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Politicians use freebies to lure voters in Punjab Kejriwal is the perfect ‘Mungerilal’ in Punjab

By MANJEET SEHGAL POLITICAL parties are making a mockery of democracy in Punjab by offering freebies like ration, jobs and loans to lure voters. The politics of ration was started by the Shiromani Akali Dal way back in 2007, when they offered wheat and pulses at subsidised rates. The scheme was a hit as the Akali Dal government covered more than one crore families under this scheme. While wheat is being given at ‘1per kg, pulses cost ‘20 per kg. Meanwhile, the Congress has added tea leaves, besides the subsidised ration, in its poll manifesto. The party has also promised to introduce subsidised food canteens for the poor which will provide a meal

at ‘5 throughout the state. Then, the BJP went a step ahead and added subsidised sugar and ghee to the menu. Besides the subsidised ration, all mainstream parties, including AAP, BJP, Congress and Akali

Dal, have promised jobs to each household. Punjab has over 32,68,562 households and these parties will have to create over 32 lakh jobs to fulfil the poll promise. The Congress has registered over 40 lakh youths

for ‘Har Ghar Rojgar’, under which every registered youth has been given a card which will also entitle them for a monthly unemployment allowance of ‘2,500, if not provided with a job.

Every Continued on Page 4

WOMAN POWER IN PUNJAB POLITICS THREE of Punjab’s most powerful female politicians Punjab Congress chief Captain Amrinder Singh’s wife Preneet Kaur, Sukhbir Singh Badal’s wife and Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Navjot Singh Sidhu’s wife Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu - have joined hands with their husbands to secure their victory. Preneet Kaur has vacated her seat (Patiala-1) for Captain Amrinder Singh, who resigned as Lok Sabha member

from Amritsar to protest against the apex court’s decision on the SYL Canal. She had won a byelection in 2014 from this seat.

Preneet is now actively canvassing for him in the constituency. Singh won’t be able to launch a door-to-door campaign as he will be travelling to address rallies for the party.

So, the responsibility to win the election lies on Preneet, who has no time for the family these days. “I had already decided that

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I will vacate this seat for my husband. There’s no time for family as most of my time is consumed by the campaign. I am giving my 100 per cent to the campaign as he had only visited the constituency to move his nomination,” she says. Navjot Kaur Sidhu has also given up her seat (Amritsar East) for her husband Navjot Singh Sidhu, who is starting his new political innings by joining the Congress.

She is participating in the campaign to assure his win.

“This is not a sacrifice, but an effort to save the interest of

Punjab. I know he can perform better,” Navjot said. Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur’s husband Sukhbir Singh Badal, father-in-law Parkash Singh Badal and brother Bikramjit Singh Majithia, are all contesting the elections from their respective assembly constituencies - Jalalabad, Lambi and Majithia. Harsimrat is campaigning for all three of them and is travelling between Amritsar, Jalalabad and Bathinda. “I haven’t met my children and there’s no time for family,” she says.

NEW Delhi Chief Minister and National Convener of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Arvind Kejriwal is the perfect dream merchant.

While he’s busy marketing his ‘Sada Khwab, Navan Punjab’ to these days. But, some of his promises make him akin to Mungerilal. Kejriwal’s remarks about the Badals and Captain Amrinder Singh are poignant and funny. When Singh challenged Kejriwal for a bout, he suggested that as Singh is a local leader, he would rather prefer if Singh’s bosses, Rahul or Sonia Gandhi, would fight. Then, he challenged Singh to contest against the Parkash Singh Badal. When Singh accepted, Kejriwal accused Singh of fighting the election to claim anti-Badal votes, which were being polled to Jarnail Singh. One fails to understand that how all antiincumbency votes were being polled to Jarnail Singh, who wasn’t even a Punjab resident before he moved his nomination papers. Not only is Kejriwal claiming to form the government nine days after the election results, but he has also said he will put Bikramjit Singh Majithia behind bars by April 15. This claim is baseless as no one can arrest a person without convicting him. He also claims his government will constitute a SIT to recover the money ‘looted’ by the Badals. They will also have to pay a fine, besides the interest on the ‘looted’ money.

Issue - 703 (2)

Malaysian police arrest four linked to Islamic State cell in Philippines

24 - 30 Jan., 2017

These 8 people own what half the world does

Jakarta Malaysian police said on Monday they had arrested four people, among them three foreigners, with links to an Islamic State cell based out of the southern Philippines.

Muslim-majority Malaysia has been on high alert since an attack last January by Islamic State-linked militants in Jakarta, the capital of neighbouring Indonesia.

The cell, operating out of the province of Mindanao, was led by a former university lecturer, Mahmud Ahmad, who is known to be a Malaysian member of Islamic State, Malaysian inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar said in a statement.

The cell had planned to use the east Malaysian state of Sabah as a transit point for South Asian and Southeast Asian militant recruits looking to join Islamic State in the Philippines, Khalid said.

He said one of the arrested suspects, a Philippine man, had been instructed to recruit new followers from Bangladesh, Malaysia and Indonesia, as well as Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar, and arrange for their travel to Mindanao.

The suspect, a watch-seller, was arrested in Sabah along with a Malaysian woman who was planning to marry and travel with him to the Philippines, Khalid said.

Police also arrested two Bangladeshi men in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, who had allegedly been recruited by the Philippine suspect.

“The two are suspected of having links with Daesh groups in Bangladesh,” Khalid said, using another name for Islamic State.

Khalid said Mahmud’s cell had joined up with the Philippine militant group, Abu Sayyaf, and pledged its allegiance to the group’s leader and the country’s mostwanted man, Isnilon Hapilon.

Last June, militants who claimed to be fighting for Islamic State said in a video they had chosen Isnilon to lead the group’s Southeast Asian faction.

The video, posted on social media, marked Islamic State’s acceptance of allegiance by Southeast Asian supporters and called for them to launch attacks in the region.

Malaysia has arrested more than 250 people between 2013 and 2016 over militant activities linked to Islamic State.

THE eight richest billionaires have as much wealth as half the world’s population. Analysis by Oxfam shows the tycoons have together amassed fortunes totalling £349.8 billion (‘25,413.95 billion).

The planet’s poorest 3.6 billion have the same sum between them. “This concentration of wealth at the top is holding back the fight to end global poverty,” the report says, also claiming that executive pay in the UK is out of control. Microsoft founder Bill Gates tops the Oxfam list, with a fortune of £61.6billion (‘4,475.41billion). He is followed by Amancio Ortega, the Spaniard behind fashion chain Zara, who is worth £55billion (‘3,995.90billion). Legendary US investor Warren Buffet is third with £49.9billion (‘3,625.38billion). The report was released to coincide with this week’s meeting of the global elite in the Swiss ski resort of Davos. The annual gathering of the rich and powerful will see politicians, captains of industry and corporate fat cats rub shoulders with bankers, diplomats and celebrities. The World Economic Forum, the organisation behind the junket, says it is ‘committed to improving the state of the world’ and

Sydney An actor was shot dead on Monday while filming a music video featuring guns at a bar in Australia’s Brisbane city, police said.

The shooting of the man in his 20s, who was hit in the chest, was believed to have been accidental but police said they have opened a criminal investigation.

“A scene was being conducted in which the actors were using... a number of firearms,” detective inspector Tom Armitt told reporters.

“The deceased person was an actor in that scene.

“The film crew were actively performing CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on the person,” Armitt said, adding that the man died at the scene.

Police did not name the actor or the band involved.

The Brisbane Times said Australian hiphop group Bliss n Eso were shooting the video at the Brooklyn Standard, a basement bar down an alley in the city centre.

insists the meeting will focus on inequality and reforming capitalism. But critics highlighted the ‘obvious paradox in some of the richest people in the world gathering in luxury to worry about the poor for a few days’. The Oxfam report shows the richest one per cent of the global population own more wealth than the other 99 per cent combined. Concerns about inequality and stagnating living standards have been blamed for political upheaval across the West – including Brexit and the election of Donald Trump.

Mark Goldring, chief executive of Oxfam in the UK, said: “It is beyond grotesque that a group of men who could easily fit in a single golf buggy own more than the poorest half of humanity. “While one in nine people on the planet will go to bed hungry tonight a small handful of billionaires have so much wealth they would need several lifetimes to spend it. “The fact that a super-rich elite are able to prosper at the expense of the rest of us at home and overseas shows how warped our economy has become.

“Inequality is not only keeping millions of people trapped in poverty, it is fracturing our societies and poisoning our

politics. “It’s just not right that top executives take home massive bonuses while workers’ wages are stagnating or that multinationals and millionaires dodge taxes while public services are being cut.” The Oxfam report highlights UK pay ratios that mean the average earnings of FTSE 100 chief executives are 129 times those of a typical employee. But the Institute for Economic Affairs think-tank claimed Oxfam’s report was misleading and failed to recognise that trade and industry were a huge force for good. Director general Mark Littlewood said: “Once again, Oxfam have come out with a report that demonises capitalism. “Their claim that eight people own the same wealth as half the world is as spurious as their methodology. Aggregating net wealth figures is largely meaningless headline fodder. “Unfortunately there are corrupt countries where wealth is accumulated at the expense of the poor but this is a case for tackling big government, not bashing free markets.”

Theresa May has pledged to tackle fat cat pay and criticised the divide between bosses and workers.

Actor shot dead while filming music video in Brisbane bar

Issue - 703 (3)

24 - 30 Jan., 2017

TRUMP STARTS GOLD RUSH IN WHITE HOUSE

Chelsea comes out in Barron’s support against internet bullies

WITHIN hours of being sworn in as President of the United States on Friday, Donald Trump immediately started making decorative changes to the White House. The Oval Office was redecorated for Trump, as gold curtains were installed behind the resolute desk, replacing the crimson curtains that were installed under Barack Obama tenure. The change was first noticed when Trump sat at the Resolute desk to sign an executive order on Obamacare and other memos in his first actions as president on Friday evening. In addition to the curtains being changed, the real estate mogul also got rid of a huge, circular rug from Obama’s presidency that featured quotes from leaders including, MLK Jr. and four former presidents. It’s replacement appears to be the sunburst gold and yellow rug with garland edges designed by Laura Bush during her husband’s presidency, as it’s said Bush requested to have one that expressed his spirit of optimism, ABC News reported. It appears the couches inside the historic office were also replaced, as they are now brocade and no longer grey suede, CNN reported. The billionaire is widely known for loving gold accents and features when it comes to interior decorating, as both his office and homes around the country feature it throughout. But it’s unclear if he plans to bring more sweeping changes to include gold fixtures inside 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

In a 2015 interview with People prior to the election, Trump said that he wouldn’t change too much inside the building. “If I were elected, I would maybe touch it up a little bit, but the White House is a special place. You don’t want to do too much touching,” Trump stated. It is common for a newly elected president to redecorate the Oval Office as well as other parts of the White House, which is worth $397.9million (`27,000million). The living quarters inside the 132-room building is the area inside of the White House where

the First Family has most authority in making changes. It’s allowed for rooms in that specific area to be repainted to their liking as well as new decorations, bedding and furniture pieces are often times brought in for the First Family. It’s common for the First Lady to take the lead on changing the living spaces for the family, so it seems as though Melania’s taste and preferences will likely be dictated in what the rooms inside the living quarters will look like for the next four years while Trump is in office.

FORMER first daughter Chelsea Clinton came to the defense of Barron Trump on Sunday after he was subjected to taunts from internet bullies, though her statement quickly turned political. Ten-year-old Barron was subject to a series of cruel taunts after Friday’s inauguration including one from an Saturday Night Live writer who said he will turn into a ‘homeschool shooter’. Chelsea called for the public to lay off of Barron, while simultaneously encouraging her followers to oppose policies from Barron’s father President Donald Trump that she claims will be harmful to children. In a Facebook post on Sunday, she said: “Barron Trump deserves the chance every child does — to be a kid. Standing up for every kid also means opposing POTUS policies that hurt kids.” Her post sparked an immediate response with some users calling her ‘hypocritical’ — to defend Trump’s son while also denouncing his administration’s policies. Robin Harrison Merrick wrote: “I find her message convoluted... as a child of a President, she of all people should not make a statement about the Trump boy’s childhood while making a point about opposing his fathers policies... the two things should be kept separate.”

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24 - 30 Jan., 2017

A furry miracle: 3 puppies found alive under Italy hotel rubble after avalanche Penne Rescuers recovered three puppies from under the rubble of Italy’s avalanche hotel Monday sparking fresh hopes some of the 23 people still missing after five days could be found alive.

Fireman Fabio Jerman said the discovery of the three shaggy white Abruzzo sheepdog pups meant there were still air pockets in the collapsed luxury spa resort, “an important sign of life, which gives us hope”.

A new route was being dug into the wreck in a last-ditch effort to find survivors, as questions mounted as to whether the disaster could have been avoided.

“It’s a race against time, we know we need to go fast, but it’s not an easy working environment,” fire service spokesman Luca Cari said as teams

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worked feverishly to reach the centre of the resort, where they believe the missing could be.

An email sent by the hotel to local authorities pleading for help just hours before Wednesday’s tragedy has gone viral.

Although it did not mention fears of an avalanche it described the mounting panic of guests trapped in the hotel by snow as earthquakes shook the region.

Five days after the huge avalanche hit the four-star resort with the force of 4,000 trucks, killing at least six people, the small, fresh sign of life within the concrete tomb spurred rescuers on.

The puppies were born in December in the ill-fated Hotel Rigopiano to Lupo and Nuvola (Wolf and Cloud), who escaped when the avalanche hit and were found

the following day in a nearby hamlet.

Nine people pulled out alive on Friday had described being trapped in tiny spaces, eating dirty snow in the pitch black to survive.

Burrowing through narrow holes in the snow and rubble, rescue workers have been painstakingly searching each room of the lodge.

Sixth victim still underneath Late Sunday rescuers began attempting to access the wreckage from the lefthand side — a riskier enterprise which could trigger snowfalls but would ultimately get them more quickly to new search zones.

With shovels, drills and their bare hands, they were also working to recover the sixth victim, a task expected to take

several hours yet.

Though the avalanche risk was lowered from four to three on a five-point scale, a special radar was installed on the slopes to warn rescue teams of any fresh slides as snow and rain continued to fall on the mountainous area of central Italy.

Investigators in the nearby city of Pescara on the coast stepped up a probe into the disaster, which could lead to manslaughter charges if prosecutors find the luxury spa should not have been built in that area, or should have been evacuated.

The hotel opened in 1972 and was transformed 10 years ago into a four-star hotel with a heated external swimming pool and sauna frequented by celebrities including US actor George Clooney, according to Italian media reports.

Investigators had launched a probe into the number of building permits awarded in the vast Gran Sasso national park amid suspicions of corruption, but the case was dropped in November.

The former mayor of Farindola, whose brother was killed in the hotel disaster, said no one had considered the risk of an avalanche.

Scapegoat Francesco Peduto, head of the National Geologists Council, said it would have been difficult to predict the deadly combination of snowfall and earthquakes.

The area was hit by four powerful quakes in the hours before the avalanche, potentially loosening the snow mantle.

Hacked NYT tweet claims Russia will attack US with missiles New York After apparently being hacked, a Twitter account belonging to the New York Times reported that Russia intended to launch a missile attack against the US. The newspaper has announced that it was investigating the situation. The gaffe affected the NYT’s video account, @nytvideo, which tweeted out the hoax on Sunday at around 9.40 am, citing a “leaked statement” from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Though

the alarming tweet was quickly deleted, others followed that were claimed by the hacker group OurMine, which has

previously taken responsibility for hijacking a number of high-profile accounts on social media. OurMine said it had “re-hacked” the account in order to stem the spread of misinformation after noticing that it had been broken into by a third party.

Their messages were eventually deleted too.The newspaper later confirmed that it had deleted a number of tweets published by @nytvideo “without authorisation”, saying, without elaboration, that it was investigating the situation.

Politicians use freebies to lure voters in Punjab continued from page 1 political party has also promised a waiver of farmer debts, which has confused voters. On top of that, political parties have also started quarrelling on the issue of rivals extending manifestoes.

On Sunday, Akali Dal chief and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal promised vocational training to 20 lakh youths by opening 2,500 skill development centres across the state, besides providing houses to the five lakh homeless, while the Congress announced cheaper LPG and ten per cent reduction in electricity duty if the party was voted to power. Captain Amarinder Singh also promised free travel for students, police officials, exservicemen, paramilitary force personal and senior citizens in the state transport

buses. AAP, which has released different poll manifestoes for different categories of voters, is fuming as Akali Dal and Congress extend their manifestoes and has termed the move 'misleading and meaningless'. AAP state convener Gurpreet Singh Waraich said, "Captain Amarinder Singh, during his five year rule, had even discontinued free power scheme for farmers and hiked the power tariff for other categories on the plea that previous SAD-BJP government had left the empty coffers. Rates of petrol, LPG and other commodities will be the same as in all the states after GST is implemented," Waraich added that Singh was maintaining a conspicuous silence over the multi-billion scam in the purchase of power from private companies by the Badal family. He said Sukhbir Badal had forced PSPCL to sign

infeasible agreements with private thermal plants to buy power from them at fixed minimum rates at the cost of public exchequer. He said the government-owned thermal plants were shut to help private thermal plants. "While drafting their manifesto, the Congress had paid no heed to the welfare of exservicemen, police and paramilitary personnel. Singh has woken up now, after personnel of armed forces decided not to support the Congress and SAD in the February 4 elections." Wariach also said that many Congress leaders are running the transport business and it would be foolish to expect Singh to reduce the passenger transport tariff. He also accused Congress and SAD of being in agreement to rule by turn and loot the people.

Issue - 703 (5)

24 - 30 Jan., 2017

Man’s Search For Meaning - 5 When we are no longer able to change a situation - we are challenged to change ourselves.

Viktor Frankl With more than 4 million copies in print in the English language alone, Man’s Search for Meaning, the chilling yet inspirational story of Viktor Frankl’s struggle to hold on to hope during his three years as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps, is a true classic. The Contact Weekly is now pleased to present a special gift edition of a work that was hailed in 1959 by Carl Rogers as “one of the outstanding contributions to psychological thought in the last fifty years.” Frankl’s training as a psychiatrist informed every waking moment of his ordeal and allowed him a remarkable perspective on the psychology of survival. His assertion that “the will to meaning” is the basic motivation for human life has forever changed the way we understand our humanity in the face of suffering.

The Contact weekly has been publishing this book in weekly installments. If you have missed any part, please check our archives or call us at 416-992-5489.

Experiences in a Concentration Camp When one examines the vast amount of material which has been amassed as the result of many prisoners' observations and experiences, three phases of the inmate's mental reactions to camp life become apparent: the period following his admission; the period when he is well entrenched in camp routine; and the period following his release and liberation.

The symptom that characterizes the first phase is shock. Under certain conditions shock may even precede the prisoner's formal admission to the camp. I shall give as an example the circumstances of my own admission. Fifteen hundred

persons had been traveling by train for several days and nights.

There were eighty people in each coach. All had to lie on top of their luggage, the few remnants of their personal possessions. The carriages were so full that only the top parts of the windows were free to let in the grey of dawn.

Everyone expected the train to head for some munitions factory, in which we would be employed as forced labor. We did not know whether we were still in Silesia or already in Poland. The engine's whistle had an uncanny sound, like a cry for help sent out in commiseration for the unhappy load which it was destined to lead into perdition. Then the train

shunted, obviously nearing a main station. Suddenly a cry broke from the ranks of the anxious passengers, "There is a sign, Auschwitz!" Everyone's heart missed a beat at that moment.

Auschwitz-the very name stood for all that was horrible: gas chambers, crematoriums, massacres. Slowly, almost hesitatingly, the train moved on as if it wanted to spare its passengers the dreadful realization as long as possible: Auschwitz!

With the progressive dawn, the outlines of an immense camp became visible: long stretches of several rows of barbed wire fences; watch towers; search lights; and long columns of ragged human figures, grey in the greyness of dawn, trekking along the straight desolate roads, to what destination we did not know.

There were isolated shouts and whistles of command. We did not know their meaning. My imagination led me to see gallows with people dangling on them. I was horrified, but this was just as well, because step by step we had to become accustomed to a terrible and immense horror.

Eventually we moved into the station. The initial silence was interrupted by shouted commands. We were to hear those rough, shrill tones from then on, over and over again in all the camps. Their sound was almost like the last cry of a victim, and yet there was a difference. It had a rasping hoarseness, as if it came from the throat of a man who

Gangrape streamed live on Facebook, three suspects detained

Uppsala Three young men suspected of gangraping a woman in Sweden and live-streaming the attack on

Facebook have been detained, police said, urging social media users on Monday to turn over the footage.

The suspects, aged 18, 20 and 24, were arrested early on Sunday in an apartment in Uppsala, 70 kilometres (45 miles) north of Stockholm, in the presence of their 30-year-old victim after members of a Facebook group saw the attack

streamed live and alerted police.

The closed Facebook group has 60,000 members.

Josefine Lundgren, 21, was one

of the first to call authorities.

She told daily Expressen that the 24-year-old suspect, a repeat offender considered by police to be the main attacker, “tore the clothes off” his victim before raping her.

The attacker also “had apparently filmed everything and took pictures that he put on (messaging site) Snapchat,” she said.

At a press conference on Monday, investigators appealed to social media users who had images of the attack to turn them over to police.

“We have some picture and video material. But we don’t have any images showing the attack itself,” Uppsala deputy chief prosecutor Magnus Berggren said.

The film has been removed from Facebook but it has been circulated on the internet.

Swedish media have published excerpts of the footage, showing at least one of the suspects holding a revolver.

According to Berggren, other charges could be pressed against the suspects in addition to one of aggravated rape, for having streamed the attack.

In an email to AFP, a press spokesperson for Facebook in the Nordic countries denounced “a hideous crime”.

“Our teams work around the clock to review content that is being reported by users” and Facebook cooperates systematically with police in criminal investigations, he said.

had to keep shouting like that, a man who was being murdered again and again. The carriage doors were flung open and a small detachment of prisoners stormed inside. They wore striped uniforms, their heads were shaved, but they looked well fed.

They spoke in every possible European tongue, and all with a certain amount of humor, which sounded grotesque under the circumstances. Like a drowning man clutching a straw, my inborn optimism (which has often controlled my feelings even in the most desperate situations) clung to this thought: These prisoners look quite well, they seem to be in good spirits and even laugh.

Who knows? I might manage to share their favorable position.

In psychiatry there is a certain condition known as "delusion of reprieve." The condemned man, immediately before his execution, gets the illusion that he might be reprieved at the very last minute.

We, too, clung to shreds of hope and believed to the last moment that it would not be so bad. Just the sight of the red cheeks and round faces of those prisoners was a great encouragement. Little did we know then that they formed a specially chosen elite group of people who for years had been the receiving squad for new transports as they rolled into the station day after day. They took charge of the new arrivals and their luggage, including scarce items and smuggled jewelry. Auschwitz must have been a strange spot in this Europe of the last years of the war.

There must have been unique treasures of gold and silver, platinum and diamonds, not only in the huge storehouses, but also in the hands of the SS (short for the Schutzstaffel, a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler).

Fifteen hundred captives were cooped up in a shed built to accommodate probably two hundred at the most. We were cold and hungry, and there was not enough room for everyone to squat on the bare ground-let alone to lie down. One five-ounce piece of bread was our only food in four days. Yet I heard the senior prisoners in charge of the shed bargain with one member of the receiving party about a tie-pin made of platinum and diamonds.

Most of the profits would eventually be traded for liquorschnapps. I do not remember any more just how many thousands of marks were needed to purchase the quantity of schnapps required for a "gay evening," but I do know that those long-term prisoners needed schnapps. Under such conditions, who could blame them for trying to dope themselves? There was another group of prisoners who got liquor supplied in almost unlimited quantities by the SS: these were the men who were employed in the gas chambers and crematoriums, and who knew very well that one day they would be relieved by a new shift of men, and that they would have to leave their enforced role of executioner and become victims themselves.

Ajit Pai to be fourth senior Indian American in Trump administration New York US President Donald Trump is expected to elevate Indian American Ajit Pai to head the Federal Communication Commission. Pai is already in the leadership team of the body as the senior Republican serving as commissioner since 2012.

Pai, 44, will be the fourth senior level Indian American in Trump’s administration, following Nikki Haley, nominated US ambassador to UN (a cabinetrank position); Seema Verma, head of medicare and medicaid; and Preet Bharara, US attorney for the southern District of New York.

The Federal Communication Commission, which is an independent body overseen by the US Congress, regulates interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable in the country.

Pai, who was named to the commission by former president Barack Obama, is a lawyer by training. He went to the

University of Harvard and the University of Chicago, and served in several positions in the department of justice and the US Congress.

His stint in the US Senate judiciary committee will prove crucial to him as he was deputy counsel then to Senator Jeff Sessions, who was then heading the subcommittee on administrative oversight and the court. Sessions is expected to be a powerful voice in the Trump administration now as attorney general, if confirmed.

Issue - 703 (7)

24 - 30 Jan., 2017

Pakistan says won’t release Last lap in Punjab, Congress set to name Amarinder as chief ministerial face doctor Shakil Afridi who helped Bathinda/Amritsar Having decided to turn the absence of a chief ministerial face in the AAP into a campaign issue, the

Congress is all set to announce Capt Amarinder Singh as its chief ministerial candidate in the run-up to the assembly elections in Punjab which votes on February 4.

Amarinder, a former chief minister, has already declared that this will be his last election.

Congress sources told The Indian Express that barring any last minute change of plan, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi will declare Amarinder’s name as the chief ministerial candidate when he comes to Punjab to campaign “in the next few days”.

Senior leaders, including Amarinder, former state unit president Partap Singh Bajwa and Navjot Singh Sidhu, who joined

the party recently and is contesting the Amritsar (East) seat, have already been sounded out, sources said.

“Our assessment is that this move will consolidate votes for the Congress as it will end all speculation on who will be the CM if the Congress comes to power,” a senior leader said.

In the 2012 assembly elections too, Rahul Gandhi had announced Amarinder’s name as the chief ministerial candidate at a rally in Tarn Taran district on January 25. But the Congress failed to capitalise on it, with many in the Amarinder camp letting it out that the declaration, made just days before polling, hadn’t reached all voters.

Senior Congress leaders admit that the feeling that the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP is getting a lot of traction in the campaign

and the fear that a faceless Congress could once again lose at the hustings — for the third straight time — is one reason why the “high command” is ready to project Amarinder as its CM nominee.

Amarinder, who resigned from his Lok Sabha constituency Amritsar to participate in the assembly elections, is contesting from two seats — his family stronghold Patiala and Lambi, where he is locked in a triangular contest with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and AAP candidate and former Delhi MLA Jarnail Singh.

While the Congress doesn’t follow the practice of naming a chief ministerial face, it made a departure in 2012 and this year when it announced that former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit will be its chief ministerial candidate in Uttar Pradesh.

Since Amarinder is seen as the biggest vote-catcher for the party in Punjab, Dikshit’s announcement led to demands from its leaders and prospective candidates to announce Amarinder’s name too.

They say that since the campaign is anyways centered around Amarinder, it will only help the party if his being the CM face is made official.

All of 18, Lambi girl stands tall as AAP star campaigner

Lambi At 18, this student of BSc (first year) is taking the centre stage during various political programmes of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in this constituency, thanks to her oratorical skills.

Navjot Kaur Lambi, daughter of a marginal farmer of Kheowali village (near Badal village), delivers a fiery speech for about eight minutes. Each time, she gets a good response from the public.

Her speaking skills have made her a star campaigner for AAP nominee Jarnail Singh.

She already has about 15,000 followers on her Facebook page.

Due to her rising popularity, especially among the youth, she even gets special time to address the public, and that too in the presence of Jarnail Singh and AAPnational convener Arvind Kejriwal.

Yesterday, she was given a slot to address the gathering at Lambi village during Kejriwal’s rally.

In an interaction with The

Tribune, Navjot said: “I belong to a non-political family. Nobody drafts my speech. It is God’s gift that

PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh.

She starts her speech highlighting the problems

I can easily speak on issues related to Punjab for 10 minutes. My regular participation in declamation competitions during school days has stood me in good stead.”

About her turning an AAP supporter, she said: “I was inspired by the Jan Lokpal movement and started following the party about one-and-a-half-years ago.”

Her speech, in chaste Punjabi, mainly focuses on bashing the Badals and

being faced by the youth, the country’s freedom movement, and then targets the state leaders over patronage to the mining mafia. She also refers to stories narrated by her grandparents to keep the audience engrossed.

She is also at home while speaking on sensitive issues such as the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, incidents of desecration of Guru Granth Sahib and farmer suicides.

CIA find Osama bin Laden

Islamabad Pakistan’s government has said it would not hand over to the US or release the doctor who helped the CIA hunt down Osama bin Laden, a newspaper here reported. Justice Minister Zahid Hamid informed the Senate on Tuesday that Dr Shakil Afridi was considered a hero in the US for his help in locating Bin Laden, but in Pakistan he was regarded as a traitor, reported the Daily Times.

The minister said Afridi helped the US in tracing Bin Laden under the cover of a fake polio campaign, which delivered a crippling blow to Pakistan’s efforts in eradicating polio from the country. “He severely harmed the polio vaccination campaign, and 50 vaccinators were thereafter being suspected of being foreign intelligence agents,” the minister said.

Hamid said Afridi broke the law and worked against national interest and has been brought to justice for his crime. Afridi was arrested shortly after the Al Qaeda leader was killed in an operation by US

Special Forces on May 2, 2011, at his residence compound in Abbottabad city. A year later, Afridi received a 33-year prison sentence for links to terrorist groups, although it was subsequently reduced to 23 years in 2014. The

doctor has appealed the sentence and is still awaiting a court hearing.

The sentence was severely criticised within and outside the country, and the United States has termed it unjust and unnecessary.

Prince William to quit his job as rescue pilot; plans full-time career as royal

London Britain’s Prince William is getting ready to quit his part-time job as an air ambulance rescue pilot to become a full-time royal.The second-in-line to Britain’s throne will leave his job with the East Anglian Air Ambulance this summer, according to The Sunday Times.The 34year-old Duke of Cambridge and wife Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge,

will also make Kensington Palace in London their permanent base from later this year when their son Prince George starts school.

Their daughter, Princess Charlotte, is also expected to attend a London nursery. The move follows months of discussion within the royal family, who are said to have been “very supportive” of William’s decision.

Issue - 703 (6) AMIR Khan and his wife Faryal Monday revealed the boxer’s sex tape was leaked by “someone close to us” and again vowed not to divorce despite falling out with his parents. The couple, who have a young daughter, said that a member of her husband’s family or a disgruntled former employee could have posted the x-rated Skype chat on a porn site. In a rare appearance on TV together, Faryal, 25, said: “I feel like someone’s done it out of revenge, someone close to us. It’s not necessarily a family member. Amir has fired a lot of people who worked from the company so it could be a worker.”

The British boxing star, 30, admitted that the sex tape had ‘upset’ him and also believes that he was betrayed by someone close to him who wanted to inflict maximum pain on him and his wife.

He also used the interview on ITV’s This Morning to claim British boxing rival Kell Brook had refused to fight him - Mr Brook, who was watching, quickly tweeted to say Amir was lying and called him a “w****r”. The Khans insist the sex video was made before they got together when Amir was in another relationship, believed to be in 2013 just before they married.

Amir said: “Something happened a long long time ago when I was younger and it was well before my marriage and my little girl. “It does upset me because a lot of youngsters look up to me and they see me as a role model and for the video to come out, it’s sad. It’s a shadow on my charity work.” Their public row with his parents and siblings has made international headlines. Last month, Amir made an emotional plea to end their feud or ‘lose a son and a husband’ as the row got out of control. The couple is now estranged from Amir’s family because of a rift over his choice of wife but Khan said he hoped they could meet after his upcoming fight in the United States. He said Monday he spoke to his parents recently and hopes they can move on together. He said: “It makes it very hard for me being right in the middle of it and I want things to be back to normal again. I love my wife and I love my family. “I’m speaking to my parents and things are getting better. I’m in San Francisco for training and we’re enjoying some time on our own “I’m the son, the eldest son, who goes out there in the ring and fights for a better life for all of us and I want my family and wife to get along and I can come back to the UK and we can be a happy family.”

Their own relationship has been rocked by a series of scandals, including the

24 - 30 Jan., 2017

‘Someone close leaked sex tapes’

leaked sex tape and Faryal’s claims she was physically and mentally abused by his family. Amir’s family feud deepened when the star boxer missed his brother’s wedding party to go training instead last weekend. The former world champion’s brother Haroon celebrated his marriage to wife Arifa in front of 1,000 guests in a lavish bash at Bolton FC’s Macron Stadium on Saturday night. But while the Khans were all together celebrating the happy occasion, Amir was 5,000 miles away in

San Francisco preparing for his next bout.

Amir and his wife Faryal Makhdoom did attend the couple’s wedding in Pakistan in 2015 but he decided to miss the pair’s UK ceremony. Faryal last month accused his sisters of bullying her and posted a naked picture of Haroon online revealing the family rift. In response his furious father Sajjad Khan blasted his daughter-in-law after she opened up on the threeyear long family fallout on the TV show This Morning, warning her: “The writing’s on the wall.”

SRK, SUNNYTAKE EXPRESS ROUTE TO PROMOTE RAEES

THOUSANDS of passengers were taken by surprise to find Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and Sunny Leone travelling with them. The duo, along with the star cast of ‘Raees’ boarded the August Kranti Rajdhani Express from Mumbai Central railway station for

Delhi as part of promotion of the film.

Thousands of SRK fans gathered at the Mumbai Central station to catch a glimpse of the Bollywood badshah and cheered him upon his arrival. The actor waved to his fans as he boarded the train and settled down for the journey. On the

other hand, Sunny Leone posted a selfie with the railway staff. Railway officials said nearly 140 people including the security and personal staff of the actors will arrive at Hazrat Nizamuddin station on Tuesday morning at around 10.30 am.

Sajjad told MailOnline exclusively: “She is pushing Amir to the limit with her accusations and I feel very sorry for my son. “It’s not fair. While he is out working so hard with his foundation, helping people he doesn’t even know but who are so deprived and he just wants to make them happy, look what his wife’s doing? “She’s not picking up the phone calling us to try and make amends. No, with her big ego she’s gone on national TV and stuttering through the interview. It’s crazy. “She said it’s with her husband’s blessing but I don’t think so.” Faryal has previously compared her threeyear feud with her husband’s family to the ordeal suffered by Princess Diana at the hands of the royal family before she died in 1997. She also posted a photograph of Prince William’s mother with the caption: “The establishment I am married into” - a barbed comment linked to claims she has made of ‘physical and mental’ bullying by her inlaws and Amir’s siblings. The 25-yearold model and cosmetics entrepreneur has said Amir’s mother Falak was encouraging him to end their marriage after just three years. Previously, she told ITV that Amir’s parents and siblings had subjected her to a campaign of abuse. She said: “Being so young and getting married into a very big family and then having to hear in the media about Amir in the beginning, I had a rough time reading that. I was pregnant and I had my in-laws; it was just a mess. “Over the years, Amir’s brother and sister went on Twitter rants, went on Instagram rants talking about me saying I don’t get along with them, saying I’m very fake, saying I’ve done plastic surgery, calling me Michael Jackson – I was a pregnant woman; reading all that was not really nice.”

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24 - 30 Jan., 2017

Hong Kong withdraws visa-free facility for Indians

Beijing In a setback to Indian travellers, Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China, has withdrawn the visa-free facility for Indians who will have to complete a pre-arrival registration from Monday.

“The Pre-arrival Registration for Indian Nationals will be implemented on January 23. The online service for Pre-arrival Registration for Indian Nationals is now open,” the Hong Kong

immigration department said in an announcement on its official website.

“Indian nationals must apply for and successfully complete prearrival registration online before they can visit or transit the HKSAR visa-free (if seeking to enter the HKSAR during transit).

Pre-arrival registration is not required for Indian nationals in direct transit by air and not leaving the airport transit area,” it said.

Teenager has massive hairball pulled out of stomach

LONDON Doctors have removed a massive hairball from a teenager’s stomach in India. The 16-yearold from Srinagar, Kashmir, suffers from a hair-eating addiction known as Rapunzel Syndrome. She claimed she had no appetite, but had been addicted to eating her own hair for six years. Her condition was so severe that sometimes she would even eat her friend’s hair.

The hairball, which was eventually removed by doctors in SMHS Hospital, had collected and grown in her stomach and intestines. ‘She has been addicted to hair-eating for the last six years,’ Dr Iqbal Saleem,

professor at the Government Medical College in Kashmir, said. ‘We found that the frontal hair of the girl was irregular, suggesting the possibility of hairpulling. ‘This girl is suffering from Rapunzel syndrome, a rare condition in which a tail-like extension of hairball is found in the stomach. ‘The addiction of eating hair has resulted in many episodes of vomiting. The girl wasn’t able to eat properly. The girl had maintained a habit of holding her hair in the mouth and plucking hair off other people.’ Dr Saleem added that, as Rapunzel Syndrome is a psychological disorder, the girl will also be given psychiatric treatment.

A notice on the Indian Consulate in Hong Kong said Indian passport holders without the PreArrival Registration Slip, except those belonging to any of the exempted categories, would not be allowed to board a conveyance bound for Hong Kong.

A Pre-Arrival Registration is normally valid for a six- month period or until the expiry date of the Indian passport linked to it, whichever is earlier, it said.

This is a major set back for over half a million Indians who visit the former British colony for business, trade and holidays.

Till now Hong Kong has permitted Indians to enter with valid passport for a period up to 14 days without a visa. But the facility has been withdrawn despite representations from India ostensibly on the ground that the number of Indian asylum seekers was on the rise, official sources told PTI here.

Indian officials refute that saying a small number of asylum seekers from over half million visitors cannot be an excuse to scrap the longstanding facility which also benefited Hong Kong as most of them were high spending tourists contributing to the economy of the former British colony.

There is also concern whether the move is being brought about by Hong Kong due to pressure from China.

US air strike in Syria kills more than 100 al Qaeda members, claims Pentagon

Washington A US air strike on Thursday targeting an al Qaeda training camp in Syria’s Idlib province killed more than 100 militants, the Pentagon said in a statement on Friday.The strike took place just a day before the end of Barack Obama’s presidency and the beginning of Donald Trump’s, and a day after more than 80 Islamic State militants were killed in US air strikes in Libya.“The removal of this training camp disrupts training operations and discourages hardline Islamist and Syrian opposition groups from joining or cooperating with al-Qaida on the battlefield,” Captain Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said in the statement.Davis said the Shaykh Sulayman training camp had been operational since 2013, adding that since the start of this year more than 150 al Qaeda

militants have been killed in US air strikes.An official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the air strike was carried out by a B-52 bomber and unmanned aircraft and dropped 14 munitions. The official added that there was a high level of confidence that there were no civilian casualties.A US-led coalition has been carrying out air strikes and supporting local forces in Syria to oust Islamic State militants. However, there is concern that the defeat of Islamic State could open the door for al Qaeda to take territory in ungoverned parts of the country.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Friday that an air strike killed more than 40 members of the jihadist group Jabhat Fateh alSham in northwestern Syria. It was not immediately clear if this strike was the same one the Pentagon was referring to.

Three LeT militants sentenced to death Kolkata Three Lashkar-e-Taiba militants, including two Pakistani nationals arrested by BSF in 2007 from the IndoBangladesh border at Petrapole, were today sentenced to death by a court in Bongaon in West Bengal’s North 24-Parganas district in a case of waging war against the government. Pakistani militants Mohammed Younus and Abdullah and an Indian, Muzaffar Ahmed Rathod, were sentenced to death by judge Binay Kumar Pathak of Bongaon fast track court-1. The three have been booked under IPC Sections 120B (punishment of criminal conspiracy), 121 (waging, or attempting to wage war) and 122 (collecting arms with intention of waging war against the Government of India), CID DIG (Operations) Nishad Pervej told PTI. Abdullah and Younus are residents of Pakistan’s Karachi and Haripur respectively, while Rathod hailed from Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag. They were arrested by BSF while trying to enter India through its international border with Bangladesh at Petrapole on April 4, 2007. “They had a plan to attack army camps in Jammu and Kashmir, but before they could proceed with their plan they were caught by BSF and handed over to Bangaon police

station,” he said.

The probe found that all the four were well-trained in using AK47 rifle, hand grenades and manufacturing bombs. Sheikh Abdullah Nayeem alias Sameer from Maharashtra, another LeT militant who was also arrested along with them, had managed to flee in 2013 when he was being taken to Mumbai. During

investigation, it was found that Abdullah was a teacher while Sheikh Abdullah Nayeem was an engineer by profession. They were involved in an incident of bomb blast in Mumbai. The three underwent polygraph tests, narco tests and brain mapping during the probe conducted by the state CID, he said.

Underwater cyclist travels record 2,800 feet in one breath

An underwater cyclist set a new world record by traveling more than 2,800 feet on a stationary bike in one breath. Italian Homar Leuci set the record for “Farthest simulated distance static cycling underwater (apnoea)” by traveling 2,805 feet 1 inch (855 meters) after having only taken one single breath. He climbed into a tank

filled with water and took one long breath before submerging himself to pedal a stationary bike for about four minutes to claim the record. Leuci completed the feat on Italy’s Lo Show Dei Record weekly video series where he set the previous world record of 2,516 feet 4 inches (767 meters) four years earlier.

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24 - 30 Jan., 2017

India turns to ‘artificial intelligence’ as cyber warfare threats grow New Delhi In the darkened offices of a tech start-up, a handful of computer engineers sifts through a mountain of intelligence data that would normally be the work of a small army of Indian security agents. “We use artificial intelligence (AI) to look for patterns in the past to predict future behaviour,” says Tarun Wig as he explains why he hopes his company Innefu can do more business with India’s government. “Cyber warfare isn’t a movie, it’s happening right now.... We lost out on the industrial revolution, we lost out on the defence revolution -- let’s not lose out in the cyber revolution.” While other countries have long relied on AI to gather intelligence, India -- sometimes seemingly addicted to paperwork -- has continued to use agents to eyeball reams of data gathered over the years.

It’s a process that sucks up time and can often miss crucial information.

India has been in three wars with its neighbours since independence and the target of numerous cross-border attacks, including in 2008 when Pakistan-based extremists killed more than 160 people in Mumbai.

Now the threat from cyber attacks is growing and its vulnerability has been exposed.

Some 22,000 pages of data related to submarines that a French government-owned

company was building for the Indian navy were leaked to the media last year.

Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi’s Twitter account was hacked in November while the elite National Security Guard’s website was reportedly defaced with profanity-laden messages for Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month.

“Our idea starting out was that if the next war is fought on cyber, we need our own weapons,” said Wig as he talks through software developed for India’s needs.

- Octopus tentacles Innefu got a foot in the lucrative business of government contracts after resolving a thorny test case for a law enforcement agency that wanted to determine the background to an incident along one of India’s borders.

The agency handed over two CDs with about 1,500 intelligence documents, including social media snippets, such as posts on planned protests.

Innefu had to train the machine to read the agency’s language, including abbreviations, and then began extracting information on what happened, who were the main players and how they interacted with each other.

Its newest offering Prophecy is modelled on products made by Palantir Technologies, a private security firm whose founders include Paypal co-founder Peter Thiel and whose clientele includes the CIA and the FBI.

Police says murderer drank victim’s blood, ate his flesh

Ludhiana The police on Friday arrested a 16-year-old boy for murdering a nine-year-old and then eating his flesh. The accused, identified as Vikesh Kumar confessed he killed the boy Deepu to eat his flesh, told the police. As per police, the initial plan of the accused was to demand a ransom, but foreseeing failure of his plan, he ended up murdering the victim.

After murdering the victim, he ate flesh from his thigh and drank his blood. Police also informed that he told he had removed the victim’s heart from his body and thrown it on the premises of his school here, with the intention of bringing ill-reputation to it. He confessed he never liked going to school and thus, he thought of doing so that the school gets closed. The heart was recovered by the police from the school compound.

As per cops, the accused had some psychiatric problem due to which he used to eat raw meat.

On January 17, the accused lured Deepu with a kite string and took him to his home where he strangulated him. He then cut the victim’s body into pieces, washed them, put them in a sack and left it a vacant plot, around 50 meters away from the victim’s residence.

Impotence?

416-992-5489

“Prophecy is like an octopus with multiple tentacles that pulls data from multiple places,” said Wig’s co-founder Abhishek Sharma.

While the use of AI is commonplace elsewhere in Asia, it is still in its infancy in India.

About 75 percent of respondents

companies such as Arya.ai and Haptik are also tapping what should be a lucrative market.

Banks have started to use AI to target products to customers and doctors are using it in a couple of experiments to map a patient’s medical history in order

to a recent survey by consulting firm EY India said cybersecurity deployed in their organisations does not meet their needs, pointing to big opportunities for companies such as Innefu.

Although Innefu is the only Indian company known to specialise in national security, other Indian

to devise new lines of treatment.

Work is also underway to create a system that can act as a backbone for all electronic warfare programmes for the Indian army. But most of this is still at the laboratory stage, experts say.

“It’s expensive and our society

is not used to automated decision-making,” Jiten Jain, chief of Indian Infosec Consortium, an industry body, told AFP. “We’re still used to manual and human decisionmaking.”

Subimal Bhattacharjee, a cyber security expert, said India had been caught off guard by the need to upscale its use of AI. “We are definitely laggards in comparison to China and South Korea and the US,” he said.

Innefu operates from the eighth floor of a nondescript Delhi commercial complex that houses chartered accountants and eateries. Its windows are darkened with thick black paper, while clusters of wires sprout from walls adorned with photos of goddess Lakshmi, the purveyor of wealth.

But despite its humble surroundings, it is confident an ongoing trial of Prophecy will lead to more business with India’s security services -- whom Wig expects to be naturally inclined to go local.

“You can’t really trust such sensitive data with foreign companies,” said Wig.

New Delhi For decades, Indians have grappled with the question of whether Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose died in an airplane crash at Taipei in August 1945, but the CIA believed as far back as 1948 that the iconic Indian leader was no longer alive.

A brief report on the Forward Bloc, dated September 10, 1948, made it clear that the CIA thought Bose had perished in the crash of Japanese military aircraft. The report is part of the 930,000 declassified documents posted in the CIA’s online archive.

“The Forward Bloc, which first emerged under the leadership of Subhas Chandra Bose, was continued after Subhas’ death by his brother, Sarat Chandra Bose,” the confidential report stated.

the CIA and its war-time predecessor, the Office of Strategic Services, did not think much of Bose’s capabilities.

A CIA report, titled “Study on German intelligence activities in the Near East and related areas prior to and during World War II“ and dating from the 1940s, had

sustained in the air crash at Taipei on August 18, 1945, three days after Japan formally announced its surrender in World War 2. The report also stated that he was cremated at the Taipei Municipal crematorium on August 22.

Bose’s Germany-based

this to say about Bose: “He was vain, always sought the spotlight on the political scene, and was characterized as an opportunist and oppositionist.”

An OSS note from July 1943, giving background on Bose, stated: “The Nazis are well aware that the Indian people have no national patriotism, but they hope, just the same, that Chandra Bose will be able to embarrass the British.”

A 1956 investigation report of the Japanese government concluded that Bose died of injuries

daughter Anita Pfaff told Hindustan Times she was annoyed with many people believing “asinine” theories that he survived the crash. She also said India should bring Bose’s ashes from Tokyo to India.

Last year, the Indian government began declassifying hundreds of files related to Bose following demands by members of his family and others. However, a section of the family maintains Bose survived the crash and lived incognito in India for several years.

The CIA believed as far back as 1948 that Subhas Chandra Bose was dead

Another CIA report on India’s Communist parties and organisations and their influence on workers and trade unions, prepared sometime in the early 1950s, gave some details of Bose’s death. The document also detailed Bose’s escape from India to Germany during World War II and his raising of the Indian National Army that comprised Indian soldiers captured by the Japanese and other Indians in Southeast Asia.

“Bose died in an airplane crash in Indochina in the fall of 1945 but the British brought a number of the INA officers to trial,” this report stated.

Several documents in the archive appear to indicate that

Issue - 703 (10)

Jatt Sikh Sandhu family seek a suitable match for their daughter, 25 yrs. old, 5'-6" tall, M. Tech.

(Energy Science), working for a big corporation, only child of parents belonging to a decent well-settled family, living in India, looking for a Canadian/American citizen or immigrant boy. Serious inquiries only. Please send your biodata & recent picture to: SANDHURISHTA @hotmail.com or call: 647 875 9342 *** 700 *** Jat Sikh Sandhu family seeking a suitable match for their Canadian born, handsome, clean shaven son, 37 yrs. old, 5’-9” tall, Physically fit, professionally employed as an Engineer. The girl should be educated from Canada and family oriented. B.C. area prefered.

Call : 1-604-277-7838 ***700 *** Nai Sikh family seek a suitable match from USA for their slim, beautiful daughter, 25 yrs. old, 5'4" tall, belongs to a Gursikh educated family, B.Sc. Nursing.

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Please email recent pictures and bio-data to: jaswinder1768@yahoo.com Or Call : 905-910-1512 *** 700 *** Sikh parents invite matrimonial alliance for their son, 24 yrs. old, 6’ tall, clean shaven, handsome, intelligent, B.Sc. degree in Computer Science, MBA, MBA (Executive), raised, educated and working in India. Father is Engineer, Sister studying Pharmacy, presently mother is in Canada on visitor visa. Caste no bar. Please email recent pictures and bio-data to: savt@live.ca Or Call : 1-604-580-0330 Or 1-778999-5508 *** 700 *** Toronto based Ramgharia Gursikh parents seek a doctor match for their M.D. girl, born 1984, 5' - 3" tall, (passed USMLE 1,2,3), working in research, waiting for residency. Please send your bio-data & recent picture to: ajitsingjhita@yahoo.ca or call: 905 672 0411 or 416 274 4196 *** 700 *** Jatt Sikh parents seek a suitable match for their daughter, 38 yrs. old, 5' -4" tall, beautiful, Canadian citizen, innocently divorced, well versed in both cultures, professionally employed in Toronto. The boy should be family oriented and from a respectable Jatt Sikh family. Please send your bio-data & recent picturto: torontomatrimonial@gmail.com or call: 416-509-5012 *** 700 ***

24 - 30 Jan., 2017

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Boy on work permit may also be considred. Preferred Ludhiana, Chandigarh and Doaba. Caste no bar. Please email recent pictures and bio-data to: rsharma2011@outlook.com *** 700 *** Jat Sikh family seek a suitable match for their Son, 27 yrs. old, 5’-10" tall, Candian born Clean shaven,handsome, Dental Hygenist, working in his own field & properity developer, Well versed in both cultures, well settled, the girl should be beautiful, slim, Canadian/ American born, preferably in Medical field, family oriented, well versed in both cultures. Malwa preferred. Please send your biodata & recent picture to:manraj2005@ yahoo.com or call : 1-604-621-1707 *** 700 *** Canadian based Jat Sikh affluent, reputed family seeking match for their Canadian citizen daughter, management graduate, fair, beautiful, 5’-6" tall, 27 years,Working as Senior Manager in MNC, package $65K, Well versed to both cultures. The boy should be handsome, professionally qualified and belonging to a respectable Jat Sikh family. Please send your bio-data & recent picture to: gkah2016@gmail.com or 1778-939-9393 *** 700 *** Jat Sikh parents invite a matrimonial alliance for their daughter, 29 yrs. old, 5’-6” tall, Diploma in Hair dressing from Australia, beautiful, family oriented from a good family background, living in India and managing Canadian family business in India and Africa, widw (one daughter). The boy should be Canadian/American, Immigrant/Citizen, well educated, settled with family values. Whole family is well settled in Canada. Respond with family details to:dsahsi@gmail.com Or Call : 1-604-618-5834 *** 700 *** Well settled Jat Sikh parents seeking professionally qualified Jat Sikh match from U.S.A. or willing to relocate in U.S.A. for their daughter, 36 yrs. old, 5’-6” tall, American Citizen, Graduated, Currently Working as Human Resource Information Systerm “HIRS” Analyst with well known Health Care Organisation in Bay Areas, California. Please send your bio-data and recent picture to: wss4279@gmail.com Or Call : 1-408-657-7644 *** 700 *** Sikh Khatri parents seek a suitable match for their teetotaler, US Citizen son, 28 yrs. old, 5’-4’’ tall, master’s degree in engineering from a top US university, working at a private

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Please respond with bio-data and recent picture to: gurubani97@hotmail.com Or Call : 647-669-7997 *** 700 *** Punjabi Brahmin family seek a suitable match for their son, 28 yrs. old, 6’ tall, M.S. (Artho Doctor), working in Govt. Hospital in India as a surgeon, wants to settle his own Business in Canada. The girl should be from Medical Profession, beautiful, Canadian Immigrant/Citizen atleast 5’-6” tall or above. Caste No Bar. Brother & Close relatives are well settled in Canada. Please send your biodata and recent picture to: mehta_tarun@yahoo.com Or Call : 647-282-9503 Or : 647347-3685 *** 700 *** Jat Sikh family seek a suitable match for their daughter, 33 yrs. old, 5’-7” tall, U.S.A. born, beautiful, Degree in Accounting & Finance, working in her own field, family oriented. The boy should be atleast 6’ tall, handsome, equally educated, preferably from Bay Area. The boy on HI Visa can be

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Issue - 703 (11)

24 - 30 Jan., 2017

World’s top 8 alcohol consuming countries The world’s highest alcohol consumption levels are found in the developed world, including western and Eastern Europe. High-income countries generally have the highest alcohol consumption.

Here's the list of top 8 countries that consume the most alcohol.

1

2

Citizens of the post-Soviet Republic of Moldova are the biggest guzzlers of alcohol, gulping exactly 18.22 liters per person every year. They drink nearly three times the global average of 6.1 litres per person per year. The country is a major wine producer, with many people drinking cheap homemade wine,

The people from Czech Republic are next with a consumption of 16.45 litres per person every year. Two months back, however, the country enforced a ban on sales of hard liquor, as deaths and injuries from methanol-laced bootleg alcohol rose.

Around 20 people died and 36 people were in critical condition since the outbreak.

3

4

Apparently, drinking alcohol is engrained in Hungary's working culture. In eastern Hungary, a rural people often have a shot of “palinka,” a spirit made of fruits, for breakfast and make a living growing and distilling plums and peaches for the drink. Hungarians consume 16.27 litres per person every year and it is roughly an even mix of beer, wine and spirits.

With the country synonymous with Vodka, it’s no surprise that Russia emerges in the top 5. Russians consume 15.76 litres per person every year. Drinking as a part of Russian culture has deep roots, dating back to at least the tenth century AD and by 1860, vodka, the national drink, was the source of 40 percent of the government's revenue.

6

5 Russia's neighbour to the east, Ukraine rounds off the top 5 with a consumption of 15.60 litres per person per year. Illegal production of alcohol is a cause for worry in the country with 35 percent of the vodka sold in the country being produced illegally. In 2011, 36,680 poisoning cases were registered in Ukraine, of which 5,300 resulted in fatalities.

Estonians are said to be true beer lovers as the country's alcoholic consumption is 15.57 litres per person per year. The country has seen an increase in spirits (around 9L) consumption than beer (around 5L), recently.

7

8

Andorra seems like a drinker’s paradise since the country has no sales tax and alcohol products are probably the cheapest in Europe. The country consumes 15.48 litres of alcohol per person every year and more wine (around 6L) than beer or spirits. The most popular drinks are Orxata, Granizado, Acqua D’Or.

Reportedly, beer in Romania often costs less than the bottled water at restaurants and bars. People consume 15.30 litres of alcohol every year and it is no surprise that beer is consumed the most (around 4L) with spirits catching up (also around 4L).

Shoppers who buy organic food are LESS The 80,000$ safe that can keep your cigars in perfect condition likely to be helpful to other people Buying organic foods may make you less likely to show kindness to others, researchers claim.This is because using organic products makes people feel more secure about themselves, weakening the urge to act unselfishly, says US psychologist Dr Kendall Eskine.

It also makes them judge immoral behaviour more harshly, his team reports in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.But comfort foods can lead to us being more social and making kinder moral judgments.The study, at Loyola University in New Orleans, used 62 students in three groups. One was given pictures of organic produce, another images of ice cream, cookies, chocolate and brownies, and a control group pictures of porridge, rice, mustard and beans.They were then all asked their views on six moral transgressions ranging from a politician taking bribes to a student stealing books from a library. When they thought the

study had finished, the students were told that a professor in another department was looking for volunteers willing to spare 30 minutes without any reward.The students who were exposed to organic fruit and vegetables

agreed to spare an average 13 minutes to help the professor.Dr Kendall Eskine and colleagues, who wrote the paper 'Wholesome Foods and Wholesome Morals?' in the journal Social

Psychological and Personality Science, said that people were more willing to help after eating something sweet. In contrast, those that taste something disgusting had tougher moral judgments.The psychologists

wrote: 'The possibility is that those who simply purchase organic products will be less likely to engage in other meaningful acts of environmental protection.

For the man who has everything, it could be the ultimate way to protect your most treasured possessions.

The 80,000$ 128,000$ Fortress, made by German company Döttling, even boasts a built-in humidor for keeping cigars safe, and a watch drawer that will wind the timepieces it protects.The safe even comes with a million dollar guarantee for its contents - and is covered with calfskin to make sure it fits into any well decorated living room.The firm behind the Fortress said it ‘introduces a new era of security’. It is ready for connection to a burglar alarm including a ‘silent alarm’ function and, in this configuration, provides tested and certified insurance cover of up to US $1,000,000.It claims all of the features can be customised for each buyer - but refuses to reveal how much it costs.

‘The edition is limited, but the possibilities are boundless,’ it says. ‘We designed the interior of the high-security safe, of

which only a limited edition of ten per security class exist, with the objective of maximum versatility.’Among its features the Fortress includes eight watch winders and a humidor.

Using specially designed software, each watch winder is individually controlled, and owners can set the amount and even direction of winding.

Inside the safe there is also a humidor made of original Spanish cedar, with an electronic humidifying system show the owners information about the conditions their cigars are in.

Issue - 703 (12)

Sukhbir concealed bail info: Plaintiff Faridkot A complainant in a 17-year-old case against Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has demanded the cancellation of his nomination from the Jalalabad Assembly seat.

Accusing Sukhbir of furnishing incomplete information and submitting a false affidavit to the Returning Officer, Kotkapura resident Naresh Sehgal has lodged a complaint with the Chief Election Commissioner and the Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab.

He alleged that Sukhbir did not disclose that he was released on Rs 50,000 bail by the District and Sessions Judge, Faridkot.

Sehgal has demanded police protection for him and his family members, alleging that he is getting threats.

An attempt-to-murder case was registered against Sukhbir at Kotkapura police station in Faridkot district on June 30, 2006, on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court after Sehgal moved the court.

He had accused Sukhbir and his associates of attacking him on September 5, 1999, in Kotkapura during electioneering for the parliamentary elections.

Sukhbir was then contesting from Faridkot.

24 - 30 Jan., 2017

In combat mode, eyeing last hurrah

It’s 9 am. Silence prevails at the Chandigarh residence of Punjab Congress chief and former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh.

A lone sentry guards the entry gate.

Half-an-hour later, the mansion springs to life as Amarinder’s close associates and wellwishers start descending on the place — eagerly waiting for the Patiala royal scion to begin the day’s proceedings. The central hall resounds with the buzz of an animated discussion. The topic: How to win over the dissidents who are hell-bent on contesting.

Within moments, they all start jostling to grab the attention of Amarinder, a former soldier who is firmly in the combat mode — wearing a black woollen long coat over a kurta pyjama and sporting the party scarf.

Exuding confidence, he exclaims, “I will usher in a naya savera (new dawn) in Punjab. I’m going to give (Parkash Singh) Badal a sound thrashing in Lambi,” drawing applause from the listeners.

It’s a chilly morning and he’s already on medication for a sore throat. The foggy weather upsets his plan of flying to Malwa to address rallies in Bassi Pathana, Payal and Amloh. He is advised to take the road route.

Election campaign gets NRI push

Moga The rough and tumble of Punjab politics has attracted the Punjabi diaspora to the state. This is the time of elections, and NRIs want to contribute their bit to ensure their party wins.

More than 500 NRIs from Canada, New Zealand and Australia reached Delhi on the intervening night of January 18 and 19 and proceeded towards Punjab. A group of 400 NRIs from Chicago have arrived in the state to support the Congress. And hundreds of NRI supporters of the SAD are in the field.

The maximum number of NRIs has come from Canada and nearly 75 per cent of them are supporting AAP. The failure of the traditional parties to effect a change explains the support to AAP from abroad. AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal is expected to hold an interaction with them in Majitha tomorrow. Punjabi NRIs from other countries such as Norway, New Zealand, Germany and Sweden are trickling in small groups of 20 to 25. ”We have been mute spectators to the pitiful performance of all political parties for so long. Now, it is the turn of people to experiment with something new. All our matters are related to corruption,” says an emotionally charged Harry Dhaliwal, a former federal citizenship judge based in Toronto. He is a native of Sherpur Kalan village near Jagraon. NRIs have spread out, campaigning in

Ferozepur, Bathinda, Moga, Jagraon, Nawanshahr, Hoshiarpur, Balachaur and Jalandhar.

Tarlochan Sohal from San Francisco spent two months in Punjab, campaigning for AAP. He returned recently. “A group of seven tech-savvy youngsters from San Francisco have already reached Punjab to pitch for AAP candidates. Punjabis in the US are enthused about the Assembly elections,” he says.

Dhaliwal outlines AAP’s strategy.

“The party has deployed at least 20 to 25 NRIs in each of the 117 Assembly constituencies. They are persuading their friends and relatives to vote for party,” he says. Wooing is not limited to relatives alone. NRIs are campaigning in villages as well.

At Kot Karar village near Talwandi Bhai township, Harpreet Khosa — a transporter from Brampton — addresses a gathering. “We want you to enjoy a dignified life as we do abroad. Everybody here is ready to work hard like us, but where are the right opportunities here?” he says. Manjinder Singh of the UK and Surinder Singh Nambardar of the US have been camping in their native Chakkar village Jagraon, creating awareness among people about the importance of their vote. For Satnam Singh Chahal, Executive Director, North American Punjabi Association (NAPA), ‘grim’ law and order situation in the state is a cause for concern.

An hour later, seated in his Toyota Fortuner, he goes through the day’s itinerary and memorises crime figures that he has to reel off in his speeches.

“Beta eh jammer band karo (turn

He makes it clear that this election is all the more important for him as it’s his last. “I have already announced to hang my boots. My son, Raninder Singh, is interested in politics and he’s

off the mobile jammer),” he tells one of his OSDs (who is at the wheel), directing him to call up an adamant rebel in Jalandhar.

“What will you achieve by standing against the party candidate? We are forming the government, I will accommodate you. It’s my promise,” he tells the person on the phone. Similar calls are made to other rebels en route the first destination of the day, Bassi Pathana.

“The Badals and Arvind Kejriwal are alike in many ways. One has plundered the state’s wealth and the other isn’t bothered about Punjab,” he adds.

holding the fort for me in Lambi.

My daughter, Jai Inder Kaur, always helps her mother in Patiala.”

On the way to the town, he betrays a weakness for sweet somethings. His cavalcade makes an unscheduled halt at a make-shift jiggery-making unit at Jhanjheri village, near Chunni (Fatehgarh Sahib).

The former CM shakes hands with Bahadur Shah, owner of the unit, while taking a bite of the fresh gur. “You know, I can’t take sugar, but I also can’t resist jaggery,” he admits with a smile.

“Every dish of mine must have

potato,” he hastens to add.

In no time, he is thronged on the roadside by passersby, who halt to greet him and take selfies with him. “This support is making me stronger by the day,” he says while posing for photos.

Between calls from party leaders, who are working hard to pacify the dissidents, he tells his OSD not to stop the vehicle ahead of the rally venue at Bassi Pathana as they are behind schedule.

However, he does spend a few minutes with local Akali leader Kanwar Rajesh Pall Singh Lali, who’s now in the Congress camp.

At the rally in support of party candidate Gurpreet Singh GP, he immediately connects with the gathering by blaming the Badals for ruining the state with their lootmaar (plunder).

“Babey nu Lambi vich kuttanga,” he thunders at the rally in Payal, from where the party has fielded Lakhvir Singh Lakha.

At Mandi Gobindgarh, Amarinder seeks votes for Kaka Randeep Singh. He highlights the plight of the industry, saying that many industrialists have left the state.

He promises good governance, and the audience seems to be latching on to every word of his.

The enthusiastic response keeps him in high spirits.

Punjab elections 2017: Poppy husk supply cut, some kick the habit, others ‘switch to painkillers’ A poppy husk vend in Rajasthan, 1.5 km from Kandukhera, the last village bordering Rajasthan in Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s Lambi constituency, has become a bone of contention this election season. Villagers on the Punjab side say since the vend shut down, their youth have switched from the less harmful natural narcotic to deadlier pharmaceutical and synthetic drugs. The vend shut nine months ago under orders from the Rajasthan government. A few addicts say they got themselves rehabilitated in the absence of affordable poppy husk, but others have switched over to “tablets” and chitta, the narcotic white powder that is the mainstay of drug addicts in Punjab.

“I used to consume 100 grams bhukki (poppy husk) every day,” said Bhanwar Lal, 33, who sells shoes in Kandukhera. “When the vend across the border shut down, bhukki was being sold in the black market and I could not afford it any longer — from Rs 500 per kg at the vend, it has gone up to Rs 5,000 now. I got treatment at a hospital in Dabwali, Haryana. I am off poppy husk now.”

Kuldeep Singh, 35, a farm labourer, said that he used to

consume 5 kg paddy husk every month but it has become too expensive for him now; he too claims to have quit after treatment from a doctor in Sirsa.

“At least 10 youths in my village have quit poppy husk. Some of them are being treated. We are glad that the closing of these vends is actually helping former addicts,” he said.

But villagers point to the flip side too. “Our boys quit bhukki but switched over to painkillers. That is an even bigger killer,” said Lakhwinder Singh of Ghumiara village near the border.

“How could anyone have sold painkillers so openly if the authorities had been enforcing the law? Why are these tablets available so easily? I have been raising this issue in the meetings of all candidates,” said Karamjit Singh Parjapat of

Ghumiara village.

A doctor in a government hospital agreed with the allegation that with bhukki less easily accessible, addicts are switching to painkillers. “Earlier we used to get poppy husk addicts. Now most of them are either on synthetic drugs or painkillers,” he said.

Gurjant Singh, another villager, said poppy husk is still being sold clandestinely in Rajasthan.

“A few addicts still go that side and fetch the husk.”

Poppy husk vends were shut down on March 31 last year following a court direction to the Rajasthan government in the wake of a PIL filed by a Chandigarh-based NGO, Arrive Safe. Since then, a special private bus carrying villagers across the border has been discontinued.

Issue - 703 (13)

24 - 30 Jan., 2017

Denied a SP ticket, Mukhtar AAP ready with its list of ‘corrupt Ansari may go solo officers’ in Punjab, vows action

Despite merging with the Samajwadi Party (SP), the erstwhile Quami Ekta Dal’s (QED’s) Mukhtar Ansari may contest the upcoming elections as an Independent from Mau Sadar constituency (Phase 6, March 11). The SP had already announced its candidate for the seat.

Ansari, a Ghazipur native, is currently lodged in the Lucknow district jail since 2005 on various charges. Despite this, he won from the same constituency twice – in 2007 and 2012 – from jail. Before that, he had won in 2002 and 1996.

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has, on Sunday, nominated Altaf Ansari to fight for the SP from Mau Sadar seat.

The news, reportedly, did not deter Ansari, who had fought the 2002 and 2007 elections as an Independent and the 1996 elections for the Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP). The QED was formed before the 2012 polls.

Ansari’s son Abbas Bin Mukhtar said: “I have been canvassing door-to-door in Mau

constituency seeking vote for my father. I am staying in Mau for last six months and looking after the campaign. Other members of the family too would join me soon in the campaign.”

When asked about the possible clash with SP too naming a candidate from the seat, Ansari’s brother Sibgatullah Ansari, who too is an MLA from Mohammadabad seat in Ghazipur, said, “We will be talking to SP national president Akhilesh Yadav on the matter.”

Meanwhile, SP candidate Altaf Ansari, who had lost the 2012 election on an SP ticket, said, “I am canvassing in the constituency for long time.”

The merger was announced by then cabinet minister and SP state chief Shivpal Singh Yadav in presence of Mukhtar’s brothers Sibgatullah and erstwhile QED chief Afzal Ansari in Lucknow on June 21. The decision had not gone down well with Akhilesh leading to the SP central parliamentary board calling of the off the merger three days later.

A former journalist and the son of a daily wager, Kulwant Singh Pandhuri, 42, is among the least affluent candidates from the three main parties — Congress, SAD and AAP — contesting the elections in Punjab. Pandhuri resigned from a Punjabi newspaper a year ago to join AAP as a full-time worker, and is now its candidate from Mehal Kalan (SC). He has declared assets worth Rs 2.70 lakh.

Asked where he would get the funds to contest, Pandhuri replied, “I am not contesting the election. It is the public. AAP supporters are spending on the campaign.” The 10 least affluent candidates from among the three major parties are all from AAP, most of them first-timers, many of them Dalits, and all pitted against wealthy SAD-BJP and Congress rivals. What they lack in funds, however, they make up for in optimism.

For Pandhuri, the issue of drugs comes foremost. “The Congress government was responsible for compulsory sterilisation in the 1970s, the Akali government is responsible for sterilisation of Sikhs through drugs,” alleged Pandhuri, who is pitted against former SAD MLA Balvir Singh Ghunas and the Congress’s

Nirmal Singh Nimma.

The least affluent of the 10 is Rupinder Kaur, 27, from Bathinda Rural, with just under Rs 1.75 lakh. She is doing a PhD after completing LLM. Daughter of a retired government employee, she joined AAP in 2013 and thanks party volunteers for their financial and moral support. She promises to fight against cancer in the Malwa belt, youngsters dying of drug abuse, and corruption. Her Congress opponent is former banker Harvinder Singh Ladi and SAD first-timer Amit Rattan, husband of IPS officer Sanmeet Kaur.

In Bhadaur (SC) is Parimal Singh, son of a retired driver, with assets of Rs 3.02 lakh. Parimal, 36, said his election is being funded by AAP volunteers and NRIs from Canada, Australia and Dubai. Parimal, who has passed XII, worked for a year with Punjab State Power Corporation Limited as lineman before being sacked following an agitation in 2013. “I have been part of the Anna Hazare movement and also worked as an AAP volunteer during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections,” Parimal said. He said people want a local MLA and described his rivals — sitting Congress

In the run-up to the assembly elections in Punjab next month, one of the biggest talking points, other than the drug menace, is corruption. In almost every campaign speech, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is leading the AAP charge in the SAD (Badal)-BJP-ruled state, doesn’t fail to mention the two issues.

Over the last two years, a team set up by the AAP leadership has been quietly compiling a secret list of corrupt government officials in the state. This list, sources said, also includes names of several politicians who are on the AAP radar for action should the party form the next government.

Sources in the AAP told The Indian Express that the team, led

by Himmat Singh Shergill, AAP legal cell head and its candidate from Majitha against state revenue minister Bikram Singh Majithia, has been receiving inputs from volunteers and public to finalise the list.

“We have been promised that action against these corrupt officers will be initiated after the party comes to power in the state. Punjab has suffered a lot due to the misdeeds of these officers who helped their political masters loot the state. The response from the volunteers, especially against police officers, was huge,” a member of this team said.

Reached for comments, Shergill, while confirming that such a list does exist, said,

“See, what has happened in Punjab is that there are politicians and there are some officers who, along with these politicians, have broken all records in corruption. Corruption is so rampant that this state used to be number one and look where it is now. Not just that, in their greed for money, these people have put Punjabi youth on drugs. Due to fake pesticides, so many farmers have committed suicide. Our list has corrupt ministers and politicians… Everything will be there with corroborative evidence… Such strict action will be taken against them that nobody will dare do what they have done.”

Asked about the officers in the list, Shergill said, “Yes, corrupt officers are also there in the list.

We have evidence. So far, they were getting away because both the parties are corrupt.”

A source associated with the exercise said majority of the officers in the list are from the

MLA Harchand Kaur and SAD’s Ajeet Singh Shant — as being from elsewhere.

Baljinder Kaur, 31, a former English lecturer at Mata Gujri College in Fatehgarh Sahib, is contesting Talwandi Sabo. She has an MPhil (English) degree.

Her assets are worth Rs 3.66 lakh. She lost a bypoll from the same constituency in 2014. Her focus is on ending the drug menace and empowering women. Her opponents are three-time sitting MLA Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu (SAD) and Khushbaaz Singh Jatana (Congress).

Jaswinder Singh Jahangir, 39, quit a government job as primary teacher last August after 10 years of service to join AAP. He is now the candidate in the border constituency of Attari. He is among the 10 least affluent candidates from among the three main parties, with Rs 12.74 lakh. “My wife, who is also a teacher, and I were part of an agitation against hiring government teachers on contract. We were put behind bars for agitating in front of the education minister’s bungalow,” said Jahangir, whose father too is a retired teacher.

The former vice-president of the ETT Union talks about the poor quality of education and health, and makes allegations of corruption against his main opponent, sitting SAD MLA Gulzar Singh Ranike, minister.

The Congress candidate is Tarsem Singh.

Former sanitary inspector, sarpanch, kirtan singer Chander Kumar Grewal, 47, has declared Rs 13.03 lakh and is just outside the bottom 10.

Son of a class-IV government employee, he is the AAP candidate for Kartarpur (SC) in Jalandhar. Grewal, who got a job on compassionate grounds 26 years ago after his father’s death, resigned as sanitary inspector last year. “My fight is against unemployment and corruption. The furniture industry in Kartarpur is in the doldrums. There is an unending list of issues,” said Grewal, facing first-timers Satpal Mall (SAD, formerly Congress) and Surinder Chaudhary (Congress, son of late Dalit leader Chaudhary Jagjit Singh, fivetime MLA).

Palwinder Kaur, 37, sarpanch elected independently from Haryau Khurd village, is now AAP candidate from Shutrana

police. “There are many revenue and transport officers too. There are numerous complaints against the police, especially the promotee officers, many of them posted as District SPs in violation of rules, for having lodged false cases against anybody who questioned the leaders of the alliance partners.

Even we were surprised by the number of complaints,” the source said.

Asked if there was a system adopted by the committee to prevent inaccuracies from creeping into the list, including officers being named to settle old scores, the source said, “Wait and see. We know how to do our job. Adequate due diligence has been done.”

Asked what had promoted the party to start compiling such a list and whether there is a name for the list, Shergill said, “No, there’s no name. One of the volunteers came up with this suggestion and we have been collecting all this evidence.”

AAP’s Punjab faces: 10 candidates, little means, high optimism (SC) in Patiala. Five days after she got the ticket, Kaur lost her husband to dengue. Kaur, who has a diploma in engineering, has declared Rs 36.86 lakh. “In 2013, I was elected sarpanch but Akali leaders did not let me work and I realised one cannot work honestly in this system.

But AAP has put a system in place in Delhi, which attracted me,” she said. Banking on her credentials as a local against SAD MLA Vaninder Kaur Loomba and Congress candidate Nirmal Singh, Kaur said her priority is to improve the primary health system.

Saroop Singh Kadiana, 42, is a kirtan singer. Matric pass and son of a chowkidar in Kadiana village, he is the AAP candidate from Phillaur (SC). “My mother is blind, my wife is a blood cancer patient,” said Saroop, who terms the election ‘zameer vs amir ki ladai’ and promises to put an end to “VIP culture” and drug rackets.

He has declared Rs 40.23 lakh, of which Rs 30 lakh is the value of his house. His rivals are Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary (Congress, son of Jalandhar MP Santokh Chaudhary) and Baldev Singh Khaira (SAD, formerly BSP).

Issue - 703 (14)

24 - 30 Jan., 2017

Trump pulls US out of ‘job killer’ Pacific trade deal

Washington President Donald Trump today formally withdrew the US from the TransPacific Partnership (TPP), making good on a pledge to scrap a deal he denounced as a “job killer” and a “rape” of US interests.

Embarking on his first full week in office, the 45th US President began rolling out his policy agenda after a tumultuous first weekend for his administration by signing a series of executive orders.

Among the first was a memo on withdrawing from the vast TPP trade pact, which aimed to set trade rules for the 21st century and bind US allies against growing Chinese economic clout.

“We’ve been talking about this for a long time,” Trump said as he signed the executive order in the Oval Office. “Great thing for the American worker what we just did.”

Negotiated by former President Barack Obama’s administration and signed by 12 countries in 2015, the TPP had yet to go into effect and US

withdrawal is likely to sound its death knell. It had been the main economic pillar of the Obama administration’s “pivot” to the Asia-Pacific region to counter China.

Its signatories — Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the US and Brunei — together represent 40 per cent of the world economy. The real estate mogul’s White House bid was fuelled in part by a pledge to overturn trade deals — such as TPP and NAFTA — that he says have drained US jobs and destroyed its industrial heartlands.

The Republican leader also signed two other

orders, on freezing the hiring of federal workers and hitting foreign NGOs that help with abortion.

Trump is looking to shift attention firmly back onto his policy agenda after a first few days that put his incoming administration on the back foot. “Busy week planned with a heavy focus on jobs and national security,” he tweeted. — Agencies Israeli PM invited to White House The President on Monday invited Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House next month, working quickly to establish close ties with a crucial ally in Middle East which was often at odds with his predecessor.

Trump spoke over the

Mumbai hospital waits for a 500-kg patient from Egypt, prepares for series of surgeries SOMETIME SOON, Eman Ahmed will move from her bed at her home in Alexandria for the first time in 25 years. She will be carried on a special chair that doubles as a bed made by a Londonbased firm. And she will be taken on board a private cargo plane for the 4,500-km journey to Mumbai.

That’s what family and well-wishers of the 36year-old Egyptian, who weighs an estimated 500 kg and suffers from a number of medical ailments, hope. She will then undergo a series of medical procedures at Saifee Hospital in south Mumbai over six months to shed weight — and, hopefully, rediscover life again.

For Eman, whose family could not afford the treatment she requires, the first sign of a turnaround came last October when her sister Shaimaa Ahmed, an engineer, contacted a Mumbai-based surgeon

after approaching several doctors across the world in vain.

“They heard about me through a friend I had operated upon in Egypt,” said Dr Mufaddal Lakdawala, a bariatric surgeon.

In December, Lakdawala

posted an appeal on Twitter with Eman’s photo, which was flagged

by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

Today, Lakdawala said, around Rs 4.5 lakh has been raised for Eman’s treatment. But, he added, her family would need at least Rs 50 lakh to cover costs related to her stay for six months, the cargo plane and further follow-up procedures over the next few years.

According to Lakdawala,

Eman was bed-ridden at the age of 11 after contracting a series of diseases. She suffers from lymphedema — a condition in which fluid keeps accumulating in her arms and legs — along with hypothyroidism, diabetes, lung disease and obesity.

She had also suffered a stroke, which left her right arm and leg paralysed. And she cannot speak clearly anymore.

Lakdawala said he has offered his services for free, as also the team of specialists that will treat Eman, including cardiologists, an endocrinologist, a dietician, a physician, a neurologist, a nephrologist and an anaesthesiologist.

Besides, the hospital is creating an 800 sq-ft space with a large entrance to accommodate the patient.

phone to Netanyahu and discussed ways to ensure stability in the Middle East.

‘Border tax’ on firms for shifting jobs abroad: Prez Trump warned business leaders that a “substantial border tax” will be imposed on firms that set up manufacturing units abroad as he promised to “massively” cut down regulations and taxes to encourage firms to produce products domestically. During a meeting with 12 business leaders, he warned them of consequences if they shift jobs abroad.

Trump vows to ‘start renegotiating’ NAFTA Trump has pledged to begin renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement in upcoming talks with the leaders of Mexico and Canada. “We’re meeting the Canadian PM and we will be meeting the President of Mexico (on Jan 31), who I know, and we’re going to start some negotiations having to do with NAFTA,” he said.

Trump’s tweets are presidential records, but deletions?

The National Archives and Records Administration considers President Donald Trump’s tweets as presidential records that need to be preserved for historic purposes, but an archives official said Monday that the agency has yet to say whether his administration will be required to keep altered or deleted tweets. After a misspelled statement from Trump’s private Twitter account was altered Saturday and later deleted, archives spokeswoman Miriam Kleiman said Monday that presidential tweets, like all electronic communications “created or received” by the president or his staff, are considered presidential records.

Archives officials were discussing the question Monday, Kleiman said, but had not issued a

determination.

Trump wrote on his private Twitter account at 11:57 a.m. Saturday, “I am honered to serve you, the great American People, as your 45th President of the United States.” The tweet was later corrected to “honored” and then later removed entirely.

Before taking office last Friday, Trump had at times misspelled some of his tweets from his private account. Many of those had been removed and replaced with the correct spelling. In March 2016, in advance of the GOP presidential primary in Arizona, for example, Trump referred to the state’s largest city in his Twitter feed as “Phoneix.”

A month earlier, Trump also used the misspelled “great honer” to describe his pride in winning polls after a GOP debate.

Issue 703 (15)

24 - 30 Jan., 2017

‘Coffee With D’ Cast: Sunil Grover, Zakir Hussain, Anjana Sukhani Director: Vishal Mishra If you didn’t know this about him already, news anchor Arnab is pretty much a rockstar in this film. And I mean the actual Arnab, of the nightly News-hour fame.

Except the fellow playing him here (Sunil Grover) seems to be struggling with ratings at the moment, since his rants have become rather passé.

Here’s what Arnab does to push up ratings, given that he’s going to be sacked from the prime-time slot and demoted to host a cookery show now - how that can ever happen is not the sort of question one must ask the filmmakers, who know as little about the basics of journalism

as about filmmaking itself.

Arnab decides to troll the dreaded Dawood Ibrahim, through his show and on social media, running fake stories, about how the Mafia don used to steal vegetables, harass women etc... just so that D, as it were, can invite him over for an exclusive interview. Really? But hey, that’s not what’s interesting. I’m still fixated on Arnab. As is this film. So anchor Arnab, who works in an office with three key people in it, including him - a heckler for a chief editor, and a fashion journalist - needs help with the script for his Dawood interview.

He approaches the fashion journo, of course, who’s also the best “news writer”.

She instantly strips at the mere sight of him. He sits there being nonchalant about her move. He asks her to script his

interview. She says yes, but on one condition, “Interview ke baad, I want you for one night!” He thinks, hard, and finally relents: “Jaan toh daav par laga hi chuka hoon. Izaat bhi sahi (My neck is already on the line, may as well lose self-respect!”

Well, that scene sums up this movie more than anything else will. What the nation wants to know is not why anybody would make this film-well, it’s a free country.

What I want to know is why the hell was I so excited about this? Couple of reasons.

One, it seemed like a film that could be derived very well from at least two pictures from my favourite genres - “junkie” in a guilty pleasure kinda way, that would be Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s ‘The Interview’ (2014); and journalism, hence Ron Howard’s ‘Frost/Nixon’ (2008).

There’s also the lead actor, Sunil Grover,

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Cast: Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma Direction: Karan Johar KARAN Johar refuses to depart from trademark kitschy style in terms of form, content and narration in his latest mush trip. The fact could make Ae Dil Hai Mushkil a satisfactory watch for K.Jo’s hardcore fans but Bollywood buffs who have been hungering for a different flavour of romance for long will be disappointed. The film is a typical triangle that talks of unfulfilled love. A soppy saga laced with frolic typical of a K.Jo screenplay unfolds as Ayan (Ranbir Kapoor) and Alizeh’s (Anushka Sharma) romance takes off. Alizeh, however, disappears from Ayan’s life unexpectedly and he seeks solace in the poet Sabah (Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan). As

a class-act impersonator. In my view, he is the most talented man on Indian TV. And to top that, the film is centred on Dawood, who lends himself so beautifully to fiction as if he was a fictional character himself. Zakir Hussain plays Dawood, wearing dark glasses, even a rose-tinted one, like Rishi Kapoor in ‘D-Day’, and a thick, black moustache, as if the dreaded Mafiosi must have frozen in age since the camera spotted him at a Sharjah cricket match in 1987!

What do we learn about Dawood, thanks to ‘Coffee With D’? That he diverted the Malaysian Airline Flight 370, because he was travelling from KL to Karachi, but the flight itself was headed to Beijing. He just landed the plane in his house, and the missing passengers are now his servants. Eh? This is not even funny.

Sabah starts falling in love with Ayan, he suddenly discovers the real reason Alizeh left, and is crestfallen. The good-looking, mediocre film is redeemed by its songs (Pritam’s music on Amitabh Bhattacharya’s lyrics).

Train To Busan Cast: Gong Yoo, Ma Dong-seok, Jung Yu-mi, Kim Su-an Direction: Yeon Sang-ho ONE of the best films in its genre ever, the Korean horror thriller conquered the global box-office, at the same time making a subtle societal comment that holds universal appeal. An uncomplicated plot unfolds the plight of regular passengers on a bullet train who discover they are trapped inside the speeding vehicle with zombies.

What follows is a fast-paced suspense drama that comes

loaded with smart twists and lots of gore. The film is a must for horror lovers — Vinayak Chakravorty

Issue 703 (16)

24 - 30 Jan., 2017

Favouritism and nepotism does exist Shahid Kapoor aims and shoots with Olympian trainer for ‘Rangoon’ in the industry: Huma Qureshi

Bollywood is slowly growing more inclusive and has opened up to new talent, but it’s still popularly held that star-kids get preferential treatment, and are often the first to be considered for author-backed roles. Ask Huma Qureshi if she has faced that bias, and the actor says, “Some of the star-kids I’ve known personally are extremely passionate and hard-working. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that favouritism and nepotism does exist in the industry.”

But would it have been easier had Huma hailed from a film family? “Yes. On the other hand, I may have also had to suffer a lot of the things that star-kids go through. For instance, they have to decide where their loyalties lie, which films to do, and how it will reflect on the family. There is so much pressure,” she says.

However, Huma does feel the preference granted to star-kids can be unfair sometimes. “There may be a role that I might want to do, [but it may go to a star-kid].

And it has happened in the past.

I didn’t say male stars don’t have guts to try for Hollywood: Priyanka Chopra

Priyanka Chopra has created a niche for herself in the West with a hit TV show, an upcoming Hollywood film and much-talked-about appearances at international red carpets. But a few weeks ago, the actor made news for allegedly stating that Indian male actors “need guts to try [their luck] in Hollywood”.

“Again, as usual, I was misquoted,” says Priyanka.

“When they [the media] asked me why the male actors weren’t doing anything, I said, ‘Maybe because they haven’t tried’. That’s all I said. I don’t know where ‘guts’ came from.

I didn’t use the word, ‘guts’, and whatever I said was said in a lighter vein,” she adds.

Priyanka says that maybe women [Indian actresses] have been able to do it [get projects in the West] because they have tried to. “I don’t know why the boys haven’t. Anil Kapoor has done it. He has gone out of his way to [work in Hollywood], but not many

other Indian actors have. Try kare toh ho sakta hai (it might work out if they try). Irrfan (Khan) and Anil are the only two [actors] that come to mind,” she adds. A number of Indian actors such as Anushka Sharma and Kareena Kapoor Khan have praised Priyanka ever since she started making waves in Hollywood. “I feel an extra push [when I hear such things]. I don’t feel the pressure. Jab apna ghar ka support hota hai na (When you are supported by your people), it feels great,” she says. The Quantico actor adds that it makes her want to do better when her colleagues and friends in India feel that she is “representing them well”. “In normal life, too, if a girl wants to go to college and if her parents support her, she will feel ki main karke dikhaungi (I will do it). So, I never feel [pressured] and like, ‘Oh, ab mereko accha kaam karna padega’ (I will have to do good work from now on).”

Sometimes, I feel I may lose out on a part because somebody is pushing for another actor,” says the actor. “It is difficult and will continue to be that way.” But Huma says she enjoys acting, regardless of the way the industry functions. “If I am not happy with what is being offered, I will just take a break. I don’t need to do something to prove a point. I don’t feel like I have to do three films a year or else people will forget me. I am not insecure. I am happy doing the work that comes my way, but it has to be interesting.” says the Badlapur (2015) actor.

Huma, who recently shared the frame with Akshay Kumar for the first time in The State vs.

Jolly LL.B 2, says the actor “is amazing to work with”. “He is a perfect example of what hardwork and discipline can do to your life. He does three or four films a year. It is incredible how he manages to strike that balance between family and work. Sometimes, I get so busy that I don’t get the time to talk to my mother, and I feel so guilty about it. One needs to know how to balance life.”

“Shooting is probably in Shahid Kapoor’s blood,” says Ronak Pandit, who bagged the gold in the Men’s 25m Standard Pistol category at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

Shahid, who plays the role of army man Nawab Mallik in Vishal Bhardwaj’s upcoming period drama, ‘Rangoon’, had approached Pandit to perfect the art of shooting for his turn.

“Shahid contacted me directly.

We trained for over a week at my Malad and Worli centres,” Pandit informs hitlist. The duo stuck to the basics for the first two days, when Pandit taught the actor the methods of gripping the gun, perfecting the stance and aiming.

“We did a lot of exercises to help him understand the technique of using the trigger. We followed the same training process that we do for the Olympics. We shot at different calibers and ranges and did precision shooting to get the angles right. He had a few long distance shots in the film and we wanted him to look convincing. On the last day, we went to the Worli range to shoot the firearm with real bullets,” says Pandit.

The athlete was thrilled to train

Kapoor, who is credited for getting into the skin of his character.

“Shahid is a really talented man and by day two, he seemed effortless. He picked up the tricks faster than I anticipated and his fitness made the process easier,” says Pandit, confessing that he admires the actor on a personal level too. “He is down to earth, almost like a college buddy. Also, given that he is punctual, working with him becomes easier.”

Sonakshi Sinha: Great time to be a girl in the industry From a simpleton to actionoriented roles — actress Sonakshi Sinha who has explored a variety of roles in Bollywood, says it’s a great time to be a girl in the industry as filmmakers are increasingly exploring women-centric movies.

Sonakshi made her Bollywood debut alongside superstar Salman Khan starrer “Dabangg” and has been on a roll ever since. She has featured in actionpacked stunts in films like “Akira” and “Force 2” and next will be seen in “Noor”.

“It’s a great time to be a girl in the industry because there are such wonderful roles being written for us,” Sonakshi told IANS over phone when asked how she feels about filmmakers concentrating on women-centric roles in Bollywood.

The 29-year-old, who has also been a part of films like “Lootera” and “Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty”, has clocked over half a dozen years in the Hindi film industry. And it’s been a learning experience.

“Very eventful,” she said when asked to describe her journey.

“I have learnt a lot...It has been a great learning process. And that’s how I look at it.”

The daughter of veteran actor and politician Shatrughan Sinha and actress Poonam Sinha, Sonakshi started her career as a costume designer.

And years later, here she was

on Friday, walking as the showstopper for celebrated designer Monisha Jaising’s exquisite collection for Lakme Fashion Week Summer/ Resort 2017, atop international luxury cruise liner Costa neoClassica.

Looking radiant in a playful short tangerine dress with a long trail, Sonakshi said she loved the “princess theme”. “I actually never wear stuff like that, so when I got the opportunity to wear such a long trail, I really liked it.”

Is Sonakshi a fashion conscious person?

“Not at all. I have got a very individualistic style, which is grungy, edgy and sporty... Because that’s how I have always dressed since I was a child... I have grown up wearing b o y s ’

clothes and I feel now that has become a fashionable statement... So, I think little bit of that is still in me,” said the actress, who has two brothers.

Jaising’s collection saw an array of patterns, fully embellished party dresses and cocktail saris in black, gold, grey, white, rose pink, rose tan with a pop of red, orange and fuchsia. The range was infused with opulent fabrics like satin, wool crepe, Italian organza, chikankari and more.

Issue 703 (17)

24 - 30 Jan., 2017

Taron Egerton won’t wear tights for ‘Robin Hood’ movie Actor Taron Egerton has promised that his ‘Robin Hood’ movie will be “rock ‘n’ roll” and has vowed not to wear tights.

“The moment someone presents me with a pair of tights, I’m calling it quits. It’s going to have a rock ‘n’ roll quality to it. I’m not sure that anybody has completely nailed Robin Hood yet,” Egerton told Total Film magazine, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

I’m quietly hoping this is the one that’s going to get it right - and it’s going to do it without any tights,” he added. Egerton, who admits his Robin is “highly flawed and not even that likeable”, was hesitant to even look at the script for the movie as he wasn’t sure whether there

Lindsay Lohan ‘educating herself’ on Islam

Actress Lindsay Lohan hasnt converted to Islam, but is just educating herself, says a source.

“Lindsay is educating herself on different cultures and their practices to be able to better understand the people and communicate,” a friend of the actress told pagesix.com.

Lohan, who recently visited refugees in Turkey and spent

New Year ’s Eve in Dubai, sparked speculation when she deleted all her Instagram posts and replaced her biography with an Arabic greeting. Her mother Dina said: “I have raised my children to be compassionate and to educate themselves on a global level...to learn about different cultures and their practices and to respect them.”

was a “need” for a new take on the tale. “When I was first sent the script I was hesitant to even engage with it. I think there’s a very large question mark over whether the world needs another ‘Robin Hood’. But it’s completely revisionist. Very dark and very character-driven.

It’s fairly unrecognisable as a period film,” he said.

The ‘Kingsman’ actor stars alongside Jamie Foxx as Little John in the movie, and promised their friendship makes the film worth watching.

“The dynamic between those characters in this is really interesting. And I can’t imagine anyone better in the role. It’s all pretty exciting at the moment,” he quipped.

Jennifer Lopez ‘head over heels’ for Drake

Singer-actress Jennifer Lopez is said to be “head over heels” in love with rapper Drake, who is 17 years younger to her. Lopez, 47, and Drake, 30, started dating late last year. “She’s head over heels for Drake. It’s a new relationship, but she really likes him. She’s really into him,” a source told etonline.com. The couple first sparked romance rumours in December 2016 after Drake visited Lopez at her Las

Vegas show. They were spotted enjoying a dinner in Hollywood just before Christmas, and celebrated New Year together in Las Vegas. Lopez had earlier revealed they have been in the studio recording new music together. Asked about her new project with Drake, she had said: “He just asked me to do a song with him and that’s what we’ve been doing. We’ll see if it’s on his next album.”

We don’t make shows for Internet reactions: ‘Sherlock’ writer Mark Gatiss The fourth season of Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss’ Sherlock has left critics and fans agitated, venting their anger on social media. Fans have criticised the amended format as one that showcases minimal character growth and that is “complicated”, making this season the most dissed since the popular series first went on air.

“Not sure about this latest series of Sherlock. I have no idea what’s going on! What happened to solving crimes,” wrote one Twitter user, while another shared, “I am so over Steven Moffat.

These scripts have been so thin. Disappointed!”

But co-writer and creator Mark, who also features in the series as Sherlock’s brother, Mycroft Holmes, tells hitlist in an email interview that he isn’t perturbed with the comments. “I am not that bothered about what social media has to say about the plot or whether they approve of a particular twist or not. We can’t over analyse, because if we start doing that, we’d never be able to finish the episode. To be honest, I am not making a show to get reactions on the Internet.”

He and the team have expressed their willingness to go ahead with another season of the series.

Insisting that he finds it hard to believe that nobody in India has ever attempted to adapt

Sherlock Homes for television, Mark believes that a Bollywood-style rendition would be interesting.

“I would be very pleased if a Bollywood remake of Sherlock was made. I would look forward to the filmy dance in it. Though it couldn’t be our version of Sherlock, but they could certainly make a Sherlock.”

Kendall Jenner and A$AP Rocky Bryce Dallas Howard gained 35 pounds for ‘Black Mirror’ reignite dating rumours Model Kendall Jenner and rapper A$AP Rocky have reignited dating rumours after they were spotted shopping together with her sister Kylie Jenner and rapper Tyga. Kendall and Rocky were photographed enjoying the afternoon together here on Tuesday, reports aceshowbiz.com.

Kendall sported an olive green suede coat, which she paried with skintight black leather trousers as she stopped by Ovadia & Sons store.

According to a source, the duo were also “helping each other pick stuff out... Kendall also got fitted for a pair of gloves they are working on for her”.

Meanwhile, Kylie and her boyfriend Tyga went casual during the outing. Kylie was seen in an allblack tracksuit while Tyga donned black gym pants.

Kendall and Rocky have been spotted together several times since the spring of 2016. They were rumoured to be dating over the summer. In December last year, the two continued to spark romance rumours as they enjoyed a dinner date together in Malibu.

Bryce Dallas Howard says she gained 35 pounds for TV series “Black Mirror”. Howard said her ‘Black Mirror’ character’s “back story” involved formerly having an eating disorder. She is now prepping to shoot a “Jurassic World” sequel next month and is looking to shed some weight. “I am doing a lot of training for it because I gained 35 pounds for ‘Black Mirror’,” the actress told pagesix.com.

“So I am just getting ready to be a bit more athletic.”

Issue 703 (18)

24 - 30 Jan., 2017

Road mayhem in Melbourne ‘Deranged’ man ploughs car into shoppers killing four, including toddler, and injuring 25

A BABY is among four people killed after a car ‘deliberately’ ploughed into pedestrians in Melbourne’s city centre during lunchtime rush on Friday. The man responsible for the rampage has been identified as Dimitrious Gargasoulas. The Melbourne resident has a history of mental health and drug-related issues and was charged with family violence offences last weekend. On Friday afternoon, police shot the man in the arm before dragging him out of the car and arresting him after he drove his car through the CBD killing four people. The maroon vehicle was seen doing burnouts outside Flinders Street Station before driving into crowds of shoppers on busy Bourke Street at about 1.30 pm, injuring at least 25 people.

Gargasoulas was wearing nothing but red underwear when he was detained at the

Elizabeth Street end of the mall and remains under police guard in St Vincent’s Hospital. The mangled wreckage of half a pram remains stuck on the bonnet of the car, while what appears to be the other half is further up the mall at a pedestrian crossing on William Street. The baby who was inside it is believed to have died at the scene. “A male deliberately drove into pedestrians in the Bourke Street mall, and we currently have three deceased and at least 20 injuries,” police said. They later updated the number of victims to 25 people. Of those, four are children.

Officers said the incident is believed to be linked to a stabbing of a man in Windsor, in ‘ south east at 2 am on Friday. The offender was known to police for a string of family violence-related assaults and suffers mental health and drugrelated

issues, according to the Victorian Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton. A witness, Renee, said she heard a ‘loud thud’ as three people were hit in front of her eyes. “I saw the car on the footpath and I saw people out of the corner of my eye fly in the air... There were three or four contorted bodies on the ground,” she said.

“I could see people on the footpath who had been run over.” “We believe that this incident is connected to an earlier stabbing in the southern metro region,” police said.

“The child from the pram was dragged 100 metres down Bourke St with the car,” a witness said, adding that the child looked not more than ‘three or four years old’.

Father-of-two Stephen O’Brien, 52, told Daily Mail Australia that he was walking out of Bourke Street Mall with his sevenyear-old son when he saw the car

‘travelling uncontrollably’. “I heard a lot of screaming first. Then I saw the van accelerate down the mall. Police were chasing him. I saw a man carrying out CPR on a guy and then the police moved us on.” “My wife said that she saw the guy get hit. He did a complete somersault in the air and landed on his back.” Other people said they heard a boom and gunshots, with one man telling Sky News there was ‘a hell of a lot of blood’. “There’s someone on the middle of the ground and there’s blood all over the street,” Rishi Hathiramani, a CBD shopkeeper, told AAP. “I’ve seen accidents but never this bad.” A number of CBD businesses are in lockdown, while others have been evacuated. “A heap of people ran into my store, it was horrible. Half of my staff are in tears,” a Strandbags manager told AAP.

Issue 703 (19)

24 - 30 Jan., 2017

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Issue 703 (22)

Chinese man slices pup & streams video live A MAN caused outrage after livestreaming himself dissecting a puppy. One day before his live dissection on January 17, he had posted pictures showing him trying to strangle the tiny canine on Chinese social media. The man said he was seeking revenge on a group of animal lovers who had caused a traffic jam on November 19 last year while rescuing dogs; and the traffic jam had cost him the chance of seeing a dying relative for the last time, reported Peoples’ Daily Online. The man posted the pictures and a live

video on his account on Weibo, a Chinese microblogging website, under the account ‘I have a puppy here’. The account has been taken down by the man, who remains unidentified.

The man first posted a picture of two puppies on his account.

In the post, he claimed that the puppies were brothers and that ‘one is going to put on a show while the other will be sent to a pet shop’. On January 16, the man released a set of four pictures, showing one of the puppies being strangled by a rope. One day later, a live video was posted onto Weibo under his account, showing him butchering the puppy.

24 - 30 Jan., 2017

Caged for 30 yrs by self-declared ‘god’

HOW devastating it is to hear Katy Morgan-Davies detail the memories of her childhood. A child will naturally crave comfort and cuddles — but what sort of warped world must a little girl inhabit when she seeks that solace from a bathroom tap? ‘I used to tell the tap, “You are on my side,” ‘ says Katy, with the half-smile of someone who now knows exactly how crazy her words sound. ‘I’d kiss the tap.

I’d hug the toilet when the flush worked.’ Such is the disturbed legacy of the ‘social experiment’ Katy was born to fulfil. For Katy was raised — although imprisoned might be a better description — in a Maoist cult, and lived for an astonishing 30 years as a ‘caged bird’ in a commune run by a violent rapist who declared himself God. When she finally escaped in 2013, Katy had the social skills of a six year-old. She was unable to cross the road or use basic appliances. She had never seen a doctor, or visited a dentist. She had been

brainwashed to believe her own behaviour was to blame for natural disasters such as earthquakes. It was even her fault, she had been led to think, that the Space Shuttle Challenger had exploded on its launch in 1986. Worse, she discovered only after her release that her father — the man responsible for the brainwashing — was actually the cult leader Aravindan Balakrishnan, a man now behind bars for his crimes.

Balakrishnan, who was jailed for 23 years earlier this year for rape and false imprisonment,

ruled the (mainly female) collective with violence and psychological terror, including threatening members with what he told them was an electronic satellite warfare machine he called Jackie. Although he would administer beatings and force his devotees to carry out sexual acts, he also convinced them that lightning would strike

Hit-and-run horror: Indian IT analyst killed in UK

THE first pictures have emerged of the victim of a hit-and-run Tuesday when a black Range Rover mounted the curb and ploughed into a bus stop.

Horrified witnesses said there were ‘scenes of carnage’ after the 4x4 drove into the bus stop, 200 yards from the gates of a school in Hounslow, west London.

Himanshi Gupta, a promising IT analyst from India was killed and another woman suffered ‘lifechanging injuries’, police confirmed Wednesday. It happened near Beavers Community Primary School at around 9.30am Tuesday, as the area was packed full of parents after the school run.

Police said the Range Rover was stopped shortly later and its driver, 39, was arrested on suspicion of causing injury by dangerous driving then taken to hospital. He was taken into custody after being discharged and subsequently further arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

Pictures of Miss Gupta reveal how the analyst from India, who had been working for Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), had been enjoying London in her new role. She is seen posing by

Big Ben and from a rooftop with London’s skyline in the background, buildings such as the Walkie-Talkie and the Gherkin. Relatives revealed that Miss Gupta, from Jabalpur city, had a promising future with the global company, based in India, and was doing well in her new role.

Her cousin and representatives from the company were at the hospital

she was taken to today and other friends and family are said to be devastated by her death.

Colleagues from her firm laid flowers at the scene of the horrific accident this evening.

One male friend and colleague said: “She was a lively, bubbly person and a joy to have in the office. “She was always organising events and fun things for us all to do at work.” Another colleague added: “She was 22 or 23 and only transferred here from India five months ago. We were just so shocked when we heard the news yesterday. It’s just such a terrible thing to have happened.” Friend Anupriya Sharma paid tribute on Facebook, writing “please wake up” in an emotional post. She wrote: “You taught me how to always smile, how to stay strong even if you feel no one is there by your side. We had so many plans to execute here, we have to go to Switzerland, Amsterdam, and the list is to big to tell, how you can leave us half-way?”

them dead if they stepped outside the house without his permission. The reason for Katy’s existence?

Balakrishnan wanted someone to help him run the world. Now the full story of the cult is being told — for the first time — in a chilling documentary by the award-winning producer Vanessa Engle.

It’s a devastating piece of television which at times seems more like a sci-fi drama than a documentary, so outlandish are the events

depicted. That this astonishing saga unfolded in the middle of London, in a seemingly ordinary home, only adds to the sense of utter disbelief. One man, who lived in a house in Brixton, overlooking the flat where Katy was kept captive, breaks down in tears as he describes catching glimpses of Katy at the window. Yes, he knew the

‘family’ were odd, but no, he did not even consider that the child might have been in danger. The most chilling aspect is hearing

Katy herself, now 33, describe how she came to be. Her birth was described as ‘Project Prem’, and when she was only a child she learned that her destiny was to help Balakrishnan (or Comrade Bala, as she called him) rule the world, according to his communist doctrine. At birth, she was christened Prem Maopinduzi, which means, she explains ‘Love Revolution’ — more of an order than a baby’s name. ‘I hated that,’ she admits.

She changed her name to Katy as soon as she was able. Her surname comes from her mother, Sian Davies, who fell into the clutches of the cult in her early 20s, and never escaped. Once a student at Cheltenham Ladies’ College, she became one of Bala’s most loyal devotees and ended up being pregnant by him. She died in 1996 after falling from a window. Katy, who was just 14 at the time, believes she was trying to escape.

Issue 703 (24)

24 - 30 Jan., 2017

You tend to think negatively and worry endlessly about finances, health and details this week. Intelligent handling of professional projects and good management of material aspects can put you back on the road to success and achievement once again. Stress and anxiety can lead to health problems and you need to focus on positive aspects and creative pastimes. You just have to let go the past and view things in perspective, to add clarity and strength to new relationships or rejuvenate established personal relationships. You need to relax and be yourself to invite a genuine response from people around you.

You flower as an individual and share your richness and vibrancy with people around you this week. You are receptive to new ideas and professional opportunities that take you towards progressive changes and specialization in your field of activity. Don’t allow feelings or prejudices to influence your professional decisions.

You tend to be lazy and laid back when much is to be accomplished at work. Guard against being too dependent on others at work or leaning heavily on a sound personal relationship. Your qualities of compassion shine forth and dissolve obstacles and blocks that keep you from old friends.

Intellectual activity at work and mental analysis of situations at home may be tiring rather than rewarding this week. Present plans and schedules may be disrupted with fresh developments and new opportunities. Your daily routines and business outfits need to be restructured for more productivity and financial gain. Settled work associations and mechanical activity may have to be abandoned for more creative, progressive and stimulating options. Since you are unable to take a decision in an important professional matter, put it on hold for now. Participate and infuse energy in personal relationships, also in family celebrations.

You are ready to make dynamic new beginnings at work and in personal relationships. Destiny plays an interesting role and changes the course of your life as new opportunities present themselves this week. An intense personal experience touches you deeply and transforms you and also affects professional and personal relationships. You get in touch with the source of pulsating energy that inspires and nourishes you, by getting grounded, centered and silent inside. Unexpected happenings and events are on the cards! Some aspects of life need to be viewed from a higher perspective.

You need to rely on your wisdom, experience and intuition to assess people and situations. You are active, dynamic, swift and strong this week! You are quickly enthused by new professional opportunities but find it hard to maintain interest in the long run. You make an impact in personal, social and business encounters and meetings. You tend to control and dominate business partnerships and collaborations but need to share and delegate responsibility. Love and romance in personal relationships are exciting.

Good health and vigor enable you to participate in sporty activity and busy schedules.

You are blessed with youthful energy to manage professional and personal matters with ease and efficiency this week. Financial aspects and legal affairs can be resolved easily and it is best to focus on these issues. It’s a good time to encounter difficult people or attempt arduous tasks. Personal relationships have promise and are now ready to move towards a commitment. You feel loved in a stable relationship and taste inner freedom and joy with your loving partner. A young man around you is ready to make his own decisions. You integrate different energies to achieve what you want.

Transformation is on the cards as you change your image and styles this week. Your attitudes, priorities and values are changing and they lead to endings and new beginnings in personal and professional situations.

You embark on a lucrative business venture, which brings out your creative potential and allows you freedom and space. You get a distance on negative relationships and let go what you have been hanging on to. After much fighting and agitating you finally reach a point of deep let go, and accept sorrow, pain or difficulty as a fact of life. Listen to your loving heart rather than your intellectual mind.

You are brilliant, active and skillful in professional ventures and gain repute in your field of activity this week. Things are changing all around you as you entertain new opportunities, connections and dimensions. You play the role of consultant or advisor, sharing your knowledge and experience with others. An older man recognizes your potential and offers you a lucrative assignment. You are loving and caring in established personal relationships and can expect loyalty and support therein. Beware of a crafty and clever individual who can talk you into making a bad financial deal.

It’s time to look positively at professional situations and take one step at a time to climb the ladder of success. Pain in sensitive relationships can make you aware of negative and egoistic attitudes that can be changed with awareness and consideration. Your partner supports you faithfully with patient and unselfish consideration through a difficult time. Beware of a subtle, crafty person who undermines your effort and achievement at work. You find it hard to make decisions as you are divided and unclear about priorities this week.

You tend to get mentally stressed and worry about too many things at the same time. Minor details cause confusion in professional projects and your lack of persistence can cause further delay in achieving goals. You can forget about past mistakes but remember the lessons learnt from them as new beginnings are on the cards! Business opportunities lead to success and advancement. Beware of others meddling in personal matters. Love and romance enhance your personal relationship or marriage!

You share hopes and fears with friends, family and loved ones and feel strengthened.

Your duality within draws you towards different aspects, moods and activities this week! Imbalance, argument and conflict in business or personal partnership are painful but clear the air for a healthier relationship. A friend can be a peaceful mediator in a family conflict. You cross swords with an adversary and come out victorious. Since you are divided about choices a quick, spontaneous decision takes you towards fulfillment and success. Its best to remain centered, integrated and relaxed through busy schedules and complicated relationships.

Deeply buried wounds from the past are likely to surface, as you are vulnerable, ready and available to be healed this week. You no longer hide from yourself or others but have an open and receptive attitude that facilitates healing and rejuvenates relationships. The aura of light and quality of relaxation, caring and love that surrounds you dissolves your struggling and suffering. You work and interact well with young people, women and children in a new professional project. It’s time to let go blocks and pull yourself out of heavy moods and situations.

Issue 703 (23)

24 - 30 Jan., 2017

BADALS GET RICHER, AMARINDER POORER

Sprawling estates in Punjab and Uttarakhand, an apartment in Dubai’s Goldcrest towers, around ‘33 lakh in bank deposits and ‘48 lakh in investments are part of Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh’s networth. Yet, the scion of the Patiala royalty is swimming in debt. In his declaration before the returning officer in the Lambi constituency, Capt Singh disclosed his personal immovable properties were currently priced at ‘1.21 crore in the market. All his movable assets put together are valued at ‘1.41 crore, the former chief minister announced in his affidavit. Individually, the Captain owns swathes of farmland in Haridwar in Uttarakhand and Kharar in Punjab. A residential flat he bought in

Dubai’s Goldcrest towers nine years ago is now valued at ‘96 lakh, according to his asset declaration. Nevertheless, Capt Singh has yet to pay the loan back to his own establishment. His bete noire Parkash Singh Badal also declared his networth on Wednesday in the Akali stronghold of Lambi. The 89- year-old veteran of Punjab politics, who ran the state for two terms in a row over the past decade, has little over ‘50,000 of cash in hand, his affidavit stated. Badal Senior’s bank deposits stand at ‘34.07 lakh and his personal transport is valued less than ‘4 lakh. Unlike his Congress opponent, the chief minister has himself to recover, if he does, a loan of ‘3.42 lakh from debtors.

Vishwas laughs off BJP entry & ‘sense of rumour’ KUMAR Vishwas and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday laughed off reports that he is joining the BJP and will contest the Uttar Pradesh assembly election next month. This is not the first time he has had to deny reports that he may switch to the BJP. Earlier in the day, social media websites were abuzz with the reports that the poet-politician will join the BJP and contest polls from the Sahibabad constituency in Ghaziabad district.

Reports also said that he was scheduled to BJP president Amit Shah in Lucknow before a formal announcement is made.

But AAP leaders were quick to deny the

reports and Vishwas himself used humour to play it down. “PMji had said to improve ‘Sense of Humor’, bhakts took it as ‘Sense of Rumor’... Lage Raho,” Vishwas tweeted in the afternoon. Sisodia also tweeted sarcastically to rubbish the reports. “I have information that after the Uttar Pradesh election, the PM is joining the Congress.

He has also met with Rahul Gandhi,” Delhi’s education minister said. Joining them was another cabinet minister, Kapil Mishra, who joked, “Is Amit Shah joining Aam Aadmi Party? As per some media reports he seems to be trying an appointment with Kumar Vishwas.” On a

more serious note, AAP leaders said that while the reports were claiming that Vishwas was vying for a BJP ticket, he was busy along with Sisodia as they were receiving Indian-origin Punjab voters who arrived in Delhi on Wednesday and will be campaigning for the party in poll-bound Punjab till the state goes to poll on February 4. Media reports had claimed that Vishwas was upset at not being named a star campaigner for the party in Punjab.

Vishwas, 46, also took pot-shots at the PM, quoting “sources” to say Prime Minister Narendra Modi is joining Andhra Pradesh’s ruling Telugu Desam Party.

Issue 703 (24)

24 - 30 Jan., 2017

You tend to think negatively and worry endlessly about finances, health and details this week. Intelligent handling of professional projects and good management of material aspects can put you back on the road to success and achievement once again. Stress and anxiety can lead to health problems and you need to focus on positive aspects and creative pastimes. You just have to let go the past and view things in perspective, to add clarity and strength to new relationships or rejuvenate established personal relationships. You need to relax and be yourself to invite a genuine response from people around you.

You flower as an individual and share your richness and vibrancy with people around you this week. You are receptive to new ideas and professional opportunities that take you towards progressive changes and specialization in your field of activity. Don’t allow feelings or prejudices to influence your professional decisions.

You tend to be lazy and laid back when much is to be accomplished at work. Guard against being too dependent on others at work or leaning heavily on a sound personal relationship. Your qualities of compassion shine forth and dissolve obstacles and blocks that keep you from old friends.

Intellectual activity at work and mental analysis of situations at home may be tiring rather than rewarding this week. Present plans and schedules may be disrupted with fresh developments and new opportunities. Your daily routines and business outfits need to be restructured for more productivity and financial gain. Settled work associations and mechanical activity may have to be abandoned for more creative, progressive and stimulating options. Since you are unable to take a decision in an important professional matter, put it on hold for now. Participate and infuse energy in personal relationships, also in family celebrations.

You are ready to make dynamic new beginnings at work and in personal relationships. Destiny plays an interesting role and changes the course of your life as new opportunities present themselves this week. An intense personal experience touches you deeply and transforms you and also affects professional and personal relationships. You get in touch with the source of pulsating energy that inspires and nourishes you, by getting grounded, centered and silent inside. Unexpected happenings and events are on the cards! Some aspects of life need to be viewed from a higher perspective.

You need to rely on your wisdom, experience and intuition to assess people and situations. You are active, dynamic, swift and strong this week! You are quickly enthused by new professional opportunities but find it hard to maintain interest in the long run. You make an impact in personal, social and business encounters and meetings. You tend to control and dominate business partnerships and collaborations but need to share and delegate responsibility. Love and romance in personal relationships are exciting.

Good health and vigor enable you to participate in sporty activity and busy schedules.

You are blessed with youthful energy to manage professional and personal matters with ease and efficiency this week. Financial aspects and legal affairs can be resolved easily and it is best to focus on these issues. It’s a good time to encounter difficult people or attempt arduous tasks. Personal relationships have promise and are now ready to move towards a commitment. You feel loved in a stable relationship and taste inner freedom and joy with your loving partner. A young man around you is ready to make his own decisions. You integrate different energies to achieve what you want.

Transformation is on the cards as you change your image and styles this week. Your attitudes, priorities and values are changing and they lead to endings and new beginnings in personal and professional situations.

You embark on a lucrative business venture, which brings out your creative potential and allows you freedom and space. You get a distance on negative relationships and let go what you have been hanging on to. After much fighting and agitating you finally reach a point of deep let go, and accept sorrow, pain or difficulty as a fact of life. Listen to your loving heart rather than your intellectual mind.

You are brilliant, active and skillful in professional ventures and gain repute in your field of activity this week. Things are changing all around you as you entertain new opportunities, connections and dimensions. You play the role of consultant or advisor, sharing your knowledge and experience with others. An older man recognizes your potential and offers you a lucrative assignment. You are loving and caring in established personal relationships and can expect loyalty and support therein. Beware of a crafty and clever individual who can talk you into making a bad financial deal.

It’s time to look positively at professional situations and take one step at a time to climb the ladder of success. Pain in sensitive relationships can make you aware of negative and egoistic attitudes that can be changed with awareness and consideration. Your partner supports you faithfully with patient and unselfish consideration through a difficult time. Beware of a subtle, crafty person who undermines your effort and achievement at work. You find it hard to make decisions as you are divided and unclear about priorities this week.

You tend to get mentally stressed and worry about too many things at the same time. Minor details cause confusion in professional projects and your lack of persistence can cause further delay in achieving goals. You can forget about past mistakes but remember the lessons learnt from them as new beginnings are on the cards! Business opportunities lead to success and advancement. Beware of others meddling in personal matters. Love and romance enhance your personal relationship or marriage!

You share hopes and fears with friends, family and loved ones and feel strengthened.

Your duality within draws you towards different aspects, moods and activities this week! Imbalance, argument and conflict in business or personal partnership are painful but clear the air for a healthier relationship. A friend can be a peaceful mediator in a family conflict. You cross swords with an adversary and come out victorious. Since you are divided about choices a quick, spontaneous decision takes you towards fulfillment and success. Its best to remain centered, integrated and relaxed through busy schedules and complicated relationships.

Deeply buried wounds from the past are likely to surface, as you are vulnerable, ready and available to be healed this week. You no longer hide from yourself or others but have an open and receptive attitude that facilitates healing and rejuvenates relationships. The aura of light and quality of relaxation, caring and love that surrounds you dissolves your struggling and suffering. You work and interact well with young people, women and children in a new professional project. It’s time to let go blocks and pull yourself out of heavy moods and situations.

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Technology Gmail users high alert! Don’t fall for this online scam

New Delhi Gmail users should heavily guard their email accounts, for, a hacking trap has been reportedly laid in such a manner that even the most tech savvy users might be duped.

As per media reports, a new online scam is targeting the Gmail users that can expose their mail ids to hackers.

Termed as Gmail phishing the scam has been discovered by Mark Maunder, CEO of WordPress security service

Wordfence, a Gadget now report said.

According to Maunder, “the scam has managed to convince even experienced technical users, and is targeting other services in addition to Gmail,” the report further said.

WHAT IS GMAIL PHISHING ALL ABOUT You might get an email on your Gmail account.

It might look like a mail from someone you know (This account must also have

Google acquires Twitter’s mobile app developers platform Fabric

New York In a bid to help developers build better apps and grow their business, Google has acquired Twitter‘s mobile app developer platform Fabric.

Fabric will join Google‘s Developer Product Group working with Firebase team.

Twitter launched Fabric as a modular SDK in 2014 to allow developers improve their apps, and it now serves apps reaching 2.5 billion users built by 580,000 developers.

“The integration of Fabric is part of our larger, long-term effort of delivering a comprehensive suite of features for iOS, Android and mobile web app development,” said Francis Ma, Firebase

Product Manager, Google, in a blog post on Wednesday.

Ma believes that Crashlytics will become the main crash reporting offering for Firebase and will augment the work that they have already done in this area. While Fabric was built on the foundation of Crashlytics, the Fabric team leveraged its success to launch a broad set of important tools, including Answers and Fastlane. “When the acquisition is complete, Google will begin providing Fabric, Crashlytics, Answers, and associated beta products,” added Rich Paret, Vice President of Engineering and General Manager of Fabric.

Facebook integrating Messenger app into desktop version

probably been hacked using this same technique).

The mail may contain some image/attachment and look very familiar –something like you had previously sent to this contact.

If you will click on the image/ attachment, it will open a new tab.

This new tab will require you to sign-in into Gmail again.

If you sign-in, you fall into the hacker’s trap laid by the hacker.

Usually it is a very unrecognisable trap. If you don’t pay attention to the location bar you might fall into the trap.

HOW TO SAFEGUARD YOURSELF FROM GMAIL PHISHING Always check the location bar.

Always verify the protocol.

Make sure you see this “https:/ /accounts.google.com”. Nothing should precede the “https://” Be mindful of the green coloured lock symbol at the left hand side of “https://” You can also activate a twofactor authentication password for better security.

New York Facebook is integrating the Messenger app into its desktop version, giving an all new messaging experience to the desktop users, as per media reports.

However, Facebook has not yet made any formal announcement about the change.

In the upgraded version, the previous inbox icon has been replaced with the Messenger icon in the blue navigation bar at the top of the screen.

When clicked, you are taken to

Seoul The world’s biggest smartphone maker Samsung blamed faulty batteries today for the fires that hit its flagship Galaxy Note 7 device last year, as it sought to draw a line under the humiliating recall.

Samsung Electronics was forced to discontinue the smartphone, originally intended to compete with Apple’s iPhone, after a chaotic recall that saw replacement devices also catching fire.

The debacle cost the South Korean company billions in lost profit and reputational damage, during a torrid period when it has also been embroiled in a corruption scandal that has seen President Park Geun-Hye impeached. Internal and independent investigations “concluded that batteries were found to be the cause of the Note 7 incidents”, Samsung said in a statement.

“We sincerely apologise for the discomfort and concern we have caused to our customers,” Koh Dong-Jin, the head of its mobile business, said, bowing before

hundreds of reporters and cameramen at a press conference in Seoul.

Samsung Electronics is the most prominent unit of the giant Samsung group, South Korea’s largest conglomerate with a revenue equivalent to about a fifth of the country’s GDP. It announced a recall of 25 lakh units of the oversized Galaxy Note 7 in September 2016 after

a revamped inbox that is similar to a Messenger.com.

On the right-hand side of the screen, the name of your friend is displayed in the selected chat, when they were recently active, and provides access to other Messenger features.

In the upgraded version, a user can search the conversation, edit nicknames, change the chat‘s colour and so on. Facebook has seen a number of updates in recent months, like introduction of Group Video Chats, games and a platform for business.

Samsung puts onus of fires on faulty battery

several devices exploded or caught fire, with the company blaming batteries from a supplier, widely believed to be its sister firm Samsung SDI. When replacement phones — with batteries from another firm, largely thought to be Chinese manufacturer ATL — also started to combust, the company decided to kill off the Note 7 for good.

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Meet women mins in UAE delegation

New Delhi FOUR women ministers are part of the delegation that will accompany UAE crown prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed during his visit to New Delhi as the chief guest for the 68th Republic Day celebrations. These ministers are: Minister of state for happiness Ohood Al Roumi, cabinet member and minister of state for tolerance Sheikha Lubna, minister of state for youth Shamma int Suhail and minister of community development Najla bint Mohammad. The strong female presence in the delegation indicates that the Emirates administration is keen to bolster its image as one that encourages women participation in public offices. Each of the ministers holds a meritorious profile. While Al Roumi is a management and economics professional with vast experience in government policy, Shamma Al Mazrui is masters in public policy from the University of Oxford. She is also the first

UAE Rhodes scholar. Sheikha Lubna is the first woman in the Emirates to hold a ministerial position and holds a degree in computer science from California State University. She is also a member of the governing board at reputed Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. Lubna is credited with ushering the Emirates into a period of unprecedented philanthropy. The oil-rich country contributed $5.4 billion (‘36,8064 crore) to foreign nations in 2013, a steep climb from the $1.6 billion (‘10,905 crore) donated in 2012. Among her first acts as minister for tolerance, Lubna led a diplomatic trip to visit with Pope Francis and other

dignitaries in June. Najla bint Mohammad received her education in IT from UAE University and management administration from the London Business School. The embassy website also mentions that “through a series of public and private sector initiatives, women are playing an increasingly stronger role in business, military and government” in United Arab Emirates. A number of strategic and economic agreements are expected to be signed during the visit, including the ‘comprehensive strategic partnership agreement’ to strengthen the diplomatic relations between the two nations.

Clips of gory beheadings in Brazil jail riots up for sale DVDs of prison massacre snuff movies showing criminals decapitating opponents during recent riots and holding aloft human hearts have gone on sale in Brazil, it has emerged.

Shocking videos, being sold for 75p (‘63) on the streets of Manaus, northern Brazil, show corpses and severed heads on the ground during a bloodbath at the city prison earlier this month.

Separate footage, believed to have been complied by prison gang members, shows more of their bloody exploits — with human hearts held up in front of a camera. About 60 inmates were killed in Manaus on January 1.

Many were beheaded and mutilated. It sparked a deadly wave of violence in jails this year that has killed at least 134 inmates. More than 30 died in a prison riot in Roraima state on January 6. A further massacre took place over the weekend with 26 prisoners killed during savage clashes between rival gangs in Alcacuz jail near the northeastern city of Natal.

Eyewitnesses said they saw prisoners making a ‘bonfire of human heads’. Inmates climbed on the roof and set up barriers of furniture with gangs vowing to behead each other. Police fired rubber bullets to try to keep apart two rival factions, sending

inmates fleeing in panic and drawing screams from their relatives gathered outside the prison walls. Two days later, crowds of prisoners were still loose in the open air between the prison blocks and the outer walls of the complex. Television images showed inmates sharpening machetes. The governor of the surrounding Rio Grande do Norte state, Robinson Faria, said authorities were working to stop the prisoners escaping from Alcacuz. It comes as Brazil’s government ordered the armed forces to help secure the country’s overcrowded jails.

After a series of violent prison riots, President Michel Temer ‘made the armed forces available to the states’ to secure their jails, a presidential spokesman said.

Experts say the violence is part of a war between drug gangs battling for control of the cocaine trade in Brazil, a key trafficking route to Europe.

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Hindu, Sikh prayers offered at Japan clears up confusion over high-tech toilets interfaith service for Trump, US

Washington Universal Hindu and Sikh prayers were offered at the interfaith service in the Washington National Cathedral on Saturday to invoke divine blessings for new President Donald Trump and the nation.

Hindu priest Narayanachar

Digalakote prayed in Sanskrit for the government leaders in the first part of the service when prayers were said for those who govern.

Jesse Singh, the founder of American Sikhs for Trump, recited in Punjabi a prayer said

by Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Sikh master, in the segment of prayers for the people.

Singh who was dressed in a suit and wore a dark turban, translated the invocation that was for unity, binding the

common bonds of all and equality.

Expanding on it, he added prayers for the most vulnerable in society and for those who perform the dangerous and dirty jobs for the well being of all.

“Bless all whose lives closely linked with ours,” he prayed.

Wearing a saffron shawl and religious markings on his forehead, Digalakote recited a ‘shloka’ or hymn to invoke divine blessings for those who govern, in the first part of the ceremony of prayers for leaders.

Unlike Singh, the Jewish rabbis and the Muslim imam, who provided translations of their prayers and religious texts, the priest of the Shiva Vishnu Temple in Lanham, a Washington suburb, walked away after his rote recitation, leaving the

Bush’s embarrassing poncho incident steals limelight

WASHINGTON Donald Trump officially became the 45th President of the United States saturday in a fancy inauguration ceremony.

Many people in the world - and, indeed, in the USA itself - aren’t very happy about this and could barely face watching the parades, speeches and balls.

But there were little snippets which made it slightly bearable.

For example, Melania Trump looking like she had stepped out of a Harry Potter film or

Impotence?

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embarrassed teen Barron Trump refusing to hold his mum’s hand.

And then it started raining, which is when George W Bush tried to put on a poncho. As it turns out, the man who led an invasion into Iraq couldn’t handle a sheet of plastic. It totally stole the show - and it cheered people up no end.

Some called it the “funniest thing they had seen in a while” and others suggested people should look at it if they’re having a horrible day.

Everyone agreed they wanted to see more footage of Bush wrestling with his poncho instead of Trump becoming President.

But there was some concern for his welfare after people thought he had ‘nearly killed himself’ with the rain cover. Basically, the world wants to thank you, George W Bush, for giving us a little bit of sunshine on a drizzly, grey day. And don’t worry about the poncho. We’ve all struggled to put one of those on - just not in front of millions of people.

congregants without an idea of what the prayer was about.

Nicknamed the “White House Priest”, Digalakote has participated in Deepavali celebrations at the White House under Barack Obama.

While most of the Christian prayers at the service were focused on Christianity, the Hindu and Sikh prayers were ecumenical, addressed to a common deity.

For the first time for either the Democratic or Republican parties, a Sikh prayer was said at the opening of the second day’s session at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland last year.

Harmeet Dhillon, the Vice Chairperson of the California State Republican Party, opened the second night of the Republican National Convention by reciting the ‘ardaas’ or prayer.

Trump has reached out to the American Hindu community, addressing a rally held by them last October, where he said he would be their friend in the White House.

After his election, Trump called out to the Hindus in the audience at a “Thank-You” rally in Florida.

Trump’s son Eric visited a Hindu temple in Orlando, Florida, in the final days before the November election and his wife, Lara, visited a temple in Chantilly, Virginia, to celebrate Deepavali.

TOKYO Japan’s toilet chiefs say they have come up with a plan to stop tourists getting their knickers in a twist over the country’s mindbogglingly high-tech loos.

Under new guidelines, manufacturers will use the same eight pictograms to tell users which button flushes, which one fires a frighteningly accurate jet of water at the backside and what to press to close the lid. Japan has been drawing record numbers of tourists in recent years and Tokyo is expecting millions of visitors when it hosts the Olympic Games in 2020.

The Japan Sanitary Equipment Industry Association hopes that ensuring all toilets have standardised images will prove just the job, ensuring millions of non-Japanese speaking visitors know the difference between a big and a small flush.Japan’s

most state-of-the-art toilets offer everything from seat warming and bidet functions to motion sensors, variable jet strengths and powerful deodorisers.

Celebrities such as Madonna, Leonardo Di Caprio and Will Smith have raved about the smart loos, which are a big hit among visiting tourists, particularly the Chinese.

But there has been no standardised set of symbols for their many buttons and different manufacturers often use their own images, representing something of a pain in the backside for unaccustomed users.Among the eight drawings are what looks like a woman sitting on a fountain for bidet function, a pair of splayed cheeks being sprayed with water for backside wash and something resembling a tornado for a big flush.

sentenced to decades in prison, and should have been released immediately.” Melinda Taylor, who also represents Assange, agreed, saying in an email that clemency was “far short of what Mr. Assange asked for and what Ms. Manning deserved (which is to be

day, accusing him of dishonesty or using Manning’s case to win publicity. “Julian Assange Backpedals on Extradition Promise in Record Time,” read one headline in tech website Gizmodo. It’s not the first time Assange’s pronouncements in

pardoned and freed immediately).”

Neither supplied any evidence that Assange had used the words “immediate” or “pardon” in relation to his extradition offer, but Pollack said it was clear that was what Assange meant, noting that the Australian computer expert had previously pushed for Manning’s pardon. “Why would he be called for Manning’s release in a few months from now?” Pollack said. “You can parse his tweets any way that you want to parse them. I think his position has been clear throughout.”

Critics of Assange had a field

relation to Manning haven’t quite worked out as advertised.

In December 2010, journalists revealed that WikiLeaks had failed to honour a pledge to help support Manning’s legal defence fund.It was only after the story was aired in the media that WikiLeaks paid up, reducing its expected contribution from USD 50,000 to USD 20,000 and then finally to USD 15,100, according to press accounts at the time.

Even earlier, in June 2010, WikiLeaks said that claims “that we have been sent 260,000 classified US embassy cables are, as far as we can tell, incorrect.”

WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange retreats from extradition pledge

Paris WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange retreated from his pledge to accept extradition to the US if Chelsea Manning was granted clemency, arguing via his lawyers that what he was really asking for was an immediate pardon for the ex-Army analyst.

It was only last week that Assange raised eyebrows across the internet when he appeared to offer himself up as a kind of swap for Manning, the former private convicted of leaking the hundreds of thousands of documents that made WikiLeaks a household name.

“If Obama grants Manning clemency Assange will agree to US extradition despite clear unconstitutionality of DoJ case,” WikiLeaks said, apparently referring to the US Department of Justice’s continuing investigation into the radical transparency website. But when Obama granted clemency to Manning on Tuesday, setting a May release date that lops almost 30 years off her sentence, Assange’s lawyers said it wasn’t enough.

“There’s no question that what President Obama did is not what Assange was seeking,” said Barry Pollack, who represents the WikiLeaks chief in the United States, yesterday.

“Mr Assange was saying that Chelsea should never have been prosecuted, never have been

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Rly clerk punished for refusing to sing duet with her boss AT Asia’s largest workplace, “duty” and “duet” are sometimes synonymous. Amid a spate of train mishaps over the past year, Indian Railways has struck a sour note by punishing a female clerk for refusing to sing along with a senior officer at a cultural event.

Anjali Tiwari was suspended and issued a show cause notice asking why disciplinary action should not be taken against after she refused to perform alongside South East Central Railway general manager Satyendra Kumar. Divisional railway manager (DRM) Rahul Gautam issued a letter, saying he asked Tiwari on January 15, the day of the final rehearsal of a cultural event to be held on January 16, to prepare a few duets that she was supposed to sing with the GM. “During the programme, when the General Manager expressed his desire to sing one particular song, Tiwari refused under the pretext that she had not come prepared to sing the song,” the note said. However, when Mail Today contacted Satyendra Kumar, he expressed surprise over the order and promised to take strict action against the DRM. “I did not have any knowledge about the notice issued to Anjali Tiwari. When I came to know about it from social media, my family members and I were shocked,” Kumar told MAIL TODAY. “I was also out of the headquarters. As I joined office today, I immediately cancelled that order. Her suspension is revoked with

immediate effect. I will also take action against the officer concerned as per the rules.”

Tiwari could not be reached for comment. Mail Today has a copy of a circular dated January 17 that says a cultural event and gettogether was organised on January 16, where Tiwari, who was hired by the Chhattisgarh Railways under the cultural quota, was supposed to sing with Kumar. The note mentions that she flatly refused to perform the duet song on the pretext that she had not come prepared for it. The next day, Gautam suspended Tiwari. The woman was asked to explain why disciplinary action should not be taken against her as she

Indian-origin man, who made 3,000 harassing calls to officials, convicted

New York An Indian-origin man who made more than 3,000 phone calls to officials, some with death threats, has been convicted by a federal court in Sacramento, according to prosecutors.

Eastern California Federal Prosecutor Phillip A. Talbert said on Friday that a federal jury found Kulwant “Ken” Singh Sandhu, 56, guilty on two charges of making harassing calls. The case was prosecuted by Assistant Federal Prosecutors Nirav Desai and James Conolly before Federal Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. The prosecution said that from about 2012 Sandhu started making harassing phone calls to the staff of the Securities

and Exchange Commission (SEC) in Washington and to private individuals and in 2015 alone he made more than 3,000 calls and left 350 voicemails. The SEC regulates the stock markets and the securities industry. “His voicemails were profanity-filled tirades that repeatedly called for SEC personnel and others to be, among other things, rounded up, publicly hanged, water-boarded, burned alive, shot, and blown up with rockets and tanks,” the prosecutor’s office said. “His comments were often sexually graphic and targeted individuals.”

He is to be sentenced in April and faces a maximum of two years in prison for each of the two charges he was convicted of.

“committed gross misconduct” and “failed to maintain absolute devotion” to her duty. “Being an employee appointed under Cultural Quota, she is not supposed to refuse to perform when instructions in advance were given to her by the undersigned (the divisional railway manager).

This shows her casual/ irresponsible attitude towards her work. I have taken a serious view of this,” Gautam said in the signed letter. “She should be immediately taken up under DAR (Discipline & Appeal Rules).

Extinction threatens some 60pc of primates

WASHINGTON From gorillas to gibbons, about 60 percent of primates, the closest biological relatives to human beings, are threatened by extinction due largely to human activities, a study has found.

“This truly is the eleventh hour for many of these creatures,” said University of Illinois anthropology professor Paul Garber, who cowrote the study published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances. Researchers reported that about 60 percent of primate species are threatened with extinction, while around 75 percent of species have declining populations. Only a few thousand individuals remain in several species of lemurs, monkeys and apes, the report said.

Among these are the ring-tailed lemur, Udzunga red colobus monkey, Yunnan snub-nosed monkey and Grauer’s gorilla.

Fewer than 30 Hainan gibbons, which live in China, remain alive, the report said.Hunting, the illegal pet trade and loss of habitat to humans who continue to cut trees, build roads, mine and cultivate the land in primate habitats have contributed to the decreased numbers. “These primates cling to life in the forests of countries such as China, Madagascar, Indonesia, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo,” Garber said.

Just four countries are home to two thirds of all primate species: Brazil, DR Congo, Indonesia and Madagascar. “Sadly, in the next 25 years, many of these primate species will disappear unless we make conservation a global priority,” Garber said.

One solution, the researchers said, is easing human population growth, thereby keeping people from encroaching on primate territory.

US Supreme Court hears case on Muslims rounded up after 9/11 Washington Muslims in the United States who were rounded up and detained in the immediate aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks took their case before the US Supreme Court.

The US high court reviewed whether the men, who say they were held after the Al-Qaeda attack based solely on their identity as Arab Muslims, had the right to sue top US officials including then-attorney general John Ashcroft and Federal Bureau of Investigation director Robert Mueller, for their allegedly illegal detention.

The men were among 750 Muslims rounded up after the terror attacks, many on grounds that they did not have legal US immigration papers. They said they were held in small isolation cells for up to 23 hours at a stretch and subjected to mental and physical abuse. They were held in detention for three to eight months. A lower court had ruled in the men’s favor, and the officials appealed that to the Supreme Court yesterday, arguing that the national security and immigration requirements of the time justified the sweeping arrests.

A ruling on whether the men had

a right to sue rests on court precedents involving constitutional protections against illegal search and

Obama administration came in on the side of Ashcroft, Mueller and the others being sued.

“This is something that was done

seizure. But Justice Stephen Breyer got to the hub of the broader case: whether the atmosphere at the time justified such a broad reaction. “I can understand after a bomb attack and 3,000 people are killed,” Breyer said.

“I can understand that the first reaction of the law enforcement authorities is pick up anybody you might think is connected, and we’ll worry about the rest of it later.” “Now, eight months?…

The answer is pick up anybody who might have a connection, and then just keep them there?” he asked. The current Barack

as the officials are trying to sort through how to respond to the very difficult situation,” said Justice Department Lawyer Ian Gershengorn. “Some of the people on the list had ties to terrorism — may have had ties to terrorism. Some of them may well not have,” he said. But officials had to take the time to figure that out, and in the meanwhile did not violate any laws, including those on discrimination, he said. But Rachel Meeropol, arguing for the men who had been detained, said it was an issue of illegal discrimination.

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Audiobooks see boom in digital, multitasking age

NEW YORK Curling up with a paperback may be a forgotten luxury for many thanks to today’s busy lifestyles, but listening to a book on the go, while shopping or jogging, is fast becoming the new

norm. Gone are the cumbersome cassette sets that could cost three times as much as an oldfashioned book and often featured only excerpts to cut down on costs. Now, audiobooks are just a click away and can be uploaded onto a smartphone for the same, if not lower, price as the print edition. Mary Beth Roche, president and publisher of Macmillan Audio, says their reader feedback suggests many use audiobooks as a “multitasking tool,” a way to “consume books when their eyes are busy.”

For others — whose work lives may involve long stretches at the screen — they are a way to unplug. “It’s sort of nice to sit back, and relax and have a story told to you,” said Roche.Some 35,574 audiobook titles were released in the United States in 2015, according to the Audio Publishers Association, an eightfold increase over five years. That year, sales of books read out loud reached $1.77 billion, an annual jump of 20 percent.

According to the Author Earnings website, Amazon largely dominates the market — even more so than for the print book industry — with around 119,000 audiobooks sold per day in January 2016.

At the core of its earnings is industry leader Audible, which Amazon bought in 2008. The tech and retail giant also offers subscription deals, including one book per month for $14.95.

Most major publishers now have dedicated audiobook teams.

In the United States, audiobooks have long been serious business — simply because Americans on average spend so much time in their cars.“What we found out is that’s a way for consumers to make that time in traffic, quality time,” said Roche.

“Even way back when it was the cassette and then the CD, the number one place that people listen is in the car. We do find that a long car trip or a long commute is often what triggers someone to try an audiobook and to experience it for the first time and then they find other places where they can listen.”

When audiobooks became available in digital format, people started using them during other activities — when out shopping or jogging, performing household

President Trump deletes misspelled tweet saying he’s ‘honered’ to serve America

Washington The President has had some trouble with his spelling.

Donald Trump tweeted Saturday that “I am honered to serve you, the great American People, as your 45th President of the United States!” He misspelled “honored” by swapping in an “e’’ for an “o.”

The president posted the incorrectly spelled tweet at 11:57 a.m. Twelve minutes later, it was deleted and the message was re-posted, this time with the

correct spelling.

Trump posted the incorrect tweet from his original @realdonaldtrump account, not his new @POTUS handle. He then posted the same message, with a photo, from the new account.

The deletion raises questions about whether a deleted Trump tweet would run afoul of the Presidential Records Act, which requires the preservation of presidential communications.

tasks or crafting.

For thriller author John Hart, gyms and shops are not necessarily the best place to enjoy a book.

“But if it’s a quite contemplative type of environment, driving or working in a quiet manner, it’s probably a great way to experience these books,” he said.

“Driving your car on a long trip I find for instance an audiobook is every bit as satisfying as sitting in a quiet room and reading and in fact it can even become more so completely immersive. I’d lose myself in the experience.”

The audio rights for Hart’s first book were sold to Recorded Books. After that, his publisher Macmillan sought to retain control of the audiobook as well as the print rights.

Anthony Goff, senior vice president at Hachette Book Group, noted that authors today have a much keener interest than before in the audiobook version of their works, sometimes suggesting readers or offering to do the reading themselves.

Most celebrities who recently published autobiographical works in the United States also provided recordings of the volumes, including Bruce Springsteen, Carrie Fisher and Bernie Sanders.On average, audiobooks account for 10 percent of sales of the print version, said Roche. But the figure is greater for some genres, such as science fiction, fantasy and especially self-help works.

Belgian court upholds jail time for French comic

BRUSSELS A Belgian court on Friday upheld French comedian Dieudonne’s two-month jail sentence for incitement to hatred over alleged racist and anti-Semitic comments during a show in Belgium, a lawyer said.

Dieudonne M’Bala M’Bala, who has faced similar court cases in France, also had his 9,000-euro ($9,566) fine confirmed by the appeals court in the eastern city of Liege, said Eric Lemmens, a lawyer for Belgium’s Jewish organisations. “The appeals court in Liege upheld the verdict from criminal court in Liege,” Lemmens told AFP. He said the court warned the comedian he would be sentenced to “three extra months in prison if he fails to pay the fine.” It is unlikely Dieudonne will serve any jail time because the Belgian authorities usually do not to

enforce short sentences to avoid overcrowding in prison. But court sources could not immediately be reached to confirm this or say whether he was again absent from the proceedings. The lower court ruling in November 2015 convicted Dieudonne of “both incitement to hatred and hate speech but also Holocaust denial” relating to a show in Liege in 2012, Lemmens said at the time.The performer, who made his name in a double act with Jewish comedian Elie Semoun, is infamous for his trademark “quenelle” hand gesture that looks like an inverted Nazi salute but which he insists is merely anti-establishment.

French courts have hauled him up over a string of comments which opponents say are bluntly racist while supporters champion his right to free speech.

New US legislation to tighten H-1B visas to foreign techies

WASHINGTON Two powerful US Senators have announced they will introduce a legislation which, if passed by the Congress, would give preference to foreigners studying in American universities, a move that will tighten the noose around the H-1B visa programme and could hurt Indian IT firms.

The bill- to be introduced by Senator Chuck Grassley and Dick Durban- will require US Citizenship and Immigration Services to prioritise for the first time annual allocation of H-1B visas. It will ensure the “best and brightest” students being educated in the US receive preference for an H-1B visa, a statement issued by the Senators said.The preference system also gives a leg up to advanced degree holders, those being paid a high wage, and those with valuable skills, it said.

“Congress created these programmes to complement America’s high-skilled workforce, not replace it.

Unfortunately, some companies are trying to exploit the programmes by cutting American workers for cheaper labour,”

Grassley said. “We need programmes dedicated to putting American workers first. When skilledforeign workers are needed to meet the demands of

Congress’ original intent in the H-1B and L-1 visa programmes by increasing enforcement, modifying wage requirements and securing protections for both

our labour market, we must also ensure that visa applicants who honed their skills at American colleges and universities are a priority over the importation of more foreign workers,” he said.

“Our bill takes these steps to ensure that the programmes work for Americans and skilled foreign workers alike,” said Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The legislation restores

American workers and visa holders.“Reforming the H-1B and L-1 visa programmes is a critical component of fixing our broken immigration system and must be included in comprehensive immigration reform legislation,” Durbin said.“For years, foreign outsourcing companies have used loopholes in the laws to displace qualified American workers and facilitate the outsourcing of American jobs.

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S Korea minister resigns after arrest over arts blacklist SEOUL South Korea’s culture minister resigned after being arrested Saturday for allegedly creating a “blacklist” of nearly 10,000 artists who voiced criticism of

impeached President Park Geun-Hye. Cho Yoon-Sun, who is the first minister in active service to be arrested in South Korea, is accused of creating the vast catalogue to starve the artists of government subsidies and private investments and place them under state surveillance.

The list’s existence has sparked widespread anger, raising the spectre of Seoul’s 1960-80s army-backed rule - including under dictator Park Chung-Hee, the impeached leader’s late father - when the news, arts and entertainment were heavily censored. Shortly after her arrest, Cho tendered her resignation to Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-Ahn, a spokesman

for the prime minister’s office said.

The Seoul Central District Court had issued a warrant to arrest Cho on charges of abuse of authority and perjury following a

request from prosecutors.

Cho, 50, known as “Park’s Cinderella”, is a staunch loyalist of the impeached president and previously served as the minister for gender equality.

The court also issued an arrest warrant for Kim Ki-Choon, a powerful former chief of staff for Park. Kim is accused of ordering Cho to create the list of “leftleaning” artists.

Kim, 78, a former top intelligence official, came under fire for his alleged involvement in human rights abuses committed under Park’s father.

“Charges are verified... and there are risks of the accused seeking to destroy evidence”, a court judge said in a statement issuing the warrants for Cho and Kim.

Robot reporter gets its first news article published

Beijing A robot journalist made its debut in a Chinese daily today with a 300 characters-long article written in just a second, scientists say. The article, published in the Guangzhoubased Southern Metropolis Daily, focused on the Spring Festival travel rush. Its author, Xiao Nan, took only a second to finish writing the piece and is able to write both short stories and longer reports, according to Wan Xiaojun, a professor at Peking University who leads the team studying and developing such robots.

“When compared with the staff reporters, Xiao Nan has a stronger data analysis capacity

and is quicker at writing stories,” he said. “But it does not mean intelligent robots will soon be able to completely replace reporters,” Xiaojun was quoted as saying by ‘China Daily’. Such experiments were creating unease among the staff of the state-run media outlets as they might lose their jobs in the long run.

At present, robots are unable to conduct face-to-face interviews, cannot respond intuitively with follow-up questions and do not have the ability to select the news angle from an interview or conversation, Xiaojun said. “But robots will be able to act as a supplement, helping newspapers and related media, as well as editors and reporters,” he said.

Some Korean media reports have alleged that Park asked for the blacklist to be drawn up, while others said she approved it.

Prosecutors questioned Cho and Kim as part of their probe into a wider political scandal involving Park and her confidante, Choi Soon-Sil, who is currently on trial for abuse of power and coercion.

Park stands accused of colluding with Choi to coerce top local firms including Samsung to “donate” nearly $70 million to non-profit foundations Choi later used for personal gain.

She is also accused of letting Choi, who has no title or security clearance, meddle in a wide range of state affairs including nomination of senior officials.

Park was impeached by parliament last month and Seoul’s Constitutional Court is currently reviewing the validity of the motion, with the frequency of hearings sparking speculation that it might reach a verdict before mid-March.

The scandal has already seen more than a dozen former senior officials and presidential aides arrested.

But the Seoul Central District Court this week rejected a prosecution request for the arrest of Samsung heir Lee Jae-Yong who is accused of bribing Choi in a bid to seek governmental favours - citing lack of evidence.

‘Lambada’ singer Loalwa Braz found dead in Brazil: Police

Rio De Janeiro The singer of Latin pop hit “La Lambada,” Loalwa Braz, was found dead today in a burnedout car in her native Brazil, police and media said. Braz, 63, provided the sensual lead vocals for the international hit song released by French group Kaoma in 1989. A police official told AFP that firefighters found Braz in the coastal town of Saquerema near Rio de Janeiro.

Brazilian media said firefighters were called to the singer’s home and found her body totally burned inside the car. News site G1 citing police said armed men had been seen near her home during the night but it was too soon to say whether they were linked to Braz’s death.

Braz’s parents were both musicians and she started out in the profession herself at the age of 13. She performed with Brazilian greats such as Gilberto

Gil and Caetano Veloso. She lived in France for several years in the 1980s. Her hit song featured in an advert for the soft drink Orangina.

“It is sad. She was a warm and likeable person,” said another Brazilian singer who knew her, Ricardo Vilas. “But she was also fragile and suffered a lot of difficulties” with the taxman and an abusive husband, Vilas told AFP.

galleries: Tate Britain in London, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives.

Balshaw will quit as director of the Whitworth Art Gallery in the run down Manchester neighbourhood of Moss Side.

She oversaw its £17 million ($20.6 million, 19.3 million euros) renovation and helped it win Museum of the Year in 2015.

She is also director of Manchester Art Gallery and the Gallery of Costume, and director of culture for Manchester City Council.

Balshaw earned a reputation as a champion of live and

performing art with one installation consisting of an artist spending 65 consecutive days in front of a live audience, eating, sleeping, and drawing.

She has been credited with significantly expanding the collections of the galleries she leads.

“The trustees and I know that Maria has the vision, drive and stature to lead Tate into its next phase of development,” said Tate chairman of trustees John Browne. “We enthusiastically look forward to working with her as she does so.”

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UK’s Tate art galleries get first female chief LONDON Britain’s prestigious Tate institution that houses four of the country’s best known art galleries Tuesday announced it would have its first female director with the appointment of Maria Balshaw. The 46-year-old will succeed Nicholas Serota in one of the most influential jobs in the country’s arts industry after transforming Manchester’s cultural landscape. “I am honoured to be asked by the trustees of Tate to become the new director,” said Balshaw, who takes over on June 1. “Under Nicholas Serota’s leadership, Tate has changed forever how we all think about art and artists and has made visual art a central part of a vibrant cultural life in the UK.” The incoming director, Tate’s ninth, vowed to develop the institution’s “reputation as the most artistically adventurous and culturally inclusive gallery in the world.” Serota has run Tate for almost 30 years, transforming it into a global brand, and is leaving to become chairman of Arts Council England. He masterminded the creation of London’s Tate Modern, the world’s most popular modern art museum, and oversaw the institution’s other three

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Arvind Kejriwal hits out at Election Commission, asks does poll panel take orders from Narendra Modi Panji A day after the Election Commission of India (ECI) has censured Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for violating the

Arvind Kejriwal accused PM Modi of deliberately interfering in activities of government institutes to suppress the opposition.

“Actually, during Modi’s tenure,

provisions of the Model Code of Conduct, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor hit out at the poll panel, wondering if it was taking orders from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). Arvind Kejriwal, who is campaigning for his AAP for Goa Assembly elections, alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is controlling several institution including the Election Commission of India (ECI).“The EC actually waits for Modi’s speech in Lucknow to announce the dates (for polls)… their independence is under question,” said Arvind Kejriwal while speaking to Times of India. ”Do you believe it’s a coincidence?.. They actually wanted to keep us engaged here (in Goa),” the AAP chief alleged.

he has compromised most institutions. RBI… CBI…CIC have become a joke. One of the information commissioners said show Modi’s degrees and he was transferred… (With the) new charge he got, he said show Smriti Irani’s degrees, again he was transferred. Is this the way you run a government?” asked Arvind Kejriwal.Referring to questioning of Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia by the CBI and interrogation AAP’s CM candidate in Goa Elvis Gomes by the anti-corruption branch, Arvind Kejriwal said, “It’s all political victimisation… When Modiji came to power… he used to abuse Vadra and Congressmen. He never said a word against AAP. But in the

Chandigarh With battle lines drawn for the February 4 polls to Punjab Assembly, a high-octane battle of ballot is on the cards especially in some of the constituencies where the heavyweights of the three main parties are contesting. The new entrant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is adding a third dimension to the contest which has been dominated by Congress and Akali Dal-BJP alliance so far.

All eyes will be riveted on the high-profile constituencies of Lambi, Jalalabad, Amritsar east, Lehragagga, Patiala and Batala seats as elections will be held for the 117-member Assembly.

Lambi, a pocket borough of chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, is set to witness a keen battle with Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh challenging the Akali patriarch and AAP’s Jarnail Singh making in roads into traditional votes of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). Besides, deputy chief minister and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal is locked in a fierce battle in Jalalabad against AAP’s Bhagwant Mann and Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu. At Lehragagga, former chief minister

Rajinder Kaur Bhattal is seeking re-election and burning mid night oil to oppose SAD’s heavyweight leader and finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa, who has changed his seat from Sunam in this polls. Former soldiers Captain (retd) Amarinder

past two and a half years, he has not arrested them, but our 20 MLAs have been arrested.”

Arvind Kejriwal’s accusation on the Election Commission of India came after the poll panel censured him for violating the Model Code of Conduct, warning him of stern action in case of similar violations in future. ”The Election Commission hereby, censures you (Kejriwal) for violating the provisions of the MCC and expects you shall be more circumspect in your public utterances during election time,” said an EC order to Kejriwal.

Arvind Kejriwal is said to have violated the Model Code by “deliberately and intentionally” instigating the public to take bribes for voting in Goa assembly elections on February 4.

Speaking at four rallies in Goa on January 8, Kejriwal said people should not just accept Rs 5,000, but demand Rs 10,000 from politicians keen on offering them money, but vote for the AAP.In his reply to the poll panel, Kejriwal had not denied making the remarks and had maintained that he had neither offered any bribe to any elector nor enticed the voters to accept any pecuniary benefit from any person. The AAP chief termed “illegal, unconstitutional and wrong” the EC order censuring him and said, “I would be challenging the Election Commission’s order.”

Kitten rescued, found frozen to blanket

UTAH A kitten was dropped off at a Humane Society in Utah after being found frozen to a blanket.

The Humane Society of Utah shared photos of the kitten they named Elsa and used the opportunity to remind residents in the state to keep their pets inside during the cold weather.

“With a Winter Storm Warning in effect throughout most of northern Utah, we wanted to remind everyone to bring their pets inside or provide them adequate shelter,” the Humane Society said. “This kitten was brought to the HSU last night by a good Samaritan who found her frozen to a blanket.” Director of Marketing and Communications for Humane Society of Utah told WQAD Elsa arrived at the

shelter in poor shape and staff was unsure whether she would survive. “It was very skinny, it had gone without food for a while, frozen to the blanket,” Shepherd said. “It’s ears had a little frostbite on it. So it took some time for us to be able to re-warm the animal.” The staff named the kitten after Princess Elsa from the Disney film Frozen because of her icy rescue and her vocal prowess. “Our foster staff named her Elsa because she loves to sing to get people over to her kennel,” the Humane Society said. To prevent other kittens from suffering Elsa’s fate, the Humane Society also recommended pet owners provide straw for their pets to rest on instead of blankets that can absorb water and then freeze.

Trump waxwork Battle lines drawn in Punjab joins world leaders with a three-way contest at Paris museum

Singh of Congress and Gen (retd) J J Singh of SAD are fighting it out from Patiala urban seat, a traditional bastion of Congress. Cricketer-turnedpolitician Navjot Singh Sidhu is a key man to watch from Amritsar east as he is in fray on Congress ticket, while AAP’s Gurpreet Singh Ghuggi is battling it out from Batala. A total of 1,146 candidates are in the fray for Punjab Assembly polls which is set to witness three-cornered contest between SAD-BJP, Congress and new entrant AAP. Other political outfits in the fray include BSP, former AAP leader Sucha Singh Chottepur-led Apna Punjab Party, the Left

comprising CPI and CPI(M), and SAD-Amritsar. The Assembly election in Punjab is also considered a test of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity post demonetisation.

SAD has fielded candidates in 94 seats while its ally BJP has nominated candidates in remaining 23 seats. Congress is contesting alone on all seats.

AAP, which is contesting Punjab polls for first time, has fielded its candidates in 112 seats, while its ally Lok Insaf Party, led by Ludhiana-based Bains brothers, have fielded its nominees in five seats. Punjab was the only state which gave AAP its four MPs in the 2014 parliamentary election.

Just like AAP’s performance in 2014, its fortunes in the state remain unpredictable. Just a year ago, AAP seemed unbeatable, but now appears on a sticky wicket, political observers said.

More than the opposition, the party suffered due to blows from within. Most of the prominent faces it fielded in 2014 or those who joined it then have either been kicked out or pushed to fringe.

Allegations of corruption in ticket allocation, infighting and stings by party activists on each other are some of the hurdles AAP faces.

PARIS/LONDON On the eve of his inauguration as US president, Donald Trump was already standing among world leaders at the Grevin wax museum in Paris on Thursday though the sculptor admits the hair posed a challenge. Sculpted in record time - just over two months - after the museum was wrong-footed by Trump’s shock victory over Hillary Clinton, the wax likeness stands next to one of German leader Angela Merkel and at arm’s length from Vladimir Putin of Russia.The museum

was so certain that Clinton would win the November election that it decided to forgo the trouble of sculpting statues for both candidates. “We should have had both ready, to be safe,” said sculptor Eric Saint Chaffray. “So we were under time pressure,” he told AFP, adding that he worked from photos and videos.

Meanwhile, A Donald Trump waxwork was unveiled on Wednesday at Madame Tussauds museum in London, complete with his signature suntan - and yak hair.

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Meritocratic America could have woman, Latino or Hindu President in future: Barack Obama WASHINGTON As long as the United States recognizes merit and provides equal opportunity to all, it will have not just a woman president but could also see a Latino

that’s fine,” he added amid laughter. Obama’s remarks came when he was asked if, as the country’s first black president, he expected to something like this again, amid

President, a Jewish President, and a Hindu president in the future, America’s first mixedrace President Barack Obama said in his final press conference+ in the White House.“I think we’re going to see people of merit rise up from every race, faith, corner of this country.

Because that’s America’s strength. If in fact we continue to keep opportunity open to everybody, then yeah, we’re going to have a woman president.

We’re going to have a Latino president. And we’ll have a Jewish president, a Hindu president,” Obama said at a farewell pow-wow with the media.

“I suspect we’ll have a whole bunch of mixed up presidents at some point that nobody really knows what to call them. And

some political chatter that the Trump victory was the result of a backlash or a whitelash against minorityism. But Obama’s expansive reply on the need for the United States to recognize the inequality that was pervasive in the country and to be more inclusive, while largely relating to minorities, also took into account the constituency that voted for Trump.

“There are a whole bunch of folks who voted for the president-elect because they feel forgotten and disenfranchised. They feel as if they’re being looked down on.

They feel as if their kids aren’t going to have the same opportunities as they did. You don’t want to have an America in which a very small sliver of people are doing really well, and

GENEVA Last year was Earth’s warmest on record, according to data compiled by the UN, confirming US findings that heat records were broken for a third year in 2016.The study by the World Meteorological Organization found that global average temperatures were about 1.1 degree Celsius (1.98 Fahrenheit) above the pre-industrial period, and about 0.07 degrees Celsius above the record set in 2015.

“2016 was an extreme year for the global climae and stands out as the hottest year on record,” said Petteri Taalas, the agency’s secretary general.

“Long-term indicators of humancaused climate change reached new heights in 2016,” he said in a statement.“We have also broken sea ice minimum records in the Arctic and Antarctic,” he said, adding that the Arctic was warming twice as fast as the global average.

He also said the analysis found that atmospheric concentrations of both carbon dioxide and methane reached record levels.

The agency based its findings on data from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, the UK’s Met Office

Hadley Centre, and the University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit.

According to Nasa figures, 2016 is now the warmest year in a record that dates back to 1880.

“2015 has been the warmest year on record up until now, so 2016 has just beaten that and and it’s beaten that by about 0.1- 0.12 of a degree Celsius, which doesn’t seem like a lot, but in terms of the year to year variations it’s actually huge,” Dr Gavin Schmidt from Nasa told BBC News. “And so this is a very clear record that we’re seeing, is driven mainly by changes in the tropical Pacific where we had an El Niño event that produced a lot of warmth.

But we’ve also seen long term trends in warming mostly due to the increasing greenhouse gases.”

Other factors that have impacted temperatures in 2016 included unusual warmth in the Arctic.

While the sea ice extent there last year didn’t break the record, the mercury stayed high and the smaller amount of ice now present in the region is at unprecedented levels for the time of year.

A number of meteorological agencies from around the world have released their figures today.

Sisi reopens Egypt’s Islamic museum damaged in bombing

everybody else is fighting for scraps,” he said.

Trump, who will move in the White House on Friday after the noon inauguration was the 800lb gorilla in the room, with many of Obama’s remarks obliquely directed at him even when his name was not mentioned.

Even in his preamble outlining his relationship with the media, he told the press corps “having you in this building has made this place work better. It keeps us honest, it makes us work harder.” It was a dig at his successor, who wants to evict the media from the White House.

“That does not, of course, mean that I’ve enjoyed every story that you have filed, but that’s the point of this relationship. You’re not supposed to be fans, you’re supposed to be skeptics, you’re supposed to ask me tough questions. You’re ... supposed to cast a critical eye and make sure that we are accountable to the people who sent us here, and you have done that,” he said in remarks that contrasted sharply with the outlook of his successor, who has already development a reputation of being a thin-skinned narcissist at war with the press.Asked what he intended to do after leaving the White House, Obama’s response was utterly self-effacing, and again, in sharp contrast to the constant selfaggrandizement of his successor : “I want to do some writing. I want to be quiet a little bit and not hear myself talk so darn much.

CAIRO Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi reopened the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo on Wednesday, three years after a car bombing partially destroyed the building. The museum, which boasts about 100,000 relics including a sword said to have belonged to the Prophet Mohamed, holds one of the largest Islamic civilisation collections in the world. The museum in central Cairo had been partially destroyed after a massive car bomb went off outside nearby police headquarters in January 2014, in an attack claimed by Egyptian jihadists.

The blast damaged 179 relics

They all suggest that warming in 2016 was a record that had an important contribution from El Niño.

The Met Office says it

so a majority of it is coming from global warming and the greenhouse effect.”

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), which

contributed about 0.2C to the annual average for 2016.

However, researchers believe that while this is substantial, it is not the whole story.

“We understand the contribution El Niño makes fairly well and we’ve seen it many times,” said Prof Ellie Highwood from the University of Reading.

“But even if you take that contribution away, we would expect 2015 and 2016 to still be the warmest years we’ve seen,

pulls together temperature data from a number of sources, agrees that 2016 broke the record by 0.07C. Not all of the reports on temperature data in 2016 are clear that the warmest year record has been broken.

The Met Office says that 2016 was 0.77 above the long term rate, but with a plus or minus error margin of 0.1C, meaning that last year was at the very least, one of the two warmest years on

including glass lanterns from the era of the Mamluks, the slave warrior caste that directly ruled Egypt from the 13th to the 16th centuries.

Antiquities Minister Khaled elEnany said 160 relics have been restored, at the reopening ceremony attended by Sisi and aired on television.

Three new exhibit rooms have been built, with the museum now showing 4,400 relics, from more than 1,450 before the bombing, he said.

Several countries have funded the restoration, including the United Arab Emirates which contributed about $8 million, and the United Nations cultural organisation UNESCO.

2016 was warmest year on record record.

“The final figures confirm that 2016 was yet another extremely warm year,” said Peter Stott from the Met Office.

“The temperature for last year was very close to the year before, temperatures for 2016 exceeding those for 2015 by a small margin.”

Regardless of the small margins, when the new data on 2016 is included, 15 of the warmest 16 years on record have now occurred since 2001.

According to Noaa (the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), the only year from the 20th century to break into the top 16 is 1998, and which ranks seventh warmest.

This prolonged period of warming was having significant impacts around the world.

“We have also broken sea ice minimum records in the Arctic and Antarctic,” said Petteri Taalas from the WMO. “The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the global average. The persistent loss of sea-ice is driving weather, climate and ocean circulation patterns in other parts of the world. We also have to pay attention to the potential release of methane from melting permafrost,” he said.

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Croc kills Australian at Humans, not climate, dangerous river crossing killed off Australian beasts PARIS Humans exterminated an array of weird and wonderful Australian creatures within only 4,000 years of arriving on the continent, according to a study published

Friday that shifted blame away from climate change. Before the arrival of homo sapiens, Australia boasted 450-kilogramme (1,000pound) kangaroos, wombats weighing as much as a rhino, eight-metre (25-foot) lizards, larger-than-human birds, and carsized tortoises. More than 85 percent of Australia’s big mammals, birds and reptiles went extinct “shortly” after our species appeared, a team of scientists reported in the journal Nature Communications. The cause of the megafauna die-off Down Under some 45,000 years ago has been the subject of much scientific debate. A study in Proceedings of the National

Academy of Sciences in 2013 said Australia’s giant animals were already mostly extinct by the time humans arrived - and pointed the finger at climate change. That study, based on

fossil finds, said there was no evidence that a human ever killed a single mega-animal - many of which were herbivores. The new research, on the contrary, concluded the mass extinction was much more likely caused by “overkill”, specifically the hunting of juvenile animals.

The team based its findings on the remains of ancient megafauna excrement found in a sediment core drilled in the Indian Ocean, off the southwest Australian coast.

The core contains chronological layers of material that was blown or swept from the land into the sea, including dust, ash, and spores from a fungus that thrived

Seven held over $72 million Amsterdam diamond heist from 2005

Seven people have been arrested over the robbery of $72 million (67 million euros) in jewellery, one the world’s biggest ever heists, from Amsterdam’s airport nearly 12 years ago, authorities said Saturday. The diamonds and jewellery were taken during the hold up of a KLM armoured car in a highsecurity portion of Schiphol airport in February 2005, police said in a statement. Though the thieves were armed, no one was hurt in the heist. Police “carried out, on Friday January 20 and Saturday January 21, 2017, a total of seven arrests in connection with the diamond theft at Schiphol airport in February 2005 and money laundering,” the statement said.

The five male and two female suspects, all Dutch nationals,

were arrested in Amsterdam and Valencia, in eastern Spain. While some of the stolen diamonds were found in an escape vehicle immediately after the heist, the rest -- valued at $43 million -remain unaccounted for. Four people had been arrested soon after the incident, one of the Netherlands’ worst cases of theft.

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in the dung of plant-eating creatures, the University of Colorado at Boulder, which took part in the study, said in a statement.

This allowed the team to “look back in time” and reconstruct climate and ecosystem conditions up to 150,000 years ago.

The abundance of fungus spores in the core “is good evidence for a lot of large mammals on the southwestern Australian landscape up until about 45,000 years ago,” CU Boulder scientist Gifford Miller explained.

“Then, in a window of time lasting just a few thousand years, the megafauna population collapsed” - and that within 4,000 years of human occupation of the continent. The environment in southwest Australia changed from a dense eucalyptus woodland to arid, open shrubland about 70,000 years ago - some 23,000 years before evidence for the presence of humans on the continent. The team found no association between environmental change and megafauna extinction, or evidence that the animals suffering a slow demise as the area became drier.

“These findings rule out climate change, and implicate humans as the primary extinction cause,” the researchers concluded.

SYDNEY A large crocodile has killed a man at a notorious crossing on the East Alligator River in northern Australia, police said Friday. Official guidelines warn against trying to walk over Cahill’s Crossing which has seen numerous attacks and was swollen by recent rains. Despite danger signs, the 47-year-old from a remote community in the Northern Territory waded across behind two women on Thursday afternoon.

“The two females made it across, however the male was reported missing a short time later,” police superintendent Warren Jackson said in a statement. Authorities shot dead the 3.3-metre (11-foot) crocodile and recovered the man’s body about two kilometres (1.2 miles) downstream near Kakadu National Park. “Cahill’s Crossing

is notorious for crocodiles and to walk across it to me is just foolishness,” duty superintendent Bob Harrison told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. “You are tempting fate, knowing the size of the crocodiles in that area.” Australia is home to freshwater and saltwater crocodiles with the more feared “salties” growing up to seven metres long. Saltwater croc numbers have exploded since they were declared a protected species and a spate of recent attacks has reignited debate about controlling them.

Government estimates put the national population at around 100,000.They only kill an average of two people each year, but several high-profile attacks, including a woman snatched in May during a late-night swim off a beach in Queensland state, have renewed calls for culls.

Ultrafast cameras capture ‘sonic booms’ of light for first time

LONDON For the first time, scientists have captured the elusive light scattering phenomenon that occurs when a particle travels at supersonic speed. This event, known as the Mach cone, is much like the sonic boom of an airplane traveling faster than the speed of sound. Researchers recorded it using a camera system capable of capturing 100 billion frames per second, and they say the ground-breaking technology could one day be used to observe neurons firing in the brain.

A photonic Mach cone is created when an ultrafast particle gives off a shock wave, scattering the light around.

Until now, imaging technologies have not been fast enough to catch it in real time, instead requiring hundreds or thousands of measurements to stitch together in order to see the pattern. In the new paper, published to ScienceAdvances, Jinyang Liang and colleagues reveal the new imaging system that could revolutionize biomedicine. The researchers designed a system to induce the phenomenon using scattered light from a source tunnel, and to capture it in action.

As a short laser pulse propagates in the tunnel, the

scattering emits secondary wavelets in the same wavelength.

‘These wavelets form a wavefront in the display panels by superposition,’ the authors explain.

‘Under this circumstance, the scattering

real time.

They were able to obtain three views in the experiments: one which lined up with traditional photography, and two that recorded temporal information on the dynamic event.

events generate secondary sources of light that advance superluminally to the light propagating in the display panels. ‘At a certain time point, the instantaneous scattering light distribution has a Mach cone structure.’

Using just a single snapshot, their ‘lossless-encoding compressed ultrafast photography’ (LLE-CUP) system can capture the Mach cone in

By reconstructing the image with this data, they were able to get a dynamic scene of the phenomenon.

This revealed the Mach cone under ‘superluminal’ conditions, with a triangular region dragging behind the pulse.

The researchers say the advancement could vastly improve imaging techniques in biomedicine, allowing for better observations in real time.

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Ex-model starving to death from rare disease Wisconsin In three years, Lisa Brown has shrunk to just 77 pounds - after shedding half her body weight.

The 34-year-old former model is

crippled by pain and a disease that is slowly starving her to death.

Strangers often assume that she has an eating disorder, but Lisa is actually the victim of a extremely rare condition - one of only 400 known cases in the world.Lisa suffers from superior mesenteric artery syndrome (SMAS), a rare digestive system disorder where two arteries ‘pinch’ part of the small intestine called the duodenum, blocking food from getting through.

The disease means Lisa is unable to keep food down and, after three years of pain, she says she’s now willing to let herself die. Lisa wasn’t always a slave to her body. The 5’10” beauty from Wisconsin worked as model, went to college and graduate school, and got married.

But shortly after her 28th birthday, Lisa began to lose weight and couldn’t figure out why.

Her clothing didn’t fit her anymore, she was vomiting after every meal and suffering from severe stomach pain. When Lisa finally stepped on a scale, she weighed only 112 pounds - 33 pounds lighter than her normal weight of 145.

In 2013, Lisa received her diagnosis of SMAS after visiting

three different hospitals, and going through a series of CT scans. SMAS is a rare and potentially life-threatening disorder that affects less than

one percent of the population, leaving sufferers with a 30 percent chance of death. Often, diagnosis comes too late.

Lisa’s weight continued to drop rapidly and the stares and comments from strangers increased.

She said: ‘It never ceases to amaze me what people would come up to me and say.

‘Once in the grocery store line, a person behind me asked my weight and told me that I can’t starve myself because it doesn’t look good.

‘High school students yell at me to eat a cheeseburger when they see me in public.’

By July 2015, she was down to just 89 pounds and unsure if she’d make it to her 33rd birthday.

Lisa was hooked up to a feeding tube for 16 hours a day to make sure she was receiving a proper amount of nutrients.

At the time, she described her chronic pain as feeling as though ‘there are two metal fists grabbing as tight as possible and twisting my intestines’.

She said: ‘The disease has taken everything.

‘Time spent with family used to be recreational and fun - the more ill I became with SMAS, the more those things came to a halt and it transformed into a

22-year-old man held for raping, molesting teenage sisters

New Delhi A 22-year-old man was arrested today for allegedly raping his younger sister for almost a year and molesting another sibling in west Delhi’s Tilak Nagar area, police said. The accused told police that he had been raping his 17-year-old sister and also molested his 13-year-old sister from last April, a senior police officer said. Their father had died.

Their mother was bedridden and the brother took advantage of this, he said. The girls told about the incident to their friend who informed her father, who works with an NGO. They then reported about the incident to police this afternoon, said the officer. The accused has been booked under POCSO, section 376 (rape) and other relevant sections of the IPC, the police officer said.

caretaker role.’

To spread awareness about the debilitating syndrome, she created a YouTube video entitled Be Brave SMAS Warriors.

The video made its way to specialists at the Cleveland Clinic. Lisa relocated there with her mother, Patricia Neuhauser, in May 2015.

Lisa was hooked up to a feeding device for 20 hours a day before a series of tests diagnosed her with gastroparesis, a condition that prevents the stomach from emptying properly.

Six months later, the hospital told Lisa she needed an intestinal transplant. Insurance, however, wouldn’t cover the costly bill of an estimated $1 million.

It was something Lisa says she thinks would have worked.

‘It was my last chance at surviving. But it didn’t happen. It was way too expensive to do on our own,’ she told PEOPLE. Lisa and her husband Patrick left the Cleveland Clinic and, in May 2016, flew to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida - one of the few hospitals in the country that offers the transplant.

Lisa said: ‘I was really deteriorating at that point and they told me I had to gain 20 pounds to have the surgery.

‘I knew then and there I had no shot. I couldn’t take it anymore.’

Patrick went on medical leave from his job in December without pay to be with Lisa.

Two killed in Indian bull-wrestling festival

NEW DELHI Two people were gored to death Sunday in a bull-wrestling festival in southern India, a report said, a day after a ban on the controversial sport was overturned.Several towns and villages in the southern state of Tamil Nadu celebrated the popular Jallikattu festival on Sunday after week-long protests prompted authorities to approve an executive order lifting a Supreme Court ban on it.

But rampaging bulls sprinting through the village of Rapoosal in Pudukottai district fatally gored the two victims and injured 28 others, the Press Trust of India (PTI) cited local police as saying.The Supreme Court last year outlawed Jallikattu after a plea by animal rights groups, which have long accused those

taking part in the event - held annually across Tamil Nadu - of cruelty to the animals.

The state’s residents say Jallikattu is a crucial part of their culture and identity.

Growing tensions over the past week in the state capital Chennai and other cities led Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday to issue an executive order that this year’s event go ahead.

But thousands have continued to protest and refused to celebrate the festival, saying they want a permanent lifting of the court ban and not just a temporary order.

Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam assured Tamils that the executive order would be made into a law during his state’s next session of parliament starting Monday, according to PTI.

Navjot Singh Sidhu emerge as Chief Minister candidate in posters of Amritsar Chandigarh Posters demanding voters to vote for Congress to make Navjot Singh Sidhu as the next chief minister of Punjab emerge in Amritsar East constituency.

Consisting the photo of Navjot Singh Sidhu and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, the poster sparks another controversy within the Congress party as the party is contesting the upcoming election under the leadership of Captain Amarinder Singh and the bitter relationship between Sidhu and Captain Amarinder Singh is known to everyone. The relationship between Sidhu and Captain Amarinder Singh has been a matter of concern to the Congress party and Captain Amarinder Singh was absent when Sidhu joined the party. The relationship between the two leaders have already been a bitter one and the poster has made the situation even worse.

As per reported by India Today, the posters stuck in the walls of Amritsar East constituency states, ’Sidhu ko CM banane key liye Congress ko vote dey’ (To make Sidhu the CM, vote for Congress).Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal tweeted the reports of the posters emerging in favor of Sidhu as the next CM and mentioned that the Congress is going through an ugly war within itself. “Just a few days before elections, ugly war

starts between Captain n Sidhu,” he tweeted.

Amarinder Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu. When Navjot Singh Sidhu joined Congress Arvind

Navjot Sidhu on latter joining today ? Were you not invited or you did not go ?”

The deputy Chief Minister of Punjab also tweeted asking the

Kejriwal in an interview stated that, “It might be possible that Congress may have offered him (the post of) chief minister.”

Kejriwal in a recent interview to ABP News had stated that, “My own information is that they (Congress) will use Captain Amarinder Singh for election campaigning.” Apart from Arvind Kejriwal, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president and deputy Chief Minister of Punjab Sukhbir Singh Badal has also questioned about the absence of Captain Amarinder Singh during the announcement of Sidhu joining Congress.

During the announcement of Navjot Singh joining Congress, the SAD president tweeted that, “@capt_amarinder why aren’t you in pic with Rahul G and

intentions of Congress to make Captain Amarinder Singh to contest from Lambi constituency. “@Capt_amarinder did Rahul Gandhi send you to Lambi to clear the way to make Navjot Sidhu CM candidate of Congress ?” he tweeted. After Navjot Singh Sidhu resigned from BJP, it was suspected that Sidhu may join AAP. Talks between both the camps were also arranged. However, since no conclusion could be made between Navjot Singh Sidhu and AAP, Sidhu in September then formed his own party titled ‘Aawaz-e-Punjab’ with independent MLAs and brothers Balwinder Singh Bains and Simarjeet Singh Bains and former hockey captain Pargat Singh.

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SPINNING HIS WAY BACK INTO TEAM

New Delhi BIJBEHARA town in South Kashmir is famous for bat manufacturing and it was only a matter of time before Parvez Rasool

took to cricket. Since then, Rasool has been a trailblazer, becoming the first cricketer from the Valley to represent the country. His lone opportunity to play for India so far came in 2014 against Bangladesh in the three-match ODI series. On Monday, the off-spinning allrounder was preparing for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament, when he got a call from the BCCI office that he is being included in Indian squad for three-match T20 series against England.

The call did come as a bit of surprise and in the last twoand-a-half years, Rasool has only worked harder to become a better player, particularly as a bowler. His Ranji Trophy record this season underlines the work he has done to earn a national call-up. “It was a pleasant surprise in the morning when I got the call but I have worked hard to get back into the team,” Rasool told India Today. “I had worked hard this season and if you look at my Ranji Trophy season this year, I think it has been pretty good,” said Rasool, looking back at the 38 wickets he took this season at an average of 23.86. Rasool attended a twoweek camp at the NCA in Bengaluru where he got the opportunity to fine-tune his bowling under former India spinners Nikhil Chopra and Narinder Hirwani.

“Nikhil sir and Hirwani sir helped me a lot during the bowling camp I had at the NCA.

There are a few things that you get to know only when people, who have noticed you, tell you about. Nikhil sir would often discuss some basic issues and, at times, would come up with fresh new ideas,” recalled Parvez. Nikhil was all praise for Parvez and feels the offie has it in him to make it to the playing XI against England.

“He is very receptive to everything that was being told to him. He is a fast learner and has a good head on his shoulders.

He can very well play in the T20Is against England and he is prepared to take the big stage,” said Nikhil. For Rasool, though, having shared the dressing room with Virat Kohli at the Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL does help a bit. The 27year-old Rasool is a fan of his skipper and loves his work ethic. “It was a great opportunity to share the dressing room with Virat. He is a serious cricketer and his work ethic is something that every modern-day cricketer needs to follow.

Again, MS Dhoni is also there, so it’s a great opportunity to share the dressing room with cricketers like these. But my priority remains to justify selection,” said Rasool, who reached the Capital in the afternoon before leaving for Kanpur which hosts the first T20I. While on one hand it is an opportunity for Rasool, on the other it also throws a big challenge at him as he and Amit Mishra have been drafted in as replacements for R Ashwin and

Ravindra Jadeja. “I am up for the challenge and these are the kind of opportunities that one needs to grab. Obviously, these two cricketers have played a lot for India and their records speak a lot about their caliber. I have been bowling good lately and mentally also, I am prepared for the T20s because we were preparing for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. I hope I get the opportunity and can cash in on it,” the all-rounder stressed.

‘Captain’s trust gave me comfidence’ AFTER scoring his career-best century against England on Thursday, Yuvraj Singh has credited captain Virat Kohli for putting trust on his abilities. Yuvraj is once again the toast of the nation and said he did contemplate retirement at one stage

after his fight with cancer. “Self-confidence is always there when you have the backing of the team and captain. I think Virat has showed a lot of trust in me and it was very important for me that people in the dressing room trust me,” Yuvraj said after India’s series clinching win in the second ODI. “There was a time when I was wondering whether to continue or not to continue. I think a lot of people have helped me throughout this journey. So, never giving up is my theory. So I never gave up, kept working hard. I knew times will change,” the 35-year-old said. His last international hundred came way back in 2011 World Cup in Chennai and no wonder he is happy after his 14th ton. “It feels great. It’s been a while since I got a hundred. I came back after recovering from cancer, the first 2-3 years were very hard. I had to work hard on my fitness and I was in and out of the team. I was not able to get a permanent spot. Yuvraj returned on the back of a strong performances in Ranji Trophy this season that saw him hit another career-best – 260 against Baroda in October last year.

“I’ve been batting well in the domestic season. And I’ve been hitting the ball really well. I wanted to make it big on my

day,” he said. His inclusion had mixed reactions with some feeling that selectors were going backwards but

nothing affected the stylish lefthander. “I don’t think about who’s reacting to what nor do I read newspapers. I don’t watch TV too. I try to focus on my game and prove a point to myself that I’m still good enough for international cricket. So I guess I was good today. For now, the immediate goal is to be consistent in the coming matches. “Definitely, 150 is a

huge score in one-day cricket. It’s my highest and taken a long time to get there but I am very happy it happened today.

Hopefully, in the coming time I can contribute more consistently.” Yuvraj found his old ally in MS Dhoni who also brought up a century (134 from 122 balls) as they added 256 runs for the fourth wicket. Asked what were they discussing during the partnership, Yuvraj said: “Nothing much. We two were the most experienced players in the team. He realised that I was getting boundaries.

He was just there rotating the strike and our first target to make a 25 runs together then go for 50 partnership. After that we wanted to take it further to 100. I think once that happened we were both set.”

Yuvraj has had some good partnerships with Dhoni during good old days and feels that the comfort level he shares having batted alongside him for so long is key to their success. “We always have been batting together since he started his career. Obviously I started much earlier.

Mahi and I have played a lot of games for India. The camaraderie is always there. I think we have a lot of understanding when we bat together. Running between the wicket is always good. I hope it works on the future as well,” Yuvi explained.

Yuvraj termed the new-look England, a dangerous side, which can hurt any bowling attack as they have put up scores of 350- plus in both the ODIs.

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EC LETS DOGS OUT IN UDTA PUNJAB

Chandigarh PUNJAB'S drug cartels hoping to throw election officials off their scent in the poll-bound state now have some hardnosed sleuths to contend with.

Authorities have fielded nearly two dozen sniffer dogs to check the transportation and distribution of drugs ahead of the February 4 assembly polls.

Influencing voters through drugs, illicit liquor and cash is an ageold trick in Punjab. During the 2014 parliamentary polls, electionmonitoring teams in the state seized over 100 kilogram of heroin, 50 kilogram of opium Continued from page 1 and thousands of litres of illicit alcohol that were allegedly meant for buying votes. Giving details about the preparedness to deal with the transportation and distribution of drugs during the elections, additional director general of Punjab police VK Bhawara said 22 specially trained drug-sniffer dogs have been deployed at various places to curb smuggling and distribution. “It is the first time that the police department has deployed narcoticstrained sniffer dogs. We already had three sniffer dogs and 19 dogs were hired privately. We are taking no chances. We have set up nearly 75 inter-state barriers besides the barricading in all 22 districts,” he said. The canines have been hired for a month

from the Punjab Home Guard Training Institute at Dera Bassi, where these are trained in collaboration with a foreign partner. A sum of `1.25 crore has been sanctioned by the Punjab government for the training of dogs at Punjab Police Academy in Phillaur. The drug-sniffer dogs have been deployed at railway stations and bus stops. The canines have already helped the police recover 58 kg of poppy husk apart from illicit liquor and intoxicating pills at various places. Poppy husk is a banned substance and it is popularly known as Bhukki in rural areas of Punjab. Taking a cue from the previous assembly elections, the poll panel has made elaborate arrangements in Punjab to stop transportation and distribution of banned drugs, liquor and money. The chief electoral officer of Punjab, VK Singh, on Wednesday said the commission has deployed flying squads comprising police, vigilance and excise department officials in each district to check such illegal activities. If found guilty of votebuying, a candidate can be disqualified and fined or imprisoned for up to a year. Apart from the poppy husk, authorities have also recovered illicit currency worth `3 crore and gold worth `21 crore. State police officials say the heightened security and barricading has led to the

Pak ‘goodwill gesture’ sees jawan return IN WHAT it calls a goodwill gesture, Pakistan on Saturday released the Indian soldier who had inadvertently crossed the Line of Control in September last year. Chandu Babulal Chavan, 22, returned through the AttariWagah border. The BSF handed him over to the Army which took him to an undisclosed location for debrief and medical check-up.

Chavan, posted with 37 Rashtriya Rifles, had mistakenly crossed the boundary in Kashmir hours after India’s surgical strikes on terrorist bases across the LoC on September 29. But Pakistan only admitted that it was keeping him in custody on October 13. He was kept in custody for three months and 22 days, said a Pakistani official release, and crossed the border into India at 2.30 pm on Saturday. On January 12, Union minister of state for defence Subhash Bhamre said Pakistan has given assurance that Chavan will be released after inquiry.

Meanwhile, Pakistan said it was releasing Chavan in a “goodwill gesture”. “As a gesture of goodwill and in continuation of our efforts to maintain peace and

tranquility along LoC, Sepoy Chandu Babulal Chavan has been convinced to return to his own country and will be handed over to Indian authorities at Wagah Border on humanitarian grounds,” it said in a statement.

However, it did not leave an opportunity to take a jibe at the recent controversy over poor amenities given to BSF and army jawans. “The Indian soldier had deserted his post at the LoC due to his grievances of maltreatment against his commanders. He wilfully crossed the border on September 29 and surrendered to Pakistan army,” it said.

Chavan’s brother Bhushan Chavan, who is also a soldier, said he is thankful to the army for its effort. “I am thankful to the DGMO and army for the efforts they have made to rescue my brother. I am never going to forget this. I am also a soldier and will continue to do my duty with full honesty till my last breath,” he said. Chavan belongs to Borvihir village in Dhule district of Maharashtra. His grandmother had died of shock following the news of his capture

by Pakistani troops.

recovery. Cops in Ferozepur busted an illegal distillery and destroyed two lakh litre of liquor which was meant to be served to the voters. Political funding remains opaque in India, with political parties refusing to disclose fully their sources of finance. “We are specially

focussing on the drugs and money which are usually used to lure the voters,” Singh said.

“Special teams have been constituted in each district which keep an eye on the distribution of drugs and money. Barricading of roads has been done within the state and on the inter-state

barriers.” A visit to a police barrier set up in Mohali near Chandigarh revealed how the police officials maintained records of each vehicle entering the state. The frisking and checking also led to the recovery of wooden sticks, baseball bats and iron rods from vehicles.

New series to highlight Bill Clinton’s sex scandal

HILLARY Clinton may have lost her bid for the White House, but it seems that the former first lady will soon be able to reminisce about her years at 1600 Pennsylvania

Tripp, the woman who revealed the details of the pair’s intimate indiscretions to the world. The scandal grew so big at the time that it almost led to Clinton being impeached from office. The

Avenue thanks to a new television series. It is being reported that Ryan Murphy has optioned Jeffrey Toobin’s bestselling book ‘A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down a President’ for an upcoming season of his American Crime Story anthology. That book tells that tale of Bill Clinton’s affair with a young intern by the name of Monica Lewinsky, and Linda

series is currently being fasttracked according to The Hollywood Reporter, and Murphy has been meeting with actors to play the roles of Lewinsky and Tripp. It might be some time before the show airs however, with two seasons of American Crime Story currently being filmed in the wake of The People V. OJ Simpson. That series, also based on one of Tobin’s books, recently won the Golden Globe for Best Television

Miniseries. Filming is currently underway on the second season, about Hurricane Katrina, and the third season, about the murder of Gianni Versace, which are both expected to air next year.

Season three will cover the murder of Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace who was shot dead in Florida in 1997. Murphy, best known for Glee and American Horror Story, is also working on a story about the rivalry between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford that is set to premiere in March, Feud. At the time the affair began between the president and his intern in November 1995, Clinton was 49-years-old and Lewinsky was a 22-yearold White House employee.

Lewinsky would later claim the two were together nine times between that first encounter and March of 1997. The affair became public in January of 1998 after Tripp gave tapes of Lewinsky admitting to her relationship to Kenneth Star, who at the time was pursuing the Whitewater controversy and Clinton’s alleged sexual harassment of Paula Jones, a former Arkansas state employee.

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Health Good news! That cup of coffee is your key to a long life London Why do coffee drinkers tend to have a longer life?

The finding that coffee drinkers tend to live longer than people who abstain has long puzzled scientists.

US scientists believe they’ve found the answer and it’s to do with caffeine.

It helps block chemicals in the blood that promote inflammation, they say.

The study was published in Nature Medicine.

Drinking coffee and tea may help people to live longer by reducing chemicals in the blood that can trigger heart disease, researchers have found. Now researchers at Stanford University believe they may have hit on a reason why having a coffee or tea break is so good for us.

Caffeine, the ingredient that gives coffee, tea and some fizzy drinks a lift, blocks chemicals in our blood that promote inflammation. Inflamed blood vessels are more

likely to become stiffer – a risk factor for heart disease.

Inflammation also plays a key role in many other diseases, the research study said.

Blood tests of people with fewer chemicals linked to inflammation were found to have more caffeine in their bloodstream. Further investigation revealed that they, as might be expected, drank more coffee than their peers.

A chemical found in chocolate, theobromine, was also found to have an anti-inflammatory effect, although not as pronounced as caffeine.

David Furman of the Stanford University’s

Fighting depression: Women like to talk it out, men want quick fixes London A study has shown that while visiting a psychologist for therapy to deal with depression, men are more likely to prefer a quick fix than women who want to talk about their feelings. Despite the fact that men commit suicide at three to four times the rate that women do, men do not seek psychological help as much, the study said.

“This might be because the types of treatment on offer are less appealing to men because many psychological interventions are more about talking than about fixing problems,” said John Barry from University College London.

“It is likely that men benefit as much as women from talking about

their feelings, but if talking about feelings appears to be the goal of therapy, then some men may be put off,” Barry added.

For the study, the team

asked 347 participants to say what kind of therapy they would like if they needed help. The men and women in this group, half of whom reported having received some form of therapy, showed many similarities in their preferences, but also some key differences.

Institute for Immunity, Transplantaion and Infection said: ‘More than 90% of all noncommunicable diseases of aging are associated with chronic inflammation.’

He added: ‘It’s also well known that caffeine intake is associated with longevity. Many studies have shown this association. We’ve found a possible reason for why this may be so.’

His colleague Mark Davis added: ‘Our findings show that an underlying inflammatory process, which is associated with aging, is not only driving cardiovascular disease but is, in turn, driven by

molecular events that we may be able to target and combat.’

The authors found that in an ongoing study following participants aged 20-30, and another group of people aged 60, those who ‘tended to drink more caffeinated beverages’ had lower levels of inflammatory compounds in their blood.

Further tests in the laboratory in human cell cultures found that caffeine had an active role in combating the chemicals that trigger inflammation.

The key chemical combated by caffeine is called Interleukin-1-beta.

When injected into mice, IL-1-Beta led to ‘massive systemic inflammation, along with high blood pressure’. It also led to immune cells – white blood cells that fight infection and - clogging the animals kidneys. It also found more platelets , which make blood more likely to clot.

Transcendental meditation is a great way to reduce trauma New York Practicing transcendental meditation technique for 20 minutes twice a day can significantly reduce trauma symptoms such as unwanted thoughts and help female prisoners find inner peace, a study has found.

Transcendental meditation is a technique for detaching oneself from anxiety and promoting harmony and self-realisation by meditation, repetition of a mantra, and other yogic practices.

The results showed that after four months of practicing the meditation technique, the women inmates had significant reductions in total trauma symptoms, including intrusive thoughts and hyperarousal.

They also felt less stressed and experienced a greater sense of inner freedom and resilience, the researchers said.

‘The study shows a natural and effortless alternative approach to reducing trauma symptoms in women’s

mental health,” said lead author Sanford Nidich, Director of the Center for Social and Emotional Health at Maharishi University of Management in Iowa, US. Practising the meditation technique allows the mind to transcend to quieter levels and has very specific effects on the body — effects that are the opposite of the body’s hyperaroused state known as the flight-or-fight response.

Are fewer repetitions better for high-intensity interval training?

Completing fewer repetitions during highintensity interval training (HIIT) workouts may actually provide better fitness benefits than completing more reps, suggests a new British research.

Carried out by researchers from the University of Stirling, Scotland, the team looked at 38 sprint interval training (SIT) trials from 34 existing studies which investigated the health benefits of regularly completing repetitions of a special type of highintensity cycle sprint known as ‘supramaximal’.

Supramaximal requires specialised exercise bikes that enable users to

work out to very high exercise intensities.

To look at the effect of the number of supramaximal

premature death.

Although it has been assumed previously that performing more

sprints on fitness, fitness levels were assessed by measuring VO2max, which is the maximum amount of oxygen the body is capable of utilising in one minute and one of the best indicators of future health and risk of

repetitions of highintensity exercise will produce greater improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness, the team actually found the opposite, and that completing fewer repetitions of sprint

intervals on the bike and therefore spending less time working out could actually lead to greater improvements in fitness.

In fact after performing just two maximal sprints, each additional sprint in a training session actually reduced the overall improvement in fitness by around 5% on average. Commenting on the results Dr Niels Vollaard, Lecturer in Health and Exercise Science in the Faculty of Health Sciences and Sport, said, “Lack of time is frequently cited as one of the main barriers to people becoming or staying physically active.

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Schizophrenia could be linked to increased risk of type 2 diabetes

London People with schizophrenia are at an increased risk of developing diabetes, even when the effects of antipsychotic drugs, diet and exercise are adjusted for, a new study has found.

Schizophrenia is known to be associated with a reduced life expectancy of up to 30 years.

This is largely due to physical health disorders such as heart attack or stroke, for which type 2 diabetes is a major risk factor.

People with long-term schizophrenia are three times more likely than the general population to have diabetes, something which has previously been attributed to poor diet and exercise habits in this group, as well as the use of antipsychotic medication.

Researchers from King’s College London examined whether diabetes risk is already present in people at the

onset of schizophrenia, before antipsychotics have been prescribed and before a prolonged period of illness that may be associated with poor lifestyle habits - such as poor diet and sedentary behaviour.

They pooled data from 16 studies comprising 731 patients with a first episode of schizophrenia and 614 people from the general population.

They analysed blood tests from these studies and found that patients with schizophrenia showed higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared with healthy controls.

Patients had higher levels of fasting blood glucose, which is a clinical indicator of diabetes risk.

Researchers also discovered that compared with healthy controls, patients with first episode schizophrenia had higher levels of insulin and increased levels of insulin resistance, again supporting the notion that this group are at

Sedentary lifestyle and women: Do some exercise daily, else you’ll age faster

Los Angeles Elderly women who sit for more than 10 hours a day with low physical activity have cells that are biologically older by eight years than those who are less sedentary, a new study has warned. Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine in the US found elderly women with less than 40 minutes of moderate-tovigorous physical activity per day have shorter telomeres — tiny caps found on the ends of DNA strands that protect chromosomes from deterioration and progressively shorten with age. As a cell ages, its

telomeres naturally shorten and fray, but health and lifestyle factors, such as obesity and smoking, may accelerate that process. Shortened telomeres are linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and major cancers.

“Our study found cells age faster with a sedentary lifestyle.

Chronological age does not always match biological age,” said lead author Aladdin Shadyab from UC San Diego.

Researchers believe they are the first to objectively measure how the combination of sedentary time and exercise can impact the ageing biomarker.

higher risk of developing diabetes.

These results remained significant even when analyses were restricted to studies where patients and controls were matched for dietary intake, the amount of regular exercise they engaged in, and ethnic background.

This suggests that the results were not wholly driven by differences in lifestyle factors or ethnicity between the two groups, and may therefore point towards schizophrenia’s direct role in increasing risk of diabetes.

The researchers highlight several factors that could increase the likelihood of developing both conditions, including shared genetic risk and evidence of shared developmental risk factors, such as premature birth and low birth-weight.

It is also thought that the stress associated with developing schizophrenia, which sees levels of the stress hormone cortisol rise, may also contribute to a higher risk of diabetes.

“Our study highlights the importance of considering physical health at the onset of schizophrenia, and calls for a more holistic approach to its management, combining physical and mental healthcare,” said Toby Pillinger from King’s College London.

Brisk walking or jogging could cut bad effects of breast cancer drugs

New York As per a recent study, a combination of weight training and 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity — such as brisk walking or jogging — every week may help mitigate the side effects of hormone-therapy drugs that significantly reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence in post-menopausal survivors.

Because most breast cancers are hormone receptor-positive — that is, they use estrogen or progesterone to grow and spread — survivors often rely on hormone therapy, such as Aromatase Inhibitors (AIs), to keep the disease from returning.

However, this AIs treatment can be a double-edged sword because they often lead to bone loss or severe joint pain, especially if the survivors are obese or overweight.

“These changes put women at risk for frailty fractures and osteoporosis, not to mention further risk for comorbid chronic disease and cancer

reoccurrence,” said Gwendolyn Thomas, assistant professor at Syracuse University in New York, US. Hence, nearly 40 per cent of survivors stop taking AIs long before their customary five-year treatment period expires and increase the chances of their breast cancer re-occurring, Gwendolyn said.

Interventions that address obesity in women taking AIs can help them continue this necessary treatment, the researchers continued.

For the study, participants did two sessions of weight training and 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity, such as brisk walking or jogging, every week for a year. “We noticed a drop in per cent body fat and body mass index, as well as a significant increase in their lean body mass.

These changes have clinical benefits, but also suggest that exercise should be prescribed in conjunction with AIs, as part of a regular treatment regimen,” Thomas said.

pressure is consistently above 150. Before starting the medicine, however, people must make lifestyle changes and see whether it helps. Consuming

condition, the second number remains well below 90. In such cases, we have to be careful with medication because the diastolic pressure might drop

less salt, eating fruits and vegetables, exercising regularly and stress management may help in lowering the blood pressure,” said Dr SC Manchanda, senior consultant of cardiology at Sir Ganga Ram hospital.

However, if the lifestyle interventions fail to bring down the BP even after three months, medicines must be given.

“In older persons, there is a condition called isolated systolic high blood pressure. In such

further,” said Dr KK Talwar, Chairman of cardiology at Max Super speciality hospital, Saket.

The doctor also said that some medicine may aggravate postural falls. “The blood pressure may drop in some older patients when they stand up suddenly. This may result in falls,” said Dr Talwar. The blood pressure must be managed to bring it below 140 mm/Hg if the person has co-morbid conditions like diabetes or kidney disease, the doctor said.

New guidelines fuel debate on when older persons should start taking BP drug When should the elderly start having blood-pressure medication? The latest guidelines for hypertension management released by two physicians’ group in the Unites States have open up this debate.

The recent guidelines state that in people above the age of 60, treatment should be started only if the systolic pressure or the first number representing the blood pressure when the heart is beating is above 150 mm/Hg. The treatment must be focussed at achieving moderate targets – less than 150 / 90 – in older people, the guideline states.

A healthy blood pressure reading is 120/ 80 mm/Hg. “Any additional benefit from aggressive BP control is small, with a lower magnitude of benefit and inconsistent results across outcomes,” the article read.

High blood pressure puts people at risk of heart attack and stroke, but the medicines may cause the diastolic or the blood pressure when the heart rests between beats to drop.

City cardiologists agree with the recommendations.

“In the elderly, intervention should be started if the systolic

Issue 703 (39)

24 - 30 Jan., 2017

Slow-Cooker Pepper Steak

Ingredients: 2 pounds beef sirloin, cut into 2 inch strips garlic powder to taste 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 cube beef bouillon

1/4 cup hot water 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1/2 cup chopped onion 2 large green bell peppers, roughly chopped 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed

tomatoes, with liquid 3 tablespoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon white sugar 1 teaspoon salt Directions: Sprinkle strips of sirloin with garlic powder to taste. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the vegetable oil and brown the seasoned beef strips. Transfer to a slow cooker.

Mix bouillon cube with hot water until dissolved, then mix in cornstarch until dissolved. Pour into the slow cooker with meat.

Stir in onion, green peppers, stewed tomatoes, soy sauce, sugar, and salt. Cover, and cook on High for 3 to 4 hours, or on Low for 6 to 8 hours.

Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs Ingredients: 1/2 cup olive oil 1/2 cup ranch dressing 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon white vinegar 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste 1 tablespoon white sugar, or to taste (optional) 5 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes Directions: In a medium bowl, stir together the olive oil, ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, salt, lemon juice, white vinegar, pepper, and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes.

LOW-FAT BLUEBERRY BRAN MUFFINS

Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups wheat bran 1 cup nonfat milk 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 1 egg 2/3 cup brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup blueberries Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or

use paper muffin liners.

Mix together wheat bran and milk, and let stand for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix together applesauce, egg, brown sugar, and vanilla.

Beat in bran mixture. Sift together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir into bran mixture until just blended. Fold in blueberries. Scoop into muffin cups.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tops spring back when lightly tapped.

Ingredients: 1 pound dry ziti pasta 1 onion, chopped 1 pound lean ground beef 2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce 6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced 1 1/2 cups sour cream 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese Directions: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.

In a large skillet, brown

onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.

Baked Ziti

Place chicken in the bowl, and stir to coat with the marinade.

Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the grill for medium-high heat. Thread chicken onto

skewers and discard marinade.

Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill skewers for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear.

Muenster Au Gratin Potatoes Ingredients: 8 red potatoes, cubed 5 ounces fresh spinach leaves 1/4 cup butter 1 onion, sliced 1 teaspoon minced garlic 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup milk 1 cup heavy cream 2 cups shredded Muenster cheese Directions: Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Combine the potatoes and spinach in a 9x13-inch baking dish; set aside.

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over mediumlow heat. Stir in the onion, and

cook until dark brown, about 15 minutes. Stir in the garlic and flour; cook 1 minute more. Season with salt, and stir in the milk and cream.

Bring to a simmer over medium heat; cook and stir until the sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in 3/4 of the Muenster cheese until melted, and pour over the potatoes.

Cover the potatoes with aluminum foil, and bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes.

Uncover, and cook 20 minutes more, then sprinkle with the remaining Muenster cheese, return to the oven, and bake until the potatoes are tender and the cheese is bubbly, about 10 minutes more.

Issue 703 (40)

24 - 30 Jan., 2017

US students plan to brew beer on the Moon Los Angeles For the first time, a team of students in the US is planning to brew beer on the Moon by sending a canister aboard an Indian lunar lander that is set to launch this year.

Engineering students at the University of California, San Diego are finalists in the Lab2Moon competition being held by TeamIndus, which will send a spacecraft to the Moon on December 28.

The experiment will test the viability of yeast on the Moon - and result in a freshly brewed batch of beer, researchers said.

Understanding how yeast

behaves on the Moon is not just important for brewing beer in space, researchers said. It is also important for the development of pharmaceuticals and yeast-containing foods, like bread.

The group, which call itself “Team Original Gravity”, is one of just 25 teams selected from a pool of 3,000 to compete for a spot aboard TeamIndus spacecraft.

“The idea started out with a few laughs among a group of friends. We all appreciate the craft of beer, and some of us own our own home-brewing kits,” said Neeki Ashari, a

Man with health condition held for tearing pages of holy book in Golden Temple

Amritsar A Delhi resident was arrested on Monday for tearing pages of the holy book ‘gutka’ inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

The man, identified as Jatinder Chadha, was booked under section 295-A (hurting religious sentiments) of the Indian Penal Code.

Amritsar police commissioner Nageshwar Rao said: “The accused was doing a ‘paath’ at the Golden Temple for the past few days. He told that he was disturbed due to his health condition. On Monday, he suddenly lost his temper and tore the gutka.”

Chadha was nabbed by the members of Task Force of SGPC when he was tearing the pages of Sukhmani Mani Sahib and was handed over to the police, Rao said.

He said during investigation, it was found that the accused was a resident of Yamuna Vihar in New Delhi and was in Amritsar to pay obeisance as he was suffering from a skin disease psoriasis due to which he was also diagnosed a patient of depression.

He said Chadha had arrived at Golden Temple on 29 December last year and started performing service to clean used utensils, brooming on marbled periphery of the holy place besides regular recitation of Sukhmani Sahib Paath with the belief that his disease would be cured.

In a fit of depression on Monday, he started tearing the pages of the religious scripture, he said.

student at UC San Diego.

“When we heard that there was an opportunity to

outer space,” said Ashari.

The team designed a unique system to

design an experiment that would go up on India’s Moon lander, we thought we could combine our hobby with the competition by focusing on the viability of yeast in

accomplish this task.

All of the prep work required before yeast is added will be done on Earth.

Proposed experiments for the competition from all over the globe ranged from

photosynthesis to electricity. They will be evaluated by an international jury in March when teams fly to Bangalore to showcase their final prototype.

The spacecraft is owned by the Indian startup TeamIndus.

The aerospace startup was one of four teams in the world to win a USD 1 million Milestone Prize for successfully simulating the landing technology concept of its spacecraft.

TeamIndus hopes to accelerate a human transition into a sustainable multiplanetary species. To that

end, TeamIndus came up with a global challenge issued to students under age 25 to imagine, design and build a project to help accomplish that mission.

“The yeast study is among the coolest experiments to be performed on the lunar surface, and I am sure they are one of the top contenders to win the Lab2Moon competition,” said Siddhesh Naik, TeamIndus Ninja and mentor to Original Gravity.

“Our canister is designed based on actual fermenters,” said Srivaths Kaylan, mechanical lead for the team.