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THE CONTACT WEEKLY NEWSPAPER ISSUE - 673, 28 - 04 JULY 2016 PH: (905) 671 - 4761

Punjabi-origin leaders expats in UK fear tighter immigration norms

Chandigarh As Britain voted to leave the European Union (EU), Punjabi expatriates are in a shock and are worried because they feel it will affect trade, employment, business and the immigration policies. Even if all goes well, it’s being apprehended that there would be initial hiccups in dealing with the immigration issues.

“It’s a phase of uncertainty for those seeking permanent citizenship in the country. It’s not in favour of immigrants,” said Varinder Sharma, 68, MP from Southall, a Punjabi-dominated area. (Photo: UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office) Terming the move unfortunate, Varinder (also spelt Virendra) Sharma, 68, MP from Southall, a Punjabi-dominated area, said: “Earlier, there was no quota for immigrants coming from Asia or India, but now it is being said that our country will follow Australia.

Also, there will be restrictions on free entry into Britain from 28 countries of the European Union.

It’s a phase of uncertainty for those seeking permanent citizenship in the country. It’s not in favour of immigrants. Let’s see what happens now as the criterion for immigrants has to be worked out afresh,” he added.

It’s unfortunate, according to a

former mayor of Ealing, Gurcharan Singh. (Photo: His website) “It’s like breaking a 40-year marriage. The future is unpredictable. The EU saved us from wars, financial instability and we became influential being its part. It helped the UK in having a strong economy, but now everything has to be worked out again,” Sharma said, adding “it’s like going back to the 18th century and moving away from the global approach to individualistic approach”.

Former mayor of Ealing, a suburban district of west London, Gurcharan Singh also termed the exit unfortunate. “We are sailing into unchartered waters as immigrating to the UK is likely to be more difficult now,” he told HT over phone.

CHALLENGING TIMES “We campaigned to remain with

Europe, but we must accept the democratic decision,” said London assembly member Onkar Sahota. (Photo: london.gov.uk) Onkar Sahota, 55, a member of the London assembly, said: “The move is like taking new challenges. We campaigned to remain with Europe, but we must accept the democratic decision.

Now, the challenge is how to build a stronger country, especially when Scotland has decided to stay with the EU,” added Sahota.

Expatriates apprehend that the UK will stand alienated. “In such a situation, we will not like the country to be divided.

Nevertheless, we must try to regain political and economic power,” added Sahota.

“Though immigration politics was never on Britain’s agenda before the referendum, all those planning to immigrate to the UK are worried. It’s turning out to be a

big issue now as the fate of immigrants, who are not given all rights, seems uncertain,” he said.

PUNJABIS ARE DIVIDED The first-generation Punjabi-origin UK citizens opposed Britain’s exit from the EU but those of the second and third generations supported it as they feel breaking ties with the EU would help check immigration. The first generation Punjabi expatriates who still have contacts back home want their relatives and friends to settle in Britain. “Punjabis are divided. Old settlers don’t want more people to come from Punjab,” Sahota said.

INDIA MAY BENEFIT “Things may become difficult for Punjabis who plan to immigrate to the UK, but India may benefit as after parting ways with the EU, the UK will look up to India, Australia and Canada for better trade ties,” said Sharma.

Issue - 673 (2)

28 June - 4 July 2016

Al Qaeda: Orlando Shooter Should Have Targeted Whites An al Qaeda franchise is praising Orlando gunman Omar Mateen — but chiding him for targeting gay Latinos instead of straight whites.

A snarky public statement purportedly released by Inspire, the online magazine of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, says that by mowing down 49 people at a gay nightclub full of Latinos instead of setting his sights on a crowd of “Anglo-Saxons,” Mateen muddled his message.

As a result, media coverage focused on whether Mateen was driven by hatred of gays — even though he professed allegiance to ISIS, and not its rival al Qaeda, in a 911 call during the June 12 massacre.

“The attacker chose a nightclub of homosexuals specifically,” the

Inspire statement said, adding that “better than that is to choose the places that do not specify a certain sect.”

The statement, which was translated by the Flashpoint threat intelligence firm, also said that Mateen made a strategic misstep by launching his attack on a night when the club was full of Latinos.

“We see, and Allah knows, that we avoid targeting places and crowds of the minorities,” it said.

“So we see that targeting should be against the general places or the places where Anglo-Saxons are concentrated, as this sect of the American fabric is truly who leads American [sic] and it is the majority of the population there.”

Flashpoint co-founder Evan Kohlmann, an NBC terrorism

analyst pointed out that even though Mateen cited ISIS as the inspiration for the attack, al Qaeda seemed to be claiming

Abu Sayyaf militants rejoiced as Canadians were beheaded

Hostage recalls horror Philippines Abu Sayyaf extremists rejoiced as they watched two Canadians being beheaded in the jungles of the southern Philippines, said a stillshocked Filipino hostage who was freed on Friday.

Marites Flor tearfully recalled to reporters the harrowing moment when Canadians John Ridsdel and Robert Hall were handcuffed and led away to a nearby jungle clearing to be separately decapitated in April and early this month by the ransom-seeking militants.

She said Hall, who was killed early last week, was her fiancee. Ridsdel was beheaded by the militants in April.

“It’s so painful because I saw them moments before they got beheaded,” Flor told reporters in southern Davao city, where she was flown to meet President-elect Rodrigo Duterte after her release in nearby Sulu province.

“They were watching it and they were happy,” she said of the militants, adding that she did not witness the killings.

Flor was abducted with Hall, Ridsdel and Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad from a yacht resort on southern Samal island in September last year and taken to the jungles of the predominantly Muslim island province of Sulu. The militants killed the two Canadians after

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ransom deadlines lapsed.

The captives were among some two dozen people held by the Abu Sayyaf this year.

On Friday, Indonesian foreign minister Retno Marsudi said that seven Indonesians were abducted by armed men who raided their tugboat and taken to Sulu, in a third such attack.

Six others were released with the vessel, she said.

Duterte said he was told that Sekkingstad may already be on the way out of captivity, but did not provide details and appeared unsure of his statement. He later went into a meeting with the Norwegian ambassador.

Duterte cut short his speech in a nationally televised police ceremony when officials arrived and brought the 38-year-old F l o r, w h o a p p e a r e d s t i l l distraught, to the stage where he spoke. Duterte tried to console her and quietly asked a few questions.

Shortly before facing Flor, Duterte asked the Abu Sayyaf militants to stop ransom kidnappings, which he said have given the country “a very bad image.” He warned people against joining the Abu Sayyaf,

suggesting a major offensive was forthcoming.

“There will be, I said, a reckoning one of these days,” he said.

It was not immediately clear if a ransom was paid to secure t h e f r e e d o m o f F l o r, w h o appeared in Abu Sayyaf videos tearfully pleading for her life and those of her companions. In a final video, she called on Duterte to save their lives before the extremists killed Hall a few days later.

Rebels belonging to the larger Moro National Liberation Front and a Sulu official, Abdusakur Tan, helped negotiate Flor’s release with an Abu Sayyaf commander identified as Hatib Sawadjaan, two officials from the military and police, who monitored the talks, told The Associated Press.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the killings and called on other nations not to pay ransom if their citizens are abducted to discourage the brutal militants from carrying more ransom kidnappings.

released in quite a while,” Kohlmann said, “and it looks like they are trying to attract attention in a rather desperate way.”

Kohlmann said the statement — which lauded Mateen as a heroic “lone jihad” holy warrior — appears to be an official Inspire release. But he said it was far less professional than others, including one after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings that went to great lengths to praise the Tsarnaev brothers, who said they learned to make their explosive devices from another Inspire publication.

ISIS has also released statements praising Mateen, and some responsibility because it there is no indication al Qaeda has called for “lone wolf” attacks or any of its regional franchises played even an inspirational role against the West.

“This is the first thing they have in the Orlando shootings.

ISIS delighted with Brexit, calls for attacks in Europe ISIS has expressed its delight over the economic impact on the UK and EU following the British referendum and called for attacks in Berlin and Brussels to “paralyse” Europe, according to a media report. A jihadi Telegram (an encrypted messaging service popular with militants) praised the economic chaos that came in the wake of the EU Referendum and urged followers to strike at the heart of mainland Europe, the Mirror reported citing SITE intelligence group. The UK voted to leave the European Union after 43 years in the historic referendum.

Leave won by 52 per cent to 48 per cent votes.

The vote, which saw an extremely high turnout of around 72 per cent, reverses the public verdict back in 1975, when the UK voted to remain a member of then EuropeanEconomic Community, which later became the EU. UK military chiefs have warned there is a ‘serious and direct threat to holiday resorts across Europe’ from groups like ISIS. “There is considered to be a heightened threat of terrorist attack globally against UK interests and British nationals from groups or individuals motivated by the conflict in Iraq and Syria,” the UK’s Foreign Office (FCO) was quoted as saying.

Is that smartphone causing borderline autistic behaviour in your kid?

Maybe getting your kid to depend on those learning aid apps isn’t that good an idea after all, considering the claims of a psychiatrist who believes that kids who spend a lot of time immersed in their smartphones are displaying borderline autistic behavior.

Iain McGilchrist said that children as young as five are becoming increasingly unable to read facial expressions or show empathy, compared to children in previous generations, the Independent reported.

The former Oxford literature teacher, who retrained as a doctor, added that he had spoken to some teachers who now find that around a third of their pupils have

problems with maintaining attention or understanding others’ emotions or facial expressions, a problem which he stated was due to the increasing presence of technology in children’s lives.

Leaving kids in front of the television isn’t positive for a child’s development.

McGilchrist also mentioned that changing family roles have meant that kids are often left in front of a TV or tablet screen while parents multi-task, in a development he called “quite worrying.”

Autism spectrum disorders can have many characteristics, but problems with social development differentiate them from other disorders.

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28 June - 4 July 2016

Issue - 673 (4)

28 June - 4 July 2016

Opionion When a parent says ‘I love you’, it means ‘Do as I say’

More than 50 years ago, the psychologist Carl Rogers suggested that simply loving our children wasn’t enough.

We have to love them unconditionally, he said — for who they are, not for what they do.As a father, I know this is a tall order, but it becomes even more challenging now that so much of the advice we are given amounts to exactly the opposite. In effect, we’re given tips in conditional parenting, which comes in two flavours: turn up the affection when they’re good, withhold affection when they’re not.

Thus, the talk show host Phil McGraw tells us in his book Family First that what children need or enjoy should be offered contingently, turned into rewards to be doled out or withheld so they “behave according to your wishes.” And “one of the most powerful currencies for a child,” he adds, “is the parents’ acceptance and approval.” Likewise, Jo Frost of Supernanny, in her book of the same

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name, says, “The best rewards are attention, praise and love,” and these should be held back “when the child behaves badly until she says she is sorry,” at which point the love is turned back on.

Conditional parenting isn’t limited to oldschool authoritarians. Some people who wouldn’t dream of spanking choose

instead to discipline their young children by forcibly isolating them, a tactic we prefer to call “time out.” Conversely, “positive reinforcement” teaches children that they are loved, and lovable, only when they do whatever we decide is a “good job.”

This raises the intriguing possibility that the problem with praise isn’t that it is done the wrong way or handed out too easily, as social conservatives insist. Rather, it might be just another method of control, analogous to punishment. The primary message of all types of conditional parenting is that children must earn a parent’s love. A steady diet of that, Rogers warned, and children might eventually need a therapist to provide the unconditional acceptance they didn’t get when it counted. But was Rogers right?

Before we toss out mainstream discipline, it would be nice to have some evidence.

And now we do. In 2004, two Israeli researchers, Avi Assor and Guy Roth, joined Edward L. Deci, a leading American expert on the psychology of motivation, in asking more than 100 college students whether the love they had received from their parents had seemed to depend on whether they had succeeded in school, practiced hard for sports, been considerate toward others or suppressed emotions like anger and fear.

It turned out that children who received

conditional approval were indeed somewhat more likely to act as the parent wanted. But compliance came at a steep price. First, these children tended to resent and dislike their parents. Second, they were apt to say that the way they acted was often due more to a “strong internal pressure” than to “a real sense of choice.” Moreover, their happiness after succeeding at something was usually short-lived.

In a companion study, Dr Assor and his colleagues interviewed mothers of grown children. With this generation, too, conditional parenting proved damaging.

Those mothers who, as children, sensed that they were loved only when they lived up to their parents’ expectations now felt less worthy as adults. Yet despite the negative effects, these mothers were more likely to use conditional affection with their own children.

Most of us would protest that of course we love our children without any strings attached. But what counts is how things look from the perspective of the children whether they feel just as loved when they mess up or fall short. What these and other studies tell us, if we’re able to hear the news, is that praising children for doing something right isn’t a meaningful alternative to pulling back or punishing when they do something wrong. Both are examples of conditional parenting, and both are counterproductive.

Belief in God hardwired in our brain?

‘During Evolution, People With Religious Tendencies Worked Together Which Helped Them Survive’ We are born believers. Human beings are programmed by evolution to believe in God because it gives them a better chance of survival, researchers have claimed.

The idea has emerged from studies of the way children’s brains develop and of the workings of the brain during religious experiences, Times Online reported on Monday.

Researchers suggest that during evolution groups of humans with religious tendencies began to benefit from their beliefs, perhaps because they tended to work together better and so stood a greater chance of survival.The findings challenge campaigners against organised religion, such as Richard Dawkins, author of ‘The God Delusion’. He has long argued that religious beliefs result from poor education and childhood “indoctrination”.

Bruce Hood, professor of developmental psychology at Bristol University, believes the picture is more complex. “Our research shows children have a natural, intuitive way of reasoning that leads them to all kinds of supernatural beliefs about how the world works,” Times

quoted Hood as saying.

“As they grow up they overlay these beliefs with more rational approaches but the tendency to illogical supernatural beliefs remains as religion.” Hood, will present his findings at the British Sci-

ence Association’s meeting this week, sees organised religion as just part of a spectrum of supernatural beliefs.

In one study he found even ardent atheists balked at the idea of accepting an organ transplant from a murderer, because of a superstitious belief that an individual’s personality could be stored in their organs. “This shows how super-

stition is hardwired into our brains,” he said.

His work is supported by other researchers who have found evidence linking religious feelings and experience to particular regions of the brain. They suggest people are programmed to get a feeling of spirituality from electrical activity in these regions.

Andrew Newberg, professor of radiology at the University of Pennsylvania, has used brain-imaging techniques to show that such feelings are invoked by activity in “belief networks” operating across the brain. This supersedes the earlier concept of a “God spot”, activated during meditation or prayer. “The temporal lobe interacts with many other parts of the brain to provide the full range of religious and spiritual experiences,” he said.

This mechanistic view of religious experience is reinforced by separate research carried out by Michael Persinger of Laurentian University, Ontario, who has used powerful magnetic fields to induce visions and spiritual experiences in volunteers.

Some experts argue that humans’ innate tendency towards supernatural beliefs explains why many people become religious as adults, despite not having been brought up within any faith.

Experts believe that the durability of religion is in part because it helps people to bond.

Issue - 673 (5)

28 June - 4 July 2016

With fear and isolation

Afghanistan’s Sikh, Hindu communities face threats Kabul On a bright day in downtown Kabul, Jagtar Singh Laghmani was in his traditional herb shop when a man turned up, drew a knife and told him to convert to Islam or he would cut his throat.

Only bystanders and other shopkeepers saved his life.

The incident earlier this month was the latest attack on a dwindling community of Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan, a deeply conservative Muslim country struggling with growing insecurity caused by an Islamist insurgency and economic challenges.

Once a thriving minority, only a handful of Sikh and Hindu families remain. Many have chosen to flee the country of their birth, blaming growing discrimination and intolerance.

“This is how we begin our day with fear and isolation. If you are not a Muslim, you are not a human in their eyes,” said Jagtar Singh, speaking in his tiny shop in the bustling centre of Kabul. “I don’t know what to do or where to go.”For centuries, Hindu and Sikh communities played a prominent role in merchant trade and money lending in Afghanistan, although today they are known more for medicinal herb shops.

According to Avtar Singh, chairman of the national council of Hindus and Sikhs, the community now numbers fewer than 220 families, compared with around 220,000 members before the collapse of the Kabul government in 1992.

Once spread across the country, the community is now mainly concentrated in the eastern provinces of Nangarhar, Ghazni, and the capital Kabul.

Although Afghanistan is almost

entirely Muslim, its constitution, drawn up after U.S.-led forces drove out the Taliban government in 2001, theoretically guarantees the right of minority religions to worship freely.But as the conflict drags on, Avtar Singh said conditions were worse than under the Taliban, which imposed strict Islamic laws, staged public executions and banned girls from schools.Hindus and Sikhs had to wear yellow patches that identified them in public, but were otherwise seldom bothered.

“The good old days have long gone when we were treated as Afghans, not as outsiders,” Avtar Singh said from a temple in Kabul, all the while keeping an eye on visitors using monitors linked to security cameras.

“Our lands have been taken by powerful figures in the government, especially by the warlords. We are facing threats, and this small community is getting smaller and smaller every day,” he added.

Last week, dozens of Hindu and Sikh families left Helmand, where Taliban insurgents, who have a presence in much of the southern province, sent a letter demanding

200,000 Afghani ($2,800) a month from the community.

HostilityTensions have surfaced in Qalacha, an area on the outskirts of Kabul where the Sikh and Hindu community owns a high-walled crematorium. As the capital has expanded in recent years, the neighbourhood has become densely populated and some newer residents oppose Hindu and Sikh cremations, a practice foreign to Muslims, who bury their dead. “When they burn the body the smell makes our family sick and we don’t want this to happen here,” said Ahmad Timor, a Muslim resident in Qalacha. The Sikhs say local Muslim hardliners have stirred up hostility against them, and the community now requires police protection for their funeral rituals.

“They throw stones and bricks at us, at the bodies of the dead, whenever there is a funeral,” said Avtar Singh, pointing to a newly built house next to the crematorium.

Dahi-ul Haq Abid, deputy minister for Haj and religious affairs, said the government had done what it could to improve the livelihood of Hindus and Sikhs. “We agree

that conflicts pushed them out of the country, but their condition is not as bad as they claim,” Abid added. “We have allocated them a place to burn their bodies because inside the city people complained about the smell, but they did not agree,” he told Reuters.

Harassment is also common.

Jasmeet Singh, eight, stopped going to school because of what he said was daily harassment.

He and other children from the community now either go to private schools or study inside the temple.

“While I was at school, other

students were making fun of me.

They were removing my turban, hitting me and calling me Hindu and kaffir (infidel),” said Jasmeet Singh, as other boys nodded their heads in agreement.

Increasing numbers of Sikhs and Hindus have moved to India, their spiritual homeland, but some say they remain foreigners wherever they go.“When we go to India, we are known as Afghans, but when we are here, we are seen as outsiders even if we are native Afghan,” said Baljit Singh, a shopkeeper in Kabul.

“We are lost between both worlds.”

Navjot Singh Sidhu in BJP’s Punjab core group; Anil Joshi out Chandigarh Rajya Sabha MP Navjot Singh Sidhu has been included by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in its core group for Punjab, while state minister Anil Joshi has not found place in the premier group.

Sidhu, who remained Lok Sabha MP from Amritsar three times before bowing out in favour of Arun Jaitley’s candidature, was sent to the Rajya Sabha member by the party after his wife, MLA Navjot Kaur Sidhu, made noises about being sidelined due to their sour equation with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the BJP’s senior ruling partner in the state.

There was much speculation about the Sidhu couple possibly joining the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Sidhu was last part of the group until his term the LS member from Amritsar ended in 2014.

Now, even after the cricketerturned-politician was ‘adjusted’

in the Upper House, Navjot Kaur, and Singh too, had reiterated that he won’t campaign in the Punjab assembly elections due early next year, if the BJP continued to partner the Akalis. In that light, Sidhu finding a place in the core group raises many

questions and ignites speculations.

Politically, the move is seen as involving him more in the BJP’s decision-making process for the state even as the saffron party is facing significant antiincumbency being in a coalition government with the SAD for the

past over nine years. Known for his oratorical skills, Sidhu is also being seen as a rejuvenating factor.

Sidhu’s friend-turned-foe, local bodies minister Anil Joshi, who is MLA from an assembly constituency in Amritsar, has been dropped since the high command apparently does not want a clash in the top body of the party in Punjab.

Other than Joshi, former minister Tikshan Sud, Rakesh Rathore, Jagtar Saini and former MP Gurcharan Kaur have been dropped. In all, by bringing in national leaders and dropping some local leaders, the party has tried to strengthen the group.

In the reshuffle, permanent members now include state unit president and Union minister Vijay Sampla, his predecessor Kamal Sharma, Ashwani Sharma, state minister Madan Mohan Mittal, Rajinder Bhandari, Avinash Rai Khanna,

Brij Lal Rinwa and Manoranjan Kalia; national secretary Tarun Chugh, and the party’s legislature party leader Chunni Lal Bhagat.

Four special invites are all-India general secretary (organisation) Ram Lal, state affairs in-charge Prabhat Jha, state general secretary (organisation) Dinesh Kumar, and another leader of the rank of national joint secretary whose name was still to be announced.

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Issue - 673 (6)

28 June - 4 July 2016

World’s smallest school with one teacher, one pupil Turin, Italy - There’s a teacher in Italy who has very few problems controlling her class - because there’s only one pupil in it.

In fact, there’s only one pupil in the entire school. The elementary in the tiny town of Alpette, Turin, is believed to be the smallest in the world and is attended by eight-year-old Sofia Viola.

The third-grade student is taught all her subjects by 33year-old Isabella Carvelli - the only teacher at the school. And she admits it is sometimes so lonely she has to imagine there are other children in the classroom. Sofia said: ‘I take

Working classes ‘deserve better’ LONODN : Melvyn Bragg has criticised today’s top writers for mocking the working class. The actor and novelist was born into a working class family in Wigton, Cumbria. While not naming names, he said it rankled that Britain’s most “famous” writers were still poking fun at the working class, even though many of them came from the same background. Lord Bragg told Radio Times magazine that he was brought up in a “very cultured environment” despite growing up in a tiny, overcrowded house with few books.

a jacket and put it on a chair next to mine, then I open a book on the desk and I pretend there is someone there.’

Sofia hasn’t always been the only student at the school, which used to be the city hall.

Last year there were four older pupils but they moved on when they finished fifth grade. Next year, she will be joined by some pupils from kindergarten - but for now she has the whole classroom to herself.

And, as long as there is at least one pupil at the school, officials have decided to keep it open. Ms Carvelli said: ‘When I was asked to

teach in Alpette I didn’t know where it was or even that it had a school. ‘But I accepted it and it has been an experience that has given me so much.’

Lessons are conducted just as they would be in a class with 20 pupils. Ms Carvelli joked: ‘Everything is exactly the same - except it’s a little calmer than a normal school.’

Sofia’s favourite subjects are Italian and English and she loves school outings in to the surrounding mountains. She also gets to visit a larger school twice a week where she socialises with other children her age.

Guru Granth Sahib University to Establish Educational Center in Kenya FAT E H G A R H SAHIB - Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has resolved to establish a high class educational center of Guru Granth Sahib World University (GGSWU) in African country of Kenya. The motive behind this initiative is of imparting world class education to the children of Sikh and Indian community residing there.

In a press conference held in the GGSWU, SGPC General Secretary Sukhdev Singh Bhaur said that the management committee of Gurdwara Makindu Sahib has granted 75 acres land for the project. This Gurdwara is

located at Mombasa-Nairobi highway and 170 km distant from Nairobi. He said SGPC would be contributing Rs. 2 crore annually for the next 10 years to fund the project.GGSWU Vice Chancellor, Dr. Gurmohan Singh Walia, termed this decision as historical.

He said the project would not

only be beneficial for Punjabi and Indian community, but also for the diaspora residing in neighbouring countries.Dr. Walia said that the report of this project has already been prepared by the University and handed over to deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal who has given his approval.

Newborn baby is UK’s youngest organ donor London A newborn baby, who lived for less than two hours, became Britain’s youngestever organ donor last year.

Doctors at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, carried out the pioneering surgery three minutes after Teddy Houlston died on April 22, 2014, it was announced on Wednesday. His kidneys were used to save an adult’s life in Leeds. His father Mike Houlston, from Cardiff in Wales, told the ‘Daily Mirror’: “He lived and died a hero. It’s impossible

to explain how proud we are of him.” Teddy’s mother Jess Evans was carrying twins

when she was told 12 weeks into her pregnancy that one of the twins was fatally ill. Teddy had anencephaly, a rare and lethal abnormality which prevents the brain and skull from developing. Babies with the condition either die in the womb, are stillborn or live for just seconds, minutes or hours after birth. Evans told the newspaper that the news of Teddy’s condition was ‘soul destroying’. Though doctors offered the couple the option of an abortion, Evans said: “We thought

that even if we had a moment with him, or 10 minutes, or an hour, that

time was the most precious thing that we would ever experience.” As they continued with the pregnancy, the couple decided that they wanted to donate their baby’s organs.

“Organ donation was

something I’ve always felt quite strongly about ever since I was a child,” the

mother said. Retrieving organs from children for transplant is rare, it is particularly unusual from newborn babies and unheard of in those with anencephaly.

Yet his kidneys would have been fully functional in the womb. Angharad Griffiths, a specialist nurse from National Health Service’s Blood and Transplant who helped complete the transplant, said she had ‘every belief’ that a similar transplant could be successfully carried out in the future. She said the transplant had been ‘challenging’, particularly as they did not know if Teddy would be born alive. Her team monitored Teddy throughout his short life, before performing the transplant minutes after he died.

Next action would be taken following the approval of educational committee of Kenya, he stated.

“Teaching and nonteaching staff will be transported to the center from here as the huge shortage prevails in the poor African country. At initial stage, courses in the fields of science, commerce, management and Sikh studies will be initiated. Sports activities will also be carried out as well,” Dr. Walia explained.

Sources said the decision of this project was taken with the consent of high officials of Kenya and India. The center will be managed by educational trust of SGPC.

Embryonic twin removed from Indian woman’s brain in US Los Angeles In a shocking discovery, doctors in the US have found an embryonic twin complete with bone, hair and teeth in the brain of a 26-year-old Indian woman undergoing surgery for a suspected tumour. Yamini Karanam, a PHD student at Indiana University, sought medical help last September after she started having trouble reading and talking. At one point Karanam, from Hyderabad, could barely eat and pain ran from her head throughout her body.

Karanam was diagnosed with pineal tumour after doctors spotted what they thought was a cyst on Karanam’s pineal gland, a tiny pea-like structure in the centre of the brain, ‘The Washington Post’ reported. In March this year, Karanam connected with Hrayr Shahinian, a doctor performing radical ‘keyhole’ brain surgeries at the Skullbase Institute in Los Angeles.

Shahinian made a tiny incision in the back of Karanam’s head, then

strung an endoscope into her skull and through a natural channel in her brain to the site of the suspected tumour.

However, Shahinian was shocked to discover that the tumour was actually a

teratoma: a clump of bone, hair and teeth.

Some doctors believe teratomas are twins that never quite develop and are instead absorbed into the surviving baby’s body.

Shahinian successfully removed the teratoma and now expects Karanam to make a full recovery.

Karanam told NBC 4 that she was stunned to learn that her tumour wasn’t just a lump of cells, but her “evil twin sister who’s been torturing me for the past 26 years.”

Issue - 673 (7)

28 June - 4 July 2016

India a transit point for Afghan heroin, cocaine: UN report

NEW DELHI: As the controversy over ‘Udta Punjab’ intensifies the debate over India’s drug addiction, the World Drug Report 2016 released on Thursday states that the low value assigned to heroin in the Indian market makes the country more of a transit point for the drug headed for other destinations.

Similarly, with regard to party drug cocaine, India figures in the list of transit countries after Thailand, Malaysia and Philippines.

The final destination of cocaine is China and Israel. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), that released the report, says smuggling of cocaine has increased in Asia. The report states that highincome countries are likely to have aboveaverage drug prices and be more attractive to international drug traffickers, particularly in the case of cocaine and heroin, which originate in confined, well-defined areas of production. The limited areas of production create a scenario in which consumers worldwide compete for the product and supply gravitates to places where the largest profits are to be made.

For a country like India, different sub-types of a drug category may have varying patterns of association with the socioeconomic status of users.

The report says that “heroin

in the domestic retail market in India is considered to be of ‘low value’ and this reflects a distinct market from the heroin transiting India from Afghanistan and headed for other destinations”.

The UNODC, among several other countries, also states that India does not have data on drug users. It says India is potentially a large opiate market but there is no regularly monitored data on drug users. “This is a problem, as only indirect indicators (registered drug

users or law enforcement data) are available,” it states.

The UNODC’s estimates suggest that the global number of users of opiates (opium, morphine and

heroin) has changed little in recent years and opiate use continued to affect some 0.4 per cent of the global population aged 1564, or the equivalent of some 1.7 crore people, in 2014. Afghanistan remains the world’s largest opiumproducer, accounting for some 70 per cent (3,300 tons) of global opium production followed by Myanmar, accounting for 14 per cent (650 tonnes).Asserting that use of drugs may impact one’s health and sexual behaviour, the

Two Indians get Queen’s Young Leaders Award 2016 A visually challenged young man with a passion for education and a youth facilitator from Hyderabad are among 60 people from across the globe who were presented medals for their exemplary work by Queen Elizabeth at the Buckingham Palace.

The two Indians are Kartik Sawhney (21) and Neha Swain (28). Launched in 2014 by the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, each year from 2014 to 2018, 60 exceptional young people are selected to receive a Queen’s Young Leaders Award and become ‘Queen’s Young Leaders’ – one for every year that she has served as head of the Commonwealth at the time of her Diamond Jubilee.

Sawhney is described as being passionate about universal access to education. Although he was born blind, he excelled in science and technology at school. However, he discovered that blind students were prevented from pursuing science after Class 10.

After appealing, Sawhney

enrolled as India’s first Class 11 blind science student. He faced similar challenges when trying to enter engineering

Rubaroo, which aims to provide an inclusive space for young people, irrespective of their socioeconomic background to

colleges, so in 2013 he took up a scholarship at Stanford University.

He founded Project STEMAccess, which offers hands-on science workshops in India, as well as virtual training sessions. He is working on a portal that will allow students to convert textbooks into their desired accessible format.

Swain has worked as a youth facilitator for five years. Two years ago, she co-founded an NGO called

develop their leadership skills through interactive workshops.

The team provides workshops in schools which cannot afford such programmes free of charge. It has so far worked with nearly 2,000 young people in Hyderabad.

The Queen’s Young Leaders programme aims to discover, celebrate and support young people from every Commonwealth nation.

report further states that “apart from Myanmar and Ukraine, there are reports that India has documented HIV epidemics associated with injecting drug use that have spread to the general population chiefly through heterosexual contact”.

“Research confirms there are links between drug use patterns and sexual behaviour... the following patterns have been documented: transmission of sexually transmitted infections from people who use drugs to spouses and partners; people who use drugs engaging in sex work as a way to fund drug use; and people who use drugs engaging in high-risk sexual behaviour while under the influence of certain drugs, especially stimulants and party drugs,” it says. Another interesting finding is on the thriving drug trade on the ‘dark net’ (internet). “This trend raises concerns in terms of the potential of the ‘dark net’ to attract new populations of users by facilitating access to drugs in a setting that, although illegal, allows users to avoid direct contact with criminals and law enforcement authorities,” it says.

Crowd takes to London streets for annual gay pride parade

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of London on Saturday for an annual parade celebrating gay and transgender rights, with many expressing concerns as Britain gears up to part ways with the European Union after Thursday’s referendum.

WILL BREXIT AFFECT GAY RIGHTS? One of the attendees, Andrew Bailey, said that even though the EU’s human rights charter is incorporated into British laws he was worried that a great deal could now change.

“We are really worried about the future here. We have rights, we have a great celebration here and we have the apparent solidarity of this government. We need to have the EU support as well,” he said.

Another attendee, Sue

Underwood, was more optimistic.

HOPEFULLY NOT “I think I am looking at a positive outcome ... It is just going to be a hard few years I think but I am hoping it will be good at the end of it,” she said.

Britain is under pressure to set out a quick timetable for a divorce from the European Union, with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker saying he wanted to begin negotiating immediately.

IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE ORLANDO SHOOTING London’s 43rd Pride Festival also saw some attending to show solidarity with the LGBT community in Orlando, Florida, where a gunman killed 49 in a gay nightclub on June 12, the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history.

Issue - 673 (8)

28 June - 4 July 2016

6-year-old boy accidentally shoots and kills brother in US

NEW YORK: In yet another shooting incident in the US involving toddlers, a six-year-old boy playing with his mother’s gun accidentally shot and killed his four-year-old brother.

The older boy was playing with his mother’s loaded gun at the family’s third-floor apartment in New Jersey when he accidentally shot his brother in the head, Connie Jackson, a city spokeswoman, said.The boy was taken to University Hospital in Newark where he was pronounced dead yesterday, a hospital spokesperson was quoted as saying by CBS News.

The boys’ mother, 22-year-old Itiyanah Spruill, was arrested later and charged with endangering the welfare of a child and a weapons violation. She was being held on USD 310,000 bail.

“This is a terribly unfortunate incident,” Mayor Lester E Taylor

III said in a statement.

“This is crazy because they should have a safe place,” Vania Limage, a neighbour, was quoted as saying. “Because that’s been going on in the news over and over, where you hear about those incidents going on. So people should not have a gun around a four-year-old and a six-year-old,” Limage said. City police and investigators with Essex County’s Major Crimes Task Force were investigating the shooting.

The incident was the latest in a slew of shootings in the US involving toddlers. A 5-year-old girl in Detroit last month died after she shot herself with a gun she found under her grandmother’s pillow. Also last month, a five-year-old girl accidentally shot herself dead while playing with her father’s handgun in Lousiana.

Indian bags UN honour for corporate sustainability initiative UNITED NATIONS An Indian social entrepreneur has been named among 10 “champions and pioneers” by UN chief Ban Ki-moon under the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative that calls on companies to align with universal principles of human rights, environment and anticorruption.

Zubaida Bai, the founder of ‘ayzh’, a for-profit social venture providing health and livelihood solutions to impoverished women worldwide, was named among the 10 ‘2016 Global Compact SDG Pioneers’, an initiative launched by UN to search for “entrepreneurs” who can play a pivotal role.

The UN Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, supports companies to do business responsibly by aligning their strategies and operations with ten principles of human rights, labour, environment and anticorruption; and to take strategic actions to advance broader societal goals, such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with an emphasis on collaboration and innovation.

Ban announced the 10 pioneers at the Global Compact Leaders Summit in the city this week.

Congratulating the honorees, Ban said that he counts on their

“strong commitment and engagement” to help businesses seize the opportunities of the SDG era.“All of you are leaders in the campaign for a world

activity that supports the achievement of the goals by 2030.Noting that trillions of dollars will be invested in infrastructure in the coming

without poverty, a thriving planet, a vibrant and inclusive global economy and a life of dignity for all.“This is the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals, agreed upon by the Member States of the UN in September last year,” he said at the summit.

The Leaders Summit aims to jump-start business action everywhere on the SDGs. To that end, the Global Compact unveiled a multi-year strategy to drive business awareness and

years, he said that the Paris Agreement and the SDGs give the private sector an unprecedented opportunity to create clean-energy, climateresilient, sustainable economies.

“We are at a decisive moment in the shift to sustainable and inclusive markets,” continued the Secretary-General, noting that the first step in this regard would be to mobilise the global business community as never before.

Outrage over ‘Make America White Again’ billboard

HIV affected teenager driven out of govt-run school hostel A Kendrapara (Odisha) 13-year-old HIV/AIDS?affected girl has been driven out of the hostel of a Central governmentrun school in Odisha’s Kendrapara district, allegedly

on the insistence of other students’ parents, a child rights activist said.The girl has allegedly been denied the right to stay in the hostel of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalay residential school for the last one year, although school authorities allowed her to continue her studies.“It’s very unfortunate that authorities of a school run by the Ministry of Human Resources Development treated the child unfairly. The confidentiality of her HIVpositive status child has been

breached. This led to violation of her right to privacy. Stigmatisation of this nature has undermined her dignity,” said child rights campaigner Biraja Prasad Pati.

Pati said that the school

authorities took this action following opposition from parents of other students.Navodaya Vidyalay Principal Parvati Pradhan, however, said, “The child has never been discriminated against. On health grounds, we had allowed her to study here while staying at home on her guardian’s request. We had done so purely on humanitarian considerations.”

The girl, who is good in studies, was recently promoted to standard nine, but because of the humiliation, her guardians have

decided to seek transfer and admit her in the village school, she said.She has stopped going to school after being denied hostel stay, Pati said, adding she goes to school only to write the examination twice a year.“Our village is at least 45 kms from the school. We used to take her to school occasionally. But as the strenuous journey took a toll on her health, we later stopped it,” her family members said. “We have decided to enrol her in the village school in 9th standard.”The girl lost her parents to AIDS long back and is presently being taken care of by her paternal uncle. Her younger brother is also an HIV/ AIDS carrier.“Denying education to children with HIV/ AIDS is an offence as per Supreme Court order,” Pati said.“I have petitioned the district collector and has sought action against the school authorities,” Pati said.Kendrapara Additional District Magistrate, Dhananjay Swain, said, “We have received a petition which alleged discrimination against the child living with HIV/AIDS. The administration is inquiring into it. If the charge is proved, action will be taken against the school authorities.”

CHICAGO: A US congressional candidate has sparked outrage by plastering white supremacist billboards in Tennessee including one saying, ‘Make America White Again’ - a racist spin on Donald Trump‘s campaign slogan.

The ‘Make America White Again’ sign was posted by Rick Tyler, an independent candidate in the race for Tennessee’s 3rd congressional district seat, currently held by Republican Chuck Fleischmann. Another billboard depicted the White Houseringed with Confederate flags, with the statement, “I Have a Dream”, a takeoff from the famous Martin Luther King Jr speech, WRCB-TV reported.

Tyler’s billboard, saying ‘Make America White Again’ is an overtly white supremacist spin on Trump’s slogan ‘Make America Great Again’. His views on the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, however,

seem con flicting. In blog posts on his website, Tyler calls Trump “latest stalking horse entity to be foisted upon the American electorate’’ - but also an inspiration. “His (Trump’s) advocacy of a ‘temporary ban’ on Muslim immigration and the construction of a wall on the Southern border have created a climate conducive to conversation ? relative to the elephant in the living room no one wants to talk about ... namely, the urgent and vital subject of race,’’ Tyler wrote. By Thursday the offending billboards located near Benton, Tennessee, were taken down after outraged residents complained, NBC News reported. Asked if he feared for his safety or backlash from the campaign signs, Tyler was quoted as saying, “I don’t fear it.

I welcome it, and I will respond with the application of truth.” He said he had been receiving death threats.

Issue - 673 (9)

28 June - 4 July 2016

Indian-origin hedge fund manager Sanjay Valvani commits suicide in US NEW YORK A 44-year old Indian-origin hedge fund portfolio manager, who was charged last week with insider trading, has committed suicide in his apartment in New York.Sanjay Valvani, had faced securities fraud and wire fraud charges after he had used confidential information obtained from a former official at the Food and Drug Administration to trade in the securities of two pharmaceutical companies and earned about $25 million in trading profits.

A New York police department spokesperson confirmed to PTI that Valvani had committed suicide.The spokesperson said Valvani left “a note” and had a “slash wound” to his neck and wrist. A knife was found by the body.

The police had got a 911 call from Valvani’s wife at about 6pm on Monday and he was pronounced dead by medical personal at 6.30pm.

The police spokesperson said Valvani’s body was on the floor of the bedroom in his Brooklyn home and by the time the medical team reached the scene he was dead.

Valvani’s attorneys Barry Berke and Eric Tirschwell termed his death as a “horrible tragedy that is difficult to comprehend”. They said he was a “loving father, husband, son and brother and committed friend, colleague and

mentor.”

“We hope for the sake of his family and his memory that it will not be forgotten that the charges against him were only unproven accusations and he had always maintained his innocence,” they said in a statement.

US attorney Preet Bharara‘s office, which had brought the charges on June 15, declined to comment on the development.

Former portfolio manager Stefan Lumiere was also charged along with Valvani in Manhattan federal court.

A political intelligence consultant and former senior official at the Food and Drug Administration Gordon Johnston and former hedge fund portfolio managerChristopher Plaford had pleaded guilty and were cooperating with the government.

The charges had alleged that between 2005 through January 2011, Valvani unlawfully obtained from Johnston highly confidential and material nonpublic information with the FDA about the agency’s approval of pending generic drug applications.

Valvani was also charged with passing certain highly confidential and material nonpublic information to Plaford, who also executed trades based on the information.

Valvani was the latest Indianorigin hedge fund manager to be charged with insider trading.

US military to lift transgender ban: Media

WASHINGTON The Pentagon is set to lift its ban on transgender troops within the coming weeks, US media reported.

The move would be another major milestone for America’s vast military, which up until five years ago still banned gay troops from openly discussing their sexuality under a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

USA Today said the transgender announcement is expected on July 1 and the plan would require each branch of the military to phase in the new policy over a 12-month period.

Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook declined to confirm reports, but said a decision was due

“soon.” Currently, Pentagon rules allow transgender troops to be discharged from the military.

Defence Secretary Ashton Carter last year ordered all military roles including combat positions to be opened to women.

Maryland Democratic Congressman Steny Hoyer welcomed the news.

“The reversal of the ban is a major step forward in the effort to secure the full rights and equality of LGBT people in our country, and it will strengthen our military by ensuring that talented, dedicated candidates are not turned away or discouraged from serving because of their gender identity,” he said in a statement.

Previously, Bharara had brought insider trading charges against former Goldman Sachs director Rajat Gupta and former hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam in one of the most high-profile insider trading cases in US history. Gupta was convicted in 2012 of passing confidential boardroom information about Goldman to Rajaratnam and spent two years in prison.

Rajaratnam is still serving his 11 year prison term in a Massachusetts jail.

As part of the scheme, at Valvani’s direction, Johnston had obtained highly confidential and material nonpublic information from a senior FDA official about the status and approval of a generic drug called enoxaparin and passed to Valvani.

He used this information to trade in the securities of two pharmaceutical companies likely to be affected by an approval of

a generic enoxaparin application, earning approximately $25 million in trading profits when the FDA announced its first such approval.

In January 2010, after receiving a tip from Johnston, Valvani told his healthcare-focused hedge fund that Johnston should be given a raise.

In an email to the chief financial officer of the hedge fund, Valvani

sought to justify providing a raise to Johnston by stressing how important he was to him, “(Johnston) is without question the most valuable consultant I’ve ever worked with and I’m pushing to reinforce the value of the relationship and encourage him to continue to go above and beyond for our team.”

Valvani surrendered to authorities on Tuesday morning.

India a transit point for Afghan heroin, cocaine: UN report NEW DELHI: As the controversy over ‘Udta Punjab’ intensifies the debate over India’s drug addiction, the World Drug Report 2016 released on Thursday states that the low value assigned to heroin in the Indian market makes the country more of a transit point for the drug headed for other destinations.

Similarly, with regard to party drug cocaine, India figures in the list of transit countries after Thailand, Malaysia and Philippines. The final destination of cocaine is China and Israel.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), that released the report, says smuggling of cocaine has increased in Asia.

The report states that highincome countries are likely to have above-average drug prices and be more attractive to international drug traffickers, particularly in the case of cocaine and heroin, which originate in confined, welldefined areas of production. The limited areas of production create a scenario in which consumers worldwide compete for the product and supply gravitates to places where the largest profits are to be made.

For a country like India, different sub-types of a drug category may have varying patterns of association with the socioeconomic status of users. The report says that “heroin in the domestic retail market in India is considered to be of ‘low value’ and this reflects a distinct market from the heroin transiting India from Afghanistan and headed for other destinations”.

The UNODC, among several other countries, also states that India does not have data on drug

users. It says India is potentially a large opiate market but there is no regularly monitored data on drug users. “This is a problem, as only indirect indicators (registered drug users or law

associated with injecting drug use that have spread to the general population chiefly through heterosexual contact”.

“Research confirms there are links between drug use patterns

enforcement data) are available,” it states.

The UNODC’s estimates suggest that the global number of users of opiates (opium, morphine and heroin) has changed little in recent years and opiate use continued to affect some 0.4 per cent of the global population aged 15-64, or the equivalent of some 1.7 crore people, in 2014. Afghanistan remains the world’s largest opiumproducer, accounting for some 70 per cent (3,300 tons) of global opium production followed by Myanmar, accounting for 14 per cent (650 tonnes).Asserting that use of drugs may impact one’s health and sexual behaviour, the report further states that “apart from Myanmar and Ukraine, there are reports that India has documented HIV epidemics

and sexual behaviour... the following patterns have been documented: transmission of sexually transmitted infections from people who use drugs to spouses and partners; people who use drugs engaging in sex work as a way to fund drug use; and people who use drugs engaging in high-risk sexual behaviour while under the influence of certain drugs, especially stimulants and party drugs,” it says.

Another interesting finding is on the thriving drug trade on the ‘dark net’ (internet). “This trend raises concerns in terms of the potential of the ‘dark net’ to attract new populations of users by facilitating access to drugs in a setting that, although illegal, allows users to avoid direct contact with criminals and law enforcement authorities,” it says.

Issue - 673 (10)

Mumbai based punjabi parents seek a suitable match for their son, born 81, 5’-11" tall, Engineering, settle in Brampton, doing business. Please send your bio-data & recent picture to: sunitawasan@gmail.com or call: 647-621-1000 *** 674 *** Saini Sikh parents invite matrimonial alliance from the GTA for their slim, fair, beautiful, 5’2"/ ’83 born daughter, born, raised, educated in Canada, Bachelors in Business Management, and employed in the Finance division of a reputable Canadian company. The boy should be clean shaven, born, raised and educated in Canada & professionally employed. Please email sub2405@gmail.com or call 416-741-0777 *** 673*** Brahmin parents invite matrimonial alliance for their daughter, 26 yrs. old, 5’-4” tall, Canadian Citizen, pretty, family oriented Vegetarian, university graduate. The boy should be Canadian/American, Immigrant/ Citizen,Vegetarian, Professionally qualified, employed from good family background.

Boys on student visa for higher studies (university level) may also be considered. Please send your bio-data & recent picture to: : bhupp1958@gmail.com Or Call : 905-956-2392 (or leave Message) ***670*** Jat Sikh family seek a suitable match for their daughter, 1985 born, 5'-5" tall, beautiful, intelligent, well-cultured, canadian immigrant, getting citizenship this year, B.Tech (india), pg project management (canada), working in admn.dept in canada. The boy should be equally qualified, Jat Sikh, wellsettled in canada. Brother and parents well settled in USA. Please send your bio-data & recent picture to: dhillonintl@yahoo.com or call: 1718-414-4618 *** 670*** Professionally, well educated, Non-Drinker, Non-Smoker, vegetarion, Canadian family son, 28 yrs. old, 6’ tall, handsome, all education is in U.S.A. & Canada, Professionally Employed, well settled in NYC Area, Persuing further studies in his profession.

Interested families please contact with complete profile & recent pictures to: thematch4boy@gmail.com ***670*** Punjabi Sikh parents seek a match for their daughter, born and raised in Canada, 27 yrs. old, 5’4” tall, beautiful, pretty, Doctor (MD) finishing her specialized residency in Ontario. The boy should be Doctor (MD) or Pharmacist or Dentist, born and raised in Canada, handsome, atleast 5’-10” tall with family values and well versed in both cultures. Ontario prefered.

Please send you bio-data and

28 June - 4 July 2016

recent picture to:dkgrewal6@gmail.com ***670*** Jat Sikh parents are looking for a suitable match for their daughter, 33 yrs. old 5’-6” tall, Canadian Citizen, post graduate, employed in one of the reputed banks of Canada, divorced after a brief marriage (no kds). The boy should be Canadian Citizen, Jat Sikh, well educated and professionally employed. Please email recent picture and bio-data to: gill.roop@hotmail.com Or Call : 1-604-615-4316 Or : 1778-954-7274 ***670** Jat Sikh parents seek a professional match for their handsome Canadian citizen son, based in Toronto as a professional Chartered Accountant (CA-CPA), born May 6, 1979, 6’-1" tall. The girl should be family oriented with a balance of eastern and western values. Please send your bio-data & recent picture to: a.aulakhfamily@gmail.com or call: 905-796-2044 *** 670*** Wanted suitable Canadian match for Ramgarhia Sikh Boy, 25 yrs. old, 5’-10" tall, non trimmer, B. Tech, Civil Engineering & Architecture, doing PG course of Const. Project management in canada, having 10 yrs. Visa for USA, reputed family based in Ludhiana. Father Chief Engineer in Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd. Please send your bio-data & recent picture to: sspnesar81@gmail.com or call : 1-604-725-9033 or 011-9185287-00081 *** 670*** Lubana Sikh family seeks a suitable match for their son, Canadian citizen, medical doctor in residency, 29 yrs. old, 5'-9" tall, turbaned. The girl should be equally qualified in medical field from USA or Canada. Please send your bio-data & recent p i c t u r e to : kmultani333@gmail.com or call: 647-479-8389 *** 670*** Jat sikh parents seek a suitable alliance for their son, Toronto Based, Canadian Citizen, 30 yrs. old. 5’-6" tall, smart, handsome, clean shaven, family oriented, B.Eng., M.E.Sc. in Chemical E n g i n e e r i n g f r o m Canadian University, Currently working in his field with an good company. The girl should be slim and well qualified. Interested please contact with pictures of girl to: inderpreetsran@gmail.com or call: 647- 449- 1640 *** 670*** Jat Sikh family looking for a suitable match for their son age 26 year, 5’-11” tall, Canadian Citizen, Completed bachelor in mechanical engineering, Now pursuing their own family business. The girl should be Canadian Citizen/Immigrant, well educated, beautiful and professionally employed. Please send you bio-data and recent

picture to: isingh0999@gmail.com Or Call : 647-448-1290 ***670*** Jat Sikh family seek a suitable match for their daughter, 27 yrs. old, 5’-5” tall, B.D.S. M.,B.A. Convent Educated , beautiful, soft sopken, homely & from a very reputed family. The boy should be Canadian Immigrant or Citizen, well educated, well settled & from a reputed family. Malwa preferred.

Please send you bio-data and recent picture to: lakhwindergill@hotmail.com Or Call : 647-640-6666 ***670*** Jat Sikh parents seeking a match for their Canadian born son, 34 yrs. old, 6’-2” tall, University educated, professionally employed, well paid manager. The girl should be University educated, beautiful with family values. Please email recent picture and bio-data to: tormgr13@gmail.com Or Call : 416-708-1392 ***670** Ravidasia Sikh parents invite a matrimonial alliance for their daughter, 32 yrs. old, 5’-6” tall, Canadian Citizen, beautiful, family oriented, Degree in Human Resources, Lab technician and professionally employed. The boy should be professionally qualified, Canadian Ciizen and well settled with family values. Family is well settled in Canada. Caste no bar.

Please email recent picture and bio-data to: rambains@icloud.com Or Call : 1-604-502-8819 ***670** Jat Sikh family seek a suitable match for their daughter, 35 yrs. old, 5’-5” tall, Canadian Citiazen, Dental Hygenist, working in her own field. The boy should be professionally qualified, family oriented. Please send you biodata and recent picture to: jasleenbhullardhutt@yahoo.ca Or Call : 1-604-722-5531 ***670*** Tank Kashatriya Sikh parents seekina suitable match for their Canadian Citizen daughter, 28 year old, 5’-3”, B.Com, CGA, working with the Government.

The boy should be a Canadian Citizen or PR, equally qualified, well settled in Job in Toronto or Surroundeing area, preferabley clean shaven. Please send you bio-data and recent picture to: singhjag_@hotmail.com Or Call : 416-722-9771 ***670*** Ravidassia Sikh family seek a suitable match for their daughter, 28 yrs. old , 5’-9” tall, American Citizen, Master’s in Health Administration B.B.A. working in Hospital. The boy should, equally qulified, family oriented.

American/Canadian Citizen, At least 6’ tall. Please send you biodata and recent picture to: janagal57@gmail.com Or Call : 1-347-421-8879 ***670*** Well settled, landlord jatt sikh

Bhullar family in india looking for a suitable match from canada for their 24 yrs. 5'-9" tall, handsome, only son, Studing business administration in canada. Please send your bio-data & recent pictures to: asbhullar33@gmail.com or call: 647-381 0541 or 905-497 5563 *** 670*** Jat Sikh parents seeking a suitable match for their daughter, born and raised in Canada, 29 yrs. old, 5’-7” tall, beautiful, family oriented, Master’s degree in Physiotherapy and professionally employed in Ontario. The boy should be well educated, professionally settled with family values. GTA prefered. Please email recent picture and bio-data to: sanjog60@hotmail.com Or Call : 1-204-881-7405 ***670** Punjabi (Malik) parents invite matrimonial alliance for their daughter, 40 yrs. old, 5’-4” tall, slim, fair, beautiful, nevermarried before, M.A. B.Ed. degree holder, working as govt. teacher in Haryana (India), presently on visitor visa in Canada. Parents retired from govt. job and living in India. Uncle’s family is well settled in Canada. Caste no bar.

Please email recent picture and bio-data to: myresponse40@gmail.com Or Call : 416-887-7766 ***670** Jat Sikh Grewal parents seeking a suitable match for their son, 36 yrs. old, 6’-1” tall, Canadian Citizen, MBA degree holder, working with reputable bank. The girl should be educated, professionally employed and with family values. Please send you bio-data and recent picture to: grewal2016@yahoo.ca Or Call : 1-604-765-9214 ***670*** Jat Sikh parents invite matrimonial alliance for their beautiful daughter, 25 yrs. old, working as RN in Seattle (USA), Completed BSN in Nursing. The boy should be born in Canada/America, well educated, professional (Doctor/Dentist), employed and with moderate family values. Please send you bio-data and recent picture to: madamk1940@gmail.com Or Call : 1-778-564-5300 ***670*** Saini Sikh family seek a suitable match for their son, 30 yrs. old, 5’-

6” tall, Canadian born, Diploma in Business Administration & human resources programme, working in his own field. The girl should be equally educated, Canadian born, beautiful, slim. Please send you bio-data and recent picture to: gbsingh86@outlook.com Or Call : 416-904-7099 ***670*** Jat Sikh parents seek a suitable match for their son, 31 yrs. old, 5’10” tall, Canadian born, working as a RN and Teacher. The girl should be equally educated, beautiful, family oriented atleast 5’-6” tall.

Please send you bio-data and recent picture to: g0110sekhon@hotmail.com Or Call : 1-604-501-9234 Or : 1-778-317-1349 ***670*** Professionally Qualified Match for Jatt Sikh Girl, 1988 born, 5'-3'' , B.Sc. Computer Science, MCA, Currently working as a Web Designer in reputed Company, living in India. Looking for suitable match from India, Canada or USA. Boy must be highly Qualified . The Girl is eligible to apply for Canadian permanent residency on point basis. Brother is well settled in Canada. Call: 1-604-710-7800 or 1778-889-1520 *** 670*** Kainth Sikh parents invite matrimonial alliance for their son, born and raised in Canada, 30 yrs. old, Diploma in business, running his own successuful business as car dealer, handsome, family oriented and well versed in both cultures. The girl should be Canadian/American, educated, beautiful with family values. Girl on student visa/work permit or from India may be considered. Please email recent picture and bio-data to: rskainth@rogers.com Or Call : 416-565-7965 ***670** Ramgarhia Sikh family seek a suitable match for their daughter, 27 yrs. old, 5’-1” tall, Master (M.C.A.), working as E.D.P. (Associate) in India, beautiful & family oriented. The boy should be educated, well settled, Canadian Immigrant or Citizen, family oriented. Please send you biodata and recent picture to: taranmohie@gmail.com Or Call : 1-604-446-2571 Or : 011-91-9592903445 ***670***

Change of Name I, Rajbir Singh, 19 B Block Guru Amardass Avenue, Ajnala Road, Amritsar, Panjab, India, currently residing at 260, River Forks Lane, Cambridge, Ont., N3H 0B4, Canada Have Changed My name From Rajbir Singh to Rajbir Singh Kahlon. All Concerned Please Note. ***673***

House-Keeper Wanted White House Canada in Brampton, requires a Live-in housekeeper.

Hotel experience preferred but will train the suitable candidate.

Must be available to stand, walk and bend for extended periods of time. Duties include making beds, dusting, cleaning bathroom, vacuuming, replenishing supplies, cooking and elderly care (1 hr. daily approx) Pls. call 647-632-3999

Issue - 673 (11)

28 June - 4 July 2016

Arrested militant leader reveals how Rocky future for Somalia’s ancient cave art Al Qaeda radicalises and trains youth New Delhi Al-Qaeda’s South Asian wing AQIS (Al-Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent) trains its recruits

handlers based in Pakistan, the sources said.

“Askari is over month-long rigorous training in weapons and

not only to carry out terror attacks but also to radicalise vulnerable Muslim youth in the name of jihad, Delhi police sources said.

Mohammad Asif, 41, the suspected “Indian incharge” of AQIS who was arrested by Delhi Police’s special cell in December last year, had informed investigators about these training modules in his testimony.

Asif’s revelation is part of the chargesheet filed on June 10 by the special cell in Delhi’s Patiala House court against 17 accused, 12 of whom are absconding. They have been charged with allegedly conspiring and recruiting Indian youth and seeking to establish a base of AQIS in the country.

“Askari” and “Deeni” are major training provided to new members of the outfit by AQIS

battle modes to carry out terror strikes while Deeni is 45-day religious training provided to AQIS members to motivate and radicalise youth,” said an official on the condition of anonymity.

AQIS was established by Al Qaeda in 2014 to spread its wings in South Asia.

The chargesheet reveals that Asif, a resident of Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh, took “religious training” in Waziristan in Pakistan in 2014. However, due to “his old age”, he was not sent for “rigorous Askari training”. It also states that Asif stayed near the training camp where chief of Tehreek-e-Taliban, Pakistan, Hakimullah Mehsood, was killed in a US drone attack.

The chargesheet states that Asif was made “in-charge” of AQIS in India after completion of training in Waziristan by an AQIS

member Sayed Akhtar, who also hails from Sambhal and is learnt to be staying near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

It states that Asif, who reached Pakistan in June 2013, managed to return to India in October 2014. He was arrested in Delhi on Dec 14, 2015, following a tipoff.

Asif informed police that he along with Serjil, another resident of Sambhal, stayed in Miranshah in Pakistan where Akhtar delivered lectures for them on jihad.Akhtar told Asif and others about formation of “Tanzeem AQIS” for carrying out terrorist activities in India.The chargesheet states that Asif was among a group of 10 people who were provided Deeni training on the instruction of AQIS’s Amir Maulana Asim Umar alias Sanaul Haq-- who was appointed to the position by AQIS’s overall chief Ayman al-Zawahiri in 2014.

Investigators said that Serjil, Rehan and five other boys were selected for Askari. “One Pakistan national Ustad Sohail taught these new recruits about handling of explosives and IED’s (Improvised Explosive Devices), they said.Another suspected terrorist Jafar Masood, who was arrested by special cell of Delhi Police in December 2015, told the interrogators that he along with other youth was trained in using assault weapons including guns and grenades during Askari training.

LAAS GEEL, SomaliaCenturies have passed since Neolithic artists swirled red and white colour on the cliffs of northern Somalia, painting antelopes, cattle, giraffes and hunters carrying bows and arrows. Today, the paintings at Laas Geel in the self-declared state of Somaliland retain their fresh brilliance, providing vivid depictions of a pastoralist history dating back some 5,000 years or more.“These paintings are unique.

This style cannot be found anywhere in Africa,” said Abdisalam Shabelleh, the site manager from Somaliland’s Ministry of Tourism.Then he points to a corner, where the paint fades and peels off the

Myanmar torches drugs worth $60m YANGON-Myanmar police Sunday torched drugs with a street value of nearly $60 million as authorities struggle to tackle the scourge of poppy cultivation and shut down pill laboratories in lawless border zones. The impoverished nation remains the world’s second biggest producer of opium from which heroin is made, according to the United Nations. Decades of corrupt military rule and continuing civil wars with ethnic rebels are blamed for fuelling the drugs trade. To mark the UN’s annual anti-drugs day, seized drugs and precursor chemicals were burnt in three places across Myanmar.

Over half a ton of opium and 80 kilogrammes (176 pounds) of heroin was torched along with 768 kg of methamphetamines and 10 million other stimulant pills, a police official told AFP, adding the haul was worth around $57 million.At a ceremony in the capital Naypyidaw, Vice-President Myint Swe conceded the battle to stem drug production was far from being won.“People in very remote rural areas are trafficking drugs and cultivating poppies for a living,” he said urging greater development for the poor and

conflict-hit border areas. “Once we have development and success in the local peace process, our drugs control process will strengthen.”

The government led by Aung San Suu Kyi’s pro-democracy party has a massive popular mandate following elections in November.

She has promised efforts to end several simmering insurgencies.

But the government’s writ currently does not extend to many border areas where drug production is rampant.

Both rebels and the Myanmar army are accused of buying weapons with drugs produced in the so-called Golden Triangle, a zone around the intersection of Myanmar, Thailand and Laos.

While the heroin trade is worth billions of dollars to cross-border narcotics syndicates, opium farmers scratch a living at the bottom of the drug chain.A report released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said farmers in Myanmar’s poppygrowing villages make less

money than other rural communities.The struggle by villagers to make ends meet rather than greed was prompting the illicit cultivation, it added.

According to the UN, global opium production plunged almost 40 percent last year but the drug remains easily accessible due to a supply glut.

Asia remains the world’s largest market for opiates, accounting for an estimated two thirds of all users, with Myanmar producing 14 percent of the world’s opium.

rocks. “If nothing is done now, in 20 years it could all have disappeared,” he added.

The site is in dire need of protection. “We don’t have the knowledge, the experience or the financial resources. We need support,” Shabelleh said.The paintings, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) from Hargeisa, capital of Somaliland, are considered among the oldest and best preserved rock art sites in Africa but are protected only by a few guards who ask visitors not to touch the paintings.

Applications for assistance by Somaliland’s government have gone unheeded. A former British protectorate, Somaliland declared independence from the rest of Somalia when war erupted following the overthrow of president Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, but it is not recognised by the international community.

The “lack of recognition” of the country blocks the cave’s protection, said Xavier Gutherz, the former head of the French archaeology team that discovered the site in 2002.Amazed by the remarkable condition of the paintings as well as their previously unknown style, the archaeologist asked for the cave’s listing as a UNESCO world heritage site.

But that request was refused because Somaliland is not recognised as a separate nation. “Only state parties to the World Heritage Convention can nominate sites for World Heritage status,” said a UNESCO spokeswoman.

Requests for funding from donor countries face the same legal and diplomatic headache.Centuries of isolation and local beliefs that the site was haunted and the art the work of evil spirits may have contributed to Laas Geel’s protection. But since their discovery, the cave paintings have become one of the main attractions for visitors to Somaliland.

Issue - 673 (12)

28 June - 4 July 2016

David Headley found Pakistani women difficult, too influenced by Bollywood: Book New Delhi Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley liked Osama bin Laden’s theory of having several women in one’s life but found Pakistani women

including those on women.

“Headley himself loved women.

And he had many of them. He bragged to a group of friends that he had been with more black women than his entire class at

to be cumbersome than those from Arab countries, says a new book.Laden’s father, Mohammed bin Laden, had at least 54 children from 22 different wives.

So while Laden was attending college, he and a friend decided they would each also take several wives and have large families.Laden had over 20 children from six wives. “Laden later developed a theory on the advantages of having several women in one’s life. Four was the optimal number, prescribed by the Prophet Muhammad himself, according to bin Laden,” writes investigative journalist Kaare Sorensen in his new book The Mind of a Terrorist.

“One is okay, like walking. Two is like riding a bicycle: it’s fast but a little unstable. Three is a tricycle, stable but slow. And when we come to four, ah! This is the ideal. Now you can pass everyone!” he says, quoting Laden.According to the author, Headley was, as usual, very excited about Laden’s thoughts,

the military academy combined.

That was about one hundred students,” the book, published

by Penguin Random House India, says.It contains Headley’s personal emails, revealing the psyche of the terrorist.

“But he (Headley) found Pakistani women to be cumbersome. They’d all seen too many Bollywood movies with big, dramatic romance scenes, and they didn’t want to live their lives as the third or fourth wife in a complicated marriage,” argues Sorensen.“Arab women are much more understanding and open to it. They only ask that you be fair,” Headley wrote to his friends, he says.However, the author says Headley’s many women were also his Achilles’ heel.“He could manage the American narcotics authorities; connections to the drug trade; heroin smugglers in Pakistan; major Iqbal from the intelligence service; and Pasha, Sajid Mir and the others in Lashkar, and he could juggle all his roles and

The recent activities of Lashkare-Taiba affiliated charity organization Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) outside Pakistan is a reason to worry for security agencies- it has been openly spreading its wings not just inside Pakistan but in faraway places like Gaza and Somalia.FIF first set its foot in Gaza two years back; this year the group organized its first camp in Somalia.With troubled complex situation in Gaza and volatile socioeconomic conditions in Somalia, Lashkar commanders hope to find recruits and radicalize them easily in places like Gaza and Somalia than even in Pakistan and PoK. TERRORISM IN FORM OF CHARITY Ever since its formation, FIF has been the social front of LeT which is used extensively by the terrorist organization to make inroads into Pakistan’s rural population.Being a charity organization, it was also able to collect tax free money in the form of donation from several

countries; this money was later transferred to LeT for their terrorist activities (mostly in India).Two years after the deadly 26/11 Mumbai attacks, on November 24, 2010 the US

opportunities at once - without everything coming crashing down to the ground.“But when it came to women - wives, girlfriends, friends and his own mother - everything went wrong,” he says.Headley revealed too much and there was always one who talked; her name was Faiza Outalha, the author says.

“She was originally from Morocco, but she was studying medicine at a university in Lahore, and it’s not difficult to see why Headley fell for her. In late February 2007, the two got married in Pakistan...Near the end of 2007, less than a year after they got married, his relationship with Faiza was on the verge of collapse,” the book says.In December 2007, Faiza talked her way into the American embassy in Pakistan. “She was angry and loudly let the agents from the department of state’s security agency know that her husband, an American citizen, was a terrorist. He had stayed in Lashkar-e-Taiba training camps and sometimes spoke about suicide missions, she said. And he might be involved in some activities in Mumbai.

“A few months before the Mumbai attack, Faiza went directly to Lashkar leader Hafiz Saeed and asked for help in saving their troubled marriage. Saeed then paid a visit to Headley, who downplayed the matter and explained that he had been busy with his Lashkar duties and hadn’t had much time to take care of wife number two,” the book says.Faiza and Headley, however, got back together, and watched the terrorist attack in Mumbai together on Headley’s TV in their house in Lahore, Sorensen writes.

Lashkar’s new hiring ground outside Pakistan FIF makes entry into Gaza and Somalia

government officially declared FIF, the charity wing of Hafiz Saeed’s Jamat -ud-Dawa as an alias of LeT.The executive order no E.O. 13224 also declared Hafiz Abdur Rauf, (the present chairman of FIF) a key financial facilitator for LeT and In 2014, despite having the tag of affiliation with a global terrorist organization, FIF Pakistan managed to make an entry into Gaza.The LeT commanders were wise enough to take the cover of holy month of Ramazan and several Iftar camps were organized for orphan kids in Gaza

during the month of Ramadan.

The Gaza camps of FIF Pakistan have been there since then.Earlier this year, in the month of May, FIF took first steps towards the African nation of Somalia and organized their first camp in Somalia.Most of these camps were organized around cities like Bosaso and Hargeisa, once again these activities started just two weeks before the holy month of Ramazan and were publicized as a charity event from a fellow Muslim country.LeT operatives can get an uninterrupted access to a larger mass in the African nation through these charity camps. The local governments hardly care as there seems to be no prima facie threat about such charity camps that provide free food to poor during the holy month of Ramazan.As far as the governments of India and US are concerned, there are no visible signs of concern yet, not at least to the effect of tangible action as far as these terror sponsored charity camps on foreign lands are concerned.

Clerics issue fatwa allowing transgender marriage in Pakistan

Islamabad At least 50 clerics have issued a fatwa (religious decree) that marriage with a transgender person is now lawful in Pakistan, a media report said on Monday.

The fatwa, released on Sunday by the clerics affiliated with Tanzeem Ittehad-i-Ummat, said a transgender person having “visible signs of being a male” may marry a woman or a transgender with “visible signs of being a female” and vice versa, Dawn online reported.

But, the fatwa added, a transgender person carrying

“visible signs of both genders” may not marry anyone.

It declared that robbing transgender people of their share in inheritance was unlawful and that parents who deprive their transgender sons/daughters of inheritance were “inviting the wrath of God”.The clerics called upon the government to take action against such parents.

The decree also dwelt upon societal attitudes towards transgenders. It went to the extent of terming ‘haraam’ any act intended to “humiliate, insult or tease” them.

The head of Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD)chief and India’s most wanted terrorist Hafiz Saeed often holds radical views on several issues, but his views on Britain’s exit from European Union are more than dramatic.

Addressing a gathering in Pakistan’s Faisalabad, the mastermind of 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks said that Jihad was the main reason behind Brexit. In a unusual style, Saeed started his speech with an announcement “Aaj Ki Taza Khabar, Suno Jara Gaur Se (Breaking News of the day, listen to me very carefully)”. Saeed rejoiced the global slowdown in share markets following Brexit and said “you might not realise it now, but all these changes are taking place due to Jihad”. He held Britain responsible for USA lead actions and said “USA is just the operating hand, the real policy maker is UK, and now they are facing the wrath of God”.

INDIA’s MOST WANTED Saeed who figures in the most wanted list of India and US has been holding regular rallies across cities in Pakistan recently. Despite having an Interpol notice and US announcing a reward of $10 million, Hafiz Saeed continues

to enjoy a VIP treatment by local administration in various Pakistani cities. He continues to deliver open hate speeches against India and US calling youngsters to join jihad against the enemies.

Brexit happened due to jihad, says Hafiz Saeed

SAEED CELEBRATES UK’S EXIT FROM EU Addressing an gathering of JuD supporters at Khyber centre of Faisalabad on Friday evening, Saeed celebrated UK’s exit from EU and termed it the beginning of the end of mighty Europe.

Saeed also went ahead to predict the fall of European Union in very near future “time is not far when the entire western civilisation would fall” said Saeed. Predicting the future of EU Saeed said “Britain’s exit from EU will lead to downfall of the Great Britain and very soon France, Germany and Italy will follow”. This statement from Saeed lead to loud cheers from his supporters. Saeed called upon his supporters to carry on their Jihad promising that Jihad would lead to impossible results.

“Very soon, an Islamic Union will take over the world,” announced Saeed as he ended his speech amid cheers and slogans from the crowd.

Issue - 673 (13)

28 June - 4 July 2016

Google, Facebook quietly move toward automatic blocking of extremist videos Some of the web’s biggest destinations for watching videos have quietly started using automation to remove extremist content from their sites, according to two people familiar with the process.

The move is a major step forward for internet companies that are eager to eradicate violent propaganda from their sites and are under pressure to do so from governments around the world as attacks by extremists proliferate, from Syria to Belgium and the United States.

YouTube and Facebook are among the sites deploying systems to block or rapidly take down Islamic State videos and other similar material, the sources said.

The technology was originally developed to identify and remove copyright-protected content on video sites. It looks for “hashes,” a type of unique digital fingerprint that internet companies automatically assign to specific videos, allowing all content with matching fingerprints to be removed rapidly.Such a system would catch attempts to repost content already identified as unacceptable, but would not automatically block videos that have not been seen before.

The companies would not confirm that they are using the method or talk about how it might be employed, but numerous people familiar with the technology said that posted videos could be checked against a database of banned content to identify new postings of, say, a beheading or a lecture inciting violence.

The two sources would not discuss how much human work goes into reviewing videos identified as matches or nearmatches by the technology.

They also would not say how

videos in the databases were initially identified as extremist.

Use of the new technology is likely to be refined over time as internet companies continue to

point has embraced the antiextremist group’s system, and they have typically been wary of outside intervention in how their sites should be policed.

publicly described its contentblocking system for the first time last week and urged the big internet companies to adopt it.

WARY OF OUTSIDE

discuss the issue internally and with competitors and other interested parties.

In late April, amid pressure from US President Barack Obama and other US and European leaders concerned about online radicalisation, internet companies including Alphabet Inc’s YouTube, Twitter Inc, Facebook Inc and CloudFlare held a call to discuss options, including a content-blocking system put forward by the private Counter Extremism Project, according to one person on the call and three who were briefed on what was discussed.

The discussions underscored the central but difficult role some of the world’s most influential companies now play in addressing issues such as terrorism, free speech and the lines between government and corporate authority.

None of the companies at this

“It’s a little bit different than copyright or child pornography, where things are very clearly illegal,” said Seamus Hughes, deputy director of George Washington University’s Program on Extremism.

Extremist content exists on a spectrum, Hughes said, and different web companies draw the line in different places.

Most have relied until now mainly on users to flag content that violates their terms of service, and many still do. Flagged material is then individually reviewed by human editors who delete postings found to be in violation.The companies now using automation are not publicly discussing it, two sources said, in part out of concern that terrorists might learn how to manipulate their systems or that repressive regimes might insist the technology be used to censor opponents.

“There’s no upside in these companies talking about it,” said Matthew Prince, chief executive of content distribution company CloudFlare. “Why would they brag about censorship?”

The two people familiar with the still-evolving industry practice confirmed it to Reuters after the Counter Extremism Project

SOLUTION The April call was led by Facebook’s head of global policy management, Monika Bickert, sources with knowledge of the call said. On it, Facebook presented options for discussion, according to one participant, including the one proposed by the non-profit Counter Extremism Project.

The anti-extremism group was founded by, among others, Frances Townsend, who advised former president George W. Bush on homeland security, and Mark Wallace, who was deputy campaign manager for the Bush 2004 re-election campaign.

Three sources with knowledge of the April call said that companies expressed wariness of letting an outside group decide what defined unacceptable content.

Other alternatives raised on the call included establishing a new industry-controlled nonprofit or expanding an existing industrycontrolled nonprofit. All the options discussed involved hashing technology.

The model for an industry-funded organization might be the nonprofit National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which identifies known child pornography images using a

Zardari criticizes funding of seminary in Khyber Pakhtukhwa Islamabad : Former Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari hit out at the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provincial government for allocating public funds to a privately-owned Islamic seminary known for "its links with the Taliban and other militant groups".The provincial government, led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in its budget for fiscal 2016-17, has set aside Rs. 300 million for the Nowsherabased Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary of Maulana Sami-ul Haq."This is nothing but legitimisation of militancy and militant Taliban that will undermine the nation's resolve to fight militants to the finish," the Express Tribune quoted him, as saying.

Zardari's statement was released by his spokesperson Senator Farhatullah Babar.

Babar said Zardari, also the CoChairman of Pakistan Peoples Party, was deeply concerned over the use of public money for a private seminary which is reportedly known for promoting private jihads."The resources should have been spent on

human development instead of on a seminary whose claim to fame lies in its promotion of militant Islam and the worldview of Islamic militants," Zardari said.Zardari pointed out that the current head of the seminary is an acknowledged sympathiser and undeclared spokesperson of the Taliban.

He was of the opinion that in the wake of Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansoor's killing in a U.S. drone strike in Balochistan, it appears that some elements are reviving the 'jihadi project'."Recently, conservative religious parties led by a proscribed organisation held congregations in Islamabad protesting Mullah Mansoor's death. Now a privately owned pro-Taliban madrassa has been given Rs300 million," he added.

However, Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan has last week defended the decision to allocate money to the seminary, noting that about 2.2 million students in the province studied in seminaries as compared to 800,000 in Englishmedium schools.

system known as PhotoDNA. The system is licensed for free

by Microsoft Corp.

Microsoft announced in May it was providing funding and technical support to Dartmouth College computer scientist Hany Farid, who works with the Counter Extremism Project and helped develop PhotoDNA, “to develop a technology to help stakeholders identify copies of patently terrorist content.”

Facebook’s Bickert agreed with some of the concerns voiced during the call about the Counter Extremism Project’s proposal, two people familiar with the events said. She declined to comment publicly on the call or on Facebook’s efforts, except to note in a statement that Facebook is “exploring with others in industry ways we can collaboratively work to remove content that violates our policies against terrorism.”In recent weeks, one source said, Facebook has sent out a survey to other companies soliciting their opinions on different options for industry collaboration on the issue.William Fitzgerald, a spokesman for Alphabet’s Google unit, which owns YouTube, also declined to comment on the call or about the company’s automated efforts to police content.

A Twitter spokesman said the company was still evaluating the Counter Extremism Project’s proposal and had “not yet taken a position.”

A former Google employee said people there had long debated what else besides thwarting copyright violations or sharing revenue with creators the company should do with its Content ID system. Google’s system for content-matching is older and far more sophisticated than Facebook’s, according to people familiar with both.

Lisa Monaco, senior adviser to the US president on counterterrorism, said in a statement that the White House welcomed initiatives that seek to help companies better respond to the threat posed by terrorists’ activities online.

Saket court rejects AAP legislator Dinesh Mohaniya's bail plea New Delhi : The Saket District Court in the national capital on Monday dismissed the bail plea of Aam Aadmi Party ( AAP) MLA Dinesh Mohaniya in connection with assault charges and sent him to judicial custody till July 11.He was arrested by the Delhi Police while addressing a press conference at his office in Khanpur in South Delhi on Saturday.

Mohaniya, who is also the vicechairman of Delhi Jal Board, was booked on June 23 after local residents of Sangam Vihar alleged that the MLA and his supporters roughed them up and misbehaved with women in his office when they went to complain about irregular water supply. A case was registered under Section 506 (criminal intimidation), Section 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and Section 323 (punishment for

voluntarily causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code at the Neb Sarai Police Station.The police also added Sections 354 and 354 (b).However, the MLA had rubbished the allegations, saying it was an attempt to defame his reputation as the water mafia is frustrated because of the Delhi Government's crackdown.Another case has also been registered

against Mohaniya for allegedly slapping a 60-year-old man in Tughlaquabad area on Friday.A case has been registered against Mohaniya under Sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 341(punishment for wrongful restraint) and 34 (act done by several persons) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Govindpuri Police Station.

Issue - 673 (14)

28 June - 4 July 2016

Pak. hunts for U.S. lobbyist amid strained diplomatic ties

Washington: With diplomatic relations between Pakistan and the United States strained following Washington's refusal to subsidise an F16 deal and President Barack Obama's campaign to induct India into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), Islamabad is now looking for a paid lobbyist in the U.S. capital.

Pakistan Embassy spokesman Nadeem Hotiana has confirmed to that the country was now looking for a lobbyist "but has not yet taken any decision", reports Dawn.

According to the U.S. Justice Department record

the last law firm to lobby for Pakistan in Washington was Locke Lord Strategies and Islamabad failed to renew its contract with the firm in July 2013, after the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) replaced Pakistan People's Party (PPP) in the government in Islamabad.

PPP hired Locke Lord mainly because one of its partners, Mark Siegel, was a personal friend of the late prime minister Benazir Bhutto, reports say.

Meanwhile, Diplomatic observers in Washington are of the opinion that even the best lobbyist could only try to improve Pakistan's

image, particularly on the Hill, but cannot promise to deliver."So Pakistan must think carefully before hiring a new lobbyist, as it costs money and a lot of it," Dawn quoted one observer as saying.The embassy was paying seventy-five thousand dollars per month to this group, which is the lobbying arm of the law firm Locke Lord. According to the U.S. Justice Department records, Locke Lord earned about 4.5 million dollars while representing the country and takes credit for the passage of the 7.5 billion dollars KLB aid package to Pakistan in 2009.

Pak’s diplomatic efforts foiled India's NSG bid: Sartaj Aziz

Islamabad: Sartaj Aziz, Adviser to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Foreign Affairs, has said that it was Islamabad's intensive diplomatic lobbying which prevented India from gaining entry into the 48-member Nuclear Supplier Group's (NSG).

"Prime Minister Nawaz

Sharif personally wrote letters to 17 prime ministers of different countries on the matter, which is on record,"

Taliban leader among 14 killed in Kunduz airstrike

Kabul: At least 14 militants, including a leader of the Taliban group identified as Qari Ghafar, have been killed in an airstrike in Afghanistan's northern Kunduz province.

The Ministry of Defense (MoD) in a statement said the airstrike was carried out in the restive Chardara district, adding in addition two others were critically wounded.

However, it wasn't clear if the airstrike was carried out by the Afghan or the U.S. forces.

The U.S. forces have started targeting the Taliban militants and insurgents groups after President Barack Obama approved a wider role for the military stationed here.

The new role was approved amid deteriorating security situation in the country.

Dawn quoted Aziz as saying at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad.The NSG on Thursday failed to reach consensus on New Delhi's membership application after few members of the international nuclear trade cartel insisted on adhering to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) condition for admission.India is a nonsignatory of the NonProliferation Treaty.Despite being openly backed by the United States President Barack Obama, the move was a setback for India.India and Pakistan, both a non-NPT states are aspiring for the membership of the 48member international nuclear trade cartel.

Regarding the arrest of alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav,Aziz said the security agencies are in the process of compiling more evidence against the former adding that that legal proceedings would begin against Jadhav soon.On the issue of the Afghan Taliban, Aziz acknowledged that the Pakistani government categorises Taliban into 'good' and 'bad' groups and that the government is trying to push 'good Taliban groups' for resumption of dialogue.

Bhutto's PPP files petition seeking disqualification of PM Sharif

Islamabad: The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has filed a petition with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) seeking disqualification of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his four relatives from the National Assembly for not fulfilling requirements under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution.Pakistan People's Party leaders Sardar Latif Khosa and Faisal Kareem Kundi, also named Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Captain Safdar and Hamza Shahbaz in the reference."PM Nawaz is not 'sadiq' and 'amin' anymore and therefore is not eligible to hold a seat in the NA," Dawn quoted the statement in the petition as saying.

The petition claimed that Nawaz Sharif's and Shahbaz have hidden

assets of various family members and that Dar also kept secret his son's assets.

It also alleges that Sharif's daughter, Mariam Nawaz's assets are concealed by her husband Captain Safdar.The PPP had finalised the draft of the reference yesterday and filed with the Election Commission today. " PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has approved the draft of the reference to be filed in the ECP to seek disqualification of Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar as well as retired Capt Muhammad Safdar and Hamza Shahbaz, members of the National Assembly," Pakistan People's Party Senator Farhatullah Babar said yesterday.

Two Ansarullah militants held by Dhaka police

Dhaka Bangladesh police has arrested two militants belonging to Ansarullah Bangla Team, a banned militant outfit in Dhaka.

Identified as Maolana Mohammed Naim alias Saiful Islam alias Saad, and Sohel Ahmmed alias Sohel, police said they were arrested from Faridabad and Kamrangirchar areas of Dhaka, adding they spread out invitations for joining the group.

Abdul Baten, joint commissioner of Detective Branch of police said they were arrested during a raid around 9:30 p.m. local time yesterday, reports the Daily Star.

The arrest was made following information given by two other Ansarullah Bangla Team arrestees who were held on June 13.

Ansarullah Bangla Team has in the past claimed responsibility of several killings of secular activists and bloggers in the region.

Issue 673 (15)

By Mohar Basu Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Vicky Kaushal, Vipin Sharma, Amruta Subhash, Sobhita Dhulipala Direction: Anurag Kashyap Rating: 4 Stars STORY: Raman (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) reveres Raman Raghav, a pyschopath killer who terrorised the Mumbai in the 1960s. He is looking for Raghav; his other half.

Raman finds his 'soulmate' in ACP Raghav, the cop investigating the murders committed by him.

REVIEW: Director Anurag Kashyap treads familiar ground with Raman Raghav 2.0. It is overwhelmingly dark with deep macabre undertones. Kashyap gets the moral pendulum oscillating between his prime characters - one a coldblooded murderer and another who has all the makings of becoming one. He subtly draws parallels between the personalities of his men who stand on opposite sides of the spectrum. Raman beautifully puts it in one of the film's early scenes that after all, he and Raghav are the same people but the police uniform validates or criminalises their actions.

Anurag sets his story in a dystopian corner of

28 June - 4 July 2016

Raman Raghav 2.0

BLOODY GRIPPING

the city's slums. That's where Raman finds most of his victims - a hapless housemaid, an uncle who abused him as a kid, his own sister. The references to the original serial killer's life is overwhelming. There is a scene in which Raman tightens the screw

of his weapon as he cooks chicken curry and tells his sister's husband how he would rape her.

The film has its quirks laced with the unmissable dark humour but the writing lacks depth. The characters are uni-dimensional and back stories are weak.

Raghav, a coke snorting, careless cop is repeatedly blamed by his girlfriend for the three abortions she undergoes. He has his cruel daddy issues to blame for his own warped behaviour.

Nawaz wears his nonchalance in style but he

fails to deliver. Don't be surprised if you see glimpses of his character from Kick laughing hysterically at us. Vicky Kaushal is good but suffers from a poorly sketched character.

The biggest problem with Raman Raghav 2.0 is

that it glorifies the gore.

The climax monologue will run your patience thin. Can you buy the logic that killing for insanity is better than killing in the name of religion? It is crude, callous but in trying to whip up suspense, it loses sight of vulnerability.

SAME GAME, NEW TRICKS by : Vinayak Chakravorty Cast: Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Vivica A. Fox Direction: Roland Emmerich “WE always knew they were coming back,” says a promo punchline of the film. Translated, that means the makers always knew they would make this sequel one day. Roland Emmerich’s $200 million monster production was perhaps hampered by too many films being made within the alien attack genre over the years, which probably explains the long-delayed sequel. Returning

two decades after Independence Day with this sequel, Emmerich, master of disasters dramas, knows the basic trick has not changed in all these years: to double the profits with any new sequel, simply amp up the CGI quota and production values. The plot is simple: Twenty years

after the first film’s events, the UN has created an advanced global defense program against aliens. However, the new lot of aliens are smarter, so fresh threat looms large. It’s the same old excuse of a story actually, to sex up the same old caper you saw 20 years ago. Only, the di-

saster drama is more extravagant. Independence Day: Resurgence is the most awsomely produced Hollywood spectacle till date — which is actually is a glowing one-line review if you don’t fancy nuances such as script or cinematic finesse.

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28 June - 4 July 2016

EXERCISE=RAPE FOR SALMAN? The actor while promoting his upcoming film Sultan compared the physical exhaustion experienced by him while shooting for the film akin to that of what a raped woman would undergo.

He had the National Commission for Women up in arms and came in for severe criticism from various quarters.

That’s not all, even though the NCW wants the actor to apologise publicly for his behaviour, the actor who got a public platform at the ongoing IIFA awards in Madrid chose say that the lesser he spoke the, the better for him.

NO COMMENT FROM BOLLYWOOD Meanwhile Bollywood has maintained a stoic silence or been wishy washy in their reaction to the stars insensitive comment.

Barring filmmakers Farah Khan and Anurag Kashyap, members of the film fraternity have refrained from saying that the actor should apologise.

Meanwhile, Kangana Ranaut and singer Sona Mahapatra have been vocal in condemning the star unequivocally and have also added that it’s the mentality prevalent in society that we should collectively be ashamed of.

FREIDA PINTO STANDS ALONE At the ongoing IIFA awards Hollywood actor Freida Pinto was categorical in saying that she was offended by his comments and was shocked as well.

After all, Pinto will not be affected

Shameful?

Bollywood chooses to stay silent on Salman’s rape remark controversy even if she takes a stance which might not please the superstar.

On the other hand filmmakers Kabir Khan and Rakyesh Om Prakash Mehra played it safe.

While the former did admit that what Salman said was wrong, he also added that whether he should apologise or not was upto him. Mehra on the other hand took the

easy way out by saying that he had been quoted out of context. Also Vivek Oberoi who has rubbed Salman the wrong way in the past refused to even indulge the question.

NO APOLOGIES? Salman refuses to apologise and the industry refrains from taking on the biggest Khan in Bollywood.

Earlier, on Thursday

(June 23), during the inauguration of the International Indian Film Awards (IIFA), Salman had said, “I will not take much time, because nowadays the less I speak the better it is,” and added jokingly that he should keep mum because everything he says gets misinterpreted.

Khan is all set to perform at the IIFA night, where his film Bajrangi

Bhaijaan is a front-runner in the nominations for various categories. The 17th edition of IIFA, which travels to several continents, is being held in Spain for the first time.

In an interview to Spotboye. com, Salman had said, “While shooting, during those six hours, there’d be so much of lifting and thrusting on the ground involved.

That was tough for me because if I was lifting, I’d have to lift the same 120kilo guy 10 times for 10 different angles. And likewise, get thrown that many times on the ground. This act is not repeated that many times in the real fights in the ring. When I used to walk out of the ring, after the shoot, I used to feel like a raped woman.

I couldn’t walk straight. I would eat and then, head right back to training. That couldn’t stop.” Right after social media erupted over that ‘raped woman’ analogy, an audio clip from the interviews was released on the Internet. It had Salman retracting his words the moment he uttered it, but that went unreported.

Dips and PeeCee all ‘charged’ up THE stage is set and the entire Bollywood has already reached Spain to be a part of the four-day extravaganza.

IIFA is all set to kick off and if reports are to be believed, Bollywood’s two biggest divas Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone will perform at the awards night.

And buzz has it that two actors will draw a hefty amount of ‘1.3 crore each for their fourminute act. According to a report, the Pikuactor has demanded ‘33 lakh per minute and her Bajirao Mastani co-actor is said to have commanded the same amount. A source was quoted as saying, “The organizers were in talks with many celebrities to perform on stage. They even conducted a research to find out which Bollywood celebrities are popular in Madrid and results showed Deepika and Priyanka top the actresses’ list and therefore, were ready to shell out a hefty amount to have them in their performance line-up. Normally, Bollywood girls are paid ‘70-80 lakh for a stage act depending on their popularity

absolutely justified. The organisers have agreed to their demand too,” another source added.

Deepika, who will begin shooting for her next Bollywood film in September, has already reached Madrid. Priyanka, on the other hand, is said to fly to Spain on the eve of the awards night.

PeeCee’s journey from being a beauty queen, a Bollywood star, an international singer and to now a Hollywood actress, has been a great successPriyanka Chopra is not reading much into it.

CAUGHT

and market value.” Buzz has it that since both the divas have forayed in Hollywood with XXX The Return of Xander Cage and Baywatch, their brand value has instantly shot up.“The brand value of the two girls has shot up after they forayed into Hollywood and if they are asking for that much money for a performance, it is

DRUNK DRIVING?

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Issue 673 (17)

28 June - 4 July 2016

RIHANNA’S WEMBLEY CONCERT FAILS TO DRAW IN CROWDS As the UK left the EU, the Bajan pop beauty brought her ANTI World tour to Wembley Arena, but didn’t draw in the crowds she’s used to. Not only that, audience members complained that the singer disappeared from stage for up to 10 minutes at a time.

A source told Mirror Celebs: “She rushed through the songs and everything was double the tempo. There were 10minute dance breaks where she went off stage and nobody knew what is going on.

“Fans weren’t too happy with the performance and there were a lot of empty seats.”

While fans took to Twitter to point out just

how empty the 90,000 capacity north-west London venue was. “My does Rihanna concert at

Wembley look so dead, it’s half empty,” one wrote.

Another shared: “Wow how empty is Wembley.

Poor Rihanna.” Though plenty of fans also praised the performance, with one describing it as “epic”.

KATHERINE HEIGL IS PREGNANT

Los Angeles (Hello! ): Katherine Heigl has some very exciting news to share. The actress and her husband Josh Kelley

have confirmed to People that they are expecting their third child together, a baby boy due in January. The new arrival

will join big sisters Naleigh, seven, and fouryear-old Adelaide. “The Kelley clan is thrilled to announce that we are

Uma Thurman ‘breaks bones’ in horse fall EO New York - Uma Thurman was injured this week during a horse-riding accident, suffering several broken bones, her rep confirmed to The New York Post’s Page Six Tuesday.

“Uma was in an equestrian accident,” her rep said. “She was training on a young thoroughbred who got spooked. She was thrown and broke a few bones.” Sources told the site that Thurman was spotted looking pained and uncomfortable, “like she had hip surgery,” as her children helped her into a restaurant in St. Bart’s.

The mom of three co-parents with ex-husband Ethan Hawke, the father of two of her kids, and ex-fiancé Arpad Busson, with whom she shares a 3year-old daughter. Hopefully the men will step in to help while Thurman is in recovery mode. The 46-year-old actress is no stranger to unique fitness routines: To prepare for her role in Kill Bill, she did intensive martial arts training with her personal trainer. She’s also a fan of yoga, Pilates, and outdoor activities like skiing, snowboarding and, of course, horseback riding.

Thurman’s latest film, The Brits Are Coming co-starring Sofia Vergara and Crispin Glover is slated for release later this year. She has three more films in the works. It isn’t yet known if her injuries will postpone production.

expecting a third addition to our family,” the couple said in a statement.

“Naleigh and Adelaide could not be more excited to welcome their new sibling into the fold and Josh and I are overflowing with joy and gratitude.”

Katherine, 37, added: “This is an incredibly exciting time for us filled with hope, anticipation, and hormones. Well, only I’m filled with hormones, but everyone in the family gets to enjoy them.

“We couldn’t be more excited to be able to finally share this news with our fans and are looking forward to continuing to share the journey with you all.”

Judge blocks sale of Whitney’s Emmy Award

Los Angeles-A federal judge blocked the sale of an Emmy Award that Whitney Houston won 30 years ago after it was put on the auction block by the late singer’s family. US District Judge Percy Anderson issued a temporary restraining order against Heritage Auctions and the pop star’s estate, which planned to sell the Emmy. Houston won the TV award in 1986 for her performance of “Saving All My Love for You” during the Grammy ceremony. Anderson’s ruling says the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has initially shown it owns the award, is likely to win the case and would suffer irreparable harm if the award was sold. He set a hearing for July 7 to extend the order. “We fought the good fight, but we respect the court’s decision,” Heritage Auctions spokesman Eric Bradley said. “As ordered, the award will be withdrawn from the auction and returned to the Houston family.”

Anderson agreed with arguments by lawyers for the television academy that Emmy trophies are loaned to an artist but that it retains ownership rights to them and they cannot be sold after the artist dies. If an heir no longer wants an Emmy Award, it must be returned to the academy for storage in “memory of the recipient,” according to court filings.

Did Tom just break his silence over Swift?

Los Angeles (Mirror): Tom Hiddleston finally appeared to break his silence over his relationship with Taylor Swift. Despite being pictured together a number of times since news of their romance emerged, neither party has spoken publicly about their relationship.

According to reports, Tom called into Belgium’s Qmusic radio show and spilled the beans on what it’s like to be dating the world’s biggest popstar. “I would describe it as a

roller coaster ride of action and spectacle and lots of laughs,” joked the handsome actor.

Erection Problem?

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Issue 673 (18)

28 June - 4 July 2016

Men in red appear angry and in charge

Bulls have known it forever, but scientists are now saying that men dressed in red appear angrier and more dominant than those in blue or grey.

The study published Wednesday in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters was based on the reactions of both men and women to men photographed in different coloured clothing.

‘Men wearing red were rated as more aggressive and more dominant and were more

often categorised as ‘angry’ than targets wearing grey or blue,’ said the researchers from Durham University in Britain.

Previous research had shown wearing red could increase one’s chances of winning a sports contest, and is also a mark of dominance in other species. But the new research shows associations between clothing colour and how a person is perceived, with red apparently triggering certain mental

associations in humans.

A hundred people, half of them male and half female, were asked to look at photos of men dressed in red, blue and grey and asked to rate them on how aggressive and authoritarian they seemed to be, as well as their apparent emotional state. Both men and women saw anger and aggression in the red-wearing men.

But only the male viewers in the study also saw dominance in the photos of those wearing red clothes.

Grey and blue on the other hand transmitted no feelings of aggression or authority to either the men or the women in the study.

‘This suggests that the colour red may be a cue used to predict propensity for dominance and aggression in human males,’ the study said.

World’s first warm-blooded fish found New York Researchers have discovered a first fully

A t m o s p h e r i c Administration’s National Marine Fisheries (NOAA

warm-blooded fish that circulates heated blood throughout its body much like mammals and birds.

The silvery fish, roughly the size of a large automobile tire, is known from oceans around the world and dwells hundreds of feet beneath the surface in chilly, dimly lit waters. The warmblooded opah or moonfish swims by rapidly flapping its large, red pectoral fins like wings through the water, giving it a competitive advantage in the cold ocean depths, reported the team from National Oceanic and

Fisheries). “That warmblooded advantage turns the opah into a highperformance predator that swims faster, reacts more quickly and sees more sharply,” said fisheries biologist Nicholas Wegner, lead author of the paper. “It turns out to be a very active predator that chases down agile prey like squid and can migrate long distances,” he added. While looking at opah, Wegner recognised an unusual design: Blood vessels that carry warm blood into the fish’s gills wind

around those carrying cold blood back to the body core after absorbing oxygen from water. The design is known in engineering as “counter-current heat exchange.” Resembling a car radiator, it’s a natural adaptation that conserves heat. The unique location of the heat exchange within the gills allows nearly the fish’s entire body to maintain an elevated temperature even in the chilly depths. “There has never been anything like this seen in a fish’s gills before,” Wegner said.

This is a cool innovation by these animals that gives them a competitive edge.

“The concept of countercurrent heat exchange was invented in fish long before we thought of it,” the authors said.

Discoveries like this will help scientists understand the role species play in the marine ecosystem. The paper appeared in the journal Science.

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28 June - 4 July 2016

Homing in on music Longing for home: Aarsh Benipal

Jasmine Singh ‘In the merry month of May,’ as the opening lines of English poet Richard Barnfield’s An Ode say, they fly down back to their native home, they come all gay and merry to restart the second phase of their career. They sing out loud, ensuring others from the flock know they have arrived, and soon the word spreads. They are quite like migratory birds, the Punjabi NRI singers, for they spend one season abroad and the other season brings them back to India, Punjab.

As they shuttle between the continents, they ensure they don’t step down the popularity ladder, no matter how tough it is, these singers croon their own story.

His warm face can drown hearts, his voice has a

drowning effect - Punjabi singeractor Aarsh Benipal, who is now settled in Canada, is known to have a style of his own.

Here & there: Striking a balance between personal and professional life is of utmost importance to me. I spend a considerable time in Canada, since I am settled there, but that time mostly is utilised by working on my tracks, albums or films,

since I am not working anywhere else. Since I belong to Punjab and am an artiste, I cannot afford to be away from it for long.Musical balance: The culture of any place where you stay for long definitely has an impact on your lifestyle and work. As for me, I only enjoy slow English numbers, otherwise it is Punjabi music all the way.

In touch with roots: Jazz Dhami He is the hottest Punjabi singer who stays in the UK, coming to India often for work. His tracks, High Heels with Yo Yo Honey Singh and Zulfa with Dr Zeus, took him high on the popularity chart in Punjab. Here & there: I have been born and brought-up in Birmingham, and this is where I spend my time. My work, which is Punjab music, now brings me to India as much as I can. Musical influences: Indeed, my music has a touch of international music, but when I come back to Punjab, I get to know, see and understand the trends here.

Rock on: Dr Zeus Baljit Singh Padam, better known by his stage name Dr. Zeus, is a popular Punjabi singer and music producer. He rose to fame in 2003 with his song Kangna, which was voted the best song on BBC Asian Network in that year. His other hits are Jugni Ji and Rough.Jugni Ji won the best single award in 2012. He has worked with singer Kanika

Homeward bound:Harbhajan Mann

Kapoor for song Jugni Ji, with musician Jazz Dhami for song Zulfa. His song Aag Ka Dariya features on the Four Lions film soundtrack.

The singer with a saccharine voice and a pleasantly charming face has been a heartthrob of thousands. He is known to change the face of Punjabi cinema by bridging the gap between Punjabis settled abroad and back in Punjab. Here & there: Now, I spend most of my time in India because of shows, films and other work assignments. Also, I am frequently travelling because of work. I haven’t divided my stay as per seasons. I am in India most of the time. I take out10-15 days at a stretch to visit my family in Canada or they come to India to join me, or elsewhere when I am travelling; this is how I strike a balance. Musical balance: Indeed when I am abroad, my music will have some Western influences, I get to know more about the kind of videos being shot there, the trend of music and much more.

Juggling act: Babbal Rai This good-looking buck-tooth Punjabi singer from Samrala moved to Australia a good time ago. He is apparently the first Punjabi singer to release his track, Australian Challa, on YouTube, which spread like forest fire, making him a rage.

Babbal’s recent album, Girlfriend, which he released in India in 2014, is receiving a great response. He is currently back in India working on the release of his next track. Here & there: I am aware of the hopping I do; but thanks to my family and work, I have tried to manage it beautifully.

Musical balance: I am never far from Punjabi music.Out of sight, out of mind: I have people who appreciate my music both in Punjab and abroad, so I have to make sure I am never out of touch.

Impotence?

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Used to striking the right balance for their fans abroad and back home in Punjab, these NRI Punjabi singers have mastered the art of juggling their swag

Taiwan boat caught with shark fin haul A Taiwan-flagged boat has been caught with an illegal haul of more than 100 shark fins and is being escorted back to a home port, Taiwanese authorities said.Five shark carcasses and 110 shark fins were found on the vessel in an “obvious violation of shark finning”, Taiwan’s Fisheries Agency said in

a statement late Friday. The boat was carrying over 10 tons of fish, including yellow fin tuna, an amount “significantly discrepant” to that recorded in the vessel’s logbooks, the agency said. The boat was being escorted back to a home port by a Taiwan patrol vessel for further investigation.

Best of both worlds: Jazzy B Jazzy B is one of the few singers who have always kept Punjab and his Punjabi fans on priority list.

Here & there: Punjab is my soul, which is a good enough reason for me to keep coming - it is always like coming back home. In this scenario, there is nothing like maintaining a balance, because both the worlds are important to me.

Issue 673 (20)

Boris Johnson has launched his pitch to be the Prime Minister that leads Britain out of Europe, brushing aside fears of political upheaval and economic turmoil and promising he could deliver “a more secure and prosperous future” outside the EU. Filling the political vacuum left by David Cameron’s announcement that he would resign and make way for “fresh leadership” to negotiate Britain’s exit from the European Union, Mr Johnson sought to reassure voters and the markets.

He said was there was “no need for haste” in beginning the process of negotiating Britain’s exit from the EU and insisted that the result of the referendum did not represent a retreat into isolationism and that Britain would remain a “great European power”.

“We cannot turn our backs on Europe. We are part of Europe,” he said.But the former London mayor, who is considered the clear favourite to succeed Mr Cameron when he steps down in the autumn, will face unprecedented challenges after unleashing the biggest political upheaval in recent British history.In an uncompromising joint statement the President of the European Council Donald Tusk and head of the Commission Jean Claude Junker said they expected the Brexit negotiations to be a “painful process”.They added that Britain should not expect special treatment, warning that any agreement to be “concluded with the United Kingdom as a third country, will have to be balanced in terms of rights and obligations”.Handelsblatt, a German business newspaper, said it had obtained a copy of an emergency plan entitled “German strategy for Brexit” that warned against treating the UK too leniently for fear of encouraging other countries to follow suit.It said there would be “no automatic access to the single market” in order to “avoid offering false incentives for other member states when establishing new arrangements”.Financial markets recovered some of the ground they lost after the initial panic of the result which at one

stage saw the pound fall to its lowest level against the dollar since it was freely traded.But by the close of the markets Friday, sterling was still trading at levels not seen since the financial crash and the FTSE index of the 250 leading shares was down nearly seven per cent on the day. Meanwhile in Scotland, which voted to remain in the EU, the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said a second independence referendum was “highly likely”. Nicola Sturgeon said it was “democratically unacceptable” that Scotland faced the prospect of being taken out of the EU against its will.She said the Scottish government would begin preparing legislation to enable another independence vote.

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28 June - 4 July 2016

BRITAIN has voted clearly in favour of leavingthe EU, but that is just the start of a verylong process before they officially untangleourselves from the network of institutions inBrussels.So what will the next 100 days of BrexitBritain look like?

June 23

Cameron announced he is resigning asprime minister.His main focus in his speech outside Number10 was an appeal for stability and unityin a bid to avoid further financial and politicalturmoil.It is likely the Government’s emergencyCobra committee has already met to wargamethe shock of the Brexit vote beforefinancial markets opened at 8am.Meanwhile, the Chancellor GeorgeOsborne was heading up emergency discussionsbetween the Treasury, Bank of Englandand European Central Bank.They will each activate contingency plansto shore up the pound and the euro, whileinjecting liquidity to banks to ensure the systemkeeps working.It will also allow the Conservative party toelect a new leader — almost certainly to beBrexit is likely to be in fullswing.As for the nation’s finances,sterling is expected to drop inthe short term at least, hittingholiday makers and importersbut helping exporters.The FTSE could also be significantlylower as investment driesup pending June 28-29 EU leaders are due to gatherfor a summit in clarity on the shapeof the new trading and Brussels, atwhich there will be only onetopic — the borderarrangements.

Mid-August Brexit vote.They could even bring themeeting The cracks could quickly startto show in the rest of forward by a few days iftheir anxiety is great enough.Cameron is expected to formallynotify them the EU, asother countries wonder whetherthey too of our intentionto leave, trigger Article 50 ofthe Lisbon can forge anothercourse outside the club.

Treaty — the legalprocess for quitting the 28 If the Conservative leadershiptakes a similar length nationbloc.Only semi-independent Greenlandhas of time asin 2005, this is around when thesuccessor quit the EU before, andthat was 30 years ago when to Cameron could beannounced. theisland had a population of just56,000.It can be Given the need for someone totake charge of the argued that Algerialeft too - when it stopped talks, it islikely there would be a strongdesire to move as fast as possible. beingpart of France in the 1960s. — supporting Boris Johnson.Goods and services will still be bought andsold between UK and European firms andconsumers, he added in a bid to stave offfears of a hit to Britain’s trading economy.

July 6

September

As the immediate shock of theBrexit vote eases, the governmentmachine gears up to thetask of negotiating a new dealwith the EU and replacing otherbilateral trade agreements.On July 6, Cameron will be ableto lead the government responseto the publication of the longawaitedIraq Inquiry report.Shortly afterwards he is due toattend a Nato summit.

Parliament is due back, andwhile the early autumn sitting itusually viewed as a sop to thosewho complain MPs do not workhard enough, this year it couldbe extremely busy.Vote Leave has called for legislationin the current session ofParliament to ‘end the EuropeanCourt of Justice’s control overnational security and allow thegovernment to deport criminalsfrom the EU’.

Parliament is due to rise for itssummer break, but there will belittle rest for ministers as theyare consumed by the negotiations.It is possible that another,Brexit-supporting minister suchas Michael Gove could beappointed to oversee the work.Vote Leave said the governmentshould invite figures fromother parties, business, the lawand civil society to join the negotiatingteam to ‘get a good dealin the national interest’.By now the Tory leadershipcontest

The party conference season isalways frantic, but this year itwill have an even greater significance.The realignment of politicsset in train by the referendumwould have been huge forBritain and for Europe.Just after the first hundreddays draws to a close, the newTory Prime Minister could taketo the stage in Birmingham .Johnson — if he has emergedvictorious — would be able toargue that the UK has made astart in its new life independentfrom Brussels.

July 21

MILLIONS awoke to the news that the UK had search result is expected given the complex voted in favour of a Brexit. But analysis of Internet arrangement of the EU, with many keen to know searches made in the small hours revealed many how agreements people may not have known exactly what they were voting for in the EU referendum. Google Trends recorded a huge spike in the number of people asking ‘What happens if we leave the EU?’, after the polls had closed. The analytics arm of the search giant said it had seen a huge jump in the search term. question only started to rise as the polls were closing and had been relatively flat in the week running up to the vote. On Twitter, Google Trends wrote: “+250 per cent spike in ‘what happens if we leave the EU’ in the past hour.� The

October 5

affecting trade and the UK's commitments as a member state will be unpicked as the UK leaves.

In the weeks and months However, analysis shows the running up to the vote, many criticised the deluge of information coming from the opposing camps, as well as industry leaders, economists, scientists and celebrities all voicing their support. At the start of the month, Conservative MP and vote leave advocate Michael Gove said: 'I think people in this country have had enough of experts.� Earlier this month, Google released data showing the terms Brits were searching for in the run up to the referendum, revealing ‘immigration’ and ‘NHS’ topping the list.

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28 June - 4 July 2016

Modern China’s historical hub Looking at the roaring, modern Xi’an that exists today, it’s hard to believe that this bustling metropolis of more than eight million people was once the starting point of the ancient Silk Road, a 6,400km trading route that linked China with the Roman Empire starting in the 2nd Century BC. But it’s exactly that history that gives this city one of its most interesting modern-day enclaves.

The introduction of Islam More than just a source of goods, the Silk Road brought new cultures and religions into China – many of which continue to thrive today. In fact, the country’s 10 million ethnic Chinese Muslims can largely link their religion back to the Arab and Persian traders that spread various elements of Islam as they travelled along the Silk Road.

Today, about 70,000 of China’s ethnic Muslims live in Xi’an’s Muslim quarter, a bustling district that palpitates with energy and character. Here, it’s easy to get lost in the mishmash of colourful alleys, chock full of street food, local produce, antiques and knickknacks.

A monument to Muslim architecture

Chinese street food, Hui-style

There are about 10 mosques in the city’s Muslim quarter, the oldest of which is the Great Mosque of Xi’an, built in 742 AD. It’s thought to be the oldest – and one of the largest – mosques in China.

A smorgasbord of Hui street grub, most of which is certified as halal (or qingzhen in Mandarin), is one of the Muslim quarter’s prime draws. While mutton and lamb are the predominant ingredients, Xi’an’s Hui people have incorporated Chinese cooking methods such as braising and roasting into their cuisine. Some of the quarter’s most typical dishes include chuanr (meat kebab skewers), oven-baked na’an (bread) and yang rou pao mo (crumbled flatbread in mutton stew).

It’s the perfect fuel for a day spent diving into Xi’an’s thriving Muslim history.

Mainly Chinese architectural features Unlike most mosques in the Middle East or Central Asia, the Great Mosque of Xi’an has mainly Chinese architectural features, including a glaze-tiled roof, phoenix statues and Chinese pagodas. Hints of Arabic influence can be seen in the inscription of the Muslim declaration “God is one” in the One God Pavilion.

Open for visitors Today, the prayer hall in the Great Mosque’s Xingxin Tower sees up to 1,000 people for each of the five daily services. The mosque is open to visitors from 8 am to 7:30 pm each day, although nonMuslims are not allowed into the prayer hall.

The Hui people Many of the residents in Xi’an’s Muslim quarter are Hui. “We are ethnically similar to Han Chinese except that we practice Islam,” explained Zhang.

“We have our own food and way of dressing, but we still feel Chinese.”

An ethnic revival As we made our way through the Muslim quarter, Zhang Jie (my guide from China Odyssey Tours) pointed out other smaller mosques, often tucked between the alleys. They are hidden, he explained, because during the Chinese Cultural Revolution (19661976), many minority cultures were suppressed and Muslim prayer services were forbidden. During this time, China’s Communist party destroyed more than 29,000 mosques, burned copies of the Koran and paraded imams around with paint splashed on their bodies. The government began to relax its policies towards Muslims in 1978, and these days, the Hui people – descendants from Silk Road traders who married Hans – can pursue their religion openly.

“When I was a child, it was forbidden to study in the mosque,” said Zhang. “Now we have much more freedom of Islamic expression in China.”

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28 June - 4 July 2016

How ‘smoking up’ weed may heal broken bone Suffered a fracture?

Smoke up some marijuana as a study has revealed that one of the components of marijuana significantly helps heal bone fractures.

As per the study, the administration of the nonpsychotropic component cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) significantly helps heal bone fractures.

Tel Aviv University and Hebrew University researchers conducted a study on rats with midfemoral fractures, and

found that CBD, even when isolated from tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the major psychoactive component of cannabis, markedly

enhanced the healing process of the femora after just eight weeks.

One of the lead researchers, Dr. Yankel Gabet said that our bodies

are equipped with a cannabinoid system, which regulates both vital and non-vital systems.

Gabet added that we only respond to cannabis because we are built with intrinsic compounds and receptors that can also be activated by compounds in the cannabis plant.

The researchers discovered that the skeleton itself is regulated by cannabinoids.

The study is published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.

The researchers said that although more research on cause and effect needs to be carried

out, this study indicated that the potential health gains that may be achieved by reducing the consumption of sugar sweetened drinks.

They also warned that neither artificially sweetened drinks nor fruit juice were suitable alternatives to sugar sweetened drinks for the prevention of type 2 diabetes.

The findings are published in the online journal BMJ Open.

Having too much sugary drinks may lead to diabetes

Excessive consumption of sugary drinks is positively associated with type 2 diabetes, a new study has claimed.

An international team of researchers led by Cambridge University analysed the results of 17 observational studies, and found that habitual consumption of sugar sweetened drinks was positively associated with incidence of type 2 diabetes, independently of obesity status.

The researchers pointed

out that the studies analysed were observational, so no definitive conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect.

Stroke drug ‘safe, effective’ as benefits outweigh risks

A group of medical researchers have recently deemed the clot-busting stroke drug as safe and effective, suggesting that the benefits of the drug outweigh the risks.

The study revealed that the best time to give the patients clot busting drug ‘alteplase’ is up to four and a half hours after the start of symptoms, the BBC reported.

An Independent expert panel, chaired by Sir Ian Weller, said that the panel had looked at all available data on alteplase and decided that the earlier the drug was given to patients, the greater the chance of a good outcome was expected.The benefits of

alteplase were found to outweigh the risks, if it was used up to four and a half hours after the start of the symptoms, but in a small number of people, there was a risk of haemorrhage.

Weller explained that the evidence showed that for every 100 patients treated with alteplase, while there is an early risk of a fatal bleed in two patients, after three to six months, around 10 more in every 100 are disability-free when treated within three hours.

Weller added that five more patients in every 100 are left with no disabilities when treated between three and four-and-a-half hours after a stroke.

Love Love acr across oss the the border border Nine pairs of Indians and Pakistanis are out to bring their countries together through honest, frank discussions. Anu Prabhakar writes about the Building Peace Project that aims to pull off the task.Sheharyar Rizwan leads a nocturnal existence like most other subeditors of newspapers.

The 29-year-old sub-editor and occasional feature writer at Pakistani newspaper, Dawn, works late into the night, till the edition is sent to press, and spends his days catching up on sleep. To him, every minute counts.

So when he does have some time to spare, Rizwan doesn’t while it away. Instead, he pings his friends in faraway India, as part of a project that aims to bring the two countries closer through social, political and, sometimes, religious discourse.

About the project The Building Peace Project, by Chennai-based NGO The Red Elephant Foundation, was launched in March this year. The NGO’s founder and project brainchild, Kirthi Jayakumar, explains that nine young Indians and Pakistanis are paired with

By Anu Prabhakar each other to discuss issues that trouble their respective nations, via Skype, Facebook, Gchat, Whatsapp or any other online platform. Here, nothing is off limits Kashmir, Siachen, Taliban, terrorism, violence against women and much more are on the agenda. Topics for discussion are pre-decided by a curriculum which includes everything from religion to culture, soft power, literature and everyday politics, says Jayakumar. “At the beginning of every month, the topic is announced and participants are given video and reading material on the same,” she adds.

“Not everything that mainstream media writes or talks about India and Pakistan is entirely accurate always,” says the 26year-old, while explaining the need to start the project. “It’s not that Pakistan is absolutely intolerant of India and vice versa.

We wanted to bring youngsters together and help them make friends by interacting with each other,” she adds.The aim is to hold a summit by the end

of this year-long project where the participants can decide on a manifesto to present to their respective governments. But funding might pose an issue, points out Jayakumar. “So right now, we are looking at a summit in the web format,” she adds.

Lectures on the month’s topics are uploaded on the project’s private YouTube channel. At other times, lecturers have an interactive session with participants via Google Hangout. Raakhee Suryaprakash, one of the project’s four organisers, recently conducted a lecture on Hinduism. “The

participants openly talk about honour killings and cases of violence against women. Everybody’s accepted their countries’ strengths and weaknesses,” points out the 31year-old.

‘I am now called Apa’ “Let’s not forget that India and Pakistan were once one,” says Rizwan, while explaining his reasons for joining the project.

Rizwan and his project partner, Mumbai-based Chintan Modi, have so far discussed movies (Rizwan is a huge fan of Bollywood), music and gender-based violence, likes, dislikes, friends,

family and hobbies among many other topics.

“Chintan has talked extensively about his love for shrines,” adds Rizwan.

“When he visited Lahore last year, we got to talk about Jainism, of which he is a follower. I knew it was a religion but nothing more and Chintan told me quite a lot about it. So that added to my knowledge,” he remembers.Nidhi Shendurnikar, senior research fellow at the Maharaja Sayajiro University of Baroda, is another participant. Her Pakistani partner is Sehr Nisar, a firstyear college student of economics in Lahore.

“One of the stereotypes I had, which was subsequently shattered, was about the hijab. I always used to wonder why women have to wear a hijab. But Nisar explained that a woman does not always wear a hijab out of compulsion. She explained to me that it’s a personal choice for many women in Pakistan,” elaborates Shendurnikar, who is lovingly called ‘Apa’ (elder sister) by Nisar.

Meanwhile, Rizwan thinks of one more way the project has changed his life. “I finally learnt the meaning of ‘namaste’,” he says.

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You may notice the tension developing as the week gathers pace, particularly as there’s a Solar Eclipse in your work and lifestyle sector on Sunday. You may be pushed by events to make one or two key changes to your routines, plans and goals, and perhaps job. However, it also offers the chance for a fresh new start, which could take you into new and exciting territory.

An intuitive hunch could see you taking swift action concerning a home or related family matter.

Fresh insights could provide you with a new perspective that enables you to efficiently resolve a tricky issue. There’s also a lot going on in your zone of creativity, romance, and fun. This week’s Solar Eclipse could encourage a budding romance to become more passionate.

Home affairs take the lead, with plenty of opportunities for expansion, entertaining, and making family life exactly what you want it to be. Even so, this week’s Solar Eclipse could coincide with a big decision. If it’s something you’ve been considering for a while, this Eclipse might push you to take action sooner rather than later.

There’s a chance of a small windfall early this week, which could put a smile on your face. Or an opportunity to increase your income could give you a pleasant boost. A lively Solar Eclipse may also encourage you to become more efficient with such things as time management and everyday administrative tasks.

Money matters look buoyant and can remain so if you’re willing to plan for your success.

Toward that end, the Solar Eclipse that’s building this week can encourage you to venture outside your comfort zone. You don’t have to do so all at once - baby steps are fine! You might even discover that someone will pay you for a skill that you haven’t really appreciated.

Mark this week down as a potential game changer, as the developing Solar Eclipse might encourage you to make a key decision. You may find information that puts a new spin on things, and you might want to take advantage of an associated opportunity.

This could be an exciting time when you'll venture into new territory.

Your social life sparkles, and this week is no exception. With Mars continuing its lively pace, this is the perfect time to explore new venues, date, join clubs, and network.

There’s also a Solar Eclipse in your spiritual sector that might encourage you to take up certain spiritual disciplines. If you’ve been busy and feeling somewhat stressed, you may find that doing so brings you greater.

Social trends look particularly buoyant, with opportunities to mix with people who can expand your social horizons. This week you might take a big step forward as the Solar Eclipse in Virgo pushes you to be more adventurous. There’s also the chance of an encounter that sets you thinking of new possibilities you hadn’t considered before.

If you’ve been hoping for some kind of a breakthrough, this week could start the process. Maybe it’s an inspiration or someone you meet that sets you thinking, or perhaps you spot an opportunity that seems too good to be true. Whatever shows up will certainly be worth investigating. Watch out for coincidences that seem to point in a particular direction.

Keep an open mind this week and don’t limit yourself to the tried and trusted. Where your job and career are concerned, a conversation could reveal options that may seem outlandish. However, if this person can also provide proof, then you might be persuaded. The Solar Eclipse on Sunday encourages you to actively study and acquire knowledge in key areas.

Shared finances and business affairs are looking a whole lot livelier since Jupiter entered Virgo. This week there could be even more positive changes afoot as the Solar Eclipse sets you wondering about the future and tantalizing thoughts of success. Toward that end, you may be motivated to look around for opportunities that could be big earners.

This can be an exciting week in which a conversation or encounter has a profound effect on you. A positive alignment in your relationship sector suggests that the people you connect with have the potential to change your life in one way or another.

This week’s Solar Eclipse hints that someone could take you under their wing or may even want to date you.

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28 June - 4 July 2016

Technology Facebook to allow users to define their gender themselves Washington A year after Facebook introduced preset custom

genders like “cisgender” or “ transgender,” it has now started rolling out a new

version of its custom gender field where users can type in any word to

represent their gender across Facebook.

While the earlier feature

allowed users to choose their gender from a set of pre-defined options, they

will now be able to define their gender themselves.

The version although

populates suggestions as you type but you can choose any word and then a pronoun to represent yourself on the platform, reported The Verg e.

It works the same way as the “infinite” gender option feature rolled out

by Google+ last year.

However, Facebook will also allow users to tweak the privacy settings of their gender, allowing them to control who could see their gender on the platform.

It’s not clear how fast the option will be made available to all users.

Meanwhile, people who are not logged into Facebook will only see the male / female options on the quick signup section of the page.

Google scraps plan to block porn on Blogger

New Delhi Google Inc has abandoned its plan to ban adult content on its blogging site Blogger after receiving negative feedback from users.

Google will instead “step up enforcement” of its existing policy prohibiting commercial porn, Jessica Pelegio, the company`s social product support manager, wrote on

Google Product Forums on Friday.

Bloggers can continue to tag any blog with sexually explicit content as “adult” that is placed behind a warning page.

Google said earlier this week that Blogger users would no longer be able to post sexually explicit pictures or videos on the platform starting on March 23.

Twitter bans hate speeches, Youtube for Android now allows users to trim videos before posting abusive language New York Micro-blogging site Twitter has added new reporting tools to help it fight abuse and protect

users on its site.

The site has already made it easier to report harassment in tweets.

Now it’s making it easier

to report other behaviours including impersonation, self-harm and the sharing of private or confidential information, PC World

reported.

Twitter also said that it would take new enforcement action against people who

violate its rules, which also bans threats and violent speech.

The changes will reach all users in a few weeks.

As a result of the changes it made already, Twitter claims that it now reviews five times as many user reports as it did previously and has tripled the number of people who handle such reports at the company.

Twitter has been criticised for not doing enough to deal with issues like harassment and hate speech.

Although the company didn’t elaborate on the mechanism to contain violation with its new rules, but it will reportedly check phone numbers and email addresses to keep out the worst offenders.

Washington T h e Yo u t u b e a p p on Android devices has been updated with a new feature that now allows users to trim videos before uploading it to

the web.

According to the Verge, the update is rolling out currently but it might not be live for all users as yet.

The new feature lets users set the beginning and end

points of the video with control points on the timelines when they start uploading.

The app requires users to shoot the video in the “portrait” format.

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28 June - 4 July 2016

Researchers cook Doctor ‘leaves’ phone up low-fat ghee inside patient’s belly

Scientists in India have developed a low-fat version of ghee that cuts the cholesterol content by 85 percent in a move that could give a much-needed boost to fitness levels, a senior researcher said Thursday. Ghee, a form of clarified butter, is a staple of Indian cooking and also used in traditional medicines and as an offering during religious festivals. But with studies showing three-quarters of Indians have high levels of bad cholesterol, or triglycerides, dairy scientists have been working on creating a healthier form of ghee without affecting the taste.

“Using a chemical process we have removed the cholesterol content by up to 85 percent,” R.

K. Malik, a director at the National Dairy Research Institute, told AFP. “The taste, colour everything remains the same.

It’s just that the cholesterol comes down,” Malik said by phone from Kurukshetra at the institute headquarters in the northern state of Haryana.

Malik said the institute would sell the technology commercially on a non-exclusive basis to interested businesses. On Wednesday, the NDRI inked a deal with a leading dairy company based in the eastern Indian state of Bihar for the low cholesterol ghee. “We are happy that this ghee provides a healthy option to fitness conscious consumers,” said Malik.

Does this story have a ring of truth? You must decide. But first, please lie down while we examine together the lament of Hanan Mahmoud Abdul Karim.

She is a 36-year-old Jordanian woman who went to a private hospital on April 24 for a Csection. As reported by Gulf News, she gave birth, but when she came home, her family claim they noticed that her abdomen was vibrating.

By this point you, like I, might already be rolling your eyes.

However, the story goes that Karim’s mother brought her back to the hospital, where she allegedly received no help. So she took her to a public hospital in Amman, where they performed an X-ray. Karim’s stomach must have flipped. For, after emergency surgery, a cell phone was allegedly removed.

Gulf News goes on to explain that this case so roiled the nation that it was discussed in the Jordanian parliament. One lawmaker reportedly declared: “In countries which show respect to their nations, and following such scandals, governments usually resign. The parliament should show responsibility and be on the level of the case.”

I’d like to make the Jordanian parliament (if not Karim) feel better. The Washington Post reported last year that US surgeons leave something behind inside their patients once every 5,000 to 7,000 surgeries. For comparison, there are at least 50 million surgeries a year. You do the math. I don’t currently have the stomach for it.

Often, but not always, these are surgical items like sponges. Still, one question

about the Jordanian case affects my indigestion: where did the gynecologist think he’d left his cell phone?

Don’t you look everywhere and then eliminate places one by one? Might the mere thought of a surgical error have crossed his mind? It’s not known what sort of phone this was.

However, if he’d had a phone tracer app like Find My iPhone, surely he’d have been able to locate the phone. Or perhaps he did and hoped the battery ran out before anyone noticed.

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28 June - 4 July 2016

US Democrats stage sit-in Indian-American in support of gun reforms couple indicted in

Washington Led by John Lewis, a lawmaker who counts Mahatma Gandhi among his inspirations, Democratic lawmakers started a sit-in in support of gun control

in the US House of Representatives on Wednesday.

They were there till late on Thursday morning, despite the House being adjourned till July 5 for a long-scheduled recess.

It was unclear how long they planned to continue.The Democrats are demanding a vote on two bills preventing terrorists such as the Orlando shooter, Omar Mateen, from buying guns, similar to the measure rejected by the Senate.The House of Representatives hasn’t had a vote on gun control measures since 2011, when Republicans

took control of the chamber. The issue didn’t come up even after the Newtown school massacre in 2012.

“My colleagues and I have had enough,” Lewis said, starting the

protest on Wednesday morning.

“We are sitting-in on the House Floor until we get a vote to address gun violence.”Lewis, who represents Georgia, was a member of Martin Luther King’s team that led the civil rights movement, and describes himself as a “student” of King, Gandhi and Nelson Mandela.

“Thank you for getting in trouble!

Good trouble,” Lewis told his sitin colleagues on Wednesday night. “Sometimes by sitting down, by sitting in, you’re standing up.”So they did, with their numbers surging and ebbing. They spent the night on

Obama jokes about using LinkedIn after White House stint

the floor of the House, in sleeping bags brought by aides.

And they were there when America woke up.

When the House cameras were switched off, they reached out through live streams on Periscope and Facebook, making speeches and shouting slogans such as “No Bill, no break”.

The “break” meant the prescheduled recess, which went into effect on Thursday.

But the sit-in was still on, with lawmakers refusing to leave the floor even for the routine security sweep.Speaker Paul Ryan resumed proceedings briefly late on Wednesday to pass scheduled legislations amid protests from the Democrats, and adjourned the House, seeing it into the recess.

Even if the House stayed in session, the chances of Ryan calling for a vote looked dim at best. He dismissed the sit-in as a “publicity stunt” and said it was all “about trying to get attention”.

Ryan told CNN: “People have a guaranteed right to Second Amendment rights …We’re not going to take away a person’s constitutionally guaranteed rights without due process.”

That’s how the National Rifle Association, the powerful gun lobby, has broadly reacted to every attempt to reform gun laws, branding it as an assault on the right to bear arms.

An NRA radio host compared lawmakers involved in the sit-in to “criminals and terrorists” for flouting House rules on photography as they livestreamed their protest.

multi-million fraud, face up to 30 yrs in jail

Washington An Indian-American couple has been indicted in a multi-million financial fraud in the US and faces up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

Pethinaidu Veluchamy, 70 and his 65-year-old wife Parameswari Veluchamy, who owned First Mutual Bancorp in Illinois, intentionally hid cash and assets from creditors after defaulting on $40 million in personal and corporate loans, according to the indictment.

The couple faces up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine for each count of financial fraud, it said.

They were the principal shareholders of First Mutual Bancorp of Illinois Inc., a holding company for Mutual Bank.

In June 2009, according to the indictment, the couple defaulted on personal and corporate loans totaling $40 million.

The following month, Mutual Bank was shut down by federal regulators.Prior to the shutdown and continuing until at least November 2015, the couple hid millions of dollars in assets by

falsifying documents, moving money into domestic and foreign bank accounts, and directing employees to destroy financial records, the indictment states, the Justice Department said in a press release.

The couple also transferred cash to their two adult children, with nearly $8.5 million going to one and more than $10.1 million to the other, according to the indictment.

The 12-count indictment charges Pethinaidu with four counts of bank fraud, two counts of destroying records to obstruct a bankruptcy proceeding, two counts of making a false statement under oath in a bankruptcy proceeding, and one count of making a false statement in an application for a US passport.Parameswari is charged with four counts of bank fraud, two counts of destroying records to obstruct a bankruptcy proceeding, one count of making a false statement under oath in a bankruptcy proceeding, and one count of making a false statement in an application for a US passport.

New York LGBT bar becomes first US monument to gay rights

WASHINGTON-On January 20, at the ripe age of 55, Barack Obama will leave the White House, unsure of what comes next. “In seven months or so, I’ll be on the job market. And I’m glad I’m going to be here, because I’m going to get on LinkedIn and see what comes up,” Obama told the SelectUSA

Impotence?

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foreign investment summit. He went on to laud America as an “extraordinary place to do business.”

It’s not the first time Obama joked about using the professional networking site LinkedIn, which Microsoft has purchased for $26.2 billion.

In February, he posted about youth programs on the social platform used to exchange career advice, contacts and job offers.

He used the occasion to discuss his first work experience as a teenager: Baskin-Robbins ice cream vendor in Honolulu. “My first summer job wasn’t exactly glamorous, but it taught me some valuable lessons: Responsibility. Hard work.

Balancing a job with friends, family and school,” Obama wrote at the time.

Washington President Barack Obama on Friday designated the site of a watershed event in the history of US gay rights, the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City, as a national monument, the first to honour the contributions of gay Americans.The Stonewall Inn gay bar in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village was the scene of a police raid that triggered riots and ignited a long struggle to bring lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people into the American mainstream and guarantee their rights.“Welcome to the family,” the National Park Service said in a tweet welcoming its 412th site.LGBT rights advocacy groups hailed the national recognition, saying it will help highlight the gay communities’ continued struggles, especially in the aftermath of the June 12 mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Florida that killed 49 people.

“This new national monument will be a source of inspiration to a new generation of Americans

across the country standing up for equality and uniting to show the world that love conquers hate,” Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin said.

Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage nationwide.

“There is important distance yet to travel, but through political engagement and litigation, as

The move was the latest of several steps Obama has take on gay rights during his presidency.In 2010, he signed a law repealing a policy that had banned gays from serving openly in the U.S. military. In 2012, he became the first president to support gay marriage, a stance he has admitted took time to evolve. His administration also supported the legal challenge that led to the 2015 U.S.

well as individual acts of courage and acceptance, this movement has made tremendous progress toward securing equal rights and equal dignity,” Obama said in a proclamation officially designating the historic site.

This year’s weekend LGBT pride festivities started in New York on Friday with a street fair and were to culminate with Sunday’s parade through Lower Manhattan.

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28 June - 4 July 2016

Tied 4-4, US’ ‘heartbreaking’ ruling blocks Trump attacks Clinton, says Obama’s new immigration policy bid Indian politicians paid her to Washington The US Supreme Court blocked President Barack Obama’s bid to shield millions of migrants from deportation on Thursday and thrust the charged issue to the frontline of the battle to succeed him.

Justices in the under-strength court were split 4-4 over Obama’s bid to change immigration policy by executive action, thus leaving

lower court rulings blocking the effort in place.

Obama dubbed the ruling “heartbreaking for the millions of immigrants who made their lives here” but warned his opponents they will not be able to thwart their dreams for much longer.

“In November, Americans have to make a decision about what we care about and who we are,” he declared, in a nod to the White House race between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump.

The court normally has nine members, but Justice Antonin Scalia died in February and the Senate has refused to vote on Obama’s nominee, appeals court judge Merrick Garland, to replace him.

The deadlock leaves Obama’s immigration policy in limbo, like the fate of four million undocumented immigrants who

stood to be given US work permits under the politically controversial plan.

“I promise you this, though, sooner or later immigration reform will get done. Congress is not going to be able to ignore America forever,” Obama said, throwing down the gauntlet to Republicans.

“The fact that the Supreme Court wasn’t able to issue a decision

today doesn’t just set the system back further -- it takes us further from the country that we aspire to be,” he warned.

Clinton, Obama’s former secretary of state and the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, was also quick to pivot from the defeat to the electoral battle ahead.

“Today’s heartbreaking SCOTUS immigration ruling could tear apart five million families facing deportation. We must do better,” she tweeted, even as Republicans celebrated the ruling.

Trump, a billionaire property mogul, was meanwhile promoting a golf course in Scotland and did not immediately react, but he has made his hardline views on immigration clear.

In some of the toughest antiimmigrant rhetoric ever used by

Michelle Obama to visit Africa to highlight girls’ education US first lady Michelle Obama will travel to Africa on Sunday with daughters Sasha and Malia and her mother as part of an effort to promote girls’ education, her office said.

The upcoming, six-day trip will include visits to Morocco and Liberia. She will also visit Spain.

The trip will highlight the work of Let Girls Learn, a US government initiative launched by US President Barack Obama and the first lady in 2015.

That project is part of “a US government effort to address the barriers that keep over 62 million girls around the world out of school, particularly adolescent girls,” the first lady’s chief of staff, Tina Tchen, told reporters on a conference call.

Michelle Obama will be joined by

actresses Meryl Streep and Freida Pinto in Morocco, where they will talk to adolescent girls on the challenges they face in getting an education, her office said.

In Liberia, she will visit a US Peace Corps training facility and a school along with Liberian President Ellen Johansson Sirleaf, Africa’s first female elected head of state and a Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Michelle Obama’s interest in education for young girls was heightened after militant Islamist group Boko Haram seized 276 girls from their school in Chibok, northeast Nigeria, in April 2014.

She highlighted their plight through a Twitter hashtag, #BringBackOurGirls.

“This is a unique trip in the sense that the first lady is going to three different regions that are important to the United States: Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and Europe,” Ben Rhodes, assistant to the President, told reporters on the same call.

a major party candidate, he has vowed to build a wall along the Mexican border to keep out “rapists” and drug dealers.

He has also promised to suspend all immigration by Muslims and by people “from areas of the world where there is a proven history of terrorism against the United States, Europe or our allies.”

Clinton, by contrast, has vowed that as president, she would “create a pathway to citizenship, keep families together, and enable millions of workers to come out of the shadows.”

Congressional Republicans have not all echoed Trump’s stance, but welcomed the Supreme Court stalemate as a victory for efforts to stop Obama exceeding his executive authority to bypass Congress.“Obama’s illegal action on immigration has been blocked! A huge win for our Constitution and for our rule of law,” tweeted Congressman Tom Marino, echoing the views of many of his colleagues.

Frustrated by Congress’s repeated failure to pass immigration reform, in November 2014, Obama issued a decree to allow migrants whose children are legally resident to apply for permits.

This would have shielded the families from deportation while the politically-charged issue of their status is determined, but the governors of 26 Republicanled states challenged the order.

Federal courts in Texas and Louisiana put the measure on hold and the case passed to the Supreme Court, which on Thursday remained split along progressive-conservative lines.

maneuver policy

Attacking his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton over donations to her family foundation, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has alleged that she received funds from Indian political leaders and institutions to vote for the Indo-US civil nuclear deal.

IT’S NOT NEW Released by the Trump campaign in form of a 35-page booklet, none of these allegations are new and have been known in the public domain for past several years.Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, had refuted these allegations several times in the past.

WHAT ARE THE ALLEGATIONS? In a statement, the Trump campaign said the information provided in the booklet is in-depth summary of the top 50 facts about Clintons record that were detailed by Trump in a major speech early this week in New York.

Citing a New York Times report, the Trump campaign alleged that as early as 2008, Indian politician Amar Singh had

donated between USD 1,000,001 and USD 5,000,000 to the Clinton Foundation.

INDIAN POLITICIANS HAD A ROLE, ALLEGEDLY “Singh visited the US in September 2008 to lobby or a deal allowing India to obtain civilian nuclear technology; thenSenator Clinton assured him democrats would not block the deal,” the Trump campaign alleged.

It said in 2008 the Confederation of Indian Industry gave USD 500,000 to USD 1 million to the Clinton Foundation.

DID CLINTON FAVOUR THE DONORS? It also alleged that IndianAmerican Raj Fernando was appointed to the State Departments International Security Advisory Board by Clinton’s chief of staff Cheryl Mills at her “insistence”.

Fernando, he alleged, has donated between USD 1 million and USD 5 million to the Clinton Foundation.

Trump alleged Clintons foreign policy has cost America thousands of lives and trillions of dollars and unleashed ISIS across the world.

US military could repeal ban on transgender members next month

Washington The Pentagon plans to announce the repeal of its ban on openly serving transgender service members next month, US defence officials said.

The repeal would come five years after a 2011 decision to end the US military’s ban on gays and lesbians serving openly, despite fears — which proved unfounded — that such a move would be too great a burden in wartime and would undermine readiness.

The disclosure came the same week the US army formally welcomed its new secretary, Eric Fanning, who is the first openly gay leader of a military

service branch in US history.

A US official said parts of the repeal would come into effect immediately. But the plan would also direct each branch of the armed services to implement new policies, affecting everything from recruiting to housing for transgender troops, the official said.Republican representative Mac Thornberry, chairman of the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, said defence secretary Ash Carter had not answered questions the panel had asked, including about “readiness challenges” for transgender service members.

“If reports are correct, I believe

secretary Carter has put the political agenda of a departing administration ahead of the military’s readiness crisis,” Thornberry said in a statement.

Supporters of transgender rights cheered the news.

Ashley Broadway-Mack, president of the American Military Partner Association, said in a statement: “Our transgender service members and their families are breathing a huge sigh of relief.”

The National Center for Transgender Equality estimated last year that 15,000 trans people served in the US military.

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28 June - 4 July 2016

A changing America: Asians fastest growing group, whites the slowest Asians, including IndianAmericans, remain the fastest growing racial group in the United States, according to new census figures for 2015 released on Thursday.

There are 21 million Asians now, growing by 3.4% over 2014. The

California has the largest population of Asians with 6.5 million.

The population of whites, the largest racial group who clocked in at 255 million, grew at the slowest rate of 0.5%.

Hispanics, the second largest

number of Indian-Americans among them was not available for 2015 — there were 3.1 million in 2014.Asians have been the fastest-growing race group since about 2000, and the main driving force is international migration, Sam Garrow, a Census Department demographer, told Associated Press. China has been the top sender of immigrants to the US since displacing Mexico in 2013.

group at 56.6 million, grew by 1.2%. California also has the largest concentration of Hispanics.There are an additional 11 million people of Hispanic origin who are in the US illegally and whose future in this country is the focus of a contentious political fight over immigration.Democrats are largely in favour of legalising their status if they fulfill certain conditions. Republicans, by and

Welcoming Raghuram Rajan back to academics, the prestigious University of Chicago has said the outgoing RBI Governor’s experience as head of India’s top central banker will

said on Thursday.

Appointed to a three-year term in August 2013, Rajan took the helm as RBI Governor on September 5.

Shortly thereafter, he appointed

large are opposed to it, and Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, has vowed to construct a wall along the border with Mexico to prevent illegal immigration.

African Americans, who comprise the third largest portion of the US population at 46.3 million, grew by 1.3%. New York state has the largest population of blacks, at 3.8 million.

WHITES SHOWING SLOWEST GROWTH The white population in the US is showing the slowest growth.

The census found that the white population, including those who chose white along with another race, grew only 0.5% between 2014 and 2015. There were more than 255 million people who said they were white or white in combination with something else. California had the largest number of these people at 29.8 million, but Vermont had the highest population of those described themselves as white or white along with another race or ethnicity at 96.6%.The numbers change little for those who say they are white alone.

There are 198 million people who say they are white alone -- an increase of 0.1%. California once again had the largest population at 14.9 million, but Maine had the largest percentage as its population at 93.6%.

Chicago University welcomes Raghuram Rajan back to academics

be of great benefit when he returns to research and teaching later this year.

“We are eager to welcome Professor Rajan back to the Chicago Booth faculty,” said University of Chicago Booth School of Business Dean Sunil Kumar.Last week, Rajan, 53, announced that he will not seek renewal of his position as RBI Governor when his term expires in September and “will be returning to academia”.

“His experience as leader of the central bank of India will be of great benefit when he returns to his research and teaching at the school. We could not be more delighted to have this great scholar back in Chicago,” Kumar

an expert committee to revise and strengthen India’s monetary policy and he is viewed as having

adeptly handled the country’s high inflation and debt problems, the Booth School said.

An International Monetary Fund chief economist from 2003-06, Rajan is also widely known for his foresighted warnings of the 2008-09 global financial crisis.

Rajan studied engineering at Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi then obtained an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. He received his Ph.D from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Rajan’s book, “Fault Lines: How Hidden Fractures Still Threaten the World Economy” was published in 2010 and was named Winner of Financial Times/Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year.

US: Found guilty in heroin paraphernalia case, Indian likely to be deported An Indian man has pleaded guilty to selling powder that dilutes heroin and tiny “stamp” bags used to package it for street sale, and agreed to be deported to his native India.

That won’t happen until 72-year-old Akhil Mishra returns for sentencing in August.

He was previously convicted in 1992 and 2000 of selling marijuana bongs and drug paraphernalia at “head shops” his family formerly owned in Pittsburgh Federal prosecutors cracked down on Mishra again last year in the midst of a heroin overdose epidemic in western Pennsylvania.

Mishra’s defense attorney George Bills said his client expects to be sentenced to the jail time he will have served since last year.

Authorities contend Mishra continued selling the items out of his Indiana Township home even after they raided his business.

US Senator praises NSG after India fails to get membership

A US Senator has praised the NSG for deciding against granting India membership of the grouping immediately, hours after the elite group’s plenary meeting ended in Seoul with no decision on India’s membership in face of strong China-led opposition.

“Today, the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) reaffirmed its strong support for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) by refraining from admitting India,” Junior Democratic Senator from Massachusetts Edward Markey said in a statement.

The NSG was founded in response to India’s 1974 nuclear test and it has worked for decades to prevent the sharing of technology that could contribute to the further spread of nuclear weapons, he said on Friday.If India joined the Nuclear Supplier Group, it would be the only participating government in the organisation that was not a party to the NPT, weakening the NSG’s commitment to the treaty.

By refraining from admitting India, the NSG strengthened both the treaty and the broader global

nonproliferation regime,” Markey, a known India-basher, said.

As a member of the US House of Representative, Markey has unsuccessfully led effort to block passage of civil nuclear deal between India and the US. Last month during a Congressional hearing, Markey had opposed India’s NSG membership application.The NSG on Friday ended its plenary meeting in Seoul with no decision on India’s membership.

“The NSG plenary in Seoul earlier in the day decided against granting India membership of the grouping immediately and said it will continue to have discussions on participation of countries which have not signed the Nuclear nonProliferation Treaty,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said on Friday.China, which had made no secret of its opposition, succeeded in scuttling India’s bid despite a significant majority backing the Indian case. Thirtyeight countries supported India, according to Indian officials.

India continues to get more H-1B visas despite fee hike: US ambassador

Hyderabad India continues to get the “lion’s share” of H-1B visas from the US government despite the fee hike, US ambassador to India Richard Verma said on Friday.

“India continues to receive the lion’s share of H-1B and L1 and even after the fee increase, they continue to get 70% of those H1B visas,” Verma said on the sidelines of The Future is Now: From COP21 to Reality conference here.

“We understand the concern about the fee hike. I think there is an ongoing conversation. We also know this is an important part of travel and commercial enterprise in the US. And again, there is an increase in the number of visas issued, in fact, there is a slight increase,” he added. The US, under the 9/11

Health and Compensation Act, has imposed a special fee of US$ 4,000 on certain categories of H1B visas and US$ 4,500 on L1 visas.

Almost all Indian IT companies will be paying between US$ 8,000 and US$ 10,000 per H-1B visa as per the hike.

According to Nasscom, this is expected to have an impact of about US$ 400 million annually on India’s technology sector.

Earlier in his speech, Verma said the ongoing deforestation and poor land management is responsible for nearly a quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions as each day, greenhouse gases emitted by human activities trap the same amount of heat energy as would be released by 400,000 atomic bombs.

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28 June - 4 July 2016

Heads up! Seoul launches campaign Remains of mammoth to keep smartphone users safe uncovered in Mexico SEOUL - Pedestrians glued to their smartphones were given something else to look at this week, as officials in Seoul launched a safety campaign to keep them from walking into busy traffic.Smartphone-related collisions between pedestrians and vehicles in South Korea have more than doubled in five years to around 1,000 reported incidents in 2014, according to the Transportation Safety Authority.

The problem is especially acute in a country where smartphone penetration currently stands at around 80 percent of the population, most of whom seem intent on mastering the art of walking and texting. In a bid to reduce the number of people either stepping carelessly into oncoming traffic or slamming into each other on the sidewalk, officials in Seoul - one of the world’s most wired cities - have begun installing the first batch of 300 warning signs this week in five locations across the capital. “We picked locations with the highest number of young pedestrians since the majority of smartphone users are in their teens to their 30s,” Kim Ooc-Kyeong, a Seoul city official in charge of the project, told AFP on Wednesday. Some

signs are attached to traffic light poles and depict a person looking at his smartphone as he is about to be hit by a car. But given that the target audience are people who wouldn’t look up from their screens to see such warnings, other signs have been plastered on the actual sidewalk. “We put

250 signs on the pavements because they will actually be seen by the pedestrians that are looking down at their smartphones,” Kim said. But neither type of warning seemed to have registered with locals interviewed at lunchtime by AFP. “I’m always on my smartphone, and I’ve never seen the signs before,” said Kim Hyun-Chul, 29.

“They need to make them stand out more.” Koo Sung-Hoi, 27, was also unaware of the efforts to keep him from a smartphone-related injury. “I think the signs on the pavements are too small to be

Danish ‘devil of death’ nurse gets life in jail

noticed,” Koo said. South Korean smartphone users spend an average of four hours a day tweeting, chatting or playing games, with about 15 percent showing symptoms of addiction, according to state data. Seoul plans to monitor the effectiveness of the signs until the end of the year before deciding whether to expand the project. Similar campaigns have already been trialed in Europe. Antwerp has introduced designated walking lanes in a handful of busy shopping streets so smartphone users can look at their mobiles without bumping into other pedestrians.

The German city of Augsburg even installed traffic lights in the pavement at tram crossings for smartphone gazers. A 2014 simulation found that if 1,500 people looking at their phones tried to cross Tokyo’s notoriously crowded Shibuya intersection, only about a third would make across without bumping into others, falling or dropping their mobiles.

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TULTEPEC Mexican experts are carefully digging up fossils of a Pleistocene-era mammoth believed to have been cut to pieces by ancient humans.

Remains of the giant wooly mammal, believed to be some 14,000 years old, were discovered by chance in December near Mexico City while drainage pipes were being installed in the village of Tultepec. Archaeologists have been working at the site since April, and they hope to complete their work in the next few days.

Luis Cordoba, an archaeologist with the National Institute of Anthropology and History, said the remains of more than fifty mammoths have been discovered in the area around the capital, where in pre-historic times there was a shallow saltwater lake

where the heavy creatures often got stuck. The lake was also very good for preserving the remains.

Other mammoth remains have been found in the Tultepec area, “but this is the first time that they can be studied because in general people do not report the finds in time,” Cordoba said.

When alive, the mammoth was 3.5 meters high, five meters long, weighed around five tonnes, and was between the ages of 20 and 25. The Tultepec mammoth, which is about three-quarters complete and well preserved, still has tusks attached to its skull.

However the remaining fossils “do not maintain an anatomical order,” Cordoba said, suggesting the mammoth was cut up by humans for its meat or pelt.Scientists hope to eventually assemble the fossils and put them on display.

Asian millionaires top wealth rankings

COPENHAGEN A Danish nurse, dubbed a “devil of death” by prosecutors, was on Friday sentenced to life in prison for murdering three patients and trying to kill a fourth. Christina Hansen, 31, was found guilty of administering overdoses of morphine and the sedative diazepam to three elderly patients at a hospital in the southern town of Nykobing Falster between 2012 and 2015.

A fourth patient, who survived, was also found to have traces of the substances in her blood. The Nykobing Falster district court found that the patients had been given, among other things “morphine in lethal doses, and that the perpetrator was the nurse,” a statement said. “The accused was not an angel of death. She was a devil of death,” prosecutor Michael Boolsen said in calling for her to get life. Under Danish law, such a sentence only allows for a parole hearing after 12 years.”In the prosecution’s view, there are no

mitigating circumstances in this case,” he said. Lawyer Jorgen Lange appealed the verdict, telling Danish media the court’s decision was “shocking” given that some of the patients had been terminally ill.

Among more than 70 witnesses heard by the court, several said they had suspected Hansen of trying to harm patients long before she was detained in March last year, and that they believed she had done so in search of drama and attention.

A psychological evaluation found that the nurse was not mentally ill but that she suffered from a personality disorder characterised by “egocentricity” and a “persistent quest for excitement.”

Hansen, who denied all charges, was also ordered to pay 425,000 kroner (57,100 euros/$63,300) in damages to family members of one victim.She was also to pay 25,000 kroner to the 74-year-old woman who survived the attempt on her life.

Beijing - Asian millionaires now control more wealth than those in North America, Europe and other regions, according to a report from finance firm Capgemini. Driven by China and Japan, Asia’s millionaires saw their wealth jump by 10% in 2015, the firm’s World Wealth Report found. Millionaires held nearly $60 trillion (£40 trillion) worldwide last year, four times higher than 30 years ago. That could rise to $100 trillion by 2025, Capgemini said. Asia’s growth in high net worth individuals defined as having $1 million in assets - came despite slowing economic growth in China and a weak Japanese economy.

Capgemini found the growth in Asia was driven mainly by financial services, technology and health care industries. The region’s millionaires held $17.4 trillion of wealth, compared with $16.6 trillion in North America, the report said. “If past growth rates hold, Asia-Pacific is likely to continue to be a dominant force over the next decade, representing two-fifths of the world’s HNWI wealth, more than that of Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa combined,” Capgemini said.

Poor performance in US equity markets slowed growth in North America to 2.3% last year, although the US still had the

highest number of millionaires with 4.45 million.Europe’s millonaires saw a 4.8% increase in wealth, which was led by Spain despite the country’s record unemployment.The UK had the fifth highest number of high net worth individuals, although it only increased 1% to 553,000.Latin American millionaires suffered a

decline in net worth of 3.7%, driven by political volatility and a turbulent stock market in Brazil.

Worldwide, the wealth controlled by millionaires grew 4% last year to $58.7 trillion (£39.5 trillion).Earlier this year, Oxfam found that the richest 1% now have as much wealth as the rest of the world combined.

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28 June - 4 July 2016

Australian dad who raped and pimped daughter jailed, says ‘it was fun’

Sydney An Australian who repeatedly raped his daughter and organised for strangers to abuse her while he watched was jailed Thursday for 22-and-a-half years, telling police “it was fun while it lasted”.

The father, who cannot be named to protect the girl’s identity, admitted 61 offences between 2013 and 2015 when his daughter was aged between 11 and 13.

The West Australian District Court in Perth heard the 42-yearold also arranged for six other men, whom he met online, to have sex with her while he watched or participated.

On one occasion when the father and another man were filming, the girl was shown shackled to a bed, wearing a dog collar with the word ‘bitch’ on it, the West Australian newspaper reported.

In the footage, the girl could be seen struggling against the restraints and pleading “stop, please dad”, it said.

The paedophile ring was smashed last year when detectives arrested the men,

aged between 35 and 47, after a tip-off from the public.

The court heard that after his arrest the father told police he had regrets about what he had done.

“I really want to get out of this scene,” he said. “I’m going to be honest, it was fun while it lasted but it went way over the line.”

In jailing him, District Court Judge Philip Eaton said the abuse would likely have “lasting and irreparable consequences” for the girl, who lived with her father after her parents separated.

“You completely disregarded her welfare,” he said. “I have no doubt that you derived perverse sexual enjoyment while doing so.”

One of the other men involved, church pastor David Volmer, was sentenced to 10 years’ jail last November.

The court hearing that case heard he had sex with the girl after her father answered an advert he placed online for sexual massages. Two other men have also been jailed with three more still before the courts.

Human flights to Mars still at least 15 years off DARMSTADT, Germany Dreaming of a trip to Mars? You’ll have to wait at least 15 years for the technology to be developed, the head of the European Space Agency (ESA) said, putting doubt on claims that the journey could happen sooner.

“If there was enough money then we could possibly do it earlier but there is not as much now as the Apollo programme had,” ESA Director-General Jan Woerner said, referring to the US project which landed the first people on the moon.Woerner says a permanent human settlement on the moon, where 3D printers could be used to turn moon rock into essential items needed for the two-year trip to Mars, would be a major step toward the red planet.US space agency NASA hopes to send astronauts to Mars in the mid-2030s and businessman Elon Musk, head of electric car maker Tesla Motors, says he plans to put unmanned spacecraft on Mars from as early as 2018 and have humans there by 2030. The ESA’s Woerner said it would take longer.A spacecraft sent to Mars would need rockets and fuel powerful enough to lift back off for the return trip and the humans would need protection from unprecedented physical and mental challenges as well as deep-space radiation.

Woerner would like to see a cluster of research laboratories on the moon, at what he calls a “moon village”, to replace the International Space Station when its lifetime ends and to test technologies needed to make the trip to Mars.

That could be funded and operated by a collection of private and public bodies from around

the world, he said in an interview at the ESA’s Operations Centre.

“There are various companies and public agencies asking to join the club now, so they want

spacecraft on a seven-month journey as part of the agency’s ExoMars mission, which will use an atmospheric probe to sniff out signs of life on Mars and

to do different things, resource mining, in situ research, tourism and that kind of stuff. There is a big community interested,” he told Reuters. “The moon village is a pit stop on the way to Mars,” Woerner said, adding that new 3D printing technology could be used to build material and structures out of rocks and dust, doing away with the cost of transporting everything needed for a mission.“To test how to use lunar material to build some structures, not only houses, but also for a telescope or whatever, will teach us also how to do it on Mars,” he said.The ESA, working with Russia, in March sent a

deploy a lander to test technologies needed for a rover scheduled to follow in 2020.

Woerner said Europe was looking at ways to lower the cost of launches but did not plan to copy Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which is trying to develop relatively cheap, reusable launch vehicles.“We should not copy. To follow and copy does not bring you into the lead. We are looking for totally different approaches,” Woerner said, adding the ESA was examining all manner of new technologies, including airbreathing engines that do not need to tap into oxygen from a spacecraft’s tank.

Hong Kong becomes world’s costliest city

Dutch crops grown on ‘Mars’ soil found safe to eat THE HAGUE - Dutch scientists said Thursday crops of four vegetables and cereals grown on soil similar to that on Mars have been found safe to eat, amid

plans for the first manned mission to the planet. Abundant harvests of radishes, peas, rye and tomatoes all grown on the soil were found to contain “no dangerous levels” of heavy metals, said the team from Wageningen University in the

Netherlands. “These remarkable results are very promising,” said senior ecologist Wieger Wamelink. “We can actually eat the radishes, peas, rye and tomatoes, and I am very curious

what they will taste like.” Future Mars settlers will have to take food supplies with them and then plant crops in order to survive.

So using soil developed by NASA to resemble that of the red planet, the university has been experimenting since 2013 and

has managed to raise 10 crops.

But uncertainty remains about whether they would absorb the high levels of heavy metals such cadmium, copper and lead, present in Mars soil. Further tests are now needed on the remaining six crops, including potatoes, in research which is being backed by a crowd-funding campaign. NASA plans a manned trip to Mars within the next 10 to 15 years or so, and similar projects are also being pursued by US billionaire Elon Musk and the Dutch company Mars One, tentatively aiming to set up human colonies on the Red Planet. The Mars One project has backed the Wageningen experiments and is currently undertaking a third selection to whittle down the remaining 100 candidates hoping to be among their astronauts to 40. “It’s important to test as many crops as possible, to make sure that settlers on Mars have access to a broad variety of different food sources,” said Wamelink.

PARIS - Hong Kong has overtaken Angola’s capital to become the costliest city in the world for expats, Mercer’s annual survey said Wednesday.

After topping the Cost of Living report for three consecutive years, Luanda was pipped by the Asian city in 2016, owing to a stronger Hong Kong dollar.

The survey by the Mercer consulting group compares the cost of over 200 items in over 200 cities, including housing, food, transport and entertainment.

It takes New York as its base for comparison and measures currency movements against the dollar, which has appreciated significantly over the past year.

The Hong Kong dollar is pegged to the greenback. ”Generally speaking, prices

remained stable across the world,” Bruno Rocquemont of Mercer France told AFP, attributing steep rises or falls in cities’ rankings chiefly to exchange rate fluctuations. A strong yen propelled Tokyo six places higher to become the world’s fifth-most expensive expat destination, behind Zurich and Singapore in third and fourth place respectively.

The cost of living in several US cities also rose on the back of the strong dollar. Conversely, cities in countries whose currencies have slumped became more affordable, with Moscow recording one of the most spectacular price slides, falling from 17th costliest city for expats to 67th. Bottom of the table of 209 cities was Namibia’s capital Windhoek.

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28 June - 4 July 2016

Simple things to make your life simpler Simple things in life can go a long way in ensuring that you are at your best always. Try these tips and see the difference Don’t let people affect you

Detoxify One of the first things you should do is to go in for a detox. After overindulging during the festive season, detoxifying your system would be a good idea. Start by cutting down on your alcohol and junk food consumption for a month. Another good option is to add certain foods to you diet to aid the detox process - for example lemons are packed with antioxidants like vitamin C while ginger is known to improve digestion.

There are many different kinds of people and the way they react to different situations makes them positive of negative. Make sure you stay away from people who are always negative about everything.

They will drag you down too and you will soon be engulfed in negativity. So, laugh a lot and stay with people who do the same and are easy to laugh with. Stay around people who make you feel happy, buoyant and positive people who make you want to really live life.

Meet new people

Take mistakes in your stride

Still haven’t met the love of your life? Then sitting at home and waiting for him/ her to knock on your door won’t help. Try to socialise as much as you can, meet new people, make contacts. Don’t be nervous - tell yourself that other people are probably just as nervous as you.

Let’s face it. We all make mistakes. They could be big, small, heartbreaking or damaging. The first thing you need to do is to accept it. Instead of getting worked up about things, learn from your mistakes so that you can avoid them in the future.

Start a new hobby While you may lead a highly busy and stressful life, try and make some time for yourself to simply step out of the house.

Whether it is just for a stroll, taking your pet for a walk, meeting a friend, or going to the supermarket get out of the house.

Experts say that being cooped-up all day at work or home can cause fatigue. And you need to

do, is to step out to unwind.

You could even join a new class, start a new hobby or attend a workshop. Not

Let go of bad habits

only will you meet new people, you will also be trying out new things, making your life fulfilling.

Get things organised When you aren’t organised, it shows. And manifests. While many people lead busy, stressful lives, what you need to do is prioritise and get yourself organised. Do you constantly forget important dates or occasions? Do you miss appointments, forget to visit the supermarket or turn up late often? While leading a hectic life and living in the

moment can be exciting, it can soon backfire. Being organised will not only make you more efficient but

what your goals are, so that they can encourage

Be positive

also reduce your stress levels. Delegate tasks and keep a diary to keep your life in control.

Take it slow While the list of your resolutions might be a mile long, implementing them in your life need not be a task. Start by making small changes. No one achieved anything by making lofty resolutions, which they realised were too tough just in a day. As gung-ho as you feel when you’re planning to lose five kgs in a month, it is simpler

How many times have you told yourself that you will let go of a bad habit only to do it two days later? We all have bad habits, and getting rid of them can never be easy.

What you can do though is to start slow. Don’t be over-enthusiastic and try to give them all up together.

Be realistic and make a list of vices you want to give up. Tell people close to you

If you want to have a great year, you need to focus on staying positive.

Take each situation with a calm approach and a ‘glass half-full’ mentality.

This optimism will go a long way in making a positive difference in your life. Not only will your stress levels go down, you will also improve your cardiovascular health.

Get your finances in order

said than done. And when you don’t end up sticking

to ambitious resolutions, you feel let down.

Do you chart out a budget or simply go with the flow? Do you over-step your budget or stay within it? Money troubles can be very stressful. Start by planning your budget for the month and then stick to it.

Make a conscious effort to save more. Find out areas where you can cut expenditure and look out for bargains.

you and dissuade you from slipping up.

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28 June - 4 July 2016

No evidence Orlando gunman sought gay relationships

Washington FBI investigators so far have not turned up persuasive evidence that Orlando gunman Omar Mateen was pursuing gay relationships, according to two government officials familiar with the investigation.

The FBI began investigating that possibility after media reports last week quoted men as saying that Omar Mateen had reached out to them on gay dating apps and had frequented the gay nightclub where the June 12 massacre took place. One man even claimed to be Mateen’s gay lover in an interview with

Univision that aired this week.

But the officials say the FBI, which has recovered Mateen’s phone and conducted 500 interviews, has not found concrete evidence nearly two weeks into the investigation to corroborate such accounts.

They also say the investigation is ongoing and that nothing has been formally ruled out. The officials were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Law enforcement officials have said they believe Mateen was

radicalized at some point before the Pulse nightclub attack. In calls with the police after the shooting began, he pledged his allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State and declared himself to be an Islamic soldier.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch has taken pains not to describe radical extremism as the sole motivation and declined in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday to rule out any possibility, including that he was secretly gay. She also declined to say what evidence, if any, existed to support alternate theories.

Ethiopia to throw away 69 million poor quality condoms ‘made by Indian company’

Addis Ababa Ethiopia needs to toss out 69 million condoms reportedly manufactured by an Indian compaWny and were paid for by international donors to fight the spread of AIDS because of their poor quality, local media reported on Thursday.

The disease-defeating contraceptives were found to be defective by the Pharmaceuticals Fund and Supply Agency (PFSA), a government body, according to a report on local station Radio Fana.

Agency director Meskele Lera said action was under

way to force the condom supplier to, “reimburse the money and cover all costs in the discarding process.”

The $2 million (1.8 million euros) worth of condoms were reportedly manufactured by an unnamed Indian company and paid for by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria but failed basic tests.

Around 1.2 million Ethiopians have AIDS, according to World Health Organization figures, equivalent to a prevalence rate of 2.4%, with significantly higher concentrations in the capital Addis Ababa.

University graduates face higher brain tumour risk PARIS -People with at least three years of higher education are at greater risk for cancerous brain tumours than those with no more than nine years of schooling, perplexed researchers said Tuesday. “There is a 19 percent increased risk that universityeducated men could be diagnosed with glioma,” said Amal Khanolkar, a scientist at the Institute of Child Health in London and lead author of a study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community.

For women, he said, the risk rose by 23 percent. “It was a surprising result which is difficult to explain,” Khanolkar told AFP. Concretely, the increase in risk is minimal because such brain tumours are rare. At the lowest level of education, the chances of glioma were reported at five in 3,000.

At the other end of the educational spectrum, the odds increased to six in 3,000. But the question remained as to whether the gap - no matter how small was real and, if so, what caused it. Earlier research exploring a possible link between education or social level, on the one hand, and the frequency of brain tumours, on the other, had been inconclusive.

To “put to rest” these conflicting findings, Khanolkar and colleagues at the Karolinska

Institute medical university in Stockholm used a new approach.

Rather than comparing a small

number of brain tumour patients with healthy individuals, they sifted through the health records of 4.3 million adults tracked by the Swedish public health system from 1993 to 2011.

The researchers distinguished between three kinds of brain tumours - two of them noncancerous - with different causes.

The strong link between education level and tumour incidence held for all three types, but was strongest for deadly gliomas.

Interestingly, an even higher risk gap was found between lowincome manual labourers and high-income men and women who did not work with their hands.

Gliomas are malignant brain tumours which grow rapidly and cause severe symptoms, including migraines, nausea and memory loss. The survival rate

is very low.

The study did not seek to explain the link between higher education and tumours, nor did it consider the potential impact of environmental and lifestyle factors, such as smoking or alcohol consumption.The most common explanation for risk levels that rise with years spent in the classroom is that people with a higher education or income “have a better awareness of symptoms,” Khanolkar said.

This would mean they are more

likely to seek help and receive a correct diagnosis. But while this may be true in a country with a health system that clearly favours the well-to-do, the argument is far less convincing in the Swedish context, the researchers said.

“Sweden has a universal, taxbased health care system,” said Khanolkar. Everybody has roughly the same access to treatment.

Moreover, he added, gliomas form very rapidly - often within 48

hours - and are excruciatingly painful. “The symptoms are not avoidable - you can’t sit at home and not seek care,” he said.

To further their probe, the team will canvass an updated version of the database for possible correlations between ethnicity and brain tumour risk.

Underlying genetic variation in populations from different geographic regions - where certain mutations are more or less common - could be a factor, Khanolkar acknowledged.

Man axes wife to death for not serving tea Karachi Failing to serve a cup of tea to her husband has cost a 23-yearold woman her life in Pakistan’s Sindh province, police said on Friday.The incident took place on Thursday when Nagji Kolhi returned from work and asked for a cup of tea from his wife, Keeso Kolhi, police said.

When she didn’t give him the tea on time he got angry and axed her to death in the presence of his minor children, they said.

On the complaint of the woman’s father, the local police registered a case.The accused himself surrendered to the police and said he had committed the crime in a fit of anger, police said.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Hindu Council condemned the

incident.The chief patron of the council, Ramesh Kumar said the news of the incident was disturbing for the Hindu community as the deceased was the mother of two minor girls.“We are gathering more information as the incident took

place in a remote area of Tando Bhag. We plan to educate our community about discouraging such acts,” he said.

Sindh has the largest population of the nearly 300 million Hindus in Pakistan specially in the remote areas of the province.

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28 June - 4 July 2016

Hillary Clinton failed to hand over key email to State Department Washington Former secretary Hillary Clinton failed to turn over a copy of a key message involving problems caused by her use of a private homebrew email server, the State Department confirmed Thursday. The disclosure makes it unclear what other workrelated emails may have been deleted by the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

The email was included within messages exchanged Nov. 13, 2010, between Clinton and one of her closest aides, deputy chief of staff Huma Abedin. At the time, emails sent from Clinton’s BlackBerry device and routed through her private clintonemail.com server in the basement of her New York home were being blocked by the State Department’s spam filter. A

suggested remedy was for Clinton to obtain a state.gov email account.

“Let’s get separate address or device but I don’t want any risk of the personal being accessible,” Clinton responded to Abedin.

Clinton never used a government

Woman who left baby to drown gets 20-year jail

SAINT-OMER A woman who claimed that witchcraft caused her to leave her baby to drown on a beach in northern France was sentenced Friday to 20 years in jail.

Fabienne Kabou, 39, had faced life imprisonment for the November 19, 2013, murder, but the court deemed that she suffered from impaired judgement. The court in the town of Saint-Omer, near Calais, also

ordered Kabou to undergo psychological treatment. The woman of Senegalese origin confessed to travelling from her home near Paris to the town of Berck on the English Channel with the aim of drowning Adelaide, who was 13 months old.Kabou checked the local tide chart before abandoning the baby on the beach to the rising waves.

Prawn fishermen found Adelaide’s lifeless body the next morning.

Russian governor arrested taking bribe MOSCOW-The governor of Russia’s central Kirov region was arrested Friday allegedly in the act of accepting a bribe of 400,000 euros ($447,000), the Russian committee of enquiry said.“A criminal enquiry has been opened,” against governor Nikita Belykh arrested “in the act of corruption in a restaurant,” in Moscow, the committee

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said in a statement.Belykh is

suspected of accepting the money, through an intermediary, in return for turning a blind eye to dodgy investments in the region.

He becomes the third Russian governor to be arrested on suspicions of corruption in just over a year. Corruption is endemic in Russia, undermining public confidence in the institutions and is seen as a major brake on the country’s economic development.

account that was set up for her, instead continuing to rely on her private server until leaving office.

The email was not among the tens of thousands of emails Clinton turned over to the agency in response to public records lawsuits seeking copies of her official correspondence.

Abedin, who also used a private account on Clinton’s server, provided a copy from her own inbox after the State Department asked her to return any workrelated emails. That copy of the email was publicly cited last month in a blistering audit by the State Department’s inspector general that concluded Clinton and her team ignored clear internal guidance that her email setup violated federal standards and could have left sensitive material vulnerable to hackers.

“While this exchange was not part of the approximately 55,000 pages provided to the State Department by former Secretary Clinton, the exchange was included within the set of documents Ms. Abedin provided the department in response to

our March 2015 request,” State Department spokesman John Kirby told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon said she provided “all potentially work-related emails” that were still in her possession when she received the 2014 request from the State Department.

“Secretary Clinton had some emails with Huma that Huma did not have, and Huma had some emails with Secretary Clinton that Secretary Clinton did not have,” Fallon said.

Fallon declined to say whether Clinton deleted any work-related emails before they were reviewed by her legal team. Clinton’s lead lawyer, David Kendall, did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.

The November 2010 email was among documents released under court order Wednesday to the conservative legal advocacy group Judicial Watch, which has sued the State Department over access to public records related to the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee’s service as the nation’s top diplomat between 2009 and 2013. The case is one of about three dozen lawsuits over access to records related to Clinton, including one filed by the AP. Before turning over her emails to the department for review and potential public release, Clinton and her lawyers withheld thousands of additional emails she said were clearly personal, such as those involving what she described as “planning

Chelsea’s wedding or my mother’s funeral arrangements, condolence notes to friends as well as yoga routines, family vacations.”

Clinton has never outlined in detail what criteria she and her lawyers used to determine which emails to release and which to delete, but her 2010 email with Abedin appears clearly work-related under the State Department’s own criteria for agency records under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act. Dozens of the emails sent or received by Clinton through her private server were later determined to contain classified material. The FBI has been investigating for months whether Clinton’s use of the private email server imperiled government secrets. Agents recently interviewed several of Clinton’s top aides, including Abedin.

As part of the probe, Clinton turned over the hard drive from her email server to the FBI. It had been wiped clean, and Clinton has said she did not keep copies of the emails she choose to withhold.

On Wednesday, lawyers from Judicial Watch, a conservative legal organization, questioned under oath Bryan Pagliano, the computer technician who set up Clinton’s private server. A transcript released Thursday shows Pagliano repeatedly responded to detailed questions by invoking his Fifth Amendment right against selfincrimination, as he did last year before a congressional committee.

Iran cracks down on ‘vulgar Western’ dog owners TEHRAN Dog lovers in central Iran are in uproar after authorities began confiscating their pets in an apparent crackdown on the “vulgar Western culture” of canine ownership, Iranian media reported Saturday.One unnamed dog owner in Shahin Shahr in Isfahan province told Iran’s Shahrvand newspaper that officials had shown up suddenly at his house last week. “We were shown a piece of paper indicating they were from the municipal veterinary office. They came in and took away our dogs under the pretext of vaccination,” he said. The owner was told he could recover the dog after its vaccination, but when he went to the vet’s office they had no record of his case.

Instead, the newspaper said the confiscations were the result of a crackdown launched by local prosecutor Mohsen Boosaidi.

“Keeping and caring for dogs is haram (forbidden) according to religious leaders,” Boosaidi told the Fars news agency on June 19. “If we find out that anyone is keeping and caring for dogs and so is promoting vulgar Western culture, we will deal with them firmly.” Dog confiscations in the town began three days later,

Shahrvand reported. It did not give precise numbers, but said

considered najes (unclean) in Islam and police often stop and

a number of families had lost their pets. “Ever since our dog was taken away, you only hear the sound of crying and sobbing in our house,” the Shahin Shahr owner said. Javid Al-e Davood, the head of Iran’s Society For Protection of Animals, said such confiscations were illegal and that the prosecutor was “absolutely wrong” about the Islamic attitude to dogs.”Keeping dogs has not been regarded as haram in any religious book.

Associating keeping dogs with Western culture is distorting the history of Islamic and Iranian civilisation,” he said. Dogs are

fine dog walkers. However, Iran’s authorities have stated that dogs with a clear role such as guarding property or guiding the blind are permitted. In a wry letter to the prosecutor published on his organisation’s website, Al-e Davood said confiscating people’s pets was a strange priority for the authorities. “We are very happy that all the problems of the country have been resolved and that the presence of a few guard dogs in people’s homes is the last remaining problem for the people of Shahin Shahr, which you have set out to resolve,” he wrote.

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India’s 10-wicket man set for a new ball game Indian cricket has often looked to Australia to show the way be it providing the cutting edge to the team, establishing a national academy or appointing a professional coach, as it did for the first time in 2000 by roping in New Zealand’s John Wright.

Whatever protracted deliberations that preceded Anil Kumble’s appointment as chief coach, there was a touch of Australia to the process. The Aussie board had picked ex-player Darren Lehmann three years ago after the failure of South Africa’s Mickey Arthur.

It was Zimbabwean Duncan Fletcher’s inability to boost the side on the 2014 tour of England that forced BCCI to bring on board Ravi Shastri as team director. It showed the emphasis has shifted to man management as the technical aspects are handled by specialist coaches.

Once Kumble put his name forward, it became clear Shastri, who had the backing of Test skipper Virat Kohli, had stiff competition.

It was clear the cricket advisory committee, comprising Kumble’s former teammates Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman, finally had a say.

Although he lacked coaching credentials, there is no question that the stature of only the second bowler ever to take all 10 wickets in a Test innings would count.

As he arrived for the BCCI meetings with secretary Ajay Shirke on Thursday, Ganguly had his familiar smile in place, but there was still work to do on the chief coach’s front.

With transparency the watchword, the BCCI officials have treaded cautiously.

“It’s not about Indian or foreign coach,” president Anurag Thakur told a news

conference. “It’s about who is the best for Indian cricket. India deserves the best, and I think we have it in Kumble.”

Kumble will have to deal with 13 Tests, starting with the series in the West Indies in July-August. He will have to establish a rapport with Kohli, whom he also mentored at the

Royal Challengers Bangalore.

The former India spinner has had his share of administrative experience.

The most challenging one, as president of the Karnataka unit for three years, didn’t go as expected and he and ex-India pacer Javagal Srinath chose to step down in the

Looking forward to working with Kumble Sir: Kohli welcomes new India coach

India’s Test skipper Virat Kohli welcomed new head coach Anil Kumble into to the team on Thursday and said he was looking forward to working with the

legendary leg-spinner.

“Heartiest welcome to @anilkumble1074 Sir. Look forward to your tenure with us. Great things in store for Indian Cricket with you ??”

Kohli tweeted after Kumble was appointed as head coach for a one-year term.

Heartiest welcome to @anilkumble1074 Sir. Look forward to your tenure with us. Great things in store for Indian Cricket with you ??

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) June 23, 2016 Kumble’s appointment brought an end to the prolonged suspense over who will take over the rein of the side. The 45-year-old pipped former team director Ravi Shastri, Australians Tom Moody and Stuart Law and a host of others to clinch the high-profile position following an elaborate selection process headed by a three-member Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman.

Several other cricketers too congratulated Kumble on Twitter.

Retired swashbuckling opener Virender Sehwag, who had been Kumble’s teammate for years said

the ex-leggie who once bowled with a broken jaw in Antigua would be an inspiration for the players in the dressing room.

“Jumbo news 4Team India.

Congrats @anilkumble1074. To have a coach who cud play wid broken jaw wud be an inspiration fr guys in dressing room,” Sehwag wrote.

Left-handed opener Shikhar Dhawan also greeted the 45-year-old, saying, “Congratulations sir @anilkumble1074 on becoming the coach of #TeamIndia! Looking forward to the long season ahead @BCCI.” Even legendary spinner Bishan Singh Bedi expressed his happiness over the appointment.

“Kumble congrats Son!Well deserved honour!Am glad fr Indn Crkt-Gud job BCCI-wish Kumble was given 2/3 yrs ‘cos his precision demands that..,” he tweeted.

end. But Kumble can draw upon his fighting qualities as a player to make an impact. On the 2002 West Indies tour, he bowled with his fractured jaw bandaged after being struck by a Mervyn Dillon bouncer.

As skipper on the eventful Australia tour of 2007-8, he held the side together following the Monkeygate

scandal involving spin partner Harbhajan Singh.

His task begins when the team assembles before leaving for West Indies in the first week of July. With the BCCI deciding to appoint the support staff by itself, Kumble won’t have a say on the personnel.

7-time winner Roger Federer sees off Guido Pella in Wimbledon 2016 first round

Roger Federer began his 18th consecutive Wimbledon challenge with a straight-sets win over Argentina’s Guido Pella on Monday -- but it was never straightforward for the Swiss as he won 7-6(5) 76(3) 6-3.

The third seed, bidding for an eighth Wimbledon title at the age of 34, struggled to shake off a gutsy opponent before his class prevailed.

More importantly, he

showed no sign of the back injury that forced him to miss the French Open, ending his run of 65 consecutive appearances at grand slam tournaments.

“I worked so hard to be here,” Federer told reporters.

“My hope was to be here fully fit. No one knows, not even myself.

But we’ll see.”

Federer next plays world number 772 Marcus Willis of Britain.

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Was William Shakespeare ‘gay’?

London: The sexuality of William Shakespeare has once again been called into question by leading scholars, it has been reported.

Sir Brian Vickers, a visiting professor at University College London, started the academic debate by claiming that a ‘Times Literary Supplement’ book review was wrong to state that Shakespeare’s sonnet 116 was written in a “primarily homosexual context,” the Daily Star reported.

The British academic asserted that the sonnet did not give any indication about his love life and argued that Shakespeare was talking about a type of love that was not to do with sexual

attraction.However, scholar Arthur Freeman stated that no “responsible editor” would dismiss the possibility “of homosexual, as well as heterosexual passion” being behind the sonnets.

Prof Stanley Wells, honorary president of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, also took issue with Sir Brian writing and mentioned that when a poet whose name is William writes poems of painful and unabashed sexual frankness which pun on the word “will,” 13 times in Sonnet No 135, it was not unreasonable to conclude that he might be writing from the depths of his own experience.

But it has been widely acknowledged that Shakespeare married Anne

Hathaway when he was 18 and that he had three children.

Just a few months after she was brought in the orphanage,

Sandlert was adopted by a Swedish family and taken to live Stockholm.

Sandlert’s friend, Sidney

Norling, who is accompanying to India, told media they don’t even know the names of her birth parents.

“We hope to find her parents; at least may be we get some names because we are continuously searching.

We also know that can be actually, here standing on the road. But we feel satisfied that also because at least we have tried and that’s the most important for us to try to search for her roots.

Sometimes we don’t find anything and sometimes we find a lot,” he said Sandlert, who married a Swedish man, decided to embark on the journey to find her birth parents after giving birth to her own daughter, Alva.

Replace beef with chicken School kept special needs to save the climate: Study child in ‘cage-like’ structure Even though vegan diet is the most climate-friendly, we can continue eating animal protein

Bryngelsson, who recently presented his doctoral thesis on land use, food related

and still make a major contribution to the climate if we replace beef with poultry and eggs, and cut down on our consumption of milk and cheese, says new research, an IANS report stated.The study by David Bryngelsson from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden examined various future scenarios to determine how the climate would be impacted if humans were to change their diet.“Cattle ranching is already responsible for 15 per cent of the greenhouse gas emissions that humans cause,” observed

greenhouse gas emissions, and climate change. He noted that increased consumption of beef runs counter to the goal of limiting the temperature increase to two degrees Celsius.

There might be ethical objections to the current chicken industry, but Bryngelsson believes that climate gains will prevail even with more animalfriendly production methods.

Technical improvements in the production chain can to a certain extent also reduce the food industry’s climate impact, but cattle are still the biggest

problem, he noted.

It is difficult to change the fact that they need a lot of feed and that they release methane as they ruminate. Furthermore, forests are being encroached upon to make room for the increasing number of cattle, which also impacts the climate, the study pointed out.

“Since around 70 per cent of all agricultural land is currently used to raise cattle, converting to a more energy-efficient diet of poultry would free up land for cultivation of for example bioenergy,” Bryngelsson explained.“You could say that chicken is like an electrical car it is a better alternative, yet still very similar to what we are accustomed to,” he said.How large a space domesticated poultry has to move around in does not impact greenhouse gas emissions to any great extent -rather, the issue pertains more to cost.For example, if chickens are given a space that is five times larger, the space is still small in relation to the space required for feed production and will probably not noticeably affect the chickens’ impact on the environment.

SYDNEY An Australian principal was suspended on Thursday after a primary school child with special needs was allegedly put in a “cage-like” structure inside a classroom.Australian Capital Territory Education Minister Joy Burch said she was “immensely disappointed, disturbed and quite frankly disgusted” that the two-metre “withdrawal space”, made of metal fencing, was allowed in school. It was reportedly built for a 10-year-old autistic student, who was placed in it between March 10 and 27.

Media reports referred to it as “cage-like”.

An independent inquiry has been launched and two extra teachers qualified in disability education assigned to the school.

“Whether it was in the school for 17 days, 17 minutes or 17 seconds, it had no place there,” Burch told reporters in the ACT and national capital Canberra.“Words can’t put into place the absolute disappointment and horror I have

that, in our schools, that anyone would consider a structure of this nature in any way, shape or form acceptable.”

The Canberra school was not named but the child’s concerned family contacted the Human Rights Commission.The ACT Education Directorate said it was an isolated example of very poor

decision-making. “A withdrawal space was erected inside a classroom for a student with behavioural challenges and special needs. The space was a fenced-in structure inside a classroom,” it said in a statement.“It was entirely inappropriate and unacceptable.

“This is an isolated example of very poor decision making and of the upmost seriousness,” it added.

Children should be prepared to work until 100 years, says Indian biz guru LONDON Schools should prepare kids for a future where the working age may reach 100 years and people may have to adapt to a variety of jobs to make ends meet, Indian-origin business consultant Rohit Talwar has warned.As businesses become more automated there will be fewer jobs and many of the old occupations will be filled with robots, said Rohit Talwar, chief executive of consultancy

Fast Future, at the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference in Scotland on Tuesday, The Daily Mail reported on Wednesday.

“On the one hand, we’ll be living longer, on the other hand, we’re not sure how people are going to earn the money to buy the goods and services that will largely be produced by smart software and robots... Will it be right to assume that everyone will still have a job,” he said.

Talwar added the youngsters should be ready to have 40 jobs during their career, working “potentially up to the age of 100” and living up to the age of 120.“Or will it be natural for 50 percent of the population to not be working... If they do have a job all the way through their career, that means they’ll be working potentially up to the age of 100.”And they “might well have 40 jobs in that period in ten different careers”, he added.

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Health Be smart, stay mentally fit!

People think about how to keep themselves physically fit practically everyday, so much so, that they often forget that their mental health is equally important.

Everyday stress and anxiety related to work and family pressures tend to take a toll on you sooner or later, as a result of which, you find yourself getting mentally drained much easily than before.

Being mentally healthy means having a sense of well-being, having the ability to function during everyday life and feeling

confident of rising to a challenge when opportunity arises.

Just like for your physical health, there are actions you can take to increase your mental health. Foster your wellbeing and stay mentally fit and healthy by following a few simple steps.

1. Connect with others: Develop and maintain strong relationships with people around you who will support and enrich your life. The quality of good personal relationships has a great,

High BMI can reduce risk of rheumatoid arthritis in men

soothing effect on our mental well-being. Giving your time and effort to build strong and healthy relationships. On the other hand, stay away from people who have the ability to strain you mentally and stress you out.

2. Take time to enjoy: Everyone has a set of hobbies. Set aside time for those hobbies and projects that you enjoy.

Let yourself be spontaneous and creative when the urge takes you.

In short, spend some quality time with yourself. This means doing something that ‘you’ like doing, for a change. That may include curling up with a good book and coffee, shopping, taking a walk,

enjoying nature, painting, etc.

3. Take care of yourself: Be active and eat well.

These may sound very basic but they help maintain a healthy body.

Since physical and mental health are closely linked, it is easier to feel good about life if your body feels good and vice versa. You don’t necessarily have to go to the gym to exercise – gardening, dancing and bush-walking all count.

Combine physical activity with a balanced diet to nourish your body and mind and help you maintain the feel-good factor inside and out.

4. Challenge yourself: Acquire a new skill or take on a challenge to meet a goal. You could take up something different at work; commit to a fitness goal or learn to cook a new recipe. Learning new things improves your mental fitness, while striving to meet your own goals builds skills and confidence and gives you a sense of progress and achievement.

Healthknown benefits of Lesser health benefits of pears! mulberry!

We all love to eat sweet, juicy and delicious pears, don’t we? Pears not only taste good but are packed with many nutrients which are essential for good health. Also, pears come in a wide range of colors and varieties.

You should include them in your diet plan for a healthier lifestyle.

Here are some health benefits of juicy pears: Good for heart: Pears are an excellent source of dietary fibre, which is good for the heart. The fibre content in the fruit reduces cholesterol in our body and protects us from heart diseases. So, eat

pears daily and reduce the risk of a stroke.

Prevents Cancer: The high fiber content in the fruit binds to help remove cancer-causing chemi-cals in the colon which therefore, reduces the risk of colon cancer too.

Daily consumption of pears can prevent breast cancer by upto 34% in women after menopause.

Boosts immune system: Pears contain high content of anti-oxidants like vitamin C and copper which helps in boosting the immune system of the body and fights against various diseases.

Eat apple, green tomatoes to gain never-say-die muscles A new study has claimed that men with high BMI (Body Mass Index) have a lower risk of rheumatoid arthritis.

In the study, scientists in Sweden analysed data from 383 patients, taken from two population based health surveys with a total of 50,705 participants, to discover that there was a strong association between a high BMI in men and a lower risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis.

However, this association was not found in women.

After the results had been adjusted for smoking as that has been found to be

negatively associated with obesity in men, men with a BMI over 25kg/m2 were estimated to be 63 percent less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis.

The scientists suggested that a high BMI more often reflects increased abdominal obesity or visceral fat in men compared with women, which could be protective against the development of rheumatoid arthritis.

Lead author Carl Turesson said that the effect of obesity on the risk of rheumatoid arthritis did not appear to be substantially different from that of overweight.

While discovering a protein that causes muscle weakness and loss during ageing, scientists from University of Iowa have also stumbled upon two natural compounds, one found in apples and one in green tomatoes, which reduce the protein’s activity in aged muscle.

The protein called ATF4 alters gene expression in skeletal muscle, causing reduction of muscle protein synthesis, strength and mass. The team identified ursolic acid, which is found in apple peel, and tomatidine, which comes from green

tomatoes, as small molecules that can prevent acute muscle wasting caused by starvation and inactivity. Those studies set the

stage for testing whether ursolic acid and tomatidine might be effective in blocking the largest cause of muscle weakness and atrophy: aging.”Ursolic acid and tomatidine appear to have a lot of potential as tools for dealing with muscle weakness and atrophy

during ageing,” said Christopher Adams, professor of internal

medicine and senior study author. We might be able to use ursolic acid and tomatidine as tools to find a root cause of muscle weakness and

atrophy during ageing, he added. The findings could lead to new therapies for age-related muscle weakness and atrophy.

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The side effects of Green Tea Green tea is considered the go-to beverage in most households and has steadily been gaining popularity as a natural source of energy.

Green tea has many health benefits apart from a

number of healing properties. Whether you’re ill, tired, upset or just generally need a hot beverage, then green tea becomes your confidante.

Everyone is aware of the numerous health benefits of the hot drink, however, there are some negative effects of the drink that you should be aware of.

Knowing about them will help you optimize your green tea intake.

1. Caffeine consumption: Green is a healthy drink, no doubt, but it still is a “tea” which means that it contains significant amount of caffeine. Enjoy your hot cuppa, however,

don’t drink it in excess as too much caffeine may cause side-effects such as anxiety and nervousness.

2. Osteoporosis: The properties in green tea impacts directly on the calcium deposited in your body. Drinking too much of green tea may eliminate more calcium from the body through urination, leading to calcium deficiency. It is best to limit your green tea intake

to two cupfuls a day.

3. Pregnant or lactating mothers: Green tea should be avoided by pregnant and lactating mothers, since consumption of the beverage during pregnancy

may pose higher risk of miscarriage and other side-effects. Caffeine in green tea may find its way into breast milk in lactating mothers and affect the infant. However, if cutting out green tea from your daily life is difficult, then limit yourself to not more than two cupfuls a day.

4. Medical interference: Green tea may cause problems if you’re taking

Beetroot juice may boost muscle power Drinking concentrated beetroot juice increases muscle power in patients with heart failure, new research has found. “It is a small study, but we see robust changes in muscle power about two hours after patients drink the beet juice,” said study Senior

Author Linda Peterson, Associate Professor of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The researchers believe that high nitrate content in beet juice could explain the improved muscle power in the study participants. Earlier re-

search had found that dietary nitrate improves muscle performance in many elite athletes. The nitrates in beet juice, spinach and other leafy green vegetables such as Arugula and Celery are processed by the body into nitric oxide, which is

known to relax blood vessels and have other beneficial effects on metabolism.

Patients in the study served as their own controls, with each receiving the beet juice treatment and an identical beet juice placebo that had only the

nitrate content removed.

There was a one-to-two week period between trial sessions to be sure any effects of the first treatment did not carry over to the second. Two hours after drinking the beet juice with high nitrate content, patients demonstrated a 13 percent increase in power in muscles that extend the knee.

The researchers observed the most substantial benefit when the muscles moved at the highest velocities. The increase in muscle performance was significant in quick, powerbased actions, but researchers saw no improvements in performance during longer tests that measure muscle fatigue.

The researchers also pointed out that participants experienced no major side effects from the beet juice, including no increase in heart rates or drops in blood pressure, which is important in patients with heart failure.

medication such as stimulants, hormones, antibiotics, blood thinners or any drug that poses a risk of liver damage. It can also worsen certain conditions such as diarrhoea, glaucoma and bleeding disorders.

Therefore, avoid green tea while you are on heavy medication.

5. Iron deficiency: Drinking more green tea may affect the absorption rate of iron into the body.

You can drink a couple of cups of green tea without any risk of poor iron absorption rate; moreover, you can add a pinch of lemon juice in your green tea to improve iron absorption.

6. Empty stomach: People often seek relief in green tea when their stomach is empty, especially when they are fasting. You may want to give that a second a thought, since it may do more harm than good.

Drinking green tea on an empty stomach may cause toxicity.

A bonus advice to you would be not to add sugar to your cup of green tea, since that would not only increase your calorie intake.

Lack of exercise can increase eye disorder risk

Heavy smoking, poor diet and lack of exercise can put you at increased risk of Agerelated Macular Degeneration (AMD), especially if you have a family history of the blinding eye disorder, says a new study.

The findings suggest that genetic and lifestyle factors may contribute to AMD in a synergistic way.

“If you have a family history of AMD, the good news is that the study findings suggest that there are things you can do to potentially lower your risk of developing AMD yourself,” said one of the Lead Researchers Julie A. Mares from University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US.

The researchers studied the risk among women aged 50 to 79 years. The researchers evaluated the diet and exercise patterns of 1663 women and categorised them into lowest, moderate and highest-risk groups.

They also evaluated whether the women smoked and, if so, how many years they smoked a pack of cigarettes or more each day.

They also assessed genetic data from the women to determine whether they carried known genetic risk factors for AMD. A total of 337 women in the study developed AMD, of whom 91 percent had early-stage disease.

Alcohol addiction may trigger various cancers in Indians Not just harming their heart and brain, alcohol dependency may also be behind several forms of cancers among heavy drinkers in low-income countries like India, researchers have warned. The new study of alcohol use in countries of all-income levels- including low-income nations like India and Zimbabwe- shows that alcohol dependence increases the risk of alcoholrelated cancers and injury with no reduction in risk of mortality or cardiovascular disease overall. The data came from 12 countries participating in the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiological (PURE) study, a prospective cohort study of individuals aged 3570 years. The high-income countries were Sweden and Canada; upper-middle-income countries were Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Poland, South Africa and Turkey; lower-middle-income countries were China and Colombia; and low-income countries were India and Zimbabwe. The research, published in The Lancet journal, included 114,970 adults, of whom 28,813 people (25 percent) were from low-income countries.

Current drinking was associated with a 51 percent increased risk of alcohol-re-

lated cancers of mouth, oesophagus, stomach, colorectum, liver, breast, ovary, and head and neck and a 29 percent increased risk of injury in current drinkers. Although current drinking was associated with a 24 percent reduced risk of heart attack, there was no reduction in risk of mortality or stroke. High alcohol intake and heavy episodic drinking were both associated with significant increases in risk of overall mortality. For higher-income countries, current drinking was associated with a 16 percent reduced risk of combined disease outcome, while for lowerincome countries current drinking was associated with a 38 percent increased risk. “The world needs better health strategies to reduce harmful alcohol use, especially in low-income countries like India,” the authors noted. “Because alcohol consumption is increasing in many countries, especially in low-income countries, the importance of alcohol as a risk factor for disease might be underes-

timated. Therefore, global strategies to reduce harmful use of alcohol are essential,” explained Dr. Salim Yusuf, President of the World Heart Federation.

According to Lead Author Dr. Andrew Smyth from the Population Health Re-

search Institute at McMaster University in Canada, “the data support the call to increase global awareness of the importance of harmful use of alcohol and the need to further identify and target the modifiable determinants of harmful alcohol use”.

Impotence?

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Issue 673 (39)

28 June - 4 July 2016

DIABETIC CARAMEL CUSTARD

PINEAPPLE CELERY JUICE • A fibre laden drink made with pineapple and celery, which is pepped up by a touch of black salt. Pineapple has loads of iron and also vitamin C (which aids in the absorption of iron in your body). Celery adds vitamin A to this cooling drink which is a perfect hot summer treat.

• Preparation Time : 15 mins.

Cooking Time : Nil. Makes 4 glasses.

Ingredients: 200 gm green gram - whole 100 gm Soya bean 3 onions, salt - to taste refined oil - deep frying Method: Mix green gram (moong) and Soya beans. Soak overnight in water.

Drain water completely.

Grind to a coarse batter of thick consistency.

Finely chop onions and green Chillies. Add these to the batter along with the salt and mix well. Drop spoonfuls of the batter into hot oil and deep fry the bhajis till crisp and golden brown.

Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Ingredients 4 cups ripe pineapple, cut into small pieces 4 tablespoons celery, finely chopped 1 teaspoon black salt (sanchal) Method 1. Combine the pineapple and celery with 2 cups of water and liquidise till it becomes a purée.

2. Add the black salt and mix well.

A light and tasty pudding not only for diabetics but for all those who are health conscious and want to avoid sugar laden desserts.

The low fat milk used in this recipe has a wealth of nutrients like protein and calcium which is extremely essential for the maintenance of healthy bones.

I have used one teaspoon of sugar to make the caramel, but you can avoid it and simply enjoy the custard.

Cooking Time: 15 mins.

Preparation Time: 60 mins.

Serves 4.

Ingredients 2½ cups low fat milk 1 tablespoon custard powder 3 sachets sugar substitute ½ teaspoon vanilla essence 5 grams China grass (agar agar), cut into small pieces 1 teaspoon sugar for caramelising Method 1. Soak the China grass in ¾ cup of cold water for 15 to 20 minutes. Put to cook on a slow flame until it dissolves. Keep warm.

2. In a pudding mould, add the sugar (for caramelising) and 1 teaspoon of water and continue cooking until the sugar becomes brown.

3. Spread the caramelised sugar all over the base of the mould, rotating the mould to spread it evenly. The sugar will harden quickly.

4. Mix the custard powder in ½ cup of cold milk.

5. Boil the remaining milk.

When it comes to a boil, add the custard powder and milk mixture and continue cooking till you get a smooth sauce.

6. Add the China grass solution to the custard and boil again for 2 minutes.

7. Strain the mixture and cool it slightly. (Strain the mixture if it is lumpy).

8. Add the vanilla essence

and sugar substitute and mix well. Pour this mixture over the prepared pudding mould.

Allow to set in a refrigerator.

9. Before serving, loosen the sides with a sharp knife and invert on a plate.

10. Serve chilled.

Tips The mould should be approx. 125 mm. (5") in diameter to get a 50 mm. (2") high custard.

Missi Roti and Chicken Salad

Ingredients: 100 gm finely chopped fenugreek leaves 2 tsp fresh ginger 2 chopped green chillies 80 gm chickpea flour 25 gm whole wheat flour salt 15 ml groundnut oil Chicken Salad 2 chicken breasts 20 ml sesame oil 1 tsp garlic paste 1/2 red chilli paste 1/2 tsp strong mustard 1/2 tsp fennel powder juice 1 lemon 1/4 tsp turmeric powder 1 1/2 tsp coriander powder

salt 70 ml hung yoghurt Method: Mix all the ingredients for the missi roti into a firm dough. Roll out until four mm thick and cut small circles.

Roast in a tandoor or on a flat griddle. Serve with the chicken.

For the chicken salad, slice the meat into thin slivers.

Marinate in lemon juice and salt for about an hour.

Mix well with remaining ingredients. Set aside for 30 minutes.

Stir-fry for a few minutes until colored and cooked.

Serve with missi roti and mango chutney.

Issue 673 (40)

28 June - 4 July 2016

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