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Indian-origin duo’s app to revolutionize banking

Egypt billionaire offers to buy island for refugees After the picture of a Syrian refugee boy washed ashore on an island went viral, Egypt’s third richest man, Naguib Sawiris disclosed that he plans to purchase an island off Italy or Greece to help people fleeing from Syria and other conflicts Cairo Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris has

offered to buy an island off Greece or Italy and develop it to help hundreds of thousands of people fleeing from Syria and other conflicts.

“Greece or Italy sell me an island, I’ll call its

independence and host the refugee and provide jobs for them building their

new country,” he wrote on twitter. More than 2,300 people have died at sea trying to reach Europe since January, many of them Syrians who fled their country’s four-and-ahalf year conflict. Sawiris

said in a television interview that he would approach the governments

of Greece and Italy about his plan. Sawiris said an island off Greece or Italy could cost between $10 million and $100 million, but added the “main thing is investment in infrastructure”. There

Badal Met KPS Gill for Hours, Reveals Book by Rahul Chandan

CHANDIGARH Rahul Chandan’s book “KPS Gill: The Paramount Cop”, a biography, has made significant revelations about nexus

between the infamous former Punjab Police DGP KPS Gill and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) patron Parkash ‘Singh’ Badal, who is the

incumbent CM of Punjab.

The facts mentioned in the biography talks about the role of Badal, who has been conferred title of ‘Fakhr-e-Qaum: Panth Rattan’ by the Jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib, in the extra-judicial killings of more 25,000 innocent Sikh youth in Punjab.

The author writes, “During the years Mr. Gill was DGP Punjab, one politician was regular to meet him, sit with him and have meals with him; this was because his residence was next to the residence of Mr Gill’s father in Sector 9 Chandigarh.

Continued on Page 2

would be “temporary shelters to house the people, then you start employing the people to build housing, schools, universities, hospitals.

“And if things improve, whoever wants to go back (to their homeland) goes back,” said Sawiris.

‘It’s feasible’ On being asked whether he believed it could work, he said, “Of course it’s feasible. You have dozens of islands which are deserted and could accommodate hundreds of thousands of refugees.”

Treated like cattle He conceded such a plan could face challenges, including the likely difficulty of persuading Greece or Italy to sell an island, and figuring out jurisdiction and customs regulations. But those who took shelter would be treated as “human beings,” he said.

Continued on Page 2

WASHINGTON A mobile app launched by Indian-American banker Jay Sidhu and his daughter Luvleen could revolutionise the global banking industry, a media report said. Sidhu, who is the chairman and CEO of US-based Customers Bank, and his daughter, presented details of their app called BankMobile at an event of Greater Reading Chamber of Commerce and Industry in downtown Reading this week, wfmz.com reported. According to the duo, their app puts everything customers need from a bank at their fingertips. Tapping into

the technologies that enable experience like shopping online or using transportation apps like Uber, the app promises that users can open a free account, deposit checks, pay bills, send money to friends and receive financial advice in minutes. Sidhu, who holds bachelor’s in management degree from Banaras Hindu University and an MBA from Wilkes University, is credited with turning Boston-based Sovereign Bank into a multi-billion dollar company. He teamed up with her Harvard-educated daughter to come up with the app.

Five Indian-Canadian schoolkids bag Schulich Leader scholarships

Nimra Dar, Manpreet Deol, Aditya Mohan, Aishwarya Roshan and Simranjeet Singh

TORONTO Five Indian-Canadian high school students have received this year’s prestigious Schulich Leader Scholarships.

Nimra Dar, Manpreet Deol, Aditya Mohan,

Aishwarya Roshan and Simranjeet Singh were among 50 high school graduates who were awarded the scholarship to enrol in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (Stem)

undergraduate programmes at participating universities in Canada and Israel, reports schulichleaders.com.

The scholarship is awarded to Continued on Page 2

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Five Indian-Canadian Badal Met KPS Gill for Hours... from Page 1 Gill is actually fan of Badal Punjab. When the file anti-Sikh role of Badal”. schoolkids bag Schulich.... Continued The politician was Mr. as book’s 211 page reveals, came to Gill, he wrote on it Chairman Bibi Parmjit Kaur Continued from Page 1 the “most promising students” in Canada and Israel to encourage them become pioneers in global scientific research and innovation, the undergraduate award programme’s website said in a statement.

Of the 50 scholarships awarded each year, 25 scholarships worth $80,000 each are designated for students pursuing an engineering degree, while the rest valued at $60,000 each are designated for students studying science, technology or maths.

According to the website,

Dar and Deol will utilise their scholarships to pursue engineering programmes, while the other three students will use it to study science courses. Schulich Leader Scholarship, set up

by Canadian businessman and philanthropist Seymour Schulich in 2012, is funded by the Schulich Foundation and co-administered by UJA Federation of Greater Toronto. Nominations for the scholarships are invited each year subject to the nominees meeting two of the three criteria academic excellence, outstanding community, business or entrepreneurial leadership and financial need.

Parkash Badal, the present CM of Punjab.”

About him, Mr. Gill says, “When Mr. Badal became CM for the first time, he was the youngest CM of India and now Mr. Badal has become CM for the fifth time, and he is the oldest CM of India. He has some rare qualities, that is why he has tremendous popularity amongst public, officers and politicians of his as well as other parties.

“Every time I was at my father ‘s place we used to sit together, have tea or meals and discuss problems and issues concerning Punjab for hours …”

employees can feel they can practise their religion freely,” Lena Masri, an attorney with Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, was quoted as saying. Stanley, who converted to Islam about two years ago, learned only this year that her faith does not allow her from not only consuming alcohol but serving it, too, Masri said.

On her request in June, her supervisor worked out an arrangement for other flight attendants to fulfil passenger requests for alcohol. The arrangement worked fine until another flight attendant filed a complaint against Stanley

on August 2 claiming she was not fulfilling her duties by refusing to serve alcohol, the lawyer said. On August 25, the airline informed Stanley that it was revoking its religious accommodation to exclude her from service of alcohol and placing her on administrative leave.

“They placed her on unpaid leave and they advised her that her employment may be terminated after 12 months,” Masri said. “We are requesting that her employment be reinstated and the accommodation of her religious beliefs be reinstated as well.”

According to CNN, a representative from ExpressJet declined to discuss Stanley’s complaint while maintaining that “we are an equal opportunity employer with a long history of diversity in our workforce”.

Muslim flight attendant claims she was suspended by US airline for not serving alcohol

New York A Muslim flight attendant in the US has been suspended by her employer for refusing to serve alcohol to passengers in accordance with her faith, a media report said. Charee Stanley, who wants her job back, has now approached the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission with a complaint against American airline ExpressJet for the revocation of a reasonable religious accommodation, CNN reported on Sunday.

Stanley’s counsel said the flight attendant wanted to do her job without serving alcohol in accordance with her Islamic faith just as she was doing before her suspension. “What this case comes down to is no one should have to choose between their career and religion and it’s incumbent upon employers to provide a safe environment where

Indian-American academics spar over Modi visit to Silicon Valley WASHINGTON Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Silicon Valley, a war of words has broken out between pro and anti-Modi academics of Indian descent spread over major American universities. The first salvo was fired by over 100 professors “who engage South Asia in our research and teaching”, asking US technology executives to be wary of supporting Modi’s Digital India initiative when he visits Silicon Valley on Sep 27. The other group hit back with “a counter petition

against the anti-Modi statement given by some faculty of South Asian studies” on change.org, an American website providing a petition tool backed by nonprofits and political

campaigns. By Thursday evening the counterpetition accusing the antiModi group of lacking “the slightest respect for facts and for academic integrity” had gathered 1108 supporters.

“The allegation that Narendra Modi ought to be viewed with suspicion, if not disdain, by business leaders in Silicon Valley because of surveillance implications in the Digital India initiative seems a desperate ploy rather than any genuine concern for India,” the counter petition said.

“Once, after the terrorism was over, Mr. Beant Singh, the Chief Minister sent to Mr. Gill through another DG of Punjab that Mr. Parkash Badal’s security taken back.

Actually he was eyeing next elections and wanted to end Badal’s influence in

that it can’t be done because he is a prominent leader of Sikhs and there is a veritable threat to his life.”

In a statement issued here, activists of human rights body ‘Khalra Mission Organiztion’ said that the book has totally exposed

Khalra, wife of Shaheed Jaswant Singh Khalra, said that Indian government has conferred second highest award of India ‘Padam Vibhushan’ to Badal only for his contribution made in state-sponsored terrorism which was undertaken to end a Sikh generation in Punjab.

Egypt billionaire offers to buy island ...

Continued from Page 1 “The way they are being treated now, they are being treated like cattle.” Sawiris is the chief executive of Orascom TMT, which operates mobile telephone networks in a number of Middle Eastern and African countries plus Korea as well as underwater communications networks.

European Union ‘must accept 200,000 refugees The UN High Commissioner for Refugees called on the European Union to admit up to 200,000 refugees as part of a “mass relocation programme” that would be binding on EU states.

“People who are found to have a valid protection claim... must then benefit from the programme, with the mandatory participation of all EU member states,” Antonio Guterres said.

Referring to the pictures of the dead child, which “had stirred the hearts”, Guterres said, “Europe cannot go on responding to this crisis with a piecemeal or incremental approach.”

Britain extends helping hand Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to announce that Britain will accept thousands of Syrian refugees as a major migrant

crisis engulfs Europe. There have been increasing calls for the UK to take in more refugees. Cameron said that Britain would fulfill its “moral responsibilities.”

3,50,000: No of refugees who risked their lives since January making the treacherous crossing via Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe 6,00k Euros: The amount received by charity Migrant Offshore Aid Station, since the picture of the drowned Syrian toddler went viral 2,643: Number of people who died at sea trying to reach Europe since January this year

London Two minor Sikh girls in the UK were ordered to remove their turbans by teachers who mistook the traditional religious headdress as ‘fashion’ items, prompting their families to protest. Simranjot Kaur, 13, and 11-yearold Prasimran Kaur, who are not related, study at St Anne’s Catholic School in Southampton, Hampshire, were asked to remove their traditional religious headwear by headteacher Lyn Bourne.

Newly enrolled year seven student Prasimran was told to take it off shortly after walking into school, while Simranjot said a teacher spotted her outside the gates before lessons and asked her to remove her turban. Both of the girls, who are baptised Khalsa Sikhs and take the mandatory female surname Kaur, refused to remove the headwear which can be worn by both sexes in their religion. They claim the school suggested they were wearing them for ‘fashion’ and that they should be replaced by headscarves usually worn by Muslim women, The Mirror reported.

“I was forced to take my turban off after staff began

unravelling it,” said Simranjot, something which Sikhs regard as highly disrespectful. “It’s discriminatory. They are a Catholic school and are supposed to support

to students and parents for any offence caused by our enforcement of our uniform policy this morning. “The situation that occurred was a misunderstanding and I can confirm that both girls

equality. There was a total lack of understanding. We need to change the school’s policy,” said Prasimran’s sister Jaskiran, a former pupil.

“They are in the correct uniform the only thing different is the turban. If Muslims can wear hijabs then why can’t Sikhs wear turbans?,” said Simranjot’s mother Sukhwinder Kaur.

However, the school has said it was a ‘misunderstanding’ and apologised to both families.

“I would like to apologise

involved now have permission to wear a turban to school,” head teacher Lyn Bourne said in a statement.

“It hasn’t been a great first day back but I’m pleased the situation has been resolved. Southampton has a variety of diverse communities all of which recognise the need to be valued and respected,” said Southampton City Council cabinet member for communities Satvir Kaur, a former headgirl there and a practicing Sikh.

UK school orders Sikh girls to remove turbans

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Refugia … A new country for the refugees!

Jason Buzi, an Israeli-born entrepreneur living in the USA, has proposed that a ‘Refugee Nation’ should be created to solve the world’s refugee problem. You can call this country ‘Refugia’. Buzi’s solution has generated a mixed response from around the globe. His courageous attempt to energize and galvanize a response adequate to the crisis has gathered at least some support by the heart-sinking, mind-numbing visual of a three-year old Syrian toddler washed up last week on the shores of human indifference. Jason Buzi launched his idea for a “Refugee Nation” in the global media.

After weeks of watching the movement of refugees across the world, not just from Syria and other crisis states in the Middle East to Europe, but also refugees fleeing from Burma and moving into Australia or Mexicans going northwards, Buzi, a Jewish-American real estate developer in

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California came up with the idea an independent and democratic ‘Refugee Nation’.

His premise is simple: buy an underpopulated area of land somewhere in the world and turn it into a territory for the world’s refugees to begin a new life. It combines the historic precedent of the origins of Buzi’s native Israel coupled with the visionary idealism of his Silicon Valley heritage. He argues that in a time of increasing need for refugee protection, but declining political tolerance of refugees, radical solutions are needed. Buzi pitched a possible solution beyond the realms of traditional thinking. Create a new country, a brand new country, exclusively for refugees, funded by some of the wealthier people and governments of the world? According to him, there’s no shortage of space in this world although we keep on talking about over population.

Buzi’s identification of the problem is spot on. The world currently faces a global displacement crisis. More people are displaced than at any time since the Second World War. Of the 60 million displaced, nearly 20 million are refugees who have crossed an international border.

Well over half of those are in so-called protracted refugee situations, having been in exile and often dependent on international assistance for more than five years. Long-term refugee encampment represents a tragic and unacceptable waste of humanity. Furthermore, with new crises like the Syria conflict, from which four million people have left the country as refugees, host countries like Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan lack the capacity to continue to host so many indefinitely.

Meanwhile, the political willingness to continue to support growing numbers is declining from Australia to the Mediterranean to the Middle East.

In his blog Robin Cohen, professor of development studies, asks, “What happens to the long-standing population when a new nation is created?” Cohen evokes the negative historical experiences of Israel and Liberia. Prof.

Cohen says Buzi undermines his own case by praising Israel and describing it as ‘essentially founded as a refugee nation’ thus suggesting an analogy with his proposal. This account completely elides the colonizing and settler origins of the Israeli society before the Second World War and the fate of the Palestinians. Liberia was equally deleterious for the local population as the Americo-Liberians, sent there by the American Colonization Society, dominated and oppressed the locals.

He is also worried that yoking together populations of diverse origins in a new refugee nation could potentially create conditions of conflict because of cultural and perhaps religious difference (he does not specify), leading to further displacement and the creation of another wave of refugees. This clearly is a possibility, but it is doubtful that this is intrinsically more probable than conflict with settled populations in the neighboring countries or xenophobia and violence in more distant countries. There are many examples of successful plural societies (including Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, the USA and Australia).

Moreover, Buzi may be right in assuming that self-selection (his scheme is entirely voluntary) will mean that most ‘Refugians’ will be keen to start new and peaceful lives in a new setting.

Cohen further says, “Alongside such

Opinion By: SUNNY BAINS

traditional solutions, I think we need to give Refugia a try – as a model, a ‘new Jerusalem’, an alternative that might spawn imitations and improvements. By this, I do not mean a sordid camp, but a country that offers citizenship, security, employment and a future for young people.

Of course, there are legitimate questions of finding a location that does not adversely affect a local population, of leadership and full democracy, of whether full religious freedoms can be offered when overzealous beliefs have triggered such murderous consequences. Second, we need innovative and creative solutions. At the heart of this must be a rethinking of the political geography of asylum. As Buzi

conflating refugees and stateless persons.

Refugees are not stateless; they still have citizenship of their country of origin. The preferred solution for most is to return home when the situation changes. Of course, repatriation is a remote hope for many refugees but for some asylum is definitely temporary. Second, the idea is premised upon exclusion rather than inclusion. It implies that refugees should not be integrated within existing political communities but confined to separate communities. Refugees have much to contribute economically, socially and culturally to host states, and the logic of exclusion risks reinforcing the idea of refugees as a burden.

implies, we have enough land and underdeveloped regions of the world. We need to be creative about how we think about territory; in a world of over seven billion, 20 million refugees is not that many.

Third, a key element of solutions to the crisis should be self-governance. Implicit in Buzi’s Refugee Nation idea is the notion that refugees could govern their own affairs. This recognition of the autonomy of refugee communities and their capacity to be economically and politically selfsufficient is long overdue. Too often, it has been assumed that refugees are dependent upon humanitarian assistance beyond the emergency phase of a crisis, when in practice they can exercise political and economic agency. Around the world, research has shown that under the right conditions, refugees are capable of building representative political structures as well as meaningfully engaging with markets.

What’s wrong with the idea?

This is what Cohen finds wrong the idea: First, he says, the proposal risks

Third, there is an important question about whether the Refugee Nation would be formed on the basis of coercion or consent. In a globalized world, given freedom of choice, people ultimately want to choose where they live, and are likely to seek to move to where their friends, family and greatest opportunities lie. It seems likely that in order to group people onto an artificially created territory one would either have to make it utopian to be attractive or risk encouraging other states to coerce refugees to go there.

Examples of islands used to host refugees – Australia’s use of Nauru or the US’s previous use of Guantanamo for Haitian asylum seekers – are not auspicious, having led to significant human rights violations. To be workable, a Refugee Nation idea would need to be based on freedom of choice and the lure of opportunity. In contrast to past precedents such as the creation of Israel or Liberia, it is not obvious that “refugee” would be a sufficiently strong unifying identity to encourage disparate populations to live together.

Thai king treated for chest infection BANGKOK Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest reigning monarch, has received treatment for a chest infection, the palace said in a statement on Monday. The 87-year-old monarch has been in Bangkok’s Siriraj hospital for more than three months and has also received treatment for water on the brain since being admitted for a check-up in May. Bhumibol’s health is closely watched in Thailand, where he is widely revered and seen by many as a moral arbiter and symbol of continuity in a

country that has experienced much upheaval during his 69-year reign.

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‘Safe’ screens touted for those who just can’t look away BERLIN As it gets harder to tear our eyes away from smartphones, televisions, tablets or computers, concerns are growing over a blue light emitted by their screens, blamed for harming the retina and causing interrupted sleep.

Electronics giants are

The time to choose your destination is before you get on the boat. The time to aim your weapon is before you fire it. The time to think is before you speak. You don’t really need to be reminded of that. Or at least, normally you don’t. You far prefer to weigh up your options than be weighed down by the consequences of an unwise choice. Generally you’re right to be restrained. Every so often, though, you get overwhelmed by an urge to act quickly and decisively. That’s what you’re feeling now. Trust it. !!!

‘If you don’t have a dream, how you gonna make your dream come true?’ How indeed! Our visions are, in many ways, our most vital assets. They may frustrate and tantalize us when we realize that we are unlikely ever to turn them into a reality; but they can comfort us enormously if we cling to them in times of adversity.

Any hope is better than no hope - and in this everchanging world, none of us knows what’s feasible and what isn’t. You now have a big idea. It is farfetched but not impossible. !!!

We human beings are full of strange contradictions.

We claim, for example, to value freedom and to prize personal choice. Yet we suffer from an almost obsessive compulsion to play by the rules. So deep in the core of our being does this impulse seemingly run that we don’t just accept restriction, we respect it.

But none of that, surely, justifies an attitude of acquiescence on your part.

Nobody can undermine your authority, unless you let them. And if you stand firm, you will yet enjoy great status and influence. !!!

‘Judge not lest ye be judged.’ The implication here is that if you don’t want others to judge you, just make sure you don’t judge them. Unless, that is, we are talking about the divine judgement. So what does that mean? The Creator won’t judge us as long as we don’t judge anyone else? Or as long as we don’t judge the Creator? Or are we talking here about the divine as it resides within the mortal?

There’s a lot to contemplate, but better to be open-minded on that and many other matters than to be too quick to, er ... judge. !!!

You are not in control of the cosmos. That much at least is self-evident, else why can you not do what you want, when you want?

You have long since learned that at best you can cut a deal. As long as you work within the limits of what the universe might reasonably be able to supply, you stand at least some chance of getting some of it, some of the time. But perhaps even if you aren’t in charge of the cosmos, the cosmos is in charge of you and that affords great protection. You may yet see the proof of that soon! !!!

Life is never devoid of opportunity. Or of positivity. Or of love.

Wherever we go and whatever we go through, those things are available to us, somehow, from somewhere, but they may not take quite the form we are expecting - or we may be so distracted by some drama that we simply cannot see how we could yet be potentially blessed. That’s why clarity is such a gift and perspective is so precious.

Because the cosmos is generously providing you with this awareness, this will yet be a fine.

turning crisis to an opportunity - quickly declaring that their latest products feature “safe” screens. At the IFA mega consumer electronics show in Berlin, Dutch company Philips is showcasing a new technology for its computer screens called “SoftBlue,” which it claims is gentler on the retina.

“We are shifting the harmful blue light frequencies, which are below 450 nanometers, to above 460 nanometers,” said Philips’

marketing director Stefan Sommer. Other brands like Asus and BenQ, along with American firm ViewSonic, have also seized on “safe” screens as a new selling point.

“We’ve been told from a very early age by parents that too much screen time, in front of a TV or a computer,

is bad. So a ‘safe’ screen might resonate with consumers,” said Paul Gray, an analyst at IHS Global Insight. Because it generates a relatively high intensity of light from just a low amount of energy, lightemitting diodes (LEDs) are used to light up smartphones, televisions or computers.

But the problem is the blue ray emitted at the same time, which is feared to pose potentially serious health consequences. It is

all scare-mongering or scientific fact? Serge Picaud, a researcher at the Institute of Sight in Paris, has a more measured take on it. “We should not be so afraid that we bin all our screens,” he said.

Picaud carried out a study in 2013 in which he exposed sample retina cells from a pig similar to those found in humans to different wavelengths of light, and showed that those between 415 and 455 nanometres killed the cells. In other words, deep blue light, which is close to ultraviolet light, is particularly harmful to eyes.

Nevertheless, the scientist says, “that must be taken in proportion as the light intensities produced by our screens are still relatively weak compared to sunlight”. “Those who worry about harm caused by screens, do they also wear sunglasses at the beach?” asked Picaud. Vincent Gualino, an ophthalmologist at a French hospital also believes that “we should not be afraid of the screens”.

Pillow fight turns bloody at US military academy

Washington An annual pillow fight among freshman at the United States Military Academy turned violent and left 30 cadets injured, the school’s superintendent said on Saturday.

The event, part of a tradition for first-year students at the service academy in West Point, New York, is intended as a way to help them relax and build team spirit after a summer spent preparing for a grueling program, according to a statement released by Lieutenant General Robert L. Caslen, Jr., superintendent at the academy.

“I take full responsibility for all actions that occur here at West Point to include the event on August 20, 2015,” Caslen said. “We remain committed to the development of leaders of character.”

Apple event expected to focus on iPhones, TV SAN FRANCISCO Apple is expected to unveil updated iPhones Wednesday along with an Apple TV revamp that may signal a push into online television streaming dominated by Netflix.

Apple remained mum even as rumors ran rampant about what is in store at the San Francisco media event. In trademark enigmatic style, invitations provided little more than the time and place of the event, to be held at the spacious Bill Graham Civic Auditorium near city hall.

A line on the invite reading: “Hey Siri, give us a hint,” led many to believe that virtual assistant software Siri, which is built into Apple devices, will help people find shows or movies on Apple TV. Apple TV is also believed to be getting its own App Store, which will be open to outside developers who can make games and

other content for it.

The third-generation Apple TV was introduced slightly more than three years ago.

The California-based company long downplayed Apple TV as a “hobby” after the original version was released in 2007. “They are finally revisiting their hobby,

recent report in showbusiness magazine Variety.

“There is a definite movement toward cordcutting, and Apple is in position to do that,” said Gartner analyst Van Baker.

“They have the premium content lined up, so the real differentiator is to bring

the Apple TV,” said Forrester analyst Frank Gillett.

Apple is dabbling with the idea of making online television programming in a move that would challenge established players such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, according to a

network television to the platform.”

“Original programming is the only solution to Apple’s biggest problem in the video world: nobody wants to sell Apple content rights” said Forrester analyst James McQuivey.

“After watching what

happened to the music business when Apple was given the keys to the kingdom, video producers and programmers are more than gun shy about handing the same power to Apple in the world of TV shows.”

Apple became a power to be reckoned with in digital music sales due to the popularity of its mobile devices and iTunes online shop. While Apple was at the forefront of the shift to digital music, the world of Internet-streamed television already has powerful players. “Apple’s opportunity to shape the market is gone, they’re just joining this program already in progress,” McQuivey said. Data gathered by Forrester indicated that 19 percent of US adults who use the Internet are interested in or use Apple TV. That percentage jumps to nearly a third when it is limited to online adults ranging from age 27 to 35.

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US dentist who killed Cecil the lion breaks silence

WASHINGTON The US dentist who killed Zimbabwe’s Cecil the lion has broken weeks of silence, saying in an interview that he had no idea it was a special feline and announcing he would return to work after lying low. In his first interview since sparking international outrage over the killing of the blackmaned lion, Walter Palmer told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that he would be back at his dentistry practice on Tuesday. The skilled trophy hunter said that he and the others in his party had no clue that the lion they were hunting was the revered feline that has been a well-known attraction at the Hwange National Park, according to the paper. The 55-year-old also maintained in the interview published late Sunday that the July hunt,

during which he was armed with a bow and arrow, was legal. Palmer declined to say whether he would abide by any request to return to Zimbabwe over legal allegations, and an attorney present for the interview added that there had been ‘no official allegations that he’s done anything wrong.’

Zimbabwe has asked the United States to extradite Palmer to face charges over the hunt. The dentist also tried to put to rest what he said had been false information in the media, stating that he had not paid $50,000 to participate in the hunt, without specifying the sum paid. Palmer said the ordeal had been particularly difficult for his wife and daughter, who had been threatened on social media.

Meteor lights up Thai skies BANGKOK Thais were left stunned Monday after a suspected meteor streaked through the daytime skies in a phenomena that also quickly lit up social media.

Footage from one Bangkok dashboard car camera captured a fireball followed by a brilliant white flash, that was also seen across the country. ‘It was the middle of a blue sky day and there was a quick, bright light coming down,’ said Porjai Jaturongkhakun whose dashcam recorded the scene as he drove to work.

‘I usually see shooting stars at night but I have never seen one in the day before,’ the 30-year-old satellite engineer told AFP. Porjai was one of a number of Thais who managed to capture the dramatic incident on their car dashboard cameras - with such footage and witness accounts quickly going viral on social media.

‘It was a meteor for sure, I am confident, because it was fast and very bright’, Voravit Tanvuttibundit, adviser to the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand told AFP on Monday. ‘It is a

WhatsApp hits 900m users Washington Facebook is having a run of milestones lately.A billion people used the social network in one day at the end of August and now its WhatsApp messaging app has hit 900 million monthly active

users. Facebook bought the app at the start of 2014 and during that time the userbase has more than doubled, with 100 million people joining the service in the past four months alone.

The milestone was announced by WhatsApp’s co-founder Jan Koum on his Facebook page. Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg was among the first to congratulate him and even posted a photo of Mr Koum

as he posted the status update. By April this year, this had risen to 800 million and within the past four months the service has added an extra 100 million.

However, WhatsApp has been criticised for not having a viable business

model to take advantage of this growing userbase.

The app’s founders, for example, take a strong stance against adverts. As a result, the app is free to download on all handsets but costs costs $0.99 (69p in the UK) for a lifetime subscription after the first year.

If all of its 900 million users eventually ended up purchasing a subscription, WhatsApp would make $891 million (£583 million).

Following the acquisition,

Facebook separated its Messenger service from the social network, much to the dismay of many users.

To use the service, Facebook members now have to download a separate app, and figures suggest it has around 700 million active users a month. This means Facebook dominates the messaging app market, eclipsing the likes of WeChat and Viber, which have 600 million and 236 million monthly active users respectively.

Facebook announced it had hit the one billion users logging on in a single day mark at the end of last month. The social network is now so popular, it accounts for a fifth of the time we spend on our smartphones, with many people logging in dozens of times a day, found a recent study.

Mr Zuckerberg went on to say: ‘I’m so proud of our community for the progress we’ve made. ‘Our community stands for giving every person a voice, for promoting understanding and for including everyone in the opportunities of our modern world.

normal occurrence but the meteor this morning was especially big and very bright’, Voravit explained, adding that he also witnessed the meteor around 8.40 am (0140 GMT).

In a country imbued with superstition, many took the

meteor strike as an ill omen. ‘It was a bad sign showing the country and the government is in chaos,’ Facebook user Dilok Jantaradilok wrote.

What we often call ‘falling stars’ are actually tiny bits of space rock that smash into the atmosphere at

about 60 kilometres (37 miles) per second, burning up in flashes of light. Occasionally, much bigger strikes are seen involving larger chunks of debris. In October 2013, many Russian dashcams captured the astonishing moment a meteor weighing 10,000 tonnes exploded above the Urals, scattering over a wide area and injuring more than 1,000 people. The force of that meteor explosion was the equivalent to 30 of the nuclear bombs dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima during World War II. Affordable and easy to use dashcams are becoming ubiquitous in many corners of the world, particularly to help settle insurance disputes.

Rate of global forest loss halved DURBAN The rate at which the world is losing its forests has halved, but an area of woodland the size of South Africa has still been lost since 1990, a UN report revealed Monday.

Improvement has been seen around the globe, even in the key tropical rainforests of South America and Africa, according to a surprisingly upbeat Forest Resources Assessment (FRA), which is released every five years Despite the good news, it points out that since 1990, the world had lost forests covering some 129 million hectares - an area the size of South Africa.

‘Even though, globally, the extent of the world’s forest continues to decline... the rate of net forest loss has been cut by over 50 percent,’ said the report by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The assessment was released at the World Forestry Congress in the South African port city of Durban, host to the 14th edition of the conference.

‘FRA 2015 shows a very encouraging tendency towards a reduction in the rates of deforestation and carbon emissions from forests and increases in capacity for sustainable forest management,’ said FAO director-general Jose Graziano da Silva.

‘The direction of change is positive, with many impressive examples of

progress in all regions of the world.’

WWF International director for forests, Rod Taylor, said the report presented ‘good news at one level, but the question is how sustainable that is’. ‘Even with the reduced rate we still have unacceptable levels of forest loss,’ Taylor told AFP. WWF said that without

caused by greenhouse gas emissions. The UN talks are designed to secure a deal to be signed by world leaders in Paris in December.

In 1990 the world had 4,128 million hectares of forest covering 31.6 percent of the global land area, the forest report said. By 2015 this had decreased to 3,999 million

‘bold and urgent action’ up to 170 million hectares the size of Germany, France, Spain and Portugal combined - could be wiped out in the next 20 years. Greenpeace International executive director Kumi Naidoo told the congress that ‘little progress has been made in fulfilling pledges to... completely eliminate deforestation.’

Apart from offering oxygen, fuel and building material, trees store important quantities of carbon, which, if released, contribute to global warming.

Halting deforestation is a key focus of UN negotiations for a global pact to limit disastrous climate change

hectares, covering 30.6 percent - a net loss of some 129 million hectares.

The net annual rate of loss - which takes into account the planting of new forests - has slowed from -0.18 percent in the 1990s to 0.08 percent over the last five years.

Planted forest area has increased by more than 110 million hectares since 1990 and now accounts for seven percent of the world’s forest area. The biggest loss of forests occurred in the tropics, particularly in South America and Africa, although even there the rate of loss ‘has decreased substantially in the past five years’, the report said.

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8 Sep. - 14 Sep. 2015

US cop charged with abusing Indian man goes on trial An Alabama police officer went on trial on Tuesday on a federal charge of using excessive force against an Indian man who was thrown down and partially paralyzed during a confrontation in a suburban neighborhood.

An Alabama police officer went on trial on Tuesday on a federal charge of using excessive force against an Indian man who was thrown down and partially paralyzed during a confrontation in a suburban neighborhood.

Madison police officer Eric Sloan Parker, 26 is charged with violating the civil rights of 58year-old Sureshbhai Patel, who was staying with his son near Huntsville in February and was walking in the neighborhood when police received a call about a suspicious person

walking in the area.

Court officials said prospective jurors filled out questionnaires with personal information before lawyers questioned them in court to select a jury for Parker’s

selection.

Opening statements will follow.

Police video has showed an officer struggling to communicate with the man because of language differences.

After a few moments, an officer slammed Patel to the ground face-first as another officer stood by.

“He don’t speak a lick of English,” one of the officers said afterward.

Patel arrived for court early on Tuesday, steadying himself on a walker as he slowly moved down the sidewalk outside the federal courthouse in Huntsville. Patel is expected to testify through a translator but will need the walker to get to the stand, said his lawyer, Hank

Sherrod. “He’s not fully recovered and isn’t expected to fully recover,” said Sherrod. “His improvement is very, very slow right now.”

Parker is free on bond. Court documents indicate the defense will present testimony to show Parker’s actions were justified and that he didn’t mean to harm Patel. Parker, dressed in civilian clothes rather than a police uniform, also was in court accompanied by his attorney.

Court documents show Madison Police Chief Larry Muncey is expected to testify trial. The judge dismissed four for prosecutors that Parker’s potential jurors for unstated actions violated department reasons after a full day of procedures. Muncey publicly questioning and told 50 apologized to Patel after the remaining panelists to return on Wednesday for final jury incident and Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley called Patel’s treatment a case of “excessive force” in an apologetic letter to you want to know just ask me, I couldn’t the Indian government. care less if U do,” the 45-year-old National Parker is being fired by the city Conference leader said in another tweet. of Madison, but he appealed “Dear Mufti Sb if you & your apparatchiks and the termination process is want to know what I’m up to pick up the on hold until criminal charges phone & ask me. Please don’t accost are resolved. people outside my gate!” he said.

Parker also faces a state In Assembly elections earlier this year, assault charge, and Patel filed Abdullah lost to Mufti’s Peoples Democratic a federal lawsuit seeking an Party, which formed a coalition government unspecified amount of money in Jammu and Kashmir with the Bharatiya for his injuries. Patel has been Janata Party, a first for a resurgent saffron joined in Alabama by his wife party as it rode the popularity wave of Prime and now lives with his son while MinisterNarendra Modi. Mufti’s deputy in undergoing physical the state government is from the BJP. rehabilitation, Sherrod said.

Mufti government spying on me, tweets Omar Abdullah Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday accused the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed government of spying on him.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday accused the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed government of spying on him. “Mufti Govt brazenly spying on me.

A journalist interviewing me for a national daily just got stopped right outside my gate

by CID person,” Abdullah tweeted without disclosing the name of the journalist or her employer.

“She was asked who she was & what the purpose of her visit was! Seriously guys if

Celebs writing to PM India regulator accuses Google of online search abuse to honour Kader Khan India’s competition investigators have accused Google of abusing its market dominance in online searches in the country, deepening the US Internet giant’s woes with governments around the world.

Three years after starting its investigation, the Competition Commission of India’s

preliminary report said Google favoured its own services when customers ran searches, suggesting breaches of competition law. “The conduct of Google is found to be unfair and discriminatory,” the commission’s 714-page report seen by AFP said.

“Google steers users to its own products and services, and produces biased results,”

according to the report. The commission, which has received but not publicly released the report, is yet to make a final ruling on the Internet giant. But the regulator, which declined to comment on Tuesday, has the power to impose multi-million dollar fines on companies found guilty of violating competition law.

Google said it was reviewing the report and cooperating with the commission’s ongoing investigation. But the company, which dominates searches of India’s 300 million Internet users, said it remained confident it complied with Indian competition law. “Regulators and courts around the world, including in the US, Germany, Taiwan, Egypt and Brazil, have looked into and

found no concerns on many of the issues raised in this report,” a Google spokesman said in a statement. The report comes as Google faces an antitrust case in Europe where regulators are investigating allegations it cheated its rivals by distorting Internet search results in favour of its shopping service.

Google, which has denied the allegations, faces a billion-euro fine if found at fault under EU antitrust rules. Google has for years been the leader in Internet search and has turned advertising linked to those searches into a highly lucrative business. US regulators concluded in 2013 there was not enough evidence to show the brand manipulated its search results to the detriment of competitors.

Complaints in India were lodged against Google in 2012 including

by Bharat Matrimony, an online matrimonial site, and the nonprofit consumer protection group Consumer Unity and Trust Society.

Society director Udai Mehta said its complaint was aimed at trying to ensure online companies adhere to “competition principles” for the benefit of consumers. “One hopes that they will amend their ways to promote healthy practices after being hammered across the world,” Mehta told .

with Padma award

Veteran actor Kader Khan has been part of the film industry for over three decades now. He has written the dialogues for 108 projects and acted in around 400 movies. Now, his friends and fraternity members want his contribution to cinema to be acknowledged. In fact, producer Fauzia Arshi will soon be sending a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting that the actor be given a Padma award.

“We have written a letter, and are currently in the process of getting it signed by fraternity members. Kader Khan sahab is one of the strongest pillars of Hindi cinema. I request the government of India to confer the Padma Shri on him, and request all his co-stars, including Amitabh Bachchan sahab, Salman Khan, Govinda and Anil Kapoor, to raise their voice [in support]. This gesture of ours will

give him [a new lease of] life, as he is not keeping well and living a lonely existence,” says Arshi.

Writer-director Rumi Jaffery, too, believes that the actor is a deserving candidate for the Padma Shri. “His contribution has been huge. Today, only someone with a political connection or with a personal lobby gets the award. However, he never attended parties, did PR or mixed with people beyond work,” says Rumi.

Film-maker David Dhawan and veteran actor Shakti Kapoor, too, have come forward in support of Khan, and want his contribution to cinema both as a writer and an actor to be acknowledged.

Actor Om Puri, in fact, believes that “it’s not too late. He should be conferred one now”.

The sentiment is shared by actor Rishi Kapoor. “He should get one for his humongous contribution to writing and acting,” he says.

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8 Sep. - 14 Sep. 2015

Farooq Abdullah applies for LPG subsidy; faces criticism

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah is in the midst of a controversy in the wake of his recent application for LPG subsidy, which was criticised by his rivals.

Abdullah, the president of main opposition National Conference, has submitted a form for nonAadhar based LPG subsidy transfer with Super Gas Sevice at Durga Nag, a distributor of HP Gas, on August 14 this year, an official of the gas agency said.

During the Lok Sabha elections last year, he had declared an annual income of more than Rs 10 lakh and assets worth over Rs 13 crore. He lost that election, marking his first electoral loss in his 35-year political career.Attempts to seek Abdullah’s comment on the issue could not fructity as his staff said he is “busy in a meeting”.

Ruling PDP spokesman Waheedur Rehman Parra criticised Abdullah for seeking LPG subsidy despite his “huge assets”.

“He (Abdullah) thinks he is a Prince. His family has amassed huge assets and yet he is seeking subsidy. If he is so poor, we offer him free gas supply for six years,” Parra said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been appealing for months that the well-off people should give up LPG subsidy so that benefits could be diverted to the needy poor people.

Responding that appeal earlier, Abdullah had said in July that it should be left to the conscience of the MPs whether or not they want to give up the LPG subsidy.Asked whether he had given up his LPG subsidy, he had said, “Don’t worry about me. I will do whatever I have to.”

Muslim critic stops Ramayana column after Hindu group pressure An acclaimed Muslim scholar of Kerala was forced to stop a newspaper column on the Ramayana after a fringe rightwing Hindu group allegedly launched a hate campaign against him for “criticising” Lord Rama.Literary critic MM Basheer, 75, stopped his column in Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi in August after he was allegedly flooded with calls from unidentified people who objected to his writing on the epic, which chronicles the life and times of Hindu deity Lord Rama.“Every day, I would get repeated calls abusing me for writing on the Ramayana. At the age of 75, I was being reduced to just a Muslim. I couldn’t take it and I stopped writing,” Basheer was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.Based in Kozhikode, Basheer is counted among Kerala’s most erudite and unbiased literary critics.He stopped his column after the fifth of a six-part series titled Rama’s Anger, the report said.

“The callers would ask me what right I had to criticise Lord Rama,” said Basheer, a former professor of Malayalam at the University of Calicut.The report quoted him as saying his series was based on Valmiki’s Ramayana, which “depicts Rama with human characteristics and does not shy away from criticising his actions”.Besides Basheer, the newspaper’s editors received a series of abusive calls every day

IS worse than Nazis as they boast about their evil says Tony Abbott

Jewish groups slammed Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Thursday for his statement that Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria were worse than Nazis as they “boast about their evil”.The Australian leader, who is considering extending Australia’s air campaign against IS in Iraq into Syria following a request by the United States, made the comments after describing the jihadist group’s actions as “unspeakable evil” and “medieval barbarity”.“I mean, the Nazis did terrible evil but they had sufficient sense of shame to try to hide it.

These people boast about their evil,” Abbott told Sydney commercial radio station 2GB. “This is the extraordinary thing - they act in the way that

medieval barbarians acted -- only they broadcast it to the world with an effrontery which is hard to credit and it just adds a further dimension to this evil.”

His comments were criticised by the head of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry Robert Goot as “injudicious and unfortunate”.

Goot said in a statement that IS’s crimes were horrific but “cannot be compared to the systematic round-up of millions of people and their dispatch to purpose built death camps for mass murder”.“Acts of terrorism are necessarily done in the full glare of publicity for their propaganda effect,” he added.

“In contrast, those responsible for ordering and implementing systematic state-sponsored genocide are high government

officials who often operate in secret not out of any sense of shame, but to avoid being held criminally responsible for their actions.”

Abbott defended his remarks at a Melbourne press conference later and said he was “not in the business of trying to rank evil”.

“But I do make this point, that unlike previous evil-doers, whether we’re talking about Stalin, Hitler or whoever that tried to cover up their evil, this wretched death cult boasts about it,” he said.“Every day we see new atrocities broadcast to the world, atrocities of an unspeakable inhumanity. And that’s why it’s absolutely vital that the decent people of the world unite against this death cult and do everything we reasonably can, as quickly as we can to disrupt, degrade and ultimately destroy (the group),” he added.Australia joined the US-led campaign against IS in Iraq last year, contributing military jets and special forces troops.The government estimates that some 120 of its nationals are still fighting with IS in Iraq and Syria, while at least 30 have been killed. Another 160 sympathisers are believed to be supporting jihadists from home.

after the first column appeared on August 3.

Though the callers did not identify themselves, the report said the Hindu group, Hanuman Sena, later pasted posters near the newspaper’s head office in Kozhikode.The group was in the news when its cadres resorted

to vandalism in the city during protests against moral policing in Kerala earlier this year.

Activists say minority communities & their institutions have been constantly targeted by Hindu groups since the BJP-led NDA swept to power at the Centre last year.

Pak food authority seizes large amounts of suspected pork near Lahore station Pakistan Punjab’s Food Authority (PFA) team has seized a large amount of suspected pig meat near Lahore Railway Station.According to the Dawn, the meat was seized during a raid by a PFA team led

by Director General Ayesha Mumtaz.

Mumtaz said that the raid was conducted on information that pork is being supplied and sold in the city in the name of beef and mutton while pig fat was

being used in the making of ice cream.The person carrying the

supply was arrested and handed over to police for further investigation in order to nab the group involved.

US launches secret drone campaign against IS in Syria

The US has launched a secret drone campaign managed jointly by the CIA and Special Operation Forces in Syria to target the leaders of the dreaded militant group Islamic State, a

media report has said.The drone as part of a targeted killing program that is run separately from the broader US military offensive against the IS, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday quoting unnamed US officials.“The clandestine program represents a significant escalation of the CIA’s involvement in the war in Syria, enlisting the agency’s Counterterrorism Center (CTC) against a militant group that many officials believe has eclipsed al-Qaeda as a threat,” the daily reported.The officials said the program was aimed at terrorism suspects deemed as

“high-value targets”.As part of the Syria buildup, the CIA US has pulled drone aircraft and personnel from other regions, including Afghanistan and Pakistan, where the withdrawal of US troops and the reduced pace of the agency’s drone campaign against alQaeda have freed up resources, the report said.

The CIA is flying drones only over Syria, not in Iraq, where the Islamic State also has a significant presence, it said.The secret drone program, officials said, is aimed primarily at leadership figures in the Islamic State as well as operatives suspected of being involved in efforts to build a terrorist network beyond the borders of its declared caliphate, the report said.

Al-Qaeda militants also are approved targets, it added.

The secret drone program is aimed primarily at leadership figures in the Islamic State as well as operatives suspected of being involved in efforts to build a terrorist network beyond the borders of its declared caliphate.

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8 Sep. - 14 Sep. 2015

Pakistan has lost global support on Kashmir says ex Pak envoy

Pakistan no longer enjoys global support on the Kashmir issue and cannot get backing for a referendum in the region from the UN Security Council, former Pakistani envoy to the US Husain Haqqani has said.“Kashmir is an emotive issue in Pakistan because of the failure of its leaders to inform their people that Pakistan no longer enjoys international support on the matter,” Haqqani wrote in a recent article that was also posted on the website of the US-based think tank Hudson Institute.

“What most Pakistanis do not know is that the last UN Security Council resolution on Kashmir was passed in 1957 and Pakistan could not win support for a referendum in

Kashmir today if it asked for a new vote at the UN,” he added.

Haqqani, the director for south and central Asia at Hudson Institute, had to resign as Pakistan’s envoy to the US following allegations that he had sought American help to rein in the powerful Pakistani military.He wrote that Pakistan had for years sought to internationalise the Kashmir issue, which it describes as a “core issue”, while India does not see any reason to even discuss it.

“But even the most ardent Pakistani hyper-nationalists know that they failed to wrest Kashmir from India in four wars and through the jihadi insurgency that has been waged from Pakistan since 1989,” he said. “Instead of accepting that it might be better for India and Pakistan to normalise relations by expanding trade and crossborder travel, Pakistani hardliners have stuck to a ‘Kashmir first’ mantra, which they know is unrealistic,” he said.“Posturing on Kashmir gets Pakistan nowhere, but its leaders pursue it to maintain support at home,” he added.

Sex, drugs and abuse says Yazidi Kidnapped, beaten, sold and raped: the IS militant group is running an international market in Iraq where Christian and Yazidi women are sold as sexual slaves, a teenager who escaped has said. Jinan, 18, a Yazidi, was captured in early 2014 and held by Islamic State jihadists for three months before she managed to flee, she said on a visit to Paris ahead of the Friday publication of a book about her ordeal.

Seized as IS fighters swept through northern regions inhabited by the Yazidi religious minority, Jinan was moved around between several locations before being bought by two men, a former policeman and an imam.

She described how she and other Yazidi prisoners were locked up in a house.

“They tortured us, tried to forcefully convert us. If we refused we were beaten, chained outdoors in the sun, forced to drink water with dead mice in it. Sometimes they threatened to torture us with electricity,” she said. “These men are not human. They only think of death, killing. They take drugs constantly. They seek vengeance against everyone. They say that one day Islamic State will rule over the whole world.” In the book, Jinan describes how once, in Mosul, she was led into

“a massive reception hall with large columns... dozens of women were gathered there”.

“The fighters circulated among us, laughing raucously, pinching our backsides,” she writes in

“Daesh’s Slave”, using an Arabic acronym for the jihadist group.

She said one man complained, saying: “That one has big breasts. But I want a Yazidi with blue eyes and pale skin. Those are the best apparently. I am willing to pay the price.” During such “slave markets” she saw Iraqis and Syrians but also Westerners whose nationality she could not discern.

The best-looking girls were reserved for the bosses or wealthy clients from Gulf nations. Once she was sold, Jinan’s days were punctuated by men’s visits to the house where she was imprisoned with other women.

A pistol for a brunette

Fighters came to make their purchases in the foyer where traders acted as intermediaries between the slave owners and emirs who inspected the “livestock”, Jinan wrote in the book, which was written with the help of French journalist Thierry Oberle. “I will exchange your Beretta pistol for the brunette,” said one of the traders. “If you prefer to pay cash it is $150 (133 euros). You can also pay in Iraqi dinars.” Convinced that she did not speak Arabic, Janin’s two owners spoke freely in front of her and one night she heard a conversation revealing the extent to which the slave trade is run like a business. “A man cannot purchase more than three women, unless he is from Syria, Turkey or a Gulf nation,” said one, named Abou Omar. “It’s good for business,” replied the other, Abou Anas. “A Saudi buyer has transport and food costs that a member of the Islamic State does not.

He has a higher quota to make his purchases profitable.

“It is a good deal: the Islamic State increases its profits to support the mujahideen and our foreign brothers are satisfied.”

After managing to escape using a set of stolen keys, Jinan made her way back to her husband and is now living in a Yazidi refugee camp in Iraqi Kurdistan.

ISIS fighters flaunt American M16 rifles in new video UN confirms ISIS destroyed ancient

In a new Islamic State video, jihadist fighters are shown flaunting the American M16 rifles that may have been seized by them from Iraqi soldiers or found in weapons caches dropped by the US. A video released by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria’s media arm in northern Iraq purportedly shows more than a dozen of the terror group’s fighters undergoing weapons training wielding American M16 rifles, according to Flashpoint Intelligence. “It is noteworthy that the use of American rifles by Islamic State fighters is rare and is only seen in Iraq,” Flashpoint said in a research note, using another name for the militant group. “These rifles were likely left by US forces or seized from Iraqi soldiers,” it said. Most jihadist fighters have been found to be using Russian AK-47 rifles and that the video’s release could suggest ISIS recently seized a cache of M16s, the NBC News reported. ISIS propaganda material in the past has shown fighters flaunting what appear to be US-made weapons, tanks

and Humvees seized from retreating Iraqi forces.

The United States has supplied Iraq with hundreds of millions of dollars in military hardware including humvees. Iraq’s government said in June that it lost 2,300 Humvees to ISIS when the militants seized the city of Mosul. Last year, an ISIS video claimed that an airdrop of weapons intended for Kurdish fighters had ended up in the militants’ hands. Navy Cmdr

Elissa Smith, a Defense Department spokeswoman, was quoted as saying by the Marine Corps Times that Pentagon officials could not confirm the authenticity of the images. The US is working with Iraqi troops and moderate Syrian opposition forces to prevent the group from gaining access to Americanmade weapons in the future, she said.

“However, it should come as no surprise to anyone that US ammunition could have found its way to ISIL (ISIS) fighters given the amount of other US-made equipment and weapons systems ISIL was able to capture during ongoing attacks in Iraq,” Smith said.

The rifles shown in the video appear to be the A2 variant of the M16 rather than the improved A4 version now used by many US troops, said Sim Tack, a military analyst who studies global conflicts, including those in Iraq and Syria.

temple of Bel in Palmyra

The United Nations has said that the satellite images show that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has destroyed the ancient temple of Bel in the Syrian city of Palmyra.

According to the Guardian, ISIS militants are believed to have targeted the temple of Bel on Sunday with a powerful blast.However, the extent of the damage is at the Roman-era

structure was not immediately clear.

The UN training and research agency said that they could confirm destruction of the main building of the Temple of Bel along with rows of columns in its immediate vicinity.

It was the second ancient temple that ISIS militants attacked this month after the ancient Baal Shamin temple.

Mullah Omar was sheltered by ISI Top Taliban leader Mullah Omar was sheltered by Pakistan’s powerful spy agency ISI after the outfit’s leadership fled from Afghanistan in 2001, according to an email received by former secretary of state Hillary Clinton during her tenure.

Top Taliban leader Mullah Omar was sheltered by Pakistan’s powerful spy agency ISI after the outfit’s leadership fled from Afghanistan in 2001, according to an email received by former secretary of state Hillary Clinton

during her tenure. Mullah Omar is reported to have died at a hospital in Karachi two years ago. However, till date the Pakistani authorities have strongly refuted reports of direct

links between ISI and Mullah Omar.The US too has insisted that it has no such evidence in this regard. However, an email written to Clinton on August 25, 2010 indicates otherwise. “I’m sure you know the facts in this well-informed piece, how Mullah Omar was saved by ISI, for example, but the idea of Afghanistan as an aspect of lndo-Pak war is the best and overarching strategic concept,” wrote one Sid to Clinton. The full name and email of the author has

been redacted. The mail is among the tranche of emails from Clinton’s private server which were released by the State Department.

The comment in email is on top of an article ‘The military and the mullah’ written by William Dalrymple in New Statesman, which said that the Pakistani state has a long history of nurturing jihadis as a means of dominating Afghanistan and undermining India. “It is proving a fatal alliance,” the article said.

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Parents (SC) invite matrimonial alliance for their daughter, 33 yrs. old, 5'-2" tall, M.Sc. IT, Diploma in Pharmacy and presently working and residing in India. The boy should be Canadian immigrant/citizen, professionally employed with family values. Sister's family is well settled in Canada. Cast no bar. Please Call: 1-306-7379328 or 011-91-97794-57530 ***631*** Jat Sikh parents seek a suitable match for their daughter, Canadian born 1980, 5'-5" tall, university graduate, working in government job. Divorced after short marriage. The Boy should be Jat Sikh, university educated and raised in Canada. Call: 1604-214-0911 *** 631*** Parents of American citizen, Jatt Sikh Girl, 27 yrs. old, 5'-4" tall,RN, BSN. looking for American Citizen Sikh boy, between 27-29 yrs. of age, well educated, family oriented, vegetarian, non drinker, non smoker. Call: 1-724-599-0722 *** 631*** USA citizen /Greencard /H1B above 5'-5", beautiful, professional girl for cleanshaven, handsome, jatsikh 28/6'-0 “,M-Tech (India) , presently USA study visa (Chicago) completing MBA (Finance) December 2015.mangat.harjit@yahoo.com .

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Parents well settled. Please send your Bio-Data and recent picture to: hssharis@ yahoo.com or Call: 647 949 8191 *** 631*** Jat Sikh Parents invite suitable Match for their Daughter, doing B.A. (India), Beautiful, Slim, Fair, 5'- 5'’ tall, 24 Yrs. old, intelligent, Canadian Immigrant and very homely/ family oriented with good Cultural Values in both indian/ North American cultures. Substantial property on our daughter’s name. Please send your Bio-Data & recent picture to: hssharis@ yahoo.com or Call: 1 647 949 8191 *** 631*** Seeking equally qualified and employed match for Canadian citizen Jat Sikh Boy, born in India and raised and educated in Canada with Computer Engineering degree from a reputed University with current employment in Ontario Government as Software developer in Toronto. He is 27, 5’8”, athletic build and very fair complexion. Father retired Veterinary Doctor and mother retired Lecturer from India.

Please send your bio-data and

8 Sep. - 14 Sep. 2015

recent picture to: chahalcanadian100@outlook.com or Call: 1-416-998-9662 ***631*** Jat Sikh Brar parents invite matrimonial alliance for their daughter 28 yrs. old, 5’-4” tall, B.Sc. Nursing four years degree holder, well versed in both the cultures and family oriented. The boy should be professionally qualified, with family values from Jat Sikh family only. Please email recent picture and bio data to: avtar.brar@hotmail.com Or Call: 416-930-3261 ***631*** Jat Sikh parents invite matrimonial alliance for their son, 38 yrs. old, 6’ tall, born and raised in Canada, vegetarian, working in IT field, never married before. The girl should be vegetarian, beautiful well versed in both cultures. Please email recent picture and biodata to: harp.h@hotmail.com Or Call: 416-840-7626 ***631*** Jat Sikh Grewal, Canadian citizen, 27 yrs. old, 5’-9” tall, well educated, has full time Job, doing part time family business.

The girl should be well educated, family oriented, Jat Sikh, Canadian/American immigrant or citizen. Student/work permit/ visitor can be considered.

(Ludhiana District only). Please send your biodata and recent picture to: grewalsukhi68@gmail.com Or Call: 306-251-2828 ***631*** Jat Sikh parents seek a suitable match for their beautiful 31 year old, 5’-7” tall daughter, born & raised in Canada, well educated, professionally employed in Govt. Job in Alberta. The boy should be educated, Canadian born & raised from good family. Please send your bio-data and recent picture to: kaur198431@gmail.com or Call: 1-604-356-0226 ***631*** Jat Sikh parents looking for suitable match for their , 32 yrs. old son, 5'-10" tall, Canadian born, clean shaven, degree holder, currently working on govt. job.

The girl should be well educated, family oriented, well versed in both cultures. Please email recent picture and bio-data to: bestwishes2016@ outlook.com or Call: 647-965-0959 ***631*** Professionally qualified match for Jat Sikh Canadian Citizen only son 28y/5'9", B.B.A and Diploma in Computer Science.

Working as a Professional in IT field. Family well settled in Property business, Sisters Computer Engineers and married. Please send your biodata & recent picture to: matchforlife@hotmail.com or Call: 1- 613-823-8510 *** 631*** Jat Sikh parents looking for suitable match for their Canadian citizen, registered nurse daughter, 27 yrs. old, 5'-2" tall. The

boy should be Canadian citizen/ resident/professionally employed, vegetarian, non drinker, from well settled Jat Sikh family. Call: 905-861-9262 or 647985-9262 ***631*** Jat Sikh parents seek a suitable match for their daughter, Canadian born, DOB 1980, 5'-5" tall, University graduate, working in government job, divorced after short marriage. The boy should be Jat Sikh, University educated and raised in Canada. Call: 1604-214-0911 ***631*** Jat Sikh parents seek a suitable match for their beautiful, smart , 31 year old daughter , holds Chartered Professional Accountant designation and bachelor in economics from University of Toronto and professionally employed in Canada. If interested please response with latest picture and bio-data to: toronto.0454@gmail.com ***631*** Mair Rajput parents invite matrimonial alliance for their handsome son, 25 yrs. old, 5’10” tall, B.Sc. in Airlines Management, Master’s degree in tourism management, IATA qualified, running his own successful business in Ludhiana Punjab (Verma Travels), presently in Brampton (Canada) on visitor Visa till Sept.

3, 2015. The girl should be Canadian Immigrant/Citizen with family Values. Boy’s Nanka family is well settled in Canada.

Please email recent picture & bio data to: robin_vr2006 @yahoo.com Or Call: 416-2741512 Or 647-981-8070 ***631*** Ramdasia Sikh parents invite matrimonial alliance for their well settled daughter, 30 yrs. old, 5’3” tall, born and raised in Sweden, MBA degree, beautiful, settled in Job. The boy should be should be Canadian Citizen/ immigrant, equally qualified and family oriented. Girls Nanaka parivar is well settled in Canada.

Please email recent picture & bio data to: tkaur83@ hotmail.com or Call: 647-7080580 or : 647-761-3313 ***631*** Jat Sikh parents seek a suitable match for their son, Canadian Citizen, 30 year old, 6’-2” tall, born in India, University degree holder from Canadian University, running his own successful business. The girl should be tall, educated, from good family.

Please send your bio-data and picture to: manpreetgill 48@yahoo.com or Call: 1-778344-0303 ***631*** Jat Sikh parents seek a suitable match for their beautiful and slim daughter, 27 yrs. old, 5’-6” tall, American Citizen, holder Master degree in bio-technology currently working in MNC. The boy should be Jatt Sikh, well educated, and professionally employed. Please email recent picture and bio-data to:

misskaur510@gmail.com or Call: 1-510-931-9860 ***631*** Jat Sikh parents seek a suitable match for their son, 36 yrs old, 5'-7" tall, non-drinker, non smoker, born and raised in California. UC Berkeley Califoria graduate and professionally employed never married before.The girl should be educated, beautiful and family oriented.Parents well settled in california. Please send your biodata & recent pictures to: tsinghg77@yahoo.com *** 631*** Suitable Decent, well educated match for Kesadhari Jat Sikh boy, 29 yrs. old, 6' tall, B.Sc. Agriculture, working as Class1 officer (Punjab Govt.), having honourable land holding near Faridkot. Reputable family settled abroad. Call:1- 604-7516098 or 011-91-94173-45535 *** 631*** Jat sikh parents seek a suitable alliance for their son, Canadian Citizen, 29 yrs. old., 5’-6” tall, smart, handsome, family oriented, B.Eng and MESc. from Canadian Unversity. The girl should be slim and qualified.

Please send your biodata & recent pictures to: inderpreetsran@gmail.com or call: 647 449 1640 *** 631*** Jatt Sikh Virk family seeking an educated girl match in US, for their son, 29 yrs old, 6' tall, MS Computer Science, Software Engineer in San Francisco.

Please send your bio-data & recent pictures to: simmer.virk@gmail.com or call: 1-619-228-3647 *** 631*** Delhi based Sikh family invites matrimonial alliance for their son. 39 yrs. old, 6’ tall, unmarried, clean shaven Australian Citizen. Elder brother is well settled in California (bay area) USA. The Girl should be Canadian/American Immigrant/ citizen. The boy is willing

relocate. Caste & religion no bar.

Please send your bio data & recent picture to: jitsahota@yahoo.com Or Call: 1510-224-7191 ***631*** Parents (Balmiki) invite matrimonial alliance for their daughter 26 yrs. old, 5’-3” tall, B.D.S. degree holder, practicing in India, beautiful, fair complexion, and family oriented. The boy should be professionally qualified with family values caste no bar.

Please email recent picture & bio data to: suresh_chand24@yahoo.ca Or Call: 647-868-1504 Or 011-9198728-10045 ***631*** Jat Sikh Sran parents invite matrimonial alliance for their daughter, born and raised in Sonjose (California), 32 Yrs. old, 5'-6" tall, graduate in Finance and accounting from a reputed University of Sanjose State USA., Professionally employed. The boy should University graduate, Professionally settled, family oriented from California. Bay area preferred. Please email recent picture & bio data to: balwindersran2560@gmail.com Or Call: 1-408-824-5006 Or: 1408-849-1525 ***631*** Qualified Match for Sikh TonkKashatriya Girl, 24-06-89 born, 5’4" tall, M.Sc. Nursing , working as a lecturer. Brother is Government employee in PSPCL (SDO). Preference Canadian PR . Call: 1-604-377-1403 *** 631*** Recently widowed gentlemen looking for suitable match from jat sikh family, should be 52+ yrs. old, Currently residing in Canada, will be travelling to India. Inquiries from visitors and permit holders welcome. Preferences to England and North America. Please Send your bio-data & recent pictures to: singh37k@yahoo.ca or call: 1-778- 578- 8787 *** 631***

I, Shamsher Singh permanent resident of ward no. 11, Badali Road, Kurali, SAS Nagar, Mohali, Punjab, India and presently residing at 32 Goswell St., Brampton, Ont. L6P 3G9, Canada, do here by change my name from Shamsher Singh to Shamsher Singh Basanti with immediate effect. All concerned please note. ***631*** I, Gurmeet Kaur permanent resident of ward no. 11, Badali Road, Kurali, SAS Nagar, Mohali, Punjab, India and presently residing at 32 Goswell St., Brampton, Ont. L6P 3G9, Canada, do here by change my name from Gurmeet Kaur to Gurmeet Kaur Basanti with immediate effect. All concerned please note. ***631*** We, Shamsher Singh and Gurmeet Kaur permanent resident of ward no. 11, Badali Road, Kurali, SAS Nagar, Mohali, Punjab, India and presently residing at 32 Goswell St., Brampton, Ont. L6P 3G9, Canada, do here by change our son’s name from Akashjot Singh to Akashjot Singh Basanti with immediate effect.

All concerned please note. ***631*** We, Shamsher Singh and Gurmeet Kaur permanent resident of ward no.11, Badali Road, Kurali, SAS Nagar, Mohali, Punjab, India and presently residing at 32 Goswell St., Brampton, Ont. L6P 3G9, Canada, do here by change our daughter’s name from Navjot Kaur to Navjot Kaur Basanti with immediate effect. All concerned please note. ***631***

Issue - 631 (11)

8 Sep. - 14 Sep. 2015

Goa girl champ doesn’t know she quizzed Modi on Teachers Day NEW DELHI Olympic gold medal winner and intellectually-disabled Sonia Yellappa Patil, who got Prime Minister Narendra Modi talking

me,” she said with a coy glee, as she interacted with mediapersons on Saturday after her live feat on national television on Friday.

In response to her question

about his love for swimming, gymming over video conference, is still unaware she quizzed the prime minister.

The 16-year-old does not really know who the bearded, smiling man she spoke to on September 4 on live television really is.

All she is aware of is that she spoke to a minister and that her friends and classmates are all praise for her performance on TV, when she asked Modi about his favourite sport. “I spoke to a minister. He asked me ‘what did you get for India?’ I said, ‘I got medals’. Even people in my school saw me speaking to him. They congratulated

to Modi about his favourite sport, Modi had spoken fondly of his childhood in a remote Gujarat village, where he spent time swimming, working out in a gym, playing kho kho, kabaddi and climbing trees and hanging from their boughs for fun.

Born to Yellappa, a labourer, and Laxmi, a house-maid, Sonia has been at the Disha School for special children in Panaji for 10 years now.

According to Anil Counto, chairperson of the trust which runs the school, its because of her inability to understand and analyse information that she fails to grasp the significance of

her conversation with Modi.

“She is intellectually disabled, but look at the laurels she has brought for Goa and India. Who gets an opportunity to speak to the prime minister?

She managed to do it. Thanks to her diligence and her love for sports,” Counto said.

According to Laxmi, the transformation of her daughter from a hyperactive girl, who would constantly fight with her classmates and tear up their books, has been phenomenal and her belief that specialized education would help Sonia has paid off. “I never thought this was possible. I have never asked her to help me with domestic chores. I wanted her to study and get into a good school. I am so proud of her medals and that she spoke to the prime minister,” Laxmi, a mother of three children, told IANS. During the 2015 Special Olympics World Games held in Los Angeles, Sonia won an athletic gold and silver medal in the 200 mts and 400 mts sprint events respectively.

Tribes in Andaman, Odisha, Malaysia, Philippines share lineage Kolkata Crossing many borders, the Negrito tribes of Andaman islands share common ancestors with an indigenous tribe from Odisha and two others

mitochondrial DNA, proves that all of them are offshoots of a single group of population which dispersed in different parts of the world over a period of few thousand

from Malaysia and Philippines, researchers say. Genetic studies done by the Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI) has shown that the Jarawas and Onges of India’s Andaman, Pauri Bhuiya of Odisha’s Keonjhar, Semang tribe of Malaysia and Aeta of Philippines have a common parental stock. ”The presence of M31, the unique genetic markers found on their

years,” AnSI anthropologist Dr Biswanath Sarkar told PTI.Studies done after collecting blood samples of all the tribes and then matching their DNA profile show that the population had started splitting up in different waves around 35,000 years ago. In his recent book “Andaman Islands”, researcher Dr Tilak Ranjan Bera writes that there are several

hypotheses regarding the arrival of the aboriginal Negrito tribes in the Andaman islands. ”It is now postulated that the earliest modern human beings originated in Africa. The Negrito population from there migrated through the ‘Horn of Africa’, modern day Ethiopia in East Africa, to Arabia and along the coasts of South Asia (the ‘Great Coastal Migration’) and populated the rest of the world,” he says.

During their passage to the Myanmar coast, they reached Andaman islands. ”Hydrographic studies confirm the existence of an underwater mountain range from Myanmar to the Andaman islands.

Cape Negrais of Myanmar is only 120 miles from the northernmost Andaman island….Lower water level, which occurs during the glacial period of the Ice Age, may also have played a role in the formation of a land bridge for a period,” says Bera.

‘Singh is Bling’-DSGMC President G. K. Singh shows Avtar Singh Makkar his class NEW DELHI The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) today shown SGPC President Avtar Singh Makkar his class and explained him in clear terms that Singh is more than bling. The SGPC nad DSGMC have locked horns on the issue of granting permission to Akshey Kumar starer movie 'Singh is Bling'.

He was reacting to comments by SGPC President that DSGMC has no jurisdiction over taking up Sikh issues. Makkar has said that SGPC would grant permission to film Singh is Bling after a sub committee formed by it approves the dialogues.

G.K Singh said that they had not given clean chit to the movie. He said that “A delegation of DSGMC had seen the movie, the objectionable parts were pointed out, which have been agreed by the producers to be removed and final print of movie has been sent to Shri Akal Takht to give approval”.

Final decision lies with the Akal Takhat, he added.

G.K.Singh told Makkar, “We always consider SGPC as a supreme body and they are like our big brother but we would not let the big brother to bully us. Any negative comment from SGPC without a valid

reason is unwarranted as whatever we do is under the command and orders of party president Sukhbir Singh Badal,” said GK. He said DSGMC is competent to speak on any issue related to the panth and would continue to do that. “I think we are always forthcoming to join hands with SGPC and work in unison. I also see my prerogative to take call on panthic issues on my own,” he clarified adding that DSGMC has been forthcoming in comple-

menting SGPC for Sikh issues anywhere on the globe.For almost a century the Sikhs living in Delhi and the Delhi Gurdwara committee under the leadership of Shiromani Akali Dal has always been proactive on issues concerning Sikhs - politically and socially, said GK.“In Germany when Gurbani was wrongly depicted in a yoga centre, we objected, got that rectified and SGPC formed a committee much later when issue was already clinched and the yoga centre had sought forgiveness,” said GK. According to DSGMC President – in 1950 Delhi committee under the leadership of Shiromani Akali Dal played important role in Punjabi Suba Morcha and on 19th May 1964 when 11 Sikhs were martyred in Paonta Sahib in a police firing, on the directions of Master Tara Singh Delhi committee took up the fight and got released the Gurdwara Sahib from the clutches of mahantas.

Issue - 631 (12)

8 Sep. - 14 Sep. 2015

Viral audio clip reveals what’s wrong with AAP in Punjab In the four-minute long audio clip, comedian-turned-politician Mann is heard criticising the party leadership over the way it is handling the Punjab unit.

New Delhi The infighting in Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is once again out

in the open with an audio clip of a telephonic conversation between Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann and Patiala MP Dharamvira Gandhi going viral.

In the four-minute long audio clip, comedian-turned-politician Mann is heard criticising the party leadership over the way

it is handling the Punjab unit.

“Punjab is not Delhi where the party could win elections with ease. They also say Bhagwant Mann keeps cracking jokes.

We have won elections because we have a personality.

I am a celebrity for last 20

years,” Mann is allegedly heard telling Gandhi in the audio clip.

“People in Punjab are not like that of Delhi who vote a party.

Here they choose people,” he goes on to add. Bhagwant Mann is yet to make a statement over reports of the audio tape going viral.

Meanwhile, Dharamvira Gandhi

Delhi teen raped by 27 people in Jaipur A 17-year-old girl from Delhi was allegedly raped by 27 people in a Jaipur hotel.

The victim, who is a resident of Mangolpuri area, was taken to Jaipur by the accused Rocky and his wife on the pretext of a job in the city on August 30. A 17-year-old girl from Delhi was allegedly raped by 27 people in a Jaipur hotel. The victim, who is a resident of Mangolpuri area, was taken to Jaipur by the accused Rocky and his wife on the pretext of a job in the city

on August 30. The couple left the girl alone in the hotel room where she was repeatedly raped by 27 people including some members of the hotel staff for almost 24 hours before she managed to flee.

The girl reached Delhi and lodged a complaint at the local police station. So far, police have confirmed the involvement of only 10 people. Six accused have been arrested whereas, the hunt is on to nab the remaining culprits.

Facebook page promoting child porn cocks a snook at ban, returns with more likes Facebook pages that were reported and shut down for allegedly promoting paedophilia have mushroomed all over again.

Facebook pages that were reported and shut down for allegedly promoting paedophilia have mushroomed all over again. What is even more shocking is that they are up with the same name, as if cocking a snook at the law machinery which had got them removed.The page “Kochu Sundarikal” (translates to young girls in Malayalam) was shut down in April this year after the page was reported for putting up photos of children with obscene comments.

Although a case was filed with the IT cell in Thiruvana nthapuram city by the group, Sexually Frustrated Mallus (SFM), the culprits were not

caught. And now the page is active again with over 4273 likes.The pictures seem to have been taken out of random profiles and websites and the posts by the admin encourages members to come up with lewd comments for the pictures.

There are also group photos where the admin asks the members to choose one of the girls in the group.

Last month, after the Centre revoked a blanket ban on pornography reserving the strictures for child porn sites, a 19-year-old diploma holder from Pollachi in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore district was arrested by the state’s Criminal Investigation Department. The accused, Manikanda Prabhu, had created a page on Facebook with pictures of young girls accompanied by sexually-explicit comments.

has confirmed the audio clip contains his voice, however, he said that conversation happened a day before Arvind Kejriwal took oath as Delhi chief minister. Gandhi, who was suspended along with Fatehgarh Sahib MP Harinder Singh Khalsa for anti-party activities last month, denied recording the conversation and posting it on social media.

Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh has sought to downplay the controversy describing the audio clip as ‘edited’. “Such edited audio and video clips are nothing new. People are not interested in all this,” he said.

AAP’s Punjab dream failing?

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is not new to conflicts. The party expelled two of its founder members Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan earlier this year following a bitter public spat with national convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, AAP managed to garner an overwhelming public support winning 4 seats in Punjab. On the basis of its 2014 win, the party is hoping to present itself as a viable alternative in the state which has only seen traditional political parties like Congress, Akali Dal and BJP at the helm. However, the continuous squabbling and lack of leadership in the state unit has certainly cast a shadow over AAP’s plans for 2017 Assembly polls.

When Israelis chanted ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’

The devotees staged plays portraying episodes from Krishna’s childhood life, besides singing and dancing late into the night to the beatings of tabla and dholak and as harmonium, jhaal and flute played for hours.

The festival of Janmashtami was celebrated with full fervor in Israel as hundreds of devotees, mostly Jews, chanting “Hare Krishna, Hare Rama” descended here from across the country to celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna.

Kibbutz Barkai, one of many agriculture-based collective communities in Israel, is located close to a small township of Harish, which has come to be identified with followers of Lord Krishna popularly known here as “Hare Krishnas”. Several devotees along with their families have settled down in Harish and religiously practice the tenets of the sect they learnt about during their visits to Vrindavan and Mayapur in India. The fanfare surrounding the celebrations has also caught the attention of many others who see it as a must-see event.

“I have a strong attraction towards Indian culture but this group has also contributed majorly to the strong inclination and I haven’t missed out on these celebrations since I was introduced to them some 14 years ago,” said Karen, who came from a small town near Jerusalem. The devotees staged plays portraying episodes from Krishna’s childhood life, besides singing and dancing late into the night to the beatings of tabla and dholak and as harmonium, jhaal and flute played for hours. “This is probably the biggest gathering of devotees in years and we made adequate arrangements having sensed such a massive turnout. The popularity of the teachings of the sect has been constantly on the rise in Israel and it doesn’t come as a surprise,” a devotee said . The practices of the sect “brings a welcome relief amid the chaos surrounding the region, lifting people’s spirits”, another devotee said. Krishna Prasadam, comprising 108 vegetarian dishes, was served to the guests after the cultural programmes.

a Dove’. Sharif looked surprised at the words of Vajpayee, who complained that while he had

voice of Dilip Kumar (Yousuf Khan originally from Peshawar), who said, “Mian

been received in Lahore with such warmth, Pakistan had wasted no time in occupying Kargil. Sharif said he was not aware of what Vajpayee was saying to him and promised to get back to him after talking to Chief of the Army Staff General Pervez Musharraf.Before the conversation could end, Vajpayee told Sharif that he would like him to speak to somebody who was sitting next to him during their conversation, Kasuri writes. Sharif was astonished when he heard the

Sahib, we did not expect this from you since you have always claimed to be a great supporter of peace between Pakistan and India”, Kasuri writes in the book. ”Let me tell you as an Indian Muslim that in case of tension between Pakistan and India, Indian Muslims become very insecure and they find it difficult to even leave their homes. Please do something to control this situation,” Dilip, a recipient of Pakistan’s highest civilian honour Nishane-Imtiaz, told Sharif

When Atal Bihari Vajpayee made Dilip Kumar talk to Nawaz Sharif over Kargil During their talks, Vajpayee expressed his grievances that he had been shabbily treated

by Sharif after having been invited to Lahore. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had complained to his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif after the outbreak of the Kargil conflict that he had been shabbily treated and made the Pakistan premier speak with Bollywood legend Dilip Kumar, who pleaded for controlling the situation, says a new book.

Narrating a startling anecdote recounted to him by Saeed Mehdi, the ex-Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Sharif at the time of the Kargil War in May 1999, former foreign minister Khurshid Kasuri says, “According to Saeed, one day he was sitting with PM Sharif when the telephone bell rang and the ADC informed the PM that the Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee wished to speak with him urgently.”

During their talks, Vajpayee expressed his grievances that he had been shabbily treated

by Sharif after having been invited to Lahore, Kasuri writes in his book ‘Neither a Hawk Nor

Issue - 631 (13)

8 Sep. - 14 Sep. 2015

Indian American honoured with top scholar award An Indian American professor from Duke University is set to be presented with the “2015 SMS Emerging Scholar Award” from

Illinois-based Strategic Management Society (SMS).

Aaron Chatterji will be honoured at the 2016 SMS annual international conference and will receive $5,000 as prize money.

He will also present his research at the conference, India West news portal reported.

The prize is awarded to a relatively young or new scholar who displays exemplary scholarship that promises to have an impact on future strategic management practice. Chatterji served as a senior economist with the White House Council of Economic Advisers where he worked on a wide range of policies relating to entrepreneurship, innovation, infrastructure and economic growth. He has authored several columns in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, has appeared on TV and radio and was recently profiled in The Financial Times and Fortune.

Indian pleads guilty to sending damaging computer code A 33-year-old Indian IT manager has pleaded guilty to sending damaging computer code to servers at his former employer, causing a loss of USD 5000 to firm’s intellectual property.

Nikhil Nilesh Shah of New Jersey pleaded guilty before US magistrate Judge Robert Numbers of the eastern district of north Carolina to one felony count of causing the transmission of computer code and as a result damaging computers, said Assistant Attorney General Leslie R Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

Shah is scheduled to be sentenced in December this year. According to the indictment, from 2007 to March 2012, Shah was an information technology manager at a company located in North Carolina that developed platforms

for the creation of mobile applications and subsequently left the firm to work for another

technology company. According to facts presented to the court in connection with his plea agreement, in June 2012, Shah sent malicious computer code to his former company’s computer servers in Durham and Raleigh, north Carolina, causing at least USD 5,000 in damage and deleting much of the company’s intellectual property.

Women auto drivers bravely fight all odds in Chennai to work This story is not about ordinary women, but the ones who fearlessly fight gender inequality everyday.

Chennai, known as the gateway to South India, also acted as a gateway towards women empowerment. Since March 2014, hundreds of women have started driving auto rickshaws in the city. The count is increasing at a fast pace as the passengers feel safe travelling

with them. But with such great initiative comes obstacles. This move has threatened male auto rickshaw drivers and their in-

come. Out of anger, male auto drivers harass these women drivers.

But these sneers from the male auto drivers fail to deter these women drivers and they fearlessly continue driving, inspiring several other women who struggle for an identity and a job.

Check out how Kanchana Bhaskar, an auto rickshaw driver in Chennai, fights against all odds everyday for her living.

This 12-year-old Indian origin girl achieved what Einstein couldn’t Lydia Sebastian from Essex has joined the one per cent of all entrants to attain the highest mark in the Cattell III B paper supervised by Mensa, the society for people with high IQs. A 12-year-old Indian-origin girl in the UK has achieved the highest possible score of 162 on a Mensa IQ test, outwitting physicists Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking.

Lydia Sebastian from Essex has joined the one per cent of all entrants to attain the highest mark in the Cattell III B paper supervised by Mensa, the society for people with high IQs. Lydia completed the paper with minutes to spare at the sitting at Birkbeck College, London during her school holidays.

Ads by ZINC“At first, I was really nervous but once I started, it was much easier than I expected it to be and then I relaxed,” said

Lydia. She said the paper challenged her language skills, including analogies and definitions, and her sense of logic, the Guardian reported.

Lydia’s father, Arun Sebastian, a radiologist at Colchester general hospital, said his

daughter “had looked at the websites for the IQ tests herself and had shown an interest in them and talked to my wife about them.”

She has read all seven of the Harry Potter books in the series three times.

Lydia is talented in other areas

and has been playing the violin since aged four. She starting talking at the age of just six months, her parents said.

Lydia joins Nicole Barr, a 12year-old from Harlow, Essex, as well as Aahil Jouher, a 10-yearold from Blackburn, in achieving perfect Mensa scores this year.Cattell III B has 150 questions, often assessing comprehension through passages of texts, while the maximum score that can be achieved is 161 for adults, and 162 for under-18s.Both Hawking and Einstein are thought to have an IQ of 160.

Mensa is believed to be the largest and oldest high IQ society in the world.

Membership is open to anyone who can demonstrate an IQ in the top 2 per cent of the population, measured by a recognised or approved IQ testing process.

Akali Dal leader calls Bhagat Singh a terrorist Amid the ruckus, Akali Dal (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann not only objected to the naming of the airport after martyr Bhagat Singh but created a stir by terming him a ‘terrorist’.

Difference between the Punjab and Haryana governments continue to shroud the naming of Chandigarh International Airport even as date of its inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi draws near.

Amid the ruckus, Akali Dal (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann not only objected to the naming of the airport after martyr Bhagat Singh but created a stir by terming him a ‘terrorist’.“Bhagat Singh is neither a martyr nor a national hero. He is a terrorist. We are against the naming of Chandigarh International airport as Shaheed-E-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh Airport,” Mann told the media.While the Ministry of Civil Aviation is yet to decide a name for this airport, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) has rejected the name suggested by the Punjab

Government by displaying a sign board outside the airport which will be inaugurated by Modi on September 11.

Chandigarh BJP Sanjay Tandon

Chandigarh. “The big thing is that we’re getting an international airport. Politicians should avoid creating confusion in the minds of the people.

said.Slamming Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for failing to set-up an International airport in Amritsar, Mann said, “Badal took the

told that both the state governments should avoid any controversy as the airport also belongs to the people of

There is no controversy in the name and if there is a doubt it will be cleared by the both the governments,” Sanjayu Tandon

international airport project to Chandigarh so that the land purchased by him and his relatives get a higher price.

Even if he has done so he should desist from naming the airport as Bhagat Singh who was a terrorist. Instead, he should dedicate the airport to Baba Banda Singh Bahadur-the Sikh warrior who had defeated the Mughals.” Justifying his stance, Mann said that he treats Bhagat as a terrorist as he had killed an ‘innocent’ English man of the name Saunders and a Sikh - Chanan Singh. This is not the first time when Mann has insulted Bhagat Singh. He was also arrested in Patiala in December 2007 when he had used similar words for the martyr.

Meanwhile the Punjab government said that it will stick to the resolution which was passed by the state assembly in 2009. “The government will stick to the non-official resolution passed by the Punjab Vidhan Sabha in naming the airport as Shaheede-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh International Airport,” Vishwajeet Khanna, secretary, civil aviation, Punjab government, said.

Issue - 631 (14)

8 Sep. - 14 Sep. 2015

French agent sorry for sinking Rainbow Warrior

PARIS The French secret service frogman who attached the mines which sank the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior in New Zealand 30 years ago apologised for his actions in an interview Sunday with investigative website Mediapart.

Jean-Luc Kister, whose face was not covered in the hour-long video interview, said he believed it was now the right time to say sorry to the family of Portuguese photographer Fernando Pereira, who was killed in the explosion, to

Greenpeace and to the people of New Zealand.

“Thirty years after the event, now that emotions have subsided and also with the distance I now have from my professional life, I thought it was the right time for me to express both my deepest regret and my apologies,” Kister said.

On July 10, 1985, the Rainbow Warrior was docked in Auckland on its way to protest against French nuclear testing at Mururoa Atoll, about 1,200 kilometres (750 miles) southeast of Tahiti.

LONDON When Queen Elizabeth came to the British throne more than six decades ago, her first prime minister was Winston Churchill, a man who had served in the army of her great-great-

Sept. 9 when she overtakes Victoria’s 63-year stint.

Elizabeth, now 89, ascended to the throne in 1952 at the twilight of British empire, with Britain slowly emerging from the

grandmother, Queen Victoria.

By the time the current holder of that job, David Cameron, was born in 1966, she had already been monarch for 14 years.

“The first time she saw (Cameron) he was playing a rabbit in a school production in which her son Prince Edward was taking part,” royal historian Hugo Vickers told Reuters. “He is the man from whom she now takes formal advice.”

The contrast between those two politicians epitomises the huge change that the monarchy and the country have undergone during Elizabeth’s reign, which becomes the longest in British history on

ravages of World War Two. The monarchy was a distant institution that presided over a country where food rationing was still in place and social classes clearly distinct. Over the next few decades, the royal family went from being something the public would only glimpse in newsreels and at official occasions to releasing family photos on Twitter, and even “photobombing” other people’s “selfies”.

“You would never have guessed at the beginning of the reign the queen would take part in a stunt in which she appeared to jump out of a helicopter with James Bond,” said royal biographer Robert Lacey, referring to her per-

Nepal’s ice doctors risk all for sole Everest hopeful KATHMANDU Ang Kami Sherpa is one of Nepal’s most experienced “ice doctors” - the mountaineers who brave Mount Everest’s treacherous Khumbu icefall to prepare it for the climbing season - but even he is more nervous than usual this time round.

Sherpa is among a group of ice doctors who returned to the 8,848-metre (29,029-foot) mountain in August - four months after a huge earthquake that triggered a deadly avalanche at its base camp.

They are readying the route for the autumn season, when even in a normal year only a handful of climbers attempt the summit, most opting for the more favourable conditions of spring.

This year, Japan’s Nobokazu Kuriki is the only climber planning an attempt on the summit, although a six-person support team is expected to accompany him to Camp 2, about 6,400 metres high and usually around two

Elizabeth II tries to change with the times formance at the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games. The changes have been more evolution than revolution, but they were not always smooth.

A 1969 fly-on-the-wall TV documentary “Royal Family” was viewed by commentators at the time as damaging to the monarchy’s mystique, and the queen’s daughter, Princess Anne, later said it was a “rotten idea”.

But another innovation the following year, the royal “walkabout” with the crowds, became a regular occurrence.

“The walkabout in a way symbolised not only classlessness and informality but a sense of public affection for the institution,” Professor Philip Murphy, director of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies.

“They certainly quickly stepped back from the flyon-the-wall ‘we’re just an ordinary family’ way of presenting the royal family.”

The celebration of her silver jubilee in 1977 and the national joy at the wedding of son and heir Prince Charles to Diana Spencer, and the birth of their children in the 1980s, gave way to tribulations in the 1990s, when “the firm”, as the royal family is nicknamed, was at its lowest ebb.

days of trekking beyond base camp. At 63, Sherpa is more familiar with Everest than most, having kicked off his mountaineer-

already begun work.

“There is always a risk up here but we are a little more scared this year.”

Highly-skilled mountain-

sparking a shutdown of the peak. Many in the mountaineering community question the wisdom of asking the elite climb-

ing career in 1975 when he assisted Japan’s Junko Tabei in her successful bid to become the first woman to summit the peak.

But this time, the veteran ice doctor says even he is worried after April’s quake, which killed nearly 9,000 people, 18 of them on the world’s highest peak. “Our job is more difficult this year, the mountain has changed (after the quake),” Sherpa told AFP by phone from Everest base camp, where the ice doctors have

eers like Sherpa are the first men on the peak every season, using ropes and ladders to build a route across plunging crevasses and constantly shifting ice. This year the dangers are even higher than usual with Nepal still experiencing regular aftershocks, further increasing the risk of avalanches.

The avalanche that hit on April 25 was the second in as many years after 16 Nepali guides lost their lives on the icefall in 2014,

ers to brave aftershocks and avalanches for the sake of a single summit hopeful.

An ice doctor can earn $3,500 in a season, sometimes more in tips from foreign mountaineers, a large sum in a country where the average annual income is about $705.

Mountaineering is a huge revenue earner for impoverished Nepal, home to eight of the world’s 14 peaks over 8,000 metres.

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A welcomed sequel which tickles the funny bone

Direction: Anees Bazmee Cast: Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar, John Abraham, Paresh Rawal, Shruti Haasan, Dimple Kapadia, Naseeruddin Shah, Ankita Srivastava Ratings: 3 Stars Sequels tend to be superfluous. In Bollywood one that comes seven years after the original, and delayed by a year, becomes more so. But Welcome Back is a comedy that sticks to the tried-andtested formula because it delivers laughs. Logic?

What’s that? It doesn’t even bother coming up with a new storyline.

Once again gangsters Uday Shetty (Nana Patekar) and Majnu Bhai (Anil Kapoor) have fallen for, and deceived by, the same woman (Ankita

Srivastava). Shetty’s ageing father lands at his doorstep, this time in Dubai no less, with another sister (Shruti Haasan), who is desperate to get married. Another menacing buffoon of a big don (Naseeruddin Shah) becomes a nuisance towards the end.

Yet it all works because in doing so it doesn’t take itself too seriously or attempt to be clever. With Raj Shaandaliya in the dialogues department and the great partnership of Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar, it consistently keeps viewers rolling on the floor with laughter or just giggling away. This is a nonsensical comedy which actually succeeds in being one with copious amount of quotable one-liners. “Gun aur gun ki spelling ek hoti hai” and “Unke

ghar mein makkhiyaan bhi dupatta leke udti hai” being two of the many.

Buddy comedies as a

genre in Bollywood hasn’t seen many hilarious, memorable efforts since Andaz Apna Apna’s loveable fools, Amar and Prem, had audiences rooting for them. Khalujan and Babban from Ishiqya regaled us with their misadventures. With Welcome Back it’s fair to say that Uday and Majnu are worthy representatives of the club of #bestfriendsforever who constantly court trouble. It only helps that you have two experienced actors in Patekar and Kapoor who genuinely seem to enjoy each other’s company, and whose repartee is

worth watching. Uday is a man constantly trying to compose himself with the classic “Control”, and Majnu is his trusted sidekick who struts about in the tackiest T-shirts and jackets still hoping to lead a dangerous organisation.

The duo is also still in search of true love, and harbour the dream to get married. But as Welcome Back shows that they are best together.

Much to Majnu’s dismay they have decided to clean up their act and become “shareef” people.

But the past catches up with them when romance brews between Shetty’s

sister Ranjana (Shruti Haasan) and a notorious criminal Ajju Bhai (John Abraham) back in India.

In a twist, he happens to be the son of Doctor Ghungroo’s (Paresh Rawal) wife from another man. Barring the opening scene between Ranjana and Ajju, their love story can be dismissed. So can the innumerable songs, which mar the film’s pace, feature poor choreography and are intolerable cruelty to the ears. Instead Welcome Back works best when Uday and Majnu find themselves trying to get out of tricky situations.

her father when a toddler, is seen as the key to get to Litvenko. However, while Smith’s intentions seem straightforward, 47’s remain tenuous. In his more imaginative moments, director

Bach tries to give the film a narrative about free will and people changing their fate through their actions, through conversations between Katia and 47, but there is always somebody

lurking around the corner to kill. Katia carries her own burden in terms of a superhuman ability to sense what is going to happen, keeping her edgy and jumpy at all times.

HITMAN: Agent 47 Cast: Rupert Friend, Hannah Ware, Zachary Quinto, Ciaran Hinds Director: Aleksander Bach Rating: 2 Stars Let’s see. The genius scientist is from Ukraine, the evil-ish firm is headquartered in Singapore, the assassin Agent 47 kills everywhere, the woman to be rescued is holed up in Berlin (with a screaming British accent), and they all end up at the US Embassy.

In the video game world where this scenario originated, the world is a very small, very round place.

That’s one way to explain this geographical mess

where people keep getting their heads lopped off, in lots of bloody ways, to get to a 72-year-old scientist with rheumatoid arthritis and stage 3 lung cancer.

The goal is to figure out how that scientist genetically configured super-assassins such as 47, who are remorse-less, fear-less and presumably love-less (the last conveniently left vague). Putting a drop of 47’s blood under a microscope should perhaps do the trick and more safely but who are we to argue with companies that spend billions on creating “subdermal titanium body armour”?

What that and a lot of other

scientific terms essentially mean is that 47 (Friend) and the one with the subdermal armour, John Smith (Quinto), can’t be killed.

However, as long as there are enough around to take the fall, that hasn’t stopped anyone since the first Terminator. What both 47 and Smith want are Katia Van Dees (Ware), the daughter of scientist Litvenko (Hinds), who created the Agent programme. The firm that has built the subdermal armour, led by an Antoine de Clerq, still hasn’t managed to crack them into shape like 47, and so would like the extra help. Katia, abandoned by

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8 Sep. - 14 Sep. 2015

Lesser known facts of Shruti Haasan

Shruti Haasan is a singer, composer, actor and a hot model as well. The actress is quite bold and beautiful, thanks to the genes passed on to her from her father. She has showcased her talent in Tollywood and in Bollywood as well. We compiled together some lesser known facts about young, pretty daughter of the legendary Kamal Haasan. Shruti Rajalakshmi Haasan (Shruti Haasan) was born in Chennai, and did her schooling from Abacus school.

According to her, the school was more of an imaginary world. She remembers her school never had desks and students could not wear shoes inside the classroom. As a student, Shruti used an alias Pooja Ramachandran because she didn’t want her friends to treat her like a star’s daughter.

The actress is a perfect blend of beauty and talent as she is the elder daughter of the legendary

actor Kamal Haasan and the elegant Sarika. The motherdaughter had apparently stopped talking to each other because she was close to her father’s livein girlfriend Gauthami an actress from the southern film industry.

Inspite of the initial distance that was maintained by the motherdaughter duo, they have been seen spending quality time with each other along with her sister Akshara Haasan at theatres and coffee houses of late. Guess the mother and daughter duo have finally buried the hatchet.

She is not just known to be a competent actor but is also known to be a multi-talented diva in the industry. Besides being a good singer, a competent music composer, a well-known actress and a hot model, this southern beauty is a multilinguist as well and she can talk in 8 languages.

Shruti is a trained musician who graduated from the Musicians Institute, California. At first she

started studying physiology but soon moved to The United States and enrolled in a musical program for a professional degree in music. She is also a trained Kuchipudi dancer.

Shruti Haasan always had an inclination towards movies and music. She has been writing scripts since the time she was a 14 year old and she also made a short film. The multi talented actress made her Bollywood debut in the 2009 action drama, Luck, where she was paired with Imran khan and then there was no looking back for this southern spice. She worked in Dil Toh

Baccha Hai Ji, Ramaiya Vastavaiya, D-Day, with a super hit Gabbar Is Back; she also sang the hit soundtrack ‘Joganiya’ in the film Tevar.

Shruti is now all geared up for her next film Welcome back.

Shruti made her singing debut when she was just 6 years old in her father’s Thevar Magan.

She sang her first duet song with her father Kamal Haasan in the Tabu starrer Chachi 420. The talented actress’s acting debut was a cameo appearance as the daughter of Vallabhbhai Patel in one controversial film called Hey Ram, which was di-

Can’t sing to save my life, but for fun says Salman Khan It will be difficult to make film on my father, says Saif Ali Khan

After making his fans dance on his party track “Hangover” and making his fans go gooey with his latest romantic song “Main tera hero”, superstar Salman Khan says he sings merely for fun.

“I’m singing for fun and I can’t sing to save my life.

If you ask me to sing the song right now, I will not be able to do that. It doesn’t sound the same, but when I’m in studio, when they (the composers) sing every line in front of me, I can mimic that and I can sing

it,” Salman said here on Saturday.

“But in that case also if you ask me to go back to the line after 10 minutes, I will not be able to sing it. I need somebody to sing that line for me then I can sing it -- that is the way I sing,” he added.

The 49-year-old, who was here to promote his production venture Hero along with its lead pair Sooraj Pancholi and Athiya Shetty, showcased his witty side during a press meet.

Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan says he would love to make a film on father Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi but also feels it will be an uphill task for him to get the nuances of the legendary cricketer right. With the latest trend of biopics made on sportspersons in Bollywood, when asked if he is approached for a biopic on Pataudi, Saif said he is open to the idea given that the story has to be interesting. “Depends on the script. I feel most actors can’t (do it)... it’s difficult to play sports on screen convincingly.

He (father) was a stylish batsman.. how you imitate that.

It would be embarrassment if I don’t do justice to it (film) as a son,” he said. Titular Nawab of Pataudi from 1952, until 1971, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, fondly called as Tiger, was former captain of the Indian cricket team. The right-handed batsman damaged his right eye in an accident but continued to play the game.

Saif, 45, had earlier expressed his desire to make a documentary film on his father but the actor

seems to be still toying with the idea. On being asked about his plan on the documentary, he said, “There is not much footage to make a documentary, what I have found is so rare and little. If we could get some more details about it then it would be amazing.”

“There is no sports story like it.. (of a sportsperson), who lost one eye and played international cricket. He did not talk about it when he was alive.

rected by her father Kamal Haasan. The film was translated into eight languages from the original Tamil version.

The beautiful belle started her career as music director with her father’s production Unnaipol Oruvan. Shruti leads her alt-rock band called ‘The Extramentals’ and does the job of a competent vocalist. She occasionally performs in local venues too and is also known for lending her voice in rock jazz and pop music.

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8 Sep. - 14 Sep. 2015

Didn’t even think about sexuality in ‘Legend’ says Tom Hardy

Actor Tom Hardy says he did not have any problem switching between both gay and straight characters in his film “Legend”.

The 37-year-old “Mad Max Fury Road” star plays identical twin gangsters Ronald and Reginald Kray in the new crime thriller and said he had no problem playing both the characters, reported Female First. “Do you know what I didn’t even think about it. I don’t think it needs playing, that’s that. Ronnie was gay, does that make sense? If I thought about then that would give me pause to think about it, but I just had to get on with doing what I’m doing which is my job,” he said.

Hardy believes actors often over-think roles and prefers to take a more organic approach. “I think if you start playing anything then I think you start to miss the point of what it is you’re supposed to do.

I think what was complicated is that we don’t know if Reggie was gay as well or not, that’s questionable. “So that’s where I had to look at ‘Legend’ as its own separate entity and within this entity Reggie’s heterosexual, Ronnie’s gay let’s get on with it.” Legend is based on the book The Profession of Violence: The Rise and Fall of the Kray Twins by John Pearson.

Jessica Alba’s Honest company sued for being ‘deceptive’ Jessica Alba’s Honest company is sued by a consumer who is not satisfied with its products. According to legal documents, consumer Jonathan D Rubin claims the company “deceptively and misleadingly” labels its products as being “natural” while they contain some “unnatural” and “synthetic” ingredients. The consumer mentions that Honest Hand Soap, Honest Diapers and Honest Multi-Surface Cleaner contain “synthetic” ingredients which, according to studies from an environmental group, are considered to be potentially hazardous. He also says that the Honest Sunscreen product is “ineffective”.

“Honest isn’t,” read the first two words of Rubin’s complaints. Rubin says that he made the complaint not only on behalf of himself but also other consumers. “Plaintiff Jonathan D Rubin brings this lawsuit against Honest individually and on behalf of a nationwide class including all other similarly situated purchasers of the Products,” read the lawsuit. In his lawsuit, he asks for all profits from those products to be refunded to consumers who have purchased them. Last month, the company received a lot of complaints saying that its sunscreen, which was said to have SPF 30, was inefficient. Some consumers who were frustrated even posted on social media pictures of their sunburns. One of the consumers wrote, “Don’t buy @Honest sunscreen unless u want to look like this.

Selena Gomez joins “Neighbors 2” Pop star Selena Gomez will star alongside Seth Rogen, Zac Efron and Chloe Moretz in the upcoming ‘Neighbors’ sequel, along with.

Neighbors was a surprise hit with USD 269 million in worldwide grosses.

Rose Byrne is set to reprise her role, with Nicholas Stoller returning as director, reported Variety.

The original revolved around a couple whose lives are turned upsidedown after declaring war on the fraternity that moved in next door. The sequel’s plot is unknown, though sources say a sorority could be the couple’s problem this time.

23-year-old Gomez’s involvement in the film broke when fan photos revealed that she was on set. While details surrounding her role are

unknown, her sorority girl-esque costume (a tight pink dress) suggests her character’s involvement with the Greek system. Rogen, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver will produce under their Point Grey Pictures banner.

Jessica Alba

I’’m not Woody Allen’’s muse says Emma Stone Actress Emma Stone does not think she is Woody Allen’s “muse” but says the label has been attached to her just because she’s a woman. The Birdman star has been labelled as the 79year-old legendary director’s inspiration but she insists it is only because she is a woman, reported Guardian online. “I don’t think he would agree with the muse idea. There were two films in a row where the characters, for whatever reason, he wanted me to play them.

He’s working with different people now. (This just) gets attached to the women,” she said. The 26-year-old

beauty also hit back at claims she is regularly paired with older men in his films. “(Starring alongside Joaquin Phoenix) was a

pretty big draw... He’s a truly brilliant actor. Just to speak solely of ‘Irrational Man’, the relationship is genuinely a plot point.

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Posters in srinagar’s Pulwama ask locals to live life the islamic way

Hizbul Mujahideen militant outfit on Friday pasted posters in Kellar belt of south Kashmir‘s Pulwama district, asking people to live life the Islamic way and keep a close watch on the activities of their wards and stay indoors after 8:30 PM. Claiming to have prepared a hit list of 10 persons, the posters also warned of “stern action” against political activists and those spreading drugs and waywardness.

“The people are advised to desist from wrong doing

and try to live their lives in accordance with the Islamic teachings and strive for the supremacy of the religion,” the posters read. “Many young men

and women are spreading waywardness and immorality,” the posters, circulated by Kellar “battalion” of the outfit said and asked parents to keep

a close watch on the activities of their wards and snatch their mobile phones.

It also asked people not to wear fashionable clothes and asked them to stay indoors after 8:30 PM. It asked political activists to resign en masse and threatened of “serious consequences” if they continue with their activities.

The posters warned of serious action against those who spread “drugs” among the youth and “immorality” in society.

Real-life ‘Phantom’ kills 10 terrorists in 11 days, dies Standing out for his toughness in an elite unit, an Indian army commando proved his mettle with three consecutive, anti-terrorist missions in the Kashmir Valley in which he gunned down 10 militants and captured one before laying down his life but not before ensuring the operation was a success. “Lance Naik Mohan Nath Goswami, a Special Forces commando of the

Indian Army, has created a unique history of valour and dedication to duty by elimi-

nating 10 terrorists in 11 days before laying down his life in service of the nation in the Kashmir Valley,” army’s Udhampur-based Northern Command spokesman, Col SD Goswami. Goswami, who was killed in a gunfight with militants in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Thursday, “volunteered to join the elite para commando outfit in 2002 and went on to gain the reputation of being

one of the toughest soldiers of his unit. The mortal remains of the braveheart commando, who hailed from Indira Nagar village in Nainital district of Uttarakhand, were flown by an Indian Air Force aircraft to Bareilly from where his body will be taken by an army helicopter to Pantnagar and onward to his native place where he will be cremated with full military honours.

3 Indians get 20 years in jail for raping Japanese student

A court on Friday sentenced three men to 20 years in prison for raping a Japanese student who was sightseeing in Rajasthan’s Jaipur district.

Prosecutors said the men met the 20-year-old woman in Jaipur, known for historic forts and monuments, and they offered to be her tour guidesThey took the woman to a farming village outside the city, raped her on a roadside and fled.

Villagers heard the woman crying and helped her contact police.

Judge Girish Oja held the three guilty and sentenced them on Friday in a trial that lasted

five months.

The Japanese student left India for home in April after recording her statement in the case.

The rape in February was the second of a Japanese visitor in less than a year.

A series of attacks has triggered public fury over India’s inability to halt chronic violence against women despite strengthening laws against sex crimes in 2013.

In December last year, a 22-year-old research scholar from Japan was held captive and gang raped for nearly three weeks in a village near a Buddhist pilgrimage center in eastern Bihar state.

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toP musicians release Ola cabbie arrested for ‘love song’ to earth molesting Finnish woman UNITED NATIONS Internationally renowned artists have released a song urging world leaders to reach a global agreement during the United Nations climate conference in December to limit the impacts of climate change.

Twelve musical acts, including Sir Paul McCartney, Jon Bon Jovi, Leona Lewis and UN Goodwill Ambassador Angelique Kidjo, released the single ‘Love Song to the Earth,’ which is now available to download from iTunes and Apple Music. The artists, producers and directors of the song – as well as Apple – are donating their respective proceeds to Friends of the Earth US and the UN Foundation. Written by Toby Gad, Natasha Bedingfield, John Shanks and Sean Paul the single, Love Song to the Earth highlights the importance of taking care of the things we love. Ms. Bedingfield said: “Many people turn a blind eye arguing that everything is ok

environmentally. The song reminds us that having ownership of our world means taking care of it. With this song we wanted to talk about the environment in a way that would help people feel empowered to do something rather than be paralyzed by

fear.” The song aims to reach new audiences with the message that the time to act on climate change is now is meant to encourage people to “Share the Love Song” and “Take Climate Action Now” by signing a petition. This petition will be delivered to world leaders at the beginning of the the 21st meeting of the parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), widely referred to as COP-21 in Paris in December. This petition is part of a unified global movement supporting the UN’s call for a meaningful, universal, global climate change agreement. “The support, engagement, and passion of the creative community are key to engaging new

audiences in the call for a meaningful and universal climate change agreement.

When UN Member States gather in Paris this December, the voices of everyone, especially the entertainment industry, will help ensure the best outcome possible for a better future for all.”

Aaron Sherinian, chief communications and marketing officer of the UN Foundation, said.

Released on Sept 4, the song will eventually become available on all music platforms and streaming services worldwide as of September 11th.

Accompanying the song is a “lyric video” produced by Jerry Cope.

This will also be released on the 11th of September and will feature breathtaking views from around the world. As well as this, scientists and celebrities will be shown holding up signs saying urging viewers to “Keep It safe” to encourage their fans to get involved.

“The climate crisis is near a global tipping point, we hope everyone who hears this anthem takes action to encourage our political leaders to keep our planet safe, by keeping fossil fuels in the ground and moving toward 100 per cent renewable energy,” said Erich Pica, president of Friends of the Earth US.

Sotheby’s to auction $500m art collection London Works by Modigliani, Picasso and Thomas Gainsborough, owned by the former owner of Sotheby’s, are to be sold by the auction house later this

the UK auction house in 1983.

He revived the company’s fortunes but was later jailed for conspiring to fix commissions on art sales.

“Stunning” works by Jasper

year. An Alfred Taubman’s collection comprises more than 500 works and is valued at more than $500m (£328m).

Taubman, who died in April aged 91, was a billionaire real estate developer who bought

Johns, Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock will also go under the hammer at a series of sales this autumn.

Born in Michigan during the Great Depression, Taubman was a noted philanthropist

whose name now adorns numerous university institutions. To many, though, he will be remembered as the man who embroiled Sotheby’s in a scandal that rocked the art world.

Taubman was accused of conspiring with his counterpart at rival auction house Christie’s to cheat customers out of some $400m (£262.7m) in the 1990s.

The businessman claimed to have had no knowledge of the fraud but was found guilty in 2001 and spent 10 months in jail.

Announcing the sales, to be held in New York in November and January, Sotheby’s said Taubman’s was “the most valuable private collection ever offered at auction”. Proceeds from the sale will go towards the late businessman’s foundation and settling tax obligations relating to his estate.

New Delhi An Ola-cab driver has been arrested by police in the Jaipur for allegedly molesting a 26-year-old Finnish woman, officials said on Friday. Suryaveer Poddar, a 28year-old resident of Bihar, was held in connection with the incident that occurred in Shastri Nagar area of Jaipur at 1am when the woman was returning to her rented accommodation.

Station house officer Mahaveer Prasad said the victim complained that the cab driver touched her while she was paying the fare.

Online taxi-hailing app Ola said in a statement it had suspended the driver “within minutes of receiving feedback from the customer this afternoon and have shared this information with her as well”. Ola said it would continue to offer all support and additional information required by the woman and the authorities.

This was the latest in a string of similar incidents involving drivers of app-based taxi services.

In July, a woman alleged the driver of a TaxiForSure cab masturbated

while driving her through the streets of Delhi. In June, police arrested a 40-year-old Uber cab driver accused of trying to sexually harass a dancer after driving her from Delhi to Gurgaon. This came six months after a 25-year-old financial analyst was allegedly raped in an Uber cab in Delhi.

In the incident in Jaipur, the Finnish woman hired the cab to return home after dinner at a hotel. She has been in the city for a month in for a three-month internship at a private firm, said Prasad.

The woman and her colleagues approached police at 1pm on Friday and filed a complaint. Police then lodged an FIR under section 354 of the Indian Penal Code (assault or use of criminal force against a woman to outrage her modesty) and arrested the driver.

The cab was seized and police official were to produce the driver in court on Saturday after interrogation. In February, police in Jaipur had arrested two men for allegedly making sexually advances to a foreign woman, including a driver of an Ola cab.

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Issue 631 (22)

8 Sep. - 14 Sep. 2015

Moscow shows replica of most powerful N bomb Eight metres long and weighing 25 tonnes, a replica of the so-called Tsar Bomb, the most powerful nuclear bomb ever detonated, has gone on display for the first time in Russia, in the midst of an ongoing standoff with the West over Ukraine.

Tested in 1961 by the Soviet Union, the hydrogen bomb also known as the AN602 instilled a mix of pride and fear in retired military pilot Nikolay Krylov as he looked at the replica housed at an exhibition centre near the Kremlin. “When I come near it, I’m uncomfortable because I think of all the destruction it could have done,” the 62-year-old said.

This symbol of the Cold War nuclear arms race is being showcased to mark 70 years of Russian nuclear history, as the nation’s ties with the West remain strained by its 2014 annexation of the

Crimea peninsula from Ukraine and its alleged support for separatist rebels. In May, NATO

condemned Russia’s “nuclear sabre-rattling” after Moscow announced plans to deploy nuclear-capable missiles in Kaliningrad its European exclave tucked between Poland and Lithuania and Russian President Vladimir Putin said he had been ready to put nuclear forces on alert as the West denounced the seizure of Crimea.

Opened on the first day of the new school year on September 1, the exhibit drew crowds of uniformed

students, who clustered around the replica weapon, an uncanny sight for some visitors. “It would have been

better if the bomb had never existed,” 72-year-old Galina Ivanova, who worked on Russia’s civilian nuclear energy programme for more than three decades, told AFP at the exhibition.

“But at the time, the bomb played an important role. It might be the reason why we are still here today,” she said. On October 30, 1961, the nuclear bomb developed by Russian scientists including future Nobel Peace Prize winner Andrei Sakharov was

detonated in the Soviet Union’s Novaya Zemlya archipelago above the Arctic circle. The detonation, which yielded an explosive force of 50 megatons, produced a gigantic fireball visible from hundreds of kilometres away and sent seismic shockwaves through the surrounding area.

Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev had warned the United States a year earlier, during the 1960 United Nations General Assembly, that the Soviet Union would show them “Kuzkina mat” (Kuzka’s mother), a term he used to designate the Tsar Bomb. The detonation was the result of a wideranging atomic research programme ordered by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin just before the end of World War II. Its goal: develop the atomic bomb as the United States had.

Senior citizen arrested for molesting minor

The police have arrested a 65-year-old man for allegedly sexually abusing a minor boy (7), who is the son of his tenant, in an upmarket locality in East Bengaluru. He has been booked under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and section 377 (unnatural offences - anyone indulging in carnal intercourse against the law of nature) of the IPC. According to the police, the victim’s family moved into the house (first floor) rented by a businessman two months ago.

The accused developed a fondness for the boy and his parents did not mind him spending time at the landlord’s home (ground floor). “They did not

suspect an old man like him to sexually abuse a child. They were under the impression that the landlord was genuinely fond of their child. The victim even called him taatha (grandpa),” the police said.

Last week, when the boy returned home after spending some time with the landlord, he was uncomfortable. Later, he complained of giddiness and his mother found out that his private parts were injured and had bled. She immediately rushed him to the hospital. The boy then informed his parents about his experiences with the landlord. The parents of the boy lodged a complaint with the police on the basis of which he was arrested.

Issue 631 (23)

8 Sep. - 14 Sep. 2015

New projects and ideas have been gaining strength, so this might be a good time to test the waters and see if it feels right to go ahead. Romance fairly sizzles as passions intensify. You could just as easily close a lucrative deal if you put your mind to it. Balance excitement with a realistic appraisal of the facts for best results over the days ahead.

A conversation may set you thinking about the potential for romance with someone.

Try to avoid obsessive thinking, as it won’t be helpful. When Mars moves into your sign on Tuesday you’ll feel energized and ready to tackle those projects that have been on the back burner. Even so, it pays to listen to your intuition over the days ahead.

You know what you want and people admire you for taking decisive action. Go about your business quietly, as this week’s influences indicate you’d do best in the background plotting your next move carefully. When it comes to socializing you’ll be very much upfront and eager to enjoy yourself wherever possible.

If you’re looking for love, this week spotlights romantic possibilities. One person may entice you with an offer you can’t refuse.

Moderation should be your mantra. Have fun, but use your common sense, too.

Your social life perks up as Mars zips in on Tuesday. This is a grand opportunity to expand your network of friends and have more fun.

You may be very confident that you can carry off your latest idea or project as Mercury glides into Aries on Monday. This is a good time to get the advice of others, especially if they’ve succeeded with similar plans. Where career matters are concerned, the presence of Mars in Taurus gives you staying power, meaning that you’ll be happy to work hard now.

The focus zeroes in on matters associated with finances and shared resources. Perhaps it’s time to discuss important issues with your bank or financial adviser, especially if your cash situation has been edgy lately. If you’ve been hard at work, you may be inspired to make travel plans this week - finally.

An item you’ve coveted for some time could be calling out to you. Perhaps it’s time to make that special purchase!

Your love life and social life seem very upbeat this week. You may get an invitation to go on a date or to a delightful get-together. If someone comes to you with a plan or idea, check the facts before you commit.

If someone has a proposition for you, give it careful consideration. It may be a worthwhile option. In the main, this week seems to be a busy one as Mercury heads into your work zone. You’ll likely be in a fiery mood and determined to beat off the competition. This could stand you in good stead if you don’t overdo it.

This week you’ll feel more like your usual self, ready to take charge and blaze a new trail. Mars in Taurus could be the catalyst that shakes up your routine just enough to revive your enthusiasm in a plan or task. Creative activities and pleasure options call out to you, too, so dive in and have fun in whatever way suits you best.

A dating opportunity sizzles, but you’ll need to be quick to take advantage of it. You can make a lasting impression if you spread on the charm thick enough.

Life at home seems rather hectic, and could involve plans for redecorating or remodeling. Don’t jump into action without planning ahead first. Leisure and pleasure options show up.

Home-based activities may appeal for the chance they afford to unwind and let go. If issues have bugged you and left you feeling tired recently, then a retreat might do you a world of good. You’ll need the peace and quiet because you’ll be busy planning, discussing key issues, and negotiating terms for much of the week.

You might have mixed feelings if you’re meeting with an old pal or ex. If you’re willing to chat, you could be pleasantly surprised at how much he or she has changed.

Regarding goals and ambitions, it might be a good idea to proceed with caution until you’re certain you want to continue.

A review of your priorities can help you out here.

Issue 631 (24)

8 Sep. - 14 Sep. 2015

Panchayat forces minor rape victim to abort baby

A minor rape victim was allegedly forced to abort a foetus following a panchayat diktat in Kaushambi district.

The police on Thursday registered a case in this connection and arrested one person Ghulam Mustafa accused of organising the panchayat that was held in Afzalpur Sato village under the district’s Saini police station limits. “We had received information from our sources but were not able to trace the girl.

Finally, Additional SP (O P Pandey)

miscarriage without women’s consent), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 201 (destruction of evidence) of the IPC, besides various sections of the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences Act. The medical examination of the

took a police team there and spoke to the girl. Adequate force was deployed to make the family feel safe from the perpetrators after which the family became convinced to lodge an FIR. We have now registered an FIR based on the complaint lodged by the girl’s mother,” said Kaushambi SP Satyarth Aniruddh Pankaj. The FIR was registered under Sections 376 (rape), 313 (causing

girl was also conducted. “A total of seven persons, five of whom got the panchayat organised and participated in it, besides the accused and his father, have been named in the FIR. Efforts are on to trace them,” said a police official.

While police claimed that the the exact date and time of the panchayat was being ascertained, the FIR said that the girl, aged around 14, was raped nearly five months ago by

the accused Mohammad Gilani (22), son of Mohammad Sharif.

Upon learning about the girl’s pregnancy, the FIR further alleged, the accused organised a panchayat that ordered for the abortion and also “excommunicated” the victim’s family. “The girl’s statement will be recorded before the magistrate and we will proceed further based on that.

If any additional fact emerges, we will take an action accordingly,” the SP said, and added that the family did not complain before the panchayat of any physical assault on the girl.

Meanwhile, it was learnt that one Baharuddin, who carries a reward o f R s 5,000, was closely linked to the family of the accused, which was engaged in the dairy business.

The victim belonged to a poor family, from a community generally know to eke out its living through begging.

Sources also claimed that while the village pradhan was one Hari Lal, a member of the S C c o m m u n i t y, i t w a s Mustafa who looked after his affairs.

Jailed Khalistan terrorists found communicating through advocate Two jailed Khalistan terrorists lodged in New Delhi’s Tihar and Chandigarh’s Budail jail have been found communicating through an advocate. The incident came to light when an advocate identified as Simranjit Singh was stopped by the Chandigarh policie outside the Budail Jail recently. His frisking led to the recovery of a letter written in a coded Punjabi language which he was going to deliver to the jailed Khalistan terrorist Jagtar Singh Tara recently.

Sources close to the Budail jail authorities said the letter was written by two jailed Khalistan terrorists Paramjit Singh Bheora and Jagtar Singh Hawara who are currently lodged in Tihar jail.

The recovery of the letter has shocked the jail authorities not only as an advocated was found working as a courier but more as the former terrorist Jagtar Singh Hawara has referred to some ‘victory’ in the letter. The terrorist besides informing Tara about his and Bheora’s well being has also

said that they will ‘win’. “We are fine here .Bheora has gained weight by taking jail food.You take care of yourself. We will win” the letter said.

Sources said the advocate when asked by the frisking staff to handover the letter gave them a photo copy in which

some sentences were found missing. He allegedly kept the original copy with him. Budail jail authorities are investigating the case.

A Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) militant, Jagtar Singh Tara was convicted for life in former Punjab Chief Minister Beant singh’s assassination case.Jagtar Singh Hawara is also BKI terrorist and a prime accused in Beant singh assassination case. Bheora is also a former BKI terrorist.

Issue 631 (25)

8 Sep. - 14 Sep. 2015

Technology Facebook enters classrooms, offers personalised training A small team of Facebook engineers has been working together with a group of local educators on a project that’s going to reshape learning through technology.

The Facebook team has chipped in to help create a classroom experience that is centered around students’ ambitions at Summit Public Schools, Facebook Chief Product Officer Chris Cox wrote in a blog post recently.

These schools have taken a very different approach to learning. First, the classroom is not for

lectures. Content and assessments are delivered online through teachercreated materials, and classroom time is reserved for teacher-led real-world projects and collaboration.

Second, the learning

experience for students is completely personalized to them and they move along at their own pace.

Students start by working with teachers to set longterm goals (e.g. “become an investigative journalist”,

Google may return to China with Android app shop

Google is talking with Chinese authorities and smartphone makers about opening an online shop in China stocked with applications for Android-powered mobile devices, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

The move would mark a return for the US Internet firm, which moved its online search service from Mainland China to Hong Kong in 2010 after a cyberattack targeting Gmail users and a clash over censorship.

Many Google services,

such as its free Gmail email, are blocked in China.

Google-backed Android powers the majority of the smartphones in the world and is available free for device makers in China and elsewhere.

Manufacturers such as Xiaomi customize their own version of Android, while Baidu and other Internet players in China run app stores that don’t share revenue with Google, according to the Journal.

Opening a Google Play online shop for digital

content approved by the Chinese government and pre-installed on smartphones powered by a licensed version of Android would be a remedy for that situation.

Google has been working on the project for more than a year and hoped to have the China app shop on new smartphones by the end of this year, according to a source cited by the Journal. Google did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.

“go to a state school”, “learn to code”) then lay out a plan to achieve them over the course of many years.

They can then visualiae and track all of their coursework as a path towards these goals, connecting their daily decisions to their longterm aspirations.

This means that every moment of each students’ day is motivated by what they want to be when they grow up.

Alongside this, teachers can then check in on how their students are doing to give tailored feedback each day, and parents can do the same to view their kids’ progress at any time.

However, while this model was changing the way kids learn, the technology just was not good enough.

So the Facebook team volunteered to rebuild their tool, called the Personalised Learning Plan (PLP), for Summit’s use in the 2014 school year.

Last year, more than 2,000 students and 100 teachers spent the school year using it.

The PLP is completely separate from Facebook and does not require an account.

Facebook holds top two spots in US app market

While social networking site Facebook remains the top app in the US, its Messenger app has stolen the number two position from YouTube, a latest US market report has revealed.

The social networking service Facebook has ranked as the top smartphone app, reaching 73.3 percent of the app audience, followed by Facebook Messenger (59.5 percent), YouTube (59.3 percent) and Google Search (52 percent), said the latest findings from global digital media analytics firm comScore.

Twitter moved up one to number 13 while WhatsApp that announced this week that it has hit 900 million monthly active users - is still not on the “Top 15” list.

Apple Music is now at number 14 and ahead of Snapchat.

“Apple was ranked as the top original equipment manufacturer (OEM) with 44.2 percent market share, while Google Android led as the number one smartphone platform with 51.4 percent market share,” comScore added in a statement.

Samsung ranked second with 27.3 percent market share, followed by LG with 8.7 percent (up 0.3 percentage points), Motorola with 4.9 percent and HTC with 3.5 percent.

Nearly 192 million people in the US own smartphones (77.1 percent mobile market penetration) during the three months ending in July this year, the findings showed.

Google rolls out new update for Chrome

Now Twitter to recommend ‘who to follow’

Internet giant Google has rolled out a new update for Chrome –Chrome 45.

Updates Chrome to version manages memory better by freeing up

memory on a tab that’s idle. It has better battery efficiency for smartphones as well.

Here are a few things about the update: •The guys at Google, in a blog post yesterday, talked about a whole bunch of

new changes based around freeing up your resources.

•The new update, however, makes it a little smarter about the process. Now, the most recently viewed tabs restore first.

•Chrome will also detect if your computer is running low on RAM and stop restoring the rest of your tabs to save your memory.

•Google says the new update can reduce website memory usage by 10 percent of average but, with more complex apps like Gmail, reduce memory usage by up to a whopping 25 percent.

The popular micro-blogging site Twitter has added a new feature ‘who to follow’ on iOS. This new feature will link you to other users that Twitter thinks you would be interested in keeping in touch with.

According to The Verge, ‘who to follow’ feature would use your history and uploaded contacts to make recommendations to follow the accounts, and it may also feature promoted accounts. The new feature is slated right in the central timeline, but the section stays inline as you scroll.

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Gravity Quest set to go into orbit London Europe is ready to launch its most exquisite satellite mission yet.

Lisa Pathfinder is a fundamental physics experiment that will test the technology needed to detect gravitational waves what are sometimes referred to as ripples in the curvature of spacetime. Scientists and engineers have declared the demonstrator ready to fly after more than a decade of development.

It will likely go up in November on the European Space Agency’s Vega rocket.

The month marks the 100-year anniversary of when Einstein published the field equations that underpinned his Theory of General Relativity.

Gravitational waves are a direct consequence of that grand idea. And although there is plenty of evidence to suggest the Universe is awash with these ripples, so far no actual detection has been made - either here on Earth or in space.

It’s not for want of trying, but the signal is expected to be very faint, even from the biggest sources.

“Gravitational waves are essentially the mechanism that carries the force of gravity through the Universe,” explained Esa’s Lisa Pathfinder project scientist, Dr Paul McNamara. “They are

produced by very large, violent events in the Universe – things like galaxies merging, where super-massive black holes in those galaxies come together. Supernovae, pulsars - any violent event where mass is moving. But for the space-based detectors, we’re really looking at the very big things in the Universe - the super-massive; the million

solar mass objects.”

Confirmation of the waves’ existence and their subsequent routine observation would open up a new paradigm in astronomy. It is one that would no longer depend on

traditional light telescopes to look at and understand phenomena on the sky.

“The overwhelming part of the Universe is dark and will never be visible with electromagnetic radiation, but for all we know everything in the Universe interacts via gravity. So, ‘listening’ to gravity seems like the obvious thing to do to learn about the dark side of the cosmos,” said Prof

Karsten Danzmann, the co-principal investigator on Lisa Pathfinder.

Gravitational waves should propagate at the speed of light, alternately stretching and squeezing space. And despite their delicate nature, their presence ought still to be apparent to an ultrastable, super-fine measurement system.

It is worth re-stating: Pathfinder’s job is not to make a detection, merely to demonstrate the required metrology.

To do this, it will try to put two small goldplatinum blocks into a near-perfect free-fall and then track their relative movement using lasers. The intention is to get these “test masses” following a “straight line” that is defined only by gravity.

That’s easier said that done because there are plenty of forces that want to push these blocks off course.

There’s the pressure of sunlight, the influence of magnetic fields, and the distortions introduced by changing temperatures.

The spacecraft’s own gravity will also exert a slight tug on the blocks.

Weird robot that can roll around alien planets

California Hopping, tumbling and flipping over are not typical manoeuvres you’d expect from a spacecraft exploring other worlds.

However, Nasa has revealed a concept for a rover called the ‘hedgehog’ that can do just that. The space agency says it could be ideal for exploring planets and asteroids, as its rugged design means it can fall and hop its way out of trouble without ‘Traditional Mars rovers, for example, roll around on wheels, and they can’t operate upside-down,’ Nasa said. ‘But on a small body, such as an asteroid or a comet, the low-gravity conditions and rough surfaces make traditional driving all the more hazardous,’

The project is being jointly developed by researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California; Stanford University in Stanford, California; and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge.

‘Hedgehog is a different kind of robot that would hop and tumble on the surface instead of rolling on wheels. ‘It is shaped like a cube and can operate no matter which side it lands on,’ said Issa Nesnas, leader of the JPL team. The basic concept is a cube with spikes that moves by spinning and braking internal flywheels. The spikes protect the robot’s body from the terrain and act as feet while hopping and tumbling.

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Yahoo CEO says she’s expecting twins

SAN FRANCISCO Yahoo chief executive Marissa Mayer revealed Tuesday she is expecting identical twin girls but will only take “limited time away” from running the Internet giant.

In a blog post, Mayer said she and husband Zack Bogue are excited about the news and that Yahoo’s board of directors has been “incredibly supportive and happy.” She said the twins “quite a surprise” - are likely to arrive in December.

“Since my pregnancy has been healthy and uncomplicated and since this is a unique time in Yahoo’s transformation, I plan to approach the pregnancy and delivery as I did with my son three years ago, taking limited time away and working throughout,” Mayer wrote. Yahoo has snapped up dozens of tech

startups since the former Google executive signed on as chief three years ago. Mayer is seeking to give new direction to the company, after its Internet search crown was taken by Google. “Moving forward, there will be a lot to do for both my family and for Yahoo; both will require hard work and thoughtful prioritization,” the 40-year-old wrote. “However, I’m extremely energized by and dedicated to both my family and Yahoo and will do all that is necessary and more to help both thrive.” “The future looks extremely bright on both fronts.”

Mayer gave birth to a baby boy in autumn of 2012. She announced her first pregnancy just after accepting the top Yahoo post, ramping up a lively debate about working mothers.

Wikipedia blocks accounts linked to paid edits

SAN FRANCISCO Wikipedia on Wednesday said that it has blocked more than 300 accounts being used by people being paid to create or tweak entries at the communally sourced online encyclopedia.

Weeks of investigation revealed 381 accounts being used at the English version of Wikipedia for “black hat” editing in which people took money to promote outside interests without disclosing they were on someone’s payroll, according to a blog post.

Wikipedia editors who led the investigation found reason to believe that some tactics used were malicious and might even be considered extortion. In some cases, people pretending to represent Wikipedia reached out to subjects of articles seeking payment, according to the widely-used online encyclopedia.

“Other times, these individuals would threaten to delete the article if the subjects of the article failed to make payment,” Wikipedia told AFP. “That being said, we would agree that the actions taken by (those) behind these accounts were extortionate and even in some cases, similar to blackmail.”

Wikipedia is powered mostly by volunteers and bars paid advocacy that is not disclosed, such as in the case of museums or universities having employees tune entries related to exhibits or institutions. “Neutrality is key to ensuring Wikipedia’s quality,”

Odd ancient lizard-like reptile called earliest-known turtle WASHINGTON It was a creature that one scientist said resembled “a strange, gluttonous lizard that swallowed a small Frisbee.”

But a sophisticated skull analysis showed that this reptile called Eunotosaurus africanus that lived in southern Africa 260 million years ago is actually the earliest-known turtle, even though it had no shell, researchers said on Wednesday.

Eunotosaurus, about a foot (30 cm) long, possessed wide and flat ribs that gave it a distinctly rounded and turtlelike profile. It mixed features of its lizard-like ancestors with emerging turtle-like characteristics that evolved over

tens of millions of years into familiar turtle traits, the researchers said. “Think of your neighborhood box turtle, but much more flattened and with scaly skin and a long tail,” said

New York Institute of Technology anatomy professor Gaberiel Bever, describing Eunotosaurus.

“And teeth, it had a mouthful of them.”

Price of most expensive house in US slashes by $50m Washington The price of the most expensive house in the U.S, Palazzo di Amore, has been slashed by 50 million dollars.Developed by Mohamed Hadid, the house, which is now priced at 145 million dollars, sits on 25 acres land in Beverly Hills, California and is spread over a 35,000 square feet, TMZ.com reports.Owned by billionaire Jeff

Greene, the house has 12 bedrooms including a 5,000-

square foot master suite, a pool fountain, spa, and a tennis court.

Only later did turtles become toothless. Eunotosaurus lived during the Permian Period 20 million years before Pappochelys, a creature from Germany that in June was identified as the earliestknown turtle, and 30 million years before the first dinosaurs. The earliestknown turtle with a fully formed shell lived around 210 million years ago.

Eunotosaurus fossils were first unearthed in South Africa in the late 19th century. There has been a long debate about whether it was part of the turtle lineage.

Bever’s team used advanced scanning technology to perform a detailed analysis of its skull anatomy, digitally dissecting each cranial bone in four fossil specimens, to help demonstrate Eunotosaurus was the oldestknown member of the turtle group. “Where turtles came from, evolutionarily speaking, and how they are related to the other major groups of living reptiles - lizards, snakes, crocodiles and birds has been a topic of vigorous debate for as long as we’ve had a theory of evolution,” Bever said.

Fresh insight into the turtle lineage came in 2008 when scientists described a primitive turtle from 220 million years ago called Odontochelys from China.

Ed Erhart and Juliet Barbara of the nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation said in the blog post.

“Although it does not happen often, undisclosed paid advocacy editing may represent a serious conflict of interest and could compromise the quality of content on Wikipedia.” Along with blocking the 381

said.

“The edits made by the sockpuppets are similar enough that the community believes they were perpetrated by one coordinated group.” The accounts identified in during the investigation were used from the end of April to early August, but the nature and quality of the

“sockpuppet” accounts, Wikipedia editors deleted 210 articles created by people using those accounts.

There was a potential for more entries to be removed as the investigation continued. “Most of these articles, which were related to businesses, business people, or artists, were generally promotional in nature, and often included biased or skewed information, unattributed material, and potential copyright violations,” Erhart and Barbara

nature and quality of edits suggested that the paid-scheme was operating “for some time” before being discovered, according to Wikipedia.

A team of volunteers tends to Wikipedia entries, which rely on crowd-sourcing for accuracy.

“Editing Wikipedia is completely free, and only requires compliance with the project’s editorial guidelines,” Erhart and Barbara said. “No one should ever have to pay to create or maintain a Wikipedia article.”

2 women stage ‘fight club’ at US nursery, held

NEW YORK Two women in the United States have been arrested for organizing a “Fight Club” where preschoolers and kindergartners were encouraged to brawl with each other on a playground at a US nursery.

Erica Kenny, 22, of Cranford, and Chanese White, 28, of Roselle both former day care workers referenced the movie Fight Club as they encouraged preschoolers and kindergartners to fight each other on the playground at the Lightbridge Academy in Cranford, New Jersey. “About a dozen children boys and girls between the ages

4 and 6 just fighting; throwing each other to the ground; hitting each other,” said Union County prosecutor Grace Park. Kenny allegedly shot video of the fights and sent them to a group of people on an app, prosecutors said. “Most parents would be astonished by the behaviour,” acting Union County prosecutor Grace Park told WCBS-TV. The videos show about a dozen boys and girls shoving each other to the ground and trying to hit each other, according to prosecutors. The charges stem from August 13, but investigators are looking into whether the fights were ongoing.

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Hackers raid Apple accounts via jail-broken iPhones

SAN FRANCISCO Hackers targeting jail-broken iPhones have raided more than 225,000 Apple accounts, using them for app-buying sprees or to hold phones for ransom, researchers said on Tuesday. Jail-

as one of the largest Apple fan websites in China, according to Palo Alto Networks.

In July, WeipTech members began investigating reports that some people’s Apple accounts were used to make unauthorized

broken means modified to run apps not sanctioned by Apple.

“We believe this to be the largest known Apple account theft caused by malware,” computer security firm Palo Alto Networks said in an blog post. An attack using malicious code dubbed “KeyRaider” was discovered by WeipTech, an amateur technical group from Weiphone, described

purchases or application installations. WeipTech worked with Palo Alto Networks to uncover KeyRaider. KeyRaider is being distributed through Cydia repositories in China but may be affecting users in 18 countries including France, Australia, and the United States, according to Palo Alto Networks.

Cydia repositories are locations

London A London skyscraper that made headlines for reflecting sunlight

them, Ike Ijeh, said City of London planners were as much to blame for approving what he

where software for jail-broken iPhones can be found and installed.KeyRaider targets Apple mobile devices that have been jailbroken, or altered to run applications or other software not sanctioned by the Californiabased maker of iPhones, iPads, and iPods.While investigating KeyRaider, WeipTech discovered an online server with passwords and other information from more than 225,000 Apple accounts, according to Palo Alto Networks.

The malicious code steals Apple account information by intercepting iTunes traffic and App Store purchase data. It can also be used to thwart users from unlocking iPhones or iPads, according to researchers.

“In addition to stealing Apple accounts to buy apps, KeyRaider also has built-in functionality to hold iOS devices for ransom,” Palo Alto Networks said. “It’s important to remember that KeyRaider only impacts jailbroken iOS devices.”

In comment provided to AFP, Apple stressed that it makes a priority of security and that the App Store is curated to make sure software developers stick to guidelines set by the company.

25 Years of Mr Bean: Rowan Atkinson recreates show memories at the Buckingham Palace

Rowan Atkinson recreates Mr Bean show memories at the Buckingham Palace on the 25th anniversary of the show. Do you remember the childish buffoon wearing a tweed jacket and a skinny red tie? He rarely spoke but his comical mumbles and actions stole the crowd since two decades. Mr Bean, the sitcom which was introduced and played

by Rowan Atkinson completes 25 years. On Friday Mr Bean himself

celebrates at the Buckingham Palace. Rowan Atkinson rode up to the London landmark in character, atop his famous 1976 British Leyland Mini 1000.His arrival recreated a memorable scene from the show, in which Mr Bean packs his vehicle full of shopping purchases and soon realized that he needed an alternative way to drive it and so he chooses the way through the Buckingham Palace.

Apple turns down ‘Cecil’s Revenge’

London’s car-melting skyscraper wins Carbuncle Cup

at an intensity that melted parts of a Jaguar car in the street below has been awarded the annual Carbuncle Cup that highlights perceived architectural horrors. Officially called 20 Fenchurch Street, the 37-storey office tower in the City of London financial district was nicknamed the Walkie Talkie due to its curved shape before the car-melting incident in 2013 spawned a new moniker, the Walkie Scorchie. Organised by Business Design magazine, the Carbuncle Cup is awarded by a panel of architecture critics who take into account comments sent in by readers. This year’s prize went to the Walkie Scorchie by a unanimous decision of the judges. One of

described as “a gratuitous glass gargoyle graffitied onto the skyline of London” as the building’s renowned Uruguayan architect, Rafael Vinoly.“If anything summarises what makes a building a Carbuncle, this is it,” Ijeh wrote in an article on Business Design’s website.Judges complained that the top-heavy building, whose upper floors are bigger than its base thanks to its unusual flared design, was an eyesore.Then there was the problem with the south-facing concave facade, which, while unfinished, concentrated the sun’s rays so that it warped the wing mirror, panels and badge on a Jaguar parked down below.Local business owners reported

carpet burns and paint damage to their shops while TV crews filmed an egg being fried in the reflected sun beams.

The facade was later fitted with horizontal fins to diffuse the sun’s rays. Building Design also reported that there had been complaints about high winds at the building’s base, and that the Sky Garden on top of the building had been criticised as too bland and failing to match the original design.

The building was developed by a joint venture between construction and property groups Land Securities and Canary Wharf Group.Emails seeking comment from Vinoly’s practice and from Canary Wharf Group were not immediately answered.

A spokeswoman for Land Securities declined to comment.Launched in 2006 as a humorous counterpart to the prestigious Stirling Prize for good architecture, the Carbuncle Cup has been awarded to a variety of projects across Britain.Past winners range from a ferry terminal in Liverpool to a media complex in Salford, near Manchester, to the renovation of the Cutty Sark ship in London.

Washington Apple will not allow it’s users to take the revenge of Cecil the loin‘s brutal killing as the company has turned down the offer to include a game based on Cecil in their app store.The gaming application named ‘Cecil’s Revenge’ is loosely based on the game ‘Asteroids,’ but Cecil and his buddies in this game are the shuttle and hunters and poachers are the asteroids, reports

TMZ.com.The creators of the game said that in their rejection, Apple cited its rule that enemies in games cannot target a specific race, culture, real government or any other real enemy and the company believes that the hunters and poachers are part of a specific culture. Meanwhile, an Apple rep said that the app was 86’d because the company does not sanction games based on real events.

Blackberry buys rival software firm to reinvent itself

California BlackBerry will buy rival mobile software provider Good Technology for $425 million, to boost its ability to help corporate clients manage smartphones running on different operating systems. The cash deal may help BlackBerry, a one-time smartphone pioneer, win new customers for its services business, a priority as it

shifts focus to device management software for enterprise customers. More than half the devices running on Good’s systems are Apple products such as the iPhone. BlackBerry said it expects to realize about $160 million in revenue from the acquisition in the first year after the deal closes, expected by late November.

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Tooth brushing app helps keep the dentist away This free toothbrush timer app named “Brush DJ” plays music for two minutes - the optimum

time for brushing teeth - taken from a playlist or randomly from the user’s own device or cloud.

An app that makes brushing teeth fun for youngsters improves dental hygiene of users, reports a new study.This free toothbrush timer app named “Brush DJ” plays music for two minutes - the optimum time for brushing teeth - taken

from a playlist or randomly from the user’s own device or cloud.

As well as encouraging tooth

brushing for two minutes, it also reminds users to spit out after brushing but not to rinse, sets reminders to brush twice a day, use a mouthwash at other nonbrushing times of the day, sets alerts for dental appointments and reminders to change toothbrushes once every three months.

“The results of our study

indicate that apps such as Brush DJ are beneficial to users and open the way for further research to extend their use and effectiveness,” said lead researcher Ben Underwood from Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry in England.

The research showed that 70 per cent of respondents reported their teeth felt cleaner since using the app and 88 per cent said that Brush DJ had motivated them to brush their teeth for longer.The research team concluded that not only had Brush DJ contributed to greater motivation for young people to care for their teeth more effectively, but it also has huge potential as a way to convey important oral health messages and information.Brush DJ was launched on the Apple App Store at the end of 2011. By February 2015, the app which is free with no advertisements or in-app purchases, had been downloaded on more than 197,000 devices in 188 countries. It can be used with any type of toothbrush.

Emails express love better than voice messages

If Cupid’s arrow has hit you finally, it is still better to express your feelings via an email than leaving a voice message or a WhatsApp post with the girl you are in love with, says a new study.According to researchers from Indiana University (IU), in this digital age, an email can be more effective in expressing romantic feelings than other platforms.“The bottom line is that email is much better when you want to convey some information that you want someone to think about,” said Alan R Dennis, from IU’s Kelley School of Business.Using psychophysiological measures from 72 college-age people, Dennis and co-author Taylor M Wells found that people who sent romantic emails were more emotionally aroused and used stronger and

more thoughtful language than those who left voicemails.“When writing romantic emails, senders consciously or subconsciously added more positive content to their messages, perhaps to compensate for the medium’s inability to convey vocal tone,” Dennis and Wells wrote.The study also demonstrated that the medium used can shape the content of the message. Senders of utilitarian messages sent less positive emails than voicemails for the same communication task.

These findings, however, do not suggest that face-to-face meetings, personal phone calls and other direct forms of communications aren’t as useful.

The research has been accepted for publication in the journal Computers in Human Behaviour.

civil unrest in Iran during the period preceding the Green Movement, when Iranian protesters used social media and the Internet to unsuccessfully challenge the reelection of then-President

frustration with the State Department’s treatment of certain ordinary documents as classified.

After an aide noted the draft of innocuous remarks about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

In an exchange from February 6, 2010, Clinton asks aide Huma Abedin for talking points for a call she’s about to have with the newly appointed foreign minister of Ecuador. “You are congratulating him on becoming foreign minister, and purpose is to establish a personal relationship with him,” Abedin replied. “Trying to get u call sheet, its classified....”

In another email from January 2010, Clinton aide Cheryl Mills responds angrily to a New York Times story based on leaked classified cables sent by Karl Eikenberry, the US ambassador to Afghanistan. “The leaking of classified material is a breach not only of trust, it is also a breach of the law,” Mills wrote.

Clinton also expressed

on the State Department’s classified messaging system, she responded, “It’s a public statement! Just email it.”

Sent a moment later, the statement merely said that US and British officials would work together to promote peace. “Well that is certainly worthy of being top secret,” Clinton responded sarcastically.All those emails conversations with Clinton took place via her private email account, highlighting the challenge the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination faces as she struggles to explain her decision to set-up a private email server at her New York home. She now says her decision to use a personal email account to conduct government business was a mistake.

This galaxy far, far away is the farthest one yet found Thousands of Clinton emails released, 125 contain classified info

“The galaxy we have observed is named EGS8p7, is unusually luminous and may be powered by a population of unusually hot stars,” says Sirio Belli, Caltech graduate student who worked on the project.

A team of researchers from

California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has detected a 13.2billion-years old galaxy which may be the most distant galaxy ever found. The universe itself is about 13.8 billion years old.

“The galaxy we have observed is named EGS8p7, is unusually luminous and may be powered by a population of unusually hot stars,” says Sirio Belli, Caltech graduate student who worked on the project. “It may have special properties that enabled it to create a large bubble of ionised hydrogen much earlier than is possible for more typical galaxies at these times,” he added.

Immediately after the Big Bang, the universe was a soup of charged particles and light (photons). When the universe was just a half-billion to a billion years old, the first galaxies turned on and reionised the neutral gas. The universe remains ionised today.

Prior to reionization, however, clouds of neutral hydrogen

atoms would have absorbed certain radiation emitted by young, newly forming galaxies including the so-called Lymanalpha line, the spectral signature of hot hydrogen gas that has been heated by ultraviolet emission from new stars, and a commonly used indicator of star formation.

Because of this absorption, it should not, in theory, have been possible to observe a Lyman-alpha line from EGS8p7. “If you look at the galaxies in the early universe, there is a lot of neutral hydrogen that is not transparent to this emission,” noted Adi Zitrin, NASA Hubble post-doctoral scholar in astronomy.

“The surprising aspect about the present discovery is that we have detected this Lyman-alpha line in an apparently faint galaxy, corresponding to a time when the universe should be full of absorbing hydrogen clouds,” noted Richard Ellis, who recently retired from the Caltech faculty.

The team is currently calculating more thoroughly the exact chances of finding this galaxy and to understand whether they need to revise the timeline of the reionisation.

“Reionisation is one of the major key questions to answer in our understanding of the evolution of the universe,” Zitrin concluded in the article published in Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Hillary Clinton and her aides at the State Department were acutely aware of the need to protect sensitive information when discussing international affairs over email and other forms of unsecure electronic communication.

Hillary Rodham Clinton and her aides at the State Department were acutely aware of the need to protect sensitive information when discussing international affairs over email and other forms of unsecure electronic communication, according to the latest batch of messages released by the agency from Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state.The State Department made public roughly 7,121 pages of Clinton’s emails late Monday night, including 125 emails that were censored prior to their release because they contain information now deemed classified. The vast majority concerned mundane matters of daily life at any workplace: phone messages, relays of schedules and forwards of news articles.

But in a few of the emails, Clinton and her aides noted the constraints of discussing sensitive subjects when working outside of the government’s secure messaging systems and the need to protect such information.Senior adviser Alec Ross, in a February 2010 email intended for Clinton, cited frustration with “the boundaries of unclassified email” in a message about an unspecified country, which Ross referred to as “the country we discussed.”

The email appears to focus on

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Jeb Bush rejects Trump’s notion Iranian official hints at prisoner swap for US reporter that everyone speak English in US Washington The speaker of Iran’s parliament hinted in a US radio interview Thursday at the possibility of a prisoner swap to free detained Iranian-American journalist Jason Rezaian.

The comments made to National Public Radio were the latest recent clue that a prisoner swap could be on the table, as US authorities seek to free Rezaian -- held in Iran for over a year on espionage charges -- and other US prisoners.Asked by NPR on Thursday whether he sees a “practical way” that Rezaian and other prisoners could be released, Ali Larijani said: “There are practical ways, of course. For example, there is a number of Iranians in prison here.”

He added: “Definitely for matters of this sort, one can come up with solutions. I think your politicians know about those ways.”

Larijani made his comments in New York, where he had traveled

for a week of meetings at the United Nations, and for roundtable gatherings with business leaders and academics.NPR raised the Cuba-US prisoner swap that took place in December as relations between those two countries thawed, asking whether a similar deal might be possible for Tehran and Washington.

“That’s one way,” Larijani told the US radio network, before saying it was ultimately up to Iran’s

Earth has 3 trillion trees but they’re falling at alarming rate

Washington More than three trillion trees exist on Earth roughly 422 per person but the total number of trees has plummeted by 46% since the start of human civilisation, a Yale-led study said. The new estimate of more than 3 trillion trees on Earth is about seven and a half times more than some previous estimate of 400 billion.

An international team of researchers mapped tree populations worldwide at the square-kilometre level using a combination of satellite imagery, forest inventories, and supercomputer technologies.

“Trees are among the most prominent and critical organisms on Earth, yet we are only recently beginning to comprehend their global extent and distribution,” said Thomas Crowther, a postdoctoral fellow at the Yale School of Forestry

& Environmental Studies (F&ES) and lead author of the study. The study was inspired by a request by Plant for the Planet, a global youth initiative that leads the United Nations Environment Programme’s ‘Billion Tree Campaign’.

At the time, the only global estimate was just over 400 billion trees worldwide, or about 61 trees for every person on Earth. That prediction was generated using satellite imagery and estimates of forest area, but did not incorporate any information from the ground.

Crowther and his colleagues collected tree density information from more than 400,000 forest plots around the world. This included information from several national forest inventories and peer-reviewed studies, each of which included tree counts that had been verified at the ground level.

judicial system.

Larijani’s brother is head of the Iranian judiciary.

The comments follow reports that Iran’s deputy foreign minister Hassan Qashqavi told semiofficial Iranian news agencies last week that “an exchange of Jason Rezaian is not on the agenda.”

Despite the denial, the statement was seen as hinting at the possibility of a prisoner swap, largely because Qashqavi went on to mention Iranians held in US prisons and that “we hope conditions for their freedom are realized soon.”

Rezaian, 39, had served as the Washington Post’s bureau chief.

He was arrested in July 2014 and faces charges including “espionage, collaboration with hostile governments, gathering classified information and disseminating propaganda against the Islamic republic,” according to his lawyer, Leila Ahsan.On Sunday, Iran’s judiciary reportedly sentenced two people to ten years in prison for spying for the United States and Israel, but their names were not released.

Laconia US Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush on Thursday rejected a notion voiced by frontrunning rival Donald Trump that people should speak English in the United States.Bush, who speaks both English and Spanish and frequently breaks into the latter at his events, vowed to keep speaking Spanish whenever he feels like it.Trump, who has made opposition to illegal immigration a hallmark of his campaign in the November 2016 election, told a news conference in New York that, “We’re a nation that speaks English.”“Whether we like it or not, that’s how people assimilate,” he said, a day after

he criticized Bush’s use of Spanish.Bush said Trump’s belief that people should speak English in the United States can be taken in a number of uncomfortable ways. “Taking this to the logical conclusion, I guess, no more French classes for public schools? ‘German, no we can’t have that. You can only speak English,’” Bush said.

“I mean English is the language of our country and people that come to this country need to learn English. That doesn’t mean they should stop speaking their native tongue.”Bush said Trump’s jibe at him that he “spoke Mexican” while on a visit to the US border was deeply divisive.

will be auctioned on September 30 by Invaluable, a live online auction house, along with a letter written by one of the ship’s survivors and a ticket from the Titanic’s Turkish baths weighing chair, used to measure a person’s weight. David Lowenherz, owner of Lion Heart Autographs, the rare manuscripts dealer behind the auction, said only two or three

other menus from the ship’s last lunch are known to exist. He estimated the menu at auction would sell for $50,000 to $70,000.{mosimage}The artifacts are all associated with passengers who survived the sinking of the Titanic on Lifeboat No. 1.Nicknamed the “money boat,” it became controversial amid accusations that wealthy passengers bribed crew members to row away from the sinking ship before the lifeboat was full. About 1,500 people died during the Titanic’s sinking, and third-class passengers suffered the greatest loss. “This is not an anonymous artifact from an anonymous survivor,” Lowenherz said. “There’s such a story behind the history of the boat and the people who were in it and how their lives were affected by the event,” he said.The menu was saved by first-class passenger Abraham Lincoln Salomon and is signed on the back by Isaac Gerald Frauenthal, a passenger from New York who likely had eaten lunch with Salomon that day, Lowenherz said.

Titanic’s last luncheon menu expected to fetch up to $70,000 at auction Washington More than a century after firstclass passengers aboard the illfated Titanic ate grilled mutton chops and custard pudding in an elaborate dining room, the ship’s last luncheon menu is expected to fetch up to $70,000 in an online auction.

More than a century after firstclass passengers aboard the illfated Titanic ate grilled mutton chops and custard pudding in an elaborate dining room, the ship’s last luncheon menu is expected to fetch up to $70,000 in an online auction, a curator said on Monday.The luxury cruise liner sank in the Atlantic Ocean on April 15, 1912 after striking an iceberg during its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York.Tuesday marks 30 years since the wreckage of the ship, which had been dubbed unsinkable, was discovered on the ocean floor by a team of researchers.The luncheon menu

Two US air base employees guilty of sexual assault

Washington Two American employees of Ramstein Air Force base in sexually assaulted a German teenager in 2013, a US district court jury ruled Thursday.Joseph Martin and Christopher Heikkila worked for the Army & Air Force Exchange Service, which operates stores and entertainment at US bases, and living in Germany while their parents were civilian employees of the military, according to the US department of justice.Martin,

20, now resides in Arizona, where the trial took place.

Heikkila, 21, still lives near Ramstein, the sprawling European and African headquarters of the US Air Force.The assault occurred in Landstuhl, outside Ramstein, while the girl was incapacitated, the DOJ said.The men had exchanged social media messages planning and, afterward, commenting on the sexual assault, evidence in the case showed.

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Drowned Syrian boy highlights Europe’s refugee horror London An image of a drowned toddler washed up on the beach in one of Turkey’s prime tourist resorts swept across social media on Wednesday after at least 12

presumed Syrian refugees died trying to reach the Greek island of Kos.An image of a drowned toddler washed up on the beach in one of Turkey’s prime tourist resorts swept across social media on Wednesday after at least 12 presumed Syrian refugees died trying to reach the Greek island of Kos.The picture showed a little boy wearing a bright red t-shirt and shorts lying face-down in the surf on a beach near the resort town of Bodrum. In a second image, a grim-faced policeman carries the body away.Turkish media identified the boy as 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi, whose 5-year-old brother died on the same boat.

Media reports said he was from

the north Syrian town of Kobani near the Turkish border, scene of heavy fighting between Islamic State insurgents and Kurdish regional forces a few months ago.The hashtag

“KiyiyaVuranInsanlik” - “humanity washed ashore” - became the top trending topic on Twitter. In the first few hours after the accident, the image had been retweeted thousands of times.The two boats, carrying a total of 23 people, had set off separately from the Akyarlar area of the Bodrum peninsula, a senior Turkish naval official said.The confirmed dead included five children and one woman. Seven people were rescued and two reached the shore in life jackets. The official said hopes were fading of saving the two people still missing.The army said its search and rescue teams had saved hundreds of migrants in the seas between

Pamela Anderson urges Russia to save whales

MOSCOW Actress Pamela Anderson urged Russia Thursday to join her fight to save whales as she met the country’s environment minister.

The 48-year-old former Baywatch star met Sergei Donskoi in the Pacific port city of Vladivostok as it hosted an international economic forum. She came to Russia after writing to President Vladimir Putin asking him to support her environmental causes, particularly her fight against whale hunting.

Wearing a black minidress, Anderson visited an exhibition of wildlife photography and strolled in the city with the minister.

Anderson praised Vladivostok’s beauty, adding: “The ocean is beautiful, I like to be close to the ocean.”

Anderson raised the issue of whales held in captivity, while Donskoi said his ministry was set to legislate on this, a ministry spokesman told AFP.

Turkey and Greek islands over the last few days.Tens of thousands of Syrians fleeing the war in their homeland have descended on Turkey’s Aegean coast this summer to board boats to Greece, their gateway to the European Union.In a statement late on Wednesday, Turkey’s National Security Council voiced concern over the immigration policies of European countries.

“European countries’ worrying approach to the flow of migrants has caused sorrow and it has been evaluated that the issue should be taken up in a basic human rights perspective.” the statement said.The official said almost 100 people in all had been rescued by Turkish vessels overnight as they tried to reach Kos.Aid agencies estimate that, over the past month, about 2,000 people a day have been making the short crossing to Greece’s eastern islands on rubber dinghies.A ship bringing about 1,800 migrants and refugees from one of the islands arrived at the port of Piraeus near Athens on Tuesday night, the Greek coastguard said.Thousands of people, mainly Africans, have also been trying to reach Europe via boat from Libya to Italy. The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said four bodies had been pulled from the central Mediterranean on Tuesday and 781 migrants rescued, mostly from Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Senegal.

JAKARTA Dating just got harder for Indonesian teenagers in West Java, with a local leader on Thursday threatening to ban late-night trysts and marry off young couples caught out after dark. If a new regulation goes ahead as planned on October 1, teenagers in Purwakarta, a local district about 100 kilometres from the Indonesian capital Jakarta, will be banned from visiting each other after 9pm. To enforce the regulation Dedi Mulyadi, the head of Purwakarta district, said local patrols and new CCTV cameras would keep a watchful eye out for canoodling teenagers breaking the rules.

“Those who violate the rules will be summoned by the village cultural council for counselling,” he told AFP. “If they break the rules three times, the village council may ask for the parents

to marry them.” It’s not clear how the measure will be enforced - Indonesians under 16 cannot legally marry - but underage ceremonies do still occur.Mulyadi claimed the regulation - which will only apply to youths under 17 would help return his hometown to its rural roots.

This new provision would ensure teenagers were home in bed early and living a more traditional life, he added. “I come from a village and back in the day, you could not visit a neighbour after 9pm because villagers would be in bed, preparing to wake up at dawn to till their paddy fields,” he said.

Mulyadi said this new provision would also help enforce another of his schemes: banning underage, unlicensed drivers from zipping around on motorcycles.

Israel recovers ancient sarcophagus BET SHEMESH Israeli authorities have recovered a Roman-era sarcophagus that construction workers sought to hide after digging it up at a building site, officials said Thursday.

The limestone coffin, estimated at 1,800 years old and discovered last week during work on a new neighbourhood in coastal city Ashkelon, was described as “unique” by Gabi Mazor, a retired Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologist and expert on the era. The contractors who encountered the find opted to extract it themselves with a tractor, damaging it before hiding it beneath a stack of metal sheets and boards, according to the

Egypt sentences two women to 6 months for racy music videos The court said on Thursday that the two singers, known as Bardis and Shakira, promoted indecency in their videos. An Egyptian court has sentenced two women to six months in prison with labor for “inciting debauchery” in racy music videos.

The court said on Thursday that the two singers, known as Bardis and Shakira, promoted

Indonesian politician threatens ban on teen dating after dark

indecency in their videos.Neither of the two videos contains nudity. Along with the singers, they include other women dancing in revealing clothing.- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/ article/world/middle-eastafrica/egypt-sentences-twowomen-to-6-months-for-racymusic-videos/#sthash.

AFRoWagr.dpuf

authority.Police have questioned the contractors on suspicion of not reporting their find and of damaging it, and the authority pledged that legal proceedings would be pursued against those involved. An authority spokeswoman said they did not know why the contractors had attempted to conceal the find. Mazor said the decorations on the sarcophagus were particularly noteworthy.

“All its sides are decorated, with very impressive and beautiful decorations. Quite a few sarcophagi are found in Israel, but nearly none of them are decorated, and those that are usually have wreaths and other floral themes” and not much more, he said.

The lid of the sarcophagus has

an image of a man - apparently representing the deceased leaning on his left arm, wearing a short embroidered shirt, with Roman-style curls and no beard, implying he was young.

Around the coffin are engraved images of “bulls’ heads, naked Cupids, and the head of the monstrous female figure Medusa ,” Mazor said.

Ashkelon was at the time a mixed city, comprised of pagan Romans and Jews, as well as Samaritans, but Mazor said the decorations leave little doubt the sarcophagus belonged to a Roman. The presence of the two-tonne, 2.5-metre (eight-foot) long sarcophagus at the construction site suggested there may be a mausoleum and other coffins at the site.

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China screams for Tojo ice cream on war anniversary

An ice cream chain in China’s commercial hub Shanghai is offering a lickable likeness of the head of executed Japanese war criminal Hideki Tojo to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.Iceason parlours are selling ice cream bars on a stick with the image of Tojo, former Japanese army general and prime minister, in a campaign with the slogan “10,000 people together eat the Japanese war criminal.”

An advertising poster displayed at one store in central Shanghai showed a chocolate Tojo, complete with glasses and a moustache, with the words: “Never forget national humiliation.” Another store in Shanghai’s financial district on Wednesday offered five Tojo flavours: vanilla, blueberry, mocha, mango and tiramisu. But

it had few takers for the ice cream, priced at 30 yuan (around $4.70), even during the lunch hour. Customers who buy 50 yuan-worth of ice cream can get a free Tojo bar if they use the online payment service of Chinese Internet giant Alibaba, store employees said.

Beijing will commemorate the 70th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II with a huge military parade through Tiananmen Square on Thursday, amid tense ties with Tokyo over territorial claims and wartime history.

“It’s just ice cream,” one online commentator said of the Tojo bars. “There’s no reason why you can’t eat it.” But another declined to partake. “It’s hilarious, but I have always thought that phase of history isn’t fit for consumption.”

Giant Australian sheep baa-dly in need of shearing Australian animal welfare officers Wednesday put out an urgent appeal for shearers after finding a huge sheep with wool so overgrown its life was in danger, with a national champion set to take on the challenge.

The very woolly merino sheep was spotted wandering on its own near Mulligan Flats, a grassy woodland just outside the national capital Canberra, by bushwalkers who alerted local RSPCA officers. The officers headed out to the area, but had to return on Wednesday morning with reinforcements after noting the creature’s size.

“It’s definitely one of the biggest sheep we’ve ever seen,” said Tammy Ven Dange, head of the RSPCA in the Australian Capital

Territory, adding that the as-yetunnamed animal was “four to five times its normal size”. The extent of the wool growth and the sheep’s nervousness around human beings after what was likely years of solitude also meant rescuers were not yet

Shearers’ Hall of Fame, responded to the appeal and said removing the fleece “could be one of my biggest challenges yet”, with the process expected to take between one and two hours. “They sent through a photo and I’ve never seen such

Pillay appointed Chancellor of Singapore Management Univ

able to confirm its gender, age and weight, although they thought it was male. “He’s pretty stressed out at the moment.

We’re trying to keep him calm and hopefully tomorrow (Thursday) we’re going to sedate him and shear him,” Ven Dange told AFP. “Hopefully he doesn’t go into shock during that process.”

Merino sheep are bred for their sought-after wool and can experience health issues, or even die, if not sheared regularly, Ven Dange said, explaining why she tweeted her call for help.

Ian Elkins, a national champion inducted into the Australian

wool on a sheep before,” Elkins told AFP, noting that on average, a sheep would grow seven centimetres (2.75 inches) of wool each year.

The animal’s voluminous fleece could rival New Zealand’s most famous sheep, Shrek, which was found in 2004 following six years on the loose after going missing from its herd in 1998.

Shrek, also a merino, was found in a mountain cave and was shorn of nearly 27kilograms (59 pounds) of fleece in an operation broadcast live around the world. It was put down in 2011 aged 16 due to failing health.

Veteran Indian-origin civil servant JY Pillay has been appointed Chancellor of the Singapore Management University (SMU). Pillay, 81, takes over charge from Yong Pung How, the former Chief Justice of Singapore, the University said in a statement.

The appointment is for five years and came into effect from September 1.Pillay is one of Singapore’s pioneers who helped build the economy after the separation from Malaysia. He served in the administrative service of the government and was permanent secretary of the ministries of finance, defence and national development.

China’s best cleavage contest under fire for being offensive, degrading

China’s ‘conservative’ censor clears first film about gay couple Marking a breakthrough in its heavily-censored media, China

approved for release the first film with gay principal characters.

The director of the film, Wang Chao announced on Weibo, a Chinese version of Twitter, that censors had given “Seek McCartney” permission for a cinema release.

“This is a small step for the film department, and a big step for the members of the film industry,” Wang posted on Saturday.

China only decriminalised

homosexuality in 1997, but conservative attitudes remain

widespread and discrimination is common, although tolerance is greater in major cities.

Those who come out to friends and family in China often face significant pressure to undergo supposed sexuality “treatment” or marry a partner of the opposite sex.The film, a Chinese-French co-production, centres on a secret relationship between two men, one Chinese and one French.But some warned

caution, given the Chinese government’s unpredictable implementation of censorship.

“The fact that this film can be released in theatres doesn’t mean gay films in the future will be able to released in China,” Fan Popo, an LGBT filmmaker and rights activist, told AFP on Wednesday.

“China’s system for evaluating films is still very unstable, because the rules are very unclear. It depends heavily on the individual censor’s whims.”

Fan added that while gay characters have appeared in supporting roles in Chinese films, “Seek McCartney” is the first time the plot centres on a homosexual couple.

Gay rights campaigners in China still face harassment from authorities or bureaucratic roadblocks.

LGBT groups in China are barred from registering as official nongovernmental organisations, and activists often take a low-profile approach to promoting events in case the authorities decide to crack down.

The pageant - the International Breast Model Contest - which took place last week at the Westin Hefei Baohe - has the women being judged solely on the basis of their breasts.

Brazil hosts the annual Miss Bum Bum Contest in which women line up in skimpy clothes to show off their derrieres and be judged on the basis of their rear ends. Now a similar contest in China has stirred up a controversy.

The pageant - the International Breast Model Contest - which took place last week at the Westin Hefei Baohe - has the women being judged solely on the basis of their breasts.

The contest has come under severe criticism with many people labelling the contest as being offensive and degrading.

Others, however, found it empowering.

The contest saw the 12 finalists

showing off their “bountiful bosoms in formal, lingerie and swimwear”, wrote Shanghaiist on Facebook.

Interestingly, the woman who won the contest had had undergone a breast enhancement surgery. The reactions to the winner were far from encouraging, not just for her but for the contest as well.

Here are some of them: One user wrote on Facebook: “breast model contest without real breasts. seems legit” Facebook user Ilse Wu, wrote: “Curvaceous contestant #8 was deemed to have the breast ones of the bunch. The young woman had her implants done just before the pageant.” Is exactly like saying Armstrong won all his cycling contest with performance enhancing/ improving drugs.”

Foo Yong Wee wrote, “As fake as their economy. well done”

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8 Sep. - 14 Sep. 2015

Indian deities worshipped in Japan

How many know that Saraswati, originally the personification of a river by the same name, is worshipped in pools of water in Japan.

How many know that Saraswati, originally the personification of a river by the same name, is worshipped in pools of water in Japan. Such an exploration of Indian culture deeply rooted in Japanese society is now being attempted though a photographic exhibition, ‘Indian Deities Worshipped in Japan’, set to begin at the Japan Foundation here from September 3.

Photographs, which depict the

primitive Indian traditions being followed in Japan, taken by photographer and historian Benoy K Behl, who has specialised in the study of ancient Indian cultures, are being showcased.“In many ways, I find that Japan has preserved ancient Indian traditions, even when they may have changed here in India.

For instance, in Japan, Saraswati is depicted and venerated not only with the Veena, but also remembered for her association with water. One may recall that Saraswati is originally the personification of the river by that name. Therefore, she is also

worshipped in pools of water in Japan,” says Behl who visited Japan through a fellowship from the foundation.

Many deities such as Vayu and Varuna forgotten in India over the agers are still worshipped in Japan. Apart from Indian deities, Sankrit language is also well preserved in the Shinto and Buddhist dominated country.

According to Behl, the 6th century Siddham script is preserved in Japan, though it is not being used in India.

“Beejaksharas’ of Sanskrit in this script are regarded as holy and are given great importance. Each deity has a ‘Beejakshara’ and these are venerated by the people, even though most of them cannot read it,” says Behl.

Many words in the Japanese language are from Sanskrit and it was also the basis for the formation of the Japanese alphabet ‘Kana’. In the supermarkets, a major brand of milk products is called ‘Sujata’.

The company personnel are taught the story of Sujata who gave sweet rice milk to the Buddha, with which he broke his period of austerity, before he gained Nirvana.

Court martial sentence in Machil fake encounter confirmed The army’s northern command GOC on Monday confirmed the life sentence awarded to six army personnel, including a colonelrank officer, by a general court martial in the 2012 Machil fake encounter case, an army official said.

“General Officer Commanding in Chief (GOC-in-C), Northern Command, Lieutenant General D.S. Hooda has confirmed the sentence of a Summary General Court Martial in the Machil encounter case,” Colonel S.D. Goswami, spokesman of the army’s Udhampur-based Northern Command, told IANS here. “Colonel Dinesh Pathania, Captain Upendra, Havildar

Devendra Kumar, Lance Naik Lakhmi, Lance Naik Arun Kumar and Rifleman Abbas Hussain have been awarded life imprisonment,” he said.

In April 2012, the army had claimed killing three guerrillas in Machil sector on the Line of Control in Kupwara district during an

infiltration bid.

There was a public outcry after photographs of those killed in the alleged encounter were released, as relatives and neighbours of the slain persons claimed that the three civilians were framed and killed in a stage managed gunfight and they were not connected with militancy in any way.

Police investigations later proved the three civilians were lured with promises of jobs and taken to the border where they were killed in a fake encounter for money and rewards.

The army later ordered a general court martial that found the six army personnel guilty.

Pak court dismisses petition seeking Geeta’s custody A Pakistani court on Thursday dismissed a petition filed by an Indian social worker seeking custody of a deaf and mute Indian girl stuck in Pakistan for more than a decade, refusing to issue orders for her “forced repatriation”.

Social worker and lawyer from Haryana, Momineen Malik, had filed the petition in Sindh high court to seek the custody of 23-year-old Geeta. Malik, filed the application through local lawyers, seeking an order for return of the girl to India. Geeta told the court through an expert

that she wanted to go back to India, Geo News reported.The lawyer of Edhi Foundation charity which is looking after the welfare of the girl urged the court that governments of Pakistan and India should be involved in

the case.After the hearing, the Sindh High Court (SHC) here refused to issue orders for her “forced repatriation”.

The court said that proper procedure should be adopted by foreign ministries of the two countries for her repatriation. In India, five families have claimed that Geeta was their relative.

Geeta has been stranded in Pakistan for the last 13 years after crossing over to Pakistan by mistake. She was arrested

by Pakistan Rangers and then handed over to Edhi which has been taking care of her.

21 Indian-origin candidates in fray for polls in Singapore

Twenty-one Indian-origin Singaporeans are among 181 candidates who have filed their nominations to contest the snap general elections next week in which Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s ruling party’s 50 years of political dominance will be tested by voters. Prominent Indian-origin candidates who filed their nominations yesterday for September 11 elections include law and foreign minister K Shanmugam, minister in the prime minister office S Iswaran and environment and water resources minster Vivian Balakrishnan, all political heavyweights from the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP). Two Sri Lankan-origin candidates deputy prime minister and finance minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who is PAP’s top leader, and economistturned-politician Kenneth Jeyaretnam also filed their nominations for the polls.President Tony Tan Keng Yam, on the advice of the Prime Minister, who had until January 2017 to hold an election, dissolved the 12th Parliament on August 25, clearing way for the

snap polls.The PAP, which has ruled for more than 50 years, is widely expected to retain its overwhelming majority in the 89seat parliament owing to a divided opposition; it holds 80 out of 87 seats. But the party, whose founder and Singapore’s first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, died in March aged 91, is likely to be under pressure as citizens resent an increasing influx of foreigners and a high cost of living. Singapore maintains a cautious tone on its multi-racial society of Chinese, Malays and Indians as well as others including Eurasians and has a group representation constituency (GRC) system to allow election of minority representation in the parliament.Eighty-nine parliamentarians will be elected from the 16 GRCs and 13 Single Member Constituencies. An estimated 2.46 million Singaporeans are expected to vote in the general elections which comes amidst celebration of 50 years of independence. This is the biggest election with all 89 members to be elected since independence from across the prosperous city state.

Pak court dismisses comedian’s petition for ban on Indian films

A Pakistani court on Thursday dismissed a petition seeking a permanent ban on release of Indian films in the country, days after the same court banned the screening of ‘Phantom’ on a petition by Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief and 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed.

Dismissing the petition filed by comedian Iftikhar Ahmad Thakur, Lahore high court (LHC) justice Ejazul Hasan asked the petitioner to take up the matter with the ministry of culture that is the relevant forum.

Petitioner’s counsel Ishtiaq Ahmad Chaudhry argued in the court that on August 28, India committed the “bloodiest violation” of ceasefire that left eight Pakistanis dead and 47

others injured.“It is quite sad that on one hand the nation is receiving dead bodies and on the other, the Pakistani authorities are allowing promotion of Indian culture and movies,” he argued.

He further said the exhibition/ promotion of Indian films in Pakistan is in conflict with several articles of the Constitution.

Therefore, the court should put a permanent ban on the release of Indian movies in Pakistan.

On August 20, the LHC had banned the release of Bollywood movie ‘Phantom’ in the country on the petition of JuD chief Hafiz Saeed that the film, starring Saif Ali Khan and Katrina Kaif and based on post-26/11 Mumbai attacks, is against him and his outfit.

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Sri Lanka ex-president’s vanity airport is used to store rice

COLOMBO Part of a vanity airport built by toppled Sri Lankan strongman Mahinda Rajapakse will be used as a rice storage warehouse to reduce losses after failing to take off, officials said Wednesday.

Rajapakse International aiport, located in the remote farming outpost of Hambantota 250 kilometres (180 miles) from Colombo, has been shunned by airlines after setting planes on a collision course with migrating birds. The 550-employee airport in the ex-president’s constituency has become a

highlight on a “Rajapakse white elephant tour” run by local guides.It operates at a huge loss and is used only by one airline, low-cost carrier flydubai, with just a handful of passengers arriving each week.The near-empty airport has provided a surprise boon to rice farmers, however, after a bumper harvest left them short of shortage space.

“A cargo terminal was released to the (state-run rice buyer) Paddy Marketing Board to store the rice harvest from the Hambantota region,” said an airport official who asked not to

be named.

“The first truckload of rice arrived today and has already unloaded at the empty cargo terminal.”

Police said the inaugural delivery was met with unrest as dozens of airport employees loyal to Rajapakse protested against the rice storage plan.

“They should be happy that at least trucks are landing there to make the airport viable,” a senior police officer told AFP. Built on a migratory route for birds, the airport soon proved notorious for plane-bird collisions after opening in 2013. The first flight to land shattered its windshield after being struck.

National carrier SriLankan Airlines was under orders from Rajapakse to land at the $210 million hub. But it halted flights immediately after Rajapakse lost January’s presidential election to Maithripala Sirisena.

Rajapakse spent lavishly on infrastructure, with huge vanity projects including a deep sea port, six-lane highways, an international conference centre, a cricket stadium and a dry-zone botanical garden.

The projects were criticised for ignoring feasibility studies and environmental warnings.

a sense of its past and a vision of its future,” he said. “For well over a century, the fern’s been an iconic and instantly recognisable symbol of New Zealand, it’s been a very strong part of our heritage and it works so well on a flag.”

Prime Minister John Key, who initiated the push for a change, has made clear that he favours a silver fern design, saying it is as distinctively New Zealand as the maple leaf is for Canada. “We are a very proud and passionate nation but we don’t utilise our current flag to demonstrate the love we have of our country,” he told Fairfax New Zealand on Tuesday.

Key has also expressed frustration the existing flag which has the Union Jack in the top left and four red stars representing the Southern Cross on a dark blue background - is frequently confused with Australia’s almost identical banner.Critics, including opposition politicians and veteran groups, argue there is no need for change and say the consultation process has been too expensive. “If that’s what you get for NZ$26 million ($17 million) it’s pretty underwhelming,” New Zealand First Party leader Winston Peters told reporters.

DUSHANBE It began with a low rumbling noise. Then the rivers of mud poured down the mountainside over the Tajik village of Barssem - the latest victim of shrinking glaciers that are an alarming portent of climate change in Central Asia. “The gorge was filled by a terrible noise - the roar of stones,” said villager Shakarbek Kurbonbekov. “The mud took everything in its path - homes, cars,” he told AFP by telephone.

“Those that could, escaped to higher ground. There was no time to think.”The 60-year-old man survived the disaster that hit the former Soviet republic of Tajikistan’s mountainous eastern regions last month, but many others didn’t - the mudslides and flooding claimed at least 12 lives and destroyed close to one hundred homes. The wave of destruction that started with a heatwave on July 16 is a harbinger of the broader ecological change looming over landlocked Central Asia, a fractured region that relies on a stock of rapidly melting glaciers for long-term survival.The glaciers in Tajikistan’s Pamir range and the nearby Tien-Shan range in Kyrgyzstan feed the strategic Amu and Syr rivers respectively, irrigating farmland that populations have depended on for centuries. They are receding rapidly.

According to a study published last week by the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, the glacier stock in the Tien-Shan range is

Selfie madness: too many dying to get the picture SYDNEY The rise of selfie photography in some of the world’s most beautiful, and dangerous, places is sparking a range of interventions aimed at combating risk-taking that has resulted in a string of gruesome deaths worldwide.The act of taking a picture of oneself with a mobile phone, placing the subject centrestage, has exploded in popularity in recent years, with everyone from Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II to U.S. President Barack Obama joining in.But the selfie has also inspired a spate of risk taking and offensive public behaviour, pushing the boundaries of safety and decorum, whether by dangling from a skyscraper or posing with live explosives.

Several governments and regulatory bodies have now begun treating the selfie as a serious threat to public safety, leading them to launch public education campaigns reminiscent of those against smoking and binge drinking.

Dozens of grisly selfie-related deaths and injuries in early 2015 led Russia’s Interior Ministry to

launch a campaign warning avid mobile phone snappers about the danger of, among other things, posing for a selfie with a lion.In June, two men in the Ural Mountains died after posing pulling the pin from a hand grenade; in May a woman survived shooting herself in the head in her Moscow office; a month later a 21-year-old

university graduate plunged 40 feet (12 metres) to her death while posing hanging from a Moscow bridge.“A cool selfie could cost you your life,” reads a poster from the campaign, which includes safety videos and information booklets.Despite Russia’s diplomatic isolation over its support for separatist rebels in Ukraine, on the issue of dangerous selfies the Kremlin finds itself in accord with the European Union and the United States.

New Zealand flag designs Summer fuels glacier melting in Central Asia take leaf from rugby union

WELLINGTON New Zealanders were presented with four options for a new flag on Tuesday, three of them depicting a silver fern leaf similar to that used on the All Blacks rugby jersey.The flags were

whittled down from more than 10,000 entries in a governmentsponsored effort to find an alternative to New Zealand’s current banner, which features Britain’s Union Jack in the corner. Three of the designs show the silver fern leaf, the informal national emblem, with various backgrounds combining red, blue, black and white. The fourth depicts a spiralling black-andwhite koru, or fern frond, a traditional Maori symbol of new life and creation. Kiwis will pick their favourite among the four at a referendum later this year and the winner will then go head-tohead against the existing flag in a second vote next March.Project head John Burrows said the aim was to find a flag that was “unmistakably New Zealand”. “It should celebrate us as a progressive, inclusive nation that’s connected to its environment, has

shrinking at four times the pace of the global average in recent decades. The study’s authors claim half the Tien-Shan’s glaciers - already diminished by

temperatures,” he said.

Elsewhere in the region a flood hit Kazakhstan’s largest city Almaty after a moraine-dammed lake - a lake formed by glacial

over a quarter from their 1961 size - will melt away by 2050.

Evidence of warming of the TienShan, which straddles Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and China, is also seen in the region’s mostly Soviet-built ski resorts.Oleg Chernogorski, a tour operator with three decades of experience working in the region’s mountains calls climate change “an undeniable fact” after seeing the season begin later and later over the past three decades.

“If in the 1980s and the 1990s the winter season at the Chimgan resort in Uzbekistan began on December 1, now it begins closer to New Year,” he told AFP.“Every year the ski season gets shorter due to a lack of snowfall and an absence of freezing

debris - perched above the settlement of 1.5 million failed to contain unusual levels of glacial melt on July 23.Although there were no fatalities, the flooding left whole suburbs in Central Asia’s second-largest settlement caked in mud and 3,000 people temporarily without electricity.“These countries will come into contact with these types of emergencies increasingly regularly,” Petr Plekhanov, a former head of Kazakhstan’s Institute of Hydrogeology and Geoecology, told AFP.“Those with more money like Kazakhstan will be able to handle disasters better.

Countries like Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, which have lots of mountains and little money, are more vulnerable.”

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From waterboy to firefighter ‘Cheteshwar Pujara’

At the end of the second India-Sri Lanka match at the P Sara Oval last month – August 24 to be specific – Cheteshwar Pujara got his name on a Test scoresheet for the first time in eight months. Demoted for the Boxing Day game at the MCG and pushed out from the XI for the New Year Test in Sydney, Pujara, by the time India and Sri Lanka had squared up in Colombo, had completed four straight matches on the sidelines.

That afternoon, as a substitute fielder at silly point, he had hung on to a leading edge with a quick and desperate lunge. In the larger context of that storied match Kumara Sangakkara’s last and Virat Kohli’s first as a successful Test skipper ‘Thirimanne c sub (CA Pujara) b Ashwin 11’, though briefly exciting, was one of 38 wickets that fell over five days, easily forgotten by the end of the emotional evening. For Pujara, however, that close-in catch was a small but very significant takeaway. It gave him an assurance, something the out-of-favour erstwhile No.3 hadn’t quite enjoyed in Indian cricket’s era of aggression.

“When I train, besides working on my batting, I work on my fielding, bowling and fitness too. So when I took that blinder as a 12th man, I realised that things that I have been working on are paying off.

And that made me confident. I had been working on my batting too, and I was sure that too will pay

off,” Pujara told The Indian Express, a week after his hundred in the third Test gave India a 2-1 series win, and him, the Man of the Match Award.

Since the time the Indian team landed in Sri Lanka, Pujara had a plan. There were enough signs that he would be benched again.

Like he had been for the

Haryana govt okays Vijender turning pro Ace Indian boxer Vijender Singh finally got a green signal from Haryana government as it approved his

leave application to train in England to compete in the professional circuit, according to a media report.

The Beijing Olympics bronze medallist and deputy superintendent of Haryana Police, in July

sought a year’s extraordinary leave (from August 2015) to train and compete.

But the government didn’t

approve it, which stirred up a controversy. “The chief minister has approved the extraordinary leave of Vijender Singh and he can now train abroad and can take part in pro boxing,” a senior bureaucrat told Hindustan Times.

“His application was considered on the ground that when other sportspersons with the Haryana Police have been given permission to play in various professional leagues, he should also be allowed. In professional boxing too, if he wins, it is going to be credited to the country’s account.” The 29-year-old has now crossed all initial hurdles and he can chase his professional boxing dream in England.

one-off Test in Bangladesh that followed his successful county stint. From Yorkshire’s No.3, he was India’s No.12. A month after his 132 from 182 balls at Headingley, and an overall average and strike rate of over 50, he was found to be too slow for India’s new decision makers.

In the lead-up to the Sri Lanka tour when coach Ravi Shastri and captain Virat Kohli spoke about aggression, it was clear that Rohit Sharma, and not Pujara, was their No.3.

“The moment the series started, I told myself that I had to improve as a player. I also told myself that I had to be ready whenever I get a chance.

So every single day I was making sure that I sleep on time, wake up on time.

I followed a schedule and kept the negative thoughts away. Even if I was only doing drinks duty or fielding, I was preparing as if I was playing,” informs Pujara.

Cricket great Don Bradman’s green blazer scores ton at auction

The blazer worn by Australian cricketing great Donald Bradman during his first series as test captain sold for A$132,000 ($91,410.00) on Monday, local media reported. The green jacket with gold piping and the Australia crest on the breast pocket was worn by the batsman when he led the Australians against the English tourists in the 1936-37 Ashes series, which the home side won 3-2. It had been expected to sell for A$70,000-90,000 but bids had reached the A$100,000 mark when the hammer went down at the

auction house in Melbourne. Taxes and commissions accounted for the other A$32,000.

“This is the first (Bradman) blazer we've had up for auction, which is possibly why it sold so well,” auctioneer Max Williamson told Australian Associated Press.

“It went beyond our expectations ... we're still shaking.” Anything related to Bradman, who retired with a test batting average of 99.94, is a major attraction for collectors of cricket memorabilia and his 1948 “Invincibles” tour cap sold for A$402,500 in 2008.

Don’t be harsh on Rohit Sharma says Sanjay Bangar India batting coach Sanjay Bangar on Monday urged Rohit Sharma’s critics to compare his intial Test career record with “any other cricketer” and be a bit “less harsh” on the stylish righthander for some of his low scores.

“If you look at the numbers, he has played 13 (actually 14) Test matches and scored 800-900 (870 runs) runs at an average of 40 (actually 37.82) with two centuries, four half-centuries. I think if his critics can go back and compare the first 13 Test matches of any other cricketer who has played for a while, I think they would probably be less harsh on Rohit,” Bangar told ESPN Cricinfo in an interview. I believe that in the matches that he has played so far obviously everybody wants to contribute more he has definitely contributed to the team’s cause,” Bangar added.

The former India all-rounder said that it was Chesteshwar Pujara’s poor form that led to Rohit’s pro-

motion in the batting order.

“I think we are clear in our mind that we need to give enough time and opportunity for a player if we put him at a particular position before making the change.

some time because he also had put a lot of pressure on himself to perform. “(He is) somebody who constantly wants to contribute to the team’s cause. And it worked out

Pujara was having a tough time, so he (Rohit) was given a fair run at no. 3.

He batted very well in Sydney. He got starts in both the innings (53, 39) but could not convert it into a big one.

“After those five opportunities, we felt that moving him down the order would benefit the team more. And it also made sure that he got

beautifully. In both the Test matches (P Sara and SSC), he played vital innings for the team,” the former Railways batsman said. Bangar however praised Pujara’s “hunger and temperament”. “Pujara has tremendous hunger, tremendous temperament.

Again somebody who had a dip in his career but who is right up there.

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1,259 dengue cases in Delhi, highest after 2010 The national capital has recorded 1,259 dengue cases - the highest after 2010 - till September 5, official data said on Monday. According to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), there were only 33 dengue cases till

September 5 last year.

For the same period, the number was 255 in 2013, 17 in 2012 and 104 in 2011. In 2010, however, the number was 1,512.

Delhi has witnessed two dengue deaths this year.The latest figures follow a report from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences that said the Type 4 strain of the disease had emerged as the dominant type for the first

time in Delhi, along with Type 2.

While symptoms of Type 4 dengue include fever with shock and a drop in platelets, Type 2 causes

a severe drop in platelets, haemorrhagic fever, organ failure and dengue shock syndrome.

Ashutosh Biswas, professor of medicine at AIIMS, said it was too early to predict if there would be an outbreak but it was be-

lieved that Type 2 and 4 dengue strains were more virulent and aggressive. “To prevent dengue, one should not allow mosquito breeding at home and one

who is infected should stay at home and not move around,” Biswas said.

Following the rise in the number of cases, the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital has started a new 35-bed ward for dengue patients.”The number of dengue cases are likely to increase definitely for a few more days,” Sunil Saxena, head of the medicine and emergency department at RML Hospital, told IANS. “As the season has started becoming dry, mosquito breeding will recede. Once the breeding stops, the dengue cases will be lower,” he said. Over a dozen faculty members and staff from AIIMS have also been reported to have contracted the fever and admitted to the hospital.

Teachers’ Day gift for fired Mumbai school principal

It was a lonely battle that lasted over a year for Lalitha Hariharan, former principal of Rizvi Springfield School in Bandra, but victory was finally hers on Teachers’ Day. This paper had first reported that in May 2014, after the school management terminated her services citing “misconduct” and “inefficiency” as key reasons for their decision, Hariharan was forced to resign. A year later, the School Tribunal has overturned this termination and ordered the management to reinstate Hariharan.

“I served the school for 15 years and suddenly my

services were terminated.

It claims to be among the reputed institutes, but when I joined it in 1999, it was a small institution. I worked for it all these years to make it one of the best,” said Hariharan.

At the time of her suspension, she had three years of service remaining but was packed off with three months’ salary and no answers to her queries. She decided to approach the education department and the School Tribunal.

The incident took place within the school premises on April 30, 2014, when one of the trustees handed a termination letter to Hariharan.

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Health raw benefits oysters upsof risk Health Yoga Your waY to glowing skin! Eating

In this day and age when pollution attacks your health at every step, the part of your body that is most exposed to pollution is your skin. No matter

what you do to keep your skin clean and glowing cleansing, toning, moisturising, scrubbing, facials, etc. - those painful acne, pimples, skin eruptions come and go at their own time, nonetheless.

However, there is one sure shot way to ensure that your skin exudes that pearly glow at all times.

If you want clear skin (who doesn’t?), go beyond cleansing and moisturising. Add yoga to your daily routine. The yoga poses will not only

make you look better and give you a glowing skin but also make you feel energized and rejuvenated.

So today we give you 6 yoga poses to help you get energized as well as help your skin breathe and make it healthy and glowing!

1. Hastapadotasana: If you are a beginner, start

Here’s how you can keep skin cancer at bay

With skin cancer rates on the rise, you may want to revisit some simple tips for staying safe in the sun.

Melanoma, which is the most serious form of skin cancer as per the American Academy of Dermatology, is characterized by the uncontrolled growth of pigment-producing cells, Fox News reported.

Accounting for 4 percent of skin cancers, melanoma is responsible for 79 percent of skin cancer deaths and people are typically

diagnosed with it between the ages of 45 and 55.

25 percent of the cases occur in individuals younger than 40 and melanoma is the leading cause of cancer death in women ages 25 to 30.

Manuel Alvarez, a CubanAmerican OB-GYN, shared few tips to help us prevent the disease.

His first suggestion was to take cover while out in sun as one only needs about 10 minutes of unprotected sun exposure to make vitamin D.

with hastapadotasana or the standing forward bend.

This forward bending asana helps the blood flow to the face giving it an instant glow. Make sure to

hold the pose for as long as you can.

2. Uttanasana: If you have nailed hastapadotasana, you can move on to uttanasana or the intense forward bending pose. It will help flushing out the toxins from the system, helping you get a clear acne-free skin.

3. Sirsasana: Improve blood circulation in

your face with the inverted poses like sirsasana or headstand. It may seem difficult but if performed five times a day, it is best to obtain that radiant looking skin.

4. Adho Mukha Svanasana: Do you have facial wrinkles or bunny lines? You may want to consider getting into a downward facing dog or adho mukha svanasana.

It helps to reduce stress and gives you wrinkle-free skin.

5. Dhanurasana: Say bye-bye to acne problems with dhanurasana or the bow pose. This asana focuses on deep inhalation and exhalation that helps draw in oxygen in and out of the body in order to release toxins.

6. Setubandhasana: Last but not the least, say hello to being young forever! Perform anti-ageing yoga poses like setubandhasana or the bridge pose daily to prevent wrinkles. It is relaxing and easy and yet serves the purpose of giving a healthy glow to your skin.

of norovirus infection

mulberry!

Eating raw oysters and shellfish may increase the risk of getting infected by human norovirus that causes stomach pain, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting, a study says.

Oysters not only transmit human norovirus but also serve as a major reservoir for these pathogens, the findings show. “More than 80 percent of human norovirus genotypes were detected in oyster samples or oyster-related outbreaks,” said author Yongjie Wang, professor at the Shanghai Ocean University in Shanghai.

“The results highlight oysters’ important role in the persistence of norovirus in the

environment, and its transmission to humans.

They demonstrate the need for surveillance of human norovirus in oyster samples,” Wang said.

In earlier research, the examiners found that 90 percent of human norovirus sequences in China came from coastal regions. The current research said the same is true all over the world, except in tropical regions.

Oysters’s status as vectors for human norovirus transmission is likely abetted by their presence in coastal waters, which are frequently contaminated by human waste, Wang said.

Some natural ways to keep those extra kilos at bay!

Keeping a strict eye on your weight is imperative in these times. Generally, problems start to rise in the late twenties when there is lack of physical activity. Lethargic habits begin to develop and the individual loses his interest in healthy activities. Stress related to professional and personal lives takes a toll making it difficult to keep vigil on one’s health which later can lead to obesity.

A lot of medical and cosmetic assistance is available these days to tackle obesity. Not to mention the exorbitant costs involved and their side effects don’t exactly make things easier. But there are also many natural ways to control your weight that you can apply. Tackling obesity is not too tough. You don’t

need to subscribe to expensive treatments to reduce obesity or to be completely cured. There are simple home remedies

and provides a steady stream of energy all through the day. This, in turn, prevents unhealthy snacking.

which can give you an absolute cure from obesity.

1. Let’s start with what we always start our day with – breakfast. That’s right.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day

2. Stop nibbling and snacking between meals.

Train yourself to have less food. Instead of eating only 2 meals during the day like lunch & dinner, eating 4-5 more small meals spaced

2-3 hours apart during the day increases the metabolic rate of the body.

3. Spices like ginger, cinnamon, black pepper etc. are good for losing weight. Drink ginger tea 23 times a day. A few cups of natural green tea is also a good remedy for obesity.

4. Two teaspoons of lime juice added to lukewarm water also helps in shedding those extra kilos.

Have it frequently. You can also drink a glass of boiled water daily after every meal. It will also help you in naturally curing obesity.

5. Try to eat 10-12 fully grown curry leaves every morning for 3 to 4 months.

It may prove beneficial for the obese in losing weight.

6. Drink lots of water. You can never have enough of water, so drink as much of it as you can.

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How to de-stress after a hectic day at work!

We live in a world of unceasing competition, where we get to do alot of things at a particular time.

And I’m sure most of us have been there – checking mails and text messages even while having dinner with your

that we face everyday at work can affect our stress levels putting our health at risk.

Hence, here are a few tips to unwind after a hectic dayTake a shower: Take a refreshing shower using a

walk in the park as this will help you connect with yourself and brighten your mood as well. Remember, any kind of moving around outdoors can help you clear your mind.

Get physical: Try getting into any sort of physical

muscle tension and clear your mind.

Drink water: Drink plenty of water to keep your body functions properly. Water is not just an essential for our bodies, but it has immense health benefits calorie control, fluid balance, kindney function, good skin, brain boost, energy, mood, performance and sickness fighter.

Switch off: It might seem impossible to switch off your smartphone or laptop, but it’s necessary and the results are almost immediate. Try to switch off your gadgets 2 hours before bed and spend this time with your family.

Switching off your phones will also help soothe your mind and prepare it for sleep.

family and friends, stressing over a work presentation or procedures while in the bathroom, restlesstly awake at night thinking over about the next day’s tasks and so on.

These types of challenges

scented soap or essential oils – a warm bath, a cold bath or a bubble bath can do wonders to your body.

It will sooth your muscle and give you relaxation and help you sleep well.

Take a walk: Take a short

activity for at least 30 minutes every day. It is said that increased levels of stress and anxiety can be tackled by physical activity. Go for a walk or do some simple stretching as this will help relieve your

Get a head massage: It is not a bad idea to get a head massage as it can increase blood flow, curb headaches and improve sleep. It is also a great way to fight stress and ward off illness.

Depressed or healthy?

How antidepressant alters brains differently

A new study has suggested that a commonly prescribed antidepressant may change brain structures in depressed and nondepressed individuals in very different ways.

The Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center study, conducted in nonhuman primates with brain structures and functions similar to those of humans, found that the antidepressant sertraline significantly increased the volume of one brain region in depressed subjects but decreased the volume of two brain areas in non-depressed subjects.

Lead author Carol A. Shively said that these

observations are important for human health because Zoloft is widely prescribed for a number of disorders other than depression.

In humans, Shively said, volume differences in neural structures have been noted in depressed and non-depressed individuals, with the most commonly reported differences being smaller volumes of the cingulate cortex and hippocampus in depressed people.

One potential mechanism through which drugs such as Zoloft can be effective as antidepressants is by promoting neuron growth and connectivity in these brain regions.

Good sleep can lower Blueberry extract could effects of stress in kids treat gum infection

Eight to nine hours of good quality sleep every night, combined with other healthy lifestyle behaviours, can reduce the negative consequences of stress in kids, suggests new research.

Getting a good night’s sleep might buffer the impact of stress on kids’ Cortisol level, which is a hormone produced in the adrenal gland to regulate the body’s cardiovascular, metabolic and immune systems. While short-term exposure to Cor-

tisol prepares the body for the “fight or flight” response, long-term exposure to Cortisol can put people at risk for health problems, like heart diseases, weight gain and depression. “It is important that parents educate their kids at an early age about the importance of consistent and healthy sleep habits,” said Lead Author of the study Jinshia Ly from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada.

For the study, the research

team recruited 220 kids aged eight to 18 years old.

The participants gave saliva samples from which their Cortisol levels were measured. The kids and their parents also answered questions about stress, sleep habits and bedtime routines. The researchers found that poorer sleep quality, regardless of how long kids spent sleeping, promoted the negative effects of stress on their Cortisol levels.

Scientists have discovered that wild blueberry extracts help prevent dental plaque formation and treat severe gum diseases.

The findings could lead to reduced use of antibiotics to treat the serious gum infection disease called periodontitis.

The researchers from Laval University in Quebec City, Canada, said they were developing an oral device that could slowly release the blueberry extract after deep cleaning to help treat periodontitis.

Gum disease is a common condition among adults that occurs when bacteria form biofilms or plaques on teeth, and consequently the gums become inflamed.

Many people have had some degree of gum inflammation, or gingivitis, caused by dental plaque.

The gums get red and swollen, and they bleed easily. If left unchecked, the condition can progress

to periodontitis. The plaque hardens into tartar, and the infection can spread below the gum line and destroy the tissue supporting the teeth.

To treat this condition, dentists scrape off the tartar and sometimes have to resort to conventional antibiotics.

But recently researchers

which work against foodborne pathogens, could also help fight Fusobacterium nucleatum, one of the main species of bacteria associated with periodontitis.

In the lab, the researchers tested extracts from the wild blueberry against F. nucleatum.

The polyphenol-rich

have started looking at natural antibacterial compounds to treat gum disease.

Daniel Grenier and colleagues from Laval University wanted to see if blueberry polyphenols,

extracts successfully inhibited the growth of F. nucleatum, as well as its ability to form biofilms.

It also blocked a molecular pathway involved in inflammation, a key part of gum disease.

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Turkey Pot Pie

Breaded ChiCken Fingers

baking powder. Remove chicken from refrigerator, and drain, discarding buttermilk mixture. Place chicken in flour mixture bag. Seal, and shake to coat.

Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Carefully place coated chicken in hot oil. Fry until golden brown and juices run clear. Drain on paper towels.

Ingredients: 1 recipe pastry for a (10 inch) double crust pie, 4 tablespoons butter, divided 1 small onion, minced 2 stalks celery, chopped 2 carrots, diced, 3 tablespoons dried parsley, 1 teaspoon dried oregano salt and pepper to taste 2 cubes chicken bouillon 2 cups water, 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed, 1 1/2 cups cubed cooked turkey, 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/2 cup milk Directions: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Roll out bottom pie crust, press into a 10 inch pie pan, and set aside. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add the onion, celery, carrots, parsley, oregano, and salt and pepper. Cook and stir until

chips.

Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until fish is opaque and flakes with a fork. Serve topped with sliced avocado and sour cream.

Ingredients: 1 (16 ounce) package angel hair pasta 1/4 cup olive oil 1/2 onion, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups roma (plum) tomatoes, diced 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1 (10.75 ounce) can low-sodium chicken broth crushed red pepper to taste freshly ground black pepper to taste 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese Directions: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Pour olive oil in a large deep skillet over high-heat. Saute onions and garlic until lightly browned. Reduce heat to medium-high and add tomatoes, vinegar

Ingredients: 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1/2 inch strips 1 egg, beaten 1 cup buttermilk 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 quart oil for frying Directions: Place chicken strips into a large, resealable plastic bag. In a small bowl, mix the egg, buttermilk and garlic powder. Pour mixture into bag with chicken. Seal, and refrigerate 2 to 4 hours.

In another large, resealable plastic bag, mix together the flour, bread crumbs, salt and

Mexican Baked Fish

Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds cod 1 cup salsa 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese 1/2 cup coarsely crushed corn chips 1 avocado - peeled, pitted and sliced 1/4 cup sour cream Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease one 8x12 inch baking dish.

Rinse fish fillets under cold water, and pat dry with paper towels. Lay fillets side by side in the prepared baking dish. Pour the salsa over the top, and sprinkle evenly with the shredded cheese. Top with the crushed corn

Pasta Pomodoro

and chicken broth; simmer for about 8 minutes.

Stir in red pepper, black pepper, basil and cooked pasta, tossing thoroughly with sauce. Simmer for about 5 more minutes and serve topped with grated cheese.

Basil Shrimp

Penne Pasta with sPinaCh and BaCon Ingredients: 1 (12 ounce) package penne pasta 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 6 slices bacon, chopped 2 tablespoons minced garlic 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes 1 bunch fresh spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces Directions: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the penne pasta, and cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place bacon in the skillet, and cook until browned and crisp. Add garlic, and cook for about 1 minute. Stir in the

the vegetables are soft. Stir in the bouillon and water. Bring mixture to a boil. Stir in the potatoes, and cook until tender but still firm. In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in the turkey and flour. Add the milk, and heat through. Stir the turkey mixture into the vegetable mixture, and cook until thickened. Cool slightly, then pour mixture into the unbaked pie shell. Roll out the top crust, and place on top of filling. Flute edges, and make 4 slits in the top crust to let out steam. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and continue baking for 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

tomatoes, and cook until heated through.

Place the spinach into a colander, and drain the hot pasta over it so it is wilted.

Transfer to a large serving bowl, and toss with the remaining olive oil, and the bacon and tomato mixture.

Ingredients: 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 cup butter, melted 1 1/2 lemons, juiced 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard (such as Grey Poupon Country Mustard™) 1/2 cup minced fresh basil leaves 3 cloves garlic, minced salt to taste white pepper 3 pounds fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined skewers Directions: In a shallow, non-porous dish or bowl, mix together olive oil and melted butter. Stir in lemon juice, mustard, basil, and garlic, and season with salt and white pepper. Add shrimp, and toss to coat. Cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat grill to high heat. Remove

shrimp from marinade, and thread onto skewers. Discard marinade.

Lightly oil grill grate, and arrange skewers on preheated grill. Cook for 4 minutes, turning once, or until opaque.

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