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President Lech Kaczynski, who died in a plane crash Saturday, was elected Polish head of state in December 2005. The portly, 60-year-old gained the national limelight at the age of 13 when he and his twin brother Jaroslav starred in the children’s film called “About Those Two Who Stole The Moon”. The twins were born June 18, 1949 in Warsaw. During World War II, their parents fought in the Warsaw uprising against the German occupation. A committed Catholic, Lech studied law before entering into politics. He was a supporter of Solidarity leader Lech Walesa when the trade union rose up against Poland’s Communist leadership. Kaczynski and his brother founded the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, which preached national values and adopted a strident law and order approach. He became minister of justice in 2000. Less than a year after his election as president, his brother Jaroslv became prime minister, leading to Poland being called the “twin republic”. Lech Kaczynski was married in 1978 to Maria, a friend from his student days. The couple has a daughter.
President, PM condole Akkineni's death
President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday condoled the death of Telugu cinema icon Akkineni Nageswara Rao. "An acclaimed Telugu film actor, producer and writer, Nageswara Rao shall always be remembered for his memorable films. His singular contribution to Indian cinema was recognised through a number of awards. In his death, the film industry has lost a creative personality whose contribution to Telugu cinema remains unparalleled," the president said in a message to the film maker's son, Nagarjuna. Nageswara Rao died early Wednesday. He was 89. The prime minister said: "I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing away of Akkineni Nageswara Rao. He was a man of multiple talents and will be long remembered for his contribution to Indian cinema in general and Telugu cinema in particular." "I convey my sincere condolences to the members of his family, his friends and well-wishers and to his countless admirers around the world," he added.
Ukrainian president faces ultimatum to call new elections or face street rage
Thick black smoke from burning tires is engulfing the downtown Ukrainian capital as an ultimatum issued by the opposition to the president to call early election or face street rage was set to expire with no sign of a compromise. The three main opposition leaders urged protesters late Wednesday to refrain from violence for 24 hours until their ultimatum to President Viktor Yanukovych expires. The largely peaceful protest against Yanukovych's decision to shun the EU and turn toward Moscow in November descended into violence Sunday when demonstrators marched on official buildings. For days protesters hurled fire bombs and stones at police, which retaliated with stun grenades, tear gas and rubber bullets. The deaths of two protesters Wednesday fueled fears of more violence.
Egyptian president moves to boost security after attack on ancient temple
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi is calling for more security after a suicide bomber blew himself up Wednesday steps away from a temple frequented by millions of tourists every year. According to a statement from the presidency, el-Sissi praised the police performance in the attack outside the temple of Karnak, in the southern city of Luxor, which left no tourists hurt and wounded only four people, two civilians and two policemen, and called for beefing up security at tourist sites across the country. Police killed two suspected Islamic militants shortly after the attack. Meanwhile, on a flight from Cairo to Luxor, Egypt's Tourism Minister Khaled Ramy told The Associated Press that he expects the tourism industry's slow recovery would continue, despite the latest attack. Ramy commended the police, saying they averted a much bigger disaster. He says Egyptian "security forces were there. It's a very important message to everyone." There were only a handful of tourists and Egyptians inside the temple at the time of the late morning attack, the officials told the Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. The governor of the city, Mohammed Sayed Badr, said no tourists were hurt in the bombing. Speaking to The Associated Press over the phone, he said the attack was "an attempt to break into the temple of Karnak." "They didn't make it in," he added of the attackers. Wednesday's attack was the second this month by suspected Islamic militants at or near a major tourist attraction. On June 3, gunmen on a speeding motorcycle opened fire outside the famed Giza Pyramids on the outskirts of Cairo, killing two police officers. Badr also offered a slightly different version of how the attack unfolded. He said three men carrying bags got out of a car in the temple's parking lot, which immediately made the police suspicious and policemen ordered them to stop. One of the three then began running, so the police fired at him and an explosive belt he was wearing blew up. A second man had a gun and started shooting at the police before he was shot and killed. The third attacker was wounded in the shootout and arrested by an undercover policeman. Badr said the nationalities of the three men have yet to be determined. Badr's account and that of the security officials could not immediately be reconciled, but that is common in the immediate aftermath of major attacks. The attack was the first to target world-famous attractions in Luxor since November 1997, when Islamic militants opened fire on tourists at the city's 3,400-year-old Hatshepsut Temple on the west bank of the Nile, killing 58. Tourism is the lifeblood of Luxor, home to some of Egypt's most famous ancient temples and pharaonic tombs, including that of King Tutankhamun. The city has been hit hard by a downturn in foreign visitors during the years of unrest since Egypt's 2011 uprising. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Wednesday's attack, but it bore the hallmarks of Islamic militants who have been battling security forces in the strategic Sinai Peninsula for years. Extremists in Sinai have targeted tourism sites to try to deny the government a key source of revenue. Last year, the Sinai-based insurgent group Ansar Beit al-Maqdis pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group (ISIS), which has destroyed famed archaeological sites in Syria and Iraq, viewing them as idolatrous. The campaign of violence in Sinai accelerated and spread to other parts of Egypt following the 2013 military overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. The attack on the Luxor temple, which sits on the east bank of the Nile, comes as Egypt tries to rehabilitate its vital tourism industry, which accounted for as much as 20 percent of foreign currency revenues before its 2011 revolt that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak and later years of turmoil. From a high of 14.7 million tourists in 2010, Egypt has had an average of around 9 million a year since then, though officials say tourists slowly are coming back. Government officials say the tourism industry saw revenues jump to $4 billion in the first half of this year, compared to $1.9 billion in the same period last year.
EU president calls on countries to share 160,000 refugees
BRUSSELS – European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Wednesday called on EU countries to agree by next week to share 160,000 refugees, warning that Greece, Italy and Hungary can no longer cope alone. In an impassioned appeal at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, Juncker unveiled a list of new proposals to help Europe confront its biggest refugee crisis since World War II. "The refugee crisis will not simply go away," Juncker told EU lawmakers, noting that some 500,000 refugees have entered Europe this year, many from conflict-torn Syria and Libya. "It is high time to act." "We are fighting against Islamic State, why are we not ready to accept those who are fleeing Islamic State?" he said. Juncker unveiled a new plan for 22 of the EU's 28 states to share 120,000 refugees from Greece, Italy and Hungary, on top of a proposal the EU's executive made in May to share 40,000 refugees from just Greece and Italy. Britain, Ireland and Denmark are not legally bound to take part. Greece, Italy and Hungary of course are not included. Hungary estimates that more than 160,000 people have crossed its borders alone this year. The EU's first refugee plan never won full support, and only around 32,000 refugees have been allocated. Hungary was among the countries to reject it, along with the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. Juncker wants both plans endorsed on Monday at a meeting of EU interior ministers in Brussels. "This has to be done in a compulsory way," he said. In Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel backed the new plan and also called for it to be made compulsory. "We need a binding agreement on a binding distribution of refugees among all member states, according to fair criteria," Merkel said. Germany has taken in more refugees than any other EU country, and would have to accept more than 31,000 more under the scheme. On Monday, France threw its weight behind the EU plan by saying that it would take in 24,000 refugees this year, exactly the figure the new scheme calls for. Britain, which is not taking part, announced separately that it would welcome up to 20,000 refugees currently in countries outside of the EU over the next five years. This new response marks a shift to rapid humanitarian action as the EU begins to realize that longer-term policy moves are ill-adapted to the scale of the refugee emergency. Juncker also announced a list of "safe countries" including Albania and Kosovo, from which thousands of people have fled this year. The "safe country" tag is likely to mean that few asylum applications by nationals from those countries are likely to succeed as these people would be hard-pressed to justify violence or persecution against them. Longer-term, the Commission also unveiled a plan to set up a 1.8 billion-euro ($2 billion) fund to help African nations better manage their borders and help reduce the number of refugees heading for Europe.
Nagendra Babu is MAA president
K Nagendra Babu, popular producer and brother of Mega Star Chiranjeevi, has been unanimously elected as president of Movie Artistes Association (MAA) for 2006-08. Earlier, he was the vice-president of MAA. Nagendra Babu is the one who had lots of concern over the fellow human-beings in general and the film industry workers in particular. He has a kind heart to understand the problems faced by the people and always tries to extend a helping hand to the needy. One can't find any ego or inhibition in Nagababu, though he was a big producer, actor and brother of Mega Star Chiranjeevi. The films produced by him like 'Rudraveena' and 'Stalin' proves the real concern in him towards the society. He is a great leader at the same time very simple and quite personality. He was never after the power but the post came in search of him. MusicMazaa wishes him every success on his presidentship to MAA and wish he would take the film industry further on a smooth and prosperous path.