Sinlung

31 May 2010

15 Indian Security Men Killed in Manipur Accidents

Imphal, May 31 : At least 15 security personnel, including 12 troopers of the Territorial Army, were killed and three injured Sunday in two separate road accidents in northeastern state of Manipur, officials said.

A police spokesperson said 12 troopers of the Territorial Army were killed late Sunday near village Kotlen, about 30 km northwest of capital Imphal.

'The soldiers were returning to their base in Imphal from duty when the truck in which they were travelling veered off the road and fell into a deep gorge,' a police official said.

Twelve were killed on the spot and some are injured.

'We are yet to get the full details of the accident. We presume there could be at least 20 soldiers in the truck,' the official said.

Territorial Army troopers are generally deployed to guard vulnerable areas and facilities, and are used for counter insurgency operations only in emergency situations.

In another incident earlier Sunday, a truck carrying soldiers of the India Reserve Battalion fell into a gorge near village Korengei, about 8 km north of Imphal.

'Three of them were killed and as many were injured in the accident,' the official said.

Tech

30 May 2010

'Facebook For Muslims' Launched in Pakistan

After real thing is blocked over 'blasphemous' Prophet images

Resourceful IT experts in Pakistan have launched their own version of the social networking site Facebook after the real thing was blocked for showing 'blasphemous' images of the Prophet Mohammed.

MillatFacebook, meaning Nation Facebook in Urdu, was launched on Wednesday and has already attracted some 8,000 users.

Omar Zaheer Meer, one of the six web developers, said their aim was to offer an alternative to Facebook which condemned the contest encouraging users to submit images of the Prophet Mohammed.

Millat Facebook also promises stronger privacy settings than its US counterpart.

millat facebook

Pakistani IT professionals Omer Zaheerand Arslan Chaudhry browse their newly created networking site in Lahore

'We are saying that we are technologically independent and that you can't make money from us and then not respect our views' said Mr Meer.

'Millatfacebook is Pakistan's very own, first social networking site. A site for Muslims by Muslims where sweet people of other religions are also welcome,' the website tells people interested in signing up.

The Facebook page 'Everybody Draw Mohammed Day!' encouraged users to submit images of the prophet on May 20.

Muslims argue that any representations of the Prophet are blasphemous. A series of cartoons of the prophet published in a Danish newspaper in 2005 sparked violent protests and death threats against the cartoonists.

facebook protest

Pakistani Muslims shout slogans and wave placards as they protest against Facebook in Lahore

Over the past ten days, access to Facebook, Youtube, encyclopaedia site Wikipedia and photo-sharing site Flickr has been temporarily blocked in Pakistan.

'The (Pakistani) government action against both Facebook and YouTube after it failed to persuade the websites to remove the 'derogatory material,' the regulatory body said in a statement.

It welcomed representatives from the two websites to contact the Pakistani government to resolve the dispute in a way that 'ensures religious harmony and respect'.

While thousands took to the streets to protest against the 'blasphemous' contest, other internet users simply switched to micro-blogging site Twitter to broadcast their protests against the crackdown to the world, which consequently surged with Pakistani traffic.

facebook protests

When a Facebook user decided to organise an 'Everyone Draw Mohammed Day' competition to promote "freedom of expression', it sparked a major backlash among Islamic activists

'Sad and embarrassing day in the history of Pakistan. Tough times to be a Pakistani. Questionable decisions in a so-called "democracy,"' one user tweeted.

'What's common to Facebook and Lashkar-e-Taiba?' one user on Twitter wrote, referring to a Pakistani militant group that is believed to have carried out the terrorist atrocities in Mumbai.

'They are both banned in Pakistan, but Pakistanis can still find them if they want to.'

Twitter, Facebook and YouTube have all been at the forefront of anti-government protests in the last few years, most notably during last year's Iranian elections.'.

It remains to be seen how successful the government will be at keeping Pakistan's nearly 20 million Internet users from accessing the blocked sites.

Other countries, such as China, permanently ban Facebook and YouTube. But citizens often have little trouble working their way around the ban using proxy servers and other means.

facebook pakistan

Pakistani Muslims burn the effigy of Molly Norris, the American cartoonist who declared May 20th 'Everyone draw Mohammed day' on facebook

[ via Dailymail ]

Assam

55 Rhinos Killed in Kaziranga in Last 4 Years

Nagaon, May 30 : While wildlife lovers around the globe are rallying against rhino poaching, as many as 55 rhinos have been killed in the UNESCO's world heritage site Kaziranga National park, in the last four years.

According to insiders of Kaziranga National Park, a nexus between a section of forest guards and poachers is being suspected to be involved in rhino poaching.

And now, authorities of Assam's Kaziranga National Park, forest guard and security personnel are killing innocent people in fake encounters and producing them as poachers to cover up their failure, alleged by local people who reside near the park.

The incident came to light when villagers of Silveta under Bokakhat Police Station in Golaghat district, some 35 kms from Kaziranga National Park, alleged that, a youth called Rahul Kutum was killed by forest guards in a fake encounter inside the Park on May 21, morning.

Later, the park authorities produced 4 'poachers' killed in the encounter.

Park authorities said, the killed poachers have not been identified.

But the villagers alleged that, the park authorities killed innocent youth Rahul Kutum along with three others in a fake encounter for covering their failure to protect rhinos.

Family members of Rahul Kutum lodged FIR at Bokakhat Police Station and a case (No - 91/2010, under section 302) had registered.

Villagers of Silveta given a memorandum to Golaghat DC demanding a fair inquiry into the incident.

Tileswar Kutum, elder brother of Rahul Kutum told IBNS, "the park authorities producing it as colourful for covering their failures".

It is to be mentioned that, 55 one horned rhinoceros have been killed in Kaziranga in last four years, during the period when Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain took charge of the state government ministry.

Poachers killed 20 rhino in 2007, 16 in 2008, 13 in 2009 and 6 in this year. In this period park authorities killed only 8 poachers and forest department, security personnel arrested 37 nos of rhino poachers.

Over 800 rhinos were killed during the last decade - it is enough to raise a loud alarm on Kaziranga national Park.

In other hand, Kaziranga lost more than 150 rhinos and 40 tigers in natural dead.

Sports

AIFF Planning to Expand I-League to 16 Teams

New Delhi, May 30 : The All India Football Federation (AIFF), its general-secretary to be precise, is desperate to keep the relegated Lajong in the I-League next season, and the reason trotted out to retain them is to promote the sport in the northeast. To resurrect the Shillong club it has decided to make the 14-team league 16-strong.

The move to keep Lajong in the premier league is seen as a ploy by AIFF general-secretary Alberto Colaco to oblige the club owners despite their last-place finish in the 2009-10 season.
It is intriguing that the AIFF is mulling increasing the league strength to 16 next season despite its president Praful Patel making it clear after the executive committee meeting earlier this month that the I-League will continue to have only 14 teams.

The league rules stipulate that the bottom two teams from the top division - Lajong and Sporting Clube de Goa - will have to be relegated and the top two teams from Second Division -- Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) get promoted. But the AIFF wants to retain all the 14 teams from last year and add the two promoted clubs to make it 16.

Of the 14, Mahindra United has been disbanded and the AIFF has decided to field its under-19 team in place of the Mumbai club.

Justifying the AIFF move, its treasurer Hardev Jadeja told IANS that Lajong's presence has revived football in the northeast and the federation wants that the sport is spread in the northeast as the region is throwing up a lot of promising players.

"Thanks to Lajong, soccer has touched new heights in the northeast. From every I-League match at home, the club has earned Rs.1.5 million as gate money. This is a record, which even Kolkata clubs couldn't achieve in the last five years. We want Lajong in the first division for the development of football in the northeast," Jadeja said.

Isn't it a violation of league rule of promotion and relegation? "In the past we have bent rules for the development of Indian football. So why not this time? I have been to several I-League matches in Shillong and was surprised with Lajong's fan following," Jadeja added.

However, some I-league committee members are unhappy with AIFF's move. They feel that the AIFF secretary, who is also the I-League chairman, is arbitrarily taking decisions without consulting them.

Mohun Bagan's Debashish Dutta, a member of the I-League committee, blasted Colaco for trying to change the rules of the league.

"The rule says that two teams have to be relegated, so why change it after the end of the tournament. These things should be sorted out before the end of the league, not after. What is the sanctity of the league committee when members are not consulted or their views are not solicited and all decisions are taken by the league chairman?" Dutta asked.

Meanhwile, Vasco have appealed to the AIFF that they should be promoted as the third team from Second Division to replace Mahindra United.

Vasco president Vinod Parkhot said: "In 2007, AIFF had replaced disbanded Fransa Pax with HAL, which had finished third in the second division. So, here too the same rule should be applied to allow us to play in the I-League in place of Mahindra."