1. Producers Guild Hails CBFC for Allowing 'Mersal' a Contrarian View
The Producers Guild of India has lauded the censor board for allowing the makers of Tamil movie Mersal, the Vijay-starrer that has been in the news for comments critical of GST and Digital India, to express themselves with freedom. The film released in theatres on 18 October and its makers faced stringent opposition from the Tamil Nadu unit of BJP, which demanded removal of specific dialogues.
The movie sparked a nationwide debate and garnered massive support from fans and political figures alike. The film’s producers, however, recently agreed to edit out the ‘objectionable’ scenes.
Read the full story here.
Also Read: ‘Mersal’ Producers Willing to Make Controversial ‘GST’ Scene Cuts
2. EC Hearing on 'Two Leaves' Case Today
The Election Commission will resume the hearing on the ‘Two Leaves’ case on Monday with both sides — EPS-OPS and TTV Dhinakaran – exuding confidence that the symbol will be allotted to their camp. Senior ministers D Jayakumar, CV Shanmugam and KP Munusamy, V Maitreyan and other leaders of the EPS-OPS faction left for New Delhi on Sunday evening to assist their lawyers in presenting their case before the EC.
From TTV’s side, MLAs Senthil Balaji, Palaniappan and Rathina Sabhapathy also left for New Delhi on Sunday evening. The EC had last week adjourned the hearing for 23 October even as it stares down the 31 October deadline set by the Madras High Court to dispose of the case.
Source: Deccan Chronicle
3. Aerospace Park in State Set to Take Off
Tamil Nadu's quest for an aerospace park is finally set to turn into a reality, with the foundation stone for the first phase of the park to be laid by chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday.
The aerospace park will house a component park and a testing and design centre in the first two phases, with total investments of well over Rs 500 crore. The first phase of the park, for which 250 acres have been earmarked, will house industrial units making components for the aerospace industry. Developed industrial plots in the range of 2-10 acres have already been allotted to 14-15 units, with each of them investing Rs 10 crore to Rs 20 crore for setting up shop, a state government official told.
Source: Times of India
4. Luke the Pooch Found, to Reunite with German Couple
Three months after a globetrotting German couple reported him stolen in the city and launched a desperate search for him and circulated hundreds of 'missing' fliers in what appeared to be despairing hope of somehow tracking him down, Luke has returned, ready for a reunion with his long-lost, two-footed buddies.
Luke, a 20-month-old Labrador-mix that Janin Scharrenberg and her partner Steffen Kagerah found in Greece, went missing in July. The couple lodged a complaint after a witness at Marina Beach said he saw an autorickshaw driver take the dog away in his vehicle.
Source: Times of India
Also Read: How Police Dogs Were Felicitated on ‘Kukur Tihar’ in Nepal
5. Neeya Naana Episode Not Aired After Objections
An episode of the popular Tamil TV debate show, ‘Neeya Naana’, on the topic ‘Who is beautiful: Kerala Girls or Tamil Girls’, which was scheduled to air on a private channel on Sunday afternoon, was not telecast.
The episode, which had been promoted on social media by the channel, had faced some flak after the promos aired, with many, including activists, saying it encouraged the objectification of women.
Source: The Hindu
Also Read: TV Show Debates ‘Who Is More Beautiful, Kerala or Tamil Women?’
6. Engineers Line up at Chennai Job Fair for 10th Pass Hopefuls
A job fair targeting those who had passed Class X on Saturday attracted candidates with many more strings to their bow. Of the 876 candidates who registered at the event, hoping to take up jobs as BPO executives, salesmen and receptionists, 110 possessed BE/BTech degrees while a couple had completed MPhil.
"We did not expect such overqualified graduates to come for these jobs. We expected only diploma holders or school passouts to come for semi-skilled positions," said BA Selvam, mobiliser, Don Bosco Valikaatti, a placement and training agency that organised the day-long fair. For salaries ranging between 10,000 and 15,000, candidates from core disciplines like IT, mechanical and electrical engineering come from Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts.
Source: Times of India
7. Restaurants Not on Board With Corporation's Segregation Plan
Miffed at being classified as ‘bulk waste generators’ by the city corporation, restaurant owners are in no hurry to jump on board the civic body's new source segregation scheme.
Since 2 October, when the Greater Chennai Corporation redrew its conservancy plan for the city in accordance with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, the civic body's garbage collectors have been picking up non-biodegradable waste (like plastic) from households only on Wednesdays. Food and kitchen waste are collected on all other days. The corporation had also stipulated bulk waste generators like tech parks, luxury hotels and restaurants to process their waste in-house. But there has been little cooperation from the concerned parties, said officials.
Source: Times of India
Also Read: Meet the People Waging Wars on Garbage on Chennai’s Streets
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)