha Gnanasambanda Desika Paramacharya said Nityananda’s appointment as his successor was purely an internal issue of the Adheenam and he need not consult the heads of any other mutt.
Source : http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/tamil-nadu/article3377858.ece
Platform tickets to cost Rs. 5 from tomorrow
May 2nd
New Delhi: Get ready to shell out Rs. 5 instead ofRs. 3 for entering railway platforms across the country as the increased platform ticket rate will come into effect from Tuesday.
The hike in platform ticket was announced in the Rail Budget in Parliament and accordingly the new rate of platform ticket would be Rs. 5 instead of Rs. 3, a senior Railway Ministry official said.
The increased rate of platform tickets will be charged on tickets issued from May 1. A platform ticket is valid for two hours.
Proposals to increase train fares across the board along with platform ticket were announced by the then Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi in the budget.
Mr Trivedi was sacked by Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee for proposing hike in train fares and subsequently, new Railway Minister Mukul Roy rolled back the hike proposal barring higher classes.
The increase in platform ticket price was, however, not rolled back.
Railways have given instruction to all zonal railways to print the revised tickets on top priority basis and ensure supply to all stations well in time.
Till that time, old stock of tickets may be used with rate corrected with stamp, said a circular issued by the commercial department of railways.
Railways have also given instructions for the modification in software for issuing platform ticket with new rate through ticket vending machines at stations.
Source : http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/platform-tickets-to-cost-rs-5-from-tomorrow-204428
