A chocolate a day keeps heart diseases at bay

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London: If your are worried about the health of your heart, here's a sweet solution. Researchers have found that eating up to 100 grams of chocolate every day is linked to lower heart disease and stroke risk.

There does not seem to be any evidence for cutting out chocolate to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, the researchers found in the study published online in the journal Heart.

'Cumulative evidence suggests that higher chocolate intake is associated with a lower risk of future cardiovascular events,' the study authors said.

They pointed out that milk chocolates may be just as beneficial for the heart as dark chocolates.

The study by author Chun Shing Kwok from University of Aberdeen in Scotland and colleagues monitored the health of 21,000 adults for almost 12 years. Their average daily consumption was seven gram of chocolate, ranging from none to 100g.

The results showed that compared with those who ate no chocolate higher intake was linked to an 11 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 25 percent lower risk of associated death.

It was also associated with a nine percent lower risk of hospital admission or death as a result of coronary heart disease, after taking account of dietary factors.

The highest chocolate intake was similarly associated with a 23 percent lower risk of stroke, even after taking account of other potential risk factors.

The researchers also carried out a systematic review of the available international published evidence on the links between chocolate and cardiovascular disease, involving almost 158,000 people.

Of nine relevant studies included in the systematic review, five studies each assessed coronary heart disease and stroke outcome and they found a significantly lower risk of both conditions associated with regular chocolate consumption.

It was linked to a 25 percent lower risk of any episode of cardiovascular disease and a 45 percent lower risk of associated death.

This is an observational study so no definitive conclusions about cause and effect can be drawn, the researchers said.

Fake degree case: Jitender Singh Tomar withdraws bail plea

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New Delhi: Former Delhi Law Minister Jitender Singh Tomar today withdrew his bail plea from a sessions court here in an alleged fake degree case, saying since he has been sent to four-day police remand, he does not want to pursue the
matter as of now.

Additional Sessions Judge Vimal Kumar Yadav, while accepting the contention of Tomar's lawyer, asked the Delhi
Police counsel to respond.

Additional Public Prosecutor Atul Kumar Shrivastav said he has no objection to Tomar's request for withdrawing the bail
plea as it is his right whether to pursue the matter or not.

Advocate Harshit Jain, appearing for Tomar, said, 'The accused has been granted four-day police remand so we need to
withdraw the bail plea with the liberty to file a fresh plea before the concerned Metropolitan Magistrate when he is
produced after the expiry of police custody.'

The court then allowed the plea of Tomar.

Meanwhile, public prosecutor Tarunvir Singh Khehar submitted his letter of appointment before the court in
compliance with its earlier order.

A magisterial court had yesterday extended by four more days the police custody of Tomar after investigators said he
needs to be taken to Bundelkhand University to ascertain facts about his allegedly 'fabricated' migration certificate.

On June 11, the sessions court had deferred the hearing on bail plea for today, saying the matter required objective
consideration of records and had refused to grant him interim bail saying it would further 'complicate' the matter.

In his bail plea, Tomar had alleged that police arrested him in violation of the procedure prescribed under the law.

49-year-old Tomar, an MLA from Trinagar, was arrested by Delhi Police following an FIR registered on the basis of a complaint lodged by Bar Council of Delhi for allegedly forging documents, including educational degrees, to enroll as an advocate.

An FIR was registered against Tomar on June 8 at Hauz Khas police station and he was booked for alleged offences of
cheating, forgery, using forged documents as genuine, forgery with intent to cheat and criminal conspiracy. PTI

71 killed in airstrikes, clashes with IS in Iraq

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Baghdad : At least 71 people were killed on Monday in US-led coalition airstrikes and clashes between the Iraqi security forces and militants of Islamic State (IS) group in the provinces of Anbar, Nineveh and Salahudin, authorities said.

In Anbar province, the security forces and allied militias, known as Hashd Shaabi, or popular mobilisation, attacked a convoy of IS vehicles in Houran area of Iraq's western desert and destroyed three tankers carrying fuel and two vehicles, the Iraqi ministry of defence said in a statement.

The attack, which was based on intelligence reports, also left at least 10 IS militants killed, the statement added, according to Xinhua.

Also in the province, the security forces and allied militias repelled an IS attack on Jubba area near the town of Baghdadi, some 200 km northwest of Baghdad, killing 13 militants and destroying weapons and equipment of the attackers.

The army artillery also pounded the IS positions during the battle in Jubba, leaving at least eight IS militants killed, it said.

In addition, six soldiers were killed and seven others wounded in mortar barrage by IS militants on an army base outside the IS-held city of Fallujah, some 50 km west of Baghdad, a provincial security source said.

In Iraq's northern province of Nineveh, the international aircraft carried out an airstrike on an IS base at a village near the town of Qaiyara, some 50 km south of the provincial capital city of Mosul, leaving four militants killed and three others wounded, Mohammed al-Baiyati, head of security committee of the provincial council, said.

The US-led warplanes also pounded a 10-vehicle convoy of the radical group near Qaiyara, destroying the vehicles and killing dozens of militants aboard, said Baiyati, whose council and executive administration work as government in exile outside the IS-held areas in Nineveh province.

The warplanes also pounded IS positions at a village near the town of Hammam al-Alil, some 25 km south of Mosul, leaving unknown number of IS militants killed, Baiyati added.

In the afternoon, the US-led coalition warplanes bombarded the IS headquarters at Nederly village near the militant-seized town of Tal Afar, some 70 km west of Mosul, killing six militants, including two group leaders, and wounding eight militants, Baiyati said.

In Iraq's northern central province of Salahudin, the security forces and Hashd Shaabi militias repelled attacks by dozens of IS militants with suicide bombers driving four tanker truck bombs on the oil fields of Allas and Ajil in east of the provincial capital city of Tikrit.

The troops destroyed the suicide truck bombs by anti-tank guided missiles before they reached their targets. Three more vehicles carrying weapons and ammunition were bombed, killing 24 militants.

The small Ajil oil field used to be an important source of funding for the IS, which extracted about 10,000 barrels per day and transported to others areas under its control.

The two oil fields, Allas and Ajil, were seized by IS militants following the June 10 blitzkrieg when the group seized large swathes of territories in predominantly Sunni provinces, but the oil fields were freed by the Iraqi forces in March.

The IS militants attacked Tal Abu Jrad area in east of the town of Baiji, some 200 km north of Baghdad, but the troops and allied militias repelled the attack, leaving at least four IS militants and two security members killed.

Sporadic clashes between the security forces and IS militants continued in Baiji and the nearby oil refinery, while some of the troops were moving toward the nearby IS-seized town of Seiniyah, some 10 km west of Baiji, a source said.

Also in Salahudin, at least 100 displaced families returned to their homes in Tikrit, some 170 km north of Baghdad, about two months after the security forces and Hashd Shaabi militias freed the city from the IS militants, Ahmed al-Kraiym, head of the provincial council, said.

Since March 2, the security forces backed by dozens of thousands of allied Shia and Sunni militias have been involved in Iraq's biggest offensive to recapture the northern part of Salahudin province, including Tikrit and other key towns and villages, from IS militants.

The security situation in Iraq has drastically deteriorated since June 10 last year, when bloody clashes broke out between Iraqi security forces and the IS.

Malayali among 3 doctors killed in Puducherry road accident

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Chennai: Three persons, including a Malayali doctor, were killed in a road accident in Puducherry on Wednesday. The deceased are Dr Dhaniya (23) from Kerala, Andhra native Dr Somashekar and Tamil Nadu native Dr Divya. The accident occurred as the car in which they were travelling hit a road divider.

Kerala Engg Rank List published

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Kochi: Education Minister Abdu Rabb published the Kerala Engineering Rank List in Thiruvananthapuram. B Arjun of TVM bagged the first rank while Ameer Hassan and Sreerag (both from Kozhikode) bagged the second and third rank. The fourth and fifth rank was bagged by G K Nithin and Sreehari.

The marks secured by candidates in the Engineering Entrance Examination were published on May 20, 2015 along with the rank list of the Medical Entrance Examination. The Engineering rank list has bee prepared by giving equal weightage to the score obtained in the Entrance Examination for Engineering (Paper I & Paper II put together), and the grade/marks obtained in the final year of the qualifying examination for Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry put together, after effecting the standardization procedure described in the Prospectus. 

Candidates who have passed Higher Secondary Examination, Kerala, or Examinations recognized as equivalent thereto, with 50% marks in Mathematics separately, and 50 % marks in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry put together are eligible for admission. However candidates who have passed Higher Secondary Examination, Kerala, or Examinations recognized as equivalent thereto, with 45% marks in Mathematics separately and 45% marks in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry put together are eligible for admission under Management Quota in Private Self Financing Engineering Colleges. 

The majority of the seats in Government/Aided/KAU/KVASU Engineering courses would be allotted by the Commissioner for Entrance Examination (CEE) through the Centralised Allotment Process, the notification for which is also expected after the announcement of the Engineering Rank list. 

In Privates Self-financing Engineering Colleges, 50% of the seats in all the colleges would be filled by the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations. The remaining 50% would be filled by the Managements concerned with 35% as Management seats and 15% as NRI seats. 

The results can be got at http://www.cee.kerala.gov.in/

Eat 10 grams of nuts a day for longer life

________ A to Z kerala London: You have long complained of your employer paying you 'peanuts' for salary. But the peanuts can actually enhance your lifespan, says a study.

The study confirms a link between peanut and nut intake and lower mortality rates, but finds no protective effect for peanut butter.

Men and women who eat at least 10 grams of nuts or peanuts per day have a lower risk of dying from several major causes of death than people who do not consume nuts or peanuts, the study said.

'It was remarkable that substantially lower mortality was already observed at consumption levels of 15 grams of nuts or peanuts on average per day,' said project leader professor Piet van den Brandt from Maastricht University, in the Netherlands.

The effects are equal in men and women. Peanuts show at least as strong reductions in mortality as tree nuts, but peanut butter is not associated with mortality, researchers found.

This study was carried out within the Netherlands Cohort Study, which has been running since 1986 among over 120,000 Dutch 55-69 year old men and women.

Nut consumption was assessed by asking about portion size and frequency of intake of peanuts, other nuts (tree nuts) and peanut butter.

The researchers analysed the relationship with overall and cause-specific mortality since 1986.

The associations between nuts and peanut intake and cardiovascular death confirm earlier results from American and Asian studies that were often focused on cardiovascular diseases.

However, in this study, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, it was found that mortality due to cancer, diabetes, respiratory, and neurodegenerative diseases was also lowered among users of peanuts and nuts.

'A higher intake was not associated with further reduction in mortality risk,' den Brandt added.

Peanuts and tree nuts both contain various compounds such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, various vitamins, fibre, antioxidants, and other bioactive compounds, that possibly contribute to the lower death rates........... [kvk] [www.atozkerala.in , www.atozkerala.blogspot.com]

Tel Aviv hosts Asia's largest gay pride parade

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Tel Aviv: Tel Aviv witnessed its largest ever LGBT Pride parade and the largest throughout the entire Asian continent, with more than 100,000 people marching through the city streets celebrating a day dedicated to the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and especially transgender community under the slogan 'Tel Aviv loves all genders.'

Despite the scorching heat on Friday, a parade of colors and tens of thousands of people flooded the main thoroughfares in downtown Tel Aviv, which blocked several roads and brought in a significant security presence before the event.

'We take pride in our country, that gives us rights and equality,' 17-year-old Oren said, who marched with his friends to the Charles Clore Park where 2014 Eurovision winner, Austria's Conchita Wurst, performed a concert to conclude the parade.

One of Oren's friends told Efe, 'we are now fighting for gay marriage and we hope to succeed,' explaining that civil marriages are not allowed in Israel, and therefore gay marriage is forbidden as well.

In this respect, Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai brought the attention of Israeli politicians to the fact that 'there is still much legislative work to be done to promote the LGBT community.'

While there is no same-sex marriage in Israel, as only religious marriage is recognized, the state does recognize marriages officiated outside Israel, including gay marriages.

6 dead, 100 injured in ammonia gas tanker leak in Punjab

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 Ludhiana: At least six persons were killed and around 100 others were injured when an ammonia gas tanker leaked early on Saturday in the district, police said.

Photo courtesy:ANI

The leak occurred when the tanker got stuck under a flyover on the Doraha Bypass Road along a canal, about 25 km from Ludhiana, they said.

Six persons died due to inhaling the gas, Doraha Police Station's SHO Rajnish Kumar Sood said, adding, the bodies have been shifted to a hospital in Ludhiana. He said that around 100 other persons complained of breathing problem due to inhaling of the gas.

Residents came out of their houses when gas from the leaking tanker spread in and around Doraha, police said. The affected people have been admitted to different hospitals in Doraha, Khanna and Ludhiana.

The tanker, bearing a Gujarat registration number was going from Ludhiana. Details were still awaited and identities of the victims yet to be ascertained, police said, adding, senior civil and police officers have rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation.

PTI

22 killed as van falls into Godavari river in Andhra

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 Hyderabad: Twenty two pilgrims, including six children, were killed on Saturday when the multi utility vehicle (MUV) they were travelling in fell into Godavari river in Andhra Pradesh, police said.

The accident took place in East Godavari district when the vehicle fell off Dowleswaram bridge across the river in the early hours of the day.

The dead, all relatives, include nine women and six children. The rescue workers saved a 13-year-old child.

The victims from Achutapuram village of Visakhapatnam district were returning after a pilgrimage to Tirupati.

A police officer said the vehicle hit parapet wall before falling into the river at a depth of 25 to 30 feet. As there was no water, almost all people died on the spot due to the impact of the crash.

While 21 people, including driver died on the spot, one person succumbed at the hospital.

Police said negligence led to the accident. The vehicle was carrying 23 people as against its capacity of 12.

Police received the information about the accident around 5 a.m. The accident is believed to have occurred after midnight.

IANS

Vigilance investigation against Tomin J Thachankary

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  Thiruvananthapuram: Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala ordered a Vigilance inquiry against Consumerfed M D Tomin J Thachankary in a cheating case.

Few quarry owners had accused Thachankary of cheating them by selling off an unlicensed quarry. They added that the officer also took Rs 8 crore for the Rs 20 crore deal.

Reports say the quarry owners also submitted tape of telephonic conversations to substantiate their claim of Thachankary threatening them demanding money.

The probe has been ordered amidst Consumerfed governing body upping the ante against Thachankary.

Thachankary had recently submitted a report citing irregularities in Consmerfed and seeking to dissolve the governing panel. Consumerfed president Joy Thomas has come out against it.