Google makes voice search compatible with Indian diction

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New Delhi: Google on Tuesday said it has upgraded the technology under which voice search features become compatible with Indian diction.

The company hosted an event called 'Google Cafe' here showcasing the search experience for Indian users.

'From asking Google where you can watch the latest movie to finding out cricket scores at the touch of a button, Google is there to help you get the answers you need,' said Sandeep Menon, head of marketing, Google India.

'We are delighted to showcase the improvements we have made to Search for Indian users today. These features demonstrate Google's commitment to India and to continually improving Indian users' search experience,' Menon said.

The event also featured footballer Baichung Bhutia, singer and model Shibani Dandekar, and chef Kunal Kapur, who demonstrated the many ways Google can help users.

'Voice has always been the most natural way to interact with a phone, as speaking is typically faster and easier than typing. Google hopes to make Search accessible to an even larger group of Indian users, to help them find the information they need at just the right moment,' Google said in a statement.

IANS

Weight loss surgery may cause bone loss

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New York: Regarded as the most effective treatment for severe obesity, bariatric surgery may lead to bone loss for at least two years even after the body weight stabilises, says a study.

'The long term consequences of this substantial bone loss are unclear but it might put them at increased risk of fracture or breaking a bone,' said Elaine Yu, endocrinologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston in the US.

'Therefore, bone health may need to be monitored in patients undergoing bariatric surgery,' she added.

For the study, researchers measured bone density using three-dimensional computed tomography (CT) called quantitative CT and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, also called DXA.

They compared bone density at the lower spine and the hip in 50 very obese adults.

Two years later, bone density was 5-7 percent lower at the spine and 7-10 percent lower at the hip in the surgical group compared with the non-surgical control group.

'The bone loss in the surgical patients,' Yu said, 'occurred despite the fact that they were not losing any more weight in the second year after surgery and had stable blood levels of calcium and vitamin D.'

'Therefore, the cause of the bone loss is probably not related to weight loss itself,' she added.

IANS

Special team to probe Kadamboor school students harassment plaint

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Kannur: A special team was formed to probe the complaint of harassment and physical abuse of some class X students of Kadamboor HS School by the school faculty. The probe team includes a woman CI, 4 childline activists and will be headed by a DySP. The Childline activists would record the statement of the children. The Human Rights Commission would collect evidence from the school also. The students had also forwarded the complaint to DPI, DDE and Childline activists.

Malaysia asked to lift ban on use of 'Allah' by non-Muslims

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Bangkok: Amnesty International (AI) on Tuesday demanded that the Malaysian government abolish a decree that bans non-Muslims from using the word 'Allah' meaning God, a day after a federal court ratified the government edict.

AI condemned the law as an 'abuse' and a 'violation' of the freedom of speech and criticised the fact that violators can be criminally prosecuted as 'deeply disturbing'.

'The decree is not only repressive, but is dangerous. It poses a risk of inflaming more religious tensions in Malaysia by denying people the right to religious freedom,' Hazel Galang-Folli, AI delegate in Malaysia, said in a statement.

The Malaysian Federal Court ruled Monday in favour of the government's decree which was submitted in 2007.

The ruling was also a conclusive rejection of the appeal made by the Malay edition of the Christian newspaper, Herald.

Initially, in 2009, the Supreme Court had annulled the decree which triggered a wave of violence against Christian churches by radical groups prompting the government to appeal to the appellate court to reconsider its demand.

'The Malaysian authorities should immediately revoke this decree that puts Malaysian non-Muslims at a risk of being arrested for exercising their right to freedom of speech,' said Galang-Folli.

The use of the word 'Allah' by Malaysian Christians and Indonesians dates back to the Hebrew translation of 'Elohim' (God) as 'Allah' in the Malay Bible translated by the missionary Francisco Javier, who travelled through Asia in the 16th century.

Although the constitution of Malaysia guarantees religious freedom, the authorities and Muslim groups assert that the law prevents the use of Islamic terms by non-Muslims as it may cause confusion and the conversion of Muslims.

On Jan 2, the authorities confiscated 350 Malay Bibles from the headquarters of the Bible Society of Malaysia because of the use of the word 'Allah', meaning 'god' in Arabic.

The Vatican envoy in Malaysia, Archbishop Joseph Marino, had to apologise to the Malaysian authorities in 2013 for having declared his support for Christians who used 'Allah' in their Bibles or other religious texts.

Around 60 percent of the 28 million Malaysians practise Islam, most being moderates, while the rest follow Buddhism (19 percent), Christianity (9 percent), Hinduism (6 percent) and Taoism (2.6 percent) along with other minority religions.

IANS

8-yr-old sexually harassed at Vandiperiyar

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Idukki: An 8-year-old girl was sexually harassed at Vandiperiyar and police have booked a case against a person, who is the friend of the victim's mother. It was the Child Welfare Commitee which informed the news that happened in April to the police. The girl is presently under the custody of Child Welfare Commitee.

Samaras penalty sends Greece through, breaks Ivorian hearts

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FORTALEZA (Brazil): A stoppage time penalty from Giorgios Samaras sent Greece into the last 16 of the World Cup for the first time with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast.

The Africans were seconds away from heading into the second round themselves after Wilfried Bony's 74th minute equalizer looked to have given them the point they needed to progress.

But Samaras went down inside the box and rose to convert the penalty and send his team through to play Costa Rica in the second round.

Substitute Andreas Samaris gave Greece the lead in the 42nd minute beating Boubacar Barry following a mix-up in the Ivory Coast defense.

REUTERS

Firing at PIA plane leaves one woman dead, two staff injured

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Peshawar : One woman passenger was killed and two fight stewards injured when unidentified gunmen opened fire at a Peshawar bound PIA flight while landing at the airport here, an injured staff said.

The PIA flight PK756, carrying nearly 180 passengers from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia to Peshawar, was fired upon for two
minutes before landing at the Bacha Khan International airport late yesterday night.

A woman passenger was killed and two flight stewards- Wajid and Ijaz- were injured.

Wajid, who sustained bullet injuries in his leg, said the plane was at an altitude of 250 to 300 feet height when
gunshot hit the plane at the back side. Luckily Captain Tariq Chaudhry safely landed the plane at airport and averted a
catastrophe.

The fire shots came from the adjacent Tehkal area side, he said.

His colleague flight steward Ijaz received three bullet wounds and shifted to CMH Peshawar and was being operated
upon, Wajid said.

Meanwhile, a Peshawar bound flight coming from Kuala Lumpur was diverted to Lahore airport as PIA authorities
immediately suspended flight operations at the airport.

Security forces immediately launched search operations in the suspected areas around the airport to nab the culprits.
PTI

4 killed, 8 injured in derailment in Bihar

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Chapra (Bihar) : At least four passengers were killed and eight injured when the Delhi-Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express derailed at Golden Ganj station near Chapra early today.

12 coaches were derailed in the incident at around 0200 hours today, Railway spokesperson Anil Saxena said. Five
coaches-B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4 and pantry car-overturned in the derailment while seven other coaches-B-5 to B-10 and power
car-got derailed at the station, about 75 kms from Patna, he said.

The cause of the derailment is yet to be ascertained, he said.

Railway minister Sadanad Gowda expressed grief over the loss of lives in the mishap. He directed the Railway
administration to render best possible treatment to the injured passengers.

Senior officials of East Central Railway and medical team rushed to the site and were supervising the relief and rescue
operations.

Helplines have been set up to provide information to families of the victims and other passengers at Chapra,
Samastipur, Hajipur, Sonpur, Barauni, Muzaffarpur, Lucknow, Varanasi, Balia, Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Mariani,
Dimapur, Lumding, New Coochbehar, New Jalpaiguri and Katihar. PTI

Four UAE Based Indian Journalists Get Media Award

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Dubai: Four United Arab Emirate(UAE) based Indian journalists have been conferred with the annual Chiranthana Media Award 2013 for helping expatriates in distress through their work across media platforms, a report said on Sunday.

Saneesh Nambiar, Middle East bureau chief of Reporter TV; Anwar Al Haq M U, senior sub-editor with Gulf Madhyamam; Leo Radha Krishnan, head of news and anchor of Trust Me at Radio Me 100.3; and Sadiq Kavil, reporter with the Dubai bureau of Malayala Manorama Online are the four awardees, Emirates 24/7 reported.

Saneesh Nambiar was recognised based on the stories that he presented through Gulf Insight, a weekly current affairs programme, that covers all the GCC countries.

Leo Radha Krishnan was selected for his charitable work through a weekly programme, Trust Me, which helps bedridden and chronically sick patients and their relatives, the report said.

Anwar Ul Haq and Sadiq Kavil also were selected on the basis of their human interest stories and investigative reports.

The media awards were instituted by Chiranthana Samskarika Vedi (Chiranthana Cultural Forum) which was formed in 2000 to promote cultural and literary activities of the Indian community in the UAE.

Iraq crisis: Key oil refinery 'seized by rebels'

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Sunni rebels in Iraq say they have fully captured the country's main oil refinery at Baiji, north of Baghdad.

The refinery had been under siege for 10 days with the militant offensive being repulsed several times.

The complex supplies a third of Iraq's refined fuel and the battle has already led to petrol rationing.

Insurgents, led by the group Isis, have overrun a swathe of territory north and west of Baghdad including Iraq's second-biggest city, Mosul.

They are bearing down on a vital dam near Haditha and have captured all border crossings to Syria and Jordan.

A rebel spokesman said the Baiji refinery, in Salahuddin province, would now be handed over to local tribes to administer.

The spokesman said that the advance towards Baghdad would continue.

The BBC's Jim Muir in Irbil, northern Iraq, says the capture of the refinery is essential if the rebels are to keep control of the areas they have conquered and to supply Mosul with energy.

Earlier, US Secretary of State John Kerry vowed 'intense and sustained support' for Iraq after meeting key politicians in the capital, Baghdad.

He said attacks by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) were a threat to Iraq's existence, and the next days and weeks would be critical.

Mr Kerry met Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki and also held talks with key Shia and Sunni figures.

Speaking at the US embassy, he said US support would 'allow Iraqi security forces to confront [Isis] more effectively and in a way that respects Iraq's sovereignty'.

'The support will be intense, sustained, and if Iraq's leaders take the steps needed to bring the country together it will be effective,' he said.

'It is essential that Iraq's leaders form a genuinely inclusive government as rapidly as possible.''

Our correspondent says Mr Kerry is trying to persuade Iraqi leaders to rise above sectarian and ethnic divisions and pull their country back from the brink of fragmentation.

Mr Maliki, a member of Iraq's Shia Muslim majority, has been criticised for concentrating power among his mostly Shia allies and excluding other groups including Sunni and Kurdish communities.

A statement from Mr Maliki's office after the Kerry meeting said the crisis in Iraq represented 'a threat not only to Iraq but to regional and international peace'.

The US, which pulled out of Iraq in 2011, has already announced it is deploying some 300 military advisers to Iraq to help in the fight against the insurgents.

The Pentagon has confirmed that Iraq has given the advisers legal protection.

Neighbouring Iran says it opposes US intervention. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Washington of 'seeking an Iraq under its hegemony and ruled by its stooges'.

Isis has taken two key border crossings in Anbar province that link Iraq with Syria, pursuing its goal of forming a 'caliphate' straddling both countries.

Further south they have also seized the Traybil crossing, the only legal crossing point between Iraq and Jordan.

The Jordanian military said its troops had been on a state of alert along the 180km (112 mile) border to ward off 'any potential or perceived security threats'.