International Tiger Day 2016

Data say that the number of tigers the world have now, is the lowest of all time. The bright side of the study is that India is now home to half of the tiger population now and comprises 1706 tigers in its jungles. The total number of tigers now barely reaches 4000, which used to be 10,000 a century ago without reservation, roaming free in the wild, data released by World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature.

During the last century, the world has seen slaughtering, poaching, killing and the circumstances of weather and lifestyle changes into them, eliminating 97 percent of tigers. Also, between 2000 and 2014, authorities seized around 1590 parts of tigers across Asia, killed for several reasons, including medicinal purposes.

Reports are that among the nine species of tigers only six exist now. The extinct three species are, Bali Tigers, Caspian Tigers and Javan Tigers. The remaining species- Siberian Tigers, Bengal tigers, Indochinese tigers, Malayan tigers, Sumatran tigers, South China tigers are struggling hard to live.  

The Bengal tigers’ population is largest in the Sunderbans, the huge mangrove jungle, recently victim to several natural circumstances, leading trouble to the tigers too. Human interference is coupled with natural calamities, as both of the species are dependent on the jungle for their food and livelihood. According to WWF, the daily conflict, could result into extinction and wipe all the tigers in the next five years.

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In 2010, July 29 was first celebrated as the International Tiger Day in an international summit. The aim was to bring back the attention that the world is not left with much of the members of the species. The objective was set of this day to ‘protect and expand’ tigers with organizations like WWF, IFAW and Smithsonian Institute join hands to raise awareness.

On the International Tiger Day, conservationists urged tourists across the world not to click selfie with the captivated animals. Thailand's Tiger Temple has seen the maximum obsession of it, which was recently closed after ‘authorities found 40 dead tiger cubs in a freezer on-site.’

Organizations across the world have shared inspiring quotes and slogans, arranged awareness programs and body painting events today. Photography and collage exhibition are also made part of the initiative in parts of India to mark the day, sources said.

New Drug May Serve As A Boon In Treating Both Diabetes And Bone Loss

In what could serve as a boon to millions of people across the globe, researchers have developed a new class of compound that has shown promise in treating both diabetes and bone disease.

In addition to its more obvious ills, Type-2 diabetes is a condition closely associated with bone fractures, increasing the risk of fractures twofold. To make matters worse, certain anti-diabetic drugs further increase this risk, particularly in postmenopausal women, severely limiting their treatment options.

But the new dual-targeting drug candidate, referenced as “SR10171”, could treat both diabetes and bone disease. “SR10171 improves bone mass regardless of body mass index, normal to obese,” said co-lead researcher Patrick Griffin, professor at the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in the US.

The compound increases bone mass by protecting and increasing the activity of bone cells in various stages of normal bone maintenance, utilizing mechanisms that overlap those that regulate whole-body energy metabolism.

Over the past decade, Griffin and his colleague, TSRI Associate Professor Theodore Kamenecka, have focused on the details of molecules that increase sensitivity to insulin (a hormone that regulates blood sugar). Using newly discovered information, the researchers made significant advances in developing a family of drug candidates that target a receptor known as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors gamma (PPARγ), a key regulator of stem cells controlling bone formation and bone resorption and a master regulator of fat.

“So you could use such a drug to treat osteoporosis whether patients are diabetic or not,” Griffin added. The drug increases bone mass by expanding bone formation (deposition of new bone) and bone turnover (a normal process of replacement of old bone).

A proper balance of these two processes is critical to healthy bone maintenance, and this balance is frequently negatively affected in diabetic patients. In animal models treated with the compound, fat formation in the bone marrow was successfully blocked independent of their metabolic state (healthy or diabetic), showed the study published online in the journal EbioMedicine.

Dalit Writer Amrutlal Makwana Returns Award After Una Incident

Ahmedabad:  As a mark of protest against the thrashing of Dalit youths at Una, Dalit writer Amrutlal Makwana on Wednesday returned an award given by the Gujarat government.

The 44-year-old writer had received the Dasi Jeevan Shreshth Dalit Sahitya Kruti Award for 2012-13 for his work Kharapat Nu Dalit Lok Sahitya. Makwana returned the award, including Rs 25,000 cash, at Ahmedabad District Collector’s office. “I have also given a short letter to the authorities saying that I am returning this award out of grief and pain due to the treatment meted out to Dalit youths in Una,” he said. The letter is addressed to Chief Minister Anandiben Patel.

Makwana, a resident of Wadhwan town of Surendranagar district, further said, “Such incidents are occurring in Gujarat on a regular basis but the government is not doing enough to ensure that Dalits get justice.What happened at Mota Samadhiyala village of Gir-Somnath district was ghastly and barbaric. Such atrocities on Dalits are condemnable and it shook me to the core. Sadly, such incidents are happening around us regularly,” he said.

On July 11, some Dalit youths from Mota Samadhiyala who were skinning a dead cow were flogged by cow vigilantes, alleging that they had killed the cow. After a video of the incident went viral, it sparked off violent protests across Gujarat.

According to a report by Human Rights Watch, “Dalits and indigenous peoples (known as Scheduled Tribes or adivasis) continue to face discrimination, exclusion, and acts of communal violence. Laws and policies adopted by the Indian government provide a strong basis for protection, but are not being faithfully implemented by local authorities.”

Gaza to Introduce Short Term Jobs Program, Unemployment Rate Likely to Drop

Gaza City: Ahead of its disastrous employment rate, Palestinian Labor Minister Mamoun Abu Shahla has announced that the first phase of registration process of a short-term employment project will start soon. He had declared the initiative earlier this month and promised to hire more than 4000 university graduates and blue-collared laborers for positions suitable with their qualifications.

“The project’s first phase provides 4,000 jobs for graduates, blue-collar workers and technicians equally, each 2,000, in the health and education sectors and municipalities, as well as economic facilities affected by the 2014 Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip,” said the Labor Minister. He also clarified that the process of employment will be done by August 2016 after assessing the ministry’s employment priorities.

In May 2016, Shahla had vowed to fund the employment program every six month with 60 million shekels, i.e. equivalent to $23 million.  Reports are that the Palestine government will look for foreign funds in between, especially by Arab countries, to run the employment program in case of emergency and in order to development of the initiative.

Gaza has been announced to have the highest unemployment rate in the world by the World Bank last year. The economy of the small coastal country was even termed ‘on verge of collapse’ by them too. A data released by World Bank, it was said that 43% of Gaza's 1.8 million residents are unemployed. Number of child labor had equally elevated, with around 10,000 kids, aged between 10 and 17, have dropped schools and works to earn bread for the family.

According to sources, youth unemployment is likely to drop down with this initiative; as job seekers and university graduates will be introduced to job market with the initiative.

On the other hand, many see the initiative as a temporary solution and will not facilitate the country in long run. “The employment projects announced by the government are temporary. They do not achieve sustainable development, nor do they contribute effectively to resolving the unemployment problem. Yet, in light of the economic conditions and high unemployment rates, they temporarily contribute to finding jobs, which may give the graduates and unemployed a glimpse of hope to provide for themselves, if just for a limited time, “ said Maher Tabbah, media manager and public relations officer at Gaza Chamber of Commerce.  

Dengue Fever Grips Delhi: One Dead, 40 Cases In Last One Week

New Delhi: The dengue fever seems to be taking the national capital into its grip. A 17-year-old girl, Farheen, a resident of East Delhi has become the first victim of dengue in the state this year. Farheen reportedly succumbed to the vector-borne disease on June 21 after she was diagnosed of severe form of dengue called acute dengue syndrome. She died at the Lok Nayak Hospital, Delhi.

The dengue cases in Delhi have seen an 80 percent increase in the last week, which has put the health and municipal authorities on high alert. The national capital reported 40 dengue cases last week alone and the total number of such cases in the city now stands at 90, according to a Press Trust of India report. In July alone, 62 cases were reported, which has alarmed both the central and state governments.

The state government has decided to open dengue clinics on the lines of Mohalla clinics in the city, where the patients who show symptoms of dengue fever could be diagnosed and treated. According to Delhi municipality reports, the city witnessed a staggering 15,867 dengue cases in 2015, which was the highest incidence in 20 years. Nearly 60 people lost their lives due to the vector-borne disease.

The official figures stated that in 2015, the number of dengue cases in the months of June and July in Delhi stood at six and 36 respectively.

Dengue usually causes flu-like symptoms, including high fever (40°C/104°F) accompanied by severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pains, nausea, vomiting, swollen glands or rash. These symptoms last anywhere between two and seven days.

The union health ministry has called for demarcation of dengue patients from Delhi and those from the National Capital Region (NCR) by admitting them to separate wards in the hospitals.

Maharashtra Govt. Issued Notice to Totally Stop Offline Admission Process in Colleges

Mumbai: After the 16-year old Pushpa Suryavanshi killed herself for not getting a seat in her preferred college in spite of spending money, the Maharashtra state education ministry on Monday ‘has warned’ principals to stop offline admissions in colleges. The direction also urged the students to not accept admissions made through offline procedures.

The order also said that colleges still running an offline admission procedure, will be held questionable and principals will be held responsible for the entire process. Also, students who were not admitted through online admission process, will later be ‘barred’ from all the board examinations, said the notice, issued by the office of the deputy director of education (DYDE), Mumbai division.

In case of the already conducted offline admissions, according to DYDE, the colleges now have to return original documents, fees and photographs already collected from the students.

Reports are that Suryavanshi had secured 84 percent marks in the board examinations. “She hanged herself last Thursday for being denied admission into a college of her preference despite paying the ‘fees’,” said an investigating officer. Pushpa was a student of Sudhagad Education Society (SES) and wanted to continue higher studies from there. Following her death, Principal Iqbal Inamdar, who had promised Pushpa a seat in SES and has taken money from her, was arrested.

“The DYDE has now opened the admission process again for those who had not reported for admission after seat allocation. Thereafter, three special rounds will be conducted for students who had not applied, had filled in forms incorrectly and those who want to change their college or stream,” as a DYDE official has noted.

Following the direction, students continued to lodge their complaints in the DYDE office. While many complained about misleading information about preferences of colleges and admission procedure, the officials said that the students missed to fill their form properly, filling the criterions. “I had filled in the first five preferences properly as advised by the officials. But because we couldn’t submit an incomplete list, I filled in the rest of my preferences at random,” said a student. 

Marni Nixon – The Invisible Voice Behind My Fair Lady And West Side Story — Dies At 86

Los Angeles: On Sunday, American soprano and playback singer Margaret Nixon McEathron, commonly known as Marni Nixon died of breast cancer at the age of 86.

The singer appeared, uncredited, in many of the biggest movie musicals of all time — dubbing the voices for Deborah Kerr in The King and I, and Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady.

She also sang the high notes for Marilyn Monroe in Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend; and “ghosted” Natalie Wood's vocals on West Side Story.

For most of her career, the classically-trained musician remained unknown. Twentieth Century Fox made her sign a contract saying she would never reveal the ghost-singing on The King and I. The story only came out later, when Kerr herself credited Nixon’s work in a press interview.

The clandestine nature of her work led Time Magazine to dub Nixon “the ghostess with the moistest”.

The singer likened her work to that of a stuntman, and collaborated closely with the stars to perfect the screen illusion.

Kerr “wanted to look like she was really singing” Nixon told Washington Post “and wanted to be using the same muscles and the same stretches you do in expressions”.

Born in southern California, Margaret Nixon McEathron was an acclaimed musician both before and after her work in Hollywood.

She started playing violin at the age of four and began playing with Karl Moldrem’s Hollywood Baby Orchestra six months later. At 11, she won a singing contest at the LA County Fair and decided there and then to abandon the violin.

In 1947, the same year she dubbed her first film, she made her Hollywood Bowl solo debut in Carmina Burana under the baton of Leopold Stokowski.

By this stage, she had also dropped her “hard to pronounce” surname. “Kids at school called me Mac-Earthworm,” she said.

Her first job dubbing the voice of a film actress arrived when she was working in the post room at MGM film studios, as a way of covering the cost of her singing lessons. Nixon’s career in film started in 1948 when she sang the voices of the angels heard by Ingrid Bergman in Joan of Arc (1948). The same year, she did her first dubbing work when she provided Margaret O’Brien singing voice in 1948’s Big City and then 1949’s The Secret Garden.

Composer Bronislaw Kaper, who was working on the score for the film The Secret Garden, stopped her in the corridor and challenged her to sing a song in Hindi. The youngster obliged and her career was born.

But, despite appearing on more than 50 soundtracks, she only sang on screen once — as Sister Sophia, one of the nuns performing How Do You Solve a Problem like Maria? in The Sound Of Music.

In later years, Nixon appeared as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic, performed on Broadway and in opera houses and hosted the Emmy Award-winning children’s television show Boomerang.

She also taught at the California Institute of the Arts, and toured for many years with Liberace.

Nixon first had breast cancer in 1985, and wrote in her autobiography of the trauma of appearing on Broadway as chemotherapy caused her hair to fall out when the disease returned in 2000.

She was married three times — first to Ernest Gold, the film composer behind Exodus and On The Beach, with whom she had a son, Andrew Gold, who went on to compose the Golden Girls theme Thank You For Being A Friend.

Her second marriage, to Lajos Frederick Fenster, ended in divorce, while her third husband, Albert Block, died last year.

She is survived by three sisters, two daughters from her first marriage, six grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

8 Children Killed After School Van Collides With Train In Uttar Pradesh

Bhadohi: On Monday morning, eight school going children were killed after their van collided with a train in Bhadohi district of Uttar Pradesh.

The incident occurred at an unmanned level crossing near Madho Singh Railway station in the district. At least seven or eight other kids were also grievously injured in the incident and have been taken to a hospital in Varanasi. The van was carrying 19 children — all students of the Tender Heart School — to the school.

A report by India TV website said that the van hit Manduadih-Allahabad passenger train at an unmanned crossing in Mehandipur. Unmanned crossings are a major cause of accidents, which is why Railway authorities have taken steps to put up security around crossings. There are thousands of such crossings across the country, manned by gate men, or with at least a barrage or a gate. The Railways, however, have not yet been able to cover all the crossings, due to lack of funds and coordination amongst various departments. 

The police have reached the scene and an investigation has been launched. According to a report by Navbharat Times, the Railways had put a gangman in charge of manning the crossing. The man had been deployed by the police on contractual basis. The report further says that the man had indicated the driver of the van to stop, but the signal was missed by the driver, resulting in the accident.

Interior Cafe Night

Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Shernaz Patel, Naveen Kasturia, Shweta Basu Prasad

Director: Adhiraj Bose

Set in a quaint backdrop of a Kolkata café, Interior Cafe Night starts with showcasing the brilliant Naseeruddin Shah and veteran Shernaz Patel, who met after 30 long years. Another love story, played by Naveen Kasturia and Shweta Basu Prasad showcases a complete opposite tone of the story. The young couple is on the verge of their breakup.

The story starts with showing Naseeruddin in the café, who also owns it. Suddenly one fine morning, when the universe conspires to meet his with his lady love, Patel enters the café.  Patel has separated with Shah 30 years ago. The meeting revives all the feeling and the emotions buried for a time, ‘flooding back.’ The veteran protagonists’ eyes met, and we can see all that happened then, by shifting to the young couple sitting the next table.

The 12-minuite-long Interior Cafe Night, directed by Adhiraj Bose and distributed by YouTube channel LargeShortFilms, was released online earlier this week. The short film narrates two love stories in parallel.

Shweta Basu Prasad was seen on screen after ages. She worked last in Iqbal (2004) with Naseeruddin Shah. Naseeruddin gave the brilliant acting while Patel was a caring performer.

Adhiraj Bose’s direction is detailed and emphasized upon the expressions rather than dialogues. The nicely weaved silence, the lovers and their expressions, the small nods and the ambience in the café- all plays the character role in the movie.

Kanchenjunga National Park Gets UNESCO’s Mixed Heritage Site Tag, First of Its Kind in India

The Kanchenjunga National Park at west Sikkim in India is declared as a World Heritage Site in the 40^th session of the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The session was held in Istanbul, Turkey, earlier this month.

Along with Kanchenjunga National Park, India got two more sites recognized by UNESCO as cultural sites- the Capitol Complex in Chandigarh designed by architect Le Corbusier and the ancient Buddhist ruins of the Nalanda University in Bihar. With this, India became a country with 35 UNESCO certified sites, which includes 27 cultural and 7 natural sites.

The only mixed site in this list is Kanchenjunga National Park- fulfilling the criteria for both natural and cultural heritage.

The Kanchenjunga National Park, also Kanchenjunga Biosphere Reserve is a National Park and a Biosphere reserve is located at the Himalayan mountain range, covering about 1784 sq km. The park, ornamented with mountain Kanchenjunga, the third highest peak in the world, is full with ‘exquisite flora and fauna apart from the unique cultural features of the sacred landscape,’ as depicted by the UNESCO.

Kanchenjunga National Park is also home to several endangered species like snow leopard, musk deer, blood pheasant, Tibetan sheep and many others. The high-altitude lakes, springs and glaciers in this park are an addition to its glory.  

There are few trekking routes in this national park, all starting from Yuksom. One can reach to Kanchenjunga National Park by trekking.

Indian Air Force Assures Effort To Locate Missing AN-32 Aircraft

New Delhi: On Friday, the Indian air Force has said that it is trying its best to locate the AN-32 military passenger aircraft with 29 people on board after it went missing on its way to Port Blair from Chennai’s Tambram airport .

Anupam Banerjee, who serves as the PRO of Indian Air Force, said, “We will put every available asset which is with us to look for the aircraft and locate passengers.” “The aircraft was airborne at 8:30AM in morning. It was expected to reach Port Blair by 11:30 AM, however, as of now it is overdue,” he added.

Antonov An-32, a twin-engine turboprop military transport aircraft, was on a routine ‘courier flight’ flying at a height of 23000 feet and covering a total distance of 1375 Kilometer. “The last Radio Transmission contact was established around 8.46 AM,” he added.

Meanwhile, a massive search operation is underway led by IAF and assisted by Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard at the Bay of Bengal to locate the missing plane.

One P8I aircraft and one Dornier aircraft and four ships Karmukh, Gharual, Jyoti and Kuthar have been diverted to join in the search and rescue operations.

The National Ice Cream Month- July

The National Ice Cream Month, which is celebrated in the United States of America every year on July, was designated by President Ronald Reagan in 1984. Similarly, the third Sunday of July is celebrated as the National Ice Cream Day. 

Reports are that Americans consume more ice cream than any other country in the world. Almost 90 percent of the total USA population consumes ice cream and holds the food responsible for well being. President Reagan, in fact, insisted upon this point, saying that ice cream is ‘fun and nutritious’ and so the nation should ‘observe the event with appropriate ceremonies and activities.’ 

While the month is of great significance among Americans, the International Ice Cream Association (IICA) even could not resist the luring appeal of the food. IICA encourages consumers and retailers across the world to celebrate July as the Month for Ice Cream.

Apart from spreading happiness in the mid of the summer each year, the National Ice Cream Month equally facilitates the dairy industry. Reports are that around 10 percent of the milk, produced by the dairy farmers, gets used to make ice cream only in USA, which have significant contribution in the industry growth.

The National Ice-Cream Month in USA are celebrated by not only gorging into loads of ice cream cones and bars, TV shows, recipes in magazines, post on the social media platforms are few instances. Facebook and twitter pages gets special cover photos on them while daily update of sharing ice cream gets posted.

While most of the ice-cream retail store offers special discount and off, some even announce prizes on consuming certain amount of ice cream. Many celebrate making ice cream on their home and sharing it with friends and family. 

Ants Invented Farming 60 Million Years Ago After Ditching Hunter-Gatherer Lifestyle: Scientists

After the age of the dinosaurs came to an end some 65 million years ago, a ‘tribe’ of ants known to scientists as the Attini decided to give up life as hunter-gatherers and become farmers instead, according to a new genetic study.

It was an astonishing move that humans only managed to accomplish some 10,000 years ago.

The ants, native to South America, began farming fungus that grew on decomposing wood, setting off an evolutionary revolution.

About 25 million year ago, one group of fungus farmers began growing a particular fungi that produced protein-rich bulbs that proved a highly nutritious food.

A paper about the research, published in the journal Nature Communications, said that ants had evolved “complex societies with industrial-scale farming”.

This allowed ant colonies to increase in size until 15 million years ago when the leafcutter ant emerged. They feed a fully domesticated species of fungus kept in vast underground farms with fresh green leaves every day, supporting colonies number millions of individual insects.

The researchers sequenced the ants' entire genome to come up with their estimated date for the transition from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to farming among ants. 

They said their date of about 55 to 60 million years ago was earlier than previous estimates.

Curiously the move to farming was not immediately beneficial in both ants and humans.

The farmer ants were “metabolically less efficient” than ant species with traditional diets, a situation that remained the same until the farmers improved their techniques.

“Similarly, early human farmers of loosely domesticated crops had poorer health and smaller body stature compared with … hunter–gatherers (of that time),” the researchers wrote.

The final result was a single, all-purpose superfood that was resistant to diseases, pests and drought that the ants could produce on an industrial scale.

Namchi

A small and beautiful habitat in south Sikkim, Namchi or Namtse is known among the travelers for the lush green slopes, snow-capped Himalayan mountain range, roads ornamented with hair-pin curves , tea and momo stalls.

The name Namchi means ‘sky high’ in local language. The small town, located at 5,500 ft high from the sea level, is also the district headquarter of South Sikkim District and a religious and cultural hub.

The locals believe that a Sikkimese princess Pende Ongmoo was killed by the ruling Chogyal family, who then ruled both Sikkim and Ladakh. The place Pende Ongmoo was killed and cremated is believed to be present day Namchi.

How to visit: Namchi is very well connected by road. The nearest airport is 124 kms away from Gangtok and 190 kms from Mangan. Helicopter services are available to connect Namchi and Gangtok. One can avail cars, jeep or buses, both luxury and route buses to reach the small mountain-enveloped town.

Nearest rail station is New Jalpaiguri, commonly called NJP. NJP is well connected by train with all major cities of India.

If one wants to visit Namchi by road, it is a good option. The roads are good plus resting places are available.  While Gangtok is located at a distance of 124 km, Kalimpong is 49 km away and Darjeeling is situated at a distance of 45 km. Namchi is accessible from Gangtok, Yukosom and Pelling through NH31A by bus and car. One can hire a car or simply avail share taxis to reach Namchi. Bookings for bus are done at SNT terminus, Siliguri.

When to visit: The best time to visit the picturesque Namchi is summer, between March and October.

Places to visit: Apart from the natural properties, one can visit the Namchi Monastery, Temi tea garden and Guru Padmasambhava Statue, Darjeeling, Pelling, Gangtok and Kalimpong when touring Namchi. Namchi helipad, Chardham Complex and Namchi Rock Garden are few other places of interest.

Places to stay: Namchi is full with hotels, rest houses and home stays. Start hotels are not available at the small town, but several budget hotels and mid-range hotels are available here. Namchi have ample number of eateries and restaurants with delicious range of momos, noodles and pork meat items.

Rohit Khandelwal Becomes Mr World 2016, Becomes First Asian To Do So

Southport: Mr India Rohit Khandelwal has won the Mr World 2016 title at the ceremony held at the Southport Theatre & Convention Centre in Southport (UK) on Tuesday, thereby becoming not only the first Indian, but also the first Asian to bag the coveted title.

The 26-year-old model and actor hails from Hyderabad. An excited Rohit said, “I feel so privileged and humbled to be Mr World 2016. I would like to thank all my fans and all the people who have been giving me all their blessings. It is only your love and support that has been my inspiration to win Mr World 2016. It has been an amazing journey to this point, and I cannot wait to see what happens next.”

Rohit defeated 45 other finalists to win the title and a prize money of $50,000. Rohit was handed the mantle from last edition’s winner, Mr World 2014, Nicklas Pedersen of Denmark.

Among the fasttrack events, Rohit won the Multimedia award. Rafał Jonkisz of Poland won the Talent award, Tristan Harper of Scotland won the Extreme Fitness Challenge award, Chang Zhousheng of China PR won the Style & Fashion award and Christopher Bramell won the Sport Challenge award.

The first runner-up was 21-year-old Fernando Alvarez from Puerto Rico while 26-year-old Aldo Esparza Ramirez from Mexico was declared the second runner-up. Christopher Bramell of England and Kevin Owiti of Kenya were the other two countries in top five. Brazil (Lucas Montandon), China PR (Chang Zhousheng), El Salvador (David Arias), Poland (Rafał Jonkisz) and Scotland (Tristan Harper) rounded off the top ten.

Rohit worked as ground staff for SpiceJet and as a technical support assistant at Dell before beginning his journey in tinsel town.

TV show Yeh Hai Aashiqui marked his small screen debut. He also featured in Million Dollar Girl and Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya, MTV Big F.

In 2015, he won the Mr India 2015 contest held on July 23rd, 2015 at Club Royalty in Mumbai, India He also won two special awards at the contest — Stay-On Mr Active and Provogue Personal Care Best Actor.

 Mr World 2016 was the ninth edition of Mr World, which was started in 1998. It is biennial in nature, that is, it takes place every two years, although sometimes the gap has been more than two years. Previous winners includes  Belgium (1996), Venezuela (1998), Uruguay (2000), Brazil (2003), Spain (2007), Ireland (2010), Colombia (2012) and Denmark (2014).

Traditionally, Mister World lives in London during his reign, so Rohit is expected to spend the next year in London.

UK Minister Priti Patel Promises to Create Jobs in Developing Countries

London: In a recent development, Priti Patel, the Indian-origin cabinet minister of the United Kingdom (UK), had vowed to introduce millions of jobs and work in the developing countries, in order to deepen its international ties and partnerships.

Patel, 44, is the senior-most Indian-origin minister of Prime Minister Theresa May’s government that came into action last week.

“We will continue to tackle the great challenges of our time - poverty, disease and the causes of mass migration, while helping to create millions of jobs in countries across the developing world - our trading partners of the future,” said Patel in her first speech in office on Friday, at the Department for International Development (DfID) office in Whitehall, London.

Reports are that Patel was one of the active supporters of Brexit and had campaigned for Britain to leave the European Union (EU). However, her plans of creating jobs were referred to put into operation the Brexit strategy through her new ministry.

While Brexit turned into the most talked-about topic at the end of June this year, Priti seemed indifferent due to the changes.

She emphasized the phase of the country as ‘a more outward looking Britain than ever before, deepening our international partnerships to secure our place in the world by supporting economic prosperity, stability and security overseas’. Priti is likely to aid national interest and had pledged to ‘keep her promises made to the poorest people of the world.’

Apologize Or Face Trial For Saying “RSS Killed Gandhi”, Supreme Court tells Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: On Tuesday, the Supreme Court asked Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi to express regret for his comments holding the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) responsible for Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination or be ready to face a defamation trial.

While hearing a defamation case filed against Rahul Gandhi, the Supreme Court asked the 46-year-old politician, “Why did you make a sweeping statement against the RSS branding everyone associated with the organization in the same brush.” “You can’t make wholesale denunciation of an organization,” the court added.

The incident comes just a few days after Rahul Gandhi thanked the Supreme Court for teaching Prime Minister Narendra Modi a lesson in democracy.

While addressing a public rally ahead of the national election in 2014, Rahul allegedly said, “RSS people killed Gandhiji and their people talk of Gandhiji.” Rajesh Kunte, Secretary of RSS unit at Bhiwandi, filed criminal complaint against Gandhi, alleging that the Cingress Party leader had made this remark for electoral gains.

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of criminal defamation laws in India. The matter of criminal defamation brought together an unlikely cast of characters including BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Gandhi, who argued that criminal defamation laws curtail free speech.

A bench of Justices Dipak Misra and R F Nariman refused Rahul’s request for two-week adjournment and posted the matter for hearing on July 27. Rahul wanted two week’s time saying his counsel Kapil Sibal is not free before that. The court said that this is no ground for adjournment and posted the matter for July 27, saying no further postponement of hearing would be allowed. Rahul had moved the Supreme Court in May 2015 for quashing the criminal case lodged against him for his comments against the RSS during the 2014 rally.

Afghan Refugee Shot Dead After Slashing Attack On German Train

Wuerzburg: German police have shot dead a young Afghan refugee after he attacked passengers on a train with an axe and a knife, seriously wounding three people. Another 14 people were being treated for shock.

Several others were also hurt in the attack on a train on Monday night near the southern city of Wuerzburg, police said, adding the teenager was killed as he tried to flee.

Joachim Herrmann, the interior minister of Bavaria state, said the attacker was a 17-year-old Afghan who had lived in nearby Ochsenfurt. “He suddenly attacked passengers with a knife and an axe, critically injuring several. Some of them may now be fighting for their lives,” Herrmann said.

Among those injured were four people from Hong Kong, according to the South China Morning Post.  The alleged attacker’s motivation is still unclear.

The incident is likely to deepen worries about so-called “lone wolf” attacks in Europe, and could put political pressure on German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Bavaria is governed by the Christian Social Union (CSU), sister party to Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats. Merkel’s popularity has rebounded recently but the attack in Bavaria is likely to revive political tensions.

Germany welcomed about one million refugees in 2015, including thousands of unaccompanied minors. Many were fleeing war in countries such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

The attack happened around 1915 GMT on the train, which runs between Treuchlingen and Wuerzburg in Bavaria.

In May, a mentally-unstable 27-year-old man carried out a similar knife attack on a train in southern Germany, killing one person and injuring three others. He is being held in a psychiatric hospital.

Qandeel Baloch’s Brother Confesses Honour Killing

Islamabad: The brother of Pakistani social media star Qandeel Baloch has been arrested for her murder, confessing he strangled her for “honour”.

Waseem Azeem was arrested in Dera Ghazi Khan in central Pakistan, having earlier fled the family home and murder scene, late on Saturday. “Yes, of course I strangled her,” he told journalists in a press conference arranged by the police early on Sunday. “I have no regrets.” He said that he acted alone and was “not embarrassed at all” because his sister’s behaviour “was completely intolerable”. “She was on the ground floor while our parents were asleep on the rooftop,” he said. “It was around 10.45 PM when I gave her a tablet ... and then killed her.”

Azhar Ikram, the police chief in Multan, where Baloch was killed, said: “Wasim confessed to his crime, saying he killed his sister for honour after her recent objectionable videos, mostly posted on Facebook.”

Baloch, whose real name was Fauzia Azeem, rose to fame for her provocative social media posts that saw her praised by some for breaking social taboos but condemned by conservatives.

On her final, July 4 post to her Facebook page, which has almost 800,000 fans, she wrote: “I am trying to change the typical orthodox mindset of people who don’t wanna come out of their shells of false beliefs and old practices.”

Baloch first rose to prominence in 2013 when she participated in season one of Pakistan Idol. She was rumored to be one of the contestants from the upcoming season ten of Bigg Boss.

The 26-year-old model, actress, feminist activist and social media celebrity faced frequent misogynist abuse and death threats but continued to post.

Earlier this year, Baloch offered to strip if the Pakistani cricket team beat India.

She also posed for selfies with a high-profile Muslim cleric in an incident that saw him swiftly rebuked by the country’s religious affairs ministry. 

Before her death Baloch spoke of worries about her safety and had appealed to the interior ministry to provide her with security for protection. No help was provided and the interior ministry has not commented on her death.

She was killed on Friday night at her family’s home near Multan. The killing sent shockwaves across Muslim Pakistan and triggered an outpouring of grief on social media for Baloch.

More than 500 people, mostly women, die in Pakistan each year in such killings, usually carried out by members of the victim's family meting out punishment for bringing “shame” on the community.

Man Fights To Keep Pizza-Eating Pet Alligator

A man says he will do whatever it takes to keep his pet alligator after Florida wildlife officials told him it was too big to roam in his garden.

Gwendolyn, a 47-year-old alligator who lives in Miami, isn’t your typical swamp-dwelling reptile.

The 13-foot-long creature munches on cookies, pizza and even went to college with his owner, according to WSVN. He doesn’t live in the wild, but in David Van Buren’s Coconut Grove backyard.

The pet gator has lived with Van Buren for nearly five decades, according to the report. But life for the animal – much like his scaly skin – can be rough.

At 13 feet, Gwendolyn has become too large to roam around Van Buren’s yard, state wildlife officials said. In order for Gwendolyn to continue swimming in his backyard pool, Van Buren would have to make changes to his property, according to the report.

Gwendolyn isn’t the first pet gator who’s run into trouble because of his size. Rambo, a pet gator belonging to Mary Thorn, encountered problems when wildlife officials said the reptile had grown too large to stay indoors. According to Florida Fish and Wildlife officials, a six-feet-long pet alligator is required by law to have 2.5 acres of land at its disposal, the Orlando Sentinal reports.

Rambo’s situation is wrought with complications because of light sensitivity issues that make it difficult for him to be outdoors for too long, the report says. Thorn combats the problem by making sure Rambo wears sunscreen and isn’t outside for long stretches of time.  

Like Gwendolyn, Rambo also has some interesting quirks. The six-foot long gator rides on the back of a motorcycle and even wears clothes.

Diabetes Mellitus In India Likely To Hit 79.4 Million By 2030: Doctors

The incidence of diabetes mellitus, a chronic, lifelong condition that affects the body’s ability to use the energy found in food, is likely to increase 79.4 million in India, a 15 percent increase from the current 31.7 million, said doctors.

They also said apart from India the cases are also rising in other parts of the world with the figures likely to touch 366 million by 2030 from 171 million a decade ago.

According to doctors, pregnant women of today’s era are highly prone to suffer from Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM), if they have obesity before marriage and also are above 25 years of age.

Rajesh Khadgawat, Additional Professor of Endocrinology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences(AIIMS) said, “Gestational diabetes can be very hard on women as the burden of diabetes on women is unique, because it can affect both mothers and their unborn children. Diabetes can cause difficulties during pregnancy such as a miscarriage or a baby born with birth defects.”

According to AIIMS, GDM has increased by 16 to 27 percent in several race, ethnicity groups during the past 20 years.

Explaining the condition better, Ajay Aggarwal, endocrinologist from Fortis Hospital said, “The placenta (a flattened circular organ in the uterus of pregnant) supports the baby as it grows. Hormones from the placenta help the baby develop. But these hormones also block the action of the mother's insulin in her body. This problem is called insulin resistance. Insulin resistance makes it hard for the mother's body to use insulin. She may need up to three times as much insulin.”

In another study, Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has said the prevalence of gestational diabetes is as high as 9.2 percent.

Gestational diabetes starts when body is not able to make and use all the insulin it needs for pregnancy. Without enough insulin, glucose cannot leave the blood and be changed to energy.