Mumbai, Oct 03: The strike by Bollywood technicians and workers that had paralysed the city-based film industry for the past three days, was called off Friday evening after the producers' association agreed to most of their demands, said an official. The workers were on strike to demand less working hours, better pay and timely payment. "They have agreed to almost all our demands, and from tomorrow (Saturday) workers will go back to work," Dinesh Tiwari, general secretary Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), told reporters. Well-known producers TP Aggarwal, Ratan Jain, Manmohan Shetty, Mukesh Bhatt, Vashu Bhagnani among others were present at the meeting. Dheeraj Kumar represented the TV producers association. They have signed a fresh agreement with the workers association. The FWICE has 22 unions and all its 140,000 workers were on strike. The FWICE went on strike for alleged "unethical practices" of the producers' associations. Two years ago, the four main producers' organisations had signed a three-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) with FWICE and the Cine and TV Artists Association. The MoU revised and specified parameters such as technicians' working hours, payment tariffs and time limit for payment, but these were allegedly being flouted by the producers' associations. The MoU stipulated that the producers must clear the dues within 120 days of services taken, but many workers alleged they had not been paid since February this year. Some film stars like Shah Rukh Khan, who also runs a production house of his own, have supported the workers' cause.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Agitated Bollywood workers call off strike
Mumbai, Oct 03: The strike by Bollywood technicians and workers that had paralysed the city-based film industry for the past three days, was called off Friday evening after the producers' association agreed to most of their demands, said an official. The workers were on strike to demand less working hours, better pay and timely payment. "They have agreed to almost all our demands, and from tomorrow (Saturday) workers will go back to work," Dinesh Tiwari, general secretary Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), told reporters. Well-known producers TP Aggarwal, Ratan Jain, Manmohan Shetty, Mukesh Bhatt, Vashu Bhagnani among others were present at the meeting. Dheeraj Kumar represented the TV producers association. They have signed a fresh agreement with the workers association. The FWICE has 22 unions and all its 140,000 workers were on strike. The FWICE went on strike for alleged "unethical practices" of the producers' associations. Two years ago, the four main producers' organisations had signed a three-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) with FWICE and the Cine and TV Artists Association. The MoU revised and specified parameters such as technicians' working hours, payment tariffs and time limit for payment, but these were allegedly being flouted by the producers' associations. The MoU stipulated that the producers must clear the dues within 120 days of services taken, but many workers alleged they had not been paid since February this year. Some film stars like Shah Rukh Khan, who also runs a production house of his own, have supported the workers' cause.
59 Tamil Tigers, two soldiers killed in Lanka clashes
Source:- www.zeenews.com
Thailand`s top politicians agree to amend Constitution
Bangkok, Oct 03: Senior Thai politicians agreed on Friday to amend the country's contentious military-backed Constitution in order to break a political deadlock. New Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat held a two-hour meeting with opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, House Speaker Chai Chidchob and Senate Speaker Prasobsuk Boondet in Parliament to negotiate the deal. "The meeting aimed to solve our country's problem and head towards reconciliation," Somchai told reporters. "This solution is the best solution and must be acceptable to people no matter if they agree or disagree. They have to listen to the majority," he added. The current Constitution was drafted by a panel named by royalist generals who staged the 2006 coup against former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. Opposition Democrat Party leader Abhisit told reporters that changing the charter would allow for greater participation in the political process. "At the meeting everybody agreed that the one way to solve the current crisis is to begin political reform by amending article 291, paving the way for more people participation," Abhisit said. A meeting of all political party leaders with the House and Senate speakers is planned for next Monday, he added. Anti-government demonstrators have been rallying outside government offices for months, partly in protest at planned Constitutional changes. People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) has been fighting to bring down the democratically elected government, which it accuses of being too close to Thaksin.
Sourse:- www.zeenews.com
2300-yr-old paddy pot found
Monday, September 29, 2008
1 killed, 6 injured in crude bomb explosion in Gujarat
One person was killed and six people were injured in an explosion in Modasa town of Gujarat's Sabarkantha district on Monday night, officials said. "There has been an explosion in Modasa town but we are yet to confirm how it took place. The bomb and dog squads have been rushed to the site," District Superintendent of Police R B Bhrambhatt said. The injured were being transfered to the nearby hospitals, police said. The low-intensity blast resembled the explosion Mehrauli locality in south Delhi witnessed on Saturday last, officials said.Earlier, seventeen crude bombs were found on Monday near the Kalupurdarvaja of the city, police said.The bombs found were not sophisticated devices but crude explosives, police said.Further investigations are on, police said.
Sources-www.ndtv.com
Suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorist arrested
Sunday, September 28, 2008
A Chinese astronaut has become the first in his country's history to take a walk in space.
In an operation broadcast live on national TV, fighter pilot Zhai Zhigang emerged from the capsule orbiting the Earth to wave a Chinese flag.
Mr Zhai, 42, stayed outside the capsule for 15 minutes while his two fellow astronauts stayed in the spacecraft.
The exercise is seen as key to China's ambition to build an orbiting station in the next few years.
Mr Zhai began the manoeuvre just after 1630 Beijing Time (0830 GMT) on Saturday, and completed it about 15 minutes later.
"I'm feeling quite well. I greet the Chinese people and the people of the world," he said as he climbed out of the Shenzhou VII capsule.
His colleague, Liu Boming, also briefly got his head out of the capsule to hand him the flag.
Mr Zhai wore a Chinese-made spacesuit thought to have cost between £5m and £20m ($10m-$40m) for the space walk.
The "yuhangyuan" (astronaut) was tethered to the capsule with an umbilical cable.
Mr Zhai retrieved an externally mounted experiment.
The third yuhangyuan on the mission is Jing Haipeng.
Leap
The Shenzhou VII capsule soared into orbit on a Long March II-F rocket from Jiuquan spaceport in north-west China on 25 September.
The rocket put the Shenzhou capsule in a near-circular orbit more than 300km above the Earth.
Earlier, Zhang Jianqi, one of the chief engineers for China's space programme, said keeping three men in the spacecraft, and then sending one outside, would be a "big test".
"This is a big technological leap," he told state-run news agency Xinhua.
"The risks are quite high. Sending up three astronauts is a jump both in quantity and quality."
The ship is to release a 40kg (90lb) satellite which will circle the orbiter and beam back images to mission control.
At the end of the mission, the Shenzhou re-entry capsule will target a landing in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
China became only the third nation after the United States and Russia to independently put a man in space when Yang Liwei, another fighter pilot, went into orbit on the Shenzhou V mission in October 2003.
Two years later, Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng completed a five-day flight on Shenzhou VI.
According to the Associated Press news agency, Xinhua posted an article on its website prior to the lift-off that was written as if Shenzhou VII had already been launched into space