25 SEPTEMBER 2015: Court nominated for Oscars

Ø  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday sought Ireland’s support for India’s membership of U.N. Security Council and international export control regimes, including the Nuclear Suppliers Group, during wide-ranging talks with his Irish counterpart which also covered global challenges such as terror and radicalisation. During his nearly five-hour stopover en route the U.S., Mr. Modi, who is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Ireland in 59 years, held talks with his Irish counterpart, Enda Kenny, after which he hoped that Ireland’s visa policy would be sensitive to the requirements of India’s IT firms. I was pleased to exchange views on a broad range of international challenges, including terrorism, radicalisation and the situation in Europe and Asia. Thanking Ireland for its support which was crucial for India-specific exemption from the NSG in 2008, Mr. Modi said, “I have now sought Ireland’s support for India’s membership of the NSG and other international export control regimes. India’s membership will deepen our bilateral cooperation and strengthen international non-proliferation efforts.”

Ø  The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the premier defence research organisation, on Wednesday sought a hike in its budget, saying China was spending close to 20 per cent of its defence outlay on R&D as compared to a mere 5-6 per cent in India which was “inadequate” to meet growing defence needs.  It also pitched for increased manpower while noting that a top heavy institution with a narrow base is not an ideal situation and that young scientists are required to work on technological needs. DRDO Director-General of S. Christopher said there were a few issues which continued to remain a cause of concern and came in the way of the organization’s growth.

Ø  Chaitanya Tamhane’s National Award-winning Marathi film Court was selected as India’s official entry to the Best Foreign Language category of the 2016 Academy Awards. Court was selected from a shortlist of 30 films by a 16-member Film Federation of India jury headed by film-maker Amol Palekar.