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THE CONTACT WEEKLY NEWSPAPER ISSUE - 683, 6 - 12 SEPTEMBER 2016 PH: (905) 671 - 4761

‘HE PROMISED ME A JOB ONLY TO DRUG & RAPE ME’ Ousted AAP minister Sandeep Kumar arrested after woman accuses him of spiking her drink before sexually abusing her

Great laughter challenge: Punjab poll arena turns comedy circus SACKED Delhi minister Sandeep Kumar raped her after slipping sedatives into her drink and there was nothing “consensual” about the activities recorded in a “sex tape” that he features in, a woman seen in the CD told police on Saturday. Authorities arrested Kumar while AAP suspended him from the party days after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal removed the scandal-hit lawmaker from the Cabinet. The development comes amid a raging controversy over the disk which has a video and photographs purportedly showing the Sultanpur Majra MLA in a compromising position with two women. “I used to live in G-block and wanted a ration card for myself,” said the woman who approached the police and was taken for a medical test. “While passing by I met Kumar and requested him for help in getting it made. I went to his residence to get a ration card issued. He offered me a soft drink which was spiked with sedatives. I fell unconscious after which he sexually exploited me.” Chief Minister Kejriwal tweeted that Kumar should be given “exemplary punishment” if the charges are proven. “If woman’s allegations are correct, Continued on Page 20-21

Chandigarh Politics is now serious business for Punjab comedians.

Of the three main players in the state elections early next year, two, Bhagwant Mann and Gurpreet Ghuggi of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), have been finalists in a television show, The Great Indian Laughter Challenge, and one, cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, has been the show’s judge.

AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal’s wants Punjabis to laugh all the way to the ballot. But the Guru of Comedy just bowled a googly to the AAP by cobbling up a fourth front, theAwaaz-e-Punjab, last week.

Perhaps, Kejriwal should have closely followed Sidhu’s one-liners or Sidhuisms such as, “In the

garden of opportunities, it’s much better to pluck the fruit than to wait for it to fall.” He could have gauged better from the name of Sidhu’s Twitter handle: sherryontop.

Sting in the tale But the AAP has a ready pool of comedians to draw from. The party has appointed stand-up comedian Ghuggi as its new state convener after sacking Sucha Singh Chottepur over a cash sting.

Mann, on his part, is the party’s campaign committee chairman in Punjab and can draw crowds at rallies any time of the day, even 10 at night! Jokes from his stock at rallies are: “The seats of the Congress in Delhi assembly are less than (RJD leader) Lalu Yadav’s children”; and on Badals: “Hukumat woh kartein hain jinka dilon pe raaj

hota hai. Kehne ko to murge ke sar pe bhi taaj hota hai . (A ruler is one who rules hearts. For that matter, even a rooster wears a crown).”

Many of Mann’s speeches are popular on social media and beamed by Punjabi web channels.

Ghuggi the antidote?

Inducted into the AAP six months ago, many see Ghuggi as a replacement not just for Sidhu but also for Mann, who has courted one controversy after the other fromuploading a video of Parliament’s security to coming drunk to the House, as suspended AAP MP Harinder Singh Khalsa, complained. More recently, Mann accused the media of publishing “paid news” and asked them to leave his rally at Bassi Pathana.

The man,

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6 - 12 Sep., 2016

Hong Kong maids march against Indonesian police break window-cleaning after deaths up male prostitution ring

HONG KONG Domestic helpers in Hong Kong marched in protest Sunday after several maids fell to their death from tower block windows as they tried to clean them.

There are 300,000 maids in Hong Kong, mostly from the Philippines and Indonesia, with concern growing among rights groups over their welfare following several abuse cases.

A 35-year-old Filipina domestic helper fell to her death last month as she was reportedly cleaning the outside of the windows of her employer’s flat.

Organisers of Sunday’s rally said

they believed at least three maids had died falling from windows this year.

Hundreds of helpers marched in the centre of Hong Kong Sunday shouting “We are workers, not slaves!”

In a city of skyscrapers, they are calling on the government to ban employers from asking maids to clean the outside of windows.

“For us it’s hard to say no when employers ask us to clean windows, but it’s scary,” said Dolores Balladares, a spokeswoman for the Asian Migrants’ Coordinating Body.

“It’s about time for the government to protect the workers.”

Thai domestic worker Waen Takruerat, 42, said the majority of maids were expected to clean windows inside and out.

“It’s scary and dangerous so I told my boss I can’t do it,” she told AFP. The plight of maids in Hong Kong was thrown into the spotlight by the case of Indonesian helper Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, who was beaten and starved by her employer Law Wan-tung in a case that made world headlines.

Law was jailed in February 2015 for six years.

Campaigners have long sought reforms, including ending the requirement for maids to live with their employers. They say this makes it difficult for them to escape abuse.

They also want the government to abolish the “two-week rule” under which domestic workers must leave Hong Kong 14 days after they quit a job, unless they can find other employment within that time.

So far the government has shown no indication it will relax either rule.

with 150 young men, boys

Jakarta Indonesian police said on Monday they had broken up an online male prostitution ring and identified nearly 150 young men and boys, at least one as young as 13, offering sexual services.

There are no reliable statistics on sex crime in Indonesia but the government has said it faces a “child sex abuse emergency”.

President Joko Widodo recently signed a regulation allowing for harsher punishments for child molesters and rapists, including chemical castration and the death penalty.

Agung Setya, chief of police criminal investigations, said many of the 148 people offering services were underage with the

youngest was 13 and the oldest 23.

“We have identified 148 more victims, and as many as 45 are boys,” he said, according to the Kompas daily.

At least seven of the victims had been taken to government counselling and rehabilitation facilities, he said.

Three men were arrested last week in connection with the case, including a pimp, and a customer believed to be foreign, police have said, though they have not given details.

Homosexuality is not illegal in Indonesia, except in the particularly conservative province of Aceh, but sex between an adult and a minor is illegal.

thought I was a germ,” she added.

“Like if they touched me they would be touching something bad. But I’m thankful because that made me really strong.”

Yoshikawa, who speaks fluent Japanese and English and towered over her rivals at 1.76 metres (5 ft, 8 ins), will contest for the Miss World crown in Washington this December.

“When I’m abroad, people never ask me what mix I am,” said Yoshikawa, who earned her elephant trainer’s licence to add spice to her resume.

“As Miss Japan, hopefully I can help change perceptions so that it can be the same here too. The number of people with mixed race is only going to increase, so people have to accept it.”

Reaction to Yoshikawa’s victory failed initially to

trigger any real outrage, although predictably some were unhappy.

“What’s the point of holding a pageant like this now? Zero national characteristics,” grumbled one Twitter user, while another fumed: “It’s like we’re saying a pure Japanese face can’t be a winner.”

As the Japanese government continues to push its “Cool Japan” brand overseas to entice foreign tourists for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Yoshikawa promised to win over any doubters.

“There was a time as a kid when I was confused about my identity,” she admitted. “But I’ve lived in Japan so long now I feel Japanese.”

Half-Indian Priyanka Yoshikawa crowned Miss Japan, but not everyone’s impressed Tokyo A half-Indian with an elephant trainer’s licence was crowned Miss Japan on Monday, striking a blow to those demanding a ‘pure’ Japanese pageant queen.

Priyanka Yoshikawa’s tearful victory comes a year after Ariana Miyamoto faced an ugly, racist backlash for becoming the first black woman to represent Japan.

Social media lit up after Miyamoto’s trail-blazing triumph as critics complained that Miss Universe Japan should not have gone to a “haafu” — Japanese for “half”, a word used to describe mixed race.

“Before Ariana, haafu girls couldn’t represent Japan,” Yoshikawa said after her exotic Bollywood looks helped sweep her to the title.

“That’s what I thought too. I didn’t doubt it or challenge it until this day. Ariana encouraged me a lot by showing me and showing

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Yoshikawa, born in Tokyo to an Indian father and a Japanese mother, vowed to continue the fight against racial prejudice in homogenous Japan, where multiracial children make up just two percent of those born annually. “I think it means we have to let it in,” said the 22year-old when asked what it signified for her and Miyamoto to break down cultural barriers.

“We are Japanese. Yes, I’m half Indian and people are asking me about my ‘purity’ — yes, my dad is Indian and I’m proud of it, I’m proud that I have Indian in me. But that does not mean I’m not Japanese.”

Yoshikawa, like

Miyamoto, was bullied because of her skin colour after returning to Japan aged 10 following three years in Sacramento and a further year in India.

Mahatma Gandhi’s visit “I know a lot of people who are haafu and suffer,” said Yoshikawa, an avid kick-boxer whose politician great-grandfather once welcomed Mahatma Gandhi for a two-week stay at their home in Kolkata.

“We have problems, we’ve been struggling and it hurts. When I came back to Japan, everyone

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6 - 12 Sep., 2016

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6 - 12 Sep., 2016

ISIS loses all territory along Syria-Turkey border!

Turkish troops and allied Syrian rebels expelled the extremist Islamic State in Iraq and Syria group from the last strip of territory it controlled along the SyrianTurkish border on Sunday, effectively sealing the extremists’ self-styled caliphate off from the outside world, Turkey’s state-run news agency reported. Also on Sunday, Syrian progovernment forces backed by the airstrikes launched a wide offensive in the northern city of Aleppo, capturing areas they lost last month and besieging rebel-held neighborhoods, state media and opposition activists said.

A large number of Turkish tanks crossed the border into Syria, and many more are massed on the border, ready to cross, in what Turkey is calling a “new

SUNNY BAINS

phase” of its military action in Syria.

Turkey’s tanks are supported by thousands of Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebels who have been fighting both the so-called Islamic State (or Daesh) and the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG). Both the FSA and the YPG are backed by the US military, even though they’re fighting each other. The US administration favors the YPG because it’s been the major fighting force against ISIS, which the US considers a threat to its national security.

As we wrote in these columns last week, US vice president Joe Biden issued a demand to the Kurdish YPG forces to move back east and remain east of the Euphrates River. The Syrian Kurds have been the most effective US ally in fighting

But it was also the site of the bloodiest massacre by al-Assad’s father Hafez alAssad in the Syrian civil war. As The Contact weekly has told you in these columns in the past, Syria’s last generational crisis war was the civil war that climaxed in 1982 with the massacre at Hama. There was a massive uprising of the 400,000 mostly Sunni citizens of Hama against Syria’s president Hafez al-Assad, the current president’s father.

In February, 1982, al-Assad turned the town to rubble, 40,000 deaths and 100,000 expelled. Hama stands as a defining moment in the Middle East. It is regarded as perhaps the single deadliest act by any Arab government against its own people in the modern Middle East. But once the Hama was

of collapse.

Mideast expert Scott Lucas, a professor at Birmingham University, described the situation in an interview on RFI. He said that the attack on Hama has forced alAssad to split his forces between Hama and Aleppo: “What we’ve seen in the past week does raise the prospect he may lose Hama city, which is the 4th largest city in Syria. The majority of the local population is against the regime there, and it’s really in effect been an occupying force in Hama since early in the uprising.

The regime is trying to get back into this artillery base in Aleppo, and they’re putting up wave after wave of attacks to be able to do this, and they may be able to claim this one victory, but the problem is that they’ve got to this on multiple

ISIS in Syria, but they’ve had another major objective - namely to take control of a region along almost the entire SyriaTurkey border, in order to declare an independent Kurdish state called Rojava. This plan is anathema to both Turkey and Syria. Although Turkey’s tanks are nominally fighting ISIS, there’s little doubt that the principal target is the YPG. The Kurds now see themselves the victims of betrayal by the United States and have vowed to fight to the death to stop Turkey from “invading the region.”

Syrian rebels capture 14 villages near Hama in four days From Tuesday to Friday of the last week, Syria’s anti-regime rebels conducted the biggest coordinated rebel assault in Hama province since 2014 and seized control at least 14 villages. The rebels came under heavy air attacks by the air force of Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad, as well as by Russian warplanes. Hama province is of strategic importance because it connects rebelcontrolled Idlib province to Damascus.

But it also carries a great deal of symbolic importance. Hama was the site of some of the first anti-Assad protests at the beginning of the “Arab Spring” in 2011. At that time, al-Assad responded to the peaceful protests by shelling civilian neighborhoods and shooting protestors on sight.

destroyed, the anti-government movement against Hafaz al-Assad pretty much ended, as that was the climax of the generational crisis civil war.

But today’s war is not a generational crisis war, but an Awakening era war, and the rules are different. Today’s antiAssad rebels still have fresh memories, either personally or through their parents, of the 1982 massacre, and they’re not going to allow anything like that to stop them this time. The larger picture is that the rebel assault on Hama has a strategic objective of forcing al-Assad to split his forces between Hama and Aleppo, the latter being the city where Syrian forces have been trying to take control for months. The regime declared several times that victory was at hand, only to be defeated each time.

Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian army once again close to collapse During 2015, we repeatedly reported in these columns that the army of Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad was near collapse, after al-Assad’s army suffered a number of significant major setbacks and was being crippled by massive desertions. Al-Assad was saved by the massive intervention by Russia, Iran and Hezbollah. However, al-Assad’s government is rotten to the core, and the Russian military intervention appears to have saved al-Assad only temporarily, as the army is once again showing signs

fronts now. They not only have to be able to secure areas on the Aleppo front, they’ve got to be able to push the rebels back on the Hama front. We knew this a year ago. At the time when the rebels took the entire Idlib province up in the northwest, we knew that there were manpower problems because president Assad came out and said it. He sort of warned his population almost in a sense that the military was on the point of collapse.

What saved the regime at that point was this massive intervention by the Russians, in terms of the aerial operations, in combination with a sharp escalation of Iranian and Hezbollah support, including not only Iranian units but Iranian-led foreign militias, especially the use of Iraqis and Afghan militias. ...

We’re now looking at a de facto partitioning of the country. You’re going to have Kurdish areas of Syria up in the northeast because the Kurds have pushed back the Islamic State. The rebels who now of course have Turkish support will hold parts of the north and the northwest. The Assad regime, that can no longer hold a national government, will try to hold the line from the Mediterranean through Homs to Damascus, and President Assad will hope to continue to remain in power as president of not all of Syria but at least part of it.”

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Issue - 683 (5)

6 - 12 Sep., 2016

Kabul’s once battle-scarred zoo roars back to life

Sometimes we go through the motions. We buy presents when we're not feeling generous. We spend time with someone when we feel like going into solitary confinement. We acquiesce to plans we have no interest in. Why make sacrifices for another's heart? If the point of a relationship is to satisfy emotional desires, who benefits from our sacrifices? Yet the truth is, that a lasting relationship always involves compromises.

For continuing happiness there must be times of selflessness. Treat the relationship, not the person. As long as it is a good state of health, both hearts have the chance to flourish. !!!

The world is full of people who love us - and people who we love. Yet it is also full of people who are difficult to be with. Often, those people are the very same ones for whom we have deep feelings. In the realm of emotional involvement, if relationships are tricky, they become downright exasperating when there's an element of romance.

The more joy someone can awaken within us, the more frustration they can potentially cause too. You're now asking yourself if a situation is 'worth the stress.' But only your heart knows the answer to this question! !!!

Are your romantic ideas realistic? Are you aiming for the B e s t R e l a t i o n s h i p Ever? Are you hoping to win the award for Most H a r m o n i o u s Companionship?

Relationships don't, of course, need to be defined in such terms. Not everything needs a label, let alone a trophy. Most of them need to be allowed just to 'be'. They'll develop in their own way, at their own pace. You'll experience a greater insight and a deeper understanding of yourself soon. So, you'll be better equipped to make emotional ties work. Take

the pressure off: sometimes letting go is the best form of control. !!!

Don't give up. Don't succumb to doom, gloom, doubt, despair or any of the other miserable moods that are now so fashionable as the world seemingly lurches from one crisis to another. The happy folk will be back.

Twice as bright and breezy because they'll be saying, 'Hey, look, we survived that, so we can survive anything, can't we?' They'll be right.

If you reach now, for the brightest view in a seemingly dark situation, you will be right too. Your heart can beat a little faster, work a little harder, give - and receive - a little more, now. !!!

Some people have romantic fantasies that center on the idea of being rescued or saved. Such dreams betray a secret passivity. The idea is that if things are ever to change for the better, it will be because some wonderful person has walked in and taken control. But very little emotional fulfilment can ever come from allowing another person to claim so much power. As you now look at what you want to happen next in your life, you also need to look at what you can do to be the great, brave interventionist. !!!

Moving from 'casual' to 'serious' is an important yet daunting step. 'Can you trust this person with your intimate secrets?' 'Will they still want me when they know what I'm really like?' 'Will I still want them?' The problem is that as we start to really care, the worries tend to grow.

It's all too easy to become uneasy. Yet, all great endeavors involve an element of risk, sacrifice and uncertainty. Despite the concerns you may have, there's the possibility of developing a strong partnership. It may, or may not involve romance. Keep your eyes open by all means, but keep your heart open too.

KABUL Its scarred lion Marjan was for years a symbol of Afghan survival. Now, more than a decade after his death, Afghanistan remains battered by war but Kabul zoo is buzzing again - a haven for women, children and young lovers in a capital city that has little public space for anyone but men.

The carnival of animal life may be a mundane affair compared to other places, but it seems like an anomaly in Kabul, a warscarred city benighted by post-traumatic stress, which still faces a high risk of insurgent attacks.

Men with children, women in blue burqas, crowds of young students - girls and boys - come to this haven to relax.

“My wife and I have come here to take a break and forget our pain and sorrows,” explains Mohammad Ali Akbari, a resident of southern Ghazni province, one of the worst hit by the Taliban insurgency. “My wife is a bit sick. I brought her here so she can breathe fresh air and enjoy the normal things of life,” he adds, as his wife gazes at a bear inside a cage.

Children peer through a wire mesh fence, amused by monkeys swinging their tails and frolicking from one tree to another, as some of them imitate their whoops and barks.

Loud music emanates from the zoo canteen near an aviary with pheasants and other birds, as families huddled in conversation around burgers, fries and canned sodas.

Other picnickers seek respite from the scorching afternoon heat under the shade of trees, while enjoying platters of cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon.

Blushing young lovers sit on a bench opposite the gazelle cage, seeking an escape from prying eyes in a city where harassment is otherwise commonplace.

The Kabul zoo - the only one in the country - is located in the heart of the Afghan capital, surrounded by a dense warren of muddy flat-topped houses.

Before the 1992-1995 civil war, the zoo was home to many exotic animals. But most of them were either killed or escaped as mortar rounds slammed into the zoo during fighting, leaving only a bear with a nose injured by children who jabbed it with a stick, a

scattering of monkeys, an assortment of birds of prey - and Marjan, the showpiece lion who was blinded by a grenade blast in 1993.

Many of the smaller and tamer animals, such as sheep and goats, were stolen for food. More exotic creatures, such as rare species of birds, were sold on the black market or smuggled out of the country.

The zoo has since undergone a slow and painful reconstruction, now housing around 600 animals, many of them gifted by countries such as India and China.

“It is now more than a zoo,”

said Aziz Gul Saqib, who has served as director for more than a decade.

“Families feel safe here.

They see the zoo as a place for rejuvenation,” he told AFP, adding that last year more than 700,000 people visited the zoo, including 50,000 students.

The zoo, he said, earned 17 million Afghanis ($250,000) last year from ticket sales and other revenues, making it self-sustainable.

It is equipped with hi-tech surveillance cameras and loudspeakers - often used to chide those who tease the animals.

“It is very important to teach people about wildlife because exotic animals in

Afghanistan are on the verge of extinction,” Saqib said.

Marjan was seen as a symbol of Afghanistan’s national survival after living through coups, invasions, the grenade attack which scarred his face and blinded him, civil war and the hardline Taliban era which ended in 2001.

He died in 2002 and is now buried in the zoo, but his bronze statue greets visitors at the entrance with many visitors posing beside it for selfies and photographs.

A new Marjan made headlines around the world when AFP found him in 2014, living on the roof of a compound in the upmarket Taimani district of the capital.

Government inspectors took him from the owner as the lion’s health declined and brought him to the zoo.

He did not live - but as the conflict grinds on, the zoo itself has become a symbol of Afghan endurance.

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6 - 12 Sep., 2016

Philippines’ President Duterte calls Obama ‘son of a whore’ Philippines Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte called Barack Obama a “son of a whore” on Monday as he vowed not to be lectured by the US leader on human rights when they meet in Laos.

The acid-tongued Duterte bristled at warnings he would face questioning by the US President over a war against drugs in the Philippines that has claimed more than 2,400 lives in just over two months.

“You must be respectful.

Do not just throw away questions and statements. Son of a whore, I will curse you in that forum,” Duterte told a news conference shortly before flying to Laos to attend a summit.

“We will be wallowing in the mud like pigs if you do that to me.”

Duterte was due to hold a bilateral meeting with Obama on Tuesday afternoon on the sidelines of a gathering of global leaders hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Vientiane, the Lao capital.

But shortly after Duterte spoke, Obama appeared to cast doubt on whether such a meeting could take place.

Calling Duterte “a colourful guy”, the US president said was asking his staff to find out whether a meeting would be useful.

“I always want to make sure if I’m having a meeting that it’s actually productive and we’re getting something done,”

he told reporters.

Duterte, 71, was elected in May after a promise to wage an unprecedented war on illegal drugs that would see tens of thousands of suspects killed.

Official figures released Sunday show that, since he took office on June 30, over 2,400 people have been killed in police antidrug operations and by suspected vigilantes.

Speaking on the sidelines of the G20 summit in the Chinese city of Hangzhou, Obama said Washington recognised that drugs were a significant problem for the Philippines. But he insisted that he would not shy away from raising concerns about the way the issue was being handled under the new administration.

“The issue of how we

approach fighting crime and drug trafficking is a serious one for all of us.

We’ve got to do it the right way,” he said.

“Undoubtedly, if and when we have a meeting, this is something that’s going to be brought up. And my expectation, my hope is that it could be dealt with constructively.”

Duterte has angrily rejected criticism from the Catholic Church, human rights groups, legislators and the United Nations.

And he vowed Monday the bloodbath would continue as he pursued his goal of eradicating illegal narcotics in the Philippines.

“More people will be killed, plenty will be killed until the last pusher is out of the streets. Until the

(last) drug manufacturer is killed, we will continue and I will continue,” he said.

Duterte insisted he would not take orders from the United States, a former colonial ruler of the Philippines, and did not care about how he was perceived.

“I don’t give a shit about anybody observing my behaviour,” he said.

Duterte has quickly earned a reputation for making offensive comments about his critics, or others he does not like. He has also branded Pope Francis and the US ambassador to Manila sons of whores.

And before the United Nations criticised him, he told the global body to “F*** you”.

Khan subjected the woman to the “ferocious” assault when he was “full of whisky, full of hate”, Judge John Plumstead said. His victim was stabbed and cut as she tried to defend herself against the attack that left her with a swollen and bruised face, and multiple “gaping” lacerations.

During the prolonged assault, Khan filmed her eating food he had contaminated with his own faeces, and brushing her teeth with a toothbrush similarly contaminated.

At one point he made her get on her knees and beg for forgiveness, the court heard. The woman went to police when her attacker allowed her to leave her

home to get tobacco for him.

Khan pleaded guilty to assaulting the woman, causing actual bodily harm and wounding her with intent to cause her serious harm.

The court was told unemployed Khan had 18 previous convictions and spent his time drinking and taking drugs.

Sentencing him to 11 years in jail and a further four years on licence, Judge Plumstead told Khan: “It was a ferocious, sadistic and violent attack.

“You were brutal towards this young woman. She suffered really serious harm at your hands. You battered her,” the Judge said.

Move over Nessie: Real In a ‘sadistic’ attack, man jailed for Scottish sea monster found force-feeding woman with excrement

PARIS A toothy, dolphin-like predator which prowled the oceans in the Jurassic era, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, has been uncovered in a Scottish museum where it lay buried for 50 years, scientists said Monday. First discovered in 1966, the fossil has at last been freed from its prehistoric sarcophagus to reveal a chunky, four-metre-long (13 feet) deepsea killer - its pointed mouth bristling with hundreds of cone-shaped teeth. “It is spectacular,” said palaeontologist

Steve Brusatte of the University of Edinburgh’s School of Geosciences, who helped expose the 170 million-year-old remains. Dubbed the Storr Lochs Monster, the reptile belonged to the ichthyosaur family - scary-looking, finned hunters sometimes called sea dragons - that died out shortly before the dinosaurs, to be replaced by dolphins and whales. Encased in rock, this set of remains was found by an amateur on a beach on the Isle of Skye 50 years ago, and presented to the National Museum of Scotland. “For half a century the museum kept the fossil safe and secure, but there wasn’t the expertise to free it from the very dense rock that surrounded it, or the expertise to study it,” Brusatte told. “But now we finally have that expertise... and have realised that this skeleton is the most complete fossil of a sea reptile ever found in Scotland.

Great laughter challenge: Punjab poll arena turns comedy circus Continued from Page 1 who’s had Punjabis in splits with Ghuggi Junction, Ghuggi da viah (Ghuggi’s marriage). Ghuggi de bache (Ghuggi’s children) and Ghuggi shoo mantar (Ghuggi vanishes) and movies such as Naughty@40, is also a political satirist like Mann.

Clowns and jokers As Punjab braces for Sidhusims and wisecracks, the ruling Akalis and the Congress are not amused.

State Congress president Amarinder Singh’s first reaction to Sidhu joining the AAP was, “He will be just another clown in the AAP fold.”

The Congress also roped in Sufi

singer Hans Raj Hans to draw crowds.

Punjab deputy chief minister and Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal is dismissive about the new crop of comedians-turned-netas.

“If comedy is the key (to winning elections), all jokers will be CMs,” he said in an interview.

The AAP’s counter-attacks also provide comic relief.

Reacting to Sukhbir’s statement that “the AAP is like (terror outfit) ISIS and funded by (Pakistan spy agency) ISI”, the party’s Punjab co-incharge, Sanjay Singh, said, “Sukhbir makes irresponsible and laughable statements. He should be comedy minister not home minister.”

London A 33-year-old man who carried out a “sadistic and violent” attack on a vulnerable woman, forcing her to eat food containing his excrement, has been jailed by a UK court for 11 years.

Attar Khan, thought to be of South Asian origin, admitted to attacking the woman who was known to him on January 6 at her flat in Watford.

The victim, who has mental health issues, was stabbed and beaten over several hours, St Albans Crown Court was told. She went to police after he sent her to buy tobacco the next day.

He was jailed for 11 years last Friday, the BBC reported on Monday.

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6 - 12 Sep., 2016

Issue - 683 (7)

Bangladesh hangs top Jamaat financier Mir Quasem Ali for 1971 war crimes Dhaka Authorities in Bangladesh executed on Saturday a top Jamaat-e-Islami party leader convicted of war crimes involving B a n g l a d e s h ’ s independence war against Pakistan in 1971, an official said.Proshanto

Kumar Bonik, a senior jail superintendent, told reporters that Mir Quasem Ali, known as a business tycoon and top financier for the party, was hanged at 10.30pm. (Bangladesh time) inside Kashimpur jail in Gazipur district.Hours after his family members met Ali inside the jail house, the excursion happened amid tight security.

The execution took place as Ali on Friday told authorities that he would not seek presidential clemency for his crimes.

It followed Tuesday’s rejection by the country’s Supreme Court of a final appeal for scrapping the death sentence given by a special tribunal in 2014.

The Jamaat-e-Islami party has called an eight-hour general strike across the country on Monday to

protest against the execution.Ali is the sixth man to be hanged since 2010 when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formed the special tribunal to try suspected war criminals.

Five of them were from Jamaat-e-Islami party, which is the main partner of opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

Ali became a business tycoon with connection in Saudi Arabia and other middle eastern nations and turned out to be a top financier of Jamaat-eIslami that was banned

after Bangladesh gained independence. But later the party returned to the political landscape following the assassination of independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975.

Ali built businesses from real estate to shipping to media over the last few decades.

On Tuesday, Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha rejected the appeal by Ali, clearing the last legal barrier. Still he had the option to seek presidential clemency but on Friday he refused to do so.

In November, 2014 a special tribunal had sentenced Ali to death for abduction, torture and murder.

Ali was a member of Jamaat-e-Islami’s highest policy-making body. He was found guilty on eight charges including murder.

Jamaat-e-Islami had openly campaigned against independence in 1971.Bangladesh says Pakistani soldiers, aided by local collaborators like Ali, killed 3 million people, raped 200,000 women and forced 10 million people to flee to refugee camps across the border in India.

How Netaji died in a plane crash: Here are the details in 60-year-old declassified Japanese govt report A Japanese government report, in possession of India Today, confirms that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose died in a plane crash in Taipei on August 18, 1945. The report was compiled in 1956 after the

family members believe that he did not die in the plane crash and lived incognito for many years in Ayodhya.

Some documents relating to his death were released in public in January this year

conclusion of a high level probe ordered by the government of Japan. It has concluded that in the course of the plane crash Netaji was severely burnt and injured and he subsequently died at Nanmon Branch of the Taipei Army hospital in the evening of August 18, 1945.This report was prepared and submitted to the Indian embassy in Tokyo in 1956, but has not been made public so far.

However 58 years later its contents are likely to add yet another twist to the ongoing speculation about the circumstances and the exact timing of his death. A section of his followers and

by the Modi government.

The contents of the report reveal that the Subhas Chandra Bose was travelling in the plane that crashed soon after taking off from the Taipei airport. It had barely lifted 20 meters off the ground when the left propeller suddenly broke and fell off leading to the crash.

Describing the scene after the crash, the report says, “Mr Bose was badly injured and severely burnt when he got off the plane, he was rushed to the hospital but lost consciousness and died around 7 pm local time.”

The report is called the “Investigation on the cause

of death and other matters of late Subhas Chandra Bose”. It reveals that the doctors desperately tried to revive him by administering heart stimulants in addition to trying to revive him by artificial respiration but to no avail. Those present by his side when he breath his last were military surgeon Tsuruta, Col Rahiman, Interpreter Nakamura and a guard.The detailed 10-page report contains the names of Netaji’s co-passengers and senior Japanese officials who were spoken to as a part of the inquiry into the cause of the death.

Reports contains drawings of the plane marking passenger seats, sketches of the airport and the hospital room where he was treated upon his arrival at the hospital.The report also gives a detail timeline of Netaji’s journey from the commencement of his journey on August 17 at 8 am from Bangkok to his arrival at 11 am in Saigon, to his departure from Saigon at 5 pm and his arrival and night halt at Tourane. Netaji arrived at Taipei at 12:30 pm and his plane took off from Taipei at 1:50 pm, within minutes of taking off the plane crashed severely wounding Bose.

Pak tax authority issues notice to 450 people, including Sharif’s fmaily members Islamabad Pakistan’s tax authority today issued notices to at least 450 people, including Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s family members, whose names surfaced in the Panama Papers leak for owning offshore companies.

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) issued notices on a day when Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-I-Insaf party organised a huge rally in Lahore to protest alleged corruption by Sharif and failure of state bodies to proceed against his family after Panama leaks.

Khan warned the FBR and National Accountability Bureau, the official anticorruption watchdog, against failure to take against Sharif.

The FBR said in a statement that its Directorate General of Intelligence and Investigation had issued the notices to obtain official versions of the people under media scrutiny.

“The exercise will help to verify the authenticity of the reports that have been surfacing in the media for the past five months,” according to FBR.

The Panama Papers surfaced in April following a massive leak of documents of Panamabased Mossack Fonseca

in the Panama papers.

The government has offered probe against all those mentioned in the leaks but opposition insists that first

company which reportedly deals with the offshore companies of world’s rich individuals.

Sharif’s two sons and a daughter were mentioned as having offshore companies which operated their properties abroad and the FBR had issued notices to them.

Opposition says the foreign assets of Sharif’s family were the result of illegal money transfers and has been asking the Prime Minister to resign to let a fair probe take place against his family.

Sharif’s supporters blame Khan for targeting Sharif for political gains even though his name is not mentioned

probe should take place against Sharif and later on others should be included in it.Khan’s rally in Lahore created massive traffic jams as all major roads were blocked.

Private media reported that a child died when the ambulance taking him to hospital was stuck in the jam.

A similar rally was held in Rawalpindi by Canadabased cleric Tahirul Qadri who wanted justice for his 14 supporters who were killed in Lahore in 2014 during a protest.

Both Imran and Qadri are supporting each other with their basic objective being to dislodge Sharif.

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Lord Krishna’s popularity rising in Communist China

Beijing The cult of Krishna is growing in officially atheist China.

Numbers are difficult to compile and often anecdotal in nature, but the philosophy of love and devotion as symbolised by Krishna, one of Hinduism’s popular deities, is evidently attracting many Chinese in urban areas.

Last week, a large number of devotees celebrated Krishna Janmashtami, the day that marks his birth, across China in big and small groups, at yoga centres and among family members.

Celebrations were mostly marked by chanting of “Hare Krishna”, singing devotional songs, readings from the Bhagavad Gita and distribution of sweets including laddoos.

One of the larger celebrations was held at the International Buddhist Items and Crafts Fair in Dongguan city in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong.

“At the Dongguan fair, we presented the idols of Jagannath, Balaram and Subhadra as three international angels of auspiciousness and distributed 3,000 packages of sweets,” a devotee who identified himself as Gaudiya Das told HT. “There were congregational chanting and we took the three idols on a vehicle around the entire fair, distributing foods like laddoos, chapatis, sweet rice and even (traditional Chinese food) moon cakes,” he said.

The day was also celebrated in the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Harbin and the province of Wuhan, said

Das, a trained practitioner of Bhakti yoga.

Das was careful not to describe the Krishna following as a “movement” because of the sensitivity of the word in Communist China. “We do not want any trouble with the government. The programmes were unofficial.”

“It is not about any religion. You do not have to believe in Hinduism to celebrate Krishna’s birthday. It is like Christmas: the whole world celebrates, everyone is happy.”

Some of the organisers were from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) group.

The Chinese like traditional culture and that’s why Krishna and his teachings are gaining in popularity, he added.

Tradition, however, is not the only reason for this, said Yang Fenggang, director, Centre on Religion and Chinese Society at Purdue University in the US, adding that the Krishna following in China began with yoga.

Italy’s 100 club to reveal its secrets ACCIAROLI Italy-Some of the secrets of an Italian village that has long fascinated scientists because of its high number of active centenarians are set to be revealed this weekend.

Scientists have spent the last

six months looking into why residents of Acciaroli and nearby tiny communities enjoy such extraordinary longevity while also seeming to be largely immune from dementia, heart disease and other chronic conditions associated with ageing in most of the Western world.Scientists from Rome’s Sapienza University and the San Diego School of Medicine will unveil their findings at a conference in the village on Sunday.

Acciaroli is part of the Cilento coast, a largely industry-free area of outstanding natural beauty that now has national park protected status.

It was in the Cilento that the late US nutritionist Ancel Keys first established convincing evidence of the health benefits of a Mediterranean diet based on olive oil and rich in fresh fruit, vegetables and fish.

Sixty years later, it is not hard to find supporting evidence for

Keys’ core thesis in Acciaroli itself.

More than one in 10 - 81 at the mayor’s last count - of the village’s population of 700 has passed the century mark. Among them is Antonio Vassalo, 100.

“We only eat healthy stuff,” he

confirmed to AFP on a visit this week. Antonio’s wife Amina Fedollo, a sprightly 93-year-old, develops the point. “We eat a lot of fish, fresh produce from the countryside that we grow ourselves. “We have our own rabbits, our chickens. Only local products. And olive oil: we consume what we produce.”

Alan S. Maisel, the San Diego cardiologist heading up the project, says the explanation for the longevity and sprightliness could lie in any number of factors - from the villagers’ high consumption of the pungent herb rosemary to the active lifestyles imposed by their home’s steep streets, which means everyone has to do a little bit of tough walking every day.

“Is there something in their genes that may, along with something that they do make them live longer and healthy?” he said.

“They eat rosemary almost every day, and they grow it - maybe this does something that helps.

We know that rosemary improves brain function.” “They are also all physically active.

Whether it is fishing, walking or gardening, everyone does something every day.”

One find that surprised the scientists on the project concerned the subjects’ capillary blood vessels, which tend to degenerate in older people. But the Cilento seniors had decidedly youthful capillaries of the sort found in much younger people, even those in their 20s.

The study focused on 80 elderly people including 25 centenarians.

Sapienza University’s Salvatore Di Somma said the goal was to identify what Acciaroli has to offer the rest of the world.

“What we would like to create is a sort of clinical scoresheet, a tool that says that someone who wants to live well for a long time should have a certain type of diet, a certain level of physical activity, a certain type of social life and a certain way of thinking.”

Maisel said Acciaroli was unusual in that the numbers of very old people were split evenly between men and women.

“Usually a significantly higher number of women live longer than men,” he said, adding that some important lifestyle factors could be every bit as important as the anti-inflammatory properties of rosemary.

“It may have something to do with the fact the older men do nothing but sit around all day outside cafes and are less stressed,” he said.

And there could be another very important ingredient in the recipe for a long and happy life.

“They started with encouraging the practice of yoga. They might not have realised about the religious dimension or nature of the ‘cultural’ practices. Given the prevailing dominance of militant atheism in religious affairs, I think it’s more likely than not that the authorities may try to block further such developments.”

At the same time, more Chinese will be attracted to religion.

“Socially speaking, spirituality/ religion is the glue of society and provides norms for a functional society. After many decades of religious suppression until the end of the Cultural Revolution, China is returning to the normal pattern of spirituality/religion in society. Therefore, I as a sociologist of religion anticipate continuous increase of spiritual pursuers and religious believers in China in the coming years,” Yang said.

On China’s “atheism”, he said: “In the last three to four decades, many religions have revived and grown. It is no longer accurate

to say ‘atheist China’ even though atheism continues to be the official orthodoxy of the Communist Party of China and indoctrinated in schools and universities.”

He said there are CPC officials who are more “open towards religion and want to follow the constitutional principle of religious freedom. But such individuals are in weaker positions.”

Sarah Cook from the Washington-based Freedom House said the CPC “has been fairly consistent about crackdown on religious or spiritual groups that garner a large following seemingly outside party control.”

“The largest and most severe such example is the eradication campaign launched against Falun Gong in 1999 after it grew to have 100 million followers, which was more than the number of CPC members,” said Cook, whose US government-funded NGO works on democracy and political freedom.

Chinese glass bridge, world’s longest, closes

BEIJING The world’s longest glass bridge, over a scenic canyon in China, has been closed less than two weeks after it opened after being overwhelmed by a swarm of visitors.

More than 10,000 visitors a day flooded over the Guinness record-setting attraction, overwhelming managers who had planned to limit visitors to no more than 8,000, local media reported. The bridge is undergoing “an internal system upgrade”, the official Xinhua News service quoted officials as saying, but did not specify when it would reopen.

The group in charge of the attraction said that it would use the closure to update “software and hardware” related to managing visitors, Xinhua said Friday. In an announcement on one of its social media accounts, the company apologised for inconveniencing the many travellers who had made reservations to visit.“You... have cheated consumers,” one angry commenter replied. “I’m on the train right now. I can’t change my

travel plans or get a refund. You have made the world lose hope.

I see you are the world’s number one cheat.”

Some 430 metres (1,400 feet) long and suspended 300 metres above the earth, the bridge spans the canyon between two mountain cliffs in Zhangjiajie park in China’s central Hunan province.

The nature reserve is known for its otherworldly natural beauty.

Famous for its precipitous cloudwreathed mountains, it is a UNESCO world heritage site that reportedly inspired the landscapes of James Cameron’s sci-fi blockbuster Avatar.

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6 - 12 Sep., 2016

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Romeo the miracle dog survives Italy quake ROME A golden retriever called Romeo has been pulled from the rubble of Italy’s earthquake, more than nine days after he was given up for dead.

Touching footage filmed by the firemen who saved him shows

the shaggy dog being lifted out from under a pile of masonry that is all that remains of his owners’ house. Appearing completely relaxed, Romeo slurps his first drops of water in more than 230 hours from a bottle held by one of the firemen.As it becomes clear he is unscathed, the fireman holding him puts him down. Romeo then tiptoes gracefully down the pile of rubble to be reunited with tearful owners who had given up hope of finding him alive. “He’s in great shape,” says one of the firemen as others whoop in delight while Romeo trots around what remains of his yard.As he sniffs out familiar smells with trademark retriever insouciance, he looks for all the world as if he has just woken from a short nap.Romeo’s owners were sleeping on the second floor of their house in the tiny village of San Lorenzo a Flaviano when the earthquake struck before dawn on August 24.They managed to get out, but Romeo, who was sleeping on the first floor, was trapped inside. After searching for him for hours, they were eventually evacuated from

the devastated village for their own safety.All hope of finding Romeo alive appeared to have disappeared until Friday evening, when the couple returned to their home in the company of a group of firemen assigned to help them recover key belongings from the

rubble.Almost as soon as they came into the tiny medieval village, Romeo heard their voices and began barking. “We immediately began moving masonry from where the barking was coming from and incredibly we got to him and he was in pretty good condition,” one of the firemen told the ANSA news agency.“Luckily some beams had fallen in a way that they were holding up the weight of everything above them leaving Romeo with a little niche that he was able to survive in.”No human survivors of the quake have been found since the evening of August 24th, when four-year-old Giorgia was pulled out alive after being located by another canine hero of the disaster, Leo. A labrador who works as a police sniffer dog, Leo was granted an audience with Pope Francis on Saturday, two days after he was guest of honour at a summit between Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The toll from the deadliest quake to hit Italy since the 2009 L’Aquila disaster now stands at

In Egypt, cupping trend attracts new converts

CAIRO The ancient treatment of cupping therapy, said to help blood circulation and relieve muscle tension, is attracting new converts since swimmer Michael Phelps hit the pool in the Rio Olympics with circular red marks on his back. The therapy dates back to ancient Egyptian, Chinese and Middle Eastern cultures.

Body-builder Abdelrahman Ahmed was one of several people taking the

treatment at a medical center in Shubra El-Kheima on the outskirts of Cairo. Glass cups are placed on the body to create suction. The method is said to draw out any toxins, improve blood flow, and soothe sore muscles.Mohamed El-Sayed, a practitioner for more than five years, says his patients vary from elders with kidney failure to ordinary men with back spasms and women with menstrual cramps.

294 confirmed dead following the discovery of another body on Friday evening at Casale, a small village near Amatrice, the tourist town where three quarters of the deaths occurred. The final death count may yet top 300 with a handful of people unaccounted for and some hospitalised victims in a critical condition.Vasco Errani, the government’s reconstruction supremo, vowed Saturday that hundreds of people made homeless by the quake would be back in houses “in your own territory” within seven months.Many are currently housed in tents in a region where freezing overnight temperatures are common from mid-October.

The clear-up operation was given a significant boost on Saturday with the reopening of a key roadbridge on the main road leading to Amatrice. The centuries-old original “bridge of three eyes” was left structurally unsafe by the quake but army engineers have built a temporary by-pass next to it.Farmers organisation Coldiretti meanwhile announced that all the surviving cows in the agricultural area hit by the quake were being fed and milked every day. The milk is being used to make a “caciotta” cheese.

The first samples were sold at a market in Rome Saturday with funds raised going to help farmers in the quake-hit area.

Pakistani pilot sisters make history by co-flying Boeing 777

Two sisters working as pilots for Pakistani national flag carrier PIA have become the first such pair to fly concurrently the Boeing 777 aircraft, the airlines said today.Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) spokesman Danyal Gilani said that Maryam Masood and Erum Masood have been flying different planes but finally ended up in the same plane.

“Pilot sisters make history for PIA by flying Boeing 777 concurrently,” he tweeted.

He said that there was no known record of two real sisters having flown the same weight category aircraft concurrently.

Erum was recently upgraded to fly a Boeing-777, which resulted in the happy coincidence of joining here sister in the cockpit.

It is a good news from PIA, which has been running in losses for years and is struggling to improve its performance.

It launched a premier service on August 14 to attract customers.

Cow-eating croc caught in Northern Australia NORTHERN TERRITORY A large crocodile preying on cattle in Australia’s Northern Territory was caught by wildlife rangers using a baited trap to snare the deadly 4.3 metre reptile in a water hole. Rangers and police were called to a cattle station near Daly River, roughly 200 km south of Darwin, to capture the crocodile which residents said had become a nuisance.

Video released by the Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services on Tuesday showed the crocodile thrashing in the cage as rangers struggled to snare its jaws and drag the animal out of the water. “He got a little bit away from us, but we ended up getting hold of him,” said Police Remote Sergeant Mark Berry.

The animal was sent to Darwin where it will be kept for breeding at a crocodile farm. Meanwhile, the trap would likely go back in the water with fresh bait.

Sri Lankan teenager arrested for hacking president’s website twice to delay exams A 17-year-old Sri Lankan schoolboy was arrested earlier this week for hacking President Maithripala Sirisena’s official website and posting a message requesting A-level exams be postponed.

The teenager, who was taken into custody on Monday, faces a fine of LKR 3,00,000 (Rs 1,38,250) and up to three years in jail. We traced the hack to his home in Kadugannawa, a police official told The Guardian.

ALL ABOUT THE HACK Sirisenas website was hacked consecutively on Thursday and Friday last week - the second attack disabled the website for the weekend.The hacker replaced the presidential website’s homepage with a page elucidating his demands in Sinhala language.

The teenager, indentifying with a

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group named the ‘Sri Lankan Youth’, requested Sirisena to reconsider the decision to hold GCE Advanced Level Examinations in April.

“Dear Mr. President, we are extremely displeased about the decision to hold [exams] in April since the Sinhala/Hindu New Year falls in between the exam dates. Therefore, reconsider that decision,” read one of the messages.Other demands included, take care of the security of Sri Lankan websites, or we will have to face a cyber war,and, If you cannot control the situation hold a Presidential Election. Stop the Prime Ministers irresponsible work.? www.president.gov.lk was back up and running on Monday, however.

COURSE OF ACTION The teenager was arrested following a complaint filed by the presidential media division, according to police.

The teenager, along with a 26year-old man suspected of helping him, was remanded in custody on Tuesday. He has now been sent to a youth detention center.

“Police filed charges under the Computer Crimes Act and the court remanded the two until Friday,” Manju Sri Chandrasean, the lawyer who appeared for the second suspect, told Reuters.

Sri Lankan websites have been hacked in the past, but this is the first instance of arrests being made under the 2007 laws against computer crimes, according to an AFP report.

6 - 12 Sep., 2016

Issue - 683 (10)

Punjabi Sikh parents seek a match for their Canadian born & raised, clean shaven son, 33 yrs. old, 6’-1" tall, handsome, Doctor M.D., completed internal Medicine residency & fellowship (Specialization), now working as a specialist in G.T.A. The girl should be resident Doctor/M.D. or Physician, Born & raised in Canada from Ontario, beautiful atleast 5’-6" tall with family values. Please send your biodata and recent picture to: sm9058@hotmail.com ***682*** Saini Sikh parents invite matrimonial alliance from the GTA for their slim, fair, beautiful, 5’2"/’83 born daughter, born, raised, educated in Canada, Bachelors in Business Management, and employed in the Finance division of a reputable Canadian company.

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

Please email sub2405@gmail.com or call 416-741-0777 *** 680*** Well settled Press Reporter in Canada, age 50+, 6’ tall, B.Sc., M.A.B.Ed, Post graduate diploma in journalisim, retired as Prinicpal from India, earning good pension, wife expired in 2010.

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

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

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

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

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The boy should be Canadian Citizen or PR, equally qualified, well settled in job in Toronto or surrounding area. Preferebly clean shaven. Please send your bio-data and recent picture to: singhjag_@hotmail.com Or Call : 416-722-9771 ***680*** Looking for suitable match for 34 yrs. old, Canadian born male, 5’5” tall, with athletic built, minor physical disability, however fully independent and capable. The girl should be from Canada/ America only. Divorced may also be considred. Please Call : 1604-722-0279 Or : 1-604-525-8062 ***680*** Jat Sikh parents seek a suitable match for their daughter, 26 yrs. old, 5’-2.5” tall, American Citizen, Registered Nurse (RN).

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6 - 12 Sep., 2016

Issue - 683 (11)

In damage-control mode, AAP asks Delhi observers to leave Punjab Chandigarh Rushing to control the damage, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday decided to “send back” the 13 zone observers appointed by party’s national organisation building in-charge Durgesh Pathak.

The central observers, all from the Delhi team of the AAP, were appointed in July 2015 and were responsible for building the party’s organisation in each parliamentary constituency.

They were the “eyes and ears” of Pathak in Punjab and had been given almost unbridled control over local leaders, volunteers and workers. A top leader of the party said they have been asked to report back to Delhi with immediate effect.

The Delhi observers had become a rallying point for the local AAP leaders, who spilt from the party on Friday, throwing their weight behind party’s sacked convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur. The move is clearly aimed at wooing some of those who had shifted to the Chhotepur camp.

HAD BECOME LIABILITIES Chhotepur supporters had alleged that these observers were behaving like “conduits” for

the Delhi leaders, dealing with aspiring candidates for assembly tickets and even positions in the government if the AAP came to power.A close aide of Chhotepur, Hardip Singh Kingra, released an audio recording of the Ludhiana zone observer Ambrish Trikha

“demanding” `5 lakh from an AAP worker of Sarmala to facilitate a meeting with Pathak. An inquiry was ordered into the audio recording, even as Pathak denied he had anything to do with the conversation.With the AAP virtually imploding, it is also expecting more dirty linen to be washed in the public by Chhotepur supporters in the coming days. The former convener’s supporters have been asked to gather “proofs” against the Delhi team, which will then be systematically made public through press conferences.

“We have been collecting funds from supporters for a cause, not for personal use. We demand to know the financial arrangement of the party with these 13 zone and 39 sector observers. How much money they have been paid since last year and what is the work that they did? The NRIs, who are sending hard-earned

Islamic State eliminated from the country, claims Pakistan army The Pakistan Army has said that the footprints of the Islamic State (IS) militant group have been eliminated from the country.

“They tried [sneak] into Pakistan but failed and [were]

apprehended,” Dawn online quoted Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Lt General Asim Saleem Bajwa as saying on Thursday. As many as 309 IS militants have been arrested so far, including 25 Afghans, 127 other foreign nationals and 157 “freelancers” and fighters from small groups.

According to Bajwa, major terror attacks planned by the IS on targets, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, foreign embassies, consulates and their staff, the Islamabad airport, prominent public figures, media persons and law enforcement personnel, were averted.

THREAT IS NOT OVER YET “A proactive approach and the efforts of the law enforcement agencies have forestalled the threat of Daesh for the time being and the network has been busted.”“The threat is not over yet as their presence in the neighbouring Afghan¬istan is still [something] we are worried about,” he said.Bajwa said the IS was operating in some parts of eastern Afghanistan and could try to enter Pakistan. While commenting on US Secretary of State John Kerry’s remarks during India visit in which he urged Islamabad to push harder against militants hiding within its borders, Bajwa said operation Zarb-e-Azb was indiscriminate and against terrorists of all hues and colours.“We have no favourites,” Bajwa said, rejecting the dichotomy of the “good” and the “bad” Taliban.According to Bajwa, since the launch of the operation, terrorist incidents in Karachi had declined by 74 per cent, while target killings, extortion and kidnappings declined by 94, 95 and 89 per cent respectively.

money to the party, have a right to know,” said JS Dhariwal, one of the seven zone coordinators, backing Chhotepur.

OPEN TO TALKS WITH FOURTH FRONT In another conciliatory move, party’s Punjab affairs in-charge Sanjay Singh said on Saturday that the AAP’s doors were open to the members of the fourth front for talks and a mutual agreement.

“All those who are opposed to the Akalis should work together.

Every separate group will only help Akalis,” he said when asked if the front had been created because AAP had ignored Sidhu, Pargat Singh and the Bains brothers. “Talks are never closed,” he said.Responding to Sanjay Singh’s comment, members of the newly formed fourth front Awaaz-e-Punjab independent legislator Simarjeet Bains said they would take a decision in this regard after a meeting with all members of their front and under the guidance of their leader, cricketer-turnedpolitician Navjot Sidhu.“We can neither say we are open to talks nor are we saying that all our doors are shut for any talks of a possible reconciliation with the AAP. It will be discussed with our front members and only then we will be in a position to say something,” Bains said.

Al-Qaeda claims it exchanged former Pak army chief’s son for Ayman al-Zawahiri’s daughters

Terrorist network al-Qaeda has claimed that it exchanged two daughters of its chief Ayman alZawahiri and a third unknown woman weeks ago for the son of General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, former chief of Pakistan Army.

The news was featured in Al Masra, a news magazine that reports extensively on the terror group. A report in ‘The Long War Journal’ also quoted the al Masra to say the same.

However, no media outlet in Pakistan has reported on Kayani’s son being kidnapped by the terror group.

The Al Masra report included tweets of a possible al-Qaeda operative using the account @muhager_o which accused the Pakistani army of capturing Zawahiri’s daughters as part of the war it is waging against alQaeda. The tweets announced

the exchange of the daughters and the son and also bashed the “boastful” Pakistani army. The account has reportedly been suspended.

The claim also said while initially the Pakistani army wasn’t relenting to the exchange, it eventually did. Reports indicate the announcement of the release of Zawahiri’s daughters was made early in August 2016. The women were returned to Egypt.

Hints of such an exchange are found in an interview of Ali Haider Gilani, son of former Pakistan prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. In May 2016, he was rescued three years after he was captured by al-Qaeda. He told Pakistani news outlet Dawn that he was kidnapped in exchange for “the release of some women from Ayman al-Zawahiri’s family…and a hefty sum.”

Muslim tourists branded ‘terrorists’, treated like ‘aliens’ A Muslim family of 12, including seven hijab-clad women, have claimed that they were called ”terrorists” and stared at as if they were “aliens” during their holiday at an English seaside town. The group of 12 visited Skegness, Lincolnshire, last week but one said they were treated like “aliens” after they were allegedly stared at and called “terrorists” by passers-by, The Independent reported. The incident came to light when one of the women woman wrote to ‘Tell MAMA’, a website measuring anti-Muslim attacks that was set up with Government funding and whose data has been used in the past by Prime Minister Theresa May.“Me and my family went for a family trip for the first time to Skegness with a local community centre.

Together there were 12 people, of which 7 of us wore hijabs,” the woman was quoted as saying by Lincolnshire Echo.“Once we reached the main area where there were shops, we noticed a lot of people just staring at us as if we were some form of aliens.

It didn’t really bother us until we walked past the pub and a man shouted ‘terrorists’,” she said. ”My sister and I just looked at each other and didn’t bother looking back at the man and we were shocked at what he had said. As we went to the beach again, a lot of people

continuously stared at us. We just smiled back, but it made us think how ignorant these people are.”The woman said they then went to buy some seaside ‘rock’ and the lady at the shop said to them “don’t you get hot in them”, referring to their hijabs.“My sister

quoted as saying, “We were concerned to hear about the experiences of this visible Muslim family, from the abuse of being called terrorists, to the looks and the abuse that they suffered just to have a day out at the beach.”“The family will not be

replied ‘no’ and they were not that thick and showed her the material of her hijab. The only friendliness the family experienced in the town came from a local Muslim woman, who greeted the family.

This was our first family trip with our kids to Skegness and I don’t think I would like to go again seeing the behaviour of the people there. It really made us sad and made us miss the area we are from and also made us reflect on how different people are in England. It opened my eyes to the nasty comments Muslims get,” the woman said.

A Tell MAMA spokesman was

returning back to Skegness and such incidents will no doubt impact on wider perceptions within Muslim communities around areas,” he said.

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6 - 12 Sep., 2016

Issue - 683 (12)

Key Islamic State leader killed in apparent US strike in Syria Islamic State said on Tuesday one of its most prominent and longest-serving leaders was killed in what appeared to be an American air strike in Syria, depriving the militant group of the man in charge of directing attacks overseas.

A US defense official told Reuters the United States targeted Abu Muhammad alAdnani in a Tuesday strike on a vehicle travelling in the Syrian town of al-Bab. The official stopped short of confirming Adnani’s death, however.

Such US assessments often take days and often lag behind official announcements by militant groups.

Adnani was one of the last living senior members, along with selfappointed caliph Abu Bakr alBaghdadi, who founded the group and stunned the Middle East by seizing huge tracts of Iraq and Syria in 2014.

As Islamic State’s spokesman, Adnani was its most visible member. As head of external operations, he was in charge of attacks overseas, including Europe, that have become an increasingly important tactic for the group as its core Iraqi and Syrian territory has been eroded by military losses.

SEVERAL LEADERS KILLED Advances by Iraq’s army and allied militia towards Islamic State’s most important possession of Mosul have put the group under new pressure at a moment when a US-backed coalition has cut its Syrian holdings off from the Turkish border.

Those military setbacks have been accompanied by air strikes that have killed several of the group’s leaders, undermining its organisational ability and dampening its morale.

A US counter-terrorism official who monitors Islamic State said Adnani’s death will hurt the militants “in the area that increasingly concerns us as the

fighters and provide instruction and inspiration for attacks.

Islamic State’s Amaq News Agency reported that Adnani was killed “while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo.”

Islamic State holds territory in the province of Aleppo, but not in the city where rebels are fighting Syrian government

group loses more and more of its caliphate and its financial base ... and turns to mounting and inspiring more attacks in Europe, Southeast Asia and elsewhere”.

Under Adnani’s auspices, Islamic State launched largescale attacks, bombings and shootings on civilians in countries outside its core area, including France, Belgium and Turkey.

The official said Adnani’s roles as propaganda chief and director of external operations had become “indistinguishable” because the group uses its online messages to recruit

forces.

Amaq did not say how Adnani, born Taha Subhi Falaha in Syria’s Idlib Province in 1977, was killed. Islamic State published a eulogy dated Aug. 29 but gave no further details.

INROADS INTO ISLAMIC STATE Recent advances by the USbacked Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias, and by Syrian rebels backed by Turkey, have made inroads into Islamic State

ED attaches Vijay Mallya’s assets worth Rs 6,630 crore

Mumbai India’s financial crime investigating agency on Saturday took possession of assets worth more than Rs 6,500 crore of liquor baron Vijay Mallya, the second such action against the flamboyant businessman once known as a “king of good times”.

The assets seized by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) include a farmhouse near Mumbai, residential properties in Bengaluru, shares and fixed deposits, an official of the agency said.The ED is probing a laundering case against Mallya, 60, who left the country in March owing more than Rs 9,000 crores to a group of banks. The ED has charged the Rajya Sabha member of diverting nearly half of a Rs 950-crore loan he had taken for the now-defunct

Kingfisher Airlines to acquire properties abroad.“The attachment is on the basis of the fresh case filed against Vijay Mallya and Kingfisher Airlines and the valuation of the said properties and shares is based on their value in 2010…,” an ED official said.The agency said the assets were “proceeds generated out of criminal activity” of the alleged default of bank loans. The bulk of the attachment is in the form of shares amounting to about Rs 5,800 crore, he added.Earlier, the agency had seized assets worth Rs 1,400 crore, mostly immovable properties directly or indirectly owned by Mallya.“Our next step will be working towards filing a prosecution case against Mallya and get a trial against him in the special court.

holdings in Aleppo province, cutting them off from the Turkish border and supply lines along it.

Iraqi army advances against the jihadist group mean Baghdad is on track to retake Mosul by the end of this year, the head of the US military’s Central Command General Joseph Votel said on Tuesday.

Among senior Islamic State officials killed in air strikes this year are Abu Ali al-Anbari, Baghdadi’s formal deputy, and the group’s “minister of war”, Abu Omar al-Shishani. Adnani had joined the group under its founder Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

There were conflicting reports earlier on Tuesday as to where and how he died.

A senior Syrian rebel official said Adnani was most probably killed in the Islamic State-held city of al-Bab in an air strike. Citing unconfirmed reports, he said Adnani was in the Aleppo region to raise morale in the face of mounting pressure.

Islamic State’s territory around Aleppo is of particular significance to the group because it is also the location of Dabiq, where an Islamic prophecy holds the last battle between Muslims and infidels will rage, heralding the end of time.

FACE OF GROUP Iraq said in January that Adnani had been wounded in an air strike in the western province of Anbar and then moved to the northern city of Mosul, Islamic State’s

capital in Iraq.

Adnani is a Syrian from Binish in Idlib, southwest of Aleppo, who pledged allegiance to Islamic State’s predecessor al Qaeda more than a decade ago and was once imprisoned by US forces in Iraq, according to the Brookings Institution.

He was from a well-to-do background but left Syria to travel to Iraq to fight US forces there after its 2003 invasion, and only returned to his homeland after the start of its own civil war in 2011, a person who knew his family said.

He had been the chief propagandist for the ultrahardline jihadist group since he declared in a June 2014 statement that it was establishing a modern-day caliphate spanning swaths of territory it had seized in Iraq and neighbouring Syria.

Adnani had often been the face of the Sunni militant group, such as when he issued a message in May urging attacks on the United States and Europe during the holy month of Ramadan.

The United States designated him a “global terrorist” this year and said he was one of the first foreign fighters to oppose US-led coalition forces in Iraq since 2003 before becoming spokesman of the militant group.

There is a 5 million dollar reward on his head under the US “Rewards for Justice” programme.

IS joke backfires on YouTube star PewDiePie PARIS Hugely popular blogger PewDiePie was back on Twitter Thursday after his account was temporarily suspended when he jokingly claimed he had joined the Islamic State group. The Swedish internet star, who has more than 47 million subscribers to his humorous YouTube video channel, surprised and horrified some of his fans Tuesday when he tweeted that he and fellow blogger Sean William McLoughlin had joined the terror group. PewDiePie, whose real name is Felix Kjellberg, had been protesting at the social network’s “annoying” verified accounts system which can generate automatic notifications on smartphones.

“Me and JackSepticEye have joined Isis,” he tweeted, “Which is why we both got unverified.” “I said NAZIS! Not ISIS,” the Irish YouTube star tweeted back at him, whose account is still verified. “God dammit Felix...”

But the exchange went down badly with some of the 26-yearold Swedish blogger’s fans, who first shot to fame for his gaming videos.“That’s not something to joke about,” one reprimanded him. “ISIS isn’t something to take lightly. It’s serious. I love Pewds but I don’t like this.”

Then Twitter suspended his account - which at the time also carried a sexually graphic profile photo - to a further howl of protest from a group of his fans.

The account was later unblocked with PewDiePie tweeting, “I’m toally fine guys, I am feeling very good today and it’s actually so

made the ISIS joke to ridicule a tweet from “an obviously fake website called Sky News (a fake account with the same name as the British broadcaster) which had claimed that ‘Popular YouTuber Pewdiepie (was) unverified due to suspected relations with ISIS’”. Pewdiepie

heartwarming to see so many people care about me.”Instead of the Twitter’s blue verified account tick - which is to distinguish real from fake accounts which are rampant on the social network PewDiePie had replaced his with a globe symbol, which he claims is less of a “status symbol”.

In a new video blog on his YouTube channel he said that he

said that “it would have taken people half a second” to check to see if the account was real, but most didn’t and “so people started believing that I had joined ISIS. “It is all so dumb. Does this shit matter? Absolutely not. I invite you to join me and be globeified (on Twitter), as I call it, it is way more cool than being verified,” he added.

6 - 12 Sep., 2016

Issue - 683 (13)

Study sounds alarm for slow-breeding forest elephants PARIS Even without poachers, Central Africa’s forest elephants would need almost a century to get their numbers back up to 2002 levels, said a study Wednesday that pried into the elusive creatures’ slow-breeding ways. The population had been decimated by illegal hunting, with an

estimated 65 percent decline between 2002 and 2013, said researchers.Roaming the tropical forests of Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon and Democratic Republic of Congo, the tusker sub-species is thought to have numbered about one to two million at its peak, study co-author George Wittemyer of Colorado State University told AFP. In 1993, the rough estimate was 500,000, and in 2013 some 100,000.“The forest populations are reproducing now, though at a very slow rate,” Wittemyer said by email. ”The problem is that poaching is removing individuals

at a rate that either drives the population to decline or negates any increases due to births.”

Forest elephants are smaller than savannah elephants - the other, much better studied, African sub-species.

Their ears are more oval-shaped, while their tusks are straighter and point downward, according

to environmental group WWF.Targeted by poachers for their meat and ivory-bearing tusks, the forest elephant is categorised as “vulnerable”, which means “facing a high risk of extinction in the wild,” the WWF website says.

Wittemyer and a team analysed data obtained from decades-long, on-sight monitoring of the births and deaths of elephants at Dzanga Bai, a park in Central African Republic.

In what is claimed to be the firstever study of forest elephant demography, they concluded the creature was a much slower breeder than its open-air cousin.

Man pleads not guilty in killing New York imam, aide near mosque on Aug 13 New York A man accused of shooting dead an imam and his assistant as they left a New York City mosque pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Thirty-six-year-old Oscar Morel entered the pleas on Thursday to charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon in the Aug. 13 attack.On August 13, Morel approached 55-yearold Imam Maulana Alauddin Akonjee and his aide Thara Miah, 64, from behind and shot both of them in the head near a mosque in Queens, the prosecutors said.Defense attorney Michael Schwed

questioned how authorities have handled the investigation, saying witnesses couldn’t identify Morel in a lineup.

Schwed says he’s confident he can prove his client is innocent.Morel is due back in court on October 18.

Female forest elephants only start reproducing after the age of 20, and give birth once every five to six years, the team observed.Their cousins from the savannah, by comparison, typically start breeding at 12 and produce a calf every three to four years.“Their reported low birth rates mean that it will take forest elephants at least 90 years to recover” from poaching losses, the researchers said in a statement.

The data suggested that what are considered sustainable levels of trade in forest elephant ivory, were calculated on the basis of overestimated population growth rates, they added. This should be kept in mind when ivory trade limits are next debated, said the team - crucially at a meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species which opens in Johannesburg on September 24.

Forest elephants are crucial for their environment, and many tree species rely on the giants to disperse their seeds. The trees, in turn, absorb climate-altering greenhouse gases.

LYON Driverless minibuses will begin taking passengers in the eastern French city of Lyon at the weekend in a year-long experiment that officials are calling a “world first”.

The two electric vehicles, fitted with high-tech equipment including laser sensors, stereo vision and GPS, can ferry around 15 passengers at a top speed of 20 kilometres an hour (12 mph). The initial route in the heart of the city will last 10

minutes and include five stops.

Manufactured by the French firm Navya and costing 200,000 euros ($225,000) apiece, a prototype was tested in 2013.

The minibuses have already been tested in other French cities as well as in Sion, Switzerland, but without carrying passengers. Driverless electric minibuses made by other companies have also been tested in the western French city of La Rochelle as part of a European experiment.

Pak regulator to penalise illegal airing of Indian channels Islamabad Pakistan’s media watchdog has announced it will crack down on the airing of “excessive foreign content” by TV channels and cable operators, especially those channels that air Indian TV content.

The move from the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority comes ahead of November’s auction of DTH licences to local operators.

It also comes even as the Indian government gave the go- ahead to the state-run All India Radio to broadcast programmes in Baluchi language.

“Adequate time is being given to the cable operators and satellite channels to adjust their timings as per the legal requirements.

Otherwise, punitive action will be taken against the two important segments from October 15,” local daily Dawn quoted PEMRA

Saudi women take to Twitter to break chains of male guardianship For a month now, Saudi women have been actively talking on social media like Twitter to demand the end of male guardianship by using the #TogetherToEndMaleGuardianship hashtag.Saudi women are not just calling for the end of male guardianship in marriage contracts or the transfer of guardianship but they are calling for dropping all forms of ways that control their lives.In Saudi Arabia, in the name of religion, men are allowed to control women even through violence, to maintain the social order.

HRW CAMPAIGN The recent social media campaign started by Saudi women and promoted by

‘World first’ as driverless buses take passengers in France

Human Rights Watch (HRW) focussed on the opressive lives that women have to live there.

The HRW campaign follows a report by Human Rights Watch, which describes Saudi Arabia’s male guardianship system as “the most significant impediment to women’s rights in the country.”The organisation interviewed 61 Saudi women and men for the report and analyzed Saudi laws, policies, and official documents. Every Saudi woman must have a male guardian, normally a father or husband, but in some cases a brother or even a son, who has the power to make a range of critical decisions on her behalf.People all across the world are still tweeting using the same hashtag to show their support to the women in Saudi.

chairman Absar Alam as saying on Wednesday.

He told the newspaper that action against the dealers of Indian DTH would be launched with immediate effect. These channels are being rebroadcast without permission, he added.

He informed that a PEMRA board meeting also decided to completely stop the airing of any Indian channel in the country since none of them had landing rights in Pakistan.

Alam said the PEMRA would write letters to the Federal of Revenue, the State Bank and agencies, including the Federal Investigation Agency, for curbing the sale of Indian DTH decoders in the country.

“Around three million Indian DTH decoders are being sold in the country. We not only want this sale stopped but will also ask the relevant agencies to trace the money trail to determine the mode of payments made to Indian dealers selling these decoders to Pakistanis,” he said.

He said that all the stakeholders, including cable operators and the Pakistan Broadcasters Association, had been forewarned that steps would be initiated in near future against the airing of excessive foreign content. Under PEMRA rules, only 10% of airtime (two hours and 40 minutes in a 24hour transmission) is allowed for foreign content. Alam warned of punitive actions, including suspension and revocation of licences, for repeat violations.

Impotence?

416-992-5489

6 - 12 Sep., 2016

Issue - 683 (14)

Poor Hungary town eyes riches Kirron Kher leads actor MPs with of Suleiman the Magnificent 85% attendance, Rekha finishes last

SZIGETVÁR The recent discovery of the tomb of Suleiman the Magnificent, considered the greatest Ottoman ruler, has raised hopes of a tourism boom in one of Hungary’s most impoverished areas. From hammam baths and crumbling minarets to battle site memorials and ruins of mosques, traces of the country’s 150-year-long stretch (1541-1699) in the Ottoman Empire are not hard to find in Hungary. But many Hungarians see them as relics of a dark period during which the country’s flourishing renaissance era was extinguished.As a result, few of the Ottoman monuments have so far been promoted by the Hungarian authorities.

Suleiman’s case could change that, however.

Experts confirmed in July that excavations begun two years ago in the struggling town of Szigetvar, close to the Croatian border, had revealed the tomb of the 16th-century ruler.

Suleiman died aged 71 on September 7, 1566, during an epic battle with the mainly Croatian defenders

of Szigetvar castle that depleted his forces hoping to quickly advance on Vienna, the capital of the Habsburg Empire. On Wednesday, senior government officials from Hungary, Croatia and Turkey will join thousands of visitors to Szigetvar to commemorate the 450th anniversary of the siege.

“This town is dying, young people are leaving or have already left for Germany or London, but Suleiman can bring in jobs, income, and tourists,” said Norbert Pap, head of the team of researchers whose excavations uncovered the tomb.“Szigetvar may be on the periphery now, but 450 years ago it was on the main street of European history,” Pap, a geographer and historian at nearby Pecs university, told. Born in 1494, Suleiman, whose reign from 1520 to 1566 was the longest of any sultan, greatly expanded the Ottoman Empire, annexing large swathes of the Balkans, the Middle East and northern Africa.

Taken ill before his final battle, Suleiman was found dead in his imperial camp, located an hour’s walk

Srinagar As his colleagues battle violence in the Kashmir Valley, a junior level police officer has found time to marry a girl born in Muzaffarabad -- the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir.Owais Geelani, a sub-inspector, married Faiza Geelani early this week amid raging tension in the Valley.

Family sources said the groom’s father Shabir Geelani, a retired police officer, had travelled to

Muzaffarabad in 2014 to meet members of his divided family across the Line of Control (LoC) -- the de facto border that divides Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan.

There is a regular bus service called the “Karvane-Aman” (Caravan of Peace) from Srinagar to Muzaffarbad between the divided parts of Kashmir.

To rekindle family bond, the elder Geelani performed the ‘nikkah’

east of the castle according to contemporary accounts.

His body, later removed to Istanbul, was drained of its internal organs and heart, which were buried and later built over by a tomb.

While his body was laid to rest in Istanbul, his heart and other internal organs were buried at the site of his death and later covered by a tomb. Around the tomb the town of Turbek grew, the only settlement that the Ottomans built from scratch during their reign in Hungary. At the end of the 17th century, however, both the town and the tomb were wiped off the map by the Habsburgs.

Until 2012 that is, when Pap secured funding from the Turkish government to use technology to try find them. A few days before Christmas 2014 a geophysics survey of a site nestled beneath vineyards and orchards four kilometres to the east of Szigetvar castle returned results that set Pap’s pulse racing. “It showed the presence of buildings, just under the grass, matching positions on the medieval maps of Turbek, and all of them pointing very precisely toward Mecca,” he said.

Excavations gradually uncovered the remains of Turbek: the walls of a mosque, a tomb, dervish monastery cloisters, as well as a wealth of silver coins and fragments of clothing, pottery, glass and metal.

The evidence became overwhelming, and by July this year experts in Turkey were also convinced.

Cross-border love: Srinagar cop marries girl from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir ceremony of his son in Muzaffarabad after obtaining his son’s consent as is mandatory under the Islamic code if the ritual is performed in absence of either the groom or the bride.

The police officer’s family belongs to the Karnah border town in north Kashmir Kupwara district and many members of the extended family had crossed over to Muzaffarabad in 1947.

Since traditional feasting and celebrations during marriages in the valley stand suspended because of the nearly two months of unrest, a small function was held in a local hotel on Tuesday where close relatives of the groom were invited to meet the couple and bless them.

The marriage of the young

New Delhi BJP MP Kirron Kher leads the actor-turned-MPs in attending Parliament sessions, while Rekha has finished last.According to the PRS Legislative Research, a non-profit organisation that keeps records of legislative developments in Parliament, Kher, who represents Chandigarh, 85%?attendance, maximum among actors.

She was followed by Paresh Rawal, BJP MP from Ahmedabad East constituency, TMC’s Satabdi Roy representing Birbhum and Bhojpuri actor-singer and BJP lawmaker from northeast Delhi Manoj Tiwari, all of whom registered attendance of 76%.

The national average attendance for a Lok Sabha MP is 82%?and 79%?in the Rajya Sabha.

Actress Hema Malini, representing Mathura, has 37%?attendance. She participated in 10 debates and asked 113 questions.

Dev Adhikari, TMC MP from Ghatal, also had a meagre attendance of 9%?. The Agnishapath actor participated in just one debate and is yet to ask any question.

Another TMC Rajya Sabha MP and veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty also recorded a poor attendance of 10 per cent.

The 66-year-old actor, whose term started in April 2014, has neither asked

who represents Sangrur in Punjab, has recorded an attendance of 64 per cent, having participated in 79 debates and asked 39 questions.

Biju Janata Dal’s Lok Sabha MP and Odia actor

any question nor has participated in any debate.

Actress Rekha’s attendance was the lowest among actors as she clocked an abysmal 5%.

Nominated to the Rajya Sabha in April 2012, the actress has not asked a single question nor participated in any discussion.

TMC’s Moon Moon Sen and Tapas Paul have attendance of 70 and 64%?respectively. Vinod Khanna, BJP lawmaker representing Gurdaspur, clocked 59%?attendance.

Stand up comedian-turnedpolitician Bhagwant Mann,

Sidhant Mohapatra recorded an attendance of 68 per cent, while its Rajya Sabha MP Anubhav Mohanty had 70%?attendance. He participated in 31 debates and asked 209 questions.

Actress Jaya Bachchan, a Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh, clocked 74%?attendance, while BJP’s Lok Sabha MP from Patna Sahib Shatrughan Sinha had 68%?attendance. The voluble ‘Shotgun’, however, has neither asked any question nor participated in any debate.

Issue 683 (15)

6 - 12 Sep., 2016

MADAM MAYHEM

TINA, Meena ya Reena naam mein kya rakha hai? Lots obviously, when the deal is to relaunch one of Bollywood’s laadli betis, who has lately been struggling to have a career. It’s a role that flaunts explosive action meant to furnish a spiffy image makeover, and a story imported from where else South Indian cinema. So, Sonakshi Sinha is repackaged as Akira. That’s a stylish name for a heroineoriented action flick. Pasted on the posters alongwith Sona’s furious face (she’s playing the very angry gal this time), the name of Ghajinimaker AR Murugadoss as director is a neat hardsell mantra, too. If Sonakshi wanted a departure from her bynow- exhausted desi beauty role play, this film serves that cause at least.

Akira is what her image managers were looking for, to give her out-of-shape career graph a hearty shove. Any resemblance to anything that Japanese maestro Akira Kurosawa ever made (God forbid!) was always absolutely out of the question. Rather, although the film reveals stray generic likeness in its action scenes with cinema of the Far East, it actually borrows from closer home. Akira draws thematic inspiration from a Tamil film called Mouna Guru, which emerged a sleeper hit on release in 2011. While Mouna Guru was the story of a young man who lands in situations that force him resort

Vinayak Chakravorty By

Akira Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Konkona Sen Sharma, Anurag Kashyap, Teena Singh, Amit Sadh, Atul Kulkarni Direction: AR Murugadoss

to violence, the script (Santha Kumar) of Akira changes the central protagonist to a woman, naturally for the benefit of Sonakshi.

A few other minor tweaks have been necessary from the original Mouna Guru story (which incidentally was also written by Santha Kumar), though the film

Out on DVD

Love Games

Cast: Patralekha, Gaurav Arora, Tara Alisha Berry Direction: Vikram Bhatt VIKRAM Bhatt’s latest is meant to be an erotic thriller but ends up a cheesy package mainly aimed at satiating basic instincts. Revealing faint influence of the Hollywood thriller Cruel Intentions, the film casts Patralekha as Ramona Raichand, a rich young widow who is a sex addict. Ramona convinces Sam Saxena (Gaurav Arora), a tycoon’s son, to become her sex buddy. Together, the two of them engage in ‘Love Games’, with a simple rule: They zero in upon young couples and ‘compete’ with each

maintains the overall loud, one-dimensional masala tenor one associates with mainstream drama anywhere in India. For that reason, Sonakshi’s Akira is imagined dutifully with clichés one associates with male protagonists in commercial Hindia cinema. She is taught martial arts by her father (Atul Kulkarni) at a young age, for self-defence. While defending herself from a few bad guys, she lands in juvenile prison. On release Akira and her mother are forced to shift base to Mumbai. Instead of staying at her brother’s place, Akira opts for a girl’s hostel. Twist in the tale comes with Anurag Kashyap’s ganja-puffing top cop who along with his cronies commit a crime. An honest officer (Konkona Sen Sharma) starts a probe, and Akira gets involved. Murugadoss’ casting of Kashyap as the sinister cop renders the film its quirk factor. Kashyap adds an edge to the overall drama despite his highly filmi role.

A credible cast of character artists suffers from flat writing, including Konkona. Murugadoss clearly had his mind on little else but creating a one-stop package for Sonakshi’s return as a saleable star. Whether it happens or not, this role should keep the actress in focus for a while.

other to see who can seduce the respective partner first that is, while Ramona hits on the man while Sam gets on with seducing the woman. Life is great for a while till Sam starts falling in love with Alisha (Tara Alisha Berry), a doctor married to a lawyer. Ramona will not let go of Sam. Love Games is done in by clichés and unimaginative writing.

Saala Khadoos

Cast: R. Madhavan, Ritika Singh, Mumtaz Sorcar, Nasser, Zakir Hussain Direction: Sudha Kongara DEBUTANT director Sudha Kongara’s film crosses themes of Chak De! India and the biopic Mary Kom to narrate a fictitious tale of a poor girl who is honed into becoming a boxing champ by her mentor. Real-life boxer Ritika Singh is cast as Madhi, a fierce young

fisherwoman in whom wasted and cynical ex-boxer Adi Tomar (R. Madhavan) spots real talent. Adi decides to realise his unfulfilled dreams through Madhi, and chooses to train the girl. Saala Khadoos is mediocre fare that offers nothing new.

The acting, too, is average.

— Vinayak Chakravorty

Issue 683 (16)

6 - 12 Sep., 2016

FAILURE MORE SPECIAL THAN SUCCESS: EMRAAN HASHMI Emraan Hashmi last few movies have bombed badly at the box office. Be he says he values failures much more than as they help him grow in his career.”There have been films that have been unsuccessful at the box office but that doesn’t deter me. I feel if I go back in time and select the scripts, I would still select those films for reasons that I felt they were good.

Sometimes you go wrong.

That’s what filmmaking is.

You have to take a chance,” Emraan told reporters at an interaction. “I hold my debacles closer to me than my successful films. It helps me grow, I am clearer after doing these films. I would never disown or shun it. At the same time, I will take full responsibility of those films.” “For an actor you have to be able to take the lows more than the

highs. That’s the testing time. When you are in those low phases, how you get back and the selection of films...” Despite his unsuccessful run at the box office, Emraan is looking forward to the release of his next, ‘Raaz Reboot’.

This is the fourth installment of the ‘Raaz’ franchise and Emraan has been a part of the first two films of the series. “Raaz is a genre that I under-

stand. I like horror films. I felt Vikram (Bhatt, the director) can handle this genre very well. A lot of people came to me and said they don’t watch horror films but they still like ‘Raaz’. I felt that the movie goes beyond fear. It has a love story, relationship, music,” he said. Raaz Reboot also stars Gaurav Arora and debutante Kirti Kharbanda, and releases on September 16.

I WOULD PREFER TO BE JUDGED FOR MY ACTING SKILLS: KAREENA KAPOOR KHAN Kareena Kapoor Khan is a busy lady. She won’t let her baby bump get in the way of her work. She recently walked the ramp at Lakme fashion week and looked fabulous doing so. Kareena Kapoor Khan says she would prefer to focus on her acting instead of wasting time in looking good whenever she steps out of her home.

“Looking good always is not important for me.

I am as normal as anyone out there. Sometimes I even get out with my slippers on, which everybody around me gets annoyed by. I can’t be like in hair and make-up always. I can’t step out of my bed looking like a fashion diva. My job is to act and not look

'RAABTA' REALLY CLOSE TO MY HEART: KRITI SANON

Actress Kriti Sanon says her upcoming film “Raabta” is really close to her heart and she hopes the film gets is appreciated by the audience. “We have two really great long schedules. And whatever I have seen, it came out really well. I am really excited because this is one script that is really close to my heart. So I am just hoping you guys love it,” Kriti who started her career as a model says that its nostalgic to be back on the runway. “Its nostalgic to come back to same venue to the same ramp that I used to work on. Even when I was a model, I used to feel that one day I will walk as a showstopper...

Also now people know who you are so you can’t make mistakes and there is lot of responsibility on you for the garment you are presenting,” she said. We need to make a biopic on PT Usha: Sonam Kapoor Sonam Kapoor was last seen in a biopic based on Neerja Bhanot, the biopic on brave air hostess Neerja Bhanot, feels that here should be a biopic on Indian field athlete PT Usha. Sonam feels that more biopics on athletes should be made. At a recent event, Sonam said, “Recently I have done a biography but yes if something good comes on women athletes that should be made. But at first, I do believe that we need to make a biopic on PT Usha.”

She further said, “We always celebrated the success of athletes, like we made Milkha Singh’s biopic. I hope many runners’ get inspired by that. There is such a huge population in our country. I think there are so many talented persons whose biopics can be made.”

pretty 24/7. I would prefer to be judged for my acting skills. I am not suppose to be a doll,” Kareena She remarked at the changing face of the industry “It is all about an Instagram picture now days. During Karisma’s time it was more about hardwork, the talent and a lot of other things. But now the younger lot at times focuses more on looking good rather than polishing themselves as an actor. Things should not work like this. Cinema is not only about fashion, it is about acting, working on the role. Fashion is just a small part of it.” “It is because of the digital days. You step out and there are hundreds of cameras waiting to click you. Nobody asks you even before clicking a picture. Everybody has a mobile phone. There are so many blogs and website, everybody is giving their comments and verdicts.

That in a way forces actors to pay more attention to the ‘looking good’ part”.

“Women are more experimenting with their looks. Everybody wants to up their game. Everybody is trying to wear different clothes. Men are more about comfort. But, I feel women should also be like that.

They will end up looking good anyway without making an extra effort if they are easy in their clothes.

They should not listen to what people say” she added.

BOLLYWOOD FILMS DON'T EXPLORE GREY EMOTIONS: NAWAZUDDIN SIDDIQUI

Nawazuddin Siddiqui excels in the common person roles in Bollywood but he feels that most stories don’t focus on grey emotions and are only comedy or melodrama.

“People go and watch a film either for laughter or expect it to be an emotional. In our films, we only work on two or three emotions but there are other five-six emotions in the Natyashastra but our industry works very less on it. These are the most difficult emotions to present on the big screen,” Siddiqui said, ‘a person publicly hides his emotions.’ But in films, we deliberately act. In my case, I prefer to do such roles where I don’t have to show my emotions

much.” In ‘Freaky Ali’, Siddiqui, will be seen in a comedic role for the first time and the actor says he prefers it to be natural. “We have this trend of comedy here that actors make weird faces on the big screen, they use punch lines and put in so much effort to make audience laugh. According to me, it should not be like that... That effort should not be there,” he said. Siddiqui thinks playing common man role is quite difficult.”I never repeated my roles. The most difficult role is to play a common man in the film. Playing largerthan-life roles are quite easy because that character has a certain image.

But grey shade are a lot more difficult.”

'There are Two People Involved and it is not Right for One of Them to Say Anything': Katrina Kaif After Baar Baar Dekho, Katrina Kaif’s next movie is Jagga Jasoos opposite alleged ex-boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor. The film is slated to release next year in April and has some portions left for shooting. When the actress was recently asked about why the film was delayed she said that she believes that the director has his own vision for it and that is why it is taking so much time. When asked about the buzz doing the rounds about her emotional outburst on the sets of the film because of her breakup, Kat was quoted saying, “All this does not matter. There are so many people on the sets, too many things happening, so for me, it is just about completing a professional commitment.” She added, “In a relationship there are two people involved and they alone know what happened, so it is not right for one of them to say anything. I believe in God and he knows what is right and what is wrong.” Looks like Kat is quite upset with Ranbir’s statement!

Issue 683 (17)

IT MAY have been the year that the fashion world embraced the Instagram generation, but Gisele Bundchen has proved once again that she is the indisputable queen of the catwalk.

Gisele is still leaps and bounds ahead of her modelling competitors raking in a whopping $30.5 million in the last year despite a 30 per cent drop in earnings from £44 million last year. The Forbes rich list reveals the 36- year-old earns almost three times more than the likes of Kendall Jenner, who pocketed $10 million in the year from June 2015.

However, the Kardashian-clan member’s salary is not to be sniffed at her earnings have jumped 150 per cent from the $4 million she made in 2015 thanks to her savvy use of social media and Estée Lauder deal. Her earnings land her in tie third position with Victoria’s Secret model Karlie Kloss, and just ahead of fellow socialite Gigi Hadid, who took home a not unimpressive $9million, putting her in joint fifth. In second place in the Forbes list of the world’s highestpaid models is Victoria’s Secret veteran Adriana Lima who pocketed $10.5 million thanks to her endorsement deals with the likes of Maybelline, Vogue Eyewear and IWC watches. Meanwhile, model Rosie Huntington- Whiteley has entered the world’s highest-paid models list for the first time, above the likes of Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne.

6 - 12 Sep., 2016

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6 - 12 Sep., 2016

L ondon replica torched to mark Great Fire anniversar anniversaryy LONDON A massive wooden replica of 17th century London was torched Sunday on the River Thames to mark the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London, which paved the way for the building of the modern city. Onlookers crowded along the river that winds through the British capital to watch as the 120-metre (394-foot) long wooden model was set alight.

Spectators snapped photographs on their smartphones as the flames devoured the replica buildings floating on the water. The torching of the model of London as it stood on September 2, 1666 - was executed by US “burn artist” David Best and live streamed online.

The Great Fire started in Thomas Farrinor’s bakery on Pudding Lane and

raged until September 5, destroying 80 percent of the mostly wooden, walled inner city. An estimated 70,000 of the 80,000 residents were rendered homeless by the disaster.

By the time the fire was extinguished a total of 13,200 houses, 87 parish churches and Saint Paul’s Cathedral had been destroyed.

The London of today, with its characteristic English Baroque architecture in grey Portland stone, was built from the ashes of the wooden city, though the old street layout was retained to respect property rights.

Recreating the fire on Sunday was part of a wider series of events to mark the anniversary of the inferno, celebrating the city’s ability to rebuild and thrive.

New York Times article on burkini ban ‘unacceptable’: France PM French Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Monday slammed a New York Times article prompted by the debate over the burkini swimsuit in which French Muslim women complained of discrimination and even “persecution”.

The article, which appeared on Friday, painted an “unacceptable image of France because it is false,” Valls wrote in the French-language online edition of the Huffington Post.

New York Times reporter Lillie Dremaux solicited the views of European Muslim women on the burkini debate, distilling more than 1,000 comments for the article.

One respondent said she was “afraid of having to wear a yellow crescent on my clothes one day, like the Star of David for Jews not so long ago.”

Another said: “French Muslim women would be justified to request asylum

in the United States... given how many persecutions we are subjected to.”

Valls objected “with the greatest vigour... that the journalist quotes women of the Muslim faith suggesting that their voices are muzzled, to depict France as oppressing them.”

The Socialist Prime Minister, who came under fire for saying last month that the burkini was “based notably on the enslavement of women,” reiterated his stance in the Huffington Post piece.

Blasting foreign media for accusing secular France of

seeking to “undermine Muslims’ freedom to practise their faith,” he said: “It is precisely for freedom that we are fighting.” Valls saw an “incredible reversal” in comments that he said presented the burkini as “an instrument of women’s liberation”, citing one respondent who said her sister “could finally play with her children on the beach instead of sitting in the shadow.”

Another said “wearing the veil does not mean being enslaved by a man... it means reappropriating the body and femininity.”

These women’s assertions

suggest “complete acceptance of male domination”, Valls wrote.

“In France, we consider to the contrary that... women cannot be the subject of the slightest domination.

And the idea that women should be removed from the public arena is indeed male domination,” he added.

The Prime Minister linked the promotion of the burkini to Islamist “proselytising”.

“It’s not an anodine swimming costume. It’s a provocation (of) radical Islamism that is on the rise and wants to impose itself in the public arena,” Valls wrote.

He said the “great majority of Muslims... do not recognise themselves in this proselytising minority that is exploiting their religion”.

In France, which counts a population of five million Muslims, burkinis are extremely rare and only a minority of Muslim women remain covered on beaches.

Issue 683 (19)

6 - 12 Sep., 2016

World’s largest gorillas ‘one step from going extinct HONOLULU The world’s largest gorillas have been pushed to the brink of extinction by a surge of illegal hunting in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and are now critically endangered, officials said Sunday.

With just 5,000 Eastern gorillas (Gorilla beringei) left on Earth, the majestic species now faces the risk of disappearing completely, officials said at the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s global conference in Honolulu.

Four out of six of the Earth’s great apes are now critically endangered, “only one step away from going extinct,” including the Eastern Gorilla, Western Gorilla, Bornean Orangutan and Sumatran Orangutan, said the IUCN in an update to its Red List, the world’s most comprehensive inventory of plant and animal species. Chimpanzees and bonobos are listed as endangered.

“Today is a sad day because the IUCN Red List shows we are wiping out some of our closest relatives,” Inger Andersen, IUCN

director general, told reporters.

War, hunting and loss of land to refugees in the past 20 years have led to a “devastating population decline of more than 70 percent,” for the Eastern gorilla, said the IUCN’s update.

One of the two subspecies of Eastern gorilla, known as Grauer’s gorilla (G. b. graueri), has drastically declined since 1994 when there were 16,900 individuals, to just 3,800 in 2015.

Even though killing these apes is against the law, hunting is their greatest threat, experts said.

The second subspecies of

Eastern gorilla - the Mountain gorilla (G. b. beringei) - has seen a small rebound in its numbers, and totals around 880 individuals. According to John Robinson, a primatologist and chief conservation officer at the Wildlife Conservation Society, the Rwandan genocide sparked a disastrous series of events that impacted gorillas, too.

“The genocide pushed a lot of people out of Rwanda, a lot of refugees into eastern DRC, who moved into areas which were relatively unoccupied by human beings,” he told.

“It was a situation that kind of

Survey finds giant pandas no longer ‘endangered’ in China HONOLULU Decades of conservation work in China have paid off for the giant panda, whose status was upgraded Sunday from “endangered” to “vulnerable” due to a population rebound, officials said. The improvement for the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) was announced as part of an update to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, the world’s most comprehensive inventory of plants and animals. The latest estimates show a population of 1,864 adult giant pandas. Although exact numbers are not available, adding cubs to the projection would mean about 2,060 pandas exist today, said the IUCN. “Evidence from a series of range-wide national surveys indicate that the previous population decline has been arrested, and the population has started to increase,” said the IUCN’s updated report.

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The cornerstones of the Chinese government’s effort to bring back its fuzzy, black-and-white national icon have included an intense effort to replant bamboo forests, which provide food and shelter for the bears.

Through its “rent-a-panda” captive breeding program, China has also loaned some bears to

zoos abroad in exchange for cash, and reinvested that money in conservation efforts.

“When push comes to shove, the Chinese have done a really good job with pandas,” John Robinson, a primatologist and chief conservation officer at the Wildlife Conservation Society, told.

“So few species are actually downlisted, it really is a reflection of the success of conservation,” he said at the IUCN World Conservation Congress, the largest meeting of its kind, which drew more than 9,000 heads of state, policymakers and environmentalists to Honolulu.

According to Simon Stuart, chair of the IUCN Species Survival

Commission, the improvement was “not rocket science” but came from the hard work of controlling poaching and replanting bamboo forests.

“This is something to celebrate because it is not a part of the world where we expect this to happen,” Stuart told reporters at a press conference to unveil the updated Red List.

Experts warned, however, that the good news for pandas could be short-lived.

A warming planet, driven by fossil fuel burning, is predicted to wipe out more than one-third of the panda’s bamboo habitat in the next 80 years.

That means the panda population is projected to decline, and any gains realized to date could be reversed, said Carlo Rondinini, mammal assessment coordinator at the Sapienza University of Rome.

“The concern now is that although the population has slowly increased - and it is still very small - several models predict a reduction of the extent of bamboo forests in China in the coming decades due to climate change,” he told reporters.

The IUCN report said China’s plan to expand its conservation effort for pandas “is a positive step and must be strongly supported to ensure its effective implementation.”

The IUCN Red List includes 82,954 species, including both plants and animals.

Almost one-third - 23,928 - are threatened with extinction, it said.

unraveled,” he said.

Some people hunted gorillas for bushmeat, while activities like mining and charcoal production and human settlement also infringed on gorillas’ habitat.

“The people that moved into that part of DRC saw gorillas as a delicacy,” Robinson said.

The IUCN Red List includes 82,954 species - both plants and animals - and undergoes a major update every four years.

Almost one third - 23,928 - are threatened with extinction, it said.

Compared with previous years, even more species are under threat.

Carlo Rondinini, mammal assessment coordinator at Sapienza University of Rome, said almost 28 percent of mammals are threatened with extinction, three percentage points more than in the previous mammal assessment in 2008.

“A takeaway point we would like to emphasize is we are not journeying in the right direction with respect to species conservation,” said Andersen.

“We are losing species at a faster pace than we have ever done.” There was good news for pandas, whose status changed from “endangered” to “vulnerable” due to intensive conservation efforts by China.

The Tibetan Antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii) has also improved, after protections helped it move from “endangered” to “near threatened” following a spate of commercial poaching for its valuable underfur, or shahtoosh,

which is used to make shawls.

But the situation deteriorated for others, including the Plains Zebra (Equus quagga) which has been increasingly hunted for bushmeat and skins, and has moved from a species of “least concern” to “near threatened.”

“The population has reduced by 24 percent in the past 14 years from around 660,000 to a current estimate of just over 500,000 animals,” the IUCN said.

Illegal hunting and habitat loss also pushed three species of antelope found in Africa to “near threatened” status, including Bay Duiker (Cephalophus dorsalis), White-bellied Duiker (Cephalophus leucogaster) and Yellow-backed Duiker (Cephalophus silvicultor).

Among plants, the Red List highlighted the growing extinction threat to Hawaiian plants posed by invasive species, including pigs, goats, rats, slugs and non-native plants.

Some 38 of the 415 Hawaiian plant species were listed as extinct and four other species listed as extinct in the wild, meaning they only occur in cultivation.

A full 87 percent of native Hawaiian plants are threatened with extinction, it said.

Among the new entries to the Red List is the Psychedelic Rock Gecko (Cnemaspis psychedelica), which is listed as “endangered” and known only to exist on two small offshore islands in southern Vietnam and is highly, and illegally, sought for the commercial pet trade.

Issue 683 (20)

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Continued from Page 1 this is v serious. Strongest exemplary punishment shud be given to Sandeep (sic),� tweeted the AAP convener who is in Vatican City for Mother Teresa’s canonisation on September 4. According to the complainant, the tape was made after Kumar became a minister. He was heading the city’s woman and child development, social welfare and SC/ST departments. “Sandeep Kumar was on his way to the DCP office (to surrender) when we arrested him. He has been arrested on evidence collected. He will now be produced in court,� said Vikramjeet Singh, DCP of outer Delhi. The woman said the incident took place a year ago and she did not know a video was being recorded. “During the meeting Sandeep Kumar promised me a job,� she said in the complaint. “I wasn’t aware of the video recording. I want action against him. I am a poor woman and because of him my image has been sullied. I want my identity not to be disclosed as I have little children.�

The victim said after the incident she was scared to discuss it with anyone or confront Kumar, fearing that he would rape her again.

Commenting on Kumar’s actions, Kejriwal had said that his former Cabinet colleague had betrayed the party and the people of Delhi, while terming him a “rotten fish�.

The legislator, however, has denied the

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allegations, claiming the tape was fabricated and he was being targeted for being a Dalit. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I come from a poor family. The poor are always trapped.

Every time we rise, there are conspiracies to crush us. I am being targeted because I have set up a statue of Babasaheb Ambedkar in my house.

I am ready for every agni-pariksha (trial by fire),â&#x20AC;? the 34-yearold MLA told the media. The womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s statement was recorded before a magistrate under Section 164 of CrPC. Kumar was booked on charges of rape, transmission of material containing sexually explicit act and taking illegal gratification The Delhi Policeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s crime branch has initiated an investigation to determine the authenticity of the CD. Before the woman approached authorities, the party appeared divided on action against him. AAP leader Ashutosh had said in a blog that the legislatorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;consensual actâ&#x20AC;? was not wrong and his sacking from the cabinet was aimed at â&#x20AC;&#x153;perception managementâ&#x20AC;?.

He also wrote that the row over the video exposes the â&#x20AC;&#x153;hypocrisy of the society and hollowness of the mediaâ&#x20AC;? and wondered why the seemingly obvious â&#x20AC;&#x153;consensual actâ&#x20AC;? should create ripples in the media and politics.

Reacting to this, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ashutoshâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s opinion could be his own, but the whole party is very clear on it.â&#x20AC;? Kejriwal had said that he would prefer to forfeit his party but never tolerate corruption and wrongful activities, as AAP does not believe in hiding flaws of its members.

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THE AAP on Monday rubbished the allegations of exploitation of women by a few party men in return for tickets levelled by its own MLA Devinder Sehrawat and said the leaders against whom the lawmaker has made the accusations will sue him over his remarks. Launching a scathing attack on Sehrawat, partyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Punjab in-charge Sanjay Singh alleged that the BJP and Akali Dal are behind the conspiracy as they are scared since the AAP is winning over 100 seats in the state polls scheduled next year. Terming Sehrawat as a discontent element within the party, Singh said his closeness with rebel AAP leaders Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav are well known. The allegations levelled by Sehrawat are

baseless. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They are also an insult to people and women of Punjab. I challenge him to prove his charges and I will quit public and political life. I will file a defamation suit against Sehrawat and he has to prove his charges before the court,â&#x20AC;? Singh said at a press conference. The party also hinted of a possible action against the Bijwasan MLA after the return of AAPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s national convenor Arvind Kejriwal from Vatican City where he has gone to attend the cannonisation of Mother Teresa. In his letter to Kejriwal on Sunday, Sehrawat had also hit out at AAPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Delhi unit convener Dilip Pandey, questioning his conduct, and said there were disturbing reports from Punjab as he attacked Singh, and Durgesh Pathak, partyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s co-incharge of

21

6 - 12 Sep., 2016

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the state. A defiant Sehrawat said that he has written the letters with full responsibility and will follow it up till finality. Sehrawat had also written a letter to social activist Anna Hazare saying he was upset with the corruption and immorality in the party, which has strayed away from its principles.

Pandey, who also addressed the press conference, hit back at Sehrawat, saying the party leaders will sue him in individual capacity. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So, those who speak truth in the AAP will now be termed as a solider of Swaraj Abhiyan and our companions? Then thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good,â&#x20AC;? Yadav tweeted reacting to Singhâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s charges of Sehrwatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s closeness to him and Bhushan, co-founder of Swaraj Abhiyan.

AAP leader Ashutosh was on Monday locked in a bitter war of words with NCW chief Lalitha Kumaramangalam after he was summoned by the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s body for defending sacked Delhi minister Sandeep Kumar, who is embroiled in a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;sex tapeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; scandal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ms Mangalam, as a chairperson of NCW, you should not lie on a national TV that u r not BJP member.

Wikipedia writes You are still a member.

Lalitha Kumar Manglam is member of BJP national executive/was national secretary of BJP. If I get notice from NCW, I will react (sic),â&#x20AC;? Ashutosh tweeted. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I hope Lalitha Kumarmangalam, member of BJP Nat Ex/ chairman NCW is summoning every writer who wrote about consensual sex. NO pick and choose (sic),â&#x20AC;? he said in another tweet. Reacting to it, Kumaramangalam said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;What kind of a journalist are you? You are two years behind time. I am not a member of BJP national executive. I was before. I am not even a spokesperson for the party. I was, before NCW. BJP has a strict rule of one person one post. The moment I was offered the chairmanship of NCW, I was told I can no longer be the spokesperson and national- executive member. I accepted the post on those terms. So, Ashutosh you should learn to get your facts right, especially as a journalist, before you issue a statement or tweet.â&#x20AC;?

ARRESTED Delhi Women and Child Development Minister Sandeep Kumarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wife, Ritu Kumar, defended her husband, saying he has been falsely implicated in the sex scandal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My husband is innocent, I stand by him. Rape charges against my husband are a conspiracy,â&#x20AC;? Ritu Kumar said. Kumar was arrested last night on rape and other charges hours after he surrendered before police following a complaint by a woman, who purportedly figured in an â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;objectionableâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; CD with him.

He was also suspended from the party. A woman who claims to be the one in the video that has rocked the AAP came forth and complained to the Delhi Police alleging that she was drugged on pretext of help with a ration card.

She alleged there was nothing â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;consensualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in the sex CD that that was aired on new channels. Delhi Police quickly sprung into action and filed a strong FIR against Kumar. The controversy involving Sandeep Kumar further rankled the AAP on Sunday as a party MLA shot off a letter to Arvind Kejriwal, criticising party leader Ashutoshâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stand and alleged that a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;coterieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; was damaging the party. Bijwasan MLA Devinder Sehrawat, who had earlier

spoken out against the manner in which AAP had sacked Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav, said the situation is getting indefensible and disgraceful and action needs to be taken to remove â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;rotten elementsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. He said justifications put forth

by Ashutosh for Kumarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conduct were not â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;as per the acceptable value systemsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

Sehrawat also hit out at AAPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Delhi unit convener Dilip Pandey, ques- tioning his conduct and said there were disturbing reports from Punjab. Congress leader Sheila Dikshit on Sunday launched an attack on Arvind Kejriwal over Sandeep Kumarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s alleged sex scandal and asked the Delhi Chief Minister to resign on moral ground. Dikshit also slammed the remarks of AAP leader Asuthosh, who, while seeking to defend Kumar, had written, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mahatma Gandhi, Jawahar Lal Nehru and Atal Bihari Vajpai too allegedly had relations with other women, which was on the basis of their mutual consent.

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Issue 683 (22)

6 - 12 Sep., 2016

British MP Keith Vaz to quit key panel after reports he paid male escorts London Keith Vaz, the senior-most British MP of Indian origin, announced his resignation as chairman of a key parliamentary committee after he was caught in a sting operation with male prostitutes in his London flat, details of which were splashed by tabloids on Sunday.

The mass circulation ‘Sunday Mirror’ reported that Vaz, who is chairman of the influential Home Affairs Committee of parliament, paid for the services of four male escorts in August. A longtime Labour MP from Leicester East, Vaz, 59, is a married father of two children.

The tabloids went to town with photographs from the sting operation, his remarks during the encounter as well as his purported text messages to the male escorts, reported to be European.

After the story broke, Cambridge-educated Vaz suggested that the

‘Sunday Mirror’ may have paid the male escorts involved in the sting operation. The committee he chairs has been examining the issue of laws related to prostitution in Britain.

He told BBC: “It is deeply disturbing that a national newspaper should have paid individuals to have acted in this way. I have referred these allegations to my solicitor Mark Stephens of Howard Kennedy who will consider them carefully and advise me accordingly.”

Born to Goan parents in

Satirist Gurpreet Ghuggi becomes Punjab unit convener

Aden in 1956, Vaz is the fourth Indian-origin MP to be elected in the history of Britain’s parliament in 1987 (the previous three were Dadabhai Naoroji in 1892; Mancherjee Bhownagree, 1895; and Shapurji Shaklatvala, 1922). He has held the Leicester East seat since 1987, and has been in the forefront of Indian/Asian participation in British politics.

Active in Britain’s Indian community, Vaz has several friends in Indian politics and films, some of whom campaign for him

New Delhi

showed him allegedly accepting money from a party volunteer in exchange of poll tickets, following which action was taken against him on August 26.Ghuggi, who joined the Aam Aadmi Party in February this year, will take charge soon, a party release said.

New Delhi

BJP activists burnt effigies of Aam Aadmi Party leader Ashutosh in various parts of Gujarat today for comparing his party’s tainted minister Sandeep Kumar, who has been booked for rape, with “son of Gujarat” Mahatma Gandhi.Condemning Ashutosh, the AAP election in-charge of Gujarat, over his controversial blog, the BJP said it “won’t tolerate insult to Mahatma Gandhi.” Earlier, angry activists set the AAP spokesperson’s effigies on fire at Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Junagad and other cities.

ASHUTOSH’S BLOG

To celebrate the canonisation of Mother Teresa as a saint, India Post today released a commemorative postage stamp on her.

Union Minister of State for Communications Manoj Sinha unveiled the postage stamp during a ceremony at the Divine Child High School here, an official statement said.

Bishop Agnelo Gracias and Sister Rubella, a representative from Missionaries of Charity, were present at the

ceremony.

MOTHER NOW SAINT Teresa, who worked for the destitute in Kolkata and became a global icon of Christian charity, was declared a saint by Pope Francis at the Vatican today.

Her elevation to Roman Catholicisms celestial pantheon came in a canonisation mass in St Peters square in the Vatican that was presided over by Pope Francis in the presence of 100,000 pilgrims.

“For the honour of the Blessed Trinity... we

declare and define Blessed Teresa of Calcutta (Kolkata) to be a Saint and we enrol her among the Saints, decreeing that she is to be venerated as such by the whole Church,” the

Fake Punjab Congress candidates list goes viral on social media Chandigarh While the Congress is still struggling to scrutinise the 1,600 odd applications received for 117 Assembly seats in Punjab, a list of candidates has already gone viral on social media.

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Captain Amarinder Singh today strongly refuted the reports being circulated on social media about the party having announced a list

In the blog written for a TV channel, Ashutosh had referred to the alleged affairs of icons like Jawaharlal Nehru and Gandhi while seeking to defend Kumar who was sacked as minister after a CD purportedly showing him with a woman in a “compromising position” surfaced. “The comments made by Ashutosh on Gujarat’s son and Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi reflects his dirty mindset and it also shows the difference between what AAP says and what it practices,” MOS for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja said in a statement.

IndiaPost releases postage stamp on Mother Teresa New Delhi

The AAP’s political affairs committee on Sunday appointed satirist and actor Gurpreet Singh Ghuggi as its Punjab unit convener in place of Sucha Singh Chhotepur, who was removed recently from the post on corruption charges.Chhotepur was sacked after a video clip

during elections. His sister, Valerie Vaz, is also a Labour MP from Walsall South.

In a statement reported by the ‘Mail on Sunday’, Vaz said: “I am genuinely sorry for the hurt and distress that has been caused by my actions in particular to my wife and children. I will be informing the Committee on Tuesday of my intention to stand aside from chairing the sessions of the Committee with immediate effect”.

“At this time I do not want there to be any distraction from the important work the Committee undertakes so well,” he added.

A Labour Party spokesman said: “Keith Vaz has issued a statement on this matter.

As with all departmental select committees, Keith was elected to the chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee by the House of Commons, and his position is a matter for him and the House”.

Ashutosh’s effigies burnt in Gujarat for comparing Gandhi with Sandeep Kumar

of candidates for the forthcoming Assembly elections in the state.

He said, it is the handiwork of some mischievous elements to create confusion.

Captain Amarinder said that unlike other parties the Congress party has a proper, transparent and well established system and

procedure for finalising the candidates. He disclosed that the list of applicants was still with the PCC and it was being scrutinised for various eligibility criteria prescribed for the candidates.

“The list will be submitted to the high command within a week, where it will be referred to the

screening committee and the final decision will be taken by the Central Election Committee (CEC) headed by the Congress president,” he said.

The PCC president disclosed that the circulation of the purported list was the handiwork of some mischievous elements who did not seem even familiar with Punjabi pronunciation of names, the way they had been mentioned in the said list.

pontiff said in Latin. The ceremony came a day before the 19th anniversary of Teresa’s death in Kolkata, the Indian city where she spent nearly four decades tending to the poorest of the poor. Teresa spent all her adult life in India, first teaching, then tending to the dying poor.

It was in the latter role, at the head of her now worldwide order that Teresa became one of the most famous women on the planet.

Born to Kosovan Albanian parents in Skopje - then part of the Ottoman empire, now the capital of Macedonia - she won the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize and was revered around the world as a beacon for the Christian values of selfsacrifice and charity.

Issue 683 (23)

6 - 12 Sep., 2016

Nightspot opens doors to experimenting women, racy performers A sex club which caters exclusively to women has opened in Sydney and is set to turn up the heat in its second event. Skirt Club is described as “an underground community for girls who play with girls” and offers two levels of fun to an exclusive list of members. The Sydney branch of the club will have its first event – a Mini Skirt party, but on Saturday night the first Full Skirt experience will be felt by Australian women. The club’s co-director Renee Nyx has explained the key differences between the two events. Mini Skirt parties are often held in public places, usually a cocktail bar, that invites ‘newbies’ to learn about the club and its concept. “The full Skirt Club experience are raunchier themed play parties held usually every six weeks at private locations or homes,” Ms Nyx said. Saturday’s theme is the Queen of Hearts. Guests are asked to “dress regal in red and black”.

The club

announced an exclusive performance by Vegas Hart at the party which is to be held in a secret location.

“We are delighted that Vegas Hart will be performing exclusively for us on Saturday at Skirt Club. Described as tantalizing and teasing, filthy and fun, this neophyte dancer and model spent her formative years dancing behind closed doors and singing into her hairbrush before becoming the now ‘Sin City Queen’”, said an announcement on the club’s Facebook page. “It’s not just a sex club, but let’s say sex will happen ... somewhere, if that’s what a member wants,” the club’s codirector Renee Nyx told news.com.au.

Skirt Club was created by Geneviève LeJeune in 2014 after she attended play parties with an exboyfriend, according to their website. Just two years later the club boasts 500 members – including 50 already in Sydney. Ms Nyx, who grew up in Sydney, said she joined

Skirt club, an international sex club for bisexual and bicurious women that began in London and was successful in New York has now opened in Sydney.

Vegas Hart (left), described as tantalising, teasing, filthy and fun, club will be performing at the club.

Inside a women-only sex club in Sydney

the club soon after it was created to see what the fuss was about and is now working to bring the concept to her home town.

“There is truly not a place

For Punjab CM Badal and kin, highest Z-plus security not enough

New Delhi The Shiromani Akali Dal-led government in Punjab has put the Centre in a fix over a request to upgrade the security cover for three important members of the state’s ruling “first family” the Badals.

The problem is how to go from the highest security, which is ZPlus, for the country’s VIPs to the next level. For, chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, his son and deputy chief minister, Sukhbir Badal, and a key minister, Bikram Singh Majithia, are already getting Z-Plus security.

Revenue minister Majithia is the brother-in-law of Sukhbir Badal.

A central government official said the request came last week and the Union home ministry has not been able to decide what security upgrade can be granted to someone getting the highest

cover already.

The elite commandos of the National Security Guard protect the 88-year-old chief minister, while the junior Badal and his brother-in-law get round-theclock protection from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

Around 30 to 40 central security personnel guard VIPs under ZPlus protection; and they get two escort vehicles as well. The home ministry is likely to assure the state government the trio’s security is not lax, but is as tight as it should be under Z-Plus.

The Akali government said the Badals face threats from militants. It argued that a security upgrade is necessary in the light of an attack on an RSS leader in the state.

Retired Brigadier Jagdish Gagneja, the RSS’s deputy chief in Punjab, was shot at by two men on a motorcycle in August.Terrorists are suspected be behind the attack on Gagneja; and the state passed the investigation to the CBI.

On Student Visa?

L ooking F or A Job? For Call: 647-708-2641

in Sydney at the moment that bi-curious and bisexual girls feel necessarily welcomed,” Ms Nyx said.

“Some bi-curious girls may not feel comfortable enough

to go to a lesbian gathering.

They might not be comfortable enough to date a gay girl, because they are thinking ‘you know what, I’m here to

experiment, I don’t know what to do, I’m nervous’, so this an opportunity for women to explore in a safe environment and feel empowered.”

Folk singer Sapna Chaudhary attempts suicide, admitted in hospital New Delhi Famous Haryana folk singer Sapna Chaudhary was today admitted in a private hospital in Nazafgarh in a serious condition after she attempted suicide by consuming poison.

According to reports the singer was depressed after two cases were registered against her for hurting a Dalit community during a stage performance in February this year.

CASES AGAINST SAPNA Gurgaon police, on the basis of a complaints filed by the Dalit activists, had registered a FIR against the singer and also set up a special investigation team to probe the allegations.

Similar complaint was also registered against her in Dogran Mohalla of Hisar where she allegedly sung and performed on a controversial folk song ragini”, ridiculing two particular Dalit castes.

The FIR in Gurgaon was registered in July this year after Dalit organisations threatened to launch protests if action was not

taken against the singer and the organisers.

“Sapna Chaudhary has insulted a particular caste which has deeply hurt the community. The controversial song is now being shared on social media,” All Haryana Scheculed Caste Employees Federation Vice President Sukhdev Singh Bhukhal had said.

APOLOGY BEFORE SUICIDE The singer before attempting suicide had also apologised, promi s i n g t h a t s h e w o n ’ t perform the song again.

“I, Sapna chaudhary, once sung the song Ragini sometime back which was based on all the castes. This hurt the feelings of Dalit society. I did not want to hurt the feelings of anybody. I tender my apology before all the brothers and sisters and assure that in future I will not sing this type of Ragini,” Sapna Chaudhary said in her statement.

A case has been registered by the police, and doctors say that her condition is stable now.

Issue 683 (24)

6 - 12 Sep., 2016

The New Moon brings an excellent opportunity to take a romantic or business relationship to the next level. And if you’re signing deals or contracts at this time, you’ll get things off to a winning start. On the whole, this is a constructive week in which you’ll be eager to overcome obstacles and forge ahead. Should anything stand in your way, you'll apply sheer willpower to overcome it.

Monday’s New Moon could be the perfect time to begin a diet or start an exercise routine.

There’s also a very powerful focus on your zone of leisure and pleasure, which could see you excited about creative opportunities, particularly if they relate to entrepreneurial ideas. If you’ve been thinking about starting your own business, this might be a good time to research your options.

Have you been thinking about inviting a special person on a date? Monday might be the day to go ahead. With Mercury in Libra, charming conversation can pave the way for future outings. However, you may be more cautious when it comes to getting involved, preferring to take things one day at a time rather than jump in at the deep end.

A change in the family dynamic or DIY projects associated with your home are best implemented on Monday. The New Moon can help get things off to the best possible start. And with just a little planning you’ll be even more successful.

When it comes to writing, communicating in general, or selling something, you can do really well now.

Monday is the day to sign deals, collaborate on projects, or start an advertising campaign. This week’s New Moon can help things get moving! For business appointments or important dates, you’ll need to pin people down to a time and place or it could be a no-show. You might have an opportunity to considerably increase your income.

Monday’s New Moon could coincide with a new beginning for your finances, with a chance to reduce stress and get everything in order. Avoid making any impulsive purchases that might set you back rather than contribute to any gains. Setting a practical budget can be a great help right now. It seems you’re on a roll with a positive lineup of planets jogging through your sign.

Monday’s New Moon in your sign may be the best of the year for you. This is the time to implement changes in key areas of your life. Make a start over the next few days and you’ll notice a difference even sooner. You might find it useful to write down your goals, as this will kick-start the process and help you achieve them.

There’s a more relaxed focus showing up that encourages you to kick back and enjoy life. Monday’s New Moon in your spiritual sector could entice you to take up a spiritual practice that might help you achieve greater peace of mind. You’ll also be eager to contribute to community events and collaborate on projects, especially any that might be a bit of a challenge.

Interesting and lucrative opportunities could show up for you this week, bringing a chance to move up the career ladder or expand your business in a new direction.

Along with this, the New Moon in your social sector is actively encouraging you to move in new circles. Doing so could lend wings to your professional aspirations.

Your willingness to learn stands you in good stead right now, not only because it offers a chance to upgrade your skill set but also because it expands your understanding of what’s possible. You may get a chance to apply your newfound abilities when this week’s New Moon entices you to consider the possibility of a new job.

Money matters look much improved, although Jupiter in your zone of shared finances could be pushing you to think big when it comes to business. If there’s an opportunity to pool your skills and resources with others, this could be a good way to make progress sooner rather than later.

Relationships seem to be a major focus and a very pleasant one at that. With Venus currently dancing through Virgo with Jupiter and Mars, there could be more passion and interest than there has been for some time. You’ll be more inclined to do things with your love interest, friends, or family and include others in your plans.

Issue 683 (25)

6 - 12 Sep., 2016

Technology Apple revives Twitter account before iPhone7 launch

New York Just ahead of its muchanticipated September 7 event where the company is set to unveil an array of products including iPhone7, Apple on Friday re-activated its dormant Twitter account it registered in September 2011.

Though the verified account @Apple has yet to post a tweet, it already has more than 95,300 followers.

Apple has changed its profile photo to a black Apple logo on a white background.

It is speculated that Apple‘s first post might be a live tweet from the September 7 keynote address.

According to tech website The Next Web, generally averse to promoting its products and services on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms, Apple has more

recently taken steps to up its social media presence.

Apple has already launched customer support portals like @AppleSupport and @AppleNews which surface fresh content featured in the Apple News iOS app. During a mega event at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, Apple is set to unveil iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus smartphones along with the next generation Apple Watch.

People can pre-order the luxury smartphone from September 9 while sales may begin from September 16. The new iPhone 7 will reportedly have a dual rear camera, a pressuresensitive home button, bluetooth-supported headphones, dual speakers at the bottom and Type-C interface, signalling the end of the 3.5 mm headphone jack in the iPhone family.

Microsoft gets support in gag order lawsuit from US companies Washington Technology, media, pharmaceutical and other companies, along with major corporate lobbying groups, filed legal briefs on Friday in support of a Microsoft Corp lawsuit that aims to strike down a law preventing companies from telling customers the government is seeking their data.

Friday was the deadline for filing of friend-of-thecourt briefs by nonparticipants in the case. The filings show broad support for Microsoft and the technology industry in its latest high-profile clash with the U.S. Justice Department over digital privacy and surveillance.

Microsoft‘s backers included the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, Delta Air Lines Inc, Eli Lilly and Co, BP America, the Washington Post, Fox News, the National Newspaper Association, Apple Inc, Alphabet Inc‘s Google, Amazon.com

Inc, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and many others. Microsoft filed its lawsuit in Seattle federal court in April, arguing that

filings.

Microsoft says the government is violating the Fourth Amendment, which establishes the right for

a law allowing the government to seize computer data located on third-party computers and often barring companies from telling their customers that they are targets is unconstitutional.

The Justice Department argues that Microsoft has no standing to bring the case and the public has a “compelling interest in keeping criminal investigations confidential.”

Procedural safeguards also protect constitutional rights, it contends. A Justice Department spokesman declined comment on Friday`s

people and businesses to know if the government searches or seizes their property, in addition to Microsoft‘s First Amendment right to free speech. [uL2N17H1F6] In the suit, which focuses on the storage of data on remote servers that are often referred to as “cloud” computers, Microsoft said it had been subjected to 2,600 federal court orders within the past 18 months prohibiting the company from informing customers their data was given to authorities pursuing criminal investigations.

Under the authority of the

Facebook promoted fake news story on Trending Topics New York Social networking giant Facebook is facing the music over a fake story that it promoted on the Trending Topics feature over the last weekend.

The Facebook review team approved the news story about Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly which claimed the news channel had fired Kelly for “backing Hillary (Clinton)”.

The approval apparently came after the team saw enough stories written in and around the topic, tech website CNET reported on Tuesday.

The story was then put on Trending Topics which is visited by over 1.7 billion people every month.

Fox News called this “an egregious mistake” and directed requests to Facebook.

Facebook later realised there was a problem with the accuracy of the

story. Addressing concerns over its controversial Trending Topics feature, Facebook said last week that its automation will be increased and users will no longer be required to write descriptions for trending

topics.

A more algorithmically driven process will allow the Facebook team to scale Trending to cover more topics and make it available to more people globally over time.

A report in technology website Gizmodo recently accused Facebook of an editorial bias

against US conservative news organisations, sparking sharp reactions from across the spectrum.

“This is something we always hoped to do but we are making these changes sooner given the feedback we got from the Facebook community earlier this year,” the company said in a post last weekend.

Trending Topics, which was introduced in 2014, was designed to help people discover interesting and relevant conversations happening on Facebook - about breaking news and events from around the world.

It appears on right-hand side on desktop as well as when you tap on the search box in the mobile app and primarily for people using Facebook in English (there are limited tests being run in Spanish and Portuguese).

30-year-old Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), the government is increasingly directing investigations at parties that store data in the cloud, Microsoft argued in its suit.

Five former law enforcement officials who worked for the FBI or Justice Department in Washington state also submitted a brief supporting Microsoft.

In July, a federal appeals court sided 3-0 with Microsoft in a separate case against the Justice Department, ruling the government could not force the tech company to hand over customer emails stored on servers outside the United States.

The Justice Department has not decided whether to appeal that decision, a spokesman said.

The case is Microsoft Corp v United States Department of Justice et al in the United States District Court, Western District of Washington, No. 2:16-cv-00537.

Now, you can send ’Instant Video s’ via Facebook Messenger app

New Delhi Now you can send instant from Facebook chat window too.

Facebook on Thursday added the feature of Instant Video to its messenger app. The feature allows users to send instant videos inside the chat window itself. To use the new feature, all you have to do is to tap on the video

icon in the top right corner in the chat window, which would begin broadcasting video.

In the new feature, the sound is off for the person who receives the instant voice message. The drawback of the feature is that the instant video feature only works when both the sender and recipient have the chat window open.

Issue 683 (26)

6 - 12 Sep., 2016

Not all illegal immigrants may be deported from US, says Trump’s aide

Washington All illegal immigrants may not be deported from the US if Donald Trump is elected as the next president of the country, a top aide of Republican presidential candidate said on Sunday.

The former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani told CNN in an interview that decision of the rest of the illegal immigrants would be taken only after all criminal aliens are deported.

This is what Trump said in his major policy speech on immigration early this week, he said.

“The speech is

consistent with what he said in the past, and it leaves a very big opening for what will happen with the people that remain here in the US after the criminals are removed and after the border is secure,” he said. “He says in a very, very important sentence, that, at that time, when America is safe, we will be open to all of the options, meaning that Donald Trump, as he expressed in one of his interviews recently, would find it very, very difficult to throw out a family that’s been here for 15 years, and they have three children, two of whom are citizens,” Giuliani said.

“That is not the kind of America he wants. His main focus of that speech, and I think the reason for the emotion in it was because of all of those mothers who came up whose children were killed by illegal criminal immigrants,” he said.

“What he said in the speech is, after we secure the border and after we remove the criminal illegal immigrants, to a large extent — you’re never going to get to 100% — then and only then can we look at this in a very rational way in which we can look at all the options and be open to all the options,” he added.

The former New York mayor said not all illegal immigrants would have to go back. “There are other options too. I mean, it’s going to depend on the person. Some of these people could have been on welfare for the last 30 years, or taking benefits or cheating. And maybe some of them have to be thrown out, but not necessarily all of them,” he said.

‘Ghost snake’ species discovered in Madagascar Washington Scientists have discovered a ‘ghost snake’ - a new species of elusive, pale grey reptiles dwelling in Madagascar.

The researchers from the Louisiana State University (LSU) Museum of Natural Science , the American Museum of Natural History in the US and the Universite de Mahajunga in Madagascar studied the snake’s physical characteristics and genetics, which verified that it is a new species.

They named it Madagascarophis lolo which means ghost in Malagasy. The ghost snake, discovered at the Ankarana National Park in Madagascar, is part of a common group of snakes called Madagascarophis, or cateyed snakes, named for their vertical pupils, which is often found among snakes that are active in the evening or night.Many of the cat-eyed snakes are found in developed areas or degraded forests. However, the

researchers found the ghost snake on pale grey limestone rocks.

“None of the other snakes in Madagascarophis are as pale and none of them have this distinct pattern,” said Sara Ruane, postdoctoral researcher at the LSU Museum of Natural Science. The researchers found that the ghost snake’s next closest relative is a snake called Madagascarophis fuchsi, which was discovered at a site about 100 kilometres north of Ankarana years ago.

Both were found in rocky, isolated areas.

“I think what’s exciting and important about this work is even though the cat-eyed

snakes could be considered one of the most common groups of snakes in Madagascar, there are still new species we don’t know about because a lot of regions are hard to get to and poorly explored,” Ruane said.

Researchers conduct their fieldwork during the rainy season in Madagascar when snakes and their prey, such as frogs, lizards and even other snakes, are most active. The findings were published in the journal Copeia.

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Dogs, like humans, distinguish words and intonation WASHINGTON Dogs distinguish words and intonation in the same region of the brain as humans, according

to a new study of how man’s best friend interprets our language.Published Monday in the journal Science, the report by researchers at Budapest’s Eotvos Lorand University shows the canine brain is capable of interpreting both what we say and how we say it.

Dogs, like humans, use the brain’s left hemisphere to interpret words and regions of the right hemisphere to analyze intonation. The brain’s pleasure

center is activated only when words of kindness and praise are accompanied by the appropriate intonation, the researchers

determined. The observations suggest that the neural mechanisms for processing words evolved much earlier than previously believed and that they are not unique to the human brain.In surroundings with many spoken words such as a family home, understanding of word meanings can develop even in the brains of animals unable to speak, the study shows.

“The human brain not only separately analyzes what we

say and how we say it, but also integrates the two types of information, to arrive at a unified meaning,” says Attila Andics, a research fellow at Eotvos Lorand University.

“Our findings suggest that dogs can also do all that, and they use very similar brain mechanisms,” a discovery that could help facilitate communication and cooperation between dogs and humans.

The scientists studied thirteen dogs who remained lying still while a brain scanner measured their brain activity as they listened to their owners speak.

They found the dogs would activate an area of the right brain to distinguish between intonation signaling kindness and neutral tones. The researchers had already identified that the same part of dogs’ brains interprets non-verbal sounds that elicit emotions.

The same area of the human brain plays a similar role, suggesting that the mechanisms for interpreting intonation aren’t specific to speech. “What makes words uniquely human is not a special neural capacity, but our invention of using them,” the scientists said.

Two Indian-Americans selected for prestigious National Students Poets Program

WASHINGTON Two Indian-American teens are among five students selected for the prestigious National Students Poets Program, the White House has announced. US First Lady Michelle Obama would welcome the budding poets, including Indian-Americans Maya Eashwaran and Gopal Raman, at the White House on September 8, an official announcement said.

Eashwaran (17) is from Alpharetta in Georgia and Raman is from Dallas in Texas. The other three are Stella Binion from Chicago, Joey Reisberg from Towson in Maryland and Maya Salameh from San Diego in California. Since its inception in 2011, the National Student Poets Program has showcased the

essential role of writing and the arts in academic and personal success for audiences across the country.Each year, the five National Student Poets are chosen from a pool of outstanding writers, grades 9-11, who have received a national Scholastic Art and Writing Award for poetry.A first generation Indian-American, Eashwaran writes about foreigners, often incorporating personal experiences dealing with assimilation in the modern age.For Raman, a senior at St Mark’s School of Texas, poetry distills images and emotions into a form that brings people together. He cites poets like Billy Collins, Wallace Stevens, and Walt Whitman as his inspirations.

two graduate students passing by on bicycles. They chased and tackled him when he tried to flee, holding him on the ground until police arrived.

A jury in March found Turner guilty of three felony sexual assault counts. Judge Santa

from jail, Sheriff Laurie Smith said she believed his sentence was too light. “He should be in prison right now, but he’s not in our custody,” she told reporters.

Smith said jail guards gave Turner a big package of hate mail sent to him over the last three

Clara County Judge Aaron Persky sentenced him to six months in jail, citing the “extraordinary circumstances” of Turner’s youth, clean criminal record and other considerations in departing from the minimum sentence of two years in prison.

Prosecutors had argued for six years.Turner’s case exploded on social media and ignited a debate about campus rape and the criminal justice system after the victim’s 7,200-word letter to Turner that she read in the courtroom during sentencing was published online.

“I want to show people that one night of drinking can ruin two lives,” she wrote. “You and me.

You are the cause, I am the effect.”Following Turner’s release

months and that Turner lived in protective custody in jail after receiving threats.

She also urged Gov. Jerry Brown to sign a bill passed by California Assembly that would require harsher punishment for the same crime Turner committed. Brown hasn’t said whether he will sign it.

“The law has to be that if you rape someone who is unconscious and intoxicated you go to state prison,” she said. “And that bill is on the governor’s desk right now, and we’re urging the governor to sign it.”

A well-funded campaign also is underway to recall Persky. The judge voluntarily removed himself from hearing criminal cases, starting next week.

Melania Trump sues media outlets that said Brock Turner comes out of jail, gets she was an escort many hate mails for sexual assault

Washington Melania Trump, the wife of US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, on Thursday sued two media outlets that alleged she was an escort in the 1990s.The suit -- filed in state circuit court for Montgomery County, Maryland and acquired by AFP -- is against Mail Media, Inc. which publishes the Daily Mail Online, and Webster G Tarpley, who publishes a blog.Melania Trump, an ex-model of Slovenian origin, was seeking damages to the tune of $150 million.“These defendants made several

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statements about Mrs Trump that are 100% false and tremendously damaging to her personal and professional reputation,” said her attorney Charles Harder.“Defendants broadcast their lies to millions of people throughout the US and the world.”“Defendants’ actions are so egregious, malicious and harmful to Mrs Trump that her damages are estimated at $150 million dollars.”

Melania Trump is 24 years younger than her billionaire husband. She is Donald Trump’s third wife and the mother of their young son Barron.

Harder specialises in cases that involve privacy protection and defamation.He represented former wrestler Hulk Hogan -- in his successful lawsuit against Gawker Media, which resulted in a $140 million jury award against the entertainment website for releasing a sex tape featuring Hogan and a friend’s wife.

The decision caused Gawker to shutter its flagship website, after the court order drove the company to bankruptcy.

California Brock Turner, the former Stanford University swimmer convicted of sexually assaulting a young woman on campus, was handed a package by guards as he exited a California jail on Friday after serving half of his six-month sentence: A big packet of hate mail.Turner’s early release for good behaviour was the latest turn in a case that sparked a widespread outcry by many who believed he was given preferential treatment and too light of a sentence for the January 2015 assault. For hours after his predawn release from the Santa Clara County jail, about 200 people demonstrated outside, calling for the judge in the case to resign.Wearing a wrinkled dress shirt, Turner walked with his head down and didn’t say a word as he made his way through a gauntlet of television camera lights and into a waiting SUV. The 21-year-old intends to live with his parents near Dayton, Ohio, where he is required to register for life as a sex offender.

There, about a dozen protesters stood outside the Turner’s home in Sugarcreek Township, as police watched. One man’s hand-lettered sign said “Let only pain & misery fall upon those who rape their fellow person.”

Turner was convicted of assaulting the woman near a trash bin after they drank heavily at a fraternity party. The woman had passed out and Turner was on top of her when confronted by

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This NRI stabbed his wife as she was overweight, but US judge let him off due to his ‘Hindu culture’ An NRI was sentenced to probation in Kansas for trying to kill his wife with a pocketknife after his attorney argued that sending him to prison could cause the man’s family to be

ostracized as part of their Hindu culture.

Douglas County District Judge Robert Fairchild said the cultural considerations weighed into his sentencing decision for Navinkumar Patel.

The 46-year-old pleaded no contest to felony charges of attempted second-degree murder and criminal threat for the June 2015 attack on his wife at the Super 8 Motel in Lawrence,

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which he owns.

HINDU CULTURE? His lawyer, John Kerns, told the judge that in the “Hindu culture” of Patel’s family, his wife and children would suffer if he were

sentenced to prison.

“The cultural part of it is very significant in this case,” Judge Fairchild said. He sentenced Patel to probation but won’t announce the terms until next month.

Patel’s wife had sat down to eat a bowl of cereal in the motel on June 24, 2015, when her husband began yelling that she was fat and he was going to kill her, police said.

The wife retreated to an office area, where Patel stabbed her twice in the abdomen before she broke away and ran for help.

BIPOLAR DISORDER When officers arrived, Patel directed them to the office, handed an officer the pocketknife he was holding and stated that he had stabbed his wife, police said. The wife was treated at a hospital.

A doctor testified this week that Patel suffers from bipolar disorder, which was made worse

Microsoft machine brains going into a refrigerator

SAN FRANCISCO Microsoft is putting its machine brains into a Liebherr refrigerator.

The US technology giant and Liebherr are collaborating on a new “SmartDeviceBox” that take the kitchen appliance beyond cooling comestibles to reminding people what they need at the market, Microsoft principal data scientist TJ Hazen said in a blog post Friday. The box is an internet-connected module that fits inside refrigerators and freezers. Microsoft is putting machine vision capabilities to work to enable boxes to recognize milk cartons, ketchup

bottles and other food inside refrigerators, according to Hazen.The SmartDeviceBox uses cameras and object recognition technology to track what is in a refrigerator, keeping an inventory list, so that can be accessed through applications tailored for smartphones powered by Android, Apple or Windows software, Microsoft news center staff member Athima Chansanchai said in an online post.“In the near future, Liebherr refrigerators will help you shop and plan meals through intelligent food management,” Chansanchai said.

by his alcohol addiction, the Lawrence Journal-World reported If Patel stops drinking and continues to take his medication, he is at a low risk for a repeat offense, Dr Bradley Grinage said.

WIFE SUPPORTS HIM IN COURT More than a dozen of Patel’s family members, including his wife who was stabbed, showed up in court to support him.

Prosecutors argued that Patel’s conviction carries a presumptive prison sentence, but Fairchild said he’s allowed to depart from guidelines with “substantial and compelling reason.”

Fairchild ordered that Patel remain in jail until a proper plan is established to reduce the risk of a repeat offense. The judge plans to announce terms of probation at a hearing on September 8.

Obama to guest-edit issue of Wired magazine WASHINGTON Is President Barack Obama already thinking about his next job? In the coming months, he will guest-edit an issue of techfocused Wired magazine. It is the first time a sitting president has guestedited a magazine, the publication said Tuesday, announcing that Obama’s November issue would be centered around the theme of frontiers. “Like Wired, our 44th president is a relentless optimist.

For this completely bespoke issue, he wants to focus on the future - on the next hurdles that humanity will need to overcome to move forward,” it said. “We want to wrestle with the idea of how today’s technology can influence political leadership. And who better to help us explore these ideas than President Obama?” editor-inchief Scott Dadich said.

At the same time, the White House announced a “Frontiers conference” inspired by the issue, to take place in Pittsburgh on October 13.Health care, telecommunications, artificial

northwestern Hawaiian islands, making it the world’s largest marine protected area.

In Honolulu on Wednesday,

balance oil and gas exploration with whale conservation, and the establishment of important biodiversity areas will also be

Obama plans to address the Pacific Island Conference of Leaders and the IUCN World Conservation Congress, before departing for Midway Atoll the next day.“The President will be discussing the role that remote islands play in the climate context, but also the importance of the intersection between conservation and climate change as we face an increasingly severe threat of climate change in these parts of the world,” said Brian Deese, Obama’s senior advisor.Ben Rhodes, Obama’s deputy national security advisor, described the event as “an important opportunity to bring together not just Pacific island leaders who have been a motivating factor around the urgency of action against climate change, but also conservation advocates from around the world.”A key piece of news at the event will be the update of the IUCN’s Red List of endangered and threatened species on September 4.

Other reports on efforts to

announced in the first five days.

During the second part of the conference, from September 6 to 10, members will hold debates on wildlife trafficking, palm oil, income inequality in conservation, foresty practices, and more.The meeting isseen as an opportunity to find common ground on tough decisions and lay the groundwork for future talks, including the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) conference which kicks off in late September in Johannesburg.

Any motion passed at the IUCN meeting, “becomes a resolution which carries considerable weight” at the CITES convention two weeks later, “which does have legal teeth,” explained Robinson.

Over 8,300 delegates from 184 countries are expected to attend the IUCN World Congress.

“This unique gathering of top minds holds the key to innovation, inspiration and most importantly, action,” said Zhang Xinsheng, IUCN president.

intelligence, space exploration and clean energy are some of the themes to be addressed at the event. Obama will leave the White House on January 20, 2017 at age 55, after eight years in power. The Wired gig is not his first foray into the magazine world. He wrote an essay on feminism for the September issue of Glamour magazine.

US to host world’s largest conservation meeting MIAMI Some 8,000 heads of state, policymakers and environmentalists convene in Hawaii this week for the world’s largest gathering aimed at forging a path forward on the planet’s toughest conservation problems.

US President Barack Obama is expected to be among the world leaders in Honolulu as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) opens its World Conservation Congress, held every four years in a different location around the globe.

This year, the conference theme of “Planet at the Crossroads” is aimed at exposing the plight of island nations that are at risk of disappearing in the coming decades due to rising seas.

It is the first major environmental meeting of global leaders since the Paris climate talks last year.

The September 1-10 conference also marks the first time the IUCN World Congress has been held in the United States since the meeting was first convened in 1948.

Arguments are expected on hotly debated issues such as what to do about domestic ivory markets which lead to the killing of elephants for their tusks, and how to feed the world’s growing population without exhausting its natural resources. “There should be a fair amount of fireworks,” John Robinson, the head of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s global conservation program told AFP. Obama’s visit - if it is not disrupted by Hurricane Madeline - comes on the heels of his move last week to expand the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the

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Burning replica to mark Great Fire of London anniversary LONDON A giant replica of 17th-century London will be set ablaze in the city this weekend to mark the 350th anniversary of the

devastating Great Fire of London. The 1666 inferno destroyed most of the walled inner city dating back to Roman times - a bustling, congested maze of tightly-packed wooden houses. It forced London to rebuild anew from the ashes.

Now the city is looking back to when it lay in ruins - with a few shuddering sights to remind Londoners of the peril faced by their predecessors. The London’s Burning programme of events commemorating the disaster culminates in Sunday’s torching of a 120-metre (394-foot) long wooden replica of old London - moored in the River Thames to prevent the fire from spreading again.

“It will look spectacular,” said Helen Marriage, director of

creative events company Artichoke, which is staging the London’s Burning programme.

The recreation was built by US ‘burn artist’ David Best and can

be watched worldwide on a livestream from 8:25pm (1925 GMT) on Sunday.

The Great Fire of London broke out in Thomas Farrinor’s bakery on Pudding Lane shortly after midnight on September 2, 1666 and gradually spread through the city.

The fire was finally extinguished on September 5, with around 80 percent of the walled city in ruins. It consumed 13,200 houses, 87 parish churches and Saint Paul’s Cathedral.

Only six deaths were officially attributed to the fire, though an estimated 70,000 of the 80,000 residents were forced to flee, most to squalid camps outside the city walls. Various scapegoats were blamed, chiefly Catholics and foreigners.

UK daily traces Indianorigin murder suspect

London An Indian-origin man wanted for the kidnapping and murder of his business partner was tracked down to his house near Wolverhampton by The Times, the daily reported on Friday.

Baldev Singh Deol, 62, is reportedly sought by Indian police for the alleged murder of Ranjit Singh Power, who was part owner of a hotel in Wolverhampton. Power went missing while on a visit to Punjab in May last year.“Mr Deol was seen yesterday at his home near Wolverhampton but, even though Interpol has issued an arrest warrant, West Midlands police said they were powerless to arrest him until a request was made via an extradition notice

and they had not been given authority by the Home Office,” the daily reported. “The extradition paperwork has not been processed in India,” the report added.Deol told The Times by phone: “Of course, I’m in the UK. Don’t worry about it darling, I’m here.” He hung up when he was asked about an arrest notice over the alleged murder of Power.A spokesperson for West Midlands police said: “This is an Indian police investigation. As yet, West Midlands police haven’t received any formal request for extradition proceedings from the Indian authorities. We remain ready to assist with any inquiries should a request be made.”

Robert Hubert, a French watchmaker, confessed to starting the blaze and was swiftly hanged - though he was actually at sea when the fire broke out.

The London of today, with its characteristic English Baroque architecture in grey Portland stone, was built from the ashes of the wooden city, though the old street layout was retained to respect property rights.

The Monument column commemorates the fire near where it started but Pudding Lane itself is now an unremarkable concrete-lined back road.

The new St Paul’s Cathedral, still the centrepiece of the city, was completed 44 years after the Great Fire.

Nick Bodger, head of cultural and visitor development for the City of London, said the capital’s resilience - witnessed again during the 1940s Blitz - helped it rebuild and survive.

“350 years ago, when embers from a baker’s oven sparked one of the most catastrophic events the capital has ever witnessed, London’s economic prowess almost came to a fiery end,” he told reporters.

“A renewed sense of purpose saw the great city we enjoy today rise from those ashes, develop and thrive.”

The Museum of London’s “Fire!

Fire!” exhibition contains scorched possessions only just saved from the fire, leather buckets used to fight it and letters telling of the inferno written by people who fled.

Sikh on popular BBC show gets racist abuse

London A Sikh man, who has caught the imagination of many as he vies to win the widely watched BBC programme “The Great British Bake Off”, has been subjected to racist abuse.Many rooted for Nadiya Hussain, a Muslim of Bangladeshi-origin, who won the popular cookery show last year, but Rav Bansal, 28, revealed on Twitter that he suffered the abuse after appearing in the first two episodes of the ongoing series.

Bansal, who lives in Kent and works in City University, is one of the 10 remaining contestants on the show. He tweeted on Thursday that he was asked whether he was a “p*ki” by a stranger, who referred to the “not so British Bake Off”. Bansal ended his tweet with: “Really, in 2016?”Hussain winning the 2015 edition was hailed as an example of Britain’s multiculturalism, but the uneasy relationship with difference was never far from the surface. Hussain later spoke of how racism had become part of her life and how she had come

to expect it.According to Bansal’s contestant profile, he has an especially strong bond with his sister, who inspired him to bake. He studied criminology at university but took a different career path and now loves his job supporting students at City University London.

“Rav has always been passionate about helping people and has volunteered for charities such as Victim Support. He is adventurous and experimental with his baking and likes to use a whole range of unusual ingredients,” the profile says.

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French PM sparks outrage with speech that naked breasts represent France, referring to burkini ban Manuel Valls, the Prime Minister of France, is in the eye of a storm after his controversial comment that naked breasts represent France more than a headscarf.

The burkini is back to being the subject of debates, with the French Prime Minister supporting the ban which has caused uproar among activists and feminists across the world.

In his fiery speech on Monday, Valls invoked the bare breasts of Marianne, a national symbol of the French Republic and an allegory of liberty and reason “Marianne has a naked breast because she is feeding the people! She is not veiled, because she is free! That is the republic!”

His speech attracted a lot of criticism from politicians as well as historians and feminists, who refuted his logic.

HISTORIAN TEARS APART VALLS IN SERIES OF TWEETS Historian Mathilde Larrere in a series of tweets tore down his rhetoric, deriding him for viewing Marianne literally and not as an allegory. “Marianne has a naked breast because it’s an allegory,

you cretin!” she tweeted.

Other historians too questioned whether Valls knew and understood French republican

Minister’s view reflected the lamentable view of women held by some male French politicians.

history. The website of the government of France hails Marianne as “the embodiment of the French Republic. Marianne represents the permanent values that found her citizens’ attachment to the Republic: “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”.”

Valls was also criticised by former Green party minister cile Duflot, who said that the Prime

The burkini has seeped into the French political scene in a big way after it was banned in several parts of France citing security concerns. After facing flak from across the world, the ban was suspended by the highest administrative court in France.

However, it continues to be a hot topic for debate with many in favour of the ban and many against it.

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UK regulator raps Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh for anti-Islamic remarks London Britain’s regulator of charity organisations criticised the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) on Friday for not following procedures after a television sting operation revealed a speaker making anti-Islamic comments at a camp organised by the group.

The Charity Commission concluded after an investigation that there was mismanagement in HSS’ administration, with indications of a potential breach of the duty of trustees, but added there was insufficient evidence that the views expressed by the speaker were endemic or systematic in the organisation.

Ideologically inspired by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), HSS has been operating in Britain since 1966. Its structure, principles and activities are similar to those of the RSS, whose head, Mohan Bhagwat, attended its ‘mahashibir’ in Luton in early August to mark 50 years of the group’s existence in Britain.

The sting operation showed a teacher at a “Sangh Shiksha Varg” (SSV) event for children, organised by HSS in Herefordshire during July-August 2014, making strong remarks against Muslims. It was telecast on ITV in January 2015.

“By assessing the full and unaired footage, the inquiry identified that the speaker was permitted to speak at the event as a consequence and reflection of the trustees mismanagement, including the failure to appropriately screen speakers; to follow their own policies and allow the speaker to continue to speak despite his inflammatory

statements,” the inquiry report said.

The report added: “The commission also identified that the most offensive and inappropriate comments

recorded at the SSV event were included in the programme and the commission found some of these to be particularly objectionable and anti-Islamic.”

The inquiry also considered the relationship between the HSS and RSS.During the SSV event, the speaker was asked by the undercover reporter if he considered himself to be part of RSS or HSS and the speaker was quoted as saying: “See they are both the same, only thing is that here (in the UK) we cannot call RSS as RSS, so we call it HSS.”However, when asked the same question during the inquiry, the speaker said: “I acknowledge that perhaps it would have been more accurate to say (that the two organisations are) similar or founded on some common principles.”HSS trustees told the inquiry that the group “neither funds nor is funded by RSS; none of the trustees of HSS are members of RSS and RSS has no control, influence or governance over HSS or HSS over RSS...The two entities are completely separate and independent from one another and are accordingly not inter-

British public heavily in favour of burqa ban LONDON Twice as many British people support a ban on women wearing a burqa than oppose one, with a majority also in favour of outlawing the burkini, according to a poll published Thursday.

Some 57 percent of the 1,668 adults polled by YouGov said they supported “a law that bans people from wearing the burqa in the UK”, with 36 percent “strongly supporting” the ban compared with only 10 percent who were “strongly opposed”.The poll comes following a row in France about the banning of the burkini in around 30 coastal resorts in the Riviera.The country’s highest administrative court later suspended the ruling

after it was challenged by rights groups.

Some 46 percent of British people would support a similar ban on the burkini, against 30 percent who were opposed, with 18 percent neither for or against.

Support for the ban on the burqa, worn by women in some Islamic traditions to hide the body and face, was uniform across supporters of all political parties, although strongest among Conservative and UK Independence Party backers.

The only demographics to oppose the ban were 18-24 yearolds - by a margin of six percent - and those who voted to remain in the European Union, but only by a margin of three percent.

dependent.”

The report said: “However, the inquiry has advised the trustees that they need to take proactive steps to ensure RSS has no control or influence over the charity and its affairs and that if links arise due to any personal links individuals may have, that these are separated from the charity and do not damage it or its reputation.”

HSS trustees, the report added, cooperated with the inquiry and acted promptly to review policies and procedures and set in motion their own review of events.

Registered as a charity in 1974, HSS aims “to advance Hindu religion and to educate the public in the Hindu ideals and way of life”. During the Luton ’mahashibir’, HSS said it had “grown into a national organisation with over 110 shakhas” across Britain.

HSS has headquarters in Birmingham and Dhiraj D Shah is its president. In the financial year that ended in March 2015, HSS’ income was £201,381 and expenditure £201,332. One of its largest expenditures mentioned was for “Shakha – hall hiring”, according to its statement to the Charity Commission.

Pakistani man sentenced in US for trying to export military equipment

Washington A 71-year-old Pakistani national in the US has been sentenced to 33 months in prison for trying to smuggle sensitive military technology to the Pakistan Army.

A US Court in Arizona passed the sentence on Syed Vaqar Ashraf of Lahore on Thursday, after he pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to export defence controlled items without a license, the US Department of Justice said.

Federal prosecutors alleged Ashraf attempted to procure

gyroscopes and illegally ship them to Pakistan so they could be used by the Pakistani military.

Ashraf then traveled to Belgium to inspect the products and arrange for their final transport to Pakistan.

Ashraf was arrested on August 26, 2014 by the Belgium Federal Police at the request of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents, who had been conducting an undercover investigation of his activities.

London lab recreates horrors of war with 3D technology LONDON Starvation, torture and rape: the grim daily realities of prisoners inside Syria’s Saidnaya military prison have been recreated in harrowing 3D detail by a Londonbased agency, established to highlight claims of rights abuses.

Human rights campaigners Amnesty International are the latest organisation to call on Forensic Architecture’s (FA) expertise, creating the first navigable model of the jail as part of a drive to raise awareness about political prisoners in Syria.

Israeli activist and architect Eyal Weizman, 46, created FA in 2011, and it is now based in the leafy streets of south London, on the campus of host institution Goldsmiths, University of London.

Its interdisciplinary laboratory specialises in producing analysis and evidence to be used in human rights cases brought to international courts, with architecture a key tool in helping to accurately recreate events occurring in chaotic surroundings. Before FA, no surveillance groups or journalists had been able to “access” the notorious prison, located 25 kilometres (15 miles) north of Damascus, used by the regime of Syrian leader Bashar alAssad. The laboratory pieced together testimonies given to Amnesty by former prisoners with satellite images found on the Google search engine and other publicly available online material. “It’s about unravelling the facts based on small details,”

explained architectural researcher Stefan Laxness.“Picking up on the spatial details inadvertently mentioned by the detainees, using that to build up what they experienced helped us also understand how the prison might be structured, and we started to notice a pattern in the trajectory each detainee has throughout the building.”One detainee described how sunlight illuminated a certain part of his cell at a certain time of day, helping the team to verify his

account.“When he placed the cell in space with a certain orientation, and then you run a sun simulation... lo and behold their testimony actually corroborates with the physical parameters. In some sense that validates the interviewee and his story,” Laxness said.Researchers also travelled to Istanbul to interview “hearing witnesses” who were either blindfolded or not able to see directly other parts of the prison.

These former detainees did not have detailed visual information of the prison, but provided valuable evidence based on aural accounts of the rhythms of life inside, the routines of torturers and even mundane occurences

such as water leaks.Laxness said the former detainees were not necessarily familiar with 3D technology but “very quickly” understood how it worked and wanted to talk about their experiences and contribute to the model.Other studies conducted by the agency include reconstruction the August 2014 bombing of Gaza, Guatemala’s Ixil genocide of 1978-1984 and the 2011 sinking in the Mediterranean of a boat carrying 63 migrants from Libya.FA is currently the only provider of such analysis, working with Human Rights Watch, international courts and the United Nations with key evidence.The work combines traditional disciplines, such as mapping, ecology and law, with new technologies like 3D, as-well as the testimonies of victims and prominent witnesses.But the changing nature of war is bringing other disciplines to the fore in untangling events.“Architecture provides a crucial look, vital to understanding contemporary conflicts,” said Weizman, explaining that the migration of conflicts towards urban environments demanded a fresh approach.“The city is a dense media environment,” he added.

“There are a lot of journalists and more and more citizens are filming what is happening around them.“To understand and build a picture from all these sources, you need to build architectural models and place all these videos in space, to reconstruct the narrative of events,” he said.

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At Berlin tech fair, waterproof gadgets make a splash BERLIN From smartphones that can survive a dip in the sink to sweatresistant earphones and floating speakers for your next pool party, waterproof gadgets are making a splash at this year’s IFA electronics fair in Berlin. As consumers have grown more attached to their on-the-go devices, they have also become more demanding and manufacturers have been working for years to make those products, phones especially, better able to withstand sudden downpours, spills or even the dreaded toilet-bowl plunge. “The smartphone is now omnipresent and constantly in use, and a lot can happen. So its waterproof capabilities have become a lot more important,” said Timm Lutter of the German hi-tech federation Bitkom.

When Japanese electronics giant Sony unveiled its latest handset, the Xperia XZ, at the week-long tech extravaganza on Thursday, it touted the phone’s water resistance by showing it from behind a liquid-spattered screen.A day earlier, Samsung showed off its new Gear S3 smartwatch, which like its Galaxy S7 phone can easily cope with a dunk.Apple’s iPhone 7, to be launched next week, is also widely expected to feature improved water resistance. “It’s a consumer demand, a selling

point, a way to stand out,” said Jean-Raoul de Gelis, head of Sony Mobile France.

But given the complexities of designing water-resistant devices, de Gelis said it was an add-on reserved for high-end products only. “You have to work on sealing each protrusion, the screen, all the connector ports, and technically they are much more complex products to manufacture,” he told AFP. It’s not just smartphones and smartwatches that are focussing on becoming more waterfriendly.

Makers of sports gadgets have long taken the plunge, with cameras like the all-terrain GoPro, headphones and MP3 music players that you can take swimming already widely available.

Japan’s JVC Kenwood displayed a range of sweat- and splashproof sports headphones at the IFA gathering, as well as a small camcorder that can be safely submerged at a depth of up to five metres (16 feet) and can withstand dust and extreme temperatures.

“It’s a family product, it needs to work in all situations,” said Guillaume Briot, head of the firm’s French marketing division, referring to the new generation Everio camera.

But buyers beware! Just because a gadget promises some level of

splash resistance, it doesn’t mean it can survive all submerged activities.

Samsung’s advertisement for the Galaxy S7 for instance shows a man who absentmindedly drops his phone in the sink while doing the dishes, a submersion lasting just a few moments.

“We’re not saying that this is an under-water device,” Guillaume Berlemont, marketing director of mobile products at Samsung France, told AFP. And while tech products are getting better at coping with water, some companies have been reluctant to highlight those capabilities, fearing consumers will misunderstand how far they

Fossil find points to life on Earth 3.7b years ago SYDNEY Life on Earth is even older than we thought, Australian scientists

structure and geochemistry of the rock in which they were found provided clues to a biological

said Thursday as they unveiled fossils dating back a staggering 3.7 billion years. The tiny structures - called stromatolites - were found in ancient rock along the edge of Greenland’s ice cap, and were 220 million years older than the previous record holders.

They show that life emerged fairly shortly - in geological terms - after Earth was formed some 4.5 billion years ago, said lead researcher Allen Nutman of the University of Wollongong. And, he added, they offer hope that very basic life may at one point have existed on Mars.

“This discovery represents a new benchmark for the oldest preserved evidence of life on Earth,” Professor Martin Julian Van Kranendonk, a geology expert at the University of New South Wales and study coauthor, said in a statement. The

origin for the microfossils, he said, which in turn “points to a rapid emergence of life on Earth”.

The one-to-four centimetre (0.41.6 inch) high Isua stromatolites were exposed after the melting of a snow patch in the Isua Greenstone Belt of Greenland.

Stromatolites are formed when microorganisms, such as certain kinds of bacteria, trap bits of sediment together in layers.

These layers build up over time to create solid rock. These rocks themselves were never alive, but their existence suggest that the very simple single-cell organisms that made them were present on Earth hundreds of millions of years earlier than previously thought, said the team.

Another scientist was more skeptical.

Structures that look just like stromatolites can form without

the presence of any living organism, Abigail Allwood of the California Institute of Technology wrote in a comment on the study.

“The interpretation of stromatolite-like structures has been notoriously difficult in Earth’s oldest rocks,” she wrote, and predicted the study findings would “spark controversy”.

“The case for a biological origin of the Greenland structures is limited by the information available in the tiny outcrop,” she argued.But Vickie Bennett from the Australian National University, who also worked on the study, said the research “turns the study of planetary habitability on its head”.

“Rather than speculating about potential early environments, for the first time we have rocks that we know record the conditions and environments that sustained early life,” she said.

The discovery could help the hunt for life on Mars, considered the most likely location for microbial life-forms among other planets in the Solar System.

The Red Planet is believed to have once run with water and had an atmosphere, which together with warmth, could provide the right conditions for bacterial life.

“The significance for Mars is that 3,700 million years ago, Mars was probably still wet and probably still had oceans and so on, so if life develops so quickly on Earth to be able to form things like stromatolites - it might be more easy to detect signs of life on Mars,” Nutman told AFP.

can take it, said IHS technology analyst Ian Fogg.

Firms that do choose to market their products as such must consider how they will manage customer returns if the devices end up suffering water damage, he said.

“Is it something that is due to a fault in manufacturing or is it because (the) consumer has used the phone in a way that goes beyond the official rating?”

Water-resistant products generally come with an IP68 rating, meaning they can handle being submerged for up to half an hour, at a depth of more than one metre. Enough to withstand rain and accidental splashes or

immersions, but not enough to survive being left at the bottom of a pool.

“There is a lot of work to do in terms of educating consumers.

It’s not easy,” said Sony’s de Grelis.

Some waterproof gadgets are of course designed to be dabbled with playfully, as demonstrated

by Vern Smith, head of business development at Monster Products, who entertained visitors at the trade show by tossing a black, wireless speaker into a bowl of water.

It quickly resurfaced, spat out a few drops and then resumed blasting out music, while gently floating on the water’s surface.

Justin Trudeau Marvel’s latest superhero MONTREAL He snowboards, he hikes, he surfs - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is already a bit of an action hero. But now, Marvel has made him into a real superhero, in a comic book that hit newsstands Wednesday.

Trudeau graces one of two covers of the latest edition of “Civil War II: Choosing Sides” seated in the corner of a boxing ring, smiling, his elbows resting on the ropes, with the maple leaf symbol emblazoned on his tank top and wearing red boxing gloves. The 44-year-old prime minister is surrounded by Canadian superheroes Puck, Sasquatch and Aurora members of the Alpha Flight squad - as Iron Man looms in the background. The main cover in circulation does not feature Trudeau. The comic book also introduces a mysterious new character, Ulysses, who has the power to predict the future.

Trudeau is consulted in his Ottawa office by the members of Alpha Flight after a disagreement breaks out over how to leverage Ulysses’s powers.

Captain Marvel wants to take measures to prevent crimes before they occur, while Tony

Stark (Iron Man) views it as immoral to punish anyone for a crime they have not yet committed.

Trudeau takes a principled view, telling his comrades: “Above all

else civil liberties must be protected.

“I think imprisoning people for crimes they may not even have thought of yet is wrong... I think this is a dangerous path you’ve embarked on.”

Trudeau’s father Pierre, who also served as Canada’s prime minister, also appeared in a Marvel comic released in 1979.

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Companies courting Muslim consumers with halal shampoos, cosmetics London/Jakarta Some of the world’s biggest consumer groups are making halal face creams and shampoos for Indonesia ahead of a new labelling law, part of a broader push to cater to growing Muslim populations as sales in many Western markets slow.

Unilever, Beiersdorf and L’Oreal are among the multinationals converting their supply chains for the world’s biggest Muslimmajority nation.

The law, the first of its kind, requires food to be labelled halal or not in 2017, followed by toiletries in 2018 and medicines in 2019.

The companies say demand for beauty products that are halal, or target specific issues like veiled hair, will grow as the Muslim middle class grows.

They note that Indonesia could influence other countries such as Malaysia where halal products made locally or by small, niche

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companies are also popular.

Halal certification is official recognition that a product was manufactured in keeping with Islamic Sharia law. This means it must not contain traces of pork, alcohol or blood, and must be made on factory lines free of contamination risk, including from cleaning.

Makers of cosmetics and toiletries say the burden is more administrative than financial, and therefore see compliance as unlocking new revenue streams.

“It’s an enabler to do business in certain areas of the world,” said Dirk Mampe of German chemicals company BASF, which sells ingredients to toiletries manufacturers and now has 145 of them certified halal.

The halal ingredients do not carry premium price tags, he said.

“There is a trend that these halal products are being requested more and more, and the importance of being able to supply them is increasing.”

More than 1.5 billion people around the world are Muslim, accounting for about a quarter of the global population.

Halal cosmetics were estimated to make up 11% of a global halal market worth more than $1 trillion in 2015, according to Deloitte Tohmatsu Consulting.

Market research firm TechNavio sees halal personal care products’ sales growing 14% per year until 2019, outpacing the

Crowdfunding site launched in Singapore and Hong Kong

broader market.

Not-so-secret formula French cosmetics giant L’Oreal already has a halal-certified factory in Indonesia that supplies the domestic market and its Southeast Asian neighbours.

Most products under its Garnier

Malaysian ringgit ($1.4 million), up 64% year-on-year. It raised 3.6 million pounds ($4.7 million) from this year’s London stock listing, and is betting that halal cosmetics will gain traction beyond their current strongholds of Indonesia and Malaysia.

brand, from face washes to skin lightening creams, are halalcertified, a spokesperson said.

The personal care industry already depends largely on plantderived ingredients, so the rules for halal often affect production more than formulation.

But certification can get complicated. For example, the maker of an Indonesian skin cream with a dozen ingredients from around the world would need to give Indonesian authorities proof from other certification bodies that each ingredient was made in a halal way.

Malaysia-based DagangHalal has made a business from that complexity by establishing an online database of halal certificates to ease their exchange and expedite the process for applicants. As of February, it said 38 out of over 120 certification bodies worldwide had signed up.

The company, which also runs a halal e-commerce site, reported 2015 revenue of 5.6 million

“Halal certification is a requirement that might be put in place by other countries in the future,” Joerg Karas, general manager of Schwan-Stabilo Cosmetics, said in a statement last month. The German company, which is ready to offer halal-certified products to customers such as L’Oreal and Procter & Gamble, said it is “well-equipped for this niche market”.Non-halal products will remain available in Indonesia following the labelling law, but may meet a backlash.

“The average Muslim consumer in Indonesia is not going to buy something that effectively says prohibited on it,” said Abdalhamid Evans of halal consultancy firm Imarat Consultants.

Unilever, which owns five of Indonesia’s top ten beauty and personal care brands, says all nine of its factories there already meet halal standards and that it is currently working with thirdparty suppliers of imported ingredients.

Alan Jope, who runs Unilever’s personal care business from Singapore, told Reuters the cost of certification was “not material”.

Muslim values Competition with home-grown rivals steeped in local tradition can be fierce, especially when it comes to regulation. But Jope said the key for multinationals like Unilever -- with global marketing and development teams -- is understanding Muslim values generally and how they influence habits in specific markets with different cultures and ethnicities.

“Some (values) are common across Muslim countries,” he said, noting that about 90% of Muslim consumers say faith influences their brand choices.

“But there’s quite substantial differences between how a Muslim woman in Indonesia and a Muslim woman in Saudi Arabia express their faith and how that impacts their beauty regimes.”

He guessed that one third of the top twenty markets for Unilever’s 20 billion euros-per-year business were countries with large Muslim populations, from India to Nigeria. He said better meeting their needs was a top strategic priority.

To that end, Unilever has introduced products such as a gel body moisturizer that absorbs quickly beneath long undergarments and a longlasting toothpaste appealing to those fasting for Ramadan.

Like rival Henkel, it sells a line of shampoo for veiled hair, but Jope said the industry needs to improve its advertising, such as by featuring more women in hijabs.“We need to be doing a better job reflecting Muslim values in our brand communication,” he said.

Shoes speak louder than skills in London’s City SINGAPORE Crowdfunding site Kickstarter made its Asia debut Wednesday with launches in Singapore and Hong Kong, giving entrepreneurs in the two cities the opportunity to raise funding from global investors. By late Wednesday, new projects in Hong Kong and Singapore were seeking funding on the site, including a selfwatering indoor planter, invented by a 13-year-old boy, which had attracted 183 backers. “As one of the most exciting regions for emerging creative culture and innovation, we’re thrilled to begin to support creators in Asia,” CEO and co-founder Yancey Strickler said in a statement.

Anyone wanting to put up products on the site previously had to collaborate with people in US or Europe - the only markets the site operated in.

But people backing a Kickstarter

project can come from anywhere in the world, and more than 100,000 people from both cities have made 600,000 pledges for projects over the last seven years, the company said.

Kickstarter will find itself in competition with local crowdfunding sites like Singapore’s MoolahSense and Hong Kong’s FringeBacker.

Since its launch in 2009, over $2.5 billion has been raised for more than 110,000 ideas through the site, which range from films to new technology and food projects.

Success stories include the Pebble smartwatch and Oculus Rift headset.

In 2014, an Ohio man received $55,000 after asking for $10 to make a potato salad.

Backers pledge money to projects, but only have to pay up if the funding target is reached.

LONDON Graduates applying for jobs in London’s finance sector risk being overlooked if they wear brown shoes, a governmentcommissioned report into social mobility said Thursday. “Opaque” dress codes practiced by those from more formal backgrounds are being used to judge candidates, with brown shoes a fashion faux-pas that many from poorer backgrounds may not be aware of, said the study.

“Managers often select candidates for client-facing jobs who fit the traditional image of an investment banker and display polish,” it said. “For example, some senior investment bankers still deem it unacceptable for men to wear brown shoes with a business suit.”One interviewee from a nonprivileged background explained he was rejected despite being told that he had interviewed well.

“He said ‘you’re clearly quite

sharp, but you’re not quite the fit for (this bank), you’re not polished enough’,” he said of the explanation given for his rejection.

example, that some investment bank managers still judge candidates on whether they wear brown shoes with a suit, rather on than their skills and potential.

“He looked at me and said, ‘see that tie you’re wearing? It’s too loud. You can’t wear that tie with the suit that you’re wearing’,” he recalled.Alan Milburn, chair of the Social Mobility Commission, said it was “shocking, for

“Bright working-class kids are being systematically locked out of top jobs in investment banking because they may not attend a small handful of elite universities or understand arcane culture rules,” he added.

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Funding, staffing woes for UK science after Brexit vote LONDON The Nobel Prize-winning head of Europe’s biggest biomedical research centre in London said that Britain’s vote to leave the EU is worrying his European employees and will hit “extremely important” funding.Paul Nurse, head of the world-renowned Francis Crick Institute, told AFP

that EU funds account for around £5 million a year (5.9 million euro/$6.6 million), or around five percent of his annual budget. “It’s money we can use in a wide variety of ways,” he said in an interview at the institute’s new futuristic £650-million headquarters near the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras, which was inaugurated this week.“It’s not tied down in particular objectives and that’s extremely important... when you’re trying to run an innovative research institute,” said Nurse, who won a Nobel Prize in 2001 for his work on cell cycles. Nurse said 55 percent of the institute’s postdoctoral researchers were from other parts of the European Union and some of them were concerned about their future status. “If we increase the

bureaucracy that has to be overcome to get scientists to work here, that will be an issue.

“Maybe more important is the risk of a xenophobic reputation spreading out there - that Britain is not open for international business,” Nurse warned. He is not alone in his concern and the government was forced to move

relatively quickly last month to reassure the scientific community that funding for existing projects would remain in place, even after Britain leaves the EU.But Mike Galsworthy, programme director for the campaign group “Scientists for EU”, said: “They didn’t pledge a single penny beyond what they have to legally.”The group, which campaigned for Britain to stay in the bloc in the run up to the landmark referendum, said it had registered more than 400 cases of scientists who were already feeling the adverse effects of the June 23 vote to leave.Some are British scientists who have been excluded from EU funding applications by continental colleagues because Britain may have left the bloc by the time the projects are realised. Others are

Zimbabwe to dehorn 700 rhinos to shut out poachers

HARARE Zimbabwe plans to dehorn its 700-strong rhino population to discourage poaching after 50 animals were illegally killed last year, a wildlife conservation group said on Tuesday.

Rhino horn is prized in Asia for use in traditional medicine and surging demand has led to more poaching. A record 1,305 rhinos were killed illegally in Africa last year, most of them in South Africa, according to conservation groups.

Lisa Marabini, director of operations with Aware Trust Zimbabwe, said the organisation was one of two groups helping the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife

Management Authority remove horns. “We want to send a message to poachers that they will not get much if they come to Zimbabwe. The park’s policy is to dehorn all the rhinos,” Marabini said. It costs $1,200 to dehorn a rhino, Marabini said, adding that 100 animals lived in state-run game parks, while the remainder were in private-owned wildlife sanctuaries. Buying and selling rhino horn internationally was banned in 1977. In Zimbabwe, killing a rhino carries a mandatory nine-year sentence.

The World Wildlife Fund said in January 50 rhinos had been killed in Zimbabwe in 2015, double the figure for the previous year.

foreign researchers who are turning down posts in the UK following the referendum, while others who are already here are voicing concern about whether they should stay.“We want to raise awareness of the fallout that’s happening because that’s the only way of persuading politicians to take action and move quickly,” Galsworthy said, adding: “There’s general nervousness”.Losing EU research funds would hit Britain’s scientific community to the tune of almost £1 billion a year, technology consultancy Digital Science has calculated.Britain is the second largest recipient of EU research funds after Germany, receiving £8 billion in the past decade compared to £8.3 billion for Germany.”EU funds have been used to prop up and cover systemic issues with how we chose to fund research in the UK, both at a governmental and corporate level,” said Digital Science’s managing director Daniel Hook.“Brexit, and the loss of EU funding for the UK’s research base, represents a number of severe threats to leading British success stories in the research sector, unless the UK government makes up the shortfall,” he said.Some have argued that leaving could be a good thing, led by the “Scientists for Britain” group which campaigned for the country to leave the EU.John Ball, a Canadian-British geneticist and medicine professor at Oxford University, argued that position a commentary in the Financial Times newspaper, though he did say that he would have nonetheless preferred to stay in the EU.

Tokyo puts Tsukiji fish market move on ice

TOKYO Plans to move Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market - the world’s largest - were put on ice Wednesday over fears about toxic contamination at the new facility, as the cost of the move soars.

The megacity’s new governor, Yuriko Koike, said she would postpone the move set for November until at least early next year, as she awaits final groundwater testing results at the new site, a former gas plant.

Plans to uproot the more than 80-year-old market, a popular tourist attraction, have been in the works for years, with advocates citing the need for upgraded technology. But Koike, a former TV anchorwoman elected last month as the Japanese capital’s first female governor, had pledged to reconsider the plan.

“Needless to say, it is a market that handles fresh food,” Koike told a press conference as she announced the delay.“The Tokyo metropolitan government, which chiefly runs the market, is responsible for telling the world: ‘It’s safe.’”

Critics of the move cite contaminated soil found at the former gas production site.

The local government paid a whopping 86 billion yen ($833 million) in cleanup costs but Koike said she wants to wait for the results of water testing in January.

Koike would not say if she would consider scrapping the relocation altogether if the test results are bad.“I want to wait for the examinations being done by the project team,” she said.

Koike also questioned the 588 billion yen in relocation costs, 36 percent higher than earlier estimates.These costs include relocating the market to a lesscentral location several kilometres away and building a modern facility about 40 percent larger with state-of-the-art refrigeration.Japanese media have reported that postponing Tsukiji’s move would cost about seven million yen a day, and could delay construction of a highway connecting the current site with an athletes’ village being built for the city’s 2020 Olympics.

Nepal bans Indian police couple for faking Everest climb KATHMANDU Nepal has imposed a 10-year mountaineering ban on an Indian couple who faked photographs purporting to show them at the top of Mount Everest, an official said Tuesday. Dinesh and Tarakeshwari Rathod, both police constables, said they reached the top of the world’s highest mountain on May 23.

But fellow climbers cast doubt on their claim, saying their photos at the summit were doctored. Nepal’s tourism department initially certified their claim but later conducted an investigation.“Our investigation shows that the couple faked their summit. We have imposed a 10year ban against them from climbing any mountain in Nepal,” tourism department chief Sudarshan Prasad Dhakal told AFP of the decision made on Monday. Dhakal said an analysis of the photos submitted by the couple showed they had superimposed themselves and their banners onto photos taken

by another Indian climber of his Everest summit.“Despite several attempts to get clarifications from them, they did not cooperate with us during the investigation. The

two Sherpas that assisted them are also absconding,” Dhakal said. “The ban should serve as a warning for mountaineers to follow ethics,” he said.

Tourism ministry spokesman Ghanshyam Upadhyaya said the government is considering revising the procedure for certifying claims of an ascent.

The current system demands photos, reports from team leaders and government liaison officers stationed at the base camp - but has been open to attempts at fakery.

“We will consult experts to see what technologies or processes we can use and make every party more responsible to prevent such false claims in the future,” Upadhayaya said.

Many of those who reach the top of the 8,848-metre (29,029-foot) mountain have gone on to make money or forge careers as motivational speakers and authors.A total of 456 people, including more than 250 foreigners, summited Everest during the recently ended spring season, after two consecutive years of deadly disasters that led to almost all attempts being abandoned.Mountaineering is a major revenue-earner for the impoverished Himalayan nation.

This year’s string of successful summits is expected to boost the industry, which was left reeling after an earthquake last year killed almost 9,000 people nationwide.Hundreds fled Everest last year after an earthquake-triggered avalanche at base camp killed 18 people.

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First US commercial flight in more than 50 years lands in Cuba Santa Clara The first scheduled commercial passenger flight from the United States to Cuba in more than half a century landed on Wednesday, opening another chapter in the Obama administration’s efforts to improve ties and increase trade and travel with the former Cold War foe.A JetBlue Airways Corp passenger jet arrived from Fort Lauderdale, Florida in the central Cuban city of Santa Clara.The route may be a commercial challenge, at least initially, but it will be the first of a plethora of new flights by various US airlines to destinations on the Communist-ruled island.

US transportation secretary Anthony Foxx, JetBlue chief executive officer Robin Hayes, other officials and journalists were aboard the 150-seat plane.

Regular travelers, including some of Cuban descent, occupied nearly half the seats on the flight to Santa Clara, a city with a population of about 200,000 that is known for its monument to revolutionary leader Ernesto “Che” Guevara.US secretary of state John Kerry noted in a Twitter message that the flight took place just over a year after the raising of the flag at the reopened US embassy in Havana.He called it “another step forward.”Cuba and the United

States began normalising relations in December 2014 after 18 months of secret talks and have since restored full diplomatic ties. The countries had been hostile for more than five decades, since Fidel Castro ousted US-backed dictator

landmark visit by him to the Caribbean island in March and a series of measures to increase commercial ties, but the US President has been unable to persuade Congress to lift the longstanding embargo.

Critics of the detente argue the

tourists, although there have long been exceptions to the ban, ranging from visiting family to business, cultural, religious and educational travel.The Obama administration has further eased the restrictions. Lázaro Chavez, a 49-year-old pharmacist who

Fulgencio Batista in a 1959 revolution that steered the island on a communist course and made it a close ally of the Soviet Union.Until Wednesday, passenger air links between Cuba and the United States were by chartered flights.Obama’s opening to Cuba has included a

Obama administration has won few human rights concessions from President Raul Castro in exchange for allowing hotel chains, cruise lines and at least one US bank to ramp up operations on the island.The United States still prohibits its citizens from visiting Cuba as

lives in Miami and returns frequently to his homeland, said before boarding that he was taking the flight for two reasons.

“One, I am going to see my family. Two, I want to be on this historic flight.”

‘Foot in the door’ JetBlue and other airlines may

Twitter offers video creators share of ad money

SAN FRANCISCO Twitter on Tuesday began offering video creators a cut of ad revenue in a move that could help it better compete with YouTube and Facebook for content viewers seek. A Twitter Amplify Publisher Program that was launched with select media and publishers such as Buzzfeed and Time is now open to individual video makers in the US, product manager Guy Snir said in a blog post. “We’re announcing product upgrades that will make publishing and monetizing on Twitter as effortless as sending a Tweet,” Snir said. “Creators can now upload, manage and publish media more efficiently and effectively than ever before.”

Video creators approved to join the program will be able to have ads shown by simply “checking a box” prior to tweeting, and get a share of revenue generated from audiences they attract.

Twitter did not reveal how the admoney was divided, but US media reports said creators could

get a 70 percent cut along the same lines as media partners.

Twitter has been seeking to expand its reach with live video and an array of partnerships in sports and the political field, but the moves appear to have had little impact.

Twitter streamed video from the Republican and Democratic conventions, and has added live video content around NBA basketball games.

Earlier this year, Twitter struck a deal with the National Football League to stream Thursday night American football games, and also streamed content from the Wimbledon tennis tournament.

Twitter has never posted a profit since its keenly anticipated stock market debut in 2013, but has been ramping up its advertising efforts to bring in revenue.

Last month, the company reported that its losses narrowed to $107 million in the second quarter from $136 million a year earlier.

be setting themselves up to lose money on Cuba trips in the short run, said industry consultant Robert Mann.“Most carriers look at international markets that have been restricted and are just opening up as an investment,” Mann said. “You need to get your foot in the door.”Services on regional carrier Silver Airways and American Airlines Group Inc from the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area that is home to a large CubanAmerican population, to Cuba’s outlying provinces will be the next to start, in September.

Three other carriers will follow.

Mann said the companies probably offered to fly to Cuban cities that are unfamiliar to many American travelers, so that US officials would look favorably on their applications to fly to Havana.

Santa Clara airport, where the JetBlue flight landed, has served as a gateway to nearby beaches for European and Canadian tourists who have been coming to Cuba for years, but the US embargo - at least for now - bars Americans from such resortoriented travel.A memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Cuba and the United States will limit Havana flights to 20 round trips per day. US officials have yet to announce a final decision on which companies will get those coveted routes.

US bans antibacterial soap chemicals over health risks WASHINGTON The US Food and Drug Administration on Friday banned several key chemicals in antibacterial hand soap, warning of health risks and saying they were not more effective than ordinary soap. The FDA move took aim at 19 ingredients including the two most common, triclosan and triclocarban, which are widely included in liquid and bar antibacterial soaps despite fears they damage the immune system. “Consumers may think antibacterial washes are more effective at preventing the spread of germs, but we have no scientific evidence that they are any better than plain soap and water,” said Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s drugs division. “In fact, some data suggests that antibacterial ingredients may do more harm than good over the long-term.”

The ban does not include hand disinfectant products used in hospitals and other medical centers, the FDA said.

Theresa Michele, who works with the personal care side of the agency, said most non-medical products on the market contain at least one of the banned ingredients.

Manufacturers have a year to comply with the ban, and some are already working to remove the ingredients in question from their products, the FDA said.

“Washing with plain soap and running water remains one of the most important steps

consumers can take to avoid getting sick and to prevent spreading germs to others,” an FDA statement said.

If soap and water are not available, a hand sanitizer “that contains at least 60 percent alcohol,” could be used instead, it added.

Not all parties are convinced of potential harm from the personal care products, with the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) arguing that the soaps were safe.

“Antibacterial soaps are critical to public health because of the importance hand hygiene plays in the prevention of infection,” an ACI statement said.

“Washing the hands with an antiseptic soap can help reduce the risk of infection beyond that provided by washing with nonantibacterial soap and water.”

The Environmental Working Group hailed the bans as progress. “This decision by the FDA is a huge victory on behalf

of human health and the environment,” said Ken Cook, cofounder and president of EWG. “EWG has been conducting research and advocating for this exact federal government action for nearly a decade, and our work, as well as that of other public interest groups and many of our supporters, has finally paid off.”Cook, whose group assesses some products for safety concerns, called the FDA decision overdue.

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India A clinch Quadrangular series after defeating Australia A by 57 runs

Mackay India A rode on a solid allround performance to clinch the Quadrangular one-day series, thrashing Australia by 57 runs in the final clash here today.

Electing to bat after winning the toss, India A put up 266/4 in their 50

overs before bowling out the hosts for 209 in 44.5 overs.

Mandeep Singh was the star of India’s batting performance with a 108ball 95, which was laced with 11 hits to the fence.

Mandeep, who was named Player of the Match,

1 IN BILLION BIDS ADIEU

New Delhi SO IT’S official now. The Golden boy of Indian shooting, Abhinav Bindra, will not pull the trigger anymore. Before going to the Rio Olympic, Bindra had announced that he would hang up his gun

after the mega sporting spectacle. But it was on Sunday afternoon that his ‘retired’ status got an official stamp.

Organising a simple ceremony that’s how Bindra likes to function the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) gave him a fitting farewell. “It has been an emotional journey for me and it’s a fulfilling closure for me. It’s time to move on and hand over the baton to the younger generation,” Bindra said, as he formally announced his retirement. A second Olympic medal was missed by a whisker at the recently-concluded

Rio Olympics and even if he felt gutted, Bindra was not ready to show it in front of the country’s media. He also expressed gratitude to NRAI, saying the organisation supported him and others shooters at every stage of their career. “NRAI has supported the shooters. I want to thank NRAI. Under president Raninder Singh the sport has improved by leaps and bounds. I have always believed in working hard. There is no substitute to hard work. I have given my all to shooting and have got even more in return. Thank you once again everyone,” he signed off. Raninder while felicitating India’s ace shooter, said that it was just a small gesture from the side. “The devotion, the focus with which Bindra trains, is an example for everyone,” he said. Having started his Olympic journey in Sydney back in 2000, the 33-year-old shooter qualified in three Olympic finals including his golden journey of Beijing in 2008 (Athens being the other one) in his pet 10m air rifle, while he missed out in Sydney and London.

HILARIOUS! Virender Sehwag trolls AB de Villiers, Saina Nehwal, Ajinkya Rahane, Yuvraj Singh in one tweet

combined with captain Manish Pandey (61) to steer India to what turned out to be a winning total.

Shreyas Iyer was also vital with his 41 runs.

Australia had four wickettakers with one scalp each.

In reply, Cameron Bancroft (34) and Nic Maddinson started well, but it was Yuzvendra Chahal (4-34) who was the ultimate winner from the innings, taking key scalps and bringing the game India A’s way.

Australia A skipper Peter Handscomb (43) combined with Alex Ross (34) to edge closer to the

total, but the back end of the game went completely in the tourists favour as they claimed the last five wickets for just 26 runs.

India A have now claimed the last three ‘A’ series, defeating Australia A on each occasion in the final.

The other two teams in the series were South Africa A and the Australian National Performance Squad.

Brief Scores: India A: 266/4 in 50 overs (Mandeep Singh 95, Manish Pandey 61, Chris Tremain 1/42).

Australia A: 209 in 44.5 overs (Peter Handscomb 43, Yuzvendra Chahal 4/ 34).

Trnava Sam Allardyce vowed to defer to captain Wayne Rooney over his positioning after starting life as England manager with a last-gasp 1-0 win over Slovakia in World Cup qualifying.

Adam Lallana snatched a 95th-minute winner against 10-man Slovakia in Trnava on Sunday to prevent Allardyce from becoming the first England manager since Bobby Robson in 1982 not to win his first game.

Rooney, making a record 116th appearance for an England outfield player, adopted a deep-lying midfield role for much of the game despite Allardyce having said he would play in a number 10 position.

But Allardyce said: “This is the most decorated outfield player in England. He`s won everything at Man United, more or less, and at Champions League and domestic level.

“He holds a lot more experience at international football than me as an international manager.

“So using his experience with a team, and playing as a team member, it`s not for me to say where he`s

going to play.

“It`s up to me to (ask): `Are you playing well in that position? And if you are playing well and contributing, that`s great.` “Yes, I`d like him to get forward a bit more. He`s been a goalscorer all his

as a number 10 for Manchester United this season and Allardyce indicated prior to Sunday‘s game that he would use him in a similar role.

Adding to the confusion, Rooney himself told ITV he had played “where Sam

life and I want him still to score goals, but he reads a game as he reads it.

“I must admit, he did play a little deeper than I thought he`d play. But I was pleased with his performance.”

Rooney, 30, started the game in midfield alongside Jordan Henderson in a 41-4-1 system.

He pushed up into a more orthodox number 10 role at half-time, only to retreat to a midfield holding role after Allardyce sent on Dele Alli for Henderson.

Rooney, England‘s captain, has been playing

wanted me to play”.England dominated possession against a stubbornly unadventurous Slovakia team, but it took the 57th-minute dismissal of Martin Skrtel for the visitors to take control.

Skrtel, the former Liverpool centre-back, was booked in the second half for catching Harry Kane with a flailing arm and saw red after stamping on the same player‘s calf. Lallana hit the post and substitute Theo Walcott had a goal ruled out for offside as Slovakia threatened to pull off a repeat of their 0-0 draw

New Delhi Sunday was a rare day for Virender Sehwag fans where they did not get to read any birthday wish from his Twitter account.

Sehwag, who has set the internet on fire with his hilarious tweets, on Sunday however tweeted a cool pic with Universe Boss Chris Gayle and Mr Talent Rohit Sharma. Viru, along with several other

celebrities attended the launch of a fashion initiative

by YouWeCan a cancer charity founded by Yuvraj Singh on Saturday in Mumbai. After the event, the celebrities congratulated the Indian southpaw for his brilliant initiative. However, as a result of his razor sharp observation, Sehwag pointed out that most of the wishes were exactly the same.

Wayne Rooney plays where he wants, says England manager Sam Allardyce against England at Euro 2016.

But with the last kick of the game, Lallana aimed a leftfoot shot towards the near post and Slovakia goalkeeper Matus Kozacik could not prevent the ball squirming beneath him and trickling over the line.

Allardyce, who succeeded Roy Hodgson after Euro 2016, said the winning goal was “richly deserved”, but admitted it had come as a “huge relief”.

Slovakia coach Jan Kozak felt his team‘s display had set the tone for the rest of their Group F campaign.

“If you want to be successful, you need to leave everything on the pitch,” he said.

“We, as a team, have the character and the enthusiasm. But the opposition were very tough.

“England are a good team, but they had fewer chances here than they did in the Euros. It was only when we went a man down that they created more.” Allardyce, meanwhile, revealed an unlikely source of inspiration during his postmatch press conference when he showed reporters a “lucky coin” he had been given before the game.

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IN ANY other place, the group of women and girls sitting with their backs to the walls would have been nothing unusual. But just a week ago, these women could not have sat here without risking death at the hands of ISIS thugs. This is Jarablus, a Turkish border town which had been under the control of the violent extremists since 2013 until last week, when coalition forces took it back. It has since been claimed by the Free Syrian Army, the Syrian rebel group backed by Turkey. For the residents in this border town, the relief is palpable. “It is ecstasy,” said Husyein Kakmaz, 46, a Jarablus resident who made his living as a driver before Islamic State seized the town.

“Life was not life. There were so many prohibitions, no smoking, women couldn’t show their faces.” ISIS took control of the town in July 2013, implementing their reign of terror over the next three years. They were finally ousted on August 24, when a coalition force, including the Free Syrian Army, Turkey and US jets forced the terrorists from the town. But as the extremists fled, they took everything with them. “There’s no bread, no electricity, because they took everything when they

Liberated from ISIS’s evil grip US & RUSSIA FIGHT OVER WHO KILLED JIHADI MASTERMIND

RUSSIAN and US defence chiefs clashed on Thursday over who killed the second in command of the terror group Islamic State. Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, the head of IS propaganda and foreign operations, died on Wednesday while on a surveillance mission close to the Syrian city of Aleppo, the group’s official media claimed.

A few hours later, the US military issued a statement confirming they had targeted Adnani and that his death would mark a serious setback for the IS leadership. But on Thursday Russia’s Defence Ministry issued a counter claim declaring that al-Adani had in fact

been killed in one of its own airstrikes. The Russians said that Adnani was one of up to 40 rebels killed by air strikes carried out by a Russian Su-34 bomber in MaaratatUmm Khaush in the Aleppo province. This appeared to contradict the US statement which said that Adnani was targeted by coalition forces conducting a “precision strike near Al Bab, Syria”, 16 miles from where the Russians said they had killed him.

A US defense official then said: “Russia’s claim is a joke.” The Pentagon on Tuesday said it had targeted Adnani, who Islamic State has said was killed in Aleppo

province. The Pentagon said on Wednesday: “We are still assessing the results of the strike, but Al-Adnani’s removal from the battlefield would mark another significant blow to ISIL. “Al-Adnani has served as principal architect of ISIL’s external operations and as ISIL’s chief spokesman. He has coordinated the movement of ISIL fighters, directly encouraged lonewolf attacks on civilians and members of the military and actively recruited new ISIL members. On Thursday, IS supporters were quick to promise retribution for the death of alAdnani. In an online edition of the Islamic State’s newspaper al-Naba, distributed hours after the announcement of Adnani’s death, the group told its fighters to keep fighting. But members of the rival terrorist group, al-Qeada, were also celebrating the death of Al-Adnani, once member of Osama Bin Laden’s terror group. Islamic State and al-Qaeda in Syria have been fighting each other in the region ever since the al-Qeada leadership refused to pledge allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr Baghdadi in 2014.

The split among the violent j ihadists in Syria led to much blood-letting.

fled. They took the generators,” said Adil, 47, who had worked as a lawyer before the war.

“There was one oven in the bakery and they even took that.” Residents were afraid to draw water from the Euphrates river on the town’s eastern fringe, he added, because the jihadists had laid landmines there.

The jihadists had also cleared out the town’s medical supplies. Doctor

Yasin Darvish said they had left barely enough supplies to treat the wounded. Food and medical aid have been brought in from Turkey.

“They took every piece of equipment so the hospital is empty. There are just emergency supplies and not even an X-ray machine,” he said, adding 30 patients had been brought in on Wednesday alone, some with injuries from landmines.

FANATICS THREATEN WITH MORE LONE WOLF ATTACKS ISIS fanatics have threatened to carry out new lone wolf attacks on the West after their propaganda chief was killed in an air strike. The terror group’s top strategist Abu Mohamed al-Adnani, who had a $5million bounty on his head, was targeted in a coalition bomb strike in Aleppo, Syria earlier this week.

But since his death on Tuesday, seen as a major blow to ISIS, there have been calls for revenge attacks carried out by lone-wolf jihadist operatives. According to the respected Site Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist activity, the threats were made on a pro- ISIS account on the encrypted Telegram messaging service, with one warning: “We will exterminate you”.

Adnani’s death was the latest in a series of setbacks for ISIS this year including territorial losses in Syria and Iraq and the killings of other top figures. He was known

to have called for lone-wolf killings on the West.

Adnani once toldfollowers: “If you cannot (detonate) a bomb or (fire) a bullet, arrange to meet alone with a French or an American infidel and bash his skull in with a rock, slaughter him with a knife, run him over with your car, throw him off a cliff, strangle him, or inject him with poison.” Adnani, a Syrian born in 1977, was one of ISIS’s most recognised leaders, at the heart of a sophisticated propaganda and recruitment machine that produced slick videos and sustained a huge social media presence.

CAUGHT

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6 - 12 Sep., 2016

Health What makes some people binge drink while others stay sober Know the common causes of lower back pain!

New Delhi Do you often suffer from lower back pain? Well, almost everyone suffer from it nowadays and it is quite common also.

Though exact cause of the pain is unknown, but a back muscle strain or ligament strain can cause acute lower back pain.

One of the common causes of lower back pain is the incorrect sitting posture or spending long hours in front of the computer.

Lack of physical activities Even lack of exercise can cause you lower back

pain as weak and inactive muscles with poor abdominal tone increases the pressure on the back.

Strains Heavy lifting may strain back muscles and spinal ligaments, simultaneously making your low back pain.

Improper lifting You can suffer from lower back pain if you are bending your back without bending your knees to lift an object.

Age As you get older, you are more likely to suffer from lower back pain.

Washington Researchers have discovered a mechanism that strongly influences whether or not someone is likely to drink a lot of alcohol.

Alcohol can reduce firing of neurons or brain circuits, which is why it reduces anxiety and social inhibitions, and those who are less sensitive to motorimpairing effects of alcohol are likely to drink much, the researchers said.

“If you’re sensitive to the motor-impairing effects of alcohol, you don’t tend to drink much. If you’re not sensitive, you drink more,” said one of the researchers, David Rossi, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience at the Washington State University.

The mechanism offers a

new target for drug therapies that can curb excessive drinking, said the study published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

It may be particularly effective among problem drinkers, half of whom are believed to have a genetically determined tendency to abuse alcohol.

The mechanism is found in the cerebellum, a part of the brain at the back of vertebrate skulls, in small neurons called granule cells. Sitting on the cells

are proteins called GABAA receptors that act like traffic cops for electrical signals in the nervous system.

When activated, the GABAA receptor suppresses the firing of neurons, or brain circuits.

But alcohol does not act the same on every brain.

To find out what makes some drink more than others, the researchers conducted an experiment in two specially bred mice. The D2 mouse is a cheap drunk. After the

equivalent of one or two drinks, it has trouble staying on a rotating cylinder.

The B6 mouse, however, will stay on a rotating cylinder even after drinking three times as much alcohol, “which is beyond the drunk driving limit,” Rossi said.

When the researchers injected a drug called THIP into the cerebellum of B6 mice, it activated the GABAA receptor, recreating the effect that alcohol had on low drinking D2 mice.

It ended up deterring the B6 mice from drinking.

The finding, said Rossi, highlights a new region and new targets that can be manipulated “to deter excessive alcohol consumption, and potentially with fewer side effects than other existing targets and brain circuits.”

This is what happens to your brain when you eat junk food!

New Delhi We all know that junk food is bad for our waistline. It can also cause an array of mental effects – ranging from depression to hyperactivity.

Researchers say that processed foods are causing an ‘epidemic’ of mental illness.

Increased intake of junk food and takeaways, which lack vitamins and minerals, has also caused rates of mental illness and anti-depressants to spiral.

Research has shown that eating more fresh foods consistent with a Mediterranean-style diet, and eating less processed and junk food, could reverse spiralling rates of conditions such as attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety and depression.

Here’s why you should limit or avoid intake of junk food: · Junk food alters

brain activity that can lead to depression. This is because fast food often contains trans-fatty acids, which, besides clogging arteries, lead to depression. · Junk food lacks essential fatty acids like omega-6 and omega-3, which are crucial for healthy brain function.

Lacking of these two elements can increase the risk of attention deficit disorder, dementia and bipolar disorder and other brain-related problems.

The lack of

omega-3 fatty acids and the high content of refined carbohydrates, which can cause blood sugar fluctuations, can lead to anxiety along with depression, trembling and confusion.

When junk food is consumed very often, the excess fat, carbohydrates, and processed sugar found in it contribute to an increased risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, weight gain, and many other chronic health conditions.

New Delhi After losing all hopes of revival, a 54old-woman, who was unable to walk or sit for almost a decade due to osteoarthritis has been cured at a Pune hospital. Sanjivanee Watane underwent Golden Knee Replacement surgery at Global Hospital and Research Centre with vitamin ePlus poly cover, a type of total knee transplant. Her problem was in her right knee, a result of ignoring pain in the initial stage. Soon the pain became unbearable and visits to doctors and physio-therapists did not yield any positive result.

After extreme osteoarthritis was diagnosed, she was told that a total knee replacement was the only solution. Three days after the surgery, Watane started walking. She initially

experienced pain but it dwindled within days. According to the doctors, Vitamin ePlus poly cover with Gold-plated knee joint is an innovative, next-generation implant with high-density polymer blended with vitamin E, a natural antioxidant. Aashish Arbat, senior orthopaedic surgeon, who performed the surgery, said Gold Knee implant can be the solution for people requiring knee replacements at a young age or for the obese. Speaking about the Gold kneeblended transplant, Arbat said: “Vitamin E improves the material’s strength while preventing polyethylene degenerating oxidation.” “This helps the material hold up to the higher expectations of today’s active patient. E-plus is the first blended vitamin E polyethylene, with the vitamin E homogeneously blended directly into the resin,” Arbat added.

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Foods you shouldn ’t be shouldn’t eating if you have asthma!

Internet, smartphones help people adopt healthy lifestyle New York Does internet and smartphones have an impact on our lifestyle? Well, a new study suggests that internet and mobile-based programmes helps people adopt healthy lifestyle and become more physically active, eat healthy and achieve modest weight loss, which may in turn reduce their risk of chronic disease.

The study showed that participants in internet interventions improved their diets, became more active, lost body weight or fat, and reduced tobacco use as well as cut excessive alcohol use.

Participants using smartphone apps or receiving text or voicemail messages have also increased their physical activity and lost body weight or fat.

“Programs that have components such

as goal-setting and self-monitoring and use multiple modes of communication with tailored messages tended to be more effective. We also found these programs were more effective if they included some interactions with healthcare providers,” said lead author Ashkan Afshin, acting assistant professor at the University of Washington.

For the study, the team reviewed 224 studies conducted on generally healthy adults and published between 1990 and 2013. “Such programmes can help people improve their lifestyle behaviours and reduce the risk of chronic disease, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes,” Afshin added, in the paper published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

New Delhi The cases of asthma are ever-rising across the globe, mainly due to a spike in environmental pollution. Asthma is a chronic lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways, causing difficulty breathing, chest pain, cough and wheezing.

It is said that over 300 million people worldwide suffer from asthma that affects people of all ages and groups, with one-tenth of those living in India.

Asthma can’t be cured, but studies claim that

making certain changes in your lifestyle, including eating a healthy diet that consists of fruits, vegetables, nuts, wholegrains, and unsaturated fatty acids can help improve the symptoms in patients.

However, there are some foods that need to be avoided as they might aggravate the asthma symptoms. They are· Foods that are considered to be causing allergic reactions such as eggs, peanuts, milk, soy, shellfish and other fish

types. Foods that contain sulphites – wine, beer, pickles, lime juice, dried fruit or vegetables, processed foods - that can cause allergy-like symptoms in people with underlying asthma and allergic rhinitis. · High salt diet – fast food and processed foods - as they have been found to have a worsening impact on asthma condition. High salt intake has also been found to alter airway inflammation and the flow of oxygen into the bloodstream.

the resort, with a clear signature distinguishing baseline from postvacation biology.

The most notable changes in gene activity were related to stress response and immune function.

Researchers also assessed self-reported measures of well being.

While all groups showed improvements up to one month later, the novice meditators had fewer symptoms of depression and less stress much longer than the nonmeditating vacationers.

The psychological effects appear to be enduring and it is unknown how much of this longer lasting benefit may be due to continued practice or lasting changes in how people view events in their lives.

Professor Elissa S Epel, the first author of the study explained, “It’s intuitive that taking a vacation reduces biological processes related to stress, but it was still impressive to see the large changes in gene expression from being away from the busy pace of life, in a relaxing environment, in such a

short period of time. These findings will have to be replicated to see if the changes are reliably invoked under the same circumstances, in future studies, and compared to an at-home control group.”

“Based on our results, the benefit we experience from meditation isn’t strictly psychological; there is a clear and quantifiable change in how our bodies function.

Meditation is one of the ways to engage in restorative activities that may provide relief for our immune systems, easing the day-to-day stress of a body constantly trying to protect itself. The prediction is that this would then lead to healthier aging,” she said.

Research reveals benefits of vacation over meditation for bursting stress Washington DC Researchers have been using a rigorous study design to assess the biological impact of meditation as compared to going on a vacation.

Examining the effect of meditation on gene expression patterns in both novice and regular meditators, they found that a resort vacation provides a strong and immediate impact on molecular networks associated with stress and immune pathways, in addition to short- term improvements in wellbeing, as measured by feelings of vitality and distress.

A meditation retreat for those, who already used meditation regularly, was associated with molecular networks characterized by antiviral activity.

The molecular signature of long-term meditators was distinct from the nonmeditating vacationers.

The study involved 94 healthy women, aged 3060. Sixty-four women were recruited who were not regular meditators.

Participants stayed at the

same resort in California for six days, and randomized so that half were simply on vacation while the other half joined

surveys, from all participants immediately before and after their stay, as well as surveys one month and ten months

The research team examined the changes in 20,000 genes to determine which types of genes were changing

a meditation training program for Well Being.

The meditation program included training in mantra meditation, yoga, and self reflection exercises.

For greater insight into the long-term effects of what scientists dubbed the “meditation effect” compared to the “vacation effect,” the team also studied a group of 30 experienced meditators who were already enrolled in the retreat that week.

Researchers collected blood samples, and

later. Eric Schadt, the senior author said, “In the spirit of other research efforts we have pioneered with other groups, this work underscores the importance of studies focused on healthy people. By combining an interrogation of gene networks with advanced data analysis and statistics, we have generated clinically meaningful information about stress and aging that is relevant to the broader population.”

before and after the resort experience.

Scientists performed an integrative transcriptomic analysis, comparing gene expression networks across all three groups of participants and finding unique molecular profiles and pathway enrichment patterns.

Study results show that all groups, novice meditators, experienced meditators, and vacationers had significant changes in molecular network patterns after the week at

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SPAGHETTI AND BROCCOLI CHICKEN CUTLETS WITH GRANA WITH CARBONARA SAUCE PADANO AND BLACK PEPPER

This vegetable-laden riff on classic carbonara features crisp bacon, crunchy broccoli, and an eggy, cheesy sauce that clings perfectly to hot spaghetti. Be sure to top with plenty of cheese and black pepper.

Ingredients 1 large egg plus 2 egg yolks 1D 4 cup heavy cream salt and freshly ground black pepper 8 oz. bacon or pancetta, finely chopped 2 1D 2 cups small broccoli florets 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 1D 2 lb. dry spaghetti 3 tbsp. grated Grana Padano cheese, plus more for garnishing Instructions Set a pot of heavily salted water to boil for the pasta. Meanwhile, to a large heatproof mixing bowl, add the egg yolks, heavy cream, 3 Tbsp. Grana Padano, and a generous pinch each

of salt and black pepper; whisk to combine. Set the bowl aside and let come to room temperature.

Set a paper-towel-lined plate next to the stove. In a large skillet over medium heat, add the chopped bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until some of the fat has rendered and the bacon is crisp, about 13-14 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon or spatula and transfer to the paper-towel-lined plate (reserve about 2 Tbsp. fat in the skillet).

Lower the skillet to medium heat and add the broccoli; season lightly with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is slightly softened but still bright green, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, one minute more. Turn off the heat.

Season the boiling pasta water with salt, add the spaghetti and cook just until al dente. Using tongs, transfer the spaghetti in batches to the bowl with the egg mixture, stirring rapidly with the tongs after each addition. Do not drain the pasta water.

Add the broccoli-garlic mixture and the crisp bacon to the pasta and toss well.

Adjust the seasoning and loosen the sauce as needed using one tablespoon at a time of the pasta cooking water.

Divide among two plates and garnish with more cheese and black pepper as desired.

A combination of grated Italian cheese and spicy black pepper turn classic chicken cutlet breading into a dish everyone will want seconds of. Serve cutlets with a squeeze of lemon and your favorite vegetable side.

Ingredients 3 oz. finely grated Grana Padano cheese 3D 4 cup finely ground breadcrumbs 2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp. dried oregano 1D 4 tsp. dried thyme 1D 4 tsp. garlic powder 1D 2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste 2 eggs 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ½ lb. total) 5 tbsp. olive oil 4 lemon wedges, for serving Instructions In a medium bowl, combine the grated Grana Padano cheese, breadcrumbs, pepper, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, and kosher salt.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk the eggs with 1 teaspoon water and a pinch of salt.

Place each chicken breast between 2 large sheets of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat tenderizer or a small rolling pin, pound the cutlets out until

SHRIMP CAESAR SALAD

FRIED EGG AND CHEESE TOAST WITH ROASTED TOMATOES Crunchy garlicrubbed toast, salty cheese, and olive oil fried eggs make for a hearty breakfast, and one that couldn’t be quicker to prepare.

Ingredients 2 slices pain de campagne, or other rustic bread 1 clove garlic 1 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. olive oil, divided 1D 2 cup grated Grana Padano cheese, plus more for garnishing 2 eggs 1 bunch cherry tomatoes on the vine flaky sea salt freshly ground black pepper fresh thyme Instructions Preheat the broiler. Place both slices of bread on a baking sheet and rub each slice of bread with the cut side of the garlic clove. Brush each slice with ½ tsp. olive oil, then top each with ¼ cup grated Grana Padano cheese. Broil

until the bread is toasted and cheese is golden, 8-10 minutes.

Place the cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tsp. olive oil. Broil until tomatoes are soft and their skins start to split, 5-7 minutes.

In a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tbsp. olive oil. Once hot, add the eggs. Cook until the white is opaque and the yolks have just set, 2 to 3 minutes.

Top each slice of toast with a fried egg. Garnish with black pepper, sea salt, and thyme to taste. Sprinkle with more cheese as desired. Serve with the roasted tomatoes.

they are 1D 3-inch thick. Remove the plastic wrap, cut each breast in half (you should have 4 pieces total).

Season the chicken pieces lightly with salt on both sides.

Dredge each cutlet in the egg mixture, followed by the breadcrumb mixture, packing the crumbs on to any places where they fall away from the meat.

In a large, nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat, heat half of the olive oil until the oil just begins to shimmer.

Working 2 at a time, add the cutlets to the pan and cook, turning once, until golden-brown on the outside and the inside is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes total. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.

Repeat with the remaining cutlets.

Serve the cutlets with your favorite vegetable side dish and lemon wedges for squeezing. Sprinkle with more grated cheese if desired.

Lime juice and minced fresh shallot give a traditionally rich caesar dressing a little lift.

Keep greens chilled so they remain crispy, and serve shrimp hot for satisfying contrast.

Ingredients 4 minced anchovies 2 cloves minced garlic 1 tbsp. minced shallot 1 tbsp. mustard

1 egg yolk 1 lime juiced plus 3 Tbsp. lime juice, divided 1D 2 cup finely shredded Grana Padano cheese plus large peels for garnish 1D 4 cup olive oil salt to taste pepper to taste 3 heads little gem or baby romaine lettuce 12 shrimp peeled and deveined Instructions In a small bowl combine the anchovies, garlic, shallot, mustard, 2 Tbsp. lime juice and egg yolk. Whisk to combine.

Stir in ½ cup shredded cheese.

In a steady stream whisk in the

olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Light an outdoor grill, or set a grill pan to high heat. In a medium sized bowl add the shrimp, salt, pepper, and 1 Tbsp. lime juice. Toss to combine. Grill the shrimp for 2 minutes on each side or until shrimp is pink and grill marks have formed. Set aside on a plate. Trim the ends of the lettuce and spread the leaves onto a plater. Distribute the shrimp across. Drizzle the dressing evenly across the plater. Top with a spritz of lime juice, freshly ground black pepper, and the large peels of Grana Padano. Serve.

ARBOL CHILE GRENADINE To make standard grenadine, simply omit the chile. Use this to make a more complex tequila sunrise, Jack Rose, or a chile-pomegranate Paloma.

Ingredients 1 cup pomegranate juice, such as Pom Wonderful brand 1 cup sugar 1D 2 ancho chile, coarsely chopped or crumbled peels of 1 orange

Instructions In a small saucepan over high heat, combine the pomegranate juice and sugar.

Cook, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add the chile and orange and bring to a boil; boil for 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and strain into a jar. Let cool completely before using. Grenadine will keep, refrigerated, for up to one month.

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6 - 12 Sep., 2016