Two schoolgirls gang-raped; nine persons in police custody

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The girls, students of ninth and tenth standards, were raped at a house near Cheriyazheekkal at Vallikkavu in Karunagappally on December 4 and 5

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Adoor: Two schoolgirls were brutally gang-raped with their hands and legs tied. Adoor police have taken into custody nine persons in connection with the incident and a search is on for two others. The accused are natives of Karunagappally, Cheriyazheekkal, and Clappana. They are said to be members of a sex racket.
The girls, students of ninth and tenth standards, were raped at a house near Cheriyazheekkal at Vallikkavu in Karunagappally on December 4 and 5, the police said.
On December 4, one of the accused, who was an acquaintance of the family of one girl, contacted them over phone. Then they were brought to Cheriyazheekkal beach in an autorickshaw. From there, they were taken to the house of a 'friend'. At the house, four persons raped one of the girls after tying her hands and legs with a shawl.
They also tried to take the other girl to a lodge, but she protested. So they locked her in  a room.
The accused later took the girls back to Kadambanad in a car. They asked the girls not to reveal the matter to anyone and to bring their friends next time.
On December 5, one of the accused went to the house of the girl who had refused to go to lodge the previous day. He knew the girl's mother, and told her that he was taking the girl for counselling. He then took the girl to the house at Cheriyazheekkal, called his friends, and raped her too.
At school, one of their friends came to know of the matter and informed a teacher. The school authorities contacted the Child Welfare Committee, Pathanamthitta, and the committee lodged a complaint with the Enath police.
A police team led by Adoor CI M G Babu took the accused into custody on Thursday night and collected evidence. After medical examination, the girls were produced before the Magistrate Court, Tiruvalla, and their statements recorded.
As per the directions of the court, the victims were lodged in a shelter home. After receiving hints that the accused are part of a sex racket, the police have intensified investigation.
Meanwhile, there are already allegations that the police and the authorities are trying to save some of the accused.

Women in Saudi Arabia vote for first time

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Women also stood as candidates, another first, despite the conservative kingdom being the only nation where women were not allowed to drive, BBC reported.

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Riyadh: Municipal elections began on Saturday in Saudi Arabia in which women cast their votes for the first time.

Women also stood as candidates, another first, despite the conservative kingdom being the only nation where women were not allowed to drive, BBC reported.

A total of 978 women have registered as candidates, alongside 5,938 men.

Female candidates had to speak behind a partition during campaign appearances or be represented by a man.

About 130,000 women have registered to vote, officials said. That figure still falls well short of male voter registration, which stands at 1.35 million.

Salma al-Rashed was the first woman to register to vote. "It felt really good," she told BBC.

"Change is a big word but the election is the way to make sure we are really represented."

Elections themselves are a rare thing in Saudi Arabia -- Saturday will be only the third time in history that Saudis have gone to the polls.

There were no elections in the 40 years between 1965 and 2005.

The decision to allow women to take part in election was taken by late King Abdullah and is seen as a key part of his legacy.

The results of the elections are expected to be announced later on Saturday.

Scuffles erupt at Ukraine's parliament; PM dragged from post

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Dozens of lawmakers from Yatsenyuk's party rushed to defend the prime minister and scuffles erupted.

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Oleh Barna, a Ukrainian lawmaker from the Block of Petro Poroshenko, second left, tries pull Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenuk out from the podium during his speech at a parliamentary session in the Parliament in Kiev, Ukraine/AP

KIEV, Ukraine: Scuffles involving several dozen lawmakers have erupted atUkraine's parliament after one deputy tried to drag the prime minister away from the rostrum.
Arseniy Yatsenyuk was giving his report at the Supreme Rada on Friday when a deputy from the president's party went up to the rostrum with a bunch of red roses. After he handed the roses to Yatsenyuk, Oleh Barna took him by the waist and put his hands around his leg, trying to drag him away as Yatsenyuk clutched onto the rostrum.
Barna has been collecting signatures for the resignation of the highly unpopular Yatsenyuk.
Dozens of lawmakers from Yatsenyuk's party rushed to defend the prime minister and scuffles erupted.
Barna's party said later Friday they have expelled him from the parliamentary faction over the incident.
AP

National Herald slugfest could derail reforms

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It is unfortunate that at a time when Modi adopted a conciliatory tone in parliament, a member of his party acted in a manner which introduced fresh complications in the relations between the BJP and the Congress. It is almost as if the right hand does not know what the left is doing.

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There are unlikely to be any outright winners in the latest confrontation between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress over the National Herald case which entails a legal battle involving Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

What is more, there will be an unsavoury twist to the case with less than comforting implications for the BJP if the Congress's crown prince carries out his threat of courting imprisonment. Even if the ruling party dubs such an act as theatrical, it will be aware that the sight of Rahul Gandhi behind bars cannot but be embarrassing for the BJP.

Such a dramatic turn of events may fuel speculation that the absence of a sound legal defence has compelled the Congress to turn the encounter into a political duel. But such tricks of the trade are an acceptable part of democratic politics. For the BJP, the immediate problem will be the future of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill since the Congress is bound to use the charge of being a victim of political vendetta to stall parliament.

It is a provocative tactic which seemingly suits Rahul Gandhi's post-sabbatical belligerence which is increasingly resembling his late uncle Sanjay Gandhi's confrontational brand of politics. If the fate of the GST Bill is sealed for the time being, the BJP may wonder whether the penchant of the maverick in its ranks, Subramanian Swamy, to involve his adversaries in court cases may have backfired.

The BJP may argue that Swamy has been acting on his own in pursuing the National Herald case and that it is mean-minded of the Congress to mix up the GST Bill with its own legal difficulties in a Goebbelsian manoeuvre, as Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said. But, since democracy is known to be messy, the case for the compartmentalization of its various aspects may not be foolproof.

As it is, the Congress has found a supporter in Mamata Banerjee even if she is playing her own game of keeping the Congress away from a possible alliance with the Left in West Bengal before next year's assembly elections.

Besides, both the Congress and the Trinamool Congress have a point in saying that the interest which the central authorities have shown in the National Herald case is not visible in the Vyapam and the public distribution system scams in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, which are governed by the BJP.

Nothing demonstrated the extra interest that the authorities have taken in the National Herald case more clearly than the transfer of an Enforcement Directorate official who had dismissed the charges against the Congress leaders. The transfer was quickly followed by the appointment of another official and the revival of the case after Swamy had accused the previous incumbent of having been favourably disposed towards the Congress.

It is now up to the judiciary to address the nitty-gritty of the affair. But public interest will be focussed more on how the political skirmishes unfold than in the details of the case.

As Sonia Gandhi's comment that she is Indira Gandhi's daughter-in-law shows, she and her party have in mind the blunder committed by the Janata government in 1977 when it tried to implicate the doughty former prime minister in legal tangles.

Indira Gandhi's spirited response - like a sherni or lioness, as was said at the time - paved the way for the Congress's return to power in 1980.

History may not always repeat itself - or does so in the form of a farce, as Marx said - but even if the Congress under Sonia Gandhi is not what the Congress was under Indira Gandhi, the BJP also is not as much of a winner as it was last year, as its massive defeats in Delhi and Bihar have shown.

The party has also exhibited a vindictive streak as its cases against Teesta Setalvad for her role in aiding Gujarat's riot victims show. Its acts against reputed NGOs like Greenpeace also underline a similar mentality. Its claim, therefore, that the Narendra Modi government is no more than a bystander in the face-off between the Congress's big guns and Swamy, who is a member of the BJP's national executive, will not be widely believed.

For all practical purposes, therefore, it is going to be a Tom and Jerry show with neither emerging with flying colours. Each side will try to hit the other where it hurts the most - the Congress by creating a ruckus in parliament even if it earns the reputation of being petty-minded, and the BJP by arguing that none in the Congress's first family - Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Robert Vadra - is above the law.

The endless slugfest, however, between the two "national" parties (although neither has a presence in all parts of the country) carries the threat of not only derailing the reforms - Swamy has suggested that the GST can be dumped for the sake of fighting corruption - but also of fostering the impression that the parliamentary system is becoming unworkable.

It is unfortunate that at a time when Modi adopted a conciliatory tone in parliament, a member of his party acted in a manner which introduced fresh complications in the relations between the BJP and the Congress. It is almost as if the right hand does not know what the left is doing.

India, Japan ink MoU on peaceful use of nuclear energy

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The MoU was inked by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi poses with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe for photographers before their meeting, in New Delhi/AP

New Delhi: India on Saturday inked an MoU with Japan on civil nuclear energy and announced that the deal was not just about commerce and clean energy but also a sign of mutual confidence and partnership for a secure world.

The MoU was inked by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.

"No friend will matter more in realising India's economic dreams than Japan. We have made enormous progress in economic cooperation as also in our regional partnership and security cooperation," said Modi after signing the deal.

Stating that there was deep value for the strategic partnership between Japan and India, Modi said: "Shinzo has been prompt and positive on our economic proposals many of which are now unique to India. Japanese private investments are also rising sharply."

The two countries also inked two deals on security operations to deepen defence relations and for defence manufacturing.

Abe said: "We have taken relationship to a new level."
 

Deportation for absent expats under study

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 RIYADH: The Passport Department in cooperation with the ministries of labor and interior are studying possible penalties, including deportation, for expatriate workers who are absent from work without valid reasons.
The Passport Department also wants expatriates living in the Kingdom for more than six years to record their fingerprints and other biometric details, Sulaiman Al-Yahya, director general of the department, was quoted as saying by a local publication on Thursday.
Al-Yahya said expatriate workers are obliged to fulfill their contractual obligations and can only be absent for health or other valid reasons. However, if their employers harm them they can file complaints with the Labor Ministry, the police or business chambers, he said.
He said expatriate workers also cannot leave their current employers to work for other companies if this is in contravention of labor legislation. This would result in their employers asking the police and other government bodies to take action against them, he said.
He said that the department wants to ensure that the rights of workers and employers are protected, and urged them to register on the Labor Ministry’s Absher system.
If an employer registers a report on the system that an employee is absent, then the worker is informed immediately. This can help resolve disputes, with the worker then immediately being able to challenge the report if it is untrue, he said.
He said that all services would soon be delivered by mail for citizens and residents. To make use of this system, everyone has to register their addresses with the Passport Department, he said.
Al-Yahya said the department is poised to launch a series of new e-services soon to facilitate services for citizens and residents, so that there is no need to visit offices in person.

Hate crime: US woman throws coffee at praying Muslim men

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 CASTRO VALLEY, California: A California state worker has been caught on video making anti-Islamic slurs and then throwing coffee and an umbrella at a group of Muslim men praying at San Francisco Bay Area park.
KNTV reported Wednesday that East Bay Regional Park District spokeswoman Carolyn Jones says the district’s police officers were forwarding their investigation to the district attorney’s office for review.
Jones said prosecutors will then decide whether to charge Department of Corrections administrative worker Denize Slader.
Slader’s actions at Lake Chabot Regional Park in Castro Valley were captured on video and posted on Facebook by Rasheed Albeshari.
Online news site NBC Bay Area reported that park police have recommended misdemeanor battery charges to prosecutors.
It also said the Department of Corrections, where Slader works, is also investigating the allegations.
It quoted East Bay Regional Park District spokeswoman Carolyn Jones as saying, It is legal to pray in the park, and talk to people in the park. It is not legal to hit people in the park."
In the video, Slader is heard saying Albeshari’s “people have tortured” others.
"Your mind has been taken over, brainwashed. You have nothing but hate," she screamed.
At that point, a park ranger arrives and tries to pacify Slader.
Albeshari is then heard saying that "this lady is talking about my God." He said the woman talked against Allah.
When she noticed that she was being filmed, the woman lunged toward Albesharri.
NBC Bay Area quoted Jones as saying the woman threw coffee and her umbrella at Albesharri.
Albeshari told the KNTV there is no question that what happened was a hate crime.
"This lady and the people who think her way are the ISIS of America. They're a minority group...they don't represent America."
NBC Bay Area said the Department of Corrections, where Slader works, is also investigating the allegations.
It quoted Department of Corrections spokesman Luis Patino as saying the agency "expects its employees to abide by a code of conduct that includes respecting the rights of others regardless of personal characteristics including ancestry and religion.
“In addition to the police investigation, an internal CDCR investigation into the incident is ongoing,” Patino told the site in an e-mail.
Slader's hate-crime comes just days after a Muslim couple massacred 14 people attending a holiday party in San Bernardino, California.
The massacre has also led Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to proposed that Muslims be banned from entering the United States, eliciting condemnations at home and abroad.
NBC Bay Area quoted Slader as bragging that many people in the Bay Area support Trump.

Grand mufti lauds soldiers for protecting Saudi borders

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RIYADH: Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh has commended the nation’s soldiers for not only guarding the Saudi borders but also protecting the Islamic religion.
“The soldiers positioned at the Saudi borders are protecting religion, the country and the Ummah and fighting for the sake of Allah,” Al-Asheikh said.
The grand mufti made the statement during a campaign organized by King Saud Medical City (KSMC) recently to donate blood for the soldiers.
The campaign was in cooperation with the General Secretariat of the Council of Senior Ulema (Scholars) under the slogan “The valiant soldiers, we are all with you.”
Al-Asheikh, also the head of the Permanent Committee for Islamic Research and Issuing Fatwas, advised the troops “to fear Allah because you’re a Mujahideen fighting on Allah’s behalf.”
For his part, Sheikh Dr. Abdullah Al-Mutlaq, adviser at the Royal Court and member of the High Council of Ulema, told the soldiers, “You, at the border areas, are better than the world we live in now.”
On the other hand, Dr. Fahd Al-Majid, secretary general of the Council of Ulema, lauded the efforts of KSMC got organizing the blood donation drive.
“This blood donation campaign has two messages. One is for the whole country and its citizens regarding the importance of blood donation,” he said. Dr. Al-Majid added that the other is “for the soldiers to know and understand that we are totally in support of them,” adding that the blood donation drive has generated a lot of interest.
Dr. Haitham Al-Falah, KSMC executive director, added that the campaign “comes as a matter of national duty since it’s for soldiers who care for our comfort and protection.”
He thanked the General Secretariat of the Council of Senior Ulema for their participation in the campaign.

‘Sudden’ cut in expat work force rejected

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 RIYADH: A sudden and drastic cut in the expatriate work force to provide jobs for young unemployed Saudis would harm the national economy, according to a senior Labor Ministry official.
Deputy Labor Minister Ahmad bin Salih Al-Humaidan said this move would be unwise because 85 percent of the labor market consists of expatriates. “Such measures, if taken, would harm the labor market which mostly caters for private sector needs and consequently harm the national economy.”
He made the comments at the 7th Riyadh Economic Forum (REF), in response to calls from participants for the government to take drastic measures to solve youth unemployment.
“The private sector is our major partner in providing jobs for Saudis, so it is not wise to harm it that way. We rather prefer a gradual phasing out of the foreign work force to solve the problem of Saudi unemployment,” he said.
At its conclusion here on Thursday, the forum adopted more than 24 recommendations after three days of discussions by Saudi experts, businesspeople, and government officials.
Among the recommendations include setting up of special courts to resolve jurisdiction over disputes; and a committee of local and international experts to be formed to overhaul the justice system.
The forum also recommended that a special body be set up, which would report to the Council for Economic and Development Affairs, that would secure and oversee funds used to build information technology infrastructure in line with moves toward developing a knowledge economy.
The participants also recommended that the 30,000 small businesses in the country should be assisted to become part of the e-retailing system in the country; and for a national computing institute to be set up in Riyadh to provide e-learning courses.
It was also recommended that the government and private sector start establishing short and long term goals for the use of renewable energy across all sectors of the economy.

Zuckerberg’s defense of Muslims floors Erdogan

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 ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday praised Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg for emphasizing the difference between Islam and terror, after the billionaire posted a message defending Muslims against discrimination.
Erdogan, who once threatened to ban Facebook in his country, used his official page on the website to respond to Zuckerberg both in Turkish and in English.
“I highly value Mark Zuckerberg’s message for pointing out the profound difference between Islam and terrorism since these two concepts are often mentioned in the same breath these days,” he wrote.
“As I always express on different platforms, Islam is a religion of peace. Murderous networks that abuse Islam for their self-serving goals are massacring innocent people every day, particularly Muslims.”
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Zuckerberg said that the Muslim community should not have to fear being “persecuted for the actions of others” following attacks in Paris and elsewhere carried out by extremists.
“If you’re a Muslim in this community, as the leader of Facebook I want you to know that you are always welcome here and that we will fight to protect your rights and create a peaceful and safe environment for you,” he said.
The supportive message came just days after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump caused international outrage by demanding a ban on Muslims traveling to the United States.
Erdogan, who was elected president last August after ruling Turkey as premier for over a decade, has in the past made no secret of his disdain for social media, vowing to “eradicate” Twitter ahead of local elections in March 2014.
The government blocked Twitter and YouTube days before March 2014 local elections after they were used to spread a torrent of audio recordings implicating Erdogan and his inner circle in an alleged corruption scandal.
He had at the time raised the option of a ban on Facebook, arguing that his opponents were using the social media site to attack him.
But the Turkish strongman appears to have softened his stance in recent times.
His official Facebook page is now used regularly to post his speeches and statements, while Erdogan in February even finally began tweeting from the official handle @RT_Erdogan.

India announces $2.5-mn aid to help poor nations combat climate change -

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Valletta (Malta):  Joining a select group of countries, India Sunday said it will provide $2.5 million for the vulnerable nations in the Commonwealth to help them introduce clean energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The announcement was made on the second day of the biennial summit of the Commonwealth whose membership includes powerful countries like Britain, Australia, Canada, Singapore and small island nations such the Maldives, Tonga and Nauru.

“India has announced $2.5 million for the Commonwealth small states trade finance facility. As you are aware, Commonwealth has 31 small states as its members out of the 53 countries and trade finance is very important to them,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.

The 24th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting here deliberated extensively on combating climate change and a number of nations pledged their financial assistance to vulnerable countries ahead of the UN Climate Change conference in Paris beginning tomorrow.

India has been pushing for the rich nations to deliver “climate justice” for developing countries while insisting that commitment of the rich nations towards small islands and poor countries must go beyond the current level.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj represented India at the summit which was attended by heads of state and government of around 30 countries.

A number of countries, including Canada, Britain and Australia, have pledged nearly $2.5 billion to help the poor countries fight global warming.

Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat unveiled a $1-billion Commonwealth Green Finance Facility to support environmental projects in the poor countries of the bloc.

Separately, the UK has committed £21 million for disaster management and £5.5 million for the ocean-based economy. Australia has committed $1 million for a new Commonwealth idea — a Climate Finance Access Hub.

Canada has pledged $2 billion assistance to help poor countries limiting greenhouse gas emission.

Earlier, the Commonwealth and the Governments of India, Malta, Mauritius and Sri Lanka announced the new trade financing fund to help boost trade and investment flows in small countries.

The voluntary fund is aimed at attracting a start-up capital of $20 million. It will provide member countries facing trade challenges with the finance they need to increase their trade capacity.

“We are acting as facilitators so small traders in small jurisdictions can penetrate new markets. We are very keen to create necessary trade infrastructure for ourselves and other small Commonwealth countries,” said Prime Minister Muscat.

The fund will seek to stimulate lending by major banks to smaller banks in member states and reduce risk. Financial investment will be sought from member countries and other parties that have expressed an interest in participating.

Three boys drown in Bharathapuzha at Thrissur

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The three _ Mehboob, Akash and Niyas _ of Kattuvattoor are students of Deshamangalam Govt School.

Photo: Subin Cheruthuruthy

Thrissur: Three boys drowned while taking bath in Bhartahapuzha at Desamangalam in Thrissur on Sunday afternoon.  

Mehboob, Akash and Niyas _ all the three belonging to Kattuvattoor _ are students of Deshamangalam Govt School.

The three stepped into the river near the irrigation pump at Kalakkal. Local residents say a male teacher assisted them.

The bodies, caught in the under current, were found half km down the river.

Woman awarded life term for killing lover

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Mavelikkara Additional Sessions Court Judge Muhammad Wasim sentenced Mishya (43) of Raj Nivas in Krishnapuram on charges of killing Sanalkumar of Chalil Veedu in Neendakara, Kollam.

Mavelikkara: A woman, who killed her lover by offering cyanide-laced soft drink, was awarded life term and a penalty of Rs 2 lakh.

Mavelikkara Additional Sessions Court Judge Muhammad Wasim sentenced Mishya (43) of Raj Nivas in Krishnapuram on charges of killing Sanalkumar of Chalil Veedu in Neendakara, Kollam.

The order wants the penalty of Rs 2 lakh be handed over to Sanalkumar’s wife Swapna. If Mishya fails to remit the fine, she would have to spend two more years in jail, it added.

The incident related to the case occurred on May 3, 2010. Sanalkumar had maintained a relationship with Mishya. Against her wish, Sanalkumar married Swapna, a native of Nilambur, in 2009 and settled in Goa.

On knowing that Sanalkumar has returned to his native place, Mishya invited him to her home and offered soft drink laced with cyanide. Sanalkumar drank and it later died inside the house.

Since the case lacked witnesses, the court found her guilty on the basis of circumstantial evidences. The food samples collected from the kitchen tested positive for hydrocyanic acid. The Kayamkulam police recovered Sanlkumar’s wrist watch and phone from the house while his two-wheeler and footwear were found in the porch.

Public prosecutor Adv Sam Varghese represented the prosecution.

Voice tone can predict your divorce risk

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Researchers recorded hundreds of conversations from over one hundred couples taken during marriage therapy sessions over two years, and then tracked their marital status for five years.

Washington D.C: Words can deceive, but tone of voice cannot as a new study has suggested that voice tone analyses of therapy sessions can accurately predict marital success.

A new computer algorithm can predict whether you and your spouse will have an improved or worsened relationship based on the tone of voice that you use when speaking to each other with nearly 79 percent accuracy.

In fact, the algorithm did a better job of predicting marital success of couples with serious marital issues than descriptions of the therapy sessions provided by relationship experts.

Researchers recorded hundreds of conversations from over one hundred couples taken during marriage therapy sessions over two years, and then tracked their marital status for five years.

"What you say is not the only thing that matters; it's very important how you say it. Our study confirms that it holds for a couple's relationship as well," researcher Md Nasir said.

Psychological practitioners and researchers have long known that the way that partners talk about and discuss problems has important implications for the health of their relationships. However, the lack of efficient and reliable tools for measuring the important elements in those conversations has been a major impediment in their widespread clinical use. These findings represent a major step forward in making objective measurement of behavior practical and feasible for couple therapists, Brian Baucom said.

Online sex racket: Top official in Home Ministry involved, says accused

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Akbar, an accused in the online sex racket case said Sunday that a top official in the home ministry was also involved in the online sex racket.

Kochi: Akbar, an accused in the online sex racket case said Sunday that a top official in the home ministry was also involved in the online sex racket. 

"Innocent people like us were arrested because of this reason," Akbar said.

Akbar told mediapersons that he had all the necessary evidence and he will submit it to the court during the judicial investigation.

The police have taken the accused in the case to the hotel in Nedumbassery to collect evidence. 

Panayikkulam SIMI camp case: five found guilty

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UAPA has been imposed against the first, second and third accused.

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Kochi: Five accused in the Panayikkulam SIMI camp case have been found guilty by the NIA court in Kochi. P A Shaduli, Abdul Rasique, Ansar, Nizamuddin, and Shameem -- first to fifth accused -- are the guilty.
UAPA has been imposed against the first, second and third accused. The quantum of punishment for the five accused will be pronounced on Thursday.
Eleven accused were acquitted. There were total 17 accused in the case. One of them, Rasheed Moulavi, was made approver by the prosecution.
Conspiracy and treason charges have been proved against the accused.
According to the charge sheet, the accused, members of the banned SIMI, held a secret meeting at Panayikkulam near Aluva on August 15, 2006, with the aims of reviving the goals of the organisation and trying to turn India into a Muslim country by working against the government. It also said that the accused were enemies of the state and were engaged in extremist activities to free Kashmir.
The NIA took over investigation into the case in January as per the order of the Union Home Department.

Abu Dhabi scientists to research why diabetes is so prevalent in Emiratis

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Dr Nader Lessan, consultant endocrinologist with ICLDC, says diabetes is in part independent of lifestyle and other factors behind obesity in the UAE. Courtesy Imperial College London Diabetes Centre

Scientists are stepping up efforts to discover why a high number of Emiratis suffer from diabetes.
A doctor is being recruited to begin a three-year research project and join existing researchers at the Imperial College London Diabetes Centre (ICLDC) in Abu Dhabi, with further researchers – including Emiratis – to be brought on board. They are also aiming to identify individuals at risk so they can receive the appropriate treatment.
“There’s a high level of obesity and, beyond that, the level of diabetes in the UAE is very high and we don’t really understand why that is,” said Dr Kevin Murphy, a reader in endocrinology at Imperial College London helping to coordinate the work.
“The overarching theme of the project is: ‘Can we understand the causes of diabetes and the best way of treating it?’”
According to Dr Nader Lessan, an ICLDC consultant endocrinologist, the “diabetes epidemic” in the UAE is “at least in part independent of the lifestyle and other factors driving the obesity epidemic”.
The new researcher, who will work towards a PhD, will continue work already begun that involves identifying biological characteristics, or “biomarkers”, that predict who, among those who are diabetic, is more likely to develop complications such as heart disease, or kidney or eye problems.
Also supervising the work will be Dr Amir Sam, a senior lecturer and consultant endocrinologist at Imperial College London. In a diabetes clinic there might be two patients of the same weight, he said, yet one will often develop more complications than the other.
“It would be very useful to have a test that helps to predict who is going to get these complications, so you can target treatments,” Dr Sam said.
The amount of fat in the liver is one variable thought to help predict who will face problems caused by diabetes. The team is developing a simple blood test for the amount of fat in the liver. This would be many times cheaper than the scans currently used.
Initial results of this research have recently been published and further data on the utility of this test in patients with diabetes will be presented at a conference in the United States next year, but Dr Sam said it still needed to be tested on a larger number of patients.
The work in Abu Dhabi will also focus on what genetic factors correlate with an increased risk of diabetes, which might in turn help uncover why the rate of the condition is high among Emiratis. The new doctorate student will be the second to work at the ICLDC, which opened in 2006. About 35 doctors and scientists from around the world applied for the position.
“We expect further doctorate positions to be offered by Imperial College London and the ICLDC over the next few months. Two of these are expected to be filled by Emirati candidates,” Dr Lessan said.
He said that future work would focus on specific patient groups, including those “at the extreme of obesity”. As the research effort grows, the number of patients involved is likely to increase by several hundred each year and could ultimately reach 2,000, more than 90 per cent of them expected to be Emirati. Most will have just a single blood test but some may undergo additional assessments.
“When they come back we can take additional samples. One of the things that is helpful is you can see how things change,” Dr Murphy said.
Assessments of individuals over time should indicate whether the biomarkers being looked at can predict problems before they develop.
Using biomarkers can lead to improvements in treatment more quickly than would be the case if a drug was being developed.
A reliable biomarker could take about five years to introduce, while drugs typically take 10 to 20 years to develop.
If a patient’s biomarkers indicate he or she is less at risk of developing problems, that individual might not, for example, need to be assessed for another year. If it suggests they are more vulnerable, their doctor might recommend more regular checks.

Europe’s Schengen zone called into question after Paris attacks

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The terror attacks in Paris and the influx of hundreds of thousands of refugees have European leaders looking to increase control over their borders, calling into question the continued existence of the Schengen zone.

The 26-nation area within Europe has no passport checks or other controls between its internal borders, allowing travellers to move across countries with ease.
But this Friday, interior ministers from European Union states meet in Brussels to discuss the future of the zone, with France pushing for tighter border controls. This could see Schengen, a historic attempt at a unified Europe with free movement of people and goods, effectively disbanded after only two decades of existence.
The agreement, named for the town in Luxembourg where it was signed, was implemented in 1995. It applies to an area stretching from Finland all the way to Hungary on Europe’s southern frontiers. Greece is also a member, though it is separated from the rest of the countries by the Balkans.
In May, Emirati citizens were granted a visa waiver for Schengen countries, making the UAE the first Arab country to be granted free entry to the zone. Dozens of flights leave Abu Dhabi and Dubai every day for Schengen countries from which UAE citizens and eligible residents can freely travel across most of Europe for 90 days in any 190-day period.
Being able to travel without the hassle and delays of border controls through most of the European Union (Britain and Ireland are not Schengen members) benefits not only tourists, but also the spirit of economic cooperation that the EU aims to promote. Lorries transporting goods save precious hours by avoiding border controls, as do businesspeople travelling overland from Berlin to Warsaw, for example.
As the numbers of people fleeing conflict, political oppression and a lack of economic opportunities increased over the past year, many European countries have moved to reintroduce border controls. This is an attempt by authorities to both organise the flow of refugees and to also understand who is entering their territory.
Such measures are understandable, all the more so after 129 people were killed in multiple terror attacks in Paris on November 13 that were claimed by ISIL. For months, there were fears that ISIL militants would hide themselves among refugees to travel to Europe and carry out attacks. Initial reports suggested that one of the Paris attackers was a refugee, but it was later reported that the passport found near his dead body was fake, leaving his true identity unknown. Most of the individuals involved in the attack were identified as European citizens.
Refugees fleeing to Europe instead of moving to ISIL-controlled territory is a significant repudiation of the group’s rule. ISIL has every reason to want European citizens to fear the refugees. The return of border controls across Europe over fears caused by the influx of refugees would be exactly the kind of victory ISIL aims to achieve.
Security concerns must be taken into account. French president Francois Hollande, who is demanding stricter controls following the attacks in Paris, aims to protect his country’s citizens. The Schengen agreement also allows for the reintroduction of border controls during emergencies.
However, any long-term curtailing of Schengen is a blow to the international community. The successful effort at free movement and economic cooperation among different nationalities, cultures and languages is an example for other unions of countries, including the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
“The big question is whether Schengen will be formally abolished, or if countries will begin to opt out from it,” the geopolitical risk firm Stratfor said in an analysis following the Paris attacks.
“The concept of a Europe without borders has become very difficult for governments to defend.”
At the moment, several Schengen countries, including Germany, France and Sweden, have re-established border controls. At the least, a revision to the agreement appears likely to follow the meeting in Brussels on Friday.
This would come not just at a time when great numbers of refugees are coming to Europe from the Middle East, but also when right-wing nationalist parties sceptical of efforts such as Schengen are gaining ground.
There is the question of whose agenda the ending or scaling back of Schengen would better serve: that of security services aiming to prevent a terror attack or that of nationalist parties?
After all, it appears that most of the extremists who carried out the Paris attacks were citizens of Schengen countries.
The EU meeting on Friday in Brussels will also discuss stronger weapons controls, ways to combat terror financing and a European database of airline passengers.

Militants hold 170 hostage at Radisson Blu hotel in Mali’s capital

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BAMAKO // Gunmen attacked a Radisson hotel in Mali’s capital on Friday and were believed to be holding 170 hostages.
Two people have “locked in” 140 guests and 30 employees in an ongoing hostage-taking at the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako, the hotel chain said in a statement
“The Rezidor Hotel Group... is aware of the hostage-taking that is ongoing at the property today, 20th November 2015. As per our information two persons have locked in 140 guests and 30 employees,” said the company.
“Our safety and security teams and our corporate team are in constant contact with the local authorities in order to offer any support possible to re-instate safety and security at the hotel,” it added in a statement released in London.
Automatic weapons fire could be heard from outside the 190-room hotel, where security forces have set up a security cordon.
The shooting follows a nearly 24-hour siege and hostage-taking at another hotel in August in the central Malian town of Sevare.
Four soldiers, five UN workers and four attackers were killed.
Extremist groups have continued to wage attacks in Mali despite a June peace deal between former Tuareg rebels in the north of the country and rival pro-government armed groups.
Northern Mali fell in March-April 2012 to Al-Qaeda-linked groups long concentrated in the area before being ousted by an French-led military operation launched in January 2013.
Despite the peace deal, large swathes of Mali remain beyond the control of government and foreign forces.
* Reuters, Agence France-Presse

Can't sleep? Avoid keeping mobile near your bed

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As it gets darker in the evening, the body starts to produce the sleep hormone melatonin - which helps people nod off.

London: A new study has suggested that smartphones, tablets and e-readers should have 'bed mode' to protect sleep as their blue-light emission can keep you up at night.

Avoid keeping mobile near your bed

Evelina Children's Hospital's Paul Gringras said that since every new model was "bluer and brighter," the setting should filter out the blue light that delays the body clock and keeps people awake later into the evening.

He said manufacturers needed to show more "responsibility." As it gets darker in the evening, the body starts to produce the sleep hormone melatonin - which helps people nod off. Certain wavelengths of light, those at the blue-green end of the spectrum, can disrupt the system.

The study concluded that there was a clear trend for new devices to be bigger, brighter, have higher levels of contrast and emit more blue light.

The study appears in Frontiers in Public Health, analysing the light emitted by devices. (ANI)

VHP leader Ashok Singhal passes

Singhal, who was re-referred on Friday night to Medanta - The Medicity hospital here in Sector 38, was being kept on life-support systems in the Intensive Care Unit.

Gurgaon:  VHP leader Ashok Singhal, whorose to prominence playing a leading role in the RamJanambhoomi movement in the late eighties and after, died at a private hospital here on Tuesday.

Singhal (89), who was admitted to Medanta Medicity hospital on Saturday last with complaints of acute breathlessness and other problems, died at 2.24 PM following cardio-vascular failure and septicaemia, VHP International President Pravin Togadia, himself a doctor, told PTI.

A bachelor and an RSS pracharak all his life, Singhal, adopted an aggressive style in the "kar sewak" campaign in the build up to the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December, 1992.

A metallurgy engineering graduate from Banaras Hindu University, he pitchforked the organisation in the Ayodhya Ram temple movement and sought to internationalise it by recruiting supporters and organising branches worldwide. Theoverseas supporters contributed immensely to the VHP campaign.

Singh was in the Intensive Care Unit under treatment in the hospital after he was diagnosed with right lower Lobe Pneumonia. He was on ventilator from November 14 evening.

A team of specialists comprising Critical Care, Respiratory, Cardiology, Endocrinology, Neurology and Nephrology had attended on Singh, the hospital had said on Monday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of Singh. "The demise of Ashok Singhalji is a deep personal loss.

He was an institution in himself, whose life was centred around serving the nation," he tweeted.

He said he was always fortunate to receive Ashokji's blessings  and guidance. "My condolences to his family and countless supporters," he said.

The Prime Minister noted that Ashok Singhal  was the force behind several noble deeds and  social work, which benefited the poor. "He is an inspiration for generations,"

PTI

Don't support girls and boys sitting together: Rabb

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I don't know whether there are any colleges in Kerala where students sit close to each other in classrooms, he said

Thiruvananthapuram: Education Minister P K Abdu Rabb has said that he personally does not support girls and boys sitting together.

'It's okay if they are sitting in chairs. I don't know whether there are any colleges in Kerala where students sit close to each other in classrooms,' he said. The minister added that the students could sit however they want if they and the institution had no objection.

The minister was responding to the controversy started in Farook College over the suspension of a few students for sitting together in the classroom. No complaints have been received regarding the Farook College incident. It has nothing to do with gender discrimination, Rabb added.

No need of reservation in higher education institutions: SC

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The Central-State governments should take decisions regarding reservation keeping national interests in mind.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has ruled that there is no need of reservation in higher education institutions. The Central-State governments should take decisions regarding reservation keeping national interests in mind, the court said.
Merit should be the only criterion for admission to higher education institutions, opined the Division Bench comprising Justices Dipak Misra and P C Pant. It also reminded the 1988 verdict in this regard.
The SC was considering a case pertaining to reservation in Andhra and Telangana states.

CM dismisses police's explanation on Kerala House raid

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Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has said that he is rejecting the explanation given by the Delhi police through media on the 'raid' carried out at Kerala House for cow meat.
"The explanation of the police is unacceptable. Kerala House is an office of the state in Delhi. If there had been any complaint, the police should have first asked about it to those concerned. They never carried out such an enquiry.
"The police just burst into Kerala House along with the petitioner without checking who filed the complaint or its credibility. Also, they could not find any fault," the Chief Minister said at a press conference here on Wednesday.
"The laws of the country are applicable to all. Cow meat is banned in Delhi. The ban is applicable to Kerala House, too. Cow meat has not been cooked or served at the Kerala House canteen. But buffalo meat is served there. As there is no ban on buffalo meat, it will be served at the canteen," he added.
"It was not just a raid, but an action aimed at creating fear in the people's minds. It was a deliberate attempt to please somebody. The police action was a blow on the federal system prevailing in the country.
"The Prime Minister and the Home Minister have been informed of the matter. We will wait for a reply. I reacted now after seeing the explanation of the Delhi police on media. If we receive the same reply again, Kerala will take legal action," said the CM.

Processed meats do cause cancer: WHO

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The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday announced that processed meats - such as bacon, sausages and ham - do cause cancer, the media reported.

London:The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday announced that processed meats - such as bacon, sausages and ham - do cause cancer, the media reported.

According to an official statement, the WHO said 50g of processed meat a day - less than two slices of bacon - increased the chance of developing colorectal cancer by 18 percent, BBC reported.

It said red meats were "probably carcinogenic" but there was limited evidence.

Processed meat is meat that has been modified to increase its shelf life or alter its taste - such as by smoking, curing or adding salt or preservatives.

It is these additions which could be increasing the risk of cancer.

"For an individual, the risk of developing colorectal (bowel) cancer because of their consumption of processed meat remains small, but this risk increases with the amount of meat consumed," Kurt Straif from the WHO said. IANS

Bihar polls: Kejriwal appeals people to vote for Nitish

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New Delhi: As Bihar gears up for the crucial third phase of Assembly polls tomorrow, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday made a strong appeal to the people of the state to return incumbent Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to power.
"I appeal to the brothers n sisters of Bihar to vote to make Nitish ji the CM of Bihar," Kejriwal tweeted.
Kejriwal, who has openly backed Kumar's candidature since the beginning of the electoral campaign, had earlier claimed that the BJP, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was all set to receive a drubbing in the elections.
Making common cause against Modi, Kejriwal had extended full support to his Bihar counterpart's candidature at a conclave organised by the Delhi government in the capital in August.
However, he did not campaign for the JD(U) in the ongoing polls.
50 of the state's 243 assembly seats spread over six districts-- Patna, Vaishali, Saran, Nalanda, Bhojpur and Buxar-- are going to polls in the third phase of the 5-phased polls. Polling has already been held in 81 assembly seats in the first two phases.
PTI

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Police raid: beef taken off menu at Kerala House

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Authorities said cow meat was not served in the restaurant and a misunderstanding led to the raid.

New Delhi: Beef has been removed from the menu at the Kerala House here following raids carried out by the Delhi police on Monday evening.
Authorities said cow meat was not served in the restaurant and a misunderstanding led to the raid.
Condemning the raid, CPM leader Pinarayi Vijayan said the same persons who murdered Mohammad Akhlaq at Dadri have entered the kitchen of Kerala House in search of cow meat.
In a post on his Facebook page, he said the same persons may enter any kitchen in the country.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy too condemned the incident.
A team of nearly 30 police personnel had raided the Samridhi canteen run by staff at Kerala House in search of cow meat. However, they could not find anything. Following the raids, police protection has been sought, said authorities.
A Keralite and two from Karnataka informed the police that cow meat is being sold here illegally. In the menu, beef was written in Malayalam and the rest were in English. Hence they alleged that the restaurant is selling cow meat.
In the meanwhile, they tried to take the picture of the menu when the staff questioned them. The staff said it was not cow meat and buffalo meat and a wordy duel created a tense situation.
The police team reached the spot around 4.30 pm. Police said they arrived at spot upon receiving information about the tense atmosphere. However, the security personnel stopped them saying that entry is restricted in the complex belonging to Kerala government. .
At this juncture, mentioning the sale of beef, they entered he restaurant with the permission of authorities for a search.
Owing to the developments, the authorities later decided to take beef off the menu.

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