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Science
News This Week:
1)
Extensive cataloging of human proteins uncovers 193 never known to exist:
Striving
for the protein equivalent of the Human Genome Project, an international team
of researchers has created an initial catalog of the human
"proteome," or all of the proteins in the human body. In total, using
30 different human tissues, the team identified proteins encoded by 17,294
genes, which is about 84 percent of all of the genes in the human genome
predicted to encode proteins. In a summary of the effort, to be published May
29 in the journal Nature, the team also reports the identification of 193 novel
proteins that came from regions of the genome not predicted to code for
proteins, suggesting that the human genome is more complex than previously
thought. The cataloging project, led by researchers at The Johns Hopkins
University and the Institute of Bioinformatics in Bangalore, India, should
prove an important resource for biological research and medical diagnostics,
according to the team's leaders.
"You
can think of the human body as a huge library where each protein is a
book," says Akhilesh Pandey, M.D., Ph.D., a professor at the
McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine and of biological chemistry,
pathology and oncology at The Johns Hopkins University and the founder and
director of the Institute of Bioinformatics. "The difficulty is that we
don't have a comprehensive catalog that gives us the titles of the available
books and where to find them. We think we now have a good first draft of that
comprehensive catalog."While genes determine many of the characteristics
of an organism, they do so by providing instructions for making proteins, the
building blocks and workhorses of cells, and therefore of tissues and organs. For
this reason, many investigators consider a catalog of human proteins -- and
their location within the body -- to be even more instructive and useful than
the catalog of genes in the human genome.Studying proteins is far more
technically challenging than studying genes, Pandey notes, because the
structures and functions of proteins are complex and diverse. And a mere list
of existing proteins would not be very helpful without accompanying information
about where in the body those proteins are found. Therefore, most protein
studies to date have focused on individual tissues, often in the context of
specific diseases, he adds.
To
achieve a more comprehensive survey of the proteome, the research team began by
taking samples of 30 tissues, extracting their proteins and using enzymes like
chemical scissors to cut them into smaller pieces, called peptides. They then
ran the peptides through a series of instruments designed to deduce their
identity and measure their relative abundance."By generating a comprehensive
human protein dataset, we have made it easier for other researchers to identify
the proteins in their experiments," says Pandey. "We believe our data
will become the gold standard in the field, especially because they were all
generated using uniform methods and analysis, and state-of-the-art
machines."Among the proteins whose data patterns have been characterized
for the first time are many that were never predicted to exist. (Within the
genome, in addition to the DNA sequences that encode proteins, there are
stretches of DNA whose sequences do not follow a conventional protein-coding
gene pattern and have therefore been labeled "noncoding.") The team's
most unexpected finding was that 193 of the proteins they identified could be
traced back to these supposedly noncoding regions of DNA."This was the
most exciting part of this study, finding further complexities in the
genome," says Pandey. "The fact that 193 of the proteins came from
DNA sequences predicted to be noncoding means that we don't fully understand
how cells read DNA, because clearly those sequences do code for
proteins."Pandey believes that the human proteome is so extensive and
complex that researchers' catalog of it will never be fully complete, but this
work provides a solid foundation that others can reliably build upon.
2) Violent
storms may shatter sea ice:
Tall
waves’ impact on frozen ocean hints at trouble in tempestuous future. Towering
waves that rise from cyclones can pummel the frigid waters around Antarctica,
potentially wrecking sea ice critical to maintaining global climate. Because
researchers predict climate change will bring more and stronger storms in the
future, the thrashing swells could help ferry in an ice-free future.
Around
Antarctica, sea ice is forming in some places and disappearing in others, says
sea ice researcher Alison Kohout of the National Institute of Water and
Atmospheric Research in Christchurch, New Zealand. Because the ice reflects the
sun’s rays, thereby shielding Earth from solar heat, and because the ice also
insulates the ocean below, the frozen rafts influence global temperatures,
storms and ocean circulation. But, Kohout says, scientists don’t know enough
about sea ice to predict its changes.
3) New
salamander stays young at heart:
Species
was overlooked because of youthful looks.Like a 35-year-old man living in his
parents’ basement, a recently discovered salamander species never leaves its
childhood home. Many salamanders start out life in the water, then switch to
land-based living as they mature. But the newly named Eurycea subfluvicola,
found dwelling in streams in Lake Catherine State Park in Arkansas, enjoys the
aquatic life even as an adult. It also retains some physical features of young
salamanders, like feathery external gills. Called paedomorphosis, this
developmental phenomenon can keep new species hidden in plain sight: E.
subfluvicola escaped notice because it looks like the juvenile form of a
related salamander species, researchers at the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma
report April 11 in Zootaxa.
4) Zeroing
in on the proton's magnetic moment:
As part
of a series of experiments designed to resolve one of the deepest mysteries of
physics today, researchers have made the most precise ever direct measurement
of the magnetic moment of a proton. The work seeks to answer the fundamental
question of why we exist at all. It is believed that the Big Bang some 13
billion years ago generated equal amounts of matter and antimatter -- which
annihilate when they collide -- and yet the universe today seems to contain
only matter.
As a part of a series of experiments designed
to resolve one of the deepest mysteries of physics today, researchers from
RIKEN, in collaboration with the University of Mainz, GSI Darmstadt and the Max
Planck Institute for Physics at Heidelberg, have made the most precise ever
direct measurement of the magnetic moment of a proton.The work, published in
Nature today, seeks to answer the fundamental question of why we exist at all.
It is believed that the Big Bang some 13 billion years ago generated equal
amounts of matter and antimatter-which annihilate when they collide-and yet the
universe today seems to contain only matter. Work is being carried out from
many fronts to detect differences that would explain this, and one promising
route is to compare the magnetic moments of particles and their antimatter
conjugates, as even a tiny difference could explain the matter-antimatter
asymmetry. The research collaboration is working to measure the magnetic moment
of the proton and antiproton to unprecedented precision, and determine if there
is any difference.
In the
study published today, the researchers reached an important milestone by
directly measuring the moment of a single proton to enormous precision, based
on spectroscopy of a single particle in a Penning trap. Andreas Mooser, first
author of the paper, explains that "this important quantity has never been
measured directly and is so far only known at a relative precision of about 10
parts per billion, based on hyperfine spectroscopy of a MASER in a magnetic
field. However, this required significant theoretical corrections to extract
the proton's magnetic moment from the measurement." In the new paper the
researchers report the first direct high precision measurement of the proton
magnetic moment at a fractional precision of 3 parts per billion, improving the
42-year-old "fundamental constant" by a factor of three.The new
method using a single particle in a Penning trap can now be directly applied to
measure the magnetic moment of the antiproton, which is currently known at a
relative precision of only 4 parts per million.According to RIKEN researcher
Stefan Ulmer, second author of the paper and spokesperson of the BASE
collaboration at CERN which aims at the high precision measurement of the
antiproton moment, "Using the new method will allow this value to be
improved by at least a factor of thousand, providing a stringent test of matter
-antimatter symmetry."
5)
Uncovering Clues to the Genetic Cause of Schizophrenia:
The
overall number and nature of mutations -- rather than the presence of any
single mutation -- influences an individual's risk of developing schizophrenia,
as well as its severity, according to a discovery by Columbia University
Medical Center researchers published in the latest issue of Neuron. The
findings could have important implications for the early detection and
treatment of schizophrenia.Maria Karayiorgou, MD, professor of psychiatry and
Joseph Gogos, MD, PhD, professor of physiology and cellular biophysics and of
neuroscience, and their team sequenced the "exome" -- the region of
the human genome that codes for proteins -- of 231 schizophrenia patients and
their unaffected parents. Using this data, they demonstrated that schizophrenia
arises from collective damage across several genes.
"This
study helps define a specific genetic mechanism that explains some of
schizophrenia's heritability and clinical manifestation," said Dr.
Karayiorgou, who is acting chief of the Division of Psychiatric and Medical
Genetics at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. "Accumulation of
damaged genes inherited from healthy parents leads to higher risk not only to
develop schizophrenia but also to develop more severe forms of the
disease."Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder in which patients
experience hallucination, delusion, apathy and cognitive difficulties. The
disorder is relatively common, affecting around 1 in every 100 people, and the
risk of developing schizophrenia is strongly increased if a family member has
the disease. Previous research has focused on the search for individual genes
that might trigger schizophrenia. The availability of new high-throughput DNA
sequencing technology has contributed to a more holistic approach to the
disease.
The
researchers compared sequencing data to look for genetic differences and
identify new loss-of-function mutations -- which are rarer, but have a more
severe effect on ordinary gene function -- in cases of schizophrenia that had
not been inherited from the patients' parents. They found an excess of such
mutations in a variety of genes across different chromosomes.Using the same
sequencing data, the researchers also looked at what types of mutations are
commonly passed on to schizophrenia patients from their parents. It turns out
that many of these are "loss-of-function" types. These mutations were
also found to occur more frequently in genes with a low tolerance for genetic
variation."These mutations are important signposts toward identifying the
genes involved in schizophrenia," said Dr. Karayiorgou.
The
researchers then looked more deeply into the sequencing data to try to
determine the biological functions of the disrupted genes involved in
schizophrenia. They were able to verify two key damaging mutations in a gene
called SETD1A, suggesting that this gene contributes significantly to the
disease.SETD1A is involved in a process called chromatin modification.
Chromatin is the molecular apparatus that packages DNA into a smaller volume so
it can fit into the cell and physically regulates how genes are expressed.
Chromatin modification is therefore a crucial cellular activity.The finding
fits with accumulating evidence that damage to chromatin regulatory genes is a
common feature of various psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. By
combining the mutational data from this and related studies on schizophrenia,
the authors found that "chromatin regulation" was the most common
description for genes that had damaging mutations."A clinical implication
of this finding is the possibility of using the number and severity of
mutations involved in chromatin regulation as a way to identify children at
risk of developing schizophrenia and other neurodevelopmental disorders,"
said Dr. Gogos. "Exploring ways to reverse alterations in chromatic
modification and restore gene expression may be an effective path toward
treatment."In further sequencing studies, the researchers hope to identify
and characterize more genes that might play a role in schizophrenia and to elucidate
common biological functions of the genes.
6)
Relaxation helps pack DNA into a virus:
Researchers
at the University of California, San Diego have found that DNA packs more
easily into the tight confines of a virus when given a chance to relax, they
report in a pair of papers to be published in in the early edition of the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the week of May 26 and the May
30 issue of Physical Review Letters. DNA is a long, unwieldy molecule that
tends to repel itself because it is negatively charged, yet it can spool
tightly. Within the heads of viruses, DNA can be packed to near crystalline
densities, crammed in by a molecular motor.
"These
are among the most powerful molecular motors we know of," says Douglas
Smith, a professor of physics whose group studies them.Within an infected cell,
viruses assemble in a matter of minutes. Smith's group studies the process by
isolating components of this system to watch single molecules in action.They
attach the empty head of a single virus, along with the molecular motor, to a
microscopic bead that can be moved about using a laser. To another bead, they
tether a molecule of viral DNA."It's like fishing," Smith says.
"We dangle a DNA molecule in front of the viral motor. If we're lucky, the
motor grabs the DNA and starts pulling it in."Packaging proceeds in fits
and starts, with slips and pauses along the way. These pauses increase, along
with forces the motor counters, as the viral head becomes full.Scientists who
model this process have had to make assumptions about the state of the DNA
within. An open question is whether the DNA is in its lowest energy state, that
is at equilibrium, or in a disordered configuration."In confinement, it
could be forming all kinds of knots and tangles," said Zachary Berndsen, a
graduate student in biochemistry who works with Smith and is the lead author of
the PNAS paper.To figure this out, Berndsen stalled the motor by depriving it
of chemical energy, and found that packaging rates picked up when the motor restarted.
The longer the stall, the greater the acceleration.
DNA takes
more than 10 minutes to fully relax inside the confines of a viral head where
there's little wiggle room, the team found. That's 60,000 times as long as it
takes unconfined DNA to relax."How fast this virus packages DNA is
determined by physics more than chemistry," Smith said.DNA's tendency to
repel itself due to its negative charge may actually facilitate the relaxation.
In related experiments, the researchers added spermidine, a positively charged
molecule that causes DNA in solution to spool up."You might think the
stickiness would enhance packing, but we find that the opposite is true,"
said Nicholas Keller, the lead author of this second report, published in
Physical Review Letters.Countering the negative charges, particularly to the
point of making the DNA attractive to itself, actually hindered the packaging
of DNA."The DNA can get trapped into conformations that just stop the
motor," Keller said."We tend to think of DNA for its information
content, but living systems must also accommodate the physical properties of
such a long molecule," Berndsen said. "Viruses and cells have to deal
with the forces involved."Beyond a clearer understanding of how viruses
operate, the approach offers a natural system that is a model for understanding
and studying the physics of long polymers like DNA in confined spaces. The
insights could also inform biotechnologies that enclose long polymers within
minuscule channels and spheres in nanscale devices.
Movie
Release This week:
“Maleficent”
explores the untold story of Disney’s most iconic villain from the classic
“Sleeping Beauty" and the elements of her betrayal that ultimately turn
her pure heart to stone. Driven by revenge and a fierce desire to protect the
moors over which she presides, Maleficent cruelly places an irrevocable curse
upon the human king’s newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Aurora is
caught in the middle of the seething conflict between the forest kingdom she
has grown to love and the human kingdom that holds her legacy. Maleficent
realizes that Aurora may hold the key to peace in the land and is forced to
take drastic actions that will change both worlds forever.
After a
cowardly sheep farmer backs out of a gunfight, his fickle girlfriend leaves him
for another man. When a mysterious and beautiful woman rides into town, she
helps him find his courage and they begin to fall in love. But when her
husband, a notorious outlaw, arrives seeking revenge, the farmer must put his
newfound courage to the test.
Three
couples head to the desert to help their friend (David Krumholtz) heal after
the death of his mother. But when they learn that his idea of healing is asking
to sleep with his best friends’ girlfriends — at the same time — his ludicrous
request creates fallout amidst the entire group. A hilariously dark comedy
about the things we do for friends in need, also starring Gillian Jacobs,
Zachary Knighton, Melanie Lynskey, Ahna O’Reilly, and Jason Ritter.
Kelly
Reichardt’s suspense-thriller Night Moves follows three environmentalists whose
homegrown plot to blow up a controversial dam unravels into a journey of doubt,
paranoia and unintended consequences. As organic farmer Josh (Jesse Eisenberg),
high society dropout Dena (Dakota Fanning) and ex-Marine Harmon (Peter
Sarsgaard) plan, carry out and then witness the fallout of an
attention-grabbing act of sabotage, they find their own personal limits tested.
Michael,
an ex-con and former martial arts wunderkind, gets sentenced to community
service at a decrepit karate school, where he crosses paths with the very man
that killed his family ten years before. Now, Michael must disobey the school's
sensei and train to confront the killer, this time, in the MMA octagon. ~
Cammila Collar, Rovi
Political
News This Week:
1)
Narendra Modi’s Glamorous Swearing-In Ceremony:
Narendra
Modi greets India’s President Pranab Mukherjee after the swearing-in ceremony
at the president’s estate. As part of the ceremony, Mr. Mukherjee invited Mr.
Modi to take an oath of office as well as an oath of secrecy — that he will not
reveal any confidential information or state secrets.
Bollywood
actor Salman Khan at the president’s residence or the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Film
stars including Vivek Oberoi, Hrithik Roshan, Dharmendra and actress Hema
Malini were among 4,000 guests in attendance on Monday evening.
Hira Ba,
center, 95, the mother of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, watches the live
broadcast of the swearing-in ceremony of her son with Narendra Modi’s brother
Pankaj Modi, left, and other relatives from her residence in Gandhinagar, in
the western Indian state of Guajarat, on May 26, 2014
actress Kirron Kher won elections from the
Chandigarh constituency — in a contest that saw her pitted against Gul Panag,
another Bollywood actress who represented the Aam Aadmi Party and Pawan Bansal,
a veteran leader of the Congress party.
Leaders
from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and a
government representative from Bangladesh arrived at the nation’s capital over
the weekend and Monday after Mr. Modi invited neighboring states to the event.
Mrs.
Gandhi and Mr. Advani shared a light moment as guests waited in the forecourt
of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
2)
Narendra Modi announces list of Cabinet Ministers with portfolios:
BJP
leader Arun Jailtey has been given the charge of Finance Ministry and
additional charge of the Defence Ministry in the cabinet of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi. Apart from Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj has been given charge of
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Rajnath Singh was given charge of the
Home Ministry.
The list of
Cabinet ministers includes:
Sushma
Swaraj – Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)
Ananth
Kumar – Parliamentary Affairs + additional charge
Nitin
Gadkari – Surface Transport Ministry and Shipping Ministry
Sadanand
Gowda – Railways Ministry
Venkaiah
Naidu – Urban Development Ministry
Ashok
Gajapathi Raju Pusapati: Civil aviation
Harsimrat
Kaur Badal – Food Processing Industries
Gopinathrao
Munde: Rural development, panchayati raj, drinking water and sanitation
Ravi
Shankar Prasad – Telecom Ministry, Law and Justice Ministry
Dr Harsh
Vardhan - Health and Family Welfare
Kalraj
Mishra: Micro, small and medium enterprises
Maneka
Gandhi – Women and Child Development Ministry
Najma
Heptullah – Ministry of Minorities
Thaawar
Chand Gehlot: Social justice and empowerment
Smriti
Irani – HRD Ministry
Radha
Mohan Singh – Agriculture Ministry
Nirmala
Sitharaman – MoS Commerce
Piyush
Goel – MoS Power (Independent)
Prakash
Javadekar – MoS Information & Broadcasting
Uma Bharti : Minister of Water Resources of India
Ram Vilas
Paswan- Food and Civil Supplies Ministry
Jual
Oram: Tribal affairs
Minister of
states:
V K Singh:
Development of northeastern region (independent charge), external affairs,
overseas Indian affairs
Inderjit Singh Rao:
Planning (independent charge), statistics and programme implementation
(independent charge), defence
Santosh Kumar
Gangwar: Textiles (independent charge), parliamentary affairs, water resources,
river development and Ganga rejuvenation
Shripad Yesso Naik:
Culture (independent charge), tourism (independent charge)
Dharmendra Pradhan:
Petroleum and natural gas (independent charge)
Sarbananda Sonowal:
Skill development, entrepreneurship, youth affairs and sports (independent
charge)
Prakash Javadekar:
Information and broadcasting (independent charge), environment, forest and
climate change (independent charge), parliamentary affairs
Piyush Goyal: Power
(independent charge), coal (independent charge), new and renewable energy
(independent charge)
Jitendra Singh:
Science and technology (independent charge), earth sciences (independent
charge), Prime Minister office, personnel, public grievances and pensions,
department of atomic energy, department of space
Nirmala Sitharaman:
Commerce and industry (independent charge), finance, corporate affairs
G M Siddeshwara:
Civil aviation
Manoj Sinha: Railways
Nihalchand: Chemicals
and fertilizers
Upendra Kushwaha:
Rural development, panchayati raj, drinking water and sanitation
P Radhakrishnan:
Heavy industries and public enterprises
Kiren Rijiju: Home
affairs
Krishan Pal: Road
transport and highways, shipping
Sanjeev Kumar Balyan:
Agriculture, food processing industries
Mansukhbhai
Dhanjibhai Vasava: Tribal affairs
Raosaheb Dadarao
Danve: Consumer affairs, food and public distribution
Vishnu Deo Sai:
Mines, steel, labour and employment
Sudarshan Bhagat: Social
justice and empowerment
3) Pinaka
rockets successfully test-fired:
India's
indigenously developed Pinaka rockets were on Thursday successfully test-fired
thrice from a multi-barrel rocket launcher at an armament base in
Chandipur-on-sea, about 15 km from Balasore in Odisha."Three rounds of
Pinaka rockets were successfully tested from the proof and experimental
establishment at Chandipur," defence sources said.
Pinaka,
which has undergone several tough tests since 1995, has been inducted into the
armed forces and the present trials were conducted with some improvements in
the system, the sources said, adding some more tests are likely to be held.The
unguided rocket system is meant to neutralise large areas with rapid salvos.The
rockets with a range of 40 km and capable of acting as a force-multiplier, were
developed to supplement artillery guns, the sources said.
The quick
reaction time and high rate of fire of the system give an edge to the army
during a low-intensity conflict situation, they said.The system's capability to
incorporate several types of warheads make it deadly for the enemy as they
could even destroy solid structures and bunkers.The Pinaka system with a
battery of six launchers can fire a salvo of 12 rockets in 44 seconds and
neutralise a target area of 3.9 sq km.In July last year, some advanced, second
generation Pinaka Mark II Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher System had undergone
successful trials at Chandhan area in Pokhran field firing ranges in western
Rajasthan and are in development stage, the sources said.The development and
trials of the advanced system would continue and the rocket was expected to
enter service very soon, they said.
4) 'Omar
making all the noises on Article 370 to earn brownie points':
The
Narendra Modi-led government triggered its first controversy after Minister of
State Jitendra Singh hinted at revocation of Article 370, which provides
special status to Jammu and Kashmir. The remarks left both J&K Chief
Minister Omar Abdullah and opposition Peoples Democratic Party leader Mehbooba
Mufti fuming.
Even as
the debate continues in the political circles, what is the aam Kashmiri
thinking?
FAQ: Why
is Article 370 so contentious?
Backroom
talks between successive state and central government has diluted the
provisions of Article 370 and today as it stands, it makes no difference to the
people of Kashmir, say the locals.Delhi University Professor S A R Geelani, who
hails from Kashmir, has been very vocal about the issue. “There is a big
misconception about Article 370. While many say that there cannot be industrial
development because land can’t be purchased by outsiders, I would like to
clarify that this is not the case. There is a rule in place that the government
can lease out land to industries for 99 years and provide insurance to the
industries for the first ten years.”
“Industrial
growth is not being hampered because of Article 370, but because of tension in
the Valley. Think about it now. Is Article 370 the solution or peace in the
Valley the answer?” When Article 370 came into existence the people of Kashmir
were promised that this was temporary and we would be given a chance to decide
our future, Geelani points out.According to Kashmir resident Mohammad Afzal,
the problems in the Valley can be solved only when the interest of the locals
is taking into consideration. “Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that
he wants peace and prosperity. How can there be peace amid these burning
issues?” “Kashmir does not need Article
370. We need prosperity, peace and stability and a chance to decide our
future,’’ he adds.Geelani feels that the debate today is a futile one. “The
Government of India has thrown open a question and Omar Abdullah is making all
the noises to earn brownie points. This is all politics and the fact is he has
never been clear on the matter. He will do anything to ensure that he does not
lose his seat and he realises that his position is secure only when he makes
noises whether it matters or not,” the professor said.
The
people of Kashmir feel that they have been through a lot. “Now is not the time
to debate these issues, but give people a chance to build a future. The people
of Kashmir cannot be under status quo all the time. There has to be a decision
in the interest of the people. Kashmir is a dispute recognised on the
international level,” said Geelani
“There is
a good chunk of Kashmir which is under Pakistan. In such a scenario, Article
370 is a very localised issue. The real issue to be dealt with is on the
international level and only once that is sorted will there be peace and
prosperity in the Valley,” he adds.According to him, blindly revoking Article
370 will lead to tensions, as politicians will rake up sentiments. “Instead,
the Indian and Pakistan government along with the state government should sit
down and effectively resolve the dispute. This is what will provide the real
solution.”
5) Irom
Sharmila is very much eager to eat, but...:
Rights
activist Irom Sharmila, who is on a fast for over 13 years in Manipur demanding
repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, on Wednesday told a Delhi court
that she was very much eager to eat if she gets the assurance that the
"draconian" Act will be revoked.
Sharmila,
who appeared before the court in pursuance to the production warrant issued
against her in connection with a case lodged in 2006 for allegedly attempting
to commit suicide during her fast-unto-death here at Jantar Mantar, claimed
that wide scale discrimination was being done with the people from North East.
"I
love my life very much and I am very much eager to eat something right here in
the court, if I get an assurance that this undemocratic AFSPA is revoked,"
Sharmila said with her eyes full of tears.41-year-old Sharmila, who came to the
court with her nose tube in place, a day after flying in from Manipur, also
told Metropolitan Magistrate Akash Jain that she never intended to commit
suicide and it was just a protest against AFSPA."There are scholars and
experts, who have forced the revoking of TADA and POTA but no one as such has
come forward against the more 'severe' AFSPA, which is against the principal of
non-violence" she told the magistrate. During the proceedings, when the
court told her that she would be given exemption from physical appearance due
to her health condition, Sharmila replied, "It is my case and I want to be
physically present in the court during the proceedings." She also alleged
that democratic rights of the people of North-East were being taken away under
the garb of AFSPA.
To this,
the magistrate said that what she was demanding was not under his jurisdiction
and he has to restrict himself to the trial of the case only.During the
hearing, the court recorded the statements of two policemen, who were arrayed
as prosecution witnesses in the case in which the Manipuri-activist is facing
trial.The court has fixed the matter for July 17 for recording of statements of
other witnesses in the case.Sharmila was brought before the court from Manipur
amidst tight security.During the recording of statement, inspector Surendra
Kaushik told the court that he had received information from his senior
officials that on October 4, 2006, the activist was staging protest at Jantar
Mantar and her previous medical check-up revealed that she was not in good
health.He, however, told the court that he did not remember what details he had
recorded in his statement given before the then SHO of Parliament Street police
station in Delhi about the medical condition of Sharmila.The court, after
recording the statements, told the police officials accompanying Sharmila if
her stay in Delhi could be extended till Thursday. To this, the police official
informed the court that they had no prior sanction from their seniors regarding
this and she needs to be taken back to Manipur on Wednesday itself.
"In
order to ensure the completion of prosecution evidence in the next date of
hearing, notice be issued to all the remaining material witnesses for recording
of statements on July 17-July 18, 2014," the court said and directed the
police officials to produce Sharmila before it on that day. The court had on
April 1 issued production warrant against Sharmila after she did not appear
before it. On March 4 last year, the court had put Sharmila on trial after she
had refused to plead guilty for the offence of attempting to commit suicide
(section 309 of the IPC).If convicted, Sharmila, who is out on bail in this
case, faces a maximum jail term of one year. Popularly known as the 'Iron
Lady', Sharmila, who has been on fast since 2000 and is fed through a nasal
tube, had earlier told the court that her protest was non-violent.She had also
rejected the charge that she had attempted suicide in 2006. Her counsel had
earlier told the court that Sharmila has already spent one year in judicial
custody, which is the maximum sentence for the offence under section 309 of
IPC.
6)
Exclusive! Modi-Sharif had one-on-one meeting without aides:
Prime
Minister Narendra Modi created history of sorts by holding one-on-one talks
with his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif on his very first day in office. Not
only that, he also gifted a shawl to Sharif’s mother. This kind of fast-paced
diplomatic development is not usually seen in New Delhi. Modi, says a source in
the ministry of external affairs, learned the drill of greeting foreign
dignitaries and conducting of bilateral talks, "too fast".
Modi
remembered well that the host always stands to the left of the guest. When
Sharif reached Hyderabad House on Tuesday, Modi stretched out his right hand
with vigour to shake hands with Sharif. Then he deftly took Sharif to his right
and shook hands again and posed for photographers, remembering to stand with
the Indian flag in the background.Vikram Sood, former chief of the Research and
Analysis Wing, told Rediff.com, “I think Modi’s body language was all right. He
was a warm host and greeted the leaders with dignity. He appeared as a
confident host.”Sood supports Modi’s move to invite South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation leaders for the swearing-in ceremony. The unconventional
and unprecedented event has concluded successfully.
In the
world of diplomacy it takes a long time to organise such a high-level meeting,
but India and Pakistan have succeeded in doing so in the shortest possible
time.Although the Indian media has not highlighted it, the Pakistan media has
reported widely about both leaders’ highly significant one-on-one meeting
without any aides.Such meetings give a rare opportunity for leaders to build
rapport, start the unique and exclusive process and also helps keep things
moving without external issues disturbing it.
It’s not
known what transpired between Modi and Sharif but it’s most likely that Modi
must have promised to lend India’s support to Sharif in his efforts to put
Pakistan back on the path of growth and greater democracy. After all, Sharif
had defied the opposition in Islamabad to accept Modi’s invitation. Sharif,
too, must have ensured that he addresses India’s concerns.Both the leaders,
sources say, spoke in Hindi. On Tuesday Modi spoke in Hindi with all the eight
SAARC leaders. This is a big departure in the Indian diplomatic world.
Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh spoke in English while with few Pakistani leaders he
did speak in Punjabi. But, it’s now official that Modi has brought Hindi into
vogue in the Videsh Mantralaya. Modi will use interpreters from now onwards.On
Tuesday he took the help of a joint secretary in the MEA in the meetings with
SAARC leaders.Talking about the actual outcome of the Modi-Sharif talks, a
serving diplomat explained, “Modi and Sharif have opened a window of hope. Our
PM has scored a sixer in the first ball of his first match.”Another officer
said, “In view of Modi’s hardliner image, the way he conducted an aggressive and
bitter campaign, there were apprehensions. He talked about Pakistan and
mentioned (fugitive gangster) Dawood Ibrahim while chiding former home minister
Sushilkumar Shinde. But by calling SAARC leaders and conducting such talks on
his very first day in office, Modi has tried to remove those serious
apprehensions. Normally, for any new PM it takes around a year to meet with all
neighbours and conduct bilateral talks. Here it was done in just a day. Now,
they know bit about Modi and our PM knows them and the issues.”
Back home
in Pakistan, Sharif got flak for not mentioning Kashmir in his statement before
departing from New Delhi. In Sharif's defence, the Pakistan daily Dawn has
quoted a member of the Sharif delegation saying that ‘Mr Modi’s promise to visit
Pakistan, the resumption of secretary-level talks, and taking forward the
Lahore declaration signed by then prime minister Sharif and then Indian Prime
Minister (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee back in 1999 which has a clear mention of the
Kashmir issue.’However, Modi's first day in office ended with many
controversies. Smriti Irani's selection as human resources development
minister, minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Dr Jitendra Singh's remark on
Article 370 and the appointment of Muzaffarnagar riot-accused Sanjeev Baliyan
as MoS in the agriculture ministry raised tempers much before Sharif could
depart from New Delhi.
7) DRDO
tests Akash air defence missiles:
Defence
Research and Development Organisation on Wednesday successfully test-fired the
Akash air defence missiles off the coast of Balasore in Odisha.
"Three
Akash missiles were launched from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Balasore, on
tow body target of Lakshya pilotless target aircraft moving at low altitude far
boundary, and ripple mode missions. The missiles intercepted the fast moving
and maneuvering small RCS targets within small interval of five seconds in
ripple mode," a DRDO release said. The tests were conducted by the Indian
Air Force, which will be the first service to induct the Akash missiles in its
inventory.
The
missiles have been developed by Defence Research and Development Laboratory
along with 13 other DRDO labs and manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited. The
launchers were developed by a DRDO lab and produced by Tata Power and L&T.DRDO
Chief Avinash Chander congratulated all the teams from DRDO, production
agencies and the IAF for successfully organisng the event and fulfilling the
mission objectives of the evaluation tests on deliverable equipment.Akash
missiles are being developed as part of Integrated Missile Development
Programme of the 1980s and are expected to inducted into operational service in
near future.
8) You are
safe, aren't you?' UP CM's reply to law and order question:
"You
are safe aren’t you? I hope you have not faced any danger," shot back
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Friday when asked about the law
and order situation in the state in the backdrop of the Badaun gang rape and
murder case and the Azamgarh gang-rape incident.
Yadav,
who was in Kanpur on a visit, said arrests have been made in the gang rape and
murder of two Dalit sisters in Badaun and action was also being taken against
guilty police officials.Asked what was his view on the law and order situation
in UP in the wake of the incident, he retorted, "I hope you have not faced
any danger!"When the journalist said, "No", the chief minister
said, "Thank you. You should propagate this."Yadav said a new police
control room has come up in Kanpur and added that no other state government has
such a set-up.
Sports News
This Week:
1) Chinks
in Kings’ armour:
The stage
was set on Tuesday for a riveting play-off clash between Kolkata Knight Riders
and Kings XI Punjab at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. After heavy rains forced
the match to be postponed to Wednesday, fans waited with bated breaths to
witness one of the most anticipated contests of the ongoing edition. Although
intermittent showers interrupted the match on several occasions, they did not
curtail the number of overs to be bowled. Batting first, the home team, Kolkata
Knight Riders posted a competitive 163/8 on a slow pitch, which was kept under
the covers for more than two days.
Bailey’s
men began their chase on a sorry note, losing the wicket of opener Virender
Sehwag off the first ball of the second over bowled by Umesh Yadav. Punjab
could not recover from this early jolt, as they kept losing wickets at regular
intervals. The big guns Glenn Maxwell, David Miller and George Bailey failed to
fire when they were expected to wade out their team out of murky waters.The
result? The mighty Kings XI Punjab faltered in their chase and surrendered to
the clinical bowling performance of Kolkata Knight Riders, who cruised into the
finals with a convincing win. Thankfully for the Punjab franchise, they still
have one more chance to redeem themselves and find a spot in the finals along
side Kolkata. Punjab have the herculean task of edging past a dominant Chennai
Super Kings side which is riding high with confidence after Wednesday night’s
comprehensive victory against the Mumbai Indians.
Been
there, done that
If we go
by the records, Chennai Super Kings have a slight edge over their counterparts
from Punjab. In the last six editions of the IPL, the Super Kings have reached
the finals five times, whereas Punjab are yet to reach there. Whether they
would be able to defeat Chennai Super Kings in Friday’s eliminator is another
question. The first thing that Kings XI Punjab needs to address is their lack
of consistency and sudden dip in form.Let’s have a closer look at some of the
issues that have seemingly plagued the Kings’ victory march.
Maxwell’s
minimised effect
One of
the biggest factors in Kings XI Punjab’s juggernaut in the UAE leg of IPL 7 was
the indomitable form of Glenn Maxwell, whose belligerent hitting had created
tremors in opposition camps. During his reign of terror in the UAE, Maxwell
scored 300 runs from just five games with three 80-plus scores.
After
coming to India, Maxwell has managed only 239 runs in 9 matches at a mediocre
average of 26.55, with a highest score of 90 against Chennai Super Kings in
Cuttack. His last five scores read – 6, 0, 2, 14 and 43.
2)
‘Generation is walking away… but will not happen overnight’:
Rafa
Nadal and the other members of the “big four” know that a new band of brash
youngsters are on the horizon, but the Spaniard showed on Thursday they will
not be handing over the keys to the game’s trophy cabinet just yet. The
Spaniard was up against Austrian wunderkind Dominic Thiem in the second round
of the French Open and while the 6-2 6-2 6-3 scoreline did not do his opponent
justice, Nadal was clearly the master as he took another step towards a
record-extending ninth title at the claycourt slam.
World
number one Nadal raised his game significantly to snuff out any chance of an
upset, fending off a mini crisis in the third set when 20-year-old Thiem began
to threaten.
At nearly
28, 13-times grand slam champion Nadal knows his career is probably entering
the final chapters, but says any takeover at the top is not imminent.
“Our
generation is now on the way out, you know, like Murray, Djokovic, Ferrer, and
Berdych and others, and Tsonga, as well, we have been here for a long while,”
Nadal told reporters.
“A
generation is walking away and others will replace us. It will not come
overnight, but it will come.“I am almost 28. Djokovic and Andy are 27. Federer
is, I don’t know, 32. The new generation, new players, have to come. We’re not
gonna be here for 10 more years.”That is for the future though and for now
Nadal only has eyes on adding another Roland Garros title to his CV.After a
patchy, but his own high standards, claycourt season he was pleased to move up
a notch against Thiem.
“I played
the way I wanted to play. I resisted when he was going for his shots, very
powerful forehand and a good backhand, “ Nadal, who will face Argentine
Leonardo Mayer next, said.“When I had to play long points I did well. When I
had to attack and move him, I think I did well.]“I went to the net a few times.
I’m happy that the way I returned today.”
It was
indeed more like the Nadal that has been virtually unbeatable for a decade
while racking up eight titles on the red clay here.
BRICKWALL
DEFENCE
His
forehand was spinning cruelly, his defence was brickwall and his determination
unquenchable.
Thiem’s
booming groundstrokes, particulaly his inside-out forehand, caused Nadal
trouble but Nadal too often had the extra shot and after recovering from a
break down in the third set he sealed the win on his second match point.“He
lost one match here in 10 years or something, so I knew that it was going be
the biggest challenge in my tennis career,” said Thiem.“I will be learning a
lot from today’s match, for sure. It’s really important to play against these
guys a lot, against these top guys, because it’s more important than every
3)
Pinehurst not possible for recovering Tiger Woods:
Three-times
champion Tiger Woods has ruled himself out of next month’s U.S. Open at
Pinehurst in North Carolina as he recovers from back surgery, the second
successive major championship he will miss this year. The former world number
one has been sidelined from competitive golf since late March after requiring
treatment for a pinched nerve in his back that had troubled him for months and
was unable to compete at the Masters in April. “Unfortunately, I won’t be there
because I’m not yet physically able to play competitive golf,” Woods said,
referring to the June 12-15 U.S. Open. “The U.S. Open is very important to me,
and I know it’s going to be a great week. Despite missing the first two majors
and several other important tournaments, I remain very optimistic about this
year and my future.”This will be the sixth major championship missed by Woods
due to injury, and he remains stuck on his career tally of 14 wins, having not
clinched one of golf’s blue riband events since the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey
Pines.
Woods has
not set a timetable for his likely return and could possibly also miss the
year’s third major, the July 17-20 British Open at Royal Liverpool in Hoylake,
England.
The
38-year-old American has been increasingly plagued by injuries in recent
seasons as the wear and tear of years on the tour have begun to take a toll.
He failed
to finish the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic in early March, quitting after 13 holes
in his final round. The American then tweaked his back again on the last day of
the WGC-Cadillac Championship in Miami just one week later and opted to undergo
surgery on March 31.
4) Indiana
Pacers beat Miami Heat, live to fight another day:
Paul
George scored 31 of his 37 points in the second half, including 21 in the
fourth quarter, and almost single-handedly kept the Indiana Pacers alive in the
NBA’s Eastern Conference finals with a 93-90 victory over the Miami Heat on
Wednesday. The Pacers still trail 3-2 in the best-of-seven series. Game 6 will
be played Friday night in Miami.
It took a
frantic effort just to extend the series, even with the foul-plagued LeBron
James held to just seven points in 23 minutes. Chris Bosh led the Heat with 20
points, but missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer in the closing seconds.
Indiana turned a 50-41 deficit into a 64-57 lead after three quarters, then led
by as many as 11 in the fourth. Miami’s last-ditch rally made it 91-90 with 16
seconds to go, but Indiana managed to hold on.
George’s
21 fourth-quarter points were the most ever scored in one quarter of a playoff
game against Miami. The previous best was 20 by the Bulls’ Michael Jordan in
May 1997.“We just played. Our backs are against the wall right now so that’s
all we can do,” George said. “We were in a position that if we lost this game,
we’re going home so I think that was in the backs of everybody’s minds.”David
West added 19 points for the Pacers and Roy Hibbert had 10 points and 13
rebounds. Miami will now try to clinch its fourth straight Eastern Conference
title at home.
DESPERATE
TIMES
The
Pacers played like a desperate team trying to save their season. They chased
shooters all over the floor, ran down loose balls, even put themselves in
harm’s way. Lance Stephenson appeared to hurt his left shoulder in the third
quarter after a hard fall and still finished the game.Until George came alive
in the second half, it looked like the Heat would close out the series with a
fourth straight win. But unlike Game 2, when the Pacers couldn’t stop Dwyane
Wade and James late, the Pacers fended off the closing charge from the two-time
defending champs — barely.George’s incredible ability to hit big shot after big
shot and a defense that refused to give the lead away late eventually saved the
Pacers.
5) No miracle this time around:
Harbhajan
Singh has forever been the showboater. The man for the big occasion, and one who
never misses out on an opportunity to play to the crowd. It’s being in the
spotlight that he thrives on after all.So it wasn’t surprising to see the
veteran off-spinner irrepressibly animated following the fifth delivery of his
opening over on Wednesday. As he high-fived his teammates, punched the air and
broke into a little jig, the Brabourne crowd responded in kind with a raucous
roar.Harbhajan to his credit single-handedly just brought the stadium to life,
long after the DJ had dished out his final tune for the night. He had done so
by a dramatic double-strike, sending back both the Chennai Super Kings openers,
who had till then held forth in dominating fashion putting 60 on the board in
the first six overs.At least, Dwayne Smith had looked to smash the leather off
the ball, like he always does, while perishing to a skier at long-on. Faf du
Plessis’s scoop that cost him his wicket was not only unwarranted it was also
attempted with little intent or conviction.But just like that Harbhajan had
brought Mumbai Indians right back into a contest that was fast slipping out of
their grasp. Earlier in the day, Harbhajan might well have sat with an eye on
the television, harbouring hopes, however distant, of earning a much-awaited
recall to the Indian team. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be.
Spoilsport
Raina
Here at a
packed Brabourne with millions watching on television, was his chance to prove
a point, another penchant that he has never shied away from. For a brief while
it did seem that Harbhajan was spinning an unlikely win for the defending
champions. But that too wasn’t to be with Suresh Raina deciding to play
spoilsport.
Raina
incidentally had won a recall to the Indian team on Wednesday and that too with
a cherry on top after being named captain for the three-match ODI series in
Bangladesh.
And he
celebrated it with a breezy half-century to see Chennai home and bring an end
to Mumbai’s title-reign, one that many thought should have ended a match
earlier anyway.Once Harbhajan bowled out, his figures reading 2/27, Mumbai’s
bowling attack never seemed to have the arsenal required to stall Chennai’s
charge.
To boot
Raina looked in irresistible form, and was ably supported by David Hussey, who
kept hitting sixes whenever the required rate threatened to get tighter.
There was
still some life left in the contest as Pragyan Ojha commenced his third over,
and the 16th of CSK’s innings with 42 still required. By the end of it, the
match was all but over after Ojha was air-lifted for three massive sixes.
Book Of
This Week:
The Book Thief : Book by Markus Zusak
The Book Thief : Book by Markus Zusak
The
extraordinary #1 New York Times bestseller that is now a major motion picture,
Markus Zusak's unforgettable story is about the ability of books to feed the
soul.
It is
1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been
busier, and will become busier still.
Liesel
Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager
existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t
resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns
to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as
well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.
In
superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus
Zusak, author of I Am the Messenger, has given us one of the most enduring
stories of our time.
Markus
Zusak
Zusak was
born in Sydney, Australia. His mother Lisa is originally from Germany and his
father Helmut is from Austria. They emigrated to Australia in the late 1950s.
Markus is the youngest of four children and has two sisters and one brother. He
attended Engadine High School and briefly returned there to teach English while
writing.
Zusak is
the author of five books. His first three books, The Underdog, Fighting Ruben
Wolfe and When Dogs Cry, released between 1999 and 2001, were all published
internationally and garnered a number of awards. The Underdog, his first book,
took seven years to publish. The Messenger, published in 2002, won the 2003 CBC
Book of the Year Award (Older Readers) and the 2003 NSW Premier's Literary
Award (Ethel Turner Prize) in Australia and was a runner-up for the Printz
Award in America.
The Book
Thief was published in 2005 and has been translated into more than 30
languages. Beside winning awards in Australia and overseas, The Book Thief has
held the number one position at Amazon.com and on the New York Times bestseller
list, as well as in Brazil, Ireland and Taiwan. It has been among the top five
best sellers in the UK, Spain, Israel and South Korea, and is still set to be
released in many other territories.
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