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THE CONTACT WEEKLY NEWSPAPER ISSUE - 713, 4 - 10 APRIL, 2017 PH: (905) 671 - 4761

Boko Haram kidnaps 22 girls as brides

BOKO HARAM Islamists have abducted 22 girls and women in two separate raids in northeast Nigeria, according to residents

and vigilantes. In the first attack on Thursday, the jihadists raided the village of Pulka near border with Cameroon where they

My Mother, A Judge, Wasn’t Allowed To Sit On The Bench In India, Says Nikki Haley

NEW YORK US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has claimed that her mother was not allowed to be a judge in India because she was a woman.While talking about the role of women at a meeting of the Council on Foreign Relations on Wednesday, she said, “When you didn’t have a lot of education in India, my mother actually was able to go to a law school. And she was actually put up to be one of the first female judges in India, but because of the situation with women she wasn’t allowed to sit on the bench.”But she feels that it must be “amazing for her (mother) to watch her daughter become governor of South

Carolina and US ambassador to the UN”.

Ms Haley’s parents, Ajit Singh and Raj Kaur Randhwa, reportedly emigrated from India in the 1960s.

UN Ambassador is a cabinet-level position in the US and Ms Haley is the first IndianAmerican to reach that position. A Republican, she was the elected Governor of South Carolina state in 2010.

When asked for her take on US President Donald Trump’s attempts to temporarily restrict people from six Muslim-majority countries and refugees coming to the US, she said, “I am the proud daughter of Indian immigrants, who reminded my brothers, my sister and me every day how blessed we were to be in this country.”

But she denied that Mr Trump’s attempts to restrict people coming in from the six countries was based on religion and pointed out that several Muslim-majority countries were not covered under it.

“We will never close our doors in the US. But what we did do was take a pause,” Ms Haley said. She added the move is not Continued on Page 4 about not wanting

kidnapped 18 girls. “Boko Haram fighters from Mamman Nur camp arrived in pickup vans around 6am and seized 14 young girls

aged 17 and below while residents fled into the bush,” a Pulka community leader told AFP by phone. “‘They picked four other girls who were fleeing the raid they came across in the bush outside the village,” said the community leader who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals. According to the official, the attackers were loyal to the faction headed

by Abu Musab AlBarnawi, the son of Boko Haram founder Mohammed Yusuf.

Barnawi was appointed last year by the Islamic State group to replace leader Abubakar Shekau, who had pledged allegiance to the Middle East jihadist group in 2015. Another resident confirmed the raid and said the girls were likely to end up as brides for the fighters. “They didn’t harm anyone during the raid and Continued on Page 4 they made

Trump warns Kim of consequences

PRESIDENT Donald Trump signaled that he’d be willing to deal with the increasingly hostile country of North Korea unilaterally if China won’t play ball. “Well, if China is not going to solve North Korea, we will,” Trump said in a new interview with the Financial Times.

“That is all I am telling you.” The Trump

administration considers North Korea the U.S.’s most imminent threat with White House deputy national security adviser KT McFarland telling the FT in a separate interview, “There is a real possibility that North Korea will be able to hit the US with a nuclear-armed missile by Continued on Page 4

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BID TO HACK ARMY COMPS WITH SEXVID

THE cyber security team of Indian Army has uncovered a coordinated attempt to hack into the computers of its senior officers with decoy emails that purportedly contained links of “their sex videos”. At least four officers of Lieutenant Generalrank posted at South Block headquarters were the target of the malicious bid, Mail Today has learnt. Hackers often use links of dubious websites to inject malwares in their victim’s system. These malware are designed to disrupt, damage or gain unauthorised access to a computer, and may steal critical information stored therein. “The malicious email was analysed for nefarious designs and it was found to have a datastealing malware of the remote access trojan (RAT) variant. Once this malware is injected in a system, all the information available on it can be stolen by hackers sitting far away from mainland India,” highly-placed officers in the Army told Mail Today. “To lure the receiver, the said email contained a hyperlink which read ‘leaked video of Lt Gen****’. If the user

clicked on the link, he would be directed to a malicious website which could potentially infect the system with malwares,” Army sources said. The nationality of the hackers is not yet known but the Army unit has traced the server and the Internet Protocol address to a location in Germany. “It could have been anybody including a neighbour country or the Russians, who are quite active internationally these days,” the officers said. The cyber unit has brought the mails to the notice of the authorities concerned in the Corps of Military Intelligence. Sources in the Army intelligence wing said if the hackers had succeeded in stealing information, they could use it to blackmail their victims as was tried in the past. The database of the hackers was found to be sound as they had sent these mails to several junior officers also across the country.

“Luckily for the force, none of the targets opened the mail or clicked on the links used as a trap,” the sources said. The Army has also raised an alert among its personnel against such emails.

Kushner on surprise visit to Iraq amid Mosul battle

DONALD Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner is in Iraq as military forces inch closer to taking the city of Mosul from ISIS fighters. Kushner, who has been tasked by Trump with trying to bring peace to the Middle East, is travelling with chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine General Joseph Dunford, multiple media outlets report. A senior Trump administration official said Kushner wanted to see Iraq for himself and show support for the Iraqi government. Kushner’s visit

to Iraq was not announced in advance. Other details about the trip are not being released and the purpose of the visit is not clear. His visit comes as military divisions were deployed to northern Iraq as they increase efforts to reclaim the city of Mosul from the Islamic State.

The US is leading an international coalition fighting ISIS, launching air strikes to assist Iraqi forces on the ground.

Since last month, forces have been engaged in a grinding battle for west Mosul, sending more than 2,00,000 civilians fleeing.

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It is also using the social media in to convey to its officers and men against clicking or viewing the email hyperlink. In a statement issued to the officers and men, the Army said: “Do not open the attachment or the hyperlink and deleted the mail from your inbox. The website http://ghavcloud.com and IP address 91.205.173.3 should be blocked at all internet firewall/ personal to disrupt the malware’s access to its command and control server.” The force has also advised its personnel to sanitise their computers if they had by mistake accessed the link in the messages widely circulated among the social media groups of Army personnel. The file

provided in the hyperlink has a high resemblance with Adobe Flash Player installer but it contains a malware designed to masquerade the original software. Army sources said the hacking attempts could be averted only because of the awareness levels amongst the officers and men due to regular campaigns by authorities in the past. After a few incidents of virtual honey-trapping by Pakistani agents, the Army has been on an overdrive to educate its personnel. One example of this is evident in calling an official Army telephone number, which plays a recorded message about the need to be careful from foreign agents who have been trying to

extract information by all means at all the times. There have been several cases where ISI operatives were using women profile to lay virtual honey traps for defence personnel. In December 2015, Indian Air Force (IAF) personal Ranjith KK was arrested from Punjab’s Bathinda city after he allegedly passed on secret information to the Pakistani agency. The spies had created a fake profile in the name of Damini McNaught, who claimed to be an executive of a UK-based media firm. McNaught claimed that she required IAFrelated information for an article she was writing for a news magazine but was actually working for the Pakistani ISI.

Left win in Ecuador saves the day for Assange WIKILEAKS founder Julian Assange dodged an eviction order in Ecuador’s Sunday election, after the right-wing candidate who had vowed to kick him out of the country’s London embassy was set to narrowly lose a presidential election.

Assange has been holed up in the tiny embassy for nearly five years, protected by Ecuador’s current leftist government from extradition to Sweden over rape allegations. Conservative presidential candidate Guillermo Lasso had vowed to remove Assange within 30 days of winning office, making global headlines and spooking Assange’s supporters. As it became clear Lasso was on the verge of defeat, Assange sent him a tongue-in-cheek message on Sunday night. “I cordially invite Lasso to leave Ecuador within 30 days (with or without his tax haven millions),” wrote Assange on Twitter, amid accusations that Lasso had dodged taxes by stashing cash abroad.

Government candidate Lenin Moreno, meanwhile, claimed victory Sunday night and has promised to keep hosting Assange in the Andean country’s embassy — although he warned he may take a tougher stance.

Moreno said in an interview with leftist broadcaster TeleSUR in February that he would ask Assange “not to intervene in the politics of countries that are friends of Ecuador”. Assange, who enraged Washington by publishing a flood of secret US diplomatic cables, entered the London embassy fearing that Sweden could end up sending

him on to the United States where he could face a long prison term for leaking US secrets. He has repeatedly denied the rape allegations. Though he will be able to stay on in the embassy, the tight presidential election in Ecuador highlighted just how vulnerable he is should a new government be ushered in. Lasso said Ecuador, a largely poor country struggling amid an economic downturn, was wrong to host Assange. “Ecuador had no business spending a single cent protecting someone who definitely leaked confidential information,” Lasso told Reuters in an interview in February in his sweltering coastal hometown of Guayaquil. Despite its global importance, Assange’s case barely featured in the Ecuadorean campaign, which centered on jobs and social benefits. In 2010, WikiLeaks published thousands of classified US military and diplomatic documents in what became one of the largest information leaks in US history.

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Charles tried to delay US’s Afghan invasion

PRINCE Charles tried to halt the American invasion of Afghanistan to “honour” Ramadan. He made the plea to the US ambassador to London four weeks into the huge military operation launched after the 9/11 terror attacks. The startled envoy asked the prince, “Sir, are you really serious?”, according to a book being serialised from Saturday by the Daily Mail.

Charles’s intervention appears to have been made behind the back of then prime minister Tony Blair. Friday night, an officer

who led UK forces in Afghanistan said the prince’s request was absurd. Critics described it as grossly irresponsible.

Politicians in the UK are used to the prince trying to meddle in policy and his handwritten ‘black spider memos’ are legendary. Twenty thousand American and British troops were ordered to Afghanistan by then president George W Bush and Blair in October 2001 because the ruling Taliban had refused to give up al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Around a month into the offensive – and two weeks before the start of Ramadan – Charles placed an “urgent call” to William Farish, Washington’s ambassador to London.

Interviewed for the new biography of Charles, Farish recalled: “Prince Charles asked me if it would be possible to stop the invasion to honour Ramadan, and if I could convey that request to president Bush.” The ambassador explained it would be rather difficult to halt a military invasion already in full swing, but the prince allegedly protested: “But Americans can do anything!” The envoy asked: “Sir, are you really serious?” and the heir to the throne replied, “Yes, I am.” The extraordinary exchange is revealed in Prince Charles: The Passions And Paradoxes Of An Improbable Life by Sally Bedell Smith. The respected historian based the biography on interviews with more than 300 friends, family and associates of the prince. Three days after the 9/11 attacks, Charles, the Queen and Blair stood shoulder to shoulder with

Americans, including Farish at St Paul’s Cathedral for a service of remembrance.

The invasion was launched less than a month later on October 7, with Blair declaring that “the stability of the world” depended on it. Yet at the start of November the prince was allegedly trying to thwart government policy. “I am somewhat surprised that Prince Charles should attempt to get involved in a military operation,” said Colonel Richard Kemp, who subsequently commanded British forces in Afghanistan. “Obviously, that is not what he is there for. He shouldn’t have attempted to interfere at all, and let alone on the basis of Ramadan. “If anything, a military commander should exploit opportunities like Ramadan rather than be controlled by a religious festival. It shows a surprising lack of judgment, that he felt it was his place to meddle like that, and the idea that on the basis of Prince Charles’s personal opinion, the UK would dictate American military operations is just absurd. There was no option. Afghanistan was harbouring terrorists who had launched a devastating attack on the US. Who was Prince Charles to intervene?” Graham Smith, of the anti-monarchy campaign group Republic, said: “How can we tolerate a future head of state who behaves in such an irresponsible unprofessional manner?

“This is one of the most serious cases of royal meddling that’s come to light. It is grossly irresponsible to be interfering in such a serious and delicate situation and in one of the UK’s most important international relationships. People will have strong feelings about the invasion, but none of the controversy justifies Charles’s interference. He must be told to back off.

We elect a government to handle our international relationships. Charles’s unwanted intervention only risks damaging our reputation and relationships with our allies.” Bedell Smith recalls US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld had noted that Muslims themselves waged war in the holy month – Iran and Iraq eight times during their conflict in the 1980s, and Egyptian president Anwar Sadat in his 1973 attack on Israel. Now back in America, Farish, 78, was unavailable for comment last night.

The book also claims that Charles tried in vain to influence Margaret Thatcher. The confrontation came in 1985, when the prince was fretting that Tory policies meant he would “inherit the throne of a divided Britain”.

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Diana’s antics sent Charles to therapy THE marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer was already in deep trouble as they honeymooned at Balmoral. Suffering from insomnia and growing thinner by the day, the Princess wept for hours on end — when she wasn’t berating her new husband about his former mistress or complaining about the oppressive atmosphere of the royal court.

‘What is it now, Diana?’ Charles would implore. ‘What have I said now to make you cry?’ Again and again, he reassured her that his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles was in the past. He tried soothing Diana, but felt powerless to contain her emotional storms, which shocked him in their intensity and suddenness. At his wits’ end, he began seeking refuge in the Balmoral countryside with his paint-box, books, fishing rod and guns, but that only made his young wife even more aggrieved.

Finally, in desperation, Charles invited his guru — the 74-year-old philosopher

THE CONTACT STAFF: EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sunny Bains

Laurens van der Post — to Scotland. But Van der Post could make no headway with the weeping Princess, suggesting only that she should urgently seek psychiatric help. Unsurprisingly, Diana was prescribed Valium. She refused to take it, however, convinced in her growing paranoia that the Royal Family was trying to sedate her. There seemed at least a glimmer of hope when she agreed to have therapy with Dr Alan McGlashan, a friend of Van der Post’s. But she saw him only eight times. I NSTEAD, it was her

distressed and bewildered husband who began having therapy with Dr McGlashan, and continued to do so regularly for the next 14 years. According to Charles’s friend Van der Post, McGlashan perceived him as ‘misunderstood and starved’ of ‘really spontaneous, natural affection’, and provided the Prince with ‘the respect his own natural spirit deserves’. Nearly 20 years after the death of the Princess of Wales, many still see her as a woman who was scorned and betrayed. The truth, as I discovered when

US teen pleads guilty to Islamic State plot to kill Pope during Philadelphia trip

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A New Jersey teen pleaded guilty on Monday to an allegedly Islamic Stateinspired plot to kill Pope Francis during his US visit in 2015. The US Justice Department said Santos Colon, 17, sought to recruit a sniper to shoot the pope as well as set off explosives as he performed mass in Philadelphia on September 27, 2015 at the end of the World Meeting of Families.

But Colon unwittingly recruited an undercover FBI agent for the job, and was

arrested quietly 12 days before the event.

Colon pleaded guilty as an adult to one count of attempting to provide material support to terror. Court documents said that Colon sought to carry out the act in support of the Islamic State group and said he had also used the adopted name Ahmad Shakoor. But there were no other details on how he had become interested in the group and how he communicated with them. The charge carries a maximum 15 years in prison.

continued from page 1 people in, but it is about keeping the terrorists out. Her husband, Michael Haley, a captain in the Army National Guard who served in Afghanistan, helped two Afghan interpreters and their families immigrate to the US. The difference was that they

could be properly vetted, but it was not possible in all refugees cases and the administration was stopping them till the problem could be resolved, she said. A US court has stayed Mr Trump’s orders temporarily banning people from six countries coming to the US.

My Mother, A Judge, Wasn’t Allowed To Sit On The Bench In India, Says Nikki Haley

Boko Haram kidnaps 22 girls as brides continued from page 1 no attempt to shoot people running away from the village,” said the resident. In the second incident outside the village of Dumba, close to Lake Chad, the jihadists killed a herdsman who had tried to escape after refusing to pay protection money, said Adamu Ahmed, a member of an antiBoko Haram militia. “When the Boko Haram gunmen came for the money they realised he had left with everything and they

decided to go after him on their motorcycles,” said Ahmed. “They caught up with him near Dumba where they slaughtered him and shot dead 50 of his cattle. They took four women from the man’s family and the rest of the herd.” Last year, Boko Haram released 21 girls who were held captive for more than two years.

In October 2016, 21 of the 200 Chibok schoolgirls, who were captured in 2014 by Boko Haram, were freed.

researching my new biography of Prince Charles, is far more complicated. For the first time, many people who knew the royal couple well agreed to talk to me, both on and off the record, about what really went on in the most high-profile marriage of its era. By her own account — in her interviews for Panorama and for a book by journalist Andrew Morton — she suffered from bulimia, self-mutilation, depression and acute anxiety. She attempted suicide four or five times and exhibited clear signs of paranoia. A SIDE from all that, Diana was tormented by feelings of emptiness and detachment; she feared abandonment; she had difficulty sustaining relationships; and she kept those closest to her on tenterhooks with her sudden mood swings, explosive rages and prolonged sulks. In psychiatric parlance, the Princess of Wales was ‘high- functioning’ — or capable of putting on a great show in public — which made her private upheavals all the more unfathomable to those around her.

Charles was sympathetic, but he lacked the knowledge or the temperament to help a very disturbed young woman who, above all, needed consistent support and the right kind of therapy. Instead, the Prince and household advisers and staff dealt with Diana’s bewildering and often infuriating behaviour by placating her and trying to distract her. And, ultimately, out of frustration, they abandoned her. By the end of 1986, the routines of Charles and Diana’s separate lives were set. She’d thrown herself into a full-blown, five-year affair with Captain James Hewitt — during which she also slept with car salesman James Gilbey — and her husband was still committed to Camilla. Adapted from Prince Charles: The Passions And Paradoxes Of An Improbable Life by Sally

Trump warns Kim of consequences continued from page 1 the end of the first Trump term.” Trump will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping next weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Asked if Trump would be able to cut a deal with the Chinese leader, Trump told the Financial Times that he has great ‘respect’ for both Xi and China. “I would not be at all surprised if we did something that would be very dramatic and good for both countries and I hope so,” Trump explained. Trump said he planned to bring up North Korea during the two-day affair. “China has great influence over North Korea,” the American President pointed out. “And China will either decide to help us with North Korea, or they won’t.”

The billionaire businessman suggested that China could be incentivised by trade. “It is all about trade,” Trump said. He continued to grumble about how the U.S. has an ‘unfair deal’ when it comes to trade with China, but said he planned to hold off any talk of tariffs until his next encounter with Xi, as this first meeting will serve as an introduction. “You know when you talk about, when you talk about currency manipulation, when you talk about devaluations, they are world champions,” Trump said of China. “And our country hasn’t had a clue, they haven’t had a clue.

The past administration hasn’t had and many administrations — I don’t want to say only Obama; this has gone on for many years — They haven’t had a clue,” the President continued.

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Bar owners go into huddle against ban

Two days hence and restaurants and bars in Gurgaon or anywhere in the country within 500 metre of the highway still don’t know if they will be able to make up for the loss or whether they will be able to serve alcohol again as the liquor ban came at the brink of a weekend. While some opine that the issue will be resolved within a week or two, others think that it might be a while before anything concrete comes through. Riyaaz Amlani, NRAI president said, “We have asked for ministers of all the states. We’re lobbying remedy. The NRAI is getting in touch with appointments with the tourism ministers at every stage possible.” For most it’s now the concerned government officials and of various states as well as the chief just waiting game, “We are waiting for a trying to point out the huge loss everyone is going to suffer due to this step. We are all just waiting and watching,” says masterbrewer Ishan Grover. Highlighting the confusion and lack of clarity, including the interpretation of the new law, Zorawar Kalra, who owns Farzi Café in Cyber Hub, says, “…this also means a loss to the tourism business, because if someone is here for a business meeting, they would rather stay at a hotel that’s serving alcohol. We have to follow the law and we won’t serve alcohol till we get clearance. We won’t fire people because my company is large enough and can absorb those who might be rendered jobless. However, small single units can’t do much to survive, especially if it’s a bar.

They will have no option but to shut down.

This is a bad ruling and probably the most

damaging thing that has happened to the hospitality sector.” Rahul Singh, who owns Beer Café and is also the general secretary of the NRAI, says that as the order came in on March 31st, which also fell on a weekend, people of power in various governments are being approached. “The government will also lose a lot if this ban is enforced permanently,” he says, adding that he has heard rumours that nothing might happen till the MCD elections get over in the Capital on April 23. However, it was also informed that the liquor licences anyway expire on March 31 and they will only be issued once the measurements have been taken on whether a restaurant lies within 500 meters of the highway or not. “Cyber Hub has a buffer of about one km, which means that hopefully, within a week, Cyber Hub will be cleared and serving alcohol,” adds Riyaaz.

2,000-year-old mummy shroud to go on display A UNIQUE, full-length mummy shroud, which is over 2,000 years old, has been discovered in a museum collection. The shroud, which dates to approximately 9 BC, was discovered in a brown paper parcel by curators looking through the National Museum of Scotland’s ancient Egyptian collections. The incredible artefact will finally go on display for the public at The Tomb: Ancient Egyptian Burial exhibition in Edinburgh opening on 31 March. The shroud was discovered in brown paper, along with an 80-yearold note from a previous curator. A hieroglyphic inscription on the shroud revealed the identity of the owner to be the previously unknown son of the Roman-era high-official Montsuef and his wife Tanuat. Conservators gently humidified it so that the fibres would become less dry and brittle as they removed it from its brown parcel. This allowed them to carefully unfold the shroud - a process which took almost 24 hours. Dr Margaret Maitland, Senior Curator of Ancient Mediterranean collections who found the package said: “To discover an object of this importance in our collections, and in such good condition, is a curator’s dream. “The shroud is a very rare object in superb condition and is executed in a highly unusual artistic style, suggestive of Roman period Egyptian art, yet still very distinctive

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Poland accuses Russia of ‘deliberately’ causing 2010 plane crash that killed president Polish prosecutors alleged Monday that a new analysis of evidence from the 2010 plane crash in Russia that killed the Polish president shows that two Russian air traffic controllers and a third Russian official in the control tower deliberately contributed to the disaster.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman quickly rejected the Polish claims, which seemed likely to deepen already tense ties between Russia and NATO member Poland.

“The circumstances of this tragedy have been thoroughly studied, and we cannot agree with such conclusions,” Dmitry Peskov said.

Poland’s National Prosecutor Marek Kuczynski said there is “no doubt” that one of the causes of the crash was the behaviour of those in the control tower.

Deputy prosecutor Marek Pasionek said the two air traffic controllers were guilty of “deliberately causing an air traffic catastrophe,” and said the third Russian official present was guilty of “assisting in deliberately causing a catastrophe.”

Polish investigators said they want to question the men and cannot reveal details about the evidence until that happens.

The crash on April 10, 2010, killed President Lech Kaczynski and 95 others, many of them top Polish state and military leaders. The disaster occurred when the Polish crew tried to land in heavy fog at a rarely used airport near Smolensk, Russia. The plane clipped a tree on

approaching the runway and crashed.

It was the worst tragedy in modern Polish history and at first the nation united in grief.

But the Smolensk tragedy has since become a highly divisive political issue, pitting liberal Poles against conservative supporters of Kaczynski and his twin brother Jaroslaw Kaczynski, a former prime minister who now heads the populist ruling Law and Justice party.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski has suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Polish prime minister at the time, Donald Tusk, now a top European Union leader, bear guilt for the tragedy.

Kaczynski and his allies have made a range of allegations, at times suggesting that there was an explosive device on board that brought the plane down or that

Putin ordered the assassination of the Polish leader, who was deeply critical of Russia.

Other suggestions have included an unproven claim that the Russians produced fake fog to disorient the pilots.

“The Polish authorities continue to use the tragedy to spread political accounts in their country,” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Monday. “We consider this tactic to be unpromising, damaging Russian-Polish relations, which are already not in the best condition.”

Some Polish officials have also alleged that Tusk, as prime minister, failed to provide adequate security for the presidential flight, did not have the tragedy properly investigated and neglected to get back the wreckage or flight recorders,

which remain in Russia almost seven years later.

Polish defence minister Antoni Macierewicz sent a note to military prosecutors last month accusing Tusk of committing the crime of diplomatic treason, alleging he worked with Putin to harm Poland’s interests after the crash.

Tusk strongly denies those claims and government critics believe Kaczynski and his nationalistic supporters have encouraged conspiracy theories to win political points with voters skeptical of Russia and pro-European liberals like Tusk.

Some critics said they consider allegations against the Russians as a sign that a commission headed by Macierewicz that is investigating the tragedy has not uncovered anything new.

There were two major investigations into the crash separately carried out by Poland and Russia.

The Polish investigation blamed the disaster on a combination of factors, including bad weather and errors made by a pilot who was not adequately trained on the plane he was flying, a Tupolev154. That probe also said Russian air traffic controllers gave incorrect and confusing landing instructions to pilots — but it stopped short of alleging intentional wrongdoing.

A Russian investigation at the time put all blame on the Polish side, finding no fault with the Russian air traffic controllers.

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Volkswagen Reaches $157 Wikileaks’ Latest Release Of CIA Cyber Tools Could Blow Cover On Agency Hacking Operations Million Diesel Settlement Washington WikiLeaks’ latest disclosure of CIA cyber tools reveals a technique used by the agency to hide its digital tracks, potentially blowing the cover on current and past hacking operations aimed at gathering intelligence on terrorists and other foreign targets.The release on Friday of the CIA’s “Marble Framework” comes less than a month after the anti-secrecy organization dumped onto the Internet a trove of files - dubbed Vault 7 that described the type of malware and methods the CIA uses to gain access to targets’ phones, computers and other electronic devices.

“This appears to be one of the most technically damaging leaks ever done

by WikiLeaks, as it seems designed to directly disrupt ongoing CIA operations and attribute previous operations,” said Nicholas Weaver, a

White House Backs Nikki Haley, Rex Tillerson On Syria’s Bashar al-Assad WASHINGTON The White House on Friday backed top aides’ comments that the United States is not now focussed on making Syrian President Bashar al-Assad leave power, saying the US focus is on defeating ISIS terrorists.Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Thursday drew criticism for playing down a longstanding US goal of persuading Assad to leave power to help end the sixyear-long Syrian civil war.

Tillerson said Assad’s future is up to the Syrian people to decide, while Haley said “our priority is no longer to sit there and focus on getting Assad out.” At his daily news briefing, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said that regarding Assad, “there is a political reality that we have to accept in terms of where we are right now.” Spicer blamed the inability of Trump’s predecessor, Democrat Barack Obama, to persuade Assad to step down. The Obama administration, in its later years, was focussed on reaching a deal with Russia that would eventually see Assad go, though it also shifted its focus to the fight against ISIS terrorists, who captured swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria in 2014.

computer security researcher at the University of California at Berkeley.The material includes the secret source code of an “obfuscation” technique

used by the CIA so its malware can evade detection by antivirus systems. The technique is used by all professional hackers, whether they work for the National Security Agency, Moscow’s FSB or the Chinese military. But because the code contains a specific algorithm, a digital fingerprint of sorts, it can now be used to identify CIA hacking operations that had previously been detected but not attributed.“It’s one thing to say, ‘I got hacked.’ It’s another thing to say, ‘I got hacked by the CIA,’“ said Jake Williams, founder of Rendition InfoSec, a cybersecurity firm. “I suspect this could cause some foreign policy issues down the road.”If this source code is used in a majority of CIA hacking operations,

Williams said, the release could be “devastating.”WikiLeaks, founded by Julian Assange, has sought to position itself as a champion of transparency

and defender of privacy rights. It described the Marble Framework as “the digital equivalent of a specialized CIA tool to place covers over the English language text on U.S. produced weapons systems before giving them to insurgents secretly backed by the CIA.”In releasing the material, WikiLeaks tweeted: “CIA Vault 7 Part 3 ‘Marble’ - thousands of CIA viruses and hacking attacks could now be attributed.”

The agency responded angrily. “Dictators and terrorists have no better friend in the world than Julian Assange, as theirs is the only privacy he protects,” spokesman Dean Boyd said, without commenting on the authenticity of the release.“The American public should be deeply troubled by any WikiLeaks

disclosure designed to damage the intelligence community’s ability to protect America against terrorists and other adversaries,” Boyd said.

“Such disclosures not only jeopardize U.S. personnel and operations, but also equip our adversaries with tools and information to do us harm.’’

CIA’s hacking operations are much smaller in scale than the NSA’s, designed to enable intelligence gathering by human spies - more “boutique” than industrial-strength.

WikiLeaks, in its press release, suggested that the obfuscation tool might be used to conduct a “forensic attribution double game” or false flag operation because it included test samples in Chinese, Russian, Korean, Arabic and Farsi.

But Williams explained that the tests were to ensure that hacking operations using code written in those languages could be hidden. “If you’re trying to false flag an operation as Chinese, you wouldn’t want to hide those code strings, you’d want everyone to see them,” he said. Moreover, other experts said, attribution is based on more than just malware analysis.

The extent of the damage will take time to assess and the cost of replacing lost capabilities is expected to be high, experts said. An FBI and internal investigation is ongoing into how the files were breached.

With 10 US States

WASHINGTON German automaker Volkswagen AG said Thursday it reached a settlement with 10 US states on environmental and consumer claims stemming from its emissions cheating scandal.

The company has agreed to pay $157.5 million to the states, including New York, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, resolving suits by the states against VW for violating emissions standards.

“The agreement avoids further prolonged and costly litigation as Volkswagen continues to work to earn back the trust of its customers, regulators and the public,” VW said in a statement.

Volkswagen so far has agreed to pay out more than $20 billion in the US, including criminal penalties, to federal and state authorities, as well as consumers and car dealers, to resolve its “dieselgate” emissions cheating scandal which has rocked the company since 2015.

Regulators discovered Volkswagen diesel cars sold as clean were in fact emitting as much as 40

times the permissible levels of nitrogen oxide during normal driving but were configured to hide this during emissions testing.

As many as 11 million vehicles sold worldwide were configured to cheat emissions testing.

The company in June 2016 reached a $603 million agreement with 44 US states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to resolve consumer protection claims. This did not address claims concerning 3.0 liter vehicles which were included in the latest settlement.VW has seen strong performance despite the crisis, recording $5.4 billion in profits last year after a nearly $2 billion loss in 2015.The 10 states in the settlement had adopted the same emissions standards set by California, which are more stringent than federal law requires.

The Trump administration vowed to roll back requirements for to increase fuel efficiency set by the previous Democratic administration but for now California, the country’s biggest auto market, retains the right to set tougher standards.

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4 - 10 April, 2017

Indian-American Congressman calls Donald Trump devil Washington Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna, a Democrat who represents the 17th Congressional District of California, known as the Silicon Valley, called US President Donald Trump a “devil” and his

budget proposal “dumb”. ”You talk to members of Congress and they don’t agree with everything he says. Even Republicans. They are as embarrassed,” Khanna a teacher, lawyer and a politician said in a video interview to news channel TYT Politics, published on Monday.

“Why aren’t they speaking out?

It’s because he is helping achieve their vision which is the

dismantling of the administrative state. The dismantling of the new deal, in a way that Ronald Reagan even didn’t,” he said. “… So they are saying, OK, we are gonna make the bargain with the devil. He is giving us what we want. Let’s ignore everything

else.”

Responding to a question on what bothers him the most about the Trump administration’s budget proposal, which might get passed, too, Khanna said “foreign aid”. ”I mean, I can’t think of a more dumb proposal than, frankly, than cutting that [foreign aid].”Khanna said that he is worried that the Republicans would not push back on cutting the US foreign aid. He said, on

2 journalists sue Trump over US drone strikes ‘kill list’

Washington Two journalists who believe they were on a so-called “kill list” of individuals targeted by the US for deadly drone strikes are suing President Donald Trump and other top administration officials, a media report said.

Former Al Jazeera Islamabad bureau chief Ahmad Zaidan and freelance journalist Bilal Kareem filed the lawsuit on Thursday in a US District Court in Washington, contending that they were erroneously placed on the “kill list” during the former President Barack Obama’s administration and that Trump has illegally maintained that designation, Politico news said in the report.

The suit also alleges that Trump has loosened some of the safeguards the previous administration placed on the programme.

Files leaked by whistleblower and former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden in 2015

indicated that US officials claimed in a private presentation that Zaidan, a Pakistani and Syrian citizen who conducted a series of interviews with terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden, was a member of Al Qaeda and of the Muslim Brotherhood and appeared on a terror watch list.

Kareem, a US citizen reporting from Syria, claims in the suit that he has “narrowly avoided being killed by five separate air strikes” over the past year.

In the suit, filed by human rights group Reprieve, both men deny any association with Al Qaeda or the Taliban.

Jeffrey Robinson, a lawyer for Zaidan and Kareem, told Politico news that he was optimistic that the new suit will get more traction in the courts.

The suit said the 2015 files led to Zaidan being forced to leave Pakistan, where he had worked for Al Jazeera for 20 years, and take a new post in Qatar.

Kareem is believed to be still reporting from inside Syria.

US woman fined $500,000 for false Facebook post accusing a friend of killing her son

humanitarian grounds, the US should continue to extend help to other countries, reported the American Bazaar Online.

Questioning Trump’s proposal to cut foreign aid, Khanna said that it is un-American. He said that America’s foreign aid budget is less than one percent and it should be defended as it goes for “humanitarian causes”.

The 40-year-old Khanna said that he felt “annoyed” after Trump commented that it is in “America’s national interest” and advised other nations to follow their self-interest. Citing former President George W. Bush, Khanna said that even Bush helped resuscitate people from the HIV in Africa.

“And here, you know, George Bush, I disagreed with him about everything Bush-Cheney did.

The one thing he did, what we should all give him credit for is he helped save people in Africa with HIV,” Khanna said. ”We put billions of dollars in foreign aid to help people with the anti-viral drugs.”

Khanna said, “The whole idea about American exceptionalism is that we are not all nations…

We care about morality. We care about humanity. That’s what makes America exceptional. So, we should care about the moral case of what we are gonna do for other countries.”

New York A judge in North Carolina has ordered a woman to pay $500,000 for writing a Facebook post falsely accusing her former friend of killing her son.

According to a report in The Telegraph, Jacquelyn Hammond from Asheville wrote on Facebook, in 2015, of Davyne Dial: “I didn’t get drunk and kill my kid.” But Dial who claimed to have nothing to do with her son’s death sued Hammond for defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent infliction of emotional distress.Dial and Hammond’s friendship broke down after the failed attempt to work together on the radio station.

“There are no filters on social media to say whatever you think

behind the safety of your screen.

She had made other untrue statements through the years, but when this happened, it was very painful,” said Dial.

The announcement delivered last month awarded Dial $250,000 in actual damages and $250,000 in punitive damages, for a total judgment of $500,000.

“I think people today don’t recognise the importance of their words,” said Missy Owen, a lawyer in North Carolina, adding that people should learn from Hammond’s mistake.

“Just because it is very easy to get your words out there does not mean you should. You can get in trouble anytime you make a false statement about someone else that damages their character or reputation.”

Washington President Donald Trump has blasted a probe into his team’s ties to Russia as an opposition “witch hunt,” defending his former top aide Michael Flynn’s decision to ask for immunity in the case.

Trump’s ex-national security advisor, whose links to Russia are one focus of the sprawling investigation, has sought protection in exchange for his testimony to the FBI and congressional committees.

Flynn’s lawyer said in a statement on Thursday that his client has “a story to tell, and he very much wants to tell it, should the circumstances permit.”

But two key committees in the probe, the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, both suggested the immunity proposal was premature.

Trump nevertheless encouraged Flynn’s move in a tweet that appeared to lay down a challenge. “Mike Flynn should ask for immunity in that this is a witch hunt (excuse for big election loss), by media & Dems, of historic proportion!”

Flynn’s offer to testify under protection from prosecution suggests he has more to reveal about the Russia affair.

He could be a key witness as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Congress seek to determine whether Trump

advisors colluded with Russia’s interference in last year’s presidential election.

But Adam Schiff, the senior Democrat on the House panel, said there was “still much work and many more witnesses and documents to obtain before any immunity request from any witness can be considered.”

“We should first acknowledge what a grave and momentous step it is for a former national security advisor to the president of the United States to ask for immunity from prosecution,” Schiff said.

NBC News also quoted unnamed officials as saying the issue was not on the table at the

Senate committee “at the moment.” A close advisor to Trump’s 2016 campaign, Flynn was forced to step down from his White House job in February after misleading the vice president about conversations he had with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak after the election.

He is also in focus over receiving USD 33,000 from Russian television RT to attend a 2015 gala in Moscow where he sat with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and USD 530,000 from Turkey for lobbying services.

Trump brands Russia probe witch hunt as ex-aide seeks immunity

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4 - 10 April, 2017

Hate crime: Sikhs in US intimidated, harassed at alarming rate Washington Sikhs in the US are reporting an increase in violent threats and harassment against the community amid rising incidents of hate crimes against Indian Americans in the country.

Chairman of the Sikhs Political Action Committee (SikhsPAC), Gurinder Singh Khalsa, said so far there have been two death threats and two reports of vandalism against Sikhs in the state of Indiana, TheIndyChannel.com, an ABC Television Network affiliate, reported on Thursday.

One incident included a direct threat against a Sikh from a man carrying a handgun in Fishers city, according to the report.

“Somebody showed him the gun and asked him: ‘Who are you?

What country do you belong to?’”Khalsa said there have been other incidents too where Sikhs were threatened.

Sikh-American physician Amandeep Singh said he was directly threatened last week with a text message and doesn’t understand why this is

US company selling high heels for babies sparks online outrage

San Francisco An American footwear company has sparked disapproval on social media over high heeled shoes for babies. Pee Wee Pumps says babies will be the “belle of the ball” in the shoes.

The BBC reported that people are criticising the company amid a growing concern at what is seen as the sexualisation of children.

Company founder Michele Holbrook said the shoes were intended as a photo prop only and meant to be “funny and cute.”

In a post this week on the

company’s Facebook page, an infant in heels sits on a miniature motorbike with the caption: “This little #Diva, defining cool posing in her #PeeWeePumps.”

The image was criticised by a number of the site’s users, who suggested it was “wrong” and “disgusting” to portray babies in such a way.

“This is not ok,” wrote Melissa Balinski. Other promotional images for Pee Wee Pumps products include babies wearing bead necklaces, sequin dresses and tutus.

White House under lockdown after man arrested with suspicious package near official residence of US President Donald Trump

Washington A suspicious package has been found near the White House, the official workplace of the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump. The White House is on lockdown after the secret service officers found suspicious package near White House grounds. According to the US Secret Service, all media personnel and visitors have been moved out from the North Lawn of the White House. It is unclear whether Donald Trump is

currently inside the White House. A man has been arrested with the suspicious package near White House, reported Reuters.

“Secret Service is investigating suspicious package near White House grounds. Road closures in effect,” tweeted the U S Secret Service. “USSS is investigating suspicious package; security perimeter established and members of the public & media are being moved to safe a distance,” it added.

happening to Sikhs around the nation.

Singh said he felt a range of emotions after the threats, including fear for his family and his patients.

“Fear, especially if you have family, kids, the safety of your family and kids, that comes to mind first,” said Amandeep.

“Then you try to make sense of it.”“I believe I’ve been living here 14 years and never experienced anything like that specifically,” Singh said.

“My job is serving the people you know, everyday I’m there for the people and taking a stand with them and serving the community.

It was hard for me to comprehend even something like that coming to somebody’s mind.”

SikhsPAC has contacted the US Attorney General’s Office and is working with law enforcement.

The threats were under investigation.

Indiana is one of only five states in the US without a hate crime law, said the report.

Indian-American entrepreneur challenges Democrat in Senate race

Washington Prominent Boston-based IndianAmerican entrepreneur, VA Shiva Ayyadurai will challenge powerful Democratic Senator and liberal icon Elizabeth Warren in the Senate race next year from the US state of Massachussets.

An alumni of the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Ayyadurai, who claims to have invented the email, formally announced his Senate bid last month against Warren to “defend the American dream.”

He would be challenging incumbent Senator Warren.

Describing himself as the real fighter, real innovator and allAmerican India, he said: “On my 7th birthday, in 1970, I left India and came to America: to this land of incredible opportunity.”

“As a kid, I learned from my parents, teachers, coaches, and friends that what mattered most was Truth to uncover it, share it and fight for it. That core value is the foundation of the America Dream. And my life has been

about fighting for Truth, at every step,” Ayyadurai said.

He is currently the Chairman & CEO of CytoSolve. He has four MIT degrees and is a contributor to BreitBart news, a far-right American news, opinion and commentary website.

However given that it is a string Democratic state, political pundits are giving him no chance of winning the race against Warren, who is a popular Senator from Massachusetts.

Ayyadurai was born in Mumbai before he moved to the US with his parents.

He claims to have invented email. According to him, he wrote a electronic mail software as a New Jersey high school student in 1970s. He called this software email.In 2009 he was hired by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research to create a CSIR Tech to establish businesses using the research conducted by country’s many publicly owned laboratories.

However the job offer was withdrawn.

Act of grace: Indian-American doctor couple facing deportation allowed to stay in US Houston Two prominent Indian-American doctors in Houston, who were facing deportation as their travel documents had expired, have been given a rare last minutereprieve by the US administration that granted them a 90-day extension on humanitarian grounds.Neurologists Dr Pankaj Satija and his wife Dr Monika Ummat have been working legally in the US for 15 years.

They have a 7-year-old son and a daughter (4).The problem started when they visited India to see Pankaj’s sick father in October last year. On their return they were stopped at the Bush International airport by Customs and Border Protection officials because their travel documents had expired, the Houston Chronicle reported.The Customs and Border Protection officials stamped their travel document, saying that it would expire in June this year, when in fact the US Citizenship and Immigration Services noted that their document actually expired in June, 2016.Upon returning to the US about a week later, a Customs and Border Protection official at the airport noted the discrepancy. The officials, however, allowed them to enter

temporarily to correct the error.

On Wednesday, Pankaj and his wife were abruptly told by immigration officials that they had 24 hours to leave the US. They were told that under a new policy, they could no longer

they were told the agency had suddenly reversed course.

“Somebody at a higher level has made that decision,” they were told by an agent. “I understand that you are physicians and a lot of lives are at stake.”

extend their temporary permission to stay while they waited for permanent authorisation, local media reported.However, as they were about to board a plane for India on Thursday, they were granted a 90-day extension on humanitarian grounds.

The couple had called on their legislators and had taken the media along with their attorneys to plead their case.

They reported, as ordered, to customs officials at Bush Intercontinental Airport, where

The agency offered the couple three months of humanitarian parole, a rare measure allowing immigrants, who are otherwise not permitted to enter the US, the opportunity to do so due to a “compelling emergency” to sort out their paperwork.

“It was an unusual act of grace from an administration that has so far seemed intent on removing as many immigrants as it can, making few exceptions, even for those, like the Satijas, with good reasons to stay,” the Houston Chronicle said in its report.

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

(Energy Science), working for a big corporation, only child of parents belonging to a decent well-settled family, living in India, looking for a Canadian/American citizen or immigrant boy. Serious inquiries only. Please send your biodata & recent picture to: SANDHURISHTA @hotmail.com or call: 647 875 9342 *** 713 *** 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 *** 713 *** Ravidasia Sikh parents invite matrimonial alliance for their daughter, Canadian Citizen, 34 yrs. old, 5’-3” tall, B.Sc. Nursing, professionally employed as RN. The boy should be well educated, professionally settled, Canadian Immigrant/Citizen with family values. Please email recent pictures and bio-data to: san1622002@yahoo.com Or Call : 647-409-5939 *** 713 *** 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 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 bio-data & recent picture to : dhillonintl@yahoo.com call: 1718-414-4618 *** 713 *** Jat Sikh parents seek alliance for their son 1972 born,5'-8" tall, educated in India & United Kingdom, B.E (Mechanical) Engineer, studied computer science from a London college, acquired number of IT qualifications in England, Very fair, Good-looking, clean shaven, has good work experience in UK firms, currently here with family in California. The girl should be educated, US citizen with good family values. Please send your bio-data & recent picture to: Abigail_maldeepjawanda@yahoo.com or call : 1-209-417-0210 *** 713 *** Jat Sikh parents seek a suitble match for their son, 1972 born, 5'-7" tall, MBBS Doctor, preparing for USMLE, clean shaven. The girl should be educated, US citizen with good family values. Please send your bio-data & recent pictures to:asharra355@yahoo.com or call: 1-510-301-0664*** *** 713 ***

4 - 10 April, 2017

Saini Sikh parents invite matrimonial alliance from the GTA for their slim, fair, beautiful, 5’2"/’83 born daughter, born, raised, educated in Canada, Bachelors in Business Management, and employed in the Finance division of a reputable Canadian company.

The boy should be clean shaven, born, raised and educated in Canada & professionally employed.

Please email sub2405@gmail.com or call 416-741-0777 **** 713 *** 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 *** 713 *** 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 *** 713 *** Jatt Sikh Sandhu family seek a suitable match for their daughter, 25 yrs. old, 5'-6" tall, M. Tech. (Energy Science), working for a big corporation, only child of parents belonging to a decent well-settled family, living in India, looking for a Canadian/American citizen or immigrant boy. Serious inquiries only. Please send your biodata & recent picture to: SANDHURISHTA @hotmail.com or call: 647 875 9342 *** 713 *** 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 *** 713 *** 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 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 *** 713 *** 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 *** 713 *** 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: 416-669-2144 or 647-574-2434 *** 713 *** 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) *** 713 *** 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 bio-data & recent picture to :jatsikhmaterimonial @gmail.com or call: 1-289569-1895 *** 713 *** 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 *** 713 *** 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 *** 713 *** 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 : 647-5696787 (Whats app) Or 011-9198726-56787 (Whats app) *** 713 *** 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 biodata to: bloorkiplinggac@gamil.com Or Call : 647-829-5872 *** 713 *** 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 *** 713 *** 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 *** 713 *** 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 *** 713 ***

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 *** 713 *** 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 *** 713 *** 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 *** 713 *** 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 *** 713 *** 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 *** 713 *** 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 *** 713 ***

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 - 713 (11)

4 - 10 April, 2017

North Carolina Lawmakers To Repeal Transgender Bathroom Law WASHINGTON Lawmakers in the US state of North Carolina have reached an agreement to repeal a controversial law setting rules on which bathrooms transgender

people can use in public buildings.

But the deal reported by US media still has to pass a series of hurdles in the state legislature on Thursday.

And gay and lesbian groups complained that even the new arrangement is unfair to them.

The initial legislation in the generally conservative southern state was a highlight of the broader cultural war between conservatives and liberals in contemporary America.

As passed in March 2016, the law, often referred to as HB2, stated that in schools and government buildings transgender people had to use

restrooms corresponding with the gender on their birth certificate.

That rule was widely condemned as discriminatory, and resulted in North Carolina suffering a string of business boycotts.

Performers such as Bruce Springsteen and major sports groups cancelled events, and there was blowback from corporate titans such as Apple and Starbucks.The new deal to repeal the law was struck late Wednesday by Republican lawmakers and the state’s Democratic governor.It strikes the rule on transgender people having to use restrooms that correspond to the gender on their birth certificate.

But there is also a concession to conservatives: regulation of public bathrooms is now in sole control of the state.

That means cities and local governments are barred from

US Girl, 5, Suspended From School For Playing With Stick Gun

WASHINGTON A five-year-old girl in the US was suspended from school for playfully pretending to use a stick as a gun during a game, her mother has said.

Brandy Miller, from Hoke County, North Carolina, said her daughter Caitlin was suspended for one day after she and her two friends were playing ‘King and Queen’ at her school, ABC affiliate WTVD reported.

In the game, Caitlin played a guard, protecting the royals, and picked up the “stick gun” to imitate shooting an intruder into the kingdom.

The Hoke County School system said Caitlin posed a threat to other students when she made a shooting motion - a violation of school policy, officials said.

“We know why it’s bad. We watch the news, but then I have

to tell my kid, ‘you’re not allowed to play like that in school because people do bad things to kids your age,” Ms Miller was quoted as saying.

The Hoke County School school system defended its policy in a statement and said it would “not tolerate assaults, threats or harassment from any student.”“Any student engaging in such behaviour will be removed from the classroom or school environment for as long as is necessary to provide a safe and orderly environment for learning,” the school system told the local TV station.Caitlin returned from one-day suspension on Tuesday, but her mother said she was alienated by her friends and teachers over the incident.She said she would like for the school to apologise to her daughter.

approving their own antidiscrimination laws until 2020.

“I support the House Bill 2 repeal compromise that will be introduced tomorrow,” Governor Roy Cooper said. “It’s not a perfect deal, but it repeals House Bill 2 and begins to repair our reputation.”

It was an anti-discrimination ordinance in the city of Charlotte that touched off the whole spat in February 2016. That rule allowed transgender people to use the restroom of their choice.

The angry backlash against it led to the passage of the original HB2 law. Charlotte axed the local ordinance in December as part of a compromise effort to erase the broader law. But the effort failed in the state assembly.

Activists criticized the new compromise deal. Cathryn Oakley, a lawyer for the Human Rights Campaign, said the agreement means lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people will have no statewide antidiscrimination ordinance.It also means they cannot seek such protections from local government for years.“What that means for the LGBT community is that we continue to be boxed out of nondiscrimination protections,” Oakley said, according to the New York Times.

Murdered Andhra Techie’s Husband Allowed By US To Attend Funeral In India

NEW YORK The husband of the Indian-origin woman from Andhra Pradesh killed along with her son last week in New Jersey is being allowed to go to India for the funeral, according to an official.

N Sasikala, 38, and her 7-yearold son were found dead in their home in New Jersey last Thursday.Hanumantha Rao’s “movements are not restricted in any way by the criminal justice system,” according to Joel Bewley, the Burlington County Prosecutor’s spokesperson, quoted by a local channel in the US. “He has not been charged with a crime.”Mr Rao had reportedly told the police that he discovered their bodies when he returned home from work at night.

He had a strong alibi, according to reports.The channel said that the husband is expected to

attend the funeral in India of his wife, Sasikala,38, and son Anish,6, who were found stabbed to death on March 23 in their Maple Shade home.Postmortems were done on the bodies of the victims and the remains were sent to a funeral home.The spokesperson told the channel he would not comment on whether Mr Rao is a suspect because his office does not comment on past, present, or future suspects.

The source reportedly confirmed that Hanumantha Rao “was involved in a relationship with another woman as of last week”.

The woman was not identified.Mr Rao and Ms Sasikala both were software professionals and had lived in the US for 12 years. She worked from home and reportedly picked up her son from school before they headed home.

Underwater wasteland worries after cyclone hits Barrier Reef SYDNEY A powerful cyclone that smashed into northeastern Australia could have caused further damage to the under-pressure Great Barrier Reef, turning parts into an “underwater wasteland”, scientists warned Thursday.

There are already fears for the survival of corals in the central and northern areas of the World Heritage-listed marine ecosystem that stretches 2,300 kilometres (around 1,430 miles) off the Queensland state coast, after two consecutive years of mass bleaching from warming sea temperatures.

While storms can bring relief through rain and cloud cover to corals suffering from heat stress, Tropical Cyclone Debbie, which barrelled through the region this week, mostly struck the reef’s southern parts, which have not been as seriously impacted by bleaching.“It basically came through the southern threshold where you get a transition from the severely bleached reefs to healthy reefs, so it’s hit another part of the reef which halfescaped (the mass bleaching) this year,” James Kerry, a marine biologist at James Cook University, told AFP. “It would have done a lot of damage in the corridor that it came through, perhaps over a range of something like 100 kilometres (60 miles), so quite a

substantive area.”

The reef is already under threat from farming run-off, development and the crown-of-thorns starfish, as well as bleaching, which has been blamed on global warming.

the cyclone picking up really big coral boulders and some of these are three or four-metres across... just smashing the reef,” Mark Read, operations manager at the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

When destructive Cyclone Yasi struck northeastern Australia in 2011 following major flooding it badly damaged the reef, degrading water quality and depleting overall cover by 15 percent.

Ongoing inclement conditions mean the extent of the damage from Debbie is not yet known.

Researchers said the impact of previous severe cyclones suggested destruction could be patchy.

“The damage can vary a lot from just minor damage, so for example the tips of corals broken off, all the way through to

Authority told AFP. “So it almost turns what you would think about a coral reef into this strange wasteland underwater.”

Read added however that reefs damaged by cyclones previously had shown “quite significant recovery within three to five years” if there were no repeat disturbances, while much of the marine life dependent on the coral swim away or deeper during storms before returning later.

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For Russians In Washington, The Spy Jokes Are Getting Old WASHINGTON The spring of 2017 is maybe not the best time to be Russian in Washington.

The drumbeat of news on how the long arm of the Kremlin reached into the American election process last year has become a bit overwhelming for many in the nation’s capital with ties to Russia. Longtime observers note that the allegations of hacking and collusion, and the accompanying barrage of headlines, are unlike anything seen here since before the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. As questions about Russia’s role grow, some here say they are unfairly bearing the brunt of American suspicion. And the spy jokes are getting old.

“When you turn on the TV it’s always Russia, Russia, Russia on every program,” says Igor Efimov, chair of the biomedical engineering department at George Washington University.

“This constant everyday thinking that somehow 140 million people are evil is just not appropriate in my opinion.”

Efimov, 53, a U.S. citizen who emigrated from Russia in 1992, is a Democrat who voted for Clinton. But he is unhappy that questions about possible collusion in 2016 between Donald Trump’s campaign and Vladimir Putin’s Russia are being used to delegitimize the new

president before anything has been proven. And he resents more that all Russians are being painted with the same brush.

“I don’t know what’s behind the allegations, whether or not Russia was involved,” Efimov says. “It could be, but again, I’d like to see the facts first. I am a scientist and I usually base my opinion on facts, not on somebody said so. But if it’s true, which is fully possible, this allegation still doesn’t mean that the whole community is guilty.”

Diplomats and bankers are getting most of the attention in the showdown over Russia.

Email hackers too, of course. But in Washington’s Russian and Russian-American community, which is not enormous, there are also teachers and truck drivers, hairdressers and hockey stars.

Now, even they are starting to hear questions.

Lily Rozhkova was a journalist in Russia before she moved to the United States in 1999. Most of her friends in Washington are Russian, and the relationship between the two countries has become the first thing they talk about when they all get together.“We do worry about this,” she says. “We’re just trying to stay optimistic and hope that they just work on the situation and don’t make our worst fears happen.”Rozhkova, 44, is a green-card holder who works at

Indian-American killed In hitand-run, wife critically injured

a real estate office in Virginia.

She remembers that when President Barack Obama booted out 35 Russian diplomats and their families in December as a penalty for Russian interference in the election she heard jokes from American friends and colleagues.

“They said, ‘Are you a spy? Do you work with KGB?’ And I told them there’s been no KGB for years,” she said, with a laugh.

“They were just making a joke, but that was all.”

As the news churns and allegations grow, however, Rozhkova says the talk is occasionally more serious.

“I would say they are starting to mention Russia more in the past couple of months,” she says.

“Before the election, it was more of a joke, but right now the more they hear from TV and media, it’s like this joke, they’re starting to believe it might be true.”

At Mari Vanna, a bustling downtown Washington restaurant favored by Russian expats including Alexander Ovechkin, the star forward for the Washington Capitals, talk about Russia is often in the air. But

Tatiana Mis, 27, the restaurant’s manager, says she hasn’t noticed an uptick in apprehension about U.S.-Russia relations.

Sitting next to the bar, where you can choose from 16 flavors of vodka or spend $130 for an ounce of Royal Osetra Black Caviar, Mis, who is from Belarus, points out that the jokes about Russian spies have always been made.

“When I’m talking in Russian on the phone in a grocery store, people will look at me differently,” she says. “But that’s normal. I don’t think they’re saying, ‘Oh she’s spying.’ Everyone’s very nice.”For Father Victor Potapov, the experience is different. The rector of the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Northwest Washington says that “being a Russian American now is almost on par with being a Russian American during the Cold War.”Potapov, 68, came to the United States in 1950 when he was 2 years old. Growing up in Cleveland, his parents were fervent anti-Communists who always told their son to remind his American friends that there was a big difference between the

Soviet regime and the Russian people.So Potapov was thrilled when the Soviet Union collapsed and a new relationship emerged between the United States and a reborn Russia. Now that relationship is being strained in ways that worry him, at least in the short term. He thinks the issue of election meddling has been overblown and that there has been a lot of misunderstanding about Russia’s role.

“I’m always happy when there’s an American commentator who comes around and says, ‘Wait a minute guys, let’s stop and soberly discuss what’s going on.’ We can’t see a KGB agent behind every bush,” he says.

“We’re delighted when there are people out there who write sober articles instead of alarming everybody.”

Potapov’s church is home to 500 families who attend services in Russian and celebrate Russian heritage and traditions. He says he tries to keep politics out of parish life. He knows some in his parish strongly support Putin and Trump and others oppose both men just as vehemently.

“But we all get along,” Potapov said. And that’s what he wants for America and Russia as well.

“If only we could get along, what a wonderful world it would be.”

For now though, the effect of all the coverage is making many Russians wary and others are just clamming up altogether.

“The hysteria about Russia in mass media makes people sensitive to this issue and some are not comfortable to publicly talk about it,” says Efimov.

“Some fear for their jobs. This is really sad in a democracy.”

Filings Show Ivanka Trump, Husband Jared Kushner Benefitting From Business Empire Washington An Indian American man killed and his wife was critically injured in a hit and run accident in the US. This happened in the state of Indiana. Anshul Sharma, the 30-year-old man died on the spot while his wife Samira Bharadwaj, 28, was injured critically in the accident on Sunday evening. Both pedestrians were from Columbus city of Indiana, said the police.

Michael Demaio was arrested by the police. He was driving a red Chrysler minivan and hit the couple from behind near Four Seasons Retirement Centre in Columbus, reported the Republic newspaper on Tuesday. The accused later fled the scene.

Sharma was pronounced dead at the scene by a Bartholomew County Coroner while Bharadwaj was later transported to a hospital in Indianapolis.

Demaio “failed several field sobriety exercises”, the police

said. The minivan was found with substantial damage to its hood and a cracked windshield.

The accused, who is in now in a county jail, faces a number of preliminary charges, including failure to stop after an accident resulting in death, failure to stop after an accident resulting in injury, operating while intoxicated resulting in death and operating while intoxicated resulting in injury, said the report.

Meanwhile, family and friends of Sharma continued their efforts to take his body back to India and to support his wife, who was in a critical condition.

There were several messages on Twitter on Tuesday seeking help for the family.

A spokeswoman of Cummins, a diesel engine manufacturer in Columbus, where Sharma worked as an engineer, said the company was in constant communication with the Sharma family and providing support in efforts to return his body to India.

New York Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner have held onto real estate and business investments valued in the hundreds of millions, while working government jobs, according to ethics filings released late Friday by the White House.

The documents show that the couple, who are both officially close advisers to the president, are still getting income from holdings valued at between $240 million and $740 million.

The disclosures came in a White House mass document release showing the wealth and financial assets of scores of senior staff members at the time they began government work.Ivanka Trump - who just days prior announced she would officially enter a federal role as an unpaid adviser to the US president -- will hang on to her stake in the Trump International Hotel, located blocks from the White House.According to her husband’s disclosure that stake is worth between $5 million and $25 million. Between January 2016 and March 2017 she made

between $1 million and $5 million in rent or royalties from the hotel, the documents showed.Since winning the November election Donald Trump’s vast business empire has been scrutinized by ethics experts who say it poses major conflicts of interest.Critics have voiced fear that interest groups or foreign governments might stay at the luxury Trump hotel in Washington to get in the administration’s good graces.Kushner was recently tapped by his Republican fatherin-law to lead a new White House office that aims to use business ideas to help streamline the government, according to the Washington Post.The 36-yearold is a senior adviser to Trump with far-reaching influence over

domestic and foreign policy.Kushner left high-level positions at more than 200 entities related to his family’s real estate business, according to the documents, but will continue to reap benefits from many holdings related to the business empire he ran with his father. The broad White House document release also included the assets of Gary Cohn -- the former president of Goldman Sachs who heads the White House National Economic Council -and Steve Bannon, Donald Trump’s chief strategist.The Trump administration is considered one of the wealthiest in US history -- Bloomberg estimates his cabinet and senior staff are worth some $12 billion.

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South Korea’s Ousted Leader Park Geun-Hye Arrested SEOUL South Korea’s ousted president Park Geun-Hye was arrested early Friday over the corruption and abuse of power scandal that brought her down.

The Seoul Central District Court issued a warrant to arrest Park on charges of bribery, abuse of authority, coercion, and leaking government secrets, after a marathon court hearing the previous day.

“It is justifiable and necessary to arrest (Park) as key charges were justified and there is risk of evidence being destroyed,” the court said in a statement.

Park will immediately be taken from the prosecutor’s office where she has been awaiting the decision into custody in a detention centre near Seoul.

The former leader was grilled for nearly nine hours in court Thursday as a judge deliberated whether she should be arrested.

Looking grim-faced and pale, Park ignored a barrage of press flashbulbs and did not speak when she arrived at the Seoul Central District Court earlier in the day, nor when she left.

Being taken into custody will be a dramatic step in the disgrace of South Korea’s first woman president, and is a key demand of the millions of people who took to the streets to protest against her as the scandal engulfed her leadership last year.The former president was stripped of her immunity when she was dismissed from office by the country’s top court earlier this month. Park, 65, has denied the accusations against her.

Choi Soon-Sil, Park’s secret confidante at the heart of the scandal, is already on trial for forcing top local firms including tech giant Samsung to “donate” nearly $70 million to non-profit foundations which she allegedly used for personal gain.

Ahead of the hearing, prosecutors submitted around 120,000 pages of documents to the Seoul Central District Court relating to the charges against Park, and said it would be “counter to the principle of fairness” if she was not arrested.

“The accused is denying most of the charges, and there is a risk of destroying evidence in the future,” they said.

Park becomes the third former leader to be arrested over

Mexico Suspends Judge Who Dismissed Sexual Assault Charges Against Minor

MEXICO CITY A Mexican judicial panel suspended a judge on Wednesday who dismissed charges against a man accused of sexually abusing a minor on grounds that the assault had not satisfied him sexually.

The case has spurred outrage among Mexicans, who viewed it as another instance of impunity for wealthy men.The victim, who was 17 at the time of the alleged crime in January 2015, testified that she was forced into a car in the eastern state of Veracruz by four young men who began to sexually assault her.

She testified she was then taken to a home and raped.

On March 22, Judge Anuar Gonzalez dismissed pedophilia charges against one of the defendants, arguing that “an incidental rubbing would not be considered a sexual act without an element of intention to satisfy a sexual desire.”

He also argued that the victim was not “defenseless” because she could have moved away from

the defendant and noted that the prosecution failed to prove his conduct was “lascivious.”

On Tuesday, the Veracruz state attorney general said it would appeal against the decision, noting that it “strongly disagrees” with the ruling.

Mexico’s Federal Judiciary Council said in a statement on Wednesday it had decided to suspend Gonzalez and initiate an investigation “in relation to his conduct as District Judge.”

It also said the case’s dismissal was subject to review by another court and that the decision did not imply that the defendant, who maintains his innocence, would be freed.

The case has drawn widespread media attention, with the four defendants earning the nicknames “Los Porky’s,” in reference to a 1980s movie about teenagers trying to help a friend lose his virginity.

The ruling spurred anger across social media and fueled the creation of a twitter hashtag that translates to “Judge Porky.”

corruption in Asia’s fourth-largest economy, where politics and big business have long been closely tied.

Samsung Electronics vice

Democratic Party.

An election to choose her successor will be held on May 9. Moon Jae-In, her rival in 2012 and a former Democratic Party

chairman Lee Jae-Yong, who was arrested last month in connection to the scandal, was in court for over seven hours for his hearing, and his detention was approved early the following day.

Opposition lawmakers had called Thursday for Park’s arrest.

“The least she can do as the expresident who damaged national dignity is to admit her criminal acts, bow her head and seek forgiveness,” said a spokesman for the main opposition

leader leads opinion polls by large margins.

‘Sleepness nights’ Park, daughter of late dictator Park Chung-Hee, secured the largest vote share of any candidate in the democratic era when she was elected in 2012.

But she was impeached by parliament in December, as the scandal combined with mounting economic and social frustrations to trigger huge candlelit demonstrations.

The Constitutional Court later upheld

the decision.

Last week she underwent a 21hour interrogation session at the prosecutors’ office, having refused repeated requests to be interviewed while in power.

She had been “lost for words” when authorities asked for her arrest, the Chosun Ilbo daily quoted an unidentified pro-Park lawmaker as saying.Another said she had been having “sleepless nights and skipping meals” since moving out of the presidential palace.Park allegedly offered governmental favours to top businessmen who enriched Choi, including Samsung’s Lee.She is also accused of letting her friend, a high school graduate with no title or security clearance, handle a wide range of state affairs including nomination of top officials.

Park is also said to have cracked down on thousands of artists who had voiced criticisms of her or her father’s iron-fisted rule from 1961 to 1979.She has repeatedly apologised for the upset caused by the scandal but not admitted any wrongdoing, blaming Choi for abusing their friendship.

European Union To Britain: We’re In Control Of Brexit Talks, Not You LONDON: Two days after Britain filed its divorce papers, the European Union made clear Friday that it will be the one to set the pace and terms of the talks.

In its first official response to Britain’s letter announcing its exit, the EU’s draft guidelines for the coming negotiations show that the bloc is willing to discuss a trade deal with Britain - but not until EU leaders feel that “sufficient progress” has been made in agreeing to the terms of separation.

British Prime Minister Theresa May - her eyes on the two-year countdown until the deadline for Britain’s ultimate exit - had called for divorce talks and negotiations on a new trade deal to proceed simultaneously.Speaking at a Malta press conference, European Council President Donald Tusk said the Brexit process will be “difficult, complex and sometimes even confrontational. There’s no way around it.”He vowed that the EU’s 27 jilted members will stick together in driving a tough bargain with Britain, one that won’t allow the U.K. to claim a better deal than the one it has today.The aim, he said, will be to preserve the integrity of the union and to protect the interests of the 440 million EU citizens left behind when Britain leaves. He stressed that the goal was not to punish Britain, but implied that the U.K. is sure to feel some pain.“Brexit is already punitive enough,” he said.

Britain on Wednesday made official what its voters had decided in a referendum last June by triggering Article 50, the never-before-used mechanism for exiting the E.U. May has said she wants a clean break with the union, one that

resolve thorny issues around the separation, including the amount of money that Britain owes the bloc based on past commitments and the status of EU citizens now living in the U.K.Britain will have little choice but to follow Europe’s timeline. Article 50 was

leaves Britain outside the bloc’s single market and free to set its own rules in critical areas like immigration. But she has also said she wants a free trade deal with the EU that preserves the U.K.’s preferred status with its most significant economic partner.

There’s little time to make that happen - trade deals can take five years or more - and May wants the talks to begin as quickly as possible.

But the EU’s stance, as revealed Friday, shows that it will be the one to determine when the two sides can move on from talking about their split and start discussing what comes next.

Before the trade talks can get underway, the EU wants to

written to discourage members from bolting, and its terms are weighted heavily in favor of the countries that remain.

A Downing Street spokesman, speaking on the customary condition of anonymity, said the EU’s stance shows that “both sides wish to approach these talks constructively.”

In his press conference, Tusk sough to defuse at least one issue that has already emerged as a possible source of contention.May in her Wednesday letter had appeared to link trade and security assistance, suggesting that without a comprehensive deal “our cooperation in the fight against crime and terrorism would be weakened.”

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Stylish dogs rule the Dutch doctors against ‘life catwalks of Shanghai’s streets complete’ assisted suicide SHANGHAI Poodles in pink dresses, Pekinese wearing blouses, a Pomeranian in sneakers and a raincoat - Shanghai’s sidewalks can sometimes seem like fashion catwalks gone to the dogs.

Chinese adore their pet

canines, often dressing them up in eye-catching outfits, and nowhere are such furry fashionistas more conspicuous than in China’s commercial hub.

“Pet owners like to dress up their pets, the way they would their own children,” said a woman surnamed Huang as she walked her two fluffy brown poodles, one with a pink bowtie and the other wearing a blue one, through a central

Shanghai neighbourhood.

Or rather they walked her - riding in a baby stroller as Huang pushed.

It’s big business too.

At least 40 percent of pet merchants in China sell pet clothing, according to Yourpet Market Research

Institute, which studies the country’s huge pet industry.

The industry overall generates sales of around $17 billion per year and is expected to grow by 20 percent annually, it said in a report last year.

“Millennials are becoming the main customers with their consumer power growing,” it said.

Zhang Jiequn, a psychologist at

Shanghai’s Huada Institute of Applied Psychology, said that for many Chinese, pet ownership “is a kind of escape from interpersonal relationships.”

“The pet becomes a projection of the opposite sex for some people who do not find a partner,” she told AFP. Dog ownership rates have grown along with China’s fast-expanding middle class.

A 2015 survey cited by the staterun China Daily said there were at least 100 million registered pets in China, with dogs making up the vast majority, and that pet ownership was growing by 10 percent annually.

Shanghai - which has 24 million people - also has an estimated pet dog population of up to one million.The high rate of dog ownership prompted the city in 2011 to impose a “one-dog policy” - limiting owners to a single canine - to curb noisy barking, waste on sidewalks and dog attacks.

IS PUNJAB GOVTHELPING LIQUOR LOBBY? Chandigarh THE Supreme Court orders banning liquor shops on highways to curb drunken driving may be for good but the states are hell bent to help the evil. After Chandigarh, now Punjab tends to find out “loopholes” to help the liquor lobby and hoteliers. However, despite his

concern for liquor sellers, Punjab Finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal defending court’s stand, said, “There is no way we can challenge this order or circumvent this order. If there is no loophole in the order, then Punjab will comply with the apex court’s order.” A victim of drunken driving, the minister shared, “My wife had suffered 12 bone injuries because of a drunk driver. I can empathise with the SC decision. Yes businesses have been affected .The Supreme Court might provide partial relief to traders by allowing them to

function within municipal limits however.”

“It’s difficult for me to suggest a solution.

Chandigarh had tried to denotify roads but the Supreme Court has termed it a contempt of the court. We will find out a solution within 10-15 days,” he added.

Chandigarh in a bid to save the liquor vends, denotified roads, which in 2006 were declared as highways when its municipal corporation was fundstarved. When these roads ended up feeding liquor traders, the local administration changed the nomenclature of these roads from highways to district roads. The decision may cost dear to the administration, as petitioner Harman Sidhu has decided to report the matter to the apex court. None of the Chandigarh Union Territory officials came on record to clarify whether the orders were withdrawn or were still in vogue. However, Excise department sources told India Today that it has relocated around two dozens of highway vends to avoid contempt of court. The officials however, refused to comment on the size of loss the union territory will bear after shifting the vends. On the other side, Harman Sidhu, on whose petition the apex court banned the sale of liquor on highways, is not happy with the states making attempts to denotify roads in a bid to save vends. “They are looking for ways to circumvent the order and that is not the solution. Going by the Constitution, they could have approached the SC,” he said.

THE HAGUE Dutch doctors have come out against a controversial proposed law that would allow assisted suicide for those who feel their lives are complete, and not just for people in unbearable suffering. “Such a radical proposal is not desirable for practical reasons and for reasons of principle,” the Dutch Doctors Federation, representing some 59,000 practitioners and students, said in a statement late Wednesday.

The Netherlands and neighbouring Belgium became the first countries in the world to legalise euthanasia in 2002.

But it is carried out under strict conditions, and only after at least two doctors have certified that there is no other reasonable solution for the patient, and that their suffering is “unbearable and without any hope of improvement”.

In October, the now outgoing government proposed broadening the law to give elderly people, who are not sick but feel their lives are complete, the right to assisted suicide.

It would only apply to those who “no longer see any possibility of giving their life meaning, deeply feel their loss of independence, and remain isolated or lonely perhaps

solutions which address the feeling of uselessness among the elderly.”

The federation has sent its comments to the four political parties currently negotiating to see whether

because they have lost a loved one,” the Dutch health and justice ministers said in a letter to parliament.

But the doctors’ federation argued that passing another law alongside the euthanasia law “will lead to an erosion of the conscientious practice of euthanasia” and increase “the feeling of vulnerability among elderly people and the stigmatisation of old age.” Instead, it pleaded for greater “investment in

they can agree a common platform and form the country’s next coalition government.

The Liberal VVD party which won the most seats in March 15 elections as well as the progressive D66 and the ecologist GroenLinks have voiced support for the law.

But the Christian Democratic Appeal is against it, although the party said it would not be a “deal-breaker” in the talks.

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Lacks punch

Vinayak Chakravorty

By

Naam Shabana Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Akshay Kumar, Manoj Bajpayee, Prithviraj Sukumaran Direction: Shivam Nair ONE solid action scene in the spy thriller Baby catapulted Taapsee Pannu into the imagination of Bollywood fans a while back.

Akshay Kumar and Neeraj Pandey were smart enough to take note. With Naam Shabana, they have capitalised on the silent presence Taapsee exuded in Baby, allowing her a spin-off meant to push the franchise’s brand power further. Naam Shabana, though, tries to be several other things beyond that intention. The film is obviously supposed to work as a badge for women’s empowerment — Taapsee goes great guns, in this context, with her kickbutt action mode.

There are the expected noises the film makes on pop nationalism, though these are lower in doses than what Baby served.

Tiny notes are left here and there on the Muslim identity in contemporary India and domestic violence against women, all done within the realm of political correctness, of course. Finally, Naam Shabana lets coproducer Akshay continue with his image as a Bollywood superstar devoted to making commercial flicks that preach patriotism. The film tries rolling up all of the above in the guise of an attempted suspense thriller, as its goes about narrating the formative experience of a female spy. To maintain uniformity with the universe of Baby, scripting for Naam Shabana is done by Neeraj Pandey, who had directed that 2015 hit. The focus this time is more on how potentially good spies are identified and honed. Shabana Khan, the protagonist essayed by Taapsee, is a regular college girl whose kickboxing skills and guts catch the attention of people who matter. A personal tragedy involving her is woven into the story to whip up melodrama as well as plot progression. She could avenge the tragedy, a voice on the phone (Manoj Bajpayee) tells her, if she agrees to serve the nation by embarking on top secret

missions meant to protect India. Akshay Kumar returns in a superb cameo as special agent Ajay Singh Rajput from Baby. He is part of the defining action in the film, though the spotlight remains on Taapsee’s Shabana.

The actress does well to bring out the nuances of a character that portrays more with her eyes and action than words. Manoj Bajpayee and Prithviraj Sukumaran are credible despite limited footage. The film needed more assured writing. It lacks adequate suspense, and tends to meander at several points. Certain twists in drama seem forced. For the tale of a powerpuff girl, Naam Shabana lacks punch.

SOUL-STIRRING SAGA Poorna Cast: Aditi Inamdar, Rahul Bose, Heeba Shah, Dhritiman Chatterjee, S Mariya, Harsha Vardhan, Gyanendra Tripathi Direction: Rahul Bose A big surprise can often come in a small dose. In the case of this film, it’s a 13- year-old who literally scales the heights. Poorna is the most incredible biopic Bollywood has made in a while. It intrigues you as to why and how no one ever spoke of this subject before this on screen — a poor tribal teenager named Poorna Malavath from Telangana, who became the world’s youngest female to climb the Everest. Importantly, you marvel at the sheer screen presence with which young newcomer actress Aditi Inamdar lives out Poorna Malavath on screen. Due credit, too, to Rahul Bose, for executing Poorna’s tale in a way it inspires through some really powerful images.

Poorna Malavath was a 13-year-old from a poor tribal family in Pakala village, Telangana. She

would go onto defy all odds and attain her Himalayan glory. The journey was as much a victory for Poorna as it was for Dr RS Praveen Kumar (essayed by Bose), the IPS officer in charge of the social welfare school where Poorna studied, and who really shaped her success.

Rahul Bose, returning to direction 16 years after his debut feature Everybody Says I’m Fine!, does well while rolling in the notions of valour and resilience without ever playing to the gallery. The film, though, could have gone slower on Poorna’s backstory and devoted more time to her Himalayan adventure. Poorna is beautifully shot by budding cinematographer Subhranshu, and the cast benefits from some fascinating characters the script (Prashant Pandey and Shreya Dev Verma) sets up.

-Vinayak Chakravorty

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Had a great time working with Soundarya, says Kajol

Actress Kajol, who successfully completed shooting for comeback Tamil film “VIP 2”, says she had a great time working with her director

Soundarya. “She is great. She is wonderful person. She has been absolutely amazing to work with and I have had great time working with her,” Kajol said at the launch of McVities Kids Culinaire festival.

Last seen in 1997 Tamil film “Minsara Kanavu”, Kajol has returned to Tamil filmdom after nearly two decades. “VIP 2”, a sequel to the 2014 Tamil blockbuster “Vela Illa Pattathari”, stars Dhanush in the lead role while Kajol plays a suave businesswoman in a pivotal role.

“The role is something I am really very happy about. I really can’t reveal much about the film, as I have got strict orders from my director not to talk about the film,” the “Dilwale” actress said.

Talking about her association with Mcvities, Kajol shared that since she is a mother herself, it is really important to address the issue of nutrition with children. “My association with Mcvities has been great, as we share the same thought process, which is healthy can be tasty as well.

It is really important to teach kids about nutrition,” she said. Apart from the Tamil film, Kajol is also working with her husband Ajay Devgn for their home production. “It is too early to talk about my home production film. We will most probably start shooting in the coming 2-3 months,” she said.

Ranbir Kapoor-Katrina Kaif starrer ‘Jagga Jasoos’ release date postponed

Katrina Kaif-Ranbir Kapoorstarrer Jagga Jasoos is still being shot and has been in the making for over four years. Kat did a bit of shooting for Anurag Basu’s film last week which has ex-beau Ranbir Kapoor as costar.

The film was slated to release on April 7, but it now appears that a 2017 date will be impossible. Word is Basu is still reshooting several scenes; he has been improvising on the set.

When will he call it a wrap?

Doesn’t look like anytime soon.

Deepika Padukone’s latest Working with Sanjay Dutt super message will inspire you! amazing, says Aditi Rao Hydari Deepika Padukone has gone nemesis Katrina Kaif’s way.

The philosophical spirit has sprung up on her on her social media feed as well.

She tweets, “Your life is right now. It’s not later.

It’s not in that time of retirement. It’s not when the lover gets here. It’s not when you’ve moved into the new house. It’s not when you get the better job.

Your life is right now. It will always be right now. You might as well decide to start enjoying your life right now, because it’s not ever going to get better than right now (sic).)” You get the drift?

Everything is ‘right now’ for Dippy.

Actress Aditi Rao Hydari has described the experience of working with Sanjay Dutt in ‘Bhoomi’ as super amazing. “‘Bhoomi’ is going great. It has been very intense. It is a difficult film but at the same time it has been amazing. Working with Sanjay Dutt has been an amazing experience, I’d say super amazing experience,” Aditi said here on the sidelines of an event.

“The team I am working with is really great. The work we are doing is tough, yet amazing,” she added of the Omung Kumar directorial. “Bhoomi” recently made headlines as Sanjay suffered an injury during the shooting of an action

sequence. But he completed the shoot nevertheless.

The actress said: “He was injured, but Sanjay is a real hero. When he got hurt, the next minute he was up and finishing the shoot. He was shooting an action scene. He is really amazing. He shot an entire action scene in just one take.

“We have just finished one schedule and soon will start the rest of it.” The film is slated to release on August 4. It is a revenge drama that revolves around a father-daughter relationship.

Shah Rukh Khan calls Kiran Mallika Sherawat drops hints about new film scripts Mazumdar Shaw a role model Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan finds a role model in Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, chairperson of leading Indian biotech company Biocon.

On Friday, Shah Rukh had shared on Twitter that he has clocked 25 years since he came to Mumbai, and he credited the city for giving him his life. On his achievements, he said, “I must have done something right.”

It is on this that Shaw tweeted: “Congrats SRK on such an amazing journey and such an awesome milestone.” To this, Shah Rukh responded on Saturday: “Thank you so much.

You are as always kind and encouraging. You are the role model I follow as always.”

Shah Rukh is not just one of the top actors of India, but is also a successful producer of films.

As a producer, he promotes the use of technology and visual effects in storytelling.

After some forgettable flicks like ‘Kismat Love Paisa Dilli’ (2012) and ‘Dirty Politics’ (2015), Mallika Sherawat vamoosed from the B-Town scene.

She keeps putting up posts

about her upcoming projects on social media . She recently tweeted, “Can’t wait to start reading my new script.” Details awaited. Real or imaginary, Mallika?

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Elizabeth Banks: I wanted a film career like Julia Roberts

Actress Elizabeth Banks says her career has turned out very differently to what she expected as she initially hoped to make romantic comedies like “Pretty Woman” star Julia Roberts. The “Power Rangers”

actress jokes that her timing was terrible when it came to launching her movie career, reported Contactmusic.

“I actually wanted to be Julia Roberts, and then they stopped making romantic comedies. My

Melissa Joan Hart regrets not dating Ryan Reynolds

Actress Melissa Joan Hart says that she and Ryan Reynolds, who was her co-star in 1996 TV series “Sabrina the Teenage Witch”, enjoyed a momentary fling. In an interview with Australian morning show “Studio 10”, the 40-year-old actress reveals she almost dated the Canadian actor, reported People magazine.

“We were smitten and cute. He was adorable. He was a really nice guy.

“He wasn’t like, the Ryan

Reynolds everybody knows these days. He was very sweet,” Melissa says.

She further adds Reynolds “probably would have been a great boyfriend and I didn’t end up with the other guy, so maybe I should have taken a chance”.

Melissa has been married to musician Mark Wilkerson since 2003. They share three sons together. Reynolds, meanwhile, has been married to actress Blake Lively since 2012. They have two daughters.

timing was terrible. I came into this business and everyone was like, ‘We’re gonna make bromances now!’ and then every movie suddenly stars Jason Segel and Paul Rudd,” Banks says.

But the actress is happy that there is now “some really interesting non-traditional women in comedy, women like Melissa McCarthy and Amy Schumer”.

Banks, however, does not have any complaints with her life.

“And I have a lovely life. I’m not complaining. But I do feel like all planning goes out the window. Actually, I think that’s probably why I produce and direct, because I really felt like the opportunities for me especially compared to my male peers - were so limited and uninteresting.”

Anne Hathaway: Pregnancy improved my acting

Actress Anne Hathaway thinks her pregnancy has “added a layer” to her acting career.

The 34-year-old star, who gave birth to her son Jonathan 12 months ago, admits being pregnant whilst filming her upcoming movie “Colossal” has improved her performance as lead character Gloria, reported Femalefirst. “I think that my

pregnancy may have added a layer to my performance in this one because I was so happy all the time and I just felt this great joy and I love the idea that was who Gloria was. “She wasn’t depressed. She wasn’t put upon. She actually was a party girl and she always brought the fun and I think my baby did that too,” Hathaway said.

About USD 20,000 from donations have been used to save the kitten.

“This is a special case that we didn’t have the budget for. But

when you meet this guy, you can’t help but fall in love,” Katy Hansen, a spokeswoman for Animal Care Centers of NYC said.

Selena Gomez’s three-month break from the spotlight last year helped her reconnect with “real” life, says the singer-actress’

mother Mandy Teefey.

Gomez looked radiant as she flaunted her orange dress by fashion designer Oscar De La Renta at the premiere of series “13 Reasons Why” here last week.

When asked about Gomez, Teefey said her hiatus helped her to be more focused on her career.

“She looks like the sun. I was like, ‘(You’re) a little sun’. I think it was actually (from) taking a break,” Teefey told etonline.com.

Teefey shared that Gomez’s break from the pressure of fame let her reconnect with her roots and “the real world”.

Kitten renamed Hugh Jackman to honour Wolverine-like recovery A burned kitted has been renamed Hugh Jackman due to his ability to recover fast like Wolverine. The severely burned male feline, estimated to be less than six months old, was found about three weeks ago with burns over half his body and four teeth missing, the New York Daily News reported.

Since that time, the kitten has healed faster than expected, encouraging the staff at Animal Care Centers of NYC to name him Hugh Jackman, after the iconic Wolverine actor, most recently starring in “Logan”.

“He’s incredibly resilient. You could call him a superhero cat,” Doctor Tara Bellis said.

Once Hugh has healed, he will be fostered by a veterinary staff member then go up for adoption.

Shia LaBeouf’s assault charges dropped Actor Shia LaBeouf’s assault and harassment charges have been dropped, one week before he was due in court. The “Nymphomaniac” actor was taken into custody by police following an alleged scuffle with a man at his “He Will Not Divide Us” livestream anti-Donald Trump protest in New York in January but he will not face further action.

According to TMZ, there was not enough evidence to prove that a crime occurred when Shia faced off with another protester.

Police previously claimed that LaBeouf ripped the scarf off a 25-year-old man who interfered with the ongoing demonstration at the Museum of Moving Image, scratched his face and pushed him to the ground.

LaBeouf was due to appear in court over the alleged incident on April 7 but that has now been called off.

The “He Will Not Divide Us” art installation was created

by LaBeouf along with artists Nastja Sade Ronkko and Luke Turner, with the intention that the live stream would run throughout President Trump’s time in office.

Selena Gomez’s break reconnected her with life

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Wiretapping op that moderated Cold War feud War end.” The wiretapping idea is believed to have shifted the Cold War in favor of the US. Former US Navy diver W Craig Reed, who carried out secret Cold War missions, said the old-fashioned surveillance method may still be happening today. “Submarines

IT WAS the daring wiretapping operation conducted 400 feet underwater that helped the US uncover a goldmine of intelligence from the Soviet Union. More than 40 years on, details of surveillance mission Operation Ivy Bells,

launched back in 1972, still remains classified. But one thing that is clear is that the information the US uncovered proved to be invaluable and helped lead to the end of the Cold War, according to investigative journalist Sherry Sontag who spent years interviewing the men responsible for the wiretapping for her book Blind Man’s Bluff. The US had spent a decade riskily wiretapping

the Soviet communication line at the bottom of the Sea of Okhotsk, just off Russia’s eastern coast.

“We didn’t know... how much we were frightening (the Soviets)... until we listened to these tapes,” Sontag said, according to Popular Mechanics. “Very quickly, we pulled back from the brink. And this had a lot to do with it.... I think finding this information turned out to be the thing that let the Cold

absolutely still have the capability to do these kind of missions and there are personnel that are still trained on how to do these missions,” he said. “Whether or not those missions are still underway, that would be considered classified.” Captain James Bradley devised the mission that tapped the unencrypted telephone line connecting Petropavlovsk’s submarine base to mainland Russia. He sent the US nuclear submarine Halibut just miles from the Russian coast in 1972 where navy divers were able to walk along the ocean floor and wiretap the communications line. Days later, the submarine returned with

recorded tapes unveiling Soviet secrets. For the next decade, Halibut and other US submarines would travel to the Sea of Okhotsk several times a year to pick up the tap and replace it with new and advanced ones. Sontag said Bradley didn’t have much trouble initially finding the communications line once he realised there would most likely be signs close by warning people not to anchor their boats due to the cables. When the US scanned the coastline, they found signs in a part of the 611,200 sq miles of water that warned fisherman. “They had no idea we could get that close... that we could send divers walking on the bottom that deep...or that we had the technology to tap it.

No one had conceived anything like this before.” The top secret mission used helium for the first time to allow the divers to stay deep underwater to carry out the hours-long wiretapping. The information divers were able to uncover from the wiretapping led to the completion of the SALT II talks in 1979. Ivy Bells “ended” when exNSA employee Ronald Pelton leaked details of the operation to the Soviet Embassy in 1980.

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Primed for pot: Weed to be legal in Canada by ’18 Canadians should be able to smoke marijuana legally on July 1, 2018, putting Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the path to accomplishing one of his most ambitious goals. The legislation to legalize recreational marijuana will be announced the week of April 10th and it should become law by July next year, said a senior government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to lack of authorization to discuss the upcoming legislation. Trudeau, 45, has long promised to legalize recreational cannabis use and sales. Presently, Canadians

can use medical marijuana with a prescription, but recreational use is illegal. If the new legislation is passed, Canada would be the largest developed country to end a nationwide prohibition of recreational marijuana. Trudeau, who has admitted to smoking marijuana ‘five or six times’ in his life, said in June that he has no plans to light up even after his government makes it legal to do so. “I don’t think so. I’m not someone who

has a history of using drugs,” he said. “I lived in Whistler (British Columbia) for a few years, surrounded by friends who did. It was never my thing.” Trudeau admitted to The Huffington Post Canada in a candid August 2013 interview that he smoked pot on a patio by the pool at his house in Montreal since becoming an MP. “We had a few good friends over for a dinner party, our kids were at their grandmother’s for the night, and one of our friends lit a joint and passed it around. I had a puff,” he said.

Trudeau’s decision to decriminalize cannabis is influenced by his 23-year-old brother Michel, who had pending marijuana possession charges against him at the time of his death in an avalanche in November 1998. In the US, voters in California, Massachusetts, Maine and Nevada voted last year to approve the use of recreational marijuana, joining Colorado, Washington, Oregon and

Alaska. Uruguay in South America is the only nation to legalize recreational pot. The

Canadian government will regulate marijuana safety and Ottawa will license producers.

But provinces will be able to decide where marijuana is distributed and sold. Justice Minister Jody WilsonRaybould declined to confirm the dates provided by the official, but said in a statement the government is committed to introducing legislation this spring that would “legalize, strictly regulate and restrict access to cannabis”.

“This will be done in a careful way to keep it out of the hands of children and youth, and to stop criminals from profiting,” the statement said. “In order to meet our commitment to legalise, the legislation will need to pass through the parliamentary process in a timely fashion.” The news was noticed online by Snoop Dogg, who tweeted “Oh Canada!” Marijuana legislation will follow the recommendation of a federally appointed task force that was chaired by former Health Minister Anne McLellan as well as the advice of former Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair, who is the parliamentary

secretary to the justice minister.

Blair has been visiting police departments across the country.

The task force recommended adults be allowed to carry up to 30 grams of pot for recreational purpose and grow up to four plants. It also recommended that higherpotency pot be taxed at a higher rate than weaker strains and that recreational marijuana should not be sold in the same location as alcohol or tobacco. Under the task force proposals, alcoholfree cannabis lounges would be allowed. The panel’s report noted public health experts tend to favor a minimum age of 21 as the brain continues to develop to about 25, but said

setting the minimum age too high would preserve the illicit market. Canadian youth have higher rates of cannabis use than their peers worldwide.

While the government moves to legalise marijuana, retail outlets selling pot for recreational use have already been set up.

Trudeau has emphasized current laws should be respected. “Until we have a framework to control and regulate marijuana, the current laws apply,” he had said on March 1. That warning became more apparent when police in Toronto, Vancouver, and other cities raided stores this month and charged several people with possession and trafficking.

Meghan cements position as future royal wife

IT IS the magazine that published some of Princess Diana’s most iconic photos and now her son’s girlfriend Meghan Markle is set to follow in her footsteps as she appears in this month’s Vanity Fair. The girlfriend of Prince Harry, 35, appears in the April edition of the lifestyle magazine where she stars in a new photoshoot of the ‘global leaders’ who attended the One Young World Summit in Ottawa in October 2016. In her first official photoshoot since the announcement of her royal romance the Suits actress appears alongside Emma Watson, Cher, and Justin Trudeau, all of whom spoke at the 2016 Summit.

Writing about One Young World on her lifestyle site TheTig, Meghan said: “When I was asked to be a counsellor

at One Young World my response was a resounding yes. One Young World invites young adults from all over the world who are actively working to transform the socio-political landscape

by being the greater good. “They are delegates who are speaking out against human rights violations, environmental crises, gender equality issues, discrimination and injustice. They are the change.”

Meghan poses alongside former President of Ireland Mary Robinson, poet Fatima Bhutto, and women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul. The 2016 One Young World Summit, which took place in Ottawa from September 28 to October 1, gathered 1,300 young leaders from 196 countries around the world to discuss worldwide challenges alongside world-leaders from across the globe, and to generate innovative

solutions to the world’s most pressing issues. The summit was opened by Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, who used the One Young World Opening Ceremony to launch his Prime Minister’s Youth Council of 15 young Canadians, and called on the young leaders present to ‘make good use of your new global community (at One Young World) and do something great with it’. This year’s summit saw the launch of the ‘Emma Watson Scholarship’, recognising outstanding work in advancing gender equality across the globe. Watson selected nine young leaders as her One Young World Scholars and declared, “We, the entire spectrum of the feminist movement, are building an unstoppable current, for which we need ripples of hope from every age, race, ability, walk of life, every human experience.” Since taking part in the One Young World Summit, both Meghan and Emma have shared plenty of social media posts about their work.

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THE SPECIAL Air Service has launched a series of devastating aerial assaults behind Islamic State’s lines — claiming a decisive victory over the terrorist group and paving the way for a final battle to wipe out the jihadis in their stronghold.

The top-secret raids have secured a strategically vital air base in Syria from which Britain and its allies can attack the nearby city of Raqqa, where an army of terrorists are preparing to fight to the death. A monumental hydroelectric dam that the terrorists have been threatening to destroy — potentially killing thousands of civilians — was also captured after a brutal firefight that went on for several hours as the SAS-led forces met heavy resistance.

The daring operation, believed to be the first airborne infantry operations against IS, began with British Special Forces parachuting from thousands of feet under cover of darkness on a reconnaissance mission deep in enemy territory. The squad of elite SAS troops (whose exact number cannot be disclosed for national security reasons) jumped from a C-130 Hercules military aircraft and steered their parachutes towards a desert area west of Raqqa, where the Tabqa dam and Tabqa air base are located. They watched the

jihadists at close range for several hours using nightvision goggles and identified the enemy’s strengths and weaknesses.

This vital intelligence enabled the coalition against IS to finalise plans for the assaults days later on the two key strategic targets. On March 21, SAS troops joined soldiers of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in an assault on the dam. Jihadists defending the northern perimeter of the three-mile dam were shot dead while other IS fighters retreated to the southern end.

As the battle raged, support came from US Marines who had crossed the Euphrates river in Combat Rubber Raiding Craft. The fighting continued for several hours, with the jihadists determined to hold their ground until they were largely defeated.

Four days later, SAS and SDF troops were airlifted towards Tabqa air base, 25 miles from Raqqa. The SAS and SDF landed just south of the base and launched a ground attack supported by Apache helicopter gunships which fired 30mm cannons and Hellfire missiles at enemy defensive positions identified by the SAS reconnaissance team. The mission ended in complete victory, allowing the air base to be used as a launchpad for imminent operations against an estimated 4,000

jihadists in Raqqa. SASINDARINGI.S. Special forces launch operation to displace jihadis from vital dam and regain air base for deadly assault on Raqqa The SAS is training hundreds of SDF fighters at secret locations.

They will be thrust into action in the operation to remove IS from Raqqa, which the jihadists once declared was the capital of the Islamic caliphate, and where the murderer Jihadi John was based.

Specialist SAS soldiers, known as

Forward Air Controllers, are being used to identify targets for coalition bombers and speak directly to pilots to ensure their munitions land in the right place. This year there have been more than 300 air strikes around Tabqa and to the west of Raqqa. According to US Central Command figures, hundreds of IS fighters have been killed, while more than 200 fortifications and 50 IS vehicles have been destroyed — but there have also been reports of civilian casualties as a result

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of US bombing. An SAS source said: “The SAS jump was part of the recce phase before the raids on Tabqa dam, Tabqa air base and the capture of IS-occupied villages along the Euphrates river valley.

“Once on the ground, the guys identified IS’s strong points and flagged up the proliferation of IEDs, which were everywhere, basically. The terrain underfoot was treacherous everywhere they went. “The SAS guys were armed with assault rifles and pistols and had top

cover from a Predator drone providing heavy machine-gun fire or launching Hellfire missiles if required. “Military aircraft also dropped quad bikes, ammunition and heavy weapons which were used in the assaults. In particular, the recce team noted that the dam was particularly well-defended by IS fighters.”

Following the raids on the dam and the air base, US military spokesmen heaped praise on the SDF, as part of a coalition strategy to enhance the reputation of local

forces. US Colonel Joseph Scrocca said: “It is the SDF on the ground putting their lives at risk and valiantly engaging the enemy. It is the SDF who are making the sacrifices so that other coalition nations do not continue to suffer the threat of IS terrorism inside their own borders.” The top-secret role of the SAS and other international Special Forces troops was confirmed, however, by British and US sources, including a news website run by former American military personnel called

Lima Charlie News. While the Tabqa dam has been largely wrested from the terrorists, its far southern end remains in IS hands. Although the threat has been minimised, there are still fears that in a desperate last effort to halt Western forces, the jihadists could destroy the dam, a move that would flood the river valley and cause thousands of deaths. IS may also have stockpiled poisons which it could use to contaminate the water supply.

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Drug overdose claims two city youngsters

WHEN Jenny returned from work to her thirdfloor home in south Delhi’s Munirka on Friday morning, she found the door locked from the inside. This wasn’t surprising because two of her friends, 22-yearolds Clara and Rakil, had come over in the mood to party through the night before she left for her call centre job. However, despite banging on the door repeatedly, Jenny received no response. Her calls to Clara’s phone also went unanswered. Jenny then broke a glass window and peered inside. She saw Clara and Rakil lying on a mattress, seemingly unconscious. Jenny then called up Liankhanmang, Clara’s cousin brother. He arrived in about 10 minutes and, after two-

three attempts, they managed to break open the door.

Liankhanmang rushed to check on his sister but realised that she was not breathing. Jenny could not find Rakil’s pulse.

Liankhanmang then booked a cab, as he did not want to wait for an ambulance, and took the two unconscious women to Safdarjung Hospital. Doctors declared them brought dead.

According to what Jenny and Liankhanmang told the attending doctor, Clara and Rakil may have overdosed on drugs. Speaking to Mail Today, the doctors who attended to the women said both were unconscious and nonreactive. Drug overdoses are sometimes caused intentionally to commit suicide or self-harm,

but many cases are accidental, the result of intentional or unintentional misuse of medication. Experts say poly drug use often carries more risk than use of a single drug, due to an increase in side effects, and drug synergy. “It’s a case of drug abuse. Excessive drug dose have turned fatal for the duo,” said a doctor at Safdarjung Hospital, requesting anonymity. A call was made to the police control room and a team reached the hospital.

Another group of cops reached the house where the women were found dead. A forensic team also arrived at the spot and sealed the room where Clara and Rakil spent the night. All the evidences collected have been sent for examination, said sources.

Officers said the families of the deceased— both natives of Mizoram— have been informed and a post-mortem was conducted in the evening under the supervision of the Safdarjung medical board. The reports are expected next week. According to local police, Clara had come to Delhi about a year ago and was presently unemployed. She previously held some temporary jobs on ad-hoc basis. Clara was staying with her cousin in Munirka while Rakhil reportedly came to Delhi from Lucknow on Thursday evening to join her.

Delhi Police officers said they were waiting for the forensic team’s initial findings. “Once the reports will be shared, further investigation will be conducted,” said one of them.

Stars born in black holes discovered

At the centre of most galaxies is a supermassive black hole, an incredibly dense area with a mass that can be billions of times that of the sun. And now researchers have discovered that stars can form within the harsh ‘winds’ of supermassive black holes. Researchers said their discovery could help us understand how galaxies evolve from scratch. Observations using ESO’s Very Large Telescope have revealed stars forming within the powerful outflows of a supermassive black hole. Material is routinely blasted out from supermassive black holes, which make up the very core of galaxies. The telescope observations are the first confirmed observations of stars forming in this kind of extreme environment. A group of European astronomers used the MUSE and X-shooter instruments on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) at ESO’s Paranal Observatory, Chile, to study an ongoing collision between two galaxies, known collectively as IRAS F231285919. The two galaxies lie around 600 million light-years from Earth. The group observed the colossal winds of material, or outflows that originate from the supermassive black hole at the heart of the pair’s southern galaxy. They found the first clear evidence that stars are being born in them. Such galactic outflows are driven by the huge energy output from the active and turbulent centres of galaxies. Supermassive

black holes are known to engulf celestial material that stray too close to its centre. When they engulf matter, they also heat the surrounding gas and expel it from the host galaxy in powerful, dense winds. “Astronomers have thought for a while that conditions within these outflows could

be right for star formation, but no one has seen it actually happening as it’s a very difficult observation,” said Professor Roberto Maiolino from the University of Cambridge. “Our results are exciting because they show unambiguously that stars are being created inside these outflows.” The discovery provides new and exciting information that could better our understanding of some astrophysics. It could help astronomers determine how certain galaxies obtain their shapes and how intergalactic space becomes enriched with heavy elements

Russia, US to develop swarmbot drones

RUSSIA and the US are in a race to develop ‘swarmbot’ drones that are fired from a gun.

Russia has unveiled a reconnaissance drone a soldier would shoot from a ‘handheld grenade launcher’. “The drone is prepared for launch within a period of 5 seconds to 3 minutes, depending on the time of preparing a flight program in cases when other similar drones require much more time for accomplishing the mission,” the Russian news agency Tass reported. It was part of a military robotics show called ‘Robotization of the Russian Armed Forces’ on Thursday that brought together more than 30 Russian defence companies and 500 participants. The drone will be able to stay in the air for up to two hours at an altitude of up to 4 km, after which it will return to the home base. It follows the news in February that Russian arms manufacturers had found a way to launch drones from a much larger Smerch multiple launch rocket system. And in December 2016,

Alexander Yakunin, CEO of the United Instrument Manufacturing Corporation, told TASS “the Russian Army may get weapons against swarms of attack mini-drones in two years”.

He added: “Powerful types of such hardware with strike capabilities may become operational in the Russian Army within four years, while simpler systems may appear already in two years. “Serious potential has been accumulated and real prototypes of these weapons have been created. We have demonstrated their capabilities and the results are more than convincing.” In recent years, drones have emerged as a major component of modern warfare and are expected to be one of the dominating forces on future battlefields. The US is pursuing similar technology through a programme called ‘Locust’, short for Low-cost UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) Swarming technology. Its aim is to fire 30 synchronized, foldable drones out of a tube launcher.

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Tribe wins $1.7mn from plane crash on its land

AN AMAZON tribe will receive $1.7 million from one of Brazil’s top airlines after a jet crashed on their land leaving it “cursed”.

Airline Gol agreed to compensate the Kayapo people after a mid-air collision saw one of their planes crash into the tribe’s nature reserve back in 2006. A Gol Boeing 737-8EH carrying 154 passengers and crew was on a commercial flight when it collided with a Legacy 600 private jet being flown by two Americans. While the American plane was able to make it to a nearby airport and land, the Brazilian aircraft came down in the middle of the jungle, killing all those on board. As a result of the crash, the Kayapo were forced to move several of their homes and a medical centre set up by Brazil’s indigenous agency, Funai, the BBC reports. The tribe say they now cannot return to the area because “it is cursed with the presence of the dead”. Two years ago, tribe leaders sought help from Funai to ask for compensation, Globo TV reported. The airline and tribe leaders came to an outof-court agreement, which was signed by the Kayapo at a ceremony earlier this month. An investigation into the disaster found errors by the American pilots and Brazilian air traffic control, but Gol still agreed to compensate the Kayapo earlier this month. The money will be paid into a foundation set up by Kayapo leader chief Raoni Metuktire, and

managed by Funai and Brazil’s Attorney General’s Office. The Kayapo are one of the largest and most powerful of the Amazonian tribes, having first made contact with Europeans around 500 years ago. In 1989, Raoni worked with the Body Shop’s Anita Roddick. Raoni became famous when he travelled around the world with British rock star Sting in the late 1980s to highlight the destruction of the Amazon rainforest and establish the Rainforest Foundation Fund. He campaigned for the demarcation of indigenous lands, threatened by

hydroelectric dams, illegal mining and the expansion of soya plantations. His foundation will manage the compensation money, under the watch of Funai and Brazil’s Attorney General’s Office. Logging on their land during the 1980s brought them considerable wealth, but when the practice was made illegal on indigenous lands, they switched their efforts to rainforest conservation instead. The Kayapo, whose name means “men who like monkeys”, live in scattered villages deep within the Amazon and while some have frequent contact with outsiders, others are thought to live in virtual isolation. Their population was estimated to be around 8,600 in 2010, meaning the payout will bring £116 (`9,455)to every member of the tribe.

Agitators set Paraguay’s parliament building afire FURIOUS protesters torched Paraguay’s parliament building, accusing the country’s president of staging a ‘coup’ over a secret vote allowing him to stand for re-election.

Senators secretly voted for a

constitutional amendment allowing President Haracio Cartes to stand for office again. The move prompted a night of rioting which saw demonstrators storm the Congress building, setting fire to it and injuring a number of police officers. Several politicians, including the country’s former interior minister, Rafael Filizzola, were hit by rubber bullets, the Paraguayan media reports. In a call for calm, Cartes described the rioters as ‘barbarians’. Journalist Santi Carneri told the BBC that the fire was alight for more than two hours, and described it as a the worst violence since Paraguay became a democracy.

Senator Desiree Masi, from the opposition Progressive Democratic Party, said: “A coup has been carried out. We will resist and we invite the people to resist with us.” The country’s constitution has prohibited re-election since 1992, when laws were introduced following the overthrow of dictator Alfredo Stroessner in 1989 after a brutal 35 year rule.

Firefighters were eventually able to bring the Congress building fire under control late last night, but protests and riots continued across capital city Asuncion and in other parts of the country. Television images had earlier shown protesters smashing windows of the Congress building and clashing with police, burning tires and removing fences.

Scientists take a step forward to stronger HIV vaccine

A BREAKTHROUGH has occurred in the fight against HIV, new research reveals. Scientists say they’ve engineered an ‘onoff switch’ into a weakened form of HIV, enhancing the safety and effectiveness of a potential vaccine for the virus. They say this could be the final necessary step to eradicate the disease that killed 35 million people since the beginning of the epidemic in the 1980s.

Vaccinologists often prefer exposing the body to weakened viruses, rather than deactivated ones, because they grant stronger and longer-lasting immunity. But weakened viruses retain the ability to replicate, meaning that they still pose a

risk of becoming full-blown pathogens. Researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln began addressing this issue in

2014, when they genetically engineered a version of HIV that needs a synthetic amino acid — one not found in the body — to

replicate. Doing so required the team to replace a codon that codes for the amino acid in the HIV’s genetic code. Each codon instructs an amino acid to connect to a chain that becomes a protein and ultimately allows viral replication. The team swapped one of these codons for a ‘nonsense’ version that instead signals a stop in the amino-acid assembly line, halting production of the proteins essential for replication. When the team supplied the synthetic amino acid, the assembly line began churning out proteins, and the virus began

replicating. When the supply of amino acids stopped, so did the replication. This technique gave the team control over the HIV’s replication. And by delivering a consistent supply of amino acids, the team showed that it can kickstart the multiple cycles of replication necessary for an effective vaccine. “Safety is always our biggest concern,” said Dr Wei Niu, an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering.

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A powerful and touching personal experience is bound to transform you this week. A professional opportunity comes at this point when you were considering a change anyway.

Unexpected events and reactions should be taken in your stride. Don’t be afraid to encounter people at home or situations at work to gain clarity and understanding. You can profit from a short-term investment or speculation that looks risky to others.

Study business offers and professional opportunities in detail before rejecting or accepting them. You are exuberant and full of energy to indulge in sport and physical activity.

You can expect teamwork and synergy to move business projects towards success and completion this week. Your personal charisma and power take you through difficult situations and to important people. You retain a position of authority in a business set up and prove your metal despite rivalry. You enjoy love and support in personal relationships as romance is in the air and there is a lightness to your step. A close friend can be egoistic and demanding but has a soft heart. A sound investment in property is likely. Stay light and playful to achieve speed and completion of projects.

You wield power and authority most effectively this week as you bring perspective, law and order in chaotic situations at work and at home. Success brings rank and respect as you dominate the professional scene in a conference or seminar. You display great skill in sports or physical activity that wins you appreciation and opportunity to travel. Beware of a covetous and suspicious person around you who can cause misunderstanding in your personal relationships. A close friend is supportive but overbearing. Stop clinging to anything or anyone but loosen your grip, feel free and share or you become fearful and restricted.

Major voluntary and involuntary changes are on the cards this week! You are able to let past relationships go and accept feelings and emotions with receptivity. Personal relationships have a tender, loving and caring quality that helps you through difficult changes and situations. Professional opportunities can be multifarious and diverse, adding to your career and reputation. Don’t hesitate to get rid of dead weight in business partnerships or collaborations. You spend quality time with children, family and close friends. You have drive and dynamism that inspires others to put out their best when working with you.

Your clarity of vision and insight brings you closer to your professional and personal goals. Personal relationships take an unexpected turn for the better as you are clear about your demands and commitments. You can expect emotional support from family also financial aid from friends if you need it. Don’t have great expectations this week from people you have known for a long time or you may be disappointed. It’s time to connect with friends and family overseas as business opportunities stem from there. You are popular with groups, clubs and institutions as you inspire others with new ideas and hope.

You are able to present original ideas and individualistic views to start new trends and interests in your area of activity. You possess great power to attract creative and charismatic people around you.

Beware of an older woman who is stupid, obstinate, revengeful, domineering, and quick to take offense without good cause. You can be dynamic, forceful and assertive in new ventures to establish a position of power and authority.

Balance in all areas of life is recommended at this point. You can be depleted of resources and forces if you don’t manage them well.

You have a sharp mind like a sword but a child’s heart this week. You have the clear perception of professional ideas that liberate the mind from any tension or restriction.

Being an intense individualist, confident and just, you demand and command respect from people at home and at work. Try to be clear but not ruthless or you are not received well by people around you.

Beware of a deceitful and unreliable woman whose superficial attractiveness makes her all the more dangerous. Don’t be afraid of confusion in personal relationships as they can be cleared up with love and understanding.

You feel sacrificed to obsolete routines and patterns at this point and attempt to make a new beginning which involves letting go the past. The fear of change and apprehension about the future keeps you from making a quantum leap, which is needed. New opportunities at work and positive attitudes in personal relationships bring success and fulfillment. Old ideas and connections that seemed important or significant are of no consequence now. A positive attitude in personal relationships brings healing and love.

You find yourself at the brink of an important change that brings emotional chaos and confusion in personal relationships. You may have to deal with moody people around you in the family. It’s best to go beyond illusions and look realistically at present situations. Clarity and commitment in the future is based on what you decide to do now. Negative aspects at work can be eliminated if you deal with them forcefully. A business partnership or relationship is likely to be transformed after a long period of difficulty. It’s important to go deep into meditation to experience bliss and joy.

You realize goals and targets through hard work and concentration this week. You are rewarded with success after a period of anxiety. You have mental clarity and a logical approach despite all the confusion and activity around you.

Conceit and intellectual pride can be your downfall so be aware. A close friend needs you to support him through a tough period of emotional turmoil. Old friends and close family communicate good news and remain in touch when you need to share views and feelings with them. Personal relationships cannot be resolved through discussion and analysis but through love, acceptance and freedom.

Professional projects are completed on target. A triangular relationship can become problematic if you allow one person to interfere with the other. A business arrangement with two others can be highly lucrative if you deal with the other two separately.

Investment in land home or business is gainful.

You complete one cycle of your life and move on to the next with changes and new beginnings. You organize people and manage situations with subtle charm and firmness. Physical well-being and good energy allow you to deal with busy work schedules and social obligations.

You make a compromise in a professional matter to enable progress and completion of projects. Personal relationships are loving and supportive as you share feelings and ideas. Contradiction and individuality need to be accepted as people are not likely to change; however, attitudes can be transformed. You are stronger and wiser after having gone through trouble and difficulty. You may be indecisive and vacillate between truth and untruth, pleasure and pain, selfish and unselfish motives. Family support is available. A business agreement is signed and delivered this week.

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4 - 10 April, 2017

Technology Twitter makes room; @usernames won’t YouTube ad boycott may count toward your tweet’s 140 characters cost Google $750 mn

San Francisco Twitter has begun rolling out changes to let people pack more into tweets, subtracting from the character count names of

those being replied to in posts.

The latest software modification at the one-to-many messaging service comes about a year after Twitter set out to relax a

Facebook gets Stories feature; now add effects to photos and videos New York After Facebook-owned Instagram and WhatsApp got a Snapchat-like “Stories” update, users on Tuesday got

this,” technology website Tech Crunch quoted Facebook Camera product manager Connor Hayes as saying.

He said Facebook was shifting

140-character limit set due to mobile phone text messaging constraints in place when Twitter launched in 2006.

Twitter first announced plans to relax the limit a year ago, as part of an effort to bring in more members and make the platform easier to use.

“Remember how we told you we were working on ways to let you to express more with 140 characters?” Twitter product manager Sasank Reddy yesterday said in an online post.

“Now, when you reply to someone or a group, those @usernames won’t count toward your tweet’s 140 characters.”

Providing more room in tweets is seen as a way to encourage more use and sharing of pictures, videos and links.

The move is part of a push by Twitter to increase its user base and engagement, which have sputtered to the chagrin of investors.

“Our work isn’t finished,” Reddy said.

“We’ll continue to think about how we can improve conversations and make Twitter easier to use.”

Twitter faces competition from Facebook and Instagram, and a trend of people opting to share content in video or picture formats instead of text.

New York The boycott of video-hosting platform YouTube by advertisers could cost its parent company Google $750 million in revenue, a media report said.

Over the past few weeks, major consumer brands, including Johnson & Johnson, PepsiCo and McDonald‘s have pulled out their ads from the platform as they are protesting the placement of their ads which were appearing next to offensive content, including videos posted by terrorism-affiliated groups.

Although Google promised that it was taking steps to deal with the problem, the controversy still continues, and has led at least one firm to downgrade the search giant‘s share price, Fortune reported on Monday.

According to analysts at brokerage firm Nomura Instinet, even if Google addresses the issue quickly, the boycott could

cost its video service dearly.

The firm said that YouTube could see its annual revenues — which are estimated to be $10.2 billion for this year — a cut by as much as 7.5 per cent due to the controversy. This is combined with the costs of fixing the problem.

“Ad buyers are likely to demand greater direct control over ad placement, which could take time and resources to implement,” Nomura was quoted as saying.

The controversy first arose in Britain, where a number of brands and the government itself withdrew their advertising after it was discovered that many ads appeared along with the videos from terrorist organisations and other offensive content.

Google was even summoned to address the parliament about what it planned to do about the problem.

Has London terror attack put WhatsApp’s encryption service in the dock?

access to the new Facebook Camera feature that lets them add effects to their photos and videos.

They can now share this content to a Snapchat clone called ‘Facebook Stories‘ that appears above News Feed on mobile and works similar to Instagram‘s 24-hour slideshows. Users can also share these posts to News Feed of individual friends through the new ‘Facebook Direct‘ private visual messages that disappear after some time.

“As people mostly post photos and videos, `Stories` is the way they`re going to want to do it.

Obviously we`ve seen this doing very well in other apps.

Snapchat has really pioneered

away from text status updates after 10 years as its primary sharing option.

According to Hayes, the rapid ascent of Instagram Stories to 150 million daily users inspired the Menlo Park social media giant to start testing its own Stories in January, and keep expanding it to 12 countries before rollout.

“We`ve tested in markets with Instagram Stories and Messenger Day, and we`ve seen this as accretive. They end up posting more and they like using the `Stories` format across apps,” Hayes added.

WhatsApp recently received thumbs down when it changed from a text-based to a storiesbased status update.

New Delhi Following the brazen terror attack on British parliament, Police are investigating whether Masood, who killed four people outside Britain’s Parliament, used the encrypted messaging service WhatsApp moments before driving across Westminster Bridge on high speed mowing down pedestrians.

A message was reportedly sent from Masood’s phone two minutes before the attack.

It is under these circumstances that the ongoing debate on whether Encrypted messaging services like WhatsApp must make their platforms accessible to intelligence agencies keep coming up very often.

And it is also in these situations that it becomes increasingly difficult to choose between privacy and security as a whole.

A report in the Times of India explains that encrypted services offered by Whatsapp does not store messages on their servers. Hence it is not possible for them to read the messages.

“It would not help if it starts unencrypting messages; it’d have to change its systems,” the TOI report says.

The TOI report however adds that companies swear by encryption because , leaks around the world show that even the most closely guarded systems can be hacked. “Unencryption, or backdoor keys, to their systems exposes companies to hacking attempts and puts user data at serious risk,” it said.

“Experts say even if encryption was banned for WhatsApp, those with nefarious intent would obtain encryption products from elsewhere,” TOI added.

Issue 713 (26) LAWYER-POLITICIAN Prashant Bhushan Sunday sparked a controversy with certain remarks on Lord Krishna while criticising the ‘antiRomeo’ drive in Uttar Pradesh, following which police complaints were filed against him. “Romeo loved just one lady, while Krishna was a legendary Eve teaser. Would (UP CM Yogi) Adityanath have the guts to call his vigilantes Anti-Krishna squads?” Bhushan tweeted. As the controversy erupted, he tried damage control by later tweeting that his remarks had been distorted and he had no intention of hurting religious sentiments. “My tweet on Romeo brigade being distorted. My position is: By the logic of Romeo Brigade, even Lord Krishna would look like eve teaser. We have grown up with legends of young Krishna teasing Gopis. The logic of Romeo squad w o u l d criminalise this. Didn’t intend to hurt sentiments,” he added in another tweet.

However, by then separate police complaints had been filed against him by Delhi BJP spokesperson Tajinder Pal Bagga in the national Capital and UP Congress spokesperson Zeeshan Haidar in Lucknow. “I have lodged a police complaint against

4 - 10 April, 2017 Prashant Bhushan for his indecent remarks on Lord Krishna, who is revered across the world. This is not a question of Hindu or Muslim. The tweets of Bhushan have hurt sentiments of crores of devotees,” said Haider. Bagga said he has written to the police asking for a case to be filed against Bhushan under India Penal Code sections 153(a) and 295. The complaint has been sent to the the Tilak Marg police station, added Bagga. Officials of Tilak Marg police station are looking into the matter, an official said, adding no FIR has been lodged yet. “He (Bhushan) always does this for cheap publicity. He has to give (a) written apology for this,” added Bagga. The special anti-Romeo squads of UP Police were formed to check eveteasing after the Aditynath government assumed office last month, fulfilling one of the poll promises of the BJP. Critics have alleged that it has led to incidents of harassment. Stressing that his government was firm on upholding the security and dignity of women, Chief Minister Adityanath had said a statewide drive has been launched to free public places of anti-social elements and check incidents

‘Mahabharat’ over tweet on Lord Krishna of eveteasing, indecent behaviour and passing of lewd comments at women and girls.

Bhushan is a leader of Swaraj India party, which he along with his associate Yogendra Yadav floated in October last year after being expelled from Aam Aadmi Party. Reacting to Bhushan’s offensive tweet, UP BJP spokesperson Manish Shukla, said, “It simply reflects his narrow mindset. The tweet has hurt the sentiments of billions of devotees of Lord Krishna not only in India, but across the world. He is the same Prashant Bhushan, who had once said that Kashmir is not a part of India. Hence, the need of the hour is to initiate stringent legal action against him.” BJP’s national general secretary

Bhupendra Yadav said Bhushan should study the Indian epics before commenting.

“Saddening” was how BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra chose to describe it. In a Hindi tweet, Patra said it takes several births to understand Lord Krishna, and suggested that it was unfortunate that the deity’s name was being politicised.

Owasi potshot Bhushan’s remark comes a day after MP Asaduddin Owaisi took a potshot at the BJP’s policies

on beef in two states: Uttar Pradesh – where a crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses is underway, and Nagaland – where there’s no such policy yet. In fact, Visasolie Lhoungu, Nagaland BJP chief, said, “(A) ban on cow slaughter like the one in UP won’t take effect in Nagaland if our party comes to power next year. The reality here is very different and our central leaders are aware of that.” All this prompted Owaisi to ask: “Are cows ‘mummy’ in Uttar Pradesh and ‘yummy’ in Nagaland?”

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4 - 10 April, 2017

Sacking of South Africa’s Indianorigin minister triggers rift in ANC Johannesburg The sacking of South Africa’s respected Indian-origin finance minister Pravin Gordhan in a cabinet purge pitched the ruling ANC party into chaos on Friday, creating one of its biggest tests since leading the fight against

apartheid.The country’s deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa launched a unprecedented verbal attack on President Jacob Zuma, whose midnight reshuffle sent the rand currency plunging and triggered accusations that he was promoting graft.Zuma’s axing of Gordhan also unleashed a wave of opposition in the African National Congress, which came to power under Nelson Mandela in the euphoric 1994 elections but has suffered declining support.Gordhan was widely seen as a competent

manager of one of the world’s most important emerging economies.Ramaphosa went public with his anger, openly attacking his boss. “I told him that I would not agree with him,” he told reporters. “There are quite a number of other colleagues and

comrades who are unhappy about this situation, particularly the removal of the minister of finance who was serving the country with absolute distinction.”Gordhan was reportedly sacked because of an alleged intelligence report on meetings he held in London earlier this week.“For him to be removed for this type of reasoning is to me unacceptable,” Ramaphosa said.Gordhan held a press conference on Friday, saying he heard of his sacking via television and dismissing the intelligence report “as absolute nonsense”.“We hope more and more South Africans would make it clear that our country is not for sale,” he added.

After Laptop Ban, Qatar Airways To Starts Laptop Loan Service

DOHA Qatar Airways said on Thursday it will offer free laptops to business class passengers flying to the United States, in an effort to get round an American ban on electronics.

In a statement, the Doha-based carrier said it would begin offering a ‘laptop loan service’ to those travelling in business class from “next week”.

The computers would be collected by US-bound passengers from their departure gate just before boarding, said Qatar Airways.“By providing this laptop loan service we can ensure that our passengers on flights to the US can continue to work whilst on board,” said the airline’s boss, Akbar Al-Baker.

A similar laptop proposal is being considered by fellow Gulf carrier,

Emirates, which is also affected by the US ban.

Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways meanwhile said it would offer free wi-fi and tablet computers to first and business class passengers on US-bound flights.

The move comes after Washington earlier this month stopped electronic devices bigger than mobile phones from being taken on direct flights to the United States from 10 airports in seven Middle Eastern countries and Turkey.

A similar ban was also imposed

by Britain, but this exempted some of the Gulf airlines, including Qatar.

US officials said the measure was intended to thwart possible attacks on airliners with small explosive devices hidden in consumer electronics.

Zuma made 20 new government appointments in the reshuffle.

“I’m very uncomfortable because areas where ministers do not perform have not been touched,” Gwede Mantashe, the influential ANC secretary general, said.

“We can’t be happy (with the decision to sack Gordhan) because we think that the finance minister was a hard worker.”Gordhan had been at loggerheads with Zuma for months, receiving support from several ministers and major foreign investors, as well as many ordinary South Africans and veterans of the anti-apartheid struggle.He campaigned for budget discipline and against corruption, but Zuma’s allies have accused Gordhan of thwarting the president’s desire to enact radical policies to tackle racial inequality.Mantashe told 702 radio that Zuma was aware that many in the ANC were “unhappy” about the purge, in which Gordhan was replaced by home affairs minister Malusi Gigaba.“The president came with a list. (He) said ‘you can comment if you want to comment, but this is my decision,’” Mantashe said.

The ANC, which was banned under white-minority rule, has lost popularity due to corruption allegations, record unemployment and slow economic growth.

Kuwaiti woman held for filming maid attempting suicide

Kuwait Kuwaiti police have detained a woman for filming her Ethiopian maid falling from the seventh floor in an apparent suicide attempt without trying to rescue her, media and a rights group said Friday.

The Kuwaiti woman filmed her maid land on a metal awning and survive, then posted the incident on social media, Al-Seyassah newspaper reported.

The 12-second video shows the maid hanging outside the building, with one hand tightly gripping the window frame, as she begs for help in an apparent last-minute change of mind.

The woman holding the camera is heard telling the hanging maid: “Oh crazy, come back.”

The terrified maid is seen screaming “hold me, hold me”, just before her hand slips and she falls down to hit the awning, which appears to soften the impact.

The employer made no reaction

as she continued filming.

Later, paramedics rescued the maid and rushed her to hospital where she was found to have suffered nose and ear bleeding and a broken arm, the newspaper said.

The criminal investigation police referred the employer to the prosecution over failing to help the victim, the daily said.

The reasons for the maid’s attempted suicide were not revealed.

The Kuwait Society for Human Rights on Friday called on the authorities to investigate the case and refer it to court.

The oil-rich Gulf state is home to more than 600,000 domestic helpers, a majority of them Asians, many of whom complain of abuse, mistreatment and nonpayment of wages.

Hundreds of maids escape their employers every year over abuse, and the government has set up shelters for them. Some seek help from their embassies.

US defense chief says North Korea has ‘got to be stopped’ London North Korea must be stopped on its path toward being able to threaten the United States with nuclear attack, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said today in a stark expression of America’s top national security concern at the moment. He emphasized diplomatic means of changing Pyongyang’s “reckless” agenda.

On his first visit to Britain as Pentagon chief, Mattis also took rhetorical jabs at Russia and said America’s priority in Syria is defeating the Islamic State group rather than bringing down President Bashar Assad.

At a joint news conference with his British counterpart, Michael Fallon, Mattis was reminded by a reporter that as commander of US forces in the Middle East several years ago, he considered Iran to be the biggest threat to US interests.Asked how he would deal with Iran as secretary of defense, Mattis called Tehran a problem but quickly pivoted to condemning North Korea and described the isolated, communist country as the more immediate threat.“This is a threat of both rhetoric and growing capability,” Mattis said, alluding to the North’s recent progress in building nuclear bombs and developing an

intercontinental ballistic missile to deliver such weapons to US soil.Experts believe North Korea will develop such capability in the next years, despite an array of international sanctions on the country.

The Trump

suggested that he now sees the world through a wider lens and that makes North Korea the more urgent problem.

He also aimed strong criticism at Russia, saying its “violations of international law are now a

administration has been conducting a broad policy review of North Korea that includes military options, but Mattis stressed other approaches.

“We are working diplomatically, including with those that we might be able to enlist in this effort to get North Korea under control,” he said. “But right now it appears to be going in a very reckless manner.”“That’s got to be stopped,” he concluded.Mattis made clear he still worries about Iran’s involvement in what the US sees as destabilizing activities across the Middle East. But he

matter of record.” He was referring to its annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region in 2014 and “mucking around insider other people’s elections and that sort of thing.” He also cited Russian outreach to Afghanistan’s Taliban as a concern.Mattis hinted the Trump administration was close to deciding how to respond to Russia’s recent deployment of a ground-based medium-range cruise missile an action the Pentagon recently declared a violation of the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty.

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North Korean Murder Suspects Return With Body Of Kim Jong Un’s Half-Brother

KUALA LUMPUR Three North Koreans wanted for questioning over the murder of the estranged half-brother of their country’s leader returned home on Friday along with the body of victim Kim Jong Nam after Malaysia agreed a swap deal with the reclusive state.

Malaysian police investigating what US and South Korean officials say was an assassination carried out by North Korean agents took statements from the three North Koreans before they were allowed to leave the country.

“We have obtained whatever we want from them... They have assisted us and they have been allowed to leave,” police chief Khalid Abu Bakar told a news conference in Kuala Lumpur, saying there was no grounds to hold the men.Kim Jong Nam, the elder half-brother of the North’s young, unpredictable leader Kim

Jong Un, was killed at Kuala Lumpur’s airport on Feb. 13 in a bizarre assassination using VX nerve agent, a chemical so lethal that it is on a U.N. list of weapons of mass destruction.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said the remains of a North Korean citizen killed in Malaysia were returned to North Korea via Beijing along with “relevant” North Korean citizens.

Malaysian authorities released Kim’s body on Thursday in a deal that secured the release of nine Malaysian citizens held in Pyongyang after a drawn out diplomatic spat.

Malaysian police had named eight North Koreans they wanted to question in the case, including the three who were given safe passage to leave Malaysia on Thursday evening.

Television footage obtained by Reuters from Japanese media

showed Hyon Kwang Song, the second secretary at the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, and Kim Uk Il, a North Korean state airline employee on the flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.The police chief confirmed they were accompanied by compatriot Ri Ji U, also known as James, who had been hiding with them at the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur.Malaysian prosecutors have charged two women - an Indonesian and a Vietnamese with killing him, but South Korean and U.S. officials had regarded them as pawns in an operation carried out by North Korean agents.

Kim Jong Nam, who had been living in exile in the Chinese territory of Macau for several years, survived an attempt on his life in 2012, according to South Korean lawmakers.

They say Kim Jong Un had issued a “standing order” for his assassination to consolidate his own power following their father’s death in 2011.

The other North Koreans named

by Malaysian investigators are all back in North Korea.

In Vietnam, there’s a booming black market for hormones for transgenders Ho Chi Minh City Every week, Huynh Nha An faces the same dilemma: spend her paltry salary on food, or buy the black market hormones she needs to keep her facial hair from growing back.

Born male but desperate to change sex, the timid 21-yearold self-prescribes and injects

drugs bootlegged from Thailand – when she can afford them.

“When I don’t use hormones regularly I turn back into a boy, I’m no longer smooth like a girl,” explains the street food seller and part-time singer.

Nha An is one of thousands facing the same problem in Vietnam, where hormone therapy and sex-reassignment surgery are not legally available to transgender people.

That forces many to selfmedicate despite the serious health risks.

The transgender community endures discrimination in many parts of Vietnam, a communist-

controlled country where conservative social mores dominate.

But in a rare act of social progression, the government is writing a law that will allow people to officially change their gender.

That could result in better access to healthcare for

Vietnam’s 300,000-strong transgender community, but it will not become law until 2019 at the earliest.

Until then Nha An will have to get along without specialist medical help, relying on friends for advice on the dosage and frequency of her hormone injections.

Some months she spends nearly half her $100 income on the drugs, or borrows from friends – her family stopped giving her money after she ran away from home.

“My parents still see me as a diseased person, they don’t accept me as a girl,” she said.

‘I still have a scar’ For trans women like Nha An, it’s tough to find estrogen and progesterone under the table in Vietnam, which is why she buys drugs brought in from Thailand.

But trans men have an easier time finding male hormones, since they’re more commonly available over the counter as a muscle enhancer or libido booster.

Nha An has been lucky so far: doctors warn unsupervised hormone therapy can lead to liver damage, blood clots or high blood pressure.

Jessica Nguyen has not been as fortunate. She developed an abscess after injecting hormones into her behind.

“There is still a scar on my bum,” said the 31-year-old from her costume shop festooned with feather boas and sequined headdresses in Ho Chi Minh City.

She’s seen other friends go in and out of hospital: one who mistakenly injected hormones into her bloodstream, and another whose arm went numb after a dangerously high dose.

Jessica wants better access to safe treatments in Vietnam, including sex-reassignment surgery, which she paid $4,000 for in Thailand -- a small fortune for most Vietnamese.

She had her breasts done for $1,800 in Vietnam, a procedure available to trans people if they can find a surgeon, with no law explicitly banning the procedure.

Police believe four fled Malaysia on the same day as the murder and another was held for a week before being released due to insufficient evidence.

Angered by the probe, North Korea issued a travel ban on Malaysians earlier this month, trapping three diplomats and six family members - including four children - in Pyongyang.

Malaysia, which had previously friendly ties with the unpredictable nuclear-armed state, responded with a ban of its own, but was left with little option but to accede to North Korea’s demands for the return of the body and safe passage for the three nationals hiding in the embassy.

“CLEAR WINNER” Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak , who is currently on an official visit in India, issued a statement announcing the return of the body, but did not mention Kim by name.

“Following the completion of the autopsy on the deceased and receipt of a letter from his family requesting the remains be returned to North Korea, the coroner has approved the

release of the body,” Najib said, adding that the murder investigation would continue but the travel ban on North Koreas was lifted.

North Korea has maintained that the dead man is not Kim Jong Nam and that the body is that of Kim Chol, the name given in a passport found on the victim.

Using a DNA sample, Malaysian police have established that the victim was Kim Jong Nam. Police chief Khalid said the North Korean embassy had at first confirmed that the dead man was Kim Jong Nam, but changed its mind the next day.

The swap agreement brings to an end a diplomatic standoff that has lasted nearly seven weeks.

A North Korean statement on Thursday said both countries managed to “resolve issues arising from the death of a DPRK national.”“It is a win (for North Korea), clearly,” Andrei Lankov, North Korea expert at Seoul’s Kookmin University said on the swap deal. “I presume the Malaysians decided not to get too involved in a remote country’s palace intrigues, and wanted their hostages back.”

In drive against sexual harassment, UN Women puts nude male body, penis on subway seats

Mexico City Videos showing Mexico City subway riders reacting to closeups of men’s’ buttocks and subway seats with moulded penises were part of a bold advertising campaign launched recently by UN Women, an arm of the United Nations.

The videos have been on YouTube since March 20, but it was only this week that UN Women issued a press release taking responsibility for the initiative. At a press conference on Thursday, the organisation said it would show the videos on 12 subway lines in Mexico City over the next three weeks.

The first video, called Seat Experiment showed subway riders’ reactions to a seat moulded in the shape of a nude male body with a prominent penis. Lots of men who tried to sit on the seats were surprised or uncomfortable.

“It’s unpleasant sitting here, but it’s nothing compared to the sexual abuse women experience

on their commute every day,” reads a sign on the floor below the seat.

Nearly 6 million people take the Mexico City subway each day and women are molested on a regular basis. Trains have had designated women-only subway cars for years and beginning last year, men who use them have been subjected to fines.

In the second video in the campaign, Screen Experiment, men waiting for the subway see their buttocks projected onto subway television monitors.

Many women smile as some of the men cover up their backsides in humiliation.

The campaign drew angry reactions from some men on YouTube and Twitter, who felt they were being stigmatized as rapists and criminals.

According to UN Women, nine of every 10 women in Mexico City, one of the world’s most populous metropolises, have been subjected to some type of sexual abuse riding the subway.

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4 - 10 April, 2017

Top Tibetan Lama Abandons Convert to Islam and get acquitted: Pakistani public Monkhood To Marry Old Friend In India prosecutor tells 42 Christians accused of murder

NEW DELHI A senior Tibetan lama at the centre of a long-running row over one of Buddhism’s most important titles has abandoned the monkhood altogether after marrying a childhood friend in

India, his office said Thursday.

Thaye Dorje, 33, has claimed since childhood to be the reincarnation of the Karmapa Lama, the leader of one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

But many adherents of the Karma Kagyu school of Buddhism follow another monk with a rival claim to the title, Urgyen Trinley, who is recognised by the Dalai Lama.

The disagreement has long split Tibetan Buddhists, but on Thursday Thaye Dorje’s office made the surprise announcement that he had married in a private ceremony in New Delhi on March 25, and abandoned the monkhood.

“I have a strong feeling, deep

within my heart, that my decision to marry will have a positive impact not only for me, but also for the lineage,” the statement quoted Thaye Dorje as saying.

“Something beautiful, something beneficial will emerge, for all of

us.”

Thaye Dore will continue to fulfil the role of the Karmapa, including by offering teachings and blessings to students around the world, his office said.

His new wife, 36-year-old Rinchen Yangzom, was born in Bhutan and educated in India and Europe.

Under Tibetan tradition, monks identify a young boy who shows signs he is a reincarnation of a late leader.

Thaye Dorje was born in Tibet and his own father was a high lama, while his mother was descended from Tibetan nobility.

According to his official biography, he was just one-anda-half years old when he started telling people that he was the

Indonesian man found dead inside giant python

MAMUJU An Indonesian farmer has been discovered inside the belly of a giant python after the swollen snake was caught near where the man vanished while harvesting his crops, an official said Wednesday.

The body of 25-year-old Akbar was found when local people cut open the seven metre (23 foot) python after it was found bloated and slithering awkwardly in the village of Salubiro, on the eastern island of Sulawesi on Monday.“We were immediately suspicious that the snake had swallowed Akbar because around the site we found palm

fruit, his harvesting tool and a boot,” said Junaidi, a senior village official, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name. Worried relatives launched a search for Akbar after he failed to return home from a trip to the family’s plantation on Sunday.

Junaidi said the snake had swallowed the farmer whole, adding that it was the only such fatality recorded in the region.

The breed of snake, which regularly tops 20 feet, is commonly found in Indonesia and the Philippines.

While the serpents have been known to attack small animals, attempts to eat people are rare. In 2013, a security guard on the tourist island of Bali was killed by a python at a luxury beachfront hotel.

Karmapa.

In a 2012 interview he told AFP the disagreement over the Karmapa title “tests one’s courage in terms of devotion”.

The Karmapa Lama is not the only senior Tibetan Buddhist title to be disputed.

In 1995, China’s atheist government picked a young boy to be the Panchen Lama -- a role already filled by another boy chosen by the Dalai Lama.

The Dalai Lama’s choice was detained by Chinese authorities at the age of six and has not been seen since. The Panchen Lama traditionally plays a significant role in the choice of the Dalai Lama’s successor.But China’s officially atheist Communist Party has repeatedly said it has the right to control the process of reincarnation.Many Tibetan Buddhists fear Beijing may seek to impose their choice of spiritual leader after the Dalai Lama’s death.

Lahore 42 Christians, who are accused of lynching two Muslim men, were given a shocking offer by a senior Pakistani public prosecutor to get acquitted in the case. According to a report of Express Tribune, the public prosecutor asked the 42 Christian accused to convert to Islam to get acquitted by the court. Joseph Franci, a rights activist who’s legally assisting the accused, said the public

Rome Police in Rome arrested a 38year-old doctor on Thursday on suspicion of sexual abuse of female patients and said he had child pornography on smart phones and other devices found during a search of his home.

The doctor allegedly abused his patients during ultrasound cavitation, a weight-loss procedure, carried out in his private clinic in the Italian capital.

The doctor was under house arrest and faces charges of molestation, possessing child

pornography and luring minors, according to police.

A probe of the physician began when one of his patients complained about his “unorthodox” methods, according to sources close to the investigation.

Rome doctor held for sexually abusing patients

prosecutor told the accused that he would take guarantee of their acquittal on the condition that they would embrace Islam.

“He asks them if they embrace Islam, he can guarantee them their acquittal in this case,” Joseph Franci told the Express Tribune. The acquittal offer was reportedly made by Deputy District Public Prosecutor Syed Anees Shah. The 42 people, belonging to Pakistan’s minority Christian community, facing trial in an anti-terrorism court for allegedly lynching two men after March 2015’s suicide blasts that targeted Sunday Mass in two churches in Youhanabad in Lahore.According to Joseph Francis, the accused were in shock after the public prosecutor offered the acquittal-forconversion deal. One of the accused, Irfan Masih, even spoke out, saying he was ready to be hanged if he had to convert, said Franci. Speaking to the newspaper, Naseeb Anjum Advocate, who is appearing for some of the accused, condemned the offer made by the public prosecutor saying,”The government should get rid of such elements that bring bad name to the state by such acts.”

Iranian youth sentenced to death for ‘insulting Prophet and Islam’: Report Tehran Iranian authorities have sentenced a 21-year-old man to death for “insulting Islam” through text messages sent on a mobile application, The Independentreported. Sina Dehghan, who was 19 at the time of the incident, confessed to the “crime” after he was promised pardon in exchange.

According to Dehghan’s lawyers, the prosecutors went back on the agreement and he was consequently given the death sentence. Centre for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) claimed that in January, the Supreme Court upheld the 2015 death sentence issued against the Iranian youth by the Arak Criminal Court. Dehghan, who had been charged for “insulting the prophet”, was also issued a 16-month prison sentence for “insulting the supreme leader.”

Iran’s Islamic Penal Code states that insulting the prophet is punishable by death. However, if the accused admits that their insults were made in anger or were a mistake, the sentence could be reduced to 74 lashings.

The family of 21-year-old, who had been arrested in October 2015, thus were hoping to ensure freedom for Dehghan.

“Security and judicial authorities

will come to end positively as soon as possible.”

Dehghan who is in the Arak prison ever since his arrest is said to have been depressed. A

promised Sina’s family that if they didn’t make any noise about his case, he would have a better chance of being freed, and that talking about it to the media would work against him,” an informed source was quoted as saying to CHRI. Later in a video interview to CHRI, the Iranian youth’s mother said, “According to Sina’s lawyer, steps have been taken for a judicial review, and with the good news we’re hearing from him, God willing this case

CHRI source said, “Sina is not feeling well. He’s depressed and cried constantly. He’s being held in a ward with drug convicts and murderers who broke his jaw a while ago.” The development once again sheds light on the executions carried out in Iran.

Amnesty International reported that there were 289 state executions carried out in the country in 2014. In the following year, at least 966 people were executed, as per UN data.

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Jinnah House: Pakistan demands ‘ownership’ of Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s Mumbai residence New Delhi A day after Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha demanded demolition of Jinnah House, Pakistan asked Indian government to hand over

the erstwhile residence of Muhammad Ali Jinnah in Mumbai. Pakistan on Thursday urged India to respect its “ownership rights” to Jinnah House. This came after the BJP legislator sought the construction of a cultural centre in place of Jinnah House located in the financial capital of the country.

“Jinnah House in Mumbai was the residence with ownership of the father of the nation, Quaid-e-

Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

Pakistan has repeatedly expressed its desire to take possession of the property. The Government of India should respect the ownership rights of

the Government of Pakistan in this regard,” Pakistan’s Foreign Office Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said at his weekly briefing. “The property belongs to the Founder of Pakistan and should be given to Pakistan,” the Pakistani official said.Speaking in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on the budgetary demands of the Public Works Department (PWD), BJP MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha said,”The Jinnah residence in south

‘Plastic Eggs’ Sold To Woman, One Arrested

KOLKATA A shopkeeper was arrested here on Friday for allegedly selling “artificial eggs” to a woman, the police said.

“A shopkeeper named Md. Shamim Ansari was arrested on Friday morning from Park Circus Market for allegedly selling artificial plastic eggs to the complainant Anita Kumar,” an officer from the Kolkata Police’s Enforcement Branch said.

Ms Kumar lodged a police complaint at Kolkata’s Karaya police station on Thursday evening after discovering that she was sold “fake eggs” which had a strange “plastic-like quality” when spread out on a pan.

“I tested my suspicion by putting a match to it and it caught fire.

The shell also looked plastic. I was sure that this was not natural and, being a mother, I felt I should alert the public,” Ms Kumar said.

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has ordered an investigation into the matter.

A team from the civic body, headed by Mayor-in-Council (Health) Atin Ghosh, raided various city markets and seized similar samples of artificial eggs on Friday. According to Mr Ghosh, the eggs sold by Mr Ansari were procured from a wholesaler in the city’s Muchipara area.

“We have seized a crate of eggs from the wholesaler who sold the eggs to Ansari. We will also collect at least three more crates of similar samples from other shops in the market and send them to the concerned department for analysis,” Mr Ghosh said.The accused, Mr Ansari, bought eggs worth Rs. 1.15 lakh from the wholesaler.

“According to the Food Safety and Standards Act, food adulteration is a punishable offence. If these eggs are found to be life-threatening then offenders may face major punishments like life imprisonment and a huge fine,” Mr Ghosh added.

Mumbai was the place from where the conspiracy of partition was hatched. Jinnah House is a symbol of the partition. The structure should be demolished.” ”I am struggling for this for the last 15 years. I have raised this issue twice in the Vidhan Sabha.

Jinnah House is an enemy property. The Government of India should hand it over to the Maharashtra Government. The Maharashtra Government should establish a culture centre there which projects Maharashtra’s glory,” Lodha was quoted as saying. The grand house built by Muhammad Ali Jinnah is located in Malabar Hill area in south Mumbai. The property has been at the centre of a long-running legal dispute over ownership between Jinnah’s daughter Dina Wadia and the Indian and Pakistani governments.

Mohamed Ebrahim and Shakir Ebrahim, son and grandson of Ashraf Rajabally Ebrahim, the daughter of Jinnah’s sister Mariam, have also claimed the ownership of the property. Jinnah was once a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi and is credited with the partition and formation of Pakistan.

Pak Using Social Media To Incite Youth In Kashmir: Rajnath Singh

NEW DELH As members from the opposition raised the deaths of three civilians in firing by security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam in Lok Sabha, Home Minister Rajnath Singh accused Pakistan of using social media to incite young Kashmiris to terrorists.

Responding to Saugata Roy of the Trinamool Congress saying the situation in the Kashmir Valley was very grave and seeking his intervention, Mr Singh said the security forces were dealing with terrorism the way they should.

“Security forces are dealing with terrorists exactly the way they

should and will continue to do so.

I want to say that we will definitely be successful,” Mr Singh said.

He said the area was witness a “new trend” in which youths from nearby villages gather at the sites of encounter between security forces and terrorists and pelt stones to help the terrorists escape.“I will appeal to youths not to be misled by Pakistan.

Some social media applications like Whatsapp and Facebook are used to gather youths at places of encounters. These groups are based in Pakistan.”

Mr Singh said that Pakistansponsored terrorists are trying to destabilize not only Kashmir but entire India.

Nigeria summons Indian ambassador over attack on students, asks India to ensure action against culprits Noida Nigeria on Thursday summoned Indian High Commissioner over the recent attack on Nigerian students in Greater Noida.

Permanent Secretary of Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Olushola Enikanolaiye met Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria Nagabushana Reddy and asked the Indian government to ensure action against those who assaulted four Nigerian nationals on Monday in Greater Noida.

According to a report inNigerian media, Nigeria has asked the Indian Government to ensure the immediate arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the attack.

Meanwhile, speaking on the incident on Thursday in Parliament, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said that an alert was in place to avoid more such incidents. “It is not apt to comment till there is a result of investigation. The administration is on alert to ensure such incidents don’t repeat,” she said speaking on the attack on Nigerian students.

She also assured an impartial probe into the attack. “The moment I got information about the attack, I immediately sought a report from the Uttar Pradesh government. I also talked to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and asked him for a public assurance of an impartial probe into the matter,” Swaraj informed Rajya Sabha. ”The (UP) administration there is ensuring peace and security as well as treatment of the injured Nigerian students. I

assure Parliament, there will be an impartial probe and action will be taken against whoever found

us inside,” one of the Nigerian students Precious Amalcima said. Precious and Endurance

guilty,” she said.

Five people have been arrested so far in connection with attack on Nigerian nationals in Greater Noida. ”On Monday evening, we were shopping in Ansal Plaza when suddenly a mob attacked us viciously. When we tried to enter a showroom to save ourselves, the staff refused to let

Amarawa were attacked by a mob of people following the death of 17-year-old student Manish Khari who died of a suspected drug overdose. Residents claim that Khari procured drugs from the Africans residing in Greater Noida. They have also demanded that the Nigerian students be charged with Khari’s murder.

Bangladeshi girl’s mother shaves off hair for not wearing headscarf in Italy Rome A Bangladeshi schoolgirl’s head teacher reported her family to police in Italy when the teen’s mother allegedly shaved off her hair after she refused to wear the Islamic headscarf, local media reported on Friday.The 14-year-old girl told police her mother had frequently insulted and scolded her for defying her immigrant parents’ orders not to take off her headscarf on her way to school in the city of Bologna and also forbade her and her sisters from talking to boys or even to female friends, said the daily Il Resto del Carlino . The teen told police that she no longer wished to live with her family due to their strictures and feared they would send her to Bangladesh for an arranged marriage.

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India Takes US To World Trade Organisation Over Visa Fee Hike NEW DELH India has taken the issue of hike in visa fees by the US to the dispute settlement agency of the World Trade Organization

(WTO), Parliament was informed on Wednesday. Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply that the government has taken up with the new American administration the visa issues being faced by Indian services companies.

“The government of India

continues to engage the US administration for better access of its professionals in the US,” the minister said.“H-1B and L-1 visa issues, including increase

in visa processing fees, high rejection rates and other difficulties faced by the Indian services companies have been raised with the US government at various levels,” Ms Sitharaman said.

“India has also taken up the matter on US visa fee hike in the dispute settlement body of the

Indian student beaten up in a tram in Poland NEW DELHI An Indian student was beaten up in a tram in the city of Poznan in

Poland on Wednesday. The student, who is yet to be identified, was earlier reported to have died because of the assault. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s attention was

drawn to a Polish news report about the incident. The person who drew the attention of the minister on Twitter said the Indian student had died, though the translated version of the Polish report only said that the victim had been beaten up.

Responding immediately, Swaraj sought more information from Indian ambassador in Poland Ajay Bisaria. The ambassador said the student had survived the attack. For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App now.

Kenya arrests 3 alleged human traffickers for Islamic State

Nairobi A Kenya police official says they have arrested three alleged international human traffickers who are suspected of smuggling recruits for the Islamic State and helping to finance the group.

Two of the men were on a Kenyan wanted list with a USD 20,000 reward for information leading to their arrest.

Police spokesman George Kinoti said in a statement today the two

Kenyans and a Somali were arrested Monday in the coastal town of Malindi.

Kinoti says Somali-born Ali Hussein Ali is accused of being recruited by the Islamic State group after he left Kenya in 2010 and “deployed” back to the country in November.

Kenya is battling to stop recruitment of its youth by extremist groups, notably alShabab in neighboring Somalia.

World Trade Organization,” she added.

The US has told India that there is no significant change in its H1-B visa regime, Parliament was informed on Monday.

Ms Sitharaman told the Lok Sabha during Question Hour last week that the new American administration has assured there is no significant change in the H1-B visa regime.

“The fear, at least for 2017, is not proved to be correct. They (US authorities) are saying their current priority is to deal with the illegal immigrants,” Ms Sitharaman said.

The issue was also taken up recently with the visiting Congressional delegation led by Bob Goodlatte, as well as during the visits of the Commerce Secretary and the Foreign Secretary to the US during the first week of March 2017, she said.IT industry body Nasscom has said it will continue to highlight the discriminatory nature of the proposed provisions of the bill for H1-B visas which has been reintroduced in the US Congress after a failed attempt in July last year.The bill proposes a minimum pay of $100,000 annually to every employee taken to US under the H1-B visa which is an over 66 per cent increase from the current average.

Indians with US visa, green card to get visa upon arrival in UAE

Dubai The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Cabinet today approved a decision to grant Indian passport holders ‘visa on arrival’ provided they have a valid US visa or a green card holder.

An official statement said citizens of India holding normal passports with a six month or more validity having a valid green card or visa issued by the United States of America shall be granted entry visas to the UAE from all ports for a period of 14 days, subject for a single renewal for the same period upon payment of applicable fees, reports Gulf News.

The decision is aimed at strengthening India UAE relations in the framework of long term strategic partnership between the two countries as also to promote political, economic and

trade interests. Over 2.6 million Indian expats are estimated to be living in the UAE. To give impetus to trade and commerce with the Gulf country, India had earlier announced this month five year multiple entry Business visa for UAE nationals.

There are around 143 daily flights between cities in both countries, one flight every 10 minutes, or 1000 flights per week.The number of Indian tourists coming to the UAE in 2016 reached about 1.6 million Indian tourists, and there were about 50,000 UAE tourists who visited India in the same year.India is the UAE’s second largest partner, and trade between the two countries reach 60 billion USD a year, with UAE exports to India amounting to 27 billion USD a year, while India exports to the UAE is valued at 33 billion USD.

Pak court asks Punjab government to explain detention of Hafiz Saeed Lahore A Pakistani court has asked the Punjab government to explain under what authority it has detained Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed “without a trial”. A Lahore High Court’s two-judge bench headed by Justice Syed Kazim Raza Shamsi yesterday was hearing a petition of Saeed, his aides – Prof Malik Zafar Iqbal, Abdur Rehman Abid, Qazi Kashif Hussain and Abdullah Ubaid – who had challenged their detention under the anti-terrorism law.After hearing the arguments of advocate AK Dogar, counsel for Saeed, Justice Shamsi observed the government should tell about its powers to detain a citizen like Saeed without trial. Referring to an Indian movie wherein Saeed was portrayed as a villain, the judge said the government should see if there is any “international conspiracy” against Pakistani citizens. Dogar concluded his arguments saying the government had detained the JuD leaders without any justification. Dogar also questioned the powers of the provincial government to include any citizen in the fourth schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). He said such powers were solely vested with the federal government.

He said the government had detained him (Saeed) and others to please India and the US. He further argued that the UN resolution followed by the

government action did not seek detention of any citizen. He said the detention of the JuD leaders is a case of mala fide intention and ulterior motive on part of the government. Dogar said the government had no evidence that the petitioners were a risk to security of Pakistan, and merely

on the basis of UN resolutions their liberty could not be curtailed.

The government on January 30 had put Saeed and the four leaders of JuD and Falah-e-Insaniat (FIF) under house arrest in Lahore under the country s anti-terrorism act.

The court adjourned the hearing till April 4.

Angry French winemakers destroy Spanish wine in south Paris Angry French winemakers have staged a protest against Spanish wine lining French supermarket shelves that they say is losing them business.Xavier Fabre of the Gard region winegrowers’ union said today that around 100 protesters removed and destroyed boxes of Spanish wine Thursday on display in local supermarkets.Local winegrowers say the Spanish wine is labelled with French names and images

like baguettes to mislead consumers into believing they are buying French wine, which is more expensive.Only on the back or in small print, Fabre says, does the label mention its foreign origin.Fabre said the union wants the labels to be clearer, and complained that such Spanish box wine sales are hurting sales of box wines from LanguedocRoussillon and Gard that have gone down 25 percent since 2015.

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Pregnant hijab-clad American’s rap video causes a stir - a big one NEW DELHI A pregnant hijab-clad American released her rap video called ‘Hijabi’ last Tuesday and suffice to say it’s causing quite a stir.

The song, with its wink and nod to Orientalism - thanks to its trippy ‘Middle Eastern’ back beat - is performed by Mona Haydar, a poet and activist who was written about a little over a year ago for a unique experiment to counter Islamophobia in the US right after the San Bernadino terror attack. At the time, she and her husband Sebastian Robins set up a stand for a few days in Boston with signs saying “Ask a Muslim“ and “Talk to a Muslim: Free Coffee & Donuts.”

In ‘Hijabi’, her video she released March 28, a very pregnant Haydar and several other hijaband turban-clad women rap about the perceptions people have of

Muslim women.

Of course, the song also addresses issues that nonMuslims might have with hijabwearing Muslim women. The

women rap lyrics like: “Bet that hair look nice.

Don’t that make you sweat?

Don’t that feel too tight?

Yo what yo hair look like Bet yo hair look nice How long your hair is You need to get yo life” To which, the women in the video rap this: “So even if you hate it I still wrap my hijab Wrap my hijab Wrap my hijab Wrap, wrap my hijab” The stars of the rap video also belong to a range of ethnicities, again attempting to break perceptions that all Muslims have the same skin colour.

Newspaper delivery man kills complaining customer in Germany

Berlin A newspaper carrier in the northern German city of Lueneburg stabbed and killed a customer who had repeatedly complained about delivery problems, the police said on Sunday.

The 42-year-old paper-man got into an argument with the 51year-old customer outside the customer’s house on Saturday

afternoon, and stabbed him multiple times with a knife.

A 23-year-old relative of the victim who witnessed the fight grabbed the newspaper carrier and held him until the police arrived and arrested him. The homeowner was rushed to a hospital, but died a short time later.

Neither man was named in keeping with German privacy laws.

“You’re just jealous of my sisters These Mipsters, These hippies...

These Shii’s, Yemenis...

These Soories, Sudanis Iraqis, Punjabies...

Hidden beyond the Mekong in Laos Senegalese and Burkina Faso” Haydar’s video got mostly big thumbs ups.

As ‘The Tempest’, a cultural web site titled its piece, “A Muslim woman raps about hijab and the internet loses it”.

There were some negative comments.

One person told the BBC the video was “empowering and catchy... (but the) hijab is all about modesty and humbleness in attitude, and this video represents the complete opposite”. Another said to the BBC that the video is “extremely disturbing and wrong on every level... hijab is not only a piece of cloth on our head but every action we undertake should embody hijab and piety.” Some were even shocked Haydar is pregnant in the video. The activist herself told the BBC she’s “only interested in growing a more kind and loving world.”

As for showing herself pregnant, she said: “Why is it so shocking for a pregnant woman to continue living her own life while growing new life inside her?

As a woman who believes that all bodies are good and beautiful, it brings me joy to dismantle the societal structures which try to dictate to women what our bodies should look like.”

Chicago police arrest 14-yearold in connection with rape streamed live on Facebook

Chicago A 14-year-old boy has been arrested in the sexual assault of a 15-year-old Chicago girl that was streamed live on Facebook, police said late Saturday.

Chicago police spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a press release that the juvenile suspect faces felony charges of aggravated criminal sexual assault, manufacturing of child pornography and dissemination of child pornography.

“Additional arrests are expected as the investigation continues,” Guglielmi said.

Police superintendent Eddie Johnson is slated to provide more details at a news conference Sunday morning. The alleged incident occurred in mid-March.

Guglielmi has said police were not aware of the attack until the girl’s mother approached Johnson as he was leaving a

police station on the city’s West Side and showed him the video.

Guglielmi said Johnson was “visibly upset” after he watched, both by the video’s content and the fact that there were “40 or so live viewers and no one thought to call authorities”.

Police have said the attack involved five or six males.

The girl’s mother told The Associated Press last month that her daughter received online threats following the attack. The Chicago Sun-Times later reported that the girl’s family had been relocated.

The video marks the second time in recent months that Chicago police have investigated an apparent attack that was broadcast live on Facebook. In January, four people were arrested after video showed them allegedly taunting and beating a mentally disabled man.

2 teenage girls held on suspicion of plotting French attack

Nice Two teenage girls were arrested today in southern France on suspicion of plotting a terror attack, a judicial source said.

The pair, aged 14 and 15, were taken in for questioning by the anti-terrorism prosecution service after a search of both girls’ homes turned up evidence suggesting they could have been planning an attack, a judicial source said.

“At this stage we do not know how far advanced the preparations were,” a source close to the inquiry told AFP, adding no weapons had been found.

Several girls have been among a swathe of teenagers arrested in recent anti-terror swoops in France on suspicion either of plotting attacks or having contact with Islamic State members or sympathisers.

The country remains in a state of emergency after suffering a spate of deadly jihadist attacks over the past two years.

Three teenage girls were arrested in late February on suspicion they had chatted on Telegram, an encrypted instant messaging platform used by French jihadi Rachid Kassim to call for attacks on France.

An anti-terrorism judge in Paris charged the trio last month.

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Dog on death row for ‘murder’, US intelligence warns of laptop attack gets pardon in US bombs that can fool airport scanners Washington The US intelligence has warned of an alarming level of sophistication by al Qaeda and Islamic State bomb-makers, who

can plant explosives inside electronic devices which can go undetected by standard screening equipment used at most airports. Multiple US media reports suggested that the terror groups might have used sophisticated airport security equipment to test and improve their devices. One report suggested bomb-makers with these outfits are able to pack laptops with explosives and still get them to switch on — just long enough to fool security screeners, despite the missing batteries. These intelligence inputs collected and analyzed in the past few months were the leading reasons for the US and UK banning electronic devices larger than mobile phones as cabin baggage on direct

incoming flights from eight Muslim-majority West Asian and African countries recently.

But given the new intelligence, questions are being asked if the

current restrictions are broad enough and whether they be extended to other destinations, and whether other countries that have a long history of dealing with terrorism could consider similar steps.

“As a matter of policy, we do not publicly discuss specific intelligence information.

However, evaluated intelligence indicates that terrorist groups continue to target commercial aviation, to include smuggling explosive devices in electronics,” the department of homeland security told CNN in a statement.

“The US government continually reassesses existing intelligence and collects new intelligence.

This allows the department and the transportation security administration to constantly

MBA Graduate Allgedly Extorts 6 Lakhs From Woman Befriended On Facebook NEW DELH A 29-year-old MBA professional allegedly extorted Rs. 6 lakh from a 50-year-old woman, whom he had befriended on Facebook,

by threatening to upload her morphed pictures online, police said today. The woman’s husband filed a complaint in New Delhi on March 17 alleging that his wife was being blackmailed by a man for the last six months, they said.The accused allegedly befriended the woman on Facebook and they started chatting online. Later, they exchanged phone numbers and from the last six months, he started demanding money from her, threatening to circulate her morphed pictures online, police

said.

She gave him Rs. 6 lakh but his greed grew and he demanded Rs. 50 lakh. Fed up with him, she informed her husband who

filed a police complaint, they said.Police mounted technical surveillance on the accused and he was traced to Rajasthan. He was arrested on Friday from Jaipur. He has pursued his MBA from a college in the city and is currently involved in marble business.His mobile phone has been seized and the police has found objectionable photos of other women on his cellphone.

It is being probed whether he has blackmailed other women using similar modus operandi, they added.

evaluate our aviation security processes and policies and make enhancements when they are deemed necessary to keep passengers safe. As always, all air travellers are subject to a robust security system that employs multiple layers of security, both seen and unseen.”

The intelligence community around the world has long prepared for any and every foreseen threat from terrorists trying new ways to smuggle explosives aboard.

Richard Calvin Reed carried them in his shoes in 2001. In 2009, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab packed his underwear with explosive that he set off when his flight entered US airspace, but was muscled down by fellow passengers alarmed by smoke and foul smell.

In 2011, al Qaeda managed to load explosives packed inside printer cartridges inside electronic printers onto the cargo holds of two US bound flights from Sanaa, Yemen. They were detected and defused on a timely tip-off from Saudi Intelligence.

The present threat of a laptop laden with explosive was first detected in February 2016, when a bomb in the cavity meant for a CD-ROM exploded on a flight in Somalia while the plane was midair. The plane had not reached cruising height and the pilots brought it down without casualties.

Bomb-makers of al Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula and Islamic State are now trying to use the battery space, while still be able to switch on the device, to fool screening personnel.

Washington: A dog on death row in the US for ‘murdering’ a fellow canine and attacking another has been granted pardon by the Governor of the US state of Maine.Governor Paul LePagewielded his executive authority to show mercy to an unlikely beneficiary -- a dog namedDakota. Dakota, a husky, had escaped from a previous owner about a year ago and killed a small dog, leading to her designation as a “dangerous dog”. Dakota later broke out of court-ordered confinement to bite a neighbour’s dog, which survived. Another escape led to her capture by an animal control officer, who brought Dakota to the Waterville Humane Society shelter in February as a stray. A family that knew Dakota as a puppy subsequently adopted her.

Unbeknown to her new owners, the local district attorney brought Dakota’s case before a judge on March 21. The judge ruled

Dakota should be euthanised, WGME-TV reported.LePage was alerted to the case by a board member for the Humane Society inWaterville. He issued a full pardon for Dakota on Thursday, apparently the first of its kind.“I have reviewed the facts of this case and I believe the dog ought to be provided a full and free pardon,” LePage said in a statement.

“I feel that Dakota deserves a second chance, and we’re appreciative that she’s going to get that, and that the governor is taking an interest in her,” Lisa Smith with the Humane Society was quoted as saying.

The Maine Constitution gives chief executives wide latitude to “grant reprieves, commutations and pardons” and species is not specified. Kennebec County District Attorney Maeghan Maloney said her office was “researching” the Republican governor’s authority.

Gujarat High Court Stays Police Summons To Shah Rukh Over Fan’s Death At Vadodara Railway Station

Pakistani sentenced to prison in Germany for spying for Iran

Vadodara The Gujarat High Court today stayed the summons issued to Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan by the Government Railway Police (GRP) over the death of a man at Gujarat’s Vadodara railway station during the promotion of his film “Raees.”

Justice J B Pardiwala stayed the summons, issued by the Vadodara GRP, which had asked the Shah Rukh Khan to come to its office and record his statement.

Mr Khan has challenged the summons in the court. His lawyer Salil Thakore argued that such summons under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) cannot be issued to a person not staying within the limits of the police station. After considering his argument, the court stayed the summons and adjourned the hearing to August 4.

Fahreed Khan Pathan, said to be a local politician, had suffered a

heart attack at the Vadodara Railway Station on January 23 after being caught in the huge rush of fans, waiting for a glimpse of the superstar. Shah Rukh Khan, who was promoting “Raees”, had arrived at the station by August Kranti Express from Mumbai.Mr

Pathan subsequently died in the hospital. Some activists had moved a magistrate’s court, seeking a criminal case against Khan, and the court had asked GRP to submit a report.

Shah Rukh Khan had said that he was saddened at the death of a man at a railway station. “It is extremely unfortunate that someone has died...my prayers are with his family,” the 51-yearold actor said.

Berlin A German court has sentenced a 31-year-old Pakistani to four years and three months in prison for spying for Iran by seeking out possible Jewish and Israelirelated targets for attacks in Germany and France. The German news agency DPA reported today that Haider Syed Mustafa was convicted by a Berlin court for collecting extensive material on the former head of the German-Israeli Association and on a FrenchIsraeli professor from an economic university in Paris, for the elite Quds Force unit of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. No attacks were carried out. Mustafa, who came to Germany in 2012 to study for an engineering degree at the University of Bremen, received more than 2,000 euros (2,170 dollars) for his spying activities which included shooting hundreds of photos and creating presentations on the potential targets.

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Indian-origin professor is driving innovation in artificial intelligence in Canada Toronto Professor Ajay Agrawal feels like he’s back in 1995. That year, the first major commercial Internet service providers like AOL went online and Yahoo’s search engine became available to the public. It was an inflection point for the Internet and, Agrawal believes, artificial intelligence or AI may now be nearing that stage.Agrawal, 47, is a professor of entrepreneurship at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, but he also happens to be the founder of the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL). He has emerged as a prominent figure in the field of machine learning, with CDL’s AI stream.The programme launched in 2015, and the 2016 batch has 50 companies engaged in AI-related enterprises. “To our knowledge, having 50 AI companies represents the greatest concentration of AI companies on any programme on earth. As far as we know, that’s still true,” Agrawal said in an interview with Hindustan Times. Agrawal, who was born in Vancouver, is also the co-founder of NextCanada,

which started NextAI last year.

NextCanada’s mission is to “increase national prosperity by providing an ecosystem to support the country’s most exceptional entrepreneurs and innovators”. He said AI, as of now, “is a prediction technology, it’s a way to taking many forms of data, voice, text, all sorts of data captured by sensors, all types of cameras, heat sensors, lights sensors, and converting that into predictions of things, whether it’s predicting traffic or weather or what website you’re going to click on or what movie you’re going to watch.

“I’ve been interested in intelligent machines for a long time. I became interested in the economics of artificial intelligence about four years ago and then launched the AI stream of the Creative Destruction Lab two years ago and then launched NextAI in late 2016.”

Playing the part of guides at the CDL course are leaders in AI technology, such as Cambridge, the England-based William Tunstall-Pedoe, founder of Evi, which was acquired by Amazon and became “an integral part” of

Atheist blogger’s killing: Bangladesh court upholds death for two Islamists

New Delhi Bangladesh’s High Court on Sunday confirmed the death penalty for two people tied to a banned Islamist militant group for the killing of an atheist blogger critical of radical Islam.

The court also upheld jail sentences for six others after appeals were filed challenging the verdicts handed down by a trial court in 2015. Sunday’s decision involves the killing of Ahmed Rajib Haider -- who was hacked to death in 2013. Haider had campaigned for banning the Jamaat-e-Islami party, which opposed Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan in 1971. One of the defendants was Mufti Jasimuddin Rahmani, the leader of the Ansarullah Bangla Team, and the rest were university students inspired by his sermons. During the trial, the students said that Rahmani incited them to kill Haider in sermons in which he said all atheist bloggers should be killed to protect Islam.

The two North South University students who received the death sentences included Faisal bin Nayeem, who the court said hacked Haider with meat cleavers in front of his house in Dhaka.

Another was tried in absentia.

The others received prison sentences ranging from three years to life. Rahmani was sentenced to five years.

The defendants can appeal the decision in the Supreme Court.

The High Court said there was no scope to reduce the sentences given the gravity of the crimes. Prosecutors had earlier said the student who was sentenced to death in absentia and was accused of planning the attack is a member of Jamaate-Islami’s student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, but the party denied involvement in the killing.

Bangladesh in recent years has experienced a surge of attacks by radical Islamists targeting atheist bloggers and writers, foreigners and members of minority groups.

Alexa; Barney Pell, who managed an 85-strong team at NASA that flew the first AI system in deep space; and Russ Salakhutdinov, Apple’s director of AI research.

As Agrawal plays a pioneering role in building AI talent in the

which has been purchased by the likes of Nasa and Google.

The 2015 batch of the AI stream, the only one to have “graduated”, has already seen nearly half of the companies funded. Investors, including those from Silicon Valley, have been flying into

country, CDL will increase its intake to 75 companies in 2017.

The “big thing” that will occur is that while 50 will come in “classical machine learning”, they will “launch the world’s first seed stage programme in quantum machine learning”, featuring 25 companies.

This programme will be in partnership with Vancouverbased D-Wave, believed to be the maker of the world’s first commercial quantum computer,

Toronto. As Agrawal said, “We’ve brought intelligent investors into the Canadian eco-system.”

This programme will be formally announced in about five weeks, and it will be “open to people from around the world,” Agrawal said.

While the first two batches have no Indian companies, Agrawal hopes that will change. “I imagined when we launched this new quantum machine learning, that students at places like IITs might be interested. For many

people, it will be the only place in the world where they will be able to go to in order to get access to a quantum computer.”

Rather than using binary bits as in conventional computers, quantum computers use quantum bits or qubits to encode information, enhancing the power of the system.

This is a nine-month programme that “pairs start-up founders with experienced technology entrepreneurs and investors in a unique setting that is laserfocused on designing a series of objectives with measurable deliverables.”

Agrawal expects the next five years to witness a surge in narrow applications of AI. After that, he said, “It will become a lot more interesting. Rather than having narrow prediction applications, we’ll start seeing things that feel like real intelligence embedded into inanimate objects.”

In a decade, according to Agrawal, we could see the artificial gaining ground on the real. In that period, he will be among the leaders in Canada in harbouring and harnessing a catchment of intelligence required to mine that potential.

Donald Trump attacks media on a typical twitter war Washington It’s Sunday morning, and President Donald Trump is at work, trying to deflect focus away from his Russia troubles, keep hopes alive for Republicans’ plans to repeal and replace Obamacare, and ripping into, no surprises, “fake news media”.

“The real story turns out to be SURVEILLANCE and LEAKING! Find the leakers,” the president wrote in a tweet, seeking to turn around the controversy over his campaign aides’ alleged links to Russia. That was at 9:34 am.

Just a few minutes before, at 8:56 am, he tweeted about healthcare: “Anybody (especially Fake News media) who thinks that Repeal & Replace of ObamaCare is dead does not know the love and strength in R (Republican) Party!”

He added, in another post: “Talks on Repealing and Replacing ObamaCare are, and have been, going on, and will continue until such time as a deal is hopefully struck.” Trump took to twitter this weekend to reshape a narrative taking ground of his young presidency bedeviled by the controversy about his campaign’s alleged links to Russia being investigated by the FBI and two congressional panels. And hit hard by the healthcare fiasco, a legislative defeat inflicted on him by a renegade group of lawmakers from his own party that severely dented his image of a consummate deal-maker and raised questions about his administrative abilities.

That has hurt him, evidently, as

he cannot let go of it. On Saturday he tweeted, “The failing @nytimes finally gets it - “In places where no insurance company offers plans, there will be no way for ObamaCare customers to....use subsidies to buy health plans.” In other words,

German chancellor Angela Merkel. And it has now embroiled the White House in a fresh row over allegations it plotted with a congressional panel to find evidence of the president’s astounding claims.

And he stayed with the issue

Ocare is dead. Good things will happen, however, either with Republicans or Dems.”

But the president is just as eager, if not more, to address the Russia scandal, which he tried to offset with his own unsubstantiated allegation that he was surveilled by the Obama administration.

His Saturday tweets started with calling out to a TV news anchor he called “Sleepy Eyed Chuck Todd”, to shift his focus from the “Fake Russia/Trump story” and get to the “OBAMA SURVEILLANCE SCANDAL”.

Trump first alleged President Barack Obama had his “wires tapped” in an early morning tweet from his Florida resort on March 4, triggering a controversy that has dogged him since, popping up even at his news briefing with

Saturday afternoon. “Wow, @FoxNews just reporting big news. Source: “Official behind unmasking is high up. Known Intel official is responsible. Some unmasked … not associated with Russia. Trump team spied on before he was nominated.” If this is true, does not get much bigger. Would be sad for US.” All the president had to do was pick up the phone and direct any of the 17 American Intelligence agencies purportedly responsible for it to tell him exactly what had happened and who in the Obama administration was “responsible”.

But as a long-time devotee of television news one time, on the campaign trail, he said he gets his foreign policy ideas nd advise from TV talking heads he had to wait for a TV broadcast, from Fox News this time.

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LIMIT USE OF DRS

Ian Chappell also calls for reduction of on-field chatter

1 Test series win over Australia as one of the unsightly aspects of the contest and said these inane comments should not be a part of the game. “...the incessant on-field chatter has to be drastically reduced.

It should drive batsmen mad, but if it doesn’t, it’s the equivalent of a fingernail on a chalkboard for the television viewer,” said Chappell. The series was mired in

FORMER Australia captain Ian Chappell has called for drastic reduction in onfield chatter and a limited use of DRS in Test

controversies with one altercation following another. It all started when Australian captain Steve Smith was caught

taking dressing room help in taking a DRS call and Kohli stopped short of calling him a cheat. Kohli was also attacked by the rival players and Australian media, which likened him to US President Donald Trump. Cricket Australia also jumped into the controversy when its CEO James Sutherland said Kohli perhaps does not know how to spell the word sorry. The fireworks continued till the final Test in Dharamsala, in which Ravindra Jadeja and Matthew Wade were involved in a verbal duel and Smith was heard using a cuss word against Murali Vijay for claiming a catch that was deemed not clean.

Chappell also called for limited use of DRS for overturning only howlers and ensuring that the decisions of umpires are correct. He specifically made it clear that DRS should not include reviews to determine if a fielder has caught the ball. “It should also be under the sole control of umpires. The adjudication process should not turn a captain into a Money or the Box contestant, with onlookers shouting advice from

the sidelines,” he said. “The DRS should not include reviews to determine if a fielder has caught the ball. M Vijay caught Josh Hazlewood in Dharamsala. Any fair-minded slip fielder will confirm it was a legitimate catch; a fielder does not catch the ball with his fingers pointing straight towards the ground...It’s just that the foreshortening effect of the cameras made it appear otherwise on one replay,” said Chappell who played in 75 Tests between 1964 and 1980.

He said those annoyances apart, it was a fabulous series, showing Test cricket in wonderful light. “...It emphasised why this version of the game needs to be nurtured, albeit with some tweaking,” he said. Chappell did not make any comments about the leadership styles of Kohli and Smith, who were in the eye of storm throughout the series but praised Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy during the Dharamsala Test. Rahane had stood-in for Kohli who had sustained a shoulder injury during the Ranchi Test.

season, has opened a different, potentially debilitating challenges for RCB. Even their stronger batting suit will now have to be shouldered by different heads following injuries to Kohli and KL Rahul.

The captain will be reassessed for participation after a couple of weeks while Rahul, behind only Kohli and de Villiers in the team’s batting charts last season, will give the whole season a miss.

The team were dealt a massive blow when Mitchell Starc - their most potent weapon in the bowling department - opted out of the tournament’s 2017 edition. This meant they had to go hammer and tongs at the auction for a top-class bowler. They showed that by going the distance with a whopping INR 12 crore bid in an intense four-way bidding war for England fast bowler Tymal Mills, who has earned the reputation of being a versatile fast bowler - a prerequisite for one plying his trade in T20s.

Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Shikhar Dhawan is hoping to use the Indian Premier League as a vehicle to plot his national team comeback. The 31-year-old southpaw heads into the T20 tournament full of confidence after notching up scores of 128, 50 and 45 for India B in the recentlyconcluded 50-over Deodhar Trophy. The Delhi batsman had been plagued by inconsistent form in the Test arena before suffering a thumb fracture while playing against New Zealand in Kolkata last October. He didn’t feature for India in the remainder of the Test season, returning briefly in the India blue for the One-Day Internationals against England where he could only manage scores of 1 and 11 in the two games he played before making way for the returning Ajinkya Rahane. His domestic

form had tapered off too, before the three matches of the Deodhar Trophy offered a fresh lease of life. “From the time I have been out of the Indian side, every tournament has been important, be it T20, domestic one, the one dayers for my Delhi side,” Dhawan said on Monday (April 3). “Unfortunately, it did not go the way I wanted to. But now, by the grace of god, I think things are going my way, I would like to take that good form for long.

matches after a gripping but tense India-Australia series.

Chappell described the constant on-field chatter during India’s 2-

Injuries, familiar problems stand Dhawan plots national between RCB and silverware team return through IPL

Royal Challengers Bangalore are easily one of the most entertaining teams in the IPL. There’s a Virat Kohli-led enviable ensemble of batters on the field, well complemented by raucous supporters in the stands and millions on YouTube channel. It’s perfect... nearly. For, all that’s missing now, is silverware.

RCB’s batting unit has World Cup and World T20 winners, the No. 1 batsman of the format and even a proven IPL performer.

And yet the team has failed to be crowned champions. But it’s also easy to see why they haven’t tasted glory - they’ve been a lopsided, batting-heavy line-up. Kohli left peers, opponents and every single pair of eyes on last year’s IPL, dumbstruck with his unmatched form with the bat. He amassed 973 runs, with four centuries, and single-handedly powered them to the final.

A brand, new edition of IPL, after a long home

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Picture this: Dubai begins goldplating $60-million frame DUBAI’S newest landmark forms a perfect snapshot of the city’s panoramic view with a 50storey-high gold-plated picture frame. The frame, which cost an estimated Dh160million ($60 million), consists of two 150metre high, 93- metre wide towers connected by a 100squaremetre bridge — all covered in gold plating. From the bridge connecting the two towers, tourists can take snapshots of the city’s panoramic view, with ‘Old Dubai’ in the north and ‘New Dubai’ in the south. The structure is half the height of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, which stands at 300 metres. Construction on the attraction started in 2013, and authorities are now installing the final details, like the gold stainless steel cladding, according to Gulf News.

According to a statement from Dubai Municipality, the frame will be ‘an important attraction point for tourist visitors and residents alike, and is expected to attract nearly two million tourists a year’. There will be interior spaces in the building that will act as exhibitions, including one telling the history of Old Dubai.

The exhibition will feature ‘mist

effects, smells and motion’ that will tell the story of Dubai. “The Past Gallery embodies the idea of the project and tells the story

ISIS HAVE reportedly kidnapped almost 200 children to use as human shields in the battle for Mosul.The Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights said 197 children had been taken hostage by the terror group near the Al-Nuri mosque where ISIS declared its caliphate nearly three years ago.

The development comes even as Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider alAbadi claimed on Tuesday that the terror group will be defeated ‘within weeks’ in the country. He told Fox News: “At the moment we are at a very important juncture where Daesh is on the retreat. We in Iraq have been killing Daesh, removing them from our land. We are killing their aim

so that recruits are minimal at the moment. “In Iraq the defeat is sure, it’s definite. We’ll finish the job in a very short time — it’s within reach… within the next few weeks. We are defeating them militarily… we need the efforts of others to flush them out in Syria and other places.” He also said last week’s Westminster terror attack was a result of ISIS trying to maintain its reputation as it faces defeat in Iraq. He told the broadcaster: “They are trying to attract more recruits by doing these criminal acts. “It’s like somebody who is dying and is just trying to flex his muscle at the last moment. The only way forward is to kill their home —

of the evolution of the city and its past, and shows the old city using the most new and updated means of presentation that contributes to the creation of a favorable environment that develops and comprehends the renaissance taking place in Dubai,” the statement says. A Sky Deck exhibition will give tourists a chance to see the city from all views. Interactive

screens will help tourists point out buildings and landmarks and will give facts and information about each. A mezzanine level will represent the ‘future of Dubai’, according to the statement. “The concept of this gallery is to depict Dubai 50 years from now into the future by creating a virtual metropolis through interactive projections and virtual reality technology,”

the statement says. “The idea is to create an illusion of time travel through a warp vortex and arriving into the city 50 years ahead.” An immersive ‘virtual metropolis’ will be created to show what the city will look like in future. “The scenes would depict the city’s evolution after 50 years, new projects, how people would travel, live, etc,” the statement says.

just to finish them. Then they will not have any hope to commit such criminal acts.” He was speaking after Iraqi forces reportedly killed 10 ISIS chiefs in a fresh round of air strikes in Mosul. The renewed offensive came days after ‘tragic’ US-led bombing raids killed 200 civilians in a single district. Rescuers were still pulling the bodies of women and children from rubble in the Jadideh neighbourhood on Saturday, more than a week after the USled coalition bombs reportedly landed on March 17.

However on Monday, Iraqi forces renewed their offensive against ISIS in Mosul’s Old City. As well as the death of 10 ISIS chiefs,

Major Ammar Qassem, from the Iraqi army, said clashes between Iraqi forces and terrorists near the town of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, had also left a further 17 ISIS members dead. In retaliation for the US-led coalition airstrikes, ISIS militants set fire to 12 medical storehouses and a blood bank near the Nineveh health department, according to Col Khodeir Saleh, Basnews reported. Lieutenant General Raed Shakir Jawdat, the commander of the federal police, said in a statement: “Federal Police and Rapid Response Division units began to advance today on the southwestern axis of the Old City.”

ISIS abducts kids for use as shields

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Health What happens when you take wrong medication

New Delhi All of us will at some point in our life take medicines to prevent or treat illness.

However, medicines do sometimes cause serious harm if taken incorrectly. Both health workers and patients can make mistakes by prescribing, dispensing, preparing, administering or consuming the wrong medication or the wrong dose at the wrong time, which could result in severe harm, disability and even death.

As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), medication errors cause at least one death every day and injure approximately 1.3 million people annually in the United States of America alone.

“We all expect to be helped, not harmed, when we take medication,” said Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General.

“Apart from the human cost,

medication errors place an enormous and unnecessary strain on health budgets.

Preventing errors saves money and saves lives.”

WHO has launched a global initiative to reduce severe, avoidable medicationassociated harm in all countries by 50% over the next 5 years.

But all medication errors are potentially avoidable.Preventing errors and the harm that results requires putting systems and procedures in place to ensure the right patient receives the right medication at the right dose via the right route at the right time.

Medication errors can be caused by health worker fatigue, overcrowding, staff shortages, poor training and the wrong information being given to patients, among other reasons.

Suffering from insomnia?

This ancient Indian herb may promote sound sleep Tokyo Do you have trouble sleeping or poor sleep quality? If yes, then try ‘Ashwagandha’, an Indian herb which is used for centuries in ayurveda as it improves sleep.

Researchers, led by one of Indian-origin have found that this ancient ayurvedic herb may promote sound sleep to those who suffers from insomnia.

Mahesh K. Kaushik from the University of Tsukuba in Japan said, the findings showed that an active component of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) leaves — triethylene glycol (TEG) — significantly induces sleep, and could revolutionise the natural plantbased therapies for insomnia and sleep related disorders.

The latin name of Ashwagandha is somnifera which means sleep-inducing.

For the study, the team investigated the effect of various components of Ashwaganda on sleep in mice by recording electroencephalogram and electromyography.

A water extract of Ashwaganda leaf, which is rich in the component triethylene glycol

Cure for antibiotic resistant infections is here New Delhi A team of researchers has come up with a new treatment pathway for antibiotic resistant bacteria and infectious diseases with benefits for patients and health care providers.

Researchers from the University of Birmingham and Newcastle University found that the unusual approach of removing antibodies from the blood stream reduced the effects of chronic infections, the requirement for days spent in hospital and the use of antibiotics.

The team identified two patients with bronchiectasis who suffered with chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections that were resistant to many antibiotics; a 64-year-old male, diagnosed with bronchiectasis aged fifteen, and a 69-year-old female who had bronchiectasis from childhood.

Researcher Ian Henderson explained, “These patients had an excess of a particular antibody in the bloodstream. In contrast to the protective effect normally associated with antibody, in these patients the antibody stopped the immune system killing the Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterium and this worsened the patients` lung disease. Perhaps counter-intuitively, we decided

to remove this antibody from the bloodstream and the outcomes were wholly positive.”Dr Tony De Soyza explained, “We needed a brand new way of tackling this problem.

Working with kidney and immunology experts, we used a process known as plasmapheresis

that is somewhat like kidney dialysis.

The plasmapheresis involved the removal, treatment, and return of blood plasma from circulation, and was done 5 times in a week in order to remove antibody from the patients.

We then replaced antibodies with those from blood donations. This treatment restored the ability for the patients‘ blood to kill their infecting Pseudomonas.

(TEG), significantly increased non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep as well as slightly changed rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.

Conversely, the alcoholic extract containing active withanolides showed no effect on sleep, while the sleep induced by TEG was similar to normal sleep.

Furthermore, commercially available TEG also increased the amount of NREM sleep. Thus, the researchers concluded that TEG is the active component that induces physiologically sound sleep. Sleeplessness and other sleep disorders, such as restless leg syndrome are common complaints among the

middle-aged population.

Insomnia is one of the most common neuropsychiatric disorders, with an estimated incident of 10-15 per cent in general population and 30-60 per cent in elderly population.

It is closely linked with certain other diseases including obesity, cardiovascular diseases, depression, anxiety, mania deficits, etc.

Currently available synthetic drugs often show severe side effects. On the other hand, Ashwagandha crude powder including significant amount of TEG can be consumed for better sleep without any side effects, the researchers said.

Consuming legumes may ward off diabetes risk New Delhi A higher consumption of legumes such as lentils, chickpeas, beans and peas has the potential to lower the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 35 per cent, researchers say.

Legumes are a food group rich in B vitamins, contain different beneficial minerals like calcium, potassium and magnesium. The findings showed that among the different subtypes of legume, participants who had a higher consumption of lentils one serving per week had a 33 per cent lower risk of developing the disease.

Legumes also contain sizeable amounts of fibre and are regarded as a low-glycemic index food, which means that blood glucose levels increase

only slowly after consumption.

The effect of replacing half a serving per day of foods rich in protein or carbohydrates,

including eggs, bread, rice and baked potato, with half a serving per day of legumes was also associated with a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes, said Nerea Becerra-Tomas, researcher at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Spain.

Due to these unique nutritional qualities, eating legumes regularly can help improve human health.

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Include peanuts, peanut butter in your daily diet for good health!

New Delhi Everyone wants to lead a good and healthy life. It is said that one should includepeanut and peanut butter in their daily diet as they are considered good for health and also promotes many health benefits.

Experts have said that one should not overlook or underrate the power of peanuts as a nutty super food. Nutritionist and weight management consultant Kavita Devgan, author of “Don’t Diet! 50 Habits of Thin People”, says ‘good’ fats are essential for good health.

Devgan told IANS, “Nut butters, particularly peanut butter, is a source of unsaturated fats, which are proven to be good for our heart and general health.

Plus, it is a good source of fibre and protein too. And both provide satiety, so keep you full for longer.”

She added, “It also delivers the antioxidant vitamin E, magnesium and some hard to find zinc. Of course moderation is the key as it tends to be steep in calories and sodium.”

But beware. She further added, “Look for peanut butter that is low on sodium and added sugars, and stick to two tablespoon per day,” Devgan said, suggesting that it’s best consumed with crackers, or paired with a fruit like apple or maybe baby carrots.

“When added to a sandwich, it provides the much needed protein and good fats, along with the carbs of the bread making the meal complete.”

Peanuts alone are packed with monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) that help lower the bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol level in the blood. It is also rich in Vitamins E and Biotin, which are known to be great for hair and skin health, says Oliver Mirza, Managing Director and CEO, Dr. Oetker India Pvt Ltd. A nutritionist by qualification, he recommends regular consumption of peanuts or peanut butter that has over 90 per cent peanut content.

Just two tablespoons a day give you nutrition with taste, Mirza

Green coffee: Know its amazing health benefits!

New Delhi Do you know that green coffee is good for health? Well, many of us might not be aware that green coffee promotes many nutritional and health benefits.

So, one should drink a cup of green coffee every day.

Here are some health benefits of green coffee which we should know: Fights blood sugar Green coffee bean helps in reducing the insulin spikes in people with high blood sugar.

Studies suggests that Chlorogenic acids (CGA)

present in green coffee has a negating effect on glucose transport in the human body.

Maintains high blood pressure People with hypertension should drink a cup of green coffee as studies have shown that CGA in it have the ability to reduce the blood pressure.

Reduces weight If you reduce weight then start consuming a cup of green coffee daily. A study conducted in 2006 has proven that green coffee can slow fat accumulation in the body.

says, sharing some facts about health benefits of peanuts: It is a protein power bank: Peanuts are a rich source of good protein. 30 gm of peanuts give you around 8 gm of protein which is more than any other food. It also has fibre, healthy fats, antioxidants, potassium, magnesium and a lot more that provides you with energy. · It has healthy fat: Your body needs a good supply of healthy fats to stay fit. The fat in peanuts is heart-healthy monounsaturated. Therefore, like many other superfoods, peanuts are friendly fat food. · The anti-oxidants abundance: Peanuts also deliver oleic acid. It helps you cut cholesterol in the body, fight free radicals and inflammation. It is great for skin too. · It is heart friendly: Raw peanuts are a good source of monounsaturated fats.

According to a scientific study at Purdue University in the US, consumption of peanuts reduces cardiovascular disease risk factors. The Adventist Health Study on peanuts also found that it is likely to reduce the risk of heart diseases. · True brain food: Peanuts are high in Niacin, Resveratrol and Vitamin E, which are influential in protecting against Alzheimer and agerelated cognitive decline. · It complements weight loss: The protein and fibre content of peanuts makes you feel full for longer. This means, you are less likely to crave for food and over eat.

Try these six simple ways to prevent heat stroke during hot weather

New Delhi With the temperature rising throughout the country, many people usually suffers from heat stroke, the most serious form of heat injury. Heart stroke results when you are exposed to high temperatures in combination with dehydration leading to failure of the body‘s temperature control system. It is very necessary to be a little cautious and fight the heat. So, one should follow these tips to protect and prevent themselves from heat stress and strokes.

Stay hydrated Drink lots of fluids such as water, juice, coconut water as they keep you hydrated. And there are high chances that you might suffer from dehydration because of the heat. It is important that you sip water throughout the day.

Avoid drinking caffeinated beverages or alcohol Reduce your alcohol and caffeine intake as both the drinks tend to dehydrate the body and can cause heat exhaustion.

Choose the right cloth One should wear a loose-fitting, light-coloured cotton clothes in hot weather as it breathes and

allows your sweat to evaporate.

And avoid wearing dark clothing if you are going out in the sun because they absorb heat and that can be harmful for your body.

Eat light food Instead of eating junk food, snack on a fruit or some salad, one should eat light food during hot summer season. Also avoid spicy food and heavy meals as it can cause acidity and lead to indigestion.

Use a sunscreen Do not forget to apply sunscreen before stepping out in the sun as it lead to sunburns, tanning and pigmentation. Using a sunscreen also protect your skin from these harmful effects of the sun. But, always make sure that you choose the right sunscreen with correct SPF (Sun Protection Factor) factor for your skin.

Wear sunglasses One should always wear sunglass that provide 100% protection from UV rays before going out as eyes suffer a lot during this hot season.

Conjunctivitis, styes, dry eyes are the most common summer diseases.

Prostate cancer treatment may elevate risk of dementia New Delhi A new study says that patients who undergo treatment for prostate cancer may be at risk of developing dementia.

Their previous studies have shown men who undergo androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) - a testosterone-lowering therapy - m a y b e a t a n increased risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, compared to men who were not treated with the therapy.

This new analysis the largest of its kind ever performed on this topic shows that all existing studies taken together support the link to dementia and show a possible link to Alzheimer’s.

“Since publishing our initial findings, there has been a lot of other research on this topic, and we wanted to see what that research was saying,” said Kevin Nead, from the University of Pennsylvania in the US. “This analysis tells us that the

composite message of existing studies is that androgen deprivation therapy is associated with dementia,” said Nead.

The team compiled data from four different global databases looking at studies on ADT patients and dementia and Alzheimer’s.

An analysis of more than 50,000 patients worldwide showed a consistent statistical

link between men who underwent ADT for prostate cancer and men who developed dementia.

The numbers show correlation, not causation at this point, but that there is evidence of a direct connection, Nead said.

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4 - 10 April, 2017

Kung Pao Chicken

Ingredients: 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into chunks 2 tablespoons white wine 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided 2 tablespoons cornstarch, dis-

solved in 2 tablespoons water 1 ounce hot chile paste 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar 2 teaspoons brown sugar 4 green onions, chopped 1 tablespoon chopped garlic 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts 4 ounces chopped peanuts

Directions: To Make Marinade: Combine 1 tablespoon wine, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon cornstarch/water mixture and mix together. Place chicken pieces in a glass dish or bowl and add marinade. Toss to coat. Cover dish and place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

To Make Sauce: In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon wine, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon cornstarch/water mixture, chili paste, vinegar and sugar. Mix together and add green onion, garlic, water chestnuts and peanuts. In a medium skillet, heat sauce slowly until aromatic.

Meanwhile, remove chicken from marinade and saute in a large skillet until meat is white and juices run clear. When sauce is aromatic, add sauteed chicken to it and let simmer together until sauce thickens.

Sour Cream Pork Chops Ingredients: 6 pork chops salt and pepper to taste garlic powder to taste 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1 large onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick 2 cubes chicken bouillon 2 cups boiling water 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream Directions: Season pork chops with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and then dredge in 1/2 cup flour. In a skillet over medium heat, lightly brown chops in a small amount of oil. Place chops in slow cooker, and top with onion slices. Dissolve bouillon cubes in boiling water and pour over chops.

Cover, and cook on Low 7 to 8 hours. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C). After the chops have cooked, transfer chops to the oven

Ingredients: 1 (8 ounce) package angel hair pasta 2 teaspoons olive oil 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 1 clove garlic, chopped 2 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes 2 cups boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cubed 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese Directions: In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook angel hair pasta until it is al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Saute the onions and garlic. Stir in the tomatoes, chicken, basil, salt and hot pepper sauce. Reduce heat to medium, and cover skillet. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture is hot and tomatoes are soft.

Toss sauce with hot cooked angel hair pasta to coat.

Serve with Parmesan cheese.

Spinach and Feta Pasta to keep warm. Be careful, the chops are so tender they will fall apart. In a small bowl, blend 2 tablespoons flour with the sour cream; mix into meat juices. Turn slow cooker to High for 15 to 30 minutes, or until sauce is slightly thickened. Serve sauce over pork chops.

Tofu Parmigiana Ingredients: 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs 5 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 2 teaspoons dried oregano, divided salt to taste ground black pepper to taste 1 (12 ounce) package firm tofu 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 1 clove garlic, minced 4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese Directions: In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon oregano, salt,

Basil Chicken over Angel Hair

and black pepper. Slice tofu into 1/4 inch thick slices, and place in bowl of cold water. One at a time, press tofu slices into crumb mixture, turning to coat all sides. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook tofu slices until crisp on one side. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil, turn, and brown on the other side. Combine tomato sauce, basil, garlic, and remaining oregano. Place a thin layer of sauce in an 8 inch square baking pan.

Arrange tofu slices in the pan. Spoon remaining sauce over tofu. Top with shredded mozzarella and remaining 3 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 20 minutes.

Ingredients: 1 (8 ounce) package penne pasta 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 cup chopped onion 1 clove garlic, minced 3 cups chopped tomatoes 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms 2 cups spinach leaves, packed salt and pepper to taste 1 pinch red pepper flakes 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled Directions: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.

Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente; drain.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add onion and garlic, and cook until golden brown. Mix in tomatoes, mushrooms, and spinach. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook 2 minutes more, until tomatoes are heated through and spinach is wilted. Reduce heat to medium, stir in pasta and feta cheese, and cook until heated through.

Issue 713 (40)

4 - 10 April, 2017