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THE CONTACT WEEKLY NEWSPAPER ISSUE - 681, 23 - 29 AUGUST 2016 PH: (905) 671 - 4761

Bin Laden’s son calls for jihad against Saudis Hamza (below), who is believed to be aged 23 or 24, has followed his father’s footsteps in attacking his home nation of Saudi Arabia and condemns its relationship with the US in his latest attempt to establish himself as his father’s heir.

Twitter cracks down on terror TWITTER has revealed it has shut down over 235,000 accounts in just six months for “for violating our policies related to promotion of terrorism”. Earlier this year the firm said it was using spam-fighting technology to seek out and automatically flag accounts that might be promoting terrorist activity.

Now, it has revealed a dramatic rise in the number of accounts banned.

“Earlier this year, we announced we had suspended more than 125,000 accounts since mid-2015 for violating our longtime prohibition on violent threats and the promotion of terrorism and shared the steps we are taking as a company to combat this content.” “Since that announcement, the world has witnessed a further wave of deadly, abhorrent terror attacks.

We strongly condemn these acts and remain committed to eliminating the promotion of terrorism on our platform.” “While our work is not done, today we are announcing that we have suspended an 235,000 accounts.”

New York Osama Bin Laden’s son Hamza Bin Laden has called for Mulisms to unite against Saudi Arabia to end the US influence in his latest attempt to establish himself as his father’s heir. In his latest audio message, which was released

by Al Qaeda’s propaganda arm Al Sabaha, he rails against the Saudi government and calls them ‘great criminal thieves’ and ‘agents of the Americans’.

Hamza, who is believed to be aged 23 or 24, has followed his father’s footsteps in attacking his home nation of Saudi Arabia and condemns its relationship with the US. He also blames them for betraying Yemen by

attacking Al-Qaeda jihadis fighting against the Shia Houthis in the civil war. Saudi Arabia has bombed rebel groups fighting in the country, which is largely a conflict Sunni-Shia factions. Bin Laden slams the Saudis for bombing Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) jihadis and slowing their fight against the Shia Houthis - who Saudi Arabia is also attacking. “Our brothers there presented great sacrifices and gave enormous efforts in serving the Muslim public in Mukalla, as witnessed by the near and far,” Bin Laden says, according to a translation produced by jihadi tracker SITE Intelligence. ‘But [the House of Saud] did not leave them alone,

neither in fighting the Houthis, nor in establishing the sharia of Allah among the Muslims and serving their needs. ‘[The Saudis] attacked them [AQAP], thus protecting the transgressing Houthis from the strikes of the mujahideen.’ The audio message has been distributed on social media channels and is more than 26 minutes long. Unlike slickly produced ISIS propaganda videos, the recording is screeds of Arabic text interspersed with photographs. According to SITE’s director Rita Katz, the messages are aimed at challenging ISIS dominance on the jihadi scene, and is competing for influence.

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23 - 29 August 2016

LIVE BOMB DRAMA Boy with suicide vest captured & disarmed Baghdad A YOUNG boy carrying a suicide vest in Kirkuk, north of Baghdad claims he was kidnapped by armed ISIS terrorists who strapped on a suicide vest and ordered him to attack. TV footage of the dramatic incident shows Iraqi security forces disarm the young boy, who was aged around 12, before bundling him into a truck. The incident happened one hour after another suicide bomber targeted a Shiite mosque in the city. Kirkuk intelligence official Chato Fadhil Humadi said the boy in the latest incident ‘claimed during interrogation that he had been kidnapped by masked men who put the explosives on him and sent him to the area’. The boy had earlier fled Mosul, Iraq’s second city, which is still under ISIS control although government troops are trying to force out the terrorists. The boy, who was wearing a Barcelona football shirt with FIFA World Player of the Year Lionel Messi on the back, reportedly burst into tears as he was detained by Iraqi police in the city of Kirkuk, north of Baghdad, on Sunday. His arrest came less than 24 hours after another child suicide bomber killed at least 51 people and injured 100 more at a The ISIS child suicide bomber aged between 12 and 13 was thwarted in his attempt to detonate an explosives belt after being wedding party in Turkey. It has arrested by security forces in Iraq. The boy was ushered into a nearby vehicle by security services and led away. The boy who led to fears children are was wearing a Barcelona football shirt reportedly burst into tears as he was detained by Iraqi police. increasingly being used by ISIS to carry out deadly attacks. Two other suicide bombers blew Sunday. The Kurdish media apprehended suspect was security forces before being led campaign tonight against Kirkuk,” themselves up in Kirkuk on group Rudaw revealed that the stripped of his explosives belt by away. “There is a dangerous a security official told the network.

Philippines drug war deaths climb to 1,800, president spars with UN

Manila The Philippines has recorded about 1,800 drug-related killings since President Rodrigo Duterte took office seven weeks ago and launched a war on narcotics, far higher than previously believed, according to police figures.

Philippine national police chief Ronald Dela Rosa told a senate committee on Monday that 712 drug traffickers and users had

been killed in police operations since July 1. Police were also investigating 1,067 other drugrelated killings, Dela Rosa said, without giving details. The

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comments came a day after Duterte lashed out at the United Nations for criticising the wave of deaths.

As recently as Sunday, the number of suspected drug traffickers killed in Duterte’s war on drugs had been put at about 900 by Philippine officials. But this number included people who died since Duterte won the May

9 presidential election. Duterte said in a bizarre and strongly worded late-night news conference on Sunday the Philippines might leave the United Nations and invite China and others to form a new global forum, accusing it of failing to fulfil its mandate.

However, his foreign minister, Perfecto Yasay, said on Monday the Philippines would remain a UN member and described the president’s comments as expressions of “profound disappointment and frustration”. “We are committed to the UN despite our numerous frustrations and disappointments with the international agency,” Yasay told a news conference. Last week, two UN human rights experts urged Manila to stop the extra-judicial executions and killings.Yasay said

Duterte has promised to uphold human rights in the fight against drugs and has ordered the police to investigate and prosecute offenders. He criticised the UN rapporteurs for “jumping to an arbitrary conclusion that we have violated human rights of people”. “It is highly irresponsible on their

part to solely rely on such allegations based on information from unnamed sources without proper substantiation,” he said of the United Nations.

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23 - 29 August 2016

Issue - 681 (4)

23 - 29 August 2016

Why is US moving its nukes?

Two independent sources told EurActiv.com that the US has started transferring nuclear weapons stationed in Turkey to Romania, against the

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background of worsening relations between Washington and Ankara.

According to one of the sources, the transfer has been very challenging in technical and political terms. “It’s not easy to move 20+ nukes,” said the source, on conditions of anonymity.

According to a recent report by the Simson Center, since the Cold War, some 50 US tactical nuclear weapons have been stationed at Turkey’s Incirlik air base, approximately 100 kilometres from the Syrian border.

During the failed coup in Turkey in July, Incirlik’s power was cut, and the Turkish government prohibited US aircraft from flying in or out. Eventually, the base commander was arrested and implicated in the coup. Whether the US could have maintained control of the weapons in the event of a protracted civil conflict in Turkey is an unanswerable question, the report says. Another source told EurActiv.com that the US-Turkey relations had deteriorated so much following the coup that Washington no longer trusted Ankara to host the weapons. The American weapons are being moved to the Deveselu air base in Romania, the source said.

Analysts are pointing out that if Turkey’s July 15 attempted coup had been successful then America might have lost control of the nuclear weapons that are being stored in there. Even now, relations between Turkey and America are deteriorating so rapidly that concerns are increasing that Turkey’s government might change its policy and take control of the weapons, or that they might be the target of a terrorist attack. Debka is reporting that America is rejecting a demand from Turkey to take control of the weapons.

The US does not confirm that there are nuclear weapons stored anywhere in Europe, but there are now several unconfirmed reports that the US military is secretly moving the nuclear weapons to bases in Romania. Russia and Romania are both Eastern Orthodox Christian countries and historically fought bloody wars against the Muslim Ottoman Empire (Turkey) in World War I and some of the previous wars. So moving the nuclear weapons from Turkey to Romania carries a great deal of symbolic significance to both countries.

On the other hand, Romania is not on such good terms with Russia either. In World War II, Romania initially was forced to ally with Nazi Germany, but in 1944 was forced to switch sides and ally with the Soviet Union. The Soviets then brutally occupied Romania from 1944 to 1958. So even though Romania and Russia are both Eastern Orthodox Christian countries, there is a great deal

of mutual hostility.

The United States SUNNY BAINS has deployed in Romania an $800 million missile shield that was switched on in May. The Civil War, including logistical, technical nominal purpose of the missile shield is and financial support, as well as training protection from Iran, but Russia believes and some combat troops. Iran sees the that its existence makes Russia more survival of the Syrian government as being crucial to its regional interests. vulnerable to attack from Nato.

Stationing tactical nuclear weapons in Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, Romania, along with the missile shield, was reported in September 2011 to be is likely to infuriate Russia and raise vocally in favor of the Syrian government. security concerns. There may be some Iranian security and intelligence services kind of retaliation. The reports of moving are advising and assisting the Syrian the nuclear weapons have never been military in order to preserve Bashar alconfirmed, so there have been no public Assad’s hold on power. statements from Turkey, but it’s likely This is creating a temporary three-way that Turkey will see moving the nuclear marriage of convenience involving Turkey, weapons to the military base of its Iran, and the al-Assad regime. Turkey’s historical enemy (Romania) as one more new alliance with al-Assad is a major humiliation that the West is inflicting on turn-about, something that would have Turkey. Romania has strongly denied been unthinkable even just a few that any nuclear weapons are being months ago. In describing the new moved there from Turkey. It is worth policy to reporters, Turkey’s prime remembering here that the stationing of minister Binali Yildirim said the Russian nuclear missiles in Cuba in following: “Finding a solution is the most 1962 was the closest the Cold War came important thing for us. It is important to escalating into a full-scale nuclear war. that no more people die. If we are going to save those people, to heel the Turkey’s Erdogan announces a bleeding wound, the rest are irrelevant complete U-turn on Syria policy

Turkey has announced a major change in its policy towards Syria. In the past, Turkey has been insistent that Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad must go as part of any peace settlement. In the new policy, al-Assad may remain in power for six months after the peace agreement has been signed. The change is being driven by increasing power of the Kurds.

From the point of view of Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Syrian Kurds are terrorists, and are the Syrian branch of the PKK terrorists.

However, the United States has been using the Syrian Kurds as a fighting force against ISIS, and the Kurds have been gaining control of regions of northern Syria.

As we’ve written in the past, the nightmare scenario for Turkey is that the Kurds take control of various regions in northern Syria and link them together to form a large area in northern Syria along the border with Turkey. The Kurds could then claim a Kurdish state in Syria stretching from the Mediterranean to Iraq along Turkey’s border. This is also a nightmare scenario for the al-Assad regime which would then lose control of the entire northern Syria. It’s also a nightmare scenario for Iran because Iran is fighting on the side of al-Assad in Syria, and because Iran has a historic enmity with the Kurds in Iraq and southeastern Turkey.

Iran and Syria are close strategic allies, and Iran has provided significant support for the Syrian Government in the Syrian

details. All the rest could be talked through and a solution could be found.

As I said, al-Assad cannot be a uniting figure in Syria in the long run, it is just not possible. The main countries involved - the U.S., Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and others - should come together and Turkey should make more effort on that.”

These things always sound so good when they come out of the mouths of politicians, don’t they. Then if you take a nap for three months, when you wake up and see what’s happened, you realize that everything they said was a total nonsense. From my point of view, this change of policy is strongly a counter-trend so is meaningless. There will never be a “peace deal” for Turkey because al-Assad will never agree to “peace” as long as there are any Sunnis left in Syria to exterminate. Also, both al-Assad’s Shia/Alawites and Iran’s Shias are historic enemies of Turkey, so the marriage of convenience will end up in a divorce after the first major bump in the road.

The entire Mideast is headed for a major war involving the whole region, along Israeli-Arab fault line, the Sunni-Shia sectarian fault line and various ethnic fault lines. When the war ends, there will be a great international peace conference attended by the politicians from all the major nations, and they’ll decide all the new boundaries. At that point, in the distant future, the Kurds may or may not get their Kurdish state.

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23 - 29 August 2016

‘ISIS’ painted on Sikh candidate’s election billboard in New Zealand

How long do we love the people we love? Forever and a day? From now till eternity? Somewhere between those glorious, romantic, yet slightly impractical promises and the rather insulting idea that our hearts will stay true only until something better comes along, there must be a balance. The only light that you need me to shed on this topic now is as follows. There is really no need for anyone to make themselves insecure by asking questions that can’t be answered. !!!

People, it seems, invariably let one another down. They don’t mean to, but it happens accidentally. Indeed, sometimes, it happens even when we are trying our hardest to be loyal, reliable and consistent.

Friction, it seems, is an inevitable side-effect of coexistence. But there are ways to make this easier and, if we are wise, we will do all we can to develop emollient attitudes. Even if you are bristling with righteous indignation about someone’s behavior now, take a saintly approach that brings a heavenly outcome. !!!

We accompany one another on our journeys through life, yet none of us can be by someone else’s side for every moment, past, present and future. There are going to be times when even the closest have to be apart. Why should that be a source of angst or unhappiness? Shouldn’t we treasure times of separation for the opportunities that they provide for us to reunite later? Don’t confuse a small healthy change with a big difficult drama in your personal life. Trust a story that’s unfolding. !!!

How can people do anything other than adore you?

Aren’t you exceptionally special?

Don’t you exude an irresistibly attractive air?

Isn’t it only right and fair that you draw so much affectionate attention?

Why then, do you not cast a spell on everyone?

Perhaps there are some who feel intimidated by all that makes you powerful.

Perhaps they react in what seems to them like a form of self-defence based on a sense of vulnerability that you trigger in them? Go gently on such poor souls. !!!

Don’t worry about what seemingly can’t happen, and why an apparent obstacle now lies before you. Focus, instead, on the two clues that I have just placed before you in the previous sentence.

‘Seemingly’. ‘Apparent’.

These are important words. They encapsulate crucial concepts. Little now is quite as it seems.

Much is open to interpretation. And, whilst nobody is being deliberately deceptive, you stand to benefit greatly from opening your eyes to the point where you can see beyond an illusion. !!!

Much information is reaching your ears, but how seriously should you take this?

Much conversation is happening all around you, but need you heed it all? When a radio is playing in the background, and someone is expressing an irate opinion on a phone-in, must you react to every word? Can’t you just switch off your mind or the set? There may be a situation over which you have little control. But you do have power over how you respond to it, and how seriously you take it. That will yet turn out to be all the power you need.

New York A Sikh candidate’s election bill board, who is running for a position in the city council of Hamilton in New Zealand, was defaced with the word ‘ISIS’ smeared all over it in black paint.

Yugraj Singh Mahil, the first Sikh to run for a position on Hamilton’s city council, was pictured on the billboard with another candidate Anna CaseyCox, Radio New Zealand reported.

Both are first time candidates in the city’s east ward, standing as part of the Community Voice group.

Mahil said the campaign had been going well until he received the news that one of his billboards in the suburb of Hillcrest was graffitied with the word “ISIS”.

“It’s more than insulting.

People mostly change the appearance of the person but tagging such a group is very harsh, very distressful,” he was quoted as saying.

Need drugs in a London jail? Try using a drone

London While Amazon and the British government are looking into how to use drones to deliver parcels to customers, criminals are already exploiting the technology to send drugs to accomplices in prison.

Police said on Monday they recovered two drones carrying mobile phones and drugs near London’s Pentonville prison and have set up a special task force - Operation Airborne - to catch offenders trying to get contraband into the jail. In the early hours of Saturday, police saw a man acting suspiciously near the prison. He ran away, dropping two bags containing drugs and mobile phones and managed to evade arrest, according to a police statement.

Next day, police found a drone that had crashed after being tracked flying over Pentonville. They were later alerted to another drone being flown at low altitude towards the prison.

The unmanned aircraft was stopped in mid-flight by a police officer and a package containing large amounts of drugs and two mobile phones was recovered from it.

Mahil said in his 17 years in Hamilton he had never faced this sort of behaviour.

“I think this is due to the turban; that happens sometimes, people get confused, they think only Muslims wear turbans,” he said.

However, with Hamilton’s gurdwara the first to be established in New Zealand, he said, most people in the area were more aware.

“Sometimes these sort of things, I think teenagers or kids they do it, they don’t have enough knowledge about the religions and they

don’t know the difference,” he said.

Anna Casey-Cox said she found out yesterday when she saw a photo of the billboard on Facebook and within 20 minutes they were able to take the billboard down and clean off the words.

She said it was one thing to deface a billboard with something like a moustache, but painting the name of the violent extremist group was sick and ignorant.

“This was a different kind of defacing of a billboard and it was just at a whole

different level. And I think it’s just somebody who’s not even thinking. It’s just someone who is relatively ignorant has done it,” she said.

“I really don’t know what the motivation would be other than to incite some concern in the community and get at the Muslim community perhaps,” she added. Mahil said his wife is now too scared to leave the house while his two daughters are also horrified.

“My daughter and my wife got really upset ... my wife is a little bit worried about going outside so we try to be safe and don’t go out at night, but still I have to go out and want to give this my best shot,” he was quoted as saying by the New Zealand Herald.

“It means the whole community gets shocked, all of the Sikh community.

I have been receiving calls from various Sikh leaders that this is bad and we have to make a noise about it and raise awareness,” he said.

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23 - 29 August 2016

Nepal cuts off electricity to former Queen Mother’s house Kathmandu Nepal has disconnected power supply to Mahendra Manjil, the residence of former Queen Mother Ratna Rajya Laxmi Shah, for failing to pay utility bills that have mounted to Rs 3.7 million.

The 88-year-old Queen Mother, stepmother of deposed King Gyanendra, is the only former royal family member residing in the building located within the old Narayanhity Palace complex in Kathmandu.

According to deputy executive director of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Gopal Babu Bhattarai, the former queen mother owed Rs 3.7 million for using electricity.

According to NEA sources, the authority has not received any payment for power supply from Ratna since 2008, when the monarchy was abolished in the country.

With the abolition of monarchy, other members

left the Palace, but Ratna continues to live in Mahendra Manjil a house built and gifted to her by her husband late King Mahendra some five decades ago, which has been converted into a Museum.

According to Bhattarai, NEA disconnected electricity to dozens of households, including institutions in Janakpur, Bharatpur and Kathmandu on Sunday.

NEA’s action against the erring households comes on the heels of newly appointed Energy Minister and Maoist leader Janardan Sharma’s instruction to disconnect

power supply to those big customers who fail to pay utility bills on time.

Bhattarai said NEA had been taking action against erring households and institutions for the last few months and it intensified its drive following the energy minister’s directives.

According to NEA sources, the government authority needs to collect almost Rs 9 billion dues, a large chunk of which is owed by big houses and municipalities, which have installed street lights.

Former Queen Mother’s personal secretary Shambhu Adhikari said the staff of Mahendra Manjil

had been submitting the utility bills to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, which was supposed to pay the bills.

Adhikari claimed that former chief government secretary Leela Mani Paudyal had told him that the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation would pay the utility bills.

He said the government should either treat Mahendra Manjil as Ratna’s personal property or it should pay electricity, water and telephone bills.

Former king Gyanendra Shah’s press secretary Phani Raj Pathak said former home minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula had assured the former king in 2008 that former queen mother could live at Mahendra Manjil and as per that agreement the government would pay all the utility bills. As per the rules, the NEA can disconnect power supply to customers if they fail to pay bills within 60 days.

Britain to separate Islamic extremists from other prisoners

London Britain announced plans Monday to house imprisoned Islamist extremists in separate units from other inmates, after a review found that some charismatic convicts were radicalizing the wider Muslim population in prisons.

The government-ordered study concluded that “cultural sensitivity” among National Offender Management Service staff toward Muslim prisoners went too far and “could inhibit the effective confrontation of extremist views.”

“There are a small number of individuals, very subversive individuals, who do need to be held in separate units,” Justice Secretary Liz Truss told

the BBC. But Peter Dawson, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said that any program must “get people back into the main prison community.”

“Anything else is just storing up an even more difficult problem for when they are eventually released,” he said.

Though the full report was kept confidential, a summary of the findings of the review recommended introducing the specialized units in order to stop a small number of individuals from being able to “proselytize” to other inmates. The release of the findings comes in advance of the sentencing of Anjem Choudary, one of Britain’s best-known radical Muslim preachers.

Queen’s hiring lawn specialist for Royal UK rejects complaints against hijabGardens, to pay 16,500 pounds per annum wearing TV presenter Fatima Manji London Britain’s communications regulator Ofcom on Monday rejected complaints that it was inappropriate for a hijabwearing Channel 4 News journalist to present reports of the Bastille Day

London Queen Elizabeth II is seeking a lawn specialist to maintain her gardens at Buckingham Palace to “an exceptional standard”.

The starting salary of the job is 16,500 pounds per annum. The employee will have to work full-time and will be provided with accommodation.

“Joining this small team of qualified gardeners, you will help ensure the Royal Gardens and surrounding areas of Buckingham Palace and St James’s Palace are maintained to an exceptional standard,” the Royal Household, which provides everyday services to the Queen and the

Royal Family, said on its website .

The gardener will have to ensure that the lawns are cared for throughout the year - from grass cutting and scarifying to irrigation, fertilisation and machinery maintenance.

They will also be required to help in preparations for high profile events, ensuring the lawns and gardens are presented at their best for thousands of visitors to admire.

“With a busy annual calendar of events, organisation and time management will be critical. And when required, you will be happy to lend a hand and help with general garden duties,” an

advertisement on the website said.

Candidates must hold a UK driving license and have a formal qualification in sports turf level two.

They also need to have experience of turf maintenance machinery and be able to carry out maintenance and repairs.

The employee will be rewarded with a comprehensive benefits package, including 33 days holiday, a 15% employer contribution pension scheme, all meals provided, training and development, as well as a range of recreational facilities.

The last date to apply is September 9.

attack in France that killed 84 people.

A suggestion in a column in the mass circulation tabloid The Sun that it was not right for a Muslim presenter wearing a hijab to report the incident set off a storm and prompted hundreds of complaints to the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO).

However, Ofcom received 17 complaints about the channel using Fatima Manji to convey the news.

She was scheduled to present the news on the day before the attack.

Ofcom said it assessed the complaints but deemed there was no ground to launch a full investigation into any potential breach of the broadcasting code.

An Ofcom spokesman said: “We received a small number of complaints that it was inappropriate for a presenter wearing a hijab to present a report on the attack in Nice.

“We won’t be taking the matter forward for investigation. The selection of a presenter is an editorial matter for the broadcaster, and the way in which the presenter chose to dress in this case did not raise any issues under our rules.”

In The Sun column, former editor Kelvin MacKenzie wrote that he “could hardly believe my eyes” when he saw Manji on screen.

“Was it appropriate for her to be on camera when there had been yet another shocking slaughter by a Muslim?” he said.

He added: “Was it done to stick one in the

eye of the ordinary viewer who looks at the hijab as a sign of the slavery of Muslim women by a maledominated and clearly violent religion?”

IPSO is yet to rule on hundreds of complaints it received against MacKenzie’s column.

Channel 4 News said MacKenzie’s comments were “offensive, completely unacceptable”, and “arguably tantamount to inciting religious and even racial hatred”.

It said in a statement: “It is wrong to suggest that a qualified journalist should be barred from reporting on a particular story or present on a specific day because of their faith.

Fatima Manji is an awardwinning journalist. We are proud that she is part of our team and will receive, as ever, our full support in the wake of his comments.”

During the attack in the French Riviera city, a man drove a truck through crowds and killed 84. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State.

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23 - 29 August 2016

Bangladesh urges India to provide Monitoring movement of ISIS, its details on Zakir Naik’s operations affiliated groups in Afghanistan: US New Delhi Bangladesh has sought from India details about Islamic preacher Zakir Naik’s operations even as it said several prominent

ulemas wanted action against him much before deadly the Gulshan attack in Dhaka last month.

Bangladesh’s information minister Hasanul Haq Inu, who is in Delhi on a sixday visit, said his country has cracked down on Naik’s Peace TV by banning its broadcast and indicated that it is waiting for India’s action against the controversial preacher.

Inu said his country doesn’t have any evidence of links between home grown terrorists in Bangladesh with extremists groups in India but at the same time slammed Pakistan for “harbouring terrorism”.

He said Bangladesh has witnessed over 43 attacks

on thinkers, bloggers and people from Sufi faith and it has been found that in almost 90%, the attackers had links with banned Jamaat-e-Islami which he

alleged was a “corroborator” with Pakistani forces during the 1971 Liberation war.

“From Bangladesh’s side Zakir Naik’s case has been settled. We have stopped the broadcast of Peace TV. In last one year, ulemas came up with written complaints against Naik. We are examining it. We think his teachings, in certain cases are not in compliance with the Quran or Hadith. So, that is creating confusion.

“In certain cases it is instigating. So, we have taken our position. We have asked the Indian side to take their position and give us necessary information,” Inu told

reporters.In the backdrop of reports that the Islamic State (IS) was gaining ground in Bangladesh, he asserted that terror networks in his country is home grown. About his meeting with information and broadcasting minister Venkaiah Naidu, Inu said both sides have agreed to broadcast their respective national TV channels in each other’s country.

The minister said terrorism in Bangladesh is very different from terror networks in Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Middle East as his country has a “secular” approach, but insisted that the evil has its legacy in the 1971 liberation war.

“There is no so-called radicalisation in my country. So, terrorism has a top-down approach in our country. It is not like Pakistan. In my country, a few people are involved in terrorist activities.

“Having said that terrorism in Bangladesh has a legacy and that legacy is the 1971 liberation war.

Here Jamaat-e-Islami, a party using Islam, was a corroborator with Pakistani aggressive force,” he said adding terrorism in Bangladeshi has its roots in Jamat-iIslami and Pakistan’s ISI.

Shape up or ship out: 8 female presenters in Egypt dismissed for being overweight Cairo Egypt’s state-owned broadcaster suspended eight of its female TV presenters this week, saying they’ll need to lose

broadcaster. But women’s rights groups in the country are angry, with many not only criticising the move but also questioning the singling out of women.

weight to keep their jobs.The Egyptian Radio and Television Union (ERTU) has given the suspended women a month’s time to slim down so they can appear on air with an “appropriate appearance”, according to a BBC report.According to Gulf News, the ERTU move is an attempt to shed the sluggish image of the

Khadija Khatab, one of the dismissed presenters, told local media that she wants people to watch her most recent appearances on Egypt’s Channel 2 and judge if she is really fat and deserves the suspension. Another presenter said the matter should have been dealt with internally as it has upset families of the

anchors caught in the situation. The suspension has sparked a debate among television presenters too, some of whom believe the policy should be applied across local TV stations. Others say the channel should simply focus on improving its content.

The conversation on social media was divided too as some voiced support for the suspended anchors, while others resorted to fatshaming them. In a Facebook post, the country’s Women’s Centre for Guidance and Legal Awareness condemned the move, saying it violated the constitution and was a form of violence against women.Despite the criticism, however, ERTU maintains that its decision is irreversible, but it added that the women will not lose their pay and benefits. The broadcaster’s director Safaa Hegazy was a former anchor herself.

New York The US is monitoring the movement of ISIS and its affiliated groups in Afghanistan besides helping the latter’s security forces to fight out the terrorist organisation which is trying to expand its base rapidly in the war-torn country, a top American official has said.

“We are always looking at ISISs ability to find safe haven and then expand to work with, these affiliate groups, factions of groups such as the Taliban that they might be able to exploit. We are monitoring it very closely,” State Department Deputy Spokesman Mark Toner told reporters yesterday.

“Were in close contact and

coordination with the Afghan Security Forces in that regard, and were going to continue. If we see opportunities to take out key leadership, were going to strike,” he said while responding to a question and reiterated that reconciliation process with the Taliban needs to be an “Afghan-led, Afghan-owned process”.“Any time you’ve got various splinter groups emerging, that does make those efforts more complex, but that remains our overarching goal and what we view as really the long-term solution for Afghanistan to achieve peace and stability. But I don’t have an assessment of what the latest development might mean

for prospects, but we continue to encourage those efforts,” he said.

The US is monitoring the presence of ISIS-affiliated groups very closely in Afghanistan, he said.

“Were actively engaged with the Government of Afghanistan and our partners in the region to prevent that from taking place. We don’t want to see them gain safe haven or material support from the Taliban or anyone,” he added. Asserting that the US has made a long-term commitment to Afghanistan, Toner said it would continue to help Afghanistan build a more stable, peaceful, democratic, and prosperous future.

Issue 681 (8)

23 - 29 August 2016

Hafiz Saeed provokes India again, asks Pakistan Army chief to send troops to Kashmir

Lahore In a fresh rhetoric, Mumbai attack mastermind and Jamaatud-Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed has asked the Pakistan Army Chief General Raheel Sharif to send troops to Kashmir to “obey” the pending order of Pakistan’s founder MA Jinnah.

Addressing a rally held under the banner of ‘Defence Council of Pakistan’ in Karachi on Sunday, Saeed claimed, “Kashmiris had announced before the partition that they wanted to remain with Pakistan. But after the partition, India forcibly sent Army to Jammu and Kashmir.”

‘FORM A STRATEGY REGARDING KASHMIR’ “On this Quaid-e-Azam, Mohammad Ali Jinnah ordered his commander-in-chief to respond by sending troops but he refused (to obey his orders).

Now I ask General Raheel Sharif to send troops in (Jammu and) Kashmir as Quaid-e-Azam’s order is pending,” Saeed said.

He said that he is not asking for a war with India but they (Prime

Minister Nawaz Sharif and Raheel) must form a strategy regarding the Kashmir issue.

Saeed, the founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, who carries a USD 10-million bounty on his head, asked Prime Minister Sharif to break his silence and respond to Modi’s strong statements on Kashmir and Balochistan.

‘GIVE IT BACK TO MODI’ “Pakistan has become a war zone and innocent Kashmiris are being killed while Modi is talking of separating Balochistan. Why is our Prime Minister silent and reluctant to respond to Modi in the same manner?,” he asked.

He said Sharif should take relief goods to Chakothi, then the Kashmiris would believe that the Pakistani Prime Minister was with them. A JuD caravan led by Talha Saeed, the son of Hafiz Saeed, staged a sit-in at the Line of Control near Chakothi in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK), demanding that India accept relief materials brought by them for the Kashmiris.

‘A preventive measure’: Germany proposes burqa ban in public places Berlin Germany’s interior minister on Friday proposed partially banning the full-face burqa Islamic veil, as a debate on integration rages after two jihadist attacks and ahead of key state elections.The call by Thomas de Maiziere comes as Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government attempts to address public fears surrounding last year’s record influx of nearly 1.1 million migrants and refugees, most from predominantly Muslim countries.It also echoed a controversial decision by several French towns in recent weeks to outlaw burkinis, the full-body Islamic swimsuit, at a highly sensitive time for relations with the Muslim community following a series of Islamist attacks.De Maiziere, one of Merkel’s closest allies, said after a meeting with regional counterparts from his conservative bloc that the burqa ban would cover “places where it is necessary for our society’s coexistence” -- including government offices, schools and universities, courtrooms, demonstrations and behind the wheel.He told reporters that the full-face veil “does not belong in our cosmopolitan country”, adding that it was “not a security issue but an integration issue”.

The minister acknowledged that the burqa was not a common sight on German streets, calling the proposed ban a “preventive measure”.“Of course the issue of the full veil stands for the question which role certain branches of Islam play in Germany,” he said.

‘No emancipated woman can accept burqa’ De Maiziere did not say when he would put forward a draft bill,

Pak probes man suspected to have financed Mumbai terror attack Lahore Pakistan is investigating a Mumbai attack suspect for allegedly providing financial assistance to the Lashkar-eTaiba (LeT) men to carry out the deadly assault in 2008.

“The FIA (Federal Investigation Agency) has arrested Sufyan Zafar recently and is interrogating him for his role in providing financial assistance to the accused of the Mumbai attack — who are lodged in the Adiala Jail Rawalpindi,” FIA special prosecutor Chaudhry Azhar told PTI on Friday.

He said Zafar was absconding after being declared a proclaimed offender in the Mumbai attack case.

A resident of Gujrawala district of Punjab, some 80 km from Lahore, Zafar is among 21 other

absconding suspects wanted in this high-profile case.

“Zafar will be indicted in the Mumbai case after completion of the investigation,” the FIA official said.A Pakistani anti-terrorism court has charged seven LeT activists — its operations commander Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi, Abdul Wajid, Mazhar

Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younis Anjum — with abetment to murder, attempted murder, planning and executing the Mumbai attack.

The case has been underway in the country for more than six years.Lakhvi, the mastermind of the Mumbai attack, is living at an undisclosed location after being released from jail on bail over a year ago.The other six suspects are in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.

The trial proceedings have come to a halt as India is yet to send 24 witnesses to Pakistan for recording of their statements in the trial court.

Pakistan says the trial cannot be concluded unless India sends its nationals for recording their statements in the case.

As many as 166 people were killed and over 250 injured in the attack carried out by 10 LeT men. Nine assailants were killed while the lone survivor, Ajmal Kasab, was captured and later executed by India.

acknowledging that the Social Democrats (SPD), junior partners in the ruling coalition, had reservations about the move.

But he indicated that outlawing the burqa only under certain circumstances -- as opposed to

apparently couldn’t stop a single terror attack. However I don’t like the mentality behind a burqa either -- it is a piece of clothing that no emancipated woman can accept,” she told the daily Die Welt.She said that rather than

the blanket ban favoured by the hard right of Merkel’s Christian Union bloc -- would be likely to win approval in parliament.

Merkel’s right-left “grand coalition” holds an overwhelming majority in the Bundestag lower house but faces a general election in a year’s time.

In an interview with a regional newspaper this week, Merkel underlined her objections to the burqa.“From my point of view, a woman who is entirely veiled has hardly any chance at integrating,” she said.However Bilkey Oney, a Turkish-born integration expert from the SPD, said a burqa ban was too blunt an instrument to fight radicalisation.

“In France, they long ago outlawed the burqa but it

regulating clothing, Germany would be better served by expanding integration efforts.

“You have to convince people to no longer want (the burqa). We must ensure that Muslims and migrants emancipate themselves but that will take time.”

News website Spiegel Online was more forceful in its opposition, saying that German conservatives “apparently have so little faith in the attractiveness of values such as individual freedom and equal rights that they think bans are necessary”.

“With a burqa ban, Germany ends up on a par with Iran and Saudi Arabia -- countries where the government decides what a woman can wear in public.”

Italian bishop launches crusade against Pokemon Go

ROME An Italian bishop has threatened legal action against Pokemon Go, saying the “diabolical” game has turned its army of smartphone-wielding players into “walking dead”, reports said Thursday. Antonio Stagliano, the bishop of the southern town of Noto in Sicily, was quoted by several newspapers as saying he was ready to go to court to get the wildly popular app banned.

The augmented-reality game, which allows players to catch virtual monsters using GPS mapping on their phones, has become a global craze since its launch on July 6 but has also prompted a wave of criticism and controversy. Stagliano had already lashed out at the game in recent days, declaring it “a totalitarian system close to

Nazism” and saying it had “alienated thousands and thousands of young people” by getting them hooked on monster-hunting.

The bishop is well known in the Italian press, particularly for his mid-mass renditions of rock hits by popular singers Noemi and Marco Mengoni.

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Issue 681 (9)

23 - 29 August 2016

12-year-old boy with special needs forced to confess allegiance to ISIS Krachi A 12-year-old American boy with special needs of Pakistani descent was forced by a local school to sign a false admission stating that he was a part of globally banned terror group ISIS

and wanted to blow up the school fence, a USD 25 million lawsuit filed by his family against the East Islip Union Free School District claimed.

ASKED IF HE MADE BOMBS, KNEW OSAMA The Long Island-based Muslim family has accused the East Islip Middle School of Islamophobia, saying their son Nashwan Uppal was derided by his classmates who called him a “terrorist”, leading school officials to question him on the matter. They allegedly grilled him asking if he was a terrorist, if he made bombs, if he knew who “Osama” was and if he was part of ISIS. BULLIED BY OTHER KIDS, ADULTS DID NOTHING TO HELP According to the lawsuit, Uppal, a Pakistani-American student, was sitting in the lunchroom of his school on January 6 when

other kids began insinuating that he was a terrorist, asking him what he was going to “blow up next”, the New York Post reported.

Uppal, who has severe learning and social disabilities, tried to

shift to another table but the bullies would not let him go and kept at their jibes even after he moved. The adults in the lunchroom did not come to his rescue, the lawsuit states.

INTERROGATED BY SCHOOL AUTHORITIES, FORCED TO WRITE CONFESSION The suit names Superintendent John Dolan, Principal Mark Bernard and Assistant Principal Jason Stanton, saying that they harrassed Uppal by pulling him out of gym class the next day and subjecting him to heavy interrogation.

“Stanton repeatedly asked Nashwan if he was a terrorist, and if he made bombs in his house,” the suit says. When he said no, an increasingly irate Stanton allegedly bellowed, “Don’t lie to us!”

A trembling Uppal was forced to write a confession saying he was

“part of ISIS, knew how to make bombs, that he had bombs in his house, and that he was going to blow up the school fence,” the suit alleges.

The school authorities eventually let him call his mother, Nubaisha Amar, who was told her son had pledged allegiance to ISIS and was going to blow up the school.

SUSPENDED FOR A WEEK FOR CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES Police escorted Uppal and his mother back home and gave Uppal a clean chit after they searched the house and could not find anything linking him to a terror group.

Nonetheless, the East Islip Middle School suspended Uppal for a week for “criminal activity”.

TWELVE-YEAR-OLD SCARRED BY INCIDENT Attorney David Antwork said the boy was emotionally scarred.

“The defendants trampled on...Nashwan’s civil rights, berated and humiliated him by forcing Nashwan to confess to crimes which he did not commit while ignoring the fact that he was incessantly bullied and had known social, language and learning disabilities,” Antwork was quoted as saying. The lawsuit also claims that Uppal suffered from “severe and extreme emotional distress” including “nightmares, sleeplessness, crying, fear, humiliation and stress” as a result of the incident.

This is another instance of the rising Islamophobia in the United States. A few weeks ago, a Muslim couple was thrown off a Delta Air Lines flight to Ohio for sweating, texting and saying Allah.

Man who ‘blackmailed’ VK Singh’s wife claims there’s threat to his life

New Delhi Pradeep Chauhan, the man who has been accused of blackmailing Union minister VK Singh’s wife, has filed a police complaint alleging that there was a threat to his life as he was aware of some “secrets” of the minister’s family.

In his complaint, a copy of which is with HT, he stated, “I am being threatened because I have strong evidence against Singh and his family planning to eliminate a Colonel and his OSD (officer on special duty). I have both audio and video clips to support my claims.”

He also named VK Singh’s daughter, wife Bharti Singh, brother-in-law and a captain of the army in his complaint.Sources said that Chauhan has recorded conversations between Singh and some officials of the ministry of external affairs related to some inquiries. The recordings

also had some correspondence between Singh and defence ministry officials.

“We are not aware of any such allegations. All of this is rubbish.

Let the investigation agency work and get to the bottom of it,” Singh’s counsel Vishwajeet Singh said.

Chauhan has reportedly submitted his phone to the Gurgaon police for investigation.

It will now be handed over to the Delhi Police who are looking into the case. “The mobile will be sent for forensic examination. If Chauhan pursues the case, then voice samples of Bharati and Singh will be collected and compared with the audio clips recovered from Chauhan’s phone,” an investigator told HT. Sources said that Singh’s family approached the police to quash the case. The police, however, refused to act saying that the matter was now in the court.

Suspected Pakistan spy India court bans children from human pyramid fest arrested in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer

NEW DELHI India’s top court on Wednesday banned children from taking part in a popular but potentially dangerous religious festival in the country’s west that sees young boys scale human pyramids.

The Supreme Court barred children aged under 18 from scaling the pyramids and restricted their height to six metres (20 feet) following a string of accidents in recent years. The ruling comes ahead of the annual Dahi Handi festival in Maharashtra state next week that traditionally sees scores of boys hoisted to the top of wobbly pyramids in homage to Hindu child-god Krishna. Crowds flock to the colourful spectacle in the state capital Mumbai where groups try to outperform each

other with the highest pyramid, some reaching 13 metres. But the practice has also seen many injuries when pyramids collapse, while a 14-year-old boy reportedly died after falling during rehearsals in 2014.

“Krishna didn’t do acrobatics ... you cannot risk the lives of children,” Justice Nageswara Rao told the court in New Delhi.

The ruling followed a petition from a Mumbai social worker who stressed the dangers of the tradition that sees the boys smash jugs of buttermilk once they reach the top.

The High Court in 2014 also placed restrictions on the pyramids, touching off a lengthy legal tussle by the Maharashtra government, some of whose lawmakers opposed the ruling.

Jaipur An alleged Pakistani spy was arrested by the Rajasthan police from Jaisalmer on Thursday and items containing information on India’s defence institutions seized from him.

Nandlal (26), hailing from Sangad district in Pakistan, was arrested from a hotel in Jaisalmer on Thursday night by a CID (intelligence) team led by ASP Rajiv Dutta, ADGP (intelligence), Utkal Ranjan Sahoo said.Two mobile phones with micro SD cards, 2010 Indian Rupees, 30 Pakistani Rupees and a diary containing information on money received from ISI, were recovered

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from him.The SD cards contained classified information and photographs related to

officer told HT on condition of anonymity that this was Nandlal’s fourth visit after 2010,

India’s defence institutions and vehicles, Sahoo said.Preliminary probe revealed that Nandlal, a cloth trader in Pakistan, used to smuggle various items, including silk, with help from his associates in border areas of Rajasthan. He used to sell silk at cheap prices to obtain information about the defence agencies.He collected the information and shared it with Pakistan’s Inter Service Intelligence officials using WhatsApp, Facebook and Skype, the ADGP said.A senior

2012 and 2014.He had come to India on the Thar Express on August 5 on a valid visa. “His visit to Jaisalmer was illegal as the visa issued was for Jodhpur,” the officer said.Depending upon the information he gave to ISI, he received varying amounts of money, all of which have been recorded in the diary, he said.Nandlal was arrested under sections 3 and 3 (9) of Official Secret Act 1923. He was produced in court on Friday and brought to Jaipur for further interrogation, Sahoo said.

Issue 681 (10)

Punjabi Sikh parents seek a match for their Canadian born & raised, clean shaven son, 33 yrs. old, 6’-1" tall, handsome, Doctor M.D., completed internal Medicine residency & fellowship (Specialization), now working as a specialist in G.T.A. The girl should be resident Doctor/M.D. or Physician, Born & raised in Canada from Ontario, beautiful atleast 5’-6" tall with family values. Please send your biodata and recent picture to: sm9058@hotmail.com ***682*** 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 *** 680*** Well settled Press Reporter in Canada, age 50+, 6’ tall, B.Sc., M.A.B.Ed, Post graduate diploma in journalisim, retired as Prinicpal from India, earning good pension, wife expired in 2010.

Looking for a life partner between 45-55, family oriented, must hae Master’s degree, Ph.d or having experience in journalism, prefered Pakistani West Punjabi.

Two daughter’s married and well settled in Canada. Owns property in India. Divorced may also be considred.Please Call : 647-821-7170 ***680*** Hindu Pujabi Khatri parents looking for a suitable match for their daughter, 39 yrs., 5’-5” tall, working as Administrative Manager in a reputed concern in India, widow (Two sons 15 and 12 yrs.) The boy should be Canadian Immigrant/Citizen and family oriented. Parents and two real brothers are very well settled in Milton (Canada) for the last 16 yrs. Caste no bar. PleaseCall : 647-892-6498 Or : 289-878-9285 ***680*** Jat Sikh parents invite a matrimonial alliance for their daughter, 33 yrs. old, 5’-6” tall, Canadian Citizen, Post graduate, employed in one of the reputed banks of Canada, divorced after a brief marriage (no kids). The boy should be Canadian Citizen, Jat Sikh, well educated and professionally employed. Please email recent picture and bio-data to: gill.roop@hotmail.com Or Call : 1-604-615-4316 Or : 1-778-9547274 ***680** Jat Sikh parents invite a matrimonial alliance for their daughter, 29 yrs. old, 5’-6” tall, Diploma in Hair dressing from Australia, beautiful, family oriented from a good family background, living in India and managing Canadian family

23 - 29 August 2016

business in India and Africa, widw (one daughter). The boy should be Canadian/American, Immigrant/Citizen, well educated, settled with family values. Whole family is well settled in Canada.

Respond with family details to:dsahsi@gmail.com Or Call : 1-604-618-5834 ***680*** Well settled Jat Sikh parents seeking professionally qualified Jat Sikh match from U.S.A. or willing to relocate in U.S.A. for their daughter, 36 yrs. old, 5’-6” tall, American Citizen, Graduated, Currently Working as Human Resource Information Systerm “HIRS” Analyst with well known Health Care Organisation in Bay Areas, California. Please send your biodata and recent picture to: wss4279@gmail.com Or Call : 1-408-657-7644 ***680*** Sikh Khatri parents seek a suitable match for their teetotaler, US Citizen son, 28 yrs. old, 5’4’’ tall, master’s degree in engineering from a top US university, working at a private company in New York area. The girl should be family oriented, educated, beautiful, preferably residing in US. Please send your biodata & recent pictures to: chhabra.harjitsingh59@gmail.com or call: 1- 347- 921-1453 *** 680*** Punjabi Brahman Doctor parents seek a suitable match beautiful girl for their son, 28 yrs. old, 6’ tall, doctor in punjab. The girl should be beautiful, preferably from medical line. The boy wants to settle his own business in Ontario. Any upper caste also welcome. Younger brother software engineer is in Ottawa and relatives are well settled in Ontario & Quebec. Please send your bio-data & recent picture to:ishan247@yahoo.co.in or call: or call: 011-91- 91987-2614118 *** 680*** Jat Sikh educated family seek a suitable match for their American citizen daughter, 31 yrs. old (born in 1985), 5'-3" tall, well settled in job. Boy preferred to be in USA or have a work permit.Please send your bio-data & recent picture to: bobby21_52@yahoo.com or call: 1- 209-629-3506 *** 680*** Suitable match for Jassal boy, 26 yrs. old, 5’-10” tall, clean shaven, B.Pharma, Own Business in India. The girl should be Canadian Immigrant or Citizen. Parents Currently in Canada on visitor visa. The boy’s two sisters are well settled in Canada. Caste No Bar. Please Call : 416-540-0080 ***680*** Jat Sikh parents seek a suitable match for their Mangleek son, 25 yrs. old, 5’-10” tall, Canadian Immigrant, Bachelor in IT, well settled. The girl should be Canadian/American, Immigrant/ Citizen, educated with family values atleast 5’-5” tall. First preference goes to Chandigarh,

Mohali and Patiala. Please email recent picture and bio-data to: barren44@gmail.com Or Call : 1-206-229-3330 ***680*** Jat Sikh Gill family seeks a suitable match for their daughter, 33 yrs. old, 5’-6” tall, College graduate with diploma in Business Administration and Accounting. The boy should be 33-37 yrs. of age, well qualified and raised in Canada. Please Call : 905-874-0721 ***680*** Tonk Kshatriya Sikh parents seeking a suitable match for their Canadian Citizen daughter, 28 yrs. old, 5’-3” tall, B.Com, CGA, Working with the government.

The boy should be Canadian Citizen or PR, equally qualified, well settled in job in Toronto or surrounding area. Preferebly clean shaven. Please send your bio-data and recent picture to: singhjag_@hotmail.com Or Call : 416-722-9771 ***680*** 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 : 1604-722-0279 Or : 1-604-525-8062 ***680*** 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 bio-data to: rurkaps08@yahoo.com Or Call : 1-206-391-8477 ***680*** 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 bio-data and recent picture to: ashokkumar1955@hotmail.com Or Call : 1-408-960-9190 ***680*** 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 ***680*** Punjabi Brahmin family seek a suitable match for their son, 28 yrs. old, 6’ tall, M.S. (Artho Doctor), working in Govt. Hospital in India as a surgeon, wants to settle his own Business in Canada. The girl should be from Medical Profession, beautiful, Canadian Immigrant/Citizen atleast 5’-6” tall or above. Caste

No Bar. Brother & Close relatives are well settled in Canada. Please send your bio-data and recent picture to: mehta_tarun@yahoo.com Or Call : 647-282-9503 Or : 647-347-3685 ***680*** Jat Sikh family seek a suitable match for their daughter, 33 yrs. old, 5’-7” tall, U.S.A. born, beautiful, Degree in Accounting & Finance, working in her own field, family oriented. The boy should be atleast 6’ tall, handsome, equally educated, preferably from Bay Area. The boy on HI Visa can be considred. Please send your bio-data and recent picture to: balwindersaran2560@gmail.com Or Call : 1-408-849-1525 ***680*** Sikh Khatri parents invite matrimonial alliance for their son, 32 yrs. old, 5’-7” tall, teetotaller, working as software consultant in Wisconsin on H1B Visa. Green Card is in process. Looking for a family oriented educated girl.Please respond with bio-data and recent picture to: rktsp4554@yahoo.com Or Call : 1-414-552-7913 ***680*** Sharma family seek a suitable match for their son, 34 yrs. old, 5'-8'’ tall, fair, Masters degree in business and technology from University of Waterloo, Masters in computers applications from India, Canadian immigrant (PR), working as an I.T engineer in Tata Consultancy services / BMO in Toronto. The girl should be Canadian/American immigrant/ Citizen, well educated/qualified.

The girl on student visa or work visa can also contact. Caste no bar. Please send your bio-data & recent picture to: aseemsharma27@gmail.com *** 680*** Punjabi Sikh parents seeking a match for their Canadian born & raised, clean shaven son, 33 yrs. old, 6’-1” tall, handsome, Doctor M.D., completed internal Medicine residency & fellowship (Specialization), now working as a specialist in G.T.A. The girl should be resident Doctor/M.D. or Physician. Born & raised in Canada from Ontario, beautiful atleast 5’-6” tall with family values.

Please send your bio-data and recent picture to: sm9058@ hotmail.com ***680*** Khatri parents seeking a suitable match for their daughter, 28 yrs. old, 5’-2” tall, Amrican Citizen, professionally settled (Doctor) in her job. The boy should be American Citizen, well educated

and well settled in job. Please Call : 1-347-251-9112 ***680** Prajapat parents invite matrimonial alliance for their daughter 25 yrs. old, 5’-2” tall, B.Sc. Nursing degree holder, working in govt. job in India, beautiful, family oriented.

The boy should be American Citizen, educated and from a good family background. Close relatives well settled in America. Please Call : 1-916-505-8907 Or : 011-9195929-25551 ***680*** Saini parents invite matrimonial alliance for their daugher, 28 yrs. old, 5’-2” tall, beautiful, family oriented American Citizen, Master’s degree in Computer information systems and working in IT Deptt. The boy should be well educated, professionally employed with family values from California or willing to relocate to California. Doaba area prefered.

Please email recent picture and bio-data to: saini.bayarea@gmail.com Or Call : 1-408-338-7681 ***680*** Jat Sikh parents invite matrimonial alliance for their beautiful daugher, 25 yrs. old, working as RN in Seattle (USA), completed BSN in Nursing. The boy should be born in Canada/Ameriaka, well educated, professionally (Doctor, Dentist) employed and with moderate family values from BC only. Please send your bio-data and recent picture to: madamk1940@gmail.com Or Call: 1-778-564-5300 ***680*** Arora Sikh parents invite matrimonial alliance for their daugher, 34 yrs. old, 5’-4” tall, B.A. B.Ed., M.B.A., Certification in beautician, beautiful, family oriented, living in India. The boy should be American Citizen/Green Card holder, educated, well settled, non-drinker in America.

Please email recent picture and bio-data to: kumarsonia660@gmail.com Or Call: 1-408-476-0721 ***680*** Sikh Saini family seeking suitable match for their US-born son, 25 yrs. old, 6' tall, Masters in Biomedical Engineering and working in a medical company.

The family resides in California USA. The girl should be educated, tall, family oriented. The family resides in California. USA Preferred. Please send your biodata & recent picture to: cheraj@msn.com or call: 1-408612 4563 *** 680***

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)

Pls. call

647-632-3999

Issue 681 (11)

23 - 29 August 2016

Bloody demand: Tweet seeking high caste Cong for Sidhu: Capt cites past, Manpreet ‘ready to go barefoot to welcome’ O+ donors to come forward draws flak Hyderabad A tweet by a Hyderabad-based group asking for blood from donors of only a particular dominant-caste community triggered outrage on Friday and renewed a debate on castebased discrimination in India.

The handle of @bloodplusapp, belonging to Blood+ -- a group of blood donors – tweeted on Thursday saying that blood for a child was needed from “ONLY Kamma caste donors.”

Kamma is a powerful and predominant upper caste in Andhra Pradesh and parts of Telangana.

The person tweeted the donors could contact a particular number for donating blood needed for the child at Max Cure Hospital, Hyderabad on Friday.

But within minutes, the tweet triggered a controversy with many people condemning the demand.

The tweet has since been deleted and the group issued an apology, saying they received the request from an unknown person and tweeted it out without verifying.

“When I was kid, my teacher told me that everyone’s blood is same. Now, these UCs have

found Caste in it. Sickness! (sic)” – said @Ambedkar’s Caravan.

Another person wrote, “Where is the CASTE? It has ended millions of years ago. Answer In your BLOOD. Pic. 2016 #EndCasteApartheid An individual who identified

himself as Amit Dandec tweeted, “Caste is a disease of mind!!! And only one anti-dote exists for this - #DrAmbedkar’s literature!”

Another netizen, Punit Juneja, angrily reacted: “Why did caste enter blood donation? I hope @maxcurehospital didn’t insist on caste-based donors! But do save the child.”

Efforts to trace the person on the mobile number given in the tweet proved futile. Authorities at Max Cure Hospitals confirmed that some person had contacted the hospital for emergency blood requirement for a child on Thursday, but did not make any reference to the caste. “However, the child was not admitted to our hospital. We were told they had taken the child to some other hospital,” Max Cure Hospitals spokesperson Sree Lakshmi told HT.

65-year-old woman dies after being attacked by stray dog

Thiruvananthapuram A 65-year-old woman was attacked and partly eaten up by 50 stray dogs on Friday night, barely 10 km from the state secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram.

Victim Sheeluamma died in the Medical College hospital in Kerala’s capital. Angry relatives and residents of the area have blamed the city authority for her death.

“We have lost all our patience as the authorities are hanging on to some obscure law which says dogs cannot be eliminated. Are we inferior to these dogs,” asked

a group of angry residents in Pulluvilla.

The incident took place around 9 pm in the coastal village Pulluvilla, about 30 minutes from the state capital when Sheeluamma went to the seafront to use a toilet there.

Her son witnessed her being torn up by the hungry canines when he came searching for her. He had to dive into the sea to save himself from the dogs.

An hour later after Sheeluamma’s death, another 50 year old, Daisy, was attacked by a group of dogs in a nearby locality on the seafront.

On coming to know about the tweet of the person seeking blood only from Kamma donors, the hospital authorities put up a disclaimer. “Pls note that this tweet has been posted by @ShekarNews & @bloodplusapp in Twitter. @MaxCure Hospitals doesn’t own responsibility for this post.”

“It is ridiculous that there are persons who seek blood donation based on caste affiliation. It is not only inhuman, but also dangerous,” Sree Lakshmi said.

Ambedkar Students’ Union secretary Sannaki Munna said there was no surprise that dominant-caste people did not want to get their blood “contaminated”.

“This is not an unusual phenomenon. There are upper caste groups which maintain WhatsApp groups for their own needs. May be instead of posting the requirement for blood in the Kamma caste group, the person might have posted in the general social media network,” he observed.

The Twitter handle of Blood+ called it an “accident” and apologized for the controversy.

“We want to help others and are repeating info we get. We will now take greater care,” the group manager tweeted.

The incident comes at a time when India is in the middle of a nationwide debate on festering caste discrimination. The flogging of four Dalit men in Gujarat by alleged cow protectors last month triggered a massive movement against caste-based atrocities.

Sirhind As talks between former BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) appeared to have hit a dead end, the Congress in Punjab went all out on Friday in its eagerness to rope in the cricketer-turnedpolitician.“Sidhu is always welcome in the Congress. Bahut changa munda hai (He is a very good boy)... has Congress DNA in him,” said state Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh on the sidelines of a ‘Halke vich Captain’ programme in Phagwara. Sidhu’s father, Bhagwant Singh Sidhu, was an office-bearer of the district Congress committee in Patiala.

“He will always be better off in the Congress than in any other party,” said the former chief minister. This point was made by another former Congress CM, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, in Sirhind: “Joining the BJP was just an experiment. Congress is in his blood.”And a relatively recent Congress entrant, Manpreet Singh Badal, went a step further: “I will go barefoot to welcome Sidhu into the party if he agrees to join.” Manpreet, former state finance minister who merged his People’s Party of Punjab (PPP)

with the Congress, added, though: “We have not talked for years but he is a good friend and a true soul... Doors of political parties are never closed for anyone.”Bhattal and Manpreet were talking to the media on the sidelines of the party’s manifesto committee meeting. However, they did not answer queries on what the Congress can offer to Sidhu, whose joining of the AAP was believed to have got stuck at a demand to be projected as the CM candidate.Taking a dig, Amarinder said AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal backstabbed Sidhu: “Kejriwal first promised Sidhu that he will announce the joining the day Sidhu resigns from the Rajya Sabha. But, later, he changed his words.”

‘AAP ignoring Chhotepur’ Amarinder termed the AAP a party of arrogant people. “They (AAP) have even ignored their state convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur; sidelined him in the poll ticket-distribution process.”

He also referred to a recent allegation by an AAP national council member that he was asked to pay Rs 50 lakh to get the ticket for his wife; at which the party has sent that member a legal notice.

PM Modi’s monogrammed suit enters Guinness Book Surat The monogrammed suit donned

by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his meeting with US President Barack Obama in New Delhi last year, which kicked up a controversy, entered the Guinness World Records as “the most expensive suit sold at auction”.The suit had gone under the hammer in February last year and was purchased for Rs 4.31 crore

by Surat-based diamond trader Lalji Patel, who owns Dharmananda Diamond Company.“It is a matter of happiness and pride that the suit has found a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. We had applied for the world record around five months back on the suggestion of our company’s HR management team. Within a couple of months, we received a certificate acknowledging that it was the world’s most expensive suit sold at an auction,” Hitesh Patel, son of Laljibhai, said on Saturday.

The suit, which has stripes with the name ‘Narendra Damodardas

Modi’ woven into it in glittering gold letters, has been placed inside a glass cabin at the reception of the Dharmananda

Diamond Company for visitors to view it, Patel said.

The suit was reportedly prepared at a cost of Rs 10 lakh and was auctioned at a base price of Rs 11 lakh.The Guinness World Records acknowledges the suit as the “most expensive suit (clothing) sold at auction is Rs 43,131,311 and was bought by Laljibhai Tulsibhai Patel (India) in Surat, Gujarat, India on February 20, 2015.”

The money raised from the auction of the suit has been earmarked for the Centre’s clean Ganga mission.

After successfully bidding for the suit, owner Laljibhai Patel had

told the media that he wanted to do something for the country and this auction gave him a chance.

“I always wanted to do something in the interest of country. This event gave me a chance to do something in national interest, in this case for Clean Ganga Mission. I never thought that this incredible suit will finally come to me,” he had then said.The suit had kicked up a political row with opposition parties accusing the PM of ‘narcissism’.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had latched on it to accuse Modi of heading a “suit-boot ki sarkar” which worked only for the rich.

CAUGHT

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Issue 681 (12)

23 - 29 August 2016

The story of a Colombian woman who was raped for speaking out against rape Colombia Up until six years ago, Maria (name changed) used to lead a women’s group which denounced militants for subjecting women and girls to sexual abuse, campaigned against the recruitment of child soldiers and most importantly, supported families displaced by conflict.That was until the July of 2010, when the men she spoke against kidnapped her, along with her 13-year-old daughter, and raped her for five days.Now, she works as a healer, 650 kilometres from home, even as her own wounds remain unhealed.

This is a story we’ve heard too often - of women being ‘punished’ with sexual violence for raising their voices against injustice.

MARIA’S STORY Six years ago, living in her hometown of Quibdo, Maria led the AfroMuPaz group to help support families being affected by an ongoing battle, among the many armed groups operating in the area, to access and control drug-trafficking routes and illegal gold mines. These militants are also known for preying on women.AfroMuPaz was one of the few groups talking about the problem and calling for it to stop.

One day, a man invited Maria to his neighbourhood to collect some children’s clothes and shoes he wanted to donate to her group. “So I climbed into his truck suspecting nothing,” she recounted to BBC News. “But when we started driving out of the city I felt uneasy and asked where the donation was. At that

point someone pointed a gun at me and pulled a hood over my head.”

When her hood was taken off, Maria found herself in the jungle surrounded by armed captors.

She also saw her 13-year-old daughter Camila being led out of a hut. Her captors had lured her youngest daughter into a car on the pretext of taking her to her mother.

“At first I thought they were going to kill me. Then one of them told me they were going to punish me for talking too much. They started showing me their genitals and I realised what they were going to do. I started screaming: ‘OK do whatever you have to do to me but please don’t touch my kid.

Don’t touch my daughter!’“ she says.

Over the next five days, Maria was assaulted and raped repeatedly by five men.

At one point she fainted - and found herself in a hospital when she awoke. Her daughter Camila had been returned to the family, physically unhurt. But the trauma from the kidnapping crippled the young girl. “They’d told her that if she breathed a word of what had happened, they’d come back and kill me. So she stopped speaking altogether. For a very long time she only said ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and almost every day she cried,” said Maria.

Six months after her ordeal, Maria resumed her work for AfroMuPaz. But one morning a member of her captor group came to her home and told her she had 48 hours to leave town.

“I just knew I had to go,” she says.

Treasure hunters dig for mysterious Nazi-era train in Poland

WARSAW Polish and German treasure hunters have started digging at a site in southwest Poland where they believe a Nazi-era train rumoured to have gone missing is hidden - despite the scepticism of experts. Andreas Richter and Piotr Koper said last year they had located the train buried underground. According to local legend, it was carrying looted jewels and guns and disappeared into a tunnel ahead of advancing Soviet Red Army forces in 1945, towards the end of World War Two. They secured the permissions needed to begin digging despite a study by AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow concluding that a train is unlikely to be buried in the location the

two amateur explorers have specified. On Tuesday, the pair led a team of explorers in excavations at three separate sites inside a fenced-off area in the district of Walbrzych.

“We have to find a railway track, probably the entrance to a railway tunnel and, if the tunnel exists, there should be a train there,” Andrzej Gaik, a spokesman for the treasure hunters, told Polish media.

“What do we expect? To unveil a sort of time capsule, something from that era, from the period of World War Two ... We are hoping to be successful.”

Galik said ground-penetrating radar examinations were “very promising”. The team is expected to announce findings in coming days.

A COUNTRY OF HOMESICK REFUGEES Maria fled to Bogota, where

Her daughters are doing a little better than her, with Camila studying law at university now.

authorities gave her a bullet-proof vest, a mobile phone and a monthly budget for taxis as it was unsafe for her to use public transport. Her three kids joined her several months later.

Her hometown is one of the poorest regions of the country most of its population descended from African slaves brought over by Spanish colonisers.In Bogota, Maria uses traditional medicine to heal patients at the Armed Conflict Victims Centre. People come to the state-run clinic to share their stories and get some relief from the war between left-wing guerrillas and the army.

She still struggles to adjust to her life in Bogota - she is homesick for her ageing mother, her friends and the sense of purpose she felt in her old job.

Like Maria, one in every 10 Colombians end up as refugees in their own country. Nearly seven million people have been uprooted and more than 220,000 killed since 1964, when the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) took up arms against the state to demand social equality and land reform.

DECADES OF VIOLENCE In June this year, Farc signed a historic ceasefire deal with the state, where an agreement was reached on the creation of a special tribunal to investigate and prosecute human rights violations committed during the last 50 years of conflict. Farc also promised that perpetrators of sexual violence, including rape, will not be eligible for amnesty.

But countless other armed

groups, including right-wing paramilitaries, continue to terrorise large areas of the country. Nearly half of Colombia’s 7.8 million officially registered “war victims” are women. A majority of these have been forced out of their homes by armed groups, while more than 13,600 women have been raped since 1985.

These militants are also targeting more and more people like Maria who speak out against them, or champion causes that conflict with their interests.

In one four-week period earlier this year, 13 human rights activists, environmental campaigners and community leaders from indigenous tribes were assassinated, according to the BBC report. Last year one was being murdered every five days.In July, the Colombian government announced a commission on gender issues, to ensure women’s suffering was recognised and that their voices would be heard. But Maria remains skeptical about testifying - after all, she and others like her were targeted precisely for reported abuses.

She still dreams of returning to Quibdo though, unsure of when that will happen. And she struggles to forgo the scars of those five days.

“I can’t change what happened to me. I am not able to forget because my body reminds me of it every day,” she says.

Baby girl born mid-air on flight to Philippines MANILA A woman gave birth to a premature but healthy baby girl mid-flight while travelling from the United Arab Emirates to the Philippines, forcing the plane to carry out an emergency landing in India. The mother, whose due date was two months away, went into labour on board the Cebu Pacific Air flight Sunday as it flew from Dubai to Manila, her fellow passenger Missy Berberabe Umandal posted on Facebook.

Panicked flight attendants started calling out for medical assistance - discovering two nurses among the passengers before turning the front of the cabin into a makeshift delivery room. “We only heard one semiloud screech, and a few seconds later, there were tinier, cute screeches, and it was when we knew the baby was born. Luckily, she only had to push ONCE,” Umandal said in her post, with a picture showing the mother holding her newborn, wrapped in a blanket.

The mother’s nationality is not known.

Flight attendants and nurses cleaned the newborn with mineral water and dressed her in baby clothes donated by fellow passengers flying with infants.

The pilot conducted an emergency landing in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad so the mother and newborn

parent and child were fit to fly, the official said.

Cebu Pacific Air, the Philippines’ largest airline, said in a

could receive medical attention before continuing on to Manila.

“After initial examination by the medical staff, they were moved to the mother and child care centre of a hospital in the city,” a Hyderabad airport security official told AFP, requesting anonymity.

“The newborn and mother are fine and under medical supervision.”

The woman, her own mother who was travelling with her, and the baby were given three-day temporary visas, which would most likely be extended until the

statement to AFP that it was the first time a baby was delivered onboard one of its aircraft, calling the birth a “momentous occasion”. “We’re blessed to have been an instrument in (the) safe delivery,” said lead cabin crew member Mark Martin. The airline said it was giving the baby a million points in its lifestyle rewards program, equivalent to about 10,000 one-way flights in the Philippines. “We are happy that both mother and daughter are doing well,” said Cebu Pacific Air president and CEO Lance Gokongwei.

Issue 681 (13)

23 - 29 August 2016

India to outpace China in air pollution death rate: US research New York The increase in people dying in India from air pollution will outpace the rate of such deaths

in China, as India drags its heels over environmental rules while opening more coal mines, the head of a US research group said today.“India’s situation is getting worse at a much faster speed than China,” Dan Greenbaum, president of Bostonbased Health Effects Institute (HEI), told Reuters in Beijing. “It is definitely the case because India has not taken as much action on air pollution.”

HEI and a group of Chinese and Indian universities recently said

that over half of world’s air pollution-related deaths were in China and India. In China, coalfired plants have been the worst

source of pollution. But India has lagged behind in implementing stringent environment policies for coal emission.From now until 2020, China aims to cut coal output by 500 million tonnes, or about 19 percent of its current annual output, and reduce emission of major pollutants in the power sector by 60 percent.

By contrast, India has just only launched an emission standard for coal-fired power plants this year.India is also ramping up coal production as Prime Minister

Narendra Modi races to meet election promises to provide electricity to a population of 1.3 billion.“Chinese actions to control emissions from coal power plants and from industries are considerably more strong than the ones in India,” Greenbaum said.Indian Coal Secretary Anil Swarup did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He has previously said India is setting a higher target for renewable energy and growing more trees than are being uprooted by coal mining.He has also said coal can’t be wished away because it is the cheapest form of energy in a country where millions of people still go without electricity.

Research from HEI and Tsinghua University in Beijing released this week shows coal burning caused 366,000 premature deaths in China in 2013, out of a population of 1.35 billion. Comparable HEI data for India is due out next year.In China, coal will remain the biggest contributor to mortality related to the super-fine particulate matter PM2.5, according to the latest HEI-Tsinghua study.

Have I dug a tunnel under Parliament House, asks Mann New Delhi The Lok Sabha Speaker’s decision to extend the term of the committee probing lawmaker Bhagwant Mann’s act of shooting and uploading a video that allegedly compromised security at the Parliament House has the Aam Aadmi Party crying “political conspiracy”.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan agreed to a request from the committee’s chairman Kirit Somaiya and extended the term of the committee for a second time, now till the first week of the Winter session of Parliament. Mann will have to stay away from the Lok Sabha till the committee submits its report. “Have I dug a tunnel under Parliament that they need to unearth? Why do they need so much time? They are just trying to keep me away from Parliament,” Mann told HT. Blaming the ruling BJP, the AAP today said keeping Mann away from Parliament was a ploy to keep issues of poll-bound Punjab from being raised in the Lok Sabha. The BJP has been in power there for nearly a decade in alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal. The nine member

committee has three BJP MPs including Somaiya. “Mann is being pressured into changing his statement to the committee in which he has said Prime Minister Narendra Modi committed a bigger security breach by inviting (Pakistan’s )

ISI to the Pathankot air base,” AAP leader Ashish Khetan said.

Dismissing AAP’s allegation, Somaiya said the committee had unanimously asked for an extension in its last meeting, held before the budget session of Parliament ended on August 12. As the session ended, some committee members had said the probe should now be concluded and a report submitted to the Speaker.

Somaiya said he forwarded the committee’s request to the Speaker on August 17 and those members who have objections can raise the issue in the next meeting on August 23.

How Badals banished families of Akali stalwarts Tohra and Capt Kanwaljit Singh CHANDIGARH It is not a story of survival of the fittest in politics. It is most disgraceful tail of the banishing two stalwarts of Punjab politics.

Former SGPC President Jathedar Gurcharan Singh Tohra, the longest reigning ‘Pope’ of the Sikhs and former Finance Minister Capt Kanwaljit Singh, the architects of many victories of Shiromani Akali Dal(SAD) faced the wrath of the then SAD president Parkash Singh Badal for raising voice of dissent.

Carrying the reveng to next generation, present SAD President Sukhbir Badal ensured that families of two leaders are wiped off from politics. He did it precisely and maliciously.

Sukhbir Badal has marginalised the family members of both the leaders and then denied them the ticket from their home constituencies. While family of Capt Kanwaljit Singh was thrown out of SAD in the 2012 assembly elections, the family members of Tohra are shown the door before 2017 assembly elections.

The qustions were raised on death of Capt Kanwaljit Singh in a road accident (Report of Magistrial probe into the mishap was not made public) and Tohra was hounded out of party on demanding an acting president for party due to ill health of Badal.

Capt Kanwaljit Singh was not happy the way Badal was promoting his son in the party.

He was killed in a road accident near Kharar on March 29,2009.

The mystry of his death remained buried in the records of Punjab Government.

He was Cooperation Minister in the Badal Government.Tohra and Capt Kanwaljit Singh were considered

rebels and potential candidates of top posts in the party and government, thus major threat to supermacy of Badal family. After Badal, they were only mass leaders in the Akali Dal and both

Known as a hardliner, Tohra’s image in Akali politics was that of a non-conformist and had at various times clashed with Surjit Singh Barnala and Parkash Singh Badal who had headed

Tohra who formed a separae outfit Sav Hind Shiromani Akali Dal ensured that SAD loses elections in 2002. Badal buried the hatched with Tohra on June 13,2003 and handed over SGPC

was appointed Chairman of the Punjab State Cooperative Bank.

Bunny wanted ministerial berth in place of his father.

The SAD had turned down request of Jasjit Singh Bunny to

belonged to Malwa region, the political pitch of Badal family.

Eliminating senior leaders of Majha and Doaba regions is a different story where leaders like Kuldip Singh Wadala and Mohan Singh Tur and their families were sent into exile.

Crowned with ‘Panth Rattan’ title, Tohra had passed away on April 1,2004. On his last death anniversary on April 1,2016 at village Tohra, Parkash Singh Badal while recalling his long association with Jathedar Tohra, said that he (Tohra) was not merely an individual but an institution. Being a multi-faceted personality, he made unparalleled contribution in the political, social, religious and educational fields through his astute leadership and statesmanship. Badals were visiting the Tohra village whenever it suited them politically, particularly during the election year for sake of votes. Tohra had sizeable followership in the Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ropar and Ludhiana districts.

Akali Dal governments in Punjab in the eighties and nineties. In the ongoing tussle between Barnala and Badal, he joined hands with Badal in June 2003 after the SAD-BJP alliance lost power during the assembly elections.

Tohra became the acting president of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabhandhak Committee in 1972 after the death of Sant Chanan Singh and formally elected SGPC president for the first time in November that year. He remained on this post for 27 years. All these years he continued to support Badal.

However life of Tohra took a turn in November 1998 when he asked to appoint a acting president of SAD in place of Badal. He was hounded by battery of Akali leaders led by Sukhbir Badal and he alongwith Akal Takht Jathedar Bhai Ranjit Singh was finaly dismissed from party on March 16,1999, few days before tercentenary celebrations of the birth of Sikh religion at Anandpur Sahib.

back to him, Tohra accepting Badal as undisputed leader of SAD. Badal family though shaked hands with Tohra but Badal family had never forgiven Tohra for challenging supermacy of Badal. SAD made Harmel Singh Tohra son-in-law of Tohra minister in the cabinet when it came back to power in 2007. The party gave ticket to Kuldip Kaur daughter of Tohra in 2012 assembly elections but also planted a party rebel against her to ensure her defeat. The SAD rebel against Tohra’s daughter Satbir Singh Khatra is now made Halqa incharge of Patiala rural seat, removing Kuldip Kaur.

Sukhbir Badal has denied ticket to the Tohra family for 2017 assembly elections.

The family of Capt Kanwaljit Singh was sidelined after his death. The wife and daughter of Capt Kanwaljit Singh had now joined Aam Aadmi Party after facing humiliation by Akali leaders.

Jasjit Singh Bunny son of Capt Kanwaljit Singh who was elected MLA from Dera Bassi in 2007

accomodate him in the ministry.

He decided to resign from the post of Chairman of bank and contest as a rebel. Sukhbir Badal had at that time tried to pacify Bunny and told the media, “Capt Kanwaljit Singh was among the party stalwarts. We hold him and his family in the highest esteem. We are, in fact, proud of them.” The action of Bunny however annoyed the Badals and family of Capt Kanwaljit Singh lost favour of the ruling party. It is end of the story of two stalwarts who still lives in the mind of their admireres.

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Issue 681 (14)

23 - 29 August 2016

IS claims responsibility for its first attack on Russian soil

Mascow What Russia suspected, the Islamic State has confirmed. That the IS has taken roots in Russia. The IS has claimed its first terror attack on Russian soil. The IS released a video of the two attackers, who tried to kill police officers near Moscow.

Two assailants had attacked a traffic post on a motorway in Balashika near Moscow on Wednesday. Two police officers were injured in the attack while both the attackers were killed.

IS IDENTIFIES ATTACKERS In its video, the IS named the two attackers as Uthman Mardalov and Salim Israilov, hailing them as “soldiers of the Islamic State”. In the 90-second

video, the two men, speaking a mixture of Russian and Arabic pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and claimed that they had “taken a path of jihadi on the command of the emir”.

Russia’s Investigative committee said that one of the attackers was killed during the attack at the traffic post while the other was gunned down when he raised “armed resistance”.

One of the injured police officers is said to be in serious condition.

IS ATTACK A REACTION? With IS’s footprints getting deeper in Europe, Russia cracked down on suspected IS supporters from Balashika in July.

Several suspects were arrested for distributing IS

propaganda literature and attempting to recruit militants for the terror organization.

Mardalov and Israilov were said to be of Chechen descent. Though, it is not clear whether they were among those arrested from Balashika, it is being suspected that Wednesday attack was a kind of retaliation by the IS. IS HAD THREATENED ATTACK The Islamic State had warned Russia last week that it would launch a terror attack on Russian soil. In a video message, a masked IS fighter threatened Russia’s President Vladimir Putin saying militants would “come to Russia and kill you in your homes”. Last year, the IS had gunned down a Russia bound plane flying from Sharm-el-Sheikh in Egypt to St. Petersburg killing all 224 people on board including 219 Russian passengers and crew. This happened just after Russian fight planes started bombing IS held areas in support of Syrian President Bashar alAssad.

Pakistan ‘silently’ lifts ban, Hafiz Saeed appears on TV pushing Kashmir agenda

Karachi Amid the ongoing war of words between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, the Pakistan government has reportedly ‘relaxed’ the media regulatory authorities’ ban on Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed, allowing him to appear on private TV channels to plug the cause of Kashmir.

In the last one week, Hafiz Saeed appeared on a couple of private news channels talk shows, mostly Neo TV, where the Mumbai attack mastermind openly accused the Narendra Modigovernment of killing ‘innocent’ Kashmiris.

This came after the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority

(PEMRA) in November last year directed all Pakistani television channels to not provide coverage to the JuD, its front Falah-eInsaniat Foundation (FIF) and about 60 other proscribed organisations and their leaders. PEMRA warned electronic media of legal action, in terms of fine, suspension or cancellation of license, if they were found flouting the order. The watchdog notification also banned all TV channels and FM radio from coverage of banned groups including LeT, JuD and FIF under UN restriction.

However, despite the order, the FIF continued to get electronic media coverage for its activities.

PEMRA’s refusal to take

notice of the order’s violation shows that the Nawaz Sharif government has indeed ‘silently’ lifted the ban, once again allowing Hafiz Saeed and his organisations to appear on Pakistani TV channels.

“The matter was brought to the knowledge of PEMRA chief Absar Alam but he did not order issuance of showcause notice to the private channels violating its order, suggesting there seems to be a direction from the information ministry in this regard,” a source in PEMRA told PTI. Earlier, the Jamaat-udDawah chief challenged the PEMRA ban on him and his organisations in the Lahore High Court, where the case is still pending.

Kuwait arrests man accused of helping Indian IS recruit Areeb Majeed New Delhi Law enforcement authorities in Kuwait have arrested a person on the charges of providing financial help to Kalyan man Areeb Majeed and his associates to go to Syria to join the Islamic State (IS).

Majeed travelled with Shaheem Tanki, Fahad Sheikh and Aman Tandel, all from Maharashtra’s Kalyan town, to Iraq in May 2014 on the pretext of a pilgrimage but disappeared midway to join the IS. After spending six months in the IS and taking part in active combat there, Majeed came back to India in November.

Majeed got injured while fighting for the IS and came back to India via Turkey.

He was arrested and charge sheeted by the NIA. It emerged later that one of his associates, Tanki, was killed in a combat in Syria.

According to a National Investigation Agency (NIA) spokesperson, the central anti-terror probe agency had sent a Mutual Legal Assistance Request to Kuwait in respect of transfer money by a Kuwaiti national to Majeed and his associates while

they were living in Iraq in May 2014.

“The Kuwaiti authorities have now informed that one Abdullah Hadi Abdul

been charged in an FBI sting with attempting to support the Islamic State group.

The FBI says he is the first

Rahman al-Enezi sent $1,000 to Areeb Majeed through Western Union Money Transfer,” the NIA spokesperson said.

Al-Enezi has admitted to Kuwaiti authorities that he started financing terrorist outfits after his return from Pakistan in 2013. The Kuwaiti authorities have registered a case against him and arrested him on these charges.

Majeed is currently in Mumbai’s Arthur Road jail serving a sentence of waging war against friendly countries.

FBI charges first ever US police officer in terror case for supporting ISIS Authorities say a Washington, DC-area transit police officer has

law enforcement officer in the US to be charged with a terror-related crime.

Court documents say 36year-old Nicholas Young of Fairfax was arrested on Wednesday morning.

According to an affidavit, Young bought nearly $250 in gift cards he intended for the Islamic State to use to purchase mobile apps that would facilitate communication. But Young actually gave the gift cards to an undercover FBI source.Documents show Young has been under surveillance since 2010, and that he traveled to Libya twice in 2011, where he said he joined rebel forces seeking to oust dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Issue 681 (15)

23 - 29 August 2016

UNINDIAN

Brett Lee-starrer is a breezy romcom that has its moments

Director: Anupam Sharma Cast: Brett Lee, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Supriya Pathak, Akash Khurana, Arka Das, Sarah Roberts, Adam Dunn.

Ratings: (2.5/5) Sometimes the all-toofamiliar, the been-theredone-that if done simply and straightforwardly can pay dividends. That sums up Anupam Sharma's

UnIndian which sticks to the formulaic with dollops of humour to give viewers a feel-good outing.

There is the pesky and hyper mother whose mission in life is to ensure her daughter gets married to an eligible MBA/doctortype man; a single parentdivorcee who is wary of love; a daughter worried that she will lose her mother if another man enters the fold; men who

give hilariously bad dating advice to their buddy; an unlikeable, entitled, pompous Indian suitor, and given this is a film about Indians residing in a foreign land - this one being Sydney, Australia there is also a Holi sequence where the film’s leading duo first meet. And of course, there’s a white Aussie left with a bad tummy after eating a spicy Indian curry. There are so many clichés, stereotypes and contrived plot points that after a while one just loses count.

But amidst all of it there is a story of an interracial romance between an Indian divorcee and an Aussie.

Will Henderson (cricketer Brett Lee making his acting debut) teaches Aussie English to a class full of migrants. He is dapper but he is single and has two friends (Arka Das and Adam Dunn) who are

eager to see him dating.

He is drawn to Meera (Tannishtha Chatterjee), an independent, successful woman who lives in a comfy house with her 10-year-old daughter.

Unaware of how to woo an Indian woman, Will takes the advice of Tiku (Das) which results in the film’s most entertaining segments. One involves watching a Salman Khan film in a cinema and a dream dance sequence to “Jumme Ki Raat” featuring Will and Meera. But Will, UnIndian is clear to declare, is the eligible white bachelor who seeks love and not a fling. Only Meera’s parents (Supriya Pathak and Akash Khurana) and her daughter are not too happy with the scenario of the two together. The entry of Meera’s ex-husband (Gulshan Grover) invariably brings the melodrama and misunderstandings which

drags the film towards its entirely predictable end.

Nonetheless, filmmaker Anupam Sharma does have some gems up his sleeve. There is ICN aka the Indian Community Network, the group of perennially nosy Indians who are ready to spread salacious news. The camaraderie between Brett Lee, awkwardly dancing Bollwyood, and his buddies is a treat to behold as it looks at how Indians abroad are so dated and prejudiced on dating.

Das in particular stands out with his carefree performance. Pathak is fun as Meera’s intrusive and annoying mother who believes that prayers and rituals will change her daughter’s single status.

Lee certainly has screen presence but he looks uncomfortable with the more serious, dramatic moments. Chatterjee, often seen in independent,

festival-bound Indian films, fits the part of a middle-aged single woman struggling between family obligations and love.

Like most romcoms, UnIndian works best when it focuses on the pursuit of love - showing Will trying to win over Meera. But once the two get together it struggles to hold attention.

UnIndian also doesn’t reflect too much on the significance of the partnership of Will-Meera and its impact on the community. Instead it is keener to look at the more mundane arcs such as Meera’s exhusband secret and Meera giving professional advice to another Indian woman. UnIndian won’t bowl you over but it is that breezy film which has enough moments to make you chuckle and laugh.

runs into loggerheads with Diveroli. Teller, a fine actor, who won hearts as the ambitious jazz percussionist in the Academy Award-winning Whiplash, does well as the moral anchor of the film.

The screenplay adapted from a Rolling Stone article, which calls Packouz and Diveroli “the stoner arms dealers”, is fast and does not fool around. Todd Phillips has amazing control on the material and The Hangover director’s bro-humour sensibilities are a little

subdued here considering the seriousness of the story.

But what use of music!

When Packouz, for the first time, is enamoured by Diveroli’s rich and sexy life as a gun runner, Beastie Boys’ So What’cha Want plays. When the two land a multi-million dollar arms deal with the US government, they run into each other’s arms and fall on the beach with Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here playing. And when, Diveroli is shooting bullets off an AK 47, laughing his belly out, in slow motion,

Roger Daltrey singing Behind Blue Eyes elevates the moment to visual poetry.

War Dogs is a film about two twenty-something men who do terrible things for a living. Besides echoing the Scorsese rise-and-fall story, the film is reminiscent of The Social Network - a more layered film about the moral corruption of twentysomethings trying to win the world. Is there redemption? No. In reality, Packouz went on to invent BeatBuddy, the world’s first guitar pedal drum machine.

War Dogs: Miles Teller and Jonah Hillstarrer is a fantastic Scorsese-lite Cast: Jonah Hill, Miles Teller, Bradley Cooper Direction: Todd Phillips Ratings: (4/5) “War is an economy.

Anybody who says otherwise is either in on it or stupid,” so says David Packouz (Miles Teller), the infamous gun runner whose company AEY Inc., one half of which was the Efraim Diveroli (Jonah Hill), was suspended by the US government for trying to sell sub-par Chinese ammunition by repackaging it in “cardboard boxes” to the US army during the Iraq war. Their little trick was in violation of the American arms embargo on China.

As a result, David had to face seven months’ house arrest and Efraim spent four years in federal prison.

Miles Teller and Jonah Hill play War Dogs or “bottom

feeders who make money off of war without ever setting foot on the battlefield”. The actors channel a modern-day Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci in a film which follows the Scorsese arc of hubris getting the better of ambitious young men resulting in a tragic loss of everything that mattered a la Casino, Goodfellas, Wolf of Wall Street, you name it. War Dogs, directed by the man who made The Hangover - Todd Phillips - is a perfect marriage of crisp, economical screenwriting, confident direction and great performances.

Jonah Hill’s Efraim Diveroli is basically Jonah Hill’s Donnie Azoff from Wolf Of Wall Street, running his own business... of ‘arms trading’ worth millions with the US government in all

sorts of illegal ways. Hill’s Diveroli fashions himself as a gangster. His dressing is gaudy, he loves cocaine and prostitutes, he is willing to take batshit crazy risks (like driving and smuggling Italian guns into Iraq through Jordan risking his life because $$$) and his idol is Tony Montana.

Hill is unstoppable in this film.

Miles Teller plays the more rational David Packouz. David is a guy who is trying to make it big by either massaging old people or selling bed sheets to old people. He comes from humble means and is cautious.

He joins his “best friend” Efraim in the arms trading business, and soon, they are drowning in cash. But Packouz calls a spade a spade and consequently,

Issue 681 (16)

ZareenKhan wantstoadopt atigernow

Actor Zareen Khan has always been a cat person and she seems to have taken this love to an entirely new level. The 29year-old has decided to adopt a tiger and has been making arrangements.

“I love Tigers. I feel it’s one of the most beautiful animals. It’s sad that we have very few of them left in the world now, so I’ve asked my team to get in touch with the right people and understand the procedure for adoption. I am just trying to do my bit to protect the beautiful animal from becoming extinct,” says Zareen, who has eleven cats.

Her team has been on the look out for such an opportunity. “Adoption of a tiger doesn’t mean any transference of ownership of the animal, but the person concerned agrees to bear part of the expenses for food and medical necessities of the animal. Zareen’s team is looking into it and trying to get in touch with various zoo authorities to know the procedure. She is excited and has already thought of a name for the tiger,” says a source, close to Zareen.

23 - 29 August 2016

Abhay Deol and Diana Penty’s Happy Bhag Jayegi banned in Pakistan

The recently released comedy film Happy Bhag Jayegi has been banned in Pakistan. Interestingly, the movie has been shot in the neighbouring country and also stars Pakistani actor Momal Sheikh. The central character (played by Diana Penty) of the movie runs away to Lahore (Pakistan) in a bid to escape her wedding.

While the film received a green signal earlier, the Central Board of Film Censors (CBFC) has now slapped a ban on the crossborder comedy. “The censor board of Pakistan saw the film and they loved it. They wanted us to cut a minor part of the film. We agreed to it,” says film-maker Aanand L Rai, adding, “Initially, I was told that the film is clean. Later, we were informed that a ministry in Pakistan had objected to the film. As a film-maker, the only greed I have is that the movie should reach a larger audience. The political reason for which a film is banned has nothing to do with a common man.”

Karan Johar

on homosexuality: “Acceptance is still a long way”

I always wanted to do role of a mother: Ranveer

Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh, who plays a mother in Ranveer Ching Returns, says that he always wanted to do a role of a mother.The Rohit Shetty directorial for a leading food brand was released on Friday. The sixminute-long TVC stars Ranveer Singh and southern superstar Tamannaah Bhatia.Ranveer said, “I always wanted to do a role of a mother. And thanks to Rohit, I finally got to play this part.”But in between Rohit quipped “its good Ranveer did not say that I made him a mother”.The ad shows Ranveer as a messiah of masses, and is packed

with high-octane action, a romantic angle, dance number and not-to-miss moment. In the film the actor is starring in his own mother’s role as Maa Ching, dressed as an old lady. The ad is packed with all the ingredients of a mini-film and plenty of madness and special effects.Director Rohit Shetty while addressing the media spoke about the madness one needs to make such a TVC.”One needs to be little mad for this kind of thing. We all are little cracked in upper chamber. You must have seen in my film. you need to be little mad for this line of work. I was giving it a lot of thought; should I do it, How to do it? Then Ranveer Singh Joined the team and he said let’s go all out and do it,” said Rohit.Rohit said, “Special effects in the film are done

by Ajay Devgn’s Company. And though Ranveer never shows off but he is a very good scriptwriter as the basic concept of the ad was also by Ranveer.”Baahubali famed actress Tamannaah is all happy working with Bajirao Mastani star and says, “The way you portray heroism is one of its kind. I think Ranveer is superhot in this AD. He is baap of heroes.”

Karan Johar, who has highlighted homosexuality through his movies and interviews, feels getting its acceptance in real life is a long way to go.

“Acceptance is still a long way but at least we’re aware. That’s the first stage.

There was once a point when we weren’t even aware,” said the filmmaker in his recent interview with Filmfare.

Further speaking about the risk proposition for theme of homosexuality in his recent flick ‘Kapoor and Sons,’ the Dharma Productions head honcho said that there were odds which they fought out.

“It was and we fought many odds. Many actors refused Fawad Khan’s role for various reasons. Everyone was worried about how the film would shape up but Shakun (Batra) and I had faith in it. It was a powerful screenplay, it connected

with the audience. It was brave and beautiful at the same time,” he stated.

Karan brought the concept on homosexuality under spotlight with his 2008-movie ‘Dostana.’

Speaking about it, he said, “People criticised me for stereotyping homosexuality in ‘Dostana’ but I’m the only filmmaker who put it out on the big scale. It’s ridiculous how unaware people were before. The film, at least, brought the conversation of homosexuality into the drawing room of every urban home.””I’ve received at least a thousand emails from kids, youngsters, teenagers, seniors. thanking me for making that film because now their parents are aware of the concept of homosexuality. It’s not brushed under the carpet anymore,” he added.

Kareena Kapoor Khan is not starring in the fourth instalment of hit comedy franchise “Golmaal” but the actress, who was seen in its previous two parts, might do a special song in “Golmaal 4”, director Rohit Shetty has confirmed.

The filmmaker says he didn’t feel it was right to approach Kareena for the lead role in the upcoming film as she is expecting her first child but he would like to rope her for a small appearance.“It would have been easy to call her and tell her to do the film. She would have said, ‘Let’s do it’. But I can’t

do that (referring to her pregnancy). I will miss her for sure,” Rohit told PTI. “I can’t talk to her (as she is pregnant) to do it (‘Golmaal 4’). It’s odd. But let’s see we will do a song or something with her (for the movie).” The fourth movie will go on floors next January and hit theatres during Diwali.

Kareena featured in the second film “Golmaal Returns” and the third part “Golmaal 3” of the Ajay Devgn-starrer franchise.

It was in July this year, when Kareena’s actor husband Saif Alif Khan confirmed that his 35-year-old wife is pregnant. The baby is due in December.

Kareena to do a special song in Golmaal 4 ?

Issue 681 (17)

23 - 29 August 2016

Madonna celebrates 58th birthday in Havana Britney to perform new song at MTV Awards

HAVANA Madonna celebrated her 58th birthday Tuesday in Havana, dancing to Cuban beats during a night on the town and drawing crowds as she toured the city.

The Material Girl’s visit got a write-up in the Cuban Communist party’s official newspaper, Granma, which reported that she “toured different city squares to start the first day of her visit, which will last until Wednesday.”

It said the US pop superstar was in Cuba with her eldest daughter, Lourdes, a 19-year-old

model whose father is Cuban dancer and fitness trainer Carlos Leon.

American photographer Steven Klein and stylists B. Akerlund and Andy Lecompte are traveling with them, it said.

Madonna posted a picture of herself to her Twitter account with the caption “Cuba Libre.” It shows her wearing a revealing black dress with yellow flowers and smiling as she tips a black hat. Videos posted online by fans show her dressed in the same outfit strolling through the streets of Old Havana and

dancing to Cuban beats at a restaurant in the historic city center as onlookers cheer.

The news site Cubadebate said Madonna was planning a “big party” Tuesday with the “rhythms and flavors” of Cuba.

Madonna is the latest in a string of US celebrities to visit Cuba since its historic rapprochement with long-time enemy the United States was announced in December 2014.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Katy

Perry, Kanye West, Usher, Paris Hilton, and Kim, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian have all toured the Caribbean island recently. US citizens are still officially banned from traveling to Cuba as tourists under the embargo Washington has maintained on Havana since the 1960s.

But President Barack Obama’s administration has loosened travel restrictions, enabling more Americans to make the trip under permitted categories such as “cultural exchanges.”

NEW YORK Britney Spears, who has been behind some of the racier moments of the MTV Video Music Awards, will return for the latest edition on August 28 with a new song. The former teen idol will present the live debut of her steamy track “Make Me...” alongside rapper GEazy, the network said.

Spears on Tuesday announced the upcoming performance in a video on social media with references to her past VMA performances as a python slithered through her dressing room. She was alluding to one of her past appearances at the VMAs in 2001 when she sang “Slave 4 You” with a snake around her body.

Most famously, Spears stunned the 2003 VMAs by locking lips with Madonna. Spears was

one of the top artists of the late 1990s but her messy personal life contributed to her spectacular career fall.

She will perform at the VMAs two days after releasing “Glory,” her first album since 2013, which features “Make Me...” The VMAs, which take place this year at New York’s Madison Square Garden, is the signature annual music extravaganza of MTV, which reaches more than 170 countries on 60 channels. MTV earlier announced that Rihanna would also perform as she accepts the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, given to artists for career contributions to pop culture. Beyonce has the most nominations at the VMAs amid acclaim for her album and intertwining film “Lemonade” and the politically charged video for her track “Formation.”

Depp and Amber reach Bieber deletes Instagram account out-of-court settlement

LOS ANGELES Amber Heard and Johnny Depp have reached an out-of-court settlement to end their 18-month marriage, they said Tuesday, after the actress withdrew allegations that her husband physically abused her. Heard filed papers to withdraw her claims of abuse, dropping an application to extend a restraining order against the Oscar-nominated actor, Los Angeles Superior Court said in a statement.

“Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love,” Depp and Heard said in a statement. “Neither party has made false accusations for financial gains. There was never an intent of physical or emotional harm.

Amber wishes the best for Johnny in the future.” The statement said Heard would be donating financial proceeds from the divorce to a charity.

The two have agreed that Depp will pay Heard $7 million, according to

entertainment news website TMZ. The announcement comes a day before the pair were due in court to discuss extending Depp’s restraining order. It brings to an end an acrimonious and bitter three months of accusations and counterclaims. Heard dismissed the case with prejudice, according to TMZ, which means she cannot refile it. The 30-year-old initially filed for divorce from Depp, 53, in May and subsequently obtained a restraining order that requires the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star to stay away from her. She made a police statement accusing Depp of domestic violence, saying she had endured “years of physical and psychological” abuse.

She subsequently appeared in court with a black eye that she said was the result of Depp hurling a cell phone at her face.

The former couple met on the set of the 2011 film “The Rum Diary,” when the actor was still in a relationship with French actress Vanessa Paradis, mother of his son Jack and daughter Lily-Rose.

LOS ANGELES In the 1970s, an angry, maligned rock star would throw his television out of his hotel window, but Justin Bieber has gone for the millennial-style nuclear option - deleting his Instagram account.

The baby-faced Canadian musician, 22, committed online hara-kiri after becoming upset by a barrage of negative comments about his new friendship with Sofia Richie.

The pair have been pictured stepping out together several times in recent weeks, amid a frenzy of rumors linking them romantically.

Reacting to insults posted by fans alongside pictures of the 17-year-old model singer Lionel Richie’s daughter - Bieber told his 77 million followers: “I’m gonna make my Instagram private if you guys don’t stop the hate.

“This is getting out of hand, if you guys are really fans you wouldn’t be so mean to people that I like.”

But the millionaire singer appears to have gone a step further, as clicking on links to his Instagram page now yields an error message. Fellow singer Selena Gomez, Bieber’s former girlfriend, took the opportunity to twist the

knife before the account was deleted.

“If you can’t handle the hate then stop posting pictures of your girlfriend

lol - it should be special between you two only,” the 24-year-old posted.

“Don’t be mad at your fans.

They love you. They were there for you before anyone.”

“It’s funny to see people that used me for attention and still try to point the finger this way. Sad. All love,” Bieber countered.

“Funny how the ones that cheated multiple times, are pointing the finger at the ones that were forgiving and supportive, no wonder fans are mad. Sad. All love,” Gomez retaliated.

Bieber is the latest in a series of celebrities dealing with abuse on social media by closing their accounts.

Actress and comedian Leslie Jones quit Twitter temporarily in June devastated by a torrent of racist and abuse aimed at her by trolls.

Bieber recently shut his Snapchat account too, and announced in May that he would no longer be taking pictures with fans in public.

“It has gotten to the point that people won’t even say hi to me or recognize me as a human,” he wrote on Instagram.

“I feel like a zoo animal, and I wanna be able to keep my sanity.”

Bieber and Gomez dated for almost two years from January 2011, but spilt up citing busy schedules.

Some fans interpreted “Sorry,” from Bieber’s album “Purpose,” which came out in November last year, as a message from the former child star to Gomez.

Erection Problem?

416-992-5489

Issue 681 (18)

23 - 29 August 2016

How companies are cashing in on Pokemon Go PARIS Pokemon Go has sent millions of people onto the streets in a worldwide hunt for virtual monsters - and from neighbourhood restaurants to multinational corporations, businesses smell a profit.

“It’s going really well - this is the fourth time we’ve had to restock our Pokemon cuddly toys in two weeks,” said salesman Corentin Flamand, surveying a row of mini Pikachus at the Micromania store in Paris’ bustling Bastille area.

The chain has brought in mugs, baseball caps and a slew of other products to mark this year’s 20th anniversary of the cult Japanese franchise, and is now hoping to profit from the surge of new fans created by the smartphone game.

Beyond products, companies see huge potential in the app’s ability to attract crowds to places in a way that typical advertising does not, by tempting them with the prospect of adding new

Pokemon to their collections.

Bars and restaurants from New York to Sydney are reportedly paying for “lures”, a feature of the game which draws Pokemon to a location, hoping this will

brand is in sync with the times - that they’re ‘Pokemon Go compatible’.”

Some firms are offering Pokecoins - the game’s currency, which players can spend on accessories to help them hunt - as prizes

draw in customers to linger and spend money.

“If you run a bar/restaurant and aren’t spending $10/ day on lures and advertising the fact, what are you even thinking?” Eric Neustadter, former head of Microsoft’s Xbox Live gaming service, wrote in a widely-shared tweet.

Philippe Bonnasse, a retail expert at French consultancy CA Com, said companies could profit from showing “that their

for competitions.

And then there are the many businesses putting a Pokemon twist on their products.

Maxwell’s, a restaurant in London’s Covent Garden, says it has seen a 400 percent jump in sales of its elaborate “freakshake” milkshake since it started offering a new version inspired by the beloved turtle-shaped Pokemon, Squirtle.

Topped with a donut in the

shape of one of the “Pokeballs” that hunters use to catch the critters, manager Lloyd Vaughey says the restaurant is shifting 200 of the violently coloured drinks a day.

“Now the sales have levelled but stay very good,” Vaughey told AFP. In Edinburgh, a taxi firm is offering flat-price journeys that take punters past at least 50 “Pokestops” to load up on Pokeballs, while specialised hunting tours have sprung up everywhere from Barcelona to Mexico City.

At the extreme end of the industry, San Francisco start-up PokeWalk is even charging busy players to have their phones walked for them by full-time professionals.

Industry tracker Sensor Tower estimates that the game has already generated more than $200 million since its release in early July. Pokemon Go is free to download, but players can pay for extra add-ons that make them better hunters.

Sri Lanka airline suspends drunk pilot

COLOMBO Sri Lanka’s national carrier has suspended a captain who failed a breathalyser test just before he was due to fly 274 passengers and crew from Frankfurt to Colombo, the airline said Sunday.

“Upon receiving the results (of the test) SriLankan Airlines took immediate steps to suspend the services of the said captain and took alternative measures to operate the flight to Colombo,” the airline said in a statement.

An airline source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Flight UL554 was held up at Frankfurt airport for more than 15 hours on Friday as staff scrambled to find another captain for the Airbus A330.

The crew raised the alarm after noticing that the captain was

visibly drunk, the source, who has direct knowledge of the matter, told AFP. The airline said an internal investigation was underway into the incident and it would cooperate with any probe by German authorities.

The cashstrapped airline is due to stop its flights to Frankfurt from October as it slashes routes to European destinations.

It is also planning to lease out some of its A330 planes to other airlines in an attempt to raise cash.

Suffering from an accumulated $1-billion loss, it is seeking a foreign partner to take over its management.

Issue 681 (19)

23 - 29 August 2016

Kiran Bedi threatens to quit over lack Pakistan closes border after Afghan demonstrators burn its flag of cooperation to cleanliness drive Karachi Pakistan has closed its border with Afghanistan indefinitely after a group of Afghan demonstrators attacked the Bab-e-Dosti gate at Chaman and set the Pakistani flag on fire.

The incident that took place on Thursday evening has resulted in suspension in the movement of trucks involved in trade shipments between the two countries and carrying supplies for NATO forces in Afghanistan, Dawn online reported on Saturday.

According to sources, a large number of Afghan nationals, celebrating the 97th anniversary of their country’s independence, gathered near the Friendship Gate after marching through the streets of Spin Boldak town across the border.

They carried placards and banners inscribed with anti-Pakistan slogans.

TENSION AT PAKISTAN-AFGHANISTAN BORDER Shouting slogans against Pakistan, the Afghan demonstrators started pelting stones at the gate.

Exercising restraint, the personnel of Frontier Corps avoided taking any action against the protesters who swarmed the gate after seeing Pakistanis who staged a protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his remarks about Balochistan. The Afghan demonstrators snatched the national flag from a Pakistani protester who stood close to the gate and

set it on fire.

They also tried to force their entry through the gate which had already been closed because of the Afghans’ rally.

BORDER CLOSED INDEFINITELY “The border with Afghanistan will remain closed for an indefinite period,” security officials said on Friday, adding: “We will not open the gate until orders to do so are received from the high command.”

Every day between 10,000 and 15,000 Pakistani and Afghan traders cross into Chaman in Balochistan and Vesh Mandi in Kandhar province of Afghanistan.

“Not a single trader crossed the border from either side because of the closure of the Friendship Gate,” NiamatÂ-ullah, a resident of Chaman, said.

According to the sources, security has been heightened at the border after the incident.

CLASHES ERUPT OVER CONSTRUCTION OF GATE AT TORKHAM BORDER The latest incident in Chaman comes after tension intensified between the two countries following the construction of a gate at the Torkham border.

Clashes had erupted among the Afghan and Pakistani forces after Kabul condemned the move by Islamabad to construct the gate, calling it a unilateral act and against a bilateral agreement on border related issues. Firing between the Afghan and Pakistani forces left a Pakistan major dead and injured several others from both the sides. Construction of the gate was completed in August.

300-year-oldwell-preserved‘lucky’shoe foundinCambridgeUniversitywall

London A 300-year-old remarkably well-preserved shoe has been found in the wall of a University of Cambridge building in the United Kingdom that was likely put there to bring luck and ward off evil spirits.

The venerable footwear was uncovered by maintenance staff of the St John’s College while they were removing panels to install electrical cables in a common room for senior academics.

The building was originally the residence of the Master of the College.

It was built between 1598 and 1602, but it is thought that the shoe was put behind the panels during changes to its interior, between the end of the 17th Century, and mid-way through the 18th, the university said in a statement.

Shoes are sometimes found within the walls of old buildings because, in more superstitious times, they were thought to protect the inhabitants and prevent malicious forces from entering.

The discovery of the left shoe of a man, measuring over nine and a half inches (about

a size 6 by modern standards) has been referred to the Cambridge Archaeological Unit, who have taken photographs and are consulting a specialist in the hope of establishing a precise date.

Richard Newman, from the Archaeological Unit, described it as a “classic example” of what researchers call “apotropaic” magic, popular magic designed to bring luck and turn away evil influences.

“It was positioned between the chimney breast and the window, which is exactly the sort of location where you would expect to find a shoe being used in this way,” Newman added.

“Given its location, it is very likely that it was there to play a protective role for the Master of the College. It may even have been one of his old shoes,” he said.

Popular magic of this type was fairly widespread in England from the 16th to mid19th Centuries, especially in East Anglia, according to the statement.Although shoes were the most common item of choice for keeping spirits at bay, they were far from the only object embedded in walls for this purpose.

More gruesome objects, including dead cats, horses’ skulls, and “witch bottles”, which contained substances such as hair and urine, have also been found, the statement said.

They were hidden in walls, roofs and beneath floors to prevent malevolent forces from bringing bad luck to the building, or its occupants. Why shoes were such a popular choice is not properly understood. One theory is that they were believed to be an effective “spirit trap”. Perhaps more plausibly, some historians argue that, at least in the days before mass-production of leather shoes, they took on something of the shape of the wearer’s foot.

Puducherry Irked by ‘lack of cooperation’ to her Clean Puducherry Mission, Lt Governor Kiran Bedi said on Sunday she would quit her post and leave the Union territory if there is no improvement in the situation.

“I am not here for a job but on a mission. If the mission is not accomplished I will go back. I will quit if you don’t help me make Puducherry clean,” she said.

Bedi, who had been making weekend visits as part of the Swachh Puducherry Mission, gave vent to her frustration at a function where she addressed participants of a marathon on ‘Road Safety’ organised by JIPMER student council.

“I have completed so far 20 such visits. Only a few officers accompanied me during my visits to various places and some senior officers and elected representatives refused to cooperate,” she said.

“It is not the job of the Lt Governor alone to clean the streets as it is

the job of the people, people’s representatives and officials at large,” she said.

The former IPS officer, who took over as the Lt Governor of Puducherry in May last, said this ”could not go on for ever” and she would wait for improvement till the end of next month.

Regretting that people were indiscriminately throwing the carcasses of dogs and pigs into drains causing choking of sewage water, she said if the garbage is not removed there will be flooding of streets during rains.

Bedi said that before coming to the function she visited a dumping yard near here and found the garbage had not been segregated at source as degradable and nondegradable.

She said the youth is very powerful and should engage in social activities.

She left the venue in a huff after venting her displeasure without distributing prizes to the students.

Issue 681 (20)

02', :,16 32// %<

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In the past six months, Modi has learnt from his missteps and revved up governance Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues to be the nation’s first choice for the top job, the latest Mood Of The Nation survey by India Today shows.

Overcoming the headwinds, Modi has not only remained on course but is cruising comfortably in the middle of his term.

The Prime Minister’s popularity, which had taken a dip in the previous survey, has soared back impressively, recovering lost ground.

Half of the respondents in the latest poll carried out this month said Modi is best suited to be the next prime minister of India.

Six months ago, only 40 per cent preferred him.

In fact, his popularity dipped to 37 per cent in August 2015 and 36 per cent in April the same year, a fall from 57 per cent in August 2014.

Modi’s nearest rival Rahul Gandhi continues to occupy the second spot, but his rating dropped to 13 from 22 per cent.

Sonia Gandhi is third with a rating of six per cent followed by Arvind Kejriwal who was preferred by only 4 per cent of the respondents.

The Prime Minister not only scored on his personal popularity but got a big “thumbs up” from the people on his government’s performance.

If the Lok Sabha elections were held today, the NDA is expected to win 304 seats, says the survey.

The ruling alliance is looking to consolidate its hold, arresting the declining trend in the last six months.

With 304 seats, the NDA is way ahead of its rival UPA, which is expected to win 145, three less than its tally in the 2014 elections.

Within the NDA, the BJP is likely to get 259 seats against the 282 it had won two years ago.

In the latest Mood Of The Nation survey by India Today, the PM not only scored on his personal popularity but got a big “thumbs up” from the people The latest seat forecast shows that the Congress will win 54, only marginally improving its lowest score of 44 in 2014.

Despite losing some seats, the NDA

is projected to improve its vote share by one per cent in the latest survey.

It is expected to win 40 per cent of votes against 39 per cent in the 2014 elections.

Modi is the most popular among the current choices, but he is still not rated as the best prime minister ever.

When asked to make that pick, 23 per cent respondents said Indira Gandhi.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee was second with 18 per cent votes closely followed by Modi at 17.

In what could be an indicator of the future trend, popularity ratings of Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpyee were on the decline from the previous survey but in the case of Modi it is on the rise.

He was voted by 14 per cent people as the best PM ever in 2014.

Most of the respondents (23 per cent) picked Congress VicePresident Rahul Gandhi to be the best alternative to Prime Minister Modi.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is third with 13 per cent, followed by his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal at 12 per cent while Congress President Sonia Gandhi was preferred by nine per cent of the respondents.

In terms of his overall performance, 44 per cent termed it “good” and 35 per cent said “average”.

Only seven per cent termed it “poor”.

The satisfaction level with the government is also strong. An overwhelming 46 per cent said they are satisfied with the government and 32 per cent said its performance was average.

On the Prime Minister’s style of functioning, 24 per cent felt that he is “all talk, no action”, up from 20 per cent in the last survey.

In terms of being pro-poor, 17 per cent acknowledged that, down from 21 per cent. Only 9 per cent said he was “sectarian” and “antiminority”.

And only three per cent felt that he stays silent on major issues.

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23 - 29 August 2016

UK unveils plans to tackle growing Islamist extremism in prisons London The UK government on Monday unveiled plans to tackle Islamist extremism in prisons, including banning offensive literature and removing inmates from worship if they promote beliefs deemed against “fundamental British values”.

The justice ministry said extremism in prisons was a growing threat which needed to be treated as an “urgent priority”.

“For the highest risk terrorists and radicalisers, the self-styled ‘emirs’ and exerting a controlling and radicalising influence on the wider Muslim prison population”.government will use all the measures at its disposal, including separation from the mainstream prison population, to contain their risk and prevent the spread of poisonous ideologies.

“Extremists cannot be allowed to prey on the vulnerable,” the ministry said in a response accompanying the review on extremism in prisons.

New measures to be brought in include greater vetting of prison chaplains and tighter controls on

worship.

“We will ensure that governors use their existing powers to remove prisoners from corporate worship where they are behaving subversively or promoting beliefs that run counter to fundamental British values.

“We do not, however, believe it is the right course of action at present to alter the provision of worship more generally or, for example, to pursue incell alternatives,” the ministry of justice said.

A total of eight measures will be introduced, including a review of staff training and the removal of literature considered extremist and offensive.

The government said it had additionally created a new

department the Security, Order and Counter Terrorism Directorate which will be in charge of developing the plan to counter Islamist extremism in prisons.

The new plans follow a review commissioned by the former justice minister, Michael Gove, which saw a team visit more than 60 prisons in the UK, France, the Netherlands and Spain.

Gove’s successor, Elizabeth Truss, threw her support behind the overhaul.

“Islamist extremism is a danger to society and a threat to public safety it must be defeated wherever it is found.

“I am committed to confronting and countering

‘After 70 years, India has proved sceptics wrong’

London Recalling cynicism across the world over India’s future when it gained independence in 1947, Indian high commissioner Navtej Sarna said on Sunday the country had proved everyone wrong during the last 70 years.

Speaking at Independence Day celebrations at the Indian Gymkhana here, he recalled the sacrifices of known and unknown martyrs during the freedom struggle, and said no one was today in doubt about the success of India’s democracy.

“India at 70 is the greatest experiment in the history of the world.

People around the world

were sceptical if India could survive. There was open cynicism. But everyone has been proved wrong”, Sarna said to much applause from a large gathering of the Indian community. ”Today, nothing on earth can stop India’s growth”, he added, flanked by food and consumer affairs minister Ram Vilas Paswan, Labour MPs Virendra Sharma and Seema Malhotra.

India, he said, had the “most unique” governing institutions enshrined in the constitution, which was developed by stalwarts of the freedom struggle such as Vallabhbhai Patel, Mahatma Gandhi and B R Ambedkar. Paying tributes

to the Indian diaspora in Britain, Sarna noted the community constituted 2% of Britain’s population but contributed 6% to its GDP. “Today the by-word in this country is that a good doctor is an Indian doctor,” he said.

Promising to resolve consular issues, he asked community members to use ‘Open Days’ to meet high commission officials if required. Speaking at the event, Paswan recalled the contribution by leaders from various religious communities towards India’s freedom struggle. He also visited the house in north London where Ambedkar lived as a student in the 1920s.

The day-long event included cultural programmes representing dance forms and music from various states, and stalls offering free food from various regional cuisines.

The stalls included those set up by the Indian Muslim Federation (UK) and Maharashtra Mandal London.

the spread of this poisonous ideology behind bars,” she said in a statement.

In their review, researchers said some prison imams faced intimidation , while inmates were confronted with “aggressive encouragement” to convert to Islam.

They also identified “charismatic IE (Islamist extremist) prisoners acting as selfstyled ‘emirs’ and exerting a controlling and radicalising influence on the wider Muslim prison population”.

The review found both Muslim and non-Muslim inmates were vulnerable to radicalisation and called for leadership to ensure Muslim prisoners could safely practise their faith: “Throughout the review the team emphasised the importance of faith to prisoners, and its potential to transform lives for the better.

“Its premise was that Islamism a politicised, expansionist version of Islam is more ideology than faith, and is driven by intolerance and antiWestern sentiment.”

Sikh-Americans welcome removal of 225 Sikhs from blacklist

Washington Calling it a “step in the right direction”, SikhAmericans here have welcomed the Indian government’s decision of removing the names of 225 Sikhs from a blacklist.

“This is a step in the right direction and a promise fulfilled by the Modi government,” said Jasdip Singh Jasse, founder of Sikhs of America, at a joint news conference with the Overseas Friends of BJP-USA, which was attended by leaders of Sikh American community.

Last year, a delegation of Sikh-Americans led by Singh had submitted a

memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he visited the Silicon Valley.

Singh, along with a delegation of of BJPUSA, had also submitted a similar memorandum to Home minister Rajnath Singh last year.

Names of 225 Sikhs, chronicled in the government’s blacklist for their alleged involvement in subversive or anti-India activities, have been removed over the last four years.

The pruning has been done in a list of 298 Sikhs which was prepared at different levels by security agencies since 1980s.

US father kills 4-month-old daughter by punching her 22 times

Chicago A father in the US allegedly murdered his four-monthold daughter by punching her 22 times to silence her “baby talk” while he was watching television.

Cory Morris, 21, from Minneapolis, has been charged with seconddegree murder for allegedly punching the baby girl named Emersyn in her face and chest.

According to the charges, Morris called police on August 13 and admitted he had killed his daughter.

When police arrived, they found the 4-month-old unconscious on a changing table.

Morris, who was alone watching the child at the time of the incident, told

the police he punched the child approximately 15 times in the face and 7 times in the chest with a closed fist, then squeezed her chest with his hands in an attempt to quiet her.

The Hennepin County medical examiner confirmed the baby died from blunt force trauma.

He later called his mother and his wife and said “‘I did something bad’, but didn’t tell them what he actually did,” Hennepin county attorney Mike Freeman was quoted as saying by KMSP-TV. Morris told the police he was watching TV when his daughter began making “baby talk” noises. He took the baby out of her swing and carried her into

a bedroom, placing her on a changing table. Morris said he started punching the baby because she continued to make noises. According to the criminal complaint, Morris was left to care for the baby girl three to four times a week while his girlfriend worked. His girlfriend reported that Morris went from happy to mad easily, and has grabbed her or thrown things in the past.

“Family members have suggested there may be mental health issues.

These will need to be evaluated during the course of this case,” Freeman said.

Morris remains in the Hennepin County jail, with bail set at $2 million.

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SWAMI SIVANANDA ‘OLDEST MAN EVER’ SAYS NO SEX, NO SPICE, DAILY YOGA KEY TO AGE However it would be extremely difficult to independently verify his age.

Sivananda, from the holy city of Varanasi, grew up in extreme poverty and chose to become a monk, saying he owed his age to “yoga, discipline, and celibacy”.

“I lead a simple and disciplined life. I eat very simply — only boiled food Kolkata Looking remarkably unlined for his claimed 120 years, a Hindu monk says he is the oldest man to have ever lived puts his longevity down to no sex or spices and daily yoga.

Swami Sivananda was born on August 8, 1896, according to his passport. If true, his life would have spanned three centuries, but despite his apparent age he remains strong enough to perform

yoga for hours at a time.

He is now applying to Guinness World Records to verify his claim. It currently lists Japan’s Jiroemon Kimura, who died in June 2013 aged 116 years and 54 days, as the oldest man to have ever lived.

India’s passport authorities confirmed Sivananda’s age from a temple register, the only record many Indians even decades younger have of their date of birth.

without oil or spices, rice and boiled daal (lentil stew) with a couple of green

To-be head of French Islam group draws flak for asking Muslims to be ‘discreet’

New Delhi In the backdrop of the ban on the so-called “burkini” a full-body swimming suit the proposed head of a new French governmentbacked Muslim organisation drew flak for suggesting that Muslims should be “discreet”. JeanPierre Chevenement, a non-Muslim who describes himself as a “secular republican”, is set to take over as head of the

Foundation of French Islam later this year. The foundation is being created to better integrate France’s Muslim population, but Chevenement’s initial foray in this regard has backfired. According to the Middle East Eye, Chevenement said Muslims need to do their best to fit in, referring to towns that have banned the burkini. So far, the riviera resort of Cannes,

Villeneuve-Loubet and Sisco on the island of Corsica have expressed their desire to ban the burkini, a decision many have called discriminatory.

Chevenement reportedly told a French newspaper that “Muslims, like all French citizens, should be able to worship freely but they must also understand that in the public space where there is public interest, all citizens should make the effort to use ‘natural reason’”.

Twitter, of course, responded with its trademark levity, with hashtags such as #MusalmanDiscret and #DiscreetMuslim trending worldwide. The Twitterati found new and innovative meanings of “discreet Muslim”.

China opens world’s highest and longest glass bridge

Tianmen China opened the world’s highest and longest glass-bottomed bridge to visitors in Hunan province on Saturday.

The 1,410 feet (430 metre) bridge spans the Zhangjiajie Canyon in Hunan and is suspended 300 metres above ground. It allows visitors to peer down into the abyss through 99 triple-layered glass panels.

The glass bridge hangs from two cliffs in the Tianmen Mountain National Park, known for being the inspiration behind the towering landscapes in the

Hollywood sci-fi blockbuster “Avatar”.

The bridge cost $3.4 million to build.

According to officials, the six metre-wide bridge, designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan, has set world records for its architecture and construction, BBC news reported. A series of “safety tests” were conducted in June, where one panel of glass was repeatedly cracked by sledgehammer-wielding men and women to try and reassure the public of the bridge’s safety. A maximum of 8,000 visitors will be allowed on the bridge each day, an official said.

chillies,” he told AFP after a two-hour yoga session in Kolkata, the eastern Indian city where he had come for a short visit.

Standing 1.58 metres (five feet two inches) tall, Sivananda sleeps on a mat on the floor and uses a wooden slab as a pillow.

“I avoid taking milk or fruits because I think these are fancy foods. In my childhood I slept many

days on an empty stomach,” he said.

Sivananda said he had not

previously come forward to claim the record because he did not seek publicity, but was eventually persuaded by his followers to apply.

The elderly man lost both parents before he was six and was given away by his relatives to a spiritual guru, whom he travelled with around India before settling in Varanasi.

Fit and without any medical complications, he lives independently and even travels alone on

trains.

Sivananda, who was born in colonial-era India without electricity, cars or telephones, says he is not enthused by new technology and prefers being on his own.

“Earlier people were happy with fewer things.

Nowadays people are unhappy, unhealthy and have become dishonest, which pains me a lot,” he said. “I just want people to be happy, healthy and peaceful.”

He would’ve died even if he had not joined militancy: Burhan Wani’s father Tral Muzaffar Wani concedes that groups of people have been visiting him, asking him to become a rallying point, but says he’s happy being ‘Burhan’s father’.

Surprisingly, he does issue an appeal, saying, “Burhan is not alone. The entire Valley is with him.

My son has been killed, but don’t throw stones. I appeal to the youth not to pelt stones. They are no match in the face of guns (of security forces).”

Excerpts from an interview

by Harinder Baweja with Muzaffar Wani, father of slain Hizbul militant Burhan Wani Now that your son is dead, do you regret the fact that he chose the path of militancy?

He (Burhan) would have died even if he had not joined militancy. Allah has a calendar for all of us.

Those who died after July 8 too were ordained to die

by Allah.

You support his having become a militant?

Uska raasta theek tha.

Jehad is fine. He was a mujahid, not a terrorist. He hit out through social media. He picked up the gun for his self-defence. As a father, I feel the pain. I have lost two sons. Burhan gave his life and it is for the people to take the

movement for azadi forward.

When I met you the last time, we talked about how you cannot take on the might of the army.

Civilians are dying.

What would you like to tell the stone-pelters?

Raise slogans, but don’t throw stones. People have been blinded. I appeal to the youth not to pelt stones. Stones are nothing in front of bullets.

But India should also talk to us about our rights.

They should think within the realm of insaniyat (humanity). We also have children who are dying.

We have no dushmani (enmity) with India. We want friendly relations with India, but I don’t know why India hates Kashmiris. If India thinks Kashmiris are their own, they should not use pellets. They were not used in Haryana during the agitation. Why this dual policy? Are you only interested in our

land? You are killing our boys.

Militants are mixing up with protesters and complicating the ground situation.

Armed militants attended Burhan’s funeral also…

Yes, I was told about that.

I heard some shots being fired. I didn’t like that.

Your village lies in south Kashmir. A lot of you would have voted for Mehbooba Mufti.

What would you like to tell the chief minister?

The (ruling) PDP had said they would remove the army after coming to power, but the government is bringing in additional companies. She is running a kathputli sarkar (puppet government). To save her chair, Mehbooba should leave her chair now. She is in power because of us, but her voters are the ones being wounded and killed.

She is not even sticking to the agenda of alliance.

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23 - 29 August 2016

Curb impatience when the demands made upon you are greater than you can honestly fulfill. Rather than head for the hills, consider delegating some of your work as a way around the problem.

Later this week the accent shifts from fun to work as Mars zips into Virgo. The focus zeroes in on job and lifestyle matters.

The Sun dances into Libra this week to light up your zone of health and lifestyle. If you’ve been working hard and pushing yourself lately, this influence can serve as a reminder to take some time out. Consider a spa day, massages, and a little pampering. Mars stirs up your romance sector from Thursday, perhaps making you more determined to impress a certain person.

This week’s Quarter Moon suggests conflicts could arise if one person considers details important while another views them as irrelevant. Embracing both ends of the spectrum can give you a new perspective on things. Later, the Sun lights up your zone of fun, entertainment, and romance. It’s time to kick back and enjoy yourself.

A friend or business partner could be trying to attract your attention. Perhaps some of your plans seem unrealistic or ill thought out and they’re eager to give you some advice. However, Mars jogging into Virgo from Thursday could inspire you to look at things from a more practical viewpoint. Perhaps you’ll see flaws that you hadn’t noticed before.

Monday’s Quarter Moon could cause you to vacillate between practicality and frugality on the one hand and extravagance and generosity on the other. You’ll find the right balance e v e n t u a l l y. Yo u m a y b e m o r e motivated to increase your income once Mars enters your financial zone on Friday.

With Jupiter maintaining its link to Neptune, it helps to keep your feet on the ground. While you're usually very practical, you could get carried away by someone’s sales talk or persuasive tones. If in doubt, ask a friend for their take on things. Later, the Sun’s move into Libra lights up your financial sector, encouraging you to set goals and consider your plans for the coming months.

If your social calendar has been overbooked, the cosmos is encouraging you to turn to quieter and perhaps more spiritual pursuits. It’s a chance to reflect on your thoughts and feelings and get acquainted with your heart’s desires. Mars may have the effect of stirring up your psyche from Thursday, encouraging vivid dreams, inspired ideas, and intuitive hunches.

Networking is a good way to boost business and get ahead. Jupiter’s presence in your social sector is certainly encouraging you to move in new circles and enjoy meeting other people.

However, you might need to strike more of a balance between work and rest as the Sun jogs into Libra and your spiritual zone.

The unexpected words or actions of someone you care about could leave you unsettled, but any hard feelings won’t last. Unfortunately, an intense attraction may not last either!

Certain tensions could put you on the spot, but as the Sun dances into Libra on Wednesday you’ll begin to find your social equilibrium. Mars encourages you to get a move on regarding a key goal or plan.

Strong desires enhance your feelings for someone who may be related to the past.

A sudden burst of excitement can encourage a secret meeting or bring them swiftly into your social circle.

However, the intensity you feel could later ease, allowing things to simmer along nicely. Your career sector lights up as the Sun dances in midweek.

Finances continue to flourish, although you’ll need to keep your feet on the ground early in the week. Don’t be swayed by ideas that may be a little impractical. You’ll be ready to go exploring as the Sun dances into Libra and your travel sector. If you haven’t yet booked a vacation, maybe you should look into it.

Your social life and relationships continue to look buoyant and upbeat, which is bound to put a smile on your face. However, as Jupiter links with Neptune early on, don’t take everyone at face value. If you find it difficult to understand where someone is coming from, ask a friend for advice. You’ll also find business matters and shared resources come into focus from midweek.

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23 - 29 August 2016

Technology Facebook’s Account Kit solution gains popularity globally

New Delhi Social media giant Facebook‘s Account Kit a solution that helps users quickly authenticate people and create accounts to help grow an app‘s audience has seen

a global growth. According to Facebook, Account Kit has been implemented by developers across 26 countries and the company is seeing promising conversion rates at up to 90 per cent. To make it easy

Facebook teams up with Unity to build gaming platform

New York Social media giant Facebook is working with game engine Unity to build a dedicated, downloadable Steam-style desktop gaming platform.

Steam is a digital distribution platform developed by Valve Corporation that offers multiplayer gaming and social networking services.

Facebook‘s enhanced web and new PC platform will allow it to compete with Steam‘s marketplace.

Sponsored by RevcontentTrending Now While Steam has over 125 million monthly users, Facebook could attract developers with its massive user count.

“Integrating tools that provide effortless access to Facebook`s network is a key part of helping

developers find the success they deserve,” tech website Techcrunch.com quoted Elliot Solomon,Vice President, Business Development, Unity Technologies, as saying.

Starting Friday, game developers can apply until August 31 for instant access to a limited alpha version of Unity 5.4 that will allow them to build and export games to Facebook‘s website and desktop app.

The gaming platform will allow publishers to offer their iOS and Android games on desktop in addition to the casual games Facebook is known for.

Facebook has 650 million users who play games each month. The company paid out over $8 billion to game developers since 2010 and $2.5 billion in 2015 alone, the report noted.

for developers, social media giant will not institute any SMS charges till August 2018, the company said in a statement. “We will not institute any SMS charges through August

2018, at which point standard SMS rates may apply for apps exceeding 100K SMS confirmation messages per month,” Facebook said. Facebook said it is also building features to rely less heavily on SMS as a confirmation mechanism to offer a better consumer experience and help lead to higher conversion rates.

The company also rolled out a way to reduce the file size of the solution. “By specifying only the languages you need in your build, unnecessary localisation strings will be removed, which can significantly reduce the size of your app,” Facebook said.

New tool can recover smartphone data to help solve crimes

Washington Scientists, including one of Indian-origin, have developed a new technique that could help law enforcement officials gather data from smartphones while investigating crimes.

The increasing use of mobile technology in today’s society has made information stored in the memory of smartphones just as important as evidence recovered from traditional crime scenes.

The new technique, called RetroScope, moves the

focus from a smartphone’s hard drive, which holds information after the phone is shut down, to the device’s RAM, which is volatile memory.

“We argue this is the frontier in cybercrime investigation in the sense that the volatile memory has the freshest information from the execution of all the apps,” said Dongyan Xu, professor at Purdue University, who led the research along with colleague Xiangyu Zhang.

US set to hand over Internet’s naming system to ICANN Los Angles The US is set to cede power of the Internet’s naming system to a non-profit organisation on October 1, ending the almost 20-year process to hand over a crucial part of the Internet’s governance.

The Domain Naming System, DNS, is one of the Internet’s most i m p o r t a n t components.

It pairs the easy-toremember web addresses with their relevant servers.

Without DNS, one would only be able to access websites by typing in its IP address, a series of numbers such as “194.66.82.10”.

More by circumstance than intention, the US has always had ultimate say over how the DNS is controlled - but not for much longer, the BBC reported today.

The US will give up its power fully to Los Angles-based ICANN the Internet Corporation for

Assigned Names and Numbers - a non-profit organisation.

The terms of the change were agreed upon in 2014, but it wasn not until now that the US said it was finally satisfied that Icann was ready to make the change.

power of foreign governments over the Internet,” warned a letter signed by several Republican senators, including former presidential hopeful, Ted Cruz.

ICANN was created in 1998 to take over the task

ICANN will take charge of Internet’s naming system on October 1, 2016, the report said.

Users of the web will not notice any difference because ICANN has essentially being doing the job for years. But it’s a move that has been fiercely criticised by some US politicians as opening the door to the likes of China and Russia to meddle with a system that has always been “protected” by the US. “The proposal will significantly increase the

of assigning web addresses. Until that point, that job was handled by one man - Jon Postel.

He was known to many as the “god of the internet”, a nod to his power over the internet, as well as his research work in creating some of the systems that underpin networking.

Postel, who died not long after ICANN was created, was in charge of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).

Administration of the IANA

was contracted to the newly- formed ICANN, but the US’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), part of the Department of Commerce, kept its final say over what it was able to do.

It is that final detail that is set to change from October 1. No longer will the US government through the NTIA - be able to intervene on matters around internet naming. From October, the “new” ICANN will become an organisation that answers to multiple stakeholders who want a say over the internet.

Those stakeholders include countries, businesses and groups offering technical expertise. “It’s a big change,” said Prof Alan Woodward from the University of Surrey. “It marks a transition from an internet effectively governed by one nation to a multi-stakeholder governed internet: a properly global solution for what has become a global asset,” he added.

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23 - 29 August 2016

How sex workers use autorickshaws to strike deals, avoid police

You must keep moving.

This Albert Einstein’s quote appears to be the new mantra for flesh trade in Gurugram. A late night visit by Mail Today team to Mall Mile, an infamous 2km stretch on MG Road which hosts several shopping malls and night clubs, revealed that sex workers were using autorickshaws to avoid public gaze and police action.

The area was in media spotlight several times in the past as a hub for unlawful activities in public view, drawing police crackdown on the night clubs situated there. The business begins after 1am, which is the deadline for the pubs to down their shutters, as Mail Today

team found out.

As night club goers start moving out in their vehicles, several autorickshaws begin to court them.

These autos have two to three girls sitting inside as passengers.

The negotiations take place even as both vehicles keep moving albeit at a slow pace. If the deal is struck, the vehicles pull over to the roadside, money is exchanged and the woman moves out of autorickshaw and into the car.

HOW DOES IT WORK The oddity is all but apparent when one sees an auto-rickshaw and a luxury car move parallel at a slow pace on a busy

road.

As many as seven autos were involved with sex business on Mall Mile on the night when our team visited the spot.

“A deal starts from Rs1,000 and can go up to Rs5,000,” an auto driver disclosed to our team.

Another auto driver, who identified himself as Tayab Hussain, told MAIL TODAY, “I have been doing ‘night shift’ to earn quick money.

My daily earnings are between Rs1,000 and Rs1,500 without much travelling.”

Hussain picked up “these girls” outside Sahara Mall around 1am.

“We continued to move up and down this road for about half an hour before a deal was finalised for Rs2,000.

I was paid my cut and then I moved on in search for other girls,” he said.

There were only three police personnel, one Haryana Police constable and two contractual employees performing duties at IFFCO Chowk on the night with little patrolling on the stretch.

WHAT DOES THE POLICE HAVE TO SAY Gurugram police spokesperson ACP Hawa

Singh refused to comment on the matter when our correspondent tried to seek his reaction to our findings.

The police constable posted at IFFCO Chowk, however, admitted that the sex business thrived on the stretch but there was hardly any manpower to trap the players.

Several policemen, who have worked in the area in night shifts, said that these activities were going on for some time. Some of the employees of these night clubs may also be involved in these activities. “They keep finding new ways to avoid police,” one of the policemen approached by Mail Today said. “It is

The constable requested anonymity.

“This kind of trend has possibilities of ending into a tragedy,” the constable said.

“A deal may go wrong; there could be a gang rape; a drunk client may get involved into an accident or act violently with the sex worker. There could be a major case waiting to happen.”

difficult to prove the act where the players could act as club goers or late shift workers travelling back,” he pointed out.

DRIVE AGAINST THREE WHEELER Ironically, newly appointed Police Commissioner Sandeep Khirwar has recently launched a drive against threewheelers.

The police have

impounded 1,835 vehicles, the majority of them being auto-rickshaws for violating rules and endangering the life of common road users.

The drive is being seen as a part of an effort by Khirwar to inculcate a sense of discipline among the auto-rickshaw drivers in the city and ensure better traffic management.

Many autorickshaws drivers in the city are notorious for violating traffic norms, leading to jams, and plying without valid documents.

The drive has led to strong resentment among the autorickshaw drivers who threatened to go on a strike if the drive continued. As many as 350 auto-rickshaws were impounded on Thursday and another 690 autorickshaws on Friday.

Besides, 108 cars were impounded for wrong parking on Thursday.

Also, 1,364 challans were issued for various traffic violations and 131 vehicles were towed away on Friday.

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23 - 29 August 2016

Naked Trump statues draw dozens of onlookers in US cities New York An artists’ collective took credit for exposing Donald Trump to

unflattering scrutiny on Thursday, saying it was responsible for a life-sized nude statue of the Republican presidential candidate that turned up in a New York City park. Copies of the orange-tinted likeness - featuring a massive belly, small fingers and missing some genital parts - were simultaneously unveiled in downtown Manhattan’s Union Square Park and public places

in four other U.S. cities.

The collective titled the work “The Emperor Has No Balls.”

In New York, the unauthorised installation appeared to surprise passers-by - prompting stares, giggles and shrugs of bemusement from park visitors.

Ina Cope, a 58-year-old retiree from the Bronx borough of New York, said she was not expecting to see the Trump statue when she got off the subway to meet a friend for lunch. “It was crazy: I was coming off the train, minding my

3 Indian-American women in race to make history in November polls

WASHINGTON As Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton targets to break the “highest glass ceiling” in the US, three IndianAmericans figure in a list of 19 women who could make history if elected to the US Congress in November.In a Congress that has only 19 per cent women, over a dozen women from both sides of the aisle could end up breaking barriers if elected in the November polls, the popular Cosmopolitan magazine said as it released the list of the women.

The three Indian-American women who figure in the list are Pramila Jayapal, who is running for House of Representatives from Washington state; Kamala Harris, who is seeking to enter

Impotence?

416-992-5489

the Senate from California; and Lathika Mary Thomas, who is running for the House on a Republican ticket from Florida.

Jayapal and Harris are from Democratic party. If elected, Harris would be the second black woman in Senate after Carul Mosley Braun in 1992 and the first Indian-American in the Senate.

Harris, who has been endorsed

by US President Barack Obama is currently theCalifornia Attorney-General.

Jayapal, who earned an endorsement from Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, would be the first Indian-American woman in Congress, if she wins the elections in November.

According to latest polls, both Jayapal and Harris are expected to win their respective elections.

Like Jayapal, Latika Mary Thomas if elected to the US House of Representatives seat from Florida would be the first Indian-American woman in the Congress.Ami Bera from California is the only IndianAmerican Congressman in the current Congress. He is among the three Indian-Americans elected to the Congress ever.

own business, and there it was,” she said, laughing.By early afternoon, workers from New York’s Department of Parks and Recreation had taken down the statue. Mae Ferguson, a Parks Department spokeswoman, said the statue was removed because the installation of any unapproved structure is illegal in any city park.

The activist collective, a group called INDECLINE that includes artists, musicians and filmmakers, claimed ownership of the work, saying in an email that the statues were also placed in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle and Cleveland. It said an artist called Ginger helped create the likeness.“These fleeting installations represent this fleeting nightmare and in the fall, it is our wish to look back and laugh at Donald Trump’s failed and delusional quest to obtain the presidency,” INDECLINE said in a statement.

A Trump spokesperson did not respond immediately to an email with a request for comment.

9-year-old Indian girl found dead in US under mysterious circumstances New York A nine-year-old Indian girl was found dead under mysterious circumstances in her home’s bathroom here.

Police questioned her stepmother, describing the death as

“suspicious”.Ashdeep Kaur had moved to Queens from India just three months ago and lived in an apartment with her father, Sukhjinder Singh, and stepmother, Arjun Samdhi Pardas.Kaur’s was found named and with bruises in her house’s bathtub on Friday.A neighbour who shared part of Singh’s house — and the bathroom — called him at work and told him that Pardas and his daughter had gone into the bathroom together.

Pardas reportedly came out of the bathroom alone and then left the house.The neighbour said Kaur had been in the locked bathroom for three or four hours

and she had called the police.

Police were on the look-out for Pardas, who was tracked down at a separate address in Queens.The New York Post quoted sources as saying that Pardas was supposed to have been watching Kaur and is a “person of interest” in the death.

Kaur was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency responders.“When I heard what happened, I couldn’t believe it,” said neighbour Nancy Fong in the New York Post report.

“Who (is going to) kill a baby?

Who (has) the heart to kill a baby?”Singh rushed home from work when authorities contacted him, and could be heard screaming in the back of an ambulance.

“He just moved a couple of weeks ago,” said Harmeet Singh, who works with the bereaved father at a restaurant.

Mandinna Singh, a cousin of Kaur’s father, said of the girl in a report in New York Daily News, “There was no water, but she was in the tub... The little one (the victim) said she (the stepmom) sometimes beat her.”

Imam’s shooting death shakes storied immigrant neighborhood New York The gunman, police said, was Hispanic. His two victims were Bangladeshi Muslims, one an imam, shot without provocation on their way home from their mosque.

A week after the double killing, prosecutors haven’t been able to offer any theory explaining why the college janitor they charged with the crime, Oscar Morel, would have singled out the two victims.

Was it racial or religious hatred?

Or maybe a bubbling up of old tensions between immigrant groups in one of New York’s evolving neighborhoods?

The answer remains a mystery, but people living in the Ozone Park section of Queens, where the shooting took place, say it shouldn’t be taken as evidence of a rift between the culturally diverse groups that share its streets.“There’s tension now because of what happened,” said Sumona Kazi, 26, who was born in Bangladesh but came to New York as a baby. She said she was confident that if the motive was hatred, it was the hate of one person.“Our neighborhood — even if you’re Spanish, you’re Arabic, you’re Muslim, you’re Guyanese, whatever — we’re a whole united family, you know?

If you’re in trouble, we’re going to go out for you,” she said.

“There’s no hatred here. There’s no religious gang here. We’re all friendly.”Located on the border with Brooklyn, just west of Kennedy Airport, Ozone Park has had its bad and better times along with an ever-changing population.An Italian-American neighborhood for much of the

20th century, its most famous longtime resident was the late Mafia boss John Gotti. Jimmy Burke, the real-life mobster

guy who killed the imam.”

Morel, 35, was arrested the day after the Aug. 13 attack and charged with shooting Imam

portrayed by Robert De Niro in “Goodfellas,” lived a short walk from the shooting site. So did the not-yet-famous Cyndi Lauper and Jack Kerouac.

Dramatic change came in the ‘70s with the arrival of a wave of Hispanic newcomers, mostly from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

Then, in the 1980s, came the next cultural jolt with the arrival of immigrants from Bangladesh.

Danny Perez, 46, a school custodian who has lived in Ozone Park since he was 8, said that in the old days, the Bangladeshi and Hispanic teenagers would get into fights, West Side Storystyle.“But it was a testosterone thing, I would say. I don’t really feel that it was hatred or racism,” said Perez, whose family is ethnically Puerto Rican.

And anyway, he said, all that is a thing of the past.

The Bangladeshis “are great neighbors, hardworking people.

Their kids are respectful. I’m glad they’re living here,” Perez said.

“That was a freaking maniac, this

Maulana Alauddin Akonjee, 55, and his assistant at the mosque, Thara Uddin, 64, with a revolver later found hidden inside a wall in the suspect’s apartment.

He has pleaded not guilty.

“As far as he’s concerned, he didn’t commit anything,” said his lawyer, Michael Schwed.

The killing awakened memories of similar deadly encounters in Ozone Park.

Two summers ago, an Ozone Park resident with ties to a political party in Bangladesh, Nazmul Islam, was beaten to death by two Hispanic men just a few blocks from the spot where Akonjee and Uddin were killed.

And in 2002, a bat-wielding group of teens killed Bangladeshi photojournalist Mizanur Rahman after a day of fistfights between Bangladeshi and Hispanic youths.Both incidents prompted rallies and calls for a more robust police presence in the neighborhood now reeling again from the latest violence.

“That’s a hate crime,” concluded Nurul Hoque, a worshipper at

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23 - 29 August 2016

Indian-origin US teen dumps Trump after ouster from rally, says was profiled New Delhi An Indian-origin US college student who was ejected from a Donald Trump rally has said he’s gone from avid backer to disillusioned opponent because

he feels he was racially profiled.

Jake Anantha, an 18-year-old student of Central Piedmont Community College, was removed from the rally on Thursday after Trump’s security staff accused him of being a known protester, The Charlotte Observer reported.He is registered as a Republican and planned to cast his first vote for Trump. CNN reported he was wearing a pro-Trump shirt with another pro-Trump shirt underneath.Anantha and his

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father, Ramesh Anantha, who works in financial services, said they believed he was profiled because of his dark skin. “I do think it’s because I’m brown,” Anantha was quoted as saying.

He was approached by a member of Trump’s security team and then ushered out by police from the Charlotte Convention Center before the rally began. Anantha was told he resembled another man who has previously disrupted Trump’s rallies.“It’s unbelievably ironic,” said Ramesh Anantha, whose parents immigrated from India.

He said his son, as a young person of color appearing at a rally where Trump spoke about his support for people of color, “should have been looked at as a perfect Trump supporter”.

Anantha added, “I’m a huge Trump supporter. I would never protest against Trump.”

Explaining his political beliefs, Anantha said described himself as a conservative and expressed views similar to those of Trump, including opposition to Black Lives Matter protesters and his belief that “radical Islam is a large threat” to the US. Anantha tweeted later that he would vote for Libertarian

Indian American couple donates for Sikh, Punjabi culture research in US

WASHINGTON An Indian-American couple has donated $100,000 to a top American university to support graduate students studying Sikh and Punjabi culture there.

The endowment by Harkeerat and Deepta Dhillon to University of California, Riverside, will help attract graduate students with an interest in Sikh and Punjabi culture, and support fieldwork on Sikh communities in the United States, the univestity said in a statement.

“This gift is a testament to their commitment to higher education, their passion for the arts and humanities, and their desire to expand the knowledge base about Sikh and Punjabi culture,”

said Milagros Pena, dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. The Harkeerat and Deepta Dhillon Endowed Research Award for Sikh and Punjabi Studies in the Arts and Humanities will provide muchneeded support for dissertation research and writing on arts and humanities topics that relate to Sikh and Punjabi culture, said Pashaura Singh, professor and Jasbir Singh Saini Endowed Chair of Sikh and Punjabi Studies and chair of the Department of Religious Studies. Dhillon, a prominent Riverside orthopaedic and hand surgeon, had earlier helped raise funds needed to launch the endowed chair in Sikh Studies in 2008.

candidate Gary Johnson in the presidential elections in November.“I couldn’t believe what was going on,” he was quoted as saying by CNN. “Obviously now I’m very angry. I’ve wasted a bunch of time coming here. I may have wasted six months of my life supporting Donald Trump, who doesn’t even let me come to his rallies.” Kirk Bell, communications director for Trump’s North Carolina campaign, said the security team “identified those individuals asked to leave as individuals who have been removed from previous events”. In Anantha’s case, the identification was made

by Trump’s security director, former FBI agent Eddie Deck, Bell said. Trump’s rallies have been marked by confrontations between protesters who disrupt speeches and the candidate’s supporters and security staff.

Rose Hamid, a Charlotte Muslim who has appeared at several rallies to peacefully protest Trump’s depiction of Muslims, was also ejected from Thursday’s event.Trump has struggled to gain support among minority voters. Only 2% of AfricanAmerican voters and 26% of Latino voters say they back him, according to a McClatchy-Marist poll.In his speech in Charlotte, Trump spoke of his desire to connect with people of color. He talked about working with African-Americans to improve public education and fight poverty.

Navy SEAL who wrote book on Bin Laden raid to pay $6.6 million to settle case

Washington The former Navy SEAL who wrote a book about his role in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden will pay the government more than $6.6 million for violating non-disclosure agreements and publishing without getting the document cleared by the Defence Department, according to federal court documents.Matt Bissonnette, who wrote “No Easy Day” under the pseudonym Mark Owen, will give the US government all profits and royalties from the book or movie rights. The proceeds already total more than $6.6 million. He will have four years to pay the bulk of that.

The payments were outlined in settlement documents filed in US district court in Virginia.

According to the settlement, Bissonnette also has 30 days to pay $100,000 from the proceeds of presentations he gave using slides that were not approved by the department.

The book triggered a Justice

Department probe, including claims it contained classified material. Bissonnette had signed non-disclosure agreements during his service as a SEAL, and he took part in a number of highly secret operations including the bin Laden raid.

Under the agreement, Bissonnette said he would acknowledge he made a mistake by failing to submit the book for pre-publication review. And in exchange for the payments, the US government has dismissed other liability claims.

Justice Department spokeswoman Nicole Navas said the agreement doesn’t discredit Bissonnette’s military service, but reinforces that service members comply with the nondisclosure documents they sign.

Bissonnette has written a followup — also under the name Owen — detailing his journey as a member of SEAL Team Six. That book, “No Hero: the Evolution of a Navy SEAL,” did go through the proper channels and a few sections were redacted.

Muhammad Ali auction items seen fetching heavyweight prices NEW YORK Muhammad Ali’s 1974 WBC heavyweight championship boxing belt and a handwritten letter about his conversion to Islam are among items that will hit the auction block in September, in the biggest such sale since Ali’s death in June.

Heritage Auctions said on Friday that the auction will include the trunks Ali wore for his “Rumble in the Jungle” victory over George Foreman in Zaire in 1974. The gloves worn by Sonny Liston when he lost his title to Ali in 1964 are also among 79 lots in the Sept. 10 auction. Ali’s 1964 letter to Life magazine, in which he talks about his conversion to Islam and changing his Cassius Clay birth name, is expected to fetch upwards of $100,000, the Dallas-based auction house said.

The one-time Christian Baptist became the most famous convert to Islam in American history when he announced he had joined the Black Muslim movement under the guidance of Malcolm X. Kathleen Guzman, managing director of Heritage Auctions, said the Feb. 18, 1964 letter

followed an interview the boxer had done the same day with Life magazine announcing he was changing his name.

“The editors, especially Jack McDermott, were worried that he would disavow saying that when

heavyweight champion to come to auction, and is expected to sell for some $600,000.

Ali’s death on June 4 at age 74, after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease, prompted an outpouring of grief and tributes

the actual Life magazine article came out. So he ripped off a piece of paper and had him (Ali) sign an affidavit that said clearly he was changing his name,” Guzman said.

Heritage said the World Boxing Council belt is the first of those won by the three-time world

worldwide, culminating in an elaborate public funeral in his Louisville, Kentucky hometown.

“With the recent passing of Muhammad Ali, we have received telephone calls from collectors all over the world seeking important pieces from his life and career,” said Chris Ivy, director

Issue 681 (29)

23 - 29 August 2016

Ex-secy of state Powell told Clinton he used private email for work Washington Former secretary of state Colin Powell said on Friday he once sent Hillary Clinton a memo

touting his use of a personal email account for work-related messages after she took over as the nation’s top diplomat in 2009.

In a statement provided to The Associated Press, Powell said he emailed Clinton describing his use of a personal AOL account for unclassified messages while leading the State Department under president George W Bush.

Powell, a Republican, said he told Clinton his use of personal email “vastly improved” communications within the department, which at the time did not have an equivalent

internal system.Powell said the FBI may have obtained a copy of his memo to Clinton during its year-long investigation into

Clinton’s use of a private email server to handle sensitive information during her time as secretary. The FBI closed its investigation last month without finding evidence to support criminal charges against the Democratic presidential nominee.Powell, a retired Army general and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he used a secure computer on his desk at the State Department to manage classified information.

Unlike Clinton, Powell relied on a commercially-available service to host his personal email account. Clinton’s private server

Zuckerberg gives away $95 million Facebook shares in charity

was located in the basement of the New York home she shared with her husband, former US?president Bill Clinton.

Powell issued the statement after veteran political journalist Joe Conason released an excerpt from his upcoming book about Bill Clinton that recounts a 2009 dinner party for Hillary Clinton hosted by former secretary of state Madeleine Albright. Powell was in attendance, along with other former secretaries including Henry Kissinger and Condoleezza Rice.

During dessert, Powell advised Clinton to use a personal email account while in office, as he had done, according to the passage from the book ‘Man of the World: The Further Endeavors of Bill Clinton’ provided to AP. Powell reportedly told Clinton that his use of personal email to communicate with his staff had been “transformative for the department”.

According to Conason’s retelling, Clinton replied that she had already decided to continue using the private server in her home she had relied on during her 2008 presidential bid.

The Clinton campaign declined to comment on whether the account of the dinner conversation described in Conason’s book is accurate.

In his statement, Powell said he has “no recollection” of his purported dinner conversation.

Indo-Canadian minister becomes first woman head of govt in Parliament

Toronto Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made history last November by appointing four Indo-Canadians to his cabinet.

Now, he’s made some more by giving the added responsibility of being Leader of the Government in the House of Commons to Bardish Chagger, making her the first woman to hold the post in Parliament.

This is a fairly significant promotion for the 36-year-old, first-term MP from Waterloo in the province of Ontario. Chagger was the first Indo-Canadian woman to become a minister when she was appointed as the minister of small business and tourism.

In a brief statement on Friday, Trudeau expressed his confidence that Chagger will be a “worthy successor” to Dominic LeBlanc, who also holds the portfolio for fisheries, oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard.

With her added responsibility, Chagger will be a key player in the lower house of the Parliament for shepherding legislation through the House of Commons.

She will face the challenging task of working with opposition parties to further Trudeau’s agenda.

Chagger indicated she may opt for a cooperative stance. She told the media in Ottawa, the Canadian capital and seat of its Parliament, “I really do believe that we can all work together.”

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US judge sends 83-year-old father of Indian-American Congressman Ami Bera to prison for a year

San Francisco In the first gesture to fulfil his pledge that he and his wife made last year, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has sold $95 million of the social networking giant’s shares.

According to a US regulatory filing, The Chan Zuckerberg Foundation and CZI Holdings LLC sold Facebook shares worth $95 million before taxes, Forbes reported on Saturday.

“The sales likely netted more than $85 million after capital gains taxes, the report added.

The couple plans to give away no more than $1 billion worth of stock each year through 2018.

Last December, Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan pledged to donate 99 per cent of their Facebook shares -- about $45 billion -- to advance human potential and promote equality for children.

Declaring the “Chan Zuckerberg Initiative” as they welcomed their

first girl Maxima Chan Zuckerberg, the couple said they have created a new foundation that would initially focus on “personalised learning, curing disease, connecting people and building strong communities”.

“As you begin the next generation of the Chan Zuckerberg family, we also begin the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to join people across the world to advance human potential and promote equality for all children in the next generation,” they posted in a 2,200-word letter to their new-born daughter on Facebook.

“We will give 99 per cent of our Facebook shares during our lives to advance this mission. We know this is a small contribution compared to all the resources and talents of those already working on these issues. But we want to do what we can, working alongside many others,” the couple wrote.

WASHINGTON A California judge has sentenced the 83-year-old father of IndianAmerican Congressman Ami Bera to one year in prison after he pled guilty to illegally funneling money to his son’s election campaign in violation of US law.

In a case that drew wide attention because of the age of the defendant, District Judge Troy Nunley showed little sympathy for Babulal Bera despite his advanced years and medical condition that included spinal surgeries and recovery from prostrate cancer.

“This is more than just a naive person who doesn’t know how elections work. The defendant’s efforts were calculated,” he observed during the sentencing hearing in Sacramento, California, rejecting a probation officer’s recommendation that he be spared time behind bars.

Although there is no age limit to serving in prison, the officer had cited two sections of federal sentencing guidelines addressing a defendant’s age and family ties and responsibilities while making the case for non-custodial probation.In court filings, Bera Sr’s attorneys also showed that

he has had two knee replacement operations, two spinal surgeries and prostate cancer, for which he continues

to receive regular checkups.The senior Bera had pleaded guilty in May to laundering $260,000 in illegal contributions to his son’s campaign through straw donors.According to prosecutors, Bera senior facilitated 130 improper contributions duringAmi Bera‘s 2010 and 2012 election campaigns, reimbursing many donors to get around the $2500 contribution limit permitted under law.“Babulal Bera knew the law when it came to campaign contributions, but he tried to beat the system using straw donors,” said Monica Miller, special agent in charge of the FBI Sacramento field office that investigated the case.Bera, 51, narrowly won both elections after recounts following tight margins, and remains the only Indian-

American lawmaker in Congress. He is up for a third term in November concurrent with the Presidential election, facing another tough fight.

Bera Jr, who was not in the courtroom when the sentencing was announced, had said he was not aware of the violations by his father and prosecutors agreed that he and his campaign were not in the loop.But in a statement, the lawmaker said he was distraught by the sentence given his father’s advanced age and health condition.

“This is one of the most difficult moments my family has ever experienced. My dad is 83-yearold and my mom is 82, and Janine and I are worried about both of my parents,” he said in a statement. “Of course I’m absolutely devastated and heartbroken for how today’s decision will impact our entire family. But my father has accepted what he did was wrong, he has taken responsibility and I love him more than words can express,” he added.Babulal Bera, a chemical engineer, immigrated to the United States from Rajkot in 1958. Ami Bera was born in Los Angeles and is one of 19 physicians in the 435-member House of Representatives.

Issue 681 (30)

23 - 29 August 2016

UK Prime Minister Theresa May faces Dalit problem LONDON One of the top items in Prime Minister Theresa May’s in-tray is the outlawing of caste-based discrimination in British law, with rival groups intensifying lobbying

on the issue that has passionately divided the Indian community in recent years.

Caste-based discrimination is not expressly prohibited under equality legislation, but section 9 of the Equality Act 2010, as amended, requires the government to introduce secondary legislation to make caste an aspect of race, thereby making caste discrimination a form of race discrimination.

According to the timetable announced by the coalition government, whose tenure was from 2010 to 2015, the key secondary legislation was to be introduced in the summer of 2015 but this did not happen. The ruling Conservative Party accepts the position of various Hindu, Sikh and other groups opposing such a law, while Labour and Liberal Democrats support it. The May government’s position, as revealed in the House of Lords recently by minister of state for home Shirley Williams, is “that we all want the same thing, which is to ensure that there is an appropriate level of protection for everyone against the harm of caste discrimination”. She added, “I know the whole House supports this aim.”At the end of

a debate that included calls for speedy action to enact the secondary legislation, Williams said, “The real question is how best to achieve that for the benefit of everyone, which is exactly

what this government are currently considering.”Dalit communities in Britain are estimated to be 480,000 strong, and, according to two reports commissioned by the government, they face discrimination in education, employment and the provision of public goods and services. Several organisations have campaigned in support of a law banning castebased discrimination. Those opposed to the secondary legislation say there is a need for more consultations.Jasdev Singh Rai of the British Sikh Consultative Forum told Hindustan Times: “We hope the new Prime Minister will initiate a proper consultation on the ill-informed caste legislation in UK. There are too many colonialist assumptions in the written material and speeches which led to the legislation in the first place.“The research used shows poor scholarship and is not objective at all. There are also vested interests from some evangelic religions to promote caste identification and then blame Indian Dharmas for it.”

Satish Sharma, general secretary of the National Council of Hindu Temples UK, said in an open letter on the eve of last

elections: “The Conservative Party is the only party which has consistently listened to us and voted against this legislation and whose members are committed to repealing the caste amendment if re-elected.”

The Anti-Caste Discrimination Alliance, comprising caste-based and other groups, said: “We have a new Prime Minister who says she is committed to fighting injustice in the UK and that she has a vision of a country that ‘works for everyone – not just the privileged few’.“We hope this vision plays out in practice and we have written to the PM calling on her to outlaw caste discrimination without any further delay. We are also pursuing all other options to ensure that victims and future victims of caste-based discrimination in the UK (no matter what their caste) are legally protected.”In a landmark judgement in September 2015, a woman from Jharkhand who faced many restrictions and difficult conditions while working for an Indian-origin couple in Britain was awarded £184,000 in a case that involved overtones of caste-based discrimination.

British police on their toes after finding three severed human feet

LONDON British police were putting in the legwork on Thursday to track down the owners of three severed human feet found in mysterious circumstances.

The feet were found in and around the tourist spa town of Bath, southwest England -- and now detectives are taking steps to track down their rightful owners.

The first foot was found in February, with two more discovered in July and August.

A comprehensive investigation concluded that the first foot was more than likely to be an exhibit from a medical or educational establishment and was not the result of a crime.

Ongoing tests on the other two feet are expected to reach the same conclusion.

“We are confident no crime has

been committed and strongly believe the feet have come from an old private collection,” said detective inspector Paul Catton of Avon and Somerset Police, as they searched school grounds.

“All three feet show signs they have come into contact with animals and it is likely that they have been moved to the locations they were found from a specific source,” Catton said.

“The source is most probably someone who used the feet as a teaching aid.

“We believe someone knows something about where these feet have come from and would appeal for them to get in touch,” he added.

“The last thing we want is for a member of the public to come across one of these unpleasant finds.”

US man charged with murder sticks out tongue at victim’s family Pennsylvania A man expected to plead guilty to murder in Pennsylvania shocked the court by declaring his innocence, sticking out his tongue at the victim’s family and saying “ha ha ha ha” several times.

Jeffrey Knoble Jr. told a judge Thursday that he was “an innocent man” and was forced to take a guilty plea. He then turned to the victim’s family and began taunting them.

The 26-year-old would have faced life in prison without parole had he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder.Knoble is accused of

shooting 32-year-old Andrew White in the back of the head in March 2015 in Easton and then recording video of White’s corpse

on a cellphone. Authorities say White had rented a room at the motel for Knoble because Knoble had no place to stay.

benefits, including income support while living with her employed partner.

Additionally, investigators uncovered unused medication at the woman’s home which they said cost the national health service 145,900 pounds.

Prosecutor Malcolm McHaffie said the woman was “motivated by dishonesty and greed”.

“As a result of her extraordinary cruelty, this individual is now going to spend a significant amount of time in prison,” he said in a statement.

“That a mother should go to such lengths of child cruelty, spanning at least 10 years, to support the false and exaggerated benefits claims that she made is beyond comprehension,” McHaffie added.

The conviction was the

culmination of a three-year investigation, after child protection authorities alerted police that the mother may have been lying about her children’s health.

A total of 114 witnesses gave evidence in the case, which resulted in the woman being found guilty of charges including fraud and child cruelty.

Stuart Parsons, an investigating officer, said he found it “staggering” that the mother’s own actions led to her children undergoing unnecessary medical treatment.

“She lied at every opportunity, presenting herself as a lone parent coping with ill and vulnerable children.

The reality was that she resided with her partner and fabricated her children’s conditions for personal financial gain,” he said.

Mother jailed in UK for child cruelty to claim benefits LONDON A woman in Britain was jailed on Monday for subjecting her children to unnecessary medical procedures so that she could claim hundreds of thousands of pounds in state benefits.

The unnamed woman from Croydon, south London, was jailed for seven and a half years after she spent at least a decade pretending her son and daughter suffered from a string of health problems.

Following the mother’s complaints the children underwent surgery to have feeding tubes fitted to their stomachs, despite their being able to eat normally.

Her son was administered steroid medication to treat severe asthma, although while he was at school he did not

show the symptoms described by his mother.

The boy was also encouraged

As a result of the supposed health problems the 48-year-old woman falsely claimed 87,400

by his mother to show symptoms she believed were consistent with autism, police said in a statement.

pounds ($112,550, 100,630 euros) in disability benefits.

Police said she falsely claimed a total of 375,200 pounds in

Issue 681 (31)

23 - 29 August 2016

London opens first night tube

LONDON Midnight at bustling Oxford Circus Underground station in the heart of London, a band is playing and weekend revelry is only just beginning for some residents of the Big Smoke.

Excited Londoners and tourists jostle to be among the first to take the Night Tube - a new service that will see the Victoria and Central lines run all night on Fridays and Saturdays.

“It’s great that the tube’s going to be open all night,” said Omar Khan, a 27-year-old clothing designer who was planning to party through the night with his friends.The Night Tube is seen as a boost for revellers, tourists and shift workers, who on Friday and Saturday nights will now be able to travel on the network at any chosen hour.“I think it’s about time that London caught up with other major cities in the world,” said Jade Hectol, an English language teacher.

London has a vibrant party scene but relatively few venues are open past 1 am, an early finish compared to cities such as New York, and most pubs still serve their last drinks at 11 pm.

Washington and Berlin’s subways stay open all night on weekends, while New York and Copenhagen’s metros run 24/7.

Advocates of the Night Tube also emphasise its benefits on the rest of the cultural sector,

with theatres and galleries now able to stay open late if visitors can get home.

“This is about offering access to people who work in London throughout the night as well as those who enjoy the entertainment of London as well,” said Steve Griffiths, chief operating officer for the night tube.

“So we are serving many different people with many different requirements and this is fantastic for London and now we are part of that 24/7 operation,” he added.

The new service was inaugurated

by London Mayor Sadiq Khan and there are plans to extend the scheme later this year to the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines, with the latter reaching Heathrow airport.

It is expected the night tube will transport about 200,000 people between now and the end of the year.

The night-time service was scheduled to start in September last year but was delayed by a dispute with trade unions over staff conditions and pay.

Concerns have also been expressed about the safety of the new service, after a leaked internal assessment by operating firm Transport for London indicated that sexual offences and other crimes are likely to increase.

Punjab polls: Kejriwal, Vishwas to visit Europe to drum up support London Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Kumar Vishwas will visit Europe in September to enlist support for the party’s campaign for the assembly elections in Punjab, party officials said in London on Thursday.Kejriwal will visit Italy in the first week of September while Vishwas is due to arrive in Britain in September-end, Sandeep Bisht of AAP UK told Hindustan Times. Both countries have a significant population of Punjabi origin.

The UK unit of AAP has been holding a series of events in towns and areas with large minorities of Punjabi origin, who maintain close links with the state. Congress leaders from Punjab too are due to meet leading members of the community in Southall and other areas.Several new members joined AAP during events in Leamington and Warwick in the Midlands earlier this month, including during the Leamington & Warwick Mela on August 14.

Similar events were held in

gurdwaras in east London.

“Not only youth but elders too want to be part of change in Punjab and are eager to see a corruption and drug-free Punjab,”

London.In February 2015, a sum of Rs 15 lakh was donated through the party’s website by Indian passport holders who received the “Flame of Hope”.

Bisht said.AAP UK coordinator Prayas Chaudhary said after the success of the “Flame Of Hope” programme across Britain before the 2015 Delhi election, a similar programme was launched in February in four cities for the Punjab elections.

Two party MLAs from Delhi, Adarsh Shastri and Jarnail Singh, toured Britain and participated in public events in Glasgow, Birmingham, Leicester and

AAP volunteers from Britain also travelled to Delhi for the elections.The party has had an office in Ealing, west London, since January 2014. Donated by an AAP supporter, the office was set up and funded by other supporters in Britain, and not by the Delhi-based party.

AAP supporters in Britain mainly comprise professionals from the IT, finance, retail and medicine sectors.

seen an increase in the proportion with a degree-level

qualification, however compared with the increase for white people (5.9 percentage points), Indians saw the largest increase (18.1 percentage points),” says the report by the UK’s Equality and Human Rights Commission.

“The lowest unemployment rate was among Indians (9.2%) and the highest among Pakistanis/ Bangladeshis (17.3%), African/ Caribbean people (15.5%) and mixed ethnic minorities (15.2%),” it said.The report titled ‘Healing a divided Britain: The need for a comprehensive race equality strategy’ warned that the UK must tackle the problem of an “entrenched” race divide in the country.

Indians in UK most educated among ethnic minorities: Report

London The Indian-origin population in the UK tends to be more educated and fewer are unemployed when compared to other ethnic minorities, according to a new report released on Thursday, even as it warned that Britain must tackle the problem of an “entrenched” race divide in the country.In some cases, Indians out-performed even the white British population, with a higher percentage increase in those with degree level qualifications.

“Since 2008, all ethnicities have

Indians come off best in grim UK race report London Britain’s Indian community is among the best performing communities on several social indicators, according to a major report on race relations released on Thursday that paints a grim picture about state failure to tackle “deep-rooted race inequality”.

Titled “Healing a Divided Britain”, the report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) reveals a “very worrying combination” of a post-Brexit vote rise in hate crime and longterm systemic unfairness and race inequality in British society.

Reviewing race equality across every aspect of people’s lives, including education, employment, housing, pay and living standards, health, criminal justice and participation, the report said the 1.4 million-strong Indian community is among the top performers, particularly in

education.

Indians saw the largest increase (18.1 percentage points) in degree-level qualification between 2008 and 2013, while unemployment was lowest

among Indians (9.2%) and highest in the Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities, the report said.On pay, it said “the Indian ethnic group did not experience a significant reduction in average pay which

resulted in a positive pay gap in 2013; Indians were paid 8.9% more per hour on average than the White ethnic group”.

Except for Indian and Chinese women, the report revealed

women from other ethnic communities earned significantly less than their white counterparts. Indians also had the lowest child poverty rate, it added.

However, the report noted that

India, with 75 cases, was among the top five countries linked to cases of forced marriage handled by the Foreign Office. The cases involved a British national being forcibly married to a non-British national in countries such as Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Somalia.

EHRC chair David Isaac said: “The combination of the postBrexit rise in hate crime and deep race inequality in Britain is very worrying and must be tackled urgently. Today’s report underlines just how entrenched race inequality and unfairness still is in our society.”

He added, “If you are black or an ethnic minority in modern Britain, it can often still feel like you’re living in a different world, never mind being part of a one nation society. It is very encouraging to hear the new Prime Minister’s commitment to tackling inequality.”

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Balti Brexit: No EU protection for unique UK cuisine London It’s a version of food from the Indian subcontinent developed by immigrants in the 1970s, but Brussels has poured cold water over the spicy hot and tingling “Birmingham Balti” cuisine for which protected status was sought under European Union regulations. Lovers of the unique cuisine developed in Birmingham are furious and have accused Brussels of anti-Britain bias. The campaign that lasted six years was aimed at securing the TSG (traditional speciality guaranteed) status for Birmingham Balti under EU’s rules.

The application for TSG status, moved by the Birmingham Balti Association (BBA) and supported by the British government, defined the cuisine as “a fast cooked curry dish which can be made using chicken, fish, meat or vegetables”.

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“The Birmingham Balti is cooked and served in a thin steel wokshaped bowl called the balti, from which the dish gets its name,” the application said.

However, the EU said in a recent ruling: “Some different varieties of balti are allowed; those varieties are not definitively identified. The colour of the dish changes (either lighter brown or more reddish) depending on which ingredients are added.”

It added, “The additional ingredients and spices may but not have to be added. It is therefore not possible to determine what the final recipe to be followed is.”

TSG status would have given the dish legal protection against imitation across the EU. TSG status is not geographically bound, so if anyone meets the specification and is audited to prove it, then they can use the name Birmingham Balti.

BBA’s Andy Munro, who led the consortium of balti restaurants behind the application, said: “This is a shameful way to treat such a well-loved British food institution. It shows crass insensitivity to the ethnic diversity of modern British cooking.

“In the final analysis, they don’t ‘get’ that balti is a method of cooking rather than a recipe albeit that every restaurant uses the same base ingredients, then overlaying this with spices of

World’s ‘largest aircraft’ gets off ground

LONDON The world’s “largest aircraft” embarked on its maiden flight on Wednesday, four days after a previous attempt was abandoned due to technical issues. The Airlander 10 - part plane, part airship - took to the skies amid cheers and applause from crowds gathered at an airfield in Cardington, central England.

The successful flight comes 85 years after another airship - the ill-fated R101 - took off from the same airfield in October 1930 before crashing in France, killing 48 people and effectively ending the development of airships in Britain. Originally developed for the US army as a surveillance aircraft, the 92-metre- (302 feet) long Airlander 10, also has potential uses in the commercial sector, such as carrying cargo, according to makers Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV). The firm, which describes the Airlander as the

“largest aircraft currently flying”, received a British government grant of 2.5 million pounds ($3.7 million, 2.9 million euros to develop the project.The Airlander can fly at up to 4,880 metres (6,000 feet) and reach speeds of 148 kilometres per hour (92 miles per hour), according to HAV.Filled with helium, it can stay airborne for more than two weeks unmanned and up to five days if manned.Its first flight was delayed on Sunday due to a technical fault, which was resolved in time for the aircraft to take off in clear weather conditions for Wednesday’s 30minute flight.HAV CEO Stephen McGlennan said the aircraft was cheaper and greener than helicopter technology.“It’s a great British innovation. It’s a combination of an aircraft that has parts of normal fixed wing aircraft, it’s got helicopter, it’s got airship,” he said.

their own choice.”

Munro added, “It’s nonsense when you consider the Neapolitan Pizza has the mark when it’s just pizza dough,

their traditional method of slow cooking meat on the bone (chicken, lamb and beef) or vegetables, usually in an earthenware pot called a ‘haandi’

tomatoes, cheese and basil. It’s all a bit disappointing especially when the UK government were happy with our application.”

According to the BBA, it was seeking TSG status to “preserve this unique food, as a fusion between the traditions of South Asian and British cuisine”.

An area of Birmingham is called the “Balti Triangle”, where many popular Balti restaurants are located.

The history of Birmingham Balti goes back to the 1970s, when people from Mirpur in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, displaced by the Mangla Dam project, migrated to the UK and brought with them

or a cast iron receptacle called a ‘karahi’ over low heat.

As the cuisine became popular in Birmingham, it was named balti because Brummies found it easier to pronounce than ‘karahi’.

The earthernware pot gave way to thin pressed steel bowls with two handles, similar to a wok, about 22 cm in diameter, which was called a balti.

In its application, BBA set out five characteristics of Birmingham Balti, which, it claimed, combined to “differentiate it from other curries whether cooked for both the indigenous UK population or Indian subcontinent palates”.

These characteristics are: For meat baltis, the meat is cooked off the bone rather than on the bone as in other curries in the traditional “one pot” cooking of the Indian subcontinent; the meal is fast cooked in a balti at high temperatures over a high flame very quickly; vegetable oil is used instead of ghee; dried spices are used, with the exception of fresh ginger and garlic puree and prepared generic commercial curry pastes and powders are not used; the meal is served in the thin pressed steel wok in which it is cooked and traditionally eaten with fingers, using naan bread.

Under EU rules, TSG status is given to “products which are traditional or have customary names and have a set of features which distinguish them from other similar products. These features must not be due to the geographical area the product is produced in nor entirely based on technical advances in the method of production.”

Indian dishes have been modified to cater to the British palate since Sake Dean Mohamed from Patna opened the first Indian restaurant in London – Hindustanee Coffee House – in 1810. The popular chicken tikka masala is one such dish that is considered a British invention.

Omran just one child among millions traumatised by Syria war Beirut Haggard and covered in blood, little Omran’s blank stare shook the world. But across war-torn Syria, thousands of children like him are traumatised by daily life under bombs and siege.

The footage of the shell-shocked four-year-old made headlines around the world and was dubbed by Washington “the real face” of Syria’s five-year war.

“Omran’s case isn’t rare -- we treat dozens of cases like him every day, with wounds that are typically worse,” Dr Abu alBaraa, a paediatrician in a rebelheld eastern neighbourhood of Aleppo, told AFP. The footage from activists at the Aleppo Media Centre shows Omran sitting quietly in an ambulance, his bare, dustcovered feet barely reaching the edge of the orange chair.

He touches his forehead with a tiny hand and seems surprised to see blood on his fingers -then wipes it off on the orange chair with the timidity of a child who feels he has done something wrong.

“There are thousands of stories of wounded children whose limbs have been blown off, with wounds to the stomach and head,” said Dr Abu al-Baraa.

A bombing raid on the rebel-held district of Salhin in Aleppo killed seven people on Thursday and wounded many more, he added.

“One child was wounded in the chest and head. We tried to stop

the bleeding and give him a transfusion, but he was in critical condition and he died.”

“He was almost six years old.

These are the cases we see every day.”

Despite the international outcry, Dr Abu al-Baraa said nothing would change.

Khaled Albaih drew Omran near Aylan Kurdi, the three-year-old whose tiny body washed up on a Turkish beach in September after a desperate attempt by his family to reach Europe by boat.

“Choices for Syrian children,” reads the bold text over the picture. Omran’s blank stare is

“The world can see videos of children every day on YouTube, the children dying in the raids, stuck under the rubble. But the world isn’t focusing on this.

These are just empty words.”

Omran’s haunting photo has sparked a series of caricatures and edited images.

In one, Omran sits unassumingly between US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, deep in discussion.

In another, the toddler occupies the seat held by Syria at the Arab League, as if to criticise international inaction on the crisis.And Sudanese artist

captioned with “if you stay,” and Aylan’s crumpled body with “if you leave”.

Online supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, meanwhile, shared photographs of children wounded in rebel fire on government-held parts of Aleppo city.

Once Syria’s economic hub, Aleppo has been divided by government control in the west and opposition fighters in the east since 2012.

Regime warplanes, backed by Russia’s air force since September 2015, bombard the eastern districts while rebel groups fire rockets into the west.

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23 - 29 August 2016

Brazilian chef wins World Sushi Cup TOKYO A Brazilian chef won the World Sushi Cup Friday, bursting into tears of joy after his knife skills and artful preparation of salmon roe, tuna and shrimp delicacies wowed Japanese judges.

With the country’s UNESCOrecognised cuisine enjoying an explosion of global popularity, the competition - sponsored by Japan’s agricultural ministry aims to improve sushi standards overseas.Dressed in white coats and hats, 27 chefs from countries ranging from France, Brazil and the US to Pakistan, nervously prepared fish and made traditional “Edo” style sushi, in tightly timed rounds.

Their techniques were closely watched and evaluated by a panel of Japanese sushi masters, with 20 chefs making it through to the finals on day two, where they had to show off their own original styles of sushi.

“I had fun,” said cup winner Celso Hideji Amano, 38, a Brazilian of

Japanese ancestry who shone in the traditional sushi making round, before busting into tears.

“It’s not an easy competition,” Usman Khan, a 32-year-old Pakistani chef working at a branch of the prestigious Nobu

restaurant chain in Cape Town, told AFP.“ You’re under a lot of pressure,” he said on Thursday, the first day of the competition.

The annual contest was first held in 2013 and Khan, who has competed twice and made it through to the finals this year, said it was a good challenge.

“What better way to test your limits by competing against other chefs in the same profession in Japan,” he said.

Khan first encountered sushi after he moved to South Africa from Kuwait 13 years ago. “I couldn’t believe people could eat raw fish,” he said. “I was disgusted initially but I got intrigued.” As of July 2015, there were 89,000 Japanese

Hindu marriage bill tabled in Pakistan’s national assembly

Islamabad The much-debated Hindu marriage bill has been tabled in Pakistan’s national assembly.

Member of the national assembly Ramesh Lal, one of the bill’s movers, said on Wednesday it took around 10 months for a house panel to clear the bill and another six months for its report to be tabled in the house.“The delay was possibly because of extraordinary debates and discussion around the bill, but at least now the government should consider tabling it in the house in the next session,” Dawn online quoted Lal as saying.The bill was approved by the standing committee on February 8, and has received support from the Hindu community and liberals.

However, some of the more

religious members of the Hindu community have expressed strong reservations regarding the bill’s contents, including allowing separated individuals to remarry.

It also gives a Hindu widow the right to remarry, of her own will and consent, six months after her husband’s death.

The cases of abduction of married Hindu women will stop once the bill is enacted, Dawn online reported.

The law would give the Hindu community proof of marriage in the form of a shadiparat, similar to a Muslim nikahnama.

Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan have consented to the federal government formulating a Hindu marriage law that they would then adopt.

Sindh has drawn its own Hindu marriage registration law.

restaurants outside Japan, up from 55,000 two years before, according to the ministry. But many establishments outside the country serve sushi without proper knowledge and skills, competition organisers said.

“Quite a lot of people are learning from the internet and books,” said World Sushi Cup chairman Masayoshi Kazato, who has worked as a sushi chef for more than four decades. “Improvement of the level of cooking and hygiene through this competition - that’s what we’re aiming for,” he said.

One of the contestants, French chef Eric Ticana Sik, 31, said his goal in participating was simply to learn more. “We are one of the countries that eat the most sushi in the world, but there is really a lack of training,” he said. “Only Japanese can teach us the basics.”Sik, whose signature sushi brings together elements of Japan and France by combining salmon and brie cheese, said he wanted to meet other chefs from around the world to “discuss and share” views. The origin of sushi dates back to the Heian Period (794-1185), when salted “funa” fish were fermented together with rice, according to the ministry. The current style was developed in the Edo Period (1603-1867) when the public began using vinegar mixed with rice.

Served pork, Pakistani man goes on hunger strike in Japan

Karachi After being served processed ham at a Yokohama immigration centre, a 48-year-old Pakistani man has been on a hunger strike for two weeks. This is a huge goof-up for the immigration centre as the man, being a Muslim, was prohibited by his religion to have pork.

Detained for undisclosed reasons, the man was served pork on August 3, and has been consuming only water and nutritional supplements since then. Immigration officials said his health is not in any danger, the Japan Today reported.

SECOND SUCH INCIDENT IN A YEAR These gaffes are being increasingly common, with this being the second such incident this year. A similar incident took

place in August 2015. The Yokohama area immigration mistakenly served another Muslim man a salad with bacon pieces. They later apologised for the administrative mistake. To reduce the number of such instances, a human rights group to protect the interests and rights of foreigners spoke with the immigration department this week. They were asked to take appropriate measures to make sure such an episode does not recur in future. The immigration office has the responsibility to provide meals keeping the religious customs in mind, and we request that this doesn’t happen again,said a representative of the group. In response the immigration department said, We regret that this has happened and we are swiftly investigating the cause.

Nice becomes latest French city to ban burkini

FRANCE Nice has become the latest French seaside resort to ban the burkini, the body-concealing Islamic swimsuit that has sparked heated debate in secular France, city officials said Friday.

Using language similar to bans imposed in a string of other towns on the French Riviera, the city barred apparel that “overtly manifests adherence to a religion at a time when France and places of worship are the target of terrorist attacks”.

The ban in Nice referred specifically to last month’s Bastille Day truck attack in the city that claimed 85 lives as well as the murder 12 days later of a Catholic priest near the northern city of Rouen.

Fifteen towns in the southeast, as well as others elsewhere in France, have already banned the burkini including nearby film festival host city Cannes, where three women were each fined 38 euros ($43) under the ban at the weekend.

Nice’s deputy mayor Christian Estrosi, from the centre-right Republicans party, wrote in a letter to Prime Minister Manuel Valls Tuesday that “hiding the face or wearing a full-body costume to go to the beach is not in keeping with our ideal of social relations”.

Valls came under fire after saying Wednesday that the burkini was “not compatible with the values of France and the Republic”.

The Socialist premier cited the tensions in France after the

jihadist attacks to justify his support for the mayors who barred a garment that he said was “founded on the subjugation of women”. France’s Human Rights League accused Valls of “participating in the stigmatisation of a category of French people who have become suspect by virtue of their faith”.Burkinis are a rare sight on French beaches, where a small minority of Muslim women can be seen bathing in ordinary clothes and wearing headscarves. Islamic dress has long been a subject of debate in France, which was the first European country to ban the Islamic face veil in public in 2010, six years after outlawing the headscarf and other conspicuous religious symbols in state schools.

Issue 681 (34)

23 - 29 August 2016

World’s highest glass bridge opened in China BEIJING The much-heralded “world’s highest and longest” glassbottomed bridge has opened to

visitors in central China.It connects two mountain cliffs in what are known as the Avatar mountains (the film was shot here) in Zhangjiajie, Hunan province.Completed in December, the 430m-long bridge cost $3.4m (£2.6m) to build and stands 300m above ground,

state news agency Xinhua reported.

It has been paved with 99 panes of three-layered transparent

glass. And according to officials, the 6m-wide bridge - designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan has already set world records for its architecture and construction.

Glass bridges in China have been a popular craze for the daring photo opportunities they provide. Events like mass yoga

displays and even weddings have been staged on several such bridges.One couple celebrated their special day by dangling in mid-air from a bridge in Pingjiang, also located in Hunan province. But how safe is it? This was the question on everyone’s minds as the city geared up for the bridge’s official opening. But officials have staged high-profile events to try and reassure the public of the bridge’s safety.Officials sent in sledgehammers and even drove a car, filled with passengers, across the bridge earlier this year.The BBC’s Dan Simmons was invited to take a bash at the bridge.Park officials have said a maximum of 8,000 visitors will be allowed on the bridge each day.So those wanting to add another thrill to their bucket list are strongly encouraged to book their slots in advance.

Dutch police dog sniffs out 1.3 million euros hidden in drug dealer’s car

Netherlands A Dutch police dog has sniffed out a fortune tucked into the trunk of an alleged drug trafficker’s car.

Amsterdam police announced on Friday that they had recovered more than 1.3 million euros ($1.47 million) from under the spare tire in the alleged trafficker’s Saab due to the

specially trained dog’s sharp sense of smell.

As part of the same investigation, police discovered 13 kilograms (29 pounds) of cocaine while raiding a house in Amsterdam.Police say they arrested three Albanian citizens, two men and a woman, on suspicion of drug trafficking and money laundering.

which killed 64 people, caused extensive structural damage, fires and collapsed buildings, raking up insurance costs of $5.6

insurance coverage meant that the insured losses amounted only to $400 million, Swiss Re said. Devastating wildfires in

billion, it said.

Simultaneously, on the other side of the world in Ecuador, a 7.3magnitude earthquake destroyed bridges and buildings, and killed 668 people.

While this was by far the deadliest single event during the first half of the year, low

Canada’s Alberta province, which forced the evacuation of some 100,000 people and saw sweeping shutdowns of oil operations, resulted in insured losses of $2.5 billion.

That makes it one of the costliest wildfire events in the insurance industry history, Swiss Re said.

Disasters cost $71b in first half of 2016 GENEVA From earthquakes in Japan to wildfires in Canada, disasters cost the world economy $71 billion (62 billion euros) in the first half of the year, reinsurer Swiss Re said on Thursday. That marked a 38-percent increase compared with the same period a year ago, the world’s number two reinsurer said, adding that only $3.0 billion was attributed to man-made events, while the remainder was due to natural disasters.At the same time, the human cost of disasters was far

lower, with some 6,000 people dying in catastrophic events in the first half of 2016, compared with12,000 during the first six months last year.The global insurance industry covered 44 percent of the disaster-linked losses, or $31 billion, up 51 percent from a year earlier.

Devastating thunderstorms in the United States and Europe were the costliest events for insurers during the January-June period, Swiss Re said.Three separate severe US weather events cost insurers over $7.0 billion, it said,

Pak man kills wife for ‘honour’, 14 years after killing first wife

with a single massive storm in Texas in April raking up insurance costs of $3.1 billion after large hailstones caused widespread damage.Europe was also slammed by heavy storms at the end of May and in early June, when France and Germany especially were hit with severe lightening storms and flash floods.

At least 18 people were killed in floods that trapped people in their homes, felled trees and power lines, cut off roads and rail lines and forced rescuers to navigate swamped streets in lifeboats.

The total insured losses from those storms and floods in Europe were $2.8 billion, Swiss Re said.

The series of deadly earthquakes that hit Japan’s southern Kumamoto prefecture in April,

Pakistan man takes ‘revenge’ for cruel stepmom, stabs 17 women, kills 1 Karachi Fourteen years after he killed his first wife, a Pakistani man has murdered his second wife by repeatedly stabbing her before slitting her throat with a knife, in the latest case of “honour killing” in the country.

Rahim Daad killed Farzana, 35, inside their home in Sindh’s capital Karachi early on wednesday, police said. Daad has been arrested and a knife was seized from him.

He repeatedly stabbed Farzana before slitting her throat, Dawn reported quoting a top police official.During interrogation, Daad confessed to murder his wife in the name of honour, the official added.Early Wednesday night, the couple had an argument over some issue following which Farzana wanted to leave the house and Daad. In an ensuing

scuffle, Daad took out his knife and killed her.

He stabbed her in the abdomen and then slit her throat.

The suspect had killed his first wife, a mother of three, citing that she too had shamed the family, the police said.

In Pakistan, the victims of “honour killings” are overwhelmingly women, with hundreds killed each year. The crime came under the international spotlight after social media celebrity Qandeel Baloch was killed by brother.

Baloch’s murder sparked an international uproar forcing the Pakistani government to announce strict action against those involved in her murder.

Rights groups have for years called for tougher laws to tackle perpetrators of violence against women in Pakistan.

Islamabad A Pakistani man has stabbed 17 women this year, killing one, in a misogynistic spree because he wanted “revenge” for a cruel stepmother, police in the garrison city of Rawalpindi said Friday.

Mohammad Ali, 22, targeted women in the streets at random from late January until this month, police investigator Malik Zulfiqar Hussain told AFP. “He told police, ‘I hate women, I was taking revenge,’” Hussain said.

“He has confessed to injuring 17 women,” Hussain said, adding that Ali had used a knife. “One of them was a hospital nurse, who died this week.”

Ali told officers his mother had died when he was young and his father married again, but that the second wife had mistreated him.

He has been charged with murder and attempt to murder, Hussain added. A second police official confirmed the account.

Ali said his only target was women of any age, and

described how he would lay in wait and attack whenever the opportunity arose, according to Hussain.

All the attacks took place in the streets of Rawalpindi, adjacent to the capital Islamabad.

Women in deeply conservative Pakistan have fought for their rights for years, in a patriarchal society where so-called “honour” killings and attacks on women remain commonplace.

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23 - 29 August 2016

No holds barred

BCCI ignores Lodha committee’s suggestions and announces AGM on Sept 21; draws domestic schedule excluding union territories and northeastern states

Compliance report to panel likely to be a mere formality

New Delhi THE BCCI is done with feigning co-operation and at the working committee meeting in the Capital on Monday, it decided that Lodha committee’s recommendations cannot be implemented in the current scenario. Not only did it go ahead with announcing the date of this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), September 21, but also drew the schedule for the upcoming domestic season without adding any new teams to the existing 27 sides. According to the suggestions of the Lodha panel, the BCCI needed to first conduct the state association elections under the supervision of electoral officers before conducting the Board’s AGM. But the BCCI felt it is best to carry out the AGM as per the existing constitution. As for the inclusion of new teams in the domestic fixtures, the Lodha panel had made it

clear that the BCCI needs to involve teams from the union territories and the northeastern states. But the BCCI refused to budge from its original stance. A senior BCCI official said the mood within the Board is defiant. “We are going all-out and will ensure that the Board’s position isn’t compromised.

The decision to announce the date for the AGM and then going ahead and drawing the schedule of this year’s Ranji Trophy should be enough for people to understand that we aren’t willing to let outsiders interfere,” the official told MAIL TODAY. Asked why the BCCI was going ahead and submitting a compliance report with the Lodha panel, he said: “You never really know. We just might give it a miss. Also, that will anyway be amere formality and any major changes will happen only after the verdict on the review petition that we have filed.”

Sania Mirza becomes sole world No 1 in women’s doubles after Cincinnati title New York Sania Mirza took sole possession of the WTA doubles number one ranking after teaming up with Barbora Strycova to beat former partner Martina Hingis and Coco Vandeweghe 7-5, 6-4 in Sunday’s Cincinnati final.

The 29-year-old will move alone to the top of the rankings, after she and Swiss Hingis ended their highly successful partnership last month as joint number

ones.The dominant pairing claimed 14 titles, including three Grand Slams. Hingis came to Cincinnati off the back of winning Olympics silver for Switzerland with Timea Bacsinszky in Rio de Janeiro. In the final on Sunday, Hingis and American Vandeweghe saw a 5-1 lead in the opening set evaporate, before Mirza and the Czech Republic’s Strycova hung in during the second to close out a straight-sets victory.

No-balls to be ruled by TV umpire in England-Pakistan series London The third umpire will be responsible for calling front-foot no-balls during the one-day series between England and Pakistan as part of a trial conducted by cricket’s world governing body.

The ICC says the move will “better understand whether the third umpire is able to use instant replays to call front-foot no-balls more accurately.”

On-field umpires will not be called upon to make the judgment in the five-match series starting Wednesday. The TV umpire will view replays from wide-on cameras and inform the on-field officials via a ‘pager’ watch that vibrates on their wrist if a no-ball has been delivered.

Adrian Griffith, the ICC’s senior manager for umpires and referees, says the trial results will

be shared with the ICC cricket committee, which

will advise on future action.

Issue 681 (36)

23 - 29 August 2016

Spanish publisher clones world’s most mysterious book BURGOS It’s one of the world’s most mysterious books, a centuries-old manuscript written in an unknown or coded language that no one - not even the best cryptographers - has cracked.

Scholars have spent their lives puzzling over the Voynich Manuscript, whose intriguing mix of elegant writing and drawings of strange plants and naked women has some believing it holds magical powers.

The weathered book is locked away in a vault at Yale University’s Beinecke Library, emerging only occasionally.

But after a ten-year quest for access, Siloe, a small publishing house nestled deep in northern Spain, has secured the right to clone the document - to the delight of its director.

“Touching the Voynich is an experience,” says Juan Jose Garcia, sitting on the top floor of a book museum in the quaint centre of Burgos where Siloe’s office is, a few paved streets away from the city’s famed Gothic cathedral.

“It’s a book that has such an aura of mystery that when you see it for the first

time... it fills you with an emotion that is very hard to describe.”

Siloe, which specialises in making facsimiles of old manuscripts, has bought the rights to make

898 exact replicas of the Voynich - so faithful that every stain, hole, sewn-up tear in the parchment will be reproduced.

The company always publishes 898 replicas of each work it clones - a number which is a palindrome, or a figure that reads the same backwards or forwards after the success of their first facsimile that they made 696 copies of... another palindrome. The publishing house plans to sell the facsimiles for 7,000 to 8,000 euros ($7,800 to $8,900) apiece once completed - and close to 300 people have already put in pre-orders.

Woman stabs three on Brussels bus in unexplained attack

London A woman stabbed and wounded three people on a bus in Brussels on Monday and was then shot and wounded by police, the public prosecutor’s office for the Belgian capital said.

Officials were not immediately available for comment but public broadcaster RTBF quoted unidentified sources as

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saying police did not believe the incident was politically motivated and that the assailant had mental health problems.

The local prosecutor’s office was handling the matter, not the federal body which deals with cases of suspected terrorism. The Belgian capital has been on high alert since local Islamic State militants carried out the attacks in Paris last November and suicide bombings in Brussels itself in March.

Since a man killed 85 people in Nice last month by driving a truck into Bastille Day crowds, a string of less violent incidents elsewhere on the continent has kept Europeans on edge.

Raymond Clemens, curator at the Beinecke Library, said Yale decided to have facsimiles done because of the many people who want to consult the fragile

manuscript.

“We thought that the facsimile would provide the look and feel of the original for those who were interested,” he said.

“It also enables libraries and museums to have a copy for instructional purposes and we will use the facsimile ourselves to show the manuscript outside of the library to students or others who might be interested.”

The manuscript is named after antiquarian Wilfrid Voynich who bought it around 1912 from a collection of books belonging to the Jesuits in Italy, and eventually propelled it into the public

eye.

Theories abound about who wrote it and what it means.

For a long time, it was believed to be the work of 13th century English Franciscan friar Roger Bacon whose interest in alchemy and magic landed him in jail.

But that theory was discarded when the manuscript was carbon dated and found to have originated between 1404 and 1438.

Others point to a young Leonardo da Vinci, someone who wrote in code to escape the Inquisition, an elaborate joke or even an alien who left the book behind when leaving Earth.

Its content is even more mysterious.

The plants drawn have never been identified, the astronomical charts don’t reveal much and neither do the women.Does the book hold the key to eternal youth? Or is it a mere collection of herbal medicine and recipes?

Scores have tried to decode the Voynich, including top cryptologists such as William Friedman who helped break Japan’s “Purple” cipher during World War II.

Mumbai business family distraught over kin joining ISIS, files FIR against preacher mumbai India is not foreign to the budding scare of youths leaving the country’s shores to join the ISIS. Now, the Mumbai police investigations in the missing Kerala youths case has revealed that five out of 21 people who allegedly joined ISIS were

from the same family.

This family is of Ashfaque Ahmed, son of a Mumbaibased businessman, Abdul Majeed. Ahmed left the country to join ISIS with his wife, infant daughter and two cousins. The cousins have been identified as 22year-old businessman Mohammed Siraj and 30year-old Ejaz Rehman, who is a medical practitioner by profession. A distraught Majeed has blamed three persons - Haneef Abdur Rasheed, a Kerala school teacher who travelled to Syria with Ashfaque, Navi Mumbai resident Arshi Qureshi and Kalyan resident Rizwan Khan - for instigating “his son to join the IS”.

FAMILY SHOCKED The family was alarmed when Ashfaque’s younger brother received a

message saying “I have migrated to the IS territory and I do not want to come back”.

Abdul Majeed filed an FIR on August 6 under sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), which is the country’s foremost antiterrorism legislation, which has been amended twice - in 2008 and 2012.

In the FIR, Abdul named Rasheed, Qureshi and Rizwan for instigating his son to join the terror group.

Haneef was arrested by the Mumbai police on August 13. Arshi and Rizwan were arrested in the case previously and are in the custody of Kochi police.

According to sources, the Mumbai police is now trying to confirm whether it was Haneef who sent Ashfaque to join ISIS. WHAT HAPPENED According to the FIR with Nagapada police, Abdul said there were changes in Ashaque’s behaviour as he inclined towards the Ahl-eHadees sect and converted to it in 2014. He got married in April 2014. Ashfaque informed us about his marriage later. He stopped listening to music, watching television, changed his clothing style and started sporting a beard.

Milk tea: Fuel for Hong Kong’s engine HONG KONG Some cities are fuelled by coffee. In Hong Kong, it’s milk tea that keeps things running - a potent nostalgia-infused caffeine hit, with fierce competition to brew the best in town.

There are thousands of restaurants offering the full gamut of international cuisines, but the city’s nofrills diner-style cafes, some of them decades old, remain perennial favourites with locals, and still do a roaring trade.

Known in Cantonese as “cha chaan tengs” or “tea restaurants” they serve up cheap local favourites, from fried egg sandwiches and buttery French toast to noodle soups and macaroni.

The standard accompaniment is a milk tea, or “lai cha” - a tangy, deep-tan brew made from blends of black tea strained repeatedly for strength, then mixed with condensed or evaporated milk.

The city gulps down around 2.5 million cups a day. At family-run tea shop

Lan Fong Yuen, on a hilly market street in Hong Kong’s Central district, business shows no sign of slowing after 60 years.

Owner Lam Chun-chung says the no-fuss nature of Hong Kong’s tea restaurants plays a big role in their popularity in a fast-paced city.

“People are always in a rush. Having a quick bite with milk tea is fast and convenient,” says Lam, who adds that his cafe has much more character than the growing number of sterile coffee shops.

“We represent the grassroots. When you are here you feel a sense of community,” he says.

Customers sit around shared wooden tables, many stopping for just 10 minutes to grab a quick breakfast or mid-morning boost.

A tea master juggles steaming pots on an electric stove, straining the hot brews through long cloth sieves - a key utensil for any serious Hong Kong “lai cha” joint.

The sock-like strainer has lent Hong Kong milk tea one of its nicknames: “stocking milk tea”.

At this cafe, tea is strained seven times to intensify the flavour.

Lam taught the current tea master his skills and still drinks a cup or two of milk

tea each day. It is an addiction, he says, but also a way to monitor standards.

Milk tea is a local institution and has even made it onto an official list of the city’s “intangible cultural heritage”. Hong Kong’s Association of Coffee and Tea says it is also building a global fanbase.

The association has been running Hong Kong milk tea contests worldwide for the past seven years, and they are growing.

Earlier this month, competitors from Hong Kong, mainland China, Canada and Australia all competed for the “KamCha” or “Golden Cup” award in the association’s largest tea competition, on home turf.

Local contestant Chen Chi-ping, 44, emerged victorious - he has been making milk tea in Hong Kong “cha chaan tengs” for 22 years.

“Every detail has to be strictly precise - the heat of the stove, the water temperature,” he says.

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Health Listening to music can be beneficial for cancer patients

Washington Listening to music can be beneficial for cancer patients as it leaves a positive impact not just psychologically but physically as well by alleviating symptoms of anxiety, pain, fatigue and boosting quality of life, a new study has suggested.

Published by the journal Cochrane Library, the study examined the impact of music therapy (a personalised music experience offered by trained music therapists) and music medicine (listening to pre-recorded

music provided by a doctor or nurse) on psychological and physical outcomes in people with cancer.

“We found that music therapy interventions specifically help improve patients’ quality of life.

These are important findings as these outcomes play an important role in patients’ overall well-being,” said Joke Bradt, Associate Professor at the Drexel University, at Philadelphia in the US. A total of 52 trials were examined in the review,

constituting of 3,731 participants with cancer where 23 of the trials were categorised as music therapy and the remaining 29 were classified as music medicine interventions.

Overall, one of the most impactful findings was that music interventions of all kinds resulted in a moderate-to-strong effect in reducing patients’ anxiety. There was a large treatment benefit for pain reduction while for fatigue, a small-tomoderate treatment effect was noted.

Here’s how to whiten your teeth using orange peesl!

New Delhi Who doesn’t like to have a bright, sparkling smile? A healthy teeth actually makes you look great and boosts self-confidence as well. While teeth discoloration is part of the ageing process, you can still fight it and avoid stains or tooth discoloration.

Teeth can also become yellow because of tobacco usage or the kind of food and drink (acidic) you consume, or sometimes it just runs in the family.

Teeth whitening is safe and effective under a dentist’s supervision, however, there are a number of natural remedies that can de done at home and get that radiant smile yet again. One such wellknown natural remedy being the orange peel, which has been extensively used for teeth whitening. That’s because the albedo (or white part of the orange peel) contains vitamin C, pectin, limonene, glucarate and soluble fiber which act as natural teeth whiteners.

Directions Just peel the orange and rub the white part of the peel over your teeth. Let the juice sit on your teeth for 3-4 minutes before brushing if off to remove the pulp and peel. But, make sure that the orange is thoroughly washed before peeling to remove dirt.

Other fruits that contain natural bleaching agents are lemons, strawberries, apples and raisins.

Small reductions in heart and respiratory rates, as well as lowered blood pressure, were also linked to music interventions.

“The results of single studies suggest that music listening may reduce the need for anaesthetics and analgesics, as well as decreased recovery time and duration of hospitalisation, but more research is needed for these outcomes,” Bradt added.

When comparing music therapy to music medicine, the team saw a moderate increase in patients’ quality of life when music therapy was applied however, there was not a similar effect in the case of music medicine interventions.

“Both music medicine and music therapy interventions play an important role in cancer care but we didn’t quite know yet which interventions may be best suited for which type of outcome,” Bradt said.

This is why you should drink water on an empty stomach!

New Delhi We always drink water whenever we are thirsty or after eating something spicy or a meal. But many might not know that drinking it on an empty stomach is considered good for health as it can cure almost all problems in your body.

Here are some benefits of drinking water on an empty stomach: Boosts immunity Water is necessary to maintain the fluid balance in the body and drinking it regularly on an empty stomach helps in boosting your immune system.

Clears bowels One should drink water regularly on an empty stomach as it helps in regulating the digestive tract and clears your bowels.

Prevents migraine attacks Drinking water on an empty stomach helps you get rid of headaches and migraine attacks. It also helps in keeping oral or dental problems at bay.

Helps weight loss Drinking water on an empty stomach can help you lose weight fast as it has no calories and drinking it at frequent intervals helps in keeping your stomach full.

Try these easy home remedies to get quick relief from acidity!

New Delhi Do you often suffer from acidity? Well, everyone must have suffered from it and excess stomach acid can cause uncomfortable symptoms, pain, and even severe health problems. One can opt for natural home remedies to treat acidity, instead of eating medicines. Here are some easy home remedies to get relief from acidity. Drinking cold milk helps in getting rid of acidity as the calcium in it prevents acid to build up and absorbs the excess acid produced, thereby

reduces the symptoms of the problem.

Mint leaves Mint leaves helps in reducing the pain and burning associated with acid reflux and also lower the acid content of the stomach because of its cooling properties.

Buttermilk Buttermilk contains the lactic acid that normalizes the acidity in the stomach.

Bananas Bananas helps to keep the level of acid production in your stomach in check as it is a rich source of potassium.

Tulsi leaves Tulsi leaves help in treating acidity as it stimulate your stomach to produce more mucous and also has antiulcer properties.

Chamomile tea If you are suffering from acidity then drink a cup of chamomile tea as it helps in reducing acid reflux symptoms.

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Bad relationship leads to poor sleep Your daily oral health routine: 10 tips for healthy teeth!

Ankara How well you think your partner understands and cares for you is linked to how well you sleep, new research suggests.

“Our findings show that individuals with responsive partners experience lower anxiety and arousal, which in turn improves their sleep quality,” said lead author Emre Selcuk from Middle East Technical University in Turkey.

One of the most important functions of sleep is to protect us against deteriorations in physical health.

However, this protective

function of sleep can only be realised when we have high quality uninterrupted sleep, known as restorative sleep.

Restorative sleep requires feelings of safety, security, protection and absence of threats. For humans, the strongest source of feelings of safety and security is responsive social partners - whether parents in childhood or romantic partners in adulthood.

“Having responsive partners who would be available to protect and comfort us should things go wrong is the most effective way for us humans to reduce anxiety, tension, and arousal,” Selcuk said.

Using data from the Midlife Development in the US project, past projects from the researchers showed connections between partner responsiveness, physical health and psychological wellbeing over several years.

“Taken together, the corpus of evidence we obtained in recent years suggests that our best bet for a happier, healthier, and a longer life is having a responsive partner,” Selcuk noted.

The results were published in the journal Social Personality and Psychological Science.

New Delhi We already know that brushing ouu teeth at least twice a day is essential as part of our daily routine.

Besides, good oral hygiene and regular visits to the dentist, there are many things you can do everyday to improve and keep your teeth healthy.

New Delhi: We already know that brushing ouu teeth at least twice a day is essential as part of our daily routine. Besides, good oral hygiene and regular visits to the dentist, there are many things you can do everyday to improve and keep your teeth healthy.

• Brush at least twice a day, preferably after meals and before bed.

• Floss your teeth at least once a day using slow and gentle sawing motion.

• Use fluoridated

Lack of fresh foods trigger warning signs of heart attack New Delhi Lack of easy access to fresh and healthy foods are the reason of disturbing nutritional trend of modern times.

Each fruits and vegetables, which we buy from supermarkets on a daily basis, has a unique history of nutrition loss.

Poor neighborhoods and limited healthier food choices may develop early signs of cardiovascular diseases.

Greater access to healthier foods may have promoted healthier diets and, in turn, less coronary plaque formation, suggested the study, published in the

journal Circulation.

“The lack of healthy food stores may help explain why people in these neighborhoods have more heart disease,” said Jeffrey Wing, Assistant Professor at Grand Valley State University.

Past studies have found that limited fresh food choices and numerous fast food restaurants in poorer neighborhoods were linked to unhealthy diets and have a greater likelihood of early atherosclerosis — a disease that hardens arteries and underlies many types of heart disease.

In this study conducted upon 5,950 adults,

researchers explored how the limited availability of recreational facilities, healthy food stores, neighborhood walk ability, and social environments may contribute to the early stages of atherosclerosis.

The participants underwent a CT scan to detect the amount of atherosclerosis in a person’s arteries. Of participants studied, 86 per cent had coronary artery calcium readings at three different times, with an average of 3.5 years between measurements.

The data suggested that decreased access to heart-healthy food stores is the common thread in

more rapid progression of coronary atherosclerosis in middle-aged and older individuals.

“We found that healthy food stores within one mile of their home was the only significant factor that reduced or slowed the progression of calcium build up in coronary arteries. Our results point to a need for greater awareness of the potential health threat posed by the scarcity of healthy grocery options in certain neighborhoods,” said Ella August, Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan.

toothpaste that can help prevent tooth decay.

• You should change your toothbrush about every three months, or sooner if the bristles are frayed.

• Eat a balanced diet that includes plenty of fruits and vegetables.

• Include sources of protein such as meat, eggs, fish, beans, dairy foods (ideally lower-fat options) an dother non-dairy sources of protein.

• Limit sugary, acidic foods and drinks to prevent tooth decay.

• Drink tea – both black and green tea contain polyphenols, or compounds

that can destroy or limit bacteria growth, according to the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Drinking tea can help prevent bacteria from producing acid that contributes to tooth decay.

• Chew sugarless gums after a meal can help to keep your mouth moist as well as stimulates saliva production, which washes bacteria away and neutralises acids.

• Do not smoke or use smokeless tobacco as it can stain your teeth, cause bad breath, increases your risk of gum disease and oral cancer.

Weight gain during pregnancy may lead to preterm birth Washington Abnormalities in interval between pregnancies, mother’s body mass index (BMI) prior to pregnancy

and the amount of weight gain in pregnancy can lead to preterm birth, a new study has found.

The study, published in the journal Maternal and Child Health Journal, showed that if these factors were modified, it could reduce the risk of premature births.

“The highest risks for premature birth were in women who were underweight, had poor weight gain during pregnancy, or short periods of time between pregnancies. Excessive weight gain in obese women also increased the risk,” said Emily DeFranco, Associate Professor at the University of Cincinnati.

DeFranco and her colleagues conducted the study from birth records

of nearly 4,00,000 people.

Potentially modifiable risk factors for preterm birth were present in more than 90 per cent of women in the study. Fewer than half of women begin pregnancy with a normal weight, and only 32 per cent achieve the recommended pregnancy weight gain. “Attention should be paid to educational interventions on the importance of birth spacing, achieving an optimal pre-pregnancy weight, and ensuring adequate nutrition and weight gain during pregnancy. Improvements in these modifiable risk factors could have significant influence on premature birth and infant mortality worldwide,” DeFranco added.

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CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

FRENCH TOAST Ingredients: 2 cups heavy cream 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 8 large egg yolks 1 brioche or challah loaf (12 oz.), cut into 1-inch thick slices 8 tbsp. unsalted butter Confectioners’ sugar, to garnish Instructions: In a large bowl, whisk the cream with the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and egg yolks until the custard is smooth.

Place 2 slices brioche in the custard, holding them in the custard for 20 seconds a side to ensure they are completely soaked through.

In a large nonstick skillet or electric griddle, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Remove the bread from the custard, add to the pan, and

cook, flipping once, until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the pain perdu to a serving platter and repeat with the remaining butter, brioche, and custard.

Dust the pain perdu with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

CHILE CON QUESO Ingredients: 2 tbsp. unsalted butter 2 serrano chiles, stemmed and seeded, then diced 1 jalapeño, stemmed and seeded, then diced 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 tbsp. flour 1 cup milk 1 cup canned diced tomatoes, with juice 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro 3 cups grated cheddar cheese (about 12 oz.), 3 cups Monterey Jack cheese (about 12 ounces) 1/2 cup sour cream Kosher salt Tortilla chips, for serving Instructions: Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat; add chiles and onion and

Ingredients: 2 cups flour 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. kosher salt 1 cup unsalted butter, softened 1 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla extract 2 cups chocolate chips (mixture of semi-sweet, milk, and white) Instructions: Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of a hand mixer until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one

at a time, beating well after each addition until smooth; beat in vanilla. Add dry ingredients, and beat until just combined; stir in chocolate chips. Roll cookies into 4-ounce balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet about 4-inches apart. Refrigerate for 4 hours or up to overnight.

Heat oven to 350°. Bake cookies, rotating once halfway through, about 15 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

GOAN COCONUT CAKE

cook 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer; whisk in flour and cook for 30 seconds. While whisking, pour in milk and continue to cook until sauce is thick, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cilantro and reduce heat to mediumlow. Slowly add in cheeses, 1/2 cup at a time, until it has completely melted. Stir in sour cream and salt and serve with tortilla chips.

Ingredients: 4 cups semolina 1 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt 2 1/2 cups superfine sugar 1/4 cup coconut oil 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing 4 eggs 1 (13 1/2-oz.) can coconut milk 1/4 cup cream of coconut 1 1/2 tsp. rosewater 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut Instructions: Line a 8-by-8–inch square cake pan with parchment paper; grease with butter, then set aside.

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; in a large bowl, beat sugar, coconut oil, and butter on medium speed of a hand mixer until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time,

WATERMELON-BASIL COCKTAIL

PINEAPPLE AND PORK TERIYAKI SKEWERS

Ingredients: 1/2 oz. fresh lime juice 1/2 oz. simple syrup 4 (1-inch) cubes yellow watermelon flesh 4 fresh basil leaves 2 oz. tequila 1/2 oz. yellow Chartreuse Instructions: In a cocktail shaker, combine the lime juice and zest with the syrup, watermelon, and 3 basil leaves. Using a muddler, crush the ingredients and then add the tequila, yellow chartreuse, and ice. Cover and shake vigorously for 15 seconds, and then strain into a collins glass filled with ice. Garnish the cocktail with the remaining basil leaf before serving.

Ingredients: 7 tbsp. dark soy sauce 7 tbsp. mirin 7 tbsp. sake 1 tbsp. sugar 1 1/2 lb. pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces 1/2 pineapple (about 12 oz.), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes 1/2 small red onion, cut into 1-inch pieces 2 tbsp. olive oil Thinly sliced scallions, to garnish Instructions: In a small saucepan, combine the soy sauce with the mirin, sake, and sugar.

Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until the sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the teriyaki sauce cool completely. In

beating after each addition until smooth.

Add half the coconut milk and cream of coconut, then half the dry ingredients, and beat until just combined; add in remaining coconut milk and cream of coconut, plus the rosewater, mixing well to combine. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix well; fold in shredded coconut, then pour batter evenly into prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap, then refrigerate overnight. The next day, heat oven to 350°.

Unwrap cake, then bake, turning halfway through, until golden brown, about 90 minutes. Cool cake completely before cutting and serving.

a medium bowl, toss the pork with 1 cup of the teriyaki sauce and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Light a grill. Thread pieces of pork with pieces of pineapple and onion onto wooden skewers, and then brush all the skewers with the olive oil. Grill the skewers, turning as needed and basting with remaining teriyaki sauce, until cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the skewers to a serving platter and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle the skewers with scallions before serving.

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