The contact

THE CONTACT WEEKLY NEWSPAPER ISSUE - 647, 29 DEC. 2015 - 4 JAN. 2016 PH: (905) 671 - 4761

Cops track 40 men aged 16 to 22 for sympathies with global terror outfit WHILE ON one hand Home Minister Rajnath Singh claimed that family values have acted as deterrents for the Islamic State ( ISIS) in India, the Karnataka Police, on the other hand, has 40 youths from the state under their scanner for showing lineage to the terror outfit.

The police have a keen watch on the youths, who hail from communallysensitive districts of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Chikkamagaluru, HubbaliDharwad, Belgavi and Kalburgi. They are monitoring the youth especially on social media.

However, cops claim to have ‘ de- radicalised’ and ‘ reformed’ another 20 youths in six months with intervention.

According to the Karnataka Police, central intelligence agencies had indicated that youths from south India were more vulnerable to ‘ radicalisation’ by the ISIS. The theory gained more significance following the arrest of techie Mehdi Masroor Biswas, who tweeted extensively on behalf of the terror organisation from Bengaluru. Since his arrest, the police had, through a special cell,

enhanced surveillance of social media accounts of other suspected ISIS sympathisers. “ We have been following the intervention route. We are not being aggressive by directly filing cases without conducting an inquiry. If we find going to an extreme end, we first approach their parents and inform them and later counsel the youths. This approach has worked for us. We have been successful in changing the minds of over 20 youths, who wanted to identify themselves with the Islamic State,” a source in the police said.

The youths who are under the police scanner are in the age group 16- 22. “ We are monitoring social media accounts, messages, posts, Internet usage patterns and the kind of websites they are surfing.

We want to know if they are in touch with any of the Indian youths, who have already joined the ISIS or they are interacting Social media accounts being monitored with the terror outfit’s propagandists in West Asia,” a senior police officer said. The police have also collaborated with leading Islamic scholars and madrasas across the state

ISIS crisis in coastal India to curb the spread of any ISIS propaganda at work places. “ It is clear that Indian Muslims do not

approve of the ISIS philosophy and their inhuman ways. Only a few get swayed towards the

Pinky Files Affidavit As Witness Against Police Who Killed Punjab Youth Over Last 30 Years CHANDIGARH In a petition moved in the Punjab & Haryana High Court via counsel Rajwinder Singh Bains to bring extra judicial massacres of Sikh youth under record, former cat turned Police cop Gurmeet Pinky has filed an affidavit that he is ready to depose in Court against the police officers responsible for

fake encounters. The niece of Shaheed Bhagat Singh is learnt to be among the petitioners.

Expressing danger to his life, Gurmeet Pinky has demanded security from the Court under a witness protection program, facilitated in law. Pinky has stated that he concrete certain of his statements given in various

interviews. Pinky has asserted in the affidavit that he was witness to the abduction, illegal detention, inhuman torture and staged encounters of innocent Sikh youth

by Police officers.

He has added that all this was done at the behest of senior police officers.

Continued on Page 2

terror outfit by reading on the Internet and watching the outfit’s videos.

Continued on Page 2

Gurmeet Pinky: ‘Cat’ turned Informer

Issue - 647 (2)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

ISIS crisis in coastal....

Continued from Page 1 They are also aware that they can reach ISIS territory from India. Our aim is to educate youths to stay away from this line of thinking,” the source added.

The police have also employed linguistic experts, including those in Arabic and Urdu, as many posts of the 40 youth are in these two languages.

“We want to understand their psyche and take action.

Recently, the father of a youth in Dakshina Kannada called the police and requested them to counsel his ISIS sympathiser son.

We agreed and were successful in our attempt,” a police officer from Dakshina Kannada district said.

Pinky Files Affidavit As Formal Witness...

Continued from Page 1 Due to winter vacations, a hearing on the petition is expected to be held on January 5, 2016 before Justice Rajesh Bindal. It is noteworthy that in interviews with journalist Kanwar Sandhu, Pinky had made many shocking revelations about the extra-judicial activities of Punjab police during the

so-called militancy period.

He had stated that SSP Ajit Sandhu was extensively pressurized by the former DGP KPS Gill to assassinate Advocate Jaswant Singh Khalra. He had also revealed that the family of Bhai Balwinder Singh Jatana was assassinated by Ajit Poohla at the behest of Sumedh Saini.

Palmyra arch to be recreated with largest 3D printer New York The 2,000-year-old arch of an ancient site destroyed

by Isis is to be recreated in Trafalgar Square and Times Square as a ‘call to action’ over the militants’ destruction of antiquities.

The famous arch is all that remains of the Temple of Bel in Syria, which was reduced to rubble by Isis militants in August, who murdered its curator and packed the site with explosives.

But the 15-metre arch, which many fear will soon be destroyed, is to be recreated in London and New York, using the world’s largest 3D printer.

Paris attacks dog gets Dickin Medal Paris A French police dog who was killed in a raid after the Paris attacks is being honoured with a top bravery medal.

Diesel, a sevenyear-old Belgian Shepherd, died during an operation targeting the suspected organiser of the attacks, which killed 130 people. He’s now going to receive the PDSA Dickin Medal - the animal equivalent of the

Victoria Cross. flat on 18 November, five The hashtag #JeSuisChien days after the attacks (I am a dog) was trending happened. He was sent in to check if the area was clear.

“He did a tour of the first room, then he went into the second room and dashed forward,” explained Diesel’s handler, whose identity is being kept anonymous for security on Twitter soon after reasons. “I think he’d Diesel’s death. Diesel died found someone. Then I of multiple gunshot wounds lost sight of him and the during the raid on a Paris gunfire started again.

The project is funded by the destroy the nearby Temple capture 1million 3D images institute of Digital of Baalshamin in the of the world’s most Archaeology (IDA), who complex and then blew up endangered sites so they could be recreated if destroyed. They have issued 5,000 low-cost cameras to volunteers to help with the project so the historic sites can be digitally recorded.

The arch at Palmyra was damaged before it could be captured to the IDA are using images from archaeological surveys, aerial shots, and even some taken by tourists to create the proposed models. say it is a ‘call to action’, the larger Temple of Bel These will be made using a to draw attention to what is days later at the end of huge 3D printer, a happening in Syria, Iraq, August. technology that they hope and now Lybia.

The whole of Palmyra, will one day be capable of IDA executive director including the four recreating the entire Roger Michel said: ‘We are cemeteries outside the temple. saying to them if you walls of the ancient city, The printer will make the destroy something, we can has been listed as a world model in parts, made of rebuild it again. The heritage site by UNESCO powderstone - a lightweight symbolic value of these since 1980. composite that will not sites is enormous, we are UNESCO, the U.N. damage the York paving restoring dignity to people,’ heritage agency, has called slabs in the iconic Trafalgar reports The Times. He the destruction an Square. added: ‘We selected the ‘intolerable crime against Parts will be made in arch as a specific tribute to civilisation.’

Shanghai, taken to Italy to the last remaining portion of Isis has also destroyed a be finished, then brought to the ancient site. sadly, I number of other historic Britain where they can be don’ think it will be around sites in neighbouring Iraq as put together like a Lego set for very long.’ Isis overran it tries to erase pre-Islamic in the shadow of Nelson’s Palmyra in May, then in history because the group column.

August murdered Khaled condemns the worship of It will be constructed in a Asaad, 82, who worked as idolatry. However, the IDA - day and will be on show for head of antiquities there for based at Oxford and a week, but Mayor Boris more than 50 years. They Harvard universities and Johnson, is said to have beheaded him and strung with an advisory board asked about keeping the his body up. including mary beard - is model in the square The terrorists went on to undertaking a project to permanently.

Mountain Pakistan walls off glacial lake flash floods BAGROT VALLEY Nestled at the foot of five snow-capped mountain peaks in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan province, the villages of the Bagrot valley face fearsome flooding risks.

As glaciers retreat, they leave behind lakes supported by ice dams or accumulations of rock and soil. Inherently unstable, these dams often burst, sending huge volumes of water rushing into the villages below them. But a project to build protective structures around vulnerable villages has found a way to lessen the risks and the damage.

“Outbursts can trigger a release of millions of cubic metres of water and debris in a few hours,” said Khalil Ahmed, national manager of the Pakistan GLOF (Glacial Lake Outburst Flood) project. But walls can help divert the water, he said.

The four-year, $7.6 million project, which focuses on Bagrot valley in GilgitBaltistan and Bindo Gol valley in the northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

province, has since 2011 built flood diversion walls around more than 10 vulnerable villages. Some of the barriers are made up of concrete steps, while others use stone-filled wiremesh cages to divert floodwater, debris and ice

away from buildings and land and instead direct it into the rivers flowing through the valleys.

With funding and logistical support from the UN’s

Adaptation Fund, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Pakistan government, the project is already producing promising results, experts say.

When a glacial lake burst

in April 2014 and another in July 2015, both triggering flash floods in the Bagrot valley, the walls saved village properties and maize and vegetable crops from being washed away, said Shahadat Noor, a potato farmer in Bagrot. “The structures veered the floodwater flow off the settlements and croplands, sending it gushing safely through the valley,” he told Thomson Reuters Foundation. Local people say the project has also helped mountain communities regain confidence in their ability to withstand such floods.

“We do know we cannot control glacial melt and erratic or intense rains,” said Mazhar Hussain, a community development specialist who runs the Dubani Development Organisation, which works on the Pakistan GLOF Project.

In first, Russia closes Red Square for New Year’s Eve

MOSCOW Moscow’s Red Square, traditionally a place where people gather to ring in the New Year, will be closed to revellers on December 31, city authorities said Monday, amid mounting security concerns. This year, police will turn back everyone showing up at the square for the countdown to midnight sounded by the chimes on the Kremlin’s tower clock, Moscow security chief Alexei Mayorov was quoted as

saying on city hall’s website.

The official reason given for the unprecedented closure of the square, one of Russia’s top tourist attractions, was the filming of a live concert for state-run Channel One television that only a select audience will be allowed to attend. Mayorov said the police would tell anyone else that wants to join in “that Red Square is closed for an event and that there are a lot of other places around where people can have a wonderful time.”

Issue - 647 (3)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

Issue - 647 (4)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

Modi celebrates Christmas in Pakistan!

Modi took the world by surprise as he tweeted on his way back from Kabul that he will make a stopover in Pakistan.

Nothing like personal rapport between leaders to put diplomacy on the fast track.

No one knows it better than the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi who’s a game-trier despite the odds he is confronted with. In Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif he may have found an able ally for peace, a just peace where both sides can walk away as winners. The objective is to leave behind decades of mistrust that have led to conflicts between the two countries separated at birth. India and Pakistan have a history of strained ties that hit a nadir in the second half of the year when the rhetoric from both sides rose to a high, while guns boomed along the common border in Kashmir. Indian PM Narendra Modi’s invitation to Saarc leaders last year was forgotten amid the din of noises drowning out moderate voices of reason.

So how can the two men, not friends as

THE CONTACT STAFF: EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sunny Bains Lt. Hon. President : Dr. (Prof.) Darshan Singh Executive Editor: Kanwaljit Kaur Bains EDITOR Vinny Bains Foreign Editor: Syed Asif Shahkar (Sweden) Sr. Assistant Editor: Prempal Bajwa Marketing Executive Vinny Bains Special Correspondents: Balkar Chatha France Financial Advisor : Sarabjit Singh Sagoo Photographer: Sandeep Brar 647 294 4948 Head Office: 2-7015 TRANMERE DRIVE, MISSISSAUGA ONTARIO CANADA L5S 1T7 For Advertisement : Call Kanwaljit 416-899-2548 Tel: 905-671-4761 TOLL FREE: 1-888-371-2548 FAX: 1888-982-2818 EMAIL: INFO@AJITWEEKLY.COM

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

yet, rebuild a strained relationship from scratch and rise above the myriad distractions that separates their countries? Modi showed promise at the start of his tenure, but ties with India’s neighbors have gone downhill since then, Sri Lanka being the lone exception. The Indian PM’s surprise visit to Lahore on Friday to wish Sharif on his birthday is an attempt to build on the impromptu but warm meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the Paris climate change conference earlier this month. It’s shorn of convention, a leap of faith for peace, and can be termed a major breakthrough as the archrivals have avoided such gestures in the past.

December 25 is a big day for Pakistan as it is the birthday of the founder of the nation Muhammad Ali Jinnah, a statesman respected on both sides of the border.

Modi’s timing was exquisite: Sharif’s granddaughter’s wedding, the Pakistan PM’s birthday and also the birthday of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, what better way than to disarm him.

A visit from a Modi, whose party parrots a hawkish line on Islamabad, is a pleasant departure from the oftrepeated script that has taken the countries nowhere. Much better than cold shoulders and chillier agendas. It does not always have to be summit meets and two month-long run ups replete with analyses and projections of doom and gloom. Neither Modi nor Nawaz Sharif lost face, lost ground or any of those vitally important elements that comprise the Indo-Pak equation. One was the friendly visitor bringing greetings and the other a gracious host. We don’t know what these leaders discussed but two hours at home with the Sharif family, a home-cooked meal and Modi spraying charm, the atmosphere could hardly have been icy.

A house of marriage is a wonderful place in the context of the subcontinent and the organized chaos is warmly infectious. The odds are their conversation made more progress than half a dozen of those stiff backed, stern, mean-spirited token table meets that pockmark 70 years of unease and three wars in this relationship. Must be the first time two leaders from these countries have discussed family and what’s for dinner, not Jammu and Kashmir.

While this is the first visit by the current Indian PM, and that too with no stated

agenda, it could boost confidence building measures, SUNNY BAINS and subsequently lead to normalization of relations. Both Sharif and Modi have shown their for meeting on their own terms-not anyone eagerness to bury the hatchet and else’s. cement a new era in their checkered Second, as I have said earlier in this relationship, as they rubbed shoulders in article, the apparent spontaneity of Modi’s Ufa and Paris. They went a step further stopover in Pakistan is also an attempt when their national security advisers and to create a new normal in India’s regional foreign secretaries met in Bangkok to lay engagement, something the prime the ground for Indian Foreign Minister minister attempted when he invited the Sushma Swaraj’s visit to Islamabad leaders of eight South Asian countries to earlier this month for the Heart of Asia his inauguration ceremony in May 2014. conference on Afghanistan. A lot of If he is to be serious about regional speculation has followed about the integration, Modi’s conviction is that he circumstances and implications of the must make meetings with leaders in his visit, much of it uninformed if not neighborhood more routine. Indiacompletely erroneous. Despite being the Pakistan (or, for that matter, Indiafirst visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Bangladesh or India-Nepal) summits must begin to resemble meetings between, say, two European or two Southeast Asian leaders, barely making news even in their home countries rather than being intensely debated or held hostage to domestic pressure groups.

This, Modi seems to believe, is the only way forward for the region as a whole.

Third, the meeting in Lahore should not be misinterpreted as a radical change in India’s Pakistan policy. Nor does it mean, as some critics are suggesting, that India is Pakistan in almost 12 years, the somehow dropping its guard or ignoring meeting’s full significance will only make the threat of terrorism emanating from itself known in due course. But a few Pakistan. The Indian government has points are worth considering. repeatedly made it clear that attempts First, by meeting without advance public at derailing normalized relations-whether notice, Modi and Sharif have effectively or not supported by a ‘meddling’ de-linked India-Pakistan engagement Pakistani military-will be met with from the pressures of domestic political appropriate retaliatory measures. All too opposition and the media. The almost often over the past year-and-a-half, farcical circumstances surrounding the India’s twin-track approach to Pakistancancellation of talks between India and developed after a steep one-year learning Pakistan’s National Security Advisors curve-has been mistaken for policy (NSAs) in Delhi earlier this year schizophrenia. Modi’s visit on December demonstrated the extent to which the two 25 rather nicely complements, rather countries’ media-rather than the than contradicts, measures taken in the leadership-were determining the pace and past (and possibly again in the future) to nature of diplomatic engagement. This deter and dissuade destabilizing was clearly unhelpful and unproductive. activities by terrorist and insurgent actors Precedents for less formal and less and Pakistan’s security forces. Overall, scripted meetings were partially set by after some dramatic ups and downs in the prime ministers in Paris and by the India-Pakistan relations, both sides can NSAs in Bangkok. But in Lahore, Modi be content to have ended the year on a and Sharif effectively set a new standard high note.

ISIS flags in Kashmir ‘more adventure and mischief than inspiration’ Despite being condemned by the senior most separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, every Friday a bunch of boys display the Islamic State (ISIS or IS) flags near the Jamia Masjid in downtown Srinagar.

The youths have been doing it almost every week, ever since the flags first appeared during a protest a year ago, worrying many that the dreaded group should find a stronghold in the Valley. But the security forces are not worried at all.

Top police officials say there is hardly any presence of the IS on the ground in the Valley and that the youths hoist the flags “just to annoy the security forces”. “In the past one year, 9 or 10 boys were arrested for raising the IS flags, but during interrogation it was found that they were doing it just for adventure and there was

no real connection,” says a senior police official on condition of anonymity.

The officer said the Pakistani flags thar are being raised have been a common sight ever since militancy began in the

Valley in the early ‘90s, and are no longer getting the media attention they used to.

“Even those who were detained have no idea what the (IS) ideology is. It is just that the flag has a verse from holy Quran

written on it and they think it represents Islam,” the police officer added.

The boys hoisting these flags are mostly students that have been involved in stone pelting in the past as well. The flags are made with cloth purchased from local vendors. The cloth is later cut up “secretly” at home.

“The same cloth used for Pakistani flags is used for IS or (militant group) Lashkar-e-Toiba flags as well,” a source said.The source added that the religious couplets on the flags are stitched either by a trusted tailor or by the boys themselves, with a portable sewing machine hidden in a “quite corner” of their homes. The sources, who know the youths, admit that the boys have sympathy for the IS, but even they deny that there is any external hand involved in the hoisting of flags.

Issue - 647 (5)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

3 Hyderabad youngsters held at Nagpur airport for trying to join IS

Artists often sketch their paintings before they go over them in ink or oil.

While those pictures are still in the pencil stage, they can be changed. The question now is, ‘What view of the future are you getting?’

Are you seeing a provisional image or an incontrovertible expression? Actually, it’s not a question. It’s not even a suggestion. I need to alert you to your own power to shape the way things turn out. You don’t have an entirely blank canvas, but you can still choose much of what goes on it. !!!

From an early age we are all conditioned to think along certain lines. We are trained to see some things as good, others as bad. We are rewarded when we conform with the norm and chastised when we question convention. One of the things that gets drummed home to us before we can even walk or talk is that life must be about progress.

It is never enough for things to stay as they are.

Always, there must be a new development.

Sometimes, though, it’s fine for things to stay as they are. As you’ll soon see! !!!

‘Life,’ they say, ‘is what happens to us while we are busy making other plans.’ That’s not necessarily such a bad thing. Our plans aren’t always especially smart. Even when our great schemes and dreams come to fruition, we can’t be sure that they will satisfy us. Life, though, is essentially benign. It never wants anything other than the best for us. Often, even when it seems to be restricting or limiting us, it’s simply steering us down the wisest road.

You will like what it is planning for you! !!!

You may not win every

battle, but if you stride bravely, you may yet feel you have won a war.

You may not get what you want, but you will end up with what you need. You may not have a sensible explanation for the way you feel, but your heart is in no doubt about what’s right.

That’s fine. The surface of the pond may be full of ripples, but the vast body of water is still and sure. To experience the truth of this, go beyond the superficial. Look at the essence of what is happening. !!!

We live in a world of endless options. There are so many things we can do, places we can go, people we can meet, ideas we can explore.

Faced with overwhelming, bewildering choice, we close ourselves off by developing strong opinions. ‘I don’t like this.’ we say. ‘That’s not my thing.’ Yet in turning down too much too fast, we may rob ourselves of the chance of a wonderful experience.

As you now say ‘no’ to something you thought was right but wasn’t, consider saying ‘maybe’ to something you once dismissed. !!!

If you are only halfhearted, the best you can expect to feel is half-happy. If you are only half-happy, what is the other half of you going to feel like? Don’t you deserve better? It might even make more sense to throw yourself completely into misery.

At least, if you get totally into your negative emotion, you will sooner or later have no option than to face it and change it. Really, though, there is no need for that. Focus on what makes you half-happy.

You may yet find a way to let this make you completely content.

Three Hyderabad-based cousin brothers were arrested at the Nagpur airport on Saturday following an alert that they were trying to leave the country to join the Islamic State (IS) terrorist outfit.

The Maharashtra antiterrorism squad (ATS) and Telangana police jointly arrested the trio, between 20 and 25 years, months after they were put under watch for being influenced by online IS propaganda.

Later, officials said the three youth identified as Umar Hassan Farooqui, Abdul Wasim and Zamir Farooqui were reportedly planning to board a flight to Srinagar from Nagpur after arriving from Hyderabad on Friday.

“We got information that the youth would be boarding the early morning flight,” an official said. “The youth, who came to Nagpur by cab, were handed over to

the Telangana counterintelligence cell.”

The trio travelled to Nagpur on state road transport bus

dropouts, told investigators that they were lured by IS propaganda on social media.

and went to the airport to board an Indigo flight to Srinagar from where they had planned to leave for Afghanistan to join IS. Among the three, two were earlier held in Kolkata in September 2014 where they were allegedly planning to cross over to Bangladesh and proceed to Iraq. The duo, reportedly engineering college

They were released and sent home after detailed counseling because they had not committed any crime. However, both were under strict police surveillance since then.

Officers immediately started a hunt after parents of the three young men informed neighbourhood police stations that the “boys” were missing since

Thursday morning and their cell phones switched off.

Before travelling to Nagpur, they had gone to the Nalgonda home of a SIMI activist who had died in a road accident in 2014, officials said.

So far, around 20 young men, mostly from Telangana, have been prevented from travelling to Syria, ostensibly to join IS. Indian security establishment suggests that around 20-odd Indians are currently fighting for the banned outfit in Iraq and Syria.

They include two youth from Kalyan on the outskirts of Mumbai, an Australia-based Kashmiri, one from Telangana, one from Karnataka, one Oman-based Indian and another Singapore-based Indian. In 2014, a youth from Kalyan returned home after spending about six months with the IS. He was arrested on arrival in Mumbai.

Russia’s interests coincide with Taliban’s in fight against IS Russia is exchanging information with the Taliban and sees shared interest with the insurgents when it comes to counteracting the spread of the Islamic State group, a senior Russian diplomat said on Wednesday. “Taliban interests objectively coincide with ours,” Zamir Kabulov, head of the department at the Russian foreign ministry responsible for Afghanistan who is also a Kremlin special representative in the country, told Interfax news

agency. “I have said before Afghanistan and the Taliban he said, using an acronym that we have of Pakistan have said that for the IS. “That is very communication channels they don’t recognise (IS important,” added Kabulov, an Afghanistan expert who held negotiations with Taliban leader Mullah Omar in the mid-1990s, when the group seized a Russian transport plane and held seven Russians hostage for a year in the Kandahar airport.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed Kabulov’s remarks were with the Taliban to leader Abu Bakr) al- reported correctly. “It has to exchange information,” he Baghdadi as a caliph, that do with fighting the Islamic said. “Both the Taliban of they don’t recognise ISIL,” State group,” she said.

Karachi begins search for wives of IS affiliates for funding group The Karachi police has started a search for a group of women, whose husbands are suspected to be affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) and have conducted terror attacks in the city. The women are part of a wing that is mainly responsible for generating funds for the terror group, says a report in a local newspaper.

After collecting money for terror operations, reported The Express Tribune, the women would give it to the male members of the group, who then passed it on to their head honchos.

“They (the women) sent darkhwasts [requests] to well-off women, seeking

donations for the IS by using the name of (Faith Academy) school,” explained an official of the counter-terrorism department (CTD). “After collecting the money, they used to hand it over to the

male wing of the outfit,” he added. “Then Adil Butt, the recently-arrested CEO of a local college, used to hand over the funds to a person who would use the money to buy weapons and

explosives.”

Earlier this week, Sindh province counter-terrorism chief Raja Umar Khattab announced the uncovering of a network of women, which was tasked by militants to arrange the marriages of their operatives and raise funds for their operations.

Though there are around a dozen women in this group, six of them were particularly active in collecting funds from different parts of the city.

Three of them are accused of abetting the Safoora bus carnage in May 2015, in which over 40 members of the Ismaili community were killed.

Issue - 647 (6)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

Miss Universe Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach pens a heartfelt note to Miss Colombia Melbourne After Steve Harvey’s blunder that grabbed the headlines left people buzzing, the newly crowned Miss Universe Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach penned a heartfelt note to Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutiérrez, urging her fans not to spread hate.

Wurtzbach took to Instagram

and Facebook to say that they would be bonded together forever through the controversial end to this year’s pageant.

The 26-year-old actress post read as, “To Ariadna, you are an amazing woman and we are now bonded together forever by a unique experience.

In the last 3 weeks we were

together, I saw how strong and beautiful you are inside and out.”

She continued, “You represented your country with honor and I know how proud everyone must be of you. Fate has a plan for you, and I’m excited to see what’s ahead. And to all the fans who are still fighting about

this Please let’s all stop now.”

Alonzo also urged those spreading hateful messages and are fighting online about the pageant to stop now.

This sex worker slept with Who are ‘comfort women’, why were record more than 4000 men they forced into into sexual slavery?

Harare A sex worker in Zimbabwe has revealed that she had slept with more than 4,000 men during her three-decade long career as prostitute.

Sylvia Kandeya, who hails from Mount Darwin, now plans to end

her enterprising career which she had operated in and around the Madondo shopping centre here.

Sylvia, who is considered as godmother of all sex workers due to her long stint in the profession, said that all sex workers that come and trade at Madondo Shopping centre “pass through me and my register has more than 20 of them”.

She has been one of the popular sex workers in the locality. But did she end up being so popular?

Sylvia said: “The only work that I have done in my life is to sell sex services for close to three decades; I am 55 years now and I

don’t remember the exact number of men that I have offered services but kana kuma 4,000 vanosvika (the number may be as high as 4,000)”.

On average, “I used to sleep with more than 7 men per day but now things have changed; I going into retirement, it’s now one or two men per month,” allafrica.com quoted her as saying.

She said that she had good income when she was young.

“I managed to buy a stand here in Mt Darwin Township, built a house and I also sent my children to school,” she said.

She said that she had sub-divided her house into several rooms where other sex workers can stay and pay me rentals. And sometimes when the business is low, “I give them time to make money and pay later.”

With the current economic challenges facing the country, all is not well, as sex workers here are even paid $1 for a quickie and $5 for the rest of the night, but long ago they used to charge between $10 and $20 a night.

Sylvia has said that she is HIV positive but that’s not the reason for her retirement, it is due to her age.

London Comfort women were women and girls who were forced into sexual slavery by Japanese Army during and after the second World War. Most of these women were abducted from their homes in countries like Korea, China, Philippines, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia (all of them occupied by Japanese Army).

They were kept in Japanese Army’s military stations located in these countries as sex slaves.

In some case these women were also lured with job offers in factories and restaurants.

Need for comfort women stations: Several military correspondence of Japanese Army tell that the idea behind ‘comfort women’ was to prevent Japanese soldiers from committing rape crime in countries of their deputation and prevent the spread of Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among soldiers.

First comfort station was established in Shanghai in 1932. Earlier comfort women were mostly Japanese prostitutes, who volunteered for the services. But as the Japanese Army expanded its operations to other countries, the need for more comfort

women was felt.

Why is comfort women issue now in news: On Monday, South Korea and Japan reached a landmark agreement to resolve the issue. The issue has long plagued ties between the neighbours.

Korea’s Yun Byung-se.

“Prime Minister Abe, as the prime minister of Japan, once again expresses his feeling of heartfelt apology and remorse to all those who, as ‘comfort women’, experienced much suffering and incurred incurable psy-

The Japanese government feels “deep responsibility” over the comfort women issue and will contribute to a fund to help the women, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida told a news conference after a meeting with South

chological and physical wounds,” Kishida said.

Yun said South Korea will consider the matter resolved “finally and irreversibly” if the steps pledged by Japan are fully carried out.

Owner of China’s collapsed gypsum mine commits suicide

Australian band sparks outrage with nude photo shoot Los Angeles Australian pop punk band 5 Seconds of Summer have come under fire after its members posed

naked for a magazine cover.

The band’s members -- Luke Hemmings, Calum Hood, Ashton

Irwin, and Michael Clifford -posed for the January issue of Rolling Stone magazine.

However, fans have been left reel-

ing due to the content of the band’s interview in the issue, with some even suggesting it can’t be

true due to it’s shocking nature, reports mirror.co.uk.

In particular, comments made by Hemmings about having sex with lots of girls while on tour has caused upset. Confused fans took to Twitter to question the interview. One wrote: “Sitting here and wondering what 5SOS’ publicists were thinking when they approved this Rolling Stones feature.”

Others suggested it has been taken out of context, adding: “Why do I feel like the whole 5SOS Rolling Stones article was taken way out of context and no one will confirm it for us.”

While others just hope the whole thing is fake.

“I really really hope that Rolling Stones article is fake BC if not then the reality of 5sos being nice guys is dead for real,” wrote a user.

Beijing The owner of a gypsum mine in China committed suicide by jumping into a well during rescue operations for 17 workers still trapped in mine after it collapsed two days ago killing one person.

A total of 29 people were working underground when the mine collapsed on Friday in Pingyi County, Shandong Province.

One worker was dead, four managed to escape, and seven others were rescued.

Ma Congbo, chairman of Yurong company that owns the mine, drowned himself by jumping into the water when working together

with the rescue team in the early hours today.

Zhang Shuping, mayor of Linyi city, said more than 700 rescuers are trying to rescue 17 workers who are still trapped underground.

Rescuers have drilled a hole to get to one of the locations where the workers are trapped, and are trying to transfer good and waters and contact the workers, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

According to China Earthquake Networks Centre, the collapse was caused by an earthquake measuring 4 on the Richter scale in Pingyi County.

Issue - 647 (7)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

New secret ISIS document reveals Noted Syrian journalist who uncovered ISIS Aleppo atrocities murdered in Turkey about sex slaves and more In a shocking disclosure, new secret ISIS documents reveal how it has set up organised departments to split the war booty including women for sex.

The papers, discovered by the US troops, show the status of stolen oil, valuable ornaments and the slaves they shared.

“This really kind of brings it out,” the dailystar.co.uk quoted Brett McGurk, who

is President Barack Obama’s special envoy in the region, as saying.

He said that the documents show “The level of bureaucratisation, organisation,

the committees.”

The report said that the US Special Operations Forces had seized the documents during a raid in May which killed top ISIS financial official Abu Sayyaf.

It further said that many of

the computer files contain twisted religious rulings, or fatwas.

Some give permission for fighters to rape female prisoners or wannabe jihadis in the West to steal from their parents so they can fund their travel to the Middle East, the report said.

A ruling found last week showed permission had been given to take body parts from dead civilians. This has sparked concerns ISIS are trafficking body parts around the territories it has won.

The new revelations come as jihadists murdered a woman because she was breastfeeding her son in public in the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa in Syria.

Iraqi troops retake key base in Ramadi from ISIS

Iraqi troops have retaken the key base in Ramadi from Islamic State of Iraq

and Syria (ISIS), said officials. According to The Guardian, the progress in

the ground offensive launched last week has been slow with the mili-

tants entrenched in a city that remains home to thousands of civilians

trapped in the midst of the battle. Sabah al-Numani, a spokesman for the government forces, said that ISIS has been defeated in Ramadi.

He said that now they would clear possible pockets in the city.

However, a US defence official said on Sunday that it was not clear whether the complex had been regained.

He said that they are not able to confirm if they have cleared the government center.

US police fatally shoot nearly 1,000 civilians in 2015 A total of 965 American civilians were shot and killed by the US police in 2015,

ing weapons such as knives, toy weapons or cutting instruments, but 90

and black unarmed men were six times as likely as whites to be shot dead by police, a report said on Sunday.

Among the victims of the police shootings, 564 were armed with a gun, 281 armed with less threaten-

were unarmed, Xinhua quoted a Washington Post report.

Only nine percent of the shootings involved unarmed civilians, but they were disproportionately black, according to the Post’s analysis.

Although black men make up only six percent of the US population, they account for 40 percent, or 36, of the unarmed men shot to death by police in 2015.

The Post also found that a hugely disproportionate number - three in five -- of those killed after exhibiting less threatening behaviour were black or Hispanic.

In most cases, the police officers were not indicted for excessive use of force.

In 2015, only 18 officers were indicted as result of the killings, though it nearly tripled the number in the past decade, which averaged five per year.

There were 47 such indictments in the years between 2005 to 2014.

Naji Jerf, a prominent Syrian journalist and filmmaker, who had exposed the atrocities committed by the Islamic State in Aleppo through a series of documentaries, was shot dead by unknown assailants in broad daylight in Gaziantep, Turkey.

That is the third assassination of a journalist during the last three months in Turkey.

Naji Jerf, the editor-in-chief of the Hentah monthly, was acclaimed for his documentaries describing violence and abuses on Islamic State-controlled territories in its stronghold Aleppo.

As per reports, Naji Jerf was killed close to a build-

ing housing Syrian independent media outlets in the Turkish city of Gaziantep.

stalled nearby, according to Turkish news outlet T24 website.

In October, two Syrian

According to reports, he was hit by a bullet in the head as he was walking in the street. Jerf was immediately rushed to a hospital, where he died.

The attack was captured by security cameras in-

journalists, Ibrahim Abd alQader and Fares Hamadi additionally an early member of RBSS group have been discovered slain in an condominium within the city of Urfa in southeastern Turkey.

Osama bin Laden’s former bodyguard dies in Yemen Osama Bin Laden’s former bodyguard Nasser al-Bahri has died after a long illness, medical sources in Yemen confirmed.

According to The Daily Star, Bahri, a Yemeni national, was believed to be in his 40s when he passed away on Satur-

day in a hospital in the southern city of Mukalla.

Bahri, also known as Abu

Jandal, was Bin Laden’s driver in Afghanistan. He was released from Guantanamo Bay and returned to Yemen in 2008. He was involved in attacks by Islamist militants in Bosnia, Somalia and Afghanistan during the 1990s, but later renounced al-Qaeda.

Issue - 647 (8)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

Lots of lovemaking makes you look up to seven years younger than your actual age

If you are feeling amorous but your partner would rather turn over and go to sleep, it might help to pass this information on.Regular sex helps people look youthful for longer, an expert claims.Dr David Weeks’s research shows that older men and women with an active love life look between five and seven years younger than their actual age.Other British research has credited regular lovemaking with halving the odds of early death.Dr Weeks, former head of old age psychology at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, said that people of all ages should be aware of the benefits of a healthy love life.The psychologist spent a decade quizzing thousands of men and women of all ages. Those who looked younger than their age claimed to have sex an average 50 per cent more - in the 40-to50 age group equating to three times a week rather than twice.

Dr Weeks says that the pleasure derived from sex is a ‘crucial factor’ in preserving youth. Biology also plays a role, with sex releasing endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good

chemicals. These act as natural painkillers, easing anxiety and making it easier to drop off to sleep.Exercise boosts circulation, which is important for the heart and gives skin a healthy glow.Human growth hormone is also released by lovemaking and can help keep the skin elastic and so less likely to wrinkle. Sex can help burn fat and release substances which bolster the immune system, while simple stress relief can improve the quality of sleep.Dr Weeks, who is addressing a British Psychological Society conference today, also found that Peter Pan types tended to be married to a younger spouse - probably because their looks belied their age.The researcher, a ‘quite youthful’ 59-year-old, said: ‘My message is that lovemaking is good.’ He will tell the conference in Colchester, Essex, that people should be sexually and physically active throughout life. This includes old age. ‘The stereotype of an elderly person is that when they get their pension and bus pass, they stop having sex and that’s not true.

Couples who DON’T argue live longer Money, the mother-in-law, which TV channel to watch... the possibilities for rows between husband and wife are endless.But while an argument might clear the air it is likely to be bad for your health, according to medical researchers.A 20-year study of married life found that couples who do not argue as much are more likely to stay healthy and live longer than those who regularly row.

And among the most common subjects causing the arguments that lead to bad health are finance and the in-laws, it revealed.When it comes to the vows ‘in sickness and in health’, it seems to depend on how much friction there is in the marriage, said researchers from Brigham Young University in Utah.They followed nearly 1,700 married adults over two decades, measuring both their physical health and responses to regular surveys on arguments, happiness and quality of life.And they found that the more they argued, the worse their general health, suggesting that being happily married is a key to long life.

The men and women were simply asked to rate their health on a scale that ranged from poor to excellent. Two of the topics for argument mentioned in the survey are

Sri Lankan President Sirisena slams Enrique concert President Sirisena criticised the ‘uncivilised behaviour’ of the audience at the pop star’s recent show saying such events won’t be allowed Colombo: Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday

strongly condemned the “uncivilised behaviour” of fans during a recently held live concert by Latin American pop idol Enrique Iglesias here, saying the incident was an attack on the country’s cultural values.

Terming the crowd’s behaviour

as ‘crazy acts’, Sirisena said such events will not be allowed to take place in future. “I was shocked by the behavior at the concert in addition to the high cost of tickets. I will not allow such shows in this country in

future,” Sirisena said while addressing a gathering in the eastern district of Ampara.

“This is most uncivilised behaviour that goes against our culture,” the president said. A young Enrique fan had thrown her bra at the star while another

young female fan rushed to the stage to be kissed by him.

“These are not things we can be happy about. Younger generation going into such crazy acts destroying our culture,” Sirisena said. The December 20 show was organised by an event management company partnered by two of Sri Lanka’s veteran cricketers Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena.

Sirisena offered Sangakkara the post of Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Britain, the day cricketing icon retired from the test cricket in August. “I know I will face criticism for saying this, it is not the young girls who misbehaved who need to be punished but the organisers,” Sirisena said. The event management company has also run into problems with the Colombo Municipal Council who accuses them of not having paid the entertainment tax on the event. The council is to file a court action.

finances and in-laws, which could be rowing over where to go for Christmas or having to put up with a nosy mother-in-law.The link between happy marriages

show a link to happiness and health, going to counselling could be reflected in health insurance discounts for married couples.He said: ‘This study also shows happy marriages have a preventative component that keeps you in good health over the years.’The

and health could be more to do with how it encourages both sides to look after each other, researchers told the Journal of Marriage and Family.Happy couples are more likely to cook and eat healthier meals together, for instance, rather than see one half of the partnership storm off to the pub or stay late at work eating junk food.Less stress means they sleep better and if they get on they will encourage each other to ditch bad habits like smoking and to keep doctors appointments for instance.And when couples get on they do other things together, which could include sport or other beneficial outdoor activities.Lead researcher Rick Miller suggested that as the results

implication is that marital conflict is a risk factor for poor health.’Couples that fight or argue frequently should get professional help to reduce their conflict because it is affecting their health.’He added: ‘When spouses have a bad day, in a happy marriage, they’re more likely to support each other and empathise with each other.’That support reduces stress and helps buffer against a decline in health.’However, previous studies have linked unhappy marriages with depression, anxiety, eating badly, smoking and not sleeping properly.The stress of being in a bad relationship may also raise blood pressure and weaken the immune system.

They’re less stressed, eat better and are less likely to smoke

Thousands back porn actor Siffredi’s petition for sex education Thousands of people in Italy have signed porn actor Rocco Siffredi’s petition to have sex education taught in schools.

Siffredi has been pushing for sex education in the curriculum of Italy’s schools, and offering himself to be a teacher.

Siffredi, also known as the ‘Italian stallion’, launched the petition on change.org to demand the Italian government to make sex education a mandatory subject.

The petition, addressed to Italian Education Minister Stefania Giannini, had been signed by 29,417 people till Monday, independent.co.uk reported.

The 51-year-old actor wrote on the petition’s page: “I wanted to launch this appeal because sex is a magnificent thing. I make myself fully available to go into Italian schools and personally promote this initiative.”

An European Parliament report in 2013 revealed that despite “many proposals and compromises (made) during the last 30 years”, the Ministry of Education

must still consider the conservative “views of the Church”.

The Independent report said that Mr Siffredi wants to change this, “after observing young people are using porn as sex education”.

“Pornography should be entertainment, but due to lacking alternatives, it has become a means to learn, especially for young people,” he was quoted as saying.

Issue - 647 (9)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

Indian-Singaporean jailed for cheating 70-yr-old Dutch woman A 61-year-old IndianSingaporean man has been sentenced to 33 months for cheating a 70year-old Dutch woman of over $3 lakhs on the pretext of promoting her yoga books and investing in a property in Indonesia.

inducing her to deliver the money to BMW by issuing three cheques in that year.

Deputy Public Prosecutors Kwek Chin Yong and Norman Yew charged that the couple deceived Everarda by lying that BMW would provide

Thomas Subramainiam and his wife Hameedah Bee Abdul Jaffar convinced Hong Kong-based Dutch national Elisabeth Evararda Van Der Laan for placing her money in the account of their company Billionaires Management Worldwide (BMW).

Sentencing of 48-year-old Hameedah has been postponed to next month for she was reportedly hospitalized. District Judge Toh Yung Cheong had earlier this month found the couple guilty of conspiring to cheat Everarda by dishonestly

a business strategy to market her latest book on yoga and coach her in it and help her invest 500,000 Singaporean dollars ($371,333) of her retirement savings in real estate in Indonesia.

Investigations later showed that the purported plans were a ruse to scam her of the funds and to spend the money on themselves, according to a report in The Sunday Times. They denied the scam and claimed Everarda agreed to invest in their Admall project, an online marketing portal

which they alleged had failed largely because she did not cooperate with them to see the plans through.

The couple had spent some of the money on themselves, including 24,390 dollars on a fivenight stay in “the world’s only seven-star and notoriously expensive Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai”, the report said, citing a 2010 judgement which ruled the civil suit in favour of Everarda. Everarda said though she won the civil suit, “not a penny has been salvaged” from the couple. “The criminal case is not about legal return-of-money orders but about punishment,” Everarda said who represented herself and pursued the case for seven years. “The outcome could not have been better.

If you think you can live in grandeur on other people’s money, well, that’s what you get,” Everarda was quoted as saying by the paper. Judge Toh noted lack of remorse from Thomas and said his jail term should be 42 months, based on past precedent. But he discounted Thomas’ nine months in remand.

68-year-old Sikh man abused, brutally attacked in US A 68-year-old Sikh man has been brutally assaulted by two persons in the US state of California, prompting police to launch a “hate crime” probe into the latest such incident in the country.

Amrik Singh Bal was attacked on Saturday morning in California’s Fresno area, a report in the Fresno Bee said. The incident happened as Mr. Bal was waiting alone for a ride to work when two white men stopped their car in front of him and started yelling obscenities at him, Fresno police Sergeant Greg Noll said.

Fearing for his safety, he tried crossing the street but the suspects backed up their car and hit him with the back bumper. The two men then got out of the car and attacked Mr.Bal, hitting him in the face and upper body. The victim fell to the ground and hit his head.

During the assault, one of the suspects yelled “Why are you here?” the report said. The suspects fled only after they heard another vehicle approaching.

Mr. Bal, who was taken to a local hospital, suffered abrasions to his nose and right hand and a broken

Indian-origin researcher named fellow of US Academy of Inventors An Indian-American researcher has been named as a fellow of US’s National Academy of

Inventors (NAI) in recognition of his work in inventing path-breaking health care technologies, a media report said.

Mauli Agrawal, vice president for research at the University of Texas at San Antonio, will be formally inducted into NAI in April, San Antonio Express News reported on Monday. “It is a great honour. Some of the greats, at least in my field, are members of this academy,” said Agrawal,

whose research has resulted in 28 patents - 14 have already been issued and 14 are pending. NAI

named the 56-year-old researcher as a fellow for his outstanding work in orthopaedic implants, cardiovascular biomaterials and diabetic foot products.

“I think that he personally really has had the ability to think outside the box to turn problems around in terms of their clinical applications,” said Steven Bailey, a longtime colleague of Agrawal.

“He’s been incredibly insightful in terms of not only what can be

demonstrated in an academic and research environment but, more importantly, what will translate in terms of meaningful patient progress as well.”

Over the years, his bioengineering research group has launched three companies in San Antonio.

An alumnus of the Indian Institute of TechnologyKanpur, Agrawal with his team is currently working with another San Antonio startup, Cardiovate Inc., which aims to repair damaged arteries.

The technology involves placing a biodegradable plastic or polymer tube inside an artery to spur the body’s ability to naturally repair the artery. Agrawal’s team is also working on implantable blood pressure sensors, which could allow blood pressure readings on patients with chronic heart disease to be relayed to a doctor’s office without the patient having to go in for an exam.

NAI is a non-profit organisation which recognises and encourages inventors who have a patent issued from the US Patent and Trademark Office.

collar bone. Mr. Noll said police have started a haterelated criminal investigation into the attack adding that the Fresno police would coordinate with the Department of Homeland Security and FBI to solve this case.

The attack is the latest in a line of hate crimes

over and dragged 30 feet after being called a “terrorist.”

In May 2013, 82-year-old Piara Singh was attacked outside the Nanaksar Sikh Temple in south Fresno by a man who later allegedly made inflammatory comments about Muslims.

In 2012, a gunman with

against Sikhs in America.

Earlier this month, a Gurudwara in California was vandalised with hateful graffiti, including the word ‘ISIS’, in the aftermath of the mass shootings in San Bernardino.

In September, a Sikh American father was viciously assaulted in a suburb outside of Chicago after being called ‘Bin Laden’.

In 2014, Sandeep Singh, a Sikh American father in New York City, was run

NeoNazi ties walked into a Sikh gurdwara and shot and killed six innocent Sikh in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.

“Sikhs have been mistaken for terrorists and radicals and continue to suffer after 9/11,” member of the Sikh Council of Central California Ike Iqbal Grewal said. “This is the latest episode of what Sikhs have been enduring when they are very peace loving and hardworking citizens of this great country and not members of al-Qaeda or IS or any other radical group.”

Indian-American named secretary of Texas’s engineering board

An Indian-American has been appointed as the Secretary of the Texas Board of Professional Engineers that licenses qualified engineers and regulates the practice of professional engineering in the US state.Sockalingam “Sam” Kannappan, a professional engineer and senior design engineer for SNC-Lavalin Hydrocarbons and Chemicals, has been appointed as the secretary of the Texas Board of Professional Engineers (TBPE) in Austin.

Houston-based Kannappan also serves as a board member of the Society of Piping Engineers and Designers and an advisory board member of the Asia Society’s Texas centre.The Indian-American engineer will be signing all newly-issued licenses, TBPE said in a statement.The board

issues, monitors and renews roughly 57,000 licenses for engineers.

The board’s role in the protection of the public is to license qualified engineers, enforce the Texas Engineering Practice Act and to regulate the practice of professional engineering in Texas. Kannappan is a mechanical engineering graduate of Annamalai University in Tamil Nadu and received his MS in mechanical engineering at the University of Texas in Austin.

Previously, Kannappan also served as a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Gas Pipeline Safety Research Committee, which defends Houston against bioterrorism.Additionally, from 2006 to 2011, he was on the Texas On-Site Wastewater Treatment Research Council.

Issue - 647 (10)

Well established Sikh Jatt parents seeking suitable match for beautiful 26 yrs. old daughter who is a doctor and U.S. Citizen.

Boy should be in the Medical, Engineering field or a Lawyer.

He should also be tall between 25-30 yrs. old and from a respectable Jatt Family, living in USA. Please send your biodata and Photo to: jskaur555@gmail.com ***647*** Hindu Punjabi parents invite matrimonial alliance for their daughter, 35 yrs. old, 5’-1” tall, professionally qualified and employed in Toronto, never married, well versed in both cultures and family oriented. The boy should be professionally settled with family values and willing to relocate to Toronto.

Caste no bar. Please email recent picture & bio-data to :toronto108@gmail.com or call 905-781-6919 ***647** Lubana Sikh parents invite matrimonial alliance for their son, 27 yrs. old, 5’-10” tall, Canadian Citizen, degree in informatic security from Canada, running his own successful businees, belongs to a very good family. The girl should be suitable educated, beautiful, family oriented from Canada/America. Please email recent picture to and bio-data to : kuldipsinghshah@gmail.com Or Call : 647-710--1032 ***647** Well settled Jatt Sikh family from California, (USA) seeking a suitable match for their son, born & raised in (USA), BA from UC Berkeley, works in technology field, owns home, 37 yrs. old, 5'-7'’ tall, nondrinker, non-smoker. The girl should be educated, slim, beautiful, having traditional values, from a respectable family & willing to relocate to California (USA). No divorcees.

Please send your bio-data & recent pictures to: tsinghg77@yahoo.com *** 647*** Ravidasia parents seek a suitable match for their daughter, 32 yrs. old, 5’-3” tall, Canadian Citizen, professionally employed. Boy should be highly educated, professionally employed and Canadian Citizen. Please send your biodata & recent picture to: san1622002@yahoo.com ***647*** Jat Sikh parents seeking a suitable match for their Canadian born daughter, 30 yrs. old, 5’6” tall, Post graduate degree in Clinical Psychology, professionally employed, well versed in born cultures can speak Punjabi as well. The boy should be well educated., professionally settled, between 28-34 yrs. of age, lower Mainland area prefered. Please Call :1604-317-7576 ***647*** Saini Sikh parents seeking a suiable match for their son, 32

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

yrs.old, 6’ tall, American Citizen, clean shaven, graduate, self employed, well settled family.

The girl should be beautiful, educated, American Citizen, tall and family oriented. Please email recent picture and biodata to: ksinghs@aol.com Or Call : 1-510-325-1519 ***647*** Jat Sikh parents seek a suitable match for their daughter, 38 yrs. old, 5’-4” tall, Canadian Citizen, never married before, well versed in both cultures, working full time in health field, family oriented. The boy should be Jat Sikh, professionally employed, clean shaven, well versed in both cultures. Please send your recent picture and bio-data to : health2016@hotmail.com ***647*** Ramgarhia Sikh parents invite matrimonial alliance for their son, 33 yrs. old, 5’-8” tall, Canadian Immigrant, graduate, running his own successful business and non-drinker. The girl should be Canadian Immigrant, beautiful and family oriented. Girl on student visa/ work permit/Khatri Sikh may also be considered. Please email recent picture to and biodata to : sunysingh999@gmail.com Or Call : 647-770--5507 Or : 647787-4396 ***647*** Jat Sikh parents invite matrimonial alliance for their son, 35 yrs. old, 5’-10” tall, born and raised in Canada, BCIT educated, non drinker, non smoker and clean shaven, looking for a simple, slim, hight 5’-5”, and non materialistic girl.

Girl on student visa/vistor visa/ work permit may also be considered. Serious enquiries only. Please email recent picture to and bio-data to : ravpunjabi11@hotmail.com ***647*** Ramgarhia Sikh parents invite matrimonial alliance for their son, 25 yrs. old, 5’-8” tall, Dental Surgeon in India at present in USA on visitor visa, belongs to a very well settled family. The girl should be American Citizen, beautiful and family oriented. Please email recent picture and bio-data to: piarausa@hotmail.com Or Call: 1-662-347-9532 ***647** Well educated Jatt sikh family seeking a suitable match for their daughter. Slim, good looking, 86 born, 5'-2" tall, holds a degree from a Canadian University, working in managerial position with well reputed company (Vancouver).

Canadian citizen. Visitor, student visa, and work permit will also be considered. Please send your biodata and recent pictures to:jal.alliance@hotmail.com or call: 604-753-7534 *** 647*** Jat Sikh parents invite matrimonial alliance for their daughter, 27 yrs. old, 5’-4” tall, Canadian Citizen, beautiful, very fair, slim, Dental

Hygienist, family oriented and well versed in both cultures. The boy should be handsome, Jat Sikh, Clean Shaven, professionally qualified and employed, settled businessman with good family values, preferably from GTA (Toronto).

Respond with bio-data and recent picture to : Sarjeetdhugge@hotmail.com Or Call : 647-502-4220 ***647*** Jatt Sikh parents seek a suitable match for their son 32 yr. old, 5'9" tall, Canadian Citizen, working as a Civil Engineer. The girl should be well educated and family oriented, between 25-30 yrs. of age, 5’-3"- 5'-7" tall. Please send your bio-data & recent picture to: jasmandeep.cheema@gmail.com or call: 1-604-354-0394 *** 647*** Sikh Tonk Kashtrya parents invite matrimonial alliance for their son, 27yrs. old, 5’-6” tall, B.Sc. Nonmedical degree, diploma in networking, working with one of the reputable companies of Toronto, non-drinker well versed in both cultures. The girl should be Canadian Immigrant/Citizen, well educated, beautiful and family oriented. Please email recent picture and bio-data to : bsingh1527@yahoo.ca Or Call : 416-270-4575 Or : 1-705-9700009 ***647*** Jat Sikh parents invite matrimonial alliance for their son, 26 yrs. old, 6’ tall, Canadian Citizen, B.Sc. Nursing degree holder, working as RN in a reputed hospital, nondrinker, non-smoker, family oriented and down to earth. The girl should be equally qualified, beautiful, simple with family values and from good family background. GTA prefered.

Please email recent picture and bio-data to: nsgill53@gmail.com Or Call : 416-277-2392 ***647*** Ramgarhia Sikh parents seeking a suitable match for their son, 34 yrs. old, 5’-9” tall, teetotaler, Bachelor in Computer Application, Working with Multinational Company (MNC IT) in India, mutually divorced after short marriage, at present in Canada on visitor visa belongs to a well settled family. The girl should be Canadian/American Immigrant/ Citizen, educated and family oriented. Brother is well settled in Canada. Boy has already applied for immigration. Please email recent picture and bio-data to: soisukhdeep@gmail.com Or Call : 647-203-6979 ***647*** Jat Sikh Gill parents looking for a suitable match for their Canadian born daughter, 31 yrs. old, 5’-2” tall, well educated, working in her field. The boy should be Canadian, professionally qualified, clean shaven from Jat Sikh family. Please Call : 1-604522-4470 ***647*** Well settled Jat Sikh Gill family seeks a suitable match for their daughter, 33 yrs. old, 5’-6” tall,

College graduate with diploma in Buisness Administration and accounting. The boy should be 30-37 yrs. of age, well qualified and raised in Canada. Please Call : 905-874-0721 ***647*** Ramgarhia Sikh parents seek a suitable match for their daughter, 28 yrs. old, 5’-3” tall, B.Sc. Nursing degree holder, registered nurse at present living in India. The boy should be Canadian/ American, Immigrant or Citizen.Please email recent picture and bio-data to : sohalsp@gmail.com Or Call : 647-829-5872 (Leave Message) ***647*** Ramgarhia Sikh parents seek a suitable match for son, 26 yrs. old, 5’-6” tall, Bachelor in Engineering, living in India. The girl should be Canadian/ American, Immigrant or Citizen, beautiful and family oriented .

Please email recent picture and bio-data to : sohalsp@gmail.com Or Call : 647-829-5872 (Leave Message) ***647*** Amritdhari Jat Sikh Canadian student visa boy, 26 yrs. old, 5’10” tall, Civil Engineering from India seek Amritdhari Jat Sikh girl, Canadian Immigrant or Citizen, family oriented. Sister is well settled in Canada. Simple marriage. Call : 1-604-723-6162 Or : 011-91-98156-86753 ***647** Lubana Sikh parents seeking a match for their only son, age 30 year, 5’-9” tall, Canadian Citizen, clean shaven, B.Tech. software development from Canadian University, working as a software engineer and higly paid. The girl should be professsionally educated with family values and settled in Canada. Cast No bar.

Please send your bio-data and recent picture to : j.singh.developer@gmail.com Or Call : 416-627-6107 ***647*** Prajpati Sikh (Ghumiar) parents seeking a suitable match for their son, 27 yrs. old, 5’-8” tall, Canadian Immigrant, working as Rabotic technician in Megna. The girl should be Canadian Immigrant/Citizen, well educated and family oriented, girl on student visa/work permit may also be considered. Please send your bio-data and recent picture to : satwinder_sukhe@hotmail.ca Or Call : 647-782-8453 ***647*** Jat Sikh parents seeking a suitable match for their daughter, born and raised in Canada, born in 1986, 5’-7” tall, Master’s degree in Physiotherapy, well settled in Job in Ontorio, well versed in both cultures. Thy boy should be Canadian well educated and professionally employed. G.T.A. preferred. Please email recent picture and bio-data to: sanjog60@hotmail.com Or Call : 1-204-881-7405 ***647*** Parents looking for Sikh Khatri match for their Canadian Citizen, educated daughter, Oct., 1986

born, 5’-3” tall, very well employed in Govt. Job. The boy should be professionally qualified and employed. Please email recent picture and bio-data. Early marriage Email: jpsphull@gmail.com Or Call : 905-671-3411 Or 647-7193411 ***647*** Jat Sikh Dhaliwal parents seeking a suitable match for their only son, 37 yrs. old, 5’-10” tall, born and raised in Canada, Master’s degree in teaching and professionally employed. The girl should be born/raised in Canada or from India, professionally qualified. Divorced may also be considered. Girl on student visa/ visitor visa can contact to :Please Call : 1-250-477-4997 ***647*** Ramgarhia parents from Brampton, seek a match for their Canadian Citizen, graduate, 27, yrs, 5'-4'’ tall, beautiful daughter, professionally employed as Dental Assistant The boy should be , clean shaven, 5'-9'’ or taller,and well settled ,from a respectable family, from Canada only. please respond with details to gsinghb1953@ gmail.com, tel 647-677-5436 *** 647*** Jatt sikh family looking suitable match for their 33 year old, 5’2" daughter. Residing with family in USA with green card. Prefer someone of at least 30 years of age from USA, preferably California. Visitors and student visas are fine. Please send information and recent photo to: hardeepsingh1405@gmail.com or call: 1-510-551-4146 *** 647*** Ramgarhia sikh family looking a suitable match for their daughter, 25yrs. old, 5’- 8", Masters of Computer Applications (MCA) from India, Presently in New York for business purpose.caste no bar. The boy should be canadian/ US immigrant or citizen. Please send your bio-data and recent picture to: satnadar@yahoo.com or call: 1- 718-200-9852 *** 647*** Jat Sikh Saini US citizens seeking professional alliance for their 30 Yrs/5’8"/Greencard holder fair, slim and beautiful daughter. Licensed Physical Therapist presently working in New York. Boy residing and working in NewYork preferred.Higher caste no bar. Please send your bio-data and recent picture to: ts215saini@gmail.com or call: 1516-765-5004 *** 647*** Seeking professional match preferrably settled in USA or Canada, but well settled in India will be considered as well; for a beautiful very fair Rajput Sikh Girl, 38yrs, 5’4". Legally Divorced.

MSc, BEd, Govt. Teacher in Punjab. Highly educated family, settled in USA. Please send your bio-data and recent picture to: grathore@live.in or call: 1408-677-9046 *** 647***

Issue - 647 (11)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

Bobby Jindal ending 8-year tenure as Louisiana governor with low support, but no regrets The glimmer on Bobby Jindal has faded for most voters as he wraps up his final days as Louisiana’s governor. While the

son of Indian immigrants, Jindal made history when he took office in 2008. He was the nation’s first elected Indian-American

governor has been traveling the state to shine up his eight-year legacy, his tenure appears tarnished by red ink.The one-time rising Republican star has seen his approval ratings tank, his presidential bid end and his performance as governor marred by financial decisions that left the state careening from one budget crisis to the next.Barry Erwin, president of the nonpartisan Council For A Better Louisiana, described Jindal’s time in office as “opportunities lost.”“People had huge expectations, perhaps unrealistic expectations.

But I think there’s a sense, really and truly, that we’re emerging in really difficult shape,” Erwin said. “I think the accomplishments probably will get overshadowed by the wreck that the budget is in.”As his time in office near its Jan. 11 end, Jindal, 44, gives no hint of regret, not an inch of secondguessing his choices.

“I’ve worked as hard as I could for Louisiana,” the term-limited governor said in an interview with The Associated Press. “Every single day I did what I thought was right, and I’m comfortable with the decisions I made.”

The Ivy League-educated

governor and Louisiana’s first nonwhite governor since Reconstruction.

He took over a state battered by hurricanes Katrina and Rita, after Democrat Kathleen Blanco - who had defeated Jindal four years earlier - chose not to run for a second term.

Expectations for Jindal soared after his decisive win and a campaign built on reform.

But many now see Jindal as a disappointment. The governor’s approval ratings have fallen to 30 percent or less in recent polls.

“When I talked to people, they saw a guy who seemed to be a whole lot more interested in his personal ambitions than he was in them. And I think that’s how he’s going to be remembered,” said termlimited state Sen. Robert Adley, R-Benton.“Certainly he has accomplishments.

But anytime the public thinks you put yourself above them, everything else goes away,” Adley said.Jindal counts among his biggest achievements the privatization of the LSU charity hospital system; the expansion of charter schools and vouchers; and $62 billion in economic development wins estimated to create tens of thousands of new

jobs. Immediately after taking office, the governor worked to improve the state’s image with an overhaul of ethics laws. He cut business taxes and revamped worker training programs, and he poured millions into direct incentives to draw companies to Louisiana.

“He’s one of the best governors arguably the state’s ever had as far as economic development,” said lumber company owner Roy O. Martin, a Jindal donor and one of the governor’s appointees to the Board of Regents.

Jindal describes his key initiatives in ethics, education and economic development as aimed at keeping Louisiana’s children from having to leave the state to pursue their dreams.“Eight years ago, the challenge was we were losing our sons and daughters. Now, one of our big challenges is we’ve got to train enough people to fill these skilled jobs,” Jindal said.But the achievements have been drowned out by constant budget challenges.When he took office, Jindal inherited a more than $1 billion state surplus.

Then, a national recession, Jindal’s backing of the largest individual income tax cut in state history and the ballooning costs of tax breaks siphoned money from the treasury.

Plummeting oil and gas prices worsened the hit.

Backed by lawmakers, the governor stripped $700 million in state financing from higher education and chipped away at funding for programs across state government. But he refused to support anything he considered a tax increase and used patchwork maneuvers to pay for government programs.

Three Kerala youngsters, ‘tortured’ in Saudi, return to India Three Indian workers, who were allegedly physically tortured by their employer in Saudi Arabia, returned to Trivandrum on Saturday morning.External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had tweeted about their return on Friday evening, giving their flight details.

“All the three Indian workers are reaching Trivandrum from Saudi Arabia by Flt FZ 439 at 02.30 hrs on 26 December 2015.”

According to reports, the three youths, hailing from Haripad in Kerala’s Alappuzha District, were taken to Saudi Arabia by a placement agency on false job promises. But once in

Saudi, they were asked to work in a brick kiln.

A video allegedly recorded by one of the men shows a Saudi man assaulting them with a wooden plank, and has been circulating on WhatsApp. When they tried to escape, the man was seen throwing concrete rubble on them.

When the video turned viral, Kerala chief minister Ooomen Chandy sought the help of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.

The MEA immediately asked the Indian Ambassador in Saudi Arabia to locate them and arrange for their safe return.

Indian scientist develops software for survival of cancer patients An Indian scientist, Dr Pallavi Tiwari, in the US has developed a new MRIbased technique which

based on recent clinical findings that 90 per cent of the Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM)

can predict the chances of survival of cancer patients suffering from brain tumours through a personalised therapy.

She belongs to Madhya Pradesh, graduated from SGSITS in Indore and moved to United States to get a PhD degree in Biomedical Engineering.

She is currently a research assistant professor in Biomedical Engineering and since 2012 has been working in early diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment evaluation of brain tumours.Her research is

recurrences occur close to the tumour margin, suggesting that malignant cells are present at the periphery of the tumour but are not visually recognizable.Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is the most common and most aggressive cancer that begins within the brain.

“Less than five per cent of all GBM patients live for more than five years,” Dr Pallavi Tiwari said.She also added that despite several advances in clinical trials for cancer treatment, all GBM patients still follow the same ‘one-fits-all’

treatment regimen.“With Obama administration push for personalised therapy, a pressing need in precision medicine is to identify patients with GBM who are suitable for specific clinical trials based on their tumour characterisation, instead of a ‘one-size-fits-all’ treatment,” a media release said.These computer-extracted features from tumour margins and its surrounding areas on MRI are together predictive of GBM outcomes, the press release said.Using computer techniques developed by Tiwari and her team, subtle information can be gleaned from normalappearing regions (at tumour periphery) to allow for the ability to reliably and noninvasively stratify patients based on their survival and can ultimately guide personalised therapeutic clinical trials in GBM.

Issue - 647 (12)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

Cheers to that!

Just ONE pint of beer boosts heart health by improving blood flow and make arteries more flexible

Just one pint of beer is enough to improve the state of major blood vessels around the heart, new research shows.

Arteries became more flexible and blood flow improved within a couple of hours of drinking the equivalent of two-thirds of a pint.But alcohol-free beer did not have the same powerful effect, the study found.The findings, by researchers in Greece, support previous evidence that moderate beer consumption may protect against heart disease.Some evidence suggests a pint a day

may reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes by up to 30 per cent.

But this is believed to be one of the first studies to look at what actually happens to the cardiovascular system immediately after a pint is downed. Britain guzzles its way through 130 pints of beer per person a year.Scientists at Harokopio University in Athens recruited 17 non-smoking men aged in their late twenties and early thirties.Each one had their cardiovascular health measured within an hour or two of drinking

Is this the plaster cast of the future?

Designer uses 3D printing to create tailor-made exoskeleton to help heal broken bones. A designer has created a 3D-printed exoskeleton for broken bones that could one day replace traditional casts made of plaster or fibreglass.Unlike oldfashioned, bulky casts, the new prototype called the Cortex, is lightweight, ventilated, washable and thin enough to fit under a sleeve.

The concept uses X-ray and 3D scans of a patient to generate a 3D model in relation to the point of fracture.

Computer software then determines the optimum bespoke shape, with denser support focused around the fracture itself.

The next generation cast provides a ‘highly technical and trauma zone localised support system’ that will support a person’s specific injury.

Once printed, the Cortex is ready to fit, with one side open to enable access and built-in durable fasteners that snap closed.

And despite its appearance, the exoskeleton is said to be

extremely strong and durable, ventilated and washable.

‘At the moment, 3D printing of

the cast takes around three hours whereas a plaster cast is three to nine minutes, but requires 24-72 hours to be fully set,’ Jake Evill, the media design graduate from Victoria University in New Zealand, who designed the prototype, told dezeen.

‘With the improvement of 3D printing, we could see a big reduction in the time it takes to print in the future.’

Evill worked with the orthopaedic department of his university on the project and is now looking for backing to develop the idea further.

He has just graduated from the Architecture and Design faculty at Victoria University of Wellington, with a Major in Media Design and a Minor in Industrial Design.

400ml of beer - equivalent to just over two-thirds of a pint.They later they had the same tests done after drinking the same amount of alcohol-free beer or a measure of vodka.Researchers tested for endothelial function a measure of how easily blood passes through major arteries as well as aortic stiffness, a check designed to assess whether blood vessels are nice and relaxed or beginning to harden.

The results, published online in the journal Nutrition, showed all three drinks had some

beneficial effect on the stiffness of arteries but beer had the greatest benefit. In a report on their findings the researchers said: ‘Endothelial function was significantly improved only after beer consumption. ’They said the combination of alcohol and antioxidants in beer may be crucial to the drink’s healthy effects.Darker beers,

like stouts and ales, have been shown to be better for the heart than lager. Heart disease is Britain’s biggest killer. Around 270,000 people a year suffer a heart attack and nearly one in three die before they reach hospital. Fatty diets, lack of exercise and smoking are all key risk factors.

Sorry Popeye, spinach DOESN’T make your muscles big Expert reveals sailor’s love of the food was due to a misplaced decimal point Popeye’s love of spinach is born out of one of history’s easiest mathematical errors.

A mathematician and scientist has revealed that spinach’s iron content was miscalculated by a German chemist when he misplaced a decimal point.

His mistake gave birth to Popeye’s obsession with the vegetable, which the cartoon character eats in vast quantities to boost his strength.

Popeye’s testimony that he is ‘strong to the finish, ‘cause I eats my spinach’ is apparently born from a mistake 50 years before he became popular.

Samuel Arbesman talks about how scientific errors can lead to popular myths in his book, ‘The Half-life of Facts: Why Everything We Know Has an Expiration Date’.

In 1870, German chemist Erich von Wolf was researching the amount of iron in spinach and other green vegetables.

When writing up his findings in a new notebook, he misplaced a decimal point, making the iron content in spinach ten times

more generous than in reality.

While Mr von Wolf actually found out that there are just 3.5 milligrams of iron in a 100g

serving of spinach, the accepted number became 35 milligrams thanks to his mistake.

This caused the popular misconception that spinach is exceptionally high in iron, which makes the body stronger.

If the value was true, eating a generous serving of spinach would be comparable to munching on a small piece of

paper clip.

The story goes that cartoon creators aware of spinach’s miraculous health properties had the idea that Popeye should eat spinach to increase his strength. It is believed that the cartoon character is responsible for boosting consumption of spinach in the US by a third. The incorrect calculation of spinach’s iron content contributed to the creation of popular cartoon character Popeye, according to a book by mathematician and scientist Samuel Arbesman.

While Mr von Wolf’s error was spotted and corrected in 1937 when someone re-checked his maths, spinach is still popularly thought to be one of the most iron-rich vegetables, perhaps helped by the cartoon character.

In 1981, the British Medical Journal published an article to try and debunk the spinach myth.Mr Arbesman uses the Popeye story to illustrate how humans have a tendency to ignore re-examining evidence and admitting when we are wrong.

Religion has been causing conflict for over 2,000 years, say scientists Religious conflict has been dividing human society for more than 2,000 years, scientists say. A new anthropological study of several Mexican archaeological sites dating back to 700BC has appeared to contradict a long-held belief that religion united early state societies. In fact, researchers from the University of Colorado and the University of Central Florida believe it may have had the opposite effect.

After several years of field research in the Rio Verde valley and the Valley of Oaxaca on

Mexico’s Pacific coast, Professor Arthur A.Joyce and Associate

Professor Sarah Barber found that local religious rituals helped to

forge strong small scale community links which delayed the development of large state institutions.

In the period they were studying - from approximately 700BC to 250AD - they found elites came to dominate religious life and controlled the connection between communities and their gods leading to conflict with traditional community leaders.

This eventually lead to the formation of a regional state with the hilltop city of Monte Alban as its capital.

The religious conflict in the lower

Rio Verde valley eventually lead to the quick decline of regional power centres with temples grand temples being built by 100AD only to be abandoned a century later. Professor Joyce from the University of Colorado said: “In both the Valley of Oaxaca and the Lower Rio Verde Valley, religion was important in the formation and history of early cities and states, but in vastly different ways.

“Given the role of religion in social life and politics today, that shouldn’t be too surprising.”

Issue - 647 (13)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

Man steals sex toys because he is too embarrassed to buy them

California A man was arrested in the US on charges of shoplifting after he was caught stealing sex toys because he was too embarrassed to pay for them.

Christopher Masters was arrested after he was caught stealing butt plugs.Masters apparently had enough money to pay for the items that he lifted from the Vero Beach store in

Okeechobee County, Florida but was too embarrassed to face the cash desk, the Daily Star reported.The store manager caught him removing the aid from its packaging and attempting to hide the item in his shorts.

He was nabbed by store security and admitted to stealing the items, valued at around $30 (£20).Masters was charged with shoplifting, the report said.

San Francisco area police arrest man in threats to Muslims RICHMOND Bomb squad crews safely detonated a possible explosive device at the house of a San Francisco Bay Area man and arrested him in connection with threats against Muslim people, a newspaper has reported. Officers in Richmond received a tip that a man had said he wanted to harm

Muslim community members, the Contra Costa Times reported on Sunday. Detectives said they learned the man might have made an explosive device at his home.

Authorities evacuated nearby residents Sunday before serving a search warrant at the man’s house and destroying the possible device.

London A British couple has scripted history after they received the first of the two puppies cloned from their dead boxer dog.

Laura Jacques and Richard Remde, devastated by the death of their eight-year-old boxer Dylan, spent a whopping 67,000 pounds to clone their dead pet at a South Korean lab.

Celebration The couple celebrated as Chance was delivered by caesarian section at Sooam Biotech Research Foundation. In the first case of its kind, the puppy was cloned from Dylan, almost two weeks after it died. The previous limit for dog cloning was five days after death.

The couple announced Chance’s birth by uploading an adorable clip on a twitter page they made for Dylan. “We are so happy. It went really well. We are just trying to let it sink in and come home now,” they said.

US police force enlists help of ‘porn dog’ to catch sexual predators WASHINGTON A US police department claims to have found an innovative way to fight sexual crime: “porn dogs”. Montogomery County Crimstoppers in Texas are trialling a $17,000 programme to train special dogs to sniff out an adhesive usually found in electronic storage devices, where stashes of child abuse images are often hidden.

Officers with the force hope the animals - of which there are only a few working in the entire United States - may be able to repeat the success of the capture and conviction of Jared Fogle, jailed in November for child abuse image offences.

Jon Dumas, of Montgomery County Crimestoppers, said the process was “innovative,” and “cutting edge”.

“It’s extremely catching and fitting, because that’s what it’s there to do, sniff out child pornographers,” Mr Dumas told KHOU. Officers claimed many of those who hoard child sex abuse images are careful are hiding the thumb drives, hard drives, and tiny SD cards. The local Texan force will be joined by Brody the chocolate Labrador, who authorities hope will help officers catch more suspects.‘Brain dead’ man wakes up after father

threatened to shoot medics trying to turn off life support A “brain dead” man is now in recovery after his father threatened to shoot medics trying to turn off his life support machine.

George Pickering II refused to accept his 27-year-old son,

George III, would not recover from a stroke and held off police and hospital staff with a gun for three hours.

Mr Pickering, aged 59, was able to get his son to squeeze his hand on command numerous times during the stand-off.

Doctors at Tomball Regional

Medical Centre in Houston, Texas, had ordered a ‘terminal wean’, a process whereby life support is slowly removed from a comatose patient.

This decision had been made with the agreement of Mr Pickering’s ex-wife and other son and an organ donor organisation had also been notified by the hospital.

Speaking of the drama last January, Mr Pickering Sr told KPRC: “They were moving too fast. The hospital, the nurses, the doctors.

“I knew if I had three or four hours that night, I would know whether George was brain dead. “During that three hours, George squeezed my hand three or four times on command.” While he has admitted to being drunk and aggressive that night - he said he had experienced a similar situation when George III, who has a history of seizures, recovered. His son said: “There was a law broken, but it was broken for all the right reasons.

I’m here now because of it. It was love, it was love. “It’s the duty of a parent to protect your children and that’s all he did.

Google testing way to In a first, UK couple have dead dog cloned log in sans password

One more…

But the delighted couple still have another belated Christmas present to look forward to - a

second clone named Shadow is set to arrive on Tuesday costing another 67,000 pounds to the couple. They decided to clone Dylan after the dog was diagnosed with a brain tumour and died of a cardiac arrest in June.

Dylan’s death had left Jacques bereft. “I had had Dylan since he was a puppy,” she said. “I mothered him so much, he was my baby, my child, my entire world,” she said.

Inspiration Laura contacted Sooam after hearing how another Brit Rebecca Smith, had her dachshund Winnie cloned for a TV show last year. Laura had placed Dylan’s body in the freezer before embarking on the process.

US floods: Death toll rises to 41 Washington The death toll has risen to 41 in disaster caused by storms and floods in southern and central states of the United States.

Many buildings have flattened and transport has been badly affected. At least 11 people were killed in the Dallas area over the weekend by tornadoes, including one packing winds of up to 322 km per hour. The twister hit the city of Garland, killing eight people and blowing vehicles off highways. National Weather Service Meteorologist Matt Bishop said that a tornado of that

strength is very rare in a metropolitan area. According to official, three people died in the Dallas metropolitan area and many others were reported injured in the region. In Illinois and Missouri,

flash flooding has killed at least 11 people. The storms came on the heels of tornadoes that hit two days before Christmas, killing at least 18 people in Mississippi.

The weather service issued severe weather advisories for large parts of the central United States, including a blizzard warning for parts of New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas and a flash flood watch stretching from Texas to Indiana.

Nearly 1,300 flights were cancelled because of the bad weather conditions on Sunday.

Silicon Valley Google’s plot to kill the password is moving forward. The company is testing a method for users to log into their Google accounts using only a mobile phone and without having to type in a memorized string of characters.

Android owner Rohit Paul, who posted about the test on Reddit yesterday, was invited to try it out and provided screenshots of the process.Once a user authorizes their mobile device, they’re able to input their account credentials on any computer and receive a notification on their smartphone.

The device must have some type of screen lock security feature, as unlocking your phone is a prerequisite to approving or denying access to the account with this method.

You’re still given the option to log in with your regular password if you so choose. Google’s email to participating users explains how you can deactivate a lost device, as well as add a new one

in the event you upgrade your handset.

“We’ve invited a small group of users to help test a new way to sign-in to their Google accounts, no password required,” a Google spokesperson told The Verge in a statement. “‘Pizza,’ ‘password,’ and ‘123456’ - your days are numbered.”Beyond alleviating concerns over commonly used passwords, Google says the tool is another defense against hackers that rely on passwords to conduct phishing operations. A phishing attack tricks users into entering sensitive information by replacing legitimate login windows with disguised versions designed to capture and store the data.This test joins a number of other Google initiatives aimed at improving security. Google has one of the most robust two-factor authentication services of any tech giant, meaning millions of Google account owners now sign in on the web using a code sent to them via text message.

Issue - 647 (14)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

Indians flock to US ‘educational warehouses’

SAN JOSE Some half dozen cars are parked in the largely empty lot of the warehouse style building bearing the name SVU - for Silicon Valley University on Fortune Drive in San Jose. A few students are trickling in to the spare lobby of the building where two admin

entity in the form of a building, a skeletal ‘‘faculty,’’ and according to two students who spoke to this correspondent, anywhere from 1,500 to 3,000 students.

It also has valid credentials till 2017 as per the website of the Accrediting Council for

personnel are fielding questions behind an inquiry counter. There is a rather bare library to the right of the lobby with a few shelves stacked with books, and a lone student.

There is no sign of any classroom activity.

Evidently, Christmas break has already begun.

Yes, Silicon Valley University exists. It has a street address, a physical

Independent Colleges and Schools, one of the two national accreditors of degree granting institutions recognized by the US Department of Education.Beyond these bare facts, not much else.

The 19 students who were offloaded from an Air India flight in Hyderabad on Sunday, when they were on their way to San Francisco to join Silicon

WASHINGTON The United States government on Monday overturned its 30-year ban on blood donations by gay men, saying they can now donate 12 months after their last sexual contact

such as the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand which also have 12-month deferral periods. Gay rights advocates said the updated policy remains discriminatory. “It is

with another man. The Food and Drug Administration said its decision to reverse the policy was based on an examination of the latest science which shows that an indefinite ban is not necessary to prevent transmission of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. “Ultimately, the 12-month deferral window is supported by the best available scientific evidence, at this point in time, relevant to the US population,” Dr Peter Marks, deputy director of the FDA’s biologics division, said in a statement. The move brings the United States in line with countries

ridiculous and counter to the public health that a married gay man in a monogamous relationship can’t give blood, but a promiscuous straight man who has had hundreds of opposite sex partners in the last year can,” said Jared Polis, a Democratic congressman and co-chair of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus, a caucus of openly gay members of Congress. The FDA said it has worked with other government agencies and considered input from outside advisory bodies, and has “carefully examined the most recent available scientific evidence

Valley University in San Jose and North Western Polytechnic in nearby Fremont, were clearly coming to an educational warehouse. US authorities who alerted their Indian counterparts that the institutions are under scrutiny may have plenty outside very little inside to scrutinize.

The word ‘‘dodgy’’ comes to mind. All but a solitary student of the 30 or so your correspondent saw on the single-building ‘‘campus’’ on Monday appeared to be from India. Most of them said they are from Hyderabad and surrounding areas, and they revealed ‘‘at least 70 per cent of the students in the university are from India.’’ But they insist the college is legit, they have proper documentation and student visa, and they do attend classes - unlike in the case of ‘‘Tri-Valley University’’ in Pleasanton, which was raided by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for visa fraud in 2010, resulting in the conviction of its Chinese founder who was essentially running a degree and visa scam.

Hundreds of students from

US ends 30-year ban on blood donations by gay men

to support the current policy revision.”

During Australia’s switch from an indefinite blood donor deferral policy on gay men, essentially a ban, to a 12-month deferral, studies evaluating more than 8 million units of donated blood were performed using a national blood surveillance system, the FDA said.

“These published studies document no change in risk to the blood supply with use of the 12-month deferral,” the agency said.

“Similar data are not available for shorter deferral intervals.” Additionally, the agency said people with hemophilia and related blood clotting disorders will continue to be banned from donating blood due to potential harm they could suffer from large needles.

Previously they were banned due to an increased risk of HIV transmission.

The agency said it has put in place a safety monitoring system for the blood supply which it expects to provide “critical information” to help inform future FDA blood donor policies. The FDA said its policies have helped reduce HIV transmission rates from blood transfusions from 1 in 2,500 to 1 in 1.47 million.

India were caught up in that scam and deported, losing lakhs of rupees they had spent in the hope of immigrating to America, getting an education or earning a degree being secondary to that objective. These two universities appear to have learned a lesson or two from that episode in that they at least have a passable physical campus and classes, although even a cursory look at Silicon Valley University’s very sketchy website and meager campus will tell you it is not exactly Stanford or UC Berkeley.Like with TriValley, these two universities too have mostly students from India (mostly from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana) and faculty from China and Taiwan. The university’s founder president and academic dean Jerry Shiao was in a meeting and not available immediately.

The Silicon Valley venture capitalist who accompanied this correspondent to SVU says he has never even heard of the university in all these years (and he has seen the North Western Polytechnic building only because it is close to his house).

Influential psychiatrist Robert Spitzer dies Seattle Dr Robert Spitzer a psychiatrist who played a leading role in establishing agreed-upon standards to describe mental disorders and eliminating homosexuality’s designation as a mental disorder died in Seattle. He was 83.

Spitzer died of heart problems, said his wife, Columbia University Professor Emerita Janet Williams.

Dr Spitzer ’s work on several editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or the DSM, defined all of the major disorders “so all in the profession could agree on what they were seeing,” said Williams, who worked with him on DSM-III. “Rather than just appealing to authority, the authority of Freud, the appeal was: Are there studies? What evidence is there?” Spitzer said in 2005. “The people I appointed had all made a commitment to be guided by data.” Dr Allen

Frances, a professor emeritus of psychiatry at Duke University and editor of a later edition of the manual had said that Spitzer “was by far the

most influential psychiatrist of his time.”

Gay-rights activists credit Dr Spitzer with removing homosexuality from the list of mental disorders in the DSM in 1973. He decided to push for the change after he determined that homosexuality could not be a disorder if gays were comfortable with their sexuality.

During the psychiatric profession’s debate over homosexuality, Dr Spitzer said: “A medical disorder either had to be associated with subjective distress pain or general impairment in social function.”

Issue 647 (15)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

The movie you’ve been waiting for for 32 years Director: JJ Abrams Cast: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver Ratings: 4 Stars The only spoiler this review will provide is that JJ Abrams’s The Force Awakens will remind you a lot of the first Star Wars film, A New Hope. It is also the best Star Wars movie in the last 32 years.

The Force Awakens is fastpaced yet measured, and is a calculated effort. It takes place 30 years after the events of Return Of The Jedi, which released back in 1983. It is a throwback to the type of movie-making George Lucas enthralled the world with in the 80s.

Despite the victory of the resistance, the Galaxy is in turmoil again. There’s a new Dark Lord, and he’s threatening to bring back the tyranny of the Empire.

Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) has not been seen for years, and the resistance has finally found a way to track him, but the villain Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) is also on a hunt for him as he realises his return could usher in the return of the Jedi order.

Essentially, this is the crux of the plot. This also means that the movie shares a lot in common with A New Hope in terms of settings and situations.

In A New Hope, Skywalker

and R2D2 stumbled upon Obi-Wan and the hideout location of the resistance.

In The Force Awakens, similarly, the new droid BB8 stumbles upon the new protagonists - Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Finn (John Boyega) - and in terms, as they begin their adventure, they run into Han Solo and Chewbacca.

Harrison Ford as Han Solo is electric. He isn’t as lackadaisical as he was in Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull. He is the Han Solo that a generation fell in love with. Like wine, it seems he has aged very well. He is still reckless and has a devil-may-care attitude. He’s a rebel at heart and carries his swagger with elan.

With time, the chemistry and the dynamics between Chewbacca and Solo have perhaps grown better. It’s a bond that’s touching and hilarious at times.

But the new kids on the block, John Boyega and Daisy Ridley, steal the show. Remember, both have little experience on the silver screen, leave alone on the sets of a leviathan called Star Wars with cast members like Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher.

Boyega’s energy on the screen is infectious. He’s funny, and his timing is impeccable. There’s a sense of desperation to his character and he plays it off brilliantly.

If Boyega is good, Ridley is the star of the movie.

She’s a natural in terms of delivery, even in the action sequences. Her chemistry with both Boyega and Ford is fluid and comes across as a breath of fresh air.

Make no mistake, Ridley as Rey is central to the entire plot of The Force Awakens, and will be central to this new Star Wars trilogy that JJ Abrams is helming. She’s just so much fun.

It is also a reflection on Lawrence Kasdan, who has written her character so beautifully as she echoes Luke Skywalker’s character in A New Hope.

There’s mystery, angst and also hope to her character.

Adam Driver is good as Kylo Ren. You can sense the conflict of the character and you do understand his motivations. There is a manic edge to his character, which is a contrast to previous Star Wars villains - be it Darth Vader, Darth Maul, Darth Sidious or Count Dooku. You get the feeling that he is losing control, something you have never felt with the previous Star Wars villains.

It is also quite clear that he strives to be as powerful as Darth Vader and perhaps is also because he is shown to be capable of some outlandish antics.

Driver’s Ren is a skilled swordsman, but as Abrams has taken an ap-

proach which is less dependent on CGI technology, one shouldn’t expect lightsaber pyrotechnics of the prequel trilogy. The fights are up to date and entertaining compared to the original trilogy, but not as awe-inspiring compared to the prequels. It is a good balance, but some may prefer the CGI-heavy ap-

proach Lucas had adopted with his prequels.

Apart from the main star cast, there are stellar cameos in The Force Awakens.

Oscar Isaac’s Poe Dameron is like a new-age Han Solo, a rebel and reckless fighter pilot, who is known to be the best in the resistance. You’re left wanting for more.

Pandiraj’s film is a series of good lectures on child care Director: Padiraj Cast: Suriya, Amala Paul, Nisesh, Baby Vaishnavi, Bindu Madhavi, Ramdoss, Karthik Kumar, Vidya Pradeep Ratings: 3 Stars Pandiraj is back with the genre which is his forte, children’s films. But Pasanga 2 is more of a ‘film for parents’ than children. Except for two naughty kids, songs with Chhota Bheem and Dora, a handful of kiddish elements, and the colourful motifs, the film has a very few things for children to enjoy, but lots of good lessons for their parents. If

Pasanga can be called a film for children, then it’s sequel is not one. So, if it is not categorically a children’s film, then what is Pasanga 2? Well, one can call it a social film.

While many directors in Kodambakkam worry about the corruption in India, here is Pandiraj who has sincere concern for our families and kids. His worries about the commercialisation of education, deprivation of ‘family time’ in a busy urban lifestyle and rank-oriented education are all apparent in this film, and it has a simple

storyline.

Kavin and Nayanaa are naughty and highly active kids, which bothers their respective parents. They are given a TC (Transfer Certificate) by all the schools they go to because of their disobedience, rebellion, and also,

poor academic performance. When the film starts, they are already in their fifth or sixth school, and before the interval, they are sent out of that too. Kavin’s parents and Nayanaa’s parents finally put them in a boarding school, and even that move fails. And then comes Suriya, a child psychiatrist, and his wife Amala Paul, a teacher in an ‘unschool’, for the rescue.

Then the film takes up the familiar course (actually it is familiar throughout), and ends as expected.

Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia isn’t the charming Princess many fell in love with. She’s grown old like all the characters from the original trilogy. She’s shown to be loving and her bond with Solo is heartwrenching. Her role, however, is limited, but you get the feeling that she knows more than she’s letting on.

Issue 647 (16)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

Don’t believe in number game says Priyanka Chopra “Bajirao Mastani” actress Priyanka Chopra doesn’t believe in the number game and hence refrain getting into the figures that her films collect at the box-office.

“Numbers change every Friday, I’ve never believed in them,” she said here late on Friday.

The number game has, of late, become a prominent trend in the Indian film industry, with the success of

the flicks being defined on the basis of the money they manage to mint at the box office.

Her latest film, also starring Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone, has been doing great business at the boxoffice, but despite the good numbers, she said: “I’m not the film’s producer so I don’t even go into numbers.

“I don’t even try to think about it. I’m an artist and I want to do my job which is between ‘action’ and ‘cut’ and to promote the film...”

Priyanka, who has garnered praise for her portrayal as Kashibai in the movie, says playing the second female lead in the film has not affected her career.

“At the beginning of my career, someone said there are no small roles, there are only small actors and I’m not a small actor. I believe tremendously in my capabilities.” “I had only eight scenes in ‘Kaminey’ and I was just five years old in the industry at that time. Roles are never small or big... you should give your 100 percent always,” Priyanka said.

Amitabh Bachchan against aggressive marketing of films There is no need for an aggressive marketing of a film that has in itself the capability to do wonders at the box-office, megastar Amitabh Bachchan said in a blog on Sunday.

Bachchan, who is busy promoting his next film “Wazir”, said he does not understand why marketing is the most essential part in movie business. “...marketing is the most essential part of the making of films. I am

unable to understand why... If the film has inner strength, it shall

require no (marketing) strength whatsoever,” Bachchan wrote. “...but because there are so many arguments against it, I feel if I oppose it, I would be, well going against the grind so to say.” Produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, “Wazir” also stars Farhan Akhtar, Aditi Rao Hydari and Neil Nitin Mukesh.

The film, directed by Bijoy Nambiar, is set to hit theatres on January 8.

MS Dhoni biopic to release on September 2, 2016

Director Neeraj Pandey’s upcoming film ‘M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story’, starring Sushant Singh Rajput as India’s World Cup-winning captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, will hit the screens on September 2, 2016.

Sushant took to Twitter to announce the release date of the film. “#dhoniTheUntoldStory will release on 2nd September 2016. Can’t wait. #neerajpandey @foxstarhindi,” posted

the actor, who underwent rigorous training as well as a makeover to essay Dhoni. Produced by Fox Star Studios and Inspired Entertainment, ‘M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story’, which has been shot extensively in Ranchi also features veteran actor Anupam Kher, who will be seen playing Dhoni’s father Pan Singh.

One-film-old actress Kiara Advani will be portraying Dhoni’s wife Sakshi.

Deepika doesn’t like comparisons between Ranveer and Ranbir

Sonnalli Seygall gets mobbed in Delhi “Pyaar Ka Punchnama” actress Sonnalli Seygall’s date with the capital turned out to be an unexpected experience when she got mobbed by a group of her fans. She says it means she’s doing “something right”.

Sonnalli came out to dine with her relatives at a popular mall when the incident took place here just last week. The actress flew down to to the capital city for a day to spend some time with her cousin who had come down from China for Christmas. They wanted the evening to be a private affair so that they could spend some quality family time, and Sonnalli had also planned to take her little nephew and niece to a popular toy store

post the dinner. But she never anticipated to draw the crowd she eventually did. Her cousins were initially amused, and even captured the scene of people pushing each other, but they gradually realised the crowd was getting unruly, and so whisked Sonnalli away, said a source. Commenting on the experience, the actress said in a statement: “I didn’t quite anticipate this. I have been to public places in Delhi before and have experienced being surrounded by fans, but this was something else.

However, it does feel good to know that my work has been noticed and that goes to prove, I must be doing something right.

Actress Deepika Padukone finds comparisons between her rumoured boyfriend Ranveer Singh and exbeau Ranbir Kapoor silly.

“It doesn’t irritate or anger me, I find it silly, as time and again they have to keep comparing everything. I have other co-stars like Irrfan Khan or Amitabh Bachchan, why not compare them,” Deepika told PTI. “I have worked with all of them, but we conveniently pick Ranbir and Ranveer. I find it silly to keep

comparing people or things,” she said.

Ranveer had earlier said he shares a “divine equation” with Deepika.

On being asked what relation she shares with Ranveer, Deepika said, “He is my best friend...

He is someone I am extremely comfortable around. I can talk to him anything, I can be whatever I want to be with him.” “He is very non-judgemental. He is very acceptive of the way people are. He is very loving person,” she added.

Issue 647 (17)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

Kim Kardashian may undergo C-section Jennifer Lawrence reveals why she will never spend her Christmas in Hollywood Hollywood may be a goto destination, but for Jennifer Lawrence, spending Christmas in Los Angeles is really “unimaginable.”

“I always go to Kentucky for Christmas - I can’t imagine spending Christmas in LA,” says Lawrence.

The Hunger Games actor, who resides in Los Angeles for work, said that she always returns to her family in Kentucky for the festive season, the Mirror reported.

The 25-year-old beauty loves the fact her father still dresses as Santa Claus every year and the whole family takes part in the same festive ritual.

The Oscar-winning star further explained that she has a couple of nephews now and Christmas is much more fun when there are babies around.

She gushed over her mom’s amazing dish of mashed potato, saying “My mom always makes this amazing dish of mashed potato - she puts hot pepper into it and a thick layer of cheese and puts it into the oven and it’s so good.”

“We have it every year with Christmas dinner.”

Beyonce Knowles spotted filming in New Orleans Singer Beyonce Knowles was spotted filming something, which fans speculate to be a new music video, at the MercedesBenz Superdome in New Orleans. In some images that have made their way out online, the “Crazy in love” hitmaker is seen hitting the field with husband Jay-Z and several crew members. So far, there’s no official word on what she’s actually planning, but some devoted fans believe she’s shooting a new music video, reports

aceshowbiz.com. Meanwhile, some others speculate that the singer

is readying a commercial for the upcoming Super Bowl 50 or a video to be played during British rock band Coldplay’s headlining set at the halftime show.

Beyonce filmed the video amid reports that she’s preparing a new album. Her last album, “Beyonce”, was released in 2013 and it was later followed by a deluxe reissue in 2014. In the past year, she was rumoured to be planning a joint album with Jay-Z, but it never materialised.

Madonna hopes to mend relationship with estranged son Rocco

Singer Madonna is hoping she and her currently estranged son Rocco Ritchie can somehow mend their relationship and have a happy New Year.

The “Material girl” hitmaker took to Instagram to prove to Rocco, her 15-year-old son with her ex-husband Guy Ritchie, just how much she loves him, reports radaronline.com.

“Merry X-mas to the

Sun-shine of my Life!”

Madonna wrote to Rocco in the caption of an Instagram photograph of the two in happier times. In a move to show Rocco what he was missing out on, she also posted photographs of Rocco’s brother, David Banda, 10, and sisters Lourdes, 19, and Mercy James, 9, enjoying themselves on Christmas. An insider had revealed the 57-year-old

singer and her eldest boy’s fighting came to a head in mid-November when Rocco “ran away in Stockholm”, during a stop on his mother’s Rebel Heart Tour. “M and Rocco were having bad shouting matches,” the insider explained. “She’d be crying and yelling at him.” A judge has since ordered Rocco, who holed up in Guy Ritchie’s London home, to face his mother here.

Kylie Jenner not engaged to Tyga

Kylie Jenner sparked speculations of her engagement to Tyga after she posted a picture sporting a huge diamond on her finger, but the reality TV star says she is not engaged to her the rapper. The 18-year-old “Keeping Up With the Kardashian” star, who posted series of pictures

with the ring, was quick to set the record straight, reported Aceshowbiz.

“Every year my Mom throws a huge Christmas Eve party and this year’s was so fun (and sparkly)!

It was really special to end such a big year celebrating with all of my friends and family... And with an extra special gift

from a special someone.

NO, I’m not engaged,” she wrote on her app.

It was not the first time when Kylie denied her engagement rumours Back in September she clarified that Tyga was only calling her fiancee because he was making fun of another Instagram post.

Kelly Brook shows off ‘Baywatch’ run The model performed her take on the iconic Baywatch-style run on Alan Carr New Year’s Specstacular, and also addressed rumours that she’ll be replacing Pamela Anderson in the reboot, reported Digital Spy. “I’ve read the script and they are rewriting it so I

don’t know if there is a role in there for me,” she said.

“I’m a bit old to play the Pamela Anderson role so I don’t know, but I know all the producers and it’s funny and we’ll see.”

Back in August, Brook laughed off reports that she’d be in “The Baywatch Movie”, which stars Zac Efron, The Rock and Alexandra Daddario.

Issue 647 (18)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

Couple to marry by sending ring into space Ottawa It’s said that love has no limits, but how far can a person really go to express their feelings? Apparently, all the way to the stratosphere.

When the time came for

cording to The Huffington Post Alberta. The two have been together for six years and have known each other for 20. While the beachside proposal, which followed a day of skydiving, was ‘incredible,’ Wright did

Shawn Wright of Calgary, Alberta to solidify his marriage proposal to his fiancée, doing it on Earth simply wasn’t enough. So, he strapped the engagement ring to a weather balloon and launched it 30 kilometres into the sky.

Wright first proposed to his fiancée, Maylynn Stephenson, last year during a trip to Barcelona ac-

not yet have a ring, and had to use a stand-by.

Upon returning home, the husband-to-be began saving money for a ring, and planning an unforgettable way to present it. ‘As soon as I started saving up for the real ring, I started thinking, ‘What could I do?’

Wright told The Huffington Post Alberta. In order to send the ring space-bound,

Wright built a specialized craft to carry it safely high above the Earth, and deliver it back to a point near its Canadian starting place. The ring was strapped to a wooden spatula, which was then tied to a high-altitude weather balloon. Wright also equipped the craft with a radio transmitter and GPS, and a Go-Pro to capture the view. After launching, the ring journeyed for four hours before landing 300 kilometres away from where it began. Wright retrieved the ring from the edge of a pond in Taber, Alta, and showed the video to his fiancée. ‘Her mind was blown,’ Wright told the website. ‘She didn’t know I even had the real ring.’

‘For the past few months I haven’t really been working late, and I haven’t been working weekends. I have been working on a secret project for you,’ Wright said in a video. ‘I love you very much, and I really hope you think it’s out of this world.’

China mulls first amendment to wildlife law Beijing China’s top legislature is deliberating an amendment to the Wildlife Law, the first since it came into force in 1989.

The draft was submitted on Saturday for its first reading at the bi-monthly session of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, Xinhua news agency reported.

Legislators supported the inclusion of the protection of wildlife habitat into the draft during a panel discussion earlier in the day.

The draft bans illegal hunting, damaging habitat and requires authorities to reduce the impact of development.

If the managers of construction projects are found not taking measures to eliminate or reduce the projects’ impact on wildlife, projects may be suspended with

fines of up to 1 million yuan (about $154,000), according to the draft.

In order to better protect habitats, three levels of punishment should be clearly stated according to the level of damage.

Particularly serious cases should see fines up to 3 million yuan.

cific measures.

Legislators also called for better incentives to protect residents’ interests as wildlife numbers will expand due to enhanced protection.

The draft provides compensation or insurance for those who suffer property damage like

According to the draft, citizens are obliged to protect wildlife and its habitat. If they spot encroachment on or damage to wildlife habitats, they are expected to report the matter. The draft also requires local governments to protect wildlife and habitat with spe-

loss of crops or even injury while protecting wildlife.

The populations of wildlife under state protection, including giant pandas and Tibetan antelopes, has increased and there are now more than 2,700 nature reserves nationwide.

Issue 647 (19)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

Canadian PM Trudeau’s India visit to boost ties In early December, the first shipment of uranium from Cameco, based in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, arrived in India.

Part of a $350 million, five-year contract signed during Prime

Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Canada in April, it came with strong symbolic resonance of a relationship that has new energy and could gather more momentum in 2016 with a visit to India by new Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“We’re hoping it will be an early visit,” said India’s High Commissioner to Ottawa, Vishnu Prakash, though no schedule has been settled on.

The visit could be a statement from the new Liberal Party government that it wants to take engagement to another level, and Trudeau himself has already gained a high international profile.

But that will only be part of the bilateral process: external af-

fairs minister Sushma Swaraj and her counterpart Stephane Dion will resume the Strategic Dialogue between the two countries, interrupted this year by the Canadian parliamentary elections.

In the “normal course”, that will

involve Swaraj travelling to Ottawa since the last round was in New Delhi in 2014. Also on the agenda is a meeting between the commerce and trade ministers of the two countries. “It’s quite a healthy slate with which to be working,” Prakash said. Among the issues that will require sorting out are the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and finalisation of the Bilateral Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA).

That’s the sense that Rana Sarkar, who was part of Trudeau’s foreign policy advisory council for the elections, has. “There will be an opportunity for the PM to go to India. My understanding is there

will be great progress on the file in the year ahead. With more bilateral visits by ministers, it’ll step up the intensity.”

For many years, the bilateral relationship was hit by Canada’s anger over India’s nuclear test in 1974, which Ottawa said was conducted with fissionable material obtained from a Canadian-supplied reactor. There was a turnaround in recent years after India and the US concluded their landmark nuclear deal.

The 1.2-million Persons of Indian Origin, who comprise more than 3% of Canada’s population, have helped strengthen bilateral ties and two-way trade has increased from 4.2 billion Canadian dollars in 2010 to 6.4 billion Canadian dollars in 2014, though experts say this is far below the true potential.

Sarkar, now co-chair of the board of Munk School for Global Affairs at the University of Toronto, said the relationship has moved from being episodic to strategic and the “genesis” of a new infusion of energy into it will come with Trudeau’s visit.

Both Prakash and Sarkar pointed to the rapport that had been established between the two prime ministers, with Modi meeting Trudeau in April, and inviting him for an official visit when the latter’s party won the Canadian election in October, an invitation that was promptly accepted.

Joint training exercise of India, US Special Forces to be held after four years In another sign of increasing military cooperation between India and the US, the Special Forces of the two countries are resuming their joint train-

Indian Army’s Special Forces will be sending a 40-member team to take part in the exercise, which is scheduled for the last two weeks of Janu-

ing exercise, Vajra Prahar, after a gap of four years. The new edition of exercise will be hosted next month by the First Special Forces Group of the US Army at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.

The last edition of Vajra Prahar was hosted by the Indian Army at Nahan in Himachal Pradesh in 2012.

ary. According to defence ministry sources, the purpose is to improve interoperability and familiarisation of each other’s tactics.

The exercise comes on the heel of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s visit to the US earlier this month where he became the first Indian defence minister to visit the

headquarters of the Pacific Command in Hawaii and witnessed a naval aviation display from the US aircraft carrier, USS Dwight D Eisenhower. During the visit, India announced its participation in the US Air Force’s Exercise Red Flag and world’s largest maritime exercise RIMPAC hosted by the US Navy. The Indian Air Force had last participated in Exercise Red Flag in 2008, and the Indian Navy was an observer in Exercise RIMPAC last year.

Earlier this year, India, US and Japan had agreed for a permanent participation in annual naval exercise Malabar, which is alternatively held in the Bay of Bengal and the Sea of Japan. That has been ostensibly done to counter the Chinese influence in the region.

Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif dons pink turban gifted by Narendra Modi Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Sunday wore the Rajasthani pink turban gifted to him by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit on Friday for his granddaughter’s wedding, a source at Sharif’s Jati Umrah residence said.

“Wearing the gifted turban of Modi itself shows that Sharif’s sincere intention towards the neighbouring country. Besides, it also demonstrates that Sharif values the gift of Modi,” the PML-N source said. Mehrun Nisa, daughter of Maryam Nawaz, married Raheel Munir, son of well known industrialist Chaudhry Munir, who was the first to shake hands with Modi when he got off the car at Jati Umrah outside Lahore on Friday evening.

Modi had congratulated Sharif on the wedding of his granddaughter and also presented him gifts.

On Sunday evening, around 2,000 guests attended the Walima cer-

emony of the couple. Some VVIP guests had also come from Saudi Arabia for the occasion.

Both the groom and the bride have studied at the London School of Economics. The source said that Walima ceremonies will also be held in UAE and the UK next

month because many friends of the Sharifs could not make it to Lahore. Though all the wedding ceremonies are being kept a close family affair away from the public eye, selected footage is released to the media like during the marriage of Sharif’s elder son Husain back in the 1990s. The locals as well as British tailors have reportedly been hired to prepare dresses of the bride and her relatives.

Minor gang-raped to avenge poll defeat, commits suicide A class 11 student committed suicide after she was gang-raped by two men from the same village in Mirzapur district.

Police inaction in the case is also said to be one of the reasons behind the suicide.

According to a report by the Times of India, the victim, who was daughter of a winning woman block development council (BDC)

candidate, was gang-raped by her mother’s political rivals.

The girl’s relative have alleged that police inaction and refusal to register an FIR drove the girl to take the extreme step on Friday, two days after she was raped. It was only after that the girl committed suicide, the police swung into action and arrested the two accused.

Issue 647 (20)

0,$1 02', 6 &+$, 3( &+$5&+$ ,1 /$+25( PM Modi stuns everyone with unexpected stopover in Lahore to meet Nawaz Sharif It was Christmas. And it was also Nawaz Sharif’s birthday. Springing a huge foreign policy surprise, Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined his Pakistani counterpart at his ancestral home in Jatti Umra near Lahore. This stunning ‘goodwill’ gesture is expected to fast-track repairs of a badly bruised Indo-Pak relationship.

The bonhomie witnessed between the two leaders, who held discussions in Sharif’s family home, Raiwind Palace, over an elaborate spread of desi ghee delicacies and Kashmiri tea, gave way to a camaraderie that has survived jolts of derailed talks on several occasions in recent past.

Prime Minister Modi himself broke the news of his travel to Pakistan on Twitter when he announced that he would visit Lahore on his way back from Kabul. Modi had flown to Moscow before that for an annual summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin.

After Modi’s Lahore stopover, it seems stealth is the new tactic adopted by his government in its dealings with Pakistan to keep media, hardliners and detractors at bay.

“Beyond the noise, a personal connect. The Prime Ministers discuss India-Pakistan relationship at Raiwind,” tweeted Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup.

Officials in Islamabad insisted it was not a predecided meeting. “It was a spontaneous meeting. I was lucky to be in Lahore today or would have missed this meeting,” said Pakistan Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhary, stressing that it was a goodwill interaction.

Dialogue The word from Islamabad was that the prime minister’s visit had kick-started the composite dialogue process and the foreign secretaries of the two countries are to meet in Islamabad in January.

Since Modi’s unscheduled meeting with Sharif on the sidelines of the Paris climate talks on December 1, New Delhi and Islamabad have been attempting to leapfrog relationship barriers.

The National Security Advisors of the two countries have met unannounced in Bangkok followed by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s visit to Islamabad where the bilateral dialogue, stalled after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, was revived.

One of the most striking aspects of Friday’s move

Prime Minister Narendra Modi receives a warm welcome from his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif upon his arrival at Lahore airport on Friday. was Modi’s personal touch to his relationship with the Sharifs. Sharif greeted Modi with a hug at the Lahore airport as the Indian prime minister stepped down from the IAF’s Boeing Business Jet. After a short helicopter ride, he walked into the Sharif household, decked up for the wedding of the prime minister ’s granddaughter, with a gift cementing the tradition that started with the Indian prime minister sending a saree for Sharif ‘s mother in May 2014. Sharif had reciprocated by gifting a saree to Modi’s mother Hiraben.

Modi left after giving his blessings to the bride and spent more than an hour at Raiwind.

MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said that the trip infused a positive spirit in the neighbourhood.

The fact that Modi arrived from Kabul is extremely significant considering the fact that New Delhi and Islamabad are engaged

in a shadow war over exercising influence in Afghanistan.

In Kabul, Modi had inaugurated the new building of the Afghan Parliament built by India. The Indian rehabilitation efforts in Afghanistan have been troubling Islamabad which supports Taliban’s efforts to destabilise the Kabul government.

On the symbolic front, in a first, Modi flew in a helicopter from Lahore airport to Raiwind with Sharif. There was no military imprint on the visit as the helicopter in which the two prime ministers flew belonged to the Punjab government and not the Pakistan armed forces.

Another aspect that made the visit landmark is the fact that an Indian prime minister has travelled to Pakistan 16 years after Atal Bihari Vajpayee took a bus to Lahore.

The Opposition evoked memories of the Lahore visit reminding the NDA government that the ‘bus diplomacy’ had

(21)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

Âś:KDW KDV ZDU \LHOGHG QHLWKHU ]DPHHQ QRU MDQQDW¡ :KDW 0RGL WROG 6KDULIV DQG VWUXFN D FKRUG “Jung bahut karli. Jung karke kya paya, na zameen mili na jannat paya ((What has war yielded, neither land nor heaven).â€?

These words of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, uttered in the presence of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, at the cosy Raiwind palace, had instant appreciative echo in the Sharif household. Not only were the words rich with meanings but also they were delivered with delicate flair. “Well said,� the Sharif brothers concurred and repeated it many times to emphasise the implicit message. There is hardly any doubt that Modi’s words, which rhymed like an Urdu couplet, contained a definite political and strategic message for the neighbouring country. Decoded, it impressed upon the highest level in Pakistan about the futility of carrying on a “covert, proxy or open� war with India. And his “jannat and land� remark was intended to convey India’s position on radical elements in Pakistan. Obviously, India’s position on Jammu and Kashmir is inflexible in terms of ceding territories. Those accompanying Modi point out that he was unambiguous about it. At the same time, his “jannat� remark was aimed at Islamic radicals who lure youth to the fold of terrorism by promising them “jannat with virgin hoors (nubile maidens)�. Pakistan being one of the major recruitment centres for the jihadists and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the “jannat� remark emphasised the ludicrousness of the jihadists’ proposition. That Modi resulted in the Kargil conflict.

Modi was originally scheduled to visit Islamabad for the SAARC summit in September 2016.

The Modi government’s Pakistan policy has been a blow-hot blow-cold affair. New Delhi cancelled resumption of dialogue over Islamabad’s insistence on involving Kashmiri separatists in the process. India insisted talks and terror cannot go together. New Delhi is also miffed with Islamabad for not bringing perpetrators of 26/11 to justice.

Reconcilliation Modi’s Lahore stop over is now likely to give an impetus to a reconcilliation and may help the government tide over the resistance posed by hardliners.

Sushma Swaraj hailed the prime minister for acting like a statesman. “Padosi se aise hi rishte hone chahiye (One should have such relations with the neighbor),� she tweeted on Modi’s Lahore move.

delivered this message close to where radical Islamist outfits like Lashker-e-Taiba flourish makes it strategically significant. Insiders in the government say that Modi’s message has a context. In his

recent meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Modi raised a pertinent query about youth getting attracted to the jihadist ideology which led them to the path of death and destruction. “They are misguided by the promise of jannat and hoors after death,� he said, explaining the problems of countering this pernicious dogmatic religious belief fanned through Islamic seminaries. In Pakistan, Modi referred to this aspect of terrorism only to disabuse the misguided youth of the “heavenly life after death� notion. In fact, Modi’s dramatic decision to drop in at Lahore to wish Sharif on his birthday and attend his granddaughter’s wedding was not entirely impulsive.

Given his background as RSS pracharak, Modi was acutely conscious of the fact that Indian leaders, particularly from the BJP background, invite great political risks with their pro-active moves on Pakistan.

&RQJUHVV UDLVHV GRXEWV RQ VHFUHF\ RI 30 0RGL¡V 3DNLVWDQ YLVLW The unscheduled visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Pakistan received varied reactions from political parties with some calling it a positive approach while others questioning the secrecy.

Hailing Modi’s decision to stop over at Lahore as a path breaking departure from the protocol driven politics between India and Pakistan, the BJP said there could not be a better day than the birthday of Atal Bihari Vajpayee for this. “PM Modi’s sudden stop over at Lahore to greet Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif is a much needed departure from protocoldriven politics between the two countries. Like leaders of other nations in the world like the EU, ASEAN and even countries in our neighborhood, leaders of India and Pakistan too needed to inject informality in their

relations. What better day than the birthday of Atalji for this path-breaking departure!,�

Madhav, who plays an important role in shaping the party’s views on external

affairs, tweeted.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said the PM has acted like a statesman in deciding to visit Pakistan. “That’s like a statesman. Padosi se aise hi rishte hone chahiyen (This is how it should be with neighbours),� Swaraj tweeted.

Meanwhile, the Congress questioned Modi’s visit, saying serious information like this should not have been revealed through Twitter. “It is unfortunate that we get to know about Prime Minister’s visit through a tweet... India and Pakistan relations are not so good as yet that he stops over there on his way back from another country,�

Congress spokesperson Ajoy Kumar said. “Parliament session got over just a few days back, why was the House and country kept in dark?� he questioned.

Issue 647 (22)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

Arvind Kejriwal to kick-start Punjab campaign next month

NEW DELHI Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will kick-start his Punjab campaign by addressing a mega rally in Muktsar next month, as the party gears up for polls in the state scheduled to be held in 2017.

The Delhi chief minister is also expected to spend a considerable time in Punjab from next year, party sources said.

The party is pitted against the Congress and the SAD-Akali Dal combine.

“I will address a mega rally in Muktsar in Punjab on January 14,” Kejriwal told PTI. The party, which is yet to project any chief ministerial candidate, is banking

on Kejriwal’s image to wrest power in the state.

In October, Kejriwal had visited Punjab, which was hit by protests due to desecration of Guru Granth Sahib.

The party has been raising its voice against the problem of drug addiction and by raising issues related to farmers suicide and alleged irregularities in buying pesticides.

After having made its presence felt in the state during the Lok Sabha elections, AAP had recently made structural changes in the state unit, which irked many in the party.

AAP had opened its account in the Lok Sabha by winning four seats in Punjab in 2014 general

elections. However, two of its MPs Dharamvira Gandhi and Harinder Singh Khalsa have been suspended on the charge of anti-party activities. o garner support from Punjabis residing abroad, AAP leaders Sanjay Singh and Ashutosh had visited Canada to woo NRIs. “NRIs play a major role in Punjab polls as almost every household has someone who is working abroad, majority of which stay in USA, apart from UK, Australia and Malaysia. The party had reached out to NRIs even during Lok Sabha polls and this is practised even by other parties.

India, Pak and Bangladesh can become a ‘federation’: Paswan HYDERABAD Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan today favoured India, Pakistan and Bangladesh becoming a “Mahasanghatan” (federation) with a common currency and open trade, a move, he claimed would put an end to terrorism to a large extent.

“We cannot say if they can reunite or not; if they (the three countries) reunite, it’s very good thing. At least if they don’t become one nation (again), it can become a federation (‘Mahasanghatan’ as he put it),” Paswan told PTI in an interview here.

“Bharat, Pakistan and Bangladesh were all in one nation (earlier),” the LJP chief said when asked for his views on BJP general secretary Ram Madhav’s recent statement that RSS believes that the three nations would one day reunite again not by war but through “popular goodwill”.

“These three nations can become a ‘federation’”, Paswan said, mooting the idea of common currency, open trade and lifting of restrictions on movement of people.

“This will put an end to terrorism to a large extent,” he added. His comments have come after BJP’s

National General Secretary Ram Madhav said that India, Pakistan and Bangladesh will reunite one day to create “Akhand Bharat” or an ‘Undivided India’.

Madhav had told Dohabased Al Jazeera: “The Rashtriya Swayamsevak

ship’ between the two countries. Only terrorists oppose good bilateral relations between New Delhi and Islamabad,” he said.

The Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution said the LJP is fighting for reservation of SCs and STs in private

Sangh (RSS) still believes that one day these parts, which have for historical reasons separated only 60 years ago, will again, through popular goodwill, come together and ‘Akhand Bharat’ will be created.”

Paswan also described Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s last week’s surprise visit to Lahore as a “masterstroke” and said it is an attempt to link the hearts of the people of the two countries. “People on both the sides of the border want ‘permanent friend-

sector. “Not that you give reservation in all posts... where there is available -Class-III and Class-IV posts, you can give (reservation)”. Paswan rejected suggestions from opposition parties that ‘Ache Din’ is yet to come for ‘aam aadmi’ even after one-andhalf year tenure of the Modi Government, as he listed various initiatives of the Centre, including Jan Dhan Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bhima Yojana and Mudra Bank.

Issue 647 (23)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

Yuvraj wants to go with the flow

Yuvraj Singh doesn’t know how to give up. The last five years of his life encapsulate his fighting spirit. Once again, he has come back from the brink, beating all

odds to force his way into the Indian team for the three-match T20 series against Australia.

With the World T20 around the corner, the search for

a genuine match-winning all-rounder has taken the selectors back to Yuvraj.

The left-hander spoke to BCCI.TV about how he found his way back to where he belongs.

How does it feel when you get for what you have been working so hard?

It feels good to be back. It has been a while since I last represented the country. I really had to fight it out and get some good scores in domestic cricket to prove myself again. It has all paid off.

Last year you said you weren’t quite playing to the best of your ability. But now, with the amount of runs you have scored, do you think you are there again?

When you play international cricket for 13-14 years, it is always tough to maintain a certain level.

Especially with my body, it has been up and down.

But this year, at the domestic stage, I have been

Justin Langer to coach Australia on West Indies tour

Australia coach Darren Lehmann will step aside to allow Justin Langer to guide the team during a one-day tournament in the

Caribbean next year.

Western Australia coach Langer has long been favoured to take over the top job eventually and Lehmann said the June tour would give the former Test batsman some valuable experience while giving himself a break from the rigours of the job.

“He’s in charge. I won’t be saying what he can and

can’t do,” Lehmann told reporters at the Melbourne Cricket Ground where Australia are playing West Indies in the second Test.

“He’ll bring his own ideas and I think that’s good for the players, having some fresh ideas occasionally.

“It’s just a chance to get JL into the system and let him have the reins for a trip ...

He’ll do a great job.”

Australia will play South Africa and West Indies in the 10-match tournament starting June 6 in Guyana. The

final will be played in Barbados on June 26.

Lehmann said he had no plans to retire any time soon and hoped to guide the team to victory in the Ashes in England in 2019.

Australia lost the Ashes 3-2 in England earlier this year after being favoured to win.

“We let ourselves down this year. 2013 was a different scenario, we were changing the whole setup,” he said.

“I’d love to have another crack at that. But you’re guided by results along the way, you can’t look that far ahead.” With Australia’s batsmen performing well in the 2-0 series win over New Zealand and the current series against West Indies, Lehmann said he felt the batting order in the rebuilding side was settled under new captain Steve Smith.

batting really well, especially in the One-dayers, and I am feeling really good. I really believe that if I get a number of opportunities, I can deliver again.

You played your last international match in April 2014. Since then you have done everything in your power to find your way back. Did you always believe that you will play for India again?

Definitely. I didn’t end it well in 2014; I had a bad run in the final, and that was always at the back of my mind. I had to work on my fitness, fielding and batting. I have done that in the last year-and-a-half, and hopefully the results will show in the coming seasons.

Going back to domestic cricket after scaling the highest peaks of international cricket is tough.

AB de Villiers plans to reduce workload to ‘stay fresh’

Talismanic South African cricketer AB de Villiers wants to reduce his workload to keep himself fresh after several years of fulfilling a punishing international schedule. The 31-year-old De Villiers is regarded as the backbone of the top-ranked Test team’s batting but the player plans to cut back on his participation in all forms

of the game. “There are a lot of rumours flying around but for the last two or three years the only talk I’ve been doing is (about) keeping myself fresh and having a bit of rest here and there,” De Villiers said on Monday after the Afrikaans-language Rapport newspaper claimed he was retiring from international cricket.

A great but not-so-great 2015 for Saina Nehwal It was a great year for Saina Nehwal but it was also not a great year.

It was a great year because the list of Indian sportsmen and women who have reached the pinnacle of their sport is a small one and in 2015, Saina joined that list by becoming the first Indian women’s badminton player to get to No 1 in the world.

But it wasn’t a great year because Saina won just two tournaments in 2015 – the Syed Modi International and the India Open – and finished sixth race to the Dubai Superseries leaderboard, with Carolina Marin and Saina’s three Chinese rivals all ahead of her.

Saina has a chance of climbing back up the rankings if she does well in the Indian Grand Prix.

It was a great year because Saina reached the finals of the All-England Championship and the World Championships for the first time, not only a significant personal breakthrough as no Indian bad-

minton player – male or female – had reached a World championship final before.

But it wasn’t a great year because Saina lost to Marin in both finals and ended the year with injury trouble and a first-round exit at the World

many of us remember Serbian Jelena Jankovic was once the World No 1 in women’s tennis back in 2008? Jankovic has never won a tennis Grand Slam and her achievement, at least on the world stage, is effectively a footnote in women’s tennis. Mean-

Superseries finale in Dubai.

Marin’s win-loss record for the year was 36-8; Saina’s was 25-10.

It was a great year because Saina made history all over the place and we should all be very proud of what she has accomplished. But it wasn’t a great year because the harsh truth about sports is those who win the big tournaments – the Majors – are remembered and treasured above all else. How

while Marion Bartoli, who never got close to being the best women’s tennis player, will forever be remembered as Wimbledon champion. None of this is not to denigrate what Jankovic has achieved in her career, which is considerable, but only to illustrate that history belongs to those who win on the biggest stage. Roger Federer’s greatness spreads outwards from his 17 Grand Slam titles.

Issue 647 (24)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 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.

Issue 647 (25)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

Technology Illegal onlIne pharmacIes usIng TwITTer To pedal drugs Illegal online pharmacies are using Twitter to promote prescription drug abuse of controlled substances, a new study has found.

‘This study is the first to establish an empirical link between Twitter content and illicit online pharmacies which promote the illegal sale of drugs that have significant abuse potential,’ said study co-author Timothy Mackey from University of California-San Diego.

‘Our results are concerning, as the study found over 45,000 tweets that promoted drug abuse even though we only looked at a two week period of tweets,’ Mackey added.

According to the US De-

partment of Health and Human Services (HHS) and National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), young

adults are the biggest abusers of prescription opioid pain relievers, ADHD stimulants, and anti-anxiety drugs.

The study conducted surveillance and content analysis of over two million tweets using the Twitter public streaming applica-

tion programming interface and used assisted machine learning.

Tweets were analysed to

determine if they discussed drug abuse issues, whether they favourably promoted drug abuse behaviour, and were also examined to see if they directly enabled the illegal access to controlled substances by online pharmacies.

Mackey said the study findings are extremely troubling.

‘When we examined links included in a subset of the tweets that discussed drug abuse, we discovered that 76 percent of these tweets included a link to an online marketing affiliate advertising the sale of the controlled substance valium, a tranq-uilliser that is commonly abused,’ he said.

Buying prescription drugs from illegal online pharmacies also endangers consumers’ financial information, putting them at risk of identity theft, according to experts.

The study was published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR).

Google reportedly creating a new intelligent messaging app

Google has reportedly been building a new messaging app that will allow the users to chat with their friends or message an intelligent Google bot for answers to their questions.

According to The Verge, the company has been working on this new service for at least a year, though it is not known when it might launch. The details are still

light on this. It is also reported that Google will likely allow other developers to build chat bots that run on the service, so the users could receive an answer from an app that has the information they are looking for. The service looks like it’s meant to directly compete with Facebook M, a bot that Facebook is testing inside of Messenger.

Know if you are 76 percent kids below age 13 dependent on Facebook hooked to YouTube

Despite the government’s strict norms that prohibit children under 13 from joining mobile sharing platforms, nearly 76 percent of children aged 7-13 years visit video-streaming website YouTube daily, a new Associated Chambers of Commerce of India (Assocham) survey found.

The early exposure to online media can lead to negative outcomes such as cyber bullying and online sexual abuse, the report said. YouTube requires account holders to be 18.

Despite these clearly

stated and published age restrictions, a large number of children aged 7-13, especially in tier-I and tierII cities are using social media with their parents’ consent, the survey found.

The most watched clips on YouTube are music videos.

The survey was conducted under Assocham Social Development Foundation (ASDF) covering 4,750 parents of children aged 6-13 years in metropolitan cities including Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad,

Pune, Chandigarh, Dehradun and Lucknow.

‘Children are gaining access to social media sites like YouTube at a younger age, which could expose them to content, people or situations that are out of their depth,’ Assocham secretary General D.S Rawat said.

As per the findings, nearly 76 percent of 13-year-olds, 69 percent of 11-year-olds and 65 percent of 10-yearold are on YouTube, while 40-50 percent of nine yearolds are also active on the other sites, the survey revealed.

From reading news to playing games, people use Facebook for various reasons but those who use the social media site to meet new people are the most dependent on Facebook overall, says a new study.

The more people use Facebook to fulfill their

bad as it is not equivalent to an addiction, explained the researchers.

To identify dependency factors, the researchers studied 301 Facebook users between the ages of 18 and 68 who post on the site at least once a month.

They found that people who perceive Facebook as

selves tend to have agreeable personalities, but lower self-esteem than others.

‘They might post that they went to the gym. Maybe they will share a post expressing a certain political stance or personal challenge they are facing. They rely on feedback from

goals, the more dependent on it they become, the study said.

However, Facebook dependency - whether it is for news, games, feedback on your posts or meeting new people - is not necessarily

helpful in gaining a better understanding of themselves go to the site to meet new people and to get attention from others.

Also, people who use Facebook to gain a deeper understanding of them-

Facebook friends to better understand themselves,’ said one of the researchers Amber Ferris, assistant professor of communication at The University of Akron`s Wayne College in Ohio, US.

Issue 647 (26)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

Islamic State claims Bangladesh mosque attack Dhaka The Islamic State terrorist group on Saturday claimed responsibility for a suicide attack at a packed mosque of minority Ahmadi community during Friday

prayers in northwestern Bangladesh, in which 10 people were wounded.

US-based monitoring group SITE reported that IS, which has claimed responsibility for many recent attacks in Bangladesh, said it targeted worshippers at the mosque in Bagmara town, some 250 kilometres from Dhaka, according to bdnews24 online.

The monitoring group quoted IS as saying that

the bomber detonated an explosive belt at a mosque of the “polytheist Qadiani sect,” a derogatory term for Ahmadi Muslims, the report said.

SITE had reported IS

claiming credit for several previous militant attacks.

The attack came as Muslimmajority Bangladesh celebrated the birth anniversaries of Prophets Mohammad and Jesus Christ amid festivity and tight security.

“The explosion killed the suicide bomber and injured 10 others,” a police officer on Friday said.

The attacker had exploded the bomb he

had concealed under his garments.

In recent months, homegrown militant group Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and IS have claimed responsibility for bomb attacks on a shrine and a mosque of minority Shia Muslims in northern Bangladesh.

Members of other minority groups, including Sufis who adhere to a mystical form of Islam - have also been attacked and killed in recent months, and two Christian priests have survived attacks claimed

by Islamist militants.

Bagmara area is the hometown and stronghold of outlawed JMB kingpin Siddiqul Islam Bangla Bhai, who was executed along with three other top leaders of the Islamist group in 2007.

Bangladesh has seen several violent incidents in recent months, including attacks on foreigners and secular bloggers claimed by the IS, although the government says the attacks have been carried out by local Islamist radical groups.

Islamic State sanctioned organ harvesting in fatwa The terrorist group Islamic State has sanctioned the harvesting of human organs in a previously undisclosed ruling by the group’s Islamic scholars, raising concerns that the violent extremist group may be trafficking in body parts. The ruling, contained in a January 31, 2015 document reviewed

by Reuters, says that taking organs from a living captive to save a Muslim’s life, even if it is fatal for the captive, is “permissible”.

Reuters could not independently confirm the authenticity of the document. US officials say it was among a trove of data and other information obtained by US special forces in a raid in eastern Syria in May. According to the document, which has been translated by the US government, Islamic State leaders have approved harvesting human organs to save Muslims as an “apostate’s life and organs don’t have to be respected and may be taken with impunity.” The document is in the form of a fatwa, or religious ruling, from the

Islamic State’s Research and Fatwa Committee.

“Organs that end the captive’s life if removed: The removal of that type is also not prohibited,” Fatwa Number 68 says, according to the translation. The

document does not offer any definitive proof that Islamic State actually engages in organ harvesting or organ trafficking. But it does provide religious sanction for doing so under the group’s harsh interpretation of Islam - which is rejected by most Muslims.

Previously, Iraq has accused Islamic State of harvesting human organs and trafficking them for profit. The document does not define “apostate,” though the Islamic State has killed or imprisoned non-Muslims, such as

Christians, and Shiite Muslims, as well as Sunni Muslims who don’t follow its extremist views.

Documents shared with allies. US officials say the records that were seized have given the US government a deep look into how Islamic State organises, raises funds and codifies laws for its followers.

Iraq’s ambassador to the United Nations, Mohamed Ali Alhakim, told Reuters the documents should be examined by the UN Security Council as evidence that Islamic State could be trafficking in organs to raise cash. The May raid in Syria, which resulted in the death of Islamic State top financial official Abu Sayyaf and the capture of his wife, netted seven terabytes of data in the form of computer hard drives, thumb drives, CDs, DVDs and papers, said Brett McGurk, US President Barack Obama’s Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, in an interview.

Issue - 647 (27)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

Iranian hackers ‘targeted’ US dam WASHINGTON Iranian hackers breached the control system of a dam near New York City in 2013, an

infiltration that raised concerns about the security of the country’s infrastructure, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing former and current US officials.

Two people familiar with the breach told the newspaper it occurred at the Bowman Avenue Dam in Rye, New York. The small structure about 20 miles from New York City is used for

flood control.The hackers gained access to the dam through a cellular modem, the Journal said, citing an unclassified

Department of Homeland Security summary of the incident that did not specify the type of infrastructure.The dam is a 20foot-tall concrete slab across Blind Brook, about five miles from Long Island Sound. “It’s very, very small,” Rye City Manager Marcus Serrano told the newspaper. He said FBI agents visited in 2013 to ask the city’s information-technology manager

US porn company offers $1mn to Miss Colombia to make sex tapes

California A porn company in the US has offered Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez $1 million to jumpstart her career in making sex tapes.

Vivid Entertainment co-founder Steven Hirsch told her that she can benefit from the beauty pageant’s announcement gaffe.

“Celebrity sex tapes we have distributed have enhanced the careers of stars such as Kim Kardashian, Kendra Wilkinson, Pamela Anderson, and many others,” he said in a letter to the Miss Universe first runner-up.

Host Steve Harvey mistakenly crowned Gutierrez the Miss Universe when in fact the title belonged to Miss Philippines Pia Wurtzbach.She was wearing the crown for about two minutes, only for them to be taken away from her, gmanetwork.com reported.

Hirsch tried to convince Gutierrez further by mentioning Vanessa Williams, who won the Miss America title in 1984, gained fame when men’s magazine Penthouse published

unauthorized nude photos of her several weeks before her reign ended. Williams was forced to give up her crown.

“Today Vanessa is an accomplished actress, singer, and author. She has even admitted that the incident with Penthouse helped rather than hurt her career,” he added.

For $1 million, Hirsch said that Gutierrez can pick her own partners, the type of sex she wants, and the number of movies she will make.

The Vivid Entertainment cofounder added another promise to his “serious offer.”

“We will commission the making of the first Vivid Girl crown for you and we believe it will be grander than anything Miss Philippines will ever wear,” he wrote.

“We can assure you that taking us up on our offer will more than make up for any fame and fortune you might get as Miss Universe. I can promise you that you will be definitely be remembered,” he added.

about a hacking incident.

The dam breach was difficult to pin down, and federal investigators at first thought the target was a much larger dam in Oregon, the Journal said. The breach came as hackers linked to the Iranian government were attacking US bank websites after American spies damaged an Iranian nuclear facility with the Stuxnet computer worm.

It illustrated concerns about many of the old computers controlling industrial systems, and the White House was notified of the infiltration, the Journal said.The newspaper said the United States had more than 57,000 industrial control systems connected to the Internet, citing Shodan, a search engine that catalogs each machine.Homeland Security spokesman S.Y. Lee would not confirm the breach to Reuters.

He said the department’s 24hour cybersecurity informationsharing hub and an emergency response team coordinate responses to threats to and vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure.

US woman chants ‘‘IS is great’’ during sex, neighbour calls police

New York Call it bizarre or insane, but a 82-year-old elderly woman called police after she reportedly heard her female neighbour chanting “IS (Islamic State) is good, IS is great” while having sex, media reported on Wednesday.

The woman from Brown Deer in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, called the police requesting them to come over as she heard the woman yelling “IS is great” while the couple made love, www.cbs58.com reported.

Police, however, advised the woman to call back if she heard the “IS” chanting again.

Brown Deer police chief Michael Kass posted on Twitter: “Maybe taking `see something, say something` a little too far?”

Meanwhile, twitter users took to jokes and speculations as the post went viral.

“They might have been roleplaying as Egyption gods. Isis is probably very good!” tweeted @DannyDangerOz. Some even suggested that the elderly woman who reported this may need to take her medication.

Others, however defended the 82-year-old woman, saying the couple might just be “into really kinky stuff.”

two-part structure covering the front segment of its body near the head, known as a bivalved carapace.

Scientists believe the carapace played a fundamental role in how the creature practiced brood care or caring for their young.

‘Clusters of egg-shaped objects are evident in five of the many

eggs held by each Waptia was up to 24, 12 on each side of the body.

The scientists analyzed the egg-like structures and found that minerals were different in certain areas of the eggs, which indicates the embryos inside had a different composition.

‘This creature is expanding our perspective on the diversification

specimens we observed, all located on the underside of the carapace and alongside the anterior third of the body,’ said Caron. As the eggs laid inside their mother, the clusters were arranged in a single layer on each side of the body, which makes it almost impossible for the eggs to squish one another.

In some animals, like seahorses, the eggs are resting equidistant from each other, while in others, some are closer together. The largest amount of

of brood care in early arthropods,’ said Jean Vannier, the co-author of the study from Centre national de la recherche scientifique.‘The relatively large size of the eggs and the small number of them, contrasts with the high number of small eggs found previously in another bivalved arthropod known as Kunmingella douvillei. ‘And though that creature predates Waptia by about seven million years, none of its eggs contained embryos.’

500m-yr-old creature found caring for eggs

Ottawa Long before kangaroos carried their joeys in their pouches and honey bees nurtured their young in hives, there was the 508-million-year-old Waptia.

Little is known about the shrimp-like creature first discovered in the renowned Canadian Burgess Shale fossil deposit a century ago. But a recent study has found eggs with embryos preserved within the body of the animal, suggesting that his is the oldest example of brood care in the fossil record.

This shrimp-like creature lived in the ocean 508 million years ago and toted eggs under its shell, making this the oldest evidence of a living thing that carried its offspring. ‘The discovery adds another piece to our understanding of brood care practices during the Cambrian Explosion,’ said Jean-Bernard Caron, a curator at the Royal Ontario Museum.

‘This is a period of rapid evolutionary development when most major animal groups appear in the fossil record.

Scientists from the University of Toronto, Royal Ontario Museum, and Centre national de la recherche scientifique collaborated in this discovery.

Waptia fieldensis is an early arthropod, belonging to a group of animals that includes lobsters and crayfish. It had a

Issue - 647 (28)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

The creepy-crawly farm Woman experiences up That grows 5,000 giant SPIDERS as big as a man’s hand If you’re scared of spiders look away now. A Chilean man has turned his love of tarantulas from a hobby into a full-time business breeding 5,000 of the creepy crawlers at a any one time.

Juan Pablo Orellana, started keeping tarantulas as pets at home. He now exports around 30,000 of them a year to markets in Asia, Europe and the US. One particular breed of the spider - known scientifically as Grammostola mollicoma - grows as big as a man’s hand. But despite its monstrous size the spider is among the most docile of the species.

As pets go tarantulas are fairly low maintenance. They sell $25 (£16) each plus shipping but only need to be fed once a week living on a diet of live cockroaches or worms. They live a long time too - up to 25 years in the case of females.

So far in Chile only 11 species of tarantula have been scientifically classified but Mr Orellana says he keeps 20 different species. ‘For me the best part is going out to find new spiders,’ Mr Orellana told Agence France Press news agency.Mr Orellana spends much of his time looking in the hills outside the Chilean capital Santiago, for new breeds and species and raises the ones that are hardest to find.’For me the best part is going out to find new spiders,’ Mr Orellana told AFP.

His farm contains a huge variety of the spiders: some have red abdomens, others have coppercolored skin, and they have varying degrees of hairiness.The success of Mr Orellana’s business is the result of a growing trend for exotic and low maintenance pets.’Not everyone

The breeding process is also rather involved and requires a delicate touch. It takes two and a half to three years to raise one to adulthood when it can then be sold as a pet.Mr Gonzalez said the tarantulas must also be separated from each other.

‘It’s in their genes, they cannot

can keep a dog or cat.Tarantulas are cheaper and do not need as much attention. What’s more, the world has changed and what with technology and cable television, people are learning about this kind of exotic animal and want one for their home,’ Juan Gonzalez, a vet at the farm told AFP.At the breeding facility, most of the farmhands are women.’It is labour intensive and very specialized, and I prefer women because the creatures are fragile, and if they break a leg or are dropped they can die,’ Mr Orellana said.

live alongside even a mate. They start fighting when they are young, and you have to separate them to avoid cannibalism,’ he said.The United States is the farm’s biggest client while European buyers seek fewer tarantulas but a wider variety of species, Mr Gonzalez added.In recent months the farm has also delivered spiders to the University of Antofagasta in northern Chile, which is researching the cancer-fighting features of Chilean spider and scorpion venom.

Men will be ‘wives’ and women will be ‘husbands’ Wives can be men and husbands could be women under bizarre word play introduced by the government.The introduction of gay marriage means old laws which gave protections or benefits to husbands or wives will become outdated.So ministers have drawn up ‘gobbledegook’ rules which overrule the dictionary and scrap the centuries-old definitions of male and female spouses.

The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill is due to complete its final stages through Parliament this summer.

But updated guidance issued in ‘explanatory notes’ reveals the baffling explanation of how ‘husband’ and ‘wife’ will become interchangeable. It sets out how every mention of a marriage in any existing laws must now be considered to include same sex marriages, in addition to a wedding between a man and a woman.And where legislation refers to a ‘husband’ or a ‘wife’ it must now be taken to mean either a man or a woman who has tied the knot.The Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act 1963 states that health and safety rules need not apply if the only person employed to work there is the ‘husband, wife,

civil partner ......of the person by whom they are so employed’.The new guidance states: ‘This means that “husband” here will include a man or a woman in a same sex marriage, as well as a man

married to a woman. ‘In a similar way, “wife” will include a woman married to another woman or a man married to a man. ‘The result is that this section is to be construed as including both male and female same sex marriage.’But the ruyling has been crtiicised for reversing centuries of understanding about what spouses are called.During debates in Parliament, Lord Tebbit said: ‘It sounds not merely like gobbledegook but the reversal of the natural and normal meaning of words.’

to six orgasms a day

Starting in her FOOT and travelling up her leg A Dutch woman has developed a never-before-seen condition where she experienced orgasms which started in her foot.The 55-year-old experienced the orgasms, which occurred five or six times a day, without any sexual arousal or thoughts. The orgasmic sensation travelled up her left leg to her genital area and were just like the orgasms experienced during sex.She is thought to be the only person in the world with the condition.Dr Marcel Waldinger, a professor at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, studied MRI scans of the woman’s brain, and of her foot, but these revealed no abnormalities, LiveScience reports.However, further tests uncovered some differences between the nerves of her left foot and those of her right. Dr Waldinger told LiveScience that when he stimulated her foot with an electric current she experienced an immediate orgasmic reaction in the foot.The researchers, who published their findings in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, believe that the foot orgasms came about as a result of a signalling mix-up in the woman’s brain. Dr Waldinger explained that about 18 months before the problem started, the patient developed a sepsis infection and spent three weeks in intensive care.For some of this

time she was in a coma and when she woke from it, she noticed a tingling sensation in her left foot.The researchers believe this was caused by damage to the foot’s nerve fibres.They now

believe the problem developed because the nerve that delivers information from the foot reaches the spinal cord at the same point as the nerve that delivers information from the genital region.Therefore, as a result of the nerve damage, her brain became unable to differentiate between the regions.As a result of the investigations, it was established that the woman could be treated with an anaesthetic injection in one of her spinal nerves - this stopped the orgasms altogether.

Sri Lankan man claims to have lived without eating food for FIVE YEARS A Sri Lankan man claims he has survived without food for the last five years.

Although experts believe humans can only live for two months without a meal, Kirby de Lanerolle insists he has only needed fresh air as nourishment.

The breatharian also claims his lifestyle - which he says harnesses light, wind and the ‘vibrations of God’ - can reverse the ageing process and make him immortal.

In an interview on TV show Taboo USA cited by The Sun, de Lanerolle said: ‘There are energy sources out there that are greater than the food calories you are putting in your body.

‘Calories come from photons and light and vibrations and wind. Anything can feed you if your energy centres are open.’

He admits to having eaten seven 500-calorie meals over the last ten months, but claims they made him feel ill.

He said: ‘In this consciousness, when I do eat food, it makes me feel very tired. And my alertness goes away when I eat now.’

According to odditycentral.com, de Lanerolle

was a drug addict at the age of 16.But he has gone on to become a Gold medalist at the

dramatic turnaround in fortunes to the breatharian lifestyle.

Around five years ago, he read

Junior National Level Championship for Rifle Shooting in 1995, winner of several boxing medals, Executive Advisor to the Ministry of Social Services in Sri Lanka and a successful entrepreneur.

He is also believed to be the only person known to have completed a marathon having only consumed water for three months.He claims he owes his

about people who didn’t eat for up to six years and didn’t drink water for 40 days and 40 nights.

He was also convinced by the writings of a guru who said that cancer, diabetes and heart disease are caused by food.

He now wants to teach others to be breatharians, but experts are worried about his claims because some people have died trying adopt the lifestyle.

Issue - 647 (29)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

Kate named ‘health hero’ of 2015

London You might admire Kate Middleton for her luscious hair or impeccable taste in fashion.

But she has just been named a ‘health hero’ for her work in championing mental illness in children. The Duchess of Cambridge, Jamie Oliver and Professor Green have all been named ‘Health Heroes of 2015’.

The three join a full list of 10 leading figures, who health website MyhealthLondon commends for their efforts in supporting health issues in 2015.–MOL MyhealthLondon was launched by Mayor Boris Johnson in 2011 and aims to help people make informed decisions about their wellbeing.

As part of an annual review, the 10 individuals were selected by a panel of NHS professionals in recognition of their work raising awareness. The candidates were chosen based on popular online searches, social media trends and top health stories of the year.

The panel chose the Duchess of Cambridge as she has spent most of her time this year championing children’s mental health, giving spotlight to organisations such as the Anna Freud Centre, which trains child

therapists, and Place2Be, which provides counselling for children in schools.

Professor Green has pushed for

more open discussion around mental health in men, speaking candidly about the impact of his father’s suicide.

And Dr Kate Granger, a geriatrician and terminally ill cancer patient, made the headlines this year for her ’Hello my name is’ campaign, which encouraged doctors to introduce themselves and make a human connection with their

British astronaut calls wrong number from space

London Britain’s first astronaut, Major Tim Peake who is on a space mission, accidentally called a wrong number while trying to call home from space.

To insist that the incident was not a prank call and just a wrong number, Major Peake quickly tweeted from his space station International Space Station (ISS) saying, “I’d like to apologise to the lady I just called by mistake saying ‘Hello, is this planet Earth?’ not a prank call... just a wrong number,” The 43-year-old, who is spending six months conducting scientific experiments on the station, has been unlucky with calls to the Earth and had earlier got his parents’ answering machine when he tried to wish them a Merry Christmas.

Earlier in the week, Peake helped two fellow crew members to conduct a space walk outside the ISS. Astronauts Tim Kopra and Scott Kelly, from the US space agency Nasa, went outside the ISS to fix a broken component.

Peake, who is a former major in the Army, is the first Briton to join the crew of the ISS and is employed by the European Space Agency.

Helen Sharman became the first British citizen to travel to space when she visited the Soviet Mir orbiting station in 1991. Other Britons who have flown into space have done so either as private individuals or by taking US citizenship.

Earlier this month Peake was waved off by his wife and two sons, Thomas, six, and Oliver, four, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

patients. The campaign won widespread admiration from within the NHS, endorsed by health secretary Jeremy Hunt, after it was tweeted about an average of six times an hour.

Dr Michael Jacobs, a consultant in infectious diseases, was celebrated for his work in saving Ebola nurse Pauline Cafferkey, as well as other patients, at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, London.

The panel also named Jamie Oliver, who they said continued to educate people about the levels of sugar in food.

They also gave an award to Checkyourfood.com,a healthy eating website, whom they said have given individuals a place to learn more about what they’re actually consuming.

Other Heroes include Jane Sutton, the mother of the late Stephen Sutton, who has continued her son’s legacy by charity work running the 2015 London Marathon. Dr Christian Jessen was also commended for his work raising awareness of HIV testing, while they thanked Claudia Hammond and Roy Lilley for continuing to promote discussion and debate about health topics.

UK couple duplicate their dead pet dog for 134,000 pounds

London A British couple, devastated by the death of their dog, has spent a whopping 134,000 pounds to clone their dead pet, becoming the first in UK to do so.

Laura Jacques and Richard Remde were shocked when their eight-year-old boxer ‘Dylan’ died of a heart attack in June. They sought the help of South Korean biotech firm Sooam, which clones dead dogs for 67,000 pounds each. The pair will collect their two newborn puppies from South Korea on Saturday.Laura said Dylan’s death left her “in total shock”. She added: “I see

it as Dylan’s puppies but they will have 100 per cent his DNA not just 50. There will be people who don’t agree with it, but there will be loads that would love to be able to do it,” Laura was quoted as saying by The Sun. Scientists put Dylan’s DNA into a donor egg which was implanted into a female dog. He had been dead for 12 days when the couple took a skin sample to the firm, but were warned the technique had never worked from bodies that old. Dylan’s body has been in the couple’s freezer while they renovated their garden and will be buried later.

Mom agrees to do porn for son’s sake London A single mother in the US has agreed to star in a porn movie so she could by her 5year-old son presents for New Year.

Megan Clara said that she felt devastated last Christmas when her son complained he didn’t have the same expensive presents as his friends.

The 20-year-old UK resident made nearly $120 a week after she started working in the porn industry, and she was able to buy cuddly toys and new clothes for her son.

“Last New Year’s Eve I could barely scrape any money together, it was really tough and I couldn’t help but worry Ashton was going to be left out and disappointed,” the mom from Portsmouth,

England, was quoted as saying. After seeing an old friend “stripping off,” Clara got in touch with her friend’s photographer. The rest, she says, is history. “My job’s

has spent almost $2,200 on her son this New Year.

“Ashton has wanted a bike for over three years and I’ve finally been able to make his dream come true. It’s an amazing

amazing, I love being in front of the camera,” she said. “My idol is Katie Price, I thought if she can make money by glamor modeling it was worth me giving it a go too – I’m in awe of her,” nypost.com quoted her as saying. The young mom now gets paid $743 per scene and

feeling. The only downside is that he now bribes me into buying him toys for being wellbehaved,” she said. The adult film star already received backlash about her chosen profession, but says that “some people are just jealous.”

Japan firm probes ‘Hello Kitty’ fan database exposure TOKYO The Japanese creator of Hello Kitty said Tuesday an investigation had been launched into a reported flaw in its official fan website that allegedly exposed private information on 3.3 million accounts. The probe came after US security website CSO warned that it had found online a database containing

sensitive customer data including names, birthdays, email addresses and passwords.

A spokesman for Hello Kitty creator Sanrio said the Hong Kong-based company which independently operates sanriotown.com was probing the reported flaw. But ‘we are not aware of any case of actual data leak at this point’, he added. The Hong Kong-based company is 30 percent owned by a Sanrio subsidiary.

Issue - 647 (30)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

Japanese who paid for sex with 12,000 women convicted finally Tokyo A former school teacher, who reportedly paid for sex with 12,000 women in the Philippines, has been convicted in Japan for taking photos of naked Filipino girls.

The Yokohama District Court sentenced Yuhei Takashima, 65,

to two years in prison with the term suspended for four years, a spokesman told AFP. Takashima, who reportedly had sex with girls as young as 14, escaped prison with a promise not to offend again.

Quoting the verdict, Japan`s Jiji Press said the girls pictured were

“aged between 12 and 14” and were photographed at a hotel in the Philippines about two years ago.According to local media, Takashima had meticulously catalogued nearly 150,000 photographs of his sexual encounters over a 27-year period in around 400 separate albums.

Takashima was quoted as having said in court that he “has a habit of collecting things” and wanted “to keep the memories”.

The former middle-school principal started paying for sex when he was dispatched to a Japanese school in Manila in 1988.

Islamic State ‘gets tougher’ in the face of air strikes London A new message purporting to come from the leader of Islamic State said air strikes by Russia and a US-led coalition had failed to weaken the group.

“Be confident that God will grant victory to those who worship him, and hear the good news that our state is doing well. The more intense the war against it, the

purer it becomes and the tougher it gets,” said the audio recording, described as by Abu Bakr alBaghdadi.

The authenticity of the message, posted on Saturday on Twitter accounts that have published Islamic State statements in the past, could not be verified.

It slammed Saudi Arabia’s efforts to set up a coalition of Muslim nations to fight his group.”If it was an Islamic coalition, it would have declared itself free from its Jewish and Crusader lords and

made the killing the Jews and the liberation of Palestine its goal,” the message said.

The militant Sunni Islamist group controls swathes of Iraq and Syria but has come under intensifying military pressure in recent weeks.

A US-backed alliance of Syrian Kurds and Arab rebel groups, backed by U.S. coalition planes,

said it captured a Syrian dam on Saturday from Islamic State, cutting a main supply route of the militants across the Euphrates.

In Iraq, government troops were pushing deeper into the heart of the last remaining district held

by Islamic State in the city of Ramadi. The last such online public message said to be by Baghdadi was posted in May. He has been reported injured or killed several times in fighting, apparently incorrectly.

He later went on three sex tours a year to the country, making a total of 65 visits.

During that time, he had sex with more than 12,000 women, with Nippon TV saying they were aged between 14 and 70.

Presiding judge Naoko Omori called Takashima`s action “despicable and vicious,” saying he “took advantage of the economic plight of young girls” in the Philippines, according to Jiji.“Either in Japan or in the Philippines, children should be protected. He should have known that as a teacher,” she said.

Takashima should be condemned for “repeating indecent acts habitually to fulfil his sexual desire” but he “pledged he will never do it again,” she said, according to public broadcaster NHK. Prosecutors had reportedly sought a two year prison term.

In Japan, possession of sexual images or videos of people under 18 can result in jail time after the government overhauled laws that had only banned the production and distribution of child pornography.The changes came into effect this summer, but it does not include drawings or digitally-created imagery.

Teens giving up cigarettes, alcohol for fruits, veggies

London Seems like the Goody TwoShoes generation is taking over the age of the unruly teenager who indulges in illicit drinking and smoking as a new study has revealed that kids in England are turning their backs on cigarettes and alcohol for the fruits and vegetables.The Health Survey for England, published this month by Britain’s leading independent social research institute, found that only a small minority of under-16s has ever tried an alcoholic drink or a cigarette and almost a quarter now eat the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, the Independent reported.

The change in attitude can be traced back to stricter attitudes towards drinking and smoking among parents, public health drives and a clampdown on

under-age sales by newsagents and off-licences.Rachel Craig, the head of health surveys at NatCen Social Research, said the stereotype of the alcopopdrinking, cigarette-puffing teenager continually succumbing to peer pressure, memorably exploited by the comedian Harry Enfield through his characters Kevin and Perry, was now much less likely to be the norm as kids were now “rebelling in different ways.”She added that the cost of drinking and smoking continues to be high and there is more enforcement around, which makes it very hard for children, especially younger children, to buy alcohol now.

“With smoking, there’s a lot more checking up on newsagents not slipping packets of fags to children, and I’m sure that’s having an impact.”

World’s obese man dies after weight loss surgery Mexico City A man believed to be the world’s most obese died on Friday in Mexico, barely two months after undergoing a weight-loss surgery.

Andres Moreno, 38, died of a heart attack and peritonitis (inflammation of the abdominal lining) in Ciudad Obregon, in Sonora state, his family said.

Moreno, who at one time tipped the scales at 450 kilos, had bariatric surgery on October 28, in Guadalajara, Jalisco state, in hopes of shedding the excess weight and leading a normal life, Xinhua news agency reported.

The surgery involved removing three-fourths of his stomach and reshaping what was left into a tube to “prevent him from eating too much”, the Medical Daily reported in October. While the operation was considered a success, the ex-policeman complained of feeling ill on Christmas Eve, “and his family called on fire-fighters to help stabilise him”, state news agency Notimex reported.

Early on Christmas Day, he was having difficulty in breathing and family members decided to have him taken to the hospital in an ambulance, but he died on the way. The “Most Obese Man in the World” had shed 100 kilos to be able to undergo the surgical procedure in October. On November 19, Moreno had emergency surgery at the local State General Hospital (HGE) in

Ciudad Obregon, due to severe peritonitis. He then returned to Guadalajara to convalesce under

lived on Chinese takeaways and pizzas that he had delivered to his door. He also claimed to have

the supervision of the same medical team as before, and had returned home a few days ago, Notimex said. Last month he made a public appeal for help to overcome his problem after tipping the scales as Britain’s fattest man and was inundated with offers. Doctors warned he could be faced with death if efforts were not made to shed at least 45 stone. Mr Thompson said: ‘Any professional opinion or other knowledge would be great. I’ve had a lot of that coming in anyway but the more the better.

‘I could die, that’s the bottom line if I keep going the way I do.

‘Because of what I eat I’m missing out on everything in life.’

Unable to leave the house to go food shopping, the 33-year-old

spent £10 a day on chocolate, relying on benefits to pay for his junk food.

While Mr Thompson attributed most of his weight gain to the death of his mother, he admitted that he had always ‘loved’ food.

‘I was only about three or four and no one knew why I did it. I would just eat anything out of the cupboards,’ he said. When his mother died of a brain tumour in 2012, he turned to unhealthy food as a means of coping with his grief.

His weight soon doubled from 30stone to 65, leaving him unable to work. Mr Thompson spent the last few years in and out of hospital, where he was treated for a range of ailments including septicemia.

Issue - 647 (31)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

Accused of writing things she din’t French journo expelled from China China said Saturday it will not renew press credentials for a French journalist, effectively expelling her following a harsh media campaign against her for questioning the official line equating ethnic violence in the western Muslim region with global terrorism.

Expecting the move, Ursula Gauthier, a long-time journalist for the French news magazine L’Obs, said late Friday night she was prepared to leave China.

Once she departs on Dec. 31, she will be the first foreign journalist forced to leave China since 2012, when American Melissa Chan, then working for Al Jazeera in Beijing, was expelled.“They want a public apology for things that I have

not written,” Gauthier said. “They are accusing me of writing things that I have not written.”

In a written statement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Gauthier is no longer “suitable” to be allowed to work in China because she had supported “terrorism and cruel acts” that killed civilians and refused to apologize for her words.

“China has always protected the legal rights of foreign media and foreign correspondents to report within the country, but China does not tolerate the freedom to embolden terrorism,” Lu said.

Gauthier on Saturday called the accusations “absurd,” and said that emboldening terrorism is morally and legally wrong. “I should be legally persecuted if

that’s the case.”

“All this is rhetoric,” Gauthier said. “It’s only meant to deter foreign correspondents in the future in Beijing.”

The fallout began with Gauthier’s Nov. 18 article, shortly after the attacks in Paris. She wrote that Beijing’s proclaimed solidarity with Paris is not without ulterior motives, as Beijing seeks international support for its assertion that the ethnic violence in its Muslim region of Xinjiang is part of global terrorism.

Gauthier wrote that some of the violent attacks in Xinjiang involving members of the minority Uighurs appeared to be homegrown with no evidence of foreign ties an observation that has been made by numerous foreign experts on security and on Xinjiang’s ethnic policies and practices.

Advocacy groups have argued that the violence is more likely to be a response to Beijing’s suppressive policies in Xinjiang.

Beijing blames the violence on terrorism with foreign ties. Amid a counter-terrorism campaign, a Xinjiang court last year sentenced a Uighur scholar critical of China’s ethnic policies in Xinjiang to life in prison. This month, a Beijing court convicted a prominent lawyer of fanning ethnic hatred based on his comments that Beijing should rethink its Xinjiang policies.

In her article, Gauthier focused on a deadly mine attack in a remote region of Xinjiang, which she described as more likely an act by Uighurs against mine workers of the majority Han ethnic group over what the Uighurs perceived as mistreatment, injustice and exploitation.

The article quickly drew stern criticism from state media and the Chinese government.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized Western media for using double standards in reporting on the violence.

“Why is terrorism in other countries called terrorist actions, but it turns out to be ethnic and religious issues in China?” ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular news briefing on Dec. 2.

By then, state media had launched an abusive and intimidating campaign against Gauthier, accusing her of having deep prejudice against China and having hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.

On Friday, Gauthier said that the Foreign Ministry demanded her to apologize for “hurting Chinese people’s feelings with wrong and hateful actions and words,” and to publicly state that she recognizes that there have been terrorist attacks in and outside Xinjiang.

She said she was also asked to distance herself from any support group that presents her case as infringement of press freedom in China.

MS-built robot doing weather reporting

Former Chinese newspaper executive jailed for extortion A former chairman of the company that publishes one of China’s most prominent business newspapers was sentenced to prison Thursday for coercing companies into paying to avoid negative coverage.The announcement in September 2014 that executives of 21st Century Media Co. were accused of running a multimillion-dollar extortion racket highlighted accusations of rampant misconduct in China’s news industry.The former chairman, Shen Hao, was convicted of extortion, “forced transactions” and embezzlement, the Shanghai Pudong New Area People’s Court said in a statement. He was sentenced to four years in prison and fined 60,000 yuan ($9,500). 21st Century Media was fined 9.5 million yuan ($1.5 million). Its former chief financial officer, Le Bing, was convicted of embezzlement and given a suspended two-year sentence.

Companies were coerced into paying more than 200 million yuan ($32 million) for advertising and were threatened with negative news coverage if they refused, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. It said

Shen received 7 million yuan ($1.1 million) of that and other executives shared 13 million yuan ($2.1 million).News reports in April said prosecutors had authorized the arrest of 21 people, including the publisher and general manager of 21st Century Business Herald. No details have been released on the identities of the others or the status of their cases.Authorities ordered 21st Century Media to close one of China’s most prominent business news websites, 21cbh.com, and a magazine, Money Weekly.All newspapers, television and radio stations and other news media in China are owned by state entities or by the ruling Communist Party. But most are required to support themselves financially and are allowed to make editorial decisions within the party’s censorship guidelines. Journalists routinely accept money from companies to report on events and sometimes seek payments to suppress negative information.

In a separate case, the director of state television’s financial news channel was accused last year of extracting money from companies, according to news reports.

Here’s a (arguably) horror story for your holiday reading. In a memorable event that marks the beginning of SkyNet and the doom of mankind, Microsoftbuilt AI, XiaoIce, has been officially invited to act as a weather reporter on Chinese news channel Shanghai Dragon TV, reports the Times of India.

A chat engine that can be reached through several major Chinese social networks, XiaoIce was originally developed as an experiment by a team of Bing researchers in China. XiaoIce got immensely popular with Chinese social network users, with 500 million conversations at the latest count, and the top influencer rank on China’s Twitter equivalent, Weibo.

Cortana’s Chinese counter part, XiaoNa, can now also connect with XiaoIce to ask questions.

XiaoIce got so popular since Microsoft has taken great pains, using Bing’s data and all the machine learning prowess at its disposal, to give the AI a distinct personality, linguistic naturalness, contextual awareness, and even a sense of humor; all of which, as it happens, is a nice fit for weather reporting. XiaoIce has had a successful debut on the breakfast program this Tuesday morning.

As an effect, human reporters and TV anchors are now fearing

for a mechanical revolution in their business that may see them lose their jobs to smarttalking, much more knowledgeable AI. This is not the first time robots have been tested in the news industry in China however: social media giant Tencent reportedly built a businessreport-writing robot, who wrote a “flawless” 916 -word article that instilled fear in local journalists.

While these AIs will only serve a supplementary role to human work in the near future, some may be tempted to join Elon

Morning News has added the robot software to their live broadcast line-up, and as a ‘trainee anchor,’ she will deliver the weather forecast every day.

While Xiaoice is just making her Dragon TV debut, she gained previous popularity on interactive platforms like WeChat, Weibo, and JD.com.

To achieve a 4.32 score in linguistic naturalness, compared to the 4.76 score of a human voice, developers equipped the AI with breakthrough Text-to-Speech (TTS) technology.

Using deep learning techniques

Musk’s camp and take the possibility of a robot takeover very, very seriously.

The Chinese live program, ‘Morning News,’ introduced the AI on Tuesday, making Xiaoice the first robot to take on a job of this kind. Her voice sounds more like a human’s than any other AI’s to date, and Xioice’s success now has people questioning the future of their careers.

through Smart Cloud and Big Data, Xiaoice will be able to analyse weather data while giving a live broadcast.

She will even have ‘emotional computing’ technologies, which will allow her to make emotional comments. The project is a collaboration between Microsoft Applications & Services Group East Asia and Shanghai Media Group (SMG) TV News Center.

Issue - 647 (32)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

Father-to-be carries baby of transgender partner

A couple in Ecuador is making history with a unique pregnancy: The father-to-be is carrying the baby of his transgender partner.

Fernando Machado and Diane Rodriguez announced their pregnancy, believed to be the first of its kind in South America, on social media earlier this month and it’s received widespread attention in a continent that has seen a sudden explosion in the rights and visibility of trans people.

Rodriguez, who was born Luis, is one of Ecuador’s mostprominent LGBT activists and says she and her Venezuelanborn partner, whose birth name was Maria, decided to publicize the pregnancy to help change attitudes in the staunchly Roman Catholic society.

Although both take hormones, neither has undergone genderreassignment surgery, so the child-to-be was conceived the old-fashioned way with no known medical complications to date.

“We’re trying to break the myths

about transsexuality,” Rodriguez told The Associated Press.

So far, church leaders have remained silent, something that Rodriguez says both surprises and pleases here.

“The church is always criticizing gays and homosexuals for adopting children, so it would be a contradiction to criticize us for giving birth naturally,” she said from her home in Guayaquil.

The trans community has made major advances across South America. About six months ago, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos issued a decree allowing individuals to change their gender on the national ID cards with little more than a trip to a public notary. To date, at least 340 people have made the switch.

Argentina has gone even further with legislation guaranteeing free hormone treatment and gender reassignment surgery.

However, trans people still face widespread discrimination in the region.

In the early weeks of Angelica Pereira’s pregnancy, a mosquito bite began bothering her. At first it seemed a small thing. But the next day she awoke with a rash,

struggles and discrimination my baby will suffer,” said Pereira, a 20-year-old seamstress who lives in Santa Cruz do Capibaribe, a small, garment-

Fat pay cheques won’t cut it Employees in China demand cleaner air It’s not only about salaries, promotions and career prospects - many companies in China have found they need to offer cleaner air within their offices to lure and retain staff.

growth,” said Shanghai resident Yao Hui, who has decided to leave a Chinese furniture company where she has worked for four months after finding its office had the highest category

Air quality has deteriorated badly in China’s north and east, including in Beijing and Shanghai.

Companies, especially multinationals, based in these cities are spending tens of thousands of dollars to install air filtration systems and realtime pollution monitoring devices in their offices.

International market research company J.D. Power has installed new clean air systems at its Beijing and Shanghai offices, an executive said.

Auditing firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers and British advertising firm WPP Plc are doing the same in their premises.

“If a company is willing to reduce pollution inside, it shows it is responsible and will have good

of pollution on a measurement device she used.

“I’d still have to look for something in marketing, but a clean air environment is an important factor,” said the 24year-old marketing professional.

Staff turnover rates are relatively high for multinationals based in China, and air pollution has been cited as the top challenge in luring and retaining talent among such companies, according to the latest business confidence survey by the European Chamber of Commerce.

A report published this month by realtor Jones Lang LaSalle and indoor solutions firm PureLiving, said 90 percent of office buildings in Beijing are not achieving substantive reductions in air particulate matter with their current filtration systems.

PureLiving’s chief executive Louie Cheng said about a third of Fortune 100 companies his

Brazil fears rare birth defects linked to mosquito-borne Zika virus

a headache, a fever and a burning in her eyes.The symptoms disappeared within four days, but she fears the virus has left lasting consequences.

Pereira’s daughter Luiza was born in October with a head more than an inch (3 centimetres) below the range defined as healthy by doctors, a rare condition known as microcephaly that often results in mental retardation.

A neurologist soon gave Pereira and her husband more bad news: The brain damage had caused cerebral palsy.

“My heart stopped. All I kept thinking about was all the

manufacturing city in northeast Brazil.

More than 2,700 babies have been born in Brazil with microcephaly this year, up from fewer than 150 in 2014.

Brazil’s health officials say they’re convinced the jump is linked to a sudden outbreak of the Zika virus that infected Pereira, though international experts caution it’s far too early to be sure and note the condition can have many other causes.

Brazil alone estimates it’s already had between 440,000 and 1.3 million cases of Zika since the first local transmission of the virus was detected in May.

The mosquito-borne disease was first identified in the Americas less than two years ago and has spread rapidly across South and Central America.

“We are looking at the beginning of an epidemic in a country that has in between 200,000 and 300,000 births per year, which shows how worried we are. It’s a virus we don’t know that much about,” said Rodrigo Stabeli, vice president of the Rio de Janeirobased Fiocruz research institute.

“We are preparing for the unknown.”

Brazilians are so concerned that some obstetricians, such as Helga Monaco at Sao Paulo’s Samaritano Hospital, recommend women avoid becoming pregnant during the rainy season when mosquitoes are most prevalent.

“All the women I see at the hospital or in my office who are pregnant or wanting to get pregnant are very alarmed, almost panicky,” she said.

The Zika virus, first detected in humans about 40 years ago in Uganda, has long seen as a less-painful cousin to dengue and chikunguya, which are spread by the same Aedes mosquito. Until a few months ago, investigators had no reported evidence it might be related to microcephaly.

company works with have now started cleaning up office air, with the majority targeting indoor particulate matter.

“The last thing we want is for someone to worry about the air they’re breathing, so it’s a great selling point for us,” said Geoff Broderick, vice president and general manager of Asia-Pacific Automotive Operations at J.D. Power.

Property developers such as Kerry Properties and Jiaming Investment Co. Ltd have implemented air system upgrades in hopes that better indoor air quality will attract more tenants, and suppliers expect their businesses to jump in 2016.

Beijing has already issued two “red alerts” for smog this winter, which see cars taken off roads and schools and factories closed.

A red alert is triggered when the government believes air quality will surpass a level of 200 on an index that measures various pollutants for at least three days.

The U.S. government deems a level of more than 200 to be “very unhealthy”.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing said the index was above 500.

In Shanghai, air pollution levels exceeded 300 on the same index earlier this week.

Christine Grand, a Shanghaibased executive at a subsidiary of WPP, said in the future she would only contemplate working for firms that have made similar commitments.“It makes you feel better about spending time in the office,” she said.

Winner of $17 mn jackpot receives prize wearing a monkey mask

A Chinese man turned up wearing a monkey mask for what could be the life-changing event in his life - receiving the prize money of $17 million jackpot he had won.

According to a state-run media report on Friday, this is the biggest prize ever received by its winner in person in the history of the lottery in Yunnan province.The prize is also the 20th lottery prize over 100 million yuan ($15 million)

in the history of Chinese double chromosphere lottery, state-run China Daily reported. But the identity of the winner was disguised behind the mask when he received the prize on Wednesday in Kunming, capital city of Yunnan province, and his name is not known.The only fact which could be ascertained was that he bought his winning lottery ticket for 20 yuan ($3).

Computer gaming industry facing difficulty Selling video games on the high street does not look like a business with a future - so this morning’s profit warning from the Game retail group hardly comes as surprising news. But does it tell us a more worrying story about the overall health of the

games industry? Game collapsed three years ago after an over-ambitious expansion programme, and was then bought out of administration. Its new owners then cut it back to a more modest size and floated it again on the London Stock Exchange.

Issue - 647 (33)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

Pak diplomat withdrawn from Bilawal Bhutto’s hospital B’desh over terror link allegations A Pakistani woman diplomat has been withdrawn from Bangladesh following allegations in a militant’s judicial statement that she was involved in terror financing, according to a media

report.Farina Arshad, the second secretary (political) at the Pakistan high commission in Dhaka, left by a PIA flight on Wednesday afternoon after Bangladesh asked Pakistan to recall her in 72 hours, diplomatic sources were quoted as saying

by The Daily Star newspaper.

This was the second instance of a Pakistani diplomat being withdrawn from Bangladesh this year. On January 31, Pakistan recalled Mazhar Khan over his alleged links with terror financing and a racket involved in

producing and distributing counterfeit Indian currency.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office said in a statement on Thursday that the charges against Arshad were “baseless and fabricated”. It said

Arshad was “constantly being harassed by the Bangladeshi authorities” and Pakistan had twice summoned the Bangladeshi envoy in Islamabad to lodge a strong protest.

“Lately, an incessant and orchestrated media campaign was launched against her on spurious charges linking her with so called terrorists,” the statement said.

But the sources quoted by The Daily Star said Bangladesh’s foreign ministry opted to have Arshad withdrawn instead of

Man kidnapped and raped by three women in South Africa; his semen also stolen Police in South Africa are investigating a bizarre case.

As per The Independent, a man has complained that he was abducted and turn-by-turn raped by three women, who also took away samples of his semen before dumping him.

As per the report, the three women kidnapped the 33-yearold man at gunpoint and assaulted him at the back of a black BMW. This happened shortly afterwards the three women pulled over in the Kwazakhele Township, Port Elizabeth, and asked for directions from the man.

When the man failed to get aroused while being driven away,

visit cost baby girl her life

going in for harsher measures such as deportation.

Bangladesh acted against Arshad after an arrested operative of the banned Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) told a Dhaka court on December 6 that he had links with the diplomat.JMB operative Idris Sheikh, arrested on November 29, told the court he got a ride in Arshad’s car from Baitul Mukarram to Fakirerpool and received 30,000 Taka from her.

Referring to Sheikh’s statement in court, an official of the detective branch said the JMB operative spoke to Arshad on mobile phone several times between June and July. The official said Sheikh did not disclose details of his dealings with Arshad and why she had given him the money.

According to Bangladesh intelligence sources, Arshad was allegedly involved in setting up a “terror financing network” in Bangladesh.

Following media reports on Arshad’s alleged involvement in terror financing, the Pakistan high commission issued a rebuttal on December 16 that said the allegations against her were “utterly baseless”.

A foreign ministry source told The Daily Star that the ministry had on December 20 communicated to the Pakistan high commission that the government had found out about Arshad’s links with terror financing.

Pakistan People’s Party chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was on Thursday embroiled in a political storm following the death of a 10-month-old baby girl who was denied entry in a state-owned hospital closed due to his visit.

The girl died after her father was allegedly denied entry by protocol and security staff at the Karachi’s Civil Hospital during Bilawal’s visit, media reports said.Bilawal had visited the hospital to inaugurate a newly built Trauma Centre named after his slain mother and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

The girl’s father said his child died as she did not get treatment due to the VIP protocol given to Bilawal for his hospital visit.

“First I came through bike, then on foot but was denied entry, in the meantime my baby girl died,” he said.He claimed they remained stuck in traffic due to

the VIP movement and were denied entry into the hospital after reaching there with the ailing girl.

Apparently all the entry and exit points of the hospital were closed and even ambulances were not allowed to enter the hospital as Bilawal, along with the Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah reached there.

As the political storm kicked up in the media, Bilawal announced that he was deeply troubled by the death of the child and has ordered an inquiry into the incident.

Anguished over the death, I am personally inquiring into this heartbreaking incident to ascertain what went wrong, Bilawal tweeted.

Expressing grief over the incident, Bilawal’s sister Bakhtawar urged all to wait for the inquiry to be completed before jumping to conclusions.

An Italian appeals court has upheld the right of a lesbian woman to adopt her partner’s biological child, a gay rights group said on Wednesday, in a landmark case for the Catholic country as it considers granting rights to same-sex couples.

and in August 2014 a youth court had granted the second woman the right to adopt their daughter.

This decision was overturned but successfully appealed by the couple, with judges invoking the “superior and pre-eminent interest of the child to maintain

The decision represented “the recognition of our children’s right first and foremost to have the two mothers or two fathers who raised them acknowledged by the law,” said Marinella Grassadonia, president of Famiglie arcobaleno (Rainbow families), which campaigns for gay adoption in Italy.

The two mothers in the case were married abroad and have lived in Rome since 2003. One conceived the child by artificial insemination, also outside Italy,

cohabitation and an affectionate relationship,” according to the couple’s lawyer, cited by local media.

Since the initial 2014 decision, Italian courts have authorised similar adoptions or recognised those that took place in other countries.

In January, a Turin court ruled that a woman married and then divorced in Spain should be considered equally the mother of her ex-partner’s biological child.

While Italy is the last major

western European country not to offer any legal recognition for same-sex couples, the government is working on a law that would legislate for civil unions for gay couples which would explicitly allow for a partner to adopt a child.

In July, the European Court of Human Rights upheld discrimination complaints filed by three Italian couples, saying Rome should introduce some form of civil union -- an embarrassing ruling which helped pro-civil unionists.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has promised a conscience vote on the bill to lawmakers, which is expected to be considered in parliament by the end of January.

While attempts by previous administrations to change the law have been thwarted by parties with deep ties to the powerful Catholic Church, this time the majority of opposition parties have said they support the bill.

Grassadonia of Famiglie arcobaleno said Wednesday’s legal decision was “only a first step” offering a minimum of protection, calling for the institution of full gay marriage and parental rights for same-sex couples from the birth of their children onwards.

Italian court upholds landmark gay adoption decision

the women forced him to drink an “unknown substance” and then took turns to rape him.

They also took samples of his semen in plastic bags and stored them in a cooler box.The women left after dumping their victim some 500 kilometres away from where they kidnapped him.

When Turkey President Erdogan talked man on bridge out of suicide Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan used his celebrated rhetorical skills to save a life on Friday, preventing a man from jumping off Istanbul’s Bosphorus Bridge.The man was apparently preparing to jump to his death when Erdogan’s motorcade was passing over the bridge linking Europe with Asia after Friday prayers.News footage showed Erdogan’s bodyguards bringing the sobbing man, who appeared to be in his early 30s, to talk to him through the window of his car. After a few

moments, the man can be seen kissing Erdogan’s hand.The man was then escorted to safety, the Dogan news agency reported.It said police had been trying for almost two hours to talk the man out of committing suicide after he abandoned his car on the bridge and climbed over the side railing.He has long been suffering from depression due to family problems, Dogan said.The iconic bridge spanning the Bosphorus at a height of 64 metres (211 feet) is a frequent suicide spot.

Issue - 647 (34)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

Babies with three parents could be born by 2015 The controversial genetic treatment gets green light The first baby with three parents could be born as early as 2015 after a landmark decision to move ahead on a controversial genetic treatment.

Britain could become the first country to sanction the creation of babies with three genetic parents, despite fears it might lead to ‘designer babies’.

The Government will publish draft regulations later this year that will bring techniques a step closer to giving women affected by devastating hereditary diseases the chance to have healthy children.

The techniques involve replacing defective DNA in the mother’s egg with material from a donor egg.The resulting healthy child would effectively have two mothers and a father.

For the first time the ‘germ line’ of inherited DNA from the mother would be altered which, critics say, marks a turning point in the ethics of test-tube babies.

But the Government’s chief medical officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies, said the alteration did not affect fundamental DNA that determines an individual’s make-up such as facial features and eye colour.

She compared the new techniques to replacing a defective ‘battery pack’ in a cell that would virtually eliminate the chance of a severe disease in the child.She said: ‘Scientists have developed ground-breaking new procedures which could stop these diseases being

passed on, bringing hope to many families seeking to prevent their future children inheriting them. ‘It’s only right that we look to introduce this life-saving treatment as soon as we can.

‘What we’re going to do now is start to develop the regulations,

to consult on the regulations, and then to take them into Parliament.’If MPs approve the regulations at the end of next year, the first patients could be assessed and approved for treatment in 2015.It is expected that between five and ten healthy babies with three parents could be born each year to couples who might otherwise face the heartbreak of seeing them severely disabled and often dying prematurely.In these cases, a healthy child would inherit the parents’ nuclear DNA, along with mitochondrial DNA from a donor.Dame Sally denied the UK was leading the way to designer babies. She said there was a ban on changing nuclear DNA which ‘I don’t see changing in the

foreseeable future’.

She said: ‘I do think quite carefully about ethics, I always did as a clinician and I still do, perhaps because my father was a theologian.

‘I am comfortable with this. I think we will save some five to

ten babies from being born with ghastly disease and early death without changing what they look like, or how they behave, and it will help mothers to have their own babies.’One in 6,500 babies is born seriously affected by a mitochondrial disorder which can lead to hearing and vision loss, heart, lung and liver problems, and bowel disorders.

An estimated 12,000 people in the UK live with the diseases.

The move to consult on regulations which would legalise the technique comes after a consultation requested by the Government and run by the fertility regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), which found there was ‘general support’ from the public.

The record-breaking Nasa rocket that’s run non-stop for five years And could be used in deep space science missions of the future Nasa’s advanced ion propulsion rocket engine has run continuously for over five and a half years, setting a new world record.This makes it the longest test duration any kind of space propulsion system demonstration project ever.The solar-electric propulsion thruster could be used in a wide range of science missions including intriguing journeys into deep space.The thruster is part of the space agency’s Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) project at its Glenn Research Centre in Cleveland.The project aims to develop a next-generation electric propulsion system, including power processing, propellant management and other components.Despite setting a new record by operating for more than 48,000 hours, the long-running test will be shut down.Michael J. Patterson, principal investigator for NEXT at Glenn, said: ‘We will voluntarily terminate this test at the end of this month, with the thruster fully operational. ‘Life and performance have exceeded the requirements for any anticipated science mission.’The efficient engine is perfect for deep space missions. It is a type of solarelectric propulsion in which thruster systems use the electricity generated by the spacecraft’s solar panels to

accelerate the xenon propellant to speeds of up to 90,000 mph.

This provides a dramatic improvement in performance compared to conventional chemical rocket engines. During

the endurance test, which was carried out in a high vacuum test chamber at Glenn Research Centre, the engine consumed about 870 kilogrammes of xenon propellant.While this sounds like a lot, it provides an amount of total impulse (a measure of the maximum momentum that an engine and fuel can move a vehicle) that would take more than 10,000 kilogrammes of conventional rocket propellant for the same use.The test engine’s core ionization chamber was manufactured at Glenn Research Center, while the ion acceleration assembly was designed and built by Aerojet Rocketdyne in California.

Julie Van Kleeck, Aerojet Rocke-tdyne’s vice president for space advanced programs, said: ‘Nasa developed next generation high power solar electric propulsion systems will enhance our nation’s ability to perform future science and human exploration missions.’

Is food labelling Japanese scientists clone a mouse from a SINGLE drop of blood making you FAT? People eat more if a portion is labelled ‘small’ - even if it is huge The way food is labelled affects affects how much we eat of it, according to new research.

Scientists discovered that people are more inclined to eat more - sometimes double - of a portion if they believe it to be ‘regular’ or ‘small’.

However if a portion is termed as being ‘large’, people tend leave some of the food they have been given.Dr Brian Wansink and Dr David Just, of the Food & Brand Lab at Cornell University, have discovered that people tend to eat more of an item if its size is termed ‘regular’ than if it’s termed “double size” - even if the actual portion is the same.

‘If labels are used as size information [for food], policies governing normative names could help reduce food consumption or reduce waste,’ the researchers wrote in the

study.For the study, researchers served participants either one portion of a lunch item, such as spaghetti, or two portions.For some of the

participants, the single portion of food was called ‘half-size’ and the double portion was called ‘regular’, while for the other participants, the single portion was called ‘regular’ and the double portion was called ‘double size’.

A mouse has been cloned from a single drop of blood, Japanese scientists have reported. Blood cells from a donor mouse’s tail were collected and used to make the cloned female mouse, which went on to reproduce and live a regular lifespan.

Japanese scientists have previously cloned mice using cells from various sources, such as white blood cells found in the liver and lymph nodes.

The difference this time was that the circulating blood cells, as they are known, were taken from the tail of another mouse.

The researchers, from the Riken BioResource Centre, wanted to find a straightforward source of donor cells to clone laboratory mice.After extracting the blood, they isolated the white blood cells, and used the nuclei to do the cloning - using the same procedure that created Dolly the sheep, BBC News reports. The technique, called somatic cell

nuclear transfer, involves a donor cell nucleus being transferred to an egg cell whose own nuclear DNA has been removed. The egg develops into an early-stage embryo that is a clone of the

for the first time that mice could be cloned using the nuclei of peripheral blood cells’.

Furthermore, the cells ‘could be used for cloning immediately after collection and no donor

donor, containing the same genes.Stem cells taken from the embryo are ‘pluripotent’, having the ability - with the right coaxing - to mature into any kind of tissue in the body, from brain to bone.The findings of the study, published in the journal Biology of Reproduction, state the researchers ‘demonstrated

animals need to be euthanised’.

Professor Robin Lovell-Badge of the MRC National Institute of Medical Research in London, told BBC News it was a ‘useful small advance on previous work showing that it is possible to clone mice from a variety of adult cell types, including white blood cells.

Issue 647 (35)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

Issue 647 (36)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

Iraqi army declares first major victory over Islamic State Militant outfit ISIS has received quite a setback despite only recently claiming the group was thriving. Iraq’s army declared victory over Islamic State fighters in Ramadi,

provincial capital west of Baghdad, yesterday.

It is the first major win for the US - trained force since it saw defeat from militants 18 months ago.

The Iraqi military launched a campaign to retake Ramadi last week, the forces were encircling the city for weeks but finally took the final step and

seized the central administration complex.

The capture of Ramadi by the Iraqi forces might be the biggest loss of Islamic State militants in 2015.

The IS fighters seized the

capital of mainly SunniMuslim Anbar province in the Euphrates River valley in May, after defeating government troops.

The death tolls for the battle are not out yet but the government said most civilians were able to evacuate before the assault began. In Shiite cities south of Baghdad,

there were celebrations for this victory, people danced on the streets and waved Iraqi flags from cars.

Steps to restore services and rebuild the city will be taken quickly so that the place is fit for families to live.

The government said after Ramadi, the next target will be the northern city of Mosul, by far the largest population centre controlled by Islamic State in either Iraq or Syria.

It was in June 2014 that ISIS swept through a third of Iraq and declared a caliphate to rule over all Muslims from the territory, in both Iraq and Syria.

The collapse of Iraq's army helped ISIS make way and acquire control of major parts of the country.

Afghan militia beheads 4 Islamic State fighters An Afghan official said on Sunday that four Islamic State fighters were beheaded by the militiamen loyal to an influential Afghan lawmaker and their severed heads were publicly displayed highlighting an increasingly brutal conflict as the jihadist group makes inroads in Afghanistan.

The killings in volatile Nangarhar province bordering Pakistan provoked horror and condemnation in a country that has witnessed four decades of bloodshed and war.

The militia force loyal to Haji Zahir, deputy speaker of parliament, has been battling self-styled IS militants in Achin district in the province for weeks.

Zahir said the group captured and beheaded four of his fighters, prompting his men to retaliate.

“If they behead you, behead your son, do you expect us to cook sweets for them?” the firebrand politi-

cian told reporters.

“Sweets are not distributed during war. People die.”

is making gradual inroads in Afghanistan, challenging the Taliban on their own

Zahir’s men placed the severed heads of four militants atop stacks of stones on the side of a main road in Achin, district officials said.

“If they were criminals then they should have been punished by the judiciary, not by a kangaroo court,” district chief Haji Ghaleb said in comments cited by the local media.

“This barbaric incident should not have happened.”

Nangarhar faces an emerging threat from loyalists of IS, which controls territory across Syria and Iraq and

turf.

The jihadists have managed to attract disaffected Taliban fighters increasingly lured by the group’s signature brutality that has made them notorious.

In a sign of their growing reach in Afghanistan, the group has taken to the airwaves in a 90-minute Pashto-language radio show called “Voice of the Caliphate”.

The government has said it is trying to block the broadcast, beamed from an undisclosed location, that is aimed at winning new recruits.

Issue 647 (37)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

Health Breaking the most common weight loss myth A recent study has shown there’s more to the old ‘it takes a 3500 calorie deficit to lose a pound’ formula.

There are 3,500 calories in a pound of fat, so the most popular rule states if you create a deficit of that many calories, then you shed a pound. Well, in reality this is not the case, the Independent reported.

Kevin Hall, who is a researcher at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, said that though dietitians use it all the time, making recommendations based off of it, it’s completely wrong.

The adage dates back to the 1950s, when medical researcher Max

Wishnofsky measured how much energy a pound of fat tissue represents, and found that it was 3,500 kilocalories, otherwise known as calories.

Theoretically, he had calculated how many calories a person had to burn or forego in order to lose a pound of fat. But, according to Hall, Wishnofsky made a couple spurious assumptions.

First, he assumed that when you lose weight you only lose fat tissue. The much bigger mistake Wishnofsky made was misunderstanding how our bodies react to weight loss. As soon as we start cutting calories from our diet, the number of calories

our body expends begins to fall.

The reason Wishnofsky, and so many others since, have botched this biological fact is that it’s fairly counterintuitive. The tendency is to assume that as you lose weight, the same calorie cut back should prove even more effective once you are lighter, and, presumably, in need of less food. At the very least, it should continue to produce the same results as it was when you were heavier.

Hall has, in many ways, spearheaded the movement to shed the nutrition world of the 3,500 calorie rule. In 2011, he created a model, called the Body

Simple ways to get rid of Migraine pain Migraine headaches are the most common and painful things that a person can experience.

It can be triggered by

many factors like stress, strong odours, hormones, dietary changes and smoking.

Here are some ways to get rid of migraine: 1 Don’t skip meals One should not skip meals even if you have a busy

schedule. Always find a way to have healthy snacks throughout the day, even if you cannot manage to have three full

meals.

Do not wait too far into the day to consume your first full meal as this can also trigger migraine headaches.

2 Work Out Working out on a daily basis can minimize the num-

ber of migraine headaches.

Exercising too much can cause them too although it is a good way to prevent headaches.

3 Watch the Caffeine Migraine headaches can be caused by drinking too many products that are high in caffeine.

Instead of caffeine drinks substitute it with water, juices or caffeine free drinks.

4 Avoid bright lights Avoid bright or flashing lights as migraine headaches can be triggered when a person is exposed to them. Do not to look directly at them as they can cause migraines.

5 Get a good sleep Try and maintain a regular sleep schedule as changes in sleep patterns can affect the quality of sleep cycles and trigger migraines. If possible go to bed at the same time everyday to avoid migraine.

Weight Planner, which directly challenged the adage. Drawing from a vast pool of data, the tool approximated metabolic changes in people trying to lose weight, and showed how greatly the 3,500 calorie rule overesti-

mates weight loss.

Hall noted that when they made the comparison between the 3,500 calorie rule and the revised prediction, they found that it over predicts how much people will lose by a sizable margin.

Hall prefers to say that los-

ing weight is difficult. Most people who try to lose weight, he says, end up back to where they started in less than a year. But he blames popular but misleading rules for the longterm failure of so many diets.

Speed up your metabolism with these five simple hacks!

Becoming fitter and slimmer is everyone’s in-built desire in the present days where junk food and fast food are a big rage and our metabolism is taking the slow road.

Many people complain that despite a significant amount of workout and a healthy diet, they are not able to maintain a slim and fit body.

But in the race to become more toned, we forget that our lifestyle choices have a lot to do with our metabolism.

Time for a few simple hacks to get that metabolism up and running, we think! Look no further! Mentioned below are such simple and effective hacks: 1. Water breaks: One of the simplest and most effective ways to spur your metabolism is drinking water before every meal. Normally, two glasses of water before every meal is good enough to kickstart your metabolism in a significant way.

However, restrain from drinking water after or in between meals. That will just cause your body to bloat.

2. Green tea: Green tea is a very good source of antioxidants, especially catechins, which really kick starts your metabolism. A cup of green tea without any sugar fires up your metabolism causing your

ries than what you burn while standing. So, make sure every time your phone rings you take a small stroll or at least stand while you attend the call.

4. Lentil’s the way: An iron deficiency negatively impacts your body’s

daily calorie burns to increase by 100 calories.

3. Walk the talk: Literally! Since many people spend a lot of their time everyday talking on the phone, the best thing is to stand or walk while answering your calls. If you walk as you talk, you can burn about 20% extra calo-

capacity to burn calories.

Lentils are a good source of iron as about 355 of your daily iron needs can be provided by them. Thus, having lentils can help you keep your your iron levels at optimum, helping your body function more effectively and burn calories faster.

Issue 647 (38)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

A glass of water contains 10 million bacteria, But it’s all good A glass of clean drinking water contains 10 million ‘good’ bacteria, which may help purify the water and keep it safe, a new study has claimed.

Researchers have found that our drinking water is to a large extent purified by millions of “good bacteria” found in water pipes and purification plants. So far, the knowledge about them has been practically nonexistent, researchers said.

A glass of clean drinking water actually contains 10 million bacteria. But that is how it should be clean tap water always contains harmless bacteria, researchers said.

These bacteria and other microbes grow in the drinking water treatment plant and on the inside of our water pipes, which can be seen in the form of a thin, sticky coating a so-called biofilm. All surfaces from

the raw water intake to the tap are covered in this biofilm. These findings show that the diversity of species of bacteria in water pipes is huge, and that bacteria may play a larger role than previously thought. Among other things, the researchers suspect that a large part of water purification takes place in the pipes and not only in water purification plants. “A previously com-

pletely unknown ecosystem has revealed itself to us. Formerly, you could hardly see any bacteria at all and now, thanks to techniques such as massive DNA sequencing and flow cytometry, we suddenly see eighty thousand bacteria per millilitre in drinking water,” said Catherine Paul from Lund University in Sweden. At least a couple of thousand different species live in the

water pipes. According to the researchers there is a connection between the composition of bacteria and water quality. “We sus-

pect there are ‘good’ bacteria that help purify the water and keep it safe similar to what happens in our bodies.

Gum disease can increase Daily Magnesium intake can prevent pancreatic cancer breast cancer risk Postmenopausal women with periodontal or gum disease are more likely to develop breast cancer than women who do not have the chronic inflammatory disease.

‘One possible explanation for the link between periodontal disease and breast cancer is that those bacteria enter the body’s circulation and ultimately affect breast tissue,’ said Jo Freudenheim, professor at University at Buffalo in New York.

Periodontal disease is a

common condition that has been associated with heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

Previous research has found links between periodontal disease and oral,

esophageal, head and neck, pancreatic, and lung cancers, so the researchers wanted to see if there was any relationship with breast cancer.

The researchers monitored 73,737 postmenopausal women enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study, none of whom had

Know why eating saunf, gulkand or elaichi after meal is good for you!

It is a common fact that most people tend to eat

more when the food is just too delicious. But, overindulgence in food can take your health for a toss and may lead to indigestion.

Indigestion, also known as dyspepsia, occurs when the digestive juices in the stomach are not secreted properly and as a result causes discomfort.

Always being dependent on medicines can harm

your system. It is advisable to opt for natural home remedies that aid digestion: Gulkand: A good reason to eat gulkand is that it provides relief from acidity as it has cooling properties.

Saunf: Helps cool the lining of the stomach. Due to its anti-ulcer properties, it aids in digestion and relieves constipation.

Elaichi: Chewing elaichi stimulates digestion and relieve stomach spasms. It also soothes the inner lining of the stomach helping it ward off the effects of excess acid produced in the stomach.

previous breast cancer.

Periodontal disease was reported in 26.1 percent of the women.

After a mean follow-up time of 6.7 years, 2,124 women were diagnosed

with breast cancer.

The researchers found that among all women, the risk of breast cancer was 14 percent higher in women who had periodontal disease.

Daily magnesium intake may be beneficial in preventing pancreatic cancer, researchers from Indiana University (IU) have found.

Previous studies have found that magnesium is inversely associated with the risk of diabetes, which is a risk factor of pancreatic cancer.

‘But few studies have explored the direct association of magnesium with pancreatic cancer.

Of those that did, their findings were inconclusive,’ said Daniel Dibaba, PhD student at the School of Public HealthBloomington, who led the IU study.

Dibaba and colleagues analysed an enormous trove of data on over 66,000 men and women, aged 50 to 76, looking at the direct association between mag-

nesium and pancreatic cancer.

Of those followed, 151 participants developed pancreatic cancer.

The study found that every 100-milligram-per-day de-

ited to those taking magnesium supplements either from a multivitamin or individual supplement.

‘For those at a higher risk of pancreatic cancer, adding a magnesium supple-

crease in magnesium intake was associated with a 24 percent increase in the occurrence of pancreatic cancer.

The study also found that the effects of magnesium on pancreatic cancer did not appear to be modified by age, gender or body mass index but was lim-

ment to their diet may prove beneficial in preventing this disease,’ Dibaba added.

People should strive to get the daily recommendations of magnesium through diet, such as dark, leafy greens or nuts, to prevent any risk of pancreatic cancer.

Low vitamin D levels don’t worsen sleep apnea Contradicting common perception, researchers have found that low levels of vitamin D, also known as the ‘sunshine vitamin’, does not cause or worsen sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea causes repeated awakenings and pauses in breathing during the night. Obesity appears to contribute to the adverse effects.

‘The link between obesity and vitamin D deficiency can be explained a number of ways, one of which is that obese individuals are less likely to be physically active, thereby limiting their sun exposure,’ said senior investigator Ken Kunisaki, associate professor of medicine at University of Min-

nesota in the US. ‘Although our study was not designed to figure out why obese people have lower vitamin D levels, our

The study involved a cohort of 2,827 participants who were generally healthy and elderly males with average age 76.4 years.

The researchers also found no evidence to support a link between vitamin D deficiency and increased risk of sleep apnea in non-

results ultimately suggest that low vitamin D levels do not cause or worsen sleep apnea,’ Kunisaki said.

‘Taking additional vitamin D supplements is not likely to prevent or improve sleep apnea,’ Kunisaki said.

obese study participants.

The study appeared in the journal Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

Issue 647 (39)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

Granola

One Pot Pinto Beans

Ingredients: 2 bananas, peeled and diced 1 1/4 cups dates, pitted and chopped 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 cup hot water 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 8 cups quick cooking oats 8 ounces dried mixed fruit 8 ounces blanched slivered almonds Directions: Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).

Puree the bananas and dates in a food processor. Add the brown sugar, hot water, vanilla and cinnamon; mix well.

Pour mixture into a large mixing bowl, add oatmeal and mix well.

Spread onto large baking sheets and bake at 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) for 1 to 1 1/2 hours stirring frequently.

Cook longer for crunchier if desired. Once cooled add the dried fruits and nuts, as little or as much as you want, and mix.

need to add additional water to keep the beans from drying out.

Mash cooked beans with a potato masher to desired consistency. Stir in mozzarella and pico de gallo before serving.

Elk Chili

Curried Cumin Potatoes Ingredients: 2 pounds new potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch thick pieces 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons cumin seed 2 teaspoons ground turmeric 2 teaspoons curry powder 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro Directions: Place whole potatoes into a saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until just tender. Drain, and cut potatoes into quarters. Set aside to keep warm.

Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Saute the cumin, turmeric, and curry powder for 1 minute.

Add potatoes, and saute until toasted.

Ingredients: 6 1/4 cups water 1 cup condensed chicken broth 2 pounds dried pinto beans 5 cloves cloves garlic, chopped 1/2 red onion, chopped 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes, or to taste salt, or to taste 1 (8 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese (optional) 1 (16 ounce) container pico de gallo (optional) Directions: Combine water, condensed chicken broth, beans, garlic, onion, and crushed red pepper flakes into a large saucepan; season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer; cover.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until beans are soft, about 3 1/2 hours. You may

Toss potatoes with sea salt, pepper and fresh cilantro, and serve hot.

Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds ground elk meat 2 large yellow onions, diced 2 (10 ounce) cans tomato sauce 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles (optional) 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 cup brown sugar Directions: In a large deep skillet over medium heat, cook the ground elk with the onion until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease.

turkeyLentiL ChiLi

Pumpernickel Rye Bread

Ingredients: 2 cups dry lentils 2 quarts vegetable broth 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 large onion, chopped 2 stalks celery, chopped 1 pound turkey sausage 2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes sea salt to taste 1 (8 ounce) container plain lowfat yogurt 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley for garnish Directions: Bring lentils and vegetable broth to a boil in

Ingredients: 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/ 45 degrees C) 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 1/2 tablespoons molasses 1 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour 1 cup rye flour 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 1/4 cup vital wheat gluten 1 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons dry milk powder 2 teaspoons instant coffee powder 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 1 tablespoon caraway seed 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast Directions: Place ingredients into the pan of the

a large pot over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic, onion, celery, and sausage; cook and stir until the sausage is crumbly and no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, turmeric, cumin, thyme, and red pepper flakes; cook 5 minutes more. Stir the sausage mixture into the simmering lentils. Continue simmering until the lentils are tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Garnish each serving with a dollop of yogurt and a sprinkle of chopped parsley to serve.

Pour the tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes, kidney beans and green chilies into the skillet with the meat, and stir to blend.

Season with chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, oregano and brown sugar. Cover, and simmer over low heat for at least one hour.

bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer. Select Whole Wheat cycle, and Start. After the first rise, remove dough from the machine. Shape, and place into a lightly oiled 9x5-inch loaf pan. Cover, and let rise for 1 hour. Bake at 350 degrees C (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes. Remove from oven, remove from pan, and let cool completely on wire rack before slicing.

Issue 647 (40)

29 Dec. 2015 - 4 Jan. 2016

Sikh Man Attacked In Fresno California In Apparent Hate Crime FRESNO A Sikh man was attacked Saturday morning west of Highway 99 in what Fresno police are investigating as a hate crime – the latest

such attack on a Sikh resident in the Fresno area. Around 6:30 a.m., Amrik Singh Bal, 68, was waiting alone for a ride to work in the cold, 30degree fog on Shields Avenue between Brawley and Blythe avenues. Bal wore a blue turban and has a white beard, said Ike Iqbal S. Grewal, member of the Sikh Council of Central California. Two white males stopped their car in front of Bal and started yelling obscenities at him, said Fresno police Sgt. Greg Noll. Fearing for his safety, Bal attempted to cross the street. It was then that the suspects

backed up their car, hitting Bal with their back bumper, Noll said. Then the two got out of the car and attacked Bal – striking him in the face and upper body.

During the assault, one of the suspects yelled “Why are you here?” Bal fell to the ground and hit his head. The suspects fled west on Shields Avenue, police said. Bal suffered moderate abrasions to his nose and right hand. He was transported to Community Regional Medical Center, where it was determined that he had a broken collar bone.

Grewal said the suspects only fled when they heard another vehicle approaching in the fog.

“Sikhs have been mistaken for terrorists and radicals and continue to suffer after 9/11,” Grewal said. “This is

the latest episode of what Sikhs have been enduring when they are very peaceloving and hard-working citizens of this great country and not members of al-Qaida or ISIS or any other radical group.” This is not the first time Fresno police have investigated an attack on a Sikh man as a hate crime. In May 2013, 82-yearold Piara Singh was attacked outside the Nanaksar Sikh Temple in south Fresno by a man who later allegedly made inflammatory comments about Muslims. The alleged assailant, Gilbert Garcia Jr., later pleaded no contest to a hate crime and was sentenced to 13 years in state prison. Noll said police have started a haterelated criminal investigation into the attack on Bal. A detective is working the case in an attempt to identify the suspects involved, Noll said. “The Fresno police will be conferring with additional resources to include the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI in an attempt to solve this case.”

Thai king’s favourite dog dies, days after ‘insult’ arrest BANGKOK The favourite dog of Thailand’s ailing monarch has died, days after a man was arrested under the kingdom’s strict royal defamation laws for allegedly making a satirical online remark about the beloved canine.

The dog, called Tongdaeng (Copper),

time as a parable about how Thais should live and remember their place within the kingdom’s rigid society.

Her death was announced in a statement from the veterinary faculty of Kasetsart University yesterday. “While Khun Tongdaeng was sleeping and relaxing, she died peacefully on 26 December

became both a household name and a publishing sensation in Thailand after King Bhumibol Adulyadej adopted her as a stray puppy and penned a heartfelt book about her attributes in 2002. She was praised for her loyalty and obedience, with the book widely interpreted at the

2015 at 11:10pm at Klai Kangwon Palace,” the statement read. The statement added that she had been ill for the last few years and was just over 17 years old when she passed away. An unnamed official at the university confirmed to AFP Tuesday that the statement was genuine.

“Khun” is an honorific in

Thailand, roughly translating to “ma’am”, and was frequently used by officials and local media when referring to Tongdaeng. She regularly featured in palace photographs while the book about her outsold bestsellers such as Harry Potter in Thailand. A privately funded animated film based around Tongdaeng and her attributes is currently showing at Thai cinemas.

King Bhumibol, 88, is the world’s longest-serving monarch and is widely revered in Thailand where his economic and social teachings are extensively promoted. The monarchy is also shielded from any debate and criticism by one of the world’s harshest royal defamation laws. Anyone convicted of insulting the revered but ailing king, or the queen, heir or regent, can face up to 15 years in jail on each count.

Prosecutions have soared since the army, which styles itself as the champion of the monarchy, grabbed power in a coup last year.

Journalist Kanwar Sandhu Demands Probe into CCTV Leakage and Broadcasting on PTC Channel CHANDIGARH Following the registration of cases against six employees of Central Jail of Patiala, Senior Journalist Kanwar Sandhu has demanded probe into the leakage of CCTV footage from Patiala jail and it’s broadcasting on PTC channel. He has said that after the biased approach of investigating authorities, it has become clear that he was targeted under a high level conspiracy. In a video uploaded on his Youtube channel, Kanwar Sandhu has said that before taking any action the Government should consider the overall goal of his visit to Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana in jail. He added that he went there on the call of Bibi

Kamaldeep Kaur Rajoana to record Bhai Rajoana’s version on allegations raised against him by

cases registered against six jail employees including Assistant Superintendent Jagmail Singh, Kanwar

Gurmeet Pinky. He wondered about the role played by the family of Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana in accomplishing the supposed conspiracy against him that seems to have been planned at higher levels. Commenting on

Sandhu said that if the government registered cases against them to intensify the security of jails then the step is appreciable, however if the government did so to target him or someone else then it is highly condemnable act.