Dengue Death Toll Reaches 17

Kolkata: With two more deaths, the dengue toll in West Bengal, since January, went up to 17 on Monday, a senior health department official said. One of the victims was from Dum Dum and the other from North 24 Parganas’ Bangaon. Both were women and died on Sunday.

“The death count has now become 17. Most of the victims were from North 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts,” he said. Satpathy said, 77 fresh cases of dengue were reported in the last 24 hours. “The number of dengue cases in the state since January now stands at 2,870,” he said.

There has been a sharp rise in dengue cases across the state this monsoon. With most of the affected patients undergoing treatment at Dr B C Roy Memorial Hospital For Children and Beliaghata ID hospital, the leave of all doctors and paramedical staff, including nurses and lab technicians, have been cancelled.With dengue cases multiplying each passing day, and patients crowding the hospitals, the state government might cancel the leave of all health staff across the state in the near future.The move comes in the wake of hospitals struggling to deal with the influx of patients.

Meanwhile, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) suspended 30 municipal staff and two doctors for not working properly. KMC Mayor-in-Council, Health, Atin Ghosh while speaking to the media said, “late arrival” and “non-performance” of duties were the reasons behind the notices issued.

The chief minister had sought to reassure worried citizens few weeks back after she held a high-level meeting with the responsible authorities.

Abraj Kudai Hotel-Mecca

Mecca will soon be the home to the world’s largest hotel, Abraj Kudai. Apart from its historic and religious significance, Mecca will now become an important tourist destination too by 2017.

With 10,000 rooms, 12 towers- of which 10 will be four star and two will be for five-star guests, more than 70 restaurants and 48 storeys, the hotel will also four computer-generated helipads on the roof. Abraj Kudai’s podium will accommodate a bus station, shopping mall, food courts, conference centre and car parks.

Abraj Kudai will have five special floors, always reserved for the members of the Saudi Royal Family. The project will cost an estimated $3.5 billion to complete. It is excepted that the hotel will showcase the ‘unparalleled size, height as well as location, exposure and architectural style.’ The hotel building will also ‘pose itself as a striking landmark with a profoundly modern multifunctional identity relating to both the Saudi locality and the Islamic universality of its expected users.’

A dome on top of two mid towers will add an extra binge to the hotel. The dome, which will be one of the world’s largest domes atop its tallest tower, will comprise a ballroom and convention centre, making another record of its own.

However, the details secure that the Abraj Kudai hotel is not only the largest of its genre, but it is also one of the costliest. The hotel will boast 64,000 square-metres of total area of the building while 1,400,000 square-metres is the complete floor area.

According to a latest news development, despite of the largest hotel in making in Mecca, the locals miss the serene religious tone of the city that buckled the people together. Ziauddin Sardar, writer of Mecca: The Sacred City echoed this, saying: “The one beloved of all Muslims. The other is a place firmly rooted in time and space, where human nature is exhibited in all its foibles and ferocity.”

Dil Chahta Hai Celebrates 15th Anniversary, Possible Sequel On The Cards

The movie hit the silver screens 15 years back on August 10, 2001 and won millions of hearts. Starring an awesome ensemble star cast of Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Preity Zinta, Sonali Kulkarni and Dimple Kapadia; the movie became one of the biggest blockbusters of 2001.

Director Farhan Akhtar made his directorial debut with this film. It was also the first film written by him. The 42-year-old director was quite nostalgic as he took to his social media to post about the film & the memories attached. He tweeted, “#DilChahtaHai turns 15 today. Thank you to all who made it happen and to all who keep it alive. Big hug”

When a fan asked him on Twitter if the film’s sequel is in the pipeline, he neither confirmed it nor did he deny it, hanging thousands of fans with the hoe of a possible sequel in the near future.

The film is set in modern-day urban Mumbai and Sydney and focuses on a major period of transition in the lives of three young friends.

The film won The National Film award for Best Hindi Film. It also won five Filmfare awards from nine nominations at the 47^th Filmfare awards including Critic’s Award for Best Film, Best Performance In A Supporting Role, Male For Akshaye Khanna, Best Performance In A Comic Role for Saif Ali Khan, three IIFAs, two Zee Cine awards, among others.

The film received praise from critics for portraying contemporary Indian youth as cosmopolitan and urban. Over the years, the film has gained a cult status.  It also paved the way for coming-of-age movies like Lakshya and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.

Well, if the sequel comes out, then it is surely set to become one of the most anticipated Bollywood movies of near future, although it will be difficult to match the level of its prequel, but Farhan Akhtar has a sense of delivering the best always.

7th Pay Commission: Pre-2016 Retirees To Get Pension Hike

New Delhi: All pre-2016 retirees will get the benefits of seventh Central Pay Commission (CPC) recommendations like hike in pension and arrears by this month end, the government has said.

For existing pensioners, who have retired till December 31, 2015, the revised pension or family pension with effect from this year shall be determined by multiplying the pension or family pension, as had been fixed at the time of implementation of sixth CPC recommendations, by 2.57, it said, adding that, the amount of revised pension so arrived at shall be rounded off to next higher rupee.

The Seventh CPC’s recommendations will be implemented from January 1, 2016. The ministry of personnel, public grievances and pensions has issued an order regarding increase in pension and grant of arrears to pre-2006 retirees. “It is considered desirable that the benefit of these orders should reach the pensioners as expeditiously as possible,” the ministry said.

To achieve this objective it is desired that all pension disbursing authorities should ensure that the revised pension and the arrears due to the pensioners is paid or credited to their account by August 31, 2016 or before positively, it said.

Further, public sector banks handling disbursement of pension to the central government pensioners are hereby authorised to pay pension or family pension to existing pensioners at the revised rates “without any further authorisation from the concerned Accounts Officers or Head of Office etc”, the order said. There are about 58 lakh central government pensioners.

Japan: Today Marks 71 Years Of Nagasaki Atomic Bombing Anniversary

Nagasaki: Bells tolled in Nagasaki, Japan on Tuesday, August 9 to mark the 71st anniversary of the city’s atomic bombing by the United States, bringing an eventual end to World War II.

Thousands of people stood in silent reflection at the city’s Peace Park as the bells tolled at the precise moment (11:02 AM Nagasaki time, 02:02 GMT) an atomic bomb dubbed “Fat Man” detonated over the city just moments after being dropped from an American B-29 bomber.  Over 70,000 people were killed instantly, with thousands more dying months,   even years later from radiation sickness. The attack came three days after the US dropped the first ever atomic bomb — “Little Boy” on Hiroshima, which ultimately killed 1,40,000 people.

The attendees included aging survivors of the August 9, 1945 attack, as well as representatives of over 50 nations, including several nuclear powers.

Last year, the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing, a record 75 nations were represented at the Nagasaki ceremony.

Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue urged world leaders to “bring together as much of your collective wisdom as you possibly can” to permanently eliminate nuclear weapons, and  urged them to visit his city to learn first hand the aftermath of a nuclear attack, using President Barack Obama’s historic visit in May to Hiroshima as an example.  Obama was the first U.S. president to visit Hiroshima, which was attacked three days before Nagasaki.  “Knowing the facts becomes the starting point for thinking about a future free of nuclear weapons,” he said.

Taue also called on Japan’s national government to legalize the country’s long-standing principles of neither producing nor possessing nuclear weapons, and banning the entry of such weapons on Japanese soil.

Six days after the Nagasaki attack, Japan’s imperial government surrendered to Allied forces. 

A list of 3,487 “Hibakusha” who died over the past year was enshrined at the ceremony, bringing the total number of deaths during and resulting from the Nagasaki atomic bombing to 172,230. A “Hibashuka” is a survivor of either of the atomic explosions at Hiroshima or Nagasaki in 1945. The average age of survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki stood at 80.86 as of the end of March.

2016 Rio Olympics: Dipa Karmakar Becomes The First Indian Gymnast To Qualify For Vault Finals

Rio de Janeiro: Dipa Karmakar, the first Indian gymnast to participate in the Olympics, has created history once again by making it to the finals of the event. Karmakar finished eighth in the individual vault finals on Sunday night after successfully pulling off the dangerous “Produnova” stunt and securing 14.850 points.

However, it wasn’t an easy qualification for Dipa, as her position dropped to eighth. Considering only the top eight qualify for the finals, scheduled to be held on 14 August, the eve of India's Independence Day, it was a nervous wait for the gymnast. But she didn't drop any further and secured a place in the title round.

Karmarkar chose to go with the Produnova, considered one of the toughest maneuvres in gymnastics. Only five women have successfully managed to perform it, Karmakar being one of them.

In the final round, the Tripura athlete is expected to stick with what has worked well for her and attempt another Produnova. Here's a clip of Karmakar pulling off the move that established her position as among the best in the world.

Following this, she participated in uneven bars, where she secured 11.666, scoring low on difficulty but high on execution.

Karmakar, who turns 23 on Tuesday, gave herself the best birthday gift possible. And father Dulal couldn’t have been happier, even though he admitted to have gone without adequate sleep.

The finals will take place on August 14, where the entire nation will have her eyes on her.

Monkey Gets Another Chance To Claim His ‘Selfie’

Animal rights organization PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has filed an appeal to the US Court of Appeals for justice to Naruto — a now-famous monkey known for taking a “selfie” that prompted an unprecedented copyright lawsuit — at claiming ownership over his image.

The image was taken in 2011 by Naruto, then a six-year-old male free-living crested macaque in Indonesia.

Photographer David J Slater had left his camera unattended in an Indonesian forest which allowed Naruto to take several photos of himself.

Slater and his company, which both claim copyright ownership, published the photos that Naruto indisputably took. PETA sued, claiming that Naruto was the author of the photos and that Slater had infringed on Naruto’s copyright.

Disappointingly, in January, a federal judge dismissed the monkey selfie suit, finding that a non-human animal could not own a copyright.

“In every practical (and definitional) sense, he (Naruto) is the ‘author’ of the works,” argued PETA in the appeal brief filed on Tuesday.

“Had the Monkey Selfies been made by a human using Slater’s unattended camera, that human would undisputedly be declared the author and copyright owner of the photographs. Nothing in the Copyright Act limits its application to human authors. Protection under the Copyright Act does not depend on the humanity of the author, but on the originality of the work itself,” the appeal read.

According to PETA, if the lawsuit succeeds, it will be the first time that a nonhuman animal has been declared the owner of property rather than a piece of property himself or herself.

It will also be the first time that a right has been extended to a nonhuman animal beyond just the basic necessities of food, shelter, water, and veterinary care. In our view, it is high time.

“The fact that copyright ownership by an animal has not been previously asserted does not mean that such rights cannot be asserted,” PETA wrote.

PETA is seeking the court's permission to administer and protect Naruto's copyright in the “monkey selfies,” without compensation, with all proceeds to be used for the benefit of Naruto and his community.

Naruto is known to field researchers in Sulawesi who have observed and studied him for years as they work in the region.

What To Expect From 2016 Rio Olympics Opening Ceremony?

Kolkata: Two burglaries took place in one night in Lake Town, sending fear waves among residents. Police officers of the Bidhannagar Commissionerate are working overtime to catch the culprits, who they suspect belong to the same gang.

In both incidents, the burglars attacked senior citizens who lived alone. Collectively, valuables and cash worth around Rs 8 lakh were stolen.

Residents were outraged as both the apartments that were broken into are centrally located, and at a stone’s throw away from the local police station.

Chirurani Saha (72), who lives in Lake Town’s A block, said that her house was broken into at around 2 AM. Saha, who stays alone, was asleep, but woke up when she felt movement on her bed. Seconds later, a man was holding a sharp weapon to her neck. He then quickly removed a gold chain, two gold bangles, two finger rings, and a pair of earrings she was wearing, all worth Rs 4 lakh collectively. By the time she managed to scream, the burglar had escaped and due to the darkness, she was unable to see him clearly. She later went with her sons to file an FIR at Lake Town police station. The second flat that was broken into was occupied by Sneha Tharrar (64), who had gone to her daughter’s place. The burglars entered the flat by breaking the store room window and stole gold and cash worth Rs 3.3 lakh.

The police are yet to find any leads. Santosh Pandey, deputy commissioner of the detective department in Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate, said, “We are investigating both the incidents. Hopefully we will catch the culprits soon.” Sources said that because the burglaries happened at around the same time, the police suspect that the same gang is behind both crimes.

Pokemon Go Developer Sued Over Pokemon Placed On Private Property

A New Jersey man fed up with Pokemon Go players catching creatures on his property has filed a class-action lawsuit against the creators of the wildly successful mobile game.

Jeffrey Marder, of West Orange, claims in the suit that the developers have profited from encouraging millions of gamers to play Pokemon Go on or adjacent to private property without the consent of the land owners. 

The lawsuit filed in federal court in California seeks damages or monetary relief over the game’s use of real world locations, Pokestops and Pokegyms, where users will congregate to play the augmented reality game.

The game was released on July 6 and within days became the most downloaded mobile game ever. Using the GPS on a smartphone, the game encourages players to walk around in the real world searching for imaginary critters. The game utilizes the phone's camera to display Pokemon. Players then flick the screen to try and capture the critters. Pokestops and Pokegyms have become meet-up points for gamers.

In the lawsuit, Marder says that within the first week of the game's release, "strangers began lingering outside of his home with their phones in hand." At least five gamers also knocked on Marder's door asking for permission to catch Pokemon in the homeowner's backyard.

Marder says in the suit that these Pokemon were placed at his West Orange home by the game's developers without his permission. 

The lawsuit names Niantic Inc., the Pokemon Company, and Nintendo Company. The companies did not immediately respond for comment. 

J.C. Smith, The Pokemon Company's consumer marketing director, told The Associated Press last week that the company is updating the augmented-reality game so it remains fun for players but respects the real world.

The suit claims Niantic is liable for the nuisance of the "intentional, unauthorized" placing Pokemon, Pokestops and Pokegyms, which prevents property owners from enjoying their land.

The suit also details other instances where the game's placement of Pokestops or Pokegyms at homes or businesses have led to complaints, including three locations in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.

48 Nurses From Kerala Lose Jobs Due To ‘Omanisation’

Amid concerns over hundreds of Indian nurses in the Sultanate of Oman losing their jobs, the first batch of Keralite nurses lost their jobs will start returning by August 10, 2016.

Official sources said 48 nurses from Kerala are among the 76 nurses who have been served termination notices at government hospitals.

Many nurses have been asked to leave the country even before the notice period ends. Jasminsha, state president of the United Nurses Association (UNA), said the move was triggered by Omanisation, a drive to replace expatriates with Omani nationals in jobs. Most of the nurses have taken personal loans and won’t be able to leave the country without settling them.

“These nurses are experienced professionals but they all have huge financial liabilities. Right now, their families are trying to arrange the funds for them to settle the dues,” Jasminsha told DH. Meanwhile, some of the nurses are learnt to be trying for jobs in private hospitals after obtaining mandatory clearances.

The UNA president said more details on the mass termination are awaited. “Interestingly, while Omanisation is cited as one of the reasons for terminating services of these nurses, more nursing job interviews are also being scheduled here,” he said. Curbs on nursing recruitment to the Gulf countries have also led to more opportunities for nursing professionals from other countries. Sources said the 76 nurses terminated from service include other nationals. “Since the restrictions came in place in 2015, the number of nurses moving out of the country has seen a huge drop,” Jasminsha said.

Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said that about 300 Keralites were rendered jobless as part of the ongoing termination of employment by companies in Saudi Arabia. 

The figure is less than what the chief minister had revealed on Monday. “We are told that the figure is less than 700, as was announced earlier. There are less than 300 workers from Kerala (housed in the labour camps) and efforts are being taken to bring them back,” Vijayan told reporters here. The Non-Resident Keralite Affairs (NORKA) department is coordinating rehabilitation efforts with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Malayali associations based in Saudi Arabia.

According to MEA, 7,700 workers formerly employed with four companies, including construction and engineering sector conglomerate Saudi Oger, have been housed in 20 labour camps. Many Keralites are reportedly stuck in camps with their iqamas (residence permits) expired and the ill among them without access to medical care. The workers have not been paid salaries for seven months and many are staying back to collect their salaries.

Apart From Grades, Schools to Be Measured by Social Activities and Community Engagement

The Israeli Education Ministry on Monday stated that following the new educational criteria which was used to measure high school achievements, from now on will add information related with levels of schools’ social and community engagement, and the percentage of army draftees and school dropouts.

This information, as said by the ministry, will be attached with the students’ percentage acquired in the matriculation examinations.  

In order to implement educational and value-based achievements in school students, the education ministry officials have asserted that grades are important, but it had ‘created a false impression that this was the be-all and end-all of a school’s worth.’

Also, schools with significant contribution in society and community were solely barred from recognition as matriculation examination eligibility was considered the only criterion.

Officials of the Israeli Education Ministry also has stated that, ‘through ‘significant learning’ reforms, educational and value-based activities as well as evaluation methods and diverse methods of learning have been expanded and institutionalized to the point that they now constitute an inseparable part of a student’s matriculation certificate.”

Education Minister Naftali Bennett echoed the same, saying: “We will measure schools according to criteria of quality, values and preventing dropouts alongside such a [matriculation] measurement. I believe that changing the method of measurement will bring significant change.”

He also added that schools are the place where kids not only come to secure grades, but lessons on values are simultaneously important for setting a positive message in life.  

Police Arrest 15 In Rape Of Mother And Daughter

Bulandshahr: Police in northern India said on Sunday that they had detained 15 suspects after a woman and her 14-year-old daughter were gang-raped off a busy highway, the latest incident of sexual violence to shock the country.

The attack took place on Friday night near the town of Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh state after the car in which the victims were travelling was stopped by a gang of men with an iron rod, said senior local police official Daljeet Choudhary.

The men dragged the woman, the daughter and three male relatives who were travelling with them to a nearby field. They then tied up the males and raped the woman and the daughter, Choudhary said.

He said several police teams were at work to ensure that the attackers were identified quickly. He gave no details about the detained men.

The family was also robbed of money, jewellery and their mobile phones.

The attack, which caused outrage across India, highlights the persistence of violence against women in the country despite tougher laws against sexual assault that were imposed following the December 2012 death of a young woman who was gang-raped on a bus in New Delhi.

After Friday's attack, opposition politicians in Uttar Pradesh accused the state government of failing to protect women and children.

Akhilesh Yadav, the chief minister of the state, asked local police to ensure that the attackers are identified and arrested quickly.

The Noida-based man whose wife and minor daughter were gang-raped by highway robbers in Uttar Pradesh said on Monday that the family of three will commit suicide if police fail to give them justice in three months.