Monday, 4 March 2019
Road safety cannot be achieved in the absence of political will
This is worrying. The bill had important provisions to bolster road safety in India like electronic monitoring of highways and urban roads, fitness testing for vehicles, cashless treatment for road accident victims and higher penalties for violation of road safety rules, among others. Besides a lack of political will to make the roads safer - the fate of the proposed bill proves this - there is also a culture of disregard for road safety rules among citizens. Whether it is riding two-wheelers without helmets, drivers (let alone passengers in the rear seat) not wearing seat belts, flouting traffic lights (both drivers and pedestrians are guilty of this) or jaywalking, Indians seem to care little about their lives.Further, hit-and-runs are just one kind of hazard; almost 4,000 people people died on the roads owing to potholes in 2017. Not only are reports of bridges collapsing alarmingly frequent, a study has also shown that significant portions of the quadrilateral national highway network are dangerous for motorists. Added to the poor road infrastructure is the rickety public transport system. Strangely, the Centre watered down the requirements in the national bus body standard codes - in spite of announcing its commitment to do otherwise to the apex court - to just self-certification by builders. Relaxing such safety measures puts the lives of citizens at risk. However, the delays in implementing safety measures and relaxation of protocols cannot by attributed to apathy alone. The tussle between the Centre and the state governments over the huge revenue generated by road transport is also a factor. This revenue has increased with the modernization of transport. App cabs that have taken over the streets come equipped with GPS and the internet. Can this advantage be expanded to include technology that prevents collisions? None of this is achievable in the absence of political will. It is time that the government accepted the fact that the safety of citizens on the roads is one of its primary responsibilities. 1671238 1685034 Dailyhunthttps://www.zintro.com/profile/zia82fdc71?ref=Zia82fdc71
Supreme Court proposal: re-appoint ex-judges
"The collegium's request is under consideration at the highest level but no decision has been taken yet," a ministry source said.Sources in the Supreme Court said the Chief Justice had sent the letter around the last week of January and that the Centre had been sitting on the file for more than a month.Some sources said the adverse reports levelled charges of corruption and professional misconduct against 60-odd candidate judges. The reports had stalled any appointments to these two high courts (or their previous avatar as the undivided Andhra Pradesh High Court) since September 2017.Andhra Pradesh High Court has just 11 judges while Telangana High Court has 13, with more than half their sanctioned judges' posts vacant. Each has a backlog of 1.3 lakh cases.It's the chief justice or acting chief justice of a high court who recommends candidates for elevation to that court, pending clearance from a three-member Supreme Court collegium. Before clearing a candidate, the collegium seeks the views of apex court or high court judges who have earlier served in the high court where the appointment is to be made. This "consultee judge" opinion is received in the form of internal notes.Also, members of the bar association of the state concerned can on their own give their feedback on any of the candidate judges to the collegium."Whenever the collegium receives a recommendation (for one of these two high courts), it's immediately followed by objections from apex court judges who had earlier worked in that high court," a source said.Although the views of consultee judges are not binding, the opposition has prompted the collegium - made up of Chief Justice Gogoi and Justices A.K. Sikri and S.A. Bobde - to suggest the extraordinary remedy of Article 224A, the source said.The undivided high court was bifurcated only on January 1 this year. Hyderabad remains the principal seat for Telangana High Court while Andhra Pradesh High Court is now based in Amaravati. 1682282 Dailyhunthttp://www.penninetroutfarmandfishery.co.uk/UserProfile/tabid/61/userId/1860400/Default.aspx
Oscars red carpet: Hollywood stars shimmer at the 91st Academy Awards
(Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Veteran star Glenn Close has been nominated for The Wife. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Bradley Cooper with his girlfriend at the Oscars. Cooper is nominated for Best Actor for A Star Is Born. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Jason Momoa arrives at the Oscars with his wife. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP) Emma Stone arrives at the Oscars (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Yalitza Aparicio arrives at the Oscars (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Director Spike Lee arrives at the Oscars. Lee holds up brass knuckles reading "hate" and "love" from his iconic film "Do The Right Thing". (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Octavia Spencer arrives at the Oscars (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Melissa McCarthy arrives at the Oscars. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Helen Mirren at the Oscars. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Brie Larson looks pretty at the Oscars (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Amy Adams, who is nominated for her work in Vice, arrives at the Oscars. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Charlize Theron arrives at the Oscars. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Chadwick Boseman's film Black Panther is nominated in the Best Film category. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Regina King at the Oscars. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)Dailyhunthttps://www.avitop.com/cs/members/michealratees.aspx
Bhumi Pednekar in yet another hatke character in Sonchiriya
es, it was. I remember the first time I held a rifle - the metal was so cold and it's so heavy, I also didn't know the amount of pressure I had to use. My first finger went numb for a week. It's definitely a little overwhelming. But having a weapon in their world is very normal, so eventually I got used to the idea.Four years in the industry and you've obviously established your acting credentials over and over again. But the one thing that old-timers will always talk about is the "heroine" role because that was supposed to cement an actress's position in the industry. Do your managers worry that you haven't done one of those yet?Not really, because I feel the whole definition of a hero or heroine has changed tremendously over the last five years. And I have a great team that works with me - they're futuristic, they know that our fraternity is going through a very organic evolution and this is how it's supposed to be.The whole idea of a commercial film or a hit film has changed tremendously, and I think 2018 has been a great example of that. I feel that a heroine or a leading character is someone who stays back with you, and I would like to believe that all my characters have stayed with people. People remember my characters, so I'm proud I'm a part of this change that has happened and everybody is very supportive. Everything I'm doing in the future as well is a mixed bag of every genre of film. After a comparatively quiet 2018, Bhumi Pednekar is in for an action-packed 2019. Coming up first is Abhishek Chaubey's Sonchiriya that's set in Chambal in the 1970s, followed by Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare with Konkona Sensharma and Saand Ki Aankh that she's just started shooting for. Before Bhumi left to shoot this Anurag Kashyap-produced film with Taapsee Pannu, she chatted with The Telegraph about understanding Chambal, her new favourite co-star and holding a rifle for the first time.When a director like Abhishek Chaubey comes to you with a film, is it an automatic 'Yes'?(Laughs) More or less. When he got in touch with me, I didn't know it was for his film; I thought it was for a film he was producing. When he texted me asking to call when free, my brain was frozen. I immediately called him, but very little of that conversation really registered in my head. All I remembered after I hung up was - 'Meet me in the office'.I had met him once before, because we were in talks for some other film that they were producing. I was mentally prepared for the conversation to be about that same film. And then he told me he's directing this film himself, and I was like, 'Okay....' He then asked me when I'd like a narration, and I went, 'Right now if you have the time'.When I heard the narration, I was blown away. It was anyway quite a moment for me, because he's always been on my bucket list. I truly feel he's one of the finest filmmakers in our country, and for me to do a Chaubey film so early on in my career is truly an honour. I just wanted to be a part of the story; I knew it would be a tough one to do but I wanted to do it. Talking about your mixed bag of films, you have quite a lineup this year!I'm pretty much shooting back-to-back, and the fun bit is all these stories and characters are so unique. I'm honestly having a ball because every three-four months I'm playing this girl who's strong with a wonderful story to be told, but these characters are all so different from each other with the way they look and the kinds of lives they've led. There's a lot of enrichment of Bhumi as a person that's happened since my first film.One of the films I am most excited about is Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare, which I believe you've finished shooting for...Yes. I swear to you, working with Konkona (Sensharma) and Lanki (Alankrita Shrivastava, director) has been such fun. I went from Sonchiriya, which is this quirky, action-packed revenge drama, a set that's dominated by testosterone, to this film that's all about girls. It's a true chick flick. Alankrita is such a crazy filmmaker, and I loved Lipstick Under My Burkha. She has balls!Konkona is one of my favourite co-stars. Alankrita is such a nuanced director, and she's got me to do things I wouldn't have imagined doing on celluloid, and with such comfort. The beauty of my character is she's this 22-year old naive girl who's just looking for a better life, as opposed to Koko who's led a certain amount of life in a certain amount of confinement, but she's a firecracker. It's a wonderful amalgamation of these two stories, and it's been quite an experience. I feel the whole definition of a hero or heroine has changed tremendously over the last five years. The whole idea of a commercial film or a hit film has changed tremendously, and I think 2018 has been a great example of that. I feel that a heroine or a leading character is someone who stays back with you, and I would like to believe that all my characters have stayed with people She's (Indumati in Sonchiriya) so far away from me, she's so far away from the life that I've seen. She has a lot of courage, and she's a survivor. The beauty of this character is that she doesn't know she's these things All the characters you've played till now have been far removed from who you are as a person. But this one is even more so!Oh my God! She's so far away from me, she's so far away from the life that I've seen. To begin with, the film is set in the 1970s. And then it's 1970s in Chambal! It's not even in a place that I could recognise. Chambal, even today, is really away from any kind of modernisation. I couldn't even begin to understand the kind of life and world this girl belonged to. Chaubey being Chaubey managed to immerse us all into that world.My character is really amazing; she has a lot of courage, and she's a survivor. The beauty of this character is that she doesn't know she's these things. It's the circumstances and the situations that she goes through that make her this way. She's also maternal. The life they led back then, they've seen suppression of a different kind and they have no idea of what the world is like outside their homes. Their life is only about their families, their husbands, the men of the house, the children, cooking, cleaning, farming, just doing everything; they don't know that life can be any different. They don't have a say and can't have an opinion, and for me playing a girl like that is very tough, because I'm supremely opinionated, very independent and very empowered.What does it take then to get under the skin of the character?You have to un-condition yourself. The first thing Chaubey said to me, I remember, when I had my readings was that I was still operating from a place of pride. And that can't happen, because my character doesn't understand the concept of pride. She doesn't know that, as a woman, she can have a say, or answer back. She doesn't know these things. Her life is a series of events, and she's accepted them as the only truth and the only way things happen, that this is how things are done. So, there was a lot of unlearning I had to do.Even if I strip away her immediate surroundings and environment, just the life she's led or her present in the film is very different from my present or my near future. It was everything from her language, the way she looked to the kind of life she's had to her past experiences. After the initial few sessions over two-three months, I actually went back to Chaubey Sir with a 10-page story outlining what I thought her life has been like. It was such a wonderful process, just learning the dialect to living like her. My life had changed, I lived for two months like her.You went to Chambal a week before you started shooting. What was that experience like?Everything that Chaubey had spoken to us about came alive around us. Though we are 40 years after the period we're showing in the film, life isn't that different. That was a very hard-hitting truth to me, and this is a very big reason why I did Sonchiriya also.Everything that we're saying in the film is very relevant to our society even today. Yes, we've progressed and there's modernisation - they all have mobile phones and maybe a small TV set in their houses and Internet, but the mentality hasn't really changed. I felt really happy that I get to be a part of a story where I'm playing one of these women, and I can probably show them what a different life could be. That at times when you stand up for yourself or for the people you love, it's possible. Dailyhunthttp://doodleordie.com/profile/sikendergunm
US closes Jerusalem consulate, demoting Palestinian mission
he announcement from the State Department came early Monday in Jerusalem, the merger effective that day."This decision was driven by our global efforts to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of our diplomatic engagements and operations," State Department spokesperson Robert Palladino said in a statement. "It does not signal a change of US policy on Jerusalem, the West Bank, or the Gaza Strip."When first announced by US Secretary Mike Pompeo in October, the move infuriated Palestinians, fueling their suspicions that the US was recognising Israeli control over east Jerusalem and the West Bank, territories that Palestinians seek for a future state.Palestinian official Saeb Erekat called the move "the final nail in the coffin" for the US role in peacemaking.The downgrade is just the latest in a string of divisive decisions by the Trump administration that have backed Israel and alienated the Palestinians, who say they have lost faith in the US administration's role as a neutral arbiter in peace process.Last year, the US recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital and relocated its embassy there, upending US policy toward one of the most explosive issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Palestinians in turn cut off most ties with the administration.The administration also has slashed hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid to the Palestinians, including assistance to hospitals and peace-building programs. It has cut funding to the UN agency that provides aid to Palestinians classified as refugees. Last fall, it shut down the Palestinian diplomatic mission in Washington.The Trump administration has cited the reluctance of Palestinian leaders to enter peace negotiations with Israel as the reason for such punitive measures, although the U.S. has yet to present its much-anticipated but still mysterious "Deal of the Century" to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, announced last month that the U.S. would unveil the deal after Israeli elections in April. The Palestinian Authority has preemptively rejected the plan, accusing the US of bias toward Israel. Dailyhunthttp://realstate.0and1.com/UserProfile/tabid/42/userId/87040/Default.aspx
BJP respects all views: Sonowa
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onowal claimed that his government had boosted the confidence of youths, 45,000 youths had got jobs in private sectors, many companies had come forward to invest in the state and agricultural produce was being exported abroad.The Assam Petro-Chemicals Limited will supply methanol, the raw material needed to make formalin (preservative), to this plant which will produce 200 tonnes of formalin daily. The plant, for which 163 bighas has been allotted by the government at Dhaknamari, is being set up at a cost of Rs 100 crore. It is located around 20km south of Bongaigaon town, the district headquarters.Transport, commerce and industry minister Chandra Mohan Patowary, who was present at the ceremony, said his government would distribute land certificate (patta) to one lakh indigenous people of the state soon. He said a ship port beside the Brahmaputra and an economic hub, both in Jogighopa, will be developed for which Rs 600 crore has been sanctioned. Assam Petro-Chemicals Limited's managing director, Ratul Bordoloi, chairman Jagadish Bhuyan, AIUDF legislator gtom Abhayapuri South Ananta Malo also addressed the gathering. Dailyhunthttps://visual.ly/users/yozkelvozkeeneens17/portfolio
US sanctions are 'economic war' on Iran says Hassan Rouhani
The Trump administration last year pulled the US out of Iran's nuclear deal with world powers and re-imposed sanction on Iran, targeting its vital oil sector. ... Dailyhunthttps://www.vox.com/users/keedenjaars
Johnny Depp slaps USD 50 million defamation suit against ex-wife Amber Heard for accusing him of domestic violence
'The op-ed depended on the central premise that Heard was a domestic abuse victim and that Depp perpetrated domestic violence against her. 'Depp never abused Heard. Her allegations against him were false when they were made in 2016. They were part of an elaborate hoax to generate positive publicity for Heard and advance her career,' Depp's lawyers say in the lawsuit. In response, Heard's representative said: 'This frivolous action is just the latest of Johnny Depp's repeated efforts to silence Amber Heard. She will not be silenced. Depp's actions prove he is unable to accept the truth of his ongoing abusive behaviour. 'But while he appears hell-bent on achieving self destruction, we will prevail in defeating this groundless lawsuit and ending the continued vile harassment of my client by Depp and his legal team.' Depp, 55, and Heard, 32, met on the set of 2011's The Rum Diary and were married from February 2015 to May 2016. Kangana Ranaut takes on Bollywood: Hrithik Roshan will never be where I am, Karan Johar needs a dose of chyawanprash The actress filed for a domestic violence restraining order against Depp in May 2016 after she accused him of abusing her. Depp denied the claims, and the two settled their divorce out of court in August 2016 for $7 million, which she donated to charity. Both actors signed NDAs barring them from discussing their relationship publicly. Dailyhunthttps://www.zintro.com/profile/zi9757dfa1?ref=Zi9757dfa1
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