Author Archives: Naresh Kumar

Michelle Obama lashes out at Trump, overshadows Joe Biden, Kamala at 2020 Convention

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Wearing a viral DNC ‘V-O-T-E’ necklace, Michelle Obama brought to the Democratic National convention Monday an entirely new twist to lash out at President Donald Trump with her fiery speech that obliterated the candidates.

Urging Americans to vote for Joe Biden, she said, he “is not perfect,” but “there is no perfect candidate, no perfect president… His ability to learn and grow — we find in that the kind of humility and maturity that so many of us yearn for right now.”

Reiterating the popular contention that things cannot go worse than what they are, she reminded the US voters that “if you think things cannot possibly get worse, trust me, they can — and they will if we don’t make a change in this election.”

Overshadowed Joe Biden, Kamala Harris

The former First Lady said in a pre-recorded two-hour video address, “If we have any hope of ending this chaos, we have to vote for Joe Biden like our lives depend on it.” She said the country had been “living with the consequences” of the 2016 election and reminded that apathy to vote for right candidate results in disaster.

The widely popular message caught up with Republicans who described it as overshadowing the main candidates — Joe Biden and Kamala Harris — in the 2020 Democratic National Convention. In fact, the message has obliterated all the negative views which may have gone in among the democrats since the selection of Kamala Harris and not other candidates in waiting.


“Whenever we look to this White House for some leadership or consolation or any semblance of steadiness, what we get instead is chaos, division, and a total and utter lack of empathy,” Michelle Obama said, defending the choice of candidates for Presidential race this time.

Divided Nation

Ever since the coronavirus pandemic started “people shouting in grocery stores, unwilling to wear a mask to keep us all safe has made the children of this country torn apart by “torch-bearing white supremacists,” she reminded them. “Sadly, this is the America that is on display for the next generation,” she said. “That’s not just disappointing; it’s downright infuriating.”

“He cannot meet this moment. He simply cannot be who we need him to be for us. It is what it is,” she said sending out a unity call stating that “we live in a nation that is deeply divided,” she reminded.”

Reiterating her infamous 2016 slogan, she said, “when they go low, we go high” and redefined going high means harder path and standing fierce against hatred, unlocking the shackles of lies and mistrust. Finally, she declared that “Donald Trump is the wrong president for our country.”

 

Trump targets Kamala Harris under oft-rejected ‘natural-born’ citizenship row

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US President Donald Trump, who had once brushed aside Newsweek as a source of fakenews has embraced its dubiously opinionated article alleging that Kamala Harris, the Vice Presidential candidate of Joe Biden Kamala is not a natural-born citizen of the United States.

The Newsweek column was aimed at repeating the same old argument leveled against Barack Obama when he contested for the Presidential election in 2008 and Trump was among those who rallied behind it on social media. In fact, he had brought it up several times during his 2016 campaign but in vain. But it smacks of his prejudice against the natural born citizens from the immigrant parents.

What Does US Constitution Say?

In order to become the President or Vice President of the United States, a person must be a natural-born citizen under Section 1 of Article 2 of the US Constitution. Under the 14th Amendment, it clearly states: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.”

The Newsweek article takes exception under the tweaked argument that the Amendment does not confer citizenship on everyone born in the US. During the elections, this old argument has often been revived to weaken the candidates and Obama in 2008 was a victim while Kamala Harris stands to witness the same in 2020. However, the poll outcome has remained neutral to such last-ditch efforts by already weakened opponents.

The column by John C. Eastman, a law professor at Chapman University, sought revive the old argument that undocumented immigrants aren’t subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. and hence, their children though born in the US are not citizens. However, this argument was repeatedly rejected by federal courts and no legal luminary can take shelter to push forward such controversy.

Nervous Trump Camp?

Trump himself proposed such false claim against Obama that he was not born in Hawaii, but rather in Kenya, though he had to withdraw it later. The US Constitution holds the view that anyone born in the country — even if the parents are undocumented immigrants — is a citizen. And that stands unarguably for Kamala Harris, who is set to become the Vice President for sure as Trump camp is dwindling under pressure to prepare for a defeat.

In another article that appeared in Newsweek debate, UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh takes an entirely different view and supports Harris’ citizenship, with citations from the Constitution and the legal interpretation of it in William Rawle’s 1825 treatise on the Constitution. Rawle, who was a lawyer when  the US Constitution was being framed, and served as the federal prosecutor in Pennsylvania during the Washington and Adams administrations, said that “every person born within the United States, …whether the parents are citizens or aliens, is a natural-born citizen.”

 

It’s Official: Kamala Harris Becomes Joe Biden’s pick for Vice President

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As expected, Joe Biden has chosen Kamala Harris, the voice for coloured people as well as Indian Americans and prominent senator from California, as his Vice President running mate, setting the speculations to rest on Tuesday. Her selection is likely to send shockwaves even among her own followers and India as well.

Harris, who was among those who pitched for Presidential race but withdrew later faced off Joe Biden in the 2020 first primary debate on racial issues. Her views, however, stood the ground that Biden has chosen her as she represents not onl the Indian-origin community but also the Black due to her descent.

Kamala’s grandfather was from Chennai who had participated in India’s freedom movement and later served as a senior diplomat when India attained independence. Moreover, she would be the first woman American vice president, if elected.

Harris represents the racial diversity that Biden wanted prominently to reassure the huge number of voters when the Black Lives Matter movement is knocking the very roots of the United states political system despite the vicious Covid-19 is downrating the country’s economy. Kamala Harris, 55, will be 22 years younger to Biden, who would be the oldest president-elect in U.S. history.

22 Years Younger

“You make a lot of important decisions as president. But the first one is who you select to be your Vice President. I’ve decided that Kamala Harris is the best person to help me take this fight to Donald Trump and Mike Pence and then to lead this nation starting in January 2021,” Biden wrote in an email from his campaign to supporters. “I need someone working alongside me who is smart, tough, and ready to lead. Kamala is that person,” he wrote. “I need someone who understands the pain that so many people in our nation are suffering. Whether they’ve lost their job, their business, a loved one to this virus.”

“This president says he ‘doesn’t want to be distracted by it.’ He doesn’t understand that taking care of the people of this nation — all the people — isn’t a distraction — it’s the job,” Biden continued. “Kamala understands that. I need someone who understands that we are in a battle for the soul of this nation. And that if we’re going to get through these crises — we need to come together and unite for a better America. Kamala gets that.”

In her reply, Kamala Harris tweeted, “can unify the American people because he’s spent his life fighting for us. And as president, he’ll build an America that lives up to our ideals. I’m honored to join him as our party’s nominee for Vice President, and do what it takes to make him our Commander-in-Chief.”

Joint Campaign Ahead

Both Biden and Harris will appear together at the campaign from Biden’s hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, on Wednesday.

Harris, a native of Oakland, California, and the child of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, worked as attorney general, closely with Biden’s late son, Beau Biden, when he was Delaware’s attorney general, particularly in challenging big banks amid the housing crisis. She also wrote a book, “The Truths We Hold: An American Journey,” where she revealed how she worked with Beau Biden.

Though Miami debate left behind a bad taste in their views, which Trump immediately tried to focus on. Soon after the announcement, at a White House press conference, Trump said Harris was “nasty” and “disrespectful” to Biden during the primary. “She was nasty to a level that was just a horrible thing, the way she was,” Trump said. “I won’t forget that soon.”

However, after she left the race, Harris had extended her full support to the Biden campaign, holding joint fundraisers and roundtables around issues like the racial disparities in coronavirus cases and protecting the Affordable Care Act. In a June she went on successfully raising $3.5 million for the campaign.

Kamala Opposed India’s Policies

However, back home in India, her selection and possibility to become the US Vice President may send shockwaves as she was among those who opposed New Delhi’s policies in Jammu and Kashmir and revocation of autonomy.

She has reportedly said: “We have to remind the Kashmiri people that they are not alone in the world. We are keeping track on the situation. There is a need to intervene if the situation demands.” Notably, Harris was among the India-origin Democrats, barring Raja Krishnamoorthy, who boycotted the Howdy Modi event in Texas.

When Biden wins the November Presidential election, it will be pertinent for Indian forign minister and the Indian diplomats to work their way through to meet her expectations, especially on Jammu and Kashmir issue.

Mega Millions: No winner for Tuesday numbers July 28, 2020, Next Jackpot Friday at $22 Million Now

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The Mega Million Lottery Winning numbers for the draw held at 11 p.m. ET are — 17,20,27,31,34, and Gold Ball 19, with megaplier at 4X. The prize amount for Tuesday’s lottery is $20 Million and the cash option is for $16.2 Million but there is no winner of these jackpot numbers pushing the amount to 422 million for the next draw on Friday, July 31, 2020.

Mega Millions lottery game holds its draw every Tuesday and Friday. The last game on Friday, July 24, 2020, had the jackpot prize of Mega Millions lottery at $124 Million and the cash option was for $100.8 Million. It was won in New Jersey and the ticket was sold in Bayonne. So far, the state of New jersy won two jackpots this year.

Mega Millions lottery as mentioned earlier was drawn on Friday, July 24, 2020 and the winning numbers were 8, 33, 39, 54, 58, besides the Mega Ball number 17. The jackpot prize amount was $124 Million and the cash option is $100.8 Million. Prior to it, on June 9, 2020, a jackpot of $414 million ($319.9 million cash) was won by an anonymous player in Glendale, Ariz, and on February 11, 2020, a jackpot of $202 million ($142.6 million cash) was won for a ticket sold in Edison, N.J.

How to play Mega Millions game?

If you are interested in playing the Mega Millions lottery you need to purchase a ticket from a licensed lottery retailer. Ticket sales deadlines vary according to jurisdiction, usually one or two hours before the draw. After purchasing the lottery, you need to choose five numbers from one to 70 for the white balls and then you need to choose one number between 1 and 25 for the gold Mega Ball. Players have the option of choosing the number themselves or the lottery terminal will select them randomly for them.

Cost of the Mega Millions Lottery ticket

The price of the Mega Millions ticket is $2 per play. You can add the Megaplier to the Mega Millions lottery ticket by paying an additional $1. The Megaplier number is randomly selected just before the draw and it will range from X2, X3, X4, or X5. If a player wins a prize using the Megaplier their prize will be multiplied based on this configuration. The Megaplier number is chosen from a pool of 15 balls — 5 of them marked with X2, six with X3, while 3 of them with X4, and just 1 will have X5.

Here’s a hilarious video from film ‘Lootcase’ set for release on July 31

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Fox Star Hindi’s upcoming film Lootcase has been making a lot of buzz ever since the trailer was released. As the film nears its release, the makers have been sharing hilarious promos with the most recent one being Gajraj Rao’s character MLA Patil as Uday Bhai from the film ‘Welcome.’

Gajraj Rao shared the video on his social media with a tweaked version of Nana Patekar’s famous dialog from the film and said, “Just like Uday bhai, MLA Patil ke paas bhagwaan ka diya hua sab kuch hai – daulat hai, shohrat hai, izzat hai. Par suitcase?

Watch #Lootcase on @DisneyplusHSVIP from July 31 to find out! @DailyWelcomePic”

Lootcase has a stellar star cast of Kunal Kemmu, Rasika Dugal, Gajraj Rao, Vijay Raaz, and Ranvir Shorey. As Lootcase nears its release, the excitement for the Kunal Kemmu starrer is getting higher and to ensure the same, the makers have been releasing dialog promos and songs from the film.

The most recent dialog promo shows Vijay Raaz talking to his goons about how to flush out someone by using an example that his subordinates don’t understand. Following which he asks them if they subscribed to Nat Geo or not.

Fox star shared the promo on their social media with the caption, “Yeh Junglee Don kaunsi Bhaasha bol raha hai? Lagta hai Nat Geo ka subscription lena hi hoga! See the Youtube bit here:

The story revolves around Nandan Kumar, a middle class family man who finds a suitcase with ?10 Crores in a lonely desolate market on his way back from his night shift. However, the dark past of the suitcase catches up and what happens next— Does he fight or take the survival flight?

Get ready to laugh out loud with this one on July 31 on Disney+ Hotstar

 

Tiny Dinosaur claim by Chinese Scientists in March Proved Wrong, could be lizard; Nature retracts paper

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A diminutive bird-like skull, exquisitely preserved in amber for almost 100 million years, did not belong to the smallest dinosaur ever discovered. It was probably a lizard. The skull was believed to offer a whole new lineage of birds, but the paper was retracted on Monday.

The story on tiny dinosaur, its skull measuring only 7.1mm long, smaller than the bee hummingbird, was  reported by Prof Jingmai O’Connor and his team members referred to the specimen as “Teenie Weenie”.

When questioned whether it was a bird or a dinosaur, Prof O’Connor then told media that the lines were extremely blurry. “We think it’s a bird – the skull has a shape that only occurs in birds and some dinosaurs. However there are no skull characteristics that define birds, therefore it could be a dinosaur or even something else,” she said. “It’s the weirdest fossil I’ve ever been lucky enough to study.”

Co-author Dr Luis Chiappe, from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, said: “It’s lucky this tiny creature was preserved in amber, as such small, fragile animals aren’t common in the fossil record.”

Retracted Now

New findings revealed that it did not belong to the smallest dinosaur ever discovered. “I agree we were wrong and an unpublished specimen will eventually prove it,” palaeontologist and study author Jingmai O’Connor told Retraction Watch, though she disagreed with the choice to retract the paper. New evidence suggests that the specimen, trapped in amber in what is now Myanmar nearly 100 million years ago, might actually be a lizard.

The authors of the paper, published in Nature on 11 March, say that their original description of the fossil — a bird-like skull less than 2 centimetres long, its mouth packed with dozens of teeth — is still accurate but its classification as a dinosaur is incorrect.

This fossil trapped in amber was thought to be a dinosaur but is likely a lizard.Credit: Lida Xing

The new data “do definitively say that we were wrong”, says O’Connor, a palaeontologist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing, who co-led the now-retracted study.

Andrea Cau, a vertebrate palaeontologist in Parma, Italy,  said the fossil has several characteristics typical of lizards that have never before been seen in a bird-like fossil from that era. “The idea that it was instead a lizard could not be excluded,” said Cau who is not surprised by the retraction, and notes that reclassifications, especially of incomplete fossil specimens from unknown groups, are not uncommon in the field.

Although the fossil is no longer thought to be the smallest-known dinosaur, O’Connor and Cau both believe that it is still compelling because of its unusual combination of features. “The specimen is still very interesting to science,” O’Connor said.

Mexico cave stone tools hint Americans arrived much earlier, say 30,000 years ago

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A massive haul of stone tools discovered in a cave in Mexico provide evidence that people occupied the area more than 30,000 years ago, suggesting that humans arrived in North America at least 15,000 years earlier than had been previously thought. The discovery is backed up by a separate statistical analysis incorporating data from sites in North America and Siberia.

But some researchers are not convinced. They question the age of the tools, and whether the artefacts are tools or rather created by natural processes. Data from caves are “notoriously troublesome” to interpret, says archaeologist François Lanoë from the University of Arizona in Tucson.

First Humans in America

The first humans in the Americas came from East Asia, but when the date of their arrival remains still debatable. Some researchers suggest that it could have been as early as 130,000 years ago, but lacking the archaeological evidence, this theory is disputed. Many stone artefacts are so simple that sceptics say they were probably produced by natural geological processes and not by humans.

The mainstream consensus is that the people ff the Americas began about 15,000 or 16,000 years ago — based on genetic evidence and artefacts found at sites including the 14,000-year-old Monte Verde II in Chile.  The latest discoveries, published on 22 July in Nature, question that consensus.

New evidence from Chiquihuite Cave in Mexico joins other sites across the Americas where scientists have found signs of early human occupation (kyr, a thousand years ago) / Nature

Since 2012, a team led by Ciprian Ardelean at the Autonomous University of Zacatecas in Mexico has been excavating Chiquihuite Cave in Astillero Mountains. The researchers found 2,000 stone tools, 239 of which were embedded in layers of gravel that have been carbon dated to between 25,000 and 32,000 years old.

Caves Occasional Camps

There are some tools that Ardelean thinks suggest the site could have been visited only occasionally, perhaps as a refuge every few decades, during severe winters. At the height of the last ice age, 26,000 years ago, North America would have been a dangerous place. “There must have been horrible storms, hail, snow,” he says. He adds that the Chiquihuite Cave is well insulated and could have provided shelter to any humans who were around to witness the blizzards.

Other controversial studies claim that humans reached Americas 100,000 years earlier than thought but the analysis was disputed pointing out that it purposely omitted information from the most controversial sites, to make its case stronger. If there were people in North America so early, it’s unclear what happened to them.

“There continues to be no convincing genetic evidence of a pre-15,000-years-ago human presence in the Americas,” says geneticist David Reich at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts

However, Ardelean says there is a simple reason why genetic studies suggest that humans spread across the Americas only relatively recently, and early groups such as the one he thinks was present at Chiquihuite Cave didn’t survive to contribute to modern gene pools. “I definitely advocate for the idea of lost groups,” he says.

Pune-based Serum Institute of India seeks regulator’s nod to produce Oxford Vaccine for Covid-19

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As the coronavirus vaccine being developed by Oxford university and AstraZeneca enters the third phase of the trials, Serum Institute of India (SII) is geared up to procure a licence from the Indian regulator to start clinical trials in the country in a week’s time.

Serum Institute of India, the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world, and a partner in the Oxford vaccine project has already been chosen by AstraZeneca to manufacture the vaccine once it is ready. “The trials have shown promising results and we are extremely happy about it. As soon as they grant us permission, we will begin with the trials for the vaccine in India,” said Serum Institute’s CEO Adar Poonawalla. “In addition, we will soon start manufacturing the vaccine in large volumes.”

The Pune-based Serum Institute of India has been mandated to produce at least a billion doses of the vaccine and the production may start before the final nod as the volume is too large and required urgently in view of no other vaccine showing promising results as Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine owing to its o serious side effects and elicited antibody and T-cell immune responses.

WHO Cautious

The trial results published in The Lancet medical journal, showed that it was tested on 1,077 healthy adults aged 18-55 years with no history of COVID-19. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has welcomed progress made in developing vaccines but warned there was still much work to be done. While the Oxford vaccine undergoes final stage trial in Brazil, other vaccines are making inroads in different stages of trial.

Apart from Oxford vaccine, India has already started Covaxin, indigenously developed vaccine for COVID-19, developed by the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech in collaboration with ICMR and the National Institute of Virology, has been given the nod for human clinical trials from the Drugs Controller General of India.

As per the deal, Serum Institute of India is hoping to produce the first 400 million doses before the end of 2020.

India Coronavirus cases reach 17,265, death toll stands at 543 as of 20th April

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A total of 17,265 confirmed cases are reported for COVID-19 in the country and a total of 543 deaths have been reported so far. Among those infected, 2,547 persons or 14.75 % of total cases have been cured or discharged after recovery, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in its daily bulletin.

The doubling rate of COVID-19 cases calculated using growth over the past seven days indicates that India’s doubling rate for the week before lockdown was 3.4 and has improved to 7.5 as on 19th April, 2020 (for the last seven days). The 18 States that have shown improvement in doubling rate as compared to the national average, as on 19th April are:

Doubling rate: Less than 20 days 
Delhi (UT)- 8.5 days
Karnataka- 9.2 days
Telangana- 9.4 days
Andhra Pradesh- 10.6 days
J&K (UT)- 11.5 days
Punjab- 13.1 days
Chhattisgarh – 13.3 days
Tamil Nadu- 14 days
Bihar- 16.4 days
Doubling rate: Between 20 days to 30 days:
A&N (UT) – 20.1 days
Haryana – 21 days
Himachal Pradesh – 24.5 days
Chandigarh (UT)- 25.4 days
Assam – 25.8 days
Uttarakhand – 26.6 days
Ladakh (UT) – 26.6 days
Doubling rate: More than 30 days:
Odisha – 39.8 days
Kerala – 72.2 days.
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All COVID-19 patients in Goa were discharged from hospital after recovery, and now Goa has no active case. Three districts – Mahe (Puducherry), Kodaggu (Karnataka) & Pauri Garhwal (Uttrakhand) have also not reported any fresh cases during the last 28 days. There are now 59 additional districts from 23 States/UTs that have not reported any fresh cases during the last 14 days. The six new districts in this list include — Dungarpur & Pali in Rajasthan, Jamnagar and Morbi in Gujarat, North Goa in Goa and Gomati in Tripura.

Meanwhile, the ministry has advised its officers and officials to take strict precautionary measures in containing the spread of the virus. They must:

  • Use reusable/ cloth face cover;
  • Strictly follow disinfection protocols;
  • Frequently wash hands with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand rub/ sanitizers;
  • Maintain adequate distance between each other; and
  • Avoid the gathering of 5 or more people;

How to take care of children during coronavirus? WHO issues guidelines

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued new guidelines to take care of children at home and in schools from transmission of the COVID-19 virus with critical considerations and practical checklists and also advised national and local authorities on how to adapt and implement emergency plans for educational facilities.

Issued jointly with the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) and UNICEF, the guidelines stated that in case of school closures efforts be taken to mitigate against the possible negative impacts on children’s learning and health, including plans in place to ensure the continuity of learning, including remote learning options such as online education strategies and radio broadcasts of academic content, and access to essential services for all children.

If schools remain open, the guidance calls for:

  • Providing children with information about how to protect themselves;
  • Promoting best handwashing and hygiene practices and providing hygiene supplies;
  • Cleaning and disinfecting school buildings, especially water and sanitation facilities; and
  • Increasing airflow and ventilation.

The guidance, while specific to countries that have already confirmed the transmission of COVID-19, is still relevant in all other contexts. Education can encourage students to become advocates for disease prevention and control at home, in school, and in their community by talking to others about how to prevent the spread of viruses. Maintaining safe school operations or reopening schools after a closure, requires many considerations, but if done well, can promote public health.

For example, safe school guidelines implemented in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone during the outbreak of Ebola virus disease from 2014 to 2016 helped prevent school-based transmissions of the virus.

UNICEF is urging schools – whether open or helping students through remote learning – to provide students with holistic support. Schools should provide children with vital information on handwashing and other measures to protect themselves and their families; facilitate mental health support; and help to prevent stigma and discrimination by encouraging students to be kind to each other and avoid stereotypes when talking about the virus.

The new guidance also offers helpful tips and checklists for parents and caregivers, as well as children and students themselves. These actions include:

  • Monitoring children’s health and keeping them home from school if they are ill;
  • Encouraging children to ask questions and express their concerns; and
  • Coughing or sneezing into a tissue and avoid touching face, eyes, mouth and nose.

UN, WHO create new fund for Coronavirus

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A new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Solidarity Response Fund to raise money from donors to support the World Health Organization (WHO) respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, the first-of-its-kind, has been created by the United Nations Foundation and the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation, together with WHO.

The fund has already lined up support from Facebook and Google who have instituted a matching scheme for funds raised through their platforms, while individual donors are also supporting the fund through www.COVID19ResponseFund.org.

“We need everyone to get involved in this massive effort to keep the world safe,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “A lot of people and institutions have been saying they want to contribute to the fight against the novel coronavirus. Now they can.”

 

Elizabeth Cousens, UN Foundation President and CEO said, “The case for global cooperation could not be clearer – communities everywhere are affected, and people want to contribute. This new fund will create space for people everywhere, together, to fight this virus.”

Funds will go towards enabling the COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan to enable all countries – particularly those most vulnerable and at-risk, and with the weakest health systems – to prepare for and respond to the COVID-19 crisis such as rapidly detecting cases, stopping transmission of the virus, and caring for those affected.

WHO is seeking financing for protective equipment for frontline health workers; to equip diagnostic laboratories; improve surveillance and data collection; establish and maintain intensive care units; strengthen supply chains; accelerate research and development of vaccines and therapeutics;  and take other critical steps to scale up the public health response to the pandemic.

All donations made to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund are tax-deductible to the extent allowable by local laws. Swiss Philanthropy Foundation has also partnered with Transnational Giving Europe to extend tax benefit to European countries where applicable.

Learning and staying in shape key to longer lifespan, study finds

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People who are overweight cut their life expectancy by two months for every extra kilogramme of weight they carry, research suggests.

A major study of the genes that underpin longevity has also found that education leads to a longer life, with almost a year added for each year spent studying beyond school.

Other key findings are that people who give up smoking, study for longer and are open to new experiences might expect to live longer.

Scientists at the University of Edinburgh analysed genetic information from more than 600,000 people alongside records of their parents’ lifespan.

Because people share half of their genetic information with each of their parents, the team were able to calculate the impact of various genes on life expectancy.

Lifestyle choices are influenced to a certain extent by our DNA – genes, for example, have been linked to increased alcohol consumption and addiction. The researchers were therefore able to work out which have the greatest influence on lifespan.

Their method was designed to rule out the chances that any observed associations could be caused by a separate, linked factor. This enabled them to pinpoint exactly which lifestyle factors cause people to live longer, or shorter, lives.

They found that cigarette smoking and traits associated with lung cancer had the greatest impact on shortening lifespan.

For example, smoking a packet of cigarettes per day over a lifetime knocks an average of seven years off life expectancy, they calculated. But smokers who give up can eventually expect to live as long as somebody who has never smoked.

Body fat and other factors linked to diabetes also have a negative influence on life expectancy.

The study also identified two new DNA differences that affect lifespan. The first – in a gene that affects blood cholesterol levels – reduces lifespan by around eight months. The second – in a gene linked to the immune system – adds around half a year to life expectancy.

The research, published in Nature Communications, was funded by the Medical Research Council.

Data was drawn from 25 separate population studies from Europe, Australia and North America, including the UK Biobank – a major study into the role of genetics and lifestyle in health and disease.

Professor Jim Wilson, of the University of Edinburgh’s Usher Institute, said: “The power of big data and genetics allow us to compare the effect of different behaviours and diseases in terms of months and years of life lost or gained, and to distinguish between mere association and causal effect.”

Dr Peter Joshi, Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Edinburgh’s Usher Institute, said: “Our study has estimated the causal effect of lifestyle choices. We found that, on average, smoking a pack a day reduces lifespan by seven years, whilst losing one kilogram of weight will increase your lifespan by two months.”

Why is GST Anti-Middle Class but Pro-Rich, Pro-Farmer?

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When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the White House, the pat came from the President for undertaking the daunting taks of bringing the entire 1.3 billion consumers of the country under one tax regime, making it easy for market access by sellers.

The huge transition to GST-managed tax regime may benefit those who buy white goods as discounts are visibly pushing the demand but not for the middle class, which is still reeling under demonetisation effect of last year.

Many working and salaried class families have woken up on Saturday to a high taxation as they started buying daily consumables. With one stroke, the entire unholy ‘service tax’ has gone up from 15% to 18% and immediately all banks and service providers have sent urgent SMS messages passing on the burden to consumers.

Ironic but all luxury items have seen dramatic reduction in tax structure as cars are on huge discount sale from Maruti Suzuki to Tata Motors, while mobile makers are advertising equally effective price reductions over night. Not far behind, homes will be cheaper now though an elusive dream for many.

Those in rural areas are still not affected by the GST regime. Moreover, fertilizers getting GST discount from 12% to 5%, the direct beneficiaries will feel lesser impact from the concurrent hike in prices of daily consumable items until GST spreads over the remote areas too.

But those who entered restaurants on their way to office on Saturday had to pay extra in the name of central GST tax and State GST tax. It is still not clear for them why there should be two GST taxes in the bill when the GST is being rolled out as one unified structure.

Essentially, the salaried middle class will begin to feel the impact. Since elections are far away, the government is not in a mood to revise these tax slabs on daily consumables for some time.

To offset the hike in consumable goods, commodities such as packaged cement, medicaments, smart phones, and medical devices have been showcased as products where the tax is reduced.

For instance, packaged cement worked out to more than 31% earlier but now it is 28% and if the government is expecting the builders to pass on benefits to buyers, then it’s a dream for many.

In case of medicaments, including Ayurvedic, Unani, Siddha, Homeopathic or Bio-chemic systemsalso and other medicaments in general, the rate was down from 13% to 12% now and the impact will be hardly noticeable.

Smart phones attracted a tax of 13.5% earlier and now it is 12%. Similarly, medical devices, including surgical instruments, were under 13% tax will be under 12% GST, which is not a great reduction.

Only benefit for religious-minded people is that Puja Samagri has been placed under Nil category, to woo the women who would feel the impact of GST immediately.

Otherwise, India is no longer a poor country but a rich country for the rich and for those who marvel in rich lifestyle while those who believe in Mahatma Gandhi’s simplicity would be extinct soon.

GST Regime Offers Huge Discounts on Mobile Phones, Cars, Gadgets, Not on Food

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GST roll out has turned a retail sales extravaganza across the country with car makers and retailers turning it into a sales pitch with huge discounts on goods based on GST rate slabs and large queues were seen from Mumbai to Bhubaneshwar and New Delhi to Bangalore on Friday night.

Beginning today, Saturday, July 1, 2017, India switched over to new tax structure called the Goods and Services Tax (GST), bringing more than one billion population under one tax regime and controlling $2billion market under one federal structure, surpassing the state-level levies and local taxes.

Car makers have been the main beneficiary of the new GST and the No.1 car maker Maruti Suzuki has dropped prices on key models by up to 3 percent, passing on the benefit to customers, though erstwhile hybrid models ceased to avail concessions and become costlier now. The next major player Tata Motos has reduced prices by up to 7 per cent.

On retail front, Big Bazaar chain of retail stores has announced discounts of 2 percent to 22 percent on groceries and household goods across the country while online fashion e-commerce retailer Myntra is providing huge discounts as taxes on garments change from July 1.

Social media and WhatsApp are abuzz with discounts and how customers have been given huge discounts. One such message read:”I bought a refrigerator worth Rs.28,000 for Rs.800 only,” bragging on the unverified discount offer.

Those who have taken coffee in Mavalli center on Saturday morning were surprised to see huge tax on coffee. The actual rate of coffee was Rs.32.20 and the central GST was Rs.2.90 and the State GST was another Rs.2.90, making it Rs.2.90, with a total bill of Rs.38 for coffee. Ironic but South India, which consumes mostly coffee was the worst hit from the GST, while tea is enjoying lesser taxation.

Mobile phones, which are not daily consumables, have been reaping with huge discounts as the GST came calling on July 1, 2017. Apple is among those which has offered Rs.900 to Rs.6,600 discount on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac laptops.

iPhones prices are down from Rs. 1,200 to Rs.6,600, while iPad models are given discounts from Rs.900 to Rs.3,900, with the 12-inch MacBook and MacBook Pro models witnessing price drop of about Rs.5,100 to Rs.11,800.

Rentals in IT-Centric Cities May Come Down in Next 3 Quarters: Assocham Report

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Amid huge layoffs by IT companies, IT-centric companies are witnessing pressure on rentals of homes in cities such as Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Gurgaon and Noida, which may decline to the extent of 10 to 20 percent over the next three quarters, said Assocham.

The worst hit was Bengaluru where the fresh inflows of young professionals is declining over the period as they constitute a major chunk of rental home seekers, which is fast bringing down the rentals with many house owners in the India’s ‘Silicon Valley’ slashing their rates, the study found after survey of owners.

“Even in the existing rental deeds, the tenants are seeking better options and no hike in the monthly outgo, quoting the adverse industry outlook. With better options, the market is tilting in favour of the tenants, especially those paying above Rs 50,000 per month,” said the report.

Owing to increase in layoffs, the rentals in Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad may come down by 10 to 12 percent while in Pune it may see 20% decline, said the report. In delhi NCR region, Gurgaon and Noida rentals will see a decline of up to 10-15 percent, the study said in its forecast.

Currently, the IT sector employes over 40 lakh people, who are mainly spread over the five cities studied for the report, said Assocham in its report. “The IT and other services like financials are among the sectors which pay well. Besides, the age profile of these employees is quite tempting for the marketers. They are good spenders and want good life,” noted the report.

While rentals are seeing a decline in individual homes, the aprtments and gated communities are seeing the need for more such secure homes for the techies who work as couples and go to office in odd hours. “These factors kept the markets for rentals pushing up, especially in gated and well-equipped housing complexes and societies in Bengaluru, Gurgaon, and Hyderabad,” said D.S. Rawat, Secretary General, Assocham.

Meanwhile, techies in Bangalore have approached the state IT minister for intervention to stop the layoffs in several companies of late to trim the expenses. They had asked the government to ensure better deal while laying off the staff or deferring the move by few more months instead of effecting it overnight making lives of families miserable.

South Asia SASEC Program of ADB Expands with Myanmar Joining as 7th Member

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South Asian Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) program of Asian Development Bank (ADB) has expanded with the inclusion of Myanmar aas the 7th member in 2017.

Shaktikanta Das, India’s finance secretary said on the occasion that Myanmar is key to realizing greater connectivity and stronger trade and economic relations between the SASEC sub-region and the countries of East and Southeast Asia. Myanmar’s membership in SASEC can offer a host of opportunities for realizing synergies from economic cooperation in the sub-region, he noted.

SASEC member countries are focusing on connectivity initiatives including Myanmar as road corridors in Myanmar provide the key links between South Asia and Southeast Asia. Ports in Myanmar will provide additional gateways to the landlocked North Eastern region of India and even Bangladesh can explore the potential of economic energy in the sub-region.

SASEC’s energy connectivity and energy trade prospects will be enhanced with the inclusion of Myanmar, involving its substantial resources of hydropower and natural gas. Moreover, developmental impacts of economic corridor in the SASEC sub-region will be maximized by exploring potential synergies with corridors in Myanmar that are linked to those in other Southeast Asian countries.

Myanmar was accorded an observer status of SASEC in 2013 when ADB’s annual meeting was held in Noida, India. Myanmar has been participating in annual SASEC Nodal Officials’ meetings as an observer since 2014. It was invited by the participating countries of SASEC countries to become a full member in 2015.

The SASEC program was formed in 2001 in response to the request of the four countries of South Asia – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal – from ADB to assist in facilitating economic cooperation among them as part of the South Asia Growth Quadrangle (SAGQ), formed in 1996.

As a project-based partnership, the SASEC program has been helping realize regional prosperity by enhancing cross-border connectivity, facilitating faster and more efficient trade and promoting cross-border power trade. Maldives and Sri Lanka joined SASEC in 2014, further expanding opportunities for enhancing economic linkages in the sub-region.

First Time India Becomes Net Exporter of Electricity

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India’s Central Electricity Authority for the first time has turned around from a net importer of electricity to Net Exporter of electricity in 2016-17.

During the current financial year 2016-17, as of February, India has exported around 5,798 Million Units to Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar which is 213 Million units more than the import of around 5,585 Million units from Bhutan, said a statement. Export to Nepal and Bangladesh increased 2.5 and 2.8 times respectively in last three years, it noted.

Ever since the cross border trade of electricity started in mid-80s, India has been importing power from Bhutan and marginally exporting to Nepal in radial mode at 33 kV and 132 kV from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. On an average Bhutan has been supplying around 5,000- 5500 Million units to India.

India had also been exporting around 190 MW power to Nepal over 12 cross border interconnections at 11kV, 33kV and 132 kV level and export to Nepal increased by around 145 MW with the commissioning of Muzaffarpur (India)– Dhalkhebar(Nepal) 400kV line (being operated at 132 kV) in 2016, said the government.

Export of power to Bangladesh from India got further boost with the commissioning of 1st cross border Interconnection between Baharampur in India and Bheramara in Bangladesh at 400kV in September 2013, which was augmented by commissioning of 2nd cross border Interconnection between Surjyamaninagar (Tripura) in India and South Comilla in Bangladesh. Currently, around 600 MW power is being exported to Bangladesh.

Export of power to Nepal is expected to increase by around 145 MW shortly over 132 kV Katiya (Bihar)– Kusaha (Nepal) and 132 kV Raxaul (Bihar)– Parwanipur (Nepal) and a few more cross border links with neighbouring countries are in pipe line, said the government agency.

Delegates for Commonwealth Auditors General Conference Meet President

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The delegates participating in the Commonwealth Auditors General Conference called on the President of India, Mr Pranab Mukherjee today (March 23, 2017) at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Speaking on the occasion, the President expressed happiness that the multilateral forum of Auditors General of Commonwealth countries has met in India this year to discuss contemporary issues of relevance to the member Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs). He said that audit being a knowledge based activity, such interactions, sharing of knowledge, experiences, best practices would be mutually beneficial to all members of SAI.

The President said that in India, the office of the CAG has been established by the Constitution of India. Government Audit plays an important role in the scheme of parliamentary financial control.

The President said that it is praiseworthy that the delegates are engaging in fruitful deliberations on two very relevant contemporary themes, chosen for this Conference i.e. leveraging technology and environment audit. On global and national level – technology and environment have become the key drivers for formulating strategies to address a host of issues.

Technology has enabled faster communication, easy access to knowledge and information and facilitated efficient delivery of public services to citizens. Environment degradation and climate change along with their debilitating impact on our well being and of future generations are global concerns.

Such concerns have led to positive action in the nature of Paris Agreement and other global treaties. Environment not only affects our well-being, its degradation threatens the very existence of several small island nations.

Given the importance of technology and environment in today’s world, the SAIs will have to remain in the forefront in these fields. They have an important role to play in ensuring that the nations meet their commitments on environment treaties and leverage technology to provide high quality services to the citizens.

The President hoped that the exchange of views and sharing of experiences at the Conference would help in providing future guidance not just to Commonwealth Countries but many other countries of the world.

India Signed Air Services Agreements or Drafts with 114 Countries So Far

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India has so far signed and initiated Air Services Agreement with 114 countries and latest one was with Rwanda, signed on 20th February 2017 at Kigali, informed Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

The Air Services Agreements between India and other countries have the potential to spur greater trade, investment, tourism and cultural exchange and help rejunevate the civil aviation sector, he said.

The agreements enable an environment for enhanced and seamless connectivity, while providing commercial opportunities to the carriers of both the sides ensuring greater safety and security.

The same was discussed when the Deputy Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Mr. Hikmat Karzai visited India on Wednesday on the sidelines of the International Counter Terrorism Conference. Both sides discussed among others Air corridor for trade between Afghanistan and India.

Usually the Air Services agreements provide for both countries to designate one or more airlines with the right to establish offices in the territory of the other country for the promotion end sale of air services.

The designated airlines will have fair and equal opportunity to operate the agreed services on specified routes and they can enter into cooperative marketing arrangements with the designated carriers of same party, other party and third country.

Payza India Launches App for Online Bills Payment

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London-based Payza, an online payment platform, has launched an online Utility Bill Payments service for Indian customers after teaming up with India’s household utility and telecommunications service providers such as Airtel, Tata Sky, Tata Docomo, Vodafone, Reliance, DishTV, MTNL, BSNL, and others.

The Payza Utility Bill Payments option is available through the Payza Android App that enables users to securely link their television, internet, mobile, and landline phone accounts within their Payza account, to pay bills and track their payment history.

Along with telecom services, Payza India customers can also pay gas and electricity bills directly from their Payza account. The service is tied in with the major gas and electric providers for each state, including BSES in Delhi, BEST Undertaking in Mumbai, and India Power. Insurance providers, such as Bharti Axa, ICICI Prudential, IndiaFirst and Tata AIA, can also be paid through this new feature.

“Up until demonetization, where 500 and 1,000-rupee notes were scrapped by the government, more than 90% of all transactions in India were made in cash,” explained Firoz Patel, Global Executive VP for Payza.

“While this was a much needed move in the fight against money laundering, counterfeiting and the black market, the average Indian consumer was left scrambling for ways to pay for everyday items like their gas and internet bills. With the launch of Payza’s online bills payment app, we’ve given our Indian customers a complete digital payments experience. The Payza App and e-Wallet are perfect companions to the new reality in India.”

In 2016, Payza announced Indian Rupee (INR) support on its platform, allowing members to add and withdraw funds in Rupees, and make online transactions using the local currency. Indian Payza members can also receive foreign currency in their Payza e-Wallet accounts and withdraw those funds as Rupees to their bank account.