1. Aung San Suu Kyi stripped of Freedom of Oxford Award.
Aung San Suu Kyi has been formally stripped of the Freedom of the City of Oxford award over her response to the repression of her country’s Rohingya Muslims.
Oxford city council voted unanimously to permanently remove the honour given to the de facto leader of Myanmar in 1997, and said it did not want to celebrate “those who turn a blind eye to violence”.
Oxford councillors had previously voted to support a cross-party motion to remove the award, and made the decision official in a vote on Monday evening.
The vote comes on the same day Myanmar’s powerful army chief told Pope Francis there is “no religious discrimination” in Myanmar.
Over 600,00 Rohingya Muslims have been driven from Rakhine state in western Myanmar into neighbouring Bangladesh through a series of military operations, which the United Nations has described as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing”.
Cllr Mary Clarkson (Lab), who proposed the motion, told the BBC: “Oxford has a long tradition of being a diverse and humane city, and our reputation is tarnished by honouring those who turn a blind eye to violence. We hope that today we have added our small voice to others calling for human rights and justice for the Rohingya people.”
2. French film on AIDS wins Best Film Award at IFFI 2017.
Robin Campillo’s French film 120 Beats Per Minute, about a passionate fight against indifference towards AIDS, won the prestigious Golden Peacock award for best film at the controversy-ridden 48th International Film Festival of India, which wound to a close on Tuesday. The film’s actor Nahuel Perez Biscayart won the Silver Peacock in the best actor male category.
Malayalam film Take Off, which is loosely based on the evacuation of nurses from Kerala, who were stranded in Iraq’s Tikrit in 2014, won two awards at the festival’s Indian Panorama section, winning Silver Peacocks for best direction (Mahesh Narayanan) and best actor female (Parvathy). Actor Amitabh Bachchan was also presented the Indian film personality of the year award.
The awards were presented at a glittering ceremony at the Shama Prasad Mukherjee indoor stadium on the outskirts of the state capital.
In a video address, the award-winning French actor Biscayart dedicated the award to all those who are afflicted by HIV/AIDS.
“I dedicate the award to all people who are living the way, which is considered shameful. Be visible, get out, shout your pains. Try to change your reality. That’s the only way we can live. If we live in shadows, nothing good will come for ourselves,” he said.
The Indian award winners Parvathy and Narayanan dedicated the film to the unsung nurses who work on the frontlines, bringing medical care and solace to soldiers and victims of conflict.
3. Professor Hiroshi Marui conferred with 3rd ICCR Distinguished Indologist Award.
(UNI) At a time when people are delving deep into traditional knowledge and ancient wisdom to share with the humankind the best of their achievements, Indology has assumed greater significance to promote better undertaking between peoples, President Ram Nath Kovind said on Monday.
Speaking after conferring the 3rd ICCR Distinguished Indologist Award on Professor Hiroshi Marui of Japan at a function in Rashtrapati Bahwan, the President said,`Today, we all live as a global community. There is greater need for mutual understanding. New ideas are shaping our daily lives. People and policy makers are looking for options to make living more sustainable, one where we have a symbiotic relationship with nature and ecology around us.
`We are delving deep into our traditional knowledge and ancient wisdom to share with the humankind the best of our achievements. India is doing its best to explain the virtues of Yoga and Ayurveda for the well-being of humanity. Likewise, other nations and societies are making efforts to revive their traditional cultural expressions. In such a scenario, Indology assumes greater significance to promote better undertaking between peoples and to share what India has to offer to humankind. `
Noting that Indian culture and its many attributes have evolved over centuries, the President said,` Indian culture and its many attributes have evolved over centuries. The depth of time has given it a unique strength and character. It is integral and holistic, synthetic and accommodating.
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