Australia keen to access ISRO’s space data

New Delhi: To guard its 59,736-km-long coastline against tsunami and storms, Australia is keen to collaborate with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for scientific space data.  Australia has shown interest in getting data from Indian satellite Oceansat-2, which can measure ocean colour, a specialised property.  Measuring ocean colour helps to know in advance about tsunami risks and other storms, and also in evaluating shallow water depth, said Andy Barnicoat, Chief of Minerals and Natural Hazard Division at Geoscience Australia.  "Australia has a 59,736-km-long coastline and with data from Oceansat-2, we can know in advance about tsunami and other storms. We would like to have access to high resolution data from the ISRO," said Barnicoat. 

Oceansat-2 is an Indian satellite designed to provide service continuity for operational users of the Ocean Colour Monitor (OCM) instrument on Oceansat-1.  Oceansat-2 is used to study surface winds and ocean surface strata, observe chlorophyll concentrations, monitor phytoplankton blooms and study atmospheric aerosols and suspended sediments in water.  Australia is also keen to have access to positioning satellite system of India.  The Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) is an autonomous navigation system being developed by the ISRO.

The IRNSS is a network of 21 ranging stations located across the country and will provide data for the orbit determination of the satellites and monitoring of the navigation signal.  The Indian positioning satellite flies past Australia in its orbit. So, it does have some foot prints about Australia and we are keen to access it, Barnicoat said.  Also, Australia wants precise data from new microwave satellite RISAT, which can monitor precise ground level changes. It also boasts of foot print satellite laser facility which will help in precise calculation of orbits. It also has the capability of taking images of Earth during day and night, as well as in cloudy conditions.  Barnicoat said he will be meeting the ISRO officials in Bangalore soon. 

PTI

Australia keen to access ISRO’s space data

New Delhi: To guard its 59,736-km-long coastline against tsunami and storms, Australia is keen to collaborate with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for scientific space data.  Australia has shown interest in getting data from Indian satellite Oceansat-2, which can measure ocean colour, a specialised property.  Measuring ocean colour helps to know in advance about tsunami risks and other storms, and also in evaluating shallow water depth, said Andy Barnicoat, Chief of Minerals and Natural Hazard Division at Geoscience Australia.  "Australia has a 59,736-km-long coastline and with data from Oceansat-2, we can know in advance about tsunami and other storms. We would like to have access to high resolution data from the ISRO," said Barnicoat. 

Oceansat-2 is an Indian satellite designed to provide service continuity for operational users of the Ocean Colour Monitor (OCM) instrument on Oceansat-1.  Oceansat-2 is used to study surface winds and ocean surface strata, observe chlorophyll concentrations, monitor phytoplankton blooms and study atmospheric aerosols and suspended sediments in water.  Australia is also keen to have access to positioning satellite system of India.  The Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) is an autonomous navigation system being developed by the ISRO.

The IRNSS is a network of 21 ranging stations located across the country and will provide data for the orbit determination of the satellites and monitoring of the navigation signal.  The Indian positioning satellite flies past Australia in its orbit. So, it does have some foot prints about Australia and we are keen to access it, Barnicoat said.  Also, Australia wants precise data from new microwave satellite RISAT, which can monitor precise ground level changes. It also boasts of foot print satellite laser facility which will help in precise calculation of orbits. It also has the capability of taking images of Earth during day and night, as well as in cloudy conditions.  Barnicoat said he will be meeting the ISRO officials in Bangalore soon. 

PTI

Patient’s suicide attempt fails

  ULLOOR: A suicide attempt by a patient of the medical college hospital created a tense situation for some time. Seriously injured person has been shifted to the operation theatre for an emergency operation.   Shaji (25), native of Pravachambalam, admitted in the hospital for hepatitis B, created a tense situation when he came to the junction to have tea Friday morning. There were no bystanders for him in the hospital.  He jumped before a KSRTC bus while having tea. As the driver applied a sudden brake nothing happened. The people started running helter-skelter when he tried to attack them using the glass which he broke. He later injured himself and the police shifted him to the hospital. He will be subjected for an operation.

Patient’s suicide attempt fails

  ULLOOR: A suicide attempt by a patient of the medical college hospital created a tense situation for some time. Seriously injured person has been shifted to the operation theatre for an emergency operation.   Shaji (25), native of Pravachambalam, admitted in the hospital for hepatitis B, created a tense situation when he came to the junction to have tea Friday morning. There were no bystanders for him in the hospital.  He jumped before a KSRTC bus while having tea. As the driver applied a sudden brake nothing happened. The people started running helter-skelter when he tried to attack them using the glass which he broke. He later injured himself and the police shifted him to the hospital. He will be subjected for an operation.

Two Indians among 39 killed in Kenya mall attack

NEW DELHI: Two Indians, including an 8-year-old boy, were among 39 killed and four other community members injured in the attack by armed terrorists on an upscale mall in Nairobi in Kenya.

While one of the victims 40-year-old Sridhar Natarajan was working with a pharma firm, the boy Paramshu Jain was the son of a manager of the local Bank of Baroda branch, spokesperson in the ministry of external affairs said.

Four Indians, including two women and a girl, were injured in the attack and are receiving medical treatment, the spokesperson said. India's mission in Nairboi is in touch with the families of the dead, the spokesperson said. Masked gunmen on Saturday had stormed the packed shopping mall, killing 39 people and wounding dozens others. Somalia's al Qaeda-inspired Shebab rebels said the carnage was in direct retaliation for Kenya's military intervention in Somalia, where African Union troops are battling the Islamists.

Senior police sources had described the attackers as a well-organized "terror gang" numbering around 10. The mall, popular with wealthy Kenyans and expatriates and part Israeli-owned, was packed with around 1,000 shoppers when it was attacked.

Two Indians among 39 killed in Kenya mall attack

NEW DELHI: Two Indians, including an 8-year-old boy, were among 39 killed and four other community members injured in the attack by armed terrorists on an upscale mall in Nairobi in Kenya.

While one of the victims 40-year-old Sridhar Natarajan was working with a pharma firm, the boy Paramshu Jain was the son of a manager of the local Bank of Baroda branch, spokesperson in the ministry of external affairs said.

Four Indians, including two women and a girl, were injured in the attack and are receiving medical treatment, the spokesperson said. India's mission in Nairboi is in touch with the families of the dead, the spokesperson said. Masked gunmen on Saturday had stormed the packed shopping mall, killing 39 people and wounding dozens others. Somalia's al Qaeda-inspired Shebab rebels said the carnage was in direct retaliation for Kenya's military intervention in Somalia, where African Union troops are battling the Islamists.

Senior police sources had described the attackers as a well-organized "terror gang" numbering around 10. The mall, popular with wealthy Kenyans and expatriates and part Israeli-owned, was packed with around 1,000 shoppers when it was attacked.

Opposition to Kerala Muslim groups seeking minors' marriage

Kozhikode : The decision of nine Muslim organisations to ask the Supreme Court to allow minor Muslim girls get married has evoked opposition from a Kerala activist and a students' group Saturday. The nine organisations' leaders met here Friday and nominated K. Bapu Musaliyar as the chairman and Indian Union Muslim League leader C.P. Mayin Haji as the convenor of a newly-formed Samithi to approach the apex court.

Muslim activist V.P. Suhra Saturday said she was opposed to the suggestion as allowing marriage of Muslim girls under 18 years would curtail their freedom. The Muslim Students Federation expressed anguish over the plan to move the top court and seek approval for marriage of minor Muslim girls. The federation said early marriage of Muslim girls prevented them from studying and curtailed their progress in life.  The decision of the Muslim organisations to move the apex court has come at a time when last month half a dozen people were arrested in Kozhikode after a 17 year Muslim girl complained that she was forced to marry a UAE national who, after 17 days of marriage, dumped her and returned to his country.

AAA

Opposition to Kerala Muslim groups seeking minors' marriage

Kozhikode : The decision of nine Muslim organisations to ask the Supreme Court to allow minor Muslim girls get married has evoked opposition from a Kerala activist and a students' group Saturday. The nine organisations' leaders met here Friday and nominated K. Bapu Musaliyar as the chairman and Indian Union Muslim League leader C.P. Mayin Haji as the convenor of a newly-formed Samithi to approach the apex court.

Muslim activist V.P. Suhra Saturday said she was opposed to the suggestion as allowing marriage of Muslim girls under 18 years would curtail their freedom. The Muslim Students Federation expressed anguish over the plan to move the top court and seek approval for marriage of minor Muslim girls. The federation said early marriage of Muslim girls prevented them from studying and curtailed their progress in life.  The decision of the Muslim organisations to move the apex court has come at a time when last month half a dozen people were arrested in Kozhikode after a 17 year Muslim girl complained that she was forced to marry a UAE national who, after 17 days of marriage, dumped her and returned to his country.

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The Good Road is India's Oscar entry

New Delhi: Gyan Correa's debut Gujarati movie 'The Good Road', a lost-and-found story of a small boy, was today nominated as India's official entry at next year's Oscars in the Best Foreign Film category. National award-winning 'The Good Road' saw off strong competition from films like 'The Lunchbox', 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag', 'English Vinglish', Malayalam film 'Celluloid' and Kamal Haasan's 'Vishwaroopam'. 

'There were 22 entries from different parts of India for consideration this year. Films like 'The Lunchbox', 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' and 'Vishwaroopam' were short-listed but it was an unanimous decision by the 19-member jury to select 'The Good Road', In fact, 'The Lunchbox' was a very strong contender,' Gautam Ghosh, chairman of Oscar selection committee of Film Federation of India, told PTI.

He said the jury had a five-hour-long discussion before finally selecting 'The Good Road', which won the national award for the best Gujarati film. 'This is a new film but 'The Good Road' surprises as it shows the unknown India through the story of a boy who is lost and then found while his family is on a holiday trip to Kutch,' Ghosh added. Correa, 42, who teamed up with local people like a truck driver Shamjibhai to make his documentary-style road drama, said the selection is only the beginning of a journey.

'It's fabulous that 'The Good Road' has been nominated for the Oscars and I congratulate each and every member of the film, for this moment. It's the recognition of all little people of India like Shamjibhai and all their great stories to tell. And it's just the beginning of the journey now,' he said in a statement. Produced by National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), the film stars Keval Katrodia as seven-year-old Aditya who loses his way in the desert. It also stars Sonali Kulkarni and actor Ajay Gehi as Aditya's parents. The news, however, has not gone down well with 'The Lunchbox' co-producer Anurag Kashyap and presenter Karan Johar, who took to Twitter to express their anger.

'Feeling very very disappointed, can't comment on the film I have not seen, but it better make it to final five. I don't know who the federation is but it goes to show, why we completely lack the understanding to make films that can travel across borders...' 'We should then make a clean policy, you want to send the best film, then send the National award winner or send the one most likely to win,' Kashyap tweeted. Johar echoed Kashyap, saying the country may have lost its 'golden chance' by not nominating 'The Lunchbox'. 'Really shocked and dissapointed.... #LUNCHBOX had every factor working in its favour... we may have just lost our golden chance.... SAD!!! (sic),' Johar tweeted. Director Ritesh Batra, whose debut film won the Critics Week Viewers Choice Award at Cannes this year, and received positive buzz in other international festivals, said the FFI-appointed jury lacked vision. 'Congrats to 'The Good Road'. Hope it makes it all the way, else it will be a lost chance by FFI-appointed jury that lacks vision. Hope I am wrong,' he tweeted. Last year, 'Barfi!' was nominated from India. 

The last Indian film that made it to the final five nominees at the Oscars was Ashutosh Gowariker's 2002 film 'Lagaan'. 'Mother India' and 'Salaam Bombay' are the only other Indian films to have made it to the top five. The 86th Academy award will take place on March 2, next year.

The Good Road is India's Oscar entry

New Delhi: Gyan Correa's debut Gujarati movie 'The Good Road', a lost-and-found story of a small boy, was today nominated as India's official entry at next year's Oscars in the Best Foreign Film category. National award-winning 'The Good Road' saw off strong competition from films like 'The Lunchbox', 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag', 'English Vinglish', Malayalam film 'Celluloid' and Kamal Haasan's 'Vishwaroopam'. 

'There were 22 entries from different parts of India for consideration this year. Films like 'The Lunchbox', 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' and 'Vishwaroopam' were short-listed but it was an unanimous decision by the 19-member jury to select 'The Good Road', In fact, 'The Lunchbox' was a very strong contender,' Gautam Ghosh, chairman of Oscar selection committee of Film Federation of India, told PTI.

He said the jury had a five-hour-long discussion before finally selecting 'The Good Road', which won the national award for the best Gujarati film. 'This is a new film but 'The Good Road' surprises as it shows the unknown India through the story of a boy who is lost and then found while his family is on a holiday trip to Kutch,' Ghosh added. Correa, 42, who teamed up with local people like a truck driver Shamjibhai to make his documentary-style road drama, said the selection is only the beginning of a journey.

'It's fabulous that 'The Good Road' has been nominated for the Oscars and I congratulate each and every member of the film, for this moment. It's the recognition of all little people of India like Shamjibhai and all their great stories to tell. And it's just the beginning of the journey now,' he said in a statement. Produced by National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), the film stars Keval Katrodia as seven-year-old Aditya who loses his way in the desert. It also stars Sonali Kulkarni and actor Ajay Gehi as Aditya's parents. The news, however, has not gone down well with 'The Lunchbox' co-producer Anurag Kashyap and presenter Karan Johar, who took to Twitter to express their anger.

'Feeling very very disappointed, can't comment on the film I have not seen, but it better make it to final five. I don't know who the federation is but it goes to show, why we completely lack the understanding to make films that can travel across borders...' 'We should then make a clean policy, you want to send the best film, then send the National award winner or send the one most likely to win,' Kashyap tweeted. Johar echoed Kashyap, saying the country may have lost its 'golden chance' by not nominating 'The Lunchbox'. 'Really shocked and dissapointed.... #LUNCHBOX had every factor working in its favour... we may have just lost our golden chance.... SAD!!! (sic),' Johar tweeted. Director Ritesh Batra, whose debut film won the Critics Week Viewers Choice Award at Cannes this year, and received positive buzz in other international festivals, said the FFI-appointed jury lacked vision. 'Congrats to 'The Good Road'. Hope it makes it all the way, else it will be a lost chance by FFI-appointed jury that lacks vision. Hope I am wrong,' he tweeted. Last year, 'Barfi!' was nominated from India. 

The last Indian film that made it to the final five nominees at the Oscars was Ashutosh Gowariker's 2002 film 'Lagaan'. 'Mother India' and 'Salaam Bombay' are the only other Indian films to have made it to the top five. The 86th Academy award will take place on March 2, next year.