Indian-origin man gets jail, faces deportation

Toronto: An Indian-origin man in Canada, who tried to lure a 13-year-old girl on the internet for sex in 2010, was sentenced to nine months in prison and three years' probation.

Yashandeep Dhillon from Regina in Saskatchewan province was sentenced Monday to nine months in prison and three years' probation for using social media to lure a minor girl for a sexual purpose, the CTV news reported. Dhillon was found guilty in October 2013.

Dhillon arrived in Canada in 2010 from India and logged on to an internet chatroom called Edmonton Locals and found someone, who identified herself as a 13-year-old girl from Saskatchewan. Between Oct 15 and Dec 17 of 2010, the messages took on a sexual overtone, and Dhillon expressed his sexual desire to the girl.

On Dec 17, 2010, Dhillon arranged to meet the girl at a bus stop in Regina. There, a police officer, who was actually posing as the young girl, was waiting and Dhillon was arrested. He will be deported to India after the completion of his sentence.

Indian-origin man gets jail, faces deportation

Toronto: An Indian-origin man in Canada, who tried to lure a 13-year-old girl on the internet for sex in 2010, was sentenced to nine months in prison and three years' probation.

Yashandeep Dhillon from Regina in Saskatchewan province was sentenced Monday to nine months in prison and three years' probation for using social media to lure a minor girl for a sexual purpose, the CTV news reported. Dhillon was found guilty in October 2013.

Dhillon arrived in Canada in 2010 from India and logged on to an internet chatroom called Edmonton Locals and found someone, who identified herself as a 13-year-old girl from Saskatchewan. Between Oct 15 and Dec 17 of 2010, the messages took on a sexual overtone, and Dhillon expressed his sexual desire to the girl.

On Dec 17, 2010, Dhillon arranged to meet the girl at a bus stop in Regina. There, a police officer, who was actually posing as the young girl, was waiting and Dhillon was arrested. He will be deported to India after the completion of his sentence.

Soon, smart phone batteries that won't go dead!

New York: A new era of smart batteries are near us where the source of charging would be solar power, TV set or even Wi-Fi at your home. Although it would take some years to hit the market, Apple is looking into ways to fit its smartwatch's screen with a solar charging layer.

This would charge the battery when the gadget is worn in sunlight, said a report in New York Times.
The race among key players like Apple, Google and Samsung is on to find alternatives to the traditional battery and to discover ways to make battery power last longer. Traditional batteries still run on decades-old lithium-ion concoction.

Latest products rely more on energy-efficient processors and software algorithms to save power than on the battery itself, the report added. For its wristwatch, Apple has been testing a method to charge the battery wirelessly with magnetic induction.

A similar technology is already used in some Nokia smartphones where a phone is placed on a charging plate. An electrical current creates a magnetic field which creates voltage that powers the phone. The Apple iwatch is expected to have a curved glass screen with solar charging layer which would give power to the device in daylight, the report added.  

Soon, smart phone batteries that won't go dead!

New York: A new era of smart batteries are near us where the source of charging would be solar power, TV set or even Wi-Fi at your home. Although it would take some years to hit the market, Apple is looking into ways to fit its smartwatch's screen with a solar charging layer.

This would charge the battery when the gadget is worn in sunlight, said a report in New York Times.
The race among key players like Apple, Google and Samsung is on to find alternatives to the traditional battery and to discover ways to make battery power last longer. Traditional batteries still run on decades-old lithium-ion concoction.

Latest products rely more on energy-efficient processors and software algorithms to save power than on the battery itself, the report added. For its wristwatch, Apple has been testing a method to charge the battery wirelessly with magnetic induction.

A similar technology is already used in some Nokia smartphones where a phone is placed on a charging plate. An electrical current creates a magnetic field which creates voltage that powers the phone. The Apple iwatch is expected to have a curved glass screen with solar charging layer which would give power to the device in daylight, the report added.  

Baldies rejoice! Science offers the cure

London: People having a tough time in office or at home because of hair loss may soon find an end to their daily misery -- scientists may soon be able to grow new hair on balding scalps, avoiding the need for a hair transplant.

Researchers have succeeded in creating new human hair in the laboratory using tiny cells that fuel its growth, Daily Mail reported. The methodology has been used to grow new hair follicles in animals, and is now being tested on humans. The tiny cells, called dermal papillae, are found at the base of the follicles, below the skin where the hair is anchored. They provide nourishment for the follicles. In the new method, the cells, taken from donor tissue, are first cultured in the lab before being injected into the skin where hair are needed.

The main type of hair loss in both men and women is androgenetic alopecia, also known as male or female-pattern hair loss. The first human study is underway in Taiwan with around 400 men and women. Patients, undergoing cosmetic surgery at the National Taiwan University Hospital, are providing samples of dermal papillae cells (tiny cells) from their scalps. These will then be cultured in the lab and implanted into bald patients.

The idea is that this will lead to the growth of new follicles for the first time, rather than transplanting existing hair from one place to another. The methodology could be suitable for people with a limited number of follicles (a mammalian skin organ that produces hair), including those with female-pattern hair loss, scarring alopecia (condition in which hair are lost from some or all areas of the body, usually from the scalp) and hair loss due to burns.

Male-pattern baldness, which affects around 6.5 million men, usually begins above the temples and can occur at any age; the receding hairline eventually forms a characteristic 'M' shape. The hair at the top of the head also thins, progressing to baldness.

Around a third of women also experience hair loss, with many affected by female-pattern hair loss.

Baldies rejoice! Science offers the cure

London: People having a tough time in office or at home because of hair loss may soon find an end to their daily misery -- scientists may soon be able to grow new hair on balding scalps, avoiding the need for a hair transplant.

Researchers have succeeded in creating new human hair in the laboratory using tiny cells that fuel its growth, Daily Mail reported. The methodology has been used to grow new hair follicles in animals, and is now being tested on humans. The tiny cells, called dermal papillae, are found at the base of the follicles, below the skin where the hair is anchored. They provide nourishment for the follicles. In the new method, the cells, taken from donor tissue, are first cultured in the lab before being injected into the skin where hair are needed.

The main type of hair loss in both men and women is androgenetic alopecia, also known as male or female-pattern hair loss. The first human study is underway in Taiwan with around 400 men and women. Patients, undergoing cosmetic surgery at the National Taiwan University Hospital, are providing samples of dermal papillae cells (tiny cells) from their scalps. These will then be cultured in the lab and implanted into bald patients.

The idea is that this will lead to the growth of new follicles for the first time, rather than transplanting existing hair from one place to another. The methodology could be suitable for people with a limited number of follicles (a mammalian skin organ that produces hair), including those with female-pattern hair loss, scarring alopecia (condition in which hair are lost from some or all areas of the body, usually from the scalp) and hair loss due to burns.

Male-pattern baldness, which affects around 6.5 million men, usually begins above the temples and can occur at any age; the receding hairline eventually forms a characteristic 'M' shape. The hair at the top of the head also thins, progressing to baldness.

Around a third of women also experience hair loss, with many affected by female-pattern hair loss.

19 killed in Nigeria gunmen attack

Abuja: At least 19 people were killed in a gunmen attack in Nigeria's northeastern state of Yobe, one of the three states under a subsisting state of emergency, police said here Tuesday. Sanusi Rufai, Yobe commissioner of police, confirmed the casualties figure in Damaturu, capital of the state, saying 18 among the victims killed in the attack were traders, Xinhua reported.

According to the police officer, the victims were returning from Ngalda market in Gulani local government area of the state when the bandits ambushed them, and dispossessed some of the passersby of their wares.'The attackers were masked and dressed in military uniform,' said Rufai, who said police have launched a manhunt for the attackers.

As the gunmen tried to escape, they ran into a quarry plant in the area and attacked policemen deployed to the place, killing one of the security agents in the attack, he added.It is still unclear whether the attacks were perpetrated by Boko Haram, a sect which has proved to be a hard nut to crack, especially in the northern region of Nigeria.

Adamawa, Borno and Yobe have been under a state of emergency declared by President Goodluck Jonathan eight months ago, due to Boko Harams's insurgency.Last month, Nigeria's newly-appointed defence chief Alex Badeh vowed to end the insurgency of Boko Haram by April.

19 killed in Nigeria gunmen attack

Abuja: At least 19 people were killed in a gunmen attack in Nigeria's northeastern state of Yobe, one of the three states under a subsisting state of emergency, police said here Tuesday. Sanusi Rufai, Yobe commissioner of police, confirmed the casualties figure in Damaturu, capital of the state, saying 18 among the victims killed in the attack were traders, Xinhua reported.

According to the police officer, the victims were returning from Ngalda market in Gulani local government area of the state when the bandits ambushed them, and dispossessed some of the passersby of their wares.'The attackers were masked and dressed in military uniform,' said Rufai, who said police have launched a manhunt for the attackers.

As the gunmen tried to escape, they ran into a quarry plant in the area and attacked policemen deployed to the place, killing one of the security agents in the attack, he added.It is still unclear whether the attacks were perpetrated by Boko Haram, a sect which has proved to be a hard nut to crack, especially in the northern region of Nigeria.

Adamawa, Borno and Yobe have been under a state of emergency declared by President Goodluck Jonathan eight months ago, due to Boko Harams's insurgency.Last month, Nigeria's newly-appointed defence chief Alex Badeh vowed to end the insurgency of Boko Haram by April.

UK's admits 'limited, advisory' role in Operation Bluestar

London: Britain's role in assisting India in mounting Operation Bluestar to flush out militants from the Golden Temple in 1984 was 'limited' and 'purely advisory' and had little impact on the actual assault, Foreign Secretary William Hague said Tuesday.

Presenting the findings of a probe into the Margaret Thatcher government's role in helping her counterpart Indira Gandhi, Hague told parliament that the UK played no role in the operation by the Indian Army. 'The Cabinet Secretary's report therefore concludes that the nature of the UK's assistance was purely advisory, limited and provided to the Indian government at an early stage in their planning,' he told the House of Commons.

Noting that the assistance was provided over three months before the operation was carried out during June 5-7, 1984, Hague said the probe concluded that a British 'military officer's advice had limited impact on Operation Bluestar'. 
An analysis of nearly 200 files and 23,000 documents confirmed that a 'single British military adviser' travelled to India during February 8-19, 1984 to advise the 'Indian Intelligence Services and Special Group on contingency plans' being drawn up for an operation against militants in the temple complex, including ground reconnaissance of the site.

Prime Minister David Cameron ordered the inquiry after newly declassified secret documents revealed that an officer of the elite Special Air Service visited India to offer advice for the move against militants in the holiest Sikh shrine. Hague said Britain had advised that a military operation 'should only be put into effect as a last resort' when all attempts at negotiation failed.

It recommended including an element of surprise and the use of helicopter-borne forces to reduce casualties, he added. 'The Cabinet Secretary's report includes an analysis by current military staff of the extent to which the actual operation in June 1984 differed from the approach recommended in February by the UK military adviser.

Operation Bluestar was a ground assault, without the element of surprise, and without a helicopter-borne element,' he said. The probe's conclusion the UK advice had limited impact was consistent with a statement on January 15 by Operation Bluestar commander, Lt Gen K S Brar, who said 'no one helped us in our planning or in the execution of the planning', Hague said.

Hague said the conclusion was also consistent with an exchange of letters between former premiers Indira Gandhi and Thatcher on June 14 and 29, 1984, discussing the operation, which 'made no reference to any UK assistance'. While admitting that some military files covering various operations were destroyed in November 2009 as part of a routine process undertaken by the Ministry of Defence, he said copies of some documents in the destroyed files were found in other departmental files.

The probe also examined concerns raised by British MPs and by the Sikh community that parliament may have been misled about Operation Bluestar or that the decision to provide advice may have been linked to UK commercial interests. 'The report finds no evidence to substantiate either of these allegations,' Hague said. The inquiry did not find any evidence that the provision of British advice was linked to 'potential defence or helicopter sales, or to any other policy or commercial issue'.

The only British request to the Indian government was for prior warning of any actual operation so that authorities could make appropriate security arrangements in London. 'In the event, the UK received no warning from the Indian authorities before the operation was launched,' he said. The report by Cabinet Secretary Jeremy Heywood included relevant sections of five more secret documents that shed light on this period but which would not normally have been published, the minister told MPs.

'This giving of military advice was not repeated...and the Cabinet Secretary found no evidence of any other assistance such as equipment or training,' he added. Britain's only Sikh MP, Paul Uppal, spoke in the Commons to stress that the report makes clear that the UK played no 'malicious' role in Operation Bluestar.

He called on the government to work with Sikh groups and the Indian High Commission for a 'process of truth and reconciliation so that the community can finally begin to feel a sense of justice'. A few months after Operation Bluestar that left more than 1,000 people dead, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in a revenge attack. The row over how much the British knew of the incidents 30 years ago threatens to derail Conservative party attempts to attract Sikh voters, who could play a major role in marginal seats in London and Leicester in any election.

Sikh groups in the UK criticised the scope of the inquiry and claimed it focussed on a very 'narrow period'. In a letter to Cameron, Sikh Federation UK chairman Bhai Amrik Singh said: 'We are dismayed the terms of the review were only formally made available almost three weeks after the review was announced and only days before an announcement of the results of the review are expected in Parliament.'

UK's admits 'limited, advisory' role in Operation Bluestar

London: Britain's role in assisting India in mounting Operation Bluestar to flush out militants from the Golden Temple in 1984 was 'limited' and 'purely advisory' and had little impact on the actual assault, Foreign Secretary William Hague said Tuesday.

Presenting the findings of a probe into the Margaret Thatcher government's role in helping her counterpart Indira Gandhi, Hague told parliament that the UK played no role in the operation by the Indian Army. 'The Cabinet Secretary's report therefore concludes that the nature of the UK's assistance was purely advisory, limited and provided to the Indian government at an early stage in their planning,' he told the House of Commons.

Noting that the assistance was provided over three months before the operation was carried out during June 5-7, 1984, Hague said the probe concluded that a British 'military officer's advice had limited impact on Operation Bluestar'. 
An analysis of nearly 200 files and 23,000 documents confirmed that a 'single British military adviser' travelled to India during February 8-19, 1984 to advise the 'Indian Intelligence Services and Special Group on contingency plans' being drawn up for an operation against militants in the temple complex, including ground reconnaissance of the site.

Prime Minister David Cameron ordered the inquiry after newly declassified secret documents revealed that an officer of the elite Special Air Service visited India to offer advice for the move against militants in the holiest Sikh shrine. Hague said Britain had advised that a military operation 'should only be put into effect as a last resort' when all attempts at negotiation failed.

It recommended including an element of surprise and the use of helicopter-borne forces to reduce casualties, he added. 'The Cabinet Secretary's report includes an analysis by current military staff of the extent to which the actual operation in June 1984 differed from the approach recommended in February by the UK military adviser.

Operation Bluestar was a ground assault, without the element of surprise, and without a helicopter-borne element,' he said. The probe's conclusion the UK advice had limited impact was consistent with a statement on January 15 by Operation Bluestar commander, Lt Gen K S Brar, who said 'no one helped us in our planning or in the execution of the planning', Hague said.

Hague said the conclusion was also consistent with an exchange of letters between former premiers Indira Gandhi and Thatcher on June 14 and 29, 1984, discussing the operation, which 'made no reference to any UK assistance'. While admitting that some military files covering various operations were destroyed in November 2009 as part of a routine process undertaken by the Ministry of Defence, he said copies of some documents in the destroyed files were found in other departmental files.

The probe also examined concerns raised by British MPs and by the Sikh community that parliament may have been misled about Operation Bluestar or that the decision to provide advice may have been linked to UK commercial interests. 'The report finds no evidence to substantiate either of these allegations,' Hague said. The inquiry did not find any evidence that the provision of British advice was linked to 'potential defence or helicopter sales, or to any other policy or commercial issue'.

The only British request to the Indian government was for prior warning of any actual operation so that authorities could make appropriate security arrangements in London. 'In the event, the UK received no warning from the Indian authorities before the operation was launched,' he said. The report by Cabinet Secretary Jeremy Heywood included relevant sections of five more secret documents that shed light on this period but which would not normally have been published, the minister told MPs.

'This giving of military advice was not repeated...and the Cabinet Secretary found no evidence of any other assistance such as equipment or training,' he added. Britain's only Sikh MP, Paul Uppal, spoke in the Commons to stress that the report makes clear that the UK played no 'malicious' role in Operation Bluestar.

He called on the government to work with Sikh groups and the Indian High Commission for a 'process of truth and reconciliation so that the community can finally begin to feel a sense of justice'. A few months after Operation Bluestar that left more than 1,000 people dead, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in a revenge attack. The row over how much the British knew of the incidents 30 years ago threatens to derail Conservative party attempts to attract Sikh voters, who could play a major role in marginal seats in London and Leicester in any election.

Sikh groups in the UK criticised the scope of the inquiry and claimed it focussed on a very 'narrow period'. In a letter to Cameron, Sikh Federation UK chairman Bhai Amrik Singh said: 'We are dismayed the terms of the review were only formally made available almost three weeks after the review was announced and only days before an announcement of the results of the review are expected in Parliament.'