The contact

THE CONTACT WEEKLY NEWSPAPER ISSUE - 667, 17 - 23 MAY 2016 PH: (905) 671 - 4761

‘Largest-ever’ blue diamond to be auctioned, starting at $38 million

Key Islamic State man Shafi Armar ‘alive and recruiting’ in India

See on Page 19

See on Page 18

THE NATION’S FORGOTTEN SPIES

by Manjeet Sehgal Daniel Masih earns about Rs 150 a day running a rickety cycle rickshaw in Dadwan, a sleepy village in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district.

His wife makes about the same as a home help.

The couple and their three young children live in a dark, dingy room along a narrow lane, far removed from the fast cars, flashy tools and glamorous life of James Bond whose occupation Daniel says he shared for many years.

The 48-year-old recalls visiting Pakistan about a dozen times while working for the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), India’s primary foreign intelligence agency.

“I was given the task to bring back maps and photos of bridges,” says Daniel, who was

arrested in the neighbouring country on charges of spying in 1993, but was released four years later. He received Rs

15,000 from officials here on his return, he added. “I visited Pakistan 10 to 12 times from Dera Baba Nanak sector and used to return within three days and would get up to Rs 3,000 per visit.”

Daniel, who recently converted to

Christianity, says during the four years he was jailed in areas such as Narowal, Sialkot, Lahore and Rawalpindi, he was tortured several times during interrogation but did not reveal that he was a secret agent.

His is not an isolated case of a former spy wallowing in misery.

Punjab’s backwoods, particularly Dadwan village, are dotted with people who say they worked for Indian intelligence organisationsjeopardising their lives for a few thousand rupees, languishing in Pakistani prisons for years only to be disowned by their employers and country on release.

The agencies stopped paying them after they were caught.

Their wives and children are Continued on Page 2

ISIS global recruiters set sights on India

by Abhishek Bhalla Disclosures of recently-arrested ISIS recruits have revealed that the jihadi group’s global headhunters including women from Argentina, Sri Lanka and Philippines are on the prowl for Indian youth who show any leanings to radical views on social media.

Counter-terror agencies are closely monitoring nearly 25 motivators, mostly from outside India, who are looking for potential recruits and then indoctrinating them on social media.

Sources said the three women

who are on hiring spree for the Sunni terror group identify themselves as Karen from Philippines, Fatima from Argentina and Eje from Sri Lanka. Investigators say these are probably pseudomonades.

The details of their functioning have been told to investigators by ISIS inspired Indians in their interrogation to the National Investigation Agency that recently made several arrests busting a module of potential recruits.

There have been a total of 49 arrests linked to ISIS. While 25 were arrested by NIA, states like

Telangana, Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu accounting for the other 24.

Sources say the suspects during

interrogation explained the functioning of these motivators who through social media and whatspp look for “talent” and after

spotting them carry out the indoctrination by sending links to videos of atrocities on Continued on Page 2

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USED AND DUMPED,

INDIA’S SPIES LANGUISH IN THE PIT

Punjab’s backwoods are dotted with people who say they worked for intel agencies that later abandoned them Continued from Page 1 leading miserable lives. They now work as labourers, porters, rickshaw pullers and home helps.

“I was brutally tortured in prison. I was paralysed soon after I was released from (Pakistan’s) Kot Lakhpat jail in 1999. I have been dying a little every day over the past 10 years. Nobody came forward to help me. There was no pension, no medical help,” says 50yearold David, Daniel’s neighbour.

He says he was arrested in 1999 on charges of espionage and spent more than eight years in jail.

“My wife and four children were forced to go without food for days,” he said. “When my wife approached the Jammubased agency office for help, she was given ‘100. We are patriots and put our lives at stake. Is this the way the government should treat us?” Experts say intelligence agencies routinely recruit from poor families living in areas of Punjab bordering Pakistan.

“I was not interested in working as a spy,” says 50-yearold Sunil, who was arrested twice.

“The officers compelled me.

When I was caught, nobody visited my family. See the wounds (points towards the bruises on his hands and his hips).They tortured me like an animal. What did I get in return? Nothing. I have no pension, no money.”

Sunil says he was arrested in 1999 at Sialkot and was released in 2006. He again

went on a mission for the R&AW in 2011 and was caught once more. He was let off three years later.

“Are we citizens of this country?” he lamented.

“Smugglers are better than us; at least they get enough money. We just got wounds for patriotism.”

Many of these people are now demanding justice and compensation following the 2013 death of Punjab farmer Sarabjit Singh in a Lahore jail where he was kept for several years after being convicted of terrorism and espionage.

The issue received international attention through a popular campaign for his release and a biographical film on him will be out this month. After his death, the Punjab government provided a compensation of more than ‘1 crore, a job for his daughter and a gas agency for the family.

The state has announced similar reparation for the family of Kripal Singh, an alleged Indian spy who purportedly died of a cardiac arrest in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail last month.

However, no financial help has come so far.

“I am proud of my brother who sacrificed his life for the country.

The state and central government should help us as we are a poor family,” said 60year-old Jagir Kaur, Kripal Singh’s sister. Harcharan Singh Bains, adviser to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, said authorities are considering the case and efforts will be made to help other Indian prisoners jailed in Pakistan.

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Cannes hotel deploys hawks to keep gulls away from rich, famous CANNES The last thing rich and famous visitors to Cannes want is a cheeky seagull swooping in to nibble their peanuts or steal their steak. So the Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez has deployed a team of trained hawks to chase away opportunistic gulls who may be hovering a little too close to its outdoor dining areas.

In the middle of the world’s premier film festival in the French Riviera town, a fiveyear-old Harris’s Hawk named Tsunga is ready to swoop in and save the day. “If a gull that weighs a kilo lands on a table, knocking over glasses - keeping in mind that celebrities walking the red carpet are wearing unique dresses - if a drink spills on a dress, it’s all over,” said professional hawker Christophe Puzin. “We basically send our birds of prey to attack seagulls.

During the day, when we serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, we’re watching to make

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sure no seagulls land on the tables.”

Tsunga is one of five hawks on the hotel’s feathered security team. To the hotel the hawks provide an environmentally friendly solution to the gulls who are so used to humans that they don’t hesitate to come and help themselves. “We have seen a gull try to take a guest’s steak before.

And others come to get peanuts or other things,” said Alessandro Cresta, general manager of the hotel. “Of course, it is also partly the guests’ fault. They have started taming them by feeding them regularly.

After a while, birds get used to the presence of humans and lose their fear.”

The birds are trained to fly above the hotel at an altitude of about 150 metres (490 feet). “The gulls can see their natural predator and understand that there is a new presence here... so that makes them

stay away.” Puzin said the hawks pose no threat to the hotel’s guests. “A falcon would never attack or be aggressive towards a person because for them we’re friends. We feed them, we take care of them, and we are prey that would be a bit

Continued from Page 1 Muslims, speeches of Islamic extremists and write-ups that to lure them to the violent ideology.

“There is a three tier whatapp group that they some of them were part of. Members of the first group are radicalised. Then in the second group they are inspired to carry out terror activities and those who are ready make to third group where planning and logistics are discussed,” said an officer.

Investigators believe foreign motivators looking for Indian recruits appear to be a new trend. Most of the ISIS inspired youth earlier were in touch with former Shafi Aramar brothers, Shafi Armar, the brother of Maulana Abdul Qadir Sultan Armar, a

former IM member who joined ISIS and was identified as a handler for the group who was indoctrinating young Indians and convincing them to be part of ISIS before he was reportedly killed in the battlefields of Syria.

The NIA busted a terror module earlier this year called ‘Janood-ul-Khalifa-e-Hind’ or the Army of Caliph in India carrying out countrywide arrests.

Investigations have also revealed the group was making efforts to establish a channel of procurement of explosives and weapons, identify locations to organize terror training camps and motivate new recruits to target police officers, foreigners in India and to carry out terrorist activities in various parts of India. NIA claimed that

too big for them.” The Cannes film festival runs for 12 days and has brought some of Hollywood’s biggest stars to town - like Julia Roberts, George Clooney and Kristen Stewart - as well as thousands of visitors who come to soak up the glamour.

ISIS global recruiters set sights... those arrested were found to be in communication with some active members through chatting applications in order to motivate them to join ISIS. Indian agencies have been tracking several youth lured by ISIS but arrests have only been when someone crosses a threshold. With the threat of ISIS lurking the government had put in place a counter radicalisation strategy focussing on bringing the youth lured by Islamic State back to the mainstream.

Earlier, four youth from Kalyan in Mumbai had fled India to join the Islamic State in Syria. One of the four was killed while fighting for the group while another one had returned to India after being disillusioned.

The Life of a spy: Roop Lal’s story

by Manjeet Sehgal Roop Lal was born and brought up in Marada village located in Gurdaspur district of Punjab.

Roop joined Rajputana Rifles in 1960 and fought four wars between 1960 to 1969.

He left his job in 1969 and joined Indian intelligence in 1970. He had successfully completed five spy missions, including Operation Sardodha, Operation Dera Gazi Khan, Operation Machh Jaail Queta Balochtan and Operation Gilgit Azad Kashmir between 1971 and 1974 but had also faced arrests three times in 1971, 1972 and and 1974, respectively.

He was housed in Sialkot Jail between 1974 and 1977 and was later shifted to Kot Lakhpat Jail Lahore. He was also

housed in Mianwali, Multan and Sahiwal jails between 1979 and 1991. He was sentenced to death in 1976 but the then Indian government (Morarji Desai) intervened and his sentence was stayed.

His death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 1998. He was released in 2000 after spending 26 years in various

Pakistan jails.

He had written his jail diary ‘Pakistan: Return from Gallows’ before he died in Gurdaspur on February 14, 2011 where he writes, “The word spy is a respectable in one’s own country but becomes an abuse when arrested.”

In his diary, he also shares how he lured two Pakistani women to get highly sensitive information. He married a Pakistani nurse Shabiran in 1972 who left him after he was arrested on spying charges. He then married Tahira, a lecturer in a medical college. He completed operation Sargodha after this marriage.

Interestingly, Gurdaspur resident Saroj Lata married him when he returned to India in 2000.

China Car-Hailing App Didi Chuxing Eyes Going Public BEIJING Chinese ride-hailing app Didi Chuxing is mulling an initial public offering, a report said Monday, after US technology giant Apple invested $1 billion in the rival to Uber. Didi is “targeting” a listing in New York next year, Bloomberg News said, citing unnamed people “familiar with the matter”. The exact timing would depend on how its battle with USbased Uber goes in China, the sources were quoted as saying.

Didi denied having such intentions at present. “We do not have IPO plans as of now,” a company spokeswoman told AFP. Apple on Friday announced it had invested $1 billion in Didi in what the Chinese firm called the single largest

investment it had ever received. Didi Chuxing claims to have almost 90pc of the Chinese ride-hailing market with nearly 300 million registered passengers. Didi and Uber are locked in a war of attrition for drivers and riders in the world’s second-

largest economy, and both have deep pockets. Didi is in the process of raising about $3 billion, including Apple’s investment, which has swelled the company’s valuation to about $26 billion, the Bloomberg News report said. The company also has backing from Chinese Internet behemoths Tencent and Alibaba. Didi invested in Uber’s US rival Lyft last year, along with Alibaba and Tencent, and announced last month that it would cooperate with it to compete with Uber on its own turf. Uber, which has received funding from Chinese search firm Baidu along with state-owned Citic Securities, has said it wants to delay its listing plans as long as possible, Bloomberg News reported.

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New UN climate talks aim at fleshing out Paris deal BONN Five months after ushering in a landmark climate deal, diplomats kicked off a new round of talks Monday tasked with converting a political blueprint into a workable plan. “The whole world is united in its commitment to the global goals embodied in the Paris Agreement,” the UN’s outgoing climate chief, Christiana Figueres, told the 196-nation UN climate body at the start of a 10day session in Bonn. “Now we must design the details of the path to the safe, prosperous and climate neutral future to which we all aspire.” That remains a daunting task, negotiators and experts agreed. The targets set are hugely ambitious, and the rift between rich and developing countries overcome to seal the deal in December - remains just

beneath the surface. The goal of capping global warming at “well below” two degree Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) means nothing less than weaning the world economy off fossil fuels within a few short decades. It will also require mobilising trillions of dollars to help poor countries green their economies and brace for climate impacts.

Most of the details on how this will happen have yet to be worked out.

Voluntary national pledges in the Paris pact to slash carbon pollution - going into effect in 2020 - would still allow Earth’s surface by at least 3 C (5.4 F), a cataclysmic scenario, say scientists. A single degree Celsius of warming since the pre-industrial

Andre Brahic, discoverer of Neptune’s rings, dies aged 73 PARIS French astrophysicist Andre Brahic, one of the discoverers of Neptune’s rings, has died in Paris at the age of 73, his publisher Odile Jacob said. “He was a brilliant character... extraordinarily warm,

profound and authentic ,a great scholar and also a storyteller, a writer,” said Jacob, who was close to Brahic. An expert on the solar system, in 1984 he launched a programme which led to the discovery, with US astronomer William Hubbard, of the rings around the gaseous planet Neptune. French President Francois Hollande in a statement hailed a great mind “who

knew how to make simple the mysteries of the sky”.

He described him as a great teacher “whose books and comments allowed us to voyage through space”.

Born into a modest family in Nazi-occupied Paris in 1942, Brahic was initiated into astrophysics after the war by Evry Schatzman, considered the father of the discipline in France. In the 1980s, Brahic became a specialist in exploring our solar system with the help of the NASA Voyager and later US-Europe Cassini unmanned missions, which continue to this day. He was an astrophysicist at the Commission for Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies (CEA) and a professor at the University of Paris. It was his interest in Saturn and its rings which led him to launch his Neptune research.

Neptune’s outermost ring is divided into three arcs to which Brahic gave the names Liberte, Fraternite and Egalite.

benchmark has already whether we join together up of national plans to cut seen a crescendo of quickly and boldly enough carbon pollution. At the devastating storms, to avoid catastrophe,” same time, the developing world is concerned that too little of the 100 billion dollars (88 billion euros) per year promised by wealthy nations starting in 2020 will go to dealing with climate impacts, rather than measures to curb greenhouse gases. “For our endeavours to be achieved, enhanced and adequate financial and technology support ... must be provided,” a Thai diplomat, speaking for the 134-nation ‘G77 droughts and rising seas. Thoriq Ibrahim, environment and China’ bloc said at the US national scientists said minister for the Maldives opening plenary. over the weekend that last and chair of the Alliance of The early ratification of the month was the warmest Small Island States Paris Agreement - likely for April recorded - the seventh (AOSIS) told the plenary. early next year - would help consecutive month to One of the UN body’s most push the UN forum to flesh exceed previous highs. urgent tasks is out the rules and “The only question is orchestrating the ramping procedures needed to

move forward, experts say.

“There is a lot of work to be done before 2020 to give life to those commitments that were made in Paris,” said Alden Meyer, a climate analyst with the Washington-based Union of Concerned Scientists.

Political leaders also encouraged the negotiators toward a shift in thinking. “As of now, you are no longer just negotiators, you are also builders,” French environment minister Segolene Royal - current co-chair, along with her Moroccan counterpart, of the negotiating process told diplomats. The UN climate talks run through May 26, and are also tasked with laying the groundwork for the next high-level gathering in November, in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh.

CAESAREA Israel’s Antiquities Authority on Monday displayed cargo from a merchant ship that sank off the ancient Mediterranean port of Caesarea 1,600 years ago, including rare bronze statues and thousands of coins.

The find, happened upon by two divers a few weeks ago who then alerted the authority, consisted primarily of “metal slated for recycling” borne on the ship from Caesarea in the late Roman period, IAA experts said. But a storm at the entrance to Caesarea harbour crashed the large ship into the seawall and rocks, the IAA said, spilling the cargo into the sea and preserving the “exciting finds”. “Metal statues are rare archaeological finds because they were always melted down and recycled

includes thousands of coins in two lumps weighing around 20 kilogrammes (44 pounds) bearing the images of Constantine the Great and of Licinius, an emperor who ruled the eastern half of the Roman Empire and was a rival of Constantine.

Fragments of drinking jars were also found, as well as iron anchors, apparently cast from the ship in the vain hope of preventing it crashing in the storm.

The discovery comes a year after the exposure of a record trove of some 2,000 gold coins in the same area, with Sharvit crediting the abundance of divers with the growing number of finds.

According to Sharvit and Planer, the finds reflect the “economic and commercial stability in the wake of the stability of the Roman Empire,” a period in which “Christianity was on its way to becoming the official religion of the Roman Empire.”

Divers find ancient marine cargo in Mediterranean in antiquity,” Jacob Sharvit, director of the Marine Archaeology Unit of the IAA and his deputy Dror Planer

African slave (and) fragments of three life-size bronze cast statues,” the IAA said. There were also

said in a joint statement, noting such a trove hasn’t been found in Israel for 30 years.

The artefacts include “a bronze lamp depicting the image of the sun god Sol, a figurine of the moon goddess Luna, a lamp in the image of the head of an

“objects fashioned in the shape of animals such as a whale (and) a bronze faucet in the form of a wild boar with a swan on its head,” the statement said, noting the sand protected the statues which were “in an amazing state of preservation.” The find

Hundreds of horses prance to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday WINDSOR Performing ponies, trotting war horses and sturdy steeds hung with glittering decorations pranced in an equine extravaganza at Windsor Castle on Sunday to mark the 90th birthday of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II. The show, which featured over 900 horses and 1,500 performers, capped three days of celebration at the castle to mark the monarch’s April 21 birthday milestone. Her son Prince

Queen’s unfailing interest Charles, who is first in line and support - horses, of to the throne, wrote a myriad breeds and colour message paying tribute to his mother’s love of - will join the 600, sailors, horsemanship, which has soldiers, airmen and seen her thoroughbreds women who make up this win numerous British evening’s celebration.” races.

Broadcast on ITV, the “I am delighted that we show featured archive have succeeded in footage telling the story of bringing together the queen’s life, hundreds of members of interspersed with live the Armed Forces of the horse performances accoUnited Kingdom, the mpanied by music in a Commonwealth and other sandy arena in the long-standing overseas birthday,” Charles wrote. “It that a quite different group grounds of Windsor Castle, friends to mark this special could not be more fitting which also enjoys the near London.

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Iran cracks down on Instagram modelling, 8 arrested TEHRAN Iran has arrested eight people for working in “unIslamic” online modelling networks, particularly on Instagram, the head of Tehran’s cybercrimes court said on state television.

The arrests were made under a two-year-old sting operation named “Spider II”, targeting among others models who post photos online without the hijab covering the hair that is compulsory for women in public in Iran since its 1979 Islamic revolution. It

identified 170 people running online Instagram pages - 59 photographers and makeup artists, 58 models, 51 fashion salon managers and designers, and two active institutions, according to a statement from the special court.

“We found out that about 20 percent of the (Iranian) Instagram feed is run by the modelling circle,” Javad Babaei said on state television late Sunday. They have been “making and spreading immoral and un-Islamic

culture and promiscuity”, he said. Babaei said it was the judiciary’s duty to “confront those who committed these crimes in an organised manner”.

In addition to the eight arrests, criminal cases have been opened against 21 other people, he said.

The sting operation has homed in on a database of over 300 popular Iranian Instagram accounts and connected accounts, Babaei said.

His comments followed a live “educational court

session” on Sunday at which a former model said she had been earning money through the popular photosharing mobile application Instagram.

The average monthly income for a successful model is 100 million rials ($3,330), the woman, named as Elham Arab by the judiciary-linked website Mizan Online, told Tehran’s prosecutor.

Instagram is extremely popular in Iran. Unlike Facebook, Twitter and

England.

Among the few dozen Twitter accounts being openly followed by GCHQ was the official James Bond one, along with government, law enforcement and royal accounts. The US Central Intelligence Agency wasted no time in welcoming GCHQ to Twitter. The agency’s debut on the platform sparked some humorous tweets. One Twitter user wrote: “‘GCHQ is now following you’ is going to really freak some people out.” Another said: “GCHQ joins Twitter - as if they weren’t already here.”

MIAMI A woman in the US state of Florida was rushed to a hospital Sunday after being bitten by a shark - with the whole animal still clutching on to her right arm, local media reported. The small nurse shark, which was about two feet (61 centimeters) long, was killed by a beachgoer soon after the attack, the Palm Beach Post reported. The victim was an unidentified 23-year-old woman who was bitten while bathing at a beach in the coastal city of Boca Raton, city firerescue spokesman Bob Lemons told the newspaper. Lemons said the woman was rushed to the city’s regional hospital with the shark still attached to her right forearm. “I have never seen anything like it,” Ocean Rescue Captain Clint Tracy told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

“Never even heard of anything like this.” Nurse sharks, which can grow to up to 10 feet (three meters) in length, are common

YouTube which remain blocked, Instagram is accessible to Iranians. The crackdown seems to refer to the eight arrests announced by judiciary spokesman Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejeie in early March. He reported the “arrest of eight models, some of whom were released on bail and some

informed (of the law and freed).” “Some of them had heavy charges like spreading prostitution and promoting corruption,” he said. “Some ... entered these networks unknowingly and thought these are commission jobs they are being paid for, so these people were not arrested.”

along Florida’s Atlantic coastline, and are normally peaceful creatures. But one witness told the SunSentinel that before the attack he saw swimmers bothering the shark and holding it by the tail. The victim was initially calm when she approached a lifeguard station at the Red Reef Park beach seeking help.

agitated and when paramedics arrived they gave her oxygen. Then they used a board to support her arm and the shark, placed her on a stretcher and drove to the hospital, Tracy told the newspaper. According to the Shark Research Institute, nurse sharks are nocturnal creatures, and are often found lying

A male companion was holding the shark and there was little blood, Tracy said. “It was barely breathing but it wasn’t letting go of her arm, like it was stuck to her or something,” witness Shlomo Jacob told the Sun-Sentinel. As time went by and a crowd gathered, the woman became

motionless on the ocean floor in rocky coastal areas during the day.

The sharks eat small fish and creatures like lobster, squid, and sea urchins not human flesh. Most grown nurse sharks are less than 9.8 feet (three meters) long, but are known to reach 14 feet (4.3 meters) in length.

Britain’s GCHQ spies are US woman rushed to hospital with shark stuck to arm on Twitter, officially

LONDON GCHQ, Britain’s secret eavesdropping agency, joined Twitter on Monday, emerging from the shadows with a simple message of “Hello, world.”

The cyber-intelligence listening post became the first of the country’s spy agencies to join the online social networking service.

The Government Communications Headquarters has previously kept itself to itself but is moving towards greater transparency following revelations by fugitive US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, who claimed GCHQ was conducting bulk data collection. “It’s a big step for the organisation as we become more open about the work we do to keep Britain safe,” said an unnamed GCHQ spokesman. “We want GCHQ to be more accessible and to help the

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public understand more about our work. “We also want to reach out to the technical community and add our voice to social media conversations about technology”, along with maths and cyber security.

The Twitter account will be used to highlight events, publications, blogs and opinion pieces. “Hello, world” was chosen as the first tweet as it is often the first thing computer whizzes learn to write in coding programmes.

GCHQ is based in a giant, ring-shaped building nicknamed “the doughnut” in the spa town of Cheltenham in southwest

UN committee finds weed killer glyphosate unlikely to cause cancer LONDON The weed-killing pesticide glyphosate, made by Monsanto and widely used in agriculture and by gardeners, probably does not cause cancer, according to a new safety review by United Nations health, agriculture and food experts. In a statement likely to intensify a row over its potential health impact, experts from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) said glyphosate is

“unlikely to pose a carcinogenic risk to humans” exposed to it through food. It is mostly used on crops.

Having reviewed the

scientific evidence, the joint WHO/FAO committee also said glyphosate is unlikely to be genotoxic in humans. In other words, it is not likely to have a

destructive effect on cells’ genetic material.

The conclusion contradicts a finding by the WHO’s Lyon-based International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which in March 2015 said glyphosate is “probably” able to cause cancer in humans and classified it as a socalled Group 2A carcinogen. Seven months after the IARC review, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), an independent agency funded by the European Union, published a different

assessment, saying glyphosate is “unlikely to pose a carcinogenic hazard to humans”. The differing findings thrust glyphosate into the centre of a row involving EU and US politicians and regulators, the IARC experts, environmental and agricultural specialists and the WHO. Diazinon and malathion, two other pesticides reviewed by the WHO/FAO committee, which met last week and issued its conclusions in a statement on Monday, were also found to be unlikely to be carcinogenic.

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Hardev Singh’s death: Punjab political parties play safe Even though Prime Minister Narindera Modi didn’t take much time to express his grief on the

incident.

With over many hours gone, Shiromani Akali Dal Badal and Aam Aadmi

death of the Nirankari head.

In a statement Dal Khalsa criticised Amarinder for

death of Nirankari head Hardev Singh in a car accident in Canada Friday, strangely major political parties of Punjab, where the Nirankari sect exists, however have been avoiding issuing any statement over the

Party (AAP) are yet to issue any message.

Amidst this confusion, Dal Khalsa, the political body of former Sikh militants has criticised Captain Amarinder Singh, after he chose the social media to condole the

calling the Nirankari head a spiritual leader. “If that is so, then the faith of Punjab Congress party president Captain Amarinder Singh in Guru Granth Sahib and Sikh philosophy is highly questionable,” it said.

Sonia Gandhi was against me and PM Modi, says Gandhi’s grandson New Delhi Eighty-seven years old Kanubhai Ramdas Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi who is living with his 85-year old wife Dr Shiva

was against us (PM Modi and Kanubhai,” said Gandhi’s grandson, who spoke to Prime Minister Modi in Gujarati over phone.

When asked he spoke to

Lakshmi Gandhi at Guru Vishram Vridh Ashram in Delhi’s Badarpur area, on Sunday said he is very old follower of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, adding those days Congress president Sonia Gandhi was against them.

“I am a very old follower of the Prime Minister, and he still remembers the help I had extended to him.

Those days Congress president Sonia Gandhi

the Prime Minister and the government responded quickly considering his situation, how he felt, he responded, “I am happy and after speaking to this bhai (Union Minister Mahesh Sharma), I am feeling happier.”

Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Culture and Tourism and Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma in the evening paid a visit to Kanubhai and his

wife at the Ashram and facilitated a conversation between Gandhi’s grandson and the Prime Minister over phone. He also inquired about their health and requirements. Sharma, who cut short his visit to Kerala for campaign, told reporters, “When this report was flashed through the media that Kanubhai Gandhi and Shiva Lakshmi are living in this old age home, the Prime Minister directed me to come here and to submit a report on circumstances, expectations and requirements of Kanubhai.” Sharma further said that he was happy that he could make Kanubhai talk to the Prime Minister.

“They talked for good fivesix minutes in a very cheerful atmosphere.

They refreshed their memories of the past in a very jovial mood. I am happy that the Prime Minister suggested me to submit a report and then he would take a call.”

70-yr-old on wheel chair offloaded from Air India due to ‘overbooking’ Mumbai A 70-year-old woman passenger on wheel chair was not allowed to board her Air India flight to New York from Mumbai via Delhi allegedly due to “over booking.”The incident took place on Friday. The woman was later flown on the airline’s Delhi-London Heathrow flight to provide her a connecting flight for her destination, New York , an Air India official said.Air India attributed the denial of boarding to the woman

passengers on its flight AI 101 (Mumbai-Delhi-New York) due to the cancellation of its same flight on Thursday.The

incident was brought out by her daughter, who tweeted, seeking airline’s help in this regard. “In fact, Air India flight which was to depart for New York via

Delhi was cancelled due to some technical issue. As a result some of the passengers of that flight were accommodated in its Friday’s flight, leading to denial of boarding to many passengers including this woman,” airline sources said.All the stranded passengers were given accommodation, the official said, adding, “the woman passenger was later flown to Delhi from where she boarded Air India flight AI 115 for London.

Dal Khalsa spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh said he was saddened to read the statement of the Punjab Congress chief.

“Statement of Captain was more than the expression of grief. He has gone to the extent of praising a person, who posed challenge to the Guruship of holy Granth Sahib. Lest it be forgotten, it was Captain’s Congress party that encouraged and patronised this heretical cult with an aim to undermine the basic fundamentals of Sikhism,” said Kanwar Pal, Dal Khalsa spokesperson.

“We pity that the majority

of Sikhs of Amritsar have chosen Captain to represent their voice in the Lok Sabha. Sikhs preferred him over an RSS functionary (Arun Jaitley).

The cat is out of bag and that Captain Stands exposed by his anti-Sikh and unprincipled utterance,” said Pal. In contrast, Facebook and Twitter handles of the AAP and SAD have no mention of Hardev Singh’s death.

Protesting against the defamatory statements of the Nirankari sect leaders, 13 Sikhs were killed in firing outside the venue of religious congregation of the sect held in Amritsar on 1978. Hence, many

Sikh historians treat this day as start of militancy period in Punjab.

Akal Takht in October 1978 warned Sikhs against having any relationship with followers of Nirankari sect.

Although Hardev never came in confrontation with Sikhs and religious congregation of the sect had been resumed in Punjab after return of normalcy, it is, however, apparent that the history of bitterness between Akal Takht and Nirankari sect is one of the main reason why both Shiromani Akali Dal and Aam Aadmi Party are keeping mum even after a death.

Issue - 667 (8)

17 May - 23 May 2016

Wah! East Asian words make it into Oxford English Dictionary

Hong Kong Words most commonly heard on the streets of Hong Kong and Singapore like “yum cha” and “wah” have entered the linguistic mainstream, with the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) including them in its latest update.The terms -- a type of Chinese breakfast and an expression of delight, respectively -- enter along with phrases like “dai pai dong”, “ang moh” and “chilli crab” (an openair food stall, a light-skinned person, and a regional delicacy).

Other new entries are “compensated dating”, a Hong Kong phrase that refers to a relationship provided in return for cash or gifts, and “Chinese Helicopter”, a Singaporean who

was educated in Mandarin and has little knowledge of English.

The March update to the OED, which styles itself as the definitive record of the English language, includes some 500 new words and phrases from around the world, such as “vlog”, “bro-hug” and “Dad’s Army”.

The update brought an “alphabet of newly added terms from World English to explore,” said OED senior assistant editor Jonathan Dent.He cited “killer litter” -- a Singaporean phenomenon of rubbish falling from a height -and “guanxi”, the Chinese term for personal connections that help facilitate business dealings.

The dictionary records southeast Asian influences on English stretching back to 1555.

Here is the the full list: Hong Kong Char siu - barbecued pork Compensated dating - relationship in return for cash Dai pai dong - open-air food stall Kaifong - neighbourhood association Guanxi - personal connections that aid business Lucky money - cash given in red envelopes Sandwich class - squeezed middle class Milk tea - local speciality Shroff - cashier Sitting-out area Siu mei - type of dim sum Yum cha - type of breakfast Wet market - market for fresh fish, meat and other produce Singapore Ang moh - a light-skinned person, Westerner Blur - ignorant, confused Chilli crab - regional delicacy Chinese helicopter - person who speaks little English Hawker centre - food market with individual vendors HDB - public housing estate Killer litter - lethal falling rubbish Lepak - to loiter aimlessly Shiok - cool, great Sabo - to harm, make trouble Sabo king - a troublemaker Sotong - squid or cuttlefish Teh tarik - sweet tea with milk Wah - an expression of delight

Christian family in Pakistan accused of blasphemy, leaves village Lahore A Christian man in Pakistan’s Punjab province, who allegedly watched antiIslamic lectures on his mobile phone has been accused of blasphemy, forcing him and his family to flee from their village.

Imran Masih, a sweeper in a health centre in Mandi Bahauddin, some 250 kilometers from Lahore, and his family members fleed from their village to save their lives after being accused of blasphemy, Aslam Pervaiz Sahotra, a Christian leader and

chairman of Human Liberation Commission Pakistan

said.“Tension is rising in the area where some 25 Christian families are residing and they feeling vulnerable. We have requested police to provide security to the Christian families,” he said.

Sahotra said Iftikhar, a colleague of Imran Masih, had watched a blasphemous video clip on his cell phone.

He said Iftikhar other Muslims who subjected Masih to severe torture.

The local cleric declared Masih a blasphemer, forcing which he had to flee along with his family members to save their lives, Sahotra said.He said the other members of Christian community in the village are also facing threats.

Police chief of Mandi Bahauddin Raja Basharat said the situation in the area is under

control.“Police personnel have been deployed in the village to stop any untoward incident,” he said adding that the police had not registered a blasphemy case against Masih.

“We have asked complainants to first present the cell phone of Masih. A case cannot be registered without examining the ‘blasphemous’ clip”, he said.

Blasphemy carries the death penalty and is an extremely sensitive issue in Pakistan, where people generally from the minority community have been targeted under the controversial law.

Pakistani journalist gunned down for supporting love marriage

Islamabad A Pakistani journalist has been brutally shot dead by the relatives of a woman for supporting her in marrying a man of her choice without the family’s permission in Punjab province, sparking a wave of protests.

Ajmal Joyia, who was in his 30s, was going home on a motorbike when he was targeted by at least three gunmen in Lodhran district.

He was killed on Monday while his cousin, who was also riding on the same motorbike, was critically injured, police said.

“Joyia was targeted by the relatives of a woman who married a man of her choice without the permission of the family,” a police official said.He had reportedly extended his support to the beleaguered couple and was said to have approached district authorities to provide the couple with adequate security, reports said.Police have arrested one of the killers while two others were still at large.Journalists in various cities of Punjab organised protests against the killing and demanded arrest of the killers and financial compensation for Joyia’s family.

Honour killings are common in Pakistan and women defying family for love or marriage are often killed. Sometimes those supporting such couple are also targeted.

Last month, a teenaged girl was killed and her body was burnt in Abbotabad district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province for allegedly helping her friend run away with a boy and marry him.

Pakistani nuclear scientist AQ Khan’s family named in Panama Papers Islamabad Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan’s family has been named in the Panama Papers leak that mention four of his relatives as owners of an offshore company in the Bahamas.

Khan’s brother Abdul Quyuim Khan, wife Hendrina, and two daughters -- Dina and Ayesha -- are all shown as owners of Wahdat Ltd, a company registered in the Bahamas, the Dawn reported on Saturday.

Although the names are not part of the data released online by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), Wahdat Ltd does appear on the website. However, it has been named in the larger database obtained by the group.

The company was registered in January of 1998, months before

the nuclear tests of May that year, and deregistered on December 31, 1999, shortly after the October 12 coup.

“I have never even heard the

signed any documents to create this company. The signatures (on the incorporation paperwork) are surely false. My brother never discussed it with me and

and Niue in the database, dating back to 1993, most of which are either “inactive” or “defaulted”, the report said.

The ICIJ defines an intermediary

by the then army chief and president Pervez Musharraf of running a rogue proliferation network for nuclear material in 2004.Shortly after, a recorded

name of this company,” the paper quoted Khan as saying.

“Neither did my wife and daughters. My brother, who died a few years ago, was with Habib Bank and, as you know, bankers are always up to their tricks and hanky panky,” he said, without mincing words.

“My wife and daughters never

my family only heard about this company after the Panama Papers release,” he added.

The company has been shown as an intermediary of ILS Fiduciaries IOM (Ltd), registered in the Isle of Man and still active.

That company has links to 611 other entities from various jurisdictions such as Panama

as “(a) go-between for someone seeking an offshore corporation and an offshore service provider, usually a law firm or a middleman, that asks an offshore service provider to create an offshore firm for a client.

Khan, the architect of Pakistan nuclear weapons, was accused

confession by Khan was aired in which he took sole responsibility for all the nuclear proliferation that had been revealed. He has been under house arrest ever since 2004, although he continues to move around, make phone calls, receive visitors and writes a regular column in a newspaper.

Issue - 667 (9)

17 May - 23 May 2016

Indian-origin designer jailed for 5 yrs for tax fraud in UK London An Indian-origin fashion designer has been jailed for five years in the UK after being found guilty of attempting to steal one million pounds in tax fraud.Sheel Khemka, 42, set up 12 companies and used them to front his scam.

He had claimed to be a designer to the stars, appearing in a feature in ‘Vogue’ magazine for his Lofli range of jeans.However, the UK’s HMRC (Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs) got suspicious of his trading activity, involving unpaid bills and VAT claims.

It emerged that Khemka had only imported jeans worth 24,000 pounds from the US, which he passed around between 12 companies using false names and invoices to claim he was selling millions of pounds worth of designer garments in order to claim back VAT, the ‘Evening Standard’ reported.“The scheme was dishonest from the start. I have severe doubts if jeans existed at all and you set up companies using the hijacked identities of friends.

This was a sophisticated and wellplanned fraud from which you used a lot of money on yourself 200,000 pounds to buy a house,” said Judge Nicholas Ainley at Croydon Crown

Court during sentencing on Wednesday.Khemka was sentenced to five years in prison and also banned from operating as a company director for seven years.The fraudulently obtained money has been paid back. Alan Tully, assistant director of the Fraud Investigation service at HMRC, said: “Khemka set up this fraud through greed, to fund a lavish lifestyle at the taxpayers’ expense.Using the proceeds of his crime he bought a luxury home in Gloucestershire and a top-of-therange Mercedes car.

“If he had not been stopped by HMRC officers he would have stolen millions of pounds of VAT.

Uzbekistan schoolteachers ‘paid in chickens’

NUKUS A city in Uzbekistan has paid its schoolteachers in chickens rather than cash, it’s reported.

The authorities in Nukus, in the autonomous Karakalpakstan Republic, have been handing out freshly-hatched chicks due to a lack of money in the country’s banks, US-backed Radio Ozodlik reports.One teacher describes the decision as “shameful”, telling the radio: “Last year they paid us with potatoes, carrots and pumpkins.This year they are forcing us to take newborn chickens instead of our wages.If we need chickens we can buy them from a market at a much cheaper rate.“ Another source says the chicks were deemed to be worth 7,000 soms ($2.50; £1.70) each for salary purposes, more than double the going rate at local markets.

Uzbekistan’s government tightly controls the domestic media, and residents who speak to foreign media usually do so on the condition of anonymity.

Uzbekistan has struggled with a cash shortages for years,

causing severe delays in salaries and pension payments.Earlier this month, state employees in the capital, Tashkent, complained that they had not been paid for two months because the banks had no money.

This was a sophisticated fraud that involved detailed planning and forgery, all for the benefit of one criminal.”According to the paper, Khemka submitted 12 VAT repayment claims between May and October 2009, receiving almost 498,000 pounds in refunds.

A further 11 claims totalling more than 500,000 pounds, submitted during 2009, were not paid out.Khemka based his business in London with satellite offices across the UK, which were often rented shortly before a visit by HMRC inspectors to check the repayment claims.

The “small quantity” of designer jeans bought from the US were moved from business to business with new packaging and labels, in an attempt to show that they had just been imported.

Khemka printed fake invoices, sales orders and other papers shortly before each meeting with HMRC, and asked local accountancy firms to sit in on the visits for an air of legitimacy.

He was arrested in central London in November 2011 and later charged with cheating the public revenue.

LONDON She has several castles and hundreds of millions of pounds in the bank, but Queen Elizabeth II looked delighted with her winnings from a horse show - a £50 supermarket voucher.

Photos published Friday from the Royal Windsor Horse Show showed a smiling British monarch, who has a life-long passion for horses, clutching a voucher from retailer Tesco.

Her 14-year-old bay gelding

Barber’s Shop won first prize in the Tattersalls and RoR Thoroughbred Ridden Show Series Qualifier at the show near her Windsor Castle residence on Thursday.

The voucher may not be worth much financially to a woman who has a personal fortune of £340 million ($490 million, 430 million euros), according to the Sunday Times Rich List.

But the Daily Telegraph reported that the queen burst out laughing when she opened the winner’s envelope, which included the gift token and another for a jacket from another retailer.

“She usually distributes her winnings to her trainers, jockeys and others with a hand in her success,” the newspaper reported.Tesco later offered its congratulations, with a spokesman quoted by the Telegraph as saying: “We hope this win provides a little help with the weekly royal shop.

“The latest royal accounts show the queen’s household spent £1.

3 million on food and drink in 2015 - the equivalent of £25,000 a week.

Bangladeshi girl seeks help for rare excess hair condition DHAKA The family of a 12-year-old Bangladeshi girl who suffers from a rare condition that causes thick hair to cover her face and body have spoken out as they seek to fund surgery to give their daughter a chance at a normal life.Bithi Akhtar suffers from Byars-Jurkiewicz syndrome and a complication known as hypertrichosis dubbed “werewolf syndrome”.“She has been covered with hair since she was born.We thought it would go away as she grew up,” Akhtar ’s mother Beauty Begum said.

Mexico debates legalising opium poppy for medicine

MEXICO CITY Fed up with drug-related violence, a growing number of Mexican politicians see one potential cure: legalizing the cultivation of opium poppies for the production of medicine.The debate has emerged in recent weeks after President Enrique Pena Nieto proposed legislation in April to loosen marijuana laws by legalizing medical cannabis and easing restrictions on its recreational use.Since then, governors and congressional lawmakers have voiced their support for regulating opium poppies, which are often grown by farmers in poor areas of the

Queen’s delight at winning supermarket voucher

country and sold to cartels as the raw material for heroin.The idea was launched by Hector Astudillo, governor of the

southern state of Guerrero, which has the country’s highest murder rate amid turf wars among drug cartels battling for control of the mountains where US-bound heroin is born.

As a result of the syndrome, swollen gums cover Akhtar’s teeth, and her breasts make up

give her hormone therapy to control her body hair.“We are truly optimistic the kid will be

almost half of her 38-kilo (84pound) frame, leaving her unable to stand or attend school.

“We thought it was God’s wish she was born like this.

But I no longer can see my kid bearing all the pain anymore,” her mother told AFP. Only four or five people in the world are thought to have the same exact condition, the child’s doctor said.“ByarsJurkiewicz syndrome creates facio-genital disorder and massive bilateral enlargement of breasts after puberty, which has happened to the young girl,” said Fakhrul Alam, a doctor at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University.

Akhtar’s family are seeking to generate awareness of her plight in a bid to raise funds for treatment, with doctors saying her life could be vastly improved with surgery.Doctors plan to carry out a breast reduction, reduce her swollen gums and

returning to normal life after the entire procedure,” Alam said.While the university treating Akhtar covers part of the cost of her treatment, her father, a motorbike taxi driver, said the family still cannot afford the rest.

“I had to spend more than 80,000 taka ($1,025) to buy medicines, a big chunk of which was a bank loan.And I don’t have anything left for her treatment,” Abdul Razzak said.The girl’s parents drew inspiration from the case of a 26year-old Bangladeshi man who received hundreds of offers of financial help as he sought surgery to remove huge barklike warts from one hand.

Though she presently spends most of her time in hospital, Akhtar is optimistic for the future.

“I want to go back to school,” she told AFP.“When I grow up, I want to be a doctor.

Issue - 667 (10)

Khatri Dhir family seek a suitable match for their son, 1984 born, 5’-7” tall, Canadian Citizen, B.Com (1st year) own business, Friendly, Non-vegetarian, NonManglik, family oriented. The girl should be Khatri, family oriented, beautiful, educated. Girls on Student Visa/Work permit can also be considered. Please send you bio-data and recent picture to: moit13@yahoo.com Or Call: 905-792-7730 ***669*** Jat Sikh parents seeking a match for their daughter, born and raised in Canada, 30 yrs. old, 5’-6” tall, Master’s degree holder from a Candaian University, professionally employed, well versed in both cultures. The boy should be well educated, professionally settled between 28-34 yrs. of age, born or raised in Canada. Mainland area prefered. Please email recent picture and bio-data to: parmjit50@gmail.com Or Call : 1604-317-7576 ***667*** Brahmin parents invite matrimonial alliance for their daughter, 26 yrs. old, 5’-4” tall, Canadian Citizen, pretty, family oriented Vegetarian, university graduate. The boy should be Canadian/American, Immigrant/ Citizen,Vegetarian, Professionally qualified, employed from good family background. Boys on student visa for higher studies (university level) may also be considered. Please send your bio-data & recent picture to: : bhupp1958@gmail.com Or Call : 905-956-2392 (or leave Message) ***667*** Kashyap Rajput Hindu Punjabi parents seeking a suitable match for their only son DOB 1974, 5’10” tall, high level professional chef, never married, non-smoker, nondrinker, handsome, fair complexion belongs to a high status family.

The girl should be family oriented from Canada/USA. All the family is settled in USA. Caste no bar.

Please email recent picture and bio-data to: nitakashyaprajput@yahoo.com Or Call : 1-862-236-0152 ***667*** Jat Sikh parents seek a suitable match for their Canadian born, 31 year old, 5'-5" tall, beautiful, slim, fair daughter, holding a B.Sc. degree, currently employed in her field. The boy should be Jat Sikh, handsome, educated. Please send your bio-data and recent picture to: jett1@live.ca or call: 1519-222-7080 (Ontario Canada) *** 667*** Saraswat Brahmin parents invite matrimonial alliance for their daughter, DOB May 31, 1982, 5’6” tall, Canadian Citizen, working as Practitioner Nurse. Looking for a suitable qualified match from Canada/America. Please Call : 905-676-1903 ***667*** Jat Sikh family seek a suitable match for their son, 26 yrs. old, 5’-8” tall, American born, clean shaven, B.Tech., working in New York Engineering Company, non-

17 May - 23 May 2016

smoker, non drinker. The Girl should be from any Sikh family, American Citizen only. Preferably from New York or U.S.A. East Coast. Caste no Bar. Call : 1-516852-7032 ***667*** Khatri Sikh parents invite matrimonial alliance for their son, 26 yrs. old, 5’-11” tall, Canadian Citizen, working as a finance specialist with Canadian Govt., wears turban, non-trimmer, nondrinker. The Girl should be Canadian Immigran/Citizen, educated, having good family values and from Sikh family.

Please send your bio-data and recent picture to: manjit_msb@yahoo.ca or Call : 1604-853-2709 ***667*** Jat Sikh family in GTA seeks alliance for their Canadian born son, 25 yrs. old, 5’-10” tall, fair, professionally engineer, employed with govt. Looking for Canadian born girl, Univesity Graduate, slim and fair. Please send your bio-data and recent picture to : jatcanadian@hotmail.com or call 416-938-4195 ***667*** Jat Sikh parents invite matrimonial alliance for their beautiful daughter, 25 yrs. old, working as RN in Seattle (USA), completed BSN in Nursing. The boy should be born in Canada/America, well educated, professional (Doctor/ Dentist), employed with moderate family values. Please send your bio-data and recent picture to : madamk1940@gmail.com ***667*** Jat Sikh Grewal parents seeking a suitable match for their son, 36 yrs. old, 6’-1” tall, Canadian Citizen, MBA degree holder, working with reputable bank. The girl should be educated, professionally employed and with family values.Please send your bio-data and recent picture to : grewal2016@yahoo.ca or Call : 1604-765-9214 ***667*** Khatri Dhir family seek a suitable match for their son, 1984 born, 5’7” tall, Canadian Citizen, B.Com (1st year) own business, Friendly, Non-vegetarian, Non-Manglik, family oriented. The girl should be Khatri, family oriented, beautiful, educated. Girls on Student Visa/ Work permit can also be considered. Please send you biodata and recent picture to: moit13@yahoo.com Or Call: 905792-7730 ***667*** Jat Sikh parents invite matrimonial alliance for their daughter, 38 yrs. old, 5’-3” tall, Canadian Citizen, never married, professionally employed in Health field (G.T.A.) The boy should be Jat Sikh, educated, empoyed never married. Please send you bio-data and recent picture to: myshaadi2016@hotmail.com ***667*** Canadian well settledJat Sikh family family seeks a suitable match for their daugther, 1989/ 5’-3”, Canadian Citizen, well cultured, family oriented, Bachelor in

Administration Accounting, employed as Administration Assistant. The boy should be Canadaitn Citizen/ PR, well educated, sober, professionally employed and should be from Ropar, Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Mohali Or Ludhiana Distt. Please email recent picture and bio-data to: lidharfamily@gmail.com Or Call : 647-783-2118 (5 PM to 9 PM Weekend any time) ***667*** US citizens Jat Sikh Saini parents seeking professional alliance for their 30 Yrs/5’8"/Greencard holder, fair, slim and beautiful daughter, Licensed Physical Therapist, presently working in New York. Boy residing and working in New York preferred. Please send your biodata & recent picture to:.ts215saini@gmail.com or call: 1-516-765-5004 *** 667*** Jat sikh clean shaven handsome boy, 29yrs. old, 6’ tall, B-Tech, MTech (India), MBA Finance (USA), working in US Seeks tall, beautiful, well educated, American citizen/ immigrant girl. Please send your bio-data & recent picture to: mangat.harjit@yahoo.com or call: 1- 917 353 8909 *** 667*** Jat Sikh parents seeking a suitable match for their daughter, born and raised in Canada 29 yrs. old, 5’-7” tall, beautiful, family oriented, Master’s degree in Physiotherapy and professionally employed in Ontario. The boy should be well educated, professionally settled with family values. GTA prefered.

Please email recent picture and bio-data to: sanjog60@hotmail.com Or Call : 1-204-881-7405 ***667*** Jat Sikh parents seek a suitable match for their son, 29 yrs. old, 5'8" tall, Canadian citizen, university graduate with B. Comm, CPA, CMA, professionally employed.

The girl should be family oriented, well educated with a balance of both eastern and western values.

Please send your bio-data & recent picture to: kk.gill1@hotmail.com or call 647-918-9571 *** 667*** Wanted suitable match for well settled single Hindu Nai Canadian citizen boy, Software Engineer(working),Goverenment Job. 5'11" height, 26/02/1987 (born in Punjab, India). Seeking educated and working/student Canadian/PR match. send Bio data/pictures at: naveenbalram@yahoo.ca or call 709-685-5062. Parents Govt employees, only son. *** 667*** Jat Sikh Family in Edmonton seeks a matrimonial alliance for their Canadian born daughter, annulled, 36 yrs. old, 5’-5" tall, B.Com., Currently working as an accountant. The boy should be professional, respectful Jat Sikh, under 40 yrs. of age, well versed in English. Please send your bio-data & recent picture to: hmanjitk@gmail.com or call: 1780-690-2831 *** 667*** Sikh Khatri parents seek a suitable

match for their US Citizen son, 28 yrs. old, 5’-4’’ tall, Masters degree in engineering from a top US University, working at a technology company in New York area. The girl should be family oriented, educated, beautiful, perferbaly from US/Canada. Please send your biodata & recent pictures to: chhabra.harjitsingh59@gmail.com or Call: 1-347-921-1453 *** 667*** Valmiki parents invite matrimonial alliance for their daughter, 1986 born, 5'-6" tall, MBBS, working as Government medical officer in India.

The boy should be University educated and professionally employed (in India, Canada or U.S.). Please contact at: 1-661886-5925 or 1-647-308-0386 *** 667*** Looking for a Canada born, well settled Jat Sikh doctor for 29 yrs. old, 5’-5” tall beautiful girl, doctor (MBBS from India) studied and worked in Canada for 2 yrs., waiting decision on PR and preparing for licensing exams. Presently in India.

Family in Canada. GTA prefered.

Please email recent picture and bio-data to: wmk1355@gmail.com Or Call : 1-403-836-4747 ***667*** Jat Sikh Sidhu parents matrimonial alliance for their son, 28 yrs. old, 5’-8” tall, clean shaven, Canadian Citizen, graduate, well settled in Job. The girl should be Educated, Pharmacist or B.Sc. Nursing.

Preferance will be given to Ludhiana Distt. Please send you bio-data and recent picture to: sukhi.81@gmail.com Or Call: 1604-585-2995 ***667*** Jat Sikh parents invite matrimonial alliance for their son, 33 yrs. old, 6’ tall, Australian Citizen, B.Tech degree holder, professionally employed in Australia, handsome, family oriented divorced. The gil should be Canadian Immigrant/ Citizen, educated, beautiful with family values. Please email recent picture and bio-data to: shaminder23@hotmail.com Or Call: 289-260-7742 Or : 011-91-94178-21698 ***667*** Jatt Sikh parents seeking a suitable match for their daughter, 30 yrs. old, 5'-5" tall, slim, currently works as a Consultant with the Big 4 in San Francisco. The boy should be between the age of 29-34, clean shaven, educated, professionally employed and active outdoors. If interested please reply with a picture and information at :muirwoodshiker@gmail.com or call: 1- 831-722-8876 (in the evening.) *** 667*** Jat Sikh Brar parents invite matrimonial alliance for their son, 30 yrs. old, 5’-11” tall, clean shaven, fair, athletic built, Bachelor’s in computer application, M.Sc. IT, PG Diploma in Software Engineering Pursuing Bacherlors of Laws, Working as Director in IT Company in India. The girl should be Canadian/American, Immigrant/Citizen, well educated, fair, beautiful and family oriented.

Please Call : 011-91-99539-99385

Or : 011-91-73073-45033 (Whatsapp) ***667*** Punjabi Sikh parents seek a match for their Canadian born and raised, clean shaven son, 32 yrs. old, 6’-1” tall, handsome, Doctor MD, finished internal Medicine residency and now doing fellowship (specialization). The girl should be resident doctor (MD) or Physician, born and raised in Canada and from Ontario, beautiful, atleast 5’-5” tall with family values. Please send your bio-data & recent picture to: sm9058@hotmail.com ***667** Ramgarhia Sikh family seek a suitable match for their son, 27 yrs. old, 5’-7” tall, Canadian Citizen, B.Com (Canada), working as a cerified I.T. Technician, own’s construction business, NonDrinker, Non-Smoker. The girl should be Canadian/American Immigrant or Citizen, beautiful, family oriented, family is well settled in B.C. Canada. Please send you bio-data and recent picture to: harindersamby@hotmail.com Or Call : 1-604-537-7444 ***667*** Jat Sikh parents invite matrimonial alliance for their daughter, 27 yrs. old, 5’-6” tall, born in India, Canadian Citizen, Computer Engineering Diploma and Bachelor of technology degree holder, currently employed full time.

Looking for an equallly qualified, well settled, professionally employed and family oriented match. Boy on student visa for higher studies/work permit may also be considered.

Please Call : 647-280-9000 ***667*** Jat Sikh parents seek a suitable match for their son, 34 yrs. old, 5’-10” tall, born & raised in Canada, well settled in Job. The girl should be beautiful, family oriented, born & raised in Canada.

Call : 1-604-671-0002 ***667*** Kashyap Rajput Sikh parents invite matrimonial alliance for their clean shaven, handsome Canadian citizen son, Aug. 89/ 5’7” tall, born in India brought up in Canada. B.Eng. M.Eng. both from Canda, well employed in his own field. The girl should be professionally qualified, beautiful and family oriented. The girl on student visa for higher studies, work permit may be considered.

Caste no bar. Please send your bio-data and recent pictures at nirmaljitsingh@hotmail.com Or Call : 647-430-1749 ***667*** Rajput Sikh parents seeking a suitable match for their son, 25 yrs. old, 5’-9” tall, American Citizen, handsome, working in a reputed company in USA, belongs to a very well settled family. The girl should be educated, Canadian/ American, Immigrant/Citizen, beautiful and family oriented.

Please email recent picture and bio-data to: harjeet18@gmail.com Or Call : 647-465-1124 ***667***

Issue - 667 (11)

17 May - 23 May 2016

Apple invests $1 billion in China taxi app Didi BEIJING Apple said Friday it has invested $1 billion in Chinese ride hailing app Didi Chuxing, the bitter rival of US-based Uber, as the tech giant seeks to better understand its secondbiggest market.

The announcement comes as Apple faces headwinds in China, where it has seen huge drops in sales of its popular electronics, but is working to expand its mobile payments service and is even believed to have ambitions for driverless cars.Didi, formerly known as Didi Kuaidi, is China’s largest ridesharing service, and the tie up may serve as a way for Apple to get to know the Chinese market ahead of a longrumoured expansion into the transportation sector.

“We decided to make the investment for a number of strategic reasons, including the chance to learn more about certain segments of the China market”, chief executive Tim Cook told the official news agency Xinhua.

Apple is thought to be one of a number of tech companies, including Google and Chinese search giant Baidu, that are developing driverless cars.The move may also be intended to help Apple expand its Apple Pay service, which faces strong Chinese competition, analysts said.

The twin prospects may help soothe investors nervous about Apple’s prospects in the Middle Kingdom.

The company’s shares have dropped more than 13 percent since April 26,

when it reported its first ever fall in iPhone sales, largely due to waning interest from Chinese consumers.

On Thursday, the stock closed down 2.

4 percent, losing its

coveted spot as the world’s biggest publicly traded company to Google parent company Alphabet.

The fall from grace, blamed on the company’s failure to expand into the lowerpriced handsets popular in developing markets, came amid a string of bad news from China.Last month, authorities shut down Apple’s movie and book services.

Adding insult to injury, it was revealed to have lost a court case over the use of its iPhone trademark.

Hoping for a turnaround, Cook will travel to Beijing later this month to lobby senior leaders.

Didi, which also has backing from Chinese Internet behemoths Tencent and Alibaba, likely hopes to use the deal to strike a death blow to USbased Uber, its main competitor for the Chinese ridesharing market.

Apple’s injection was the “single largest investment the company has ever received,” said Didi, which

dominates the car-hailing sector in China and says it has almost 90 percent of the market.

Uber, which has received funding from Baidu, along with state-owned Citic Securities - is a small, but

scrappy competitor.

Didi and Uber both have deep pockets and have been locked in a war of attrition for riders.

In February, Uber said it lost $1 billion annually in China as it competes for market share and Didi is thought to be dropping similar amounts as both companies subsidise users’ rides, which are much cheaper than regular cab fares.

Last September, Didi’s president Jean Liu said the company was “burning through cash”, according to a report by Bloomberg News.

Though Apple’s investment in Didi is large, the deal seems more notable for its strategic rather than financial significance.

There are “lots of opportunities for closer cooperation between the two companies,” Cook told Xinhua.

One area they are likely to explore is mobile payments, according to Chinese analysts who say

Uzbek woman alleges rape by man who lured her to India on Facebook New Delhi A woman was arrested and a hunt launched for her husband for the alleged

to come to India and join his ‘business’. When she landed in India, Altaf took her to a hotel room in

rape of an Uzbek national and pushing her into prostitution in south Delhi’s Vasant Kunj area.

According to the 23-yearold woman’s complaint, Altaf alias Raju, 34, befriended her on Facebook in May last year.

“He told her that he was in love with her and proposed to her. He also asked her

Mahipalpur and repeatedly raped her on the pretext of marriage,” a senior police officer said.The woman further alleged that Altaf held her captive in the room and made video recordings of her.He later introduced her to his wife Anjali, 23, and threatened to post the videos online if she tried to leave the country.“The

woman alleged that the couple took her passport and cash and pushed her into flesh trade. She said they sent clients to the room and forced her to entertain them,” the officer told HT.The woman managed to escape on Saturday with the help of a friend and approached the Vasant Kunj police, who registered a case of rape and immoral trafficking.Anjali was arrested and Altaf, who has several criminal cases registered against him, was on the run. “Our teams are raiding his hideouts and we expect to arrest him soon. We are also investigating whether he was running a flesh trade racket involving the trafficking of Uzbeki woman,” another police officer said.

the investment could be a good opportunity for Apple Pay. The service was recently launched in China but has to contend with well established existing competitors owned by Alibaba and Tencent - now its fellow shareholders in Didi.

Didi says it has more than 300 million passengers registered and provides over 11 million rides a day - numbers that provide an excellent opportunity for Apple Pay, according to an article on Chinese web site Huxiu.

“It is undoubtedly a good value for Apple to tie up with an app that has a large user base and where frequent payments are made,” it said.

It is technically illegal in China for private cars to offer rides for payment, and authorities occasionally stage stings to arrest drivers, but regulations are not often enforced, creating an opening for ridesharing services to flourish.

Didi invested in Uber’s US rival Lyft last year, along with Alibaba and Tencent, and announced last month that it would cooperate with it to compete with Uber on its own turf.

Saudi women may face jail, flogging for checking husband’s phone

Riyadh Women in Saudi Arabia could be sent to jail and flogged if they check their husband’s phone without his knowledge and consent. The matter was not covered in the Kingdom’s Islamic laws, but would instead be seen as a violation of privacy, a report said on Saturday.

According to lawyer Mohammed Al-Temyat, who describes himself as a member of the Saudi government’s Family Security Programme, women can be brought before a court if a lawsuit was filed against them, the Independent reported. The committee was set up in 2005 seeking to improve access to social services.

There was no set punishment for this offence, as it is not covered

by Islamic law. Therefore punishments come under judicial discretion, which

can mean jail time.

“I would like to clarify that this subject involves the husband and the wife and it is a Ta’zir offence so it is possible that there would be a flogging, a fine, imprisonment, just signing a pledge or even nothing,” Al-Temyat told the Makkah newspaper, as cited by the Independent.

“It is a Ta’zir offence not identified legally, so the punishment is dependent on the damage caused from it. If there was no damage caused, there could be no punishment,” the lawyer added.

Not surprisingly, the claims led to plenty of angry comments on social media, with users condemning the move.

“They (men) get annoyed with women ‘only’ checking her husband’s phone, whilst a woman lives all of her life in an ‘inquisition’.

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17 May - 23 May 2016

Bangladesh Sufi Muslim hacked to death in suspected Islamist attack Dhaka A local Sufi Muslim leader has been found hacked to death in Bangladesh in a suspected Islamist killing, police said on Saturday, two weeks after the Islamic State group claimed the

murder of a liberal professor in the same northwestern district.

Mohammad Shahidullah, 65, went missing after leaving home on Friday morning, until villagers last night found his body in a pool of blood in a mango grove in Rajshahi.“He was not a famous Sufi. But there could be a

possibility that he was killed by Islamist militants,” Rajshahi district police chief Nisharul Arif said.The police officer said the killing of the self-proclaimed Sufi master was “similar” to a recent spate of hacking murders of

religious minorities in the country.“He was slaughtered from his neck and there are also some deep gashes in his throat,” Abdur Razzak, a local police official said, adding that “he had scores of followers in a nearby district”.Sufi Islam is a mystical form of Islam popular in rural

Bangladesh but considered deviant by many of the country’s majority Sunni Muslims.

They include the Saudi-inspired Salafis and Wahabis, who are gaining strength in the country.

Suspected Islamists have carried out dozens of murders of atheist bloggers, liberal voices and religious minorities in recent years including Sufi, Shiite and Ahmadi Muslims, Hindus, Christians and foreigners.In the past five weeks, two gay activists, a liberal professor, an atheist activist and a Hindu tailor who allegedly made derogatory remarks about the Prophet Mohammed were hacked to death by suspected Islamist militants.

Some of the attacks have been claimed by the Islamic State group and a local branch of AlQaeda, although Dhaka denies the transnational groups have any presence in the country.

116-year-old Italian woman seen as last living person born in 1800s Verbania Surrounded by relatives and friends, Italy’s Emma Morano greeted with a smile the news that she, at 116, is now the oldest person in the world.

Not only that, but Morano is believed to be the last surviving person in the world born in the 1800s, with a birth date of November 29, 1899. That’s just 4 ½ months afterSusannah Mushatt Jones , who died Thursday in New York, also at 116. Journalists on Friday descended upon Morano’s home in Verbania, a northern Italian mountain town overlooking Lake Major, to document her achievement, but had to wait until she finished a nap to greet her.

Morano lives in a neat one-room apartment, which she no longer leaves, and is kept company by a caregiver and two elderly nieces.

“I am doing fine 116!” she told well-wishers from her bed Friday.

“I finished school and I went to

work. I used to sing. I had a beautiful voice,” she added, summing up her life in a frail voice.

Her physician of 23 years, Dr Carlo Bava, delivered the news

earlier that she was officially the world’s oldest person.

“She was very, very happy” and sitting up in a chair, he told The Associated Press in a phone interview. “She was all proud and

contented.”

For the occasion, he brought flowers as well seven Easter cakes called Colomba, an Italian specialty that he managed to procure out of season to satisfy her sweet tooth until Christmas, when Panettone is available.

The doctor said Morano has never had a very balanced diet, relying mostly on animal protein, the occasional banana and grapes in season. Her diet now includes two raw eggs and 100 grams of raw steak a day, which Bava prescribed after she had a bout of anemia some years back. Her nieces also make her apple sauce.

Italy is known for its centenarians many of whom live on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia and gerontologists at the University of Milan are studying Morano, along with a handful of Italians over 105, to try to figure out why they live so long.

Bava, who visits her every Friday, is convinced there’s a genetic component to Morano’s longevity in addition to her positive attitude. One of her sisters lived to be over 100 and another to nearly 100.

Axe fragment found in Australia ‘world’s oldest’

SYDNEY A rock flake found in Australia is believed to be from the world’s oldest known axe and likely dates from just after humans arrived in the country around 50,000 years ago, scientists said Wednesday.

The fragment, about the size of a thumbnail, was found in Western Australia’s sparsely populated Kimberley region and its age indicates that early indigenous technology was novel and inventive. “This is without

doubt the oldest axe in the world,” Peter Hiscock, the University of Sydney academic who analysed the fragment, told AFP. The piece was excavated in the 1990s, but it was not until recently that its significance was recognised and confirmed by new technology.

“It’s a relatively small fragment, it’s not much more than a centimetre (half an inch) long,” said Hiscock, who used a digital microscope to analyse the piece and determine it was man-made.

Isis Drops Off Baby Name List

Parents generally do not like to name their newborn babies after global villains there are not many Adolfs floating around in the U.S. So now that the Islamic State terror group, or ISIS, has risen to prominence in the Middle East, a once-popular name for girls has abruptly fallen into obscurity.

The Social Security Administration released its annual list of the most popular baby names Friday and “Isis,” a name that had consistently ranked among the list of 1,000 most popular girls names for 15 years, has dropped completely off of the list. The reason for the big change would seem to be pretty obvious.The Islamic State group, a terrorist organization that has taken over large pieces of territory in Iraq and Syria, goes by the acronym ISIS, which stands for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. The group, which is also called IS and Daesh, has claimed responsibility for many global terror attacks, including

this year’s deadly March 22 bombings in Brussels and the coordinated attacks in Paris in last November. The similarity between the ISIS acronym and Isis name is likely scaring off parents in the U.S. who most likely do not want their babies associated with terrorism.

“It’s actually quite rare for a name to be eliminated by issues in the news,” Laura Wattenberg, the founder of BabynameWizard.com, told CBS News, pointing out that it still took a few years for the name Adolf to disappear from the list even after U.S. forces declared war on Adolf Hitler and the Nazis in World War II. As for the most popular baby names, “Noah” and “Emma” took the top spots for boys and girls, respectively. That is the second straight year of lofty ranking for “Emma,” which previously topped the list in 2008.

Meanwhile, Noah has now been the most popular boys’ name for three straight years.

Islamabad The authorities in the Pakistani port city of Karachi said on Saturday that they have arrested an Indian “agent” who was living illegally and was involved in anti-state activities.

“Security officials and the police raided a house at Jamshed Quarters area and arrested the Indian intelligence agent, Arshad Hussain,” an official told the media.

He said Hussain arrived in Pakistan in 2011 and travelled abroad six times. Authorities have recovered three mobile phones and 10 sim cards, laptop, sensitive documents and an internet device.”

The accused has revealed the names of six people who were

in contact with him, sources close to the investigators said. The security officials and the police conducted raids in some areas to arrest Hussain’s accomplices.

Officials said it was the arrest of second Indian agent in Pakistan in less than two months.

Pakistan had arrested former Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav in March, who it claims is an Indian spy working for the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

The external affairs ministry spokesperson acknowledged that Jadhav was a former Indian Navy personnel but dismissed allegations of espionage, saying India believes a stable Pakistan is in the interest of the region.

After Jadhav, Pakistan claims arrest of another ‘Indian agent’

Issue - 667 (13)

17 May - 23 May 2016

Islamic State launches mobile app for children ISIS has reportedly launched its first mobile app for children to teach them the Arabic alphabet and the vocabulary taught by it includes jihadist themes along with words like ‘tank’, ‘gun’ and ‘rocket’.The Islamic State‘s ‘Library of Zeal’ has released an application for teaching the Arabic alphabet to children on Android devices, the Long War Journal reported.The vocabulary taught within the application includes jihadist themes. The application was released through Islamic State Telegram channels and on other file sharing websites.The application has games for memorising and how to write the Arabic letters in addition to including a ‘nasheed’ a cappella Islamic songs – designed to help teach the alphabet.The lyrics in the nasheed are littered with jihadist terminology, while other

games within the app also include militaristic vocabulary with more common, basic words, the report said.Words like ‘tank’, ‘gun’ and ‘rocket’ are among the first few taught within the application.

The Long War Journal posted several images of the app, which is brightly coloured and includes the look and feel one would expect from any children’s application.

The ‘Library of Zeal’ also issued

75-year-old Buddhist monk hacked to death in Bangladesh

a press release, which included screenshots from the app as well as a link to download it, media reports said.

The release said it “teaches the cubs the alphabet letters”.

The alphabet application is not the Islamic State’s first mobile application, however it is the first to be directed exclusively at children.

The jihadist group has also produced several videos from many of its proclaimed provinces showing children being trained for jihad or being indoctrinated at Islamic Staterun schools.

Other videos from the terror group have shown children being involved in beheadings and executions of prisoners held by the Islamic State.

ISIS releases video of ‘citizen executions’ in Iraq

The Islamic State group has released a video showing five alleged “spies” being shot dead in Iraq by young men from a crowd assembled for the execution. The 12-minute video released on social media on Wednesday mimics a participatory television show, in which members of the public are interviewed and invited to take part.

Produced by the group’s branch in Nineveh province, of which Mosul is the capital, the video starts with footage of destruction it presents as the result of USled air strikes against it. It also shows the bodies of dead children.

The video moves on to the “confessions” of five men from Mosul, detailing how they passed on intelligence on the activities and positions of the jihadists in Nineveh, most of which is still controlled by IS. Five IS executioners are then

shown standing behind the five accused in orange jumpsuits, holding knives.

One fighter turns to the crowd: “O Muslims, who amongst you wants to get closer to God through these disbelieving apostates?” Hands go up, he picks “volunteers” and the five IS fighters in combat gear are replaced by “civilians” to whom they give their handguns to shoot the accused in the back of the head.

Residents are subsequently interviewed about the group execution, with one saying he wished he had been selected to take part. The video was released the same day IS claimed responsibility for three Baghdad bombings that killed at least 94 people, the deadliest spate of attacks to hit the Iraqi capital this year.

Most of the victims of the attacks were civilians and included many women and children.

Chinese man gets $400,000 for 20 years in jail An elderly Buddhist monk was found hacked to death Saturday in Bangladesh, police said, the latest in a spate of murders of religious minorities and secular activists in the Muslim-majority nation.No group has yet claimed responsibility, although the killing in the remote southeastern district of Bandarban appeared to bear a resemblance to several recent murders by suspected Islamist militants.

“Villagers found Bhante (monk) Maung Shue U Chak’s dead body in a pool of blood inside the Buddhist temple this morning. He was hacked to death,” Jashim Uddin, deputy police chief of Bandarban, told AFP. Uddin said the monk, thought to be 75, appeared to have been attacked by at least four people at the Buddhist temple in Baishari, some 350 kilometres (220 miles)

southeast of Dhaka early Saturday morning.

“We saw human footprints in the temple and found that four to five people entered the compound,” he added.

Suspected Islamists have been blamed for or claimed responsibility in dozens of murders of Sufi, Shiite and Ahmadi Muslims, Hindus, Christians and foreigners in recent years.

The Islamic State group and a Bangladeshi branch of AlQaeda have said they carried out several of the killings.

However the secular government in Dhaka denies that IS and Al-Qaeda are behind the attacks, saying they have no known presence in Bangladesh, and blames the killings on homegrown militants.

Buddhists make up less than one percent of Bangladesh’s population of 160 million people.

A Chinese man freed after spending more than 20 years in prison for murder will get more than $400,000 in compensation, a court said Friday according to official media.

Chen Man, now in his early 50s, was given a suspended death sentence - which in China is normally commuted to life imprisonment - in Nov 1994 for killing in the southern island province of Hainan.

After a series of appeals going as far as the country’s highest court, he was finally acquitted and released in February due to a “lack of evidence”.

It was one of a series of cases to highlight miscarriages of justice in China. , where the courts are tightly controlled by the ruling Communist Party, forced confessions are widespread and more than 99 percent of criminal defendants are found guilty.

Hainan’s provincial court, which upheld Chen’s suspended death sentence in 1999, agreed Friday to pay him around 2.

75 million yuan ($422,000) for loss of personal freedom and mental suffering, said state broadcaster China Central Television.

Chen initially demanded more than 9.

66 million yuan in compensation and for the court to make formal

crimes, or in some cases because the supposed murder victim was later found alive.

Of those exonerated in recent

apologies in national and local media outlets.

“I have to accept it,” Chen told the Legal Evening News on Friday.

“We have regrets.

But we acknowledge it according to the State Compensation Law,” he said, according to the report.

China has occasionally exonerated wrongfully executed or jailed convicts after others came forward to confess their

years, Chen spent the longest in prison, state media said previously.

For others, the new verdicts came far too late.

A man named Hugjiltu was cleared of rape and murder in 2014, nearly two decades after he was convicted and executed at the age of 18 in the northern region of Inner Mongolia.

The declaration of his innocence came nine years after another man confessed to the crime.

Issue - 667 (14)

17 May - 23 May 2016

UN to honour five Indians who died in peacekeeping missions United Nations Four Indian peacekeepers and a civilian, who died while serving in the UN peacekeeping operations last year, will be honoured with 124 personnel with a prestigious UN medal awarded posthumously for their courage and sacrifice.

The fallen Indian peacekeepers who will be honoured with the Dag Hammarskjold Medal on the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers are head constable Shubhkaran Yadav, rifleman Manish Malik, havildar Amal Deka, Naik Rakesh Kumar and Gagan Punjabi.

Yadav, serving in the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) gave the supreme sacrifice in April last year and Malik, also serving in the same mission, died in August.

Deka, serving in the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF)

died in June last year and Kumar --serving in the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) -- died in January 2015.

Punjabi was serving in MONUSCO in a civilian capacity under the UN Volunteers programme and died in January last year.

The International Day of UN Peacekeepers, observed annually on May 29, will be commemorated this year on May 19.

UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon will commemorate by laying a wreath to honour all fallen peacekeepers.

He will preside over a ceremony at which the medals will be awarded posthumously to 129 military, police and civilian personnel who lost their lives while serving in peacekeeping operations during 2015.

Permanent representatives and ambassadors to the UN will collect the medals on behalf of the fallen peacekeepers from their

countries.

In his message for the day, under-secretary-general for field support Atul Khare said the sacrifices of the brave men and women of peacekeeping “inspire us to serve with courage and dignity and to pursue continuous improvement and innovation in our work”.

“We owe this not just to our departed colleagues, but also to the millions of civilians that we have been entrusted to protect. We must continue to work together to enable complex operations to succeed with rapid, effective, efficient and responsible support,” he said.Last year Lance Naik Nand Ram, who served with MONUSCO and Raju Joseph, who had served in a civilian capacity with UNMISS were posthumously awarded the medal.

India is among the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping operations, with its military and police personnel having been deployed in UN missions, including in Cote d’Ivoire, Cyprus, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Lebanon and South Sudan.India has contributed nearly 180,000 troops who have served in over 44 of the 69 peacekeeping operations, including the 103-strong Indian female police unit in the UN mission in Liberia.

AQIS, ISIS eye radicalised Indian Muslims for jihad Lahor Not just Islamic state of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the terror group Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) is trying to further its recruitment agenda in the gullible section of the Muslim youth as part of its global efforts to carry out jihad for establishment of the Caliphate. It seems both ISIS and Al Qaeda are competing to woo and recruit Indian Muslims in the name of jihad. While there have been nearly 50 arrests of ISIS recruits across India, close to a dozen Al Qaeda recruits.

In document accessed by India Today, Amir of the AQIS ‘Maulana’ Aasim Umar, alias Sana-ul-Haq, recently issued an 11-page propaganda material titled “Muslims of India”. A document which spews venom, with an attempt to vitiate the atmosphere.

Al Qaeda chief Ayman-alZawahari had on September 13, 2014 appointed Umar as the Amir of the AQIS with task

to establish a jihadi network in the Indian Subcontinent.Security Expert Major General (Retd.) PK Saighal says, that both ISIS and Al Qaeda are looking to woo Indian Muslims because India has the largest population of Muslims and is only next to Indonesia.

“They have had recruits in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and some of the countries close to India, but Indian Muslims have so far not been influenced.

There have been few

arrests but it is far less compared to the population of Muslims in India.”Sources in the security establishment said AQIS propaganda material has been especially designed to seek recruitment from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Gujarat and the southern Indian States.

It only indicates the desperation on the part of AQIS as a number of the outfit’s modules have been busted by the security agencies in the recent months discouraging youth from their jehadi agenda.

Similarly the recently arrested ISIS recruits have revealed that the jihadi group’s global head hunters are on prowl for Indian youth, who may show any leaning to radical views on social media.

Both global terror organisations are eyeing the radicalised Indian youth.

Khalsa Diwan contributes for better life of Afghan Sikh community in New Delhi New Delhi Khalsa Diwan Welfare society in New Delhi provides free education and training in different fields, including stitching and computer education to Afghan students belonging to the Sikh community.

It was established in 1992 with an aim to provide a better livelihood to Afghan refugees in India.

The children of Afghan refugees are provided education as well as vocational and spiritual training.

“We provide tuitions and classes in tailoring, English-speaking and music to Afghan children.

We don’t get any help from the government. Rather, the Afghan people make contributions to assist us,” said Narinder Singh, member, Khalsa Diwan Welfare Society.

“I learnt stitching here during my free time. We came to India as the situation back there was very violent. We stay here with our families,” said Savinder Kaur, an Afghan refugee.

Tuitions for students of classes sixth to 10th is provided along with computer classes.

Keeping in mind their cultural background, they

are also taught to render Gurbani accompanied by a harmonium.

The teachers are proud that they are helping the

we study here. The principal and our teachers are also nice. We came to India from Afghanistan as conditions there are

children make a better future.

“I teach students from 6th to 10th standards.

Students originally from Kabul attend these free classes and are helped in all manners. These students are economically weak, so they can’t afford to pay for studies. We also feel nice as they can make their future better,” said Jagtaar Kaur, a teacher at the Khalsa Diwan Welfare Society.

Students also value the training they receive as they are aware they would not have had a secure life in Afghanistan.

“We are provided with quality education here. We can have a better future if

violent. Our parents brought us here so we can have a bright future,” said Kajal, a student at the society.

Dhyan Singh Gulati, a member of the society, says that they help our students get admitted to school.

“We run this institute by collecting small amounts as contribution from people of our community.

We also arrange for books and other items required by the students of the institute,” he said.

Many Afghan refugees sought asylum in India after 1992 after the fall of the Najibullah regime and eventual emergence of the Taliban.

Issue 667 (15)

17 May - 23 May 2016

Emraan strikes a six, gives real Azhar an image scrub Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Prachi Desai, Nargis Fakhri, Kunal Roy Kapur, Lara Dutta, Rajesh Sharma, Gautam Gulati Direction: Tony D’Souza Ratings: 3 Stars Tony D’Souza’s Azhar is a dream biopic for the person whose biopic this is.

Mohammad Azharuddin has had a life like no other Indian cricketer. Most of

taint the name of this Hyderabad boy in 2000, Azhar sees a fall from the public eye so hard that he doesn’t know how to win back the respect of his country. The cricketer is banned from playing for India.

Aided by his childhood friend and lawyer Reddy (Kunal Roy Kapur), Azhar leaves his mansion to enter courtrooms to clear his name. On the other side of

his life has been in the public eye, which makes the film Azhar a tough one to digest. However, despite its many issues, Azhar is a story well-told. Only if it is seen as a story, that is.

Emraan Hashmi plays the shy Mohammad Azharuddin, the cricketer who is fascinated by fast money and the glittery world of cricket. He lives a lavish lifestyle, dressed to please; all his Rolexes and Bentleys in place. So when allegations of match-fixing

the battle is the feisty fighter Meera (Lara Dutta), Azhar’s biggest fanturned-prosecution lawyer.

His two wives Naureen (Prachi Desai) and Sangeeta (Nargis Fakhri) form the other part of his flamboyant life. The story goes on to show how Azhar became what he was, his fall from grace, and the rising from ashes.

Emraan Hashmi delivers a solid century, a la Azharuddin. The actor metamorphoses into Azhar

Directed by Jodie Foster Starring George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Jack O’Connell, Dominic West Rating: 2.5 stars This film about a gyrating TV show anchor advising people on money matters, wearing a shiny wizard hat and a dollar-shaped necklace, has its heart in the right place. Its mind though is all muddled.

All the cliches are played out, and to slick perfection, by Clooney as aforesaid anchor Lee Gates (ostensibly modelled on Jim Cramer of CNBC’s Mad Money) — down to the overt sexism and the unbidden sexuality.

When an investor who has lost all his savings acting upon advice given by

on screen, living every bit of his life. The film works for most parts due to Emraan’s brilliant performance. Be it while locking lips with his two heroines or hitting the balls out of the stadium, Hashmi performs everything with elan.

Prachi Desai slips into the character of Azharuddin’s first wife Naureen with ease, making the viewer feel the pain of rejection.

Nargis Fakhri doesn’t have much to do in the film, but she tries her best to be Sangeeta Bijlani.

Among the supporting cast, Lara Dutta is fabulous as the ferocious Meera. The ever-dependable Kunal Roy Kapur doesn’t disappoint either. He is largely responsible for the film’s several moments of comic relief.

Gautam Gulati’s Ravi Shastri and Manjot Singh’s Navjot Singh Sidhu are both affable and pleasing to watch.

Tony D’Souza’s fictionalisation of Azharuddin’s life works in most parts, but comes out as a deeply eulogising exercise.

The film doesn’t address the greyer issues of Azhar’s career, even when most of it is on the matchfixing allegations that the

Money Monster

Gates, Kyle (O’Connell), barges into the TV set while Gates is on air with a gun and a bomb, those cliches get further underlined. Gates is polished and smug, Kyle desperate and workman-like. There is nothing Gates does that seems genuine, Kyle’s half-explained story is seen to be entirely believable.

Still, this part of the film, establishing the dynamics between Gates, Kyle and the director of the show, Patty (Roberts), who is on constant touch with Gates through an earpiece, is unsettled enough to keep the audience on the edge.

Roberts is especially

good as her role almost entirely involves emoting through her voice, but even Clooney nicely moderates his charisma to appear desperate and downright unlikable in parts. In a nice touch, Kyle gets distracted by the thought of how he is looking and sounding on air.

However, Money Monster eventually doesn’t turn out to be about the bad capitalists after all, even though Occupy Wall Street too gets thrown at Gates. Somewhere in the middle, it makes a halfhearted attempt at being a thriller, with Gates and Patty lining themselves up with the small investor and

cricketer had to deal with.

For one, Azhar’s equation with Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly is just glossed over. Choosing the parts to play out on film might have been a conscious decision by both the filmmaker and the cricketer, but it does appear a name-clearing job by Azhar. In addition to the problems in the story,

committing time, efforts, manpower and, hilariously, some hackers to look for the CEO (West) whose company Ibis lost Kyle his money, in an unexplained $800 million crash. The eventual explanation sinks whatever hopes vested in the film.

If the Money Monster has its moments, it is the two times it breaks away from expected lines — when Gates appeals to people’s “better selves” to invest a little money in Ibis to lift its stocks (as half-brained an idea as any, but this is live TV after all), and when police put Kyle’s girlfriend on screen to appeal to him. In one dazzling outburst, she puts him in his place like the film could have.

Azhar also staggers in its editing. For a 130-minute film, Azhar feels strangely stretched. There are moments in the film that force you to stifle those yawns.

Mohammad Tariq and Pritam’s music is praiseworthy. Bol Do Na Zara stays on in the mind long after Azhar is done with.

In all, this Tony D’Souza film works solely because

of Emraan Hashmi. The actor pours in his heart and soul into playing Azhar, being Azhar.

The film ends with Emraan saying today is ‘Judgement Day’ for Azharuddin.

That to believe his story or not - the choice rests with the audience. Most people will believe Azharuddin’s story. For Emraan Hashmi.

Issue 667 (16)

17 May - 23 May 2016

Riya Sen is unhappy at getting Swara Bhaskar confirms her typecast in Bollywood relationship with Himanshu Sharma

It’s been a few days that the news of Tanu Weds Manu Returns actor Swara Bhaskar dating a screenwriter Himanshu Sharma started doing the news. In fact, buzz had it that two might tie the knot soon. But Swara has rubbished the marriage rumours saying that she is dating Himanshu but both of

them are not ready to settle down any time soon.

Swara told IANS, “The news was totally counter factual. There are no marriage plans right now.

We are both busy with our respective careers.

To top that, I, for one, am too broke to get married.” Opening up further on her relationship,

Swara, who has also featured in films like Raanjhanaa and Nil Battey Sannata, said, “Yes, we are dating and are happy and committed. Now you know why Himanshu is my favourite dialogue writer.”

Swara and Himanshu are on a professional high as their latest films did well at the box office. Tanu

Weds Manu Returns was one of the muchtalked-about films of 2015 and Swara’s performance in Ashwini Iyer Tiwari’s film Nil Battey Sannata was appreciated by both critics and viewers. On the work front, Swara Bhaskar will next be seen in Abbas Tyrewala’s film Mango.

Kriti Sanon and Sushant Singh Rajput are shooting for Dinesh Vijan’s Raabta in Budapest. The Heropanti injured her

sprinting across the roof of a castle. She lost her grip and crashed into the safety mat, twisting her ankle in the process.”

The source added, “They will resume shooting with some other scenes and get back to action later. Kriti was keen on continuing with the shoot but Dinesh insisted that she take a break till her injury had healed.” One of Kriti’s fan clubs have also shared the picture of Kriti wearing a crepe bandage.

It is for the first time that Sushant Singh Rajput will share screen space with Kriti Sanon Raabta. The film will hit the theatres on Feb 10, 2017.

ties when it comes to doing films and they don’t restrict themselves to a particular genre.

Abhishek and Aishwarya are busy with their respective films “Housefull 3” and “Sarbjit”. “Both Abhishek’s film ‘Housefull 3’ and my film ‘Sarbjit’ are completely different. As actors, both Abhishek and I thoroughly enjoy this (comedy) kind of genre. We as actors don’t do one kind of cinema and this is what we both share in common,” Aishwarya said in an interview here.

Abhishek is the new addition to the successful “Housefull” franchise.

The new instalment “Housefull 3” has a stellar starcast, including Akshay Kumar, Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh, Jacqueline Fernandez, Nargis Fakhri, Lisa Haydon,

on June 3. “The fact that it’s a such a huge successful franchise (‘Housefull 3’), it means it is succeeding in entertaining the audience. I have seen a couple of scenes of ‘Housefull 3’ as we were dubbing in same area, so Abhishek and Akshay called to see the scenes and it’s a laugh riot,” Aishwarya said. The 42-year-old actress has shown versatility by doing all kind of films in her career. “As an actor I have always been open to doing all kinds of cinema. Just as much serious is intense work, I have always said comedy is serious work as well for the artists, writers and director. It is wonderful when that kind of cinema evokes that kind of reaction.

It means that they (team) have managed to hit the spot,” she said.

Post her sabbatical,

Actress Riya Sen is unhappy at getting typecast in Hindi films and wants to diversify her career. The “Style” actress, 35, said she is rather getting the kind of roles she wanted to do in Bengali films these days.

“After working for 17 years in Bollywood, I am no longer interested in earning money only. I want to do roles to feel excited about. I want to enjoy what I do. And if you don’t enjoy you will get bored,” Riya told PTI. Riya is playing Sheena Bora in upcoming Bengali film “Dark Chocolate”m which is loosely inspired by real events. “Happy that the legal obstacle in the film’s release is no more. I am not aware about controversies. And no idea about

how Sheena Bora is in real life. I only followed the director’s brief.” Her most outstanding role in Bengali films to date was in late Rituparno Ghosh’s “Noukadubi” - the type of character she loves to portray. Riya, the younger sister of Raima Sen, said she is portraying a gangster in “Senapati” being directed by Arnab Ringo Banerjee.

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Kriti Sanon gets injured Abhishek and I don’t do just one kind of cinema: Aishwarya Aishwarya Rai Boman Irani, Chunkey Aishwarya’s film romantic-drama “Ae Dil while shooting for an Actress Bachchan says she and Pandey and others.

“Jazbaa” released which Hai Mushkil”. her actor husband Directed by Sajidwas a crime thriller. She Abhishek Bachchan Farhad, the film is is now charged up for action sequence share similar sensibilischeduled to hit theatres “Sarbjit”, a biographi-

ankle while shooting an action sequence. According to a report in Mumbai Mirror, a source present on the sets revealed, “They were filming in the Hungarian city with Kriti

cal drama. She would also be seen in Karan Johar’s

Issue 667 (17)

17 May - 23 May 2016

Chloe Grace Moretz clarifies squads comments

Emma Watson named in Panama Papers

Actress Chloe Grace Moretz has clarified that the comments that she made about squads had nothing to do with Taylor Swift who is known for her A-list friends. Moretz said she meant no ill will towards the pop star and the headlines were twisted. “What actually happened was they asked me about the question of the word ‘squad’.

What I said was I don’t like the word squad because it does create exclusivity. But it was never against Taylor, and it was never against her squad,” Moretz told Andy Cohen on Monday’s Watch What Happens Live.

Moretz, 19 added that her quotes were taken out of context because “social media and the public” likes turning “women against women, which has been happening for years.”

When asked whether she was actually invited into Swift’s group, Moretz said, “It wasn’t about Taylor Swift.

It was never about Taylor Swift. They just enjoyed turning Taylor against me, because it creates good headlines.” Speaking to Complex earlier this year, Moretz said of squads, “They appropriate exclusivity. They’re cliques!” During

Actress Emma Watson has been named in a database containing details of the leaked Panama Papers.

The “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” actress’ name was found by British magazine The Spectator in a searchable database containing more details about the Panama Papers tax avoidance scandal, reports independent.co.uk.

The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) published data on more than 200,000 entities on its website on Monday evening. The database contains information on companies, trusts and foundations and users can see networks involving the offshore companies. Watson’s spokesperson confirmed the 26-year-old had set up an offshore company. However, the spokesperson said she does not receive any tax or monetary advantages whatsoever. “Emma (like many high profile individuals) set up an offshore company for the sole purpose of protecting her anonymity and safety,” her spokesperson said in a statement. “British companies are required to publicly publish details of their shareholders and therefore do not give her the necessary anonymity required to protect her personal safety, which has been jeopardised in the past owing to such information being publicly available. “Offshore companies do not publish these shareholder details. Emma receives absolutely no tax or monetary advantages from this offshore company whatsoever -- only privacy,” the spokesperson added.

Emilia Clarke goes nude again for ‘Game of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke, who essays Daenerys Targaryen on ‘Game of Thrones’, has quashed rumours that she refused to do nude scenes again on the show, saying that it’s “all me” in a nude scene in the latest episode of HBO’s hit fantasy drama TV series. “I would like to remind people the last time I took my clothes off was season 3. That was a while ago. It’s now season 6. But this is all me, all proud, all strong. I’m just feeling genuinely happy.

That ain’t no body double,” Emilia Clarke told ew.com.

Emilia Clarke also addressed rumours about her disapproval towards filming naked scenes for the show.

“It’s difficult to be misquoted and it’s nice to have something like Instagram to say the truth,” she said. “How many times has Michiel Huisman (who plays Daario Naharis on the show) been asked about the fact he’s taken his clothes off a bunch?

Is that even a discussion? No. So, I’m doing it this year and people can talk about it and I’m ready to answer any questions about it, basically,” Clarke added.

the same interview, Moretz said she was asked to join Swift’s squad but declined to elaborate any further.

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I don’t like working with kids says Kaley Cuoco Actress Kaley Cuoco says she likes kids but prefers not to work with them. The 30year-old actress said she doesn’t want her “The Big Bang Theory” character Penny, who is now married, to get pregnant anytime soon, reported Contactmusic. “I hope they don’t have a baby. I don’t like working with kids. I like kids but I just don’t want to work with them. Babies are really tough to work with.

People carry them in, they are the biggest divas you could possibly have around.

“They’re carried in, they only work like six minutes... I just feel like babies can do whatever the hell they want and I don’t think that’s fair so I don’t want to work with them,” Kaley said. ‘The Big Bang Theory’ is about to wrap its ninth season, and Kaley has become similar to the character of Penny since the show began in 2007. “I’ve definitely lived with her for five years. I love actually, for real, that they’ve given her such a voice, that she can be sarcastic with these guys.

She’s very outspoken, I’m outspoken too - it’s gotten me in trouble before,” she said.

Issue 667 (18)

17 May - 23 May 2016

Key Islamic State man Shafi Armar ‘alive and recruiting’ in India New Delhi Key Islamic State (IS) recruiter Shafi Armar – who allegedly raised a group of over two dozen sympathisers of the terror group in India – is alive and looking for new recruits, sources in multiple counterterror

organisations have confirmed to HT. Armar alias Yusuf al-Hindi, a native of Bhatkal in Karnataka, was reportedly killed in a US air strike this April. “Some social media platforms announced Armar’s death, but as per our information, he is still communicating with prospective recruits who are under the scanner of security agencies for

showing jehadi tendencies,” said a senior officer with a central counter-terror group on the condition of anonymity. Sources in the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Intelligence Bureau said Armar is currently operating in the IS-occupied re-

gions of Syria. Many captured sympathisers of the terror group have told interrogators that the person who communicates with them identifies himself as Yusuf al-Hindi from Bhatkal. Counter-terror officials say Armar started off as a member of the banned militant outfit Indian Mujahideen. In early 2009, he fled to Pakistan

with a few of its top-ranking members – including Riyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal, Shahnawaz Alam, Mohammad Sajid and his brother Sultan Armar.

“Later, annoyed with the control exerted by Pakistani spy agency ISI, Armar teamed up with Alam and Sajid to form the Ansar-ul-Tawhid – a splinter group that would fight alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan. As the IS brand became bigger, Armar and his group moved to Syria in June 2014,” said an NIA investigator who has been tracking the militant’s footprints in India. While Armar’s brother Sultan was reportedly killed in Syria, he is now viewed by security agencies as one of the chief recruiters of the terror outfit. The militant leader had earlier raised groups of IS sympathisers in Haridwar (Uttarakhand), Ratlam (Madhya Pradesh), Delhi and Malwani in Mumbai, all of which were busted by anti-terror agencies.

Fake ‘ISIS pirate raid’ stunt on Cannes festival hotel sends guests into panic Paris Several Hollywood stars and a number of VIP guests at the ocean-side Hotel du Cap got a scare when men resembling ISIS terrorists landed at the hotel by a speed boat bearing a black, ISIS-like flag during the Cannes Film Festival.

Paramilitary gendarmes seized the vessel after it docked, but none of the crew members were formally arrested.

A French internet start-up company had hired the fake Islamic State looking commandos to make a sea landing at the French Riviera resort as part of a PR stunt. The company has apologised for the PR stunt, saying it hadn’t intended to scare people.

According to American publicist JR Savet, someone screamed and people jumped out of their chairs and started moving quickly to the swimming pool to save their life as nobody knew if it was a stunt or not.

After the incident, police explained that the speedboat landing had been part of a PR campaign being run by the Paris-based internet company Oraxy, which caters to the rich and famous. Prior to the

took place on the first Friday the 13th and exactly six months since the bloodshed in Paris on November 13, which killed 130 people.

It was reported in April that Islamic State could

hotel landing, a police spokesman said the “commandos” involved in the hoax had tried to breach a sea exclusion zone around Cannes, but were diverted by security teams.

Cannes is on high terror alert for the 12-day film festival, with thousands of security officers deployed in the city, while a warship patrols the bay and snipers are posted on rooftops.

Coincidentally, the exploit

be planning terrorist attacks on resorts in southern Europe, including those in France, Italy and Spain, which would most likely be carried out by suicide bombers disguised as beach vendors.

In June of 2015, a gunman allegedly linked to IS opened fire on a beach in Sousse, a popular Tunisian resort area, killing 38 people and injuring dozens.

Issue 667 (19)

17 May - 23 May 2016

‘Largest-ever’ blue diamond to be auctioned, starting at $38 million Geneva A 14.62-carat blue diamond owned by an architect of the modern diamond industry could fetch a record price in this week’s Magnificent Jewels auctions in Geneva.

The dazzling rock previously belonged to the late Philip Oppenheimer, scion of the family that controlled the De Beers diamond mining com-

Four Seasons des Bergues hotel overlooking Lake Geneva. Christie’s has valued the Oppenheimer stone at between $38 million (34 million euros) and $45 million, giving it an outside shot of breaking a record set by rival auction house Sotheby’s in November.

The 12.03-carat Sotheby’s diamond was bought for $48.4 million by Hong Kong billion-

pany. As chairman of a powerful cartel called the Central Selling Organization, Oppenheimer -- who died in 1995 -- tightly controlled the international diamond trade and helped make it extremely lucrative. His success will be on full display on Wednesday when Christie’s puts “The Oppenheimer Blue” under the hammer at the ultra-luxurious

aire Joseph Lau, who a day earlier scooped up a 16.08carat pink diamond for a comparatively modest $28.5 million. The property tycoon, who was convicted of bribery in Macau last year, named both stones after his daughter Josephine. Christie’s jewel expert Jean-Marc Lunel told AFP that The Oppenheimer Blue’s price could top what

Lau paid for “The Blue Moon of Josephine”.

“It’s a fabulous diamond, the most beautiful I have even seen and it could set a record price,” he said.

According to Christie’s, the Oppenheimer diamond is the largest ever sold at auction in the exclusive Fancy Vivid Blue category, which groups rare gems of exceptional colour and clarity. But, there is always a chance that the jewel will not even meet its estimated floor price. That happened last month when a 9.54carat blue diamond ring once owned by American child star Shirley Temple failed to sell at auction in New York after bidding closed at $22 million, below the reserve price.

Christie’s has valued its total of 280 lots up for auction on Wednesday at $113 million.

The collection includes 46 pieces from German-born princess Gabriela zu Leiningen, who was married to the Aga Khan. Sotheby’s kicks off Geneva’s Magnificent Jewels week on Tuesday with a 495lot offer valued at $140 million, the highlight of which is a 15.38-carat pink diamond.

Posthumous marriage? Ghost wedding with woman corpse held in China Beijing A family in China’s Shanxi Province has conducted a “ghost wedding” with the corpse of a woman to pacify the soul of their son who died as a bachelor, in the latest case highlighting the grisly age old custom in rural China.

The family whose son died three years ago was apparently charged 180,000 yuan ($ 27,000), they were charged less because they were locals and the dead brides villagefarmer parents believed it would be a good social match, state-run China Radio International (CRI) reported. Posthumous marriage is an ancient and popular custom in rural Shanxi, where the practice is often dictated by tradition and many locals consult fortune tellers who say the family will be cursed if a one of its members die unmarried.

As a result, parents who lose a son will often go to great lengths to secure a so-called “ghost daughter-in-law” no

matter how large the financial burden may prove.

Traditionally parents see it as an obligation to help their sons settle down in a marriage. For the family of a deceased woman, a “ghost wedding” is regarded as a good outcome for a deceased daughter, who otherwise

would not be allowed a proper burial, the report said. The local death rate among young men is higher than the women due to the number of accidents in coal mines. This also means there is often a lack of female bodies available for posthumous weddings, it said. There have been recent cases of criminals raiding tombs for the bodies of women which they can then sell on to the family of a dead son for a “ghost wedding.” Chen Wenhua, a professor at Zhejiang Normal University, said the government should take measures to regulate the posthumous marriage market, but believes that a complete ban will do little to end the ancient social custom.

Chen has suggested instead that the authorities try to gradually change the way people think.

14-year-old boy turns down $30 mn buyout offer for his invention

New York A 14-year-old precocious schoolboy from the US state of Alabama turned down a whopping $30 million buyout offer from a national healthcare company for his invention of vending machines that dispense first aid kits. Taylor Rosenthal came up with the idea of creating vending machines that dispense pre-packaged first aid kits for dealing with cuts, blisters and sun burns after watching his friends fall over at baseball games.

“Every time I’d travel for a baseball tournament in Alabama, I’d notice that kids would get hurt and parents couldn’t find a band aid. I wanted to solve that,” Rosenthal told ‘CNN Money’.

Rosenthal, who launched his startup RecMed last year, was offered a $30 million buyout offer by a “large national healthcare company”, but he rejected to sell his idea. He has already raised $100,000 in angel investments and plans to sell the machines for $5,500 each.

The machines will sell prepackaged first aid kits and individual supplies like plasters, rubber gloves and gauze pads costing between $4 and $11.

Rosenthal said he was open to

advertising on the machines and hopes to deliver them to amusement parks, beaches and stadiums over the summer. Six Flags theme park in the US has already put in an order for 100 machines.

Rosenthal initially pitched the idea of first aid pop ups as part of a school project but then changed it to vending machines. A few months later, the young CEO had his own patent. “It has been amazing watching Taylor grow over the past year into this confident and amazing businessman. Even with all of his success, he remains humble and ready to help others.

He’s just 14. Bill Gates should be worried,” said Rosenthal’s teacher Clarinda Jones.

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Issue 667 (22)

17 May - 23 May 2016

Bangladesh arrest Islamist over murder of two gay rights activists Dhaka A home-grown Islamist militant was arrested by Bangladeshi Police over the killing of two gay rights campaigners amid a surge in violent attacks against liberal activists and other minorities in

the south Asian nation.

Police said three people had been arrested, although they said the motive was not yet clear.

Police did not say whether the three were affiliated with any Islamist group.

Xulhaz Mannan, 35, editor of Bangladesh’s first magazine for gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, and fellow activist Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy, 25, were killed in a apartment in

the capital Dhaka late last month.

The attack was claimed by Al-Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent.

Police, however, arrested Shariful Islam, 37, a member of the banned local militant group Ansarullah

Bangla Team, in connection with the murder. The Bangladeshi government has denied that Islamic State or al Qaeda have a presence in the country.

Monirul Islam, chief of the counterterrorism unit of Dhaka Police, told a news conference on Sunday that Islam was arrested in the southwestern district of Kushtia. He was brought to the news conference but did not comment.

The Muslim-majority nation of 160 million people has

seen a series of attacks over the past year in which atheist bloggers, academics, religious minorities and foreign aid workers have been killed.

Islamic State militants also claimed responsibility for some of the attacks, including the killing of two foreigners late last year. But police say home-grown militant groups are behind the recent attacks.

Western security experts doubt that there are any direct operational links between Islamic State, based in the Middle East, and militants operating on the ground in Bangladesh.

In the latest attack, an elderly Buddhist monk was found hacked to death on Saturday at a temple in a remote region of southeastern Bangladesh.

Police said three people had been arrested, although they said the motive was not yet clear.

They also did not say whether the three were affiliated with any Islamist group.

‘Go home’ graffiti scrawled near gurdwara in Canada

Toronto A graffiti that read “Go home”, along with what appear to be swastikas, has been scrawled on the fence near a gurdwara in the Canadian city of Martindale. A lawyer came across graffiti scrawled on the fence near the Dashmesh Culture Centre, Sikh temple yesterday, a

day after “nagar kirtan” was organised by the centre during which they handed out food as they walk through the community.

“For a few seconds, I was in a state of shock, I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” Usman Mahmood was quoted as saying by CBC News. Someone had written “Go home” along

Lock of Hair From Thomas Jefferson Auctioned for $6,875 DALLAS A lock of hair from American founding father Thomas Jefferson has sold at auction in Texas for $6,875, nearly 190 years after the former president died. Heritage Auctions in Dallas said Saturday’s

sale involved 14 strands that were snipped by Jefferson’s personal physician at the time of the statesman’s death on July 4, 1826. A Heritage Auctions statement says the pre-auction estimate for the hair was $3,000.

with what appear to be swastikas, close to centre.

“I have seen pictures, I have heard about things, I have read about things but seeing this for the first time, it is a little disturbing,” he said. Mahmood said diversity is one of the things he loves about the Martindale community.

“Within a few kilometrerange you have a lot of religions, a lot of faith, a lot of communities that live with a lot of peace and harmony. It is a great community to live in, but it is very sad to see this.” “People from all sorts of faiths, whoever lives around this area should stand up to it and say, ‘this is not going to happen in my neighbourhood,” he said.

Issue 667 (23)

17 May - 23 May 2016

Germany eyes free wi-fi in public spaces, finally BERLIN Try looking for a free wi-fi connection in the cafe down the street in Germany and, more likely than not, there isn’t one.

Forget about looking for open connections in parks or at key monuments.

They just don’t exist.

In an age when almost everyone carries a smartphone, the absence of such free hotspots can appear to be an aberration in a country that is known for its technological prowess. But a new government deal may change all that, as it aims to tackle the root of the problem —

by exonerating the connection’s provider of fraudulent usage by others.

The snag has been Germany’s tough rules to crack down on online piracy, with high fines for illegally downloading music and films.

No one wants to run the risk of exposing their wi-fi connection to possible misuse, a fear that has turned Germany into a hotspot desert.

A 2014 study by Eco, a federation of Internet professionals, found that there are only two open hotspots for every 100,000 residents in Germany, compared to 10 in Sweden and 29 in Britain.

For many, that is a stumbling block in the development of the Internet, an obstacle Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government wants to mow down.

But seeking an agreement took months of tough negotiations.

“A late but important step,” said Justice Minis-

ROME Italy’s health minister is proposing doubling a ‘baby bonus’ incentive for couples to have more children to combat what

year, the allowances are currently payable only for babies born between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2017 up to their third birthdays. Lorenzin wants

Impotence?

416-887-4971

ter Heiko Maas on Twitter.

According to the agreement reached this week within Merkel’s left-right ‘grand coalition’ government, the law will be amended so that “wi-fi providers would be considered like access providers” — that is to say, they are waived from all respon-

sibility of users, and “will not be subject to any required checks”. That is valid for anyone who offers their wi-fi access to others for free — be it a restaurant owner who allows clients to connect online or the friendly guy who gives his neighbour the password to get on his

Internet access.

Only 39 percent of Internet users in Germany go online using wi-fi outside of their homes, according to a survey in 2015 by Bitkom, the German hightechnology federation.

Plans by the government to amend the rule “will facilitate things for both op-

erators and users,” said Bernhard Rohleder, who heads Bitkom.

For the federation Eco, it spells the end of the “great wall” to the development of hotspots in Germany, while hotels describe the move as an act of liberation. But not all are happy.

The music industry federation fears that it could hurt creators and artists, and warned that it has “opened the doors and windows to illegal usage”. A draft law prepared in September by Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel had required users to confirm that they are not doing anything illegal online, as well as for access providers to secure the network with passwords. But that was deemed too restrictive, leading to the current agreement which scraps these conditions. The proposal is due to be examined by cabinet before it is put to parliament, it is therefore not expected to come in force before the autumn.

Italy set to double baby bonus Museum shines rare spotlight

she calls a catastrophic decline in the country’s birth rate.

“If we carry on as we are and fail to reverse the trend, there will be fewer than 350,000 births a year in 10 years’ time, 40 percent less than in 2010 - an apocalypse,” the minister, Beatrice Lorenzin, said in an interview published Sunday by daily La Repubblica.

Lorenzin told the paper she wanted to double the standard baby bonus, currently 80 euros ($90) a month for low-tomiddle income families, and introduce higher payments for second and subsequent children to encourage bigger families. Introduced last

to expand eligibility to all under-threes (thereby including those born before 2015) and to extend the provision for an additional three years, covering all babies born up until the end of 2020. Higher-income families, those with taxable earnings of more than 25,000 euros per year, are not eligible for the scheme, excluding about a third of parents. The allowances are paid at higher rates for the poorest — those declaring less than 7,000 euros a year to the taxman. Under the new proposals, the payment for second and subsequent children would be 240 euros/month for average families and 400 euros/month for the poorest. Lorenzin is an influential member of

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s centre-left government and would not have floated the increased payments without a green light from him, political commentators noted. The proposals may however raise eyebrows in Brussels, where the European Commission is pressing Renzi to move faster on cutting the country’s budget deficit as a way of bringing down its huge national debt, currently equivalent to more than 130 percent of GDP. Lorenzin’s proposals would add 2. 2 billion euros to public spending over six years, her department estimates. “In five years we have lost more than 66,000 births (per year) - that is the equivalent of a city the size of Siena,” the minister said.

“If we link this to the increasing number of old and chronically ill people, we have a picture of a moribund country. Lorenzin said the drive to get Italians to have more children would not be restricted to fiscal incentives. “Couples have to understand that waiting until after 35 to have children can be a problem,” she said.

on China’s Cultural Revolution

London Tucked away in southwestern China’s Sichuan province, a private collector stands virtually alone in exhibiting relics from the 1966-1976 Cultural Revolution.Monday marks the 50th anniversary of the start of the political movement, with no official commemorations planned. Official records whitewash the details of both periods, but admit that Mao made major mistakes.

The 1958-1961 Great Leap Forward, when millions starved to death in late chairman Mao Zedong’s botched industrialization campaign, and the Cultural Revolution are two of modern China’s most sensitive historical events.

Fan Jianchuan, who opened his Jianchuan Museum Cluster to the public in 2005, said his relics, which refer discreetly to a “Red era”, were beneficial to the nation.

“I have a saying: We don’t speak. Let the cultural relics talk,” Fan told Reuters TV. “Our nation’s cultural treasures need to be inherited ... but it is more important to pass on the nation’s experience and some lessons. That’s why I have stayed with this cause for decades.”

During the Cultural Revolution, children turned on parents and students on teachers after Mao declared class war, convulsing the country in chaos and violence. The upheaval affected industry as well, including the critical steel sector. From 1967 to the end of 1968, thousands of steel mills were occupied and closed down, slashing steel output. China’s cabinet, or the State Council, was forced to step in, ordering steel enterprises to cease the “struggle” and restore output.

While recent years have

seen increased public discussion of both events, certain topics remain almost completely off limits, including the death of Lin Biao, once handpicked to succeed Mao but killed in a mysterious plane crash in 1971 while fleeing China having been accused of plotting a coup.

Students who toured the museum in a suburb of the provincial capital Chengdu, listened carefully as their guide explained a period in China’s history that is largely missing in their textbooks.

Luo Qingsong, one of the students from Sichuan Management Professional Institute, said the Cultural Revolution could not happen again in China today.

“I think modern China is an open country and integrated into the world. I believe our party, the country and our leadership would not adopt such policies again,” Luo said.

Issue 667 (24)

17 May - 23 May 2016

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Issue 667 (25)

17 May - 23 May 2016

Technology Facebook releases employee guidelines amid accusations of political bias Facebook on Thursday emphasized that it does not permit its employees to block news stories from its “Trending Topics” list based on political bias, amid a controversy over how the social media superpower selects what news it displays.

Technology news website Gizmodo on Monday reported that a former Facebook employee said workers “routinely suppressed news stories of interest to conservative readers” while “artificially” adding other stories to the trending list.

The Gizmodo story triggered a reaction on social media, with several journalists and commentators raising concerns about alleged bias, and prompted a U.S. senate inquiry.

The social media company, whose reach is glo-

bal, had over a billion daily active users on average in March, according to statistics the company posted to its newsroom.

In a post published to

Facebook’s media relations section on Thursday, a senior company official outlined its “Trending Topics” guidelines at length.

“Facebook does not allow or advise our reviewers to discriminate against sources of any political ori-

Reason behind better brand positioning are social media influencers: Twitter

Twitter has claimed that all the social media influencers are becoming more prominent on various digital platforms and this is the reason behind the boosts in sales. This study says that many of the respondents go for online shopping only after seeing it used by an influencer on Instagram, Twitter, Vine or YouTube. About 20 percent of respondents said they shared something they saw from an influencer while one-third of millennials (those born in two decades after 1980) reported that they follow a social media influencer on

Twitter or Vine, adweek.com reported.

Marketers are using social media influencers to build relationships with the people An influencer can reach consumers via blogs and social networks that brands may not be able to.

Some time ago, “marketers would put household names on the front of cereal boxes,” Jeffrey Graham, vice president of market research and insights at Twitter, was quoted as saying. “Now, online influencers can sell other products to anyone with a smartphone,” Graham added.

gin, period,” wrote Justin Osofsky, vice president for global operations. “We have a series of checks and balances in place to help surface the most im-

portant popular stories, regardless of where they fall on the ideological spectrum.” The post went on to explain how certain topics emerge in Facebook users’ trending feeds. Potential trending topics are identified by an algorithm, or for-

Google to ban payday lending ads, calling industry ‘harmful’

mula, Facebook said, then reviewed by a “Trending Topics” team. Gizmodo Editor-in-Chief Katie Drummond responded to the post with an email saying, “I don’t see anything that contradicts our reporting--do you?”

Gizmodo’s story sparked a Senate committee inquiry.

Republican U.S. Senator John Thune, chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, said in a statement on Tuesday that Facebook needed to respond to “these serious allegations.”

“Any attempt by a neutral and inclusive social media platform to censor or manipulate political discussion is an abuse of trust and inconsistent with the values of an open Internet,” said Thune.

Google says it will ban ads from payday lenders, calling the industry “deceptive” and “harmful.” Google said today it will no longer allow ads for loans due within 60 days and will also ban ads for loans where the interest rate is 36 percent or higher. The ban is effective July 13. Payday lenders have come under criticism for charging high

interest rates to customers, who are often poor, for short-term loans that wind up being difficult to pay off, leading many to be stuck in a cycle of debt. Google makes most of its money from ads related to the searches its customers use. As the largest search engine, it also holds the place as the Internet’s largest advertising company.

ist Internet accounts that refuse to die. As one is taken down, another quickly springs up in its place,” he said. During the 15 minutes that followed the Paris attacks in No-

der, of the printing press and it is also true of our information technology products and platforms.”

Microsoft and other ICT companies are taking part in a new initiative under the

Microsoft the company are different from Google, which is different from Facebook, which is different from Twitter,” he said.

“We compete fiercely at times, incredibly fiercely,

vember, there were 7,500 tweets and within two weeks, one million views of videos on the Internet praising the attacks, he said. “Any technology can be used for good or for evil,” said Crown.

“This was true of fire -think of arson - of gunpow-

UN’s counter-terrorism committee to agree on ways to address the threats, he said. The Microsoft official likened the new cooperation in the diverse sector to the joint effort to combat child pornography on the Internet.

“Microsoft services and

but we have come together when our platforms are misused.”

He suggested that steps could be taken to make it easier for governments to report to companies any misuse of the Internet and to help them with investigations.

More can be done to combat digital terror: Microsoft to UN

Microsoft told the United Nations today that technology companies can do more to combat digital terror, but warned there was no single solution to prevent terrorists from using the web.

“There is no silver bullet that will stop terrorist use of the Internet,” Microsoft’s vice president Steven Crown told a special Security Council debate on counter-terrorism.

It was the first time an IT company addressed the Security Council, which has been increasingly concerned by the use of the Internet and social media by jihadists such as the Islamic State group.

Crown said the challenge posed by terrorism on the web was daunting but that the industry was willing to discuss ways to counter “misuse of our technologies to spread violence, to destroy and to kill.”

“We know that there are tens of thousands of terror-

Issue 667 (26)

17 May - 23 May 2016

Germany issues online sex manual for immigrants, sparks angry backlash The German government’s effort to sensitize and educate refugees about sexuality and anatomy through an online sex manual - is facing an angry, racist backlash. Locals are protesting the representation of mixed-race couples and revealing illustrations on the website.

Zanzu.de was reportedly set up in light of sexual assaults committed during the 2016 New Year’s Eve celebrations in Cologne. Around 1,000 women reported sexual assaults and thefts by men, many of whom were allegedly of “Arab or North African appearance”.

The site is available in 13 different languages, and is divided in six broad sections - body, family planning and pregnancy, infections, sexuality, relationships and feelings and rights and law. Each section is accompanied with descriptive text, illustrations and audio input. To help its users, the website includes a dictionary, translator and even the mechanism to connect to a mental health profes-

sional. The site was set up to address the cultural shock refugees might face in Europe, as compared to their countries. Zanzu addresses all topic imaginable, including sexual health, LGBT rights, consensual sex, orgasms, virginity, porn and prostitu-

tion. One of the first things people objected to was the semi-porn nature of the information and illustrations on Zanzu. For example, many sexual positions have been explained and illustrated graphically. This is not a big deal in Germany, however, where public nudity is acceptable and people openly discuss topics like sex.

In a section on pornography, Zanzu explains porn is not the same as sex in

reality. When seen in context of the entire website, however, the information seems perfectly in sync with its purpose.

Another chunk of people are rejecting the illustrations on the website as they often show brown and white figures as partners

claiming they encourage interracial relationships.

Social media is brimming with such Islamophobic and racist comments on Zanzu. One user suggests that Zanzu will encourage refugees to “use German women for nothing but raw, crude sex.” “Being illiterate, they won’t be able to read the text not that it would matter to them. The race replacement project (is) no longer hidden,” writes another.

THE GOVERNMENT’S VERSION German parliamentarian Elke Ferner says the purpose of the website is to provide “migrants” with “understandable and relevant information on all sexual and reproductive health issues.” She further explains the website is meant to guide medical professionals on the nature of topics to approach when providing migrants and refugees with health care provisions.

ANTI-REFUGEE VIOLENCE Meanwhile, refugees are not exactly safe in Germany, where authorities have recorded 1,610 crimes against refugees.

The figure was 895 in 2014.

In January, a refugee shelter was attacked with grenades in the southern German town of VillingenSchwenningen. Even Angela Merkel’s leadership has taken damage, in light of such an Islamophobic atmosphere, where politicians are making violent anti-refugee statements and making strong gains in local polls, ahead of crucial state elections.

China to US: Stay out of border dispute with India

The Chinese government on Monday said China and India are “wise” enough to solve their boundary disputes, delivering a not-so-subtle rebuke to the United States following a new Pentagon

report that has rankled Beijing.

China has been angered by the annual Pentagon report, which this year has also detailed the bolstering of Chinese military capabilities in the

disputed South China Sea. The report said China had reclaimed 3,200 acres of land on new islands and was now moving to weaponise them.

This drew a sharp response from the Chinese Defence Ministry, which said on Sunday that the US had “deliberately distorted” China’s defence policies and that it was the party that was “flexing military muscles by frequently sending aircraft and warships to the region”. The report, the defence ministry added, had “severely damaged mutual trust between the two sides”.

Issue - 667 (27)

17 May - 23 May 2016

Half-Punjabi accountant running for Senate in US state of Nevada

Washington Half-Punjabi public accountant Bobby Mahindra is running for a Senate seat in the US state of Nevada by employing a non-

conventional anti-corruption campaign that promises to get “dirty money” out of politics.

His father, Narendra Lal Mahindra, is from Gwalior, and mother, Sunita Mahindra, from Punjab. Bobby Mahindra pins his hope on the grass-roots campaign he built to replace Senate majority leader Harry Reid, 76, who has held the position since 1987. Mahindra, 42, claimed he had “achieved the real frontrunner status” by building a campaign on

Facebook and, unlike other candidates, “not taking a single penny from corrupt sources”. “I am the most-liked politician (on Facebook) in Nevada,” he told

PTI.“I knew that I would run for office one day; however, I never expected it to be right now, until I looked at the candidates. I wanted a politician that would stand for the anti-corruption movement socially liberal but fiscally conservative. Eventually, I realised that it’s better to be part of the solution than complaining all the time,” said Mahindra. He is pitted against three other candidates, including frontrunner Catnerine Cortez Masto, former attorney general of Nevada, in the

Obama honours Indian-American woman as teacher of the year

Democratic primary seat that Reid vacated. Reid, who is not seeking a re-election, has endorsed Masto to replace him.

The state primary is scheduled on June 14 and the general elections on November 8.

Mahindra has 21,000 supporters on his Facebook page as opposed to less than 15,000 of Masto. Republican Senate race frontrunner Congressman Joe Heck has less than 17,000.

Mahindra, who has lived in Las Vegas since 2011, said his nonconventional campaign would win him the June primaries.

He is using his Facebook page as a discussion board, where he says he addresses Nevadans directly by posting personal responses to complex political topics that politicians deflect with the established “non-answers”.

After the release of Panama papers, which exposed the names of politicians, celebrities, and extremely rich people from across the world who had stashed illegal wealth abroad, the campaign had taken off, said Mahindra.

He alleged Masto and Heck were frontrunners only in raising money from corrupt special interests, super PACs, and corporate America, with each raising more than $5 million (`33 crore). “Without corruption, we can easily grow America with new leadership from Nevada.

Socially liberal but fiscally conservative,” he said.

Cops search for three US teens who live-streamed sex acts on Facebook

New York Police are looking for three teens in the US who skipped school to live-stream themselves engaging in sex acts on Facebook to their classmates, a media report said.

On January 14, 2016, four juvenile students viewed a livestream on the social media website using their cell phones during health class at 1pm. The students said the videos show a 14-year-old girl, a 15-year-old girl and 15-year-old boy engaging in sex acts, the report added.Police in Milwaukee city of the US are asking Facebook to hand over all the information it has on the account of a 14year-old girl. From pictures, status history and videos to user information like name, email, and IP address, a report on CBS58.com said.

Meanwhile, Milwaukee Public Schools released a statement saying in January, staff became aware of a video depicting

inappropriate conduct that took place outside of school and off campus.

“The school immediately notified proper authorities and cooperated with the investigation.

We took appropriate disciplinary action against those involved, which would be in addition to any outside consequences they may face,” the statement said.

A Milwaukee County search warrant notes that the two juvenile girls in the video could be charged with “exposing a child to harmful material” while the 15-year-old boy that participated in the sexual acts was not listed as a suspect on the warrant.

The video was viewed by students at Barack Obama School but was not filmed there.

The two girls in the videos attend the school but according to the school principal, the two suspects skipped school after the first period, the report said.

US cop who assaulted elderly Indian no longer faces criminal charges Houston An Indian-American woman elementary teacher from Texas has been honoured by US President Barack Obama at the White House for her excellent work in the field of education.

Revathi Balakrishnan, a gifted teacher at Patsy Sommer Elementary School, was also named 2016 ‘Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year’.“It is not work for me. It is actually a passion,” said 53-year-old Austin-based Balakrishnan who has taught in the district’s talented and gifted programmes for nine years.Currently teaching math classes in third through fifth grade at Sommer, Balakrishnan, who was honoured last week, will now represent Texas in the ‘National Teacher of the Year’ competition. “I’m an IndianAmerican, so I think the Indian community is feeling a lot of pride and joy,” Balakrishnan said, adding that about 30 per cent of the students at ‘Sommer Elementary’ are Asian or Indian.

“I feel proud to represent those and I can convince a lot of younger generation Indian kids to turn to teaching for a career.

So I feel I can actually have some impact on that,” she said.

Balakrishnan has taught at ‘Sommer Elementary’ for six years before teaching at Forest North Elementary for three years.

Originally from Chennai, Balakrishnan was a systems analyst with Liberty Mutual, managing databases and programming for about 12 years before becoming a teacher.

Terming her style of teaching as “no nonsense”, Balakrishnan, who earned her economics degree from University of Madras, attributes her success in the field of education to her love of teaching.She said the excitement of teaching, learning with students and the opportunity to shape students who are the “leaders of tomorrow” drives her.

“Not one day is the same, which is what I like. I don’t like structure. I just go with the flow and I love what happens,” Balakrishnan said.

The ‘National Teacher of the Year Programme’ identifies exceptional teachers in the country, recognises their effective work in the classroom, engages them in a year of professional learning, amplifies their voices and empowers them to participate in policy discussions at the state and national levels.

Washington An American police officer, who brutally assaulted an Indian grandfather and left him partially paralysed, is no longer facing state criminal charges in Alabama, a case that had sparked outrage among the Indian community in the US, forcing the Governor to apologise.

Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange said the state no longer wishes to pursue a criminal case against Madison police officer Eric Parker in Limestone County Circuit Court.

“After a careful review of the witness testimony included in 2,000 pages of federal trial transcripts and a re-evaluation of the evidence, we are seeking to dismiss State charges against Parker,” Strange said in a release today.Parker, 27, is accused of assaulting 58-year-old Indian grandfather who was taking a stroll around his son’s home when he was brutally assaulted by him in February last year.

He was fired six days later and police arrested him for misdemeanor assault.

Parker was cleared of federal civil rights charges in January, after two mistrials.

Following the back-to-back

mistrials, US District Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala in January granted a motion to acquit, saying there would not be a third federal trial.

With the federal case concluded, Parker had been scheduled to

calamity...,” wrote Strange.

“After a review of the federal trial testimony, it does not appear that there would be sufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.

Thus, we have a duty to move to

face a bench trial in district court in Limestone County starting on June 7.

That was for the misdemeanor assault charge, which carries up to a year in jail.

Strange today filed the motion to dismiss the misdemeanor charge.

“Without a doubt this is an unfortunate case and we agree with US District Judge Madeline Haikala that ‘The result in this case is by no means satisfying.

Hindsight brings clarity to a

dismiss the charge,” he added.

Newly-appointed District Judge Douglas “Doug” Lee Patterson, who had said he was ready to move forward with the trial since it is a misdemeanour and there was no need to prolong the case, approved the request to drop the charge.

“The State of Alabama having filed a motion to dismiss this action and the Court having considered the same it is hereby ordered, adjudged and decreed that this case is dismissed,” he ruled.

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17 May - 23 May 2016

Pfizer blocks sale of drugs used in lethal injections for executions

Washington Pharmaceutical company Pfizer said on Friday it was blocking use of its drugs in lethal injections, which means all federally-approved drugmakers whose medications could be used for executions have now put them off limits. “Pfizer makes its

products to enhance and save the lives of the patients we serve.

Consistent with these values, Pfizer strongly objects to the use of its products as lethal injections for capital punishment,” the company said in the statement made public on its website Friday.The company’s announcement has limited immediate impact. Its action is an enhancement of a previous policy that follows Pfizer’s $15.23 billion purchase of Lake Forest, Illinois-based Hospira Inc. last year. Hospira had previously prohibited the use of its drugs in capital punishment, as have several other drugmakers.Pfizer shares closed even Friday at $33.19.The development means the approximately 25 FDA-approved companies worldwide able to manufacture drugs used in executions have now blocked the use of the drugs, according to Reprieve, a New York-based human rights organiaation opposed to the death penalty.

“Pfizer’s actions cement the pharmaceutical industry’s opposition to the misuse of medicines,” Maya Foia, Reprieve director, said in a statement.

Pfizer’s announcement was unlikely to have much effect on executions, which have slowed in recent years as drugmakers’ prohibition on the drugs took effect.However, as recently as last year, records showed that labels of Arkansas execution drugs appeared to indicate that

the state’s potassium chloride, which stops the heart, was made

by Hospira. Pfizer spokesperson Rachel Hooper said the company couldn’t speculate on the impact of its decision.Ohio, which last executed an inmate in January 2014, has repeatedly pushed back executions while it looks for drugs. It now has more than two dozen inmates with firm execution dates but no drugs to put prisoners to death with.

Some remaining death penalty states have been using compounded versions of drugs that fall outside of FDA approval.

Texas, with the country’s busiest death chamber, obtains its pentobarbital for lethal injections from a supplier the state identifies only as a licensed compounding pharmacy. A law that took effect last year keeps the identity of the drug provider confidential. The state has carried out six executions so far in 2016. At least eight are scheduled for the coming months, including two in June.

Texas is fighting a lawsuit trying to force it to identify drugmakers from April 2014, when attorneys unsuccessfully filed appeals to stop two executions by seeking

the identity of the drug providers, and September 2015, when the state’s secrecy law took effect.

Similar lawsuits about whether states must identify their providers have been argued in states, including Georgia, Arkansas and Missouri. There have been 14 executions in the US so far in 2016 in five states - six in Texas, five in Georgia and one each in Alabama, Florida and Missouri. Last year, there were 28 in six states.Some states have passed laws allowing older methods of execution if needed.

Last year, Utah approved the use of firing squads for executions if drugs aren’t available while Oklahoma became the first state to approve nitrogen gas for executions if lethal injection drugs become unavailable or are deemed unconstitutional.In 2014, Tennessee passed a law allowing the use of the electric chair if lethal drugs can’t be found. Virginia is debating a similar bill.The seven drugs affected by Pfizer’s policy: pancuronium bromide, potassium chloride, propofol, midazolam, hydromorphone, rocuronium bromide and vecuronium bromide.

crops. She left after a year to begin working as a nanny, heading north to New Jersey and eventually making her way to New York.“She adored kids,”

Lois Judge said of her aunt in a 2015 interview with The Associated Press. Jones never had any children of her own and was married for only a few years.

Family members said last year that they credited her long life to love of family and generosity to

Washington US President Barack Obama has appointed an IndianAmerican engineer to a key administration post, the White House said.

Manjit Singh, co-founder of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund has been appointed as the member of President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

The announcement came along with several other appointments made by the US President on Thursday.

“These fine public servants bring a depth of experience and tremendous dedication to their important roles. I look forward to working with them,” Obama said

in a statement.

President of Agilious, a software technology consulting firm he founded in 2013, Singh is also the co-founder and chairman of the Board of Directors of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, a national Sikh American media, policy and education organisation.

He served as a member of the Board of Directors of theGuru Gobind Singh Foundation and also as a Member-at-Large of The Board of the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan in Washington. Singh received a Master of Science degree from the State University of New York at Albany and a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Bombay in India.

million.

Cut from a single stone slab, the statue is the fifth of 10 known carvings of the subject in marble.

The prior record for a Rodin sculpture was $18.

97 million for “Eve, grand modeleversion sans rocher,” auctioned in May 2008.

Another big-ticket item of the

Port, Saint-Tropez” brought $10.

66 million, also in line the auctioneer’s estimates.

A statue of Hitler on his knees was auctioned Sunday for $17.

2 million, a record for a work by the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan.

The wax and resin statue entitled simply “Him” had been expected to fetch between $10 million and $15 million at the auction by Christie’s.

The previous record for a work

by Cattelan, who is 55, was $7.

Spring art auctions in New York began late Sunday and last through Thursday.

The 1,500-odd pieces up for auction this week are expected to bring in more than a billion dollars.

Rodin sculpture scores record $20m at auction in NY

NEW YORK Auguste Rodin’s “Eternal springtime” marble sculpture of lovers fetched more than $20 million at auction Monday, a record for the French sculptor, at Sotheby’s in New York.

The work - conceived by Rodin in 1884 and sculpted in 19011903 - is just 31.

5 inches wide by 26.

25 inches tall (80 by 66.

7 centimetres).

Its $20.

41 million sale price more than doubled auctioneers’s expectations of at least $8

World’s oldest person dies at age 116: ‘Susannah adored kids’

New York Susannah Mushatt Jones, the world’s oldest person, has died in New York at age 116.

Robert Young, a senior consultant for the Los Angelesbased Gerontology Research Group, said Jones died Thursday night at a public housing facility for seniors in Brooklyn where she had lived for more than three decades. He said she had been ill for the past 10 days.Jones was born in a small farm town near Montgomery, Alabama, in 1899.

She was one of 11 siblings and attended a special school for young black girls. When she graduated from high school in 1922, Jones worked full time helping family members pick

Obama appoints Sikh engineer to key administration post

others. Judge said at the time that she believed it helped that her aunt grew up on a rural farm, where she ate fresh fruits and vegetables that she picked herself.After she moved to New York, Jones worked with a group of her fellow high school graduates to start a scholarship fund for young African-American women to go to college. She also was active in her public housing building’s tenant patrol until she was 106.Jones became Guinness World Records’ official oldest person when 117-year-old Misao Okawa died in Tokyo last year.“Ms Jones was the very last American from the 1800s,” said Young, whose group tracks and maintains a database of the world’s longest-living people.

night was the painting “Sousbois” (1905) by Fauvist French painter Maurice de Vlaminck.

It sold for $16.

38 million, within the range Sotheby’s expected.

And Paul Signac’s “Maisons du

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Bids for Zimmerman gun rocket into millions WASHINGTON A website auction of the gun used by a neighborhood watchman to kill an unarmed black teenager in the United States in 2012 quickly climbed into millions of dollars Friday.

Nationwide protests erupted after George Zimmerman shot dead Trayvon Martin in what he said was self defense, but the teenager’s family and friends claimed was a racist murder.

Zimmerman’s trial and subsequent acquittal exposed the deep racial fissures in US society.

Online bids for the gun, which had an initial reserve price of $5,000 - already far above the market value of a secondhand weapon - rocketed overnight Thursday and into Friday after it was listed on unitedgungroup. com, with five days left to go in the sale.

However, it was difficult to verify the validity of the bids, with participants using obvious pseudonyms and seemingly bidding against themselves as the price climbed past $53 million.The auction site did not appear to have any restrictions on who could bid for the weapon and did not request down payments.Zimmerman advertised the gun as “the firearm that was used to defend my life and end the brutal attack from Trayvon Martin” and called the sale “your opportunity to own a piece of American history.

“The firearm is fully functional as the attempts by the Department of Justice on behalf of B. Hussein Obama to render the firearm inoperable were

thwarted,” Zimmerman’s listing said, apparently referring to President Barack Obama.

“I am proud to announce that a portion of the proceeds will be used to: fight BLM (Black Lives

Matter) violence against Law Enforcement officers,” he wrote.

The Black Lives Matter movement grew out of the killings of a number of young black men across the country, many at the hands of police officers who were not subsequently charged.

A neighborhood watch volunteer in a gated community in Florida, Zimmerman fatally shot high school student Martin as he was walking home with iced tea and candy in February 2012.

Zimmerman insisted he had been following Martin on suspicion the teenager was involved in robbery, and that he shot him in an act of self-defense.

He was acquitted of seconddegree murder the following year, setting off protests nationwide over Florida’s “stand your ground” gun laws.

The weapon’s description on United Gun Group, which bills itself as a “social marketplace for the firearms community,” was accompanied by photographs of the gun taken when it was

displayed as evidence in court.

The 32-year-old Zimmerman has made headlines repeatedly since his acquittal over Martin’s death, notably for selling paintings of the Confederate Flag - which many view as a racist symbol in partnership with a Florida gun store.He has also had several subsequent run-ins with the law.

Last year, he was accused of assault by his girlfriend, although she later withdrew the complaint.

In September 2014, he allegedly threatened a man during a road rage incident on a Florida highway, but police released him because the man did not want to press charges.

In 2013, his estranged wife Shellie Zimmerman called police to say he had threatened her with a gun, but she, too, failed to press charges.

Footless Ecuadoran mountaineer to climb K2

Washington An Ecuadoran who lost both his feet is aiming to become the first climber to scale the world’s toughest mountain, K2, with artificial limbs and without oxygen supplies.

Santiago Quintero had half of each foot amputated for frostbite after climbing Aconcagua in Argentina in 2002. But that has not stopped him. “They told me I would never climb 5,000-meter mountains again,” the smiling 41-year-old told AFP. “But no one can tell me how I am and what I am. Being what I want to be is my decision.”

Quintero scaled Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak at 8,848 meters (29,029 feet), in 2013.

The expedition landed him in the hospital in intensive care.

Now he is aiming to conquer K2 -- the second-highest mountain at 8,611 meters, but considered technically the hardest to climb.

He ascended K2, which is on the border between China and Pakistan, once before but

stopped short of the summit. His party had to turn back when they sank up to their chests in snow.

He says he caught frostbite on Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas, because he could not afford a $100 pair of waterproof covers for his boots.He spent nine months in the hospital in Spain, where doctors performed the amputations, then a further five years waiting to have prosthetic feet fitted. With those artificial members, he has already scaled seven of the 14 mountains in the world that are over 8,000 meters high. In total 188 mountaineers have scaled K2. “They did it with their bodies fully intact,” said Quintero. “That’s quite different.”

He plans to start his hike up K2 on June 13 and finish on July 31.

“I am quite determined,” he told AFP, while resting during a training climb on the extinct Ilalo volcano in northern Ecuador.

“Without the mountains, I think I would rather be dead.”

Basquiat portrait scores record $57.3m

NEW YORK A Jean-Michel Basquiat self portrait has soared to an artist’s record $57.

3 million to help Christie’s to a solid result for an auction of contemporary art held amid an art market gripped by uncertainty.

Basquiat’s large, vibrant, untitled work from 1982 had been estimated to sell for about $40 million but two determined telephone bidders drove the final price to break the late artist’s auction record by $8.

5 million.

The sale took in a total of $318.

4 million, well within the pre-sale estimate of about $280 million$390 million.Only eight of the 60 works on offer failed to sell.

The Basquiat record was especially significant in the current cautious climate, which follows years of soaring prices.

Both Christie’s and rival Sotheby’s have assembled markedly smaller spring sales this week, with no works carrying estimates much beyond $40 million.By comparison, several works broke the $100 millionmark in recent seasons.

Jussi Pylkkanen, the global president of Christie’s who also served as auctioneer, spoke of “a market where people are questioning price levels. “ “We got a lot of competition when objects were priced (estimated) at 80 percent of their value,” he told Reuters.

A packed salesroom showed obvious relief, responding with applause and cheers as the hammer came down on the Basquiat.

Officials admitted to trepidation after Monday’s spotty Impressionist and modern sale at Sotheby’s, which fell well short of even the low estimate.

“It was a tough day for us,” said Brett Gorvy, head of post-war and contemporary art at Christie’s, referring to the pre-sale hours.

He said results

were buoyed in part by “strong Asian bidding across the board.

“Officials also stressed collectors’ hunger for objects new to the market, noting that 85 percent of the works offered on Monday had never before appeared at auction.

Auction records were also set for several other artists, including Richard Prince, Agnes Martin

and Mike Kelley.

Among other highlights, Mark Rothko’s abstract “No. 17” fetched $32.

6 million, while Clifford Still’s “PH234” sold for $28.

2 million.

The abstract works, executed in styles well associated with the artists, each sold for just over the low pre-sale estimate.

Martin’s “Orange Grove”, with an estimate $6.

5 million-$8.

5 million, sold for $10.

7 million, including commission of just over 12 percent.

It was Christie’s second successful result and followed Sunday’s $78 million specially curated sale, which handily beat its high estimate.

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Hyperloop super-fast rail to hit milestone SAN FRANCISCO Elon Musk’s vision of a Hyperloop transport system that carries passengers in pressurized tubes at near-supersonic speeds is on track to hit a milestone on Tuesday.

Musk outlined his futuristic idea in a paper released in 2013, challenging innovators to bring the dream to life.

Hyperloop Technologies, one of the startups that picked up the gauntlet thrown by Musk, is hosting a “sneak preview of the

future of transportation technology” during a two-day event billed as involving a demonstration at a test site outside Las Vegas.

“Our ‘Kitty Hawk’ moment refers to our first full system, full scale, full speed test,” Lloyd said.

“This will be over two miles of tube with a controlled environment and inside that tube we will levitate a pod and accelerate it to over 700 miles (1,125

kilometers) per hour.

“A series of tweets fired from the Twitter account @HyperloopTech teased “big announcements you don’t want to miss” and included a video snippet of construction in the desert.

A caption in the video clip heralded a “milestone event” that would be live-tweeted from Las Vegas beginning Tuesday evening there.

Late last year, Hyperloop chief executive Rob Lloyd said in an online post that the team was working toward a “Kitty Hawk” moment in 2016.

The post came with word of an agreement to use an industrial park in the city of North Las Vegas to conduct a Propulsion Open Air Test of the blazinglyfast rail system.

Lloyd described it at the time as a very important step on the way to realizing the full potential of Hyperloop Tech.

He indicated in the post that a full-scale test might not take place until late this year.

Hyperloop did not reveal what components of the system would be shown in a demonstration slated to take place Wednesday at the test site.

The Hyperloop project went live

Frida Kahlo painting sells at auction for record $8m

in 2013 on crowdfunding platform JumpStart Fund, which marries crowdsourcing expertise with crowdfunding.

That year, Musk unveiled a design for a super-fast transport system dubbed “Hyperloop” that could carry passengers in lowpressure tubes at nearsupersonic speeds.

The project could connect Los Angeles and San Francisco in 35 minutes in a low-cost alternative to a high-speed rail network planned for California.

Musk has said he has no plans to build the system but offered the “open source design” to allow others to pursue a venture.

He’s called the system a cross between a “Concorde, a rail gun and an air hockey table.

“Jon Favreau, director of “Iron Man,” has referred to Musk as a modern-day “Renaissance man.

“In an article for Time, Favreau said he and actor Robert Downey Jr. modeled the main character in the movie - “genius billionaire Tony Stark” - after the Silicon Valley star.

Musk told Time that his goal was to be “involved in things that are going to make a significant difference to the future of humanity.

“South Africa-born Musk has become one of America’s bestknown innovators, having launched a payments company, electric carmaker Tesla Motors, SpaceX and SolarCity, which makes solar panels for homes and businesses.

He also operates his own

foundation focusing on education, clean energy and children’s health. Meanwhile, another startup that has picked up the Hyperloop gauntlet announced that its design is incorporating passive magnetic levitation originally conceived by a team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

“Utilizing a passive levitation system will eliminate the need for power stations along the Hyperloop track, which makes this system the most suitable for the application and will keep construction costs low,”

Hyperloop Transportation Technologies chief operating officer Bibop Gresta said in a statement. “From a safety aspect, the system has huge advantages, levitation occurs purely through movement, therefore if any type of power failure occurs, Hyperloop pods would continue to levitate and only after reaching minimal speeds touch the ground.

“After Musk published a white paper describing a futuristic mode of super high-speed rail transit, Hyperloop Transportation “rose to the challenge,” it said.

Family dog saves 7-year-old girl from rattlesnake, gets bitten thrice Washington A pet dog braved snakebites to save the life of a 7-year-old girl in the US, damaging its kidneys, following which a whopping $33,000 have poured in as donations for his treatment.

Haus, a 2-year-old German shepherd, was bitten thrice by

an eastern diamondback rattlesnake while protecting the girl.

The dog was playing with Molly DeLuca on Wednesday when the rattlesnake showed up in their backyard in Florida following which Haus jumped between the girl and the snake.

US gets its first woman military commander

NEW YORK A painting by Frida Kahlo depicting two women have been sold in New York for a record $8 million, the highest price yet for any work by the iconic Mexican artist, Christie’s said.

The 1939 painting was estimated to be worth $8 to $12 million.

Despite selling at the bottom of that range, it surpassed the previous auction record for Kahlo.

In 2006, her painting “Roots” sold for $5.6 million during a Sotheby’s auction in New York.

Kahlo (1907-1954) was the first

Latin-American artist to cross the million-dollar threshold when her painting “Diego y Yo” went for $1.

4 million in 1990.

Her personality, style and relatively small number of works have made her one of the most sought-after Latin American artists for decades.

The painting is slated to appear in the exposition “Paint the Revolution: Mexican Modernism, 1910-1950,” which opens in October at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

NEW YORK Air Force General Lori J Robinson on Friday became the first woman to lead a top-tier US warfighting command when she took charge of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and US Northern Command in Colorado.

Robinson one of just two female four-star generals in the Air Force was “the clear and obvious choice,” said Defense Secretary Ash Carter, who attended the change of command ceremony in a vast hangar at Peterson Air Force Base. Outside, a row of cannons fired a 19-gun salute.

Carter praised Robinson’s extensive experience and her skill as a strategic thinker capable of making split-second, life-and-death decisions. Her promotion shows the US has female officers qualified for the most senior positions, he said “I do hope well, I know there are more in her wake, more female officers in her wake,” Carter said.

Robinson is an inspiration to female cadets at the nearby Air Force Academy, said Academy Superintendent Michelle Johnson, a three-star general and the first woman to head the

school. “They appreciate seeing somebody that they can aspire to,” Johnson said after the ceremony.

describe her as the personification of a new generation of leaders, someone who understands that the Air

Robinson’s family has deep roots in the Air Force. Her husband, David Robinson, is a retired two-star general and was a pilot in the Thunderbirds demonstration team. A daughter, 2nd Lt. Taryn Ashley Robinson, was fatally injured in a pilot training crash months after graduating from the Air Force Academy. She died in January 2006, four weeks before her 23rd birthday. “I knew she was peeking over the clouds, and I knew that she was saying, ‘You go, Mom,’ “ Robinson said after the ceremony.

People who know Robinson

Force has a broad role in space, cybersecurity and drones, not just flying and fighting.

That’s what sets Robinson apart, not her gender, said Maria Carl, a retired Air Force colonel who worked with her when the general headed the Pacific Air Forces at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.

“Gen. Robinson reflects that change as much as anything else,” said Carl, who serves on the Military Affairs Council of the Hawaii Chamber of Commerce.

“She has an ability to take all the different pieces of the picture and pull it together strategically.”

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India probes claims ‘dancing doctors’ spurned patients

MUMBAI Indian officials are investigating a complaint that patients were turned away from a hospital in Mumbai because the doctors were too busy dancing to see them, according to reports on Wednesday.

A video shot on a mobile phone and uploaded to YouTube shows around two dozen women dressed in saris happily dancing away to loud music in what appears to be an empty hospital waiting room.

The women were doctors and nurses at the civic Diwaliben Mehta Hospital in the western Indian city of Mumbai and were celebrating a popular female festival called Haldi Kumkum, the Mumbai Mirror tabloid reported.

A complaint alleging that the partying doctors had failed to see a number of outpatients has been filed with the city

authorities’ health department, according to the Press Trust of India.“Following a complaint filed with us, we set up a committee to investigate the incident and the report would be submitted in a day or two,” the agency quoted Dr Pradeep Jadhav, the hospital’s supervisor, as saying.

Jadhav added that initial investigations had concluded that the doctors had not done anything wrong. A senior official at the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai’s health department described the allegations as “baseless”, the agency added. “Not a single patient has come forward to substantiate the charges,” the unnamed official told PTI.“All the patients were duly attended to as it was organised during postduty hours.Moreover, it was a ceremony only for women, and all male staff including doctors were at work,” he added.

New Delhi The murders of journalists Rajdeo Ranjan in Bihar and Akhilesh Pratap Singh in Jharkhand within 24 hours of each other confirmed a 2015 international report that

and some lawyers out of the Maoist-affected Bastar region.

Activists also said the state administration was muzzling free speech after three journalists were arrested on allegedly flimsy

China elevates rank of military command along Indian border Beijing In a surprise move, China has elevated the rank of Tibet’s Military Command which looks after the security along its border with India by putting it under the jurisdiction of PLA ground forces, suggesting it may “undertake some kind of military combat mission in future.”

“China raises Tibet Military Command’s (TMC) power rank,” state-run Global Times said in a front page report.

“The TMC’s political rank will be elevated to one level higher than its counterpart provincial-level military commands and will come under the leadership of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA),” it reported citing another official newspaper the ‘China Youth Daily.’“The promotion marks a new journey for the TMC command’s construction,” it said.The sudden “elevation” surprised many observers as the PLA in this year’s reform brought most of the provincial military commands under the control of Central Military Commission’s (CMC) new National Defence Mobilisation Department.

CMC, the overall high command of the PLA, is directly headed by President Xi Jinping, who is also the head of the ruling Communist Party.“The TMC on the other hand, is under the leadership of the Chinese ground forces, which suggests that the command may undertake some kind of military combat mission in the future,”

India ‘3rd most dangerous’ nation for journalists after Iraq and Syria

named India among the three most dangerous countries for media personnel.

Since 1992, 64 journalists have been killed in India with reporters exposing corruption the most hunted, says a compilation by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Most of them died in smaller towns where graft is rampant and exposing it means earns the wrath of powerful politicians and industrialists. Earlier this year, a group backed by the Chhattisgarh government forced journalists Malini Subramaniam

charges.

The high death rate of journalists in the country is only lower than war-torn Iraq and Syria. India is the deadliest nation for reporters in Asia, more than Pakistan or Afghanistan.

The poor record is primarily because of an absence of any mechanism to protect journalists.

The Press Council of India (PCI) is virtually toothless with its recommendations not binding on any authority. “It’s a matter of grave concern that three journalists were killed in India in

the last four months and another died in a tragic accident while on the line of duty,” said PCI chief justice (retd) Chandramouli Kumar Prasad.

The third killing this year was the daylight murder of 32-year-old Karun Mishra, the bureau chief of local newspaper Jansandesh Times in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh. He had reported on dangerous business --- illegal mining -- and his murder case is still unsolved.

Last year, freelance journalist Jagendra Singh was allegedly burnt alive by police and goons reportedly sent by Uttar Pradesh minister Ram Murti Verma in Shahjahanpur. The reason: Singh’s prominent coverage to the alleged rape of an anganwadi worker by Verma. Only after the chilling murder were the minister and others booked.

A PCI report shows 96 % cases of journalists killing reported in the last two decades have not reached their logical conclusion.

The cases have either dragged on in the courts or the investigation has hit a dead end.

“I urge the government of India to enact a special law for protection of journalists and speedy trial of cases of attacks and assaults,” the PCI chief said in a statement.

the report quoted a “source close to the matter” as saying.

There was no elaboration of what the “military combat mission” will be.

peace and tranquillity, not withstanding the dispute over the 3,488-km long border.

They have set up mechanism at the ground and at the level of the

Seasoned military observers termed the report confusing.

Until last year, China had seven military area commands in Beijing, Nanjing, Chengdu, Jinan, Shenyang, Lanzhou and Guangzhou. Of this Chengdu looked after security of India’s Eastern sector in the Tibet region including Arunachal Pradesh while Lanzhou in Xinjiang looked after partly the western sector, including Kashmir region and Pakistan.

As per the new strategic zone plan, both Chengdu and Lanzhou gets integrated into strategic command region making it perhaps the biggest areas for Chinese military.

TMC may perhaps get a four-star General instead of a Lt General, while Lanzhou, where the combat forces are stationed is already led by a General.

“Loosely put it, the report is very confusing. we need to more information to get a proper perspective,” a senior military official told PTI. India-China borders largely enjoy

government to address issues relating to the recurring transgressions by PLA troops in the areas claimed by India.

The issue was broadly discussed during last month’s visit of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to China during which the two sides agreed to set up ‘Hot Lines’ between the militaries.President Pranab Mukherjee is due to visit China on a state visit from May 24 to improve bilateral ties. However, differences have arisen between the two over China’s attempts to block India’s bid to ban Pakistanbased militant leaders.

China is also stepping its investment in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), through which it is building USD 46 billion economic corridor. By raising TMC’s authority level and putting it under the jurisdiction of PLA ground forces, China continues to boost its military presence in Tibet and aims to allow the military command to shoulder more combat assignments, analysts said.

Village Pradhan’s husband alleges insult by Hema Malini

Mathura The husband of a village pradhan in Mathua district filed a complaint on Saturday alleging he was insulted by BJP MP Hema Malini.

“I was scolded and insulted by MP Hema Malini who came to Bansibat,” Bhagwan Singh, the husband of Mant Mula village pradhan Bhagwati Devi, alleged, adding, she even questioned how his wife was elected.

A complaint was submitted to SHO Mant by Singh, deputy superintendent of police Sanjai Kumar said, adding, it has not been registered as the police are looking into the matter.

Singh claimed he apprised Hema Malini about felling of trees in the area on the occasion of Tehsil Diwas but in response she started “insulting” him.

“I told her that I had lodged a complaint about felling of the trees in the area but she started scolding and insulting me,” Singh claimed.

Meanwhile, residents of the area burnt an effigy of Hema Malini and shouted slogans against her.

Singh was hospitalised after a bout of depression and doctors said his condition is stable.

No comments were available from Hema Malini’s side despite several phone calls made to her.

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Indian lesbian couple lose legal battle to stay in UK NEW DELHI A married lesbian couple from India has lost their legal battle to stay in the UK on the grounds that their relationship

but felt their return to India would not be a violation of their right to a family life as there was no evidence the couple would suffer violence on return.

would not be legally recognised in India.

The couple, who cannot be named for legal reasons, arrived from India as friends in 2007 and went on to enter into a civil partnership in Scotland in 2008, which they converted into marriage last year.

Judges at the UK’s Court of Appeal rejected their application to remain in the UK on Thursday on the grounds that their relationship would not be legally recognised in their home country of India.

According to the ‘Guardian’, they both completed Master’s degrees in Scotland and then found work and have always lived on legal visas in the UK and now want to acquire an “Indefinite Leave to Remain” in the country.

The Court of Appeal, however, analysed background material on India and accepted that India provided no legal protection or recognition of same-sex couples

“My family do not know that I am a lesbian or that I am married. If I return home they will treat me as a single woman and start looking for a suitable husband for me,” one of the women who cannot be identified was quoted as saying by the report.

“I won’t have any legal protection for who I am because my marriage will not be recognised in India. In India we will both have to hide who we are. In the UK we enjoy our family life together,” she said.

The couple’s barrister, S Chelvan, said: “This is a landmark judgment, as it is the first case from the Court of Appeal to address the balancing of the rights of migrant samesex couples to legal recognition and protection, with immigration control and economic interests of the UK.” The couple are now planning to appeal against the decision to the UK’s Supreme Court.

70-year-old Indian woman gives birth to first baby NEW DELHI An Indian woman who gave birth at the age of 70 said Tuesday she was not too old to become a first-time mother, adding that

her life was now complete.

Daljinder Kaur gave birth last month to a boy following two years of IVF treatment at a fertility clinic in the northern state of Haryana with her 79-year-old husband.

Kaur said the couple, married for 46 years, had almost lost hope of ever having a child and had faced ridicule in a country where infertility is sometimes seen as a curse from God. “God heard our prayers.

My life feels complete now.

I am looking after the baby all by myself, I feel so full of energy.

My husband is also very caring and helps me as much as he can,” Kaur told AFP from the northern city of Amritsar.

“When we saw the (IVF) advert, we thought we should also give it a try as I badly wanted to have a baby of my own,” she said.

Kaur put her age at about 70, a common scenario in India where many people don’t have birth certificates, while the clinic said in a statement that she was 72.

The baby was conceived using the couple’s own egg and sperm and was now “healthy and hearty” after weighing just two kilogrammes (4.

4 pounds) at birth on April 19, the National Fertility and Test Tube centre said.

Kaur’s husband, Mohinder Singh Gill, who owns a farm outside Amritsar, said he was unfazed about their age, saying God would watch over their child whom they named Armaan.

“People say what will happen to the child once we die.

But I have full faith in God. God is omnipotent and omnipresent, he will take care of everything,” he told AFP.

Cong leader held for murder of US embassy school’s ex-staffer in MP Bhopal Police arrested a Madhya Pradesh Congress leader and two others for allegedly murdering a former American Embassy School staffer, whose body was found in a jungle in Hoshangabad district on Saturday morning.

Leena Sharma – an assistant manager of projects at Delhi’s American Embassy School – went missing on April 29 after a protracted property dispute with the Congress leader Pradeep Sharma, who she used to call her uncle.

Police said her body was found partially decomposed and officials could identify the 40year-old only from her nails and blonde-coloured hair. The killers had allegedly heaped salt and urea on her body to make it decompose faster, sources said.

The incident came under the spotlight after Leena’s friends started a viral social media campaign to locate her called “Save Leena”.Police said she quit her job last year and came down to Dudadeh village in Sohagpur to demarcate and build a fence around 35 acres of her ancestral land that Pradeep was allegedly encroaching upon.

Investigators are also probing the role of Leena’s sister Hema in the crime because she took seven days to report the Delhi teacher’s disappearance.

Sources said Pradeep had already encroached upon 10 of

the 35 acres and was not happy about Leena coming back to fence the land.

Leena’s friends said her relations with her Pradeep were strained for the last few years because of this issue.

getting her land demarcated on April 24-25 through the intervention of some high-ranking officials in the chief minister’s secretariat.

This angered Pradeep and he had a heated argument with

Around two decades ago, Pradeep a resident of Sagar was ostracized by his family when he married his niece.

Leena’s mother’s elder sister took pity on him and brought him to Sohagpur. That is why Leena called him her uncle.

Sources said after quitting her job last year, Leena came down to Sohagpur several times to get her land demarcated against the wishes of Pradeep and Hema.

Hema owned the land jointly with Leena.

Police questioned two aides of Pradeep- Gore Lal, 21 and Rajender, 25, who reportedly revealed how Leena was murdered on April 29 and buried in the nearby Kamati jungle.

Leena finally succeeded in

Leena when she went to Dudadeh on April 29 to get the land fenced.

Pradeep and his two aides allegedly hit her with a rod and stones, killing her.

Hoshangabad superintendent of police (SP) AP Singh said the suspects were charged with trying to destroy evidence and committing a crime with common intent.“Three of Leena’s friends from Bhopal rushed to Sohagpur to identify the body. And they confirmed the body was that of Leena,” said Singh, adding the body had been sent for a post mortem.

Pradeep and Hema had lodged the missing persons complaint with Sohagpur police on May 5, a week after Leena went missing.

PoK militant arrested in North Kashmir, Aadhaar card recovered Srinagar Jammu and Kashmir police on Saturday arrested a Pakistani militant belonging to the banned Jaish-e-Mohammad organisation, who was operating in North Kashmir using a fake identity and had managed to get an Aadhaar card as well.

Police in North Kashmir’s Baramulla area is trying to ascertain whether the card is a fake one or the militant managed to get an original one with a fake identity. “The card is computer made, we are trying to ascertain whether it was a fake card or the militant had managed to get an original one from authorities,” said a senior police officer from the area.

A police statement released late Saturday evening said that the militant commander, identified as Abdul Rehman from PakistanOccupied Kashmir, was arrested on Friday evening from Baramulla after a specific input about his presence in the area.

Sources say the militant was arrested from Hajibal in the upper reaches of Baramulla town. “The miliant is part of a Fidayeen squad that had infiltrated in the month of January this year from Kupwara sector. Rehman was trained in Jaish-e-Mohammad

training camp located in Balakot Pakistan,” said the statement.

Rehman was working in North

town. He was operating in and around Baramulla trying to recruit youth for his module,” said a

Kashmir under the name of Shabir Ahmad Khan, son of Ghulam Rasool Khan, and had an aadhar card under the fake name. The militant according to police also worked under other aliases including Saad and Shahid.

Rehman was arrested in a joint operation of police and Army 46RR and according to police was planning to establish a base of Jaish in the area. “Rehman was planning to establish the base of Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist outfit for furthering terrorist activities in Baramulla

police official.

The Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit, according to police, has been desperate to establish base in Baramulla and a similar attempt was also foiled in the month of February when one Pakistani terrorist Sidiq Gujjar alias Shahid from Sialkot in Pakistan was arrested.

Police claimed recoveries including some incriminating documents were made from the possession of arrested militant which include one AK series rifle, 4 grenades, a wireless set and other arms and ammunition.

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Indian artist wins second prize India cites UN convention to help unearth black money in UN Poster for Peace contest United Nations A 22-year-old Indian artist is among the three winners of a UN poster competition aimed at raising awareness about nuclear disarmament. The poster, which caught the UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon’s attention, shows a dove slicing through a nuclear weapon.

Anjali Chandrashekar, a New York-based designer and “artivist”, won the third prize in UN Poster for Peace contest presented by the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (ODA) to raise awareness of the need for nuclear disarmament.

Titled ‘Cutting Barriers through Peace’, the poster features a peace dove slicing through a nuclear weapon.

Another poster ‘Break Free’ by the Chennai girl, that shows doves flying out of a bird cage at the top of a nuclear weapon, received an honourable mention.

She received the third-prize certificate from Ban at an award ceremony held here on May 3.

Apart from the three winners, nine honourable mentions were chosen from among more than 4,100 entries representing 123 countries.The young artist was only 10 when she founded ‘Picture It’, a non-governmental organisation that uses imagery to raise awareness and funds for

various health, humanitarian and environmental causes.

“Nuclear disarmament is usually spoken about on such a high

level and I believe that art has the power to humanise some of the most pressing issues that the world faces today,” she told the UN News Centre.

“It also transcends barriers of age, language and literacy so I thought this was a great opportunity for me to show that a brush can be mightier than arms.”

The first prize went to 38-yearold Ivan Ciro Palomino Huamani from Peru for his ‘Spinning Peace’, which features a nuclear weapon being unraveled into string which is then used to fly

kites and balloons, and to jump rope.

Second placed, 15-year-old Michelle Li, named her poster ‘Peace in our Hands’, which features a shadow puppet of a peace dove above a broken nuclear weapon.

Ban said he commends them for the “talents you have displayed, and for using those talents to highlight such an essential cause”.

“At a time of many global needs, it is important that young people are aware of the threat posed by nuclear weapons, and the vital importance of disarmament.

Young people did not create nuclear weapons but it may be their task to eliminate them once and for all. The energy and enthusiasm, talent and new ideas we see here today will help to meet that challenge,” he said at the award ceremony.

Actor Michael Douglas, a UN Messenger of Peace, said that “creativity is essential” to creating momentum for nuclear disarmament.

The competition was organised to commemorate the anniversary of the very first UN General Assembly resolution adopted in 1946, which established a commission to deal with problems related to the discovery of atomic energy.

NEW DELHI As Indian agencies look to bring back black money and ‘proceeds of crime’ stashed by individuals and companies in tax havens, the Narendra Modi government has drawn the attention of world leaders, including British Prime Minister David Cameron, to the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) which says that countries should extend cooperation in giving information on stolen or unaccounted assets.

India also pointed to the leaders and their representatives that nations should not hide behind bank secrecy laws when it comes to sharing information on “unaccounted money” lying in their banks and other financial institutions.

Representing India at the global Anti-Corruption Summit in London on May 11-12, central vigilance commissioner KV Chowdary , said, “Mr Prime Minister (David Cameron), India would like to stress that as stated in Article 51, the return of assets is a fundamental principle of UNCAC, and states/ parties must afford one another widest measures of international cooperation in facilitating quick return of stolen assets, including unaccounted assets and particularly assets in safe havens, to the countries of origin.”

Chowdary was accompanied by Enforcement Directorate chief Karnal Singh for the summit. He

said India will support the reporting on “tax information for large multinational enterprises” and that “India will take steps required for preventing corruption in government, its institutions and in businesses”. “We are also committed on the issue of return of unaccounted wealth from safe havens and for persistent and consistent efforts on asset recovery,” he said. India’s statement in the summit said, “As advised by G20 and endorsed by the Doha declaration adopted at the 13th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, India advocates the extending of all assistance to the requesting States in identification, tracing, freezing, seizure, recovery and repatriation of assets.” “We firmly advocate that all State Parties should ensure cooperation in dissemination of information without any impediment of bank

Australian mum reveals Abortion rates fall to historic low in wealthy quintuplets in photo shoot countries, little changed elsewhere

Sydney An Australian mother who gave birth to quintuplets in January has released a photo shoot of her unlikely new arrivals.

Perth resident Kim Tucci, 26, took just two minutes to give birth to her four daughters and one son, who were conceived naturally.

A team of 50 doctors and nurses assisted with the planned caesarean and all of the children were born healthy.

The chance of conceiving quintuplets naturally is about one in 55 million.

Mrs Tucci’s story gained prominence through her Facebook page, Surprised by Five, where she recorded the details of her pregnancy.

Local business Erin Elizabeth Photography, which helped document Mrs Tucci’s

pregnancy, organised the quintuplets’ photo shoot.

“50 fingers 50 toes, 6 hearts beating at once.

My body fought the toughest of battles to get five babies here safely,” Mrs Tucci, 26, wrote when she posted the photos.

“Everything I did I did for them. “ In an interview with Australian current affairs program 60 Minutes in April, Mrs Tucci said she felt like her body was “shutting down” during the pregnancy.

She said that doctors originally offered her the choice of saving two of the babies while terminating the others, due to serious health risks to both her and the unborn children.

“No-one thought I could do it, and I did, I showed everyone in my life,” Mrs Tucci told 60 Minutes.

London Abortion rates have dropped dramatically in the past 25 years to historic lows in wealthy countries, but dipped only slightly in poorer developing nations, according to a global study published on Wednesday.The study - by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Guttmacher Institute - also found that imposing restrictive laws does little to lower abortion rates, but is more likely to force people into having unsafe terminations.It estimated that on average 56 million abortions took place each year worldwide from 2010 to 2014.The overall findings highlight a lack in poorer countries of access to modern contraception methods - such as the pill, implants and coils - to reduce unwanted pregnancies, the researchers said.

“In developing countries ... family planning services do not seem to be keeping up with the increasing desire for smaller families,” said Gilda Sedgh, who led the research at the Guttmacher Institute in the United States.More than 80 percent of unintended pregnancies are in women who are not getting the contraception they need, she said, “and many unwanted pregnancies end in abortion”.She said that by contrast the downward trend in abortion rates in richer countries

is largely due to “increased use of modern contraception that has given women greater control over the timing and number of children they want.”Published in The Lancet medical journal, the study used abortion data from nationally representative surveys, official

Europe more than halving as modern contraceptive methods became more widely available.Yet in poorer countries, the abortion rate remained virtually unchanged, dropping from 39 to 37.The study also found that termination rates were similar in countries where

statistics and other published and unpublished studies, along with information on the level of unmet need for contraception and the prevalence of contraceptive use, by type of method.The researchers then used a statistical model to estimate levels and trends in abortion incidence for all major world regions and subregions from 1990 to 2014.The researchers found that between 1990 and 2014, the developed world’s annual abortion rate per 1,000 women of childbearing age (15–44 years) dropped from 46 to 27, mainly as a result of the rate in Eastern

abortion is legal and where it is prohibited.

Where abortion is prohibited altogether, or allowed only to save a woman’s life, the rate was 37 abortions per 1,000 women, compared with 34 per 1,000 where it is legal.“More women living in countries with the most restrictive abortion laws have an unmet need for contraception - that is, they want to avoid getting pregnant but are not using a method of family planning - than women in countries with more liberal laws, and this adds to the incidence of abortion in countries with restrictive laws,” Sedgh said.

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World’s biggest cruise ship handed over to owners in France SAINT-NAZAIRE The world’s biggest-ever cruise ship, the 120,000-tonne Harmony of the Seas, a luxury home on the waves for C8,500 passengers and crew, was handed over by a French shipyard on Thursday after a 40month engineering feat.

At 66 metres (217 feet), it is the widest cruise ship ever built, while its 362-metre length makes it 50 metres longer than the height of the Eiffel Tower.

The floating town, which cost close to one billion euros (dollars), has 16 decks and will be able to carry 6,360 passengers and 2,100 crew members.The ship was built for the US-based Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL) by the STX France boatyard in Saint-Nazaire on the Atlantic coast, where a spectacular ceremony marked the handover on Thursday.

“It’s not only the biggest cruise ship in the world, it’s also the most expensive ever built,” said Richard Fain, head of RCCL, during a ceremony which featured blaring music and tightrope walkers performing splits over the aquatheatre at the back of the ship.Among the onboard attractions are “The Ultimate Abyss”, a 10-storey slide from the top deck to the main deck which RCCL bills as the world’s biggest ship-mounted

waterslide.

A giant climbing wall, a rope slide, mini-golf, surf simulator, floating jacuzzis, casino and 1,400-seat theatre playing Broadway musicals are among the other attractions.

Harmony of the Seas will produce 20 percent less CO2 emissions than the two largest ships in its class, partly thanks to air pumped into the hull to lighten its load.

It took 2,500 workers at STX

were still busy putting finishing touches to Harmony of the Seas before it leaves the port on Sunday, weather permitting, for Southampton in southern England.

From there, it will embark on for

Two robot barmen will serve passengers in the “Bionic Bar”.

The ship even has its own high street, and a “Central Park” deck featuring 12,000 plant species.

“Creating this ship in 40 months is an extraordinary feat - it’s the achievement of thousands of people,” said Laurent Castaing, head of STX France.

France around 10 million workhours to complete the enormous vessel after work began in September 2013.The contract marked a major boost for the boatyard after several lean years.STX has built 120 cruise ships over its 150 years, and has another 11 lined up for the next decade.Several hundred workers

its official maiden voyage on May 22 to its new home port of Barcelona, after which it will begin regular cruises through to late October.RCCL already operates two giant sister liners to the Harmony of the Seas called Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas.They are marginally smaller than the new

ship.RCCL has already ordered another sister ship to Harmony to join its fleet in 2018.

Harmony of the Seas will leave the port on Sunday, weather permitting, for Southampton in southern England.

From there, it will embark on for its official maiden voyage on May 22 to Barcelona.

RCCL already operates two giant sister liners to the Harmony of the Seas called Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas.

They are only marginally smaller than the new ship.

Among the onboard attractions are “The Ultimate Abyss”, a 10storey slide from the top deck to the boardwalk which RRCL bills as the world’s biggest shipmounted slide.

The purple slide can be clearly seen at the rear of the ship.

A giant climbing wall, a rope slide, mini-golf, surf simulator, floating jacuzzis, casino and 1,400-seat theatre playing Broadway musicals are among the other attractions.Two robot barmen will serve passengers in the “Bionic Bar”.

The ship even has its own high street, and a “Central Park” deck featuring 12,000 plant species.

After its maiden voyage, it will dock in its new home port of Barcelona a week later, after which it will begin regular cruises through to late October.

ROME A pioneering Italian gynaecologist best known for helping women in their 60s to have babies has been arrested on suspicion of removing eggs from a patient without her consent.

Severino Antinori, 70, was arrested at Rome’s Fiumicino airport on Friday following a complaint filed by a 24-year-old Spanish woman who was being treated for an ovarian cyst at Milan clinic run by the specialist, police and lawyers involved in the case told the AGI news agency.

Antinori has had his licence to practice gynaecology provisionally suspended for a year and been placed under house arrest in Rome on charges of aggravated robbery and causing personal injury, the agency reported. The alleged victim was a Spanish national with a nursing qualification who had recently begun working at the clinic.Prosecutors allege that Antinori, who had met the woman by chance, set up the job interview and subsequently diagnosed the ovarian cyst with the sole intention of harvesting her eggs without her knowledge.

The woman says she had her mobile phone taken off her before being forcibly immobilised, placed under anaesthetic and operated on

without her consent. She believed she was only going to be treated by injection for the cyst, according to her lawyer.

The investigation was triggered by the woman calling emergency services from a

Democratic Party.

Antinori became famous worldwide in 1994 when his fertility treatment led to Italian Rossana Della Corte giving birth to a son at the age of 63. At the time she was the oldest woman

payphone in the clinic after she came round from the surgery.

Antinori’s lawyers described the charges against their client as “absurd”.

Prosecutors are also working on the hypothesis that this may not be an isolated case.

“The arrest of Severino Antinori is extremely serious because it indicates the existence of a market in eggs that will not stop at anything,” said Donata Lenzi, an Italian lawmaker from Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s

to have given birth.

The gynaecologist was also involved in the treatment of Patricia Rashbrook, who became Britain’s oldest mother when she had a boy in 2006.

Antinori has also attracted controversy with his advocacy of the use of cloning technology to enable infertile couples to have children by injecting genetic material from a father into donated eggs. It is unclear whether he has ever overseen the creation of a cloned child.

Turkey president’s daughter marries in Istanbul ISTANBUL Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday saw his

younger daughter Sumeyye marry defence industrialist Selcuk Bayraktar at a largescale and high security ceremony in Istanbul.Turkish media pictures earlier showed Sumeyye, 30, wearing an Islamic headscarf, sitting in the front seat of the bridal car.

Erdogan and his wife Emine have four children - eldest son Burak who is rarely seen in public, Bilal and two daughters Esra and Sumeyye.Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is expected to be Sumeyye’s witness and army chief Hulusi Akar for the groom at the wedding ceremony to be attended by some 6,000 guests, media reports said.In a surprise move, Davutoglu announced last week he would step down as premier and leader of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) at a congress later this month.Davutoglu, a heavyweight

former foreign minister, is believed to have been forced out of office due to repeated disagreements with Erdogan and that the key quality in the next head of government will be l o y a l t y. H i s appearance at the wedding could dismiss claims of a split with the president.In Istanbul some roads were closed to traffic because of the wedding and additional barriers were put up around the wedding hall in Kucukcekmece on the European side of the city, media reports said.The groom Bayraktar graduated from Istanbul Technical University’s department of electronic engineering in 2002.

He received masters degrees from the University of Pennyslvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his doctorate from the Georgia Institute of Technology in the United States.He has been working as chief technology officer at a family company Baykar Makinam which manufactures unmanned aerial vehicles. He has taken part in a number of projects on the development of national defence systems.

Top Italian doctor suspected of stealing patient’s eggs

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I’ll hit six sixes again Yuvraj Singh to cancer survivor kid Interacting yesterday with 17 kids who had battled cancer, Yuvraj Singh told them that he will repeat his remarkable feat of six sixes again and asked the kids to pray for it. A cancer survivor himself, Yuvraj talked to the kids about how they need to think of the disease as a blessing in disguise.

Yuvraj’s six sixes off Stuart Broad in the 2007 T20 World Cup have been the stuff of legends since. The tournament, which India went on to win, marked an inflection point in Indian cricket, and Yuvraj’s feat stands alongside India’s last ball win in the final

against Pakistan as the most exhilarating moment of the Cup even now.

Asked if he would do repeat the feat, Yuvraj said, “You pray, I will hit six sixes again,” reported PTI. The southpaw, however, said he doesn’t know how he hit those six sixes.

“Many years have passed since then.”

Yuvraj was again instrumental in India’s 2011 ODI World Cup victory after a gap of 28 years, and was adjudged Man of the Series for his splendid effort in the tournament. However, it was the same year that saw him diagnosed with cancer. The star

battled cancer and recovered, and has returned to be part of the Indian T20 squad again.

Playing in the IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad, Yuvraj has had a moderate season so far, but showed glimpses of the past when he took 42 off 24 against the Kings XI attack yesterday to take the team to a 7-wicket victory.

One of the survivors, an 8year old boy studying in Class 4 now, told PTI that players like Yuvraj are a great inspiration for him. “I love cricket and seeing Yuvi and Suresh Raina in action gives me immense joy,” he said.

Yuvraj also shared his journey through the illness and told the kids how such ex-

periences teach you to not take life for granted. “Think of it as a blessing in dis-

guise that you have an opportunity to live again,” he told them.

Kohli smashes Dhoni’s INDIA’S OLDEST TEST CRICKETER SHODHAN DIES OF CANCER captaincy record A gentleman in every sense, India’s oldest Test cricketer Deepak Shodhan breathed his last yesterday after losing aprolonged battle with lung cancer.

A left-handed batsman and a lefthanded medium pacer, Shodhan was braveness personified as he rose to the call of duty to deny West Indies a win in Jamaica in India’s 1953 tour of the Caribbean.

In the fifth Test, Deepak was down with flu and had to be hospitalised. He could not bat in the first innings. But when the team needed someone to stick to the wicket, “that tall Gujarati boy who had done so well in the trials and other matches” stepped out of bed and did exactly that after India had

At a time when India’s shorter formats’ captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is going through a rough patch and his prodigy Virat Kohli is having the time of his life, both as a batsman and a leader, the latter has gone past Mahi in terms of number of consecutive games captained in Indian Premier League (IPL).

Kohli has now led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 63 successive matches, bettering Dhoni’s record of 61. The current ‘orange cap holder’ is sec-

ond on the list, with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Gautam Gambhir leading the pack with 87 consecutive appearances as captain.

However, Dhoni, who is the current skipper of Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) features on the list not once but twice. The wicketkeeper batsman who was the heart and soul of the now suspended franchise, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has two consecutive captaincy record - one lasting 59 games and the other 61.

conceded a 264-run first innings lead.

But the genial Amdavadi’s most memorable moment came in his very first Test against the arch rivals Pakistan in December 1952 at the majestic Eden Gardens.

Luck played a big role in his inclusion in the playing XI after stand-in skipper Lala Amarnath put his faith in him.

Despite the likes of great Fazal Mahmood and stalwart Mahmood Hussain in the rival ranks, Shodhan held his own to score a century.

How one of the most daring batsmen of his era did

not play more than three Tests, remains a mystery despite the theories but Shodhan continued to ply his trade for Gujarat and Baroda while winning the

Ranji Trophy in 1957-58 season.

Talking to Mirror, former Indian opener A n s h u m a n Gaekwad, whose father Datta Gaekwad is now India’s oldest living Test cricketer, said: “His demise is a great loss to cricket in general.

He was an elegant batsman and a great human being.”

Former international stumper, Kiran More, added: “He is a very senior cricketer and I did not have too many interactions with him. But from whatever I had he came as a thorough gentleman and a genial human being. It is a great loss for cricket.”

National record has come at right time says Sudha Singh Asian Games 2010 Gold Medal winner, Sudha Singh , who created a new national record in the women’s 3000m steeplechase at the IAAF Diamond League Shanghai race last week, said her performance has come at the right time and it’ll boost her preparations for the upcoming Rio Olympics.

Sudha’s new mark 9:26:55sec, rewritten 15 days after Asian champion Lalita Babar set the then existing record in New

Delhi, has intensified the friendly-rivalry between the duo who train under same foreign expert Nikolai Snesraev.

For Sudha, this was her first international outing on track since the 2014 Asian Games and she admitted to have butterflies in her stomach prior to the IAAF Diamond League race in Shanghai where she finished eighth in the women’s 3000m

steeplechase.

“We reached there in advance and also trained a bit. It was a bit cold, around 15 degree Celsius,

but once the race started I didn’t know what was happening.

This was my first international race in the steeplechase since 2014 Asiad,” said the petite athlete, who clinched her Olympics berth in the first track event she participated since then, at the Federation Cup on April 29. Sudha clocked 9:31.86s to achieve the Rio qualification mark of 9:45.00s.

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Portrait of Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump kissing is going viral What many might deem as controversial is this mural of Russian President Vladimir Putin and US presidential runner Donald Trump kissing.

But, where did these two find love? On the streets of Lithuania! The mural is painted by local artist Mindaugas Bonanu and his work titled “Make Everything Great Again,” was unveiled with the help of barbecue restaurant co-owner Dominykas Ceckauskas on Thursday.

Since then the Putin-

Trump mural has garnered attention. Speaking to Baltic News Service, Ceckauskas said that he saw similarities between the “two heroes”. “They

both have an ego that is too big and it is funny that they get along well,” he said. The mural draws connection from a 1979 photograph of East German communist leader Erich Honecker and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev kissing each other. A graffiti on the Berlin Wall was made by Dmitri Vrubel in

1990 inspired by the photograph. The bromance between the two “heroes” is not a craft of anyone’s imagination, the two have complimented each other time and again.

President Putin had called Trump “a very colorful person, talented without any doubt”.

Donald Trump reciprocated the nicety and said it was “a great honor to be so nicely complimented by a man so highly respected within his own country and beyond.”

He had also told CNN in October 2015 that he would get along with Putin “very well”. However, soon after Trump released a campaign video that portrayed Russia as a geopolitical rival.

Donald Trump divisive, stupid, wrong British PM David Cameron stands by comment British Prime Minister David Cameron stands by his description of Donald Trump’s proposal for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States as “divisive, stupid and wrong”, a spokesman said on Monday.

Trump, when asked about Cameron’s criticism, said such comments indicate he is unlikely to have a good relationship with the British prime minister.

“The prime minister has made his views on Donald Trump’s comments very clear. He disagrees with them,” the spokesman said.

“He continues to believe that preventing Muslims from entering the US is divisive, stupid and wrong.

He stands by his comments.”

Asked who Cameron

would prefer to be the next president, the spokesman said he would not comment on another country’s election but said the British leader had been clear he would work with whoever won.

“He is committed to maintaining the special relationship,” he said.

The spokesman said no meeting or call between Cameron and Republican candidate Trump was currently planned, but if one

were proposed the prime minister would consider it.

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Health Eating lots of fruits, veggies may reduce risk of breast cancer!

One should include lots of fruits and vegetables in their diet as they are good for health. Regular consumption of apples, bananas as well as green vegetables can lower the risk of developing breast cancer. A new suggests that women who consume fruits and veggies during their teenage years can significantly lower breast cancer risk in adulthood.

Fruits and vegetables contains rich amount of fibre, vitamins, and other biologi-

cally active substances that can favourably affect the pathogenesis of breast cancer through several biological mechanisms.

The findings, published in the journal BMJ, showed that high fruit consumption during adolescence was associated with a roughly 25 percent lower risk of breast cancer diagnosed in middle age. Also, greater consumption of apple, banana and grapes during adolescence, as well as oranges and kale during

early adulthood was significantly associated with a reduced breast cancer risk. These foods “have well known beneficial effects on health, and efforts should continue to increase intake of both fruit and vegetables at all ages,” said Maryam Farvid, scientist at Harvard University.

However, there was no link between intake of fruit juice in either adolescence or early adulthood and risk of the breast cancer. The team followed 90,000

Dieting: New mantra for a healthy sex life!

Now, shedding an extra inch of your waist line can turn up the heat in your bedroom, according to a new research.

Researchers from the Pennington Biomedical Research Centre in Louisiana revealed this interesting fact that people who follow a restricted diet and can manage their out-ofcontrol cravings for food properly enjoy their sex life more. Dieting not only helps in reducing weight but also relives tension and

enhances mood leading to super sex drive. For the study, researchers carefully analyzed the diet of 218 healthy adults who were followed for two years. They were devided into two groups. One group was randomly assigned to cut their calorie intake by 25 percent. The other group went on with the regular diet. One of the researchers Corby Martin found that the calorie-restriction group reported improved mood and sex drive,www.sciencealert.com reported. The calorie-restriction group also lost weight and enjoyed better sleep. Calorie restriction among primarily overweight and obese persons has been found to improve sleep and sexual function.

A recent study found that staying with a spouse who is a light eater, especially at night, will decide

whether you will follow your partner’s footsteps and shed some extra kilos faster than ever. According to the researchers from University of New South Wales’s school of psychology, how much food your dining companion eats can have a big influence on how much you consume and eventually lose weight and have a healthy relationship. This psychological effect, known as social modeling, leads people to eat less than they normally would if alone when their companion consumes a small amount of food. The effect appears to be stronger in women than men.

“This may be because women tend to be more concerned about how they are viewed by others when they are eating,” said the study published in the journal Social Influence.

nurses for over 20 years who reported their diet in early adulthood, of whom half also recalled their

usual diet during adolescence. The analyses included consideration of tumour hormone receptor

and menopausal status at diagnosis and the relation of specific fruits and vegetables to risk.

Dry mouth: These tips may help relieve your symptoms!

Do you have trouble chewing, swallowing or even talking? Do you often wake up at night feeling thirsty?

Is bad breath or tooth decay a frequent problems for you?

Probably, you might be suffering from dry mouth though these are just a few of the common symptoms of the condition.

Dry mouth occurs when your body doesn’t make enough saliva to keep your mouth moist. It can be caused by a number of conditions – medications, certain diseases and conditions, nerve damage to the salivary glands, cancer therapy, poor lifestyle choices such as smoking or chewing tobaco.

If left untreated, dry mouth lead to serious dental problems such as cavities and mouth infections.

But you can take up several steps to relieve or control your dry mouth symptoms. Here’s how-

• If you think the problem is a side effect of a medication you’re taking, talk to your doctor. He can give better suggestion to tackle your problems.

• Drink plenty of water as

izer to add moisture to the bedroom air.

• Brush and floss your teeth often, atleast 2-3 times a day.

• Avoid caffeine and alcohol as these can woesen

this will help keep your mouth moist.

• Chew sugarless gum or suck on sugar-free candies to stimulate your salivary glands.

• Breathe through your nose, and not your mouth.

• Try using a room vapor-

your symptoms.

• Cut back on sugary or spicy foods.

• Avoid all tobacco products • Avoid over-the-counter antihistamines and decongestants as these can make a dry mouth worse.

Eat these superfoods to boost your brain!

Food plays a very important role if one wants to lead a healthy life. Eating the right food is very necessary for physical as well as mental health.

Here are some superfoods to eat to boost your brain: Broccoli Regular consumption of broccoli is considered good for brain functions as it is high in choline that helps

spur the growth of new brain cells as well as neural connections which is essential for brain and memory.

Nuts One should eat a handful

of nuts everyday as it provide you with enough amount of vitamin E and helps improve the brain function. Nuts like Almonds, cashews, peanuts, walnuts are all natural sources of vitamin E. Eggs We all know that eggs are good for health and it is equally good for brain as well.

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Find out how many eggs can you eat per week!

When it comes to breakfast, eggs are a good choice. Yes, it’s true that egg yolks have a lot of cholesterol, but eggs also contain a large amount of proteins and other essential nutrients. However, many of us are not sure whether we can have eggs daily due to their saturated fat and cholesterol content. While the science is not entirely clear yet on how many eggs people should eat, it is believed that they can be

eaten as part of a healthy, balanced diet. In fact, a 2016 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition revealed that eating one egg a day was not associated with an increase in heart risks. For years, we have heard that cholesterol intake should be kept to a bare minimum to decrease blood cholesterol levels and promote overall health. But, research has shown that for most people, cholesterol in food has a

much smaller effect on blood levels of total cholesterol and harmful LDL cho-

lesterol than does the mix of fats in the diet. But, individuals who have difficulty

controlling their total and LDL cholesterol should be cautious about eating egg yolks. The liver produces cholesterol since it’s not always possible to get cholesterol from the diet.

Hence, when we consume alot of cholesterol-rich foods, the liver produces less cholesterol. Cholesterol is a very important part of the body, involved in making steroid hormones like testosterone, estrogen and cortisol.

Healthy ways to eat eggs• Do not add salt to eggs as this will keep the amount of sodium in your diet at the recommended level.

• Eggs can be eaten as hard-boiled or poached, scrambled (without butter).

• To get all the nutrients without extra fat or calories, look for cooking methods that use less fat.

• Avoid high-calorie toppings.

• When ready, serve immediately.

Top five benefits of Include these foods in stretching exercise! your diet to fight allergies!

Nowadays, everyone can easily workout at home by doing simple exercises instead of going to gym. One such physical activity is stretching exercises.

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Though we all know the benefits of daily exercise but many are not aware of what benefits regular stretching exercises provides to our body.

Regularly stretching is just as important to health and body functioning as regular exercise.

Here are some health benefits of stretching exercise: Relieve stress One can easily relieve stress by doing simple stretching exercises as it help to relax tense muscles that sometimes accompanied with stress.

Increased flexibility

If you are doing stretching exercise daily then flexibility in your body will increase and help improve your daily activities and tasks.

Improves circulation Stretching exercise helps in increasing the blood flow and improved the circulation required to heal injuries to your muscles.

Warm up muscles It is often advised to do stretching before doing any exercise or sports as it helps to warm up the muscles. Streching helps to facilitate minimize injury and provides wider vary of motion throughout the activity.

Reduces back pain One can easily reduce their lower back pain and injury by doing stretching as it helps to stay muscles loose and prevents modification of the muscles.

Are you prone to seasonal allergies? If yes, then include more food items that have anti-allergic properties in your daily diet. Seasonal allergies can give you discomfort by causing sneeze, running nose, watery eyes and sometimes congestion.

Here are some food items that helps to fight allergies: Fish One should include fish in their diet as it contain Omega 3 fatty acids which have anti-inflammatory properties that helps in re-

ducing the risk of developing allergies. It also helps to reduce allergic symptoms.

Walnuts and flax seeds If you are prone to allergies then start having nuts such as walnuts and flaxseeds. They contain Omega 3 fatty acids in it which helps to reduces the risk of developing allergies.

Broccoli, Cabbage Food items like broccoli and cabbage contains quercetin, a flavoniod, which is antihestamine that prevents the body

from releasing an allergic response.

Green tea Drinking green tea is the simple and easy way to combat allergy as it contains antioxidants with antihistamine properties that are extremely effective against allergic reactions.

Oranges, kiwi One should consume fruits like oranges and kiwis as they contain rich amount of Vitamin C which helps to boosts the immunity level to protect against allergies.

Ovarian cancer: Symptoms women shouldn’t ignore! Implanted coils can help some lung patients breathe easy

Ovarian cancer is a type of cancer that occurs when a tumour forms in the ovary’s cells. Ovary cancer causes more deaths than any other cancer of female reproductive although it accounts for about 3% of cancers in

women. Since ovarian cancer rarely shows symptoms in early stage, it often goes undected until it reaches advanced stage. Symptoms of advanced stage ovarian cancer can cause some confusion as they

are often the same and mistaken for some other less serious conditions such as - irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS). The most common signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer

may include • Abdominal bloating or swelling • Feeling full quickly when eating • Pelvic or abdominal pain • Nausea • Increase in urination • Fatigue • Menstrual problems • Weight loss • Constipation Make sure that you talk to your doctor if you experience any sighns and symptoms that worry you.

Also, learning about the causes and risk factors such as age, obesity, inherited gene mutation, famity history, use certain fertility drugs or hormone therapies, etc, can help reduce the chances of getting ovarian cancer.

A novel minimally invasive therapy that involves implantation of tiny coils into the lungs can improve exercise ability and quality of life for some lung patients, results of a large international trial have shown.

Aimed at tightening diseased tissue and opening up healthy airways, this experimental technique involves inserting several small metal alloy coils through a scope

into the lungs.

Coil implantation could be an alternatives to major lung-reduction surgery for patients with emphysema, a form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. “Some patients with advanced emphysema have few treatment options, and this trial significantly furthers our understanding of the potential role of minimally invasive lung volume reduction therapy as an option to improve symptoms,” said lead author Frank Sciurba, professor at University of Pittsburgh in the US.

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SKILLET-BRAISED SWISS CHARD

FREEKEH PILAF WITH SUMAC

Ingredients: 1/2 cup olive oil 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped 1 1/2 cups whole (not cracked) freekah 2/3 cup canned tomato purée 2 vine-ripe tomatoes, cored, peeled, and finely chopped 1 tsp. sumac, plus more to garnish Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Instructions: In a 4-qt. saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until soft, about 6 minutes. Add the freekeh and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Pour in the tomato purée, vine-ripe tomatoes, and 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, cov-

ered, until the freekeh is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the sumac, and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the pilaf into a bowl and sprinkle with more sumac before serving.

In a bowl, mix 3 cups mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, garlic, egg, and basil. Stuff cooked manicotti with the mixture.

Spread about 2 cups pasta sauce over the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

Arrange stuffed manicotti in the dish, and cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.

Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven.

Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan, and continue baking 10 minutes, until mozzarella is melted and bubbly.

PESTO POTATO SALAD Ingredients: 2 lb. multi-color new potatoes 5 tbsp. olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 cup mint leaves, roughly chopped, plus more for garnish 1/4 cup basil leaves 1/4 cup parsley leaves 1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped, plus more for garnish 2 tbsp. parmesan cheese 1 clove garlic 1 lemon, zest and juice 1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas, thawed and blanched Instructions: Heat oven to 400°. Toss potatoes with 3 tbsp. oil, salt, and pepper; transfer to a baking sheet and roast until tender, 30-35 minutes. Meanwhile, place

1/2 cup water, bring to a simmer, then cover partially with a lid. Cook until the liquid is almost evaporated and the chard is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Uncover, transfer the chard to a platter, and pour the vegetables and any cooking liquid over the top before serving.

Turkey Casserole

THREE CHEESE MAnICoTTI Ingredients: 1 (8 ounce) package manicotti shells 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided 2 cups ricotta cheese 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 egg 2 tablespoons dried basil 2 (26 ounce) jars pasta sauce Directions: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add manicotti and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Ingredients: 1/2 cup olive oil 1 1/4 lb. (2 bunches) Swiss chard, trimmed and halved crosswise 2 large shallots, peeled and finely chopped 2 small carrots, peeled and finely chopped 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes 2 tsp. sugar Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper Instructions: Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch high-sided skillet over medium. Add the Swiss chard and sprinkle with the shallots and carrots. Pour the tomatoes evenly over the chard, sprinkle with the sugar, and season with salt and pepper. Pour in

Ingredients: 1 pound ground turkey 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce 1 teaspoon white sugar 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese 1 (12 ounce) package uncooked egg noodles 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute the ground turkey for 5 to 10 minutes, or until browned. Drain the turkey, stir in the tomato sauce and sugar, and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the sour cream and cream cheese. Mix well and set aside.

Cook noodles according to package directions. Place them into a 9x13-inch

COCONUT HORCHATA

remaining oil, the herbs, hazelnuts, parmesan, garlic, zest and juice, salt, and pepper in a food processor and blend until smooth. Toss potatoes with pesto, mint leaves, hazelnuts, and peas.

baking dish, then layer the turkey mixture over the noodles. Then layer the sour cream mixture over the turkey, and top with cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 to 35 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Ingredients: 2 cups boiling water 2 cups long-grain white rice 1 stick cinnamon, crushed, plus sticks for garnish 2 cups unsweetened coconut water Cheesecloth, for straining 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk 2/3 cup sugar 1 pinch kosher salt Instructions: Stir water, rice, and cinnamon in a bowl; cover and let sit at room temperature overnight. The next day, transfer rice mixture to a blender. Add coconut water; purée until smooth, 3–4 minutes.

Strain through a cheesecloth-lined sieve into a pitcher; cover and chill until ready to serve. Heat coconut milk, sugar, and salt in a 2-qt. saucepan over low; cook until sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. in ice-filled glasses; grate fresh cinnamon Let milk cool; stir into rice mixture. Serve over top and drop sticks into glasses.

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