Qayam Ali

A new study has revealed that infrared dry blanching may help in retaining higher level of vitamin C in dried mangoes.

Research by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), found that infrared dry blanching prior to blanching may improve the retention of water-soluble vitamins, like vitamin C in dried mangos.

People who wear cardiac device need to keep a distance from smartphones to avoid unwanted painful shocks or pauses in function, suggests a new study.

Dr. Carsten Lennerz, first author and cardiology resident at German Heart Centre, Munich, Germany, said that pacemakers can mistakenly detect electromagnetic interference (EMI) from smartphones as a cardiac signal, causing them to briefly stop working. This leads to a pause in the cardiac rhythm of the pacing dependent patient and may result in syncope.

A project in West Bengal’s Nadia district for improving heath by providing sanitary toilets and promoting their use has won a first place UN award for innovative public services.

Announcing the award to the Sabar Shouchagar — “Toilets for All” — project, the UN department administering the awards said on Monday that it “is a unique model developed to generate awareness, improve access to sanitary toilets, and bring substantial health improvement through improved sanitation”.

Maoists called for a two-day shutdown beginning Tuesday in Bihar over the killing of their men and burnt down eight tractors and set ablaze a mobile tower in separate incidents, police said.

“A group of armed Maoists torched eight tractors in Agrail village in Vaishali and set ablaze a mobile tower in Gausganj village near Paliganj in Patna early Tuesday,” a police official said.

Maoists are protesting against the killing of twelve of their men in neighbouring Jharkhand early this month and the security forces’ operation against them, police said.

The proposals are aimed at building a transactions history of an individual to enable improved credit access and financial inclusion.

The National Democratic Alliance government on Monday proposed income tax benefits for people making payments through credit or debit cards and doing away with transaction charges on purchase of petrol, gas and rail tickets with plastic money.

In a draft paper for moving towards cashless economy and reduce tax avoidance, the government also proposed to make it mandatory to settle high value transactions of more than Rs 1 lakh through electronic mode.

Individuals from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa and member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation are set to meet for their first forum in Russia’s Ufa city in July – on the sidelines of the BRICS summit – to identify areas where they can collaborate. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, among others, will attend the BRICS summit, TASS news agency reported.

Government on Monday proposed income tax benefits for people making payments through credit or debit cards and doing away with transaction charges on purchase of petrol, gas and rail tickets with plastic money.

In a draft paper for moving towards cashless economy and reduce tax avoidance, the government also proposed to make it mandatory to settle high value transactions of more than Rs 1 lakh through electronic mode.

In order to incentivise shopkeepers, it has proposed tax rebate to them provided they accept a significant value of sales through debit or credit cards.

Canberra was working to verify reports on Tuesday that two of Australia’s most wanted Islamic State group fighters, notorious for being pictured holding severed heads, have been killed.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation cited people close to the families of Khaled Sharrouf and Mohamed Elomar as saying the pair died in fighting in the Iraqi city of Mosul in the past week.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop confirmed there had been recent drone strikes in the area but said she was still awaiting “absolute verification” they were dead.

The Islamic State group has hanged two youths after accusing them of eating during daylight hours in the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights said.

“Residents of the village of Mayadeen in Deir Ezzor province reported that IS hanged from a crossbar two boys aged under 18 near the HQ of the Hissba”, the jihadist police, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP yesterday.

“The children have been suspended by ropes from a pole since noon, and they were still there in the late evening,” he said.

“Apparently, they were caught eating.”

About 400 people, including women and children, have been killed in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi due to the country’s worst heatwave in more than a decade, as the government called in the army to deal with the crippling crisis.

The heatwave, sweeping across the Sindh province, has been going on since the start of Ramzan on Friday, wreaking havoc and triggering an emergency situation in major hospitals of the province.

The United States has begun annual security talks with China, and an official said it plans to raise directly the breach of a federal government server that resulted in the theft of personnel and security clearance records of millions of employees and contractors.

China has openly denied involvement in the break-in. Obama administration officials have said they are increasingly confident that China’s government, not criminal hackers, were responsible.

Former Ukraine president Viktor Yanukovych has thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for “saving my life” during the bloody demonstrations that led to his ouster.

Yanukovych, currently exiled in Russia, told the BBC that he would like to return to Ukraine one day and blamed the country’s plight on the demonstrators who occupied Kiev’s Maidan Square – the focal point of the uprising against his rule.

Months of protests led to a bloody crackdown that claimed more than 100 lives and ultimately toppled the president.

Madhya Pradesh police today announced constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the murder of local journalist Sandeep Kothari, who was burnt to death allegedly by three persons linked to mining mafia, following which his protesting family members performed his last rites.

Mr Kothari’s mortal remains, which were brought to Katangi police station in the district earlier in the day from Wardha in Maharashtra, and performed the last rites Balaghat in evening after police submitted a written assurance of an impartial SIT probe.

Yoga can help channelise knowledge into positive work, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday.

Addressing valedictory session of international conference on Yoga and holistic health, Mr Singh said only having knowledge is not enough but knowing how to use it is equally important.

“It (Knowledge) can be used in both positive and negative ways. There are many who have good degrees but are involved in terrorism and militant activities. So for the knowledge that we have acquired to be used in a positive way and not negative way yoga is needed,” he said.

US based director Raj Amit Kumar is all set to make a Hindi feature film on one of India’s most controversial subject ‘Ayodhya’, which will have Victor Banerjee in the cast.

Incidentally, Kumar’s first feature film ‘Unfreedom’ was banned in India for its “content”. On Sunday, some scenes depicting same-gender love from the film went viral after being leaked online.

The fight against the ban on ‘Unfreedom’ in Delhi high court, will bring Kumar to India in July. “My fight is beyond ‘Unfreedom’, he told. ” My fight against censorship is much more important than my film”, he added.

Pakistan’s Mohammad Hafeez once again faces a harrowing task of getting his action cleared after the off-spinner was called for chucking during the team’s 10-wicket win against Sri Lanka in the first Test at Galle.

This is Hafeez’s second offence within a year after the all-rounder’s action was reported by the match oficials post his two-wicket haul in the first innings against the hosts, according to an ESPNcricinfo report.

The efforts are on to bring back nearly 120 fishermen in sixteen boats who had ventured into the Bay of Bengal on June 17, East Godavari District Collector Arun Kumar said on Monday.

“Of the total 31 boats, 15 boats have returned so far. Search is going on to trace another 16 boats. The Coast Guard is conducting search operation in 200 nautical miles area. We expect them to be back by tomorrow evening,” Kumar said.

Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) have agreed to construct at least 40 new border outposts (BOPs) facing Tripura and Mizoram along the India-Bangladesh border to check militant activities and trafficking, a BSF official said here on Monday.

“BGB officials informed us on the proposed construction of least 40 new BOPs along the India-Bangladesh frontier facing Tripura and Mizoram,” Border Security Force’s (BSF) Tripura Frontier Inspector General Bhola Nath Sharma told

The Enforcement Directorate today conducted searches at multiple locations in and around the metropolis in connection with two cases registered against former Maharashtra Public Works Department minister Chhagan Bhujbal.

“We are conducting searches at multiple locations of those persons who are connected to the cases,” said an ED official.

“The searches will continue throughout the day,” the official said refusing to name the persons whose premises are being searched.

Over 5,000 fishermen from 21 costal villages in this district staged a protest demanding a fishing harbour at the old town in place of the one damaged during the December 2014 tsunami.

R Subramaniam, President Cuddalore Fishermen’s Association told reporters that fishermen of country boats and mechanised boats were facing problems after the old harbour was destroyed in the tsunami.

They were finding it difficult to come near the shore and unload their catch as no steps had been taken to desilt and deepen the port, from where 10 tonnes of fish are sent to Kerala by road, he said.

The Journalists’ Forum Assam (JFA) has expressed “utter dismay at the repeated incidents of murder of scribes in the country” and urged the media fraternity to be united for the cause of justice to all the slain journalists.

The JFA reaction came in the wake of the news of the setting ablaze of journalist Sandeep Kothari in Madhya Pradesh for apparently carrying out his journalistic duties against the manganese mining mafia.

Many residential complexes at Himayatnagar have been served a notice by the GHMC regarding deletion of their names from the electoral list claiming they have been absent from their houses for the last six months!

The notice comes just ahead of the GHMC election. This is just one instance, apparently, the corporation has sent thousands of such notices. However civic body has denied any incidence of unconfirmed deletion of names.

At least 12 people are feared to be buried under the debris after three houses collapsed following a landslide in Dabhol village of Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district.

The landslide is said to have taken place at 3:30 am due to heavy rainfall.

The rescue operations are on and the NDRF teams are on their way.

ANI

The NDA government is gradually weakening the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) by taking away its proactive role in disaster prevention and then in relief work, its former Vice-Chairman M Shashidhar Reddy said on Monday.

He accused the government of downsizing the number of NDMA’s members and downgrading its status in order to make it weaker.

Afghan parliament rocked by a large bomb explosion, when a bomber strikes the Parliament building. The blast took place when the lawmakers were meeting inside to confirm the appointment of a defense minister, police and witnesses said.

The bomb blast shattered the windows of Parliament, wounding at least 19 people and sending a cloud of black smoke across Kabul.

“A suicide bomber blew himself up just outside the Parliament building and several fighters took positions in a building close to Parliament,” spokeperson for Kabul police said.