The contact

THE CONTACT WEEKLY NEWSPAPER ISSUE - 709, 07 MAR. - 13 MAR., 2017 PH: (905) 671 - 4761

ISIS tells men to f lee or use suicide vests

ISIS leader Abu Bakr alBaghdadi has admitted defeat in Iraq and ordered militants to either flee or kill themselves in suicide attacks, it has been claimed.The terror mastermind is said to have issued a statement called “farewell speech” which was distributed among ISIS preachers and clerics in parts of Iraq it still controls. According to local media, he urged supporters to run and hide and told “non-Arab fighters” to either return home or blow themselves up with the promise of “72 women in heaven”. News of the statement, which has yet to be verified, comes as US-backed Iraqi army units took control of the last major road out of western Mosul that had been in ISIS’ hands. Just days ago, British defence minister Michael Fallon said he expected to see ISIS expelled from the country’s major towns by the end of 2017. According to Al Arabiya, Iraqi television network Alsumaria is reporting that alBaghdadi has admitted defeat in the country.

The exact whereabouts of the terror supremo remains a mystery and there have been frequent reports that he has been either seriously injured or killed during the conflict. Last month, it was reported that he had been “critically wounded” in air strikes in northern Iraq.

He is said to have been injured after a bombing raid in Al-Ba’aj. However, it was not the first time claims have emerged that al-Baghdadi has been either hurt or killed and there was no official confirmation. The Pentagon said in December it believed that the ISIS chief was alive, despite repeated efforts

by the US-led coalition to take out the jihadist group leader. Baghdadi has kept a low profile, despite having declared himself the leader of a renewed Muslim caliphate, but last year released a defiant audio message urging his supporters to defend the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

Iraqi forces captured the eastern side of Mosul in January after 100 days of fighting and launched their attack on the districts that lie west of the Tigris river on February 19. If they defeat ISIS in Mosul, that would crush the Iraq wing of the caliphate declared by the group’s leader in 2014. The U.S. commander in Iraq has said he believes U.S.- backed forces will recapture both Mosul and Raqqa, Islamic State’s Syria stronghold in neighbouring Syria, within six months. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider alAbadi said around the new year that he expected his forces would need three more months to rid the country of IS. Most observers argued that the premier’s prediction was optimistic, however, with Mosul alone threatening to bog down Iraqi forces way past that target. Retaking the northern city would deal a death blow to the ‘caliphate’ and any claim that ISIS is still running a ‘state’, but the group retains control of several populated areas. In Iraq, ISIS still holds Hawijah, a large town southeast of Mosul, and the town of AlQaim on the western border with Syria. When Iraqi forces retake Mosul, the jihadists’ last major hub will be the city of Raqqa in neighbouring Syria.

“The situation in Syria is more complicated, given the continuation of the civil war there,” Fallon said.

Pew research puts Islam as most popular religion by ‘70 ISLAM will overcome Christianity to become the most popular religion in the world by 2070 with migration seeing a surge in Europe and America’s Muslim population, research shows. The religion’s share of the world’s population will equal the Christian share — at roughly 32 per cent each — in 53 year’s time, according to the Pew Research Center, based in Washington DC. By 2100, around one per cent more of the world’s population will be Muslim than Christian, the report claims. Researchers say migration is among factors helping to increase the Muslim population in some regions, including North America and Europe. Pew analysis revealed Muslims are the fastestgrowing religious group in the world and in 2010 there were 1.6billion in the world — about 23 per cent of the global population. But the figure is short of the 2.2 billion Christians which made up 31 percent of the population. The research

claims Muslims are having more children than members of other religious groups with each woman having an average of 3.1 offspring compared to 2.3 for all other groups combined.

In 2010, the median age of all Muslims was 23 — seven years younger than non-Muslims. “While it does not change the global population, migration is helping to increase the Muslim population in some regions, including North Americaand Europe.” Some 62 per cent of Muslims live in the Asia-Pacific region with large populations in Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran and Turkey,” researchers said. In 2050, India is set to take over from Indonesia as the country with the world’s largest Muslim population, according to the study. Last year there were 3.3 million Muslims of all ages in the US — about one per cent of the population. By 2050, the share is predicted to climb to 2.1 per cent. The survey included European attitudes to Islam.

Issue - 709 (2)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

FBI calls for public refute to Towergate FBI DIRECTOR James Comey sparked a backlash on Monday as he allegedly called on the Justice Department to publicly refute President Trump’s claims that Obama ordered a wire-tap on Trump Towers prior to the election. After the shocking allegation that Trump compared to the Watergate scandal on Saturday, presidential aide Kellyanne Conway challenged Comey to reveal what he knows about the explosive claims.

Conway’s comments came after the release of a report claiming officials had said Comey believed the claim was false and wanted it refuted as it falsely implicated the FBI. But Conway on Sunday night demanded that Comey speak on record if he wants to discredit the President’s claims, although she could not confirm if Trump knew for sure that the allegation is true. “If Mr Comey has something he’d like to say I’m sure we’re all willing to hear it,” the counsellor told Fox News Channel’s Jeanine Pirro on Sunday night. “All I saw was a published news report, I didn’t see a statement from him so I don’t know what Mr Comey knows. If he knows, of course he can issue a statement... we know he’s not shy.” Conway was referring to a New York Times report that cited senior U.S. officials saying Comey believes Trump’s claim is false and that it should be corrected. The Justice Department has so far not issued any statement in an effort to refute Trump’s assertion. The FBI also declined to comment. Comey wants the claim rejected publicly because it falsely insinuates that the FBI broke the law, according to the Times report. When Conway was asked by Pirro if Trump definitely knew he had been wiretapped, she only responded: “He may.” It comes

after Christopher Ruddy — the CEO of conservative news site Newsmax — revealed he spoke to Trump on the golf course at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida over the weekend, saying he had never seen him so furious. “I spoke with the president twice yesterday about the wiretap story. I haven’t seen him this p***ed off in a long time,” Ruddy wrote in a Newsmax column.

“When I mentioned Obama ‘denials’ about the wiretaps, he shot back: ‘This will be investigated, it will all come out. I will be proven right’,” Ruddy said.

Trump, who returned to Washington on Sunday from a

weekend at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, has not publicly commented on the allegations since he launched a Twitter tirade early on Saturday. He accused the

former president of spying on him before the election, tweeting he had ‘just found out’ he had been wiretapped. It was unclear from Trump’s tweets exactly how he

found out. “Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my ‘wires tapped’ in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found.

This is McCarthyism!” he tweeted.

Lennox led the crowd alongside woman that’s me”. Comments other well known figures including made by Trump in a 2005 leaked Labour MP Emily Thornberry. video in which he bragged about grabbing women ‘by the p***y’ made global headlines during the US presidential campaign. Lennox said: “In a weird kind of way that kind of event that happened actually catalysed the issue for a lot of girls and women in a particular way that became very strong. “It became very real for them, because when someone says ‘It’s just locker room Placards and banners were talk’, actually don’t we think it’s emblazoned with messages time that we should address such as “#march4women”, “p***y that particularly if they’re the power” and “I’m a woman leading representative of one of phenomenally, phenomenal the most influential countries in

the world? So that made women very angry, that made the issue very clear for them.” Bianca Jagger — former wife of Rolling Stones star Mick Jagger and a human rights campaigner — said she was calling for people ‘to think about what we are facing with a President in the US who wants to belittle women, who wants to reduce all rights’.

Lennox added: “But actually what we’re saying is that the issue is huge, looking at the developing world, that is just the tip of the iceberg. So there’s so much more to address. We’ve been banging this drum for a long, long time. I welcome anybody that comes here, men and women.”

London mayor leads anti-Trump celebrity march

A HOST of celebrities led the way as thousands marched through London on Monday in a bid to highlight the plight of refugees and condemn President Donald Trump. Singers Annie Lennox, Emeli Sande, Melanie C, Natasha Bedingfield and Kate Nash joined ardent campaigner Bianca Jagger on the impassioned march ahead of International Women’s Day on Wednesday. As Mayor of London Sadiq Khan told the crowd, “This

is what a feminist looks like”, Annie Lennox suggested US President Donald Trump had been ‘helpful’ in drumming up support for women’s rights. The stars proudly chanted, held aloft banners and placards and stood in solidarity with activists campaigning for women’s rights across the world as they made their way through the city.

Eurythmics star Annie Lennox, 62, said Trump’s ‘locker room talk’ acted as a ‘catalyst’ for many women, as she took part in the event in London. Thousands of people marched from City Hall across Tower Bridge, with the famous London 416-886-7370 landmark closed to traffic.

Lose Weight!

Gain Muscle & Energy?

Call:

Issue - 709 (3)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

Sikh American shot at in Kansas

A 39-YEAR-OLD Sikh man in the US has been shot outside his home by a partially masked gunman who shouted “Go back to your own country,” in a suspected hate crime that comes just days after the killing of an Indian engineer in Kansas.

The Sikh man, identified as US national, Deep Rai, was working on his vehicle outside his home in Kent, Washington, on Friday when he was approached by a stranger, who walked up to his home’s driveway. Kent police said an argument broke out between the two men. The unidentified man then shot him in the arm. Reacting to the incident, External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said, “I am sorry to know about the attack on Deep Rai, a US national of Indian-origin.

I have spoken to Sardar Harpal Singh, father of the victim. He told me that his son had a bullet injury on his arm. He is out of danger and is recovering in a private hospital. On the attack on Rai, MaryKay L Carlson, Charge d’Affaires, American Embassy in New Delhi, said she was saddened by the shooting in Washington state.

“Wishes for quick and full recovery. As @POTUS said we condemn hate and evil in all its forms”, she tweeted. The victim described the shooter as a six-feet-tall

white man, wearing a mask covering the lower half of his face.

Kent police are looking for the gunman. Kent Police chief Ken Thomas said “While the Sikh man sustained non life-threatening injuries, they are treating this as a very serious incident.” An Indian government official said, “Rai is able to talk.” The official said the government was ready to offer all possible assistance to the wounded man.

Authorities are investigating the shooting as a suspected hate crime, according to the Seattle Times. India’s Consulate in San Francisco is in touch with local authorities who are ascertaining the nature of the crime, the Indian official said. Kent police have launched an investigation into the case and have reached out to the FBI and other law enforcement agencies. “We’re early on in our investigation,” Thomas said. Kent Police Commander Jarod Kasner said the incident is getting attention from the Sikh community and others. With recent unrest and concern throughout the nation this can get people emotionally involved, especially when (the crime) is directed at a person for how they live, how they look, Kasner said. The incident is the latest in a series of troubling cases where Indians have been targeted in apparent hate crimes. It comes on the heels of a shooting in Kansas last month in which 32- year-old Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla was killed when 51- yearold US Navy veteran Adam Purinton opened fire at him.

‘Pak terrorists behind 26/11 attacks’ PAKISTAN’S former top security officer Mahmud Ali Durrani on Monday said the 26/11 Mumbai strike was a classic example of cross-border terrorism, carried out by a Pak-based group and hoped that its chief Hafiz Saeed is punished. However, Durrani, a former national security advisor of Pakistan, maintained that the government had no role in the terror strikes that claimed lives of 166 people. He said these while addressing a conference on combating terrorism at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis here. He also said, “I know (this) for definite. I have information that the government of Pakistan or the ISI (Pakistan’s spy agency) was not involved in 26/11 (terror attack). I am 110 per cent sure.” Asked to elaborate, Durrani declined to divulge details, saying he was sacked by the Pakistani government for certain statements he made regarding the Mumbai attacks. In response to a question on JuD chief Saeed’s usefulness to Pakistan, Durrani said he has no utility for the country and that the Mumbai attack mastermind should be punished. Durrani, a former major general of the Pakistani Army, was sacked in 2009 for having indicated that Ajmal Kasab, the lone Pakistani terrorist arrested for the Mumbai terror attack, may have been a Pakistani.

Kasab was hanged by India. India has been maintaining that Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba was behind the 2008 Mumbai terror strikes and has been demanding action against Saeed.

However, Pakistan has been maintaining that it demands more evidence to bring Saeed to book. To add to these, Durrani has also sought to debunk India’s assertion that it carried out surgical strikes on terror camps across the LoC, saying there is a lack of evidence.

Issue - 709 (4)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

Army blocks Pakistani numbers on WhatsApp WHATSAPP is emerging as the new battleground for social media warriors from India and Pakistan. Citizens from the neighbouring country have launched massive attacks on a number started on the messaging application recently by the Indian army for jawans to register their complaints directly with the headquarters.

The message box was flooded with antiIndia rant and abusive content, forcing the army to block all numbers starting with +92—the international country dialling code of Pakistan, army sources told MAIL TODAY. The number was launched by army chief General Bipin Rawat as a measure to counter the trend of jawans lodging their protests against the “buddy” system and

THE CONTACT STAFF: EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sunny Bains Lt. Hon. President : Dr. (Prof.) Darshan Singh Executive Editor: Kanwaljit Kaur Bains EDITOR Vinny Bains Foreign Editor: Syed Asif Shahkar (Sweden) Sr. Assistant Editor: Prempal Bajwa Marketing Executive Vinny Bains Special Correspondents: Balkar Chatha France Financial Advisor : Sarabjit Singh Sagoo Photographer: Sandeep Brar 647 294 4948

lack of facilities on social media as he wanted them to get directly in touch with him. The army WhatsApp number to register complaints is +91 9643300008. “On the very first day, the number received over 12,000 messages from all over, of which more than 10,000 were from Pakistan-based mobile subscribers who had sent all kinds of antiIndia rant and abuses,” the sources said.

After the number was launched in the last week of January, the trend continued for many days as relatively very few Indian troops and veterans were registering their voices on the number but bulk messages were being sent from Pakistan. “After that, all the numbers that start with +92 country code are getting blocked as the army wants

Head Office: 2-7015 TRANMERE DRIVE, MISSISSAUGA ONTARIO CANADA L5S 1T7 For Advertisement : Call Kanwaljit 416-899-2548 Tel: 905-671-4761 TOLL FREE: 1-888-371-2548 FAX: 1888-982-2818 EMAIL: INFO@AJITWEEKLY.COM

The Contact Weekly and people associated with it are not responsible for any claims made by the advertisers and don’t endorse any product or services advertised in the Contact Weekly. Please consult your lawyer before buying/hiring/ contracting through the ads published in the newspaper. The Contact Weekly is in the business of selling space and claims made by the advertisers are not tested/ confirmed by an independent source.

only relevant messages and complaints to come to it,” they said. After the Indian troops including a soldier Yogya Pratap Singh and a BSF trooper Tej Bahadur Yadav made their videos against the forces’ hierarchy public, Pakistan has been trying to meddle in the affairs and has even been trying to taunt the Indian army on social media. Under an apparently planned operation, one of its soldiers also made a video of the high quality food and rations provided to him by the Pakistan army and taunted the Indian counterparts about the poor quality of dal

and rotis served to them as claimed by BSF constable Yadav. The army sources said the force has been receiving several suggestions also from own troops as a jawan has suggested changes in the slings of rifles provided to them and in reply, he has been asked to recommend the modifications that he wants to be made.

Another trooper has asked the army headquarters to improve the camouflage pattern on combat uniforms while some have asked for improvements in other equipment used by them. The WhatsApp

number was launched for direct communication between the chief and the jawans. There is also another existing grievance addressing mechanism in the army, which is slower and both officers and jawans complain about the lengthy process.

Forced with an apparent communication gap between officers and men, army formations have even asked the units to ensure that the dignity of the combat soldiers is maintained and they are treated with respect even when they are deployed as “batman”, or assistant, with officers.

Issue - 709 (5)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

Babri case is not done yet New Delhi TWENTY-FIVE years after the watershed development which altered the Indian political scene, the ghost of Babri Masjid demolition is back to haunt top BJP and RSS leaders L K Advani, Murali Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti, Kalyan Singh, Vinay Katiyar and 15 other leaders with the Supreme Court on Monday asking the CBI why conspiracy charges cannot be restored against them. The court will pass a formal order in this regard on March 22.

The CBI had chargesheeted Advani and 20 others under sections 153A (promoting enmity between classes), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) and 505 (false statements, rumours etc. circulated with the intent to cause mutiny or disturb public peace) of the Indian Penal Code. It had subsequently added charges under section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC which was quashed by the special court whose decision was upheld by the Allahabad HC. The special court had dropped framing of charges by the Lucknow court on a technical ground that the court was not set up as per a proper notification by the government. The CBI had on May 21, 2010 challenged in SC the order of the HC dropping conspiracy charges. “Something very peculiar is going on in this case. See people cannot be discharged like this on technical grounds.

Why don’t you file a supplementary chargesheet? We prima facie do not approve of the way these people have been discharged. Anyway, we will decide on March 22. We propose to club both the cases and we may also direct you to file a supplementary chargesheet,” a bench of Justice P C Ghose and Justice Rohinton Nariman told CBI while hearing its petition challenging dropping of conspiracy charges against the 20

accused. The bench said it also proposed to club the two trials going on in Raebareli and Lucknow courts to expedite the judicial proceedings. The court earlier expressed concern at the delay in the trial. The leaders were Advani, Kalyan Singh, Uma Bharti, Vinay Katiyar and Murli Manohar Joshi. The others against whom conspiracy charge was dropped included Satish Pradhan, C R Bansal, Ashok Singhal, Giriraj Kishore, Sadhvi Ritambhara, V H Dalmia, Mahant Avaidhynath, R V Vedanti, Param Hans Ram Chandra Das, Jagdish Muni Maharaj, B L Sharma, Nritya Gopal Das, Dharam Das, Satish Nagar and Moreshwar Save. Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray’s name was removed from the list of accused persons after his death.

While upholding the special court’s order, the High Court had allowed CBI to proceed with other charges against Advani and

others in a Raebareli court, under whose the CBI as it will be keenly watched if jurisdiction the case falls. The court was the agency continues to be a “caged parrot” or will stick to its original stand of pressing criminal conspiracy charges against the BJP and RSS leaders with the Narendra Modi government at the helm of affairs. “One accused of the said criminal trial, Shri Rajnath Singh, is a cabinet minister and the leader against whom there is a charge of serious also hearing a separate petitioin filed by omission. One other accused (Kalyan one Haji Mahboob Ahmad, president of Singh) is governor of a state. Although Mahafiz-Masjid-WaMaqabir, and Muddai CBI is technically under the office of Prime Babri Masjid which claimed that with the Minister, but for all practical purposes, BJP regime and a “participant”, Rajnath the home minister is also an important Singh as Home Minister, CBI — the authority,” stated Mehboob’s petition. original petitioner against dropping of Mehboob alleged that due to the change criminal conspiracy charges — may not in political scenario, the litigation policy press for its restoration. The SC notice of the Centre and various statutory is also a big test for the independence of authorities has changed their stand.

Issue - 709 (6)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

Chemical horror returns to Iraq A TWO-MONTH-OLD baby is being treated in hospital for possible exposure to chemical weapons after an attack in Mosul thought to have been carried out

by ISIS. The baby is one of 12 people, including women and children, who have been treated since March 1 after the attack where Islamic State is fighting off an offensive by U.S.-backed Iraqi forces, the United Nations said on Saturday. Although it is not known who is to blame for the attack, the mortars were apparently fired from ISIS held west Mosul. It is the first chemical attack in the battle for the ISIS stronghold. The UN’s World Health Organisation has activated ‘an emergency response plan to safely treat men, women and children who may be exposed to the highly toxic chemical,’ with partners and local health authorities, the agency said in a statement. It said all 12 patients had been received since March 1 for treatment which they are undergoing in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdish region, east of Mosul. Four of them are showing ‘severe signs associated with exposure to a blister agent’. The patients were exposed to the chemical agents in the eastern side of Mosul.

According to the BBC, ISIS

have long been suspected of making and using crude chemical weapons in territory it controls in Iraq and neighbouring Syria. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Friday that five children and two women were receiving treatment for exposure to chemical agents. The ICRC statement did not say which side used the chemical agents that caused blisters, redness in the eyes, irritation, vomiting and coughing. Iraqi forces captured the eastern side of Mosul in January after 100 days of fighting and launched their attack on the districts that lie west of the Tigris river on February 19. The eastern side remains within reach of the militants’ rockets and mortar shells. Defeating Islamic State in Mosul would crush the Iraqi wing of the caliphate declared by the group’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in 2014, over parts of Iraq and Syria. The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq, Lise Grande, called for an investigation. “This is horrible.

If the alleged use of chemical weapons is confirmed, this is a serious violation of international humanitarian law and a war crime, regardless of who the targets or the victims of the attacks are,” she said in a

HER trusty Launer handbag is as intrinsic to the Queen as crowns and corgis, but it turns out the accessory has a more important use than holding her spectacles on official engagements. According to royal historian Hugo Vickers, the monarch uses her bag to send secret signals to her staff to indicate when she’s ready to move on from a conversation. He told People magazine that shifting her bag from one hand to the other is an indication the royal is ready to end a chat, and it’s been said the Queen will place her bag on a table at

events to signal that she’s ready to leave. A third secret signal is a discreet twist of her wedding ring, which the Queen uses to emphasise that she’d like to be moved on from a conversation quickly. Of the handbag hand switch to summon helpers, Vickers said: “Luckily, they’d let you down easy.” “It would be done very nicely. Someone would come along and say, “Sir, the Archbishop of Canterbury would very much like to meet you.”

According to Vickers, if the Queen is particularly keen to exit the conversation she will make the more significant gesture of twisting her ring as a sign to staff to intervene.

Also, while taking official meetings at Buckingham Palace she has the use of a

statement. ICRC’s regional director for the Middle East, Robert Mardini said: “The use of chemical weapons is absolutely prohibited under international humanitarian law.

We are deeply alarmed by what our colleagues have seen, and we strongly condemn any use of chemical weapons.”

discreet buzzer that gives staff the nod to open the doors and accompany the guest out. It’s

the founder of Beaumont Etiquette Myka Meier told Good Housekeeping that the Duchess of Cambridge always carries a clutch bag for a very particular reason. She revealed that Kate, 35, often ‘holds her bag in front of her in both hands when shaking hands might be awkward’. Meanwhile, the Queen

Handbag at Her Majesty’s secret service carries her bag over her left arm so that her right hand is free to greet people. Surely the usual clutter of coins, keys and ticket stubs would be unnecessary for Her Majesty—after all, she doesn’t own a passport, has no use for bus tickets and keys aren’t particularly handy when you have a doorman at hand.

Lady Helper previously been revealed that when the Queen places her bag on the table at an event, it’s a five minute warning to her ladiesin-waiting that she’s ready to leave. The Queen is not the only one who makes her handbag more than just an accessory to complement her outfit. Recently,

White House Canada in Brampton, requires a Live-in lady helper. 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

647-970-2665

Issue - 709 (7)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

Live World War II bomb found in UK

ARMY bomb disposal teams have been working through the night to prepare for the removal of a Second World War device discovered on a building site. A school, nursery and homes were evacuated yesterday after the device was found in Brondesbury Park, north west London. Many local residents were forced to take shelter in a church overnight and told of ‘scary’ scenes as police knocked on their doors and told them to leave their homes on The Avenue, which has an average house value of £850,000 (`69.4 lakhs).

The bomb, weighing 500lb, was discovered buried deep at the site in Brent, where construction workers were preparing to build an apartment block, according to reports. In the early hours of Friday morning, experts from the Royal Engineers and Logistics

Corps were constructing a blast protection layer around the device. The structure had to be put in place before they could begin work to make the device safe to move. The Army said: “The Army’s Royal Engineer

Indian-American man found dead in US, family says ‘personal issue’

New York A 29-year-old IndianAmerican man was found dead in the US state of New Jersey, an incident which the family has described as a “personal issue”.External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted on Sunday that the Indian Consulate here “has spoken to the father of the deceased in Massachusetts. He says this is a personal family tragedy”. More details were not immediately known.

Sources here said the cause of the death was still unknown and the medical examiner’s office was investigating the incident which took place in Jersey city.Consulate officials have reached out to the deceased’s family in Massachusetts and sources said the family has requested privacy,

bomb disposal experts continue to work through the night with the emergency services and partner agencies in Brent where an unexploded German WW2 bomb was discovered on Thursday. “The soldiers are constructing a blast protection layer around the device before they can begin work on rendering it safe.” According to Brent Council, work on the site is expected to continue until at least Friday afternoon. Police set up a large exclusion zone after the bomb was found on Thursday morning, with schools, businesses and homes evacuated and roads closed.

British Red Cross volunteers were drafted in to support affected locals and more than 50 people had to stay at a rest centre set up in a church in nearby Kensal Green. Scotland

Yard said it was called to The Avenue, near Brondesbury Park, at around 11.30am.

Superintendent Nigel Quantrell said: “I would like to thank the community for their continued support as we and our partners

deal with this incident. I can assure you that we are working very hard to resolve the situation.

The public’s understanding and co-operation is deeply appreciated.”

Roxanne Landripet, 24, told the

Evening Standard: “There were police banging on people’s doors and then I started to hear a helicopter flying around above the road.” “A police officer knocked on my door and told me we had to leave because an unexploded World War Two bomb had been found. There were fire engines, ambulances and police cars everywhere.

People were a bit panicky.”

Another resident tweeted: “There’s an unexploded World War Two bomb on a construction site near my house! Scary!” And a third said: “Police have just knocked and told us we must evacuate they have found an unexploded WW2 bomb opposite the building.” A London Fire Brigade spokesman said: “The brigade is currently assisting police at the scene of a suspected World War Two bomb on a building site on The

Avenue.” “Police have put cordons in place and there are road closures in the area. Some local buildings have been evacuated as a precaution.”

“The brigade was called at 11.50am. Two fire engines and 14 firefighters and officers from West Hampstead fire station are at the scene.” Property developer Regal Homes is building 74 one, two and three bedroom homes on the site, and said excavations had unearthed ‘an object of concern’. It added: “The health and safety of our team and our neighbours is of course our primary consideration and Regal Homes is cooperating fully with the authorities.” And Brent Council tweeted: “A suspected unexploded WW2 bomb found near the junction of Willesden Lane. Army are on their way, residents advised to avoid area.”

Issue - 709 (8)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

Early dinosaurs walked Curbs on religious freedom, graft on just two feet significant rights problems in India: US Washington The United States today identified instances of restrictions on foreign-funded NGOs and religious freedom

along with corruption and police and security force abuses as the most significant human rights problems in India. The annual 2016 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices ? the first under the Trump administration – said other human rights problems in India last year included disappearances, hazardous prison condition and delay in justice due to court backlogs.

“The most significant human rights problems involved instances of police and security force abuses, including extrajudicial killings, torture, and rape; corruption, which remained widespread and contributed to ineffective responses to crimes, including those against women, children, and members of Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes; and societal violence

based on gender, religious affiliation, and caste or tribe,” the report said.

“Other human rights problems included disappearances,

hazardous prison conditions, arbitrary arrest and detention, and lengthy pretrial detention.

Court backlogs delayed or denied justice, including through lengthy pretrial detention and denial of due process,” it said.

It also criticised Indian government’s restrictions on foreign-funded NGOs. “The government placed restrictions on foreign funding of non-governmental organisations, including some whose views the government believed were not in the ‘national or public interest,’ curtailing the work of civil society,” it said.

Observing that there were instances of infringement of privacy rights, the report said the law in six states restricted religious conversion, and there were reports of arrests but no

reports of convictions under those laws.

Some limits on the freedom of movement continued, it alleged.

Rape, domestic violence, dowryrelated deaths, honour killings, sexual harassment, and discrimination against women and girls remained serious societal problems, the report said.

Child abuse, female genital mutilation and cutting, and forced and early marriage were problems.

Trafficking in persons, including widespread bonded and forced labour of children and adults, and sex trafficking of children and adults for prostitution, were serious problems, it said.

Societal discrimination against persons with disabilities and indigenous persons continued, as did discrimination and violence based on gender identity, sexual orientation, and persons with HIV, the State Department said in the report.

“A lack of accountability for misconduct at all levels of government persisted, contributing to widespread impunity. Investigations and prosecutions of individual cases took place, but lax enforcement, a shortage of trained police officers, and an overburdened and under resourced court system contributed to infrequent convictions,” the report said.

“Separatist insurgents and terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, the northeastern states, and the Maoist belt committed serious abuses, including killings of armed forces personnel, police, government officials, and civilians,” it said.

Toronto Early dinosaurs stopped moving about on all fours and rose up on just their two hind legs, thanks to their large, muscular tails, a new study has found.

Bipedalism, the ability to walk on two legs, in dinosaurs was inherited from ancient and much smaller proto-dinosaurs, researchers said.

“The tails of proto-dinosaurs had big, leg-powering muscles,” said Scott Persons from University of Alberta in Canada.

“Having this muscle mass provided the strength and power required for early dinosaurs to stand on and move with their two back feet. We see a similar effect in many modern lizards that rise up and run bipedally,” Persons said.

Over time, proto-dinosaurs evolved to run faster and for longer distances.

Adaptations like hind limb elongation allowed ancient dinosaurs to run faster, while smaller forelimbs helped to reduce body weight and improve balance.Eventually, some protodinosaurs gave up quadrupedal walking altogether, researchers said.The researchers also

debunk theories that early protodinosaurs stood on two legs for the sole purpose of free their hands for use in catching prey.

“Those explanations dont stand up. Many ancient bipedal dinosaurs were herbivores, and even early carnivorous dinosaurs evolved small forearms.

“Rather than using their hands to grapple with prey, it is more likely they seized their meals with their powerful jaws,” said Person.

Researchers wondered if bipedalism can evolve to help animals run fast, why mammals like horses and cheetahs are not bipedal.

“Largely because mammals dont have those big tail-based leg muscles,” Persons said.

The researchers also theorise that living in burrows may have helped our ancestors to survive a mass extinction that occurred at the end of the Permian period (from 299 to 251 million years ago).

However, when proto-mammals emerged from their burrows, and some eventually evolved to be fast runners, they lacked the tail muscles that would have inclined them towards bipedalism.

MADRID The son of infamous Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar slammed depictions of his father’s life like those in the hit Netflix series “Narcos”, saying they “glorify” criminals, in an interview published Sunday.

“I am not against telling stories, but I am against glorifying criminals and showing drug trafficking as glamorous. This confuses youths,” Sebastian Marroquin, who changed his name from Juan Pablo Escobar after his father’s death, told the Spanish newspaper El Periodico.

“I receive tonnes of messages from youths asking for help to be like my dad. They want to be that criminal, they send me photos dressed up like him, with his moustache, his hairstyle,” Marroquin added.

“Series about narcos have turned my father into a hero and given young people the idea that it is cool to be a drug trafficker.”

Marroquin, 39, made headlines last year when he took to Facebook to list 28 inaccuracies

in Netflix’s popular series about his father and called the show “insulting”.

He told El Periodico that he offered the producers of the series access to his family’s personal archives, including letters written by his father and never before released videos, but they said they were not interested, “They preferred inventions by some scriptwriters in California to the truth from those who suffered this story in the flesh,” Marroquin told the newspaper.

Colombian television station Caracol TV has also come out with a series about Escobar and several movies are in the works.

Escobar headed the world’s leading cocaine cartel in the 1980s. He fought extradition to the United States with a violent campaign in Colombia, ordering bombings and the kidnapping and killing of politicians, judges and journalists who got in his

way.

Marroquin was 16 when his father was shot to death in 1993 by Colombian police.

He rebuilt his life in Argentina after Escobar was gunned down, re-emerging as a guilt-ridden public speaker determined to make amends for his father’s role

Russia likely to ban Disney’s film Beauty and Pablo’s son slams TV series the Beast over ‘gay moment’ for ‘glorifying’ criminals

London Russia is mulling upon banning Disney`s `Beauty and the Beast` movie, due to a subplot in it showing a man discovering himself as gay.

The subplot in the movie shows a character, Josh Gad`s LeFou, discovering that he is gay.

Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky has ensured that checks will be carried out to ascertain that the movie does not oppose the country`s laws against “spreading gay

propaganda among minors,” the Telegraph quoted the BBC as saying. An MP, Vitaly Milonov, has also called for a government screening of the movie a day before its official release, in order to let ministers decide whether to permit it for a general release.

The film`s director Bill Condon, last week, in an interview to a magazine revealed the movie`s `gay moment.`Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, is scheduled to release in the UK on March 17.

in the drug war that racked Colombia.

Marroquin published a bestselling book in 2014 entitled “Pablo Escobar: My Father”, which revealed details of wild parties where pinatas were stuffed full of tens of thousands of dollars in cash, and has just released a follow-up book.

Issue - 709 (9)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

Man dies under his six-ton stack of porn mags A LONELY Japanese man who amassed more than six-tons of porn died when a huge pile of magazines fell on top of him.

And even more tragically, the man’s body was only discovered

six months later when the landlord entered the flat to find out why the rent had not been paid. The man’s lowly death was revealed by a member of the cleaning team, who said his company had been hired to remove the magazines discreetly in a way that would not be noticed by neighbours and the man’s family to save them from the shame. He said that the dead man, a 50-yearold former carmaker identified

only by the name Joji, had died buried underneath under a pile of the pornographic magazines.

It was unclear if he had suffered a heart attack and fallen into the stacks of magazines which had then fallen on top of him, or whether he had been crushed by the mass of paper.

But the cleaner said that if he was still conscious, the paper would probably have muffled his cries.

Every space in the flat was filled with piles of magazines, which also stacked on tables and on shelves. There were also clippings from erotic magazines where it appeared the man had cut out his favourite articles, and thrown away the rest of the magazine.

Despite his trimming, at the time of his death the collection weighed in at six metric tons (13,228 pounds). Witnesses confirmed he was partially clothes and appeared to have been pleasuring himself when he died. He was found in a remote section of the North Central Bronx Hospital in New York

US-based Indian man divorces wife via triple talaq on WhatsApp

Hyderabad In a shocking development, a US-based technician divorced his wife in Hyderabad through messaging app, ‘WhatsApp’ over family disputes. The wife of the technician Mahreen Noor said that her husband sent her a display picture which read ‘Talaq Talaq Talaq’. Objecting to the whole situation, she declined to accept it. Later, she received a notice from her husband which she offered to accept.

Moghalpura Inspector Devender said that Hussain Quraishi sent her a WhatsApp message saying “talaq” three times.

However, his wife Mahreen has said that she has not received any such message as such and that she has been continuously harassed by her in-laws to leave the house. Meanwhile, Moghalpura Police has

registered a case and arrested Hafeez and Atiya- the in-lawsand remanded them to jail.

Mahreen Noor got married to Usman Qureshi, a senior analyst at Seven Heaven Medical Agency in 2015. Her sister-in-law, Heena Fatima, who is married to Usman’s elder brother, Syed Fayazuddin, went through a divorce in a similar manner six months ago. The two women, who staged a protest outside their in-laws’ house, tried to enter the house but were pushed out by their father-in-law Hafeez. In a similar case, a resident of Kashipur, Shayara Banu moved the apex court to challenge the triple talaq under Muslim personal law, under which a man simply has to utter ‘talaq’ thrice to divorce his wife. The consent of the woman is never taken into consideration, and as opposed to what is mandated under the Quran, the woman is never given the stipulated three months’ time.

Man hit with 30,000 volts falls 100ft, yet walks away IN A horrifying moment, a man was thrown into the air 100ft above the ground after he was electrocuted by a high voltage power line. But mercifully, he had a miraculous escape after he was hit with more than 30,000 volts when he climbed the electricity pylon. Footage of the incident shows a bright orange flash of light near the top of a pylon before a man’s body begins hurtling towards the ground. Two loud bangs can also be heard before the man starts tumbling through the air.

Despite falling more than 100ft to the ground, he managed to walk away and appeared to be relatively unscathed. Footage of the man after his dramatic fall shows him in shock and struggling to catch his breath, but conscious and with no broken bones.

However, the electric shock has left him with severe burns with his skin peeling from his body. It is unclear exactly where the video was filmed, but it has gone viral since being posted yesterday, and has already been viewed almost 30,000 times. Commenting on the footage Saeed-George Hourani wrote: “It’s like a Tom and Jerry cartoon!” Evan Yourkvitch said: “I wanna know where he landed tho!! I wish they got a shot of that. S*** is unbelievable.”

India’s tallest tricolour hoisted near Attari-Wagah Border: The Indian flag can be seen from Lahore in Pakistan

Amritsar A 360-foot high flag post was today inaugurated at the IndoPak Attari-Wagha Border, just a stone’s throw from Pakistan. It is said to be said to be the country’s tallest flag post. The Indian flag post can be easily seen from Lahore, Pakistan, it weighs 55 tons and is 120 feet in length, 80 feet in breadth.

Before this, Ranchi had the record of nations tallest tricolour which is 293 feet high.

This is built with a budget of Rs 3.50 crore. The flag post was a project of Amritsar Improvement Trust Authority of the Punjab Government. India’s tallest flag post was inaugurated by Punjab minister Anil Joshi.

Keeping the model code of conduct in mind due

to the on going elections in 5 states, the Punjab minister for this had taken Election Commission’s permission. On the maintenance issues, he was quoted by the Indian Express saying for taking care of it a private company has bagged the contract for three years.

Pakistan Rangers raised objection over the installation of the flag and regarding this, they have conveyed their message to BSF. Earlier, there was plan to hoist the tricolor on January 26 but due to some technical reason, the plan was shelved.

Minor girl ‘sacrificed’ to cure sick uncle, seven relatives arrested Magadi In a horrific case of superstition, seven people, including the victim’s paternal uncle, were arrested after police solved the murder of a 10-year-old girl from Karnataka who was allegedly sacrificed to cure her sick uncle.

The girl went missing from her home in Ramanagara on March 1 and was found murdered in a sack behind a mosque near Hosahalli on the outskirts of the city on Friday, March 3. The angle of human sacrifice was probed when the police reportedly recovered a lock of hair, turmeric, and lemon from the bag. ”The girl, Ayesha was brutally murdered as she had been sacrificed for a black magic ritual. We are probing all angles,” said a Magadi police officer. The police based on information given by Ayesha’s father Mohammed Nurulla Gulab arrested her uncle Mohammed Wasil (42) secretary of a local mosque in Bengaluru, Rasheedunissa (38), Naseem Taj (33), and a juvenile on charges of murdering her on March 1.

As per the reports, the girl’s relatives and her parents were involved in a dispute over property. During interrogation, the seven confessed to the murder. “Wasil (her uncle) hatched the murder plan after he was advised by Naseem Taj, a

resident of Goripalya, who allegedly practiced black magic,” the police said. ”Naseem Taj suggested that Wasil’s brother Mohammed Rafiq could be cured of paralytic stroke if a girl was sacrificed. She had suggested that Rafiq had been gripped by

were also verified. Upon interrogation, Wasil confessed to the crime.

“The accused took her to a tomb on Hosahalli road and slit her throat after performing a ritual,” said Ramanagaram SP Ramesh Bannoth, reports The Hindu. The

evil spirits and paralysed, and to be cured of this, he had to sacrifice a minor girl within 40 days,” the police added.

Following Naseem’s advice to sacrifice a girl, Wasil clicked a picture of Ayesha and sent it to Taj for her approval. After her approval, on March 1, when Ayesha was returning home from her father’s shop, Wasil and a boy kidnapped her covering her mouth with a piece of cloth and plastic.Further investigation revealed that the juvenile Wasil was the last person seen with Ayesha. The phone records

accused Wasil later lugged her body in a sack and dumped it behind a mosque.While the family searched for the missing girl, Wasil also accompanied them. The police also said that Wasil had also accompanied the family to the police station to file a complaint.“Wasil even prayed for the girl’s safe return and helped make an announcement about her missing at the nearby mosque,” said Reshma Taj, Ayesha’s aunt.Meanwhile, the residents of Magadi staged a roadblock demanding action against the accused uncle.

Issue - 709 (10)

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.

P l e a s e email sub2405@gmail.com or call 416-741-0777 *** 707*** Well settled Jat Sikh parents seking a suitable match for their daughter, born and raised in Canada, 40 yrs. old, 5’-4” tall, pretty, fair complextion, professionally employed with Toronto Board of Education as a teacher, never married before, having good family values. The boy should be professionally qualified and employed and family oriented. Caste no Bar. Please email recent pictures and bio-data to: jim.dtoronto@gmail.com Or Call : 416-716-2040 ***707** Well established Jat Sikh parents invite matrimonial alliance for their son, born and raised in Canada, 35 yrs. old, 6’ tall, degree om Criminal Justice, running his own business, very handsome and family oriented. The girl should be born or raised in Canada, well educated, professionally employed, beautiful, tall with family values. Other castes no bar. Please email recent pictures and bio-data to: jim.dtoronto@gmail.com Or Call : 416-716-2040 ***707** Jatt Sikh Sandhu family seek a suitable match for their daughter, 25 yrs. old, 5'-6" tall, M. Tech.

(Energy Science), working for a big corporation, only child of parents belonging to a decent well-settled family, living in India, looking for a Canadian/ American citizen or immigrant boy. Serious inquiries only.

Please send your biodata & recent picture to: S A N D H U R I S H T A @hotmail.com or call: 647 875 9342 ***707** Hindu Brahman parents looking for a suitable match for their daughter, 27 yrs. old, 5’-4” tall, Canadian Citizen, University educated, professionally employed. The boy should be Canadian/Amarican professionally educated, employed, non-drinker, nonsmoker, vegetarian with family values. Please email recent pictures and bio-data to: matrisearch7325@gmail.com ***707** Match for Jat Sikh Dhillon girl, 1985 born (looks like 24-25 yrs old), 5’-5" tall, beautiful, wellcultured, canadian pr, B. Tech (india), Post graduate project management (canada), working

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

in admn. dept in canada. Brother & Parents in USA. The boy should be Jat sikh, equally qualified, clean-shaven. Only serious inquiries via email (no sms/what’s app). Contact father. Please send your biodata & recent picture to : dhillonintl@yahoo.com call: 1718-414-4618 ***707** Well settled & established business Jat Sikh family seek a suitable match for their only son, 26 yrs.old, 5’-11” tall, certified professional accountant, doing last year of M.B.A. (Schilich school of Business) working a top class company. The girl should be Canadian immigrant or citizen, professional, homely, beautiful.

Call: 647-290-9267 ***707** Jatt Sikh parents seek a suitable match for their canadian born daughter, 24 yrs. old, 5'-7" tall, university graduate. The boy should be living in the Ontario Canada, well settled, belong to Jatt Sikh family, under 28 yrs. old, graduate. Call: 416-6692144 or 647-574-2434 ***707** USA settled wealthy Jat Sikh family seek a m suitable match for theirson, 25 yrs. old, 5’-11” tall, handsome, clean shaven, Convent educated, studying in Australia, having decent commercial & Agricultural property bac home consider him well settled in U.S.A. The girl should be Canadian/American Immigrant or Citizen & from Jat Sikh family. .Please send you recent pictures and bio-date to: ss202@yahoo.com Or Call : 1317-918-1718 (Whatsapp) ***707** Jat sikh family seek a suitable match for their beautiful daughter, 24 yrs. old, 5'-4'’ tall, Indian born, Master’s of Science in Education from Canadian university, working in teaching profession. The boy should be Jat sikh, Canadian immigrant/ citizen, well educated, professionally employed, well settled , having good family values. Please send your biodata & recent picture to :jatsikhmaterimonial @gmail.com or call: 1-289-5691895 ***707** Jat Sikh parents seeking a suitable match for their Medico daughter, 35 yrs. old, 5’-9” tall, U.S. Citizen. The boy should be American/Canadian, clean shaven, well educated and from Jat Sikh family. Please email recent pictures and bio-data to: srsingh191@gmail.com ***707** Jat Sikh parents invite matrimonial alliance for their Canadian born son, 28 yrs. old, 6’ tall, handsome, working as power engineer, family is well settled in Vancouver area and belong to Jalandher. The girl should be good looking, educated with good family values.

Please Call : 1-604-724-0079 Or 1-604-244-0094 ***707** Well educated Jat Sikh parents invite a matrimonial alliance for their son, DOB 1991, 6’ tall, turbaned, B.Tech in Computer Science from Thaper University, Patiala (India),working in one of the top ranking MNCS in Delhi, earining handsome salary, nondrinker, non-smoker. The girl should be Canadian/US Citizen/ Immigrant, well educated, beautiful with family values.

Canada prefered. Sister’s family well settled in Canada. Please Call : 647-569-6787 (Whats app) Or 011-91-98726-56787 (Whats app) ***707** Ramgarhia Sikh parents invite matrimonial alliance for their daughter, 31 yrs. old, 5’ tall, B.Sc. Nursing degree from India, residing in India, beautiful, fair and from good family background. The boy should be Canadian/American, Immigrant/ Citizen, educated with family values. Please email recent pictures and bio-data to: bloorkiplinggac@gamil.com Or Call : 647-829-5872 ***707** Ramgarhia Sikh parents invite matrimonial alliance for their son, 27 yrs. old, 5-8”’ tall, Dental Surgeon in India, at present on visitor visa in USA. The girl should be American Citizen/green card holder, faimly oriented. Please email recent pictures and bio-data to: sukhjits031@gmail.com Or Call : 1-662-347-9532 ***707** Jat Sikh parents seeking a suitable match for their daugter, 30 yrs. old, 5’-5” tall, currently living in Canada. The boy should be educated and must have received ITA in express entry.

Family well settled in Canada.

Please Call : 905-462-5927 ***707** Well settled Chandigarh based Arora Sikh family seek a suitable match for their son, 33 yrs. old, 6’ tall, clean shaven, M.B.A. (USA) working as a programme Manager in Amazone (Sansfrancasco based). The girl should be beautiful educated, family oriented. Please send you recent pictures and bio-date to: jashanbathla@gmail.com Or Call : 1-480-646-2882 ***707** Jat Sikh parents seeking a suitable match for their only son, 30 yrs.old, 5’-11” tall, Canadian citizen, well educated, running his own business. The girl should be Canadian immigrant or citizen, educated, beautiful with family values. BC area prefered.Girl on student visa/ work permit may also be considered. Call: 1-778-5520316 ***1216*** Jat Sikh parents invite a matrimonial alliance for their son, 31 yrs. old, 6’-2” tall, Canadian Citizen, professionally

educated, running his own successful business. The girl should be from USA/Canada, educated, beautiful, tall, family oriented with good family values.

Please Call : 1-778-344-0303 ***707** Looking for suitable match for 34 yrs. old, Canadian born male, 5’5” tall, with athletic built, minor physical disability, however fully independent and capable. The girl should be from Canada/ America only. Divorced may also be considred. Please Call : 1-604-722-0279 Or : 1-604-525-8062 ***707** Jat Sikh parents seek a suitable match for their daughter, 26 yrs. old, 5’-2.5” tall, American Citizen, Registered Nurse (RN). The boy should be professionally educated. Seattle (USA), Malwa (India) prefered. Please email recent picture and biodata to: rurkaps08@yahoo.com Or Call : 1-206-391-8477 ***707** Saraswat Brahmin family seek a suitable match for their son, 28 yrs. old, 5’-7” tall, M.Tech.

Mechanical, College Professor in India. The girl should be educated, American/Canadian Immigrant or Citizen. Uncle is well settled in U.S.A. Caste No Bar. Please send your biodata and recent picture to: ashokkumar1955@hotmail.com Or Call : 1-408-960-9190 ***707** Well settled Ramgarhia Sikh family seeks a professionally qualified match from Canada for their beautiful, fair daughter, 25 yrs. old, 5’-3” tall, Architect, P.R. Applied, based at Hyderabad India. Father retired Army Major & Businessman.

Please respond with bio-data and recent picture to: gurubani97@hotmail.com Or Call : 647-669-7997 ***707** Punjabi Brahmin family seek a suitable match for their son, 28 yrs. old, 6’ tall, M.S. (Artho Doctor), working in Govt. Hospital in India as a surgeon, wants to settle his own Business in Canada. The girl should be from Medical Profession, beautiful, Canadian Immigrant/Citizen atleast 5’-6” tall or above. Caste No Bar. Brother & Close relatives are well settled in Canada. Please send your biodata and recent picture to: mehta_tarun@yahoo.com Or Call : 647-282-9503 Or : 647-

347-3685 ***707** Jat Sikh family seek a suitable match for their daughter, 33 yrs. old, 5’-7” tall, U.S.A. born, beautiful, Degree in Accounting & Finance, working in her own field, family oriented. The boy should be atleast 6’ tall, handsome, equally educated, preferably from Bay Area. The boy on HI Visa can be considred. Please send your bio-data and recent picture to: balwindersaran2560@gmail.com Or Call : 1-408-849-1525 ***707** Sikh Khatri parents invite matrimonial alliance for their son, 32 yrs. old, 5’-7” tall, teetotaller, working as software consultant in Wisconsin on H1B Visa. Green Card is in process. Looking for a family oriented educated girl.Please respond with bio-data and recent picture to: rktsp4554@yahoo.com Or Call : 1-414-552-7913 ***707** Sharma family seek a suitable match for their son, 34 yrs. old, 5'-8'’ tall, fair, Masters degree in business and technology from University of Waterloo, Masters in computers applications from India, Canadian immigrant (PR), working as an I.T engineer in Tata Consultancy services / BMO in Toronto. The girl should be Canadian/American immigrant/ Citizen, well educated/qualified. The girl on student visa or work visa can also contact. Caste no bar. Please send your bio-data & recent picture to: aseemsharma27@gmail.com ***707** Punjabi Sikh parents seeking a match for their Canadian born & raised, clean shaven son, 33 yrs. old, 6’-1” tall, handsome, Doctor M.D., completed internal Medicine residency & fellowship (Specialization), now working as a specialist in G.T.A. The girl should be resident Doctor/M.D. or Physician. Born & raised in Canada from Ontario, beautiful atleast 5’-6” tall with family values.

Please send your bio-data and recent picture to: sm9058@ hotmail.com ***707** Khatri parents seeking a suitable match for their daughter, 28 yrs. old, 5’-2” ta l l , Amrican Citizen, professionally settled (Doctor) in her job. The boy should be American Citizen, well educated and well settled in job. Please Call : 1-347-2519112 ***707**

Lady Helper White House Canada in Brampton, requires a Live-in lady helper. 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).

Please Call:

647-970-2665

Issue - 709 (11)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

Curbs on religious freedom among rights problems in India: United States Washington Restrictions on foreign-funded NGOs and religious freedom along with corruption and police and security force abuses are among the most significant

human rights problems in India, according to a US report.

The State Department 2016 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - the first under the Trump Administration - said other human rights problems in India in the year 2016 included disappearances, hazardous prison condition and delay in justice due to court backlogs.

“The most significant human rights problems involved instances of police and security force abuses, including extrajudicial killings, torture, and rape; corruption, which remained widespread and contributed to ineffective responses to crimes, including those against women, children, and members of Scheduled Castes (SCs) or Scheduled Tribes (STs); and societal violence based on gender, religious affiliation, and caste or tribe,” said the report

released yesterday.

“Other human rights problems included disappearances, hazardous prison conditions, arbitrary arrest and detention, and lengthy pretrial detention.

Court backlogs delayed or denied justice, including through lengthy pretrial detention and denial of due process,” said the report which will be submitted to the Congress.

“The government placed restrictions on foreign funding of nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), including some whose views the government believed were not in the ‘national or public interest,’ curtailing the work of civil society,” said the India section of the report.

Observing that there were instances of infringement of privacy rights, the report said that the law in six states restricted religious conversion, and there were reports of arrests but no reports of convictions under those laws.

The report alleged some limits on the freedom of movement

Jordan says executes 15 people, 10 for terrorism convictions

Amman Jordan executed 15 people on Saturday including 10 convicted on terrorism charges, government spokesman Mohammad al Momani said on Saturday. Al Momani said those executed included one man who was convicted of an attack last year on an intelligence compound that killed five

security personnel.

Another five were involved in an assault by security forces on a militant hideout in Irbid city in the same year that led to the death of seven militants and one police officer, while the rest related to separate incidents that go back as far as 2003.

The five other executions were for rape and sexual assault.

Jordan restored the death sentence by hanging in 2014 after a moratorium on capital punishment between 2006 and 2014.

continued. Rape, domestic violence, dowry-related deaths, honor killings, sexual harassment, and discrimination against women and girls remained serious societal problems, it said.

Child abuse, female genital mutilation and cutting, and forced and early marriage were problems. Trafficking in persons, including widespread bonded and forced labor of children and adults, and sex trafficking of children and adults for prostitution, were serious problems, it added.

Societal discrimination against persons with disabilities and indigenous persons continued, as did discrimination and violence based on gender identity, sexual orientation, and persons with HIV, the State Department said in its report.

“A lack of accountability for misconduct at all levels of government persisted, contributing to widespread impunity. Investigations and prosecutions of individual cases took place, but lax enforcement, a shortage of trained police officers, and an overburdened and under resourced court system contributed to infrequent convictions,” the report said.

“Separatist insurgents and terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, the northeastern states, and the Maoist belt committed serious abuses, including killings of armed forces personnel, police, government officials, and civilians,” it added.

Bangladesh cafe attackers’ spiritual leader arrested

Dhaka: Bangladesh police have arrested a ‘spiritual leader’ of a banned Islamist outfit blamed for the country’s worst terror attack at a cafe here as they intensified a crackdown on militants.

Maulana Abul Kashem was arrested from a hideout in the capital last night.

Officials of the police’s elite counterterrorism and transnational crime unit said Kashem was the spiritual leader of the reconstituted Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (neoJMB), which is believed to be inclined to the Islamic State terror group.

“He (Kashem) was a madrassa teacher in (northwestern) Joypurhat...,” Monirul Islam, the chief of the unit, told reporters.

Islam said that the neoJMB recruited Kashem to inspire its operatives to become extremists.

Kashem’s arrest comes after a leading neo-JMB

operative was killed in police custody in northwestern Bogra while another, who supplied weapons for the July 1 cafe attack, was arrested in the capital.

Islam said their investigations found that nearly 30 militants were directly linked to the attack on the Holey Artisan restaurant in Dhaka last year, killing 22 people, including an Indian girl.

Three top leaders of the outfit were subsequently killed in gunfights with police.

Bangladesh witnessed a spate of attacks on secular activists, foreigners and religious minorities since 2013.

The country launched a massive crackdown on militants specially after the Dhaka cafe attack.

Will shed blood like rivers: Latest ISIS video has China worried

Beijing A wary China today said it will work with the international community to fight terrorism after Islamic State fighters from Uighur ethnic minority in troubled Xinjiang vowed to return home and “shed blood like rivers”.

“I want to emphasise that in recent years the East Turkestan terrorist forces represented by the ETIM (East Turkistan Islamic Movement) are sending fighters to conflict zones and strengthening their collusion with international terrorist forces, posing severe danger to security and stability of relevant countries and the region,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told the media.

“We are ready to work with the international community to continue fighting the East Turkestan terrorist forces,” he said without elaborating.

He said ETIM, which China blames for spate of violent attacks in Xinjiang and other provinces, pose a grave threat on security and stability of China and the region.

“We will work with the international community in jointly fighting East Turkestan terrorist forces,” he said.

ISIS RELEASES VIDEO

THREATENING BLOOD LIKE RIVERS Islamic State militants from Uighur ethnic minority in a halfhour video released on Monday vowed to return home and “shed blood like rivers”, said the US-

Uighur language.

The video release was timed with the massive counter terrorism drills by Chinese security forces in Xinjiang’s capital Urumqi, where Beijing also reported to have deployed aircraft and

based SITE Intelligence Group, in what experts said marked the first IS threat against Chinese targets.

In the video a Uighur fighter issued the threat against China just before executing an alleged informant.

“In retaliation for the tears that flow from the eyes of the oppressed we will make your blood flow in rivers, by the will of God,” one fighter featured in the video said, speaking in native

helicopters.

WHO ARE UIGHURS Uighurs are Turkik speaking Muslims who constitute a majority in the sprawling resource-rich Xinjiang bordering Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Afghanistan.

Many Uighurs complain of cultural and religious repression and discrimination by China.

China blames ETIM, an AlQaeda affiliated outfit, for violent attacks in the restive region.

Issue - 709 (12)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

Alarm bells ring in Pak as ISIS establishing strong footprint Islamabad The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and by its Arabic acronym ‘Daesh’ is reportedly in the process of establishing a strong footprint across Pakistan, and especially in the border areas near Afghanistan.

Exclusive documents obtained by the Pakistan daily The News and from law enforcement officials tasked with the responsibility of eradicating the ‘Daesh’ in Balochistan and Sindh revealed that the terror group has also spread its tentacles into tribal dominant Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province as they have been recruiting young Afghans living in refugee camps.

Bordering cities like Shikarpur, Hyderabad, Mastung and Rahimyar Khan have become a hot bed for proscribed organisations widely inspired by the ISIS or the Daesh.

These shocking revelations were collected from as many as 30 ISIS militants, arrested by law enforcement agencies.

Sanaullah Abbasi, Incharge Counter Terrorism Department Sindh confirmed, “We’ve decided to conduct a joint operation against the Daesh.”

The provinces are devising a joint strategy to deal with terror outfits based in border areas as “local militants were joining hands with the Daesh in these areas,” The News has reported.

“14 Pakistanis joined the Daesh in Syria and Afghanistan (last year),” revealed a three-page highly confidential report prepared by law enforcing agencies. Agencies had also arrested around two dozen militants who were planning to join ISIS in Syria a few months back.

“About 40 to 50 young boys have left for Afghanistan from Afghan refugee camp Shamshato, KP and are under training in camps of Daesh at three different places in Afghanistan,” reveals a confidential report obtained by The News.

Four ISIS militants were also believed to be planning to expand small networks across the province. Umar Muhammad, who lived in Dagi Jadeed, was campaigning for the ISIS in Shahi Bala Peshawar.

Maghfarullah, who lived in Dagi Jadeed Tapi, also supported him. Mir Haidar was trying to establish his own network in Mohalla Shaheed Palosai where Mohibullah supported him. He expanded his network to Farmani Chowk. They were publishing a pamphlet which reads: “Polio vaccination is treatment or the growth reduction of Ummat-eMuslima”.

The report also reveals how the ISIS inspired Pakistani youth to run their own small networks and follow on the ideology of the ISIS. For instance in Lahore, the capital of Pakistan’s Punjab province, law enforcement

North Korean envoy’s expulsion was a warning, says Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Malaysia said on Sunday that its expulsion of North Korea’s ambassador was intended to warn Pyongyang that it cannot manipulate the investigation into the killing of the North Korean leader ’s half brother.The government on Saturday gave Ambassador Kang Chol 48 hours to leave the country after he refused to apologize for his strong accusations over Malaysia’s handling of the investigation into the February 13 killing of Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpur’s airport.

“I think we have given a clear message to the North Korean government that we are serious about solving this problem and we do not want (the investigation) to be manipulated,” Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was quoted as saying Sunday

by Malaysian national news agency Bernama.

The death of Kim, the estranged half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has unleashed a diplomatic battle between Malaysia and North Korea. Malaysian authorities said Kim died within 20 minutes after two women smeared his face with VX, a banned nerve agent considered a weapon of mass destruction.

North Korea has rejected Malaysia’s autopsy finding that VX killed Kim. Kang has accused the Malaysian government of trying to hide something and said it colluded with outside powers to defame North Korea.Kang’s expulsion came just days after Malaysia said it would scrap visa-free entry for North Koreans and expressed concern over the use of the nerve agent.

agencies have named Ghulam Ghous Kumar as the one of the kingpins behind the ISIS-Daesh network in the area.

They have claimed that Ghulam learnt how to use timeless ‘Kalashnikov AK-47-AssaultRifle’ online from a commander of ISIS in June 2016. He then facilitated five networks and used Facebook to recruit more than 130 militants and spread radical propaganda online throughout

the country.

Ghous helped Hassan Akbar Sherazi, an activist of Sipah-eSahaba Pakistan, to establish a four-member network in an area of New Garden Lahore. Khuram Shahzad, Sayed Atif of Audit and Account Society Lahore and Nadeem Sheikh alias Ustad of College Road Lahore joined his network last year.

Shahzad Shafiq, Jawad Habibullah, Mohammad Nadeem

Rehmani, Gujranwala and Mudasir Shafiq were other members of his network.

Chaudhry Azam alias Waqas established his own network with help of Tahir Hussain near Enayat Park Jea Moosa Shahdra Lahore.Fawad Habibullah, Zahoor Ahmad alias Gulo, Muhammad Assad of Kareem Block Allama Iqbal Town Lahore and Ziaul Meraj also established a small network in Lahore.

Live the Indian life in London as country marks UK-India year of Culture London An Indian summer is nowhere on the horizon, but India is bursting out of almost every nook and cranny of London, where even in the most dull and dreary times, India is part of its everyday life - with connections to its historical sites, food and music.

India-related themes and events are common in London’s academic and cultural calendar but the last week or two has been particularly busy. It promises to be equally busy later as 2017 is billed as the UKIndia Year of Culture, with a large schedule of events.

Queen Elizabeth just hosted a lavish reception at Buckingham Palace to mark the UK-India Year of Culture 2017, attended by finance minister Arun Jaitley and a host of celebrities (“the usual suspects”, a wag said ).

The Duchess of Cambridge turned out wearing fashion designer Anita Dongre’s earrings. The palace was wrapped in a projection of India’s national bird – the peacock – while inside, the guests were treated to Indian-themed canapés prepared by chefs from Veeraswamy, London’s oldest Indian restaurant on Regent Street.

In cinema halls, it is Gurinder Chadha’s ‘Viceroy’s House’ that is drawing viewers of British and Indian origin alike. It is evoking mixed reactions: writer Fatima Bhutto called it a “servile pantomime”, while viewers of the partition generation are leaving the halls in a sullen mood.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has a busy schedule appearing

at various events – from Oxford to the London School of Economics to Channel 4 – to promote his book Inglorious Empire (published in India as An Era of Darkness), based on his 2015 Oxford Union speech that went viral.

Another Congressman, Manish

minutes long), to be set to music by composer-sitar player Anoushka Shankar. Robin Baker, BFI’s head curator, told HT: “This is just the tip of the iceberg.”

The film is to be shown in the UK and in India as part of the year of culture. The programme

Tiwari, has just been to the International Institute for Strategic Studies to offer a “midterm review” of the Narendra Modi government’s foreign policy. It had some interesting points, but journalists were disappointed when it was termed “off the record”.A host of Indian writers and publishers are due to appear at the London Book Fair in Olympia from March 14 to 16. Speakers include Amit Chaudhuri, Shrabani Basu and Anjum Anand. The event includes a performance of the Kama Sutra Ballad.

The British Film Institute made news with the announcement that it had restored Himanshu Rai’s 1928 silent film Shiraz (90

includes classics such as Satyajit Ray’s Apu Trilogy, as well as contemporary films under BFI’s “New Bollywood” theme.

It has been a while since an Indian writer won the Booker Prize or made a splash, but this is about to change with Arundhati Roy’s much-awaited book The Ministry of Utmost Happiness which will be published by Hamish Hamilton in June.

Indian visitors to London this year, particularly those interested in cultural events, will have much to dig in with a programme of events to rival those of New Delhi or Mumbai or Jaipur – for the first time, the Jaipur Literature Festival will be held in the British Library in May.

Issue - 709 (13)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

Bangladesh government bans extremist organization Ansar al-Islam Dhaka Bangladesh government has banned the extremist organization Ansar al-Islam.

Home Ministry’s Department of Public Safety issued a notification in this regard on Sunday after the law enforcing agency sent a letter to the ministry seeking a ban on the organization.

The notification said activities of the organization are contrary to country’s peace and order.

Activities of the organization have already been considered as a threat to public safety, added the notification.

Ansar al-Islam, which claimed itself Bangladesh wing of alQaeda and claimed the responsibility of killing bloggers, is actually the renewed version of Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) with new name.Ansarullah Bangala Team which took birth in 2007 was working as a platform for the believers of al-Qaeda in Bangladesh. At first, the group was involved in study circle and internet propaganda, but started killing bloggers in 2013. The militant group first came into light after killing blogger Rajib Haider in capital’s Pallabi on February 15 of the same year.

Later, they divided into different groups and got operative. So far, the group has claimed responsibilities for 9 murders including bloggers, publishers

and students, teachers. The current government had earlier banned Ansarullah Bangla Team on May 25, 2015 and Hizb utTahrir on October 22, 2009.

Ansarullah later became affiliated with AQIS that eyes establishing Shariah law in the country.

Bangladesh (JMB) and Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB) on February 23, 2005, and Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami (Huji) on October 17, 2005.

Police have arrested a number of top leaders of the outfit, but its alleged operations chief Maj

Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden’s successor, Egyptian ideologue Ayman al-Zawahiri, announced the formation of AQIS in September 2014 to carry the group’s fight to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, and with a special focus on Rakhine state of Myanmar.The US government blacklisted AQIS as a “foreign terrorist organization” and its leader, Indian-born Asim Umar, a “specially-designated global terrorist” in a statement issued on June 30 last year.

The previous BNP-Jamaat government outlawed Shahadate-al Hikma on February 9, 2003, Jama’atul Mujahideen

(sacked) Syed Ziaul Haque and spiritual leader Tamim al-Adnani have remained traceless.

The group made the first claim on May 3, 2015 after their supporters hacked to death six targets, including blogger Ahmed Rajeeb Haider and science writer Avijit Roy.The spiritual leader of Ansarullah Bangla Team (now Ansar al-Islam), Jasim Uddin Rahmani, was arrested on August 12, 2013 for inciting jihad at mosques. Later, he was removed from the post of chairman of Markazul Uloom Al-Islamia Madrasa’s management committee at Basila in Mohammadpur.On December 31,

Indian-origin people facing attacks in Trump’s US leave India in tricky position New Delhi The fear of racial attacks and the uncertainty over short-term visa for skilled workers are two definite concerns for India in Donald Trump’s America. But the recent attacks against people of Indian origin in the US left in their wake another conundrum for India in its diplomatic dealings with the country, especially when it comes

to offering and accepting consular help.Consular help — an Indian mission official meeting the person in need with assistance — is sought and granted after verifying his or her nationality. But the

prevailing situation in the US, the media gaze and the political compulsions of the Indian government, makes the normal process a tenuous affair to follow.

The NDA government, which doesn’t want to be accused of any inaction, rushed consular officers to the spot though the victims of the attacks in last two cases were American citizens, albeit people of

Indian origin. Three people, one Indian national and two Indian-origin US citizens were attacked in that country recently.An Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, became the first victim of the hate crime in the US. He was killed when 51-yearold US Navy veteranAdam Purinton opened fire at him and his friend Alok Madasani at a bar before

yelling “get out of my country.” It seemed a clear case of hate crime against the Indian national. Then came to the light the death of 43year-old Harnish Patel, an owner of a convenience store, in Lancaster County, South Carolina.

He was found killed by gunshot wounds in the courtyard of his home on Thursday. Patel was a US national and the county officials are of the view that what had happened looked like a burglary attempt gone wrong and further investigations are on. But India rushed consular officers to the spot.In a third incident, an Indian-origin Sikh man was shot at in his driveway in Kent in Washington district by a masked assailant who shouted at him to “go back to your own country”.The Indian embassy in Washington swung into action and identified the victim as Deep Rai, 39 again an American national.The situation is tricky for the government. The fabled melting pot that US has been is now seeing attacks on brown-skinned people. Irrespective of their nationality, an Indian origin person is an Indian for most. For the Modi government which takes immense pride in its diaspora both nonresident Indians and people of Indian origin, the prevailing situation leaves it with not too many options either.

2015, Rahmani was sentenced to five years in prison for inciting the murder of Rajeeb Haider, while two of his followers to death and four others to different jail terms for their involvement in the murder that took place on February 15, 2013.Ansar alIslam earlier extended support to Harakah al-Yakin or Faith Movement, a like-minded Rohingya-based militant group that attacked three border outposts of Myanmar as part of their armed jihad on October 9.

In a public statement issued on December 15, al-Qaeda urged the Muslim youths of Bangladesh to join the fight to avenge the persecution against Rohingyas.Its members are campaigning against the indigenous peoples of the country’s CHT region terming them terrorists. They incited further attacks on the Hindus of Nasirnagar in Brahmanbaria last year during a discussion on Dawahilallah, an open forum of AQIS.With Ansar al-Islam, total seven organizations have been banned for militant activities and religious extremism in the country.The six other banned outfits are Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB), Harkat ul-Jehad alIslami Bangladesh (HUJI), Sahadat-e Hikma, Hizbut-Tahrir and Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT).

21 civilians killed in USled strikes against ISIS targets in Iraq, Syria Washington Twenty-one civilians were killed in US-led coalition air strikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria in recent months, officials acknowledged today.The deaths bring to at least 220 the number of civilians unintentionally killed since operations to defeat IS began in late summer 2014, though critics say the real number is a lot higher.A statement from the coalition said investigators had probed a series of reports alleging civilian deaths from air strikes.In a January 13 strike on IS fighters in a house, investigators determined that eight civilians were unintentionally killed. “During post-strike video analysis, civilians were identified near the house who were not evident prior to the strike,” the coalition said in a statement.

Unintentional deaths also can occur when a civilian enters a bomb’s zone of destruction after the munition has been released from a plane or drone circling high overhead.It can take about 30 seconds for a bomb to reach its target.Airwars, a London-based collective of journalists and researchers, uses local sources, photographs and media accounts to keep a detailed list of every known coalition air strike.They have praised Pentagon efforts at accountability compared to other players in Syria such as Russia and the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, but the group says the number of likely civilian deaths from coalition strikes is 2,463 at a minimum.

US to Temporarily Suspend Special Payment Programme for H-1B Visas

New York The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that in order to clear a backlog of regular H-1B visa applications, it is suspending for six months a programme that allowed some companies to jump to the head of the queue for quicker processing of H-1B visas by paying a special fee.

This is not a suspension of the H-1B visas, but only of the “Premium Processing”, which allows companies to pay $1,125 to go to the top of the line ahead of those waiting for applications to be processed, the USCIS said on Friday.

“This temporary suspension will help us to

reduce overall H-1B processing times”, it added.H-1B visas are temporary work visas for people with special qualifications and it is used mostly by Indian techies.The “Premium Programme” suspension is to come into effect from April 3.Under “Premium Processing”, a decision is made on H-1B application within 15 days, while the regular applications take more than three months - period that has lengthened because of the surge in “Premium Processing” applications.

Issue - 709 (14)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

Trump a ‘bachelor’ if we look at his social media use Moscow The 45th US President Donald Trump may not love to tweet about this but scientists do have a surprising news for him: The 70-year-old Trump who is actually married appears single if his boisterous behaviour on social media is taken into account.

A team from ITMO University in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and National University of Singapore created an algorithm that predicts user marital status with 86 per cent precision using data from three social networks - Twitter, Instagram and Foursquare.

While testing, the programme - which can examine any Englishspeaking account identified Trump as single.

According to the developers, this inconsistency came up because of Trump’s abnormal activity in the media - “the US President and his assistants use Twitter like a bachelor”.

To reach this conclusion, Andrey Filchenkov, associate professor of Computer Technology Department at ITMO University collected and analysed tweets of former US President Barack Obama and Trump.

Based on this data, the

algorithm confirmed Obama’s marital status but concluded that Trump is a bachelor.

This irregularity can be explained by the fact that Trump himself does not update his social media accounts.

“We all know about his wife Melania. But, in this case, we are studying whether all Trump’s assistants are married or not. We are not guessing who Trump is, but who runs his social media,” the researchers wrote.

According to the team, profiling users through several social networks rather than just one makes it possible to learn specific details about individuals.

Combining the data from Twitter, Instagram and Foursquare, they taught the algorithm to predict this parameter with 86 per cent precision, 17 per cent higher than using just one social network.

“Many scientific sources

associate a person psychological type with his marital status. So, we decided to check how precisely we can predict this parameter to use it for making human psychological portraits in the future,” added Kseniya Buraya, researcher at ITMO University who is doing an internship at National University of Singapore.

User profiling, according to the scientists, can have a wide range of applications.

For example, recruiters can learn more about people who are applying for a job.More generally, characterising personality through activity in social media will help discover illegal groups as well as find people prone to depression or suicide and support them.

The study was recently reported at the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence in San Francisco.

Global recall of 1 million Mercedes cars over fire risk could include 75,000 in UK London Owners of 75,000 Mercedes cars in the UK could be affected by a global recall of several models following reports of fires, according to reports.

An issue with some

certain A-Class, B-Class, C-Class, E-Class and CLA cars and GLA and GLC SUVs.There have been reports of 51 fires, with about 30 in the US. No injuries or deaths have been reported and it is not known if any of the fires

starter components in cars made between 2015 and 2017 is thought to cause them to overheat.The fire risk has prompted Mercedes owner Daimler to recall around a million vehicles worldwide, covering

occurred in the UK. Daimler said the starting current limiter could overload under “unique” conditions where a driver repeatedly tries to start their car when the engine has seized up.A Mercedes spokesman

told Car Dealer magazine: “There are potentially 75,000 cars in the UK which will be affected by the recall. This is a recall which is yet to be issued. ”The company said a fix has been implemented in the production of new vehicles and cars already with dealers will be fixed before they are sold.The magazine said owners will be contacted in March.

Of the million vehicles to be recalled, 307,629 are in the United States, which is 40,000 units less than Mercedes-Benz reported to U.S. regulators.

The company did not immediately have a breakdown of where vehicles will be recalled outside of the United States.The United States is among the three biggest markets for Mercedes-Benz, the others being China and Germany.

China’s defence budget set to cross $150 billion, three times that of India Beijing China’s annual defence budget is set to officially cross $150 billion for the first time in 2017, the finance ministry said on Sunday, three times India’s planned defence spending for the fiscal year.

The ministry’s statement came hours after the exact figure for the sector was surprisingly not included in the government work report released earlier in the day.

Speaking to the Associated Press, an unnamed official from China’s finance ministry pegged the defence budget at 1.044 trillion Yuan or $151 billion, a 7% increase from last year’s outlay. The 7% hike was announced by National People’s Congress spokesperson Fu Ying. In comparison, in the fiscal year starting April, India plans to spend 3.6 lakh crore rupees or $51 billion.Even state media reports said on Saturday that “…the exact figure for the new defence budget is also expected to be released in a budget report the same day (Sunday).”

But it wasn’t.

No reason was offered as to why the budget wasn’t part of the work report – as is the case every year –

which was released by Premier Li Keqiang at the Great Hall of the People to mark the beginning of the annual session of China’s rubber stamp Parliament, the National People’s Congress (NPC). “A ministry information officer told AP the exact figure had already been released to the almost 3,000 delegates to the NPC. But he didn’t say why it had been withheld from the government budget report, where it usually appears,” the news report said.

Beijing would continue to deepen military reforms while upholding the party’s absolute leadership over the armed forces, the government work report said.

China’s defence budget is considerably less than that of the US though the Communist country has the largest armed forces in the world – China defence spending last year accounted for less than a

quarter of that of the US. But the Chinese government has been criticised about not being transparent enough with information about its expenditure in defence sector, which is undergoing a modernisation programme.

Defence analysts say that China’s actual expenditure on defence could be higher because the official budget doesn’t include certain categories of sectoral outlay like arms purchases from abroad “China’s military capacity building will be continued.

This is the requirement for safeguarding our national sovereignty and security,” Fu Ying, NPC spokesperson said.

“A rise of about 7% in defence budget is basically in keeping with last year’s GDP output,” Rear Admiral Yin Zhuo of the People’s Liberation Army Navy told the official news agency Xinhua.

Issue 709 (15)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

X-cellent finale Vinayak Chakravorty

By

Logan Cast: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Richard E. Grant, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant, Dafne Keen Direction: James Mangold HUGH Jackman’s compelling final outing as Logan/Wolverine takes comicbook cinema to a space of nihilism in a way few films of the genres have done. Logan is vicious and violent in the way it thrills, just as it serves its emotional core with heartbreaking tenderness. You spot a bit of the vintage westerns in that blend, as the film swings between stunts and sensitivity.

It reminds you of the cowboy flicks Clint Eastwood made in the seventies. Only, director James Mangold imagines such a raw, ruthless hero in a mutant set-up.

Mangold, returning to the X-Men fold after directing 2013's The Wolverine, has managed to humanise Wolverine as never before. The idea suits the story of this film because the protagonist here is a lone ranger. He has also aged substantially, with the narrative moving forward by several years. Not since The Dark Knight has Hollywood come up with a superhero flick that has so seamlessly redefined the genre, fusing real-life socio-politics with comicbook fantasy. Logan talks of a world where sadists swoop down on the powerless. It is a world where heroes have all but disappeared.

Importantly, unlike most superhero films, this film is not about the hero saving the world from evil forces out to destroy the planet. The issue here is more believable. Logan changes the superhero film as a concept. It is not so much about the audience rooting for the hero as it is about feeling for him, identifying with him. For that reason perhaps, most of the action is filmed up close, and much of the violence is old-school choreography, to create authentic impact.

Mangold’s script imagines the tale in 2029.

Most mutants have vanished and Logan, who has aged greatly what with his healing powers failing, leads a miserable life somewhere on the US-Mexican border.

Normally wasted, he makes petty cash as a driver for hire. His partners in exile are Caliban (Stephen Merchant) and Professor

X (Patrick Stewart), who is seriously ailing. Twist in Logan’s life comes when a mysterious woman named Gabriela approaches him to escort a little girl, Laura (Dafne Keen), to a place named Eden. Logan was always meant to be Hugh Jackman’s film.

It is admirable in the way the actor redefines a character he has consistently played over the past 17 years, for one last bow. This is one of the most unforgettable comicbook characters Hollywood has ever shown us.

Franchise stalwart Patrick Stewart is impressive as ever, Dafne Keen’s Laura is simply outstanding. The film is truly Jackman’s last laugh as a superhero. Only, in the end you wish there was more of this stuff coming.

Commando 2 Cast: Vidyut Jamwal, Adah Sharma, Freddy Daruwala, Esha Gupta, Suhail Nayyar, Thakur Anoop Singh Direction: Deven Bhojani THE Commando series is basically about giving Vidyut Jamwal a new excuse every time to flaunt his impressive hulk and engage in some CGI-aided stunts. The sequel very much works within that diktat. The first film used Jamwal’s protagonist Captain Karanvir Dogra to set up an action adventure focussed on borderside terrorism. This time, the hero turns into a one-man army to bust black money menace. He fights and frowns and hams in a bid to stop flow of kaala dhan from India into foreign banks. Films have always cashed in

Black money, bland saga on pervading socio-political headlines to rake in the moolah, so credit goes to franchise producer Vipul Shah for latching onto the black money wave before any other filmmaker in Bollywood thought of it (be sure, plenty more films will try are striking gold with the kaala dhan formula). Commando 2 does not have what in cinema parlance can actually be defined as a ‘story’. Whatever unfolds on screen is actually a pretext to get the film’s macho hero going. Jamwal goes through the motions as the film’s action hero. Just as in the first film, he aces with the high-octane stunt

routine. Just as in the first film too, he cuts the classic dead-pan expression with the near-absent acting demands of the script.

Commando 2 belongs to the unending line of Bollywood potboilers that look like you have seen it somewhere, simply because it offers nothing new. If the film was meant to a PR job for demonetisation, it’s a bad idea.

-Vinayak Chakravorty

Issue 709 (16)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

I don’t think I am lesser than anybody: Shahid Kapoor

Salman Khan’s Da-Bangg Tour to go to Sydney, Auckland Superstar Salman Khan announced the full schedule of his Da-Bangg tour, which will have celebrities like Prabhudheva, Sonakshi Sinha, Bipasha Basu and Badshah travel to places in Australia and New Zealand next month.

Announcing that the tour will be taking place in Sydney (April 21), Auckland (April 22) and Melbourne (April 23), Salman

shared the posters of the tour which had the full schedule on it and captioned his posts as: “Get ready for Da-Bangg tour.”

But before the Australia and New Zealand leg, the tour will regale Bollywood buffs in Hong Kong on April 16. The event will be organised by The Chocolate Room. Other artistes who will be a part of the tour include Daisy Shah and Manish Paul.

Actor Shahid Kapoor says he is confident about his craft and does not feel insecure when working in a two hero film.

There have been reports of rivalry between him and Ranveer Singh over sharing screen time in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s upcoming magnum opus “Padmavati”.

Shahid’s latest outing “Rangoon” is also a two-hero film in which he has shared screen space with Saif Ali Khan. “If you are insecure as a person then you will be insecure in any situation. If you are a secure person and if you are sure about yourself then nothing matters,” Shahid told PTI, when asked if there is any insecurity or rivalry when two actors come together for a film.

“I am very much sure about myself and my work. I will feel insecure only when I feel I will be lesser than somebody, but I don’t think I am lesser than anybody. I am not here to say I am better than anybody but definitely I’m not lesser,” the “Haider” star adds.

Asked if he was upset with

reports of clash between him and Ranveer, the 36-year-old star says, “I had read the script (of ‘Padmavati’) 20 days before I started shooting. So, from my side I just wanted to work with Sanjay Leela Bhansali.”

Ranveer and actress Deepika Padukone, who have worked with Bhansali in his last two films, have always praised the director for getting out the best from actors.

To this, Shahid says, “Yes absolutely, without any doubt. I have shot with him for 25 days and I know the only way to work

with him is to up your game.”

The actor wonders why the “Bajirao Mastani” filmmaker is often called a hard task master.

“I don’t know why people say that about him. He is trying to do his best and I love working with people who want the best.

I have not had so much fun working with anyone so far (other than Bhansali),” he says.

“I feel this is the most exciting opportunity of my career so far.

It is an amazing opportunity. I think I have never had such great time with any filmmaker,” Shahid adds.

Hope ‘Anaarkali of Aarah’ Neha Dhupia has been leaked scenes don’t affect logging a lot of air miles recently. Here’s why business: Swara Bhaskar

Swara Bhaskar, the lead actress of “Anaarkali of Aarah”, says the news that certain scenes from the forthcoming movie got leaked, was upsetting. She hopes it doesn’t affect the movie’s business.

“Obviously, it is upsetting for

us. As an artist, we do a work with full passion. When suddenly out of context, you find some of the portions are leaked online, you feel compromised and violated,” Swara said on the sidelines of the Khidkiyan Theatre Festival here.

“I hope it doesn’t affect the business of the film. It’s definitely a good film. It is a story that should be told and heard. There is no cheap purpose behind the film. Men should watch the film but not for whistling or clapping,” she added.

The movie is making headlines for its leaked bold scenes, which the censor board reportedly wanted to cut out.

The film’s makers filed a complaint after the scenes leaked. “The producers are doing what they have to do.

They are following up it legally and I am sure they will go to bottom of it,” said Swara, who plays a singer in the movie.

Directed by Avinash Das, the film, releasing on June 24, also features Sanjay Mishra and Pankaj Tripathi.

Neha Dhupia has been logging air miles for her TV show shoots and other commitments. As judge of the adventure reality show, Roadies, she has been travelling the country.

She is also a judge on the children’s talent show, Chhote Miya, and a constant fixture at brand events. Though her Bollywood career may not be happening, but the gal has kept herself busy with other stuff.

There is life beyond Bollywood, too. A rather busy one.

Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif’s ‘Jagga Jasoos’ gets delayed again

Secr et to Priyanka Chopra’ Secret Chopra’ss lovely lips rrevealed evealed We have been observing Priyanka Chopra’s smile down the years.

She may have been rumoured to have had lip augmentation, but PeeCee’s luscious pair of lips are her most striking feature. Now the star attributes her thicker, fleshier lips to a homemade scrub which not only exfoliates, but plumps her pout. She has been applying a mix of sea salt, vegetable glycerine and rose water to plump her assets. We have been plastering on the mix for a while now, but with no effect. Guess PeeCee’s got along with a little help from the surgeon.

The wait for Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor-starrer Jagga Jasoos got longer — again.

The detective drama might not release before July.There has been buzz about the film

not keeping its April date with movie-goers. Now, we hear, the film’s final schedule wraps up only in May, so there’s no way it will be out even in June.

Issue 709 (17)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

Kate Moss’ naked wedding photos stolen!

Supermodel Kate Moss’s nude photos have been stolen.

The images were part of a set of photos Moss posed for on her wedding day in 2011. They show her in the buff, getting ready for her big day. They were among dozens of private images she commissioned to celebrate

getting hitched to rocker Jamie Hince, from whom she has since split.

The images are thought to have been hacked from her computer files. It is believed they are now being shared among fans on their phones, reports dailystar.co.uk. It comes just

Natalie Portman gives birth to second baby

”Jackie” actress Natalie Portman and husband Benjamin Millepied have welcomed their second child.

Portman, 35, gave birth to a baby girl on February 22, just

days before the Oscars in which she was nominated for best actress, reported People magazine.

“Natalie Portman and her husband Benjamin Millepied welcomed a baby girl, Amalia Millepied, on Feb. 22,” her representative said.

“Mother and baby are happy and healthy.”

It’s the second child for the “Black Swan” star and her husband, who is a French choreographer.

Their first son named Aleph was born in June 2011. A year later, they tied the knot in an intimate Jewish ceremony in Big Sur, California. The couple recently moved from Paris to Los Angeles.

four months after private images from the star’s 2016 birthday celebrations were leaked online.

A source said: “Kate will be fuming about this. Even though she has now split from Jamie, this set of photos is still really close to her heart and they are very, very private.

“Kate is obviously no stranger to getting her clothes off for photoshoots, but these images were different. Some were meant only to been seen by Jamie, and the rest were for close family and friends and have never been released.

“It’s disgusting hackers can get away with this for the second time in four months. She is now looking into ways of increasing her online security.”

Photographers Terry Richardson and Mario Testino reportedly captured the photos.

Moss allowed Testino to release some of the official images from her wedding. And Richardson posted authorised images of the model in bed during the celebrations.

But the set that has been hacked and leaked were commissioned strictly for private use.

‘Pretty Woman’ could have been ‘pretty dark’ Richard Gere and Julia Roberts-starrer “Pretty Woman”, the 1990 iconic film, not only had a hard time getting made, but it was almost an entirely different and a “pretty dark” movie.

“I can’t tell you how much time was spent debating,” former Disney studio head Jeffrey Katzenberg said at a question and answer session earlier this week, reports pagesix.com.

He added: “As a script, ‘Pretty Woman’ was an R-rated movie about a hooker on Hollywood Boulevard. By the way, in the

original version — it’s pretty dark — I think she died of an overdose.”

“So convincing (people) that we should make that at the Walt Disney Co, and that it’s a fairy tale and a princess movie, a lot of people had a hard time seeing it. But, as they say, the rest is history.”

The Garry Marshall directorial tells the story of a man — in a legal business — who needs an escort for some social events. He hires a prostitute and they ultimately fall in love with each other.

When ‘Logan’ crew felt jealous of Patrick Stewart

Veteran actor Patrick Stewart says he made the crew of “Logan” feel jealous when co-star Hugh Jackman carried him around while shooting for the scenes of the film.

The 76-year-old star, who plays the wheelchairbound character of Professor Charles Xavier, had to be carried up the flights of stairs by Jackman’s Wolverine and Stewart says many people on the sets were green with envy, reported USA Today.

“There were numerous envious glances in my direction bycertain members of the crew,” says Stewart.

He adds, he considers being carried by Jackman was an honour and something that will be a part of his working profile.

Stewart says, “I think that is one thing I shall have on my CV in the future - a Knight of the Realm and also the distinction of being carried in the arms of Hugh Jackman all around the Deep South of the United States. I look on it as a significant distinction.”

Gavin Rossdale never thought he would get divorced from Gwen Stefani Musician Gavin Rossdale says he never thought he would get divorced from singer Gwen Stefani.

Rossdale finalised his divorce from Stefani - with whom he shares three sons - Kingston (10), Zuma (8), and Apollo (3) - in April 2016. He has come out of it with a positive outlook on life, reports usmagazine.com.

“Who knew that was possible? There’s been a lot of pain and sadness. It really teaches you perspective on life. It’s really health, happiness and safety. After that, I don’t know what there

is other than that,” Rossdale said.

The singer says the split from his wife of 13 years was unexpected and not something he ever planned for.

He said: “We’re all products of nuclear families.

My parents have been married three times each.

I’m just a junior. I never thought I would get divorced. But it just happens. All these life things.” On the work front, he is coming out with a new album “Black and White Rainbows” on March 10.

Issue 709 (18)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

Law drags feet as fake sex video runs course A YOUNG woman from Bhopal will have to live with the humiliation of her fake porn video doing the rounds online for at least 90 days, with experts underscoring the need for fresh regulations that are victim-friendly.

According to Madhya Pradesh police, 21-year-old Ankita Sahay (name changed), who was allegedly being stalked by a 27-year-old man since 2013, approached the local cyber cell as the accused allegedly created two Facebook profiles to harass her including a bogus one in her name. Analysts say online harassment is pervasive but often hidden from view. According to a Pew Research Center study, 40 percent of Internet users have personally experienced harassment online, such as namecalling, sexual harassment and stalking. Based on the victim’s complaint, the accused —identified as Dharmendra Gupta—was arrested in January under charges of outraging modesty, stalking and criminal intimidation. However, he got bail within a day. And that started the victim’s unending ordeal. According to her, Gupta is still stalking her and has created Facebook profiles to spread a morphed sex clip featuring her. He also made her phone numbers public. Gupta owns a computer repairing shop in Bhopal. On Monday, the victim went to

the cyber cell with screenshots and other evidences. She filed a written complaint but says police have not yet registered a case and are asking her to wait 90 days for removal of the

said, “I believe Ankita is anti-social and is friends with many men, wears short clothes and doesn’t deserve to live in this society.” He initially denied stalking her but later confessed. “Now I don’t want

obscene content from Facebook.

Gupta is allegedly sending the pornographic link along with her phone numbers to the victim’s friends and family members on FB messenger.

Screenshots of the messages are with MAIL TODAY. A tattoo on the breast of the woman in the clip has been highlighted in the video. Coincidentally, the victim bears a similar tattoo, but on the other side of her body. When MAIL TODAY contacted Gupta, he

to take the case further. However, I have filed a cross-complaint and the FIR has not been registered as yet that mentions Ankita has filed a forged complaint to extract money from me,” he said. The complaint filed by Gupta, a copy of which is with MAIL TODAY, also mentions that Ankita pushed him towards suicide and to change his religion. Ankita, who studied in Delhi University’s School of Open Learning and worked for a year in a real estate

company in the city, told this reporter that Gupta has been hounding her since 2013 as he wants to marry her. “He had contacted my mother, sisters, cousins, friends and other relatives. Also, he used to follow me everywhere. After being stalked for so long, I approached police in late 2015 and gave a complaint,” she said. “But the cops advised me to stay away from the police and courts. In January this year, with the help of a Delhi-based activist, the FIR was lodged and Gupta was arrested after a manhunt.” The court, however granted him bail despite the victim’s objection application. “Gupta is again stalking me. He has started calling my mother and other relatives.

He is also knows about my new workplace,” she added. Ankita reported the matter to the social media giant after which the account was deactivated. Now, the user is spreading porn links, chats with all of the victim’s and her friends’ mobile numbers. “The cyber cell is not taking the case seriously and is asking me to wait for a couple of weeks to deactivate the account or track the user’s identity. If I wait that long, it will harm me and my family,” she said. Mental health experts say ham-fisted treatment of online abuse can scar a victim’s mind f o r l i f e. When contacted, the investigating officer said the matter was being looked into.

Issue 709 (19)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

N Korea executes 5 for ‘enraging’ Kim NORTH Korea executed five senior security officials with antiaircraft guns because they made false reports that enraged Kim Jong-un. South Korea’s spy agency the National Intelligence Service (NIS) said Monday the five victims were from the state security department. They are said to have produced false reports which angered the country’s leader which resulted in them being murdered with the hugely powerful weapons. The spy agency told lawmakers that five North Korean officials had been in the same department as the recently departed state security chief Kim Won Hong, who was fired last month for allegations of corruption. It is not clear what false reports they allegedly made, and the NIS didn’t say how it got its information. North Korea fired Kim Won Hong in January over corruption, abuse of power and torture committed by his agency, Seoul said earlier this month. The fallen minister had been seen as close to Kim Jong Un. North Korea has not publicly said anything about Hong or about the alleged executions in his department. South Korean lawmaker Lee Cheol Woo cited the NIS as saying Hong’s dismissal was linked to those false reports, which “enraged” Kim Jong Un when they were discovered. The comments by the NIS in a private briefing to lawmakers came as Malaysia investigates the poisoning death of Kim’s estranged elder half brother Kim Jong Nam. That investigation is still going on, but

South Korea says it believes Kim Jong Un ordered the assassination, which took place

February 13 at Kuala Lumpur’s airport. Since taking power in late 2011, Jong Un has

‘Jackal’ shoots 2 during Prez Hollande’s speech

TWO people have been shot during a speech by French President Francois Hollande when a sniper’s pistol malfunctioned, in a grim reminiscent of a crime thriller The Day of the Jackal, where a sniper takes aim at de Gaulle’s head but misses. The French leader was talking at the opening of the Paris to Bordeaux high-speed rail at Villognon when the gunshots interrupted him.

The soldier shot two civilians when the safety catch on his gun is said to have failed, causing a bullet to hit a cocktail waiter in the calf as well as a railway worker. The French President was in the middle of

his first speech at the high-speed rail when the bizarre incident occurred. The shooting is said

to have occurred as the sniper, posted 300 feet away from Hollande, was re-positioning himself.

The gunshots interrupted him, before he said: “I hope everything is alright.” A 20-year-old waiter is said to have been stood in the sidelines near a marquee when a bullet hit him in

the calf. The gun in question is said to have been fired from a soldier serving with a special platoon, in charge of the protection of the gendarmerie. Local press said the soldier wasn’t able to control his gun, and colleagues saw him jumping on the spot before taking refuge in a kitchen where cocktails were being prepared. A video captures the moment the bullet is shot.

The President pauses, looking over to the area from where the sound came from, and then continues his speech.

The accident happened in Villognon, western France, as the head of state opened the new highspeed train line between Paris and Bordeaux. According to an initial enquiry, the soldier had left the safety catch off his service revolver and the gun went off my mistake.

reportedly executed a large number of high-level government officials.

RAF takes uniform step for trans recruits

THE RAF has banned servicewomen from wearing skirts on parade so that transgender personnel don’t feel excluded. The MoD has taken the stance on uniform after an increase in trans recruits and it hopes that the move will show it is a “modern” and “inclusive” force. However, the decision has been slammed by servicewomen as political correctness gone “mad”. Under the new plans, women will be ordered to wear trousers on parades, on barracks and during public events, reports the Sun. It is believed the ban was discussed at a meeting of RAF top brass, but the ban has yet to be enforced. An RAF source said: “It’s about including people and encouraging diversity.” One furious servicewoman fumed: “Everyone’s livid. We’ve been wearing skirts since World War II. It feels like political correctness. The world’s going mad.” While Colonel Richard Kemp, former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, also slammed the ban. He told the Sun: “There are obviously too many people in the RAF with too little to do if they have time to agonise over whether or not women should wear skirts in ceremonial uniform.”

Spain set to reverse its population crisis

SPAIN has created a new position to help more people fall pregnant with a ‘sex tsar’ appointed to reverse the country’s population crisis. Edelmira Barreria Diz, a senator in the Galician parliament, has been brought in after Spain last year recorded a lower number of births than deaths for the first time since the early 1940s. The demographic expert is also tasked with reversing a trend that has seen births in the country fall 18 per cent since 2008. She has been appointed as head of the commission for demographics by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, according to The Local Spain. ABC reported Spain’s education ministry as saying the slowing birth-rate “aggravates other economic imbalances and generates important impacts in the Welfare State”. In 2013, it was reported that Spain’s population had fallen because of the eurozone crisis. The number of residents fell by 206,000 to

47.1million in that year, the National Statistics Institute said.

The Local reports that the number

of childless couples tripled from 1.5million to 4.4million between 1977 and 2015. Spain’s fertility rate of 1.32 children in 2014 was among the lowest in Europe.

,VVXH

,V WKLV QHZO\ GLVFRYHUHG VRODU V

)25 FHQWXULHV LW KDV EHHQ RQH RI WKH PRVW YH[LQJ P\VWHULHV IRU PDQNLQG DUH ZH WKH VHYHQ ELOOLRQ LQKDELWDQWV RI WKLV ZRQGURXV EOXH SODQHW UHDOO\ DORQH RU LV WKHUH OLIH VRPHZKHUH RXW WKHUH LQ WKH XQLYHUVH" :H KDYH ODWHO\ FRPH D VWHS FORVHU WR DQVZHULQJ WKDW WDQWDOLVLQJ TXHVWLRQ ZLWK WKH ODQGPDUN DQQRXQFHPHQW E\ 1DVD VFLHQWLVWV RI WKH GLVFRYHU\ RI D QHZ VRODU V\VWHP WKDW KDV DW OHDVW WKUHH (DUWK OLNH SODQHWV ² ZLWK FOLPDWHV WKDW MXVW PLJKW VXSSRUW OLIH 7KH NLQG RI SODQHWV WKDW D FHUWDLQ (7 PLJKW KDYH FDOOHG KRPH 7KH GLVFRYHU\ E\ DQ LQWHUQDWLRQDO WHDP XVLQJ DGYDQFHG WHOHVFRSHV LQ VSDFH DQG DW IDU IOXQJ ORFDWLRQV DURXQG WKH ZRUOG KDV FDXVHG D IUHQ]\ RI H[FLWHPHQW DPRQJ DVWURQRPHUV ZKR DV D EUHHG DUH QRW JLYHQ WR K\SHUEROH +RZHYHU LW LV EHLQJ GHVFULEHG DV WKH µKRO\ JUDLO¶ IRU UHVHDUFKHUV 7KH LQWULJXLQJ QHZ SODQHWV

DUH FRPSDUDWLYHO\ QHDU QHLJKERXUV WRR DW MXVW OLJKW \HDUV IURP (DUWK *UDQWHG OLJKW \HDUV WULOOLRQ PLOHV LV KDUGO\ D VKRUW KRS %XW WKDW UHODWLYH SUR[LPLW\ ZLOO HQDEOH DVWURQRPHUV ZLWK XOWUDVRSKLVWLFDWHG WHOHVFRSHV DQG VFDQQHUV WR IRFXV RQ WKH SODQHWV DQG FRQILUP LI WKHUH LV ZDWHU DQG WKH EHQLJQ DWPRVSKHUH QHHGHG IRU OLIH WR WKULYH 7KRPDV =XUEXFKHQ DVVRFLDWH DGPLQLVWUDWRU RI 1DVD¶V 6FLHQFH 0LVVLRQ 'LUHFWRUDWH LQ :DVKLQJWRQ '& VDLG ³7KHVH TXHVWLRQV DERXW DUH ZH DORQH DUH EHLQJ DQVZHUHG DV ZH VSHDN LQ WKLV GHFDGH DQG WKH QH[W GHFDGHV 7KLV VWRU\ JLYHV XV D KLQW WKDW ILQGLQJ D VHFRQG (DUWK LV QRW MXVW D PDWWHU RI LI EXW ZKHQ ´ 6FLHQWLVWV KDYH ORQJ VSHFXODWHG WKDW OLIH VXSSRUWLQJ SODQHWV PXVW H[LVW VRPHZKHUH LQ WKH XQLYHUVH EXW QRQH KDV HYHU \HW EHHQ FRQILUPHG DV SRWHQWLDOO\ OLIH VXVWDLQLQJ 1RZ DVWURQRPHUV VD\ WKH\ KDYH GHWHFWHG QR OHVV WKDQ VHYHQ (DUWK VL]HG ZRUOGV RUELWLQJ D UHG GZDUI VWDU ² WKH HTXLYDOHQW RI RXU VXQ ² FDOOHG 75$33,67 7KH VHYHQ SODQHWV DUH EHOLHYHG WR EH DW OHDVW D ELOOLRQ \HDUV ROG DQG LQ WKHRU\ DOO FRXOG KDYH ODNHV DQG RFHDQV %XW WKUHH DUH WRR FORVH WR WKH VWDU DQG WKHUHIRUH OLNHO\ WR EH WRR KRW WR KDYH ZDWHU ZKLOH WKH IXUWKHUPRVW SODQHW LV WRR FROG ,W LV WKH WKUHH SODQHWV LQ WKH PLGGOH QDPHG 75$33,67 µH¶ µI¶ DQG µJ¶ WKDW DUH JHQHUDWLQJ WKH PRVW LQWHUHVW DV WKH\ OLH LQ ZKDW LV NQRZQ DV WKH KDELWDEOH µ*ROGLORFNV =RQH¶ ² QHLWKHU WRR KRW QRU WRR FROG IRU OLIH WR WKULYH 7KH VXUIDFH WHPSHUDWXUHV UDQJH IURP ]HUR WR F VR ZDWHU ZRQ¶W ERLO RII DV YDSRXU ,Q DGGLWLRQ SODQHW µH¶ LV YHU\ FORVH LQ VL]H WR (DUWK DQG UHFHLYHV DERXW WKH VDPH OHYHO RI OLJKW IURP LWV VWDU 3ODQHW µI¶ LV SRWHQWLDOO\ ZDWHUULFK DQG JHWV DERXW WKH VDPH DPRXQW RI OLJKW DV 0DUV 3ODQHW µJ¶ LV WKH ODUJHVW LWV UDGLXV LV DERXW SHU FHQW ODUJHU WKDQ (DUWK¶V 0HDVXUHPHQWV RI WKH SODQHWV¶ GHQVLW\ VXJJHVW WKH LQQHUPRVW VL[ DUH URFN\ WRR MXVW OLNH (DUWK 1R RWKHU NQRZQ VWDU V\VWHP FRQWDLQV VXFK D ODUJH QXPEHU RI (DUWK VL]HG DQG SUREDEO\ URFN\ SODQHWV DQRWKHU IDFWRU LQ HQFRXUDJLQJ

OLIH WR IRUP 7KH UHVHDUFK SXEOLVKHG LQ WKH MRXUQDO 1DWXUH ZDV OHG E\ WKH 67$5 ,QVWLWXWH DW WKH 8QLYHUVLW\ RI /LHJH LQ %HOJLXP ,W XVHG 1DVD¶V RUELWLQJ 6SLW]HU 6SDFH 7HOHVFRSH LQ DGGLWLRQ WR JURXQG EDVHG IDFLOLWLHV LQFOXGLQJ WKH /LYHUSRRO 7HOHVFRSH RSHUDWHG E\ WKH /LYHUSRRO -RKQ 0RRUHV 8QLYHUVLW\ /-08

$VWURSK\VLFV 5HVHDUFK ,QVWLWXWH $5,

'U &KULV &RSSHUZKHDW DQ DVWURQRPHU IURP /-08 ZKR FROHG WKH LQWHUQDWLRQDO WHDP VD\V µ7KH GLVFRYHU\ RI PXOWLSOH URFN\ SODQHWV ZLWK VXUIDFH WHPSHUDWXUHV WKDW DOORZ IRU OLTXLG ZDWHU PDNH WKLV DPD]LQJ V\VWHP DQ H[FLWLQJ IXWXUH WDUJHW LQ WKH VHDUFK IRU OLIH ¶ ,Q IDFW LW ZDV WKH URERWLF WHOHVFRSH RSHUDWHG E\ /-08 WKDW SOD\HG D PDMRU UROH LQ WKH GLVFRYHU\ /RFDWHG RQ /D 3DOPD LQ WKH &DQDU\ ,VODQGV LW GHWHFWV SODQHWV XVLQJ WKH µWUDQVLW¶ PHWKRG ,W PRQLWRUV GLSV LQ WKH OLJKW RXWSXW RI D VWDU ² LQ WKLV FDVH

75$33,67 ² FDXVHG E\ SODQHWV LW DUH ZDUPHG JHQWO\ GHVSLWH KDYLQJ SDVVLQJ RU WUDQVLWLQJ LQ IURQW RI LW DQG RUELWV WKDW DUH PXFK VPDOOHU WKDQ WKDW DOORZV DVWURQRPHUV WR LQIHU LQIRUPDWLRQ RI 0HUFXU\ WKH SODQHW FORVHVW WR WKH 6XQ LQ RXU VRODU V\VWHP 7KH WKUHH PRVW SURPLVLQJ SODQHWV UHFHLYH VLPLODU DPRXQWV RI VRODU HQHUJ\ WR 9HQXV (DUWK DQG 0DUV DQG 1DVD¶V +XEEOH 6SDFH 7HOHVFRSH LV DOUHDG\ VHDUFKLQJ IRU DWPRVSKHUHV DURXQG WKHP 6RPH VFLHQWLVWV DUH SUHGLFWLQJ ZH ZLOO NQRZ ZLWKLQ D GHFDGH LI DQ\ RI WKH SODQHWV KDUERXU OLIH $QG LI WKHUH DUH OLIH IRUPV DERXW VL]H FRPSRVLWLRQ DQG RUELWV WKH\ ZLOO KDYH KDG PXFK ORQJHU WR HYROYH 75$33,67 LV LQ WKH FRQVWHOODWLRQ RI WKDQ ZH KDYH RQ (DUWK ² WKDQNV WR WKHLU $TXDULXV SHUKDSV DSSURSULDWHO\ WKH UHODWLYHO\ ORZ WHPSHUDWXUH GZDUI VWDUV µZDWHU FDUULHU¶ ,W LV YHU\ VPDOO IRU D VWDU VXFK DV 75$33,67 EXUQ WKURXJK WKHLU ² LWV PDVV LV OHVV WKDQ D WHQWK RI RXU VXSSO\ RI K\GURJHQ OHVV UDSLGO\ WKDQ 6XQ¶V DQG RQO\ PDUJLQDOO\ ELJJHU WKDQ VWDUV VXFK DV WKH 6XQ :KLOH WKH 6XQ -XSLWHU ,W LV GHVFULEHG DV D µTXLHW¶ VWDU KDV DQ HVWLPDWHG OLIHWLPH RI WHQ ELOOLRQ HPLWWLQJ VRPH VRODU IODUHV EXW QRW VWURQJ \HDUV GZDUI VWDUV PD\ H[LVW IRU WULOOLRQV HQRXJK WR ZLSH RXW OLIH ,W LV EHFDXVH $V ZHOO DV IRFXVLQJ RQ WKH QHZ VRODU WKH VWDU LV VR GLP WKDW WKH SODQHWV RUELWLQJ V\VWHP WKH LQWHUQDWLRQDO WHDP RI

0DU 0DU

V\VWHP SURRI ZH·UH QRW DORQH"

DVWURQRPHUV ZLOO JR RQ WR VHDUFK RI WKH QHDUHVW XOWUD FRRO GZDUI VWDUV WR (DUWK LQ WKH KRSH RI LGHQWLI\LQJ PRUH (DUWK OLNH SODQHWV LQ QHZ VRODU V\VWHPV ,QGHHG H[SHUWV DW 1DVD¶V 6FLHQFH 0LVVLRQ GLUHFWRUDWH VD\ WKH SURMHFW LV LQ WKH µJROG UXVK¶ SKDVH 'U (PPDQXHO -HKLQ DQRWKHU PHPEHU RI WKH /LHJH WHDP VD\V ³:LWK WKH XSFRPLQJ JHQHUDWLRQ RI WHOHVFRSHV VXFK DV WKH (XURSHDQ ([WUHPHO\ /DUJH 7HOHVFRSH DQG 1DVD¶V -DPHV :HEE 6SDFH 7HOHVFRSH ZH ZLOO VRRQ EH DEOH WR VHDUFK IRU ZDWHU DQG SHUKDSV HYHQ HYLGHQFH RI OLIH RQ WKHVH ZRUOGV ¶ 7KRXJK DOO VHYHQ SODQHWV FRXOG KDYH OLTXLG ZDWHU WKUHH RI WKHP H I J KDYH WKH ULJKW DWPRVSKHULF FRQGLWLRQV WR KROG RFHDQV RI ZDWHU DW WKHLU VXUIDFH 7KHVH RFHDQV PD\ KDYH DOUHDG\ HYROYHG OLIH WKRXJK FRDXWKRU 'U $PDXU\ 7ULDXG WROG 0DLO2QOLQH WKDW WKH UHVHDUFKHUV FDQQRW

H[LVWHG VR IDU ZKLFK LV DUJXDEO\ HQRXJK WLPH IRU OLIH WR HYROYH ´ 7KH DQQRXQFHPHQW \HVWHUGD\ SURPSWV DQRWKHU LQWULJXLQJ DQG PXFK GHEDWHG TXHVWLRQ LI WKHUH LV LQWHOOLJHQW DOLHQ OLIH RQ D SODQHW RUELWLQJ 75$33,67 ZK\ KDVQ¶W LW PDGH WKH HIIRUW WR JHW LQ WRXFK ZLWK XV RU HYHQ FRPH YLVLWLQJ" 7KLV LV HVSHFLDOO\ SHUWLQHQW LI WKH DOLHQV WKHUH KDYH KDG DQ HYROXWLRQDU\ KHDG VWDUW RQ XV ODVWLQJ ELOOLRQV RI \HDUV 7KLV LV WKH IDPRXV FRQXQGUXP GXEEHG WKH µ)HUPL 3DUDGR[¶ %DFN LQ WKH )RUWLHV WKH UHQRZQHG ,WDOLDQ SK\VLFLVW (QULFR )HUPL VXJJHVWHG WKDW ZLWK ELOOLRQ VWDUV LQ RXU JDOD[\ LW ZDV ORJLFDOO\ LQHYLWDEOH WKDW LQWHOOLJHQW OLIH VKRXOG KDYH HYROYHG HOVHZKHUH LQ WKH XQLYHUVH :KDW¶V PRUH KH DGGHG D KLJKO\ HYROYHG H[WUD WHUUHVWULDO OLIHIRUP VKRXOG VXUHO\ KDYH FRORQLVHG WKH JDOD[\ E\ QRZ 6R )HUPL DVNHG ZKHUH DUH DOO

SRVVLEO\ NQRZ DW ZKDW VWDJH WKLV OLIH OHDG DXWKRU 'U 0LFKDHO *LOORQ VDLG PLJKW EH ³:H RQO\ NQRZ WKH VWDU LV ROGHU ³7KH SUHVHQFH RI PHWKDQH ZDWHU WKDQ KDOI D ELOOLRQ \HDUV DQG OLNHO\ WKH R[\JHQ DQG FDUERQ GLR[LGH DUH DOO VWURQJ LQGLFDWRUV ´ 7KH WHDP VD\ WKDW WKH\ ZLOO NQRZ LI ELRORJLFDO OLIH H[LVWV RQ WKH SODQHW ZLWKLQ D GHFDGH :KLOH WKH 7UDSSLVW VWDU LV QRW \RXQJ DW KDOI D ELOOLRQ \HDUV ROG WKH V\VWHP LV EXUQLQJ WKURXJK LWV K\GURJHQ UHVHUYHV DW D VORZ SDFH $VWURQRPHU 3URIHVVRU ,JQDV 6QHOOHQ RI WKH 1HWKHUODQGV¶V /HLGHQ 8QLYHUVLW\ QRW LQYROYHG LQ WKH VWXG\ SODQHWV DUH WRR VR IDU ZH GR QRW NQRZ LI FODLPV WKDW WKH V\VWHP KDV JUHDW WKHUH LV OLTXLG ZDWHU DQG HYHQ OHVV LI SRWHQWLDO IRU HYROYLQJ OLIH LQ WKH IXWXUH WKHUH LV OLIH ´ KH VDLG 7KH WHDP KDYH ³,Q D IHZ ELOOLRQ \HDUV ZKHQ WKH VXQ DOUHDG\ EHJXQ XVLQJ ODUJHU WHOHVFRSHV KDV UXQ RXW RI IXHO DQG WKH VRODU V\VWHP SRVLWLRQHG DFURVV WKH JOREH WR VHDUFK KDV FHDVHG WR H[LVW 7UDSSLVW ZLOO VWLOO WKH DWPRVSKHUHV RI WKH SODQHWV IRU EH RQO\ DQ LQIDQW VWDU ´ VKH ZULWHV LQ D VLJQV RI OLIH ³6HYHUDO GLIIHUHQW 1DWXUH 1HZV DQG 9LHZV DUWLFOH ³,W EXUQV PROHFXOHV DQG UHODWLYH PDNH XSV RI K\GURJHQ VR VORZO\ WKDW LW ZLOO OLYH IRU DWPRVSKHUH ZLOO DOORZ XV WR FRQFOXGH DQRWKHU WULOOLRQ \HDUV PRUH WKDQ WKDW WKHUH LV ELRORJLFDO OLIH SUHVHQW ´ WLPHV ORQJHU WKDQ WKH XQLYHUVH KDV

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µ1XFOHDU 3XOVH 3URSXOVLRQ¶ ZRXOG QRW LQYROYH GHWRQDWLQJ QXFOHDU ZHDSRQV RQ WKH VSDFHFUDIW ² D ORQJ VKLS ZRXOG EH ILWWHG ZLWK D ODUJHU SXVKHU SODWH :HDSRQV FRXOG EH GHWRQDWHG D VDIH GLVWDQFH EHKLQG WKH FUDIW VR WKDW WKH SXVKHU SODWH FRXOG FDWFK WKH VKRFN ZDYH

Issue 709 (22)

Alia’s extortionist arrested in Lucknow

A JOINT team of the Mumbai Police and the UP STF on Thursday arrested one Sandeep Sahu, the alleged gang member’ of jailed mafia don Babloo Srivastava, for seeking extortion money from film director Mahesh Bhatt. Sahu was arrested in Lucknow from the Ashaiana locality on Thursday afternoon.

SSP STF Amit Pathak said, “On Wednesday, we received a call from senior officials of the Mumbai Police regarding an extortion call to Mahesh Bhatt.

The caller demanded `50 lakh and also threatened to kill Alia Bhatt and her mother Soni Razdan, in case his demand was turned down.” Following the information, a joint team of UP STF and Mumbai Police laid a trap and successfully nabbed the accused. “He posed to be a close associate of Bablu Srivastava. However, during interrogation he revealed that does not know him and made the extortion plan go get rid of his debts”, Pathak further informed. According to Pathak, Sahu — a class-8 dropout — had been working at garment shops, collection agencies, etc., before setting up his mind to start his own business. “In 2015, he took a loan of `7 lakh from his relatives to start his own shop. However, the business incurred heavy losses.

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

Protective gear for CRPF men in J&K AFTER a winter spell of stonepelting, security forces in Kashmir Valley are gearing up for a second round of unrest in the summer. Intelligence agencies anticipate an increase in cross-LoC infiltration as well as a spike in local law and order problems. But coming to the soldiers’ aid are not just their weapons but also indigenously made body protectors to keep sticks and stones at bay. Even as Kashmir battled a bitter winter, the Central Reserve Police Force shopped for “bloody summer months”. The list includes 20,000 full-body protectors, 3,000 polycarbonate shields, improved helmets, tear-smoke protectors and modified pellet guns. Till last year, the CRPF men only had foam-based chest protectors and leg guards. Now, an ordnance factory has designed the new body protectors. The specifications for the armour include protection from stone-pelting, knife and acid attacks, special resistant qualities to deal with Molotov cocktails and fire projectiles. About 70,000 of its personnel are stationed in J&K. A soldier posted in Tral of the state’s Pulwama district said, “The body protectors give us better protection against stones and renewed confidence.”

Sweating, as he donned the uniform, the soldier said, “The weight is not so much of an issue, as protection is. There are perforations in the uniform to make it breathable.” “The body suits will improve our visibility,” said another soldier who served in Srinagar in 2010 and faced the first bouts of stonepelting. “Our response will be better and use of force will be less.” While the CRPF has found criticism over the use of pellet guns, it has faced the wrath of the stone-throwers as well. Around 2,400 of its personnel were injured in stone-pelting incidents last year and the force is going all out to protect its men this summer. Most of the injuries were to the head. This year the CRPF has introduced improved helmets to protect the men. The full-body armour will include a chest protector, elbow pad, shin guard, upper arm protector, shoulder pad to secure shoulders and neck, groin protector, forearm guard and thigh guard. Apart from medical treatment to soldiers, the home ministry will provide `2,500 for minor injuries and `7,500 for grievous injuries to CRPF personnel hurt during stonepelting in Kashmir.

After techie, bizman shot dead in US A 43-YEAR-OLD Indian-origin store owner in the US was shot dead outside his home, just days after an Indian engineer was killed in Kansas in a hate crime shooting that had sent shockwaves across the country.

Harnish Patel, the owner of a convenience store in Lancaster County, South Carolina, was found dead of gunshot wounds in the front yard of his home on Thursday, coroner and police officials said.

Patel closed his store and drove in his silver minivan to his nearby home where authorities believe he was confronted by his killer. The store is about 6km from his house, The Herald reported. He had locked up his nearby store less than 10 minutes before he was found dead, police said. Patel was found in the yard a few minutes before midnight, according to a statement from the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office.

Lancaster County police received calls at 11.33pm after people called 911 to say that they heard screaming and

gunshots. Sheriff Barry Faile said the Indian ethnicity of Patel does not appear to be a factor in the crime. “I don’t have any reason to believe that this was racially motivated,” Faile said.

Friends and customers were in shock and were visiting Patel’s home to offer condolences to his

family. “Who would do anything like this to him, as good as he is to everybody, Nicole Jones,” a frequent customer at Patel’s store, told WBTV. Jones and other friends said Patel was not always worried about the bottom line of his business. “If you didn’t have the money, he’d let people have food,” Jones said. Mario Sadler, another customer and friend, said Patel had offered him jobs before, and did anything he could to help out in tough times.

“He’s watched my kids grow up, which is why it’s painful. From day one he’s been amazing, just awesome, and I just don’t understand the sense behind it,” Sadler said. Dilipkumar Gajjar, a close friend of Patel and the owner the ABC store next to the Speedee Mart, said Patel came over to this country to better his family’s life, and did that. Patel’s death comes close on the heels of the shooting in Kansas of a 32- year-old Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who was killed when 51-year-old US Navy veteran Adam Purinton opened fire at him and his friend Alok Madasani at a bar before yelling get out of my country. The shooting last month had sent shockwaves across the IndianAmerican community with people expressing concerns over their safety in an enviornment of xenophobic and racist rhetoric in the country. US President Donald Trump had condemned the Kansas shooting. He had said America stands united in condemning hate and evil in all forms.

Issue 709 (23)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

BOMB-PROOF AND ARMED WITH TEAR GAS, HIS 1.9m $ ‘BEAST’ CAR

Inside view of Trump’s armoured car

IT IS known as Cadillac One and ‘The Beast’ or, as President Trump now calls it, his personal limousine service. These pictures show the brand new incarnation of the President’s official vehicle undergoing final testing before it is delivered to the White House. The sedan is longer than two large SUVs and, for the moment, remains in white and black camouflage designed to make it more difficult to identify new features aboard the vehicle. The final version will be painted black and silver just like the current version, once it is given the final approval. General Motors, which reportedly made the vehicle, had hoped for it to be ready for Mr Trump’s inauguration in January but it will now be deployed later this month. This is arguably the safest vehicle in the world, as befits the President of the US. The Beast weighs eight tonnes and has eightinch thick steel doors that weigh the same as those on a Boeing 757 - and are sealed to withstand biological and chemical attacks. The front windscreen can withstand armour piercing bullets or a .44 magnum and the bodywork is military grade and five inches thick. The reinforced undercarriage with withstand going over a roadside bomb and the fuel tank is explosive resistant. Only the driver’s side window can open in case he

needs to pay a toll - and in the boot are cases of the President’s blood for an emergency transfusion. Among the other features are shotguns on board in case an attack breaks out, Kevlar tyres that run even if they are flat and an oxygen system in the trunk in case of a chemical attack. A number of guns are hidden in the front grille of the vehicle which can be used to fire on an attacker. The Beast also has night vision cameras on board and appears to run on

diesel due to the oversized rectangular fuel filler door. The Beast is not the only hi-tech vehicle in the Presidential fleet. Among the motorcade is the President’s own communications antenna a mobile cellphone tower strapped to the top of a car in his motorcade. And always nearby is the military aide carrying the ‘Nuclear Football’, which is the briefcase which stores instructions in case of a military attack. One of the few times The Beast

has broken down was in 2013 when a driver put the wrong fuel into it while on a trip to Israel. The embarrassing blunder left the Secret Service scrambling to find a vehicle that could take President Obama around Tel Aviv. He was not on board at the time.

Obama’s staff had anticipated every eventuality with The Beast and had bought generators and backup equipment but they did not count on such a basic human error.

A MAN who has a massive 33- pound tumour growing from his face has turned down offers to join a ‘freak show’. Huang Chuncai, 39, is known as ‘China’s Elephant Man’ and has been the subject of medical studies and documentaries over the years. Doctors have diagnosed him with neurofibromatosis - the name for a number of genetic conditions that cause swellings or lumps. And he is believed to be suffering from the world’s worst known case of the condition, experts say. Despite having had four attempts to remove the enormous growth, he still has the huge growth on his face. His first surgery was in 2007, but he has undergone three more in recent years through the help of donations. The procedures helped to reduce what was and still is the record for the world’s biggest facial tumour. But his appearance still stops him from venturing out into public.

Local reports suggest that his growths

from a rural area of central China, was just four years old. Endless ridicule from other children caused him to drop out after just a few years in education.

He now lives with his parents and siblings, who have become accustomed to his appearance.

Despite his nickname, Huang does not suffer from the disorder associated with the original Elephant Man, Joseph Merrick. Merrick was thought to have had Proteus syndrome - a condition which involves symptoms such as abnormal growth of the bones, skin and head. Neurofibromatosis is the name for a number of genetic conditions that cause swellings or lumps.

The curious case of China’s Elephant Man

appear to be slowly developing once more. But for the moment he is able to lead a relatively normal life and has continued to decline offers to show him off as some sort of ‘monster’. He first developed a facial tumour when Huang,

Issue 709 (24)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

You play the role of a peacekeeper, mediator and diplomat this week.

Business partnerships and collaborations are gainful but sensitive. You can handle two or more situations simultaneously. You are sensitive and vulnerable yet display courage and intelligence to face blocks and come out of difficulties looking good and commanding respect. New situations, people and developments can throw you off easily. Maintain your good looks and svelte shape with self-control and a harmonious lifestyle. Listing priorities this week helps you to recognize qualities of worth and substance in people and situations.

You have worked hard, grown spiritually and built a sound foundation, which leads to success and |good fortune in the world outside. There is a protective aura and light around you as you move through different aspects of life and a variety of experiences. Be aware when shopping or celebrating, as you tend to go over the top. A wonderful professional opportunity takes you towards success and fame. Your associates prove their loyalty by supporting you in a crisis. Being light and playful and remaining in touch with your sense of humour is important and brings peace, harmony and success.

You tend to bring up the past and feel sad about relationships that have been painful, be aware. A family conflict is resolved with the help of a loved one. New feelings and opportunities may surprise you. A business project is completed with support and cooperation from your staff and associates. Perseverance brings success.

This is a time of maturity and coming into your own.

You have lost some of your strength, sense of humour and spontaneity, which needs to be regained by taking a break from routines and patterns. Meditation and Yoga can take you through elevating and transforming experiences.

The week starts on an auspicious note to bring some happy energy in the home and family. Listen to your heart rather than your head for the right answers. You are intense and emotional in personal relationships and secretive about business plans this week.

Deep feelings in personal relationships are shared and expressed. Spend quality time with family and close friends. Personal relationships have a lot of passion and energy, which is exciting. However, avoid discussion to sort out differences rather have a loving and accepting approach.

Your heart remains subtle while expressing feelings in relationships this week. A secret is revealed and most people express shock, but you take it in your stride.

Love and friendship bring relationships together while over analysis and negative thinking pulls them asunder. You can deplete energy and resources by procrastinating and thinking negatively - be aware. You need to be clear about personal situations and your own priorities so you can make the right moves. Spend quality time with friends and discover valuable insights about love, friendship and freedom.

You make important professional decisions in the work area with your experience, wisdom and understanding. Prepare well, do your homework and then share it with the world around you. You may have to be the guiding spirit behind several people and projects in the work area. An important decision can affect your future happiness and loving relationship. It’s best to share and communicate with your partner rather than deal with everything yourself. It’s time to lighten up and be joyous rather than remain serious and heavy.

It’s best to keep plans, ideas and feelings to yourself for a time and draw inspiration from within this week. Personal relationships are relaxed and easy and reflect your inner state of peace. Forget about making headlines or being in the limelight as working behind the scenes is more gainful and satisfying at this point. Time spent alone in natural surroundings is therapeutic. Your social life can be tiring. You can trust a friend who is ready to support you through good and bad times. A chance to change residence or job may be considered, but best not discussed with too many people.

You are youthful but need to relax and avoid stress, tension and over indulgence. Don’t make unstable efforts against powerful opposition to achieve your goals. Since you vacillate between energetic endeavors and laid back attitudes there are mixed feelings of success and failure. You realize that you cannot control or plan too much as the unexpected usually happens to change things. Go with the flow and allow life to take you where it has to.

This is the time for living your life without compromise and being open to transformation processes on all levels of consciousness.

Your brilliance shines through as you manage and juggle busy schedules and different aspects with ease and élan this week. You achieve professional success and invite respect and trust from others. You are not beyond making an error of judgment under stress so relax and unwind before taking important decisions. Travel and change bring balance, gain and stability in business as new opportunities come unexpectedly. You are the special star in someone’s life and receive much attention from him or her.

It is important to remain integrated, as there is so much happening in your life at this point. You tend to isolate yourself and hide from your own pain, as you want to maintain a facade of being normal and happy. Let go pain and sadness you may have been suppressing and allow the tears to flow.

This is the beginning of a progressive cycle with an increase in material wealth and enhancement of spiritual growth. Honesty in money transactions can be expected. This is a good time to let go the past and make a new beginning rather than feel stuck with old issues.

Practical details and earthy matters are well organized to meet personal requirements and business targets this week.

You can achieve a lot in business and professional aspects by combining creativity with practicality. A father figure earns your respect and confidence. Be persistent and caring in personal relationships to make an impact on the one you love and admire. You learn a lesson from a strong experience that touches you deeply. You can trust your intuition about people and situations when called upon to mediate in conflicts and collaborations.

You are blessed with happiness in personal relationships and family situations this week. You are about to achieve a heart’s desire and can plan for some changes in your life. Gain and creativity at work are satisfying. Trust your intuition and feelings about friends and associates. Personal relationships are supportive with a promising future. Children are demanding and play significant roles in your life. You spend time with a good friend at a time of need. A personal meeting may lead to romance and commitment sometime in the future.

Issue 709 (25)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

Technology Facebook launches ‘disputed’ tag to crack down on fake news

New York Social media giant Facebook has launched its much hyped “fake news” crackdown initiative in the US, tagging as “disputed” the stories that are deemed false by fact checking organisations, the media reported on Sunday.

The new feature uses nonpartisan third-party organisations like Snopes and Politifact to assess the factual accuracy of stories reported as fake by users. On its help centre page, Facebook has added a question “How is news marked as

disputed on Facebook?”

However, the section noted that this feature is not yet available to everyone.

It is unclear how many people currently have access to the “fake news” debunking feature, rt.com reported.

The new tool was first revealed by users on Twitter, who shared screenshots which identified links to sites known to produce misinformation.

Facebook had introduced a solution to false stories last December amid outcries that so-

Gmail to support up to 50MB files in mail, but send limit still restricted to 25MB

Gmail, one of the most popular and widely used email services in the world has long since restricted its emailing service from sharing media files of over

a particular limit. The limit has been 25 MB for a very long time.

For files larger than 25 MB, users had to use third party sharing websites or share their files over cloud. It was indeed a hassle and a difficulty. This same limit was applicable to both, sending and receiving files. If someone tried to email files to you over 25 MB, the email would not reach your account. However, the email sending app has

now decided to up the limit for files that are received. the limit has directly been doubled from the previous 25 MB to 50 MB. While the news is definitely good for Gmail users, it comes with a major catch. Users will only be able to receive files that are up to 50 MB, this means they cannot send these files. So, only if a user decides to share the files through some other client, then the receiver will be able to download the 50 MB attachments. The change has not yet been implemented across all Gmail accounts and it will be rolled out slowly to all Gmail clients.

However, there is no word on whether the limit will be extended to even sending through Gmail. It will definitely be a welcome move if Google decides to increase the sending limit from the present 25 MB to 50 MB too.

called fake news influenced the outcome of the US presidential election.

Thus, the technology giant partnered with fact checkers that are signatories of the journalism non-profit Poynter‘s International Fact Checking Code of Principles and included ABC News, FactCheck.org,Snopes and Politifact, the report said.

Stories flagged

by Facebook users as ‘fake news‘ are passed on to these fact checkers for verification. If the fact-checkers agree that the story is misleading, it will appear in News Feeds with a “disputed” tag, along with a link to a corresponding article explaining why it might be false.

These posts then appear lower in the news feed and users will receive a warning before sharing the story.

Similar efforts are planned in Europe amid threats from the European Union to reduce on the spread of misinformation. The social networking site recently revealed fact checking partnerships in Germany and France ahead of respective elections in each country.

Facebook may broadcast original shows soon

New York After the success of its Facebook Live feature, Facebook is looking for original TV-like programmes from various genres and may pay hefty amount for it, a media report said.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal on Friday, Facebook was interested in original content from a slew of different genres, from sports to science.

Other categories include pop culture, lifestyle, gaming and teens.

Facebook may go for weekly series and shows that last around 30 minutes.

The social networking giant was willing to pay for the content and could offer in the low- to mid-six-figure range per episode for scripted content.

The report also pointed out that Facebook was staying away from hard news after it faced criticisms during the presidential campaign for allegedly favouring liberal content over conservative content in its news feed and was mired in fake news controversy.

Over the few months, Facebook has rolled out a number of initiatives, including promoting news literacy and developing additional tools to “curb news hoaxes.”

Instagram unveils full-screen ads in ‘Stories’ feature globally San Francisco Popular photo-sharing app Instagram on Thursday announced it will make available immersive, full-screen ads in its “Stories” feature for all businesses globally.

In January, Instagram announced ads coming to ‘Stories‘. Ads in ‘Stories‘ help businesses use targeting and reach capabilities that make ads personally relevant to the people they want to reach.

“Today, businesses of every size around the world can start running ads in Stories through the Marketing API, Power Editor and Ads Manager optimised for reach,” the company said in a statement.

“By optimising for reach, you can show your ads to the maximum number of people in your audience and control how often they see your ads. The reach objective for ads in Stories will ... be available

globally in the next few weeks,” it added.

In January, the photo-sharing app tested ad formats in Stories with 30 global businesses.

Online hospitality service Airbnb ran a series of 15second video ads in ‘Stories‘ to build awareness around its product launch.

“We saw a double digit point increase in ad recall from our experiences on Airbnb campaign that further justifies

our investment in ads within stories as they have made a measurable impact for us,” said Eric Toda, Global Head of Social Marketing and Content.

“Our ability to apply existing targeting and measurement in an experience to reach the right audience, in the right mindset, with the right story at scale has allowed us to achieve the results we were hoping for in a partnership with Instagram,” Toda added.

Issue 709 (26)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

Gurmehar joins probe but culprits still at large EVEN after three days of registration of the case, Delhi Police have failed to identify the two suspects, who had allegedly threatened to rape and kill Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur, following her tweet. According to senior police officials close to the investigation, the display pictures on the suspects’ account might have been changed — which is why the team is unable to identify the two suspects, who had threatened Kaur on social networking sites. They said, the accounts could also have been deactivated after the matter was highlighted. On Friday crime branch officials contacted Gurmehar. “The officials have been sending her emails and she is reverting all the queries.

She has not been contacted over phone. So far, the information provided by her seems to be fruitful,” special commissioner of police (operations), Dependra Pathak told MAIL TODAY. Kaur, the daughter of a martyr and a student of BA first year of Lady Sri Ram college has deactivated her Facebook account.

Senior officials assured that deactivation of her account won’t hamper the case. In the initial probe, it has been learnt that her twitter handle and Facebook account are

linked. Whatever she used to tweet, was shared on her Facebook wall too. When one such tweet got her into threats, Kaur approached the DCW with screenshots of the threats. Based on that, the Delhi Police registered a case by the Cyber Cell under IPC sections 354A (Sexual harassment), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 67 of IT act (transmitting obscene material in

electronic form). On Thursday, the crime branch has written an official letter to the service provider regarding the access of details of the two Facebook users who had threatened her. A senior official said they are waiting for a reply from the Facebook authority that is expected to come in next few weeks. Kaur had started the campaign “I am not afraid of ABVP”, following recent cases of campus violence. However, as the controversy grew, she withdrew it and left for Jalandhar to be with her family, requesting that she should be left alone.

Issue - 709 (27)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

Barack, Michelle Obama sign bumper book deal NEW YORK Barack and Michelle Obama have signed a deal to publish their memoirs with New York-based Penguin Random House, in a coveted contract reportedly worth tens of millions of dollars.

America’s first African American

president is already the author of two memoirs and a children’s book.He has frequently declared himself to have a “writer’s sensibility” and has said he does not want to write a conventional blow-by-blow account of his time in the White House.

Michelle Obama’s memoir is likely to be just as eagerly anticipated. A descendant of slaves, she became the first African American first lady and garnered high approval ratings to the point where she was arguably one of the country’s most respected and popular women. Penguin Random House

said in a statement it has “acquired world publication rights for two books, to be written by president and Mrs Obama respectively.”

The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but bidding for the high-profile double book deal

topped $60 million, a record sum for US presidential memoirs, according to the Financial Times. Until now, the record for a US presidential memoir was $15 million paid for Bill Clinton’s “My Life,” released in 2004.

George W. Bush received $10 million for “Decision Points” in 2010. Hillary Clinton reportedly received a $14 million advance for “Hard Choices,” her account of her time as secretary of state under Obama.

The Obama deal was negotiated

by Washington super-lawyer Robert Barnett, who represented both the Clintons and Bush.

Yahoo’s handling of hack costs chief her bonus

SAN FRANCISCO Yahoo chief executive Marissa Mayer lost an annual bonus and the company counsel his job after an investigation showed the company mishandled an epic hack, the tech firm said Wednesday. “I am the CEO of the company and since this incident happened during my tenure, I have agreed to forgo my annual bonus and my annual equity grant this year,” Mayer said in a statement made available along with a regulatory filing on the matter. She added that she has asked that her bonus “be redistributed to our company’s hardworking employees.” The investigation findings also resulted in Yahoo

general counsel Ronald Bell’s resignation on Wednesday with no severance payments, according to the filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission. An independent committee determined that Yahoo’s security team knew about the 2014 hack of user accounts when it happened, the company said in the filing. Late that year, senior executives and some legal staff were made aware that “a state-sponsored actor had accessed certain user accounts” by exploiting an account management tool.

Yahoo took some action, notifying 26 specifically targeted users and consulting with police, according to the company.

As part of the agreement, the company will donate one million books in the Obama family’s name to First Book, a charity, Penguin said.

“We are very much looking forward to working together with President and Mrs Obama to make each of their books global publishing events of unprecedented scope and significance,” said Penguin Random House CEO Markus Dohle.

The Obamas took a long vacation after Donald Trump was sworn in as president on January 20, and the former president has stuck by a pledge to keep a low public profile unless events threatening what he called America’s “core values” warranted that he speak out.

He did just that in January, just days after Trump enacted his ban on travelers from seven mostly Muslim countries, and on all refugees. Obama expressed support for protests that sprang up nationwide against the nowsuspended Trump travel ban.

Whereas US presidents tend to leave town after leaving the White House, the Obamas are settling into a rented mansion in Washington’s posh Kalorama district until their younger daughter Sasha finishes high school. Their eldest daughter Malia will be attending Harvard in the fall.

Another new neighbor in Kalorama is Trump’s daughter Ivanka, who has rented a house along with her husband Jared Kushner and their three children, near the Obamas.

Dying author writes dating profile for husband

New York An author dying of ovarian cancer has written a dating profile of her husband so he can find “another love story”. Amy Krouse Rosenthal lists his best qualities and says she hopes “the right person reads this [and] finds Jason”. “I have never been on Tinder, Bumble or eHarmony,” she writes in the New York Times. “But I’m going to create a general profile for Jason right here, based on my experience of co-existing in the same house with him for, like, 9,490 days.”

Amy is known for writing books for children, as well as memoirs about her own family and life. She and Jason have been together for almost three decades and have grown-up children. In her most recent memoir, written before her cancer diagnosis, Amy said she wanted a reader to suggest a design so she and they could get matching tattoos.

“In September, Paulette [the reader] drove down to meet me

at a Chicago tattoo parlour,” she writes in her essay.

“She got hers (her very first) on her left wrist. I got mine on the underside of my left forearm, in my daughter’s handwriting.

“This was my second tattoo; the first is a small, lowercase ‘j’ that has been on my ankle for 25 years. You can probably guess what it stands for.

“Jason has one too, but with more letters: ‘AKR.’” Towards the end of her essay, called You May Want to Marry My Husband, Amy writes: “I am wrapping this up on Valentine’s Day, and the most genuine, nonvase-oriented gift I can hope for is that the right person reads this, finds Jason, and another love story begins.

“I’ll leave this intentional empty space below as a way of giving you two the fresh start you deserve.”

There then follows a blank white space.She ends: “With all my love, Amy.”

in India. The Indian right is driven by bigotry and nativism, with no deeper guiding philosophy behind it. You will not find any

somewhat richer, maybe even influential, if I’d taken it up—but I sleep well at night now, and that’s what matters.”

Burkean conservatives here.

Don’t come.’”To which, he wrote, Bannon said, “‘Well, we think that (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi is India’s (former US president Ronald) Reagan.”In his blog, Verma writes he didn’t know what alt-right was at the time.

“Now that I know more about the alt-right, that thought is scary. I’m still glad that I didn’t explore their offer further. I could have been

Talking to Hindustan Times, Varma said he had nothing more to add to his blog. “That was a personal post, and I have nothing to add to that. I also felt mildly guilty for reporting what was a private conversation — although neither of those two would have any issues with how they came across in that. I merely reported an honest difference of worldviews.”

Trump’s aide Bannon once had plans for India

Washington As CEO of alt-right news publication Breitbart News, Steven Bannon seriously considered an Indian edition, according to an Indian writer he pitched the idea to in 2015 Amit Varma recounted the pitch in a blog he wrote on November 29, 2016, just a week after Trump was elected president.

“Exactly one year ago, on November 17, 2015, I sat opposite Steve Bannon in his NYC (New York City) office as he asked me if I’d be interested in starting Breitbart India. I had won the Bastiat Prize (a journalism award) a few days before, and a lady who was one of the founders of Brietbart, and of certain leaders in the Republican Party, got in touch with the organisers to ask if she could meet me.”Varma didn’t name the “lady” in the blog, but The Daily Beast, which first reported in it, named her as a major Trump campaign donor and an investor in Brietbart News.

Varma refused the offer. “‘It’s incongruent,’ I said. ‘There is no analog of American conservatism

Issue - 709 (28)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

Canada is haven for migrants, not Donald Trump-ruled America Champlain A taxi stops in the small town of Champlain. Loaded down with belongings, a family with two children gets out and hurries to the road’s end at a stream marking the US-Canada border.

“We are coming all the way from Jersey City,” says the father, Mohammed Ahmed. The city near New York is more than 300 miles (500 km) to the south.

Talking while walking, he and his wife explain how they left Pakistan 11 months ago after getting death threats.

“We came to the US to ask for asylum,” he said. But with new President Donald Trump’s antiimmigrant policy “we are very much scared from deportation.”

Across the New York state border in Quebec, two Canadian police officers warn them they will all be arrested for entering Canada illegally.

“It is all right,” said the father. “We just need to cross the border.”

He crosses the stream, shows his passport, and turns back to help their three-year-old daughter, then his wife who is

carrying their three-month-old baby in a pouch, cross the rockfilled water.

Conditions for making the crossing are good: It’s cold but the sun is shining, and last week’s snow has melted away.

A few minutes later the family finds itself, visibly relieved, in Canada.

The Canadian police bring them to the official border post of Lacolle, about 10 minutes away, where they will be questioned and their asylum request will be registered.

If all goes well, the family will then head to Montreal, 40 miles (65 km) north.

This week, in less than two days, more than 70 people have crossed the stream into Canada, according to a tally by AFP and local police -- among them Haitian families, Colombians and many Muslims.

A Syrian family, who lived in the United States for 18 months and whose oldest daughter was to finish high school in June, left in a hurry after Trump banned entry of nationals of seven Muslim-

majority countries, including Syria, for 90 days and barred entry by Syrian refugees indefinitely.

Trump’s January 27 order, just a week after he took office, has been blocked by the courts, but his administration is working to amend it to address the legal objections.

Melissa Beshaw, a grandmother who lives in a small house about 165 feet (50 metres) from the stream on the US side, said that “since Trump has been in office, it’s constant... It’s traffic all the time.”

“I used to get out and look” to see what was going on, she said.

“I don’t anymore because I know.”

Some migrants arrive by car to Plattsburgh, the last stop in New York state before the border. For the final 25 miles to the stream, they take a taxi, which costs them between $200 and $300, said Denise Quinte, an employee at a motel near where the cars stop.

Since early February, the motel has seen “10 to 25 people a

Secret Uber software steers drivers from stings SAN FRANCISCO Uber on Friday acknowledged the use of a secret software program to steer drivers away from trouble, including sting operations by local authorities to catch lawbreakers.In the latest in a streak of damaging news for the ridesharing giant, Uber came

forward about its “Greyball” software after a New York Times report which said the program aimed to deceive authorities in markets around the world.According to an Uber statement, the tool was used in cities where it was not banned from operating, and the main intent was to protect drivers from disruption by competitors using the smartphone application to interfere instead of summon legitimate rides.

“This program denies ride requests to fraudulent users who are violating our terms of service,” an Uber spokesperson said in an email reply to an AFP inquiry.“Whether that’s people aiming to physically harm drivers, competitors looking to disrupt our operations, or opponents who collude with officials on secret ‘stings’ meant to entrap

drivers.”Uber said the program was used in locations where drivers feared for their safety, and “rarely” to avoid law enforcement.The New York Times report, which said Greyball was used in several countries, cited interviews with current and former employees whose names

were cloaked.The report said Greyball was part of a broader program created to reveal people trying to us Uber in “violation of terms of service” and had the blessing of the company’s legal team.According to the report, the program raised ethical and potential concerns, and had been a closely guarded secret in Uber’s toolbox as it expanded around the world, clashing with regulators and traditional taxi groups. Data collected about agents of regulatory authorities was used by the software to “Greyball” them, or mark them as city officials, according to the Times.Greyballed officials trying to use Uber would have rides cancelled and be shown fake versions of the app, complete with maps showing icons of ghost cars appearing to be on the move, the report said. Tactics used

included identifying locations of government offices and then making them off-limits with “geofences” erected in mapping software, according to the Times.Ways of figuring out which users might be regulators or police included checking whether credit cards used for accounts were linked to governments or police credit unions, the report said.

“Uber clearly lost its moral compass if it ever had one,” entrepreneur and journalist John Battelle said in a Twitter post referring to the Greyball news.

The “Greyball” disclosure comes as accusations of sexism, cutthroat management, and a toxic work environment have Uber trying to pull its image out of a skid as competition revs in the on-demand ride market.

Uber chief Travis Kalanick this week apologized, acknowledging that “I must fundamentally change as a leader and grow up,” after a video showed him verbally abusing a driver for the service.

The incident, which circulated on social media, was another hit for the image of the global ridesharing giant, which faces accusations of sexual harassment and a lawsuit contending it misappropriated Google’s self-driving car technology.In the message to employees later, Kalanick wrote “To say that I am ashamed is an extreme understatement.”

Uber is one of the largest investorbacked startups with a valuation estimated at $68 billion, and has operations in dozens of countries and hundreds of cities, even as it battles regulators and an established taxi industry.

week,” she said, often heading to the border at dawn, leaving behind some belongings.

Others come directly by car from New York City and neighboring states such as Massachusetts and New Jersey.

The numbers of migrants is a trickle compared to the thousands who cross the Mediterranean each month to reach Europe.

While Canadian authorities don’t directly link the flow to Trump administration policies, they acknowledge that the number of migrants from the United States has increased since January, especially through the Quebec

border.

The trend is striking, because until now the United States has seemed welcoming to foreigners.

The banks of the border stream bear the litter of hasty crossings: water bottles, lost gloves and hats, an abandoned stroller, fragments of boarding passes -several from Arab companies -and even a cellphone.

A discarded plastic bag reveals the journey of a Sudanese couple. Inside, two soggy pages, in poor English, explain how Asma Elyas and her husband Ayman fled Sudan to avoid the female circumcision of their daughter who was born in 2014.

Kuchibhotla murder: Kansas guv says ashamed of shooting, Indians are valued

New York Indians are a valuable community of Kansas and they are welcome in the state, governor Sam Brownback has told Indian diplomats and community members in the aftermath of the killing of Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla.

“Brownback said he was ashamed of the killing of Kuchibhotla and the wounding of Alok Madasani last month and it was not characteristic of the state that valued Indians, consul general Anupam Ray told IANS over phone.

“The hateful actions of one man doesn’t define us,” Brownback said.

Ray, who is based in Houston, Texas, has jurisdiction over Kansas state.

He visited the state last week and met the governor, lieutenant governor Jeff Colyer and members of the Indian community.

The state leaders said they are available for the Indian community and will give them whatever help they need, according to Ray. Ray described as moving his

meeting on Thursday with Ian Grillot, the heroic American, who was shot while trying to stop the gunman.“I have not met a person like that in my life,” Ray said. “A very brave man, he took a bullet for another man.”

Grillot “represents the best of America,” he said.

Ray showed him the tweet by external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj that “India salutes the heroism” he has shown.

Grillot was shot while trying to stop former Navy personnel Adam Purinton, who opened fire at the two Indians after screaming “Get out of my country” .

According to news reports, the shooter later said that he thought they were Iranians.

After the shooting Consul R. D. Joshi and Vice Consul Harpal Singh from the Houston Consulate General rushed to Kansas to help Madsani and the family of Kuchibhotla.

Issue - 709 (29)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

Indian-origin Sikh attacked: Rights group Chinese villagers divorce en asks US to probe shooting as hate crime masse in bid for compensation New York A Sikh rights group has asked US authorities to investigate as a hate crime the attack on a 39year-old Sikh man amid IndianAmerican community’s safety concerns after a slew of biasrelated incidents in the country.

The Sikh man, identified as US national Deep Rai by Indian officials in New Delhi, was shot in the arm outside his home in Kent, Washington, by a partiallymasked gunman who shouted “go back to your own country”.

The gunman allegedly got into an altercation with Rai before shooting him in the arm.The Sikh Coalition, along with local community leaders, has asked local, state and federal officials to investigate this shooting as an anti-Sikh hate crime as well as to improve bias prevention laws and organise ‘Know Your Rights’ forums to build community resilience and reduce the likelihood of future hate crimes.It

said shooting in Kent, that has left Rai injured, follows the larger national pattern of hate violence directed at minority communities across the United States in the wake of the presidential election.

“Investigating this as an anti-Sikh hate crime is critical, because

without our government agencies recognising hatred for what it is, we can’t combat the problem,” said Seattle-area Sikh community leader, Jasmit Singh.

The Sikh Coalition said the SikhAmerican community, which has been an integral part of the American fabric for over 125 years, is estimated to be hundreds of times more likely to suffer hate crimes than the average American, in part due to the Sikh articles of faith, including a turban and beard, which represent the Sikh religious commitment to justice, tolerance and equality.

“While we appreciate the efforts of state and local officials to

88-yr-old woman stops rape by lying to be HIV-positive in US

Parksburg An 88-year-old Pennsylvania woman stopped an attacker from raping her by lying to him that she was HIV-positive.

“I have HIV and my husband died of it,” the woman said to the intruder who had entered her apartment, Philly.com reported.

She told WPVI-TV the man forced his way into her Parkesburg apartment on the

afternoon of Feb 17. He rifled through her purse, took $40 and was preparing to sexually assault her.

The elderly woman said she also “kicked him where it hurt him the most” before he fled.

No arrests have been made.

The robbery is unrelated to another attack in Chester County last month.

In that case, a 72-year-old woman was bound and locked inside a closet, where she wasn’t discovered for four days.

A 17-year-old boy is charged.

respond to attacks like this, we need our national leaders to make hate crime prevention a top priority,” Sikh Coalition Interim Program Manager Rajdeep Singh said in a statement here.

“Tone matters in our political discourse, because this a matter of life or death for millions of Americans who are worried about losing loved ones to hate,” he said.

Jasmit Singh said the men from his community have reported a rise in incidents of verbal abuse, “a kind of prejudice, a kind of xenophobia that is nothing that we’ve seen in the recent past.”

He said the number of incidents targeting members of the Sikh religion, are reminiscent of the aftermath of the September 11 terror attacks.“But at that time, it felt like the (presidential) administration was actively working to allay those fears,” Jasmit Singh said, adding that “now it’s a very different dimension.”The attack on the Sikh comes close on the heels of the tragic hate crime shooting in Kansas last month in which 32-year-old Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla was killed when 51-year-old US Navy veteran Adam Purinton opened fire at him and his friend Alok Madasani, yelling “get out of my country”.Earlier this week, Indian-origin convenience store owner Harnish Patel, 43, of Lancaster in South Carolina was found dead of gun shot wounds in his yard.

Beijing More than 160 couples in a village in eastern China have decided to divorce in order to get more compensation after the forced demolition of their homes.

The village of Jiangbei, in Jiangsu province, is being razed to make way for a high-tech development zone.The couples found they could qualify for two new houses and at least $19,000 (£15,500) extra if they divorced and claimed compensation as singles. Some are over 80, and most said they planned to continue living together.

Families who have been living there for generations have little choice but to move to new housing provided by the local government. Each couple could expect to get one 220 sq m house.

But the families read the fine print

and realised that if they were divorced through the courts, they could also claim an extra 70 sq m property and some cash in compensation. A law firm is charging more than $2,000 (£1,600) to help people with their divorces, China Daily reports.

Some of the couples are expecting to remarry at a later date. “Everybody is doing this, we will deal with other things later,” one villager told the Nanjing Morning Post.

It is not clear whether any of the couples will actually receive the extra compensation. Officials say they are aware of the loophole and do not know whether the compensation arrangements will be changed.

Similar cases have occurred before in the area of Nanjing, Jiangsu’s regional capital, China Daily reported.

Indian-origin businessman shot dead outside his US?home in S Carolina New York A 43-year-old Indian-origin store owner in South Carolina, US, was shot dead outside his home, just days after an Indian engineer was killed in Kansas in a hate crime shooting that had sent shock waves across the country. But the county sheriff told the Indian mission that this “may not be a hate crime,” but local authorities are investigating the case.

“The County Sheriff has pointed out that this may not be a hate crime.

Local authorities r investigating. We will remain in touch with them (sic),” sources said. Indian consulate in Atlanta is in touch with the family. The mission is deputing a consular official to meet the family and offer condolences and any required assistance. The Indian mission is also in touch with the local community organisation of expat Indians, including those from Gujarat.

Harnish Patel, 43, the owner of a convenience store in Lancaster County, South Carolina, was found dead with gunshot wounds in the front yard of his home on Thursday, coroner and police

officials said. Patel’s death comes close on the heels of the shooting in Kansas of a 32-yearold Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who was killed when 51-year-old US Navy veteran Adam Purinton opened fire at him and his friend Alok

Madasani at a bar before yelling “get out of my country”.

US President Donald Trump had condemned the Kansas shooting.

He had said America stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms.

Patel closed his store and drove in his silver minivan to his nearby home where authorities believe he was confronted by his killer. The store is about 6 km from his house, The Herald, an online portal, reported. He

had locked up his nearby store less than 10 minutes before he was found dead, police said. Patel was found in the yard a few minutes before midnight, according to a statement from the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office. Lancaster County police received calls at 11:33 pm after people called 911 to say that they heard screaming and gunshots.

Sheriff Barry Faile said the Indian ethnicity of Patel does not appear to be a factor in the crime. “I don’t have any reason to believe that this was racially motivated,” Faile said. Local WSOCTV said that there was a lot of anger over the killing of Patel, who was considered an important member of the community and a kind person who treated his customers as friends and helped law enforcement.

Issue - 709 (30)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

Pollution from rigged German Volkswagens to kill 1,200 PARIS Pollution from 2.6 million Volkswagen cars sold in Germany between 2008 and 2015, rigged to appear ecofriendly, will cause 1,200 premature deaths in Europe, a study of the fraud’s health impacts said Friday. “The

researchers estimate that 1,200 people in Europe will die early, each losing as much as a decade of their life, as a result of excess emissions generated,” said the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which took part in the study. This corresponded to about 1.9 billion euros ($2 billion) in health costs costs and lost labour productivity, the paper said. Germany will account for about 500 lives lost, only 40 percent of the projected European toll, according to findings published in the journal Environmental Research Letters.

Poland is in second place with 160 deaths, followed by France with 84, the Czech Republic with 72, Italy 55, Austria 47, Switzerland 40, Hungary 32, Britain 30 and Romania 27. The same researchers had previously estimated that excess emissions from 482,000

Volkswagens sold in the United States in the same period would cause 60 premature American deaths.

Volkswagen admitted in 2015 to having installed software in 11 million diesel engines worldwide to circumvent emissions tests.

This was to make the cars seem

compliant with pollution limits while in fact they were emitting health-harming pollutants.

In Germany, 2.6 million rigged Volkswagens were sold under the brands VW, Audi, Skoda and Seat, said the researchers - a fifth of the country’s total diesel fleet.Diesel cars emit nitrogen oxides, or NOx - poisonous gases that contribute to acid rain and combine with ammonia to create particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs and cause cancer, chronic breathing problems and premature death.

Air pollution “doesn’t care about political boundaries; it just goes straight past,” said study coauthor Steven Barrett of MIT. “Thus a car in Germany can easily have significant impacts in neighbouring countries, especially in densely populated areas such as the European continent,” he said in a

Want to be British spy? MI6 is hiring: Ad calls for recruits, not Daniel Craig

statement.

If Volkswagen were to recall and retrofit all affected German-sold vehicles by the end of 2017, “this would avert 2,600 additional premature deaths and 4.1 billion euros in corresponding health costs,” the study authors said.

In 2012, the World Health Organization’s cancer research agency classified diesel engine exhaust as cancer-causing.

The European Environment Agency estimates that more than 400,000 people die prematurely every year due to outdoor air pollution in urban Europe - about half of it from traffic emissions.

Volkswagen’s rigged cars emitted NOx at levels that were on average four times the European limit, said the MIT statement.

The researchers combined data on Volkswagen emissions, how far and often Germans drive their cars, and pollution-impacting weather phenomena such as wind and rainfall.

They produced a map of pollution which they overlaid on population density charts of Europe.

With these, they calculated Europeans’ exposure to German-derived excess emissions from the Volkswagen deceit, and their increased risk of premature death.

“It ends up being about a one percent extra risk of dying early in a given year, per microgram per metre cubed of fine particles you’re exposed to,” Barrett explained.

“Typically, that means that someone who dies early from air pollution ends up dying about a decade early.”

Excess emissions are calculated as the difference between the limits set

by European authorities, and actual pollution that took place under the fraud.

London Britain’s secret intelligence service is using a movie-theater ad in its push for more agents.

The goal is to attract more women and ethnic minorities into the ranks of agents made famous by the fictional spy James Bond.

The 30-second spot marks the first time MI6 has advertised in cinemas.

Officials say they are seeking to promote more diversity in the service.

Alex Younger, head of the agency also known as MI6, told the Guardian newspaper he wanted the agency to reach communities who were “selecting themselves out”.

“We have to go out and ask these people to join us,” said Younger, who rarely makes public comments, in the interview published on Thursday.

“I want everyone to know that, regardless of background, if you have the skills we need and share our values, there is a future for you in MI6.”

In its push to take its numbers to 3,500, the largest in its history, the spy agency is launching a recruitment campaign next week, the Guardian said.

MI6 spy agency will also go back to its old, informal “tap on the shoulder” method of hiring new agents.

“That was the only way of recruiting people, a tap on the shoulder. That was the way I was

recruited,” Younger said.

“We have to go to people that would not have thought of being recruited to MI6. We have to make a conscious effort. We need to reflect the society we live in.”

In 2015, Britain announced it would recruit another 1,900 spies to deal with the threat posed by Islamist militants.

MI6, however, said it battled with the enduring image that its officers were all like its greatest fictional agent James Bond, currently portrayed by actor Daniel Craig.

“There is a perception out there that we want Daniel Craig, or Daniel Craig on steroids. He would not get into MI6,” said the agency’s female head of recruitment, who like all its agents apart from Younger is anonymous.

“We need to get that message across because it is so embedded, and we have to get around that. They may well be able to use a revolver. But that is not really what we are looking for.”

The Guardian said Younger would not be drawn on specific dangers Britain faced, but had warned the agency needed to be “upstream of the threats”.

“The terrorist threat has grown but that has not resulted in a diminution of threats posed by hostile states,” he said. “They have ways of posing a threat to us that they did not have before.”

SYDNEY Australia said on Friday it will offer the world’s first university course to train intelligence analysts to fight cyber crime, prompted by innovative methods of money transfer among organised crime and militant groups. The measure expands on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s attempts to ratchet up policing of money transfers amid concerns that organised crime and militant groups are using technology such as the “dark web” and cryptocurrencies to make their payments hard to trace. In the past year, Turnbull has expanded the role of moneytracking agency the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) and agreed to share financial crime intelligence with China. On Friday, Justice Minister Michael Keenan said AUSTRAC would start teaching the world’s first university-accredited “Financial Intelligence Analyst Course” after

16 law enforcement analysts sat a pilot course. “As organised crime and terrorism becomes more sophisticated, our law enforcement and intelligence agencies need highly skilled people to fight back and protect our national security,” Keenan said in a statement. Keenan also said Australia had established a formal partnership

between AUSTRAC and a host of law enforcement, tax and financial services organisations to coordinate the gathering of financial intelligence.

Keenan said the “Fintel” partnership would include Britain’s Financial Intelligence Unit and that AUSTRAC was in discussion with other potential international partners.

100 customers flee Spanish restaurant without paying Australia to teach world’s first cyber crime university course

MADRID Spanish police were on Friday hunting more than a hundred restaurant customers who fled without paying the bill. The party enjoyed a 2,000-euro ($2,100) banquet on Monday at the Hotel Carmen restaurant in Bembibre, northern Spain, before promptly doing a runner. “They were dancing, then suddenly they had disappeared. In one minute, a hundred people had left,” restaurant boss Antonio

Rodriguez told Cadena Ser radio.

“They didn’t leave in little groups - no, they went all at once.”

Restaurant staff were unable to stop them, Rodriguez said. “You can’t do anything when there’s so many of them.” The Guardia Civil police declined to confirm media reports that the fleeing diners were from Eastern Europe, but an official from the force said they were not Spanish nationals. “We know roughly where they are,” he added.

Issue - 709 (31)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

Ancient skulls give clues to China human history LONDON Two skulls found in China shed light on the ancient humans who inhabited the region before our own species arrived. We know that Europe and western Asia was dominated by the Neanderthals before Homo sapiens displaced them.

But remains belonging to equivalent populations in East and Central Asia have been scarce.

It’s unclear if the finds are linked to the Denisovans, a mysterious human group known only from DNA analysis of a tooth and finger bone from Siberia.

Prof Erik Trinkaus, one of the authors of a study on the remains in Science journal, said it was not possible to say at this stage whether the ancient people from Xuchang were connected to the Denisovans.

“The issue here is the patterns of variation and the population dynamics of ‘archaic’ populations during the later part of the Pleistocene,” Prof Trinkaus, from Washington University in St Louis, told BBC News.

Modern humans (Homo sapiens) originated in Africa some 200,000 years ago before expanding out across Asia, Europe, Oceania and the Americas after 60,000 years ago. As they spread

across the world, they displaced the existing populations they encountered, such as the Neanderthals and Denisovans but some limited interbreeding occurred.

The partial skulls from China are between 105,000 and 125,000 years old and lack faces. But

they show clear similarities to and differences from their Neanderthal contemporaries in the west.

“There’s a certain amount of regional diversity at this time, but also there are trends in basic biology that are shared by everybody. And the supposed Neanderthal characteristics show that all these populations were interconnected,” Prof Trinkaus explained.

Prof Trinkaus, Zhan-Yang Li, from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, and others found that the specimens show some characteristics, like a low, broad braincase, that link them to even earlier humans from the same region, who lived in the Middle Pleistocene. But some features of the skull that were more pronounced in earlier humans, such as the bony ridges over the eyes and a bony prominence at the back of the skull called the nuchal torus, are not as marked in these

specimens. Erik Trinkaus says this represents evidence for a process of “gracilisation” - a reduction of bone mass through evolution - that was common to other human groups at the time.

And the two specimens from Xuchang have comparatively large braincases - reflecting a trend towards larger brain sizes across the Old World - Europe, Africa and Asia.

One of the ancient Chinese skulls - Xuchang 1 - is at the high end of the scale. Prof Chris Stringer, from London’s Natural History Museum, who was not involved with the study, said the individual had a “remarkable brain size, up there with the largest known Neanderthal and early modern examples”. As regards any potential relationship with the Denisovans, he said: “Unfortunately, the skulls lack teeth so we cannot make direct comparisons with the large teeth known from Denisova Cave, but another similarly-dated fossil from Xujiayao in China does have Neanderthal-like traits in the ear bones, like Xuchang, and does have large teeth, so these may all represent the same population.“From genetic data, the Denisovans are believed to have split from the Neanderthal lineage about 400,000 years ago - about the time of the Sima de los Huesos early Neanderthals known from Atapuerca in Spain.

So one might expect some level of Neanderthal features in their morphology, added to by evidence of some later interbreeding with the Neanderthals.“We must hope that ancient DNA can be recovered from these fossils in order to test whether they are Denisovans, or a distinct lineage.”The skulls were found during excavations at Lingjing, Xuchang County in Henan Province, between 2007 and 2014.

Do you beat your wife: US lawmaker asks Muslims

Houston ‘Do you beat your wife’ was a poser in an ‘Islamophobic’ questionnaire that Muslims wanting to meet a Republican lawmaker were reportedly asked to fill out.

Oklahoma Representative John Bennett asked his constituents taking part in the state’s third annual ‘Muslim Day’ on Thursday to fill out the bizarre questionnaire, BuzzFeed News reported.

Adam Soltani, executive director of Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) Oklahoma, was quoted as saying that high school students from Tulsa’s Peace Academy visited Bennett’s office to either meet with him or schedule a meeting.

Soltani said the students were met by a legislative assistant who gave them a questionnaire, telling them it must be filled out in writing.The nine-part questionnaire included questions such as, “Do you beat your wife?”“I was distraught when (the students) showed me the questionnaire. I wasn’t completely surprised by it because obviously we have been challenging Bennett’s hate rhetoric for many years,” Soltani

said.“Nobody should be vetted with stupid, Islamophobic, hateful, bigoted questions before they can meet with their representative,” Soltani said.

Bennett, a former US Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, made headlines in 2014 when he made anti-Islam comments on social media.

He also said there is no difference between moderate and radical Islam.

The questionnaire was written by anti-Islam group ACT for America -- the group’s logo and email address were on the sheet of paper.

Bennett confirmed to the Tulsa World that three Muslim students visiting his office as part of Muslim Day were given questionnaires.

Bennett told the newspaper that he did not speak to the students personally.

Responding to the news, the Oklahoma Democratic Party called Bennett “an embarrassment to the Oklahoma Legislature”.“Why do Republicans continue to turn a blind eye and ignore Bennett’s hateful fear-mongering actions?” the statement was quoted as saying by The Huffington Post.

UK zoo faces closure for animal cruelty after hundreds die LONDON A British zoo is facing closure and its owner prosecution after nearly 500 of its animals died of poor nutrition, cramped conditions and hypothermia over four years, it emerged Wednesday.

A damning report into the South Lakes Safari Zoo in Cumbria, northwest England, found that 486 animals had died in the past four years, putting most of the blame on its owner David Gill.

The zoo had over 1,600 animals in 2016.

Describing the conditions as “appalling”, inspectors reported finding poor levels of veterinary care, cleanliness and pest control, as well as inadequate food.

“The conditions that these animals are being held in, is quite frankly appalling, and has led directly to the death of a number of them,” they wrote in the report.

They recommended Gill be prosecuted under the Animal Welfare Act. In 2016, 123 animals died including a West African giraffe which was euthanised a day after collapsing.

Post-mortem images raised concerns over nutrition.

A red kangaroo also died following a head trauma and six lion cubs were euthanised because the facility was not big enough to house them.

The report notes they were “healthy cubs and nothing wrong with them”.

An African spurred tortoise was electrocuted on an electric fence, while a leopard tortoise died

from cold.

Keepers told the inspecting

health and safety reasons following the 2013 death of one

team they had been informed to dispose of the animals’ bodies and not tell anyone about them.

Inspectors also flagged the owner’s poor duty-of-care towards its staff.

It was fined £255,000 ($316,000, 299,500 euros) last June for

of its zookeepers, Sarah McClay.

She was mauled by a Sumatran tiger.

Gill is currently applying for a fresh licence for the zoo after the local council, Barrow and

Furness, rejected his application for an extension of his previous licence back in July 2016.

Applying for a new licence allows the zoo to remain open until the application is processed.

Inspectors are recommending the council reject his application and close the zoo stating that the standards maintained by Gill “fall far below the standards required in a modern zoo”.

The animal welfare charity Captive Animals’ Protection Society applauded the recommendation.

“We feel that the many instances of suffering and unnecessary deaths of animals go to show that this zoo has failed and will continue to fail the animals in their care,” it said in a statement.

Issue - 709 (32)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

City noise linked to hearing loss PARIS Urban noise pollution and hearing loss are closely linked, according to rankings of 50 large cities in both categories released on Friday. High-decibel urban areas - such as Guangzhou, New

Delhi, Cairo and Istanbul topped the list of cities where hearing was most degraded, researchers reported.Likewise, cities least afflicted by noise pollution - including Zurich, Vienna, Oslo and Munich registered the lowest levels of decline in hearing. This statistical link does not necessarily mean the constant din of city life is the main driver of hearing loss, which can also be caused by infections, genetic disorders, premature birth, and even some medicines. The findings are also preliminary, and have yet to be submitted for peerreviewed publication.“But this is a robust result,” said Henrik Matthies, managing director of Mimi Hearing Technologies, a German company that has amassed data on 200,000

people drawn from a hearing test administered via cell phones.

“The fact that noise pollution and hearing loss have such a tight correlation points to an intricate relationship,” he told AFP.Researchers at Mimi and

Charite University Hospital in Berlin explored the link by constructing two separate databases.The first combined information from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Norwegian-based technology research group SINTEF to create a noise pollution ranking for cities around the world.Stockholm, Seoul, Amsterdam and Stuttgart were also among the least likely to assault one’s ears, while Shanghai, Hong Kong and Barcelona came out as big noise makers.Paris - one of the most densely populated major cities in Europe - scored as the third most cacophonous.

The ranking for hearing loss drew from Mimi’s phone-based test, in which respondents indicated age and sex. Geo-location

Bride drags runaway groom to altar in chains

technology pinpointed the cities.The results were measured against a standard for ageadjusted hearing.On average, people in the loudest cities were ten years “older” - in terms of hearing loss - than those in the quietest cities, the study found.Stacked side-by-side, the two city rankings are remarkably similar, suggesting more than an incidental link.The findings highlight the need for better monitoring, the researchers said.“While eye and sight checks are routine, ear and hearing exams are not,” said Manfred Gross, head of the department of Audiology and Phoniatrics at Charite University Hospital.“The earlier hearing loss is detected, the better the chances are for preventing further damage.”Collaborations between scientists and private companies that collect healthrelated information from consumers are becoming more common in the era of Big Data.California-based DNA genetic testing company 23andMe, for example, has worked extensively with university researchers to ferret out rare genetic disorders by combing through mountains of anonymous data from its clients.Also on Friday, World Hearing Day, the WHO released figures showing annual costs of unaddressed hearing loss of between $750 billion and $790 billion globally.Direct health care costs were calculated to be up to $107 billion, with loss of productivity due to unemployment or early retirement about the same.“Societal costs” stemming from social isolation, inability to communicate and stigma - were estimated at more than $500 billion.In a recent editorial, the medical journal The Lancet said hearing loss is a “silent epidemic”, noting that proper care remains out of reach for millions of people.Mimi Hearing Technologies develops music applications that adjust to the individual hearing deficiencies of listeners.

Woman who gave birth to 69 kids dies

KT GAZA A Palestinian woman, believed to be one of the most fertile women in the world, has passed away. The death of the 40-yearold woman was confirmed by her husband to Gaza Al-An news agency, according to Al Arabiya.According to the report, the woman had given birth to 69 children.This is not the first recorded instance of a woman having so many offspring.

A quick search on the internet throws up a Guinness World Record Page which shows a Russian woman by the name of Mrs Vassilyeva, who had also given birth to 69 children.

According to the information available on the website, the Russian woman, in 27 confinements, gave birth to 16 pairs of twins, seven sets of triplets and four sets of quadruplets.

Air India flies into record books with flight by all-women crew NEW DELHI In a quest to set a new world record, Air India has operated a flight around the world with an allwomen crew ahead of International Women’s Day. The flight which departed from here on February 27 for San Francisco, returned at the Indira Gandhi International airport today after flying across the globe.

The aircraft, a Boeing 777200LR, flew over the Pacific last week on its journey to San Francisco, while the return flight flew over the Atlantic, encircling the globe, Air India said today.

An Air India spokesperson said the airline has already applied for a Guinness World Record and Limca Book of Records for this feat. Air India is the first Indian carrier to operate on the Pacific route which has reduced the

flying time by up to three hours.

Apart from the cockpit and cabin crew, check-in and ground handling staff, and engineers who certified the aircraft were all women, Air India said. It added that the Air Traffic Controllers

who cleared the departure and arrival of the aircraft were also women.

As part of the celebrations on International Women’s Day which is observed on March 8 every year, the flag carrier has also decided to operate similar flights on its domestic and other international routes

Klimt painting sells for $59m at record-breaking auction DS BEIJING The dastardly hubby left his wife hanging after failing to turn up for their wedding.

But the bride was determined to not let him get away with it.

After leaving the church, she eventually caught up with her man, who instead of being dressed in tops and tails, was found in a tracksuit.

To teach him a lesson in marital bliss, she then handcuffed the terrified man to chains and dragged him through the neighbourhood.

Shocked passersby stopped to

watch the man scream for help as he is dragged along the surface of the road.

Despite the man’s best attempts to lie still, the bride manages to drag him half way across a zebra crossing.

But viewers are sceptical about the legitimacy of the video, filmed in China.

Some have accused the newlyweds of being actors, promoting a viral video.

Others have speculated that the couple were in the middle of an S&M session that got out of hand.

LONDON A painting of flowers by Gustav Klimt sold in London for 48 million pounds ($59 million), a record for a work by the Austrian artist and the third-highest price for any work sold at auction in Europe, Sotheby’s said on Thursday.Described in the auction catalogue as a masterpiece of Viennese fin-desiecle art, “Bauerngarten”, completed in 1907, depicts poppies, daisies, zinnia and roses in full bloom in a garden.

It was the star attraction at Sotheby’s sale of impressionist, modern and surrealist art, which took place on Wednesday evening.

The auction as a whole netted $241 million, which Sotheby’s

said was the highest total for any auction staged in London, propelled particularly by Asian buyers. “ To n i g h t ’ s outstanding result is a new benchmark for London sales as much as it is a statement on the momentum of the global art market in 2017,” said Helena N e w m a n , chairman of Sotheby’s Europe, in a statement.

The two artworks that previously sold for higher prices at European auctions were Swiss

sculptor Alberto Giacometti’s “Walking Man I”, which sold for

65 million pounds in 2010, and Flemish master Peter Paul Rubens’ “The Massacre of the Innocents”, which went for 49.5 million pounds in 2002.

Issue - 709 (33)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

‘Best ever’ view of what a dinosaur really looked like LONDON A dinosaur that lived 160 million years ago had drumstick-shaped legs much like living birds, according to palaeontologists.

The feathered dinosaur also had bird-like arms similar to wings.

Scientists used high-powered lasers to reveal invisible details of what the creature looked like.

The research could give insights into the origins of flight, which is thought to have evolved more than 150 million years ago.

Michael Pittman of the University of Hong Kong said the study was a landmark in our understanding of the origins of birds. “In this study, what we’ve done is we’ve used high-powered lasers to reveal unseen soft tissues preserved alongside the bones of a feathered dinosaur called Anchiornis,” he said.

The research team used laserstimulated fluorescence imaging, a technique that reveals soft tissue details that are unseen under visible light.The method involves sweeping laser light across a specimen while taking

long-exposure photos with a camera.Dr Stephen Brusatte of the University of Edinburgh, who was not connected with the research, said the study produced striking evidence of just how bird-like these dinosaurs were.

“This study uses high-powered lasers to generate the single best look at the wings and body outline of a dinosaur ever,” he told the BBC News website.

“The laser images show that this non-bird dinosaur had wings

that were remarkably similar to those of living birds, down to the soft tissues.” Anchiornis is Greek for “almost bird”. The dinosaur lived in China during the late Jurassic Period, around the time when the first true birds are thought to have appeared.

The creature had feathers and seems to have been black with white stripes and displayed a distinctive orange feather crest on the crown of its head.It is not clear whether Anchiornis could fly or glide.

Tamil Nadu traders ban Pepsi, Coca-Cola “Drinks like Pepsi and CocaCola are not good for your health because of their high sugar and chemical content. We are promoting Indian soft drinks, and will encourage better sales of fruit juices,” he said.

The associations have also urged supermarkets, restaurants and hotels to follow the ban and “help local businesses and farmers prosper”.Pepsi and Coca-Cola have not commented on the ban.

McDonald’s serves ‘McLizard’ to pregnant Indian woman

NEW DELHI Would you like some fries with that lizard?

A pregnant woman in Kolkata in eastern India has complained of finding a lizard in the french fries she bought at her local McDonald’s restaurant.

McDonald’s said Friday it was investigating the incident.

A picture circulating widely on social media and local news channels showed a tiny lizard amidst golden-brown fries in the chain’s iconic red carton it uses to serve french fries.

AFP could not immediately verify the authenticity of the photograph. The incident happened on Tuesday when Priyanka Moitra went to grab breakfast at her local McDonald’s restaurant in Kolkata city. “I was like, yuck!

Oh my God, this is a lizard in my fries,” Moitra told the NDTV news network in an interview aired on Friday. “I spoke to the area’s sales manager, spoke to

the in-charge but they dismissed it with a neglectful attitude,” said Moitra, who filed a police case Tuesday evening.

The police later temporarily shut down the restaurant.

“We are taking the situation seriously,” McDonald’s said in a statement. “Immediately upon being made of aware of the complaint, we launched a thorough investigation in an effort to gather the facts of the matter... it is still on-going.”

The restaurant has since reopened after receiving a green light from food safety authorities, a company spokesperson said.

Food safety standards are often lax in India where it is difficult to build a watertight supply chain due to a shortage of infrastructure and resources.Tainted water, unreliable cold storage facilities and a lack of education on hygiene pose serious risks for international food chains, whose reputation can suffer a big blow from one local slip.

Mother Sofia Hayat decides her wedding guest list, includes Lord Shiva and Rakhi Sawant

CHENNAI Traders in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu have banned the sale of Coca-Cola and Pepsi in favour of local products.

The ban, which was proposed by the state’s top two associations of traders, came into effect on Wednesday.

The associations say that soft drinks firms take too much water from rivers, leaving farmers struggling to irrigate their land at a time of severe drought.

The Indian Beverage Association (IBA) said it was disappointed with the ban.

The IBA, which represents most soft drinks manufacturers, said the ban “was against the proven fundamentals of robust economic growth”.

“Coca-Cola and PepsiCo India together provide direct employment to 2,000 families in Tamil Nadu and more than 5,000 families indirectly... IBA hopes that good sense will prevail and

that consumers will continue to have the right to exercise their choice in Tamil Nadu,” it said.

More than a million shopkeepers are expected to comply with the ban.

Two major trade bodies - the Federation of Tamil Nadu Traders Associations (FTNTA) and the Tamil Nadu Traders Associations Forum (TNTAF) - said they proposed the ban after seeing young people coming out in huge numbers last month against a ban on the local bull-taming festival, jallikattu.

Many who protested against the jallikattu ban said they saw it as an attack on local customs and traditions.

“We started the campaign against soft drinks several months back. But it gained momentum when we extended support to the pro-jallikattu movement,” Tha Vellaiyan, president of FTNTA, told BBC Tamil.

New Delhi Days after revealing that she got engaged, model-turned-nun Sofia Hayat surprised everybody with yet another post on Sunday. This time she has revealed the guest list for her wedding later this month.

“I promise to announce my fiance’s name on Instagram in the coming week. I will get married to him in the third or fourth week March,” Sofia told Hindustan Times.

“He (fiancee) is special to me and our love and marriage is sacred.

All the Gods including Shiva, Buddha will be part of our marriage. This is a decision made by Jesus in heaven,” she added.

Talking about the “lesser mortals” she plans to invite for her marriage, Sofia said, “I will invite my friends Udita Goswami, Ashmit Patel, Rohit Verma and most special - my love Rakhi Sawant. I will call my Big Boss 7 friends Gauahar Khan, Tanishaa Mukherjee, Ajaz Khan, Sangram Singh, Payal Rohatgi, Kushal Tandon, Kamya Punjabi and Eli Avram. I will miss

Pratyusha very much.”

Sofia’s also very clear about whom she doesn’t want to be part of the ceremony. “I don’t want trouble makers like Andy to come and disturb my marriage. And no haters like Armaan Kohli. Have no place for them. I will give special invite to my ex Rohit Sharma and his wife. When he comes I will kiss and give tight hug him for his welcome,” she said.

A year ago, the former Bigg Boss contestant had said that she is denouncing sex and will “never get married”. She also said that she is turning into a nun.

On March 1, however, she shocked everybody with a long Instagram post, announcing her decision to get married. Sofia said this is the “marriage heavens have been waiting for” and added that the “cosmic mother has finally been reunited with the cosmic father”. Last year in June, Sofia had announced that she had turned nun and told Times of India in an interview, “I will never have sex, get married nor have children. Since I am the holy mother, everyone’s my children. I have to look after everyone and make sure they know there is no hell. It is heaven that they are living in.”

Issue - 709 (34)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

US Marines being investigated for sharing nude photos Washington The defence department is investigating reports that some Marines shared naked photographs of female Marines, veterans and other women on a secret Facebook page, some of which were taken without their knowledge.

The photographs were shared on the Facebook page “Marines United,” which had a membership of active-duty and retired male Marines, Navy Corpsman and British Royal Marines. Along with identified female military members were photographs of unidentifiable women in various stages of undress, and included obscene comments about some of the women, officials said.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is now investigating. The photographs have been taken down, officials said.

Marine Corps commandant Gen. Robert B. Neller on Sunday refused to comment directly about the ongoing investigation.

“For anyone to target one of our Marines, online or otherwise, in an inappropriate manner, is distasteful and shows an

absence of respect,” Neller said in a statement.

It was not immediately known how many active-duty Marines and other service members were involved or are under investigation. A Marine Corps official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss personnel matters by name, said at least one government contractor had been removed from his job after he posted a link to the photographs.

In response to the report, Sgt. Maj. Ronald L. Green, the top enlisted man in the Marine Corps, said: “These negative behaviors are absolutely contrary to what we represent.”

The investigation was first reported by the Center for Investigative Reporting. The activity was revealed by The War Horse, a nonprofit news organization run by Marine veteran Thomas Brennan.

“We are thankful that Thomas Brennan, a Marine veteran, notified the Marine Corps and NCIS about what he witnessed on the ‘Marines United’ page,”

China world’s main intellectual property infringer

WASHINGTON Counterfeit goods, software piracy and the theft of trade secrets cost the US economy as high as $600 billion a year, says a private American watchdog which labeled China as the “world’s principal IP infringer”.

The theft of intellectual property (IP) remains a grave threat to the United States due to lack of legal enforcement and national industrial policies that encourage IP theft by public, quasi-private, and private entities, according to the latest report by the commission on the theft of American intellectual property.“We estimate that the annual cost to the US economy continues to exceed $225 billion in counterfeit goods, pirated software, and theft of trade secrets and could be as high as $600 billion,” the report said. “It is important to note that both the low and high-end figures do not incorporate the full cost of patent infringement —an area sorely in need of greater research,” it said.

At this rate, the US has suffered

over $1.2 trillion in economic damage since the publication of the original IP commission report in 2013, it said. In 2015, the US imported counterfeit and pirated tangible goods valued between $58 billion and $118 billion, while counterfeit and pirated tangible US goods worth approximately $85 billion were sold that year worldwide, the report said.

The proliferation of pirated software is believed to be a much larger problem in scope than statistics suggest due to the ease of downloading software, ubiquitous use of software across industries and countries, and inadequate surveys. The value of software pirated in 2015 alone exceeded $52 billion worldwide.

American companies were most likely the leading victims, with estimated losses of at least 0.1% of the $18 trillion GDP of the US, or approximately $18 billion, the report said. “IP theft by thousands of Chinese actors continues to be rampant, and the US constantly buys its own and other states’ inventions from Chinese infringers,” it added.

Marine Corps spokesman Capt.

Ryan E. Alvis said. “It allowed us to take immediate action to have the explicit photos taken down and to prepare to support potential victims.”

The CIR report said that more than two dozen active-duty

at the Marine Corps’ request.

An internal Marine Corps document obtained by The Associated Press says a former Marine maintained the Google Drive and that it had a following of 30,000. The NCIS investigation is “in support of two individuals

women, officers and enlisted, were identified by their rank, full name and location in the photographs on the Facebook page. Other photographs of active duty and veteran women were also posted and linked through a Google Drive link.

The social media accounts behind the sharing have been deleted by Facebook and Google

affected by postings,” according to the document.

A Marine proven to have posted an explicit photo of another person could potentially be charged with violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the internal document asserted.

A Marine who directly participates in, encourages or condones such actions could

also be subjected to criminal proceedings or adverse administrative actions, according to the document.“The Marine Corps is deeply concerned about allegations regarding the derogatory online comments and sharing of salacious photographs in a closed website,” Alvis said. “This behavior destroys morale, erodes trust, and degrades the individual.”Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said such revelations are troubling and that he expects a full investigation by the Marine Corps.“Degrading behavior of this kind is entirely unacceptable. They and the nation deserve better,” Thornberry said.Rep. Adam Smith, DWash., the ranking Democrat on the committee, called the online behavior “degrading, dangerous and completely unacceptable.”

“The military men and women who proudly volunteer to serve their country should not have to deal with this kind of reprehensible conduct,” Smith said.

Afghan family with US visas detained on arrival in Los Angeles Los Angeles US agents detained an Afghan family of five with valid entry visas at Los Angeles International Airport and have been holding them for several days in California, according to legal papers filed in federal court by human rights lawyers.

The couple and their three small children were granted Special Immigrant Visas in return for work the father performed for the US government in Afghanistan that put the family’s lives at risk, the International Refugee Assistance Project said in its court filing seeking their release.

However, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents detained the family shortly after their arrival at the airport on Tuesday and has held them in isolation, without access to legal counsel, according to the petition.The petition, filed in US District Court in Santa Ana, California, south of Los Angeles, says the family was taken into custody “with absolutely no justification whatsoever,” a violation of due process rights under the US Constitution.

“Despite repeated requests, the CBP has provided no information regarding why the family was detained, whether they have been questioned, and whether any reason at all exists to justify their continued detention,” the petition states.

CBP declined to comment on the matter, which is set for a hearing on Monday before a federal court in Santa Ana that barred a move by the government to separate the family by sending the children and their mother, who cannot speak or read English, to Texas.

Immigrant advocates are increasingly concerned about

tougher scrutiny of US residents and visitors from abroad, even those with the proper documentation, under moves by President Donald Trump to tighten immigration policies on grounds of national security.

The petition did not state the exact nature of the father’s employment with the US government in Afghanistan.

Proof of service and screening But it said he qualified for a special visa under a program requiring proof of having worked for the US Armed Forces or American diplomatic for at least 12 months, “as well as proof of completion of a background check and screening.”

“It is extremely unusual if not entirely unique” for someone with this type of visa to be detained upon arrival. The visas require extreme vetting to get,” said Talia Inlender, a lawyer with the legal aid group Public Counsel who is part of the family’s defense team.

The mother was being detained in downtown Los Angeles with her children - who are 7 years, 6 years and 8 months of age - while the father was in a maximum-security detention facility in Orange County, California, Inlender told Reuters.

The government had intended to transfer the mother and children to Texas, but the family’s lawyers persuaded a US district court judge on Saturday night to intervene and stop the move.

The “petitioners have established at least a serious question going to the merits of their claims,” Judge Josephine Staton ruled.

When asked to comment about the judge’s order, Carl Rusnok, a spokesman for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said in an email: “ICE will fully comply with the March 4 judicial order and all other legal requirements.”

Trump issued a directive in January banning entry into the United States of citizens from seven predominantly Muslim countries and suspending admission of all refugees for 120 days.The Jan. 27 order caused chaos at airports around the world in the following days as visa holders heading to the United States were pulled off planes or turned around on arrival at US airports.

Issue 709 (35)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

‘Virat’s failures are rare’

Matt laughs off ‘toilet’ sledge YOUNG Australian opener Matt Renshaw has belied his age with the way he has batted so far in India. On Sunday, he was equally impressive in negotiating the constant sledging from Virat Kohli. Kohli was on a sledging spree on day two of the second Test as India fought hard on the field in their attempt to restrict the Australians, who did well to gain a 48-run lead at close of play. After frequent exchanges between Kohli and Steven Smith, the India skipper tried to unnerve Renshaw by reminding him of the toilet break he took in the Pune Test. The opener handled the pressure situation rather well before going on to make a gritty 60 off 196 balls. “I was just trying to enjoy it and laugh at what (Kohli) was saying because some of it was quite funny. He was just reminding me to run off and go to the toilet again which happened in Pune, so it was quite funny,” said Renshaw when asked for details on what transpired in the middle.

On the verbal spat between the rival captains, Renshaw said: “There was a bit of talk but I think that’s because just (Smith and Kohli) are trying to unnerve each other and try and get under the skin. “It’s about embracing different conditions and challenges that we get.

It was all good fun and a good contest out there.

“It was really loud out there when (Kohli) was

doing that (involving the crowd into the game) but it’s something I’m probably not used to.

Renshaw has his own way of dealing with the sledging. “I don’t try and say too much out there.

I just try to smile because in my past experience smiling seems to unnerve the bowlers a bit more than talking back. They seemed to get quite frustrated. I’m trying to just enjoy it out there and have fun, said the left-hander.”

Renshaw also said it helped him that off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was coming over the wicket while bowling against him.

Renshaw showed enormous guts scoring 60 off 196 balls and was hardly troubled by the Tamil Nadu tweaker.

Questioned whether Ashwin’s over the wicket ploy helped him, Renshaw replied:”I think so. It gave us a pretty clear plan what he was trying to do and how we was trying to get us out. We worked out that and just tried to combat that as well as possible.” He said his team is aiming to get substantial firstinnings lead in the second Test thereby nullifying the challenges of batting last on deteriorating surface. Renshaw said every run is vital for Australia, who ended day two at 237 for six and lead India by 48 runs. “We know that the fourth innings chase is going to be quite hard out there.

Hopefully, we get a substantial lead and the bowlers can do a successful job,” he added.

INDIA’S assistant coach Sanjay Bangar feels that one should not read too much into Virat Kohli’s failures with the bat in the opening two Tests against Australia as he has enjoyed an outstanding run in the home season prior to this series. “Virat’s batting has been outstanding. So we should not be commenting on one or two failures when he has been so successful. Virat’s mindset is that he will learn from failures.

This is his greatness. In the coming matches, he will perform well,” said Bangar after stumps on day three of the evenly balanced second Test.

Kohli was dismissed cheaply for the fourth time in as many innings after he unsuccessfully reviewed an lbw decision off Josh Hazlewood, leaving the star batsman disappointed.

“We were all quite disappointed.

If there was conclusive evidence it would have been better. Virat was really pumped up. He is a big match, big impact player, wanted to succeed very badly.

So it was a normal sort of reaction in the dressing room when he gets out cheaply,” said Bangar. The DRS review went with the on-field umpire’s call. “This has gone to that extent, but we are new to DRS.

the rules have also been tweaked a bit. So whatever it is umpire’s call becomes very crucial. We have not really sat down and evaluated but we are learning as we are playing.” “It is for the administrators to decide on what particular technology should be used,” he felt. India have managed to put up a much improved batting show in the second innings and Bangar praised the batsmen, saying they were finally able to apply themselves in the centre.

“We looked into the past of how we performed and what are the areas we have to adapt. After the chat we came out with solutions,” he said.

Citing Jammu and Kashmir’s cricket scene, Parveez Rasool mulling state switch

Kalyani (West Bengal) Unhappy with the manner in which cricket is being run in Jammu and Kashmir, an angry Parveez Rasool on Monday said that he would be forced to play for a different state if things didn’t improve drastically.

“Yes, I am the pride of Jammu and Kashmir. Youngsters get inspired from me. But things have not improved over the years. A player has a time span of three to four years which can be termed as a make-orbreak period. I am in national reckoning. If things don’t change, I may have to think about

other options like playing for a different state,” Rasool said The first cricketer from the valley to play for senior national team and state’s only representative in the cash-rich IPL is hurt that cricketers from the region don’t even get basic facilities for top level cricket. “We lack facilities. We just have two wickets in entire Jammu and Kashmir — one in Jammu and another in Kashmir 300 kilometres apart. Players will obviously suffer.

When I was included in Team India, I thought our problems will be over. Look at the environment in Kalyani. There are so many nets here. Here you can enjoy cricket,” the off-spinner lamented. “But back home, infrastructure is almost nil.

There’s talent definitely. But nothing has changed. Worst things happening. Hope the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators improves the conditions.”

Issue 709 (36)

The spin ace is ready with a new spell on reality TV to bowl the maidens over

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

BHAJJI’S DOOSRA

HARBHAJAN Singh serves pop philosophy to hardsell his new glamour makeover. “We are all Roadies, aren’t we?” he smiles. We are forever on the road of life, running to achieve something or the other.” Bhajji, as cricket lovers the world over commonly know him, made his debut on national reality TV over the past weekend, as a judge on the latest season of MTV Roadies.

The act is probably meant to announce he is keen to face the camera more often from now on, now that his playing days in cricket are gradually headed towards a natural end. “There is a bit of me in Roadies,” he says. “My life has been all about going there and getting it,” the 36year-old offspin ace connects his rise from smalltown Jalandhar to the dizzying levels of cricketing superstardom with the concept of the show. “I relate with the youth easily — obviously because cricket is my calling card. And like the game, this show is about fostering selfbelief. It is about looking for new ways to succeed.” Harbhajan feels he was chosen to mentor and judge the show’s young participants because of his intrinsic nature.

“Fitness, smartness and mental agility are important to me, to complete my persona. Importantly, I am a blunt person. Roadies is somewhat like that. Jo ho raha hai, saamne aa jaata hai (whatever happens come to the fore).” Despite his overwhelming popularity as a youth icon, Bhajji promises no leniency. “I am a strict judge.

My job is to show the contestant the way and, at one level, help them understand life and grow up.

But I will be straightforward in expressing opinions as I go about it.” Bhajji makes his Roadies debut after judging a reality comedy show, Mazaak Mazaak Mein. He has also acted in a Punjabi comedy Bhaji In Problem,

INTERVIEW HARBHAJAN SINGH

By Vinayak Chakravorty

besides doing cameos in the Bollywood flicks Mujhse Shaadi Karogi and Second Hand Husband. His current stint facing the camera, he would tell you, seems like a breeze. He misses the demands of top-level cricket, obviously. “There are no retakes in cricket, so you cannot afford to make mistakes,” he reasons. Showbiz has its tests, though. “Shooting a film or a television show needs patience. You are dependent on too many people and factors. Everything from the script to the lights to your co-actors has to fall in place, only then will your effort be noticed,” he points out. Showbiz happened by chance, he insists, but his plans for the future are clear-cut. “I never thought I would be in showbusiness one day. It all just happened. On my part, my only criterion for signing a film or a show is I should love the concept. If you can give me a genuine reason to face the camera, I will take up the job.” For Bhajji, balancing the two demanding professions of cricket and showbiz is all about time management. He talks about waking up early as a simple solution to squeeze in more activity into your day. “Veering into films and television helped me understand how important time management is. It’s about creating more hours within 24 hours,” he says. The showbiz bug has clearly bitten him, and his Roadies stint will not be a oneoff. “There are a couple of things I have planned after I retire from cricket, but it is too early to talk. These will mostly be shows aimed at inspiring the youth. The same will be my criterion for films.” Harbhajan married longtime girlfriend, actress Geeta Basra, in October 2015. Marriage, and the birth of daughter Hinaya Heer last year, did have a sobering effect. “Marriage was a big step. It made me responsible towards life and made me understand that family is family. I am the father of a daughter now, and that feels special in a way one cannot express. Being a father instils in you the urge to return home,” he says.

Has Geeta changed his life as a person? “She has balanced my life. She taught me how to sort out my priorities,” says Bhajji. “Geeta also gives me tips regularly on how to be more natural while facing the camera and speaking to the camera after watching my shows. She is a good critic to have on my side,” he laughs. Will a fulltime acting career in Bollywood beckon once his cricketing days are over? Bhajji cuts a practical picture. “Honestly, I am not good enough for a fulltime career in Bollywood.

There are so many great actors doing that job. It would it be like a top filmstar going out to play fulltime professional cricket! Bollywood is not my cup of tea,” he declares. Rather, cricket will always be his religion. “Cricket will always be priority. I will play till I enjoy going out there on the pitch,” concludes Bhajji, whose current avatar as a cricketer primarily sees him captain the Indian Premier League team of Mumbai Indians.

Issue 709 (37)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

Health Suffering from chronic pain? Reading a good book may help ease the pain London Do you often suffer from chronic pain?

Well, a new study has showed that reading a good book may not only be captivating but may also help people suffering with chronic pain.

Chronic pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage. The pain may be caused by inflammation or dysfunctional nerves.

The study showed that a literature-based intervention known as shared reading may be a beneficial therapy as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy(CBT).

CBT is a talking therapy that can help manage your problems by changing the way you think and behave.

Josie Billington from University of Liverpool in Britain said, “Our study indicated that shared reading could potentially be an alternative to CBT in bringing into conscious awareness areas of emotional pain otherwise passively suffered by chronic pain patients”.

While, CBT allowed participants to exchange personal histories of living with chronic pain in ways which validated their experience, however, participants focused exclusively on their pain with “no thematic deviation”.

Conversely, in shared reading, the literature was a trigger to recall and express diverse life experiences — of work, childhood, family members, relationships — related to the entire life-span, not merely the time-period affected by pain, or the time-period prepain as contrasted with life in the present, the researchers noted, in the paper published in BMJ Journal for Medical Humanities.

As part of the study, participants with severe chronic pain symptoms were recruited for a 5-week CBT group and a 22-week shared reading group for chronic pain patients ran in parallel.

Using a sleep tracking device?

It may be having an adverse impact on your sleep!

New Delhi Even though sleep is hard to come by in these days when a modern lifestyle has won the world’s preference, an appropriate amount of it is of huge essence.

Sleep is considered to be one of the best paths to recovery and is meant to be healing, whereas the lack of it can negatively impact your health.

In such a fast-paced world and life, even a few hours of sleep feels like a blessing. But, among multiple complaints of insomnia, lack of sleep, sleep deprivation, disturbed sleep, etc, finding someone who does get the requisite amount of sleep is like searching for a needle in a pile of hay.

However, the introduction of sleep trackers/monitors did seem to change the situation and put things into perspective in this respect.

But can technology really help us catch an appropriate amount of the ‘Z’s’? A new report doesn’t think so, suggesting that enthusiasm for such technologies may overshadow the benefits they can deliver.

The report further says that, sleep tracking devices may stand in the way of a good

night’s sleep. People tend to get so worried about whether or not they were getting enough sleep that the stress and anxiety keeps them awake, researchers said.

This may cause ‘orthosomnia’ or the quest to achieve perfect sleep, the researchers said.

Part of the problem lies in the technology itself. The study shows that the increasingly popular devices “are unable to accurately discriminate stages of sleep.” “It is great that so many people want to improve their sleep. However, the claims of these devices really outweigh validation of what they have shown to be doing,” said lead author, Kelly Glazer Baron from Rush University in the US. “People pursuing the ‘quantified

self,’ rely on the daily acquisition of data to enhance their mental and physical life.

But, some people do take it too far, and that can be stressful,” Baron added.

“The devices are not able to differentiate between light and deep sleep, they might call it sleep when you’re reading in bed,” Baron added.

These devices can also reinforce poor sleep habits. For instance, in hopes of increasing the sleep tally on their trackers, each of the patients in the study spent more and more time in bed, behaviour that runs contrary to the recommendations of sleep therapists. The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.

Chronic kidney disease: What you should not forget

New Delhi Kidney disease can affect people of all ages and races, including children. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a long-term condition where the kidneys don’t work right as they should, leading to kidney failure over time. The most common causes of kidney disease are high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes, high cholesterol.

Sometimes, it is inherited such as polycystic disease. People can also get kidney disease as a result of blockages in the flow of urine or regular use of certain medications (analgesics).

Because kidney disease starts slowly and silently, there are usually no signs or symptoms in the early stages. It may

Lose Weight!

Gain Muscle & Energy?

Call: 416-886-7370

be identified via blood and urine tests.

Therefore paying attention to your kidneys, especially, as you get older is important because early detection and treatment can help prevent the progression of kidney disease to kidney

failure. There is no cure for chronic kidney disease, but treatment can help relieve the symptoms and halt the progression of the disease. Kidney disease, if detected in the early stages, can be treated very effectively.

Treatments for kidney disease include: Medications – to help patients keep their blood pressure, cholesterol in a healthy range.

Lifestyle changes – proper diet (a lower protein diet) to minimise waste products in the body while eating a healthy food.

This will reduce the amount of work the kidneys must do.

Dialysis – this is done in advanced CKD, to replace blood cleaning functions as the kidneys no longer work.

Kidney transplant – this treatment is for end-stage CKD, involving surgically placing a healthy kidney from a donor into your body. Despite shortage of organs available for donation, kidney transplant is considered the best treatment option for many people with severe CKD. It is important for people to not only become aware of their risk, but also to learn about the steps they can take to keep their kidneys healthier longer.

Issue 709 (38)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

Decoded – How yoga helps combat depression

New Delhi A new study has claimed that participating in yoga and deep breathing classes twice a week along with home practice can effectively help reduce the symptoms of depression.

A number of studies has suggested that yoga may be a beneficial treatment for mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, stress, anger, hostility and fatigue.

The findings provide support for the use of yoga-based interventions as an alternative or supplement to pharmacologic treatments for depression, researchers said.

“This study supports the use of a yoga and coherent breathing intervention in major depressive disorder in people who are not on antidepressants and in those who have been on a stable dose of antidepressants and have not achieved a resolution of their symptoms,” said Chris Streeter, associate

professor at Boston University School of Medicine in the US. Major depressive disorder (MDD) is common, recurrent, chronic and disabling. Due in part to its prevalence, depression is globally responsible for more years lost to disability than any other disease, researchers said.

Up to 40 per cent of individuals treated with antidepressant medications for MDD do not achieve full remission.

For the study, researchers used lyengar yoga that has an emphasis on detail, precision and alignment in the performance of posture and breath control.

Individuals with MDD were randomised to the high dose group, three 90-minute classes a week along with home practice, or the low dose group, two 90-minute classes a week, plus home practice.

They observed that both groups had significant decreases in their depressive symptoms and no

significant differences in compliance.

Although a greater number of subjects in the high dose group had less depressive symptoms, the researchers believe attending twice weekly classes (plus home practice) may constitute a less burdensome but still effective way to gain the mood benefits from the intervention.

According to Streeter compared with mood altering medications, this intervention has the advantages of avoiding additional drug side effects and drug interactions.

“While most pharmacologic treatment for depression target monoamine systems, such as serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine, this intervention targets the parasympathetic and gamma aminobutyric acid system and provides a new avenue for treatment,” said Streeter, who is also a psychiatrist at Boston Medical Centre.

Regular practice of yoga has been associated with a variety of health benefits, including improved flexibility, reduced risk of heart problems, preventing IBS and other digestive problems, boosing immune system, and weight loss, etc.

The new findings have been published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.

Not high, but low salt intake can elevate your risk of heart attack, warn researchers!

New Delhi Salt, known for its numerous healing properties, can also be a call of death if consumed without control, we have been told.

Many people have the habit of sprinkling extra salt on their food and have often been advised against it by doctors, since it increases blood pressure.

Excessive salt can also exacerbate the symptoms of asthma, Ménière’s disease and diabetes, they say.

Now, a team of researchers, led by one of Indian-orgin, have gone against the norms and meted out a warning saying that low salt intake can, in fact, increase one’s chances of a heart attack.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended an amount of less than five grams of salt a day for adults.

However, the study carried out in Canada says that these guidelines need to be amended and the maximum salt intake

guide requires an upward thrust, overturning conventional wisdom that says eating too much salt is a serious health risk.

“It is futile to target such low intakes and moreover, it may well be harmful. Studies show below three grammes of sodium per day increase mortality, heart attack and heart failure,” Salim Yusuf, Professor at McMaster University in Canada, was quoted as saying to express.co.uk.

Reducing salt intake to overly low levels undermines the body’s natural balance, Yusuf said. The findings are detailed in a report published in the European Heart Journal by the joint working group of the World Heart Federation, the European Society of Hypertension and the European Public Health Association which also emphasised the potential dangers of lowering intake too much.

Want to build healthy bones? Cancer patients: The new way Start exercising now out to reduce fatigue is here

Washington DC Who doesn’t want to build strong bones? Well, everyone does and for that one needs to exercise regularly.

A new study has revealed that exerciseinduced hormone irisin may have a therapeutic potential that helps in strengthening the bones.

The Tufts University School of Dental Medicine (TUSDM) study has found that two weeks of voluntary wheel running induces higher expression of irisin.

Further adds that systemic administration of irisin increased bone formation and thickness, mimicking the effects of exercise on the mouse skeletal system. The findings demonstrate a potential new mechanism

for the regulation of bone metabolism.

Jake Chen, senior author said, “Our results provide insight into the complex regulatory interplay of muscle, bone and fat tissues. Increased irisin levels in circulation upon systemic administration can recapitulate part of the beneficial effects of exercise in the skeletal system”.

“Further experimentation will be needed to evaluate the involvement of irisin and other factors increased by exercise and expressed by bone, muscle and fat tissue.”

The team‘s findings demonstrate that irisin produced by bone could have a role in bone metabolism through both direct mechanisms and indirect mechanisms, as the transition from white fat to brown fat has been shown to lead to increased bone formation by previous studies.

In addition, recombinant irisin has also been shown to suppress sclerostin, a protein that is involved in bone loss during prolonged lack of mechanical load, such as in bed-ridden patients.

Chen said, “Exercise-induced irisin may not only act as an endocrine factor capable of promoting the browning of white adipose tissue, but could also regulate bone metabolism by autocrine mechanisms”.

New York: A good news for patients suffering with cancer-related fatigue.

A new study reveals that exercise such

as gentle yoga, walking, running or cycling and/or psychological therapies may help reduce fatigue in cancer patients. Researchers said that exercise is better than medications and should be recommended first to the patients.

Fatigue in cancer patients is the most common side effect caused by treatment with chemotherapy, radiation therapy and some biologic therapies.

This type of fatigue is different from being chronically tired. It’s a crushing sensation that’s not relieved by rest or sleep, and can persist for months or years.

Karen Mustian, Associate Professor at the University of Rochester, New York., lead author said, “If a cancer patient is having trouble with fatigue, rather than looking for extra cups of coffee, a nap, or a pharmaceutical solution, consider a 15-

minute walk”.

The study showed that exercise alone — whether aerobic or anaerobic — reduced cancer-related fatigue most significantly.

Psychological interventions, such as therapy designed to provide education, change personal behaviour and adapt the way a person thinks about his or her circumstances, also helped in reducing fatigue.

Importantly, drugs tested for treating cancer-related fatigue — including stimulants like modafinil, which can be used for narcolepsy, and Ritalin, which treats ADHD — were not found as effective. “The study bears out that these drugs don’t work very well although they are continually prescribed. So any time you can subtract a pharmaceutical from the picture it usually benefits patients,” Mustian said.

For the study, the team analysed the outcomes of 113 unique studies, involving more than 11,000 patients.

According to researchers, the cancerrelated fatigue might be the result of a chronic state of inflammation induced by the disease or its treatment.

Issue 709 (39)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017

Sweet â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Hot Glazed Salmon

Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups apricot nectar 1/3 cup chopped dried apricots 2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 (3/4 pound) salmon filet without skin Directions: Preheat your oven's broiler,

and grease a broiling pan.

In a saucepan over medium heat, mix together the apricot nectar, dried apricots, honey, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, cinnamon and cayenne. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until reduced by about half. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.

Remove 1/4 cup of the glaze for basting, and set the remaining aside. Place the salmon filet on the greased broiling pan, and brush with glaze. Broil 3 inches from the heat for 8 to 12 minutes, or until salmon flakes easily with a fork. Gently turn over once during cooking, and baste frequently during the last 4 minutes. Serve with remaining glaze.

Szechwan Shrimp Ingredients: 4 tablespoons water 2 tablespoons ketchup 1 tablespoon soy sauce 2 teaspoons cornstarch 1 teaspoon honey 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1/4 cup sliced green onions 4 cloves garlic, minced 12 ounces cooked shrimp, tails removed Directions: In a bowl, stir together water, ketchup, soy sauce, cornstarch, honey, crushed red pepper, and ground ginger. Set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Stir in green onions and garlic; cook 30 seconds. Stir in shrimp, and toss to coat with oil. Stir in sauce. Cook and stir until sauce is bubbly and thickened.

GARY'S TURKEY BURRITOS Ingredients: 1 pound ground turkey 2 (7 ounce) cans hot tomato sauce 1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained 1/2 small onion, diced 1 (16 ounce) can fat-free refried beans 1 (16 ounce) container fat free sour cream 3/4 cup shredded reducedfat Cheddar cheese 6 (10 inch) flour tortillas Directions: In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown ground

turkey. Stir in tomato sauce, corn and onion. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquids reduce (about 20 minutes). In a separate medium skillet, heat beans over medium-low heat.

Prepare sour cream and cheese for sprinkling into burritos. One by one, heat tortillas over stove burner for 1 to 2 minutes, flipping a few times. Top with beans, then meat mixture, then sour cream and cheese. Fold over and serve.

HEALTHIER OVEN ROASTED POTATOES

Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

Directions: Preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C). Combine oil, garlic, basil, rosemary, parsley, red pepper flakes, and salt in a large bowl. Toss in potatoes until evenly coated. Place potatoes in a single layer on a roasting pan or baking sheet.

Roast in preheated oven, turning occasionally, until potatoes are brown on all sides, 20 to 30 minutes.

PESTO CHICKEN FLORENTINE

Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into strips 2 cups fresh spinach leaves 1 (4.5 ounce) package dry Alfredo sauce mix 2 tablespoons pesto 1 (8 ounce) package dry penne pasta 1 tablespoon grated Romano cheese Directions: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.

Add garlic, saute for 1 minute; then add chicken

and cook for 7 to 8 minutes on each side.

When chicken is close to being cooked through (no longer pink inside), add spinach and saute all together for 3 to 4 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare Alfredo sauce according to package directions. When finished, stir in 2 tablespoons pesto; set aside. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Rinse under cold water and drain. Add chicken/spinach mixture to pasta, then stir in pesto/ Alfredo sauce. Mix well, top with cheese and serve.

Issue 709 (40)

07 Mar. - 13 Mar., 2017