Ace director K Balachander no more

________ A to Z kerala .......... [kvk] [www.atozkerala.in , www.atozkerala.blogspot.com]

 

Chennai: Veteran Tamil filmmaker K Balachander passed away at Kauvery hospital here on Tuesday evening. He was 84. Balachander had been hospitaled for more than a week with acute fever, urinary infection and age-related ailments.

Balachander, who introduced actors Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan, also won a number of accolades including the coveted Padma Shri and Dada Sahbe Phalke awards.

Born in brahmin family at Tanjore in July 9, 1930 as the son of Dandapani and Sarawati, Balachander graduated in zoology from Annamali University in Chidambaram and started his official career as a school teacher at Muthupettai in Thiruvarur district.

While serving as a superintendent at the AG's office in 1960s, he stepped into the world of cinema and theatre.

He debuted in cine world by penning dialogues for MGR-starrer Daivathayi. In 1975 he directed Apporvaragangal, in which he brought in Rajinikanth before the camera for the first time. It was also the first film Rajinikanth acted along with Kamal Haasan.

Balachander has over 150 films to his credit including 'Aval Ora Thodar Kathai', 'Avargal', 'Varumayin Niram Sigappu' and '47 Natkal'.
Apart from Tamil, he also directed films in Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam (Thirkal Ezhuthiya Kavyam in 1980) and Hindi (Ek Duuje Ke Liye in 1981).

He was also instrumental in bringing talents like Saritha, Vivek and Prakash Raj to the industry. He owns a film production company _ Kavithalaya production.

Balachander is survived by wife Rajam and children Kailasam, Presenna and Pushpa Kanthasami.

Tendulkar named World Cup 2015 Ambassador

________ A to Z kerala .......... [kvk] [www.atozkerala.in , www.atozkerala.blogspot.com] 

Dubai: The International Cricket Council (ICC) Monday named Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar as the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Ambassador.

It will be the second successive time that the Indian maestro will be the Ambassador of ICC's pinnacle tournament, after he fulfilled the role in the previous event, which was co-hosted by Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka in 2011.

In his role as ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Ambassador, Tendulkar will promote and support a variety of ICC initiatives to enhance the profile of the tournament, which is the third biggest sporting event in the world and will take place in Australia and New Zealand from Feb 14 to March 29.

Tendulkar retired from international cricket last year after representing his country in 200 Tests, 463 One-Day Internationals (ODI) and one Twenty20 International. In a career spanning 24 years, the 41-year-old scored a total of 34,357 international runs and 100 centuries.

Tendulkar added the missing World Cup title to his long list of achievements in his sixth attempt in 2011. He is the all-time leading run-getter in World Cup history with 2,278 runs in 45 matches at an average of 56.95.

For his 673 runs in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003, he was awarded player of the tournament as India finished runner-up to Australia.

Commenting on his appointment, Tendulkar said: 'I am delighted and honoured to be appointed ICC Cricket World Cup Ambassador for the second successive time.'

'After playing in the last six editions, the upcoming World Cup will be a different experience as I will follow it from the sidelines. It could probably be comparable to the ICC Cricket World Cup 1987 where I was a ball boy, enthusiastically cheering every ball.'

'The image of the champion team lifting the World Cup inspires many youngsters around the world and gives them a dream to chase - a dream which I fulfilled after 22 years of relentless pursuit by being part of the victorious Indian team in 2011,' he said.

ICC chief executive David Richardson said: 'The ICC is delighted to once again have Sachin as an Ambassador for its biggest and most prestigious tournament. Sachin is not only an inspiration to cricketers but to all sportspeople for his endurance, perseverance, talent, personality and commitment to the game.'

The 11th edition of the World Cup kicks off in Christchurch Feb 14 when co-host New Zealand take on former champion Sri Lanka.

On the same day at the picturesque Melbourne Cricket Ground, four-time world champion Australia will square-off against England, who reached the final the last time the event was staged in Australia and New Zealand in 1992.

IANS

China charges Jackie Chan's son over drug offence

________ A to Z kerala .......... [kvk] [www.atozkerala.in , www.atozkerala.blogspot.com]

BEIJING: China's state prosecutor said on Monday it had formally charged Jaycee Chan, son of kung fu movie star Jackie Chan, with a drugs offence, meaning he is almost certain to face trial.

The younger Chan, a 32-year-old actor and singer, was arrested in Beijing this year after testing positive for marijuana, with police saying they found 100 grams of the drug at his home.

In a brief statement on its official microblog, the Supreme People's Procuratorate said it had begun legal proceedings against him for 'the crime of sheltering others to take drugs'. It did not elaborate.

President Xi Jinping said in June that China would 'harshly crack down' on narcotics, state media reported.

Action and comedy star Jackie Chan, 60, served as a goodwill spokesman for the China National Anti-Drug Committee in 2009, state media reported, promoting anti-drug education.

Jaycee Chan was not available for comment. In August, his father offered the public a 'deep bow of apology' for his son's arrest.

China has detained a string of other mostly B-list celebrities in recent months on drug-related charges, cases that have been publicised widely in both state and social media. They have included movie and television stars, film directors and a prominent screenwriter.

Drug crimes carry harsh penalties in China including death or life imprisonment in serious cases.

Illegal drugs, especially synthetic substances like methamphetamine, ketamine and ecstasy, have grown in popularity in China in tandem with the rise of a new urban class with greater disposable income.

REUTERS

Heavy rains displace 290,000 in Sri Lanka

________ A to Z kerala .......... [kvk] [www.atozkerala.in , www.atozkerala.blogspot.com]

Colombo: Nearly 290,000 people have been displaced in Sri Lanka as torrential rains forced dams to overflow and hampered transport, the government said Monday.

The Disaster Management Centre's (DMC) calculations, 288,085 people from 78,527 families had been affected while 22,369 people from 6,537 families had been housed in shelters, Xinhua reported.

'The government has instructed the relevant authorities to take immediate measures to ensure relief for the families hit by the bad weather,' DMC spokesman Lal Kumara told reporters.

The eastern town of Batticaloa was the worst hit, with an estimated 30,000 people having to move from their homes.

Thousands more had to be evacuated by the military, including from tourist spots such as Anuradhapura where ancient temple ruins are a popular attraction.

The towns of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa in the north central province are also home to some of Sri Lanka's largest rice fields, with hundreds of dams scattered in the region to provide water in the arid region.

Lashed by heavy showers for days, as many as 300 of these dams have reached the spill level, forcing sluice gates to be opened and threatening people living downriver.

'The safety of pilgrims and foreign visitors is being given priority. They have been evacuated from hotels near major tanks while pilgrims were removed from the sacred city,' Anuradhapura District Secretary Mahinda Seneviratne said.

Heavy rains are expected to continue during the Christmas week, dampening relief efforts.

The floods have hampered road and railway services.

IANS

New package to solve KSRTC pension woes

________ A to Z kerala .......... [kvk] [www.atozkerala.in , www.atozkerala.blogspot.com]

 

Thiruvananthapuram: The govt will bring in a new package to address the KSRTC pension woes. A new pension fund will be set up from April 1 onwards and KSRTC will offer Rs 20 crore to the fund every month. The govt too will also apportion an equal share of money to the fund, Transport minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said.

These decisions were taken at a meeting headed by the chief minister Oommen Chandy along with transport minister and representatives of KSRTC employee unions on Monday.

The loan availed by KSRTC from KTDF will be transferred to a nationalized bank. Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said by transferring this to a nationalized bank, KSRTC would gain crores of rupees by way of interest.

The govt plans to disburse interest on pension for three months immediately. The pension arrears will be disbursed from December 24. Those drawing a pension amount less than Rs 15000 will get it in one go and those drawing a pension of over Rs 15000, would be given the balance amount in instalments during July, August and September.

Pensions for the month of January, February and March will be disbursed in the same manner. The remaining amount will be given in October, November and December. The govt loan to KSRTC will be converted as equity. More buses would be operated to increase the revenue.

Loss-making services would be made to generate profit by altering their routes. 

Peshawar school attack warning was given in August

________ A to Z kerala .......... [kvk] [www.atozkerala.in , www.atozkerala.blogspot.com]

 

Peshawar: Government departments in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province were warned of an imminent attack on the Army Public School months before the carnage unfolded in Peshawar on Dec 16.

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa home ministry stated that the Taliban commander Khaksar in Orakazi, a part of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), along with two other terrorists, Bilal and Obaidullah, planned to carry out attacks at educational institutions under the army, Geo News reported citing alert number 802 of the written warning issued Aug 28.

Bilal and Obaidullah with their accomplices had also conducted reconnaissance of the targets. The warning stated that the intention of terrorists was revenge and they wanted to kill as many children of army officers as possible.

The written warning had called for security measures to be made in advance to avoid any untoward incident and copies were circulated to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief minister, the home minister and law enforcement agencies.

On Dec 16, terrorists carried out one of the most barbaric attacks in the history of Pakistan. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists brutally killed more than 140 students and teachers at the Army Public School in Peshawar.

Following the attack, the government and political parties expressed a renewed resolve to fight terrorism in the country. The prime minister also lifted the moratorium on the death penalty in terrorism cases.

IANS

Engineering exam valuation to be liberalised

________ A to Z kerala .......... [kvk] [www.atozkerala.in , www.atozkerala.blogspot.com]

 Thiruvanathapuram: Engineering professional institutions in the state plan to liberalise the evaluation process to increase the pass percentage. As part of the move, colleges will be instructed to provide internal marks generously and do away with the minimum pass mark.

Majority of the self-financing engineering colleges in the state have a below 10 pass percentage. The court had intervened in the issue once and ordered closure of such substandard colleges. With the introduction of this liberal valuation policy, all such standard norms would be flouted.

Rather than maintaing good standards, the decision to liberalise the valuation procedure may badly affect the education sector in the state. Allegations are up against this which favours self financing colleges.

Lottery tickets to be printed in watermark paper

________ A to Z kerala .......... [kvk] [www.atozkerala.in , www.atozkerala.blogspot.com]
Chalakudy: As a measure to check the circulation of duplicate lottery tickets in the state, the government has planned to print lottery tickets in watermark paper. 

The facility at government presses will be enhanced to print more number of tickets. The prize structure will also be modified. Besides, the lottery offices across the state will be digitalized and the software will be updated to make smooth the progress of ticket distribution, said Lottery Director E J Jayaraj.

A five-colour sheet head machine will be installed at KBPS press in Ernakulam at an outlay of Rs 6 crore. This apart, a four-colour web offset machine will be set up at C App press in Thiruvananthapuram by spending Rs 4.5 crore. 

Gunman kills two New York police officers

________ A to Z kerala .......... [kvk] [www.atozkerala.in , www.atozkerala.blogspot.com]

New York : Two New York police officers were shot dead by a lone gunman in Brooklyn Saturday, apparently to avenge the death of African-Americans Eric Garner and Michael Brown at the hands of white police personnel.

According to investigators, it was an execution-style mission, the New York Post reported.

The New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers were working overtime as part of an anti-terrorism drill when they were shot at point-blank range, in their heads, according to the report.

Â'I'm putting wings on pigs today,Â' a person believed to be the gunman wrote on Instagram in a message posted just three hours before the officers were shot through the front passenger window of their car.

The post included an image of a silver automatic handgun with a wooden handle.

Another post showed camouflage pants and blue sneakers, which matched the clothing the dead gunman was wearing as his body was carried away from the scene on a stretcher.

Â'They take (one) of ours... let's take (two) of theirs,Â' the post added.

The gunman fled to a nearby subway station, where, as pursuing police personnel closed in, he shot himself, sources said..

Â'I heard shooting -- four or five shots,Â' said Derrick McKie. Â'It sounded like from a single gun,Â' he said, adding that ambulances and police cars rushed to the scene.

Ghar Wapsi: mass reconversion at Alappuzha, say reports

________ A to Z kerala .......... [kvk] [www.atozkerala.in , www.atozkerala.blogspot.com]

Haripad: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Sunday reconverted 30 persons belonging to eight families from Kanichanalloor to Hinduism at Cheppad in Alappuzha district as part of the 'Ghar Wapsi' (home coming) programme, reported Mathrubhumi News.

The programme at Alappuzha was oraganised on the model of similar events held in north India, which had invited much controversy. A VHP leader overviwed the proceedings. 

Sources said the 30 were earlier converted from Hinduism to Christianity. 

Meanwhile, reports say around 100 persons were converted in Gujarat in similar fashion.