First in Malayalam movie artists association history, women elected to its top leadership
Kochi, Aug 15 (PTI): In a first in the history of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), women were elected to its top leadership positions.
Women actors Shwetha Menon and Kukku Parameswaran were elected as president and general secretary of the organisation respectively. Besides them, Ansiba Hasan was elected as joint secretary and Lakshmi Priya as the vice president.
State Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cherian welcomed the development, saying it was his personal view that women should come to the leadership posts of AMMA.
"I say this because it is necessary to create more opportunities for women in the film industry. It is for the first time that women are being elected to the leadership positions of AMMA," he said.
The minister congratulated Menon, Parameswaran and Hasan, saying that they were all competent and strong women.
"Let them all work together. I see it as evidence of the continuation of the changes brought about in the film industry following the recently held cinema conclave," Cherian said.
He also said that it was an indication of the good times that will come for the Malayalam film industry.
"I am not saying men are bad. For so long men were heading it. Let women rule come now," he added.
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Iran war 'close to over,' says Trump
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Washington (PTI): US President Donald Trump has said that the war with Iran is “close to over,” asserting that if he pulled up stakes right now, it would take Tehran 20 years to rebuild the country.
The president's comments come hours after the US Central Command said it has successfully blocked all traffic to and from Iranian ports and coastal areas in the first 24 hours of Trump's blockade, saying the US was supporting freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
“I think it’s close to over, yeah. I view it as very close to being over,” Trump told Fox News in an interview that will be telecast later Wednesday.
The interview for the programme “Mornings with Maria” was recorded on Tuesday.
“I think it’s — I had to divert because if I didn’t do that, right now you’d have Iran with a nuclear weapon. And if they had a nuclear weapon, you’d be calling everyone over there ‘sir,’ and you don’t want to do that,” Trump said.
The US and Iran failed to reach an agreement following historic marathon talks in Islamabad over the weekend to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict that started on February 28.
A US media report said on Tuesday that Trump said that a second round of talks with Iran could be held in Islamabad “over the next two days.”
“You should stay there, really, because something could be happening over the next two days, and we're more inclined to go there,” Trump told The New York Post.
Trump attributed the possibility of a second round of talks to the “great job” done by Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir.
“It's more likely, you know why? Because the field marshal is doing a great job,” the US President said.
He did not say whether Vice President J D Vance would continue to lead the negotiating team, which included White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
“I’ve been saying they can’t have nuclear weapons. So I don’t like the 20 years,” Trump said when asked about suggestions that a moratorium might encourage Iran to make an agreement.
“I don’t want them (Iran) to feel like they have a win,” the US President said.
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