north east online - north east india news: May 5, 2009

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Studio sues over Bollywood 'copy'

A Hollywood film studio has taken legal action against Bollywood movie-makers who it claims copied 1992 comedy hit My Cousin Vinny.

20th Century Fox has sued BR Films for 70m rupees (£940,000) at Mumbai's High Court, saying Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai is an illegal remake.

The script and storyline is virtually identical to the original US movie, the studio contends.

BR Films has rejected the allegations, saying their film was original.

It argues the characters and settings for their release were different.

Long history

Fox said that the Bollywood studio was given permission to use the film's idea for the basis of a new production, but the rights for a Hindi language remake had not been approved.

The Indian movie industry has a long history of remaking Hollywood productions for the local market.

Recent objections from US film-makers have included a possible remake of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which has been threatened with legal action.

In September, a case against the Bollywood makers of Hari Puttar: A Comedy of Terrors was dismissed.

The makers of the Harry Potter films had claimed the name was too similar to the adventure franchise.

Comic crime caper My Cousin Vinny earned co-star Marisa Tomei an Oscar for best supporting actress.

Nepal parties begin key meeting

At least 20 political parties are meeting in Nepal in a bid to form a new coalition a day after Maoist Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal resigned.

The resignation came after Nepal's president opposed his decision to sack the army chief Gen Rookmangud Katawal.

Meanwhile, the Maoists have held several small street protests in the capital, Kathmandu, and other towns.

Hundreds of policemen have been deployed around the president's palace and police have detained 40 protesters.

Mr Dahal, best known as Prachanda, dramatically announced his resignation in a television address to the nation.

Correspondents say Prachanda's resignation has pushed Nepal into a fresh political crisis following an election win by the Maoists last year.

Protests

"An all-party meeting is being held at the office of the Communist UML party on Tuesday to discuss the possibility of forming a coalition government," Nepali Congress leader Shekhar Koirala told the BBC.

Mr Koirala said the Maoists - who emerged as the biggest group in parliament after last year's elections - were unlikely to attend the meeting.

Meanwhile, security around the presidential palace in Kathmandu was stepped up as Maoist activists held a number of street protests across Nepal.

Hundreds of policemen were deployed around President Ram Baran Yadav's office and police detained about 40 protesters who had gathered there in violation of a ban, police said.

"We are planning protests in different parts of the Kathmandu valley on Tuesday afternoon," the AFP news agency quoted Uma Subedi, secretary of the Maoists' youth wing, the Young Communist League, as saying.

"We will launch regular protests until the president takes back his decision," she said.

On Monday, Prachanda said in his TV address that he was stepping down "for the protection of democracy and peace" in Nepal.

"The move by the president is an attack on this infant democracy and the peace process," he said.

His resignation followed months of worsening tensions between the ex-rebels and their former foes in the military.

Correspondents say that the expectation now is that the Maoists will sit in opposition in parliament. There is no suggestion that the Maoists will abandon constitutional politics.

The Maoists want their fighters, who are currently restricted to United Nations-supervised camps, to be integrated into the regular Nepali army.

But the army has refused to take on the fighters, who number about 19,000 hardened guerrillas, arguing that they are politically indoctrinated.

Correspondents say that the crisis is the most serious in Nepal since its 10-year long civil war between the army and the Maoists came to an end.

Tata sees 'warm welcome' for Nano

Tata Motors says it has received 203,000 orders for the Tata Nano, the world's cheapest car, which went on sale last month.

Tata, India's largest vehicle maker, received orders worth worth 25bn rupees ($510m; £340m) between 9 and 25 April.

However, production problems mean Tata will only be able to deliver 100,000 cars by the end of 2010.

The most basic Nano costs 1 lakh, or 100,000 rupees. A 95,000 rupees deposit must be paid at the time of booking.

Deliveries of the vehicle will start in July. Tata Motors said it will randomly select the people to get the first shipment.

'Warm welcome'

Half of the orders were for the most deluxe version of the car, which comes with air conditioning and electric windows, and the remaining 30% for a mid-range model.

Tata said only 20% of customers opted for the cheapest version of the car.

The booking fee, or deposit, required for the deluxe model is 140,000 rupees, which has a full price of 185,000 rupees.

"Tata Motors places on record its gratitude to the people of India for according such a warm welcome to the Tata Nano," the company said.

Applicants have also had to pay up to 300 rupees for an application form.

Tata hopes the low-cost of the car will encourage millions of Indians to trade up from their motorcycles.

Currently, there are about nine cars per 1,000 people in India.

Soon, a glowing band-aid to treat skin cancer

London, May 5 (ANI): If you thought that band-aids are just sticky plasters to heal small cuts and grazes, then get ready for their high-tech upgrade that can even be used to treat skin cancer.

Polymertronics, based in Banbury, UK, is developing a new type of plasters embedded with light-emitting diodes, which can treat skin cancer when combined with light-sensitive drugs.

The plasters are impregnated with a series of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), and are being designed for use in photodynamic therapy in which light-sensitive drugs are applied to the skin as a cream.

When red light is shined on the area, it activates the drugs, which destroy the tumour as they soak though the skin.

Currently, the photodynamic therapy is limited to hospitals because the red light for the treatment is only available via expensive lamps and lasers.

However, Stephen Clemmet, CEO of Polymertronics, says that the light plasters may allow people with skin cancer to treat themselves at home.

"We're looking at developing a faster, cheaper, easier way to treat skin cancer," New Scientist magazine quoted him as saying.

OLEDs emit light when a voltage is applied to them.

For making the plasters, the company has developed a way to print 4-millimetre square clusters of battery-powered red OLEDs onto a strip of flexible plastic.

They have made sure that the pattern of OLEDs exactly matches the shape of the patient's tumour.

The plaster is then placed over the tumour, allowing the red light to be targeted directly at the cancerous tissue.

In lab experiments, the researchers have found that the OLEDs have the potential to destroy a range of cancer cells.

They are hoping to begin human trials of the light-emitting plasters.

Polymertronics presented the devices at a meeting on polymer electronics in London, and is hoping to launch them commercially within two years.(ANI)

UPSC results: Women on top, 791 succeeded

New Delhi, May 5: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam results for year 2008 was announced on Monday, May 5 giving the country a new line of service personnel. Higher number of women have topped these numbers along with the top three ranks grabbed by women for the first time.

The Rank 1 holder 30-year-old Shubhra Saxena from Ghaziabad has become the talk of the country. She told the media that the risk of quitting her job to serve the rural masses was worth it.

“I did not always want to become a civil servant,” she said. “But four years in the IT industry were enough to make me see the futility of it all. I realised I was in no position to make a meaningful change in our policies or affect development.”

Second rank holder Sharandeep Kaur Brar, a Masters degree holder from Punjab University said it was her childhood dream to become an IAS officer.

Bagging the first in the handicapped category and fourth rank in overall, Virender Kumar Sharma said that even if he was hit by polio at an early age, it was his spirit that got him to clear this exam.

A total of 791 candidates passed the exam this year in the written test conducted in Oct-Nov 2008 along the interview in Mar-Apr 2009.

235 Assam Rifles Recruits Pass Out in Nagaland

Sukhovi(Nagaland), May 4 : The Director General of Assam Rifles has said that all operations carried out against the militant organizations in the Northeastern region are specific to flush out the militants and conducted for a specific period of time.

The DG of Assam Rifles, Lt Gen Karan Singh Yadava was talking to the reporter on the sidelines of the Assam Rifles attestation parade at Assam Rifles Training Centre and School, Sukhovi here about Operation Summer Storm in the Loktak area of Manipur.

He said that it has not been discontinued but stopped as they have completed their task. He pointed out that it may be resumed as and when required.

The DGAR hoped that more and more youths from the Northeastern region would come forward to join the Assam Rifles, which is a premier and oldest force of the region.

Altogether 235 recruits passed out after undergoing vigorous training for 45 weeks.

Earlier, addressing the new recruits at an impressive attestation parade, Gen Yadava said, “Live up to the name of the force, Friends of the Hill People and be the Sentinels of the North East”. He told the new recruits that it was not the end of their job but was just the beginning of a tough and wonderful career.

Among the recruits Mohammad Noor Kalam Sarkar received the best recruit award, Suresh Meitei – best in firing, Samson Meitei – best in bayonet fighting, Anit Kumar – best in battle and physical training, Vikram Rai – best in drill, Radha Raman Sharma – best in sports.

Khengjoi Villagers Wary of Landmines

Imphal, May 4 : Following sporadic landmine explosions in different places under Khengjoi Block of Chandel district, and fearing presence of more landmines in the area, villagers are literally caught in a landmine hysteria.

Families already victimised by landmines and staying at Moreh in rented rooms are still wary of returning to their native villages for fear of landmines.

Speaking to media persons at Khuman Lampak Youth Centre today, secretary of the Association of Landmine Survivors Ginkholal Touthang said that many inhabitants of villages located under Khengjoi Block near the international boundary with Myanmar have been killed in landmine explosions while many others have been maimed for life.

Since 2001, more than 40 villagers have been killed in sporadic landmine explosions while many others sustained casualties of varying degrees.

Such casualties always resulted in untold misery to the victims and their impoverished families have to sell off their whatever little assets they have including annual rice harvest, domestic animals and even residential plots for treatment of the individuals injured in landmine explosions, Ginkholal Touthang said.

On the other hand, frightened with the possibility of landmine explosions anytime, any where, many villagers have left their homes and have been taking refuge at Moreh.

Many villages under Khengjoi Block such as New Somtal, Molcham, Hollenjang, Bongjoy, Molkom, Lalloiphai, Khengjoi and Aibol have been caught in the grip of landmine fear.

Saying that there have repeated instances of landmine explosions, Ginkholal Touthang, who is himself a victim of landmine, disclosed that he sustained injuries in the ears, head and neck.

Since then he has been suffering from hearing difficulties while his head could no longer any heavy object or load.

In addition to oozing out of fluid from the ears, he also suffered from lost of consciousness at times, Ginkholan conveyed.

Though he is a native of Molcham village, he has been staying at Moreh town for fear of any recurrence of landmine explosion.

Another landmine victim, Tilhat belonging to Molcham but staying at Moreh town, said that she suffered severe injuries on her waist in another instance of landmine explosion.

To meet medical bills for treatment, her family had sold of their house along with the plot.

After this, 500 tins of rice were also sold off.

But it was never enough.

Then the family started borrowing money from others.

Even as more than rupees one lakh had been spent on her treatment, Tilhat was still unable to do any heavy work.

“We don’t want luxurious houses nor trendy cars but we yearn for peace where there is no fear for landmine”, Tilhat said.

She confided that her children refused to go back to their village saying that bombs might blow up and gun fights might break out.

Highlighting the heavy toll taken by landmines and the untold misery being suffered by the villagers, the Association of Landmine Survivors will be submitting memoranda to the President, the Prime Minister, the Governor of Manipur and the Chief Minister soon, Ginkholal said.

The basic demands of the memoranda would be putting an immediate halt to planting landmines for the safety of innocent villagers, identification of areas already planted with landmines and putting up fencing around it.

The memoranda would also ask the Government to provide source of livelihood to landmine victims and to take up proper rehabilitation and resettlement measures for the people fleeing away from their homesteads because of the lurking landmine threats.

Another demand of the memoranda is that both State and non-State actors should ratify the UN Landmine Ban Treaty, Ginkholal elaborated.

Villagers Seek Return of Ancestral Land From Lafarge

Shillong, May 4 : About 55 villagers from Shella are fighting desperately to get back their ancestral land from cement giant Lafarge after these villagers claimed they were tricked by agents to sell their land.

On behalf of these villagers, the Shella Action Committee (SAC) has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court and the Gauhati High Court to get back their land.

The Supreme Court in an order passed in 2008 directed the Gauhati High Court to pass an appropriate order regarding the case.

These villagers are illiterate and were tricked to sell their agricultural and horticultural land and are now totally at a loss having no source of income, said BM Roy Dolloi, legal advisor of SAC.

SAC is waiting for an early hearing to their PIL which is listed in the Gauhati High Court. “We hope the PIL would be taken up soon by the Gauhati High Court”, Dolloi said expressing optimism.

The village Dorbar (council), he added, was always against the sale of village land to the company. The General Secretary of Shella Dorbar returned a cheque of Rs 2 lakh to Lafarge company, which it had donated to the Dorbar recently, Dolloi said indicating the Council’s opposition to the Lafarge project in the area.

After purchasing and taking on lease these land from villagers, Lafarge through one of its sister companies has mortgaged it to six foreign banks and secured a loan of $ 153 million.

“How can Indian territory be mortgaged to foreign banks? I took up the matter in the Asian Development Banks (one of the financing banks) conference in Manila some years back. They (ADB officials) too expressed surprise”, Dolloi argued.

He also states that according to the State Land Transfer Act no tribal land can be sold or leased to non-tribals. Lafarge by definition under the Act is a non-tribal entity. However, in 2005, Donkupar Roy, the local MLA and the then Deputy Chief Minister in-charge of revenue gave the clearance.

A public hearing with regard to Lafarge’s project was due in 2006, but Lafarge went ahead and started its construction and began operation, Dolloi said.

Lafarge has built a plant of $ 225 million to extract limestone from Shella. The limestone is exported by a 17 km-long conveyor belt (one of the longest in the world) to its plant at Chattak, Bangladesh.

The 17 km belt was given permission to operate for 12 hours by the government, however, villagers say it runs day and night and nobody knows what is being transported through these long operations, Dolloi informed.

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