Lilavati hospital's former trustee arrested

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MUMBAI: Enforcement Directorate today arrested a former trustee of Lilavati hospital in connection with a foreign exchange violation case. "We have arrested Kishore Mehta in connection with foreign transaction of USD 20 million by allegedly violating foreign exchange rules," said an ED official. Mehta committed the alleged violation through his diamond firm. He is likely to be produced before the local court later in the day.

Google to host online shopping festival Dec 10-12

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New Delhi: Google India is all set to host its third edition of its 'Great Online Shopping Festival' (GOSF) between Dec 10-12, a company statement said here Monday.

Aditya Birla Money MyUniverse has joined hands with GOSF this year as a preferred partner.

'Great Online Shopping Festival is India's version of cyber Monday and is an exciting platform to move the industry forward. The consumer confidence to shop online has grown considerably in the last 12 months, boosting the growth of both large multinational and homegrown companies. 

'Our recent report projects that the industry will continue to see robust growth in next few years making it a $15 billion industry by 2016,' said Rajan Anandan, vice-president and managing director, Google India.

The mega online shopping festival will feature over 450 partners offering their best deals for 72 hours this year. This year GOSF will also feature exclusive launches from brands like Motorola Nexus 6, HP, Lenovo, Tata Housing, Karbonn, Van Heusen, Asian Paints and great deals on exclusive designer collection from Pernia's Pop Up Shop, the statement said.

The initiative was launched by Google in 2012, and has seen tremendous response with most players seeing over 350 percent growth in daily sales. Last year, 2 million users visited gosf.in and over 16 million users visited across all partner sites including smaller players registering 2x growth on an average in their daily sales.

IANS

Saudi Arabia to issue five-year residency permits

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Dubai: The validity of residency permits of foreign workers in Saudi Arabia is likely to be extended to five years, a media report said Tuesday.

The directorate general of passports is giving final touches to the plan to introduce the five-year validity, Gulf News reported, adding that currently the permits are valid for one year.

The report, however, said that no time frame has been announced for the move.

The move is expected to ease financial pressure on the 2.8-million strong expatriate Indian community in the kingdom.

IANS

Sania named UN Women's goodwill ambassador for South Asia

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Hyderabad/New Delhi: UN Women, the United Nations organization dedicated to gender equality and women's empowerment, has appointed Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza as the goodwill ambassador for South Asia.

Sania, India's most successful women's tennis player and the first Indian to break into the World Tennis Association's top 50 rankings, is the first South Asian woman to be appointed as the goodwill ambassador in the organization's history. 

'She has been a role model to many children, including girls to break barriers and strive for their goals in life and career choices. She has used the spotlight on her professional success to highlight social issues that are of concern for many Indians, speaking out on issues such as the need to halt the practice of female feticide and the decreasing sex ratio in India,' said a statement by UN Women.

'Sania Mirza has been a role model for girls in India and all over the world. We are pleased and honoured to have such a dynamic woman as our Goodwill Ambassador for South Asia,' stated Lakshmi Puri, assistant secretary general of the United Nations and deputy executive director of UN Women.

'It is an honour to serve UN Women as the Goodwill Ambassador for South Asia. It inspires me to work harder towards a level playing field for women. Gender equity in sports as well as using sports to advocate for gender equality in communities is essential,' said Sania.

'Equality depends on each and all of us. From the government that changes its laws, to the company that advances equal pay and equal opportunity, to the mother and father who teach their daughter and son that all human beings should be treated equally, to the athletes who demonstrate equality and excellence,' added the tennis star.

'Sania has been a role model for girls and women of India, and her appointment as UN Goodwill Ambassador is a moment of pride for the country. As the custodians of the nation, the government's constant endeavor will be provide the right opportunities and environment so that other girls can emulate Sania's success and bring glory to the country,' said Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

IANS

India spent Rs.500 crore on TB treatment in 2013-14

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New Delhi: India spent Rs. 500 crore (Rs.5 billion/$81 million) in fiscal 2013-14 on the treatment of tuberculosis, including providing free medicines, Health Minister J.P. Nadda said Tuesday.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, the health minister said that in 2011-12, the amount incurred on prevention and control of TB was Rs. 391.16 crore, which went up to Rs. 467 crore the next year.

In 2013-14 that ended March 31, the amount spent on TB treatment was Rs. 500 crore.

The minister also said that the government is implementing the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme in the country, under which diagnosis and treatment facilities, including anti-TB drugs are provided free of cost to all TB patients. 

Designated microscopy centres have been established for quality diagnosis for every one lakh population in the general areas and for every 50,000 population in the tribal, hilly and difficult areas, he said.

To conduct the diagnosis, he said, more than 13,000 microscopy centres have been established in the country. 

'Drugs are provided under direct observation and the patients are monitored so that they complete their treatment,' he said.

Nadda also said that programmatic management of Drug Resistant TB (PMDT) services, for the management of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and TB-HIV collaborative activities for TB-HIV co-infection are also being implemented throughout the country.
The minister said as use of irrational treatment regimen is one of the major reasons for development of resistance to anti-TB drugs, the government has moved the drugs from schedule H to H1, under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, which lays down certain conditions on their usage.

Indian government has also released standards for TB Care in India, an initiative to introduce uniform standards for TB care in all sectors. 

'This is the first time such standards have been defined in India and is an important step to standardize diagnosis, treatment, public health action and social support systems for all TB patients in the country,' he said.

IANS

Australian cricketer Hughes struck by bouncer, critical

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Sydney: Australian batsman Phillip Hughes is in a critical condition after being struck by a bouncer during a domestic first class match here Tuesday.

The South Australia batsman, who represented the national team in 26 Tests between 2009-2013, collapsed after a delivery from New South Wales pacer Sean Abbott hit his helmet during a Sheffield Shield match at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Hughes was carried off on a stretcher and treated on the boundary before being rushed to a hospital where he underwent surgery. The match was abandoned following the incident.

Cricket Australia (CA) chief executive officer James Sutherland expressed concern over the condition of Hughes.

'Our thoughts and prayers are with Phil Hughes right now. We are also thinking of his family, teammates and friends in the Australian cricket family. His welfare is our highest priority. We're also naturally concerned about all of those involved in today's game and will be giving them our utmost support,' Sutherland said.

Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) chief executive officer Alastair Nicholson also expressed similar sentiments.

'We were obviously shocked to learn of the seriousness of the incident involving Phil. While we have faith that he's receiving the best available treatment, the situation will impact his family, friends, and those directly involved on the field,' he said.

Australia coach Darren Lehmann also lent support to the batsman.

'Our thoughts and prayers are with Phil and his family. He is a great fighter and a great young man,' Lehmann tweeted.

A need to knead the muscles – miracles of the Bamboossage

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A new treatment, Bamboossage Therapy, works well on tension knots, fi nds out

It is highly unlikely that you would associate bamboo sticks with something as relaxing as a massage. However, some of the best massages have been with the help of Bamboo sticks. This was the Bamboossage Therapy at Mumbai's Richfeel Spa.

The bamboo sticks, or rattan, used for this massage are treated with herbs and oil and are usually of varying lengths, so that the therapist can use them effectively on different parts of the body. They are heated by being wrapped in a special heating pad and are more effective than the hot stone therapy since the bamboo holds heat longer than the stones do.

According to Dr Sonal Shah, founder of Richfeel, the advantage of using bamboo for a massage goes beyond its heat-retention properties. It is highly effective for a deep tissue massage and allows the therapist to manoeuvre easily, helping her find tension and dissolve knots and trigger points.

For a full body massage, the therapist applies generous amounts of almond oil and used the sticks as extensions of her hands to seek out deep knots of tension along the back. By using the bamboo sticks as an integral part of a vigorous, yet relaxing Swedish massage, the therapist can sought out all our pressure knots and knead them out.

Like most deep massages, Bamboossage can initially feel a little penetrative and perhaps painful. If such is the case, one needs to simply ask the therapist to modify the amount of pressure applied. Combined with the heat and the greater dexterity that it allows the therapist, this massage is actually very effective. If you thought that an experienced therapist's fingers and elbows are enough to knead the knots out of your body, try the Bamboossage. You might not want to go back to the usual massage.

Richfeel Spa is in Breach Candy, Mumbai.

Exercise and fasting could boost brain's functions

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Washington: Exercise along with occasional fasting is good for boosting the brain's neurons, shows a new research.

The research on animals showed how intermittent fasting in rats and mice can enhance learning and memory and decrease the risk of degeneration of those brain functions.

"We have evidence that exercise and probably intermittent fasting increase the number of mitochondria in neurons," said Mark Mattson, neuroscientist at the National Institute on Aging in the US.

Intermittent fasting may improve performance on cognitive tests and change neural network connections.

The stress of fasting and exercise helps the brain adapt and improve the energy flow of neurons.

In fact, fasting and exercise seem to increase the production of a protein called brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) that boosts cell growth.

The study was presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience here recently.

Read my lips: Violence against women is unacceptable

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Mahatma Gandhi had said that a nation can only be termed independent when its women can walk fearlessly on the streets.

Violence against women has been a widely discussed issue around the world.

According to a survey conducted by the United Nations, 35 per cent of women and girls across the globe have experienced some form of physical and or sexual violence in their lifetime. Nearly 30 million girls under the age of 15 remain at the risk of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C). More than 130 million girls and women have undergone the procedure worldwide. Over 700 million women were married as children and almost 250 million women were married before the age of 15. Girls who marry before the age of 18 are less likely to complete their education and more likely to experience domestic violence and complications in childbirth.

The United Nations declared Nov. 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The day will see the beginning of campaigns to curb atrocities against women across the world.

Here is a look at three videos, broadcasted via the internet, that had set the ball-rolling in matters concerning the elimination of violence against women:

Kathak queen Sitara Devi passes away

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Mumbai: Legendary Kathak danseuse Sitara Devi, who has been described as the "Empress of dance" and was a pioneering force in bringing this classical dance genre to Bollywood, died on Tuesday after a prolonged illness.

Sitara, 94, died in Jaslok hospital, hospital sources said.

Born in 1920 in the then Calcutta, Sitara drew from the themes, poetry and choreography collected by her father in her choreographies. She also got inspired from the environment around her - be it a town or a village.

As condolences poured in after Sitara's death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recalled her "rich contribution" to Kathak. "PM has condoled the passing away of noted Kathak dancer Sitara Devi. PM also recalled her rich contribution to Kathak," the Prime Minister's Office said in a tweet.

The characters around the Kathak queen came alive in her dance. "By training, I am just a 'Kathakar' of Krishna-Leela (tales of Krishna)," the danseuse used to say.

Kathak, which literally means 'Katha,' is a narrative drama which evolved out of the Krishna temples of hinterland to scale the pinnacle of glory in the Muslim courts.

Sitara's roots were inextricably woven to the tradition of 'Kathakars,' the early Kathak dancers.

She was born Dhannolakshmi to a family of Brahmin 'Kathakar' Sukhdev Maharaj and chose school and dance over an early wedding, as was the norm of the 1920s.

Her father, a Vaishnavite Brahmin scholar and Kathak exponent, sent her to a local school where she impressed her teachers and the local media with her performance in a dance drama, "Savitri Satyavan."

When her father learnt of it, he re-christened her as Sitara or the star and placed her under the care of her older sister for Kathak training.

By the time Sitara turned 11, the family moved to Mumbai, where she impressed Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore with a three-hour solo recital.

Tagore offered her a shawl and Rs 50 which Sitara refused and instead sought his blessings instead to become a great dancer.

Tagore described her as 'Nritya Samragini,' meaning the empress of dance, after watching the performance. The epithet continues, and she is still described as the Kathak queen.

Over the next six decades, she became a Kathak legend and was a pioneering force in bringing the genre to Bollywood.

Sitara married director K Asif of Mughal-e-Azam fame and then Pratap Barot. She was a vital force who stood for zest and vigour in Indian dance.

She was honoured with the Legends of India Lifetime Achievement Award 2011 for her contribution to the classical dance genre for over six decades.