Wikileaks exposes US diplomats' unflattering views of allies

Washington:Thousands of US diplomatic messages leaked Sunday offered an unflattering view of key allies, with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin mockingly termed the 'alpha dog' by one of the cables.

Copies of the German news weekly Der Spiegel went on sale in railway stations hours before an embargo imposed by a consortium of news media was due to run out.

Quotes from the more than 250,000 cables obtained by the Wikileaks website were also circulating on the Twitter web service in advance.

The confidential assessments by US diplomats said for example that Afghan President Hamid Karzai was a 'weak personality' who was 'driven by paranoia' and 'conspiracy theories'.

The accounts of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan were suspicious of him, while remarks about Kenya's leadership were contemptuous.

One exchange indicated the State Department in Washington asked the US embassy in Rome to check rumours that Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi had private property dealings with Putin. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was termed 'pale, hesitant'.

In an assessment of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a diplomat marked her: 'Avoids risk, not very creative.'

Spiegel said 90 percent of the material involved the period from 2005 onwards. Only six percent was labelled 'secret'. Other media which had sifted and edited the material and were set to publish it included the New York Times and the London newspaper The Guardian.

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Waheeda Rehman to inaugurate Kerala film festival

Panaji: Legendary actress Waheeda Rehman will travel south to throw open the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) in December this year.

IFFK Chairman and the festival director K.R. Mohanan told reporters here Sunday that the actress, who inaugurated 40th International Film Festival of India in Goa last year, will be the chief guest for the festival which begins Dec 10, while renowned German filmmaker Werner Herzog would be the guest of honour.

'The eight-day long festival is organised by Kerala State Chalachithra Academy (KSCA) and will be held in Thiruvananthapuram. As many as 14 films from Asia, Africa and Latin America will compete for the top awards,' Mohanan said, adding that the top purse, the Suvarna Chakoram for the best film, will be awarded Rs.15 lakh (Rs.1.5 million).

'Rajata Chakoram and a cash prize of Rs.400,000 will go to the best director and a Rajata Chakoram and Rs.300,000 will go to the best debut filmmaker. In addition to this, a Rajata Chakoram and Rs.200,000 would be awarded as the audience prize,' he said.

Mohanan further said that the festival will screen a retrospective of filmmaker Rainer Fassbinder, while T.V. Chandran will be the Malayalam filmmaker in focus along with other films from Central Asia and those made by Black American filmmakers.

'We will have 190 films screened at 10 theatres in Thiruvananthapuram,' Mohanan said.

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Pakistani woman's nose cut-off by in-laws

Islamabad:A Pakistani woman's nose was cut off and her head tonsured by her in-laws who then locked her up for hree days because they suspected her of having an affair with a neighbour, police said.

The incident took place in Gujranwala in Punjab province.

Aasiya Bibi's brother-in-law Anwar, his wife Kalsoom and sons Waqas and Awais caught hold of her and cut off her nose and shaved off her head, alleging that she had an illicit relationship with a local man.

'Aasiya has been living with her in-laws for over seven years and her husband works in Multan, so he rarely manages to visit,' Express Tribune quoted Aasiya's neighbour Nida as saying.

Nida said that Aasiya's in-laws were often cruel to her.

Police said that the family locked up Aasiya in a room where she lay for three days after the incident, till a police team released her after being tipped-off.

Aasiya told the police: 'I had been beaten and they didn't give me proper food. They locked me up and I was still bleeding.'

Police officials said that when they found Aasiya she was in a terrible state and was promptly taken to a hospital where her wounds were stitched up. Doctors said that she narrowly managed to avoid an infection.

'We were surprised that her open wounds hadn't got infected even thought they weren't treated for three days,' medical superintendent Azam Skeikh was quoted as saying.

'She is currently receiving treatment but we expect her to make a full recovery,' he added.

Aasiya's in-laws were unrepentant.

Her brother-in-law Anwar said: 'She was having illicit relations with a neighbour. We caught her and this was her punishment. She deserved what happened to her...I should have killed her on the spot.'

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Morale and Motivation of Indian armed forces not affected by Adarsh scam

Morale and Motivation of Indian armed forces not affected by Adarsh scam

Posted on: 29 Nov 2010

Kochi: The Morale and Motivation of the Indian Armed forces have not been affected following the Mumbai Adarsh Housing Society scam, Vice Admiral K N Sushil, Flag Officer Commanding in Chief, Southern Naval Command, today said. 'I dont think the morale has been hit. yes, There is a feeling that others are looking at us with a different eye', Vice Admiral Sushil, told reporters on board INS Tir here. The Morale, Morality and honesty of defence personnel--Officers, Sailors and Cadets continues to be high. '...We will introspect. We will put in measures that we do not succumb to pressures. There is need to look inwards.. What the problems are, were the lacunae are.. ', he said when asked if the morale of the defence forces had taken a hit as top names of serving and retired defence personnel had surfaced in scam.

The navy was also interacting with the state government for land for housing schemes for naval personnel. An army housing
society was coming up at thiruvananthapuram, he said. The Navy has the responsbility for overall maritime security which includes coastal security and offshore security the Triton and Nepture series of excercises for the coastal security of kerala nd Laklshadweep respectively. This yearfour such excercises have been conducted including the just concluded excercise Triton III, he said. These excercises have further ensured functionally seamless integration of the Indian Navy, Coast Guard and other state and central agencies like Marine Police, Customs, fisheries department, he said. The training of new coastal security force Sagar Prahari Bal (SPB) began this year at INS Dronacharya. Two more batches have been trained since then, the Vice Admiral said interacting with the media on the occasion of Navy week celebrations.

There has been godd response from the adminsitration and police on coastal security. A coastal police station was started at Beypore. INS Kalpeni has already been commissioned and INS Kabra will be commissioned by next month which would increasing the patrolling capabilities. Infra structure to improve coastal security is going in full swing and government is reviwing this at a very high level. In the Ezhimala naval academy, the work of Naval hospital, Auditorium and firing range are expected to be completed by Aug 2012.

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2 travelers drugged and looted in bus

2 travelers drugged and looted in bus

Posted on: 29 Nov 2010

Kalpetta: Two travelers have been drugged and looted on the Mysore-Kozhikode superfast bus on Saturday night. The victims were Kadeeja, 55 wife of Aboobacker, Kakkavayal, and brother-in-law Kasim, 48 were returning in the bus from Bangalore after visiting a relative, who is under treatment there. Both are admitted at a private hospital in Kalpetta. They lost two sovereigns of gold, mobile phone and 5000 in cash. They boarded the bus on Saturday 10.30 pm from Mysore. There, they were befriended by a co-passenger who introduced him as Rasheed from Kavumandham and when the bus reached Gonikuppa he offered them tea.
The conductor, who found them lying unconscious, shifted them from the bus to Kalpetta bus stand with the help of fellow passengers. Both were admitted to hospital by the police. The relatives said that the conductor had informed them that there were 30 passengers in the bus and out of them 27 alighted at Kalpetta. Among the rest of the three, one disappeared when the bus reached Kattikkulam.

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Kochi survives IPL axe again, BCCI to decide fate on Dec 5

Nagpur: The squabbling Kochi IPL franchise today got yet another breather from the BCCI which decided to defer the decision on its fate till December 5 after the consortium's investors reached a last-minute agreement over their shareholding pattern.

At a meeting of the IPL's Governing Council here, the BCCI deferred the decision on the franchise for a third time
after the expiry of a month-long deadline given to it for sorting out its internal bickering.

'They have disclosed their ownership pattern. Our legal experts will study the papers. There was no discussion with
the investors because we are not legal experts. BCCI will take a decision on December 5 in Mumbai, ' BCCI President Shashank Manohar told reporters after the meeting.

Barely seven months after becoming the second most costliest team in the Indian Premier League, Kochi was on the
verge of being thrown out of the event.

But the owners of the beleaguered franchise made a last ditch attempt to save the outfit by reaching a compromise last
night.

Before the compromise, the investors of the franchise, which was bought for a staggering sum of Rs 1533.33 crore, had
written to the BCCI informing them of their intention to withdraw from the IPL.

That letter was sent after the BCCI, which had on October 10 expelled Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals for allegedly
violating contractual agreements, gave a termination notice of 30 days to the franchise to sort out internal disputes
regarding the shareholding pattern.

The investors in the consortium -- Anchor Earth, Parinee Developers, Rosy Blue and Film Wave -- hold 74 per cent of the
equity.

The remaining 26 per cent lies with the Gaikwad family -- Shailendra, his brother Ravi and their parents all part of Rendezvous Sports World -- as free equity for services rendered while bidding.

It is this 26 per cent which became a bone of contention among the stakeholders as the investors were in no mood to
give free equity to the Gaikwad family.

The Gaikwads, on their part, initially refused to part with the equity but have now agreed to forego at least some of
it to put an end to the squabbling which threatens the very existence of the team.

The BCCI has made it clear that eight teams will take part in the fourth edition of the league scheduled from April
8, just six days after the World Cup. PTI

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Contempt of court case: Jayarajan appears before court

Contempt of court case: Jayarajan appears before court

Posted on: 29 Nov 2010

Kochi: Senior CPM leader MV Jayarajan appeared before the Kerala High Court on Monday in relation to the contempt of court case against him for making an outburst against HC judges in July. Jayarajan said he would present the facts before HC, which lead to contempt proceedings against him. He said his statements were not meant to insult the court or the legal system.

A division bench of Justice A.K. Basheer and Justice PQ Barkhat Ali earlier issued him notice to present before the court on November 29.

Jayarajan, 50, while addressing a public meeting in July after a high court order against roadside meetings, used objectionable words against the judges who passed the order.

Jayarajan, who hails from Kannur, is a two-time legislator and a member of the CPI-M's state committee.

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Panchayath UD clerk found killed

Panchayath UD clerk found killed

Posted on: 29 Nov 2010

Kulathupuzha: UD clerk of Thenmala grama panchayath found killed and body abandoned in a rubber plantation .
The body of Shijad, 27, from Arippa was found by Saturday night at RPL plantation near Pallamvetti temple. Police confirmed the death as murder.

Shijad who worked as LD clerk in Kulathoopuzha Grama panchayath till 2007, was given promotional transfer to Malappuram. It was only 7 months back that he got transfer to Thenmala. He was residing with a relative in ESM colony. He was killed when on his way to home in a bike. His bike and helmet were missing. His father is Yusuf and mother late Subaida Beevi. His brothers are Nishad and Shihad.

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Parliament closes without business for 12th day

New Delhi: Both houses of parliament were adjourned Monday, again without conducting any business, as the stalemate over appointing a joint parliamentary committee to probe the alleged scam in 2G spectrum allotment continued for the 12th day.

The government's every effort to break the logjam has yielded no result and question hours in both houses of parliament were derailed again with an unrelenting opposition persisting with its demand that a parliamentary panel probe the controversial second generation telephony spectrum allocation in 2008.

There were moments of peace, but these were very brief. Speaker Meira Kumar asked Lok Sabha members to join her in congratulating Indian sportspersons for their best ever medals tally in Asian Games in China.

However, as soon as she finished reading out her felicitation for the Indian medal winners at the Asiad, opposition MPs trooped near her podium and started shouting slogans 'We want JPC'. The speaker then adjourned the house till 12 noon.

When the house resumed the sitting at noon, the sloganeering continued and deputy speaker Karia Munda ordered the adjournment of the Lok Sabha till Tuesday.

Scenes in the Rajya Sabha were no different as the upper house was also adjourned soon after it met after the weekend. Chairman Hamid Ansari adjourned the house to meet again at noon and then for the rest of the day when MPs met at 12.

This is the 12th successive day of the Nov 9-Dec 13 winter session that parliament has not transacted any significant business and both houses have witnessed adjournments barely minutes after meeting.

There is no end in sight to the deadlock as the opposition has rebuffed the government's every request to it to give up the demand for a JPC probe into the scandal.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Sunday spoke to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Sushma Swaraj and L.K. Advani and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Sitaram Yechury to break the logjam.

But the opposition leaders refused to give up their JPC demand even as the government maintained its stance that such a panel was 'not possible' to inquire into the allegations.

The two houses had some 125 working hours scheduled in the first 11 days of the session.

According to the PRS Legislative Research, the Lok Sabha has met for only 5.4 hours in 12 days of the session, which is only nine percent of the scheduled time.

The opposition, which has united over the 2G issue, and the government are blaming each other for the wasted parliament time that has also cost the national exchequer over Rs.90 crore.

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Wikileaks expose: Saudi Arabia urges US attack on Iran

London, Nov 29 :Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region urged US to attack Iran and destroy its nuclear facilities, The Guardian reported citing the secret US diplomatic communications leaked Sunday by whistle-blowing website Wikileaks.

The revelations of secret memos from US embassies across the Middle East expose behind-the-scenes pressures in the scramble to contain the Islamic Republic, which the US, Arab states and Israel suspect is close to acquiring nuclear weapons.

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia was recorded as having 'frequently exhorted the US to attack Iran to put an end to its nuclear weapons programme', said the paper which was among the few media outlets that have been given access to the over 250,000 diplomatic cables by Wikileaks.

'He told you (Americans) to cut off the head of the snake,' the Saudi ambassador to Washington, Adel al-Jubeir said, according to a report on Abdullah's meeting with the US general David Petraeus in April 2008.

King Abdullah warned the Americans that if Iran developed nuclear weapons 'everyone in the region would do the same, including Saudi Arabia'.

The documents also describe how other Arab allies of the US have secretly agitated for military action against Tehran.

Israel's defence minister Ehud Barak estimated in June 2009 that there was a window of 'between six and 18 months from now in which stopping Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons might still be viable'. After that, Barak said, 'any military solution would result in unacceptable collateral damage.'

Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, warned in February that if diplomatic efforts failed, 'we risk nuclear proliferation in the Middle East, war prompted by an Israeli strike, or both'.

Israeli's military intelligence chief, Major General Amos Yadlin, warned last year: 'Israel is not in a position to underestimate Iran and be surprised like the US was on Sep 11 2001.'

'If the Iranians continue to protect and harden their nuclear sites, it will be more difficult to target and damage them,' the US embassy reported Israeli defence officials as saying in November 2009.

The US embassy reported: 'The IDF (Israeli Defence Force), however, strikes us as more inclined than ever to look toward a military strike, whether launched by Israel or by us, as the only way to destroy or even delay Iran's plans.'

The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, told US officials in May last year that he and the Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, agreed that a nuclear Iran would lead others in the region to develop nuclear weapons, resulting in 'the biggest threat to non-proliferation efforts since the Cuban missile crisis'.

The leaked US cables say that officials in Jordan and Bahrain have openly called for Iran's nuclear programme to be stopped by any means, including military.

Leaders in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt termed Iran as 'evil', an 'existential threat' and a power that 'is going to take us to war'.

In a conversation with a US diplomat, King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa of Bahrain 'argued forcefully for taking action to terminate their (Iran's) nuclear programme, by whatever means necessary. That programme must be stopped. The danger of letting it go on is greater than the danger of stopping it.'

Zeid Rifai, then president of the Jordanian senate, told a senior US official: 'Bomb Iran, or live with an Iranian bomb. Sanctions, carrots, incentives won't matter.'

In talks with US officials, Abu Dhabi crown prince Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed favoured action against Iran, sooner rather than later. 'I believe this guy is going to take us to war ... It's a matter of time. Personally, I cannot risk it with a guy like (President Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad. He is young and aggressive.'(IANS)

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Govt to extent one-time settlement scheme to one more year

Govt to extent one-time settlement scheme to one more year

Posted on: 29 Nov 2010

Thiruvananathapuram: The state government is planning to extent the one-time settlement project which meant for those who have undervalued their property during registration. Under-valuation of land has been rampant in State. Those who have done this can make use of the one-time settlement scheme. Considering the response, the department has decided to extend the scheme to one more year. The scheme was announced in the state budget 2009 which include land transations from 1986 to 2009. Approximately 1.86-lakh under-valuation cases have been detected in the 33 sub-registrars' offices in the district since 1986. The State has nearly 20 lakh cases. Finance department also gave green signal for the proposal, which was put forward by Registration department. Till date, the state government had recovered Rs 66, 46, 57,451 though the scheme.

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NC-Congress coordination panel meet postponed

Jammu: A crucial meeting of the National Conference and Congress coordination committee scheduled for Sunday was postponed as Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah pulled out of the panel.

The meet has been postponed due to 'preoccupation of some of the participants', state Congress committee president Saifuddin Soz told reporters.

Modalities for the forthcoming panchayat polls in Jammu and Kashmir were to be discussed at the meeting.

Soz, however, did not give another date for the meeting.

But sources in the National Conference said that Omar Abdullah has pulled out of the coordination panel and that his father, Union New and Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah, too may not participate in the meeting.

According to the sources, Omar Abdullah has apprised the Congress leadership in New Delhi about his decision to stay away from the panel as none of his predecessors were members of the coordination committee during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-Congress rule.

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2G logjam: oppn rejects Pranab's offer again

New Delhi: The logjam in Parliament over the issue of JPC into the 2G Spectrum scam is set to continue on Monday with both the government and the opposition sticking to their guns. Congress made it clear that it would not accept the Opposition demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the matter more so as a major period of the winter session has already gone without transacting any business. 'Absolutely no' was the refrain of a senior party leader when asked whether Congress would agree to the JPC demand.

Party spokesperson Manish Tewari told PTI, 'The government has already walked the extra mile and addressed the issue of alleged corruption. The party has taken pro-active action into the matter. The opposition is not looking for action but for for political capital, which obviously the government cannot provide it with.'

The remarks have come a day when UPA's troubleshooter Pranab Mukherjee has held talks with NDA chairperson Lal Krishna Advani and BJP's Leader of Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj on the issue. But the matter remained unresolved with the BJP leaders rejecting Mukherjee's proposals.

Though admitting that public perception may not be very positive for the ruling party over the denial of JPC, a Congress leader said that this will also affect the image of the opposition which has been rejecting one-by-one government's proposals to normalise Parliament functioning.

'First we said that the Public Accounts Committee should examine the CAG report that was tabled in Parliament in the normal course of action. As they refused to be content with mere PAC, we also offered to attach a multi-investigation team with the PAC so that the issue can be examined in detail. That was also rejected by the Opposition.

'We are also ready for an exhaustive discussion on the issue in Parliament and to a Supreme Court-monitored CBI investigation. The Opposition's constant denial on the issue will not go down well with the people more so after BJP failed to take action against its own Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa in Karnataka, who faces allegations of corruption and nepotism,' a senior party leader said on condition of anonymity.

In the day, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee also held deliberations with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal and Congress President Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel to work out a compromise formula to end the impasse which has paralyzed Parliament functioning for over since November 10.

Patel later met the Congress President and briefed her on the issue.

The Congress Core Group, which had met on Friday, discussed the issue in detail.

Meanwhile, the Speaker's all-party meeting is now likely to be held at 1.30 pm on Tuesday, her office said.

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Initially I was sceptical about doing 'Dil Toh...': Emraan Hashmi

Mumbai: Emraan Hashmi, who is making his maiden foray into comedy with Madhur Bhandarkar's directorial venture 'Dil Toh Bachchan Hai Ji', says he was initially sceptical about taking up the role.
'I was initially sceptical about the film. But Madhur (Bhandarkar) has brought in a certain amount of realism even in this genre and that made the film very interesting. So then I was keen,' Emraan told IANS.

In the film, which is slated to hit screens Jan 28, Emraan will be seen essaying the role of a flirt who mantra in life is women and money.

'The character that I play in this film is not very different from my previous roles but the genre is different. Generally I have played intense, brooding characters, but in this film my character has grey shades with a humorous streak,' said the 31-year-old.

Helmed by Bhandarkar, 'Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji', is the story of three men and their encounters with love. Apart from Emran, the cast includes Ajay Devgn, Omi Vaidya, Shruti Hassan, Shraddha Das and Shahzan Padamsee.

The tagline of the film says that men can never grow. When asked Emraan about his opinion on the same, he said: 'This is an apt tagline for the film and I completely believe in it. I feel that men usually don't grow up. Women are more matured. Even when men are 30-35, they are still immature.'

The actor is known for his roles in 'Murder', 'Jannat', 'Gangster - A Love Story' and 'Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai'.

Doesn't his onscreen image ever bother him?

'All actors have images. You have do the roles that are given to you and sometimes your onscreen image bleeds into your personal life and people start believing that you are that way in your real life as well. But I'm okay with that because roles are roles and people close to me know how I am in reality,' said actor.

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US trying to suppress evidence of human rights abuses: Assange

US trying to suppress evidence of human rights abuses: Assange

Posted on: 29 Nov 2010

Washington: The WikiLeaks has alleged that the US had rejected its offer for constructive dialogue and accused it of trying to suppress evidence of human rights abuses and other criminal behavior, saying Washington's concerns were 'entirely fanciful'. 'I understand that the United States government would prefer not to have the information that will be published in the public domain and is not in favour of openness,' WikiLeaks Editor-in-Chief, Julian Assange, said in a letter to Louis B Susman, the US Ambassador to Britain. The letter was in response to the one written by the State Department to WikiLeaks on Saturday asking it not to publish classified US documents.

You have chosen to respond in a manner which leads me to conclude that the supposed risks are entirely fanciful and you are instead concerned to suppress evidence of human rights abuse and other criminal behaviour,' Assange said. We will not engage in a negotiation regarding the further release or dissemination of illegally obtained US Government classified materials, Harold Hongju Koh, Legal Adviser, State Department said in a letter to JenniferRobinson, Attorney for Julian Assange, WikiLeaks. This was in response to the communication from WikiLeaks a day earlier in which the whistle blower website informed the US about its intentions to publish classified US Government documents. 'Despite your stated desire to protect those lives, you have done the opposite and endangered the lives of countless individuals.

You have undermined your stated objective by disseminating this material widely, without redaction, and without regard to the security and sanctity of the lives your actions endanger,' Koh said in his letter, which was released to the press late Saturday night, ahead of the possible release of such classified documents. 'WikiLeaks has absolutely no desire to put individual persons at significant risk of harm, nor do we wish to harm the national security of the United States,' Assange said in his letter on Sunday. 'WikiLeaks have spent significant time and resources redacting the material in our possession to achieve this
outcome and sought to cross check our work and that of our traditional media partners with the US government,' he said.

'I wrote to you explicitly with this in mind in order to offer the US the opportunity to privately nominate specific instances where this may occur. Instead of eliminating the risk you allege to lives and military operations you have rejected our offer for
constructive dialogue and chosen a confrontational approach,' he said. PTI

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Congress sets out to corner Jagan by luring his loyalists

Hyderabad: Amid speculation that Congress will neutralise the Jagan camp by accomodating some of his loyalists in the new Andhra Pradesh cabinet, the rebel Kadapa MP may find the going tough. For the 38-year-old son of former Chief Minister Y S R Reddy, who has been aspiring to become the CM, the increasing isolation may push him into breaking away from Congress and forming a new party, political analysts feel.

His uncle and member of Legislative Council, Y S Vivekananda Reddy, YSR's brother, has rubbed salt to Jaganmohan Reddy's injury by offering to 'patch up' the strained relationship between his nephew and the Congress high command by 'expressing regret over the episodes telecast on Sakshi television channel.'

The channel, owned by Jagan, raised the hackles of the party leadership by targeting Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi.

Vivekananda's move has only left a defiant Jagan more embarrassed even as his camp tried to do some damage control by announcing that their leader had done nothing wrong that warranted any explanation to the high command.

By distancing itself from Vivekananda's statement, his camp desperately sought to send a message that Jagan would not buckle under presure.

Vivekananda on Sunday met Sonia in Delhi and is understood to have discussed the political situation in Andhra Pradesh arising out of the rebellious attitude of Jagan.

Jagan will have to wait till Wednesday to make up his mind on whether or not to continue in the Congress party, with the swearing-in ceremony of the cabinet to take place on the same day.

He is anxiously awaiting the formation of the state Cabinet to assess his standing in the scheme of things in the Congress and chalk out his future path, his supporters say.

One of his close followers and former minister Pilli Subhash Chandra Bose claimed he would not join Kiran Kumar Reddy's Cabinet after it became clear that he would face the axe for having defied the party high command, along with another former minister Balineni Srinivasa Reddy, on the Odarpu Yatra issue.

The Congress high command is also keeping Jagan on tenterhooks by not showing any hurry in taking action against him for targeting the party leadership through his media.

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Polish filmmaker amazed at Indian response to 'Venice'

Polish filmmaker amazed at Indian response to 'Venice'

Posted on: 29 Nov 2010

Panaji: 'I shall have a beautiful life...', begins the poignant story of noted Polish filmmaker Jan Jacub Kolski's 'Venice', which premiered to a packed hall at IFFI. The director says he was 'astonished' with the Indian response and consider it a compliment to his craft. The film, which hovers into the dreams and realities of a Polish child during World War II, piped Roman Polanski's latest 'Ghost Writer' which was also being screened at the same time.

The film is based on famous Polish writer Wlodzimierz Odojewski's short story 'Season in Venice'. 'The response was unexpected but it is the best compliment. I am honoured. My films bond on an emotional level and the response shows they are eing understood. Indian culture is much older than ours. I am honoured to be here,' Kolski said.The director's 'Jasminum' was screened at IFFI in 2006 but this is his first visit to India. 'What happened to me in India is astonishing. I am a bit scared by it and will take sometime to understand. I came to know that the kind of cinema I make is very Indian. Something similar happened to me in Japan and Germany, which means that I make universal films. It is a new discovery of me,' he added.

The director said that apart from IFFI, he has been invited to other film festivals in India. 'I have been invited to Pune, Kolkata and Mumbai and I am looking forward to my next visit to India. The first things that you notice in this country are the structures. Hopefully I will find more time to study them, know the country better and if I put little more effort I may learn Hindi,' Kolski
said. 'Venice' hovers between dream and reality and tells the story of a voyage which never happened. It is about a child's dream to visit Venice, the most romantic city in the world during the war. He transforms his rural family house in the never visited Venetian world even as the war rages just outside the window. When asked about Polish cinema's obsession with war,
Kolski's said that though he cannot speak for others, his work has certainly been affected by the war though he never experienced it personally.

I can only speak for myself. It so happens that the good Polish films are about war. Oppression seems to be a good environment for filmmakers. I never experienced the war but it affected me as the trauma that my father went through. He loved me but not the way I wanted and this deficit of love and beauty has stamped my creative world,' he said. Polski creates a beautiful world of a child's dreams and aspirations in 'Venice' through magic realism and he admitted that it was not easy inhibiting the mind of a child. 'It is always very difficult to understand a child's curiosity. It has to come from within. I think most of the people in their 50s become cynical and a cynical man can't do this. He can't make this kind of cinema and I think he should not attempt it,' he said.

Polski, who also teaches filmmaking in Poland, is currently working on two projects ? a big budget Polish-French co-production and a small film. 'I do too many things together. Currently I am working on a huge budget Polish-French co-production while my second movie will be made within a small budget. It may sound insane but I am trying to make the film the way my students do. It is a contemporary story about love. I want to show them that good cinema can be made without too much of money,' he added. PTI

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Fire rages at Chandni Chowk warehouse

New Delhi: A major fire at a warehouse in Delhi's congested Chandni Chowk market continued to rage Monday, a day after it broke out, officials said. Efforts are on to douse the blaze even as three firemen and a policeman injured have been injured.

The warehouse is on the ground floor of a four-storey building in Chandni Chowk in the old quarter of Delhi and officials suspect a short-circuit could have caused the fire.

'It is almost 17 hours and our fire-fighters are still working to douse the flames at the plastic warehouse. One of our firemen is battling for life at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital while others are stable,' a fire brigade official said.

According to the official, the fire broke out at 5 p.m. Sunday and around 30 firetenders were rushed to the spot.

'It was a warehouse for plastic bags. Plastic catches fire easily. It is thus taking time to contain the fire. The owner was running the warehouse illegally as he did not have the license,' the official added.

'No resident has been injured. The power supply to the area was snapped while people residing in adjoining buildings were evacuated as a precaution,' the official added.

Police said they will start the investigations once the flames are doused.

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Intimidation charges by Karnataka police false: Tehelka reporter

Intimidation charges by Karnataka police false: Tehelka reporter

Posted on: 29 Nov 2010

Bangalore: KK Shahina, Kerala reporter of Tehelka magazine, ruled out the allegations slapped on her by the Karnataka police for 'threatening the witnesses' in the case related to Bangalore blasts in which PDP chairman Abdul Nazar Madani is an accused.

She said the case is an attack over the freedom of the press. She said she had gone to Kodagu to interview the witnesses, Rafeeq and Yoganandan who allegedly told the police that they have seen Madani at the Lakkeri estate where Tadiyantavide Nazeer had organized a terror camp. She said, when they were retuning, the Somwarpet police had blocked them and questioned her. Later they released her confirming that she is a journalist. She said the police have been trying to silence those who are trying to investigate the truth, by picturising them as terrorists. She said she had not received any notice from the police so far and will face the case legally.

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Israel 'consulted' with Egypt, Fatah before Gaza offensive

Tel Aviv: Israel consulted with Egypt and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party prior to launching its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip at the end of 2008, classified US diplomatic cables unveiled Sunday have revealed.

According to a cable sent from Tel Aviv and dated June 2, 2009, Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak told a visiting US Congressional delegation that Israel had asked whether Egypt or Fatah would be willing to assume control of the Gaza Strip once Hamas was defeated.

'Not surprisingly, Barak said, the GOI (Government of Israel) received negative answers from both,' the cable said.

The cable did not quote Barak as giving any other details of the consultations Israel held with Cairo and Ramallah.

Israel launched its offensive against the Islamist Hamas and its allied militias at the end of 2008, following a spate of rocket attacks on Israeli towns and villages adjacent to the salient.

About 1,400 Palestinians, including civilians, were killed in the war, according to Palestinian human rights organisations, which also caused massive devastation in the enclave.

The hundreds of thousands of classified US documents were made public Sunday.

The New York Times, Guardian and German magazine Der Spiegel along with newspapers in France and Spain obtained the documents from self-proclaimed whistle-blower website WikiLeaks, which has refused to identify its source.

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Big budgets have driven experimentation out of Hindi cinema: Palekar

Panaji: Noted actor-director Amol Palekar feels big budgets have driven sensitivity and experimentation from mainstream Hindi cinema.

Addressing a press conference on the sidelines of the 41st International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Palekar, whose Marathi film 'Dhoosar' was premiered here Saturday, said regional cinema has contributed 'nicely and strongly' towards the palette of Indian cinema.

'When Hindi films are made, one looks at a wider market, the masses. These heap pressures on the minds of the filmmakers. Will it appeal to everyone?' Palekar, who has revived regional Marathi cinema in the recent past, said.

'And then there are the budgets. I am not saying they are bad, but then no one wants to take risks with such huge budgets. There is only talk of Rs.40 or Rs.50 crore film with a budget of Rs.20 crore for promotion. One is only talking about the commercial side of cinema not the creative side,' Palekar said.

The actor of classic comic superhits of the yesteryears like 'Golmaal' and 'Chhoti si Baat' said that relatively sober-budgeted regional cinema could afford to take risks and experiment because it was not buoyed down by tons of money.

'Indian cinema is not only Bollywood. Regional cinema has contributed nicely and strongly into making Indian cinema what it is,' said Palekar who has directed critically acclaimed movies like 'Anahat', 'Thoda Sa Rumani Ho Jayen' 'Daayraa' and 'Samantar'.

Palekar said his film 'Dhoosar' deals with Alzheimers disease surrounding the relationship of a mother and daughter. The film, according to him has been shot almost entirely in Goa.

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Kerala asks Centre to delegate the management of pesticides

Thiruvananthapuram : Kerala government has asked the Centre to delegate the responsibilities of managing the use of pesticides to the states. The request was made in the back ground of on-going campaign in the state by various NGO' and Institutions for a complete ban on use of endosulfan pesticide which allegedly caused various health problems.

In a letter send to Union Minister for Forest and Environment Jairam Ramesh, State Forest Minister Binoy Viswam
wanted the Centre to entrust the power to regulate, sale and use of pesticides to the state.

Similar demand was also raised by State Agriculture Minister Mullakara Ratnakaran the other day.

'The state must have the right to ban or withold a pesticide from use, if it is seen determental to its local conditions',
Viswam said in the letter as a continutation of dicussion on endosulfan issue.

Kerala is a land of rich biodiversity.The wildlife territories lay close to agriculture lands and farming
communities, he pointed out.

A study conducted in the Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary in Kannur district had showed that number of insectivorous birds
had come down, apparently due to the use of pesticides in the planations nearby.

State also called for changes in the Pesticide Management Bill-2008, as it had failed to address issues such as
pesticide misuse, contamination and poisoning and issues related to polluation caused to wildlife, wetlands and
environment.

The pesticide management and regulatory system in the country had failed to protect biodiversity, forests, wetlands
as well as wildlife, he pointed out. A campaign by various NGO's was progressing the state for a complete ban of ensosulfan as the spraying of this pesticide at state-owned cashew plantation in parts of the Kasargode district had allegedly caused death of several persons and serious health problems to hundreds of persons over the years.PTI

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WikiLeaks lays bare nuclear standoff with Pakistan, hacking by China

Washington:A dangerous standoff with Pakistan over nuclear fuel and a global computer hacking effort by China are among the revelations laid bare by a cache of a quarter-million confidential American diplomatic cables released by whistleblower site WikiLeaks.

The New York Times, one of the newspapers provided advanced access to the papers, Sunday offered a preview of the revelations from a huge sampling of the daily traffic between the State Department and some 270 embassies and consulates that it intends to detail in the coming days.

The cables show that nearly a decade after the Sep 11, 2001 attacks, the dark shadow of terrorism still dominates the United States' relations with the world, said the Times.

'They depict the Obama administration struggling to sort out which Pakistanis are trustworthy partners against Al Qaeda, adding Australians who have disappeared in the Middle East to terrorist watch lists, and assessing whether a lurking rickshaw driver in Lahore, Pakistan, was awaiting fares or conducting surveillance of the road to the American Consulate.'

'They show American officials managing relations with a China on the rise and a Russia retreating from democracy. They document years of painstaking effort to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon - and of worry about a possible Israeli strike on Iran with the same goal,' the Times said.

Detailing 'a dangerous standoff with Pakistan over nuclear fuel' revealed by Wikileaks, the Times said: 'Since 2007, the United States has mounted a highly secret effort, so far unsuccessful, to remove from a Pakistani research reactor highly enriched uranium that American officials fear could be diverted for use in an illicit nuclear device.

In May 2009, (US) Ambassador Anne W. Patterson reported that Pakistan was refusing to schedule a visit by American technical experts because, as a Pakistani official said, 'if the local media got word of the fuel removal, 'they certainly would portray it as the United States taking Pakistan's nuclear weapons,' he argued.'

Dispatches from early this year quote the monarch of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah, as speaking scathingly about the leaders of Iraq and Pakistan.

Speaking to another Iraqi official about Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, King Abdullah said, 'You and Iraq are in my heart, but that man is not.'

The king called Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari the greatest obstacle to that country's progress, the Times said citing a cable. 'When the head is rotten,' he said, 'it affects the whole body.'

Another cable cited by the Times said a Chinese contact told the American embassy in Beijing in January that China's Politburo directed the intrusion into Google's computer systems in that country.

The Google hacking was part of a coordinated campaign of computer sabotage carried out by government operatives, private security experts and Internet outlaws recruited by the Chinese government, it said.

They have broken into American government computers and those of Western allies, the Dalai Lama and American businesses since 2002, cables said.

The White House was quick to 'condemn in the strongest terms the unauthorised disclosure of classified documents and sensitive national security information.'

It would jeopardise 'our diplomats, intelligence professionals, and people around the world who come to the United States for assistance in promoting democracy and open government,' White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

'By releasing stolen and classified documents, Wikileaks has put at risk not only the cause of human rights but also the lives and work of these individuals.'

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)

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'New transfer rules for housing societies to benefit millions'

Mumbai:A major problem faced by nearly 100,000 housing societies in getting the land and buildings tranfered to their names has been resolved and will benefit millions of Mumbaikars, a top official said here Sunday.

Addressing members of Sanskruti Housing Complex in Kandivli in northwest Mumbai with over 40 housing societies, North Mumbai Lok Sabha member Sanjay Nirupam said the issue of what is called a deemed conveyance certificate had been hanging fire since several decades with the builders' lobby refusing to transfer the land in favour of the housing societies.

'Through the good offices of the former chief minister Ashok Chavan, an amendment has been made in the relevant laws which will make the process of conveyance much easier and benefit nearly one lakh housing societies all over Mumbai,' Nirupam said.

As per the amendment, four months after the building is constructed, the society can directly apply to the concerned government department for the deemed conveyance certificate, he explained.

This would also prove to be a boon to thousands of societies which are in a dilapidated condition but are not touched by re-developers since they did not have the crucial conveyance certificate from the original builders, and also for societies wanting to take up other expansion or growth plans.

Nirupam said he had taken up the critical issue as part of his election manifesto for North Mumbai, but the relevant changes in the law has now provided the benefit to housing societies all over Mumbai and in neighbouring areas, which are governed by similar laws.

He said that during the campaign, he was shocked to learn that more than 80 percent of the housing societies in the city, with several millions of middle-class population living there, did not have the transfer certificate for decades, hampering their growth and development prospects.

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Sensex moves up in morning trade

Sensex moves up in morning trade

Posted on: 29 Nov 2010

A benchmark index of Indian equities was ruling 130 points higher in Monday morning trade compared to its previous close. The 30-share sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 19,230.34 points, was ruling at 19,266.69 points, up 130.08 points or 0.68 percent from its previous close at 19,136.61 points. At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the 50-share S&P CNX Nifty was trading at 5,785.4 points, up 0.58 percent. However, broader markets were in the red, with the BSE midcap index ruling 0.27 percent down and the BSE smallcap index trading 0.21 percent lower.

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Suspected Maoists blow up ambulance, three dead

Suspected Maoists blow up ambulance, three dead

Posted on: 28 Nov 2010

Bhubaneswar : Three people, including a woman, were killed when suspected Maoists blew up the ambulance they were travelling in Orissa's Kandhamal district, police said Sunday.

The landmine blast took place Saturday night in a hilly and forested area near Brahmanigaon village, about 150 km from the district headquarters of Phulbani, when the victims were on their way to a nearby village, a police official said.

No further details are available as of now, he added.

The latest attack comes after suspected Maoists killed a contractor in the area Nov 25.

Kandhamal, about 200 km from Bhubaneswar, witnessed widespread violence after the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides at his ashram Aug 23, 2008.

At least 38 people were killed and over 25,000 Christians were forced to flee their homes after their houses were attacked by mobs that held Christians responsible for Saraswati's killing, although the police blamed the Maoists.

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South Korea vows retaliation for future North Korean provocation

Seoul: South Korean President Lee Myung Bak warned Monday that his country would strongly retaliate to any future provocation from Pyongyang and condemned the Stalinist state's shelling of a border island last week as 'crime against humanity'.

In a televised speech, he apologised for the government's subdued response to the Nov 23 attack, saying he felt responsible for the loss of South Korean lives and the property damage.

'A military attack on civilians is a crime against humanity strictly prohibited even during a war,' the Yonhap News Agency quoted Lee as saying.

North Korea Tuesday fired artillery shells on the Yonpyeong island in the Yellow Sea for more than one hour. Two South Korean marines and two civilians were killed and more than a dozen people injured.

It was one of the most severe clashes on the peninsula since the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice.

'I can't contain my anger over the North Korean regime's cruelty that ignores even the lives of children,' Lee said. '(South Korea) will make North Korea pay the due price by all means for its provocation from now on.'

Lee Sunday rejected a proposal by China, Pyongyang's main remaining ally, to revive stalled six-nation talks aimed at ending the North's nuclear weapons programme. North Korea walked out of the talks, which also include the US, Japan and Russia, in 2008.

Earlier this month, North Korea revealed that it had set up a uranium enrichment facility, raising further concerns over the military regime's nuclear ambitions.

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Didn't take any tips from cousin Vivek: Newcomer Akshay Oberoi

Mumbai: Newbie Akshay Oberoi, who is making his debut with Rajshri Productions' 'Isi Life Mein', has a filmy link, his actor cousin Vivek Oberoi, but he clarifies that he got into the industry on his own and did not take any tips from his relative.

'Vivek is my uncle's son. While growing up, we were both travelling and were at different places and so couldn't spend too much time together. So unfortunately the relation is not such that I ask him for any tips,' Akshay told IANS.

'I'm sure if I had asked for his advice, he would have given me some excellent tips. But we don't share such a bond that I would have approached him, as there is not too much interaction,' said the youngster.

If 'Isi Life Mein' is Akshay's launch pad, it also marks the debut of Vidhi Kasliwal, niece of filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya, as a director.

In the film, Akshay plays college student Vivaan. He says: 'My role is of a very hardworking and passionate guy who loves theatre. He is someone who believes that one should achieve one's dreams in this life itself and that one should not stop wanting them even if society tells you to do so or your parents ask you to do it.'

Drawing similarities between him and his character, he said: 'The character is very similar to the real me, so I really relate to him. In college I was in theatre. I also have the same ideologies in real life. The only difference is that in the film this guy has a temper, but I'm not like that.'

Akshay, who has done his Bachelors in theatre from Johns Hopkins University, Maryland, went to Los Angeles to study theatre at the Stella Adler Conservatory. He has also studied theatre under Hollywood actors - John Astin and Sean Astin from 'Lord of the Rings'.

In spite of being a qualified theatre person, Akshay was always clear that his ultimate destination is Hindi films.

'My dream has always been films. Although I love theatre I wanted to be in films because I am a great fan of Hindi cinema. But I realised very early that a right training ground for an actor is theatre. It gives you the technical skill of being an actor. It makes you understand emotions and I feel that I made the right choice by taking this path.'

Despite his background, Akshay had to struggle for almost two years before being discovered by the Barjatyas.

'It's a dream coming true that Sooraj-ji is launching me. He is so humble and taught me so much. He wasn't always on the sets because he wanted Vidhi to take charge. But he was a driving force for all of us. He never made me feel like a newcomer,' he said.

Akshay and Vidhi are not the only newcomers in the film. The female lead, Sandeepa Dhar, and many others from the supporting cast too faced the camera for the first time.

Akshay feels the fact that the film is swamped with new faces doesn't go against them.

'I was actually excited that I'll be working with so many newcomers. Since we all are new, we bring a new energy to the film. We have no baggage attached. We all wanted to go out there and do our best. The only thing lacking was experience and that will obviously come with time. So I don't think that it is a negative thing for us,' he said.

'I had a belief in the banner, the script, the director. Also, all of us are confident and believe in our talent

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Sachin, MSD's IPL base price 1.84 crore, Sourav for 92 lakh

Around 62 Indian cricketers will be up for auction for the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) with Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and the legendary Sachin Tendulkar in the top-bracket of cricketers valued at Rs 1.84 crore. However, Tendulkar and Dhoni are likely to be retained by their respective franchises -- Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.
Former India captains Sourav Ganguly, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid along with VVS Laxman are in the third bracket which has a base price of Rs 92 lakh.

The cricketers who will command the highest base price of Rs 1.84 crore are Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh.

The second bracket is that of Rs 1.3 crore where Twenty20 specialist Yusuf Pathan finds a place alongside speedster Zaheer Khan and the talented Suresh Raina.

Similarly stand-in ODI captain Gautam Gambhir, who didn't have a great IPL-II and III, has been priced in the third bracket at Rs 92 lakh along with the likes of Virat Kohli, Irfan Pathan, Robin Uthappa, Ashish Nehra, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar and veterans such as Ganguly, Kumble, Dravid and Laxman.

The fourth bracket is of Rs 46 lakh which consists of domestic cricketers and the fringe India players who have represented the country since 2005.

Bengal players Wriddhiman Saha, Manoj Tiwary, Ashok Dinda along with Saurashtra's Cheteshwar Pujara are some of the players in the fourth bracket.

The fifth and final bracket is of Rs 23 lakh where there are India discards such as Manpreet Gony, Sudeep Tyagi, Sridharan Sriram to name a few.

The five brackets of base price:
1st: Rs 1.84 crore; 2nd: Rs 1.3 crore; 3rd: Rs 92 lakh; 4th: Rs 46 lakh; 5th bracket: Rs 23 lakh

List of Players Up for auction (In alphabetical order)
Andhra: Yelakka Venugopal Rao;
Assam: Sridharan Sriram
Baroda: Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Ambati Rayudu, Munaf Patel;
Bengal: Sourav Ganguly, Manoj Tiwary, Wriddhiman Saha, Ashok Dinda;
Delhi: Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli,Shikhar Dhawan, Ashish Nehra, Ishant Sharma
Gujarat: Parthiv Patel, Siddharth Trivedi
Haryana: Joginder Sharma, Amit Mishra
Hyderabad: VVS Laxman, T Suman, Pragyan Ojha
Jharkhand: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Saurabh Tiwary
Karnataka: Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Manish Pandey, Abhimanyu Mithun, R Vinay Kumar, Robin Uthappa
Kerala: S Sreesanth
Mumbai: Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan, Wasim Jaffer, Abhishek Raut, Rohit Sharma, Abhishek Nayar, Ramesh Powar
Madhya Pradesh: Naman Ojha
Punjab: Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Manpreet Gony, VRV Singh
Railways: Murali Kartik
Rajasthan: Pankaj Singh
Saurahstra: Ravindra Jadeja, Cheteshwar Pujara
Tamil Nadu: Dinesh Karthik, S Badrinath, R Sathish, R Ashwin, M Vijay, L Balaji
Uttar Pradesh: Mohammed Kaif, Suresh Raina, Praveen Kumar, Sudeep Tyagi, Piyush Chawla, Rudra Pratap Singh
Vidarbha: Umesh Yadav.

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Cochin University orders probe into disfigurement of grass sculpture

Cochin University orders probe into disfigurement of grass sculpture

Posted on: 27 Nov 2010

Kochi: The Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), which is in the centre of a row over the disfigurement of a grass scupture depicting a woman, has ordered a probe. University Vice Chancellor, Dr Ramachadnran Thekkedath told
PTI that he had ordered a probe on the incident leading to the pruning of the breasts of the grass sculpture in the CUSAT
campus. Thekkadath said he had ordered the probe which would be conducted by Pro vice chancellor, Godfrey Louis. The report has to be submitted in a week's time, he said. 'I need to get the inputs. I have asked the Pro Vice chancellor to enquire', he said.

The VC said he was not in station when the sculpture 'Sagara Kaniyaka', which was the highlight of the CUSAT campus
since the past several years, was disfigured. Some members of the Cochin University Women's Association complained to the varsity authorities that the sculpture was 'vulgar', following which orders had been issued to prune them. The women employees had also cited supreme court orders on display of vulgarity at work places. The issue had sparked off strong reaction from kerala cultural circles as many described the act as part of 'moral policing'. The state education minister, M A Baby has ordered a probe. Kanhai Kunhiraman, who scupted the famous statue of 'Yakshi' at Malampuzha has also described as unfortunate the
disfigurement of the grass sculpture .

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Counterfeit Indian notes with Rs 1 lakh face value recovered

Counterfeit Indian notes with Rs 1 lakh face value recovered

Posted on: 27 Nov 2010

Thiruvananthapuram: Counterfeit Indian currency notes with a face value of Rs one lakh have been recovered from two cars at Thekkumudu area here, police said. The notes, in the denomination of Rs 500 and Rs 100, were recovered from the vehicles on Friday, they said. Te two cars have been seized. Confiscated scanners and printers used for making the notes
were also seized, they said, adding that a search was on to nab the culprits.

The cars were parked in the car porch of a house owned by a private party in the Pottkuzhi-Thekkinmoodu road. Police said that the cars are owned by Aryanad Shyam. The search was based on a tip- off received by assistant commissioner Ramachandaran. Police got information that two cars were roaming in the city under suspicious condition.

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Boris Becker admits getting facelift

London: Tennis legend Boris Becker is conscious about his looks too, and so he decided to go under the knife to maintain his youthfulness.

The 43-year-old revealed on a TV show that he got a facelift recently, reports dailymail.co.uk.

'It's a dark arena here (in O2 Arena) so you don't see my wrinkles. I also had a facelift recently and I coloured my hair, so...I turned 43 this week, and winning Wimbledon was 25 years ago, and I do feel very much like I'm 43 right now,' said Becker when asked about the secret behind his good looks.

The Wimbledon champion has been enjoying life with wife Lilly Kerssenberg since she gave birth to the German sportsman's son Amadeus in February.

He is also father to sons Noah, 16 and ten-year-old Elias from his marriage to ex-wife Barbara Feltus, as well as a ten-year-old daughter Anna, from an infamous brief encounter with a model at a London restaurant.

Boris is still keen to add to his brood.

'My wife is quite young and this is her first, so I'm sure she wants to have more. Obviously I'll be happy to oblige,' he said.

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Independent filmmakers are being wiped out in India: Onir

Independent filmmakers are being wiped out in India: Onir

Posted on: 27 Nov 2010

Panaji: 'My Brother Nikhil' director Onir, who is in Goa to look for producers for his next film project 'Shab' (Night), feels that the corporate system in Bollywood is wiping out independent cinema in India. The filmmaker, who raised money for his ambitious project 'I Am' through Facebook where 400 members from over 30 countries participated, feels that the future of independent cinema will be safe only with direct audience involvement right from the inception of a film. 'The direct audience participation is a big statement in today's world. It is first of its kind. Corporates make it difficult for independent films like this. They are willing to lose 60 crores in a big budget film but the same budget can fund 20 good, original films. Independent filmmakers are being wiped out by these corporate houses,' Onir told PTI.The director said that the government should come
forward to help good independent projects.

'I am not saying that big budget films should not exist but there should be a balance between the two kinds of cinema. It needs nurturing. I am lucky that without any corporate support I have completed my fourth film,' he added. The director once again returns to his pet subject with 'Shab', which delves into human psyche and the darkness of human mind.'I am developing my new film 'Shab' now with NFDC film bazaar script lab in association with Binger Film lab, Amsterdam. I was recently in Locarno working on the script with my mentor Martin Robarts. It is most amazing to work with him. The project is currently in its final stage of scripting. I am looking for funding and co-production at this stage because it is very difficult to get funding for this kind of project in India,' said Onir.

'The film is set in Delhi; it is edgy, dark and complex relationship story with four characters. They all are leading a double life and all of a sudden their mask comes off,' he added. Meanwhile, Onir is planning to release 'I Am' in February next year. The director, alongwith actor-producer Sanjay Suri attended the NFDC film bazaar. 'We have been talking to many people. We have a lot of positive response, let's see what happens,' said Onir, who was seen chatting with producers from different countries. Suri too confirmed that he had met with several producers at the bazaar but said the talks were in initial
stages. Onir will begin pre-production of 'Shab' in March next year after releasing 'I Am', a film with four different
stories starring Manisha Koirala, Juhi Chawla, Anurag Kashyap, Anurag Basu, Rahul Bose and Suri. 'I have merged four stories together but the characters from one go into other like an arch. You can find your way with the stories but it is one story. Sometime you see references of one story in another. I have set it in pan-Indian milieu. I have used six languages Marathi, Kannad, Kashmiri and others in the film. 'It was one of the most difficult film for me because it was like making four different films with four different locations, actors and crew,' he said. PTI

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Chandy slams Opposition for stalling Parliament

Chandy slams Opposition for stalling Parliament

Posted on: 27 Nov 2010

Kannur : The main Opposition BJP and Marxist parties have joined together in stalling Parliament and both were playing an opportunist game, Opposition Leader in Kerala Assembly Oommen Chandy alleged, here today.

These parties were protesting corruption when their leaders themselves were involved in many instances of corruption, he alleged.

Talking to newsmen here, Mr Chandy said the obstruction of Parliament for the last ten days was not a protest against corruption.

The Congress Party had taken action against the leaders in three matters (2 G specturm, Commonwealth Games and Adarsh Housing Society Scam) and ordered CBI inquiry, he said.

Though Karnataka Chief Mnister B S Yedyurrappa had allegedly acknowledged corruption in land deals, the BJP Central leadership had announced only a party-level inquiry.

The CPI(M) also had taken a marvellous stand on the allegation against its Kerala Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan in the SNC Lavalin Case, he claimed.

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North-East monsoon active over Kerala

North-East monsoon active over Kerala

Posted on: 27 Nov 2010

Thiruvananthapuram: Rain occured at most places in Lakshadweep and a few places in Kerala. According to the metreorology sources here, the chief amount of rainfall in centimetre are: Agatti,Amanni and Nadumangad 6 each.Thiruvanathapuram airport 5,Menikoy. Thiruvananthapuram city and Chenganoor 4 each,and kannur 3. Vallanikkara recorded the minimum temperature of 21 degree celsius. Forcast valid until the morning of 29th Nov. Rain or Thundershowers will occur at many places in kerala
and Lakshadweep. Heavy rainfall warning: Isolated heavy rainfall will occur in kerala during the next 48 hours.(PTI

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One needs to be strong to preach non-violence: filmmaker

One needs to be strong to preach non-violence: filmmaker

Posted on: 27 Nov 2010

Panaji: A Gujarat-based filmmaker, who has produced a documentary to spread the message that a proactive public will can stem terror attacks on innocents, feels that one needs to be physically and emotionally strong like Mahatama Gandhi to preach non-violence. 'Gandhiji was physically and emotionally very strong..that's why people would believe in him when he spoke of
non-violence,' Tejaswini Tembhe, who produced a documentary 'We Shall Overcome', said today.

Her film was screened at IFFI 2010 here. 'Non-violence needs to be practised very judiciously,'she felt. 'No one will believe in philosophy of non-violence preached by a person who is very weak. You need to be physically and psychologically strong to preach it,' said the Baroda-based filmmaker. Tembhe's documentary film has seven Indian Air Force officers acting in it.

'Through this film, we wish to spread the message that a proactive public will in the long run discourage and reduce the proliferation of terrorist attacks on innocent civilians,' she said. The documentary, which has been screened at 1,000 places
including schools, is a part of Short Film Centre at IFFI 2010 in Goa.

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Two-year-old child saved from cruelty of step-father

Two-year-old child saved from cruelty of step-father

Posted on: 27 Nov 2010

Kollam:In shocking incident,a two-year- old baby girl found lying haplessly in a shed with ants swarming around was saved and hospitalised by people at a village near here yesterday.

The skinny child with rake-thin limbs and her mother were found in a shed at Meeyannur at Pooyappally police stations limits when the villagers resecued it and taken to hospital. The child, Remya, was living with her mother Suseela and step-father Rajan, who was said to be behind the cruetly towards the tot. It was on hearing some unusual voices from the shed that people grew suspicious and peeped into it, where they saw the heart-rending sight of the child lying on the floor in a precarious condition. They then took away the child and the mother to the hospital informed the police of the incident.

On questioning, Suseela told police that she had no other way but obey her husbabnd as he threatened her with dire consequences if she refused to leave the child alone at homeand starve it while they went to work. The child has been entrusted to a charity home of the Child Welfare Council here and the mother to a destitute women's home. Rajan has been taken into custody by police and a case registered aginst him for cruelty towards children, police said.PTI

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Congress to probe Jagan's breach of party discipline

Congress to probe Jagan's breach of party discipline

Posted on: 27 Nov 2010

New Delhi: Union Urban Development Minister S. Jaipal Reddy Saturday hit out at Congress MP Jaganmohan Reddy 'for violating party discipline' after a TV channel owned by him aired critical remarks against party chief Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Jaipal Reddy said the Congress high command will probe the matter.

Sakshi TV owned by Jaganmohan Reddy also aired critical remarks against All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Rahul Gandhi Friday.

'Jaganmohan Reddy has violated the party discipline and everyone knows that Sakshi TV is owned by him for his own political motives. This behaviour on his part is undesirable. The party high command is looking into this matter and will take action in due course of time,' Jaipal Reddy told reporters here.

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Eradicate caste system: Kanimozhi

Eradicate caste system: Kanimozhi

Posted on: 27 Nov 2010

Kottayam: Stressing the need to eradicate caste system, DMK leader M K Kanimozhi M P has said the only way to ensure social justice was to continue the fight against evils of casteism. Women could play an active role in bringing about a change in society's attitude and fight for achieving social justice, Kanimozhi said, delivering key-note address at the85th anniversary of Vaikom Satyagraha and 132nd birthday of Periyor E V Ramaswamy Naicker in Vaikom here. She said most of the people become part of the struggle including the Brahmins when they were in difficulty, but the struggle was encountering resistance from certain quarters. The struggle had achieved much with many of the people opting for inter-caste marriages. Describing Periyor as a true feminist, she said he had always stood for equality for women in society and fought against inequality and injustice by leading a movement in Vaikom.

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Nadal reaches London final in thriller over Murray

London: Andy Murray saved two match points before Rafael Nadal collected himself enough to scrape through for a 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 7-6 (8-6) win Saturday into the final of the ATP World Tour Championships.

Nadal, who lost all three group matches at the event a year ago to limp out, will play Sunday for the trophy against either Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer.

'It was a fantastic match, I'm very happy to beat a great champion like Andy,' said Nadal. 'it was an amazing victory. It was a really difficult match against one of the best players of the world.

'His level is unbelievable almost always. If he plays like this, I don't have any doubt he is going to have big chances to win very important titles.'

Murray showed grit from the start of an inspired contest in front of a home crowd of 17,000, hanging tough with his Spanish opponent who owns three of the four Grand Slam titles this season.

'It was a great match, I think both of us played very well,' said the Scot who will move back to fourth in the world to end the season. 'I probably played one bad game the whole match, or maybe just a couple of bad points.

'It was great tennis - but I'm disappointed to lose.'

Murray saved a match point in the ninth game of the final set in what turned into a three-hour, 11-minute epic, holding serve for 4-5 and breaking the Spanish world number one a game later as Nadal served for victory.

The tension notched up, with Murray reaching 6-5 with his 20th and 21st aces in the game before Nadal brought on a tiebreaker.

Even at that late point nothing was decided, with Murray going up a double mini-break 3-0 as he began with another ace only to see Nadal claw back from 4-1 down.

Murray saved another Nadal match point from a Spanish backhand error before sending a return wide. That error - Murray struck more than 50 winners on the marathon afternoon - put Nadal into winning position for the third time.

The Spaniard finally ended the drama with a ripping forehand cross-court into the corner.

'Even when I was losing 4-1, 3-0 in the final tiebreak, I was happy,' said Nadal 'I was saying, just try to be there, because there is always a chance for me.

'I was really happy because I was playing a great match. Even if I lose, I had a fantastic season.

'If I lose against Andy playing like this, just congratulate him, go home be very happy for everything, and practice for next year.'

Added Murray, who will train in the Florida heat of Miami in December: 'I want to build on this (level) for next year. It was a great match to finish the year.

'But I need to improve because I'm competing with the two best players (Nadal and Federer) of all time. So if I want to win these tournaments, I want to win the Grand Slams, I need to get better.'

Nadal improved his record against Murray to 9-4 after losing their last match in Canada during the summer following a Wimbledon semi-final win for the Spaniard.

Nadal holds winning records over both Federer (14-7) and Djokovic (16-7), defeating the Serb this week in group play at the year-end event.

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Recovery of miners' bodies in New Zealand to take weeks

Wellington: It will be weeks before the bodies of the 29 men who died in a New Zealand coal mine disaster can be returned to their grieving families, a spokesman for an organisation with a key role in the recovery process said Sunday.

Paul Healy, of New South Wales Mine Rescue, said a giant jet engine shipped from Australia that is capable of blowing toxic gases out of the Pike River mine will allow rescuers to recover the bodies. The engine was being prepared for installation.

In his interview with Radio New Zealand, Healy also noted that time and care were needed to install the machine at the mine entrance and to establish the length of time rescuers could stay underground.

The best-case scenario is that it would be possible to recover the 29 bodies within the next few weeks, he said.

Grieving relatives, who were taken Saturday to the mine for the first time since the first gas explosion trapped the men underground on November 19, said being at the site had begun their process of healing.

But local mayor Tony Kokshoorn told reporters families would be in limbo until the bodies were recovered.

'You can't have closure until you're holding those bodies again, which is all part of the healing process,' he said.

Since the initial blast there have been two further explosions at the mine and gas levels underground remain dangerously high, ruling out a quick recovery attempt.

Because of the danger, relatives, accompanied by Pike River chief executive Peter Whittall, were not allowed near the mine entrance when they were taken to the site in a convoy on nine buses Sunday.

They handed over flowers to company workers who promised to place them as close to the mouth of the mine as possible.

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Britain steps up security, fearing Mumbai-like attack

Britain steps up security, fearing Mumbai-like attack

Posted on: 27 Nov 2010

London: Gun-totting British policemen have been deployed in many shopping centres in Britain to combat the threat of a Mumbai-like massacre ahead of the Christmas holidays, a media report said Saturday.

Armed patrols have been stepped up to protect potential terrorist targets such as shopping centres. Among them are the Westfield mall in Shepherd's Bush, West London, and Kent's Bluewater complex, the Sun reported.

London's Metropolitan Police's firearms unit has been ordered to keep within a three-minute drive of possible targets, including Canary Wharf, a major business area.

The alert comes after reports of Al Qaeda terrorists planning a copy of the Mumbai attacks in India two years ago, when gunmen killed 166 and injured hundreds.

Civilian staff at the Met's emergency call centres have been briefed on how to deal with a 'mass shooting'. The strategy has been codenamed Operation Plato.

Metropolitan Police chief Sir Paul Stephenson had also warned that 'terrorists search for weaknesses and vulnerabilities'.

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BMW India's record sales in October

BMW India's record sales in October

Posted on: 28 Nov 2010

Kolkata: BMW India, a subsidiary of German luxury car maker BMW, has sold a record 753 cars in October, the company president said here Saturday.

'Last month (October) we had a highest sale of 753 cars which is a record in itself,' BMW India president Andreas Schaaf told media persons on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce.

The luxury car segment in India is growing at a rate of 60 percent annually, Schaaf said.

The BMW chief said his company was hoping to sell between 5,000 to 6,000 cars by the end of the year.

'Last year we sold 4,721 cars, whereas this year till October we have sold 3,500 cars. We hope to take the margin between 5,000 to 6,000 cars by the end of this year.'

BMW's manufacturing unit in India has the capacity of producing 5,400 cars in a single shift, Schaaf said.

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Chandy plea on Endosulfan

Kannur : Leader of Opposition in Kerala Assembly Oomen Chandy today urged that a total ban of Endosulfan pesticide was needed at the national level.

Talking to newspersons here, he said Endosulfan was a great danger to the society and it should be banned.

The United Democratic Front was ready to support fully the ban on Endosulfan at the national and state levels.

He said the Congress-led UDF Government had already banned the use of Endosulfan pesticide at the state level in 2004, while considering the after effects at Kasargod District.

He urged the LDF Government to enforce the ban effectively.

He demanded proper rehabilitation and medical facilites for the victims.

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Continuous Parliament disruption weakens democratic system: Congress

Thiruvananthapuram : Kerala Pradesh Congress President Ramesh Chennithala today said continuous stalling of Parliament will only lead to weakening of the democratic system in the country.

In a statement here, he said continuous disruption of Parliament only showed lack of political will on the part of those who stalled the proceedings.

''Parliament is convened by spending crores of money for having discussions on issues related to the country and the people,'' he added.

Alleging that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Communist Party were stalling Parliament proceedings in the name of corruption, Mr Chennithala said ''everyone has seen the stand taken by these two parties in corruption cases involving their leaders.'' Kerala had seen the largest scam in the SNC Lavalin dealings, in which CPI(M) State Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan had been allegedly named and in Karnataka, Chief Minister and BJP leader B S Yeddyurappa was involved in land issues, he said.

Stating that the Congress party had always taken stern steps against corruption, he said the resignation of Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and Union Telecom Minister A Raja were examples of the steps the Congress had taken against corruption.

--UNI

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Coach factory: Ahamed flays state for delay

Coach factory: Ahamed flays state for delay

Posted on: 27 Nov 2010

Kochi: Minister of State for Railways E Ahamed on Saturday said that delay in Palakkad coach factory was due to some conditions put forward by the state government . He was speaking after the flagging off ceremony of Ernakulam-Pune Bi-weekly Superfast express from Ernakulam Junction. He also added that Railways would take all efforts to introduce four more trains, announced in the Railawy budget,this fiscal itself. All efforts are being made to introduce the trains-- Mumbai-Ernakulam Bi weekly Duronto express, Kozhikode-Thiruvananthapuram 5 days a week Janshatabdi Express, Mangalore-Nagerocil-Yercaud express to run daily and Ernakulam-Kollam Main Line Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) during this financial year itself, the minister said .Shortage of coaches was causing the delay in starting the services, he said.

On the Sabari Rail project, he said the land related survey was complete but certain issues relating to land acquisition needs to be sorted out. The state government had put forth ceratin conditions on the acquisition of land, he said and expressed the hope that the issues would be sorted out.The project cost had also doubled from Rs 550 crore to Rs 1060 crore, he said On the Guruvayur-Thirunavaya rail project, he said the state government should take take stern steps to complete the acquisition of the land. After this year's Sabarimala pilgrim seasons comes to an end, the work of the sixth platform at ernakulam railway
station would be completed, he said. A new booking office and parcel office will soon become functional. Kerala law and sports minister, M Vijay kumar said a time bound action plan was needed to ensure the completion of various railway projects in the state.

Train No.2519/2520 Ernakulam-Pune-Ernakulam Bi-weekly super fast express will leave Ernakulum on Tuesdays and Fridays at 05.15 am and will reach Pune at 05.50 am. This train will have stoppages at Shoranur, Kozhikode, Kannur, Mangalore JN, Madgaon, Savanthavadi Road and Panvel Road. Ahamed also inaugurated a new booking office at Ernakulum Town. The timings at which the trains arrive at various stations in Kerala are Thrissur: 6.25 am, Shoranur: 7.20 am, Tirur: 8.00am, Thalassery: 9.47am, Kannur: 10.20am and Kasargod: 11.28 am.

Next day from Pune this train (2520) will leave on Sundays and Wednesdays at 6.45 pm and will reach Ernakulum Junction at 7.00 pm next day. The train would reach Panvel at 9.30 pm. The timings at which the train reaches the stations in Kerala are Kasargod 12.07, Kannur 1.35 pm, Thalassery: 1.54 pm, Kozhikode: 3.10 pm, Tirur: 3.49 pm, Shornur: 4.45 pm and Thrissur: 5.20 pm.

The regular service of Train No.2519 Ernakulam-Pune Bi-weekly super fast express will commence from Ernakulum on Nov 30. Train No2520 Pune-Ernakulam super fast express will commence its regular run from Pune on Nov 28. Advance reservation for the above trains will commence from Saturday.

Union minister of state for Agriculture, K V Thomas,P Rajeev, MP, Domindc Presentation and V K EbrahimKunju, MLAs and Kochi Mayor Tony Chammany were among those who spoke. Presently, one daily and two weekly train services are
oeprated between Ernakulam and Pune. Besides, thse regular trains several sepcial trains are also run frequently.
However, there has been demand for additional services in Ernakulam-Mangalore-Pune sector to cater to frequent
rravellers, student, business and tourists .

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Jaipal hits out at Jagan for violating party discipline

Jaipal hits out at Jagan for violating party discipline

Posted on: 27 Nov 2010

Attacking rebel Congress MP Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, Union Minister and senior party leader from the state S Jaipal Reddy on Saturday said he was violating party discipline and termed his actions as 'very undesirable'. Reddy said the Sakshi channel owned by Jagan, which telecast programmes attacking Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi was being 'misused' to weaken the party.

'Everybody knows that the channel is owned by him (Jagan) and the channel is run for his own politics apparently. The channel is being misused to weaken the party. It is very undesirable,' the minister said responding to questions about the programmes aired by the channel.
Reddy said while Jagan's father late Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S R Reddy was a 'tremendously loyal Congressman', his young son, 'otherwise dynamic, seems to be confused'.
Maintaining that 'Jaganmohan Reddy is violating party discipline', he said, 'Naturally the decision (about action on Jagan) has to be taken at the national level of the party.' He was responding to queries on the likelihood of disciplinary action against the young MP.
The minister's reactions have come on a day when newly-elected Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy is to meet Congress chief Sonia Gandhi here and also finalise the names of his cabinet colleagues, who are expected to take oath before the Assembly session begins on Monday.
Congress had earlier sought a report from the state on the Sakshi channel's show criticising the Congress President and the Prime Minister.
After receiving the report a few days back, AICC in-charge for the state and Law Minister M Veerappa Moily had termed it as a 'serious issue'.
Sakshi, the 24-hour Telugu news channel owned by the 38-year-old Kadapa MP, had launched a frontal attack on Sonia as well as the organisation in the one-hour show. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was also targeted along with the 'coterie around Sonia' for the 'sorry state of affairs in Congress.'
Days after the programme was aired, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah resigned from his post, which the party attributed to health reasons.
Meanwhile, the rebel Congress MP on Friday held parleys with his supporters, including several MLAs, apparently on the course of action to be taken in the wake of the change of guard in Andhra Pradesh.
It is understood that Jagan's group has decided to adopt a wait-and-watch policy on their stance vis-a-vis the new Chief Minister until the formation of his cabinet.

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Suicide bombers storm Afghan police headquarters, kill 12

Suicide bombers storm Afghan police headquarters, kill 12

Posted on: 27 Nov 2010

Kabul: At least two suicide bombers stormed a police headquarters in southeastern Afghanistan Saturday, killing 12, officials said.

Several others were injured when the bombers attacked the main police headquarters in Sharana, the capital city for Paktika province, governor Muhebullah Samim said.

'Two bombers disguised in police uniforms attacked the police headquarters,' Samim said.

Abdullah Shah, the deputy provincial police chief, said three bombers equipped with explosive-filled vests and automatic weapons attacked the main station.

'Twelve of our brave police forces were martyred in these attacks and several others were injured,' he said.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid took responsibility for the attack in an online statement, claiming that 49 policemen and six of their international trainers were killed, and 57 others were injured

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Kidney-related ailments are increasing

Kidney-related ailments are increasing

Posted on: 27 Nov 2010

Kozhikode: Noting that kidney related ailments are a grave problem, Rajendra Shekhavat, MLA from Amaravathi, Maharashtra and President Prathiba Patil's son, today emphasised the need for creating awareness among the people on the ailment.
Speaking after the logo releasing function in connection with the formation of the 'Kidney Health Foundation of Kozhikode', Shekhavat said people will have to take a look at the change in their lifestyle. 'I personally feel yoga may help the people on how to lead a stress-free life', he said.

People are aware of the problems like hypertension anddiabetes, he said, adding malfunctioning of the kidney is one of the most important dangers, which needs to be highlighted in the society for the people to know about the effects of the disease.
Pointing out the need for containing kidney relatedproblems, he said 'if the problem is neglected, dialysis has to be done, which is very costly amd the poor will not be able to afford'. 'At the end of the day a good health is what is the most
important thing in likfe no matter what you achieve in life', he said.

Dr P P Pramod Kumar, General Secretary, Kidney Health Foundation of Kozhikode, said the Foundation was instituted with the objective of helping the patients suffering from kidney related ailments. It will organise classes to enlighten the public on the prevention and management of the disease, by setting up dialysis unit, by starting rehabilitation process and by
extending financial assistance to the unfortunate victims of the disease, he said. Among those spoke included M K Raghavan, MP and P T Abdul Latheef, Deputy Mayor of Kozhikode. PTI

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Eco tourism project to foucs on Nila river

Malappuram :Kerala's first major river- basin eco tourism project on the banks of the river Bhrathapuzha will be opened next month, offering a glance to visitors to the panoramic settings and cultural significance of the state's second longest river flowing
through the north-central districts.

The project has been conceived to bring in vistiors without in any way harming the fragile eco system of the river, which
has over the last few decades been facing serious degradation due to building and sand-mining, according K T Jaleel, MLA
from Kuttippuram and the prime-mover of the project.

'We are not motivated by monitory concerns, as many other tourism projects are. We are more concerned to preserve the
health, beauty and sanctity of the river while creating facilities for all to come and enjoy them', Jaleel, who represents Kuttippuram in the assembly, told PTI.

Etched in cultural consciousness of Malayalis for centuries, the river, also known as 'Nila', has been assoicated with many
of the outstanding writers and artists having either born on its bank or drawn creative inspiration from it for their artistic pursuits.

Spread on five acres near kuttippuram town in Malappuram district, the project comprises an open theatre for staging
performing art forms,bamboo and rock gardens, youth convention centre and kids corner.

A one-and-a-half km long footpath along the embankment of the river has been developed for the visitors to stroll enjoying the salubrious breeze coming from the river. Kerala Tourism Department has spent Rs three crore for the
initial phase of the project. Originating from Anamali hills in Tamil Nadu, 209-km long Nila is Kerala's second longest river after the Periyar.

Flowing through Palakkad, Thrissur and Malappuram districts, Nila has been facing grim threats due to human intervention.
Several stretches of it had already dried up having its flow clogged due to encroachements and sand-mining.

Environmental and cultural personalities in Kerala have launched a campaign to save the river from further degradation.
Kerala's premier school for traditional arts, Kalamandalam, is located close to the river at Cheruthuruthy. PTI

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Most of the WikiLeaks cables date from 2004: Report

Washington/Berlin: The first details of the illicit publication of US classified diplomatic cables and documents were leaking Saturday on the internet.

The US State Department was bracing for the publication by WikiLeaks of millions of confidential messages and reports sometime in the coming days. Germany's Der Spiegel, London's Guardian and the US's New York Times were expected to simultaneously release their stories and links to the documents in the coming day or so.

The documents are expected to contain classified and embarrassing details or communications about other countries. They will represent the third batch of secret US documents posted by the upstart WikiLeaks organisation.

The German website netzpolitik.org reported Saturday on a brief posting on Der Spiegel online that hinted at some details of the WikiLeaks documents. Der Spiegel took the posting down after only a brief appearance online.

According to the link to the now-disappeared article, the documents will include 250,000 diplomatic cables sent by US representatives all over the world to the State Department in Washington.

Most of the documents were transmitted since 2004, only one document dates back to 1966, netzpolitik.org reported.

More than 9,000 documents stem from the first two months this year. Spiegel Online did not comment to DPA on the veracity of netzpolitik's report or on whether the summary was posted in error.

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has reached out to Germany and a handful of other countries to contain the diplomatic fallout ahead of the WikiLeaks publication, the State Department said Saturday.

Only a small portion of the documents are classified as secret, that is, with the second highest secrecy level. An estimated 4,330 documents were so confidential that they were not to have been made accessible to foreigners.

None of the documents that WikiLeaks obtained were classified as 'top secret', according to the alleged Spiegel report.

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