Know India chance for Indian diaspora

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JEDDAH: India’s Ministry of External Affairs will organize the next edition of the “Know India Program” (KIP) to familiarize Indian diaspora youth with India’s culture, heritage and contemporary India. 
The program will be for a duration of 25 days, during which participants will spend nearly 10 days in a select state. The focus of this year’s event will be Maharashtra and the participants will tour the state on board the luxury train Deccan Odyssey. 
The program is open only for Indian origin diaspora youth in the age group of 18-26 years. The selected participants would be required to purchase air tickets for their journey from the country of residence to India and back. Ninety percent of the total cost of air tickets (lowest economy excursion fare) would be reimbursed to the participants on successful completion of the program by them. 
The minimum qualification required for applying is graduate or studying for graduation, and the applicant should be able to converse in English. Non Resident Indians (NRIs) are not eligible.
Duly filled in application form with a passport size photograph should reach the librarian, Consulate General of India, Tahliya Street, Jeddah on or before April 5 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on any working day. The application form may be collected from Saeed Ahmad, librarian, Consulate General of India, Jeddah, Tel: 6614027, Mobile: 0545071044.

Drug sellers on Snapchat ‘logged out’

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JEDDAH: The Interior Ministry in Riyadh has arrested five people for selling drugs on social networking sites, particularly Snapchat.
Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, spokesman of the ministry, said the users had been sharing videos encouraging drug abuse and urging young people to buy narcotics. 
Those arrested were all Saudis, with officers seizing 788 amphetamine pills, 12 grams of hashish, two pistols and 66 live rounds.
Al-Turki said that the ministry has the capability to track down those using social networks for criminal activities. He urged citizens and expatriates to work with the police to apprehend criminals.

Haj scam: Saudi woman arrested in Cairo for swindling 260 Egyptians

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CAIRO: A Saudi woman has been arrested in Cairo for swindling 260 Egyptians and stealing 1.5 million Egyptian pounds from them, promising them Haj visas. According to Alyaum Alsabe, the 36-year-old woman named Maha owns a travel agency in Cairo. She committed the fraud in cooperation with an Egyptian accomplice. The suspect has admitted to her crime after the Egyptian citizens filed a complaint against her, reported Ajel.

SR25: Weekly ticket for Riyadh Metro

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RIYADH: A weekly ticket for the much-awaited Riyadh Metro would cost around SR25, the Riyadh Development Authority has announced.

Abdur Rahman Al-Shalan, the authority’s director of transport, said that metro was aimed at providing services to families and citizens, not workers, according to a report by an online publication on Wednesday.
Al-Shalan said work was underway at 184 sites, which include the railway and bus routes of both the tracks of trains and buses in various parts of Riyadh. He was speaking at a workshop on the metro at the 9th Saudi Forum on Travel and Tourism Investment that ends on Friday.
Al-Shalan said the Riyadh Metro plan would be reviewed in 2025, to decide whether more stations should be added, or changes to the track made, he was reported as saying.
The $22-billion Riyadh metro is a rapid transport system being built by the world’s leading construction companies including Bechtel, FCC, Strukton, Salini Impregilo, Larsen and Toubro and Samsung. 
It will be the backbone of the city’s public transport system and integrated with an 85-km three-line rapid bus transit network. Six lines will serve the capital city’s center, government facilities, universities, commercial areas, the airport and the financial district.

14 killed, many trapped in overpass collapse in India

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KOLKATA, India: Rescuers in Kolkata dug through large chunks of debris from an overpass that collapsed while under construction Thursday, killing at least 14 people and injuring scores of others, officials said.
A section of the overpass in the busy Bara Bazaar residential and shopping area in central Kolkata fell on vehicles and people moving underneath, trapping scores in their cars, trucks and motorized rickshaws.
“We heard a loud rumble and then saw a lot of dust in the sky,” a witness told the NDTV channel.
Army troops and personnel from the National Disaster Response Force joined efforts to extract people from vehicles that lay under massive concrete blocks and metal debris. Huge cranes and other rescue equipment reached the site and began clearing the rubble. Workers also used gas cutters to pry open the slabs.
More than 70 injured were admitted to two hospitals in Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal state, hospital officials said. At least 14 were dead, they said.
“The area was very, very crowded. Motorized rickshaws, taxis ... there was a lot of traffic,” one witness told the New Delhi Television news channel, or NDTV.
Television images showed the bloody legs of some of the trapped people jutting out of the collapsed girders and concrete slabs.
Mamta Banerjee, the top elected leader in the state, visited the collapse site and said a private builder had missed several deadlines for completing the overpass.
The contract for the overpass was signed in 2008 and it was expected to be completed in two years. She accused the previous communist government in West Bengal of not adhering to building regulations.
Building collapses are common in India, where builders use poor enforcement of regulations and use substandard materials.

With garbage crisis solved, Lebanon shifts focus to pending issues

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Beirut: With Lebanon’s garbage problem resolved, at least on a temporary basis, ministers have turned their attention to other concerns.
On Tuesday, Health Minister Wael Abu Faour asked the prosecutor’s office to launch an investigation into the country’s latest scandal, this one dealing with wheat imports, twenty-four hours after he agreed to form a task force with Minister of Agriculture Akram Shehayeb, and Minister of the Economy Alain Hakim to resolve the problem of imported wheat that apparently was not safe to consume.
Although Shehayeb stressed that samples tested by his inspectors did not include dangerous substances, Abu Faour’s crack team confirmed that their tests taken from Beirut Port showed wheat contained high levels of the carcinogenic ochratoxin substance — 20mg in every 1kg of wheat, or four times the normal levels.
There was no explanation on how the wheat was contaminated with ochratoxin and where these stocks came from.
Meanwhile in London, Interior Minister Nouhad Al Mashnouq met with the UK Secretary of State for International Development Justine Greening, and stressed the importance of tackling Beirut’s airport security, when he returned home.

Teacher jailed for secretly recording colleagues in Saudi Arabia

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Manama: A teacher in a Saudi school was sentenced to three months in jail for secretly recording her colleagues on her mobile phone.
The teacher who was initially suspended pending the investigation said her act was spontaneous and that she was just joking with her colleagues when she made the recording during a short break between lessons.
She added that she teasingly told them she would post the recording in case they stirred her feelings.
However, the teachers were not amused and reported the case to the school, launching a process that that escalated from keeping the teacher out of the classroom for two weeks by the education authorities to referring her to a court of justice and a prison verdict.
The judge gave the defendant a 30-day grace period to challenge the court sentence.

Nearly 1.8 billion people will face water scarcity by 2025: UN

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United Nations: By 2025, some 1.8 billion people will face absolute water scarcity and an estimated two-thirds of the world’s population could be living under water-stressed conditions, showed UN statistics released on Monday.
A panel discussion held at the UN headquarters highlighted that safeguarding forests is an essential way to manage global freshwater resources and to avoid water shortages, Xinhua reported.
Three-fourths of the fresh water that people use every day comes from forested catchment areas and more than 1.6 billion people live on the forests for food, water, medicines and fuel, forest experts said at the panel discussion marking the International Day of Forests which falls on Monday.
Experts said forested watersheds and wetlands influence how and where rain falls and can filter and clean the water. Forests also play an important role in providing and regulating water in a number of ways, from groundwater recharge to erosion control.
"The protection and restoration of forest watersheds and catchments is not just climate-smart; it is a cost-effective and green alternative to new infrastructure development for water purification," said Manoel Sobral Filho, director of the UN Forum on Forests Secretariat.
"Forests are the planet's natural water towers," he added.
The International Day of Forests is observed annually on March 21. UN statistics show that every year, seven million hectares of natural forests are lost and 50 million hectares of forest land are burned.

Missing Infosys employee was traveling by metro, tweets Sushma Swaraj

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New Delhi: The Infosys employee who has been missing in Brussels since Tuesday's deadly terror attacks was "travelling in the metro", Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted this morning.
Raghuvendran Ganesh, who has been missing since the attacks that killed 34 people, hails from Bengaluru.
“We are doing our best to locate Raghavendran Ganesh,” External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted.
She also said that two other Indians, both employees of Jet Airways, who were injured were “recovering well”.
At least 34 people were killed on Tuesday as two deadly explosions rocked the Zaventem airport and a more powerful blast ripped through a train coach at a Metro station in the heart of Brussels in the worst terror attack in Europe in four months.

Attempt was made on Bal Thackeray's life: David Headley

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Mumbai: In a shocking disclosure, Pakistani-American terrorist-turned-approver David Coleman Headley on Thursday claimed that an attempt was made on the life of the late Shiv Sena founder-patriarch, Bal Thackeray.
"I believe an attempt was made on the life of the Shiv Sena chief... The man who made the attempt had escaped from police custody," Headley said in the Special Court of Additional Sessions Judge G.A. Sanap.
His replies came on the second day of his cross-examination conducted by lawyer Abdul Wahab Khan, the defence counsel for Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, who is facing trial in the 26/11 case.
During his examination-in-chief by Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam on February 12, Headley had first confirmed the LeT's plot to target Thackeray, but said nothing on an unsuccessful bid made to kill him and the attacker having slipped from the police hands.
When Khan asked him how many times he visited the party headquarters Shiv Sena Bhavan in Dadar and what was the motive, Headley said he recced the building twice and reiterated that the LeT's target was the late Thackeray.
To the question, under whose instructions, Headley said he was instructed by his LeT supervisor in Pakistan, Sajid Mir.
On any other attempts on the late Thackeray's life, Headley said he had learnt of one previous attempt on the late champion of Hindutva (Thackeray), and the man who made the bid had escaped police custody.
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Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton win Arizona primaries

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WashingtonRepublican and Democratic presidential frontrunners, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, cruised to big victories in the crucial Arizona primary even as they faced challenges from rivals in other nominating contests. With his easy victory in Arizona's winner-take-all primary, Trump added another 58 delegates to his tally of 681 delegates, while closest rival, Texas Senator Ted Cruz with 425 delegates hoped to slow Trump's momentum with a victory Tuesday in the Utah caucuses. A strong victory in Utah caucuses with more than 50 percent support would give Cruz all the state's 40 delegates and help him narrow the gap with Trump a little in the race for 1,237 delegates needed to win the Republican nomination. Cruz is backed in Utah with its sizable Mormon population by the 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney, who backed Ohio Governor John Kasich in last week's Ohio primary. Romney said he would vote for Cruz in Utah as part of an effort to deny Trump the nomination. "The only path that remains to nominate a Republican rather than Mr. Trump is to have an open convention," he wrote in a posting on Facebook. "At this stage, the only way we can reach an open convention is for Senator Cruz to be successful in as many of the remaining nominating elections as possible." Kasich, who entered the day with 143 delegates handily won his home state last week despite a strong push by Trump. But that is Kasich's one and only victory and he seemed unlikely to add to his win total on Tuesday Heading into the polls in the shadow of a series of explosions in Brussels, killing at least 30 people, Trump reiterated his proposal for an open-ended ban on Muslims entering the US and for using extralegal means to fight terrorists. Trump called for torturing Salah Abdeslam, a suspect in November's terrorist attack on Paris who was captured last week in Belgium.
"You know, he may be talking, but he'll talk a lot faster with torture," he told CNN Cruz responded to the attack with his own provocative proposal, calling for law enforcement authorities "to patrol and secure Muslim neighbourhoods before they become radicalised." But Kasich was more restrained. "We are not at war with Islam; we're at war with radical Islam," he said. Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, Clinton beat rival Bernie Sanders in the Arizona primary to take at least one of three Democratic presidential contests Tuesday in Western states. Arizona was the biggest prize of the night, with 75 of the state's 85 delegates at stake based on the results of Tuesday's primary. Utah and Idaho also held caucuses Tuesday where a combined 56 delegates were on the line.< Speaking in San Diego after Clinton's projected win in Arizona, Sanders cited "record-breaking turnouts" in states that held contests Tuesday and said his campaign appealed to voters because "we are telling the truth. "We cannot go forward as a nation unless we are prepared to confront the real issues facing our country."

Two explosions hit Brussels airpor

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Brussels: Two loud explosions were heard at the Zaventem airport in Belgium's capital, forcing authorities to hurriedly evacuate it, Sky News reported. There were reports of several casualties. The blasts centred on an American Airlines desk in a departure hall. Sky News correspondent Alex Rossi said from the scene: "I was at the duty free in Zaventem Airport and I heard two very, very loud explosions. "I could feel the building move. There was also dust and smoke as well... It is some kind of terrorist attack although that hasn't been verified by any of the authorities here," he said. "We are all being moved out of the airport towards the emergency exit. Belgian media reported that several people had been injured and that train services to the airport had been suspended. The Belgian capital is on high alert following the arrest of the November 2015 Paris terror attack suspect Salah Abdeslam in the city last week. -

Twitter sends 140-character message to users on 10th birthday

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NewYork: With 320 million users including celebrities such as Harry Styles, Katy Perry and Justin Bieber on its platform, the micro-blogging site Twitter on Monday wrote a 140-character thank you note to its users as it celebrated its 10th anniversary. Twitter users are creating 500 million tweets per day and 200 billion tweets every year. "On March 21, ten years ago, it began with a single Tweet. Since then, every moment of every day, people connect about the things they care about most - all over the world," Twitter posted. "As we mark this milestone, it's you we want to celebrate. As March 21 begins around the world, each of our global offices will kick off the day by showing our appreciation and gratitude - starting in Sydney and following the sun to headquarters in San Francisco. We are excited to celebrate with all of you," the post further read. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said last week that while several changes are being planned at the company, its 140-character limit represents a beautiful constraint, which helps deliver strong statements. The short character limit for tweets is an element that gives Twitter a unique identity. Appearing on a TV show, Dorsey said that the 140-character limit is "a beautiful constraint" and that Twitter "will never lose that feeling". "It's (140-characters) staying. It's a good constraint for us, and it allows for of-the-moment brevity… We're changing a lot. We're always going to make Twitter better," he was quoted as saying. The 140-character limit has been around as long as Twitter has and has become part of the product's personality. Twitter is also working on the idea of changing its reverse chronological timeline.
"Throughout the years, you've made Twitter what it is today and you're shaping what it will be in the future. Thank you for making history, driving change, lifting each other up and laughing together every day," Twitter post stated. Twitter has also proved itself as an excellent platform to raise awareness about political topics, spread political messages and coordinate collective action The use of Twitter by US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump "as a microphone" is one of the several such cases to prove the point. In 2009, flight number 1549 of the US Airways made an emergency landing in the Hudson river between New York City and Weehawken in New Jersey. The first image of the rescue mission in which all the 155 passengers were evacuated to safety were taken by a Twitter user and it became viral within minutes of uploading it on the platform. -

India's monopoly to end as Nepal gets trade point in China.

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Kathmandu: Stung by the bitter lessons from Madhesi blockade of India trade points that caused acute fuel shortage, Nepal on Monday signed a transit and transportation treaty with China for its third-country commerce -- a move that is likely to end New Delhi's monopoly over the landlocked Himalayan nation's trade through Haldia port in Kolkata. The two countries signed the agreement along with nine other treaties in Beijing, a day after Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli began a week-long trip to China. Oli's maiden visit as the Nepal prime minister comes at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang. The visit is significant in the light of Nepal's efforts to reduce its decades old dependence on India after Madhesi protestors in southern plains, agitated over the the new Constitution, blocked supply trucks coming in from the southern neighbour. The five-month long blockade caused huge crises as fuel and medicine supplies dried up. Kathmandu blamed New Delhi for supporting the protestors but the allegation has been denied. The blockade halted for months Nepal's third-country trade, apparently prompting the Nepalese government to look for an alternative to the Haldia port. The transit agreement with China gives Nepal an option to use the next nearest Tianjin port in China that is 3,000 km from Nepal border. India's Haldia port is 1,000 km away. However, there are concerns that Nepal cannot immediately use the Chinese port as infrastructure in the tiny country is poor and the Chinese side is located at a higher altitude. Other important agreements signed during Oli's visit on Monday include an accord on the construction of a bridge in Hilsa, far west Nepal, that will connect the republic with Tibet. Hilsa was a traditional trade route to Nepal. China has also pledged $216-million soft loan to Nepal for construction of a regional airport in the second largest city of Pokhara, some 200 km from Kathmandu. The two neighbours also signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to boost the bilateral trade. China has also agreed to explore oil and gas resources in Nepal and will provide all technical and economic support for it. One of the commercial banks in China has also agreed to open its office in Nepal. Similarly, Nepalese banks can also open their branches in China. China has also agreed to help in installation of solar panels in 32,000 Nepalese households. Agreements in the fields of science and technology, sister-city relations between various Nepalese and Chinese cities, and establishment of Nepal's Consular General Office in Chengdu, China, were also signed, said Gopal Khanal, foreign relations expert to Prime Minister Oli. -

Australia to hold early election in July

________ A to Z kerala .......... [kvk] [www.atozkerala.in , www.atozkerala.blogspot.com] >Canberra: Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Monday announded the country will hold an early election in July if the Senate fails to pass laws aimed at curbing union corruption. Turnbull will bring back both houses of Parliament for a sitting in April to deal with industrial relations legislation, and said he will call a double dissolution election to be held on July 2 if the bills are not passed, ABC reported. Under Australia's constitution, a double dissolution is used to break a deadlock between the upper and lower houses of parliament The prime minister said he would also bring forward the federal budget by one week to May 3, saying he had informed his Cabinet colleagues about his decision. "The time has come for the Senate to recognise its responsibilities and help advance our economic plans, rather than standing in the way," he said. "The restoration of the ABCC (Australian Building and Construction Commission) is a critical economic reform." Under the existing schedule, the House of Representatives was set for an extended break until May 10, when the budget was due to be handed down. Now both houses will be sent back to Canberra on April 18 to deal with the ABCC legislation and the registered organisations bill. If the bills are rejected by the Senate during the three-week sitting period, Turnbull is adamant he will call a double dissolution election. The decision for an early poll was taken when the Senate passed voting reforms on Friday after a marathon session. An election is due by January 2017 but had been widely expected by political pundits to be called for the second half of 2016.

State government to challenge EC's decision on schemes -

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Thiruvananthapuram: With Election Commission questioning its decision on free rice distribution to BPL families and supply of drinking water in poll-bound Kerala, the state government Monday said it would not hesitate to take legal recourse if permission was denied for the schemes. Speaking to reporters here, after a special cabinet meeting discussed the issue, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said Chief Secretary P K Mohanty would write a letter to the Election Commission seeking permission for the schemes The cabinet discussed the issue of state Chief Electoral Officer E K Majhi referring the matter to a committee headed by the state Chief Secretary to examine whether the move is violative of the model code of conduct in force since March 4. "The cabinet decided to take legal recourse, if EC refuses to give permission," Chandy said. The Chief Secretary would also refer to court orders which have stated that EC cannot interfere on decisions taken prior to the date of election announcement, he said, adding, government had received legal advice on this matter. He said the free rice distribution scheme was announced in the state budget for 2016-17 in February. "Necessary orders for the same had been issued before the poll announcement and funds for the scheme has also been allotted," he said. Referring to supply of drinking water by lorries in areas hit by shortage, he said the decision was taken and funds allotted before the poll announcement. "The government will think of steps, including legal action, if permission is not granted for the supply of drinking water... a cabinet meeting to be held tomorrow will take a decision," he said. Chandy said the EC had stated that drinking water can be supplied in areas declared as drought-hit. But it would not be possible to declare parts of state as drought-hit going by the guidelines and norms, even though these areas were facing severe drinking water shortage. "The government cannot in any way justify the move to deny drinking water to people in summer months," Chandy said. The Chief Secretary had gone to Delhi and explained the matter to Chief Election Commissioner, Chandy said, adding, a detailed letter was also sent to the EC on the matter. "But no decision has been taken on it," he said. The government fully accepted the core of the model code of conduct. "That is why to avoid any complaints, drinking water supply was being carried out by officials and people's representatives have been kept away from it," he said. Besides this, the EC had also restricted the supply of free ration materials for workers who had lost jobs due to closure of cashew factories, he said. The comprehensive health insurance scheme, distribution of financial assistance under Karuniya scheme and allocation of funds from CM's Relief Fund have also been affected due to Election Commission's decision, Chandy said. Hitting out at the government's reaction to the issue, CPI(M) politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan said it exposed UDF regime's "intolerance" toward the Election Commission.

Late night eating harms brain

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Now fight back your late-night craving for snacks. You don’t really want it after having dinner. Yes, you are not hungry.

Taking in at night more carbohydrates, saturated fats and refined sugar than you already have during the day is harmful.

Aside from piling on fat, it would alter your brain physiology, say researchers at Semel Institute in the David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).  

The hippocampal area of your brain might suffer from it, causing deficiency in learning and memory. 

Hippocampus governs both long-term memory and the ability to recognise a novel object.

Also, it helps us associate senses and emotional experiences with memory, while organise and store new memories.

Having regularly fed mice late at night, the researchers found the rodents’ ability to recognize a novel object diminished. The habit impaired their long-term memory as well.  

The habit impairs a protein called CREB (cAMP response element-binding protein) that help regulate the body’s circadian clock, ability to learn and memory, reports say.

A less active CREB means decreased memory, which might play a role in the onset of Alzheimer's disease.

"Since many people find themselves working or playing during times when they'd normally be asleep, it is important to know that this could dull some of the functions of the brain", says Dawn Loh from the UCLA Laboratory of Circadian and Sleep Medicine.

The findings haven’t yet been confirmed in humans.

However, the study confirms that shift workers perform less well in cognitive test

Provide security for online taxi services: Kerala HC -

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Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Thursday directed the state police to ensure necessary security to all drivers working for operators of online taxi services.

Justice V. Chitambaresh directed Kerala Police chief T.P. Senkumar to ensure the safety and security of all such drivers operating online taxi services at railway and bus stations and airports in the state.

An online taxi driver had moved the high court with a plea that he was unable to work unhindered as he was prevented by members of the traditional taxi drivers' unions.

Ever since online taxi providers like Uber and Ola Cabs launched operations in Kerala, their drivers have come under attack by other taxi drivers. 

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Mystery shrouds Mani’s death; forensic report reveals pesticide residue -

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Kochi: A forensic examination has revealed the presence of toxic pesticide Chlorpyrifos in the body of actor and singer Kalabhavan Mani who died on March 6.

Mani, 45, who acted in 200 films in Malayalam and other languages, suffered from a liver ailment and was admitted on March 4 to a hospital here in a serious condition. He died in the hospital on March 6.

Soon after his death, speculation surfaced that it was not a natural death as the hospital authorities reported presence of a chemical in his body.

On Thursday, Mani's brother Ramakrishnan said he suspected foul play behind the death of the actor.

"I suspect all those who had kept Mani company the day before he died," Ramakrishnan is reported in the media to have said.

Mani allegedly consumed liquor in the company of some friends in his outhouse near Chalakkudy in Thrissur district before taking ill and being taken to hospital.

Ramakrishnan suspects that those keeping the actor company tried to destroy evidence by cleaning the place where they consumed liquor before anyone from the family arrived at the spot.

He also dispelled the suggestion that things had been going wrong in Mani's family life.

The police have sealed the actor's outhouse and started a probe into his death.

"I was informed of Mani being admitted to a hospital by his brother only the next day. We want the truth to come out. He was one person who came up in life through hard work and enjoyed everything... he will never ever commit suicide," said the deceased actor's wife Nimmi.

She also denied reports that there was discord in their family life.

A few days ago the police probe team had taken into custody three of Mani's close aides who were with him when he fell ill at the outhouse.

Popular TV artiste Sabu was questioned and then let off. He was reportedly present at the outhouse, but left the place before Mani fell ill.

"I was in Chalakkudy for a shoot that day and after, along with Jaffer Idukki. Another actor and myself visited the outhouse of Mani. There were quite a few people at that time and I left after some time," Sabu told media persons on Friday.

The police also suspect that all is not well because when they first reached the outhouse, the place had been cleaned up.

"He always lived for his friends even at the expense of his family... Why did they do this? We want the truth to come out and how this happened," said Ramakrishnan.

യമുനാതീരത്തെ മലിനീകരണം: ശ്രീ ശ്രീ രവിശങ്കര്‍ 100 കോടി പിഴയടക്കണം

________ A to Z kerala .......... [kvk] [www.atozkerala.in , www.atozkerala.blogspot.com]

ന്യൂഡല്‍ഹി: യമുനാ തീരത്തെ മലിനീകരണവുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ട് ശ്രീ ശ്രീ രവിശങ്കറിന്റെ നേതൃത്വത്തിലുള്ള ആര്‍ട്ട് ഓഫ് ലിവിങ് ഫൗണ്ടേഷന്‍ 100 കോടി രൂപ പിഴയടക്കണമെന്ന് ദേശീയ ഹരിത ട്രൈബ്യൂണല്‍. മൂന്ന് ദിവസത്തെ ലോക സാംസ്‌കാരികോത്സവുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ട് ഡല്‍ഹിയിലെ യമുനാതീരത്ത് ഒരുക്കിയ മേക്ക്ഷിഫ്റ്റ് വില്ലേജിന്റെ നിര്‍മ്മാണവുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ടാണ് മലിനീകരണം. അതേസമയം, പരിപാടിക്ക് അനുമതി നല്‍കുന്നത് സംബന്ധിച്ച് ഹരിത ട്രൈബ്യൂണല്‍ തീരുമാനിക്കും.

പ്രൊഫ സി.ആര്‍ ബാബു സ്ഥലം പരിശോധിച്ചു. നദീതീരത്ത് വ്യാപകമായ നാശനഷ്ടമാണ് പുതിയ നിര്‍മ്മാണങ്ങളുണ്ടാക്കിയിട്ടുള്ളത്. 100 മുതല്‍ 120 കോടി വരെ ഇതിന് പിഴ ഈടാക്കാമെന്നും നാശന്ഷ്ടങ്ങള്‍ പഠിക്കാന്‍ വേണ്ടി ട്രൈബ്യൂണല്‍ നിയോഗിച്ച പ്രൊഫ സി.ആര്‍ ബാബു വ്യക്തമാക്കി.

യോഗാ, ധ്യാന പരിപാടികള്‍, സമാധാന പരിപാടികള്‍, സാംസ്‌കാരിക പരിപാടികളെന്നിവയാണ് സംഘടിപ്പിക്കുന്നത്. ഇതിനായി നദീതീരത്തെ 50 മുതല്‍ 60 ഹെക്ടര്‍ വരെ സ്ഥലമാണ് ആര്‍ട്ട് ഓഫ് ലിവിങ് ഫൗണ്ടേഷന്‍ കയ്യേറിയിരിക്കുന്നത്. പരിപാടിയുടെ ഭാഗമായി വലിയ രീതിയിലുള്ള മലിനീകരണമാണ് ഉണ്ടായിട്ടുള്ളത്. ഇത് നദീതീരത്ത് മാത്രം കണ്ടുവരുന്ന 320ഓളം വിഭാഗങ്ങളില്‍പ്പെട്ട പക്ഷികളുടെയും 200ഓളം വിഭാഗങ്ങളിലുള്ള സസ്യങ്ങളുടെയും ആവാസ വ്യവസ്ഥയെ തകര്‍ക്കുമെന്നും ബാബു പറഞ്ഞു.

150 രാജ്യങ്ങളില്‍ നിന്നുള്‌ല 35,000ത്തോളം കലാകാരന്‍മാര്‍ക്ക് ഏഴ് ഏക്കര്‍ സ്ഥലത്താണ് സ്‌റ്റേജുകള്‍ ഒരുക്കിയിരിക്കുന്നത്. താത്കാലികമായ പാലങ്ങള്‍, മൊബൈല്‍ ടവറുകള്‍, പാര്‍ക്കിങ് ഏരിയ എന്നിവ നിര്‍മ്മിക്കുന്നുണ്ട്. അതേസമയം, വലിയ നിര്‍മ്മാണ പ്രവര്‍ത്തനങ്ങളൊന്നും നടത്തിയിട്ടില്ലെന്നാണ് ആര്‍ട്ട് ഓഫ് ലിവിങിന്റെ വാദം.

P. Jayarajan taken back to Kannur jail

>Kozhikode>CPI-M politician P. Jayarajan who is an accused in the murder of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker Kathiroor Manoj was discharged from Kozhikode Medical College Wednesday morning Jayarajan was taken to Kannur by road around 10 am,accompanied by a special police team from the A R Camp . Earlier a medical team from Kannur had examined the CPI-M leader before recommending his discharge from the hospital. Jayarajan, who suffers from a heart ailment, had been convalescing at Kozhikode Medical College. Meanwhile, the CBI team that secured a three-day custody of the Marxist leader will interrogate him in Kannur jail. The Thalassery principal sessions court had on Tuesday allowed the CBI three days of custodial interrogation of Jayarajan. The court had also asked the Kannur jail superintendent to make all arrangements for the CBI to interrogate Jayarajan for three days starting on Wednesday. The Thalassery court had on February 12 sent Jayarajan to a month's judicial custody after he surrendered before the district sessions court. Soon after his surrender he was taken to the Kannur jail. From there, owing to his ill-health, Jayarajan was first moved to a hospital near Kannur and from there to the Kozhikode Medical College hospital The CBI had been seeking since February 17 the court's direction to allow Jayarajan's custodial interrogation. Jayarajan is former Kannur district secretary of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M). He was booked by the CBI for conspiracy under Section 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), in the murder of RSS worker Manoj. The CBI had earlier claimed that Jayarajan, the 25th accused in the murder of Manoj, is the brain behind the killing. Manoj, 42, a district functionary of RSS, was hacked to death at Kathiroor in Kannur district of Kerala on September 1, 2014, allegedly by a group of CPI-M workers.

Govt cancels approval for paddy land reclamation

________ A to Z kerala .......... [kvk] [www.atozkerala.in , www.atozkerala.blogspot.com]
>Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress-led UDF government on Wednesday decided to cancel the in principle approval for land reclamation for the projects of Methran Kayal Ecotourism and Kadamakkudi Medicityin Kottayam and Ernakulam districts respectively. The decision is apparently following widespread protests against the approval. The Cabinet has ordered the Revenue department to revoke the sanctions. On Tuesday, the High Court had ordered maintenance of status quo by all parties concerned in the matter. The order was issued by Justice A Mohammed Mustaq considering a plea filed by paddy cultivater N K Alexander against the sanction given by the government to a private developer to use 378 acres of paddy land at Methran Kayal Padasekharam in Kumarakom for the ecotourism project The petitioner submitted that he owns 7.8 hectares of paddy land in the village and that such a project coming up would have an adverse impact on his agriculture activities This area falls in Ramsar site as protected wetland. The project, presently protrayed as an eco-tourism project, is an ultra-luxury five star hotel and resorts. Any activity other than paddy cultivation would affect his rights, he said. Along with the ecotourism project, the state government had also given in principle clearance for reclamation of 47 acres of paddy fields for medicity project at Kadamakkudi in Ernakulam. The 2000 cr-Kumarakom project was planned by Rak Indo Developers Private Ltd.

Noida girl, raped and burnt alive, dies after suffering burn injuries -

New Delhi:The 15-year-old girl, who was raped and then burnt alive on the terrace of her house, died here on Wednesday in a city hospital, authorities said. The girl, a resident of Gautam Buddh Nagar in Noida, had suffered 95 percent burnt injuries and was admitted to Intensive Care Unit of Safdarjung hospital. "The young girl died today (Wednesday) around 4.30 a.m. She was severely burnt with rare chances of arrival," a senior doctor told IANS According to the doctor, the girls entire body was burnt except her face.

Lingaa script case: Madurai court summons actor Rajinikanth -

________ A to Z kerala .......... [kvk] [www.atozkerala.in , www.atozkerala.blogspot.com]

Madurai: A court in Madurai has issued summons to superstar Rajinikanth and others asking them to appear before it on March 8 in connection with a suit filed against his film “Lingaa” on the charge that its storyline had been stolen from another script writer.

The Additional District Munsiff Court Judge also summoned K R Ravirathinam (plaintiff), film producer Rockline Venkatesh, B Ponkumar, Director K S Ravikumar and the General Secretary of South Indian Film Writers Association directing them to appear.

The Judge said the Madras High Court had last month directed him to complete the trial in the case within April 30 next and hence asked them to appear before his court Wednesday.

Passing orders on a petition by the film producer seeking transfer of the case to another court on grounds on prolonged delay in the trial, Justice V M Velumani of the high court had directed the Munsiff court to conclude the case within April 30.

The matter pertains to an allegation by plaintiff Ravi Rathinam of Madurai that his script was stolen by the makers of ‘Lingaa’.

He had moved the High Court which in December, 2014 ordered the producer to deposit a sum of Rs 5 crore by demand draft and another Rs 5 crore by way of bank guarantee before releasing the movie.

The producer complied with the court order as he needed to release the movie immediately and appealed against it in the Supreme Court which on March 20, 2015, directed him to furnish only Rs one crore as bank guarantee and also ordered the trial court to dispose the suit within six months.

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P. Jayarajan sent to CBI custody

________ A to Z kerala .......... [kvk] [www.atozkerala.in , www.atozkerala.blogspot.com]

Kochi: The District and Sessions Court at Thalassery Tuesday sent CPI (M) Kannur district secretary P. Jayarajan, who is an accused in the Kathiroor Manoj murder case, to CBI custody for three days.

Principal sessions Judge V.G Anil Kumar allowed the CBI to interrogate him either in jail or in hospital.

The CBI in its plea had argued that the accused be given in their custody for questioning as his health condition was found to be normal as per the latest medical report from the Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute of Medical Science and Technology (SCTIMST) Thiruvananthapuram.

On January 21, CPI(M) district secretary P.Jayarajan was arraigned by the CBI as the 25th accused in the case and charged with offences including under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

42-year-old Manoj, a district functionary of RSS, was hacked to death in the politically-volatile Kathiroor in Kannur district on September 1, 2014 allegedly by a group of CPI-M workers.

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Jaitley withdraws provident fund tax proposal

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New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said the government was withdrawing one of the much-resisted budget proposals to partially tax withdrawals from the employees' provident fund accounts.

"A number of representations have been received from various sections of the society, including members of parliament, suggesting that this change will force people to invest in anuity products even if they are not willing to do so," Jaitley told the Lok Sabha.

"The main argument is that employees should have the choice of where to invest. Theoretically, such freedom is desirable, but it is important for the government to achieve policy objectives by instrumentality of taxation," he said.

"In the present reform, the policy objective is not to get more revenues but to encourage to join the pension scheme," Jaitley said, adding the proposal he listed in paragraph 138 and 139 of his budget speech was being "withdrawn" to enable a "comprehensive" review.

"The proposal for giving 40 percent exemption given to NPS (National Pension Scheme) subscribers at the time of withdrawal remains."

Para 138 of his speech said: "In case of superannuation funds and recognised provident funds, including EPF, the same norm of 40 percent of corpus to be tax free will apply in respect of corpus created out of contributions made after April 1, 2016."

Para 139 said: "Further, the annuity fund which goes to the legal heir after the death of pensioner will not be taxable in all three cases. Also, we are proposing a monetary limit for contribution of employer in recognized provident and superannuation Fund of Rs.1.5 lakh per annum for taking tax benefit."

Failed drugs test at Australian Open: Sharapova

________ A to Z kerala .......... [kvk] [www.atozkerala.in , www.atozkerala.blogspot.com]

New York:Russian tennis ace Maria Sharapova on Monday admitted to failing a drug test at the Australian Open in January, an act that will get her suspended from tennis, BBC reported .

Sharapova, in a press conference in Los Angeles on Monday, said she had been taking the drug, meldonium, ever since 2006 and didn't realise that it became a banned substance by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) at the start of 2016.

The International Tennis Federation, about an hour after her admission, said on its website that the 28-year-old would be provisionally banned from March 12. The usual ban for first-time offenders is two years.

The failed drug test came on January 26 -- after Sharapova lost to Serena Williams in the quarterfinals -- and she was charged with an anti-doping violation on March 2, the governing body additionally said.

"A few days ago I received a letter from the (International Tennis Federation) that I failed a drug test at the Australian Open," Sharapova, who has long been the world's richest female athlete, said in the press conference.

"I did fail the test and take full responsibility for it. For the past 10 years I have been given a medicine called mildronate by my doctor, my family doctor, and a few days ago after I received the ITF letter I found out that it also has another name, meldonium, which I did not know.

"It's very important for you to understand for 10 years this medicine was not on WADA's banned list and I had been legally taking the medicine for the past 10 years. But on January 1 the rules had changed and meldonium became a prohibited substance, which I had not known," the five-time grand slam winner said.

Sharapova said she began taking the medication, which can be used to treat heart issues, after irregular EKGs and being deficient in magnesium. Her family also has a history of diabetes, she added.

WADA stated in September that the anti-ischemic drug would be added to the prohibited list and Sharapova blamed herself for not taking note of the new list.

Steve Simon, CEO of the WTA women's tour, was "saddened" by the development but said it was down to Sharapova to make sure she knew the rules, the BBC report said.

"I am very saddened to hear this news about Maria," he said in a statement. "Maria is a leader and I have always known her to be a woman of great integrity. Nevertheless, as Maria acknowledged, it is every player's responsibility to know what they put in their body and to know if it is permissible.

"This matter is now in the hands of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program and its standard procedures. The WTA will support the decisions reached through this process."

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Former US first lady Nancy Reagan dies at 94

________ A to Z kerala .......... [kvk] [www.atozkerala.in , www.atozkerala.blogspot.com]

Washington: Former US first lady Nancy Reagan passed away at the age of 94 in her Los Angeles home on Sunday, her office said.

A statement issued by her office said the former first lady died of congestive heart failure, and she would be buried at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California next to her husband, Ronald Wilson Reagan, who died in June, 2004.

"Prior to the funeral service, there will be an opportunity for members of the public to pay their respects at the library," Xinhua quoted the statement.

The White House, in a statement in the wake of Nancy's death, praised her on Sunday for her role in advancing Alzheimer's research.

After her husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 1994, Nancy Reagan became an advocate for Alzheimer's research.

Born in New York City, Nancy Reagan came to fame in the 1940s and 1950s during her acting career in Hollywood. 

During Reagan's presidency from 1981 to 1989, the former first lady was well-known for her clout with her husband and for bringing a lavish lifestyle to the White House in a time of recession, making her one of the most influential and controversial first ladies in the US history.

During her White House years, Reagan's most famous initiative was a major anti-drug campaign known as "Just say no"

Molestation case: Andhra minister's son grilled, sent to judicial custody

________ A to Z kerala .......... [kvk] [www.atozkerala.in , www.atozkerala.blogspot.com]

Hyderabad: Ravela Susheel, son of Andhra Pradesh Social and Tribal Welfare Minister Ravela Kishore Babu, was extensively grilled by police on Sunday after he surrendered in a molestation case. A court later sent him to 14 days judicial custody.

Susheel appeared at Banjara Hills police station and surrendered after his lawyer failed to get him bail.

Police also arrested Susheel's driver M. Ramesh alias Appa Rao. Deputy Commissioner of Police Venkateswar Rao told reporters that both Susheel and his driver were questioned with regard to the complaint lodged by a woman.

Venkateswar Rao said police were also examining the CCTV footage of the car in which Susheel was travelling. He also asserted that the government was taking all steps for protection of women. "There is no question of shielding anybody involved in a crime, no matter how powerful he may be."

The accused were later taken to the government-run Osmania Hospital for examination. They were later produced before a magistrate at his residence in the evening and remanded in judicial custody for 14 days. The accused were shifted to Chanchalguda Central Jail here.

Police on Saturday issued notice to Susheel, asking him to appear before them within 48 hours.

Both Susheel and Ramesh were booked on Saturday under the Nirbhaya Act for stalking a woman and trying to pull her into their car.

The incident occurred in the posh Banjara Hills neighbourhood on Thursday when the woman, a teacher, was walking down the road. She alleged that the duo passed lewd comments and tried to drag her in by grabbing her hand.

Citing the victim's complaint, the two were booked for harassment and misbehaving but no arrests were made.

On Friday, some television channels reported how police tried to hush up the case.

Susheel clarified through a social media post on Sunday that he spotted a puppy on the road and got down from car to pick it up but the woman without any reason started shouting and abusing him.

"The crowd joined hands with the unknown people whose only intention was political vengeance," he said.

However, the CCTV footage beamed on some news channels showed the car slowing down near the burqa-clad woman. Perturbed by this, the woman started walking faster but the car continued following her.

Meanwhile, minister Ravela Kishore Babu said on Sunday that his son is innocent. Stating that Susheel has done nothing wrong, he claimed that the CCTV footage has been morphed.

The minister also targeted YSR Congress Party president Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, alleging that the opposition leader is trying to implicate his son in a false case to defame him.

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Death for three Keralites in Kuwait

________ A to Z kerala .......... [kvk] [www.atozkerala.in , www.atozkerala.blogspot.com]

Kuwait City: A court in Kuwait on Monday awarded the death sentence to three people from Kerala in a drug trafficking case.

Mustafa Shahul Hameed, Aboobacker Sidheeque and Faisal, all of them hailing from Malappuram in Kerala, were sentenced to death by Judge Mutaib Al Areebi.

A Sri Lankan native was also awarded the death sentence in the case.

The court allowed them one-month time to file an appeal against the verdict.

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JNU row: Delhi govt serves legal notice to TV channels for airing doctored videos

________ A to Z kerala .......... [kvk] [www.atozkerala.in , www.atozkerala.blogspot.com]

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal informed CPI(M) and JD(U) leaders that legal notices have been served to media houses which allegedly aired doctored videos of JNU students raising anti-national slogans on the night of February 9.

The delegation of CPI(M)-JD(U) leaders Monday called on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and asked him to take action against organisations which had allegedly used doctored videos “to create frenzy of anti-nationals” at JNU.

A forensic probe ordered by Delhi government on certain footages of the February 9 JNU event, in which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised, found that two of the videos were “manipulated” where voices of persons not present in the clips were added.

The delegation thanked Kejriwal for the probe and sought action against the organisations concerned based on the findings of enquiry into the clips, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said.

“We went to thank him for organising magisterial enquiry which has clearly shown the tapes were doctored. Secondly, on the basis of his (Kejriwal’s) own enquiry that the tapes were doctored, they should now proceed for action against the organisations that used these doctored tapes to create this sort of a frenzy of anti-national against JNU as a whole and against the students,” Yechury said after the meeting.

He said Kejriwal assured the delegation of action into the matter.

“He (Kejriwal) said notices have already been served to some media houses which have done this mischief,” Yechury said.

Besides Yechury, JD(U) MP K C Tyagi was part of the delegation that met Kejriwal.

Tribunal bars Mallya from accessing $75 mn from Diageo deal

________ A to Z kerala .......... [kvk] [www.atozkerala.in , www.atozkerala.blogspot.com]

Bengaluru: In a major setback for liquor baron Vijay Mallya, the Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) Monday barred him from accessing USD 75 million (Rs 515 crore) exit payment from Diageo till the loan default case with State Bank of India is settled.
   
DRT, allowing SBI plea, restrained Diageo from disbursing the money for now and set March 28 as the next date of hearing.
   
SBI had sought DRT's intervention in seeking the lenders' first right on the USD 75-million payout from Diageo to Mallya as part of deal last month.
   
Under the deal Mallya was to step down as chairman of India's top spirits company United Spirits Ltd in a settlement with its new owner, Britain's Diageo. Mallya was to settle down in London after the deal.
   
SBI had filed three other applications, including one seeking Mallya's arrest and impounding of his passport, it approached DRT seeking action against him for defaulting on loans.
   
DRT in its order restraining Diageo from disbursing USD 75 billion, said the amount has been attached pending disposal of original application.
   
It directed Mallya and the companies concerned to disclose the details of the terminal agreement.
   
The order came hours after Mallya said he was in talks with banks for a one-time settlement of debt that his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines owes.
   
In a statement late last night, he had also stated that he had no plans to run away from his creditors.
   
SBI, which leads the consortium of 17 banks that lent money to the grounded Kingfisher Airlines, had moved DRT against the airline's chairman Mallya in its bid to recover Rs 7,800 crore. SBI had an exposure of over Rs 1,600 crore to the now defunct airline. Since January 2012, the loan was not serviced.
   
Other lenders include Punjab National Bank, Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, Bank of India, Central Bank of India, Federal Bank, Uco Bank and Dena Bank among others.
   
Last year, SBI declared Mallya as wilful defaulter while PNB had followed suit last month to declare him, his group holding company United Breweries Holdings and Kingfisher Airlines as wilful defaulters.
   
Diageo was to pay Mallya USD 40 million immediately and the balance in equal installments over the next five years.

The deal also absolved Mallya of all liabilities over alleged financial lapses at the company founded by his family.

17 killed, including four nuns, in gun attack on Aden care home

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ADEN // Seventeen people, including four Catholic nuns, were killed in Aden on Friday morning when armed men attacked a care home for the elderly run by Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity.

Six Ethiopians, a Yemeni cook and Yemeni guards were also killed, said Khaled Haidar, whose brother Radwan was among the dead. He said his family was the first to arrive at the home in Aden’s Al Sheikh Othman district following the attack.
It was not yet clear who was responsible for the killings, but ISIL and Al Qaeda have carried out a string of attacks in the southern Yemeni city in recent months.
An Aden security official told The National that four extremist militants had knocked on the door of the home and told the guard that they wanted to visit their mother who was a resident.
“When the guard opened the door [the militants] burst in and killed the guard ... [before] ... firing on the elderly [residents] and Indian nuns at random,” the official said.
He said one Indian nun had survived by hiding inside a cold room used to store medicines.
Mr Haidar said he had spoken to the nun, who was crying and shaking. His family handed her over to resistance fighters responsible for security in Al Sheikh Othman district, he added.
The dead and injured were taken to the city’s state-run Republican hospital and a health centre run by Medecins Sans Frontieres.
A doctor at the Republican hospital told The National that some of the dead had arrived with their hands tied behind their backs. Most had been shot in the head.
Paramedics said they expected the death toll to rise as some of the wounded had serious injuries.
Officials and medics were unable to provide a figure for the number of people injured in the attack.
There were about 80 elderly residents at the home, which was established in 2000 by Missionaries of Charity, a religious order set up by Mother Teresa.
Sunita Kumar, a spokeswoman for the order in the Indian city of Kolkata, said its members were “absolutely stunned” at the killing.
“The sisters were to come back but they opted to stay on to serve people” in Yemen, she said.
She said that two of the nuns killed were from Rwanda and the other two were from India and Kenya.
Missionaries of Charity, which also runs homes for the elderly in Taez, Hodeidah and Sanaa, is the only organisation to provide such a service in Yemen.
Friday’s attack was not the first on the order in Yemen. In 1998, three of its nuns were shot dead in the Red Sea port of Hodeidah by a psychiatric patient who had volunteered to fight alongside Bosnian Muslims in 1992 before returning to Yemen.
Local religious leader Sheikh Mohammed Mahboob blamed the Aden attack on ISIL, which considers Christians to be heretics.
“The Islamic State fighters have a wrong understanding of Islam,” he said.
ISIL and Al Qaeda have been gaining ground in Aden in recent months and are now active in several neighbourhoods. Previous extremist attacks in the city have tended to target government officials and the security forces, however.
With Sanaa still in the hands of Yemen’s Houthi rebels and their allies, who seized the city in September 2014, president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi has declared Aden to be the country’s temporary capital.

US base construction halted in Okinawa

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 TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced on Friday he has agreed to suspend construction of a controversial US military base on Okinawa, a rare conciliatory step aimed at easing tension with the southern island.

Still, Abe reiterated there is no change to his policy that a new US Marine air base must be built in a remote part of Okinawa to replace an existing one in a heavily populated area widely seen as a danger to residents.

The deal, brokered by a court on the island, means Okinawa and Tokyo will drop rival lawsuits against each other and resume talks in a bid to reach a compromise. If the renewed dialogue fails, the two sides will promise to abide by a court ruling.

It came amid deepening mistrust between central authorities and island, considered a strategic linchpin for the US and Japan as they face China’s increasing military might and the regional threat of North Korean missiles.

Pacifist sentiments run high on Okinawa, the site of a bloody World War II battle between Japan and the US, makes up less than one percent of Japan’s total land area but is home to about 75 per cent of US military bases in the country.

More than half of the 47,000 American military personnel in the country are stationed on Okinawa, the plight of which has become a lightning rod for political opposition to the hawkish Abe.

“If the legal battle between the central government and Okinawa continues in an endless fashion, this can only stall the process,” Abe told reporters.

“No one wants that, as the court indicated, and we have decided to accept the settlement proposal,” he said, referring to the court mediation.

But Abe said the relocation must ultimately go ahead, calling it “the only solution.”

Okinawan Governor Takeshi Onaga criticised Abe’s stance ahead of a meeting with him Friday, calling it “very regrettable” in remarks to reporters.

Japan and the United States first proposed moving Futenma in 1996, though both insist it must remain in Okinawa — a key area from which US troops and aircraft can react to potential conflicts throughout Asia.

But residents have insisted the base should be shuttered and a replacement built elsewhere in Japan or overseas, saying they can no longer live with the noise pollution, accidents and occasional crimes committed by US service members.

Construction work on the new facility in the island’s north is in the initial stages, with crews setting up sea floats and a makeshift bridge necessary for the landfill work that Abe has now promised to suspend.

Onaga cancelled his predecessor’s approval for the new US air base, prompting the central government to launch a suit to overturn his move, while the infrastructure minister nullified Onaga’s cancellation.

Okinawa then lodged lawsuits to overturn the minister’s decision and top the project.

America’s top military official in the Pacific said last month that the relocation plan has been pushed back by two years until 2025 from the current target, because of delays from the disputes.

The US has agreed to shift 8,000 to 10,000 Marines off Okinawa in the 2020s, mainly to Guam and Hawaii, but Adm. Harry Harris, head of the US Pacific Command, said that would happen after Futenma’s relocation.

The southern island prefecture is home to about half of about 50,000 American troops stationed in Japan under the bilateral security treaty. Many Okinawans complain about crime and noise linked to the US military bases.

Reading expands kids’ knowledge’

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 SHARJAH: In keeping with World Book Day yesterday, the first branch of Maktaba, a-first-of-its-kind bookshop for children and young adults in the UAE, was inaugurated in Al Qasba by Sheikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), Founder and CEO of Kalimat Group.

The inauguration ceremony was also attended by Abdulaziz Taryam, CEO Adviser and General Manager, Northern Emirates, Etisalat; Noura Al Noman, Director-General of the Executive Office of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi; Ahmed Bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Chairman of Sharjah Book Authority; Marwan Al Sawaleh, Undersecretary, Ministry of Education; Marwan Bin Jassim Al Sarkal, CEO of Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq); Dr Mariam Al Shenasi, President of the Emirates Publishers Association and Jamal Al Shehhi, Founder of Kuttab Publishing in addition to a number of writers, illustrators and intellectuals from the UAE.

Maktaba is a bookshop that houses both a library and a café under the same roof. It aims to introduce a new concept of how children and young adults can enjoy reading, and offers a unique environment that enriches the experience of reading. The first branch in Al Qasba will be followed by more branches across the UAE.

Maktaba’s goal is to change the way future generations read through offering a pleasant environment where they can enjoy books alongside their family, friends and colleagues.

Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi said, “We want our children to have a better understanding of life and the world around them and to equip them to deal effectively with life’s challenges. Through reading, they can expand their knowledge and understanding of future prospects in order to contribute to the development of their community and their country.”

Maktaba houses all the printed and electronic publications by Kalimat, Horouf and Rewayat. Visitors to the bookshop can read the books or use smart applications for free during its working hours. The bookshop’s café serves a selection of light dishes and both hot and cold drinks.

Sheikha Bodour added that the inauguration of Maktaba is in line with World Book Day and with 2016 being declared the Year of Reading in the UAE as well as the directives of His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, to promote culture and knowledge throughout the emirate. This follows the leadership’s aim to establish Sharjah as one of the world’s leading cultural cities and to motivate children and young adults to visit libraries and to make books their best friend, a friend that gives them both knowledge and entertainment.

Maktaba is not only a place for reading but will also host events such as reading sessions, book signings, cultural competitions and entertaining evenings. It will also celebrate national and international holidays, all with the goal of instilling a passion for reading in children.

Kalimat is the first publishing group in the UAE dedicated to publishing and distributing high quality Arabic books for children and young adults. Kalimat focuses on publishing books with content that help consolidate family values, friendships and promotes simple concepts about happiness and morality through innovative texts and lively illustrations. Kalimat has an elite group of internationally acclaimed authors and illustrators who won prestigious international awards in children’s and young people’s literature.

6-phase polls for Indian states from April 4

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 NEW DELHI: Four Indian states and a union territory will see new governments elected by May 19. The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday announced election dates in West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and the union territory of Puducherry.

West Bengal will have a 6-phase voting stretching from April 4 to May 5. There will be voting on April 4, 11, 17, 21, 25, 30 and May 5. Assam will vote on April 4 and 11. Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry will go to polls on May 16. Counting of votes will be taken up on May 19 in all states.

All five assemblies are expiring in April or May. West Bengal is ruled by Trinamool Congress while Kerala is with the Congress-led United Democratic Front and Tamil Nadu the Anna DMK. Assam is also a Congress state.

The Model Code of Conduct takes immediate effect after the announcement, meaning the incumbent governments cannot announce any new schemes or plans targeting voters.

ECI chairman Syed Nasim Ahmad Zaidi said photographs of all candidates will be included along with their name and the symbol on the EVMs.

He said central observers will monitor the whole proceedings and report to the Commission. The Election Commission expects to complete the poll process by May 21.

4 Indian nuns, 12 others die in Yemen attack

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 SANAA: Gunmen stormed a retirement home run by missionaries in the southern Yemeni port city of Aden on Friday, killing 16 people, including four Indian nuns, Yemeni security officials and witnesses said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Aden has seen a surge in attacks by Daesh group and rival Al Qaeda.

The killing spree began with two gunmen who first surrounded the home for the elderly in Aden while four others entered the building, the witnesses and officials said.

The gunmen then moved from room to room, handcuffing the victims before shooting them in the head. A nun who survived and was rescued by locals said that she hid inside a fridge in a storeroom after hearing a Yemeni guard shouting “run, run.”

Khaled Haidar said that he counted 16 bodies, including that of his brother, Radwan. All had been shot in the head and were handcuffed. He said that in addition to the four Indian nuns, six Ethiopians, one Yemeni cook, and Yemeni guards were among those killed.

He said that his family was the first to arrive at the house and that he spoke to the surviving nun, who was crying and shaking. Haidar said that his family later handed her over to a group of southern fighters in charge of security in the local Aden district of Sheikh Osman.

Vikas Swarup, the spokesman of India’s External Affairs Ministry, said the attackers had asked the guard to open the gate on the pretext of visiting their mothers at the retirement home.

“On entering inside, (they) immediately shot dead the gatekeeper and started shooting randomly,” he said, adding that the assailants escaped soon after the attack.

Crown prince set for security talks in Paris 

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 RIYADH: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, deputy premier and interior minister, will hold talks with French President François Hollande starting on Friday, with a focus expected on a wide range of issues including closer economic cooperation, terrorism and conflicts in the Middle East.

Prince Mohammed arrived in Paris on Thursday and would also meet with French Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development Jean-Marc Ayrault and senior officials from the ministries of interior and foreign affairs, French Ambassador Bertrand Besancenot told Arab News before the prince’s departure.
The two countries have a common position on Syria, which is to set up a government without the involvement of Bashar Assad. Saudi-French ties go back to 1879 when the French Consulate was established in Jeddah in 1879.
According to the Saudi Press Agency, the crown prince arrived at Orly International Airport in Paris and was welcomed by Ségolène Royal, French minister for ecology, sustainable development and energy, Saudi Ambassador in Paris Khalid bin Mohammed Al-Anqari, Besancenot and other senior officials.

Culture and Information Minister Adel Al-Toraifi, Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir and Minister of State and Cabinet Member Essam bin Saad bin Said are also accompanying the crown prince.
The delegation includes Khalid bin Ali Al-Humaidan, chief of general Intelligence, Abdullah bin Abdulrahman Al-Muhaisin, adviser at the Royal Court and Lt. Gen. Abdullah bin Ali Al-Qarni deputy director general of General Investigation.
France remains a major partner of the Kingdom.
In 2012, it was ranked the eighth among the top 10 countries exporting to the Kingdom. The volume of trade between the two countries doubled to reach more than 10 billion Euros in the year 2014, up by 10 percent compared to 2013.
France is the third largest investor in the Kingdom, with its direct investments standing at $15.3 billion, while the value of Saudi investments in Paris is valued at 900 million euros.

Jordan foils Daesh attacks on civilian and military targets

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Suleiman Al-Khalidi
AMMAN — Jordan’s security services said on Wednesday they had thwarted a plot by Daesh (the so-called IS) militants to blow up civilian and military targets, in one of the US ally’s largest sweeps in years against hardline sleeper cells.
The security services located the militants, who were carrying suicide belts, in a hideout in the northern city of Irbid near the Syrian border, they said in a statement carried by the state news agency Petra.
Seven militants were killed in clashes that began on Tuesday night and lasted till dawn and one police officer was also killed, the statement said. The security services seized automatic weapons, munitions and explosives from the group.
“After diligent and detailed intelligence gathering the intelligence department was able soon to thwart a criminal and destructive plot linked by the terrorist Daesh group aimed at destabilizing national security,” the statement said.
Two security sources said dozens of special forces had been involved in the operation and that the militants had been holed up near a Palestinian refugee camp in the center of Irbid.
The militants who refused to hand themselves over engaged in heavy exchange of gunfire with special forces in the clashes that also injured five policemen, the security services’ statement said.
“They showed heavy resistance with automatic weapons and so the security forces dealt with the situation with the necessary force,” it said.
Jordanian Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour told lawmakers that the security operation had fully achieved its goals, saying the “terrorist group” had forged organizational ties with Daesh militants in an attempt to destabilize the kingdom.
Jordan has tried and sentenced dozens of people, mostly Jordanians returning from Syria. Some of them were recruited by Syria’s al Qaeda offshoot Nusra Front or by Daesh.
Intensifying its crackdown on followers of radical groups since last year, Jordan has also arrested dozens of sympathizers who show support for such groups on social media.
Jordan’s King Abdullah has been among the most vocal leaders in the region to express alarm about the threat from Daesh, which has taken territory in Syria and Iraq.
Jordan’s military has also conducted sorties against Daesh hideouts in Syria.
Since Syria’s war erupted in 2011, hundreds of Jordanians have joined militant groups fighting in the insurgency against President Bashar Al-Assad’s rule.

Tunisian President Receives the Crown Prince

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TUNIS — Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi discussed at the Carthage Palace here Wednesday with Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, deputy premier, minister of interior and honorary chairman of the Council of Arab Ministers of Interior, distinct bilateral relations between the two fraternal countries, means to boost cooperation between the Kingdom and Tunisia and issues of mutual interest, especially in the security field. They also reviewed the latest regional developments. – SPA

Clinton, Trump tighten grip on US elections

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• 
  In this combination of file photos shows, Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump on January 14, 2016 and his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton on February 4, 2016. (AFP)
  

WASHINGTON: Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton are turning their rhetorical fire on one another as both front-runners emerged with strong victories in their parties’ Super Tuesday contests for the presidential nomination.

Trump, the trash-talking New York billionaire, and Clinton, the former secretary of state, each won seven states in the biggest day in the primary campaign, building their leads in the delegate counts that will determine each major party’s nominee in national conventions this summer.
Tuesday’s outcome moves the contest closer to a Trump-Clinton showdown in the November election, likely be the starkest contrast in presidential candidates American voters have seen in their lifetimes.
Clinton turned away from rival Bernie Sanders, the Vermont senator who identifies as a democratic socialist, and set her sights on Trump during a victory rally in Miami.
“It’s clear tonight that the stakes in this election have never been higher and the rhetoric we’re hearing on the other side has never been lower,” said Clinton, who is trying to become America’s first female president. President Barack Obama is barred by the constitution from seeking re-election after two four-year terms.
Trump, too, had his eye on Clinton, casting her as part of a political establishment that has failed Americans.
“She’s been there for so long,” Trump told a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. “If she hasn’t straightened it out by now, she’s not going to straighten it out in the next four years.”
Trump’s dominance has shaken Republican leaders, who fear he is unelectable. Tuesday’s results did little to clarify which of two senators, Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio, might emerge as Trump’s main Republican rival, with both vowing to fight on despite weak performances.
Cruz, a firebrand conservative senator, won the biggest prize, his home state of Texas, and neighboring Oklahoma as well as Alaska, giving him four wins overall, including the leadoff Iowa caucuses. But he failed elsewhere in the South, where he had campaigned extensively and early on.
Trump displayed surprising strength with evangelical Christians and social conservatives, once seen as a natural constituency for Cruz.
Still, Cruz called on Rubio and other candidates to step aside: “I ask you to prayerfully consider our coming together, united.”
Rubio emerged Tuesday with his first victory, in the Minnesota caucuses, but did not live up to the hopes of many in the Republican establishment who have promoted him as the party’s best alternative to Trump.
His hopes are now on the March 15 primary in his home state of Florida, where, unlike Tuesday’s contests, the winner will claim all the delegates.
In the Democratic race, Clinton has faced a tougher-than-expected challenge from Sanders, who has energized supporters with his calls for a “political revolution” and denunciations of America’s wealth gap. But he has struggled to expand his base beyond young people and liberals.