In support of Indian gang rape victim

A Sri Lankan opposition United National Party activist places her signature on a banner in memory of an Indian gang rape victim, in Colombo yesterday ( Dec31) The family of an Indian gang-rape victim said they would not rest until her killers are hanged as they spoke of their own pain and trauma over a crime that has united the country in grief.  AFP

(Cull From Times)

Needless diversion, says BJP

The BJP on Tuesday termed “needless diversion” the controversial tweet of Union Minister Shashi Tharoor suggesting that the gang-rape victim’s name be made public and demanded that he should, instead, focus on passing a stringent anti-rape law.

“This is the time for making a strong law against rape without any delay. Naming or keeping the victim’s identity a secret is not the main issue here. The media, politicians and the society are following the Supreme Court guidelines on the matter at the moment. Mr. Tharoor should emphasise on passing the law at the earliest,” BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said.

Blood of Louis XVI 'found in gourd container'

A team of scientists have said they believe an old gourd contains the blood of French King Louis XVI.

The monarch was killed by guillotine by French revolutionaries more than 200 years ago, on 21 January 1793.

The scientists said the DNA is very similar to genetic material from what is believed to be the mummified head of an earlier French king, AFP reports.

After Louis XVI's beheading many spectators were reported to have dipped their handkerchiefs in his blood.

The piece of fabric had been placed in a dried, hollowed-out gourd, leaving blood stains.

The squash was decorated with images of revolutionary heroes and the words: "On January 21, Maximilien Bourdaloue dipped his handkerchief in the blood of Louis XVI after his decapitation".
The revolutionary souvenir has been in the hands of an Italian family for a century.

'Paternally related'


The team of experts from Spain and France has published its findings in Forensic Science International journal.
Analysis of DNA taken from blood traces found inside the vegetable container had already revealed that it probably matched someone of Louis' description but scientists could not prove it belonged to the beheaded king as they had no genetic material from any of his relatives.
However, the team managed to find a rare genetic signature shared with DNA from a mummified head believed to belong to Louis' 16th Century predecessor, Henri IV, who was killed in 1610.

In 2010, scientists said the head belonged to Henri's, saying it shared the same physical features as those illustrated in contemporary portraits of the king.

French forensic pathologist Philippe Charlier told AFP that the study revealed that both of those sampled "share a genetic heritage passed on through the paternal line. They have a direct link to one another through their fathers".

Co-author of the report, Carles Lalueza Fox, of the Institut de Biologia Evolutiva in Barcelona, was quoted as saying that it was "about 250 times more likely that the [owners of the] head and the blood are paternally related, than unrelated".

Oscar winner Michael Hopkins dies in rafting accident

Oscar-winning sound editor Michael Hopkins, who worked on films including the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the 2005 King Kong remake, has been killed in a rafting accident in New Zealand.

Hopkins, 53, from Greytown, New Zealand, died after being thrown from his raft on Sunday, police said.
He won Academy Awards for his work on The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers in 2003 and King Kong in 2006.
He also worked on Blade Runner, Superman, Octopussy and Transformers.
Hopkins first worked with director Peter Jackson on his 1992 movie Braindead, and was also part of Jackson's team for Heavenly Creatures and The Frighteners as well as the three Lord of the Rings epics.
Hopkins shared his two Oscar wins and one further nomination with US collaborator Ethan Van der Ryn.
The accident happened in the Waiohine River on New Zealand's North Island. His two rafting companions both survived.
Police Senior Sergeant Carolyn Watson said: "Police would like to thank all those who assisted in the recovery of Mr Hopkins and the rescue of his companions, particularly the jet boat operator who came to our aid and, at considerable risk to himself, was able to rescue the female.
"All three were wearing life jackets, wetsuits and helmets at the time and it appears that Mr Hopkins got into trouble after they were ejected from the raft in a fast flowing eddy."

Oscar nomination voting deadline extende

The deadline for voting for this year's Oscar nominations has been extended after some people experienced problems with a new online voting system.

Some of the academy's 6,000 members had reported trouble logging into the voting website, while others said they found it confusing.
Organizers said the deadline would be extended by 24 hours to 4 January.
It is the first time voting has been allowed online. It was previously conducted strictly via postal ballots.
However the new system still allows members to choose between voting electronically or sticking with the traditional method.

Trade newspaper The Hollywood Reporter spoke to around 10 academy members who reported either password issues or concerns the website could be hacked.

Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spur lock  whose 2004 film Super Size Me was nominated for the best documentary Oscar, tweeted last week that he was not able to log on to vote electronically.

"The password they sent didn't work for my login - and they couldn't email me a new login, only snail mail," the director said.
It is thought the deadline extension will help members who return from their Christmas holidays this week and experience problems voting online.
The additional day would allow either new passwords to be emailed, or for paper ballots to be sent out and returned.
"By extending the voting deadline we are providing every opportunity available to make the transition to online balloting as smooth as possible," the academy's chief operating officer, Ric Robertson, said.
Nominations for this year's awards will be announced on 10 January - two weeks earlier than usual.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said the move would "provide members and the public a longer period of time to see the nominated films".
The winners will be named at a Los Angeles ceremony on 24 February

Briton 'shot dead' in Thailand

A British national has been killed in Thailand on New Year's Eve, the Foreign Office has said.

Stephen Ashton, 22 was hit by a stray bullet during a fight at a party in a bar on Koh Phangan, say local reports.
According to the Bangkok Post, the tourist was shot in the upper body in the early hours and taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
"We are aware of the death of a British national in Thailand on New Year's Eve," said a Foreign Office spokesman.
"We are providing consular assistance to the family," he added.
The Foreign Office later confirmed the dead man's name.
Police investigating the incident later arrested a Thai man, according to the Post.

Pakistan: Explosion 'hits Karachi crowd'

A big explosion has hit a crowded area in the Pakistani city Karachi, killing one person and injuring several others, local media report.


Geo News television said it was a "major blast" near a market.
Police have arrived at the scene and the injured are being taken to hospital.
Karachi has long suffered outbreaks of violence, caused by Taliban militants or by rival political groups fighting turf wars.
The killing of senior cleric Maulana Mohammad Ismail at a prominent Islamic seminary in December sparked angry protests - amid growing sectarian violence in the port city.
Several Shias have been recently killed in drive-by shootings blamed on Sunni militant groups.
And on 10 November, at least seven students from Maulana Ismail's seminary were gunned down by unidentified gunmen at a tea stall nearby.

Pakistan: Seven charity workers shot dead

Seven charity workers, six of them women, have been shot dead in north-west Pakistan, police say.

The women, some of them teachers, were attacked near a children's community centre. A male colleague died with them. All were Pakistani citizens.
Their vehicle came under gunfire near the centre run by Pakistani charity Ujala, or Light.
Militants targeting a vaccination programme are suspected. No group has said it carried out the attack.

The incident happened in the Swabi district close to a road connecting Peshawar to the eastern city of Lahore.
The centre was part school and part clinic, specialising in maternal health.
"Four men came on two motorbikes. They attacked their van. They opened fire to the right and left of the van and fled on their motorbikes," Swabi district police chief Abdul Rashid Khan said, according to AFP.
He added that the driver of the vehicle had also been injured in the attack, which took place near a motorway junction.
The BBC's Aleem Maqbool, in Islamabad, says that, according to police, this is the first such attack on NGO workers in the area.

Our correspondent says that those running the centre said they suspect its vaccination programme was the reason it was attacked.
Of the seven people who were killed, two were health workers and five were teachers.
Last month, in a series of attacks, gunmen killed nine health workers taking part in a national polio vaccination drive.
While the Pakistani Taliban have denied carrying out the killings, they have long denounced the vaccination drive as a Western plot either to gather intelligence or to sterilise Muslim children.
The killings prompted the UN children's agency and the World Health Organisation to suspend work on polio campaigns in the country.

India gang rape: New Year celebrations scaled back

India has scaled back New Year celebrations, as it mourned the death of a woman whose gang rape on a bus a fortnight ago sparked public outrage.

The army has cancelled all official celebrations as have the states of Punjab and Haryana.

The president of the governing Congress party, Sonia Gandhi, also said she would not be celebrating.

Meanwhile, protests continued on Monday in the capital, Delhi, where the 23-year-old medical student was assaulted.

The victim died on Saturday morning in a Singapore hospital where she was being treated for severe injuries. She was cremated in Delhi on Sunday.

The attack sparked huge protests expressing anger over attitudes to women in India and calling for changes to the laws on violence against women.

As vigils continue to be held, hotels, clubs and business houses and celebrities announced they would be cancelling or toning down planned events for New Year's Eve.

Stop attacks on judiciary: UN expert

The UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Gabriela knaul, expressed yesterday serious concern about the impeachment proceeding against the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the recent attacks against lawyers who have been fighting for the independence of the judiciary in Sri Lanka.
According to information received by the independence expert, attacks and threats against members of the judiciary and lawyers, as well as interference in their work. have dramatically increased over the past few months.
'The recent steps taken by the executive and legislative towards impeaching the Chief Justice appear to be the culminating point of a series of attacks against the judiciary for asserting its independence.' Ms. Knaul said in a statement.

(Cull From Dailymirror)

President decries political mud slinging

By Cyril Wimalasurendre

KANDY – Mud-slinging was not politics, but political bankruptcy, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said after declaring open the new building of the Pathadumbara Pradeshiya Sabha on Saturday (Dec. 29).

The President noted that there was a large scale politically motivated mud slinging campaign in the country. No political advantage could be achieved by mud-slinging, he said adding that political success depended on the extent of cordial relations with the people and on the service rendered to the people.

What was important was not whether the politician belonged to the ruling party or to the opposition but what he had done for the people, he said.

Mobitel launches 4G/LTE network

Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel launched a mobile 4G/LTE network to provide enhanced services to the public, the telco said yesterday (31).

"Mobitel’s latest addition to the technology portfolio is the natural successor of the telecommunication evolution of the world. With the latest addition, Mobitel will be one of the most decorated and equipped operators in the world in the technology front, which includes FD LTE, HSPA+ DC, HSPA, UMTS and 2G services. This will enable it to provide an enhanced and diversified service to its customer base," the company said.

Dog fight at Karapitiya

By Don Asoka Wijewardena

Karapitiya Hospital Director Dr. Shelton Perera is allegedly keeping the key to a room reserved for the Acting Director Dr. Priyantha Jeewaratne.

Director General of Health Services Dr. Palitha Maheepala has instructed Dr. Perera to allow Dr. Jeewaratne to work until the formal inquiry into his appointment is completed.In accordance with the Health Ministry Act, two Deputy Directors have been appointed to the hospital but an acting Director to cover duties could be appointed in addition to the two appointments.

When contacted, Dr. Priyantha Jeewaratne said that in addition to the two permanent Deputy Directors appointed to the Karapitiya hospital, another acting Director could be appointed. As he was working in Matara, the then Health Secretary Dr. Ravindra Ruberu had appointed him to cover duties at the Karapitiya hospital. "Since I assumed duties at Karapitiya, the Director has kept my room key. He has also sent a letter to the Health Ministry that there is no vacancy for me at the hospital. When the higher authorities instruct the Director, he has to carry out the orders," Dr. Jeewaratne stressed.