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THE CONTACT WEEKLY NEWSPAPER ISSUE - 690, 25 - 31 OCT., 2016 PH: (905) 671 - 4761

Sidhu is AAP and Congress’s common dilemma New Delhi Former BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu continues to be in talks simultaneously with the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress.

Sidhu is still negotiating with the AAP, a top party leader has confirmed, even as the ex-cricketer and his political front Awaaz-e-Punjab (AEP) continue to discuss the terms for contesting the Punjab assembly elections on Congress tickets.

“Our doors are still not closed for Sidhu but we can’t accept conditions. Talks are still on,” a member of AAP’s top decision making body, the Political Affairs Committee told HT. Another AAP leader said the party cannot offer tickets to both Sidhu and his wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu – who won the 2012 assembly election from the Amritsar (East) seat – nor to the Bains brothers, Balwinder Singh and Simarjit Singh who are both independent legislators.

“Our constitution has a one ticket per family norm and we will not change it,” he said. AAP leaders who have met Sidhu or his associate and former SAD

legislator Pargat Singh in the last one week said negotiations with Sidhu are moving slowly because of the logjam.

Despite the negotiations not making any

headway in the last one month, both the Congress and AAP continue to engage AEP leaders. Both fancy their chances of coming to power in the state that is

expected to see an election fought in the shadow of 10 years of anti-incumbency in early 2017. A triangular contest will make winning Continued on page 4

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FILMMAKER Karan Johar struck a truce with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena on Saturday, but a happy ending for his Diwali release Ae Dil Hai Mushkil still appears elusive. The MNS officially ended its protests against the film after Johar gave in to the party’s “atonement” demands. Party chief Raj Thackeray said producers who have signed Pakistani actors will have to pay `5 crore as “penance” for army welfare.

However, the Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India (COEAI) declared that it would persist with its decision to not release ADHM in four states. The film features Pakistani actor Fawad Khan. The ban call could bar the film from releasing in single screens across Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa and Karnataka, though the association’s president, Nitin Datar,

said they were not averse to discussing the issue with producers of the film. The controversy broke out over the casting of Fawad in the wake of the deadly terrorist attack on an army camp in Kashmir’s Uri sector last month. The Raj Thackerayhelmed MNS demanded that any film featuring Pakistani artists should be banned, and the COEAI voiced agreement. “The stand we took earlier continues even now,” Datar said on Saturday. “The final stand will be taken by the executive committee on Monday. We can’t talk about the future but right now we stick to our stand. Our stand was not according to the MNS. Ours is different. Karan Johar should come to us and talk to us.” His response came hours after the MNS called off its campaign against the film after Johar along Continued on page 5

Issue - 690 (2)

25 - 31 Oct., 2016

Trump took $17mn in insurance for clubhouse ‘damaged’ by storms

Florida Donald Trump says he received a $17 million insurance payment in 2005 for hurricane damage to Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Palm Beach. But The Associated Press has found little evidence of such large-scale damage.

Two years after a series of storms, the real estate tycoon said he didn’t know how much had been spent on repairs, but acknowledged he pocketed some of the money. He transferred funds into his personal accounts, saying that under the terms of his policy “you didn’t have to reinvest it.”

“Landscaping, roofing, walls, painting, leaks, artwork in the — you know, the great tapestries, tiles, Spanish tiles, the beach, the erosion,” he said of the storm damage. “It’s still not what it was.”

Trump’s description of extensive damage does not match the versions of Mar-a-Lago members and even Trump loyalists. In an interview about Mar-a-Lago’s history, Trump’s longtime former butler, Anthony Senecal, recalled no catastrophic damage. He said Hurricane Wilma, the last of a string of storms which barrelled through in 2004 and 2005, flattened trees behind the estate, but the house itself only lost some roof tiles.

“That house has never been seriously damaged,” said Senecal, discussing Mar-

a-Lago’s luck with hurricanes. “I was there for all of them.”

Just over two weeks after Wilma, Trump hosted 370 guests at Mar-a-Lago for the wedding of his son Donald Jr. Wedding photographs by Getty Images showed the house, pools, cabanas and landscaping seemingly in good repair.

Valuations for Mar-a-Lago are subjective, but Forbes estimated the 110,000-squarefoot property’s value at $150 million in its most recent appraisal of Trump’s net worth. Tim Frank, Palm Beach’s planning administrator at the time of the hurricanes, said $17 million in work would have required “dozens, maybe scores of

workers.”

Palm Beach building department records showed no permits for construction on that scale after the storms. The only permits that appeared hurricane-related were $3,000 in repairs to storm-damaged outdoor lighting and the vacuuming of sand from the property’s beachfront pool.

Likewise, records of the city’s Landmarks and Preservation Commission reflected no repair work conducted following the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons.

The $17 million Mar-a-Lago insurance payment surfaced during a 2007 deposition in Trump’s unsuccessful libel

lawsuit against journalist Tim O’Brien, who Trump accused of underestimating his wealth. As part of the case, O’Brien’s attorneys were permitted to review Trump’s financial records, including some from the Mar-a-Lago Club. They asked Trump to quantify the damage and explain why he had pocketed money instead of spending it on repairs.

Trump said he could not remember which hurricane had damaged Mar-a-Lago or when it hit.

“We continue to spend the money because we continue to suffer the ravages of that hurricane,” Trump said.

The insurance adjustor who assessed the insurance claim, Hank Stein of VeriClaim Inc., said there had been damage to Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach and damage to Mar-a-Lago’s roof and landscaping. Stein called his review “a thorough investigation” but could not remember details. Trump declined to provide the AP with records about the insurance claim or answer specific questions about damage at Mar-aL a g o . St e i n , w h o h a s s i n c e l e ft VeriClaim for another firm, said he remembered water damage from rain after windows to an observation deck atop the mansion blew open. “I wish I could give you some more information on the breakdown,” he said.

London to host sex robot ‘India must not fest banned in Malaysia become like Pakistan’

NOTED Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin is upset over the ban imposed on Pakistani actors in India. She believes the country, her “home” right now, is in danger of becoming another Pakistan or Bangladesh if the powers-that-be don’t restrain the fundamentalists.

“When I say that these actors should not be banned, my premise is that India should not become the photocopy of Pakistan,” says Nasrin, who is living in exile in India after facing death threats from fundamentalists in Bangladesh. “I totally understand such sentiments in the country as so many people have been killed by Pakistan-based and Pakistaninspired terrorists. But banning actors is hardly a solution.” Nasrin’s words have come in the wake of filmmaker Karan Johar’s statement pledging he would not “engage with talent” from Pakistan in future. In the aftermath of the Uri terror attack last month, in which 19 Indian jawans were martyred, Johar’s latest film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil faced the MNS’s ire over Pakistani actor Fawad Khan. “I felt sad

when I heard Karan’s highly emotional statement and the way he was armtwisted to go for compromise with Raj Thackeray.

It shouldn’t have happened in the first place. There are several antiterrorist people in Pakistan too.

We should encourage such elements rather than club them with jihadis,” says the controversial Lajja author as she reminds how she herself hails from Bangladesh which, according to her, is now beyond redemption.

“I don’t see myself ever going back to Bangladesh, howsoever I may want to. It is beyond redemption, with the liberal space shrinking by the day,” says Nasrin. She reminds how more than two dozen liberal writers, artistes and bloggers have

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been killed in that country in the past three years. Nasrin emphasises that it is India’s skewed sense of secularism that is not just hurting the country’s liberal credentials but also, in reaction, giving rise to the Rightwing. “Criminals are here free to do whatever they want to, while people like me are punished for telling the truth,” says the author as she recalls how she was packed off to Jaipur in 2007 by the West Bengal government after she was attacked by Muslim fanatics in Hyderabad. “Instead of arresting those goons, I was accused of inciting violence. I believe the then Left Front government used my case to divert attention of Muslims from its Nandigram excesses.” The author, in her latest memoir, Exile, reveals how the West Bengal government even lied to its Rajasthan counterpart, then run by the BJP, that she would be visiting Jaipur for a literature festival. “I realised the falsehood soon after I reached the Pink City.

The authorities in Rajasthan were told that I had come to attend a literature festival, about which I had no information. I couldn’t go back to Kolkata thereafter, despite my several attempts to do so.” It was the second exile for her. But what hurt her most was that it happened this time in India, that too in the “highly progressive state” of West Bengal.

SEX with robots might seem like a strange idea, but there are many people who believe it may be the future. Now, experts in the field are planning to gather in London this year to discuss the technology and see it on display. With a focus on ‘teledildonics’ and electronic hardware, the second annual ‘International Congress on Love and Sex with Robots’ will arrive in December.

The international conference on sex with robots, was once banned

by Malaysia because it was deemed too extreme, will be hosted by Goldsmiths University on the 19th and 20th of December.

Sessions will focus on a variety of topics, from humanoid robots and teledildonics, which means cybersex toys, to intelligent electronic sex hardware. “Within the fields of HumanComputer

Interaction and Human-Robot Interaction, the past few years have witnessed a strong upsurge of interest in the more personal aspects of human relationships with these artificial partners,” a statement from Goldsmiths says.

Registration is open for anyone wishing to attend, but it costs £200 ($244) for a full price registration, or £125 ($152) for a student. The University said the event “provides an excellent opportunity for academics and industry professionals to present and discuss their innovative work and ideas in an academic symposium.”

Goldsmiths computing lecturer Dr Kate Devlin, who wrote a controversial essay ‘In Defence of Sex Robots’ which has been read by half a million people worldwide, will be hosting the event.

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Issue - 690 (3)

25 - 31 Oct., 2016

Issue - 690 (4)

25 - 31 Oct., 2016

Turkey is helping in recapturing Mosul from ISIS There is a growing perception in Turkey that the Mideast borders, especially those of Syria and Iraq, are being redesigned, and Turkey wants to be sure to recover some of land lost in World War I. In Iraq, Mosul is a historically Sunni city and was part of the Ottoman Empire and any attempt to change is demographic composition would be a direct threat to Turkey’s security. The concern is that the population would be diluted by Kurds or

by Shia Muslims coming from Iran.

Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been in a war of words with Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who demanded that Turkey withdraw its troops and tanks from Iraq. Recently, Erdogan responded to al-Abadi: “You are not my

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interlocutor. You are not at my level. You are not my equivalent. You are not of the same quality as me. Your screaming and shouting in Iraq is of no importance to us. You should know that we will go our own way.”

Turkey has for weeks been training Kurdish Peshmerga forces in Iraq to fight the so-called Islamic State near Mosul.

On Monday, Turkey’s foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Turkish artillery fire is being used to aid the Kurdish Peshmerga forces fighting ISIS, and four Turkish fighter jets are on standby to take part in air operations.

Al-Abadi has repeatedly said that Iraq does not want Turkey’s help. Turkey continues to insist that it must take part in the recapture of Mosul from ISIS to protect its own interests. Iraq’s fear is that Erdogan will get his wish, and that

SUNNY BAINS

part of Iraq, especially the region around Mosul, will become part of Turkey.

In Syria, Turkey attacks both Kurds and ISIS near Aleppo Turkey’s military says that it struck dozens of ISIS and Kurdish YPG militia targets on Monday in northern Syria, about 35 miles from Aleppo, as part of Operation Euphrates Shield. Last week, strikes by Turkish warplanes killed 200 PKK/PYD ‘terrorists’ in northern Syria, according to the military.

Turkey said that the strikes were in the support of the Free Syrian Army, and were necessary to prevent the Kurds taking control of the entire region in northern Syria along the Turkish border, with the intention of creating a Kurdish state called Rojava. When Operation Euphrates Shield began three months ago, Erdogan said that stopping a

Kurdish state would be a principal objective, along with liberating Syrian cities that had been captured by ISIS. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah says that Turkey’s involvement in Syria and Iraq is a thinly veiled attempt to take control of both Aleppo and Mosul.

Syria’s military calls Turkey’s action a “serious escalation,” and a gross violation of Syria’s sovereignty.

Turkey’s objectives are hardly secret, as Erdogan is pursuing the policies he’s stated several times recently. What I’m waiting for is to see whether Turkey will try to break the siege of Aleppo being implemented by Syria’s army in preparation for massive slaughter of Sunni civilians. That would bring Turkey into direct confrontation with Russia, just as the two countries have been cozying up to each other recently.

Amarinder Singh does a u-turn on Awaz-e-Punjab, says Navjot Singh Sidhu, others welcome to join party Patiala Amid speculations over former BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu joining the party, Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday said he has no “reservation whatsoever” to the cricketer-turned-politician and other leaders of Awaaz-e-Punjab joining the Congress. Singh said he had always maintained that Sidhu and all other leaders who repose faith in the Congress’ leadership and its policies were welcome to join the party. “I don’t know why I’m being asked this question repeatedly,” the former Chief Minister told reporters here, adding that his stand on the issue had always been clear. “In fact, I was the one

who told Sidhu, when he left the BJP, that he should join the Congress,” the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president said. “Whether it’s Sidhu or the Bains brothers (referring to Independent MLAs Simarjit and Balwinder who are part of Sidhu’s front) or Pargat Singh, the doors of my party have always been open to them,” Singh said, adding that these were people “who had their roots in the Congress and could not possibly remain away from the party for long”.

Maintaining that his stand on the issue had always been clear and categorical, Amarinder said, that eventually, the interests of the party are supreme. “And if the party is strengthened by the joining

of like-minded people, we can only gain from any such development,” he said.

Notably, Singh had repeatedly said that there was no talk going on with Sidhu’s forum in the wake of coming Punjab Assembly polls. On the other hand, Awaaz-e-Punjab member and Independent MLA Simarjit Singh had earlier claimed that Sidhu was in touch with Congress high command for alliance.

Amarinder had earlier done “flip-flop” over Sidhu’s front first saying, “Sidhu has Congress in his DNA” and then later describing Awaaz-e-Punjab as “Tonga party”. The Sidhu-led front had earlier said it would not align with the Congress in Punjab.

Sidhu is AAP and Congress’s common dilemma continued from page 1 margins smaller and a fourth front or strong independents in the fray could throw up unexpected results.

The Congress sees the Punjab election as an important milestone on its road to recovery and AAP sees it as a stepping stone to expanding beyond Delhi. Both are eyeing the Goa and Gujarat polls and a poor showing in Punjab is expected to affect them there.

“We do not want the Congress to benefit from AEP merging with it,” an AAP leader said. A source in AEP close to Sidhu

said the front will not join hands with either side without a concrete roadmap being agreed to. “The assurance that first we join them and then things will fall in place is not acceptable,” he said. A top Congress source in New Delhi said it was conveyed to Sidhu he should campaign for the party and wait for his turn as the Congress looks for the next generation of leadership in Punjab after Capt. Amarinder Singh.

Surveys conducted by the Congress have indicated Sidhu, Pargat Singh and Balwinder Bains could prove to be

strong candidates if they contest on the party’s tickets, sources close to Congress leader Capt. Amarinder Singh revealed.

Yet, both Sidhu and Singh have spoken against each other since the former BJP lawmaker quit the Rajya Sabha in July. He was expected to join AAP on August 14 but put off the decision. On September 2, he announced the launch of AEP and lashed out against AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal. But that has not stopped AAP from negotiating with Sidhu either.

Issue - 690 (5)

25 - 31 Oct., 2016

‘Sin tax’ pushes ADHM through continued from page 1 with Producers’ Guild president Mukesh Bhatt and Raj Thackeray met Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis at the CM’s residence to resolve the issue. At the end of the talks, Thackeray declared that he had made three demands that were met by Karan as well as Bhatt, on behalf of other Guild memberproducers of the industry. “I am told that all the three demands of MNS have been accepted by the producers,” said Thackeray, and then outlined his demands in front of the media. “Before the beginning of the movie, a tribute should be offered at every screening to the jawans who were martyred in various terror strikes, including the recent Uri and Pathankot attacks. The producers should also put a blanket ban on Pakistani artistes, singers and technicians henceforth. Every producer, who has so far casted Pakistani actors, should give `5 crore to the Army welfare fund as atonement. The producers should handover the cheque to the defence minister and make the photo public.” The MNS chief also pointed out that Indian filmmakers should not entertain Pakistani artistes during the current atmosphere of conflict.

“The Pakistan

government flatly bans broadcasting of Indian news and entertainment channels without any valid reason. In such a situation, I do not find (a reason) why we should entertain their artistes here,” he told news agencies. Although Thackeray’s demand makes it mandatory for Johar to donate towards Army welfare now, the filmmaker had a while back actually promised to give a portion of the collections of ADHM to the families of the jawans killed in the Uri attack. Johar released an emotional video message this week asking protesters to not disrupt the October 28 release of his bigbudget romantic drama that stars Ranbir Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai and Anushka Sharma. But the statement has failed to stem a social media campaign backed by avowed nationalists and supporters of still needs to sort out the COEAI for other filmmakers who right-wing groups urging people demand, the MNS assurance on currently have films on the floor to boycott the film. Though Johar Saturday should come as relief featuring Pakistani artistes.

These include the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Raees and Sridevi’s comeback film, Mom. While SRK’s film has Pakistani heroine Mahira Khan making her Bollywood debut opposite the superstar, Mom features two Pakistani actors, Adnan Siddiqui and Sajal Ali. The same fate awaits Saket Chaudhary’s Hindi Museum, which was to feature Irrfan Khan opposite Pakistani heroine Saba Qamar.

WEARING a black jersey, shorn of his usual quick wit, filmmaker Karan Johar spoke on video with a funereal air a few days ago. He sought to explain to Indians his patriotism, his love for our defence forces, etc. He also promised never to cast Pakistani artistes.

Many felt he grovelled. Many felt actor Aamir Khan had grovelled after people boycotted Snapdeal, a brand he endorsed, after his remarks on growing intolerance in India. Anybody who has had a brush with Bollywood celebrities knows that they don’t easily grovel.

Their extremely fragile egos and their ginormous self-image don’t leave much room for stuff like explaining, admitting to mistakes or saying sorry. Especially when the ‘mistake’ itself is debatable.

There is a strong argument for casting Pakistani actors in Indian movies, that an artiste can’t be made a scapegoat for his or her nation’s violent politics. So, why is filmdom shaken? It is not about Raj Thackeray’s threats.

Bollywood knows how to deal with hooligans.

Mani Ratnam had ‘sorted things out’ with Bal Thackeray over Bombay. Sunil Dutt went to him to save his son Sanjay’s skin when he was implicated after the 1993 serial blasts.

Recently, makers of widelypublicised Bengali movie Zulfikar were reportedly asked by none other than the Bengal CM to cut several scenes after there were protests by Muslims. Things were done in the background; nobody had to make grim, conciliatory public statements. But a new force has arrived with technology and social media. The dragon of public opinion has been unchained, and after the initial blind roaring and fire-spitting, it has started figuring out where and how it can hurt the most. This spate of campaigns is aimed at money.

They seek to unsettle the Goliaths

Social media and power of boycott financially. Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil may do very well at the box office, but the shadow of a citizens’ campaign affecting collections is worrying enough for him to come out with a contrite

video. It will also worry Aamir and SRK when Dangal and Raees come up for release. They would also be reminded of the fact that after a recent social media campaign against China, in a rebuttal to its support for Pakistan, retailers have reported about 20 per cent fall in demand for ‘cheaper’ Chinese goods. With zero violence and working entirely within the

nation’s laws, campaign after angry campaign has achieved boycott of films, books and businesses which make citizens angry. India’s new nationalism has almost always been the flagbearer of this, prompting Leftliberals to level accusations of majoritarian bullying.

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap tweeted: “The World must learn from us...We solve all our problems by blaming it on movies and banning it... #ADHM . With you on this @karanjohar.” But people were quick to point out that there was no ban. Journalist Suhasini Haidar tweeted: “Why should we be ashamed if @karanjohar doesn’t stand up to bullies? Govt/Police haven’t banned film, MHA hasnt changed Pak visa policy...” And there lies the beauty and effectiveness of these boycotts. There is no ban, no vandalism. It is a citizen’s

fundamental right to choose which movie she would watch, which app she would use, which soft drink she would drink, and she will exercise it. She has the right to shun ADHM if she feels that at a time Pakistan is at war with India (and it is, covertly and by proxy), it is not the time to watch a film with a Pakistani hero or heroine. A large number of people not agreeing with you and not doing what you want them to do is certainly not bullying, as long as they are not intimidating others to join them or resorting to violence. Social media has democratised opinion in India.

Many of those who had a monopoly on opinion deeply resent this. But in a changed world, you have to listen to the ‘unwashed hordes’ you so loathe. And listen to them carefully. Maybe then you will begin to understand what they are saying, where the anger of the otherwise meek, peaceful millions stem from.

Issue - 690 (6)

25 - 31 Oct., 2016

Capt & Kejri

shadow-box on Twitter

THE battlelines have been drawn on social networking site Twitter as Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh engaged in a war of words on Monday and promised to engage in an open debate ahead of the 2017 Assembly elections in Punjab. Interestingly, Kejriwal went a step ahead and suggested four names from AAP for the debate, when the Congress leader asked him to choose the date, time and place for the same. The two leaders locked horns after the AAP chief accused the Congress’ chief ministerial hopeful of using drug money in his campaign. “Sir, ppl talking in Punjab that u using (Bikram Singh) Majithia’s drug money in ur campaign. Is it true? U had saved him from CBI enquiry 3 yrs back (sic),” Kejriwal tweeted. Majithia is Punjab’s revenue minister. The Punjab Congress chief was quick to respond, saying Kejriwal was seeing stars during the day. “When your hopes crash from 100 to 30 & still sliding, you’re bound to hallucinate & see things that don’t exist,” Singh tweeted. Kejriwal has been alleging a nexus between Congress and the ruling Akalis in poll-bound Punjab.

He has dubbed Singh their ‘joint chief

ministerial candidate’. “Sir, Badals closed corruption cases against u just a few months before elections. Why? Punjab asking what’s the deal?” Kejriwal had tweeted on Sunday, to which Singh asked him to set his own house in order first, before he sets sights on Punjab.

Kejriwal was referring to the Punjab Vigilance Bureau’s clean chit to Singh on his alleged role in the Amritsar Improvement Trust land scam case. It was then that Singh challenged Kejriwal to an open debate. “Now that you’ve shot your mouth, don’t scoot like you typically

do! Show courage & come for an open debate. Choose the time, place & platform,” he tweeted. Kejriwal, who released the party manifesto on Sunday and vowed to end the drug mafia in Punjab if voted to power, suggested the names of H S Phoolka, Jarnail Singh, Bhagwant or Gurpreet for the debate.

Singh responded sarcastically asking if Kejriwal himself is scared to face him.

“Punjabis believe in leading from the front, not hiding behind others. Or have you already accepted that you can’t face me for a public debate?” Singh tweeted.

But Kejriwal wasn’t the one to back down. He replied, “I am not hiding behind anyone sir. I am ready for a debate with Rahul ji or Sonia ji anytime. Our Punjab team will debate wid u.” Hitting back, Singh wrote, “So you’ve chickened out!

You’re the ‘Aam Aadmi’ who levels allegations on everyone bt wud like to engage only with PM & Presidents of parties!” The Delhi chief minister is presently touring Punjab and has targeted Singh on issue of drugs and ‘secret understanding’ with the Badals.

Kejriwal had accused Congress and Akali Dal of using ‘dirty drug money’ in the elections. He said both the Congress and SAD have an understanding and are conspiring against AAP. Singh did not leave the chance to take a jibe against the ‘conspiracy theory’ either, retorting, “Morning you started with Majithia, now you’re bringing in BJP, next you’ll say Donald Trump is conspiring with me against you.” The Congress dubbed the AAP government in Delhi as mafia raj and asked Kejriwal if he wanted to replace the Punjab mafia with Delhi mafia. Singh said Kejriwal is an inexperienced and incompetent chief minister who has failed on all fronts.

First American transgender soldiers seek formal gender recognition in US Army

Paris Within weeks of the Pentagon allowing transgender service members to serve openly, the US Army officials said 10 soldiers have formally asked to be recognised as their new, preferred gender. The small number represents only those who have publicly said they are transgender, and doesn’t include soldiers who may be considering or beginning gender transition or those who don’t yet want to make an official paperwork change.

Gen Mark Milley, chief of staff of the US Army, said the key now is to educate the force, particularly commanders who will have to make decisions about soldiers in their units who request a gender change. “Is the army ready? Well, we are educating ourselves, and we are trying to get ready,” Milley said in an interview with The Associated Press. “We’re wellpast the issue of debating and arguing about transgender. We are now into execution, to make sure the program is carried out with diligence, dignity, respect.”

The Pentagon policy took effect

October 1, and army secretary Eric Fanning approved the service’s new transgender guidelines earlier this month.

Defense secretary Ash Carter announced in June that he was

everyone equally and providing medically necessary care to all troops, not just some,” said Aaron Belkin, director of the Californiabased Palm Center, an independent research institute.

Army is getting education programs out to the force to make sure troops and commanders know the new rules, process, medical criteria and who has the authority to make decisions on a

ending the ban on transgender individuals serving openly in the military. Transgender troops are now able to receive medical care and begin changing their gender identifications in the Pentagon’s personnel system. Next year, the military services will begin allowing transgender individuals to enlist, as long as they meet required standards and have been stable in their identified gender for 18 months.

“We’re monitoring implementation closely, and everything we’ve seen so far points to a military organization fully committed to treating

“My conclusion, so far, is that implementation has proceeded smoothly and successfully.”

Milley and other military leaders expressed concerns that the department was moving too fast.

“The issue to do it or not to do it, to me is not an issue the answer is yes,” Milley said. “The question of how to do it so that it is deliberate, well thought out, executed with professionalism that’s a horse of a different colour.

Frankly I asked for more time.”

Milley said he did a lot of “selfeducation,” meeting with transgender individuals, both military and civilian, as well as other groups. Now, he said, the

service member’s gender change.

Under the new Army guidelines, training must be developed by Nov. 1, and it must be completed throughout the force by next July.

“It’s going to take a little bit of time, but there are some things I don’t think you need to necessarily be trained on,” Milley said. “Rule One is treat your soldiers, your subordinates, your peers and your superiors as you want to be treated. Treat everybody with dignity and respect.

Period. Flat out. Full stop.” Transgender troops currently serving can request that their gender be officially changed, and

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they can submit required documentation, including medical approval saying the person has been stable in his or her preferred gender for 18 months and a driver’s licence showing the preferred gender.

Commanders will have 30 days to respond for active duty troops and 60 days for soldiers in the National Guard and Reserve.

The transgender service members will be able to use the bathrooms, housing, uniforms and fitness standards of their preferred gender only after they have legally transitioned to that identity and it’s documented in their military personnel records. The new policy, however, gives military commanders some flexibility, noting that not all gender transition cases are the same.

Commanders will have the discretion to make decisions on a case-by-case basis, including on job placement, deployments, training delays and other accommodations, based on the needs of the military mission and whether the service members can perform their duties.

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25 - 31 Oct., 2016

Kerala man is key Islamic State ‘recruiter’ luring Indian volunteers to Afghanistan

New Dehli On an April night this year, Sajeer Mangalachari Abdullah boarded a packed flight to Dubai, headed back at the end of a rare vacation. The son of a truck driver in Kerala’s Kozhikode city, Abdullah had clawed his way into the middle-class; his friends knew him to be hardworking and pious, with no interest in politics. There was nothing to mark him out from the crowd of workers waiting to board the Air India flight from Kozhikode. He passed immigration and security checks without trouble, and settled into an economy-class seat for the four-hour flight.Then, he disappeared into the bowels of the Islamic State.

Ever since the National Investigation Agency arrested six Kerala men earlier this month on allegations of planning terrorist attacks, the intelligence services of India, Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates have been hunting Abdullah a man now believed to occupy a key position in a

shadowy network of recruiters routing Indian jihad volunteers to the Islamic State in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province which has its capital in Jalalabad.

Faced with the fall of the so-called caliphate in ongoing offensives targeting its twin bases in Raqqa and Mosul, intelligence officials say, the Islamic State has been telling Indian volunteers keen for military training to make their way to Afghanistan instead. It has also been pushing them to stage attacks at home, providing detailed do-ityourself instructions on manufacturing explosive devices. “Nangarhar is about as close as you can get to a black hole,”an Indian intelligence official said. “It’s the perfect place to go if you want to disappear.

Even Afghanistan’s intelligence services have next to no onground reach there.”

The men alleged to have been recruited by Abdullah were all educated professionals. The key figure in the cell, NIA officials

say, was Doha-based Manseed Bin Mohamed who moved to West Asia from Panoor in Kerala five years ago. Once a member of the Popular Front of India, alleged by the Kerala government to be linked to violent Islamist groups, Mohamed once researched the activities of Hindutva groups for the organisation. In Doha, though, his political views lurched towards direct action, the NIA says: the Islamic State’s caliph was his new beacon.

NIA officials say that in encrypted Telegram conversations, Mohamed recruited several likeminded men, all from the educated middle-class: Swalih Muhammad, a researcher with an automobile manufacturing major in Chennai; Safwan Pookatil, a graphic designer working for the PFI daily Thejas; Ramshad Neelangan Kandiyil, a chartered account based in Kozhikode; his cousin, engineering drop-out Jaseem Neelangan Kandiyil; small-time businessman Rashid Ali.

Head of Militant Group Behind Dhaka Attack Dead: Police Dhaka The chief of a radical Islamist group accused of

faction of banned militant outfit Jama atul Mujahideen Bangladesh.

carrying out Bangladesh’s deadliest terror attack on a popular cafe here in July died during a police raid, the country’s elite security force announced on Saturday, in a major blow to the ISIS-linked outfit.

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) confirmed the identity of dead militant Abdur Rahman as the chief of Neo-JMB, a new

"Our investigations confirmed that (slain) is the chief of Neo-JMB,”RAB’s director general Benazir Ahmed told a media briefing.Rahman died on October 8 after falling from a five storey building in Ashulia on the outskirts of the capital while attempting to evade arrest during a police raid, BD News reported.

Rahman’s identity was confirmed by his family who were shown pictures of his body, the statement added. Rahman had used the alias Shaykh Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif while forming Neo-JMB. RAB officials said Rahman took over as the Neo-JMB s ‘ameer’ in July last year.

They said the Neo-JMB has been reduced to just 21 operatives after security forces launched a massive crackdown against the group after the July attack.

New JMB is said to be ideologically linked to the ISIS which had claimed responsibility of the attack on Dhaka’s Holey Artisan restaurant on July 1 in which nine Italians, seven Japanese, an American, an Indian and five Bangladeshis, including two police officers, were killed.

Malaysia halts kids boot camp over python pool fright

KUALA LUMPUR Malaysia has halted a team-building programme for school children after the trainers forced students to wade across a muddy pool that had a blood python in it, a senior official said Wednesday (Oct 19).

"We have also suspended four trainers and their six assistants.

An investigation is underway into the blood python incident. It is not part of the training programme, ”Colonel Mohamad Noor Hassan, the head of the local Civil Defence Force, told AFP.The incident, which took place last Saturday in northern Perak state, involved students

aged between 10 to 12 years old and has sparked outrage among Malaysians after a video of the training was shared on social media.The threeminute-long video shows a group of six girls screaming and struggling to get out of the pool with a python inside while a male trainer sprays water on them to prevent them from coming out. "It is not our aim to traumatise the children.

Having the python in the pool was never part of the programme. It is a mistake.

I am sorry it... happened,”Hassan said.

The blood python is a nonvenomous snake found in Southeast Asia, where it is

often bred for sale as an exotic pet or farmed for use in the leather industry.

A total of 45 students - 17 boys and 28 girls participated in the programme which was aiming to build courage and encourage bonding.

Chiam Heng Keng, child psychologist and former human rights commissioner of Malaysia told AFP that those who were involved in the incident must be "psychologically off their mind"."I condemn their action. It definitely would have traumatised the children who will probably be experiencing nightmares,”she said.

Issue - 690 (8)

25 - 31 Oct., 2016

BJP not to back MP Varun Gandhi mired in sex-for-defence-secrets allegations New Delhi A day after allegations of sexfordefence-secrets against BJP’s Varun Gandhi surfaced in the media, the party came out with no shield for the young Sultanpur MP. He had crossed a red line

with the top leadership, was the refrain in the headquarters, although none would say that on record. Varun has already rubbished the charges as “insane”, saying there was not a “shred of evidence” against him.

“Anybody who knows the defence committee knows it has no access to confidential information,” he said, adding that he had met arms dealer Abhishek Verma before he entered public life and that he

intends to file a defamation suit against those trying to tarnish his image.

But in party circles, people drew parallels with how the party dealt with Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Sushma Swaraj and Vasundhara

Raje when these leaders came under cloud.

While the party’s media incharge and national secretary Shrikant Sharma parried the question, asserting that the MP had himself issued a clarification and so the party had nothing more to say. Other leaders too had kept away from commenting on it, maintaining that defence deals were a sensitive issue and that the party had no need to jump into the controversy

Man gets two-year jail term for cyber stalking, posting obscene pictures

Kanpur A man was convicted for stalking a girl on the internet, creating a fake Facebook account in her name and posting obscene morphed pictures.

Additional district judge Vipin Kumar sentenced Deepak Gaur to two years’ rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 35,000.

Prosecution said it was the first conviction in a cyber crime case in Kanpur.

Prosecutor Jagmohan Singh said the girl, a teenager, received a friend request from Lakshya Gaur (fake account of Deepak) in 2015. When she did not respond to the request, she started getting messages from Deepak.

He started threatening her of serious consequences if she did not become friends with him. Deepak stole some pictures from her account and morphed them. On March 17

and 18, 2016, he sent the pictures to her and threatened that he would post them on the internet.

When she did not budge, Deepak created a fake Facebook profile in her name and uploaded her morphed obscene pictures on it.

The girl and her mother approached the Nawabgunj police and lodged a complaint under the provisions of the IT Act, 2000, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), 2000.

The police arrested Deepak with the help of cyber experts who found he was operating the account from KESA colony in Nawabgunj. He was sent to jail on April 24, 2016. The high court had even rejected his bail plea.

Singh said on the basis of the testimony of the complainant and her mother and documentary evidences, the court convicted him.

unnecessarily.

But party insiders told Mail Today that the party’s aloofness over the Varun affair was an indication that his troubled relationship with the leadership had soured further.

Sources said the top leadership wasn’t too happy about what they perceived Varun’s open display of CM ambitions in UP. While Gandhi had started helping indebted farmers through money from his own coffers, he had also initiated a scheme of offering houses to the poor. The move was seen as a threat by the local leadership in the state as well as a breach of brief by the party high command as he was moving way beyond his constituency. Varun, on the other hand, had maintained that he was just doing “public service without aiming for political gains”.

What added to the discomfort of the party was the way in which Gandhi had positioned his “social service” campaign and the slogans with which he had been greeted at public meetings in the

Pakistani spy Bodh Raj arrested near International Border in J-K’s Samba district Jammu A Pakistani spy has been arrested near the International Border in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir.

The accused has been identified as Bodh Raj. He is a resident of Changiia in Arnia tehsil of Jammu district.

MAPS, PAK SIM CARDS SEIZED Maps and 2 Pakistan SIM cards were recovered from him.

SEARCH OPERATION ON OCTOBER 20 Based on information received from military intelligence, Jammu police conducted a special operation on October 20 in the border area of Ramgarh. Bodh Raj has been accused of passing on vital information regarding deployment and movement of security forces to Pakistan.

During the search operation, Bodh Raj was found roaming in suspicious circumstances in Jerda village near the

International Border and he tried to escape on observing the movement of the police party.

The police managed to chase down the individual and arrest

him. He was identified as Bodh Raj. Police after searching him recovered 2 Pakistani SIM cards, a map showing deployment of forces, 2 India-made mobile phones and a memory card.

FIR LODGED An FIR has been lodged at the Ramgarh police station. He has been booked under Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and 3 Official Secret Act. Investigation into the case has been ordered.

Mehar Mittal, legend of comedy in Punjabi movies, passes away Bathinda Veteran Punjabi actor Mehar Mittal, who acquired legendary status with his comic roles, passed away at a hospital in Mount Abu, Rajasthan, on Saturday after prolonged illness.

He was to turn 81 on October 24.Born at Chughe Khurd village in Bathinda in 1935, Mittal was a staple for Punjabi movies for decades. He worked in more than 100 movies and ruled the screen for over three decades when almost every Punjabi movie featured him. He did his matriculation from Bathinda. After completing his LLB from Panjab University in 1964, he practised law for around eight years in Chandigarh. He acted in Ramlilas and plays before moving into Punjabi movies. He was honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Award among other honours. His debut movie was ‘Maa Da Ladla’ in 1969 after which he also featured in ‘Sacha Mera Roop Hai’, ‘Qurbani Jatt Di’, ‘Chann Pardesi’, ‘Santo Banto’, ‘Sawa Lakh Se Ek Ladaun’, ‘Putt Jattan De’ and ‘Babul Da Vehra’ to name a few. In his later life, the actor chose to follow the spiritual path. Mittal joined the

Brahma Kumaris movement around 10 years ago and had settled down at Mount Abu, the movement’s headquarters.

gave Mittal recognition as a comedy artiste.” Meanwhile, Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, his deputy Sukhbir

Remembering the “king of comedy”, Mittal’s childhood friend and batchmate in LLB at Panjab University PD Goyal said: “He was fond of acting from his childhood days. He started acting in Ramlilas and got recognition as a comedy artiste.

After matriculation, he did the junior basic teacher course and started teaching. He pursued Bachelor of Arts as a private candidate and then got admission to the LLB course in Chandigarh. We worked together to make his first movie ‘Maa Da Ladla’. The movie did well and

Singh Badal and Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh expressed grief and sorrow over Mittal’s demise.

Badal said: “With Mittal’s death, a void has been created in Punjabi culture and film industry, which was difficult to be filled.”

Amarinder described his demise as a loss not only for the bereaved family but also the Punjabi entertainment industry.

Aam Aadmi Party state convener Gurpreet Singh Waraich ‘Ghuggi’, who is also an actor known for his comic roles, said: “Mehar Mittal ji was an asset for the Punjabi theatre and his demise is a great loss to the art world.”

Married woman befriends man on Facebook, gets duped off Rs 2 lakh Mumbai Friendship with unknown man on Facebook proved costly for 34year-old Powai Mumbai based woman. The woman after befriending a man on Facebook gave in over 2 lakhs without even meeting him.

HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED The woman recently signed herself up on Facebook and added a man named Brian VV

on her account in August this year.

The man, claiming to be from London, told the woman that he has separated from his wife and lives with his daughter.

With the passing of time, Brian told the woman that he is sending some electronic items for her and even charted out a list of items including laptop, camera and music system.

CHARGED

DRUNK & DRIVING? CALL VICKY SINGH

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Issue - 690 (9)

25 - 31 Oct., 2016

Facebook apologises for another censorship slip, as it promises more graphic news

New York Facebook apologised for taking down a breast cancer awareness video because the images were flagged as offensive, saying the move was “an error”.

FACEBOOK HAS ANNOUNCED that it will begin allowing more graphic or potentially disturbing newsworthy posts to be shared on the leading online social network.

“We’re going to begin allowing more items that people find

newsworthy, significant, or important to public interest – even if they might otherwise violate our standards,”Facebook vice presidents Joel Kaplan and Justin Osofsky said in a blog post.“Our intent is to allow more images and stories without posing safety risks or showing graphic images to minors and others who do not want to see them,”Kaplan and Osofsky said.

This announcement was made the same day that Facebook

Centuries-old Ten Commandments tablet heads to Texas auction

apologised for taking down a breast cancer awareness video because the images were flagged as offensive, saying the move was “an error”.

This has added to increasing speculation over what exactly Facebook is as a publisher or platform, with some experts saying the tech giant should abide by media guidelines.

Earlier this year Facebook backtracked on a decision to censor an iconic Vietnam War photo of a naked girl escaping a napalm bombing, after its block triggered a wave of outrage.

Swedish cancer charity Cancerfonden said Thursday that its video explaining to women how to check for suspicious lumps, featuring animated figures of women with circle-shaped breasts, had been removed from the US social networking site.

“We find it incomprehensible and strange how one can perceive medical information as offensive,”Cancerfonden communications director Lena Biornstad told international news agency AFP.“This is information that saves lives,”she said. “This prevents us from doing so.”

In a tongue-and-cheek open letter to Facebook, Cancerfonden had offered a different version of the offending round cartoon breasts.

Thailand is fining its former prime minister $1.3 billion for her decision to stockpile tons of rice

DALLAS A stone tablet thought to be about 1,500 years old with a worn-down chiseled inscription of the Ten Commandments will be sold next month at auction, with a stipulation that the buyer must put it on public display, an auction house said on Friday.

The two-foot (61 cm) square slab of white marble weighs about 200 pounds (90 kgs) and is believed to be the oldest existing stone inscription of the commandments, Dallas-Based Heritage Auctions said.

Opening bid is $250,000 for the stone, which the current owner likes to point out is not the original. The tablet is inscribed in Samaritan script with the principles which are fundamental to Judaism and Christianity. It was probably chiseled during the late Roman or Byzantine era, between 300 and 500 A.D., and marked the entrance of an ancient synagogue that was likely destroyed by the Romans, Heritage said in a statement. It was discovered in 1913 during an excavation for a railroad line in

Israel, said Rabbi Shaul Deutsch, founder of the Living Torah Museum, in Brooklyn, New York, which obtained the tablet in 2005.

An Arab man, possibly a construction worker, acquired it and set it in his courtyard, where it remained for three decades, Deutsch said.

The museum, which contains a large collection of artifacts of Jewish life and history dating back to antiquity, is shifting toward a more hands-on focus to attract younger visitors and decided it was time to sell the artifact.

"The sale will provide us with the money to do what we need to do. It’s all for the best,”Deutsch said in a statement.

The tablet was acquired in 1943 by an archeologist, who owned it until his death in 2000.

Deutsch was able to acquire the tablet for a temporary period through an agreement with the Israel Antiquities Authority and then purchased it outright after a legal settlement, Heritage officials said.

Thailand’s military junta has fined former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra 35 billion baht ($1.3 billion) and ordered to have her assets seized as the result of a rice stockpiling scheme that went awry, Australia’s ABC News reports.Back in 2011, Thailand was the world’s largest exporter of rice, accounting for 30% of the global market. Yingluck, who was prime minister at the time, introduced a scheme that would pay farmers a price 50% above current market value for their rice. The idea was concocted ahead of the July 2011 election, which Yingluck ultimately won, and was designed to make Thai farmers wealthier while also taking supply off of the global market.

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President Barack Obama Compares ‘Obamacare’ Act to Samsung Galaxy Note 7

New York Facing flak for several analogies in his ambitious "Obamacare”health initiative, US President Barack Obama has compared the 2010 Affordable Care Act to the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 the device that has fears of its battery exploding, a media report said on Saturday.

According to The Verge, Obama noted that when a smartphone (or a law) has a few bugs, you fix it or upgrade it; you don’t just throw it away.

During a speech at Miami Dade College in Florida this week, Obama used several analogies to describe "Obamacare", which has faced widespread scrutiny in recent months as several leading insurance companies have pulled out of the exchanges.

He compared the policy to a "starter home”in need of repairs

and ultimately the Galaxy Note 7, which was recalled by Samsung earlier this month because they were catching fire, theblaze.com reported.

"Unless it catches fire. Then you pull it off the market. But you don’t go back to using a rotary phone. You don’t say ‘well, we’re repealing smartphones’,”Obama was quoted as saying.

"We are just gonna do the dialup thing. That is not what you do. The same basic principle applies here. We are not gonna go back to discriminating against Americans with preexisting conditions,”the US president added. Obama also called on the Republican governors to expand Medicaid in their states and even pushed for adding a public option to Obamacare, which he branded the "public plan fallback".

Singapore The first driverless taxi began work on Thursday in a limited public trial on the streets of Singapore.

Developer nuTonomy invited a select group of people to download their app and ride for free in its "robo-taxi”in a western Singapore hi-tech business district, hoping to get feedback ahead of a planned full launch of the service in 2018.

"This is really a moment in history that’s going to change how cities are built, how we really look at our s u r r o u n d i n g s , ” n u To n o m y executive Doug Parker told Reuters.

The trial rides took place in a Mitsubishi i-MiEv electric vehicle, with an engineer sitting behind the steering wheel to monitor the system and take

control if necessary.

Parker, whose company has partnered with the Singapore government on the project, said he hoped to have 100 taxis working commercially in the Southeast Asian citystate by 2018.

Nutonomy is one of several companies racing to launch selfdriving vehicles, with automakers and technology firms striking new alliances.

Swedish automaker Volvo AB said last week it had agreed to a $300 million alliance with ridehailing service Uber [UBER.UL] to develop a driverless vehicle.

Israeli driving assistant software maker Mobileye NV said its vehicle, developed with Delphi Automotive Plc, would be ready for production by 2019, while Ford Motor Co said its self-driving car was slated for 2021.

First driverless taxi hits the streets of Singapore

Issue - 690 (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

25 - 31 Oct., 2016

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

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

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

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

The boy should be professionally educated. Seattle (USA), Malwa (India) prefered. Please email recent picture and bio-data to: rurkaps08@yahoo.com Or Call : 1-206-391-8477 ***680*** Saraswat Brahmin family seek a suitable match for their son, 28 yrs. old, 5’-7” tall, M.Tech.

Mechanical, College Professor in India. The girl should be educated, American/Canadian Immigrant or Citizen. Uncle is well settled in U.S.A. Caste No Bar. Please send your bio-data and recent picture to: ashokkumar1955@hotmail.com Or Call : 1-408-960-9190 ***680*** Well settled Ramgarhia Sikh family seeks a professionally qualified match from Canada for their beautiful, fair daughter, 25 yrs. old, 5’-3” tall, Architect, P.R. Applied, based at Hyderabad India. Father retired Army Major & Businessman.

Please respond with bio-data and recent picture to: gurubani97@hotmail.com Or Call : 647-669-7997 ***680*** Punjabi Brahmin family seek a suitable match for their son, 28 yrs. old, 6’ tall, M.S. (Artho Doctor), working in Govt. Hospital in India as a surgeon, wants to settle his own Business in Canada. The girl should be from Medical Profession, beautiful, Canadian Immigrant/Citizen atleast 5’-6” tall or above. Caste

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Issue - 690 (11)

25 - 31 Oct., 2016

UK confirms cyber warfare against ISIS

London The UK government on Friday confirmed the use of cyber “offensive”against Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists for the first time since the dreaded terror group swept through large swathes of land in Iraq and Syria in 2014.

UK defence secretary Michael Fallon told a conference on ‘Waging war through advanced technology’ here earlier this week that while he could not give

details, the country had begun the use of cyber weapons against the terror outfit in Syria and Iraq. “I’m not going into operational specifics, but yes, you know we are conducting military operations against Daesh [ISIS] as part of the international coalition, and I can confirm that we are using offensive cyber for the first time in this campaign,”Fallon said.

According to ‘The Times’, the

Albino beauty pageant fights deadly stigma in Kenya

operations are likely to include penetrating ISIS’ computer networks and not only preventing the group’s militants being able to communicate with each other and the outside world but also inserting false messages to cause confusion.

Fallon also revealed that the government would invest around 265 million pounds in new ways to uncover cyber vulnerabilities within the UK military platforms.

He said: “The UK is a world leader in cybersecurity, and we recognise that cyber-risk is one of the greatest threats we face in the modern world.

“But, as our US colleagues would say, this cannot just be about our defence. It must be about our offence too. It is important that our adversaries know there is a price to pay if they use cyber weapons against us, and that we have the capability to project power in cyberspace as elsewhere.”

Indian-origin woman goes missing in UK

LONDON A 30-year-old Indian-origin woman has gone missing in the UK and an "extremely concerned”Scotland Yard today arrested two men over her disappearance.

Pardeep Kaur, from south-west London, was reported missingby a relative earlier this week, having failed to turn up for work.

Metropolitan Police murder

Japan dollmakers spooked by Universal Studios haunted house TOKYO: Makers of traditional Japanese dolls have taken fright over the use the kimono-clad figurines in a haunted house at the Universal Studios theme park in Osaka.With Halloween just around the corner, the group sent a protest letter this week to Universal Studios Japan, which runs the amusement park in the southern city, saying it made the dolls seem cursed."This really undermines the image of Japanese dolls,”said the statement from the Association of Japanese Dolls.

"They’re placed in the haunted house with stage blood and other special makeup."Some Japanese dolls do have a history of being linked to ghosts and the supernatural, and the US-based amusement park operator has reportedly refused to remove hundreds of the dolls from its spooky exhibit.

detectives said the disappearance was out of character and they were "extremely concerned”for her safety.

Met Police Detective Chief Inspector Mark Lawson said: "Our enquiries have led us to make these two arrests but until we have evidence to the contrary, we continue to treat Mrs Kaur as a missing person.

"We are extremely concerned for her welfare as her disappearance is completely out of character.

If you think you have seen Pardeep since her disappearance on Sunday, or have any information about her whereabouts, please get in touch with police as soon as possible."

Kaur was last captured on CCTV walking down Harlington High Street, near Heathrow airport.

Two men, aged 30 and 31, were arrested over her disappearance.

Titanic locker key used by steward on night liner sank sells for £85,000 Kenya Young albino men and women have taken to the stage to fight against stigma and grisly attacks in Kenya. The inaugural ‘Mr and Mrs Albinism Pageant’ took place yesterday in Nairobi as part of Africa Human Rights day, with the aim of promoting inclusion and raising awareness about recent albino killings."We want to show our talent, we want to confront stigma and discrimination, we want to change our narrative to show that actually, yes it is possible to have people with albinism who are beautiful, who are confident,”Isaac Mwaura, Kenya’s first albino lawmaker and organiser of the pageant, said. Albinism is a genetic condition that results in a reduction of pigment in the hair, skin, and eyes, and can also affect vision.

In eastern and southern African countries, such as Tanzania, Malawi, Burundi and Mozambique, albinos are sometimes kidnapped and their

body parts hacked off for use as ‘charms’ and ‘magical potions’ in the belief that they bring wealth and good luck.

"In Africa people are dark. When someone white is brought into the family, when a mother delivers a baby with albinism they say it is a curse,” pageant contestant Nancy Njeri Kariuki, 24, from central Kenya, said.

"There are a lot of challenges, even your fellow children when you are young they are so scared of you."

While such attacks are rare in Kenya, Mr Mwaura said the Albinism Society of Kenya has had to step in and rescue children and adults from ritual killings.

Canadian charity Under The Same Sun has documented 161 attacks on people with albinism in Tanzania in recent years, including 76 murders – more than anywhere else in Africa.

There are hopes the pageant will continue on a yearly basis to help combat discrimination against albinos in Africa.

London Asmall, corroded key for a locker on the Titanic has sold for £85,000 at auction.

The key was used by Sidney Sedunary, 23, from Shirley, Southampton - a third-class steward and one of the 1,500 passengers and crew who died when the passenger liner hit an iceberg in April 1912.

The "exceptionally rare”item, which was expected to fetch £50,000, was sold at auction by Titanic memorabilia specialists Henry Aldridge & Son in Devizes, Wiltshire, along with hundreds of other items from the doomed vessel.

The key, which is attached to a brass tag stamped "Locker 14 F Deck", is believed to show Mr Sedunary worked on the F Deck on the night which the Titanic sank - despite it being flooded.

It was sent to Mr Sedunary’s pregnant wife Madge after his body was recovered and remained in the family until the sale. Mr Phillips stayed at his post to send distress messages as the ship sunk and is believed to have drowned.

A letter written by the ship’s

second officer Charles Lightoller, which reveals his parting moments with the vessel’s assistant surgeon Dr John Simpson, fetched £34,000 at the auction.

Other lots included a postcard written on board the Titanic by chief wireless operator Jack Phillips which sold for £19,000.

The note reads: "They were all perfectly calm in the knowledge that they had done their duty and were still assisting by showing a calm and cool exterior to the passengers.

"Each one individually came up to me and shook hands. We

merely exchanged the words ‘goodbye, old man’.

"This occurred shortly before the end and I am not aware that he was seen by anyone after."

CAUGHT

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25 - 31 Oct., 2016

Things have changed in the Valley Right now there is this struggle over the state of “militancy.”

There is a “100 Days of Curfew” narrative, insisting on themes and arguments of unabated anger “against India”. This narrative is competing with the “normalcy-isreturning” story. “There were today 600 people, with problems and grievances, waiting to visit offices in the secretariat; it takes them about three hours in the line, and yet they wait because they can’t wait for Syed Geelani's Calendar,” pointed out a political leader.

There is no doubt that the streets are not as worked up as they were probably a month ago. The shopkeepers, for instance, are defying the “Geelani Calendar.”

Some parts of downtown Srinagar even have a kind of traffic jam.

But what everyone agrees is that what the state had witnessed in the post-Burhan Wani death days is a “new phase.” The Kashmiris have a long memory, and comparisons are made to “2008” and “2010.” There is also an agreement that what is new is that the rural areas have got heated up. The militancy is no longer an urban phenomenon.

Even if a kind of fatigue were to set in the urban centres, things would remain on the boil in the rural areas.The reason is also not too complicated, as everyone acknowledges the phenomenon of creeping “radicalisation.”

There are over 800 mosques in the Kashmir Valley, mostly small and rural; and each imam finds

it profitable to use his pulpit to add and sustain the mood of recrimination and anger against

language of gun, violence, coercion and intimidation. And, then, these young Kashmiris

India. One senior Kashmiri leader even goes to the extent of asserting that “compared to

New Delhi. The mosques are also increasingly being used as resource centres for militant cadres.

Everyone agrees that this is a new phase of militancy. The “boys” are on their own, amenable to advice or control from none, and certainly not from that grand old man of “resistance”, the unflinchingly defiant Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

He is seen as the biggest loser in the game. He palpably does not command, leave alone control, the streets.

There is no getting away from the troublesome fact that the younger generation of the Kashmiris has only known the

find themselves embroiled — thanks to the Internet and other tools of social media — in battles and recriminations abroad. They see their “struggle” as part of an unjust global order. **** The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and the Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh, have impressed the Kashmiri politicians.

Rajnath Singh has come across as a good listener, whereas the Prime Minister is seen as a decisive leader, enjoying the advantage of a democratic mandate and as someone who can “sell” a solution to the Kashmiris as also to the rest of

Modi and Rajnath Singh, the UPA people — P Chidambaram and MK Narayanan— were disagreeable and often communal.”

Those in Srinagar who have interacted with the Prime Minister get a sense that he has some idea as how to proceed on the Kashmir matter and that over the last two years he has acquired a better insight into the Kashmir problem.

Yet, for now, there is a regret that the Prime Minister has so far not seized the opportunity that Kashmir presents him: to earn the mantle of a statesman.

“Address the problem of the Kashmir Muslims, and you are immediately recognised as a world statesman,” argues a senior political leader.

There is, of course, the nagging doubt whether a political leader can remain steadfast in the chosen course, or whether he would allow himself to be distracted by compulsions of state-level electoral battles. A former Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, with his trademark pointedness, notes: “Peace in the Valley cannot be held ransom to the UP and Punjab polls.” **** In the ruling party in Srinagar there is a sense of disappointment that the ruling party at the Centre does not understand, leave alone appreciate, the historic significance of the PDP-BJP alliance. All the previous agreements and accords were understandings between Delhi and Srinagar, and between individuals; whereas, the argument goes, the PDP-BJP alliance is a Srinagar-JammuDelhi agreement, and is rooted in the legitimacy of electoral politics.

The Chief Minister, Ms Mehbooba Mufti, has surprised both her critics and admirers by her toughness, though there is a feeling that she was slow in discerning the potential for trouble in the post-Burhan Wani period and probably did not let the security forces go all out after the mischief-makers. Since then,

For Indian-Americans it’s choosing lesser evil Cleveland Several Indian-Americans living here are in a dilemma of whom to vote for in the November 8 presidential polls, with many of them tilting towards Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, saying Donald Trump’s statements regarding women and

for more than three decades, in the initial phase of the election cycle, he found himself closer to the policies of Trump but not after he threatened to put Clinton in jail in the second debate and refused to accept results of the polls in the third debate.

“So my position is in limbo. I am

immigration scare them.

Issues closer to their heart: Reviving the economy, terrorism and immigration brings them closer to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. They do not want another four years of Obama administration by voting for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton either.However, Trump’s recent rhetoric and statements regarding women scares them, which they feel is leaning towards dictatorial tendencies.

“The Republican candidate does not have the values and character to run this country,” Satish Parikh, one of the key figures of the Indian-American community here told PTI.Parikh, living here

confused now, but certainly I am not voting for Trump. We are voting against Trump, not for Hillary. If there was a better Republican, I would have voted for him. I would not have voted for Hillary,” said Dhaval Chowkshi, a businessman here for more than three decades.

His father Raj came to the US at the age of 68 after retiring from the Gujarat government.

“His (Trump’s) policies on immigration, terrorism are positive things but his approach towards democracy is leaning towards dictatorship. This is the reason people here (in the community) are voting against him,” Raj said.Cleveland and its

neighbouring suburbs have more than 30,000 Indian-Americans who are in much diverse fields ranging from businesses to academics and research, according to unofficial estimates.

Indian-American women here said they had credibility issues with Clinton but after what Trump said against women in recent videos and the last two debates, it was unlikely that they would vote for the Republican nominee.

“I heard the debate. He used offensive language against women. It is not good for a presidential candidate to say such words about woman. This is a democratic country and his statements and behaviour are certainly not good for it,” said Meena Sethi, who has been here for the past several decades.

“There are some strong negative points against Hillary too. So we have to take a decision who is the lesser evil but certainly I am not going to vote for Trump,” she said.

Her husband Ashok said Trump has issues with everybody, with women, Muslims and AfricanAmericans.

“Today it is with Muslims.

Tomorrow it could be anybody, us too. He has to realise that this is a country of immigrants.

It is a country of all of us,” he said.“The issues raised by Trump are right but he is not the solution,” said Chowkshi.

she has stayed the course. And courageously so. She has not allowed herself to be intimidated by the moral righteousness that the stone-throwers and their patrons seek to appropriate for their tactics. Instead, she has joined the argument as to what is good and what is injurious to the Kashmiri society. **** Kashmir and its meezaz (cultural and political) do not remain unaffected by what happens in the rest of India. It was pointed out that whereas the Kashmiris had remained mostly unmoved by the 2002 Gujarat riots, they were deeply disturbed by the killing of Akhlaq. Reports of a rising tide of intolerance since May 2014 only added to democratic India’s “trust deficit.”

Whatever political and electoral dividends were extracted from all the ugly debates and confrontation over patriotism and nationalism, the new grammar of jingoism has complicated the task of reconciliation in Kashmir.

“Earlier, we used to have civil society people — academicians, lawyers, journalists, intellectuals — visit Kashmir and engage with various leaders and groups; today, we feel abandoned,” was a perceptive observation. What was left unsaid was that the Indian “mainstream” discourse today has become so edgy and so brittle that no one from the civil society can run the risk of being seen as engaging with separatists and dissidents. **** Yet Pakistan is the elephant — even if unseen and unacknowledged — in the room.

There is no option but to talk to Pakistan. Pakistan has the political, religious, and ideological assets in the Kashmir Valley and has an unapologetic will and insatiable appetite to intervene and determine Kashmir’s political weather.

That simply means that the Prime Minister and his national security team will, sooner or later, have to work on a new template of statecraft, producing a harmony of goals and principles, both in Srinagar and New Delhi. The current unrest can be an opportunity.

There can be no disagreement that the PDP-BJP alliance has produced a new chemistry. The equation is not settled yet, but it is seen as having the potential to do things differently from that done these past 70 years. Yet the question remains — as much for the Kashmiri as for any other Indian “does anyone in New Delhi know what to do with Kashmir?”

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25 - 31 Oct., 2016

‘AIR FORCE TOO HARSH OVER SEXSCANDAL’

WITH women joining the armed forces in large numbers, it is unreasonable to expect that the two sexes would not mingle while aspects such as marriage breakups, consensual relationships with others and infidelity should not be viewed so seriously as to lead to dismissal of an officer. This landmark observation has been made by none other than a military court while giving relief to an ace fighter pilot removed from service for having an “illicit” affair with a senior female officer who committed suicide. While scrapping the dismissal of the officer for “stealing the affection of a brother officer’s wife”, the Armed Forces Tribunal has also advised the Indian Air Force against giving harsh punishment to male officers for having affairs with their colleagues’ spouses. The court has also hit out at the strict military offence of having affair with fellow officer’s spouse, saying it “smacks of patriarchy and punctilious mindset” and held only men responsible for such affairs. The court said the fact that the offence did not hold women responsible “who may be as educated, as mature, even older and senior than the male is reflective of a predisposed and biased mindset that also assumes that the wife of a brother officer is the property or chattel of the male and not an independent person in her own right

who has the freedom to choose to live her life on her own terms.” IAF officers refused to comment on the issue. The Indian Air Force commissioned its first female fighter pilots this year, paving the way for more women to be given combat roles as one of the world’s biggest armed forces takes steps towards greater gender parity. The military began recruiting women to nonmedical positions in 1992. “The application of Flt Lt Ishan Sharan is allowed in part,” the tribunal said in its verdict. “He is to be considered as released from service from

Rape case: SC rejects interim bail plea of Asaram Bapu

New Delhi Supreme Court on Monday rejected the interim bail plea of self-styled religious figure Asaram Bapu, who is facing trial in rape cases, on health grounds and asked him to get his treatment done in Rajasthan in judicial custody itself.

A bench of Justices A K Sikri and N V Ramana said if Asaram wanted to undergo treatment, he could get the diagnosis done at AIIMS, Jodhpur or at Rajasthan Ayurvedic hospital while staying in judicial custody.

The apex court’s direction came after Asaram said he wanted to undergo ayurvedic treatment in Delhi for which he needed one month’s interim bail. “If you (Asaram) want ayurvedic treatment, you can get that it in Rajasthan itself. There is no need for interim bail as AIIMS medical board has also said that the health condition is stable,” the bench said. Counsel appearing for Rajasthan government said they were ready to provide all possible treatment to Asaram at the hospitals in the state. The bench, however, clarified that

Asaram’s supporters should not be allowed in the hospital and none of his followers should meet him. The court said it will hear the plea for regular bail of Asaram in November. On October 18, the apex court had sought Rajasthan government’s response to Asaram’s bail pleas and said it will first deal with the interim bail and then regular bail. Earlier, a medical board of All India Institute of Medical Sciences had told the apex Court that the health condition of Asaram was stable. Asaram had refused to undergo several tests, the seven-member board had also said in its report filed before the bench of Justices A K Sikri and N V Ramana. On August 11, the apex court had denied interim bail to Asaram in a rape case and directed AIIMS to set up a medical board to ascertain his health condition before taking up his regular bail plea.

Asaram was arrested by Jodhpur Police on August 31, 2013 and has been in jail since then. On August 9, the High Court had rejected his bail application in the rape case.

the date of his dismissal that is 28 June 2013 with whatever financial benefits, if any, that he may be entitled to.” Sharan, an ace Su-30MKI pilot posted at Jodhpur, was dismissed from service in June 2013 after a female Squadron Leader committed suicide. The officer had an “adulterous relationship” with the woman as per the Air Force inquiry. The young pilot and the husband of the deceased were posted in the same Su-30MKI fighter squadron in Jodhpur while she was posted in another nearby radar unit. As per the allegations,

the Flight Lieutenant (equivalent to a Captain in the Army) had an affair with the female officer since their posting in Bareilly and it had continued even in Jodhpur after their relocation. The problems in the affair started when the female officer’s husband read their Facebook chat history suggesting an intimate relationship between the two and also when he threatened to divorce his wife. The young male officer, meanwhile, went on to marry another woman, which allegedly pushed the female officer into depression. She was found hanging from the ceiling in her room on November 28, 2012, following which the IAF ordered a court of inquiry into the matter. The probe under a Group Captain (Colonel) rank officer found Sharan guilty of “Behaving in a manner unbecoming of an officer by luring the Squadron Leader who was wife of another officer of the same rank into a relationship hereby stealing her love and affection.” Despite the IAF inquiry accepting that in view of the increased interaction between male and female officers for major part of the day the “likelihood of developing attraction is high”, it recommended strong action against the officer while asking for a sensitisation campaign among all its personnel against falling into such relationships.

British murder accused ‘filmed victims’ in Hong Kong

Hong Kong British banker Rurik Jutting who is accused of murdering two Indonesian women in his upscale Hong Kong apartment filmed the attacks on his iPhone, a court heard today, the first day of his trial.

Jutting, 31, had earlier today pleaded “not guilty” to two counts of murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility. He instead pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

The prosecution rejected the lesser plea and jury selection began. As judge Michael StuartMoore briefed the jury pool at the High Court, he warned them of the graphic nature of the evidence.

He said that Jutting “recorded on his iPhone much of what he did to those people”, and described the footage as “very shocking indeed”. Seneng Mujiasih and Sumarti Ningsih, both in their 20s, were found dead in Jutting’s flat in the early hours of November 1, 2014, after he called police to the scene.

Mujiasih was found naked and with knife wounds to her legs and buttocks, while the decaying body of Ningsih was found hours later in a suitcase on the balcony, according to initial police reports.

Jutting, a former securities trader at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, faces a three-week jury trial and life in prison if convicted on the murder charges.

The killings shocked the city of seven million - typically regarded as safe and known for its glitzy skyscrapers - and shone a spotlight on the seedy underbelly of the financial hub.

Jutting was deemed fit to stand trial following psychiatric tests and is being held at a maximum security prison.

Clean-shaven and wearing a dark-blue shirt, Jutting calmly entered his official plea for the first time today, saying: “Not guilty to murder by reason of diminished responsibility, but guilty to manslaughter”.

He pleaded guilty to a third charge of preventing the burial

of a body.

Outside the court, a small group of protesters from Indonesian migrant worker organisations called for a “speedy and fair trial” and for compensation for the victims’ families.

It is the highest-profile murder case to hit the Hong Kong courts since American Nancy Kissel was accused of killing her banker husband in 2003.

Dubbed the “milkshake murderer”, Kissel was convicted of drugging her husband - a senior executive at Merrill Lynch - with a sedative-laced strawberry drink before clubbing him to death with a lead ornament at their luxury home.

Hong Kong judge warns of “torture” images as British banker’s trial begins A Hong Kong judge warned jurors that they will have to view video filmed by former British banker Rurik Jutting of the torture and vicious killing of two Indonesian women he is accused of murdering as the trial got under way on Monday.

Issue - 690 (14)

25 - 31 Oct., 2016

Google hawks hardware in real-world ‘showroom’ New York It’s not exactly a store, but the Google “showroom”that opened on Thursday in New York is the internet giant’s first real-world shop and a step onto terrain

where rival Apple has excelled.The success of the temporary storefront Google opened in the trendy Soho neighbourhood could help the California-based company decide whether to follow Apple’s lead and operate its own brick-andmortar retail operation.

The New York pop-up shop will be open through the end of this year, and let people get their hands on new Google devices such as Pixel smartphones which began shipping on Thursday in a direct challenge to Apple’s latest iPhones.“This is not even a testing ground, just an extension of the launch,”Google spokeswoman Chrissy Persico said at the

showroom opening event.

“We want people to come in and experience the products.”Google early this month took on rivals Apple, Samsung and Amazon in a new push into

hardware, launching the inhouse designed Pixel smartphone and a slew of other devices showcasing artificial intelligence prowess.By producing both the phone hardware and its Android software, Google is making a more direct assault on Apple and its tightly controlled ecosystem.

The pop-up shop also displayed Google’s freshly unveiled Daydream View virtual reality headset, a modular wi-fi system, and a Home virtual assistant that will challenge the Amazon Echo device.Nothing is sold at the Google shop, but the staff directs potential customers to the company’s online store or telephone operators who

can take orders for products.

‘Big battle’ A wall in the shop is decorated with an artful arrangement of blue, red, yellow and green blocks, arranged to display the internet company’s trademark colours.

Only 30 or so visitors ventured into the pop-up store for its opening morning, a lean showing in comparison to mobs typically drawn to new Apple stores.Apple has a shop in Soho, too, and many more across the country and around the world.As differences on the hardware side of premium smartphones have faded, competitors have increasingly stressed “experiences”such as smoothly accessing content or services.

“I am interested in technology, so I just hang out in stores,”Columbia University student Ravi Lakshmanan told AFP in the Google shop. “There is going to be a big battle of platforms and it’s going to be interesting to watch.”

Another visitor, Ike McLaughlin, said he has flip-flopped between the rivals but is on Google’s side for now because he felt Apple was “playing it safe, when Google is taking risks and making a push in artificial intelligence”.

Songs sung true: Bant Singh sings for the landless, small farmers New Delhi “So what if my limbs are amputated, I still have my throat, I can sing!” These were the words of Bant Singh, a Left-wing activist and singer who is carrying forward the legacy of the songs of Punjab’s revolutionary poet Sant Ram Udasi with his voice.

Today, he is recognised as the Dalit icon of Punjab, and also nicknamed ‘The Singing Torso’.

But Singh has paid a heavy price for it.

In January 2006, the labour leader and singer was attacked close to his village Burj Jhabbar. He was brutally assaulted by upper-caste boys, who beat him with iron rods for daring to assert himself.

Four years before this incident, his daughter was gang-raped and his fight for justice led to the conviction of an upper-caste boy.

After the attack, Singh lost his arms and one of his legs, but his spirit was not broken. On the 18th day,

after his limbs were amputated, Singh surprised other patients and doctors by singing songs against oppression.

He sings about the landless labourers, of the girl who demands a pistol in her dowry, of a time when

released in January at the Jaipur Literature Festival, he commented on Rohith Vemula’s suicide by declaring that one must “fight the oppressor”, “kill him if you must but don’t be defeated into killing yourself”.

the festival of Diwali would mean a lamp at every door, and a sweets for everyone.

Singh also sings of his love for his country and its people who have to be protected from tyranny.

When his biography, ‘The Ballad of Bant Singh’, was

A singing star at literature festivals this year, Singh says: “ I share my songs of struggle with the people and also work for the betterment of the landless labourers or small farmers who live in misery in our country”.

Punjab’s Amarinder Singh says Manohar Parrikar worst defence minister ever, calls him a joker New Delhi Former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has called for the removal of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. In an exclusive to India Today, Amarinder Singh came down heavily on Parrikar calling him the worst defence minister. He said, “In the 40 years that I have been in politics I have never seen a more incompetent defence minister. He is a joker and is absolutely clueless about his job, he should be removed forthwith.” The former Chief Minister also refused to give any credit to the political leadership of the country for the surgical strikes. “The Army did what it had to do, it avenged the killings of our soldiers. It is not something that has been done for the first time, it has happened earlier too,” he said. Singh accused the BJP of trying to milk the surgical strikes politically. “ They want to in-cash it in the Uttar Pradesh elections. I’m a soldier and I know what the Army thinks of him. I know that it’s a political move and the BJP is doing a great

disservice to the country by trying to politicise the

gone soft on the Akali’s.

“That can never happen.

strikes,” he said. According to Singh, the strikes would boomerang on the Akali government in Punjab.

“They forced people to evacuate their villages, leave behind their crops and cattle all for drama, the government will pay dearly for this,” he said.

Amarinder Singh once again offered an olive branch to Navjot Singh Sidhu, saying that he was welcome to join the Congress party but without any pre conditions. “I am neither in touch with him nor his wife , but they are welcome to join, his father was a Congressman after all,” said the former CM. He also denied suggestions that he had

They embody everything that has gone wrong with Punjab, they are a part of the drug Mafia, the liquor and transport Mafia.” He threatened to launch an inquiry against the misdeeds of the Akali’s once the Congress party comes to power in Punjab.

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THE USUAL KICKS

FRANKLY, I’d vote for Hugh Jackman as Jack Reacher. The burly actor would seem apt isn’t it, with his hulk of a frame just as novelist Lee Child has described Reacher in his bestsellers. At around a five-foot, seven-inch height (that’s actually a couple of inches shy of apni Deepika Padukone), Tom Cruise is a far cry from the man monster that Jack Reacher is supposed to be — at least going by the body and body language the books give to the character. Importantly, Reacher is imagined by Child as a towering misfit amid the glossy American life, which incidentally Cruise’s very sophisticated image has come to define. Releasing its second film, the franchise is still latching onto the brand power of Lee Child. So, the issue of mismatch between protagonist and actor remains glaring. Cruise may be in top form as an action hero in this series, but he is simply not Jack Reacher. So what, Cruise would perhaps tell you. It’s his film, after all — literally, because he is primary producer of the franchise. That should do away with all mismatch natter, as well as musing over how Hollywood’s

Train To Busan Cast: Gong Yoo, Ma Dong-seok, Jung Yu-mi, Kim Su-an Direction: Yeon Sang-ho

Vinayak Chakravorty By

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back Cast: Tom Cruise, Cobie Smulders, Aldis Hodge, Danika Yarosh Direction: Edward Zwick

verticallychallenged Jack Reacher has no problems felling baddies double his size.

Never Go Back is actually Lee Child’s 18th Jack Reacher novel, so clearly Cruise and company are not following unity of time while releasing the adventures on screen (the first film was based on One Shot, ninth book in the series). For the record, the film is only based on the novel, so the screenplay by Edward Zwick and his co-writers (Richard STATUTORY warning first: Train To Busan is not a film for all. But if you feel rampaging zombies chomping on humans with gory relish is good enough for some merry bloodsoaked entertainment, don’t look elsewhere.

Yeon Sang-ho’s gripping scare trip is the sleekest horror film to have released in a while, but that is not what makes the film special. Train To Busan, which has garnered its share of applause in the global festival circuit, makes a fine comment on societal divide and class wars, and probes the moral line that a person may cross when faced with dire circumstances. It talks about the frailty of power and how, in given situations, the powerful can be manipulated. To Sangho’s credit, he delivers all of it with nonstop action happening mostly inside a moving train. The train with its cold plush interiors becomes a micrcosm of the filmmaker’s homeland South Korea indeed, of the world. Balancing

Wenk and Marshall Herskovitz) accommodates sufficient changes to make Jack Reacher seem more Tom Cruise-like.

The story here is imagined four years after the first film. Reacher is headed for the headquarters of his old military unit, to catch up with Major Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders), an old friend and onetime professional aide. On arriving at the base, Reacher discovers all is not well with Major Turner. She faces espionage charges. The suspense plays out evenly but in a formulaic manner. There is an old-school thrust about the way the Jack Reacher films unfold their adventures, banking more on physical action rather than CGI effect. The idea gives the franchise a USP, amusingly, in Hollywood’s burgeoning circus of SFX-loaded action flicks. The film is watchable actually, if you can get over the fact that Tom Cruise was never born to be Jack Reacher.

Horror express entertainment with social commentary is far tougher than it would seem. An overt focus on either would render the other aspect weak. Train To Busan manages to drive home its brutal drama without rendering the socio-cultural undertone flimsy. The film does not try breaking new ground within the zombie genre in terms of narration or form. The plot is simple: Regular travellers on a bullet train in South Korea discover that they are trapped inside the speeding vehicle with a bunch of zombies. The count of the undead is rapidly increasing because any human who is bitten by a zombie becomes one, too. What follows is a fastpaced thriller that does not compromise on the body count. With an obvious eye at big commerce, Train To Busan creates ample scope for twists even as the

societal critique keeps coming in.

Director Sang-ho also gives tribute winks to some of the greatest zombie films you might have seen in the genre over the years. You are particularly reminded of George A. Romero’s cult apocalypse satires as well Danny Boyle’s sci-fi zombie classic 28 Days Later, as Sangho gets going with a raw, energetic edge.

Watching this, you wish Bollywood took cue on how to make emotional thrillers with strong comment without being melodramatic about it. You also wish we had such snazzy trains without the zombies, of course.

— Vinayak Chakravorty

Issue 690 (16)

25 - 31 Oct., 2016

Yami Gautam loved learning Tango for her upcoming film Actor Yami Gautam had to learn Tango for her upcoming movie, Kaabil which also stars Hrithik Roshan.

“Learning is always great! This time for my character, I had to learn a new dance form I loved and enjoyed the process. It’s a great opportunity when one gets something new to grasp and I feel we should just grab it,” says Gautam.

For the film, which is directed

by Sanjay Gupta and will release on January 27 next year, Gautam left no stone

unturned to master the steps. She kept aside three hours every day to learn the dance form and match steps with Roshan, who is already known for his impeccable moves.

A source says, “Yami continued with the process of learning Tango for over two months to make sure she gets all the moves right! From basics to the postures and infringe moves, she did not miss out on any aspect of giving a flawless performance. She learned the dance from choreographers Dimple and Vijay Ganguly. She simply loved every bit of her learning experience.”

People remember me for Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander: Pooja Bedi Pooja Bedi feels she was fortunate to have got the opportunity to be part of Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander.

“Today people remember me for Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander. The film is the most memorable thing for me in my life. I am glad the opportunity came my way,” said Pooja. Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar was a 1992 Indian sportsdrama film directed by Mansoor Khan. The film had Aamir Khan, Ayesha Jhulka,

Mamik Singh, Deepak Tijori & Kulbhushan Kharbanda in the lead roles. The 46-year-old actor, who became a household name after Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander, has done different kind of shows on television from dance shows to stunt reality shows besides writing columns in various newspapers.

Ask her if acting has taken a backseat, Pooja said, “I have morphed into

multiple avatars. I did film acting with NTR Junior, etc. I have a lot of exciting things to do in life like ‘Happy Soul’ workshop we teach people how to be happy, how to reprogram, how to create happiness,” she said.

She was part of the silver jubilee celebrations of condom brand KamaSutra last evening.

“It’s been a phenomenal journey over 25 years.

Kamasutra shaped my

career in every possible way. It enhanced the whole sexism quotient that I had come with. It made me famous and infamous,” Pooja added.

Aamir Khan avoids query on Pak film ban at MAMI Superstar Aamir Khan chose to stay mum on the issue of Pakistani film not being screened at the ongoing MAMI festival here and the threats over the release of Karan Johar ’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.

During the opening ceremony of the 18th Jio MAMI festival, Aamir was asked to give his opinion on the opposition to screening of Pakistani film and the Ae Dil Hai Mushkil controversy, the actor said, “MAMI se poocho”, before walking off.

Following the Uri terror attack, the MNS has threatened not to allow screening of Johar’s film which features Pakistani actor Fawad Khan.

Aamir had earlier got embroiled in a controversy over his remarks on intolerance.

The 51-year-old star was present at the MAMI festival with Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra, who play Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari in his forthcoming film Dangal.

Aamir plays the role of wrestler Mahavir Singh

Phogat, who taught wrestling to his daughters Geeta and Babita.

Since the time the film’s trailer was launched, there have been reports of similarity between Dangal and Sultan.

When asked about it, Aamir said, “No, not necessary, when you see the film you will realise.”

Meanwhile, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who had raised his objection on social media over demands to ban Pakistani artistes and later was criticised for his remarks, stayed silent during the film festival’s opening ceremony.

When asked to give his opinion, he looked at the cameras, folded his hands and left.

Bollywood vulnerable where politics is concerned: Ajay Devgn

Sushant Singh Rajput, an engineering dropout, gives a talk at IIT Bombay Recently, Sushant Singh Rajput, who is enjoying the success of his last release M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, was approached to speak at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay’s leadership summit. A source close to the actor reveals, “Sushant is currently preparing for his next film. He took time out from his schedule to speak at the summit on Friday (October 21). Sushant is also a former engineering student. So, the opportunity to speak at the summit was a special one, and became a nostalgic trip for him. The students could relate to him and his stories.” Apparently, attending the summit was a journey down memory lane for the actor. The source adds, “Sushant studied at an engineering college in Delhi. He spoke about his college days and how he dropped out of the university to pursue a career in acting. He encouraged the students to follow their dreams and also spoke about his struggles in the entertainment industry. Sushant’s aim was to share insights from his experience, so that it could be of help to the students.”

Actor-filmmaker Ajay Devgn, who awaits the release of Shivaay, says the Indian film industry is scared of politics because if a person speaks against any political party, his film will be prevented from releasing.

On October 28, Shivaay will clash at the box office with filmmaker Karan Johar ’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, which is currently in news for featuring Pakistani actor Fawad Khan.

Earlier popular Bollywood celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan had faced a backlash on their remarks on intolerance.

Even filmmaker Mukesh Bhatt said recently that he will not work with Pakistani actors.

Asked Ajay whether it is nationalism or fear behind such statements, he said, “Both. When it comes to nationalism, as I said, I stand by the country. When it comes to politics, an industry men gets a little scared.

He gets scared because if today you say anything against a group, your film will be stopped, something will happen”.

“We are very vulnerable where politics is concerned.

Where nationalism is concerned, I don’t think it (Bollywood) is divided... We want to stay away from politics because we are vulnerable. But when it comes about the nation, there I stand by it. But when politics is concerned, sometimes you say it, but most of the time you stay quite because of fear,” he added. Ajay along with his

wife Kajol on Saturday took part in conversation at Manthan Aaj Tak to talk about the current political scenario of Bollywood and Pakistani actors.

Devgn feels film industry is one place where religion has never been the issue.

“Nobody can deny one good thing about the industry is we never had any issues with religion.

We have Hindus, Muslims, Parsis, Christians everybody working under one roof.

We celebrate every festivals together. We never had any problem in our industry. If films can influence the society then

it should begin from here,” he said.

“Film industry is divided like our society, but when religion is concerned we are not divided,” he added.

Like many in the industry, Ajay too says that till the time the tensions between India and Pakistan get better, he will not work with any artiste from that side of the border. “I have worked with Pakistani actors, but right now the situation is such that we have to stand by our nation. I hope that the problem gets solved till then I will not work with them,” he said.

“They have also banned our films as they are standing by their nation.

We should also stand by our nation, but instead we are fighting against each other,” the Singham actor said. He added, “In my life the best music was given in the film Kachche Dhaage by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

All the songs were nice in that film.”

Issue 690 (17)

25 - 31 Oct., 2016

Donald Glover cast as young Lando in Star Wars’ Han Solo spinoff Actor and singer Donald Glover will be playing Lando Calrissian in the young Han Solo spin-off film from the Star Wars universe, Walt Disney Co and Lucasfilm said on Friday.

Glover, 33, creator and lead star of FX’s new dramedy Atlanta, will play the role made famous by Billy Dee Williams in the original Star Wars films, 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back and 1983’s Return of the Jedi. The still-untitled film, scheduled for release in May 2018, will see Calrissian “in his formative years as a

scoundrel on the rise in the galaxy’s underworld,” Lucasfilm said in a statement on Starwars.com. Not much else is known about the plot or other casting of the film, which will explore a separate part of the Star Wars universe created by George Lucas.

Calrissian, the ruler of Cloud City, famously betrayed Han Solo and Princess Leia in The Empire Strikes Back, before redeeming himself to the Rebel Alliance in Return of the Jedi.

Glover will join rising star Alden Ehrenreich, who

Find out who joined Jaden Smith in Time’s Most Influential Teens of 2016 list

will play the rogue, lovable space-travelling scoundrel Han Solo, made famous by Harrison Ford. Lego Movie filmmakers Phil Lord and Chris Miller will direct.

Glover also starred in four seasons of NBC’s sitcom Community and raps and sings under the pseudonym Childish Gambino.

The spin-off film is part of Walt Disney Co’s expanding Star Wars cinematic slate that was rebooted by last year’s blockbuster hit, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which made more than $2 billion at the global box office.

Actor Jaden Smith, Kylie Jenner and Zara Larsson are three of the stars to make it to TIME magazine’s 30 Most Influential Teens of 2016 list.

Jenner, the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star, was once again featured on TIME magazine’s annual list for her “willingness to experiment with outsize looks, plumping her lips, dying her hair and using bright makeup in bold combinations”.

Hollywood star Will Smith’s son Jaden has been honoured for “rebelling against mainstream culture”, reported Female First.

And the Lush Life hitmaker Zara has made the list for the first time and has been dubbed “one of the most promising talents in pop music” whilst Shawn

I was pretending to be happy after winning the Oscar for Les Mis: Anne Hathaway Actor Anne Hathaway has revealed that she was not happy after winning an Oscar in 2013 for Les Miserables. The 33-yearold actor won the honour for her role of a prostitute named Fantine in Les Miserables and she said she was forced herself to smile after the win, reported Guardian. “I felt very uncomfortable. I kind of lost my mind doing that movie and it hadn’t come back yet.

Then I had to stand up in front of people and feel something I don’t feel which is uncomplicated happiness,” Hathaway

said.

“It’s an obvious thing, you

win an Oscar and you’re supposed to be happy. I

didn’t feel that way. I felt wrong that I was standing there in a gown that cost more than some people are going to see in their lifetime, and winning an award for portraying pain that still felt very much a part of our collective experience as human beings.”

She added, “I tried to pretend that I was happy and I got called out on it, big time. That’s the truth and that’s what happened. But what you learn from it is that you only feel like you can die from embarrassment, you don’t actually die.”

Mendes also gets a nod for “conquering singles charts” across the world.

Elsewhere on the list, Fifth Harmony’s Camila Cabello has been featured for her hit music and her activism.

She recently penned an essay about her experience when she arrived to the United States in the 2000s as an immigrant. Actor Chloe Grace Moretz also secured herself a slot on the list after she slammed Kim Kardashian West for her nude selfie.

The breakout star of

Netflix’s Stranger Things, 14-year-old Gaten Matarazzo also made the list. Matarazzo, ‘was born with a mild case of cleidocranial dysplasia, which stalled the development of his teeth.

But instead of shying away, he seized the opportunity to speak out.’

Maisie Williams, one of the stars of HBO’s Game of Thrones, was included for being one of the ‘Internet’s most beloved TV stars, able to drive countless headlines with a single tweet, stunt or post.’

Pierce Brosnan gets trolled after saying he was ‘misled’ by pan brand

James Bond can escape the most lethal enemies, but not social media trolls. After being the butt of jokes for endorsing a pan masala brand recently, Irish actor Pierce Brosnan was trolled again for saying that he was misled by the company into endorsing the product. “I was distressed to learn of Pan Bahar’s unauthorised and deceptive use of my image to endorse their range of pan masala products,” the James Bond star said in a statement published on People.com.

Online trolls grabbed the opportunity and how! Users mocked the 63-year-old for not knowing what the product was before he agreed to endorse it. Sample this:

Guess which historical icon Jennifer Is Lindsay Lohan facing bankruptcy amid allegations of theft?

Lawrence is playing in a new biopic

Actor Jennifer Lawrence has been roped in to portray the late Jazz Age icon Zelda Fitzgerald in her upcoming biopic to be directed by Ron Howard.

The drama, which is

currently titled Zelda, is being developed by Howard, who is eyeing it as a potential directing vehicle, reports hollywoodreporter.com.

Lawrence will also serve as

one of the producers for the upcoming film.

Zelda was married to author F Scott Fitzgerald who saw her as his indispensable muse and fiercest competitor.

Lawrence was last seen in the superhero film XMen: Apocalypse earlier this year. She will next share the screen with Chris Pratt in the romantic sci-fi thriller Passengers and star in an untitled new film by Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky.

Actor Lindsay Lohan is reportedly facing bankruptcy after failing to pay rent on her $4.2 million (Rs 28 crore) flat in London. The landlord of 30-year-old Lohan’s property in the exclusive Knightsbridge areademands payment of $95,000 and will petition at court for her bankruptcy if she fails to pay up.

Solicitors Child & Child hand-delivered a letter to Lohan, who was once one of Hollywood biggest up-and-comers, seeking the unpaid rent for six months to August. The Mean Girls actor has been given time until November 8 to pay the dues, reported Ace Showbiz.

Meanwhile, Lohan’s ex-fiance Egor Tarabasov has reportedly gone to the police, demanding her arrest for theft.

Egor claimed Lohan stole his

belongings, including a Rolex Oyster watch, designer clothing and a small gold crucifix, a friend of the Russian property tycoon reveals.

The bankruptcy news comes after Lohan opened a new club called Lohan in Greece with rumoured boyfriend Dennis Papageorgi.

Issue 690 (18)

25 - 31 Oct., 2016

Did Varun spill defence secrets for foreign girls?

BJP lawmaker Varun Gandhi leaked crucial information about defence matters after being “honey-trapped” and blackmailed by arms dealer Abhishek Verma, a US-based whistleblower has accused. Gandhi has emphatically denied all the charges. India Today TV

has accessed an explosive letter written to the prime minister’s office (PMO) by lawyer C Edmonds Allen who had an epic falling out with his former client, Verma, four years ago. “This gentleman (Varun Gandhi) participates in immoral activities with prostitutes arranged by Abhishek Verma. He also meets management of

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defense companies at private parties…solicits business on Abhishek Verma’s behest,” says the letter. Allen has alleged that Gandhi, as member of the parliamentary defence committee, had access to information that was shared with Verma to “compromise national security’.” The seven-page letter goes on to say that the BJP MP stood “compromised” because of his pictures with foreign escorts and prostitutes.

Verma too has denied the charges. Allen’s letter to the PMO dated 16 September 2016 also names top former commanders of the air force and navy for conspiracy in leaking sensitive data. One of the officers is a coaccused in the Navy War Room Leak scandal of 2005. Allen was a close aide of Verma before their relationship soured. He has also sent a copy of the letter to defence minister Manohar

Parrikar and national security adviser Ajit Doval. Allen has alleged that Verma had access to defence secrets including the minutes of the meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council till 2011, despite being an accused in the Navy War Room Leak scandal. Varun Gandhi termed the accusations “baseless and ridiculous”. “I was horrified at the wild allegations made. What I didn’t see, however, was a shred or iota of evidence, proof or fact linking me to these insane rumours,’’ he told Mail Today. “Anybody who knows the defence committee knows it has no access to confidential information.” The MP insisted he had not met Verma since

2003. “I have taken this attempt to tarnish my name very seriously and will file a criminal defamation suit against these people,’’ he said. An avowed “witness” and Verma’s friend, Vikki Chowdhary, told Mail Today he had seen Varun Gandhi’s pictures with foreign escorts at the arms dealer’s parties. “They are not new pictures. I have seen them. I had gone to his farmhouse and he showed me the pictures.

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Issue 690 (19)

A FATHER has transformed his three-year-old daughter into Wonder Woman with an out-ofthis world photo shoot and costume. Comic book fan and commercial photographer Josh Rossi, 31, celebrated Nellee’s third birthday by transforming her into the DC Comics’ heroine. Creative Josh made his daughter’s dreams come true by editing the photos to make her look like she’s fighting in an epic battle. During the six-

25 - 31 Oct., 2016

MEET DADDY’S 3-YEAR-OLD WONDER GIRL

hour photo shoot his wonder girl wore a specially handmade Wonder Woman costume and had her makeup done professionally. Based in Josh’s home town of Salt Lake City, the shoot involved five assistants on set including Josh’s Roxana. The group hoisted Nellee above their heads, blew wind into her hair and helped her with props to achieve the special shots. Josh spent

Obamas let hair down one last time PRESIDENT Barack Obama said he is sad that one of his and the first lady’s favourite traditions, musical night at the White House, ended on Friday.

Obama and his wife, Michelle, have reserved certain evenings over the past eight years to celebrate music that has helped shape America. They held big blowout concerts spotlighting classic, country, blues, Broadway, gospel, Motown, Latin and jazz either inside the White House or out on the lawn.

The tradition ended on Friday as Obama kicked off his final musical night, BET’s Love and Happiness event in a tent on the South Lawn. He joked that he wouldn’t be singing any Al Green despite the concert title and also noted he would not be twerking.

“There will be no twerking tonight. At least not by me. I don’t

know about Usher,” he said.

When Obama sang the opening lines of Green’s Let’s Stay Together at a fundraiser at Harlem’s Apollo Theater in January 2012, the video went viral.

“We’ve had Bob Dylan and we’ve had Jennifer Hudson. Gloria Estefan and Los Lobos. Aretha, Patti, Smokey,” Obama said to open the show.

“I’ve had Paul McCartney singing

‘Michelle’ to Michelle and Stevie singing Happy Birthday.” “We’ve had Buddy Guy and Mick Jagger getting me to sing Sweet Home Chicago,” he continued. “So this has been one of our favourite traditions, and it’s with a little bit of bitterswe etness that this is our final musical evening as president and first lady.” Jill Scott opened with a booming version of her hit Run Run Run. The show was also featuring performances by Usher, The Roots, Bell Biv DeVoe, Janelle Monae, De La Soul, Yolanda Adams, Michelle Williams and Kiki Sheard. Actors Samuel L.

weeks editing his studio shots by layering them over his own incredible backdrops to give certain illusion. He said: “I wanted my girl to be more unique than just superwoman or cat woman because she has a really strong personality.

I remembered the Batman vs

Superman movie where at the end Wonder Woman destroys the monster that neither of the guys could defeat. She’s more powerful than both of them combined. That’s when I was certain who I wanted my daughter to be. This represents her at the best.”

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Issue 690 (22)

25 - 31 Oct., 2016

Miley & Perry step into Clinton’s cheer squad

MILEY Cyrus and Katy Perry used their celebrity status to drum up support for Hillary Clinton in Virginia and Nevada Saturday. The singing superstars surprised college students by knocking on their dorm room doors in a bid to earn the Democratic presidential candidate extra millennial votes. Cyrus, 23, visited George Mason University in Virginia in the afternoon, while Perry roamed the halls at UNLV in Nevada. However it seemed like many of the students were more interested in the celebrities than “You know what he tried to do? the message they were trying to He tried to have me fired,” he convey. In a video clip posted on said in a video shared by Loop social media, Cyrus, who is on Twitter. Two students, sitting next to a window looking Gabriel and Noah, played video down on a huge crowd of games with Miley in their dorm. students, tells the camera: Their friend Mario wasn’t home “They’re saying Hillary, I swear.” and missed out on her visit.

She then adds, “they’re saying Later on, dozens of students Miley,” and laughs. Cyrus lined up outside the dorm bashed Trump’s comments waiting for her and sang her about abortion during the last song ‘Wrecking Ball’. presidential debate and said she Meanwhile, Perry was roaming supported Planned Parenthood. the halls and drumming up One young woman told Miley about meeting – and avoiding – a Trump supporter at a fraternity party. Mimi Abusaif, 19, mimed the exchange to Miley, who seemed to find the story entertaining. Miley made her way around campus in a Stars-AndStripes-themed outfit by Spanish DONALD Trump batted away designer Agatha Ruiz De La the claims of a porn star who Prada, with a red and white said he once offered her striped skirt and a blue bow for $10,000 to spend the night with a crop top. She talked with him, insisting he did not know students about topics including the woman and would have ‘no LGBTQ rights, pineapple fried interest’ in getting to know her. rice and Clinton’s white pantsuit In his 11th denial of damning during the third presidential accusations from separate debate, which Miley loved, women, he said the account according to reporter Emma given by adult actress Jessica Loop, who was on campus and Drake at a press conference on live-tweeted the visit. Earlier, Saturday was “totally false and Miley shared three photos of ridiculous”. Drake said the pair herself on Twitter with the met at a 2006 golf tournament hashtag #imwithher, showing in Lake Tahoe where he she was about to board her repeatedly asked her to return plane on her way to Virginia. to his penthouse suite after she Mousa Abusaif, 20, made her tea visited with two other women. and told her how he approached The 42-year-old produced a Donald Trump at his photograph of them taken at the Washington country club hoping event in an attempt to verify her to find an internship or another story. Around an hour after she position as his family struggled aired her allegations, Trump’s with poverty and homelessness.

support for Clinton on the first day of early voting in Nevada.

The singer was met with squeals and requests for selfies from students. She sported bright red lipstick that matched her high heels and a T-shirt emblazoned with the phrase ‘Nasty Woman’, which has become a rallying cry for Hillary Clinton’s supporters after Donald Trump uttered it during Wednesday’s final presidential debate. “We’re out here campaigning for Hillary

Clinton. Ever heard of her?” she told a trio of young women after they invited her and a crowd of reporters into their dorm room.

“Because there’s no other alternative. We need our issues heard, we need our bodies taken care of, we need all that choice.” Perry followed up the surprise round of canvassing with a short outdoor rally on campus alongside Nevada Democratic Senate hopeful Catherine Cortez Masto.

PORN STAR IS 11TH TO ACCUSE TRUMP OF SEXUAL ABUSE spokesman told DailyMail.com it the picture proved nothing and was merely an example of the ‘thousands’ of fan photo requests Trump receives. “This story is totally false and ridiculous.” “The picture is one of thousands taken out of respect for people asking to have their picture taken with Mr. Trump.” Accusing his opponent of turfing up another accuser to harm his campaign, his spokesman continued: “This is just another attempt by the Clinton campaign to defame a candidate who just today is number one in three different polls.” “Anyone who would pay thugs to incite violence at a rally against American citizens, as was released on video, will stop at nothing,” he said. “Just another example of the Clinton campaign trying to rig the election.”

Don vows to sue accusers after polls DONALD Trump pledged Saturday that he will bring lawsuits against each of the women who have accused him of sexual misconduct during his campaign. “Every woman lied when they came forward to hurt my campaign,” he told an invited audience in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

“Total fabrication. The events never happened. Never.” He made the comments as he laid out his policy platform for his first 100 days in charge, if he wins the General Election. The Republican candidate addressed a small audience in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, near the site of the historic 1863 Civil War Battle and the subsequent address by President Abraham Lincoln. “All of these liars will be sued after the election is over,” he told the crowd.

Issue 690 (23)

25 - 31 Oct., 2016

DISCO DOLL KATE Hudson took the plunge in a sparkly ensemble at the GLSEN Respect Awards in Beverly Hills on Friday. The 37-year-old Oscar nominee rocked a colourfully-sequinned jumpsuit with a white clutch and nude court shoes selected by stylist Sophie Lopez. Kate sported wavy, middleparted locks and copper lipstick for the charitable function. The effervescent blonde was receiving the LGBTQ educational organisation’s Inspiration Award for her ‘commitment to respect for all.’ “I want to commend the LGBTQ community for their courage,” Kate said at the podium. Not seen with Hudson were her two sons — Ryder, 12, with ex-husband Chris Robinson, and Bingham, 5, with exfiancé Matthew Bellamy. On Wednesday, the nepotistically-privileged daughter of Goldie Hawn celebrated the third

anniversary for her e-commerce activewear brand Fabletics. The Kung Fu Panda 3 star can currently be seen as Felicia, the wife of real-life oil rig worker Mike Williams (Mark Wahlberg) in Deepwater Horizon. The criticallyacclaimed disaster flick — also starring her stepfather Kurt Russell —has amassed $88.5M at the box office since its September 30 opening. Also at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel was her Mother’s Day costar Julia Roberts, who warmly greeted GLSEN’s National Student Council. The Oscar winner — who turns 49 next week — sported spectacles with a whitecollared LBD featuring rose trim selected by her stylist Elizabeth Stewart. Julia’s Normal Heart co-star Matt Bomer looked handsome as ever alongside his husband of five years, publicist Simon Halls.

Pak freezes bank accounts of 5,100 terror suspects, including JeM chief Azhar

New Delhi Pakistani authorities have frozen bank accounts with more than Rs 400 million belonging to some 5,100 terror suspects, including Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, according to a media report on Monday.

Among those whose accounts were frozen by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) are 1,200 suspects included in “category A” of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997, which covers terrorists who pose an exceptional or high risk.

The 5,100 suspects are all listed in the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997, The News daily quoted unnamed officials as saying. Azhar was included in “category A”, officials of the interior ministry and SBP said.

Azhar is believed to be in the “protective custody” of security agencies since India blamed the JeM for a terror attack on Pathankot airbase in January.

“Following a request of the ministry of interior, we have frozen accounts of all top suspected terrorists, including

Masood Azhar, son of Allah Bux,” a senior official of SBP, who is part of a team monitoring the freezing of the bank accounts, told The News.

Ihsan Ghani, national coordinator of the National Counter-Terrorism Authority (NACTA), confirmed that more than 5,000 bank accounts of suspects had been frozen by the SBP. “These accounts hold a net amount worth Rs 400 million,” he said.

Official documents showed the authorities had blocked the bank accounts of 3,078

suspects from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the tribal areas, 1,443 from Punjab, 226 from Sindh, 193 from Balochistan, 106 from Gilgit-Baltistan, 27 from the Islamabad Capital Territory and 26 from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Prominent suspects whose accounts were frozen include Maulana Abdul Aziz of Islamabad’s radical Lal Masjid, Ahmed Ludhianvi of the Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat, Matiur Rehman of al-Qaeda Pakistan, Qari Ehsan of Lashkar-eJhangvi.

Issue 690 (24)

25 - 31 Oct., 2016

You access your intellectual prowess, professional power and career perspective with a new vision for the future this week. You are brilliant, active and skillful in professional ventures and gain repute in your field of activity. You are likely to play the role of consultant or advisor, sharing your knowledge and experience with others. An older man recognizes your potential and offers you a lucrative assignment. You are loving in established personal relationships and can expect loyalty and support therein. Things are changing all around you as you step into new opportunities and dimensions this Diwali.

You bring a singlepointed approach to professional ventures and prestigious assignments this week. You are a force to reckon with in personal situations this week! Your success comes from combining creativity, labour and intelligence. You need to be patient and persistent as your investments and plans for the future actualize gainfully. You are likely to cut away from personal and professional restrictions and limitations to expand and grow. You can expect a busy work schedule packed with meetings and engagements this Diwali.

New professional and business opportunities for expansion open up for you this week. You may end up getting involved in different projects and ventures to actualize your potential. Destiny plays an important role at this point as you travel, connect with new people and consider important changes this Diwali.

Perseverance and patience is needed in personal and professional matters as there can be delay, opposition and inertia in some aspects for a short period of time. You need to think big and have no limitations or blocks about personal or professional goals. Extensive travel plans are well under way.

A gracious and exalted influence comes into your life this week. Receptive and dynamic energies are in the process of tuning and balancing within as you get ready to make commitments in personal relationships and business collaborations. You may be led away by enthusiasm if careful balance is not maintained and priorities are not listed. Existing partnerships are sensitive but supportive, loving and caring. Trust your intuition and inner guide about people and situations this Diwali. Your personal presence makes all the difference in professional and personal aspects, so be where you are needed.

This week you are able to look through veils of conditioning and go beyond them. You realise that the real you is someone who is still waiting to be discovered behind all the masks, roles and patterns. Unless you drop your personality you are unable to find your individuality.

You achieve professional goals with hard work and endurance. Beware of an unscrupulous person. Be in touch with your sense of humor to reach the highest peak in any aspect of life this Diwali.

Ignore negative influences and gossip. This is a good time to attempt difficult tasks or approach unpredictable people.

A new vision about work and relationships affirms your courage and determination to change things for the better this Diwali. You are ripe and ready to make new beginnings and let go old, safe patterns and ideas to forge ahead in new directions. Development of personal triangular relationships can cause some anxiety. However, three-way business collaborations are gainful and you derive inspiration from them for expansion and further investment.

There is good luck attending material matters with an increase in income and change of lifestyle. A loved one can be demanding and exacting.

A three-way business arrangement proves to be gainful. You busy with business and commercial transactions to stabilize your financial position.

Material growth and sound investments lead to a better lifestyle in the coming months. There is commencement of projects, which establish and actualise later in the year, and you need to be patient and persevering. You can expect to travel and also entertain visitors from overseas this Diwali. A close friend is supportive and caring.

Love and warmth from your partner melt your defenses when you tend to isolate yourself.

There is an abundance of love as feelings and ideas are exchanged, expressed and understood this Diwali. You build special relationships and make rare connections with creative personalities. You stop putting labels on relationships but enjoy them for what they are in the moment. A special assignment is given to you and adds a feather in your cap. A short holiday is rejuvenating.

Exciting news are communicated to you just in time for you to take the right action. Precautions should be taken against excesses in food, drink or emotion.

You go forward into positive changes and professional projects this week.

Progressive changes on the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels are on the cards! You feel on top of things with lots of energy and enthusiasm.

You are ready to make investments, update systems and redecorate office and home spaces.

This is a happy time for personal relationships and family reunions. Travel plans actualise and you take a trip. Shopping and socialising with family and friends is fun this Diwali. You are able to meditate and get in touch with inner silence that relaxes you and brings a new awareness.

Rather than worry, take one steady step at a time towards success, material gain and well being this week.

Communicate feelings with tender, loving care to the one you love as that helps to improve your relationship. You seem to be supported in a magical way by higher forces as you turn situations around in a positive direction. Friendliness and trust melt conflicts that may have been there. Take the advice of a specialist if health problems persist.

Discuss matters rather than argue to get your point across. Invitations to social and professional meetings are worth exploring this Diwali.

Personal relationships are stronger as you go through a powerful experience together this Diwali. An older man offers you a lucrative opportunity, which is worth taking. You follow family traditions and connect with parents and older people who have contributed towards your growth and success. Appreciation and respect for others begets you love and support from people who matter. A sentimental walk down memory lane with an old friend is on the cards. Try to be light and playful rather than heavy, as you are likely to gain from that approach. Health needs watching and finances need to be conserved.

You are blessed with beauty, pleasure and happiness in personal relationships and gain in business partnerships this Diwali. Its best to go with the flow as the river of life is taking you in an unfamiliar but positive direction. Your trust in personal friendships and professional opportunities is restored after some meditation and introspection. You express feelings to gain understanding, intimacy and support in a personal relationship. You spend quality time with the family while celebrating. You win over people with your innocent and friendly nature but beware of being taken for a ride.

Issue 690 (25)

25 - 31 Oct., 2016

Technology

US cyber attacks hit Twitter, Netflix, other top websites Successive cyber attacks took large portions of the internet off line on Friday, rendering major companies including Twitter and Netflix inaccessible to millions of users in the United States and elsewhere.

Multiple times in a single day, the attacks incapacitated a crucial piece of internet infrastructure, frustrating or outright blocking access to websites and exposing vulnerabilities in the overall internet network.

It also commanded the attention of top US security agencies including the Department of Homeland Security.

“DHS and the FBI are aware and are investigating all potential causes” of the outages, a spokeswoman said.

The outages left internet users unable to post messages, shop, watch videos and play games online for parts of the day.

A Twitter user, @tylerthebadwolf, expressed frustration once he regained access.”Holy moly! I haven‘t been able to get in here all day! Is there a hashtag for

#InternetOutage 2016 yet??” he tweeted.

Dynamic Network Services Inc, which routes and manages internet traffic, said that at about 1100 GMT on Friday that its infrastructure had been hit by a distributed denial or service, or DDoS, attack in the eastern part of the United States.

The company claimed to have resolved the matter within about two hours but toward 1600 GMT was again responding to an attack.

“Our engineers are continuing to investigate and mitigate several attacks aimed against the Dyn Managed DNS infrastructure,” the company, known as Dyn, said on its website.

Affected websites included Reddit, the crafts marketplace Etsy and the software developer site Github, according to media reports. Others reportedly affected include CNN, The Guardian, Wired, HBO and

Access Facebook on your smartphone even without internet connection

New Delhi Facebook users in India have a reason to rejoice! They can even access Facebook on their smartphone without any internet connection, and that too by just dialing *325#.

It has been made possible by Facebook India ‘s partnership with Fonetwish.

Fonetwish is an USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Data) based interactive service which connects devices without data connection. You would be

able to update your Facebook status for free, but for posting on a wall, checking notifications, adding friends, you would be required to pay just Rs 1 per day for unlimited access. All one has to do is dial *325# from their mobile handset and enter their Facebook username and password, after which one can access Facebook features.

The process uses USSD to transfer information from and to your mobile handset. This service is currently available on limited number of network operators like Airtel, Aircel, Idea and Tata Docomo users in India, and is expected to be available on all the larger ones soon.

People as well as the money transfer service PayPal. A map published by the website downdetector.com initially showed service interruptions across much of the US east coast and in Texas.

However later Friday the affected areas had spread to parts of the Midwest and California. Similar maps for Netflix and Twitter showed areas of outage in Europe.

Amazon Web Services, which hosts some of the most popular sites on the internet, including Netflix and the homestay network Airbnb, that it had resolved problems by 1310 GMT

only to begin addressing similar problems three hours later in a different region.

By late in the day the situation appeared to be stabilizing.Domain name servers are a crucial element of internet infrastructure, converting numbered Internet Protocol addresses into the domain names that allow users to connect to internet sites.

DDoS attacks involve flooding websites with more traffic than they can handle, making them difficult to access or taking them offline entirely.

Attackers can use them for a range of purposes, including censorship, protest and extortion. The loose-knit hacktivist network Anonymous in 2010 targeted the DNS provider EveryDNS among others in 2010 as retribution for efforts to block the anti-secrecy organization WikiLeaks.

Friday‘s incident immediately underscored the comingled dependencies of large portions of the internet, with multiple brand-name companies and their users affected by an attack on a single company.

The attacks took on added significance, experts said, as the number of ordinary objects used by consumers go online, joining the so-called “internet of things.”

Roland Dobbins, principal engineer at the networks security company Arbor Networks, told AFP on Friday that, though it was spectacular, the attack was a constant and relentless fact of life on the internet. “It`s like a combination of the Wild West, Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge on the internet every day,” he said.

He added that the attack‘s scale did not necessarily mean the attackers had large resources.

“It does not require a nation-state to launch a DDoS attack of this magnitude or impact,” he said.

“When it comes to DDoS attacks, states are just another player.”

Now, this method will help spot fake Facebook, Twitter posts Researchers from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) in the US, describe a statistical method that analyses multiple writing samples - a practice known as ‘astroturfing’.

They found that it is challenging for authors to completely conceal their writing style in their text.

Based on word choice, punctuation and context, the method is able to detect whether one person or multiple people are responsible for the samples.

Researchers used writing samples from the most prolific online commentator on various news web sites, and discovered that many people espousing their opinions online were

actually all linked to a few singular writers with multiple accounts.

“Astroturfing is legal, but it is questionable ethically. As long

as social media has been popular, this has existed,” said Kim-Kwang Raymond Choo, associate professor at UTSA. The practice has been used by businesses to manipulate social media users or online shoppers, by having one paid associate post false reviews on

web sites about products for sale.

It is also used on social media wherein astroturfers create several false accounts to espouse opinions, creating the illusion of a consensus when actually one person is pretending to be many.

“It can be used for any number of reasons.

Businesses can use this to encourage support for their products or services, or to sabotage other competing companies by spreading negative opinions through false identities,” Choo said.

Candidates for elected office have also been accused of astroturfing to create the illusion of public support for a cause or a campaign.

Issue 690 (26)

25 - 31 Oct., 2016

Ban on dance classes in schools revoked in Pakistan’s Sindh province Islamabad Pakistan’s Sindh province government has revoked a ban

on holding dance classes in schools.

Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah revoked the ban on Sunday, taking exception to a circular issued by the Education Department asking private schools to desist from conducting dance classes.

“The ban imposed by the Director-General of the Education Department has been revoked immediately,” he said in a statement.

The Chief Minister said the provincial government believes in preserving and promoting culture and heritage as enshrined in Pakistan’s constitution.

“No one would be allowed to hijack the provincial government’s progressive agenda.

Dance and music are integral parts of a liberal society and we will continue to support such activities,” he said in the statement.

Shah further said that Education Minister Jam Mehtab Hussain Dahar had denied giving orders to issue any ban on holding dance classes and action will be taken against officials who falsely attributed such a ban to him.

“Action is being initiated.

Those responsible will be taken to task,” he said.

The Education Minister, however, said that some complaints were received about vulgar dances being held in some schools and this would be discouraged.

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Moscow nanny admits beheading disabled child Moscow A Moscow nanny on Monday pleaded guilty to murdering the four-year-old disabled child in her charge after brandishing the child’s severed head on the street.

“I plead guilty; that’s what she said,” an interpreter said as Uzbek national Gyulchekhra Bobokulova went on trial, Interfax news agency reported.

In a chilling case, Bobokulova was arrested in February as she waved the severed head of four-year-old Anastasia outside a Moscow metro station.

The girl’s headless body was later found in the family’s flat, which had been set on fire.

The prosecutor at Moscow’s Khoroshevsky district court read out the charges that 39-year-old Bobokulova had strangled Anastasia, who had cerebral palsy, and then beheaded her.

She then overturned an oil lamp that set the apartment ablaze and went outside carrying the child’s head.

Witnesses said that the nanny paced for around 20 minutes on

the street dressed in black, waving the severed head and threatening to blow herself up.

Russia’s national television channels refused to cover the grisly killing in a controversial move that the Kremlin defended, saying the subject was “probably too monstrous to be shown on television.”

Her trial is being covered by state television, however.

In March, at her first court appearance following her arrest, Bobokulova said that “it was what Allah ordered,” speaking in broken Russian.

Bobokulova is being held in custody at a psychiatric

hospital within Moscow’s ageing Butyrka jail. She has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and ruled not mentally capable. Prosecutors will ask for her to be incarcerated in a high-security psychiatric facility. She is charged with the murder of a minor, which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison, as well as arson and making a false report of an explosion.

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Issue - 690 (27)

25 - 31 Oct., 2016

Stray cat patrol!? New York City wages war on rats with feral felines New York Multitudes of feral cats roam New York City’s concrete jungle, and some now have a practical purpose: They’re helping curb the city’s rat population.

A group of volunteers trained by

the NYC Feral Cat Initiative traps wild cat colonies that have become a nuisance or been threatened by construction, then spays or neuters and vaccinates them. The goal is to return them to their home territory, but some end up in areas rife with rats.

Feline rat patrols keep watch over city delis and bodegas, car dealerships and the grounds of a Greenwich Village church.

Four cats roam the loading dock at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, where food deliveries and garbage have drawn rodents for years.

“We used to hire exterminators, but nature has a better solution,” said Rebecca Marshall, the sustainability manager at the

1.8-million-square-foot center.

“And cats don’t cost anything.”

About 6,000 volunteers have completed workshops where they’ve learned proper ways to trap cats.

The program is run through the

privately funded Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals, a coalition of more than 150 animal rescue groups and shelters. It estimates as many as half a million feral and stray cats roam New York’s five boroughs.The life of a street cat is a tough one. Some are former pets, abandoned by owners. Plenty die of disease and malnutrition or are hit by vehicles. Others ingest poisoned cat food set deliberately to get rid of them, cat advocates say.

Many of the animals are displaced as a result of New York’s development, with new construction creating perilous conditions for those that once inhabited the city’s nooks and crannies, from vacant lots,

ISI must act against all terror groups or we will act alone: US warns Pak

Washington Asserting that Pakistan’s powerful spy agency ISI is not taking action against all terror groups, the US has warned Pakistan that it will not hesitate to act alone, when necessary, to disrupt and destroy terror networks operating in the country.

“The problem is that there are forces within the Pakistani government, specifically in Pakistan’s Inter-Services

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Intelligence or ISI, that refuse to take similar steps against all the terrorist groups active in Pakistan, tolerating some groups, or even worse,” Adam Szubin, acting under secretary on countering the financing of terrorism, told a Washington audience. “We continue to urge our partners in Pakistan to go after all terrorist networks operating in their country. We stand ready to help them. But there should be no doubt that while we remain committed to working with Pakistan to confront ongoing terrorist financing and operations, the US will not hesitate to act alone, when necessary, to disrupt and destroy these networks,” Szubin warned.In his remarks at the Paul H Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Szubin said at the same time, Pakistan has been -- and remains -- a critical counterterrorism partner in many respects.

decaying factories and empty warehouses.

One colony of two dozen cats living in a lot on Manhattan’s West Side are about to be displaced by construction on a new $3 billion office tower. A City Council member is working with residents and developers to make sure the creatures are moved to a safe location.

The Javits Center’s quartet of cats Sylvester, Alfreda, Mama Cat and Ginger were lured to its 56 loading docks about two years ago with pet food brought by animal-loving employees. On a recent fall morning, Sylvester stationed himself next to a commercial truck, ready to pounce if needed.

The cats are predators but don’t necessarily kill rats. Instead, experts say the feline scent and droppings repel the rodents.

“A mother rat will never give birth near a predator because the cats would eat the babies,” said Jane Hoffman, president of the mayor’s alliance.

The cat population is controlled through spaying and neutering, provided free of charge by the Humane Society of New York and the ASPCA. In most cases, adoption is out of the question for feral cats because they are just too wild to be domesticated.

Thanks to the volunteers, says Marshall, “we’re protecting wildlife in the city, and the cats get a second chance at life.”

WikiLeaks publishes Obama’s hacked mails, reveals his personal e-mail address

Washington WikiLeaks has revealed US President Barack Obama’s private e-mail address by publishing hacked e-mails, in another potentially embarrassing document dump targeting the Democrats, a media report said.

“WikiLeaks reveals first batch of US President Barack Obama emails sent via secret address,” WikiLeaks, the Julian Assangefounded open secrets site, tweeted on Thursday -- implying that even more of Obama’s private communications would be released.

One exchange was dated the evening of November 4, 2008 -Election Day. John Podesta, cochair of Obama’s transition team, urges Obama not to accept an invitation to a G-20 meeting in November 15 on the global financial crisis should outgoing President George W. Bush invite him that night after Obama is officially elected.

Podesta attached a memo the transition team prepared

weighing the pros and cons of going to the summit.

“On the chance that President Bush would raise this with you tonight, I wanted you to be aware that it is the unanimous recommendation for your advisors that you NOT attend,” Podesta said.

When the G-20 convened in Washington, Obama was absent.

An e-mail message sent on Thursday to Obama’s alleged address didn’t bounce back immediately -- signalling it could still be a working account.

The White House declined to comment. The US intelligence authorities believe Russia orchestrated the widespread cyber attacks into Democratic Party-related e-mails.

The Obama messages were among some 23,000 e-mails stolen from Podesta, who now serves as Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, the New York Post reported.

leader in Virginia.

“This is a big positive for the community,” he told PTI. Inaugurated in 2000, the Rajdhani Temple is the oldest temple in Loudon County of Virginia, which has experienced the fastest growth of Indian-

in the past 16 years has seen significant growth of the IndianAmerican community, mainly on account of the emergence of an IT corridor near the Dulles Airport.

There were 1,200 IndianAmericans in 2000, which

Americans in the past decade.

In addition to recognising the significant role the IndianAmerican community plays in the US and embracing its cultural and religious diversity, the Trump Campaign’s move to send Ivanka to a Hindu temple is seen as an effort to woo this ethnic community in the November 8 presidential election.

The results of the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections have shown that whoever wins Loudon County wins Virginia. The county

increased to 12,000 in 2010. The number is estimated to have jumped to 30,000 in 2016. The neighboring Fairfax County too has an estimated 20,000 strong Indian-American community members. Indian-Americans have traditionally supported Democratic Party. But the Trump Campaign, which had withdrawn from the state several weeks ago, feel its latest move would help them penetrate the traditional vote bank of the Democratic party.

Trump’s daughter Ivanka to celebrate Diwali at temple with Indian-Americans

Washington Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s daughter will celebrate Diwali at a Hindu temple in the crucial swing state of Virginia with the members of the Indian-American community, who have traditionally supported the Democratic party in the US polls.

Ivanka Trump will celebrate Diwali with Indian-Americans during her visit to the Rajdhani Temple at Chantilly on Wednesday, campaign officials and community leaders said.

This is the first time a family member of one of the two top presidential candidates is visiting a Hindu temple.

Last week, Trump attended a charity event organised by Republican Hindu Council to raise funds for Kashmiri Pandits and Hindu victims of terrorism in Bangladesh. This was also the first time a presidential candidate attended an Indian- American event. It was attended by more than 5,000 people.

The visit of Ivanka, 34, a successful businesswoman and a key figure of the Trump campaign, to the Rajdhani Temple would “go a long way in breaking the stereotype,” that the campaign “represents only angry white voters,” said Rajesh Gooty, an Indian-American community

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25 - 31 Oct., 2016

UK Mayor Sadiq Khan most influential Asian in Britain London London Mayor Sadiq Khan, son of a bus driver from Pakistan, is the most influential Asian in the UK, according to a list featuring Britain’s 101 prominent Asians, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, the Hinduja brothers, Laxmi Mittal and musician Zayn Malik.

According to GG2 Power List brought out by the leading bilingual weekly Garavi Gujarat, 46-year-old Khan “smashed one of the biggest glass ceilings in the country” by becoming the first Muslim mayor of a major western capital.

Launched by Indian Acting High Commissioner to the UK Dinesh Patnaik at the GG2 Leadership Awards at Park Plaza hotel yesterday, the list ranks Sajid

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Javid - business, innovation and skills minister in the former prime minister David Cameron’s government, at second place followed by new international development minister and Indianorigin Priti Patel.

Nobel laureate Sir Venkatraman Ramakrishnan is the fourth most powerful Asian in the country

while Hinduja family led by S P Hinduja is ranked sixth on the list.

“The UK has the best relations with the Commonwealth countries. So I am sure that the UK will negotiate and try to work more with Commonwealth countries where they have an edge on the EU. With India, the UK has a long historical and trade relations,” Gopi Hinduja, said CoChairman of the Hinduja Group.

The list compiled by the Asian Media and Marketing Group (AMG) also includes NRI steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal at seventh position while Pakistani-origin activist and Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai features tenth on the list.

Sir Rabinder Singh, one of Britain’s most celebrated high court judges, presiding in the south eastern circuit since 2013 is rated 12th on the list.

Lord Navnit Dholakia, Deputy

American couple pledges ]$380million art donation to France

Paris France’s President Francois Hollande is honouring an American couple for pledging the largest foreign collection of art to be donated to France since World War II. Texans Marlene and Spencer Hays are bequeathing to the Musee d’Orsay in Paris some 600 works dating from the second half of the 19th century to the first half of the 20th century. France’s culture

ministry has estimated the value of the collection, which includes pieces by Modigliani and Maillol, at $381 million.

Spencer Hays is scheduled to speak at a donation ceremony tonight, when Hollande plans to award Hays and his wife the Legion of Honor France’s highest civilian award.

The wealthy couple began collecting art in the 1970s and intends to donate the works posthumously.

Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords is rated 41st followed by NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul at 42nd spot.

Malik, who signed a solo recording contract with RCA Records last year after his departure from the popular boy band ‘One Direction’, is ranked 17th on the list.

“The one Prime Minister who has truly recognised the value of NonResident Indians after Mrs Gandhi is Narendra Modi. I think he has been a great prime minister. He is the first one who has been able to deliver respectability to NRIs,” Paul said.

“This is what the NRIs deserve.

Mrs Gandhi tried (to do the same) but unfortunately at that time she didn’t have the kind of majority (Modi has) and her own ministers in government also let her down,” he was quoted as saying in the publication.

Paul said that Modi’s policy of engaging with the Indian diaspora has been beneficial both to NRIs and the Indian government.

“I am very optimist of India. I think Modi and his cabinet members whom I’ve met are all very committed. I think his greatest achievement is you don’t hear of corruption at the top,” he said.

Pakistani trooper slaps female journalist during Karachi TV report

Islamabad A Pakistani woman journalist was slapped by a paramilitary trooper while she was filming a report on alleged wrongdoings at a government office in Karachi, with a video of the incident going viral.

Saima Kanwal, a reporter with K21 news channel, went to an office in Nazimabad area where people apply for national identity cards to expose alleged wrongdoings and inefficiency. Kanwal pursued one of the guards from the paramilitary Frontier Constabulary, whom she

accused of misbehaving with members of the public. As Kanwal asked her cameraman to film her efforts to question the guard, the guard retaliated by slapping her. Soon after, the cameraman loses his balance and there are the sounds of shots being fired. Witnesses said that the guard resorted to firing in the air to clear the office soon after he slapped the reporter. Police officials confirmed a case had been registered against the guard for “conducting aerial firing” and “assaulting” the reporter after the video went viral.

UK bars export of ancient tapestry with Indian influence London Britain has placed a temporary bar on the export of a rare tapestry by 17th century weaver Michael Mazarind, described as being inspired by Indian, Chinese and Japanese designs and woven “in the Indian manner”.

Culture minister Matt Hancock placed the export bar, effective till January 19, 2017, on the tapestry considered at risk of being exported unless a buyer can be found to match the asking price of £67,500, officials said on Thursday.

The tapestry is the only surviving one to feature the workshop mark of Mazarind, said to have been based in Portugal Street, London, between 1696 and 1702. Mazarind was relatively unknown but is said to have links to the better known Soho-based weaver John Vanderbank.

The tapestry includes small groups of oriental figures, buildings, exotic creatures and plants. This combination of elements was described as being “in the Indian manner”, and was one of the most popular decorative fashions of the period, the officials said.

Hancock said: “This intricate design provides us with a unique opportunity to explore the tapestry workshops of 1600s London. I hope we are able to keep it in the country so we can learn more about our nation’s

textile industry, and of the decorative fashions of the time.”

The decision to defer an export licence followed a recommendation by the

mysterious Michael Mazarind, who was a rival of the more wellknown London tapestry weaver, John Vanderbank.

“This type of ‘Indian’ tapestry

Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA), administered by The Arts Council.

The RCEWA made its recommendation on the grounds of significance for the study of Mazarind’s work, English tapestry of the period, and London’s history.

RCEWA member Christopher Rowell said: “This beautiful blue ground tapestry, with an equally unusual border of Chinese inspiration, dates from the late 1600s and is the only one to bear the woven signature of the

depicting a Chinoiserie fantasy paradise in Cathay, with courtly and hunting scenes, was devised for the court, but soon became more broadly popular. Saving the tapestry for the nation will allow specialists to study it in detail and help to reconstruct Mazarind’s contribution to tapestry production in earlyGeorgian London.”

The decision on the export licence application may be extended until April 19, 2017 if a serious intention to raise funds to purchase the tapestry is made at the recommended price of £67,500, the officials said.

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Waris Ahluwalia Day! New York City declares day after Sikh-American actor New York In a rare honour, New York City declared October 19, 2016, as Waris Ahluwalia Day in

recognition of the Sikh-American actor and designer for his “powerful” message of countering ignorance and advocating religious understanding and tolerance.

New York City mayor Bill de Blasio honoured Ahluwalia at a special reception at his official residence Gracie Mansion here on Wednesday to celebrate Diwali. Blasio presented Ahluwalia a proclamation that declared October 19 in New York City as ‘Waris Ahluwalia Day’.

Lauding Ahluwalia’s talents of being a fashion designer, writer, actor and model, Blasio said as a Sikh, Ahluwalia “proudly wears

his dastar (turban) wherever he goes and sends a powerful message to our city and country of countering ignorance,

celebrating inclusion and advocating for religious understanding and tolerance in everything he does”.

Addressing a gathering of over 300-400 Indian-Americans and other people from the South Asian community, Blasio extended a special greeting to his Sikh brothers and sisters and underscored that an attack on any community and individual because of their faith was an “attack on all of us”.

Joined by his wife Chirlane McCray, Ahluwalia and others members of his administration on a stage in the sprawling lawns of the Gracie Mansion, Blasio

US Postal Service has no intention of discontinuing Forever Diwali stamp

New Delhi The US Postal Service (USPS) has rejected reports will discontinue the “forever” Diwali stamp if there aren’t enough sales.

“The Postal Service is excited about celebrating the festival of Diwali on a Forever stamp and has no plans to remove them from sale,” Mark Saunders of the corporate communications division of USPS headquarters, told Indian American Times.

Some Indian American organizations, in mass emails addressed to the community, had claimed the stamp, issued earlier this month, would be discontinued.

Saunders reiterated the recordbreaking popularity of the stamp, saying, “Due to the popularity of the stamp some Post Offices may have temporarily sold out.

The easiest way to purchase the stamps is online at usps.com and then click the buy stamps icon and scroll down to the Diwali stamp.”Indian American organizations and individuals, including Maryland-based social

activist Mayur Mody, had urged members of the community to order the stamp and use it to send Diwali and New Year cards.

They had claimed that the stamp would be discontinued if it does not sell enough.On October 5, the USPS commemorated Diwali by issuing the stamp and holding a first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony at the Indian consulate in New York. This was the first stamp to also commemorate Hinduism.

The stamp bears a picture of a ‘diya’ or Diwali lamp. The diya was photographed by Sally Andersen-Bruce, the stamp was designed by Greg Breeding, and William J Gicker of the postal service was the project’s art director.

Ranju Batra, an Indian American, spearheaded the Diwali Stamp Project for years.USPS vice president of mail entry and payment technology Pritha Mehra had said, “We hope these stamps will light up millions of cards and letters as they make their journey through the mailstream.”

said whenever any community is affronted, the New York police department is present to protect that community.

“Whenever there is a hate crime, we will call it a hate crime and act on it as a hate crime, protect the people and say it is unacceptable in the city of New York to act in any bias fashion against any people of the city,” he said.

Amid loud cheers and applause, the mayor said a special Diwali guide will be distributed to New York teachers through the department of education to help them educate students in the city about the “meaning” of the Indian festival of lights.

Ahluwalia thanked the mayor for the “incredible honour” and said while Diwali has been celebrated for centuries, this year its message of triumph of good over evil is “more important and relevant than ever”.

He said while he has called New York City home ever since he moved here from India as a child, after the 9/11 terror attacks, “people would glare at me with anger and hate as I walked down my own streets, in my own hometown. That was very confusing for me,” he said, adding that six months after the 9/11 attacks, he was assaulted and nearly lost vision in his right eye.

Saudi police arrest ‘online cross-dresser’

RIYADH Saudi police have arrested a man on public order charges after he was accused of crossdressing online, a report in the conservative Islamic kingdom said late on Monday. Police in Qassim, northwest of the capital Riyadh, “arrested a famous Snapchat personality who appeared in video clips dressed like women,” the Sabq online newspaper reported. The publication, which is close to authorities, quoted the Qassim police spokesman as saying the suspect was detained “for producing and distributing material insulting to public order.” Sabq did not identify the suspect but said citizens had complained about his dressing “inappropriately.” In April, the government stripped the kingdom’s frequently criticised religious police of the power of arrest but strict moral codes remain in effect.”

“Members of the Haia force, among whose duties was to monitor people’s dress, can

now only offer advice and report suspected violators to regular police for prosecution.”

“In June, police in the Muslim holy city of Mecca arrested 50 young men for haircuts, necklaces and other adornments considered unIslamic, Sabq reported at the time.”“Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy and one of the world’s most conservative countries.”

“Women dress from head to toe in black and are not allowed to drive or mingle with men they are not related to.”

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Pak-origin undercover reporter ‘Fake Sheikh’ jailed for misleading UK court

London A Pakistani-origin undercover reporter, who became infamous as the ‘Fake Sheikh’ after posing as a Saudi millionaire for a series of sting operations over the years, was on Friday sentenced to 15 months in prison for tampering with court evidence.

Mazher Mahmood, 53, was found guilty of conspiring to pervert the course of justice earlier this month.

The former investigations editor for the erstwhile Rupert Murdochowned ‘News of the World’ tabloid was found to have “misled” the court during a drugs trial of singer Tulisa Contostavlos at Southwark Crown court in July last year.He was charged alongside his driver Alan Smith, 67, who was also found guilty of the same charge following a trial at the Old Bailey court in London on October 5.

Judge Gerald Gordon sentenced Smith to 12 months but the sentence was suspended for two years.Murdoch’s News UK, for which Mahmood continued to work, said it was terminating Mahmood’s employment.

A spokesperson said, “Mazher has led scores of successful investigations during his 25-year career with the company. His work has led to the exposure of criminality and wrongdoing. It is

a source of great regret that his time with the company should end in this manner”.

“We have noted the threats made after Mazher’s conviction of civil claims against this company in relation to his previous work.

later arrested and charged with being concerned in the supply of a Class A prohibited drug, after Mahmood handed evidence to police.

Referring to Mahmood, prosecutor Sarah Forshaw said,

Should such claims be brought, they will be vigorously defended,” the spokesperson said.

Singer Tulisa had faced an allegation of supplying half an ounce of cocaine, following a story in the ‘Sun on Sunday’ by Mahmood. But the trial was thrown out after Smith changed his statement to leave out vital information.

Mahmood met the singer in London and she allegedly arranged for him to be sold cocaine by one of her contacts for 800 pounds.

The former “N-Dubz” star was

“He knew that if it could be shown that he had acted improperly as an agent provocateur, inducing Miss Contostavlos to do something she would not otherwise do, his own credibility and standing and the prospect of conviction in the case might both be severely damaged”.“If they were innocent men with nothing to hide, would not they be shouting it from the rooftops?”

After her case collapsed in July 2014, Tulisa had told reporters she had been the victim of “a horrific and disgusting entrapment,” Forshaw said.

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Show cause served to IAS officer in Jharkhand over Facebook post Ranchi Jharkhand on Monday sent a show cause notice to senior bureaucrat Vandana Dadel for her Facebook post, in which she questioned the government’s action against forceful conversion of tribals in the state. Chief minister Raghubar Das has been speaking on the issue of forceful conversion of tribals at government and party events for nearly a week now. During gram sabha meetings in Pakur and Dumka on October 19 and 20 respectively, Das said those found converting tribals forcefully will be severely dealt with.

His remarks have drawn flak from different corners of society. Dadel too had raised her voice, taking to Facebook to question whether tribals had no right to choose their religion. “Why all of a sudden have people started thinking about the religion of tribals? The fact is that the society is suffering from many

other serious issues like malnutrition, illiteracy, unemployment,” she wrote.

However, the officer’s post has provoked the ire of the government.

In its notice, the government has sought a reply from Dadel asking

what action should be taken against her for violating services conduct rule. She has been given 15 days’ time to submit her reply.

“Dadel was issued the notice for violating the All India Services (Conduct) Rules-3 and 7, which prevent officials from indulging in political activities and criticising the government,” secretary (personnel,

administrative reforms and Rajbhasa) Nidhi Khare told Hindustan Times. “I will submit the reply after studying the show cause notice. Whatever was posted on the Facebook was clear and unambiguous,” Dadel said.

Meanwhile, Das, amid controversy over missionary activities in the state, has ordered a CID investigation after state intelligence found dubious financial deals by at least 106 Christian-affiliated NGOs, sources said. The funds ‘diverted’ under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act are estimated to be `310 crore, according to a special branch report. A bulk of the money meant for education and improvement of the poor, especially natureworshipping tribals who form 26% of the state’s 3.29-crore population, was used for conversions through force and allurements, it added.

2 Jaffna University students shot dead by Lankan police in Northern Province

Colombo Two students of the Jaffna University were on Friday gunned down by police in Sri Lanka’s Tamil-dominated Northern Province, prompting authorities to arrest five police officials.

The two students were shot dead at a police checkpoint at Kokuvil, Kulappidy junction in

Jaffna in the early hours of Friday.

The five arrested policemen were manning the check point.

Though police initially denied the shooting, a post-mortem report later revealed found bullets in one of the bodies.

Tamil National Alliance has sought an independent investigation into the incident.

Islamabad Pakistan’s Supreme Court cited a judgement by its Indian counterpart while upholding the death sentence given to a mentally ill man suffering from schizophrenia, prompting an outcry from civil society activists.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali issued the order in the case of Imdad Ali, aged around

Supreme Court dismissed the mother’s plea, arguing the convict did not suffer from legal insanity during his trial or at the time the offence was committed.

Pakistan’s Supreme Court said a psychiatric disorder such as schizophrenia does not subjugate a death sentence. It observed in its 11-page judgment: “In our opinion, rules relating to mental sickness are not subjugative to delay the

50 years, who was sentenced to death for the murder of a religious teacher in 2002. His sentence was upheld by all superior courts, including the Supreme Court, and the president rejected his mercy petition.

In an order issued on Thursday, the Supreme Court cited the judgment of India’s Supreme Court in the 1976 case of Amrit Bhushan Gupta vs the Union of India, which was similar to Ali’s case. The Indian convict’s mother filed a petition in the Delhi high court, which said her son’s execution should be withheld because he was of unsound mind and suffering from schizophrenia.

The Delhi high court and India’s

execution of death sentence which has been awarded to the convict.”

Government doctors certified Ali as being a paranoid schizophrenic in 2012 but the Supreme Court ruled the illness did not fall within its legal definition of mental disorders.

psychological and social managements, and rehabilitation. It is, therefore, a recoverable disease, which in all the cases, does not fall with the definition of ‘mental disorder’ as defined in the Mental Health Ordinance, 2001.”

Ali’s wife Safia Bano had approached the Supreme Court, claiming her husband was insane and his death sentence should be delayed till he received treatment so that he could write his will.

The judgment was criticised by civil society activists, who said it went against all international norms of justice.

The independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) protested against the judgement. A spokesperson said mental illness and insanity were reasons for a court to not declare a person guilty of a crime. “This decision will have far reaching implications,” HRCP said.

Earlier, the watchdog Justice Project Pakistan (JPP) too filed an appeal against the Lahore high court’s order dismissing pleas that Ali could not be executed because of his mental illness. JPP argued the court should look into Ali’s medical condition and extenuating circumstances that had aggravated his mental illness during his lengthy time on death row. Ali hails from Burewala district of Punjab province. After warrants were issued for his execution on July 26, his wife filed a writ petition in the Lahore high court, which rejected her plea on August 23. She then approached the Supreme Court with the same plea but the threejudge bench upheld the death sentence.

Shakespeare wrote Henry VI plays Pak SC cites Indian ruling to uphold with rival Marlowe, say scholars death sentence for mentally ill man

London A collection of plays by William Shakespeare to be issued later this month will have an unusual credit line after years of research: Christopher Marlowe, a contemporary of the Bard, will be mentioned as co-writer of three of his Henry VI plays.

A group of Shakespeare scholars have come to the conclusion that the famed playwright collaborated with others, and they believe Marlowe’s contribution to the three plays was more than just rumour.

The New Oxford Shakespeare is to be published by Oxford University Press later this month with the new credit line for Parts One, Two and Three of Henry VI. As many as 17 Shakespeare plays contain writings by others, the scholars told The Guardian.

Marlowe’s hand in parts of the Henry VI plays has been suspected since the 18th century, but this marks the first prominent billing in an edition of Shakespeare’s collected works, according to research conducted by 23 academics from five countries.

The research was headed by four professors – Gary Taylor (Florida State University, US) John Jowett (Shakespeare Institute, University of

Birmingham), Terri Bourus (Indiana University, Indianapolis, US) and Gabriel Egan (De Montfort University, Leicester).

Taylor told the newspaper: “The orthodox view was that Shakespeare didn’t collaborate at all. When the Oxford Shakespeare in 1986 proposed that eight plays of Shakespeare contained writing by other writers, some people were outraged.

“What has happened since 1986 is that the accumulation of new scholarship, techniques and resources has made it clear that, in 1986, we underestimated the amount of Shakespeare’s work that’s collaborative.”

Taylor added: “In 1986, eight of 39 plays were identified on their title pages as collaborative, a little more than 20%. In 2016, 17 of 44 plays are identified, a little more than 38%, close to two-fifths.”

Details about Marlowe’s life are sketchy but some facts are known. He was baptised in Canterbury on February 26, 1564. The son of a shoemaker, Marlowe attended King’s school in Canterbury before being awarded a scholarship to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, where he received his BA degree in 1584.

The top court noted that subordinate courts had discarded Ali’s plea of mental illness. “Schizophrenia is not a permanent mental disorder; rather it is an imbalance which can increase or decrease depending on the level of stress,” it added.

The court further said, “In recent years, the prognosis has been improved with drugs, by vigorous

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25 - 31 Oct., 2016

Sharks are beautiful, diver says despite narrow escape SHANGHAI A diver whose near miss with a great white shark became a viral video sensation, viewed more than 15 million times on Youtube, says the ocean’s apex predator is “beautiful”. Chan Ming

was on a shark-watching excursion off the Mexican coast when the animal broke into the metal cage protecting him.

Despite their fearsome reputation, sharks do not normally feed on humans, and have to be drawn in with bait. The shark seized the bait and crashed into the cage, breaking part of it. Unable to swim backwards, it carried on inside,

where Chan was alone.

The advertising executive and part-time diving instructor told AFP on Monday that he tried hard to stay calm, “because if I get panicked it will be very horrible in there”. “When the great

white shark was breaking into the cage, the inside of its mouth was getting jammed in the cage, and at that moment I was thinking ‘Hey, don’t think about coming in here’,” he said.

The video shows the shark apparently bleeding as it thrashes its way out through a gap on top of the cage, which was opened by a crew member.

An agonising 20 seconds pass

before Chan, who is from Hong Kong but lives in Shanghai, emerges safely.

The harrowing incident did little to diminish Chan’s fondness for the great white and he went back into the water the next day.

“You know in Chinese we say that ‘Where you fell down, (is) where you need to stand up’,” said the 51-year-old.

“I still think the shark, the great white, is so beautiful, they’re very beautiful and cute.”

In a company statement posted on Facebook, operator Solmar V Luxury Live-Aboard said the shark did not suffer any serious injuries.“Shark breaches of this magnitude are a one in a million occurrence,” it said.

“As unfortunate as it was, it was still an accident.” The company - whose priority is to offer “unique life experiences” - said its cages have been reinforced following the breach, and bait would be thrown further away from them in future. After his October 4 brush with the great white Chan wrote on his Facebook page that he had been “reborn” and was savouring Cantonese noodle soup and beer, adding: “Everyday are good days.”

Hotdogs set for name change in Malaysia KUALA LUMPUR Food outlets in Muslim-majority Malaysia must rename hotdogs or risk being refused halal certification, a government religious authority said Tuesday.

The ruling, which also includes other food items whose name includes the word “dog”, has

garnered much ridicule on social media. It follows complaints by Muslim tourists from overseas, said Sirajuddin Suhaimee,

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director of the halal division from the Department of Islamic Development. “Any (halal) products that make consumers confused, we have to change,” he said. “In Islam, dogs are considered unclean and the name cannot be related to halal certification.” Numerous street

vendors and halal restaurants sell hotdogs in Malaysia.

Sirajuddin said checks would be made “step-by-step” when these outlets renew their two-year halal certification with the department.

US pretzel chain Aunty Anne’s, which has 45 outlets in Malaysia with plans to expand further, told AFP it has no qualms about renaming its pretzel dogs sausages wrapped with pretzels - following advice from religious authorities.“It’s a minor issue.

We are fine with changing the name and are still working on it,”

said Farhatul Kamilah Mohamed Sazali, an executive at Aunty Anne’s Malaysia.

Sirajuddin, who recommended pretzel dogs be called pretzel sausages, said Aunty Anne’s halal certification application is currently being considered.

Among the many critics on social media, one Facebook user remarked: “Please stick to religion... don’t be an English language adviser.”

Another posted: “Pet shops please rename ur dogs as sausages.”

Sirajuddin dismissed as “normal reaction” the online criticism.

“We are doing our jobs, by the law,” he said.

Under the concept of halal meaning “permissible” in Arabic - pork and its by-products, alcohol and animals not slaughtered according to Islamic procedures are all “haram” or forbidden.Malaysia has long practised a moderate form of Islam but conservative attitudes are rising.A company last year introduced halal bottled mineral water in Malaysia, and Islamic speed dating sessions - where single women are chaperoned have been embraced.A halal convention in Kuala Lumpur last year, which drew thousands of delegates and hundreds of exhibitors, showcased products ranging from food and cosmetics to collagen produced from yaks in Tibet.

Akali councillor shot journalist dead over money dispute

Sangrur An Akali councillor was arrested on Saturday for allegedly killing a Hindi newspaper reporter over a financial dispute in Sangrur district. Accused Paramjit Singh Pammi, a member of the Dhuri civic body and a former president of the district truck union, allegedly shot the victim following a tiff on Thursday night. The deceased has been identified as Kewal Krishan, who worked for the daily Dainik Savera in Dhuri.

Kewal Krishan’s son Neeraj told the police that Pammi was his father’s friend and used to borrow money from him from time to time. Pammi had recently borrowed Rs 10 lakh, which he was not returning, he said.

When Kewal Krishan, who needed money to arrange his

daughter’s upcoming wedding, went to Pammi’s house on Thursday night, the two allegedly had a tiff over the payment.

“After hurling abuses at my father, Pammi shot him dead,” said Neeraj.

Sangrur senior superintendent of police (SSP) Prithpal Singh Thind said Pammi, who was on the run after the incident, has been arrested. He was booked under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code.

“The dispute was over money.

The two were having drinks just before the tiff. We are probing the matter. The accused will be produced in court to seek his remand,” he said.

The victim’s body was handed over to the family after the postmortem examination.

Gurdaspur ex-SP Salwinder booked for sexual assault on 7 constables

Gurdaspur Salwinder Singh, the former Gurdaspur superintendent of police (SP) who was allegedly kidnapped by terrorists a day before the Pathankot airbase attack, has been booked for sexual assault on a joint complaint of seven woman constables. He is already facing a rape case.

A case under section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the Indian Penal Code was registered against Salwinder at the Gurdaspur city police station on Thursday evening after receiving an inquiry report, said station house officer (SHO) Rajbir Singh.

The probe was conducted by additional director general of police (ADGP), investigation, Gurpreet Deo following the complaint of the seven woman cops who worked under Salwinder in Gurdaspur. Initially, the women had filed an anonymous complaint, but later appeared before Deo during the inquiry.

Salwinder is already facing a rape case filed by a local in August. He allegedly asked the complainant’s wife to pay Rs 50,000 and also forced her to develop physical relationship with him to get her husband exonerated in a case back in 2014.

The cop was booked after an inquiry found him guilty.

Salwinder faces arrest in both cases, as the high court has already rejected his interim bail plea in the previous case. Last posted as an assistant commandant with the Punjab Armed Police, Jalandhar, Salwinder was later suspended.

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Teen girl stands trial in Germany for ‘IS’ police stabbing Celle A 16-year-old girl went on trial in Germany on Thursday for stabbing a police officer, an assault allegedly “ordered” by the Islamic State organisation but which was not claimed by the jihadist group.

The court in the northern city of Celle ruled at the start of the proceedings against Safia S. that they would take place behind closed doors because she is a minor.

“The defendant must be protected from further exposure and the accompanying stigmatisation,” presiding judge Frank Rosenow said.

The German-Moroccan national risks 10 years in prison for “attempted murder, grievous bodily harm and support for a foreign terrorist organisation”.

She entered the courtroom wearing a beige headscarf and

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fashionable eyeglasses and spoke clearly and confidently to the judge.

Prosecutors said the teenager, who is believed to have been radicalised as a young girl, had sought to catch the attention of police officers by following them around at the main train station in the northern city of Hanover.

As the officers called her over for an identity check, Safia S allegedly stabbed one of them in the neck with a vegetable knife before being overpowered by another officer.

The teenager was already known to police before the February 26 attack as she had sought to travel to Syria to join IS fighters a month earlier.

Her mother flew to Istanbul to bring her home and as they landed back in Germany, Safia S. was taken away by police and interrogated over her botched attempt to reach the war zone.

Her mobile phone was also seized, but it was not until after the stabbing assault that investigators translated the Arabic messages on the phone -- which had instructed her to commit an “act of martyrdom”.

A German-Syrian man, 20, Mohamed Hasan Kharsa, went on trial with Safia S. for failing to report her plans to police,

Rare Indian Islamic items on display in Oxford

London Amulets, talismans, ancient horoscopes and miniature Qurans are among over a hundred objects from countries such as India, Morocco, China and Egypt on display at an Oxford exhibition that seeks to explore the supernatural in the art of the Islamic world.

The objects include some from seventeenth century India that reflect the country’s Islamic heritage as well as recall the work of artisans in places such as Golconda and Agra. The exhibition is titled Power and Protection: Islamic Art and the Supernatural and runs until January 15.

Billed as the first major exhibition to explore the supernatural in the art of the Islamic world, the exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum includes objects and works of art from the 12th to the 20th centuries which have been used as sources of guidance and protection in both the private sphere and in dramatic events

such as battles and royal births.

Amongst the displays are dream-books, talismanic clothing, military equipment, medical tools and jewelencrusted amulets, many of which have never before been seen in public.

“Belief in the supernatural and the practice of divination have held a place in people’s lives across all times and cultures. In Islam, as in all religions, such beliefs and practices have often merged and been integrated into popular religion,” organisers said.

“Everyday objects and luxury items abound, showing how these practices were used at all levels of society around the Islamic world.”

Tariq Ramadan, professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at Oxford, said: “With an emphasis less on theory and more on Islamic practices, hopes and even superstitions, the exhibiton shows the many creative paths which Muslims follow towards the Oneness of God (Tawhid).”

even though he was aware that she was plotting to attack a police officer.

The young man had sought to flee Germany but was arrested in Greece and extradited on Tuesday.

‘Radicalised as a child’ Safia S. was apparently already radicalised as early as 2008. At that time, when she was just seven or eight years old, she had appeared in an online video by Pierre Vogel -- a notorious Salafist preacher in Germany.

But it was only in November 2015 that she pledged allegiance to the IS, investigators said.

Her brother had also sought to join the jihadist group in Syria but was arrested and jailed in Turkey, according to news agency DPA. Meanwhile on Thursday, a Syrian man went on trial in the southwestern city of Stuttgart accused of being among jihadists who kidnapped a UN peacekeeper in Damascus in 2013 in what prosecutors call a “war crime”.

The 25-year-old accused, named only as Suliman A.-S.,

is believed to be a member of a branch of the Al-Nusra Front jihadist group.

He allegedly participated in the abduction on February 17, 2013 and was “involved in guarding the kidnapped victim between March and June 2013”.

He is “suspected of an attack during Syria’s civil war against a person, who was involved in a peacekeeping mission under the United Nations Charter, and was therefore entitled to protection,” the federal prosecutor’s office said when he was arrested in January.

A verdict is not expected before April 2017.

Germany has so far been spared large-scale jihadist attacks.

But Europe’s biggest economic power has been shaken by two assaults claimed by the IS and carried out by Syrian asylum seekers -- an axe rampage on a

train in Wuerzburg that injured five, and a suicide bombing in Ansbach in which 15 people were hurt.

Police last week said they had foiled an alleged plot by a Syrian refugee to bomb one of Berlin’s airports.

The cases have fuelled anxiety over Germany’s record influx of nearly 900,000 refugees and migrants in 2015.

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‘Want to behead them’: Iraqi villager vows to avenge hostages killed by IS Qayyara, Iraq Sitting on a broken chair at a school where hundreds of families who fled Islamic State are seeking refuge south of Mosul, Younis Ali describes how he lost his four brothers and five sisters.

“I have learned that they tried to take one brother as a human shield,” he said, speaking of Islamic State, who ruled his village until last week.

“When he resisted they shot him dead. But another brother was also killed when he tried to prevent his death,” said Ali, 20, who was told of this tragedy by his mother.“And then another brother tried to hug the one who was shot and the same thing happened and they were all shot dead.”The jihadists didn’t stop there. They also kidnapped his five sisters.This happened near Mosul, the last city stronghold of Islamic State that Iraqi forces want to take back with air and ground support from a US-led coalition.Ali says he is a member of a tribal force that is supporting the government offensive on Mosul. His account confirms that Islamic State is resorting to the tactic dreaded most by the population, the attacking forces and humanitarian organizations: human shields.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein, on Friday said Islamic State militants had taken 550 families from villages around Mosul and were holding them near Islamic State locations in the city,

probably as human shields.

Ali isn’t spending much time these days thinking about whether the Mosul offensive would rid the country of Islamic State and eventually create unity among Iraqis split along sectarian lines, mainly Sunni and

combatants.

Suspects Four such suspects were crouching down facing a wall with hands tied in plastic handcuffs behind their backs.

Others stood in the dirt and gravel trying to make sense of

Shi’ites.“All I want to do is find people from Daesh and behead them,” he said, using the Arabic acronym of Islamic State.

As he spoke, several veiled women told similar stories.

Thaiban Sulaiman Ali recalled how her two brothers and two uncles and a total of ten people in her immediate family were taken hostage by Islamic State.

“Sixteen members of my extended family have been taken as human shields or hostages

by Daesh,” she said.

“And they also blew up some of our homes.”Hundreds of people who have gathered at the school in Qayyara, a town under government control 60 km (40 miles) from Mosul, were being vetted by Iraqi security officials in case some were Islamic State fighters posing as non-

the chaos that has engulfed their lives.Those who are cleared are taken to a camp for displaced persons about 20 minutes away by car.Nearby is a sprawling abandoned building that local officials say was used as bomb factory by the militants who were in control of the region until August.“Look around you at how many buildings they have blown up,” said local official Sameer Mohammed.Iraqi officials say the battle for Mosul could make or break Iraq depending on how the country’s leaders manage sectarian tensions.There are concerns the defeat of Islamic State, an ultra-hardline Sunni group, would cause new sectarian and ethnic violence, fuelled by a desire to avenge atrocities inflicted on minority groups.

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UK to bring ‘Turing’s Law’ to pardon homosexuals, bisexuals convicted earlier London Following on from the 2013 exoneration of celebrated World War II?codebreaker Alan Turing, Britain will pardon thousands of

gay and bisexual men who were convicted of crimes under sexual offence laws which have now been abolished. Homosexual acts were not decriminalised in England until 1967 and it was not until 2001 that the age of consent for homosexuals was reduced to 16, bringing it into line with the law governing heterosexuals.

Lord John Sharkey, who has been pushing the government to issue pardons, said some 65,000 men had been convicted under the now-repealed laws, of which 15,000 were still alive.

The government said anyone who had been found guilty of consensual homosexual sex would have their names cleared,

and for those still living, the offences would be removed from any criminal record checks via a “disregard process”.

“It is hugely important that we

pardon people convicted of historical sexual offences who would be innocent of any crime today,” said justice minister Sam Gyimah.The pardon plan has been dubbed “Turing’s Law” in reference to the brilliant wartime mathematician who cracked Nazi Germany’s “unbreakable” Enigma code.He was stripped of his job and chemically castrated after being convicted of gross indecency in 1952 for having sex with a man, and killed himself two years later, aged 41.

After years of campaigning by supporters including physicist Stephen Hawking, Turing was granted a rare royal pardon from Queen Elizabeth in 2013.

Flattered Pak chaiwala says working in films not honourable for a Pashtun

Islamabad An 18-year-old tea vendor who became Pakistan’s hottest new celebrity when his photo went viral on the Internet says he has no plans for an acting career though he is flattered by the attention. Arshad Khan became an overnight sensation this week when a photographer’s Instagram shot of him working at his tea stall was shared tens of thousands of times.

“It was all very baffling,” said Khan, who has blue-green eyes, a wiry physique and a trim moustache.

ARSHAD KHAN IS AN ETHNIC PASHTUN Khan is an ethnic Pashtun, a people living mostly in Pakistan and Afghanistan who sometimes have light skin and eyes, a testament to the region’s history as a cultural crossroads of trade, conquering armies and colonialism.Local news outlets have reported offers of modeling contracts and even a possible film career for Khan, but he says he’s not interested.

NOT THOUGHT OF ACTING “I have not thought about (acting in) movies, because it’s not been done by anyone in our family,” he said.

Acting in films, he said “is not honourable work. Pashtuns always look for work that is honourable .... If I can find some clean, honourable work, I will certainly do it.”

Even if he did have acting aspirations, his opportunities may be limited by the escalating tensions between nuclear-armed neighbours Pakistan and India.

CHORUS GROWING IN INDIA TO BAN PAKISTAN ARTISTS There have already been calls in India for a ban on Pakistani actors and actresses in the country’s giant Bollywood film industry. Despite his lack of interest in acting, Khan said he has come to enjoy his sudden albeit possibly brief - moment of fame. “I came to know this morning that I am very good looking,” he said. “All these people are coming and taking pictures and videos of me.”

What about Oscar Wilde?

“Alan Turing just so, so deserves this,” his niece Rachel Barnes told BBC radio. “To think that this is the man who cracked the enigma code and saved countless of millions of lives during World War II?and to think of the treatments that he went through at the hands of the government in 1952 is still unbelievable to us.”

Another of those prosecuted under the legislation used against Turing was Irish playwright Oscar Wilde in 1895 during a Victorian clampdown on homosexuality. He was sentenced to two years labour.

However, the Guardian newspaper said it was not clear whether Wilde would be included in those pardoned as the ministry of justice has said that no new individuals would be named or singled out. No comment from the ministry was immediately available.

One man who was convicted of gross indecency in 1974, said he would not accept a pardon and wanted an apology. “To accept a pardon means you accept that you were guilty. I was not guilty of anything. I was only guilty of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, George Montague told BBC TV. Lord Sharkey said a pardon was “probably the best way of acknowledging the real harm done by the unjust and cruel homophobic laws”.

Indian-origin man jailed for drunken bus joyride in UK

LONDON An Indian-origin man has been jailed for 21 months by a British court for illegally taking a doubledecker bus on a drunken joyride here, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage by dangerously driving around the streets.Deepak Malhotra, 35, who had admitted aggravated vehicle taking, driving whilst disqualified and drink driving at an earlier hearing, was sentenced at Harrow Crown Court here on Wednesday.He stole the bus on the night of July 7 while it was parked at Watford Bus Station in Hertfordshire near here and drove it around, mounting kerbs, hit railings, jumping a red light and causing motorists to brake sharply.Investigating officer Police Constable Mark Logan said, “Malhotra caused thousands of pounds worth of damage as he dangerously drove around the streets of Watford and it is only pure luck that no-one was injured during his reckless joyride”.“He was both under the influence of alcohol and banned

from driving at the time of the offence,” Logan said.

Malhotra’s lawyer argued that his client had expressed genuine remorse and had been on suicide watch as he was devastated by a marriage breakdown and family problems.

He had 14 previous convictions for 30 offences including drink driving and was banned from driving at the time of the incident.

The court was told that Malhotra got onto the bus by forcing open the doors at the bus garage while the driver had gone for a toilet break, having left the key in the ignition. He eventually came to a halt after his dangerous joyride and ran away from the vehicle but was arrested soon after.Prosecutor Will Noble told Malhotra in court, “It was a double-decker bus. What followed was a spectacularly dangerous piece of driving and it was a wonder no pedestrian or other road user was hurt”. “You drove the bus erratically, at speed and through red lights. This was an atrocious and highly dangerous piece of driving.

India visit key to Theresa May’s Brexit plans London When British Prime Minister Theresa May takes off for India for a three-day visit from November 6, she will have Brussels as much on her mind as New Delhi, given the tortuous path she has to tread to leave the EU and chart a future in postBrexit UK. Bilateralism aside, the India visit is part of the increasingly acrimonious perception battle, and May’s message to Brussels will be: “I have options outside the EU. We are getting a deal with as large a market as India”. Eagerness about the visit is evident on the British side beyond the symbolism that it is May’s first bilateral visit outside Europe since taking over as prime minister in the aftermath of the June 23 Brexit vote. Her team will include over 160 people, mostly focused on trade. With the old power equation of “deliverer and supplicant” in India-Britain relations now consigned to history, the Indian side is preparing for some straight talk during the visit: easier visa access and no more fence-sitting on terrorism emanating from Pakistan. ”We are not going to lose much if you don’t allow shortterm migration of students, tourists, professionals. Post-

Brexit, you need Indians. Our group tourists return from France, don’t come to Britain due to difficult visa conditions,” said India’s acting high commissioner Dinesh Patnaik.It is expected

consistently turned down.

Indian circles in London do not see May’s three visits to Pakistan when she was home secretary as significant, though she travelled to India only once (in 2012). The

that May will at least announce the extension of a pilot currently underway in China to offer easier, longer and cheaper visa to tourists. Under the pilot, a UK visa valid for two years is offered for £87; for the same fee, Indians get the visa for a maximum of six months. A two-year visa for Indians costs £330.

“Students, tourists and other short-term visitors are not migrants under any definition,” Patnaik said, reflecting the growing demand from universities and other stakeholders to remove students from net migration figures a demand May has

rationale offered is that she knows where the problem lies, since issues related with Pakistan are part of global concerns about terrorism.

Given the many “umbilical” links between the two countries, the thinking is that whichever party is in power in London or New Delhi, closer relations are imperative more so in the postBrexit situation for Britain, which will need an old partner like India now more than ever.

May and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are scheduled to inaugurate the Indo-UK tech Summit in New Delhi on November 7.

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Former TV reporter accuses Bill Clinton of 3 sexual assaults in 1980 Washington A former TV reporter has accused former President Bill Clinton of three sexual assaults in 1980, when the latter was the governor of Arkansas.

Her allegations, in a video clip

posted on a pro-Donald Trump website, appeared just hours before the Republican presidential candidate debated his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, Bill’s wife.

REPORTER WORKED FOR KLMN-TV Leslie Millwee, a former reporter for local Arkansas TV station KLMN-TV, said she interviewed Clinton some 20 times in public when he was the governor of the southern US state.

Millwee -- then known as Leslie Derrick -- told Brietbart that

Clinton visited the TV station and assaulted her in the editing room in all the three cases.

“I was sitting in a chair,” she said about what she described as the first assault. “He came up behind me and started rubbing my

shoulders and running his hands down toward my breasts. And I was just stunned. I froze. I asked him to stop. He laughed.”

SECOND SEXUAL ASSAULT CASE On another occasion, she said, Clinton rubbed his genitals against her as she protested.

After the third assault, Clinton visited her apartment, she added, saying she refused to let him in.

Millwee said she had thought of coming out with this disclosure when the Monica Lewinsky

Zuckerberg won’t censor Trump’s anti-Muslim ‘hate post’ on Facebook: Report

New York While some Facebook employees tried to remove certain controversial posts by US presidential candidate Donand Trump from the website, CEO Mark Zuckerberg ruled that it would be inappropriate to censor the Republican Party nominee, media reported on Saturday.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, Zuckerberg’s decision prompted employees across the board to complain on Facebook’s internal messaging service and to Zuckerberg and other managers that it was bending the site’s rules for Trump who posted about banning Muslims from entering the US. “Some employees who work in a group charged with reviewing content on Facebook even

threatened to quit,” the report added.

Trump posted in December “on preventing Muslim immigration”.

His statement called for “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on”.Users flagged the content as hate speech -- a move that triggered a review by Facebook’s communityoperations team.

Some Facebook employees -including Muslims -- said in “internal chat rooms that the post broke Facebook’s rules on hate speech as detailed in its internal guidelines, according to people familiar with the matter”, the WSJ report said.

But content reviewers were asked by their managers not to remove the post.

White House sex scandal broke in 1998, but refrained from doing so to protect her young children.

CLINTONS NOT ACCOUNTABLE “I think there’s still no accountability in the media for the behaviour of the Clintons, and if it affects the media and affects the election, so be it,” she said.

“I’m sure I’m not the only woman who went through this kind of torture with Bill Clinton.”

The ex-reporter had, however, given a different version of the story in a book published in 2011, mentioning that Bill Clinton had only touched her shoulder, according to Breitbart.

The Clinton campaign dismissed her accusations.

ALLEGATIONS DISMISSED “I wouldn’t be surprised if Donald Trump seeks to invoke this report tonight or in the coming days,” Hillary Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon said on MSNBC. “We expect that he’ll do anything in the closing days of the campaign. He said he’s practising a scorched-earth approach to the campaign.”

The new revelations surfaced as Trump faces a string of accusations of sexual misconduct. The bombastic billionaire has blamed the Clinton campaign and the news media for the stories.

Trump had recruited Breitbart CEO Steven Bannon to be his campaign manager in August.

Indian investor convicted in insider trading case in US

NEW YORK An Indian-origin private equity investor has been convicted of conspiracy and securities fraud in the US for tipping off two friends about a proposed 2013 acquisition of a firm by Indiabased Apollo Tyres, an insider trading scheme that netted over US $1 million. Amit Kanodia, 49, was convicted by the federal jury in Boston following a six-day trial of one count of conspiracy and 10 counts of securities fraud, with each count representing the purchase of Cooper Tire securities by coconspirators Iftikar Ahmed and Steven Watson. Kanodia was acquitted of eight additional counts of securities fraud related to other purchases made by Ahmed and Watson. US District Court Judge Nathaniel G Gorton scheduled sentencing for January next year.Ahmed, a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi and Harvard Business School, previously fled to India in May

2015 after prosecutors accused him and longtime friend Kanodia for having engaged in insider trading.

Ahmed remains a fugitive, while Watson pleaded guilty and is set to be sentenced in November.

In the spring of 2013, Kanodia tipped off his two friends, Ahmed and Watson, about the contemplated acquisition of Cooper Tire and Rubber Company by India-based Apollo Tyres.Kanodia learned about the possible acquisition from his wife who was the General Counsel of Apollo at the time.In the months leading up to the public announcement of the acquisition, both Ahmed and Watson purchased shares and options in Cooper Tire which trades on the New York Stock Exchange. On the day of the announcement, Cooper Tire’s share price increased 41 per cent and Ahmed and Watson began selling their interests in the company for a combined profit of more than US $1 million.

technology will be to evaluate the spoof-resistance of commercial fingerprint scanners. We have highlighted a security loophole and the limitations of existing fingerprint scanning technology, now it’s up to the scanner manufacturers to design a scanner that is spoof-resistant,” Jain noted in a university statement.

The study aims to design and develop standard models and procedures for consistent and reliable evaluation of fingerprint readers and is funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

“We are very pleased with this research and how it is showing the uncertainties in the process and what it can mean for the accuracy of the readers,” said Nicholas Paulter, Group Leader

for the Security Technologies Group at NIST and a co-author of the study.

The FBI, CIA, military and manufacturers will all be interested in this project, he added. Along with Jain and Paulter, the study was coauthored by Sunpreet Arora, MSU doctoral student.

Indian-origin scientist creates ‘real’ 3D hands in laboratory NEW YORK An Indian-American researcher and his team have created lifesize 3D hand models, complete with fingerprints, using a highresolution 3D printer that can produce the same ridges and valleys as a real finger.

Like any optical device, fingerprint and hand scanners need to be calibrated, but currently there is no standard method for doing so.

“This is the first time a whole hand 3D target has been created to calibrate fingerprint scanners,” said professor Anil Jain from Michigan State University (MSU).

“As a byproduct of this research, we realized a fake 3D hand, essentially a spoof, with someone’s fingerprints, could potentially allow a crook to steal the person’s identity to break into a vault, contaminate a crime scene or enter the country illegally,” Jain cautioned.

Jain and his biometrics team were studying how to test and calibrate fingerprint scanners commonly used across the globe at police departments, airport immigration counters, banks and even amusement parks.

To test the scanners, they created life-size 3D hand models complete with all five fingerprints.

“Another application of this

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WHY BCCI IS LAUGHING Supreme Court order on Friday does not touch board’s top officials, merely imposes financial caveats on its functioning WHAT observers saw as a yorker from the Supreme Court set to rattle the Indian cricket board’s stumps has seemingly been played off like a comfortable halfvolley by top BCCI officials. The SC, aiming to arm-twist a defiant BCCI towards implementing the newly ordered reforms, on Friday asked the Lodha panel— a threemember committee it set up to look into the operations of the world’s richest cricket board— to appoint an independent auditor to scrutinise and keep a watch on all its highvalue financial transactions. It also banned any further funds for its state affiliates till they are ready to adopt the changes.

Though the orders, which ended up taking away the board’s financial autonomy, are being perceived as a body blow to the BCCI, the reality is a little different. The fact is that the Board of Control for Cricket in India is smiling. Going by the tone and tenor of the high-voltage hearing during which it was pulled up frequently, the cricket body had feared the worst. The

Lodha panel, in fact, wanted the sacking of the entire top brass of the BCCI. But that did not happen on Friday. These are the reasons why the board is smiling: 1 The Lodha panel wanted the removal of the BCCI top brass and appointment of administrators to run the board.

But the SC felt it would be too harsh. So, BCCI president Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke remain untouched.

Also, no action has been taken against Thakur for trying to make the International Cricket Council oppose the implementation of the panel’s suggestions. 2 The Lodha committee wanted wider representation of states in domestic cricket. The panel had made it clear that the BCCI needs to involve teams from the union territories and northeastern states. But nothing like that has happened as the Ranji Trophy is already underway. The SC too hasn’t pulled up the board for it. 3 The top court has asked the Lodha panel to appoint an auditor to scrutinise every financial

transaction. But board insiders say it won’t clip their financial wings and will add an image of transparency.

In fact, transparency was the reason behind the board inviting tenders for IPL media rights as also appointing an ombudsman and uploading all financial transactions over and above ‘25 lakh on the BCCI’s website. 4 Even though the SC has asked the board to stop all payments to the state associations till they comply with the Lodha panel’s suggestions, sources in the BCCI have revealed that the states were paid ‘25 crore in March and ‘12 crore from it was aimed towards expenditure in the 2016- 17 season. 5 With CJI TS Thakur set to retire on January 3, 2017, the BCCI has been trying to play the waiting game and has repeatedly requested for more time in implementing the reforms. Even though the SC had been refusing, it has given the BCCI almost 40 days by default after Friday’s order. The simple reason being that the next date of hearing is December 5.

Commenting on the order, a BCCI official said: “When have we been against transparency, be it while electing the coach of the Indian team or inviting tenders for the IPL media rights?

We appointed an ombudsman and also every transaction over and above ‘25 lakh is uploaded on BCCI’s website.” Coming back to Friday’s judgement, the appointment of independent auditors significantly comes at a time when the BCCI is gearing up to hand multi-billion dollar media rights of the cashrich Indian Premier League (IPL). The appointment of independent auditors to look into the cricket body’s finances would mean the board will not be able to award the rights at its discretion and will have to consult the Lodha panel. Standing firm on its October 7 decision to financially choke the Board’s state cricket associations till they fall in line, the court ruled that the board will not release any further funds to the state bodies till they promise to implement the Lodha panel recommendations.

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TWO HOT TO HANDLE

THEY possess some of the most enviable figures in fashion. And Irina Shayk and Kate Moss are showing off their stunning good looks in a series of sizzling new gallery shots. They join a menagerie of models including Rachel Weisz, Dita Von Teese and Eva Herzigova in a variety of skimpy ensembles. Irina is shown sporting red satin underwear with her ample cleavage resting on a fluffy white blanket while

pouting at the camera. Another shot features a topless Kate sporting just a pair of lacy black knickers with her long blonde hair worn loose over her shoulders. The 42-year-old is standing in front of a glittery curtain, with mannequins in the background. Kate also sports black underwear and over-the-knee stockings in another sultry shot which shows her descending a flight of stairs. The photographs form part of a new Girls Girl

Maddox opts out of reunion with Brad

Madge offers sex for Hillary votes

BRAD Pitt and Angelina Jolie have reportedly not had any contact since their split. The two A-listers have instead opted to have their negotiations — especially the custody battle handled by their respective teams according to a new report from People. As the former power couple announced their split four weeks ago, a family source told the weekly: “It’s just a sad situation.” It has previously been reported that Jolie, 41, wants sole physical custody of the their six kids while 52-year-old Pitt is pushing for joint custody. “They are still working on issues that they can’t agree on,’ said People’s insider. “Things are strained between them.” Pitt recently had a tearful reunion with his children nearly three weeks after Jolie announced she was divorcing him but apparently there was one missing.

His 15-year-old son Maddox opted not to see his father according to a new report.

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COURTING controversy has long been her modus operandi so give her some stage time in the middle of an election year and this has to be expected.

Madonna showed she could make bawdy political jokes with the best of them as she introduced Amy Schumer in New York on Wednesday. The 58yearold singer did not hold back as she quickly took to the microphone at Madison Square Garden. Introducing the Trainwreck star, Madonna cracked a joke about not receiving “d**k pics anymore” before doing her bit for the Hillary Clinton campaign. The Rebel Heart singer told the packed audience: “I’d better get off now because someone insanely funny is about to be on this stage, ladies and gentleman, one more thing before I introduce this genius of comedy. If you vote for Hillary Clinton I will give you a blowjob. Ok? I’m really good. I’m not a d***he and I’m not a tool. I take my time, I have a lot of eye contact and I do swallow.” Her comments received massive amounts of applause and cheers before the Like A Virgin star brought out her “good friend” Amy, who she said she was insanely jealous of as she too would love to be a comedian. Behind the scenes, the singer and the comedian caught up with Madonna sharing social media snaps and continuing to heap praise on her. Madonna wrote: “So much fun opening up for @amyschumer at Madison Square Garden tonight!! It was short but it was sweet (like me). I’m forever changed! Love you Amy!!” Posing up together, the singer continued: “Love and Respect this woman so much!!

Thanks for letting me get on your stage!

Girls exhibition at Chelsea’s Little Black Gallery and feature Eva Herzigova lying naked in a dark pink satin sheet. The 43year-old model wears her blonde hair tousled and protects her modesty by lying facing frontwards on the bed. Rachel Weisz is equally raunchy although a lot more covered up in an image which shows her clad in a tight PVC leather catsuit. Her dark hair is backcombed up, while smokey cat’s eye make-up

It was AWESOME!!” Amy even managed to get Madonna and Amy Schumer (left) shared Instagram photos. Madonna told

fans she would give them a blowjob in exchange for voting for Hillary Clinton.

TWO HOT TO HANDLE Irina Shayk sizzles in sexy satin underwear while Kate Moss (right) looks hot in stockings and black underwear in new set of steamy gallery photographs. the Queen Of Pop to join in a human pyramid with all her friends. Amy’s performance in New York was her first since 200 plus people walked out of her gig in Tampa, Florida, after the 35- year-old joked about presidential candidate Donald Trump. Taking to the stage at Madison Square Garden, Amy read an open letter to the people of Tampa. She said: “Dearest Tampa, I’m sorry you didn’t want me, a comedian who talks about what she believes in, to mention the biggest thing going on in our country right now.” “How could I think it was OK to spend five minutes having a

and a slick of crimson lipstick complete the look. Dita Von Teese, meanwhile, may be more familiar to fans for her burlesque ensembles and doesn’t disappoint in a shot which shows her in a strapless corset with cinched in waist. Standing on a plinth, she sports lacy underwear and a suspender belt with stockings while posing on a round plinth while brandishing a set of knives

peaceful conversation with someone with different views? After the show, I want you to know that I will go straight to a rehab facility.” There, she said, she will be taught “how to make all people happy both the rich entitled white people who are going to vote for him and the very poor people who have been tricked into it”. “And Tampa and I am so sorry I shouldn’t have said orange, sexualassaulting, fake-college-starting monster. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“I will never again say he is an orange, sexual-assaulting, fake-collegestarting monster.” Really hammering the point home, Amy said she was glad to have the audience with her and was also glad to have had time with the Tampa audience — no matter their views. “I look forward to putting this all behind us in a few weeks when...

Hillary Clinton is out motherf**king President.”

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Issue 690 (37)

25 - 31 Oct., 2016

Health Aerobic exercise may ward off memory decline in elderly

Regular aerobic exercise may be beneficial for older adults who already have memory and thinking problems, says new research.

Aerobic exercise (also known as cardio) is physical exercise of low to high intensity that depends primarily on the aerobic energygenerating process.

The study by researchers at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, showed that those who exercised had a small improvement on the test of overall thinking skills compared to those

who did not exercise.

In addition, those who exercised also showed improvement in their blood pressure levels.

High levels of hypertension may increase the risk of developing vascular cognitive impairment — the second most common cause of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease, the researchers said.

In vascular cognitive impairment, problems with memory and thinking skills result from damage to large and small blood vessels in the brain.

Thickening of neck artery is evident in young patients with early psychosis Washington DC New research shows that young people diagnosed with early onsetpsychosis (EOP) and bipolar disorder (BPD) already show signs of atherosclerosis (blood vessel inflammation and thickening) in their major neck artery (the left carotid artery).

EOP and early onset BPD include several devastating mental disorders with an age of onset of generally under18 years.

Several studies have shown the strong relationship between these disorders and later risk of developing cardiovascular disease, with high rates of mortality.

However, it is unknown whether blood vessels are already affected in childhood and adolescence in these patients, or if these changes develop later

after the emergence of other risk factors including high blood pressure, continuing lack of physical activity, and overweight/obesity.

In this study, the authors used a relatively new technique of high frequency ultrasound (HFU) to analyse changes in the main neck artery. This technology has been used in recent years and has made it possible to detect intima media pathology in several conditions such as preeclampsia and systemic lupus erythematosus

(lupus).

With ageing, the outer layer of the artery (the media) gets thinner, while the inner layer (intima) becomes thicker, with the overall effect of constricting blood flow through the artery. The authors used HFU to measure carotid artery thickness in 29 young people with EOP and BPD (42 percent female, mean age 17 years) and 28 matched controls (28 percent female, mean age 17 years).

The results showed a substantial difference in intima thickness (0.13

mm in EOP / BPD patients versus 0.08 mm in controls), but there was no significant difference in media thickness.

The authors said, “This finding suggests that the blood vessels are already affected in early onset psychosis and that the process of atherosclerosis is initiated. The results may have implications for the understanding the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease and for the development of new treatment strategies for reducing future risk of cardiovascular diseases in patients with early onset psychosis.”

“More trials are needed to investigate these early physiological changes in young people with serious mental disorders, with high frequency ultrasound evaluated in prospective studies.

New Delhi A new research has suggested that uncertainty at the top level may increase the risk of chronic diseases.

According to the study, the findings apply to those uncertain at the top of the social hierarchy as also to those uncertain of their status in lower ranking, though the latter may have opportunities for upward mobility and this may be associated with better health. “Low social status is generally thought to lead to poorer health, yet so many exceptions undermine this apparent association that it is difficult to draw a direct relationship between status and health,” said one of the researchers, Jessica Vandeleest from

University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in the US. Although the experiment was carried out in monkeys, the researchers believe that the findings could one day help doctors learn more about the way that social hierarchy affects the health of humans. For the study, the researchers measured

the level of certainty or uncertainty of social status in captive rhesus monkey groups. They did this by observing how the monkeys interacted with each other in cases where the monkeys were not interacting directly with other monkeys, their relationships were inferred through mutual social connections.

Stress hormone in hair can Uncertainty in top level may predict IVF success, says study elevate risk of chronic diseases

London A study conducted by Indian-origin researcher found that elevated levels of ‘stress hormone’ cortisol measured in hair can predict success rate of conceiving through In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF).

The findings suggests that the levels of a hormone when measured in hair can significantly predict the likelihood of pregnancy in women undergoing IVF

treatment.

The study was published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology.

This technique provides more reliable measure of hormonal function compared to other techniques using saliva, blood and urine that measure only short term levels of the hormone.

The study provide the first proper evidence that longterm levels of cortisol,

which are affected by many lifestyle factors including diet, exercise, caffeine and most notably stress, may play an important role in determining reproductive outcomes.

A total of 135 women were observed for the study, 60 per cent of whom became pregnant following IVF treatment. Eightyeight women provided hair samples and the rest submitted salivary samples for the measurement of cortisol.

After analysing both types of cortisol data, researchers found that short-term salivary cortisol measurements were not related to pregnancy but in contrast the hair cortisol concentrations were.

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Ray of hope to improve HIV drug therapies

Washington DC A new research, through the use of nanotechnology, now aims to improve the administration and availability of drug therapies to HIV patients.

The research, led by the University of Liverpool, examined the use of nanotechnology to improve the delivery of drugs to HIV patients.

Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale.

Nanomedicine is the application of nanotechnology to the prevention and treatment of disease in the human body.

This evolving discipline

has the potential to dramatically change medical science and is already having an impact in a number of clinically used therapies and diagnostics worldwide.

Currently, the treatment of HIV requires daily oral dosing of HIV drugs, and chronic oral dosing has significant complications that arise from the high pill burden experienced by many patients across populations with varying conditions leading to nonadherence to therapies.

Recent evaluation of HIV patient groups have shown a willingness to switch to nanomedicine alternatives if benefits can be shown.

Research efforts by the

Liverpool team have focused on the development of new oral therapies, using Solid Drug Nanoparticle (SDN) technology which can improve drug absorption into the body, reducing both the dose and the cost per dose and enabling existing healthcare budgets to treat more patients.

Presently, no clinically available oral nanotherapies exist for HIV populations and conventional paediatric HIV medicines are poorly available.

The programme examined one current paediatric formulation that utilizes high ethanol concentrations to

solubilize lopinavir, a poorly soluble antiretroviral.

Through the use of a rapid small-scale nanomedicine screening approach developed at Liverpool, the researchers were able to generate a novel water dispersible nanotherapy, hence removing the need to use alcohol in the paediatric medicine.

According to study leader Andrew Owen, “The fruits of our interdisciplinary research are beginning to be realised. Our approach has the potential to overcome challenges with current antiretroviral therapy, which include administration of high doses needed to achieve efficacious concentrations in the body, and the urgent need for better formulations for children living with HIV.” “The wide applicability of our strategy has implications for multiple therapy development programmes and we are actively engaged in the creation of nanomedicine options to impact a range of clinical needs,” added co-researcher Steve Rannard.

The study has been published in Nature Communications.

Top seven health benefits of drinking lemon water!

New Delhi Lemon water is considered good for our body as it helps in restoring our health and rejuvenating the entire physical system. We all know that lemon

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give many health benefits to our body as it is a powerhouse of vital nutrients and antioxidants.

So, one should start their day by drinking a glass of lemon water to energize themselves.

Here are some health benefits of drinking lemon water: Good for skin Consuming lemon water regularly helps in keeping your skin healthy and makes them glow. It also reduces aging, blackheads and wrinkles.

Boosts immunity Being rich in vitamin C, lime water is a great immunity booster for your body. It also fights against the attacks of

viruses and bacteria effectively.

Aids digestion Drink lemon water if your are suffering from digestive problems as it helps to purify the blood, reduces your chances of indigestion, constipation, eliminates toxins from the body and adds digestion.

Oral health Drinking lemon water reduces bad breath and stops bleeding gums. It also reduces toothache.

Maintains high blood pressure Lime contains potassium which Lemon water helps in keeping high blood pressure in control as it contains potassium. It also reduces the effect of nausea and dizziness.

Relieves stress Drinking lime water lift up your mood and relieves you from depression and stress.

Treat throat infections Because of its antibacterial property, lemon water can fight throat infections. Try lime water for gargling if salt water doesn’t work.

Sleeping beside your baby can cause cot death

New York New-born babies should be put to bed in the same bedroom as their parents but not on the same bed for the first year of their life.

They should be laid on a separate surface or a crib as this may help avoid cot death among infants, researchers have suggested. “Parents should never place the baby on a sofa, couch, or cushioned chair, either alone or sleeping with another person. These surfaces are extremely hazardous,” said lead author Rachel Moon from the University of Virginia in the US. Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), also known as cot death or crib death, is the sudden unexplained death of a child less than one year of age. “We know that parents may be overwhelmed with a new baby in the home, and we want to provide them with clear and simple guidance on how and where to put their infant to sleep,” Moon added, in a new

policy statement released by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Explaining how to create a safe sleep environment for babies, child health experts recommended skin-to-skin care regardless of feeding or delivery method, immediately following birth for at least an hour as soon as the mother is medically stable and awake.

While infants are at heightened risk for SIDS between the ages one and four months, new evidence shows that soft bedding continues to pose hazards to babies who are four months and older.

Thus, after feeding, parents should move the baby to his or her separate sleeping space, preferably a crib or bassinet in the parents’ bedroom.

“There should be no pillows, sheets, blankets or other items that could obstruct the infant’s breathing or cause overheating,” noted Lori Feldman-Winter, Professor at Cooper University Hospital in New Jersey, US.

Want to lose weight? Include bananas in your diet!

New Delhi Have you ever thought that banana can actually help you lose weight? Well, many people have a misconception that this fruit promotes weight gain. And those who want to lose weight, avoid eating this fruit to control their weight. But this wonder fruit can actually help you shed some kilos.

Here are some ways in which bananas help lose weight: Prevents water retention Being rich in potassium, this fruit helps in preventing water retention in your body that reduces bloating or swelling up of the body. If you want to have a flat belly, include banana in your diet as it is

best foods for it.

Burn fats Banana helps in burning the unwanted fats as the fruit is rich in choline and all types of Vitamin B that prevent the body from storing fat, especially in the tummy area.

Helps avoid junk food Eat a banana when you are craving for junk food as it satiate your hunger and hence lets you avoid junk.

Aids digestion This wonder fruit contains rich amount of pro-biotic elements that help the growth of good bacteria in the gut and helps in the proper digestion of food.

Indigestion being the main reason for weight gain.

Issue 690 (39)

25 - 31 Oct., 2016

Garlic Soya Chicken

Ingredients 1 pound chicken thigh/breast (cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thin strips) ¡1 tsp sesame oil (toasted ) 1/4 tsp white pepper ( finely ground) 1 tsp ginger juice 2 Tbsp peanut oil or vegetable oil, divided 5-6 garlic cloves (minced) 1 Tbsp ginger (grated) 1 tsp red chili flakes 1/2 cup red onion (chopped) A handful of snow peas (trimmed) 1/2 red bell pepper (cut into thin strips) For the sauce 1 Tbsp rice vinegar 2 Tbsp soy sauce 2 tsp dark soy sauce 2 tsp Chinese rice wine, or dry sherry (optional) 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar 1 tsp cornflour Method In a large bowl, toss chicken strips with toasted sesame oil and white pepper.

Marinate for 10-15 minutes.

Keep aside.

In a small bowl, stir together rice vinegar, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Chinese rice wine (if using), brown sugar and cornstarch. Set aside.

Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces, spreading it out as much as possible.

Sear for 1 minute without stirring until the edges are lightly browned, then stir to cook all sides until just cooked through , about 2-3 minutes more. Transfer chicken to a bowl and set aside.

5.

Reheat the same wok, Put in another tablespoon of oil, add in garlic, ginger, and red chili flakes. Stir-fry over low heat for about 1015 seconds, or until aromatic, taking care not to burn the garlic. Turn up the heat to high, add in snow peas and red onion, and stir-fry for another 30 seconds.

6.

Add in red bell pepper, and cook for one minute - making sure to stir and toss the ingredients well.

7.

When the vegetables are bright and almost crisp-tender, stir in the cooked chicken.

8.

Take the prepared sauce, give it a stir, and quickly pour it into the wok, cooking until the sauce thickens.

9.

9. Add in one or two tablespoon of water if needed, toss well, and cook for a further 30 seconds or the mixture is hot and bubbly.

Egg Paratha Ingredients 2 cups of whole wheat flour A pinch of salt 1 Tbsp of oil 2 eggs 1/4 cup of chopped onions 1 green chilli, chopped 2 Tbsp of coriander leaves, chopped 1/2 tsp of garam masala Method In a mixing bowl, add flour, salt and oil, and knead the mixture into a smooth dough using 1 cup of water. You can add in a little more water if the dough seems dry. Knead well.

Divide the dough into 4 balls.

Roll out the dough ball evenly using a rolling pin, then fold it twice to form a triangle. Roll it out again to make a triangular sheet. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.

In a bowl, whisk the eggs well along with onions, chilli, coriander leaves, garam masala and salt. Keep aside.

Place the rolled dough on a hot tawa, and let it cook for 1-2 minutes on both sides. Add a little oil on the surface and let it cook for one more minute.

As the edges start to crisp, quickly make a slit using a sharp knife along the folds and pour in half the quantity of egg. Tilt the paratha a little so that the egg mix slides in. Then flip it over

and repeat the process on the other side.

Drizzle some more oil on the paratha and press the surface gently using the back of your spoon. Turn up the heat and continue cooking the paratha until it fluffs up and turns crisp brown.

Serve hot with a helping of desi ghee on top.

Baked Vegetables Casserole

Ingredients 4 cups of vegetables ( your choice ) 2 cups of cubed bread 1 cup of milk 1/4 cup of butter milk 1 Tbsp of butter 1 tsp of olive oil 2 egg whites 1 sprig of rosemary 2-3 saga leaves Salt to taste 1 tsp of roasted chilli peppers Method 1.Pre-heat an oven at 140C for 5 minutes Grease an ovenproof dish with olive oil and toss vegetables, bread , salt

and herbs with butter so that they are well coated.

Roast the vegetables in the oven at 180C for 15 minutes.

By the time the vegetables are roasting, combine milk, butter milk, cheese and eggs.

After vegetables are roasted, take it out and pour milk and egg mixture and put it back in the oven.

If you are using cheese slice, tear it into bits and put it on top of the vegetables.

Bake for 15 minutes till milk and egg mixture is well cooked.

Chicken Nimbu Dhaniya Shorba

Ingredients 180 ml water 40 gms chicken (diced, cube) 1/4 tsp ginger garlic paste 1 Tbsp coriander 1 piece lemon 1 Tbsp cream 1/2 tsp butter 1/2 tsp turmeric powder 1/2 tsp green chilli paste 1 tsp cornfloor Salt Method Take 180 ml of water

and boil it on a slow flame.

Add diced chicken cubes while cooking.

Add ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, corriander, green chilli paste, cream, butter, lemon whole (squeezed).

Add salt as per taste and add cornflour for thickness.

Serve it in a soup bowl sprinkle corriander leaves, garnish with cream.

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