Two Indian nationals jailed for fake jewellery scam

Singapore: Two Indian nationals have been jailed here for a fake jewellery scam they carried out last year, according to a media report today.

Gurpreet Ram Sidhu (22) and Jaswinder Singh Brar (38) were jailed yesterday for pawning gold-plated copper items and
raking in 55,310 Singapore dollars, The Straits Times said.

Sidhu was jailed for 15 months for his role in conspiring to cheat 11 pawnshops between April and October last while
Brar has been awarded a ten-month sentence for pawning 30,360 Singapore dollar worth of fake jewellery.

The duo were in Singapore on social visit passes and could have been jailed for up to 10 years.

A third Indian national, Jagtar Singh (28), had approached Sidhu for the scheme of pawning fake jewellery, all of which
was gold-plated copper with hooks and fastenings made of solid gold, according to the report.

Singh told Sidhu to wear the fake items, and remove them in front of the pawnshop staff showing that he owns them.

The staff would check the jewellery for number '916' ensuring that it was made of 91.6 per cent gold and carry out
chemical tests on hooks and fastening, which were of solid gold.

Sidhu also got three other Indian national flatmates to pawn several items without revealing to them that the
jewellery was fake.

For his part in the scam, Brar convinced his girlfriend, Noor Mardiah Saleh (25), to help pawn the items and as
Singaporean bargain for a better price.

Noor allegedly recruited three other Singaporeans for the scam.

The pawnshops paid out between 2,100 and 5,000 Singapore dollars for each item pawned.

Sidhu, Brar and Singh then took the money, giving the others between 50-500 Singapore dollars each for every item
pawned.

The source of fake items remains unknown, said the report.

The crime came to light when the Singapore pawnbrokers Association sent out advisories to the pawnshops.

Tests by Singapore's Health Science Authority indicated the items were made of gold-plated copper except for hooks and
fastenings.

Sidhu, who did not have a lawyer, pleaded for a short jail sentence so that he could return home as soon as possible,
while Brar's lawyer, S K Kumar, pointed out that his client played a much smaller role in the scam than Sidhu.

Among the accomplices, Singh has been charged and faces a pre-trial conference later this month. PTI

Two Indian nationals jailed for fake jewellery scam

Singapore: Two Indian nationals have been jailed here for a fake jewellery scam they carried out last year, according to a media report today.

Gurpreet Ram Sidhu (22) and Jaswinder Singh Brar (38) were jailed yesterday for pawning gold-plated copper items and
raking in 55,310 Singapore dollars, The Straits Times said.

Sidhu was jailed for 15 months for his role in conspiring to cheat 11 pawnshops between April and October last while
Brar has been awarded a ten-month sentence for pawning 30,360 Singapore dollar worth of fake jewellery.

The duo were in Singapore on social visit passes and could have been jailed for up to 10 years.

A third Indian national, Jagtar Singh (28), had approached Sidhu for the scheme of pawning fake jewellery, all of which
was gold-plated copper with hooks and fastenings made of solid gold, according to the report.

Singh told Sidhu to wear the fake items, and remove them in front of the pawnshop staff showing that he owns them.

The staff would check the jewellery for number '916' ensuring that it was made of 91.6 per cent gold and carry out
chemical tests on hooks and fastening, which were of solid gold.

Sidhu also got three other Indian national flatmates to pawn several items without revealing to them that the
jewellery was fake.

For his part in the scam, Brar convinced his girlfriend, Noor Mardiah Saleh (25), to help pawn the items and as
Singaporean bargain for a better price.

Noor allegedly recruited three other Singaporeans for the scam.

The pawnshops paid out between 2,100 and 5,000 Singapore dollars for each item pawned.

Sidhu, Brar and Singh then took the money, giving the others between 50-500 Singapore dollars each for every item
pawned.

The source of fake items remains unknown, said the report.

The crime came to light when the Singapore pawnbrokers Association sent out advisories to the pawnshops.

Tests by Singapore's Health Science Authority indicated the items were made of gold-plated copper except for hooks and
fastenings.

Sidhu, who did not have a lawyer, pleaded for a short jail sentence so that he could return home as soon as possible,
while Brar's lawyer, S K Kumar, pointed out that his client played a much smaller role in the scam than Sidhu.

Among the accomplices, Singh has been charged and faces a pre-trial conference later this month. PTI

Funeral of 5 soldiers killed at LoC to be held Thursday

Patna: The bodies of four soldiers of the Bihar Regiment who were killed in Jammu and Kashmir arrived here Wednesday night. Their funerals will take place at their respective villages Thursday, police said.

A large number of security personnel and men of the regiment along with hundreds of people gathered near the Patna airport and paid their respect to the soldiers.

The five soldiers were killed when the attackers, including men in Pakistani military uniforms, barged into Indian territory and ambushed an army patrol at Chakan-da-Bagh sector of the Line of Control (LoC), which divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan. One soldier was injured.

The dead are Sambhusaran Rai from Ara in Bhojpur district, Vijay Kumar Rai from Bihta in Patna district, and Prem Nath and Raghunandan Prasad from Saran district. The fifth was from the Mahar Regiment and belonged to Maharashtra.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has announced a state funeral for all four soldiers, and also a compensation of Rs.10 lakh for their families.

However Rai's widow refused the compensation and demanded 'tough' action against Pakistan.

'I will not accept the Rs.10 lakh till the Indian government takes tough action against Pakistan,'said Pushpa Devi.

Funeral of 5 soldiers killed at LoC to be held Thursday

Patna: The bodies of four soldiers of the Bihar Regiment who were killed in Jammu and Kashmir arrived here Wednesday night. Their funerals will take place at their respective villages Thursday, police said.

A large number of security personnel and men of the regiment along with hundreds of people gathered near the Patna airport and paid their respect to the soldiers.

The five soldiers were killed when the attackers, including men in Pakistani military uniforms, barged into Indian territory and ambushed an army patrol at Chakan-da-Bagh sector of the Line of Control (LoC), which divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan. One soldier was injured.

The dead are Sambhusaran Rai from Ara in Bhojpur district, Vijay Kumar Rai from Bihta in Patna district, and Prem Nath and Raghunandan Prasad from Saran district. The fifth was from the Mahar Regiment and belonged to Maharashtra.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has announced a state funeral for all four soldiers, and also a compensation of Rs.10 lakh for their families.

However Rai's widow refused the compensation and demanded 'tough' action against Pakistan.

'I will not accept the Rs.10 lakh till the Indian government takes tough action against Pakistan,'said Pushpa Devi.

Biker dead after collision with truck

New Delhi : A 25-year-old man died and his friend was gravely injured when their bike collided with a dumper truck early Wednesday morning, police said.

James Thomas and Sahil, both hailing from Kerala, were pursuing mass communication course from Amity University and had come to meet a friend in Nizamuddin area of south Delhi Tuesday night.

On their way back, a speeding dumper hit them on the DND flyway that connects Delhi to its suburb of Noida, Uttar Pradesh at around 6.45 a.m.

According to police, they were taken to hospital where doctors declared Thomas dead while Sahil continues to battle for his life.
--IANS

Biker dead after collision with truck

New Delhi : A 25-year-old man died and his friend was gravely injured when their bike collided with a dumper truck early Wednesday morning, police said.

James Thomas and Sahil, both hailing from Kerala, were pursuing mass communication course from Amity University and had come to meet a friend in Nizamuddin area of south Delhi Tuesday night.

On their way back, a speeding dumper hit them on the DND flyway that connects Delhi to its suburb of Noida, Uttar Pradesh at around 6.45 a.m.

According to police, they were taken to hospital where doctors declared Thomas dead while Sahil continues to battle for his life.
--IANS

Half of Americans eat fast food every week

WashingtonL: Almost half of Americans say they eat fast food at least every week, although more than seven in ten Americans think fast food is unhealthy, according to a poll.

The Gallup annual consumption poll found that fast food has still been a major part of Americans' diets, Xinhua reported.

According to the poll released Tuesday, three percent of Americans say they eat fast food every day, while 16 percent and 28 percent of Americans respectively report eating at fast food restaurants 'several times a week' and 'once a week'.

Another 33 percent of Americans say they eat fast food once or twice a month. Only four percent of Americans say they never eat at fast food restaurants.

Among those who eat fast food weekly or more frequently, more than 7 in 10 of them believe the food is not good.

Half of Americans eat fast food every week

WashingtonL: Almost half of Americans say they eat fast food at least every week, although more than seven in ten Americans think fast food is unhealthy, according to a poll.

The Gallup annual consumption poll found that fast food has still been a major part of Americans' diets, Xinhua reported.

According to the poll released Tuesday, three percent of Americans say they eat fast food every day, while 16 percent and 28 percent of Americans respectively report eating at fast food restaurants 'several times a week' and 'once a week'.

Another 33 percent of Americans say they eat fast food once or twice a month. Only four percent of Americans say they never eat at fast food restaurants.

Among those who eat fast food weekly or more frequently, more than 7 in 10 of them believe the food is not good.

Breastfeeding may reduce Alzheimer's risk among women

London: A British study has suggested breastfeeding mothers run a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's, with longer periods of breastfeeding further reducing the risk.

The study paper, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, has suggested that the link may be to do with certain biological effects of breastfeeding. For instance, breastfeeding restores insulin tolerance which is significantly reduced during pregnancy, and Alzheimer's is characterised by insulin resistance in the brain, Xinhua reported.

On the basis of data gathered from a group of 81 British women, researchers observed a highly significant and consistent correlation between breastfeeding and Alzheimer's risk. They argued that this was so strong that any potential sampling error was unlikely.

'Alzheimer's is the world's most common cognitive disorder and affects 35.6 million people,' said the study's lead author Molly Fox of the University of Cambridge.

'In the future, we expect it to spread most in low and middle-income countries. So it is vital that we develop low-cost, large-scale strategies to protect people against this devastating disease,' Fox said.

Earlier studies have already suggested that breastfeeding can reduce a mother's risk of certain other diseases.

Research has shown that there may be a link between breastfeeding and a woman's general cognitive decline later in life. Until now, however, little has been done to examine the impact of breastfeeding duration on Alzheimer's risk.

Breastfeeding may reduce Alzheimer's risk among women

London: A British study has suggested breastfeeding mothers run a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's, with longer periods of breastfeeding further reducing the risk.

The study paper, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, has suggested that the link may be to do with certain biological effects of breastfeeding. For instance, breastfeeding restores insulin tolerance which is significantly reduced during pregnancy, and Alzheimer's is characterised by insulin resistance in the brain, Xinhua reported.

On the basis of data gathered from a group of 81 British women, researchers observed a highly significant and consistent correlation between breastfeeding and Alzheimer's risk. They argued that this was so strong that any potential sampling error was unlikely.

'Alzheimer's is the world's most common cognitive disorder and affects 35.6 million people,' said the study's lead author Molly Fox of the University of Cambridge.

'In the future, we expect it to spread most in low and middle-income countries. So it is vital that we develop low-cost, large-scale strategies to protect people against this devastating disease,' Fox said.

Earlier studies have already suggested that breastfeeding can reduce a mother's risk of certain other diseases.

Research has shown that there may be a link between breastfeeding and a woman's general cognitive decline later in life. Until now, however, little has been done to examine the impact of breastfeeding duration on Alzheimer's risk.