Photoshop has been used to commit some outrageous crimes against fact-based photography. However, here are some of the highlights, with links to more.
By Andy Bloxham
The original image of the Iranian missile launchers
The Photoshopped image showing an extra missile taking off
The image of the command centre with 2 of the monitors with new screens Photo: BP
The image of the command centre before being photoshopped Photo: BP
Microsoft was forced to apologise after its Polish arm changed a promotional image of three employees to change the apparent race of a black man to white
Could this be the 'original' BP image?
This list is inspired by BP's admission that it changed an image of its command centre overseeing the team tackling the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico to make staff look busier but other giant firms and even nations have been embarrassed by similar errors.
Microsoft was forced to apologise after its Polish arm changed a promotional image of three employees to change the apparent race of a black man to white, and even failed to change the hand to match.
Britain's former culture secretary James Purnell faked his presence at a photo shoot after he arrived late.
Awards have also mistakenly been given out for manipulated images.
A Chinese photographer claimed to have proven that the controversial Qinghai-Tibet railway was not detrimental to wildlife with an image that showed both rare antelopes and a train, and was awarded for the photo. However, he was later shown to have faked it.
Wikileaks, the whistleblowing website, has released 90,000 documents about American and British actions in Afghanistan since the start of the war. Here are its 10 greatest previous scoops.
The "Standard Operating Procedures for Camp Delta", the US Army manual for soldiers dealing with prisoners at Camp Delta, was released on Wikileaks in 2007. Human rights groups were concerned to discover that according to official guidelines, prisoners could be denied access to the Red Cross for up to four weeks. It also showed that inmates could earn "special rewards" for good behaviour and cooperation - and that one such "reward" was a roll of toilet paper.
In 2008, Wikileaks published "the collected secret 'bibles' of Scientology", including some of internal workings and strange practices of the controversial Church. It showed that there were eight "levels" of "Operating Thetans", with Level Eight being the highest, that Scientologists can aspire to. It also instructed adherents to carry out difficult-to-understand "drills" including: "Find a tight packed crowd of people. Write it as a crowd and then as individuals until you have a cognition. Note it down." The drills were written by the Church founder L Ron Hubbard himself. Lawyers for the Church of Scientology attempted to force Wikileaks to take the information down, calling it the "Advanced Technology of the Scientology religion", but the site refused.
More than 1,000 emails sent over 10 years by staff at the University of East Anglia's Climate Research Unit were posted on Wikileaks after being accessed by a hacker. They appeared to show that scientists engaged in "tricks" to help bolster arguments that global warming is real and man-made. One said: "I've just completed Mike's Nature [the science journal] trick of adding in the real temps to each series for the last 20 years (ie, from 1981 onwards) and from 1961 for Keith's to hide the decline." The report was described by sceptical commenters as "the worst scientific scandal of our generation". The head of the CRU, Professor Phil Jones, stepped down from his role in the wake of the leak, although following a House of Commons inquiry which found that he had no case to answer he was reinstated.
Last year, as the Australian government plotted a "great firewall of Australia" intended to prevent internet users in that country from seeing websites which the government deemed unsuitable, Wikileaks got hold of the proposed blacklist. It published them despite warnings from Bjorn Landfeldt, a University of Sydney professor involved in creating the list, that the list "constitute[d] a condensed encyclopedia of depravity and potentially very dangerous material" and "the concerned parent's worst nightmare" as children would inevitably seek it out. About half of the listed items were not child pornography or anything similar, but included Wikipedia entries, YouTube videos, fringe religious sites, fetish, straight and gay pornography, and even a travel agent's website and one of a dentist in Queensland.
In 2009 the internet went crazy over oil trading company Trafigura's attempts to block publication of an internal study about the health effects of waste dumping in Africa. The draft report, written by scientific consultant John Minton, said that the chemical processes Trafigura used to clean the dumped gasoline was amateurish and would probably have left dangerous sulphur compounds untreated. It was said that these compounds could cause severe burns to the skin and to the lungs, permanent ulceration, corneal damage, vomiting, diarrhoea, loss of consciousness and death to people who came into contact with it. The Guardian gained possession of the report, but Trafigura took the newspaper to court to gain an injunction. However, Wikileaks also had received the report, and within hours the information that The Guardian was legally prevented from publishing was all over Twitter.
The names, addresses and occupations of 13,500 members of the far-Right British National Party were released on to Wikileaks in 2008. The list included the names of several police officers, senior members of the military, doctors and professors. It came as senior military figures warned that the BNP's politics were "fundamentally at odds" with the values of the British military, and BNP figures said that the "establishment" was trying to "derail" the party. At least one person on the list was fired from their job after it was revealed that they were a member of the BNP.
Ahead of the 2008 US Presidential Election, Republican candidate John McCain's running mate Sarah Palin had her private Yahoo email account hacked by Anonymous, an online group best known for an ongoing battle with the Church of Scientology. Two emails, her contact list and various family photos were posted to Wikileaks. The McCain campaign described it as a "shocking invasion of the governor's privacy and a violation of law". It was found that Mrs Palin had been using the private account for official business, and it was alleged that this was to avoid American public record laws.
More than 500,000 pager messages sent in the United States on the day of the September 11 attacks were published to Wikileaks in November last year. Some were from federal and local officials, but most were from ordinary people. There was a debate over whether the release was legitimately in the public interest, revealing personal messages such as "I'm ok & love you..xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox". A Wikileaks spokesman defended the leak, saying that it represented "one more building block to getting a full picture of what happened on that day."
In a delightful twist, a British military manual - the Defence Manual of Security, or Joint Services Protocol 440 (JSP440) - specifically dealing with how best to avoid leaks was leaked onto the site in October last year. It warned that the Chinese "[have] a voracious appetite for all kinds of information; political, military, commercial, scientific and technical" and that spying is no longer like "the novels of John Le Carre". Journalists are listed in the document as one of the "threats" to security, alongside foreign intelligence services, criminals, terrorist groups and disaffected staff. In an even more self-referential moment, a Pentagon document naming Wikileaks itself as a threat to national security was leaked - to Wikileaks.
Iraq Apache helicopter attack
Horrifying video footage showing 15 people including two Reuters journalists being shot dead by a US Army Apache helicopter gunman, taken from the helicopter's gun camera, appalled the world when it was released on Wikileaks.
The crew were heard laughing at the "dead b-----ds" and saying "light 'em up!" and "keep shooting, keep shooting".
The US military has refused to discipline the helicopter's crew, saying that there were "insurgents and reporters in an area where US forces were about to be ambushed.
"At the time we weren't able to discern whether (Reuters employees) were carrying cameras or weapons."
The brother of one of the dead Reuters journalists was sceptical: "My question is how could those highly skilled American pilots with all their hi-tech information not distinguish between a camera and a rocket launcher."
At its highest point, the Millau Viaduct is 23 meters higher than the Eiffel Tower.
Gateshead Millennium Bridge -- England
The Gateshead Millennium has pivots at the ends which raise the walkway and lowering the main arch to allow river traffic through.
Hangzhou Bay Bridge -- China
The Hangzhou Bay Bridge is the longest trans-oceanic bridge in the world, connecting Shanghai and Ningbo.
Bosphorous Bridge -- Turkey
Istanbul's Bosphorus Bridge connects Europe with Asia.
Coronado Bridge -- U.S.A.
San Diego's Coronado Bridge was named the country's "most beautiful bridge" in 1970 by the American Institute of Steel Construction.
Confederation Bridge -- Canada
Prince Edward Island's 8-mile-long Confederation Bridge spans the Abegweit Passage of Northumberland Strait, and was nicknamed the "Fixed Link" by locals before its completion.
Sunniberg Bridge -- Switzerland
Located near Klosters, the Sunniberg Bridge was the winner of 2001's Outstanding Structure Award in 2001 by the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering.
Khaju Bridge -- Iran
Built around 1650, Isfahan's multi-level Khaju Bridge also functions as a weir.
Helix Bridge -- Singapore
The pedestrian-only Helix Bridge is a particularly spectacular experience at dusk, when hundreds of lights create a one-of-a-kind experience.
"Golden Horn" Bridge -- Norway
Norwegian architect Vebjørn Sand based his designs for the "Golden Horn" on a bridge sketched by Leonardo Da Vinci in 1502, but never built.
Alamillo Bridge -- Spain
The soaring Alamillo Bridge in Seville was built for the city's Expo '92, a World's Fair-type exposition organized to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' historic voyage.
Banpo Bridge -- South Korea
Downtown Seoul's Banpo Bridge features the Moonlight Rainbow Fountain, which pumps out roughly 190 tons of water through 10,000 nozzles each minute.
Shillong society to showcase handloom in three cities
A model in traditional attire
Shillong, Jul 27 : The colors and cultures of the Northeast, as defined in its array of attires, will be woven together in a show styled the Magical Threads of the Northeast to be held here from Wednesday.
The Fashion Society, Shillong, is showcasing the event to help fashion designers and models popularize the handloom tradition of the region in three cities — Shillong, Calcutta and Mumbai.
This is the first time that the Shillong-based Fashion Society, which was formed in 1983 to promote beauty and fashion in the Northeast and continues to organize the annual Miss Shillong beauty pageant, has organized an event of this kind.
The Society’s chairman, Aldous Mawlong, today said the event would highlight the uniqueness of the Northeast by focusing on its handloom and weavers.
He said the Society would bring Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura under one roof by showcasing the attires of the states on the platform.
In Shillong, the four-day event will be held at the All Saints Cathedral Hall. Similar events will be held at Swabhumi, Salt Lake, Calcutta, from August 4 to 7 and in Mumbai, the date of which will be announced later.
Mawlong said the theme of the event would be — Where tribal tradition meets modernity.
“By showcasing the Magical Threads of the Northeast, our intention is to create more awareness about the tribal weavers who weave their folk stories and culture in their shawls or garments.
“Look at the shawls of the Naga tribes where one can see stories of forefathers woven. The motifs in the shawls tell the folks stories, tradition and culture of a tribe,” Mawlong said.
The tribes of the Northeast have inhabited the hills here for centuries, living, breathing and communicating with nature. Their stories and folklores are woven in their handloom, crafts, music and cuisine.
According to the Fashion Society, the Northeast still needs to be explored with passion. The beats, chants, dialects and attires of the region are akin to the Red Indians of North America, the Karens of Myanmar and the Cambodians.
Mawlong said the event, sponsored by the Union ministry of textile in collaboration with the Meghalaya Directorate of Sericulture and Weaving, will focus on tradition and fusion to popularise the traditional handloom of the Northeast.
“We want to explore the handlooms of the lesser known tribes or sub-tribes of the Northeast. At the same time, fusion of tradition with modern trends is the need of the hour,” Mawlong said.
Fusion helps fashion designers to be creative with designs, which, in turn, will give more commercial value to the products.
“We are organizing the event in Calcutta and Mumbai so that the audience can have better knowledge of weaving tradition of the Northeast,” Mawlong said. Besides educating people on the culture of the Northeast, the event will also integrate the region with the mainland.
The big cities will also give the fashion designers and models from the Northeast more exposure, Mawlong added.
Jagriti Nengnong, a former Miss Shillong runner-up and the secretary of Fashion Society, will choreograph the event which will feature designers like Duncan Kharbudon, Yana Ngoba, H. Lalnunpuii, C. Lalthenmawia, Suman Karki Chetri, Rosuo Rhi and Pramjit Lal Salam.
The best models of the Northeast will scorch the ramp with an array of handloom apparels.
The event will be spiced up by entertainers like Gary Ropmay, Vancouver Shullai, Karen Nongpyiur, Sara Syiemlieh, Genevieve Khongjee, the Strait brothers, Dwar and the St Edmunds Choir. Khasi cuisine and wine are expected to give the event a new high.
Her fast-unto-death for repeal of AFSPA completes 10 years on November 4
The fast-unto-death by Irom Sharmila demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 from Manipur will complete 10 years on November 4 this year. The Peace Foundation Manipur will honour her by observing a six-day function.
At a function at the Press Club here on Sunday, the Foundation announced that the “100-day countdown” had begun. In the next 100 days, there will be various programmes such as cultural conclaves, public meetings, literary and artistic activities, people's rallies and poster campaign to highlight her sacrifice and indomitable spirit. The programme will conclude with a “festival of hope, justice and peace” on November 6.
The government is spending over Rs. 50,000 a month on her medication and security arrangements. As she needed constant medical attention and supervision by nurses, she was shifted to the J.N. Hospital after declaring one room as a sub jail.
The law under which she is detained permits the authority to keep her in custody for one year at a go.
Every year, she was released and the officials hoped that she would go home and start leading a normal life. But she continued her fast in the offices of women vigilantes. After some hours, the police were constrained to re-arrest Sharmila, owing to her condition.
For her unique and selfless campaign, Ms. Sharmila had been honoured by the Asian Human Rights Organisation, South Korea, by being conferred the Gwangju award 2007. The Kerala-based Myilamma Foundation also honoured her with the “Myilamma Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award 2009” on February 24, 2009.
Ms. Sharmila whose deteriorating health is causing concern among the doctors spends her time writing poems and articles for the local newspapers. She had firmly turned down appeals from Prime Ministers worldwide and many other leaders to end her fast.
She resolutely says that she will not take anything including water until the AFSPA is repealed. She longs to meet her ailing mother, she told some of her visitors.
Panel for repeal
In the backdrop of Ms. Sharmila's fast and growing demands from the people to repeal it, the Union government had set up the Justice Reddy Commission of Inquiry to look into the advisability of repealing or continuing the AFSPA in the insurgency-affected States. It had recommended repeal of the AFSPA since the existing laws were powerful enough to deal with the militancy. The report has not been acted on so far.
Tinsukia, Jul 27 : After Delhi and Kolkata, Tinsukia can now boast of a railway heritage museum having collectibles dating back to the 19th century.
Northeast Frontier Railway general manager Shiv Kumar inaugurated it at New Tinsukia railway junction here on Saturday.
Kumar said, "This museum exhibits railway pioneers of the 19th century and a diverse collection of yesteryears ranging from Britain-built original turntable manufactured in 1892, railway wheels used by the US army during the Second World War to the narrow gauge steam engine number 781 built in 1899 and used at Tipong to haul coal from colliery to original DHR coaches."
This museum would be vital to educate and inform the people of Assam, particularly children, who have not seen railway pioneers of the 19th century, about the rich heritage and history of Indian as well as Northeast Frontier Railway, he added.
With the theme dedicated to Dibru Sadiya railway and Assam Bengal Railway, the heritage park has been built at an estimated cost of Rs 2 crore.
The museum also contains a small gallery dedicated to the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway a world heritage site declared by Unesco.
In addition, the children's park, a toy train for joy rides coupled with gardens, fountains and a railway station as it looked in the 19th century will be an enriching experience for everyone, said Sonjoy Mukherjee, DRM of Tinsukia railway division.
He added, "A heritage wall commemorating the Dibru Sadiya railway and Assam Bengal railway, the 1892-built railway turntable, bridge pillars built from 1894 to 1898, steel bridge girder of 1899 vintage, narrow gauge steam engine built in 1899, Lekhapani indoor picture gallery, air-conditioned conference cum video hall on wheels, toy train with Bholu the guard, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway gallery, children's park, coffee corner and hundreds of railways instruments and records dating back to the 19 th century and early 20th century will make this place unique."
Mukherjee said, "Most of the things were collected from junkyards where they were thrown for auction and renovated. These include the Assam railway original logo, railway coaches and wheels used by the US army during the Second World War."
New Delhi, Jul 27 : In its affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has given the green signal for diversion of 116.589 hectares of Meghalaya forest land for mining limestone by French cement major Lafarge.
In April, the ministry’s environmental clearance in favor of Lafarge had backfired. The MoEF had conducted a field check of the mining site located deep inside Nongtroi Hills and come back with a rather sketchy report endorsing immediate environmental clearance for Lafarge to resume its mining operations.
An unimpressed Green Bench, which had shut down Lafarge’s mining activities on February 9 this year, called the environmental clearance “hasty” and asked the ministry to come back with a “proper study (of environmental impact) by specialized agencies”.
Today’s affidavit says that the ministry’s expert appraisal committee for environmental appraisal of mining projects has expressed satisfaction about the “environmental safeguards” in place. The case is listed before the Green Bench led by Chief Justice of India S H Kapadia on Friday.
“It is submitted that the expert appraisal committee, in its meeting convened on June 29, 2010, observed that the conditions and environmental safeguards stipulated by the MoEF while according clearance as contained in their letter dated August 9, 2001 and supplemented on April 19, 2010 (based on report of the Site Visit Committee) are comprehensive enough to mitigate adverse impacts of the project and protect environment, if implemented effectively,” stated the affidavit, signed by Assistant Inspector General of Forests H C Chaudhary.
A truck tries to move on a stretch of the road between Silchar and Haflong.
Nagaon, Jul 27 : Landslides coupled with lack of maintenance have cut off road link between Haflong and Silchar.
The situation became worse after a few spells of heavy rainfall during the past week.
The 140-km route connecting Dima Hasao district with neighbouring Cachar was part of National Highway 54 (extension) till it was handed over to the National Highways Authority of India in 2006.
Only vehicles such as trucks, which are equipped to run on such road condition, are allowed to ply on the route
According to Dima Hasao district PWD department source, the present condition of this stretch is because of landslides at three different points between Haflong and Retzol.
However, steps are been taken to repair the area as early as possible, he added.
“We had engaged six construction companies in the construction of the East-West corridor. The maintenance work between Lumding and Harangajao was also entrusted to these companies. Unfortunately, five of these companies had left without completing the work. We have Rs 21 crore to repair the route and so we have entrusted the work to the local PWD,” a NHAI source said.
Twelve wooden bridges were so far upgraded to iron bridges on the road but the remaining work was stalled after monsoon set in.
“We hope to repair the road within September,” said PWD Maibong division executive engineer Ratneswar Saikia.
“Nobody can tell that is a road. In some parts of Redzol, it looks like a water body. Who could dare to ply a vehicle through this route at the risk of life?” asked Gobin Thausan, a bus driver.
Dima Hasao district chief executive member Debajeet Thausan said, “We are pressing Dispur for some concrete steps. Recently, we meet the NHAI officials in Guwahati to discuss the matter as the road link is almost cut off and it has created unprecedented problems.”
