Science
News This Week:
1)
Scientists find new way to corral genetically engineered bacteria:
Reliance
on human-made molecules keeps useful bacteria from escaping into nature.
Scientists have engineered a new way to genetically modify organisms so they’re
less likely to spread uncontrollably in the wild and wreak havoc. By creating
bacteria that require molecules not found in nature to survive, the scientists
have set the stage for a safer way to use genetically modified bacteria to make
medicines, fuels and other useful chemicals.
Two teams
of researchers separately used E. coli as a test case, engineering the
bacterium to depend on human-made versions of amino acids, the researchers
report online January 21 in Nature. Bacteria use amino acids to make proteins.The
new method drastically cuts the likelihood of genetically engineered bacteria
escaping into the environment, says Floyd Romesberg, a synthetic biologist at
Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif. The dependence on human-made
amino acids “really creates a firewall between the cell’s life and its natural
environment.”
One group
of researchers, led by Farren Isaacs of Yale University, engineered bacteria to
build proteins necessary for survival only when exposed to a human-made amino
acid. “It would be like if I took the tires off your car,” explains Christopher
Voigt, a bioengineer at MIT.The proteins within the bacteria engineered by the
other group, led by George Church of Harvard University, cannot fold into their
proper shape without the human-made amino acid holding them together. It’s like
taking the tires off your car and replacing them with tank treads, Voigt says.
“In both cases, it’s the same idea: The car can’t run. But in one case, you
fundamentally change what it’s running on.”
Both
groups tested their doctored E. coli in cultures that lacked the human-made
amino acid, observing them over time to make sure the bacterial colonies could
not grow. In neither case did the researchers find detectable amounts of
bacteria that could survive without the human-made amino acid.Isaacs’ group
went a step further and placed their E. coli in soil and blood, which the
microbes might encounter if used outside the lab. Again, the bacteria failed to
thrive.Church’s group also exposed their E. coli to wild E. coli to make sure
the genetically modified bacteria could not steal DNA that would break their
dependence on human-made amino acids.Previous attempts to keep genetically
engineered bacteria in check include “kill switches” that wipe out the bacteria
when researchers are finished with them. But even with kill switches, altered
bacteria have the potential to spread beyond the lab by mutating or swapping
DNA with wild bacteria. Engineering bacteria to rely on human-made compounds
“significantly reduces the threat of them ever causing trouble,” says
Romesberg.The technique also may boost genetically modified bacteria’s
usefulness. “Bacteria have been engineered to produce pharmaceuticals,
materials and fuels,” says Karmella Haynes, a biomedical engineer at Arizona
State University in Tempe. “Now that bacteria can be designed to stay put in an
industrial environment, these new bioproduction technologies can be scaled
up.”The new research also lays a foundation for broader uses of genetically
engineered bacteria, Isaacs said in a press briefing. They could be used away
from controlled industrial environments to boost food production, fight disease or clean up oil spills and
landfills.
2)
Scientists slow down the speed of light travelling in free space:
Scientists
have long known that the speed of light can be slowed slightly as it travels
through materials such as water or glass.However, it has generally been thought
impossible for particles of light, known as photons, to be slowed as they
travel through free space, unimpeded by interactions with any materials.In a
new paper published in Science Express today (Friday 23 January), researchers
from the University of Glasgow and Heriot-Watt University describe how they
have managed to slow photons in free space for the first time. They have
demonstrated that applying a mask to an optical beam to give photons a spatial
structure can reduce their speed.The team compare a beam of light, containing
many photons, to a team of cyclists who share the work by taking it in turns to
cycle at the front. Although the group travels along the road as a unit, the
speed of individual cyclists can vary as they swap position.
The group
formation can make it difficult to define a single velocity for all cyclists,
and the same applies to light. A single pulse of light contains many photons,
and scientists know that light pulses are characterised by a number of
different velocities.The team's experiment was configured like a time trial
race, with two photons released simultaneously across identical distances
towards a defined finish line. The researchers found that one photon reached
the finish line as predicted, but the structured photon which had been reshaped
by the mask arrived later, meaning it was travelling more slowly in free space.
Over a distance of one metre, the team measured a slowing of up to 20
wavelengths, many times greater than the measurement precision.The work
demonstrates that, after passing the light beam through a mask, photons move
more slowly through space. Crucially, this is very different to the slowing
effect of passing light through a medium such as glass or water, where the
light is only slowed during the time it is passing through the material -- it
returns to the speed of light after it comes out the other side. The effect of
passing the light through the mask is to limit the top speed at which the
photons can travel.The work was carried out by a team from the University of
Glasgow's Optics Group, led by Professor Miles Padgett, working with theoretical
physicists led by Stephen Barnett, and in partnership with Daniele Faccio from
Heriot-Watt University.
Daniel
Giovannini, one of the lead authors of the paper, said: "The delay we've
introduced to the structured beam is small, measured at several micrometres
over a propagation distance of one metre, but it is significant. We've measured
similar effects in two different types of beams known as Bessel beams and
Gaussian beams."Co-lead author Jacquiline Romero said: "We've
achieved this slowing effect with some subtle but widely-known optical
principles. This finding shows unambiguously that the propagation of light can
be slowed below the commonly accepted figure of 299,792,458 metres per second,
even when travelling in air or vacuum."Although we measure the effect for
a single photon, it applies to bright light beams too. The effect is biggest
when the lenses used to create the beam are large and when the distance over
which the light is focused is small, meaning the effect only applies at short
range."Professor Padgett added: "It might seem surprising that light
can be made to travel more slowly like this, but the effect has a solid
theoretical foundation and we're confident that our observations are correct.
"The
results give us a new way to think about the properties of light and we're keen
to continue exploring the potential of this discovery in future applications.
We expect that the effect will be applicable to any wave theory, so a similar
slowing could well be created in sound waves, for example."The team's
paper, titled 'Spatially Structured Photons that Travel in Free Space Slower
than the Speed of Light', is published in Science Express, which provides
electronic publication of selected papers in advance of print in the journal
Science.
3) How blueshift
might beat redshift:
In
collapsing objects, light could get squeezed rather than stretched. Light that
escapes collapsing stars and dust clouds may sport an unusually blue hue.
Light
emitted within these gravitationally unstable objects can get compressed and
thus become bluer, physicists suggest in the Feb. 4 Physics Letters B. They say
this blueshift could remain even after the light reddens as it moves through
the vacuum of space. While the effect would be difficult to observe, it could
help in understanding what happens to light when it is produced by or passes
through an object caving in due to its own gravity.
Because
the universe is expanding, distant objects appear to move away from each other,
leading to an effect that stretches light to make its wavelength longer.
Consequently light that reaches Earth from remote stars and galaxies is
generally redshifted. (Red light has the longest wavelength of visible light;
blue has the shortest.) But Cosimo Bambi, an astrophysicist at Fudan University
in Shanghai, and colleagues calculated that a dust cloud collapsing into a star
or a star caving in as it goes supernova can manipulate light waves as if they
were moving through a contracting universe. As a result, the waves get
compressed and bluer. If this effect outweighs the subsequent redshift as the
light travels through space, an observer will measure a blueshift.
4) Immune
system 'reset' may give MS patients a new lease on life
Drugs
followed by stem cell transplant greatly slow nerve damage, other symptoms, in
relapsing-remitting form of disease. Many multiple sclerosis patients may
benefit from having their wayward immune systems “reset.” Researchers report in
the Jan. 20 JAMA that removing some stem cells from a patient’s blood and then
reinserting them later stops MS flare-ups in at least four-fifths of patients.
In the
study, 123 patients had relapsing-remitting MS, the most common form in which
the disease flares sporadically; 28 other patients had a more advanced
progressive form of MS. In all these patients, rogue immune cells orchestrate
attacks on the fatty sheaths lining nerves in the central nervous system. The
researchers removed stem cells — nascent immune cells — from the patients, who
then received drugs to knock back their existing immune cell populations.
Putting the stem cells back into the patients rebuilt their normal immunity.
Overall,
89 percent of the patients were alive and free of relapses at two years and 80
percent were free and clear at four years after the treatment. The patients
also generally showed a steady decline in the number and volume of brain
lesions related to MS, evidence that the immune system reset was reversing
damage caused to nerves.
The
relapsing-remitting patients did much better than those with progressive MS,
says study coauthor Richard Burt, a physician and immune therapy researcher at
Northwestern University School of Medicine in Chicago. The study is good news
for the more than 2.3 million people worldwide living with MS, yet it will take
a randomized trial to confirm the findings.
5)
Paleontologist names 9-foot-long 'predator croc' that preceded dinosaurs:
Finding a
new species of dinosaur is pretty rare. Getting a hand in the discovery and
naming of one -- that's rarer still. Or it would be for anyone other than
32-year-old Sterling Nesbitt, an assistant professor of geological sciences in
the College of Science and the newest addition to Virginia Tech's paleontology
team.Nesbitt has been responsible for naming more than half a dozen reptiles
(including dinosaurs) in his young career.His latest addition to the
paleontological vernacular is Nundasuchus, (noon-dah-suh-kis) a 9-foot-long
carnivorous reptile with steak knifelike teeth, bony plates on the back, and
legs that lie under the body.
Nundasuchus
is not a dinosaur, but one of the large reptiles that lived before dinosaurs
took over the world."The full name is actually Nundasuchus
songeaensis," Nesbitt explained. "It's Swahili mixed with
Greek."The basic meaning of Nundasuchus, is "predator
crocodile," "Nunda" meaning predator in Swahili, and
"suchus" a reference to a crocodile in Greek."The 'songeaensis'
comes from the town, Songea, near where we found the bones," Nesbitt said.
"The reptile itself was heavy-bodied with limbs under its body like a
dinosaur, or bird, but with bony plates on its back like a crocodilian."
The new,
albeit ancient, reptile, is featured online in the Journal of Vertebrate
Paleontology."We discovered the partial skeleton in 2007 when I was a
graduate student, but it took some years to piece the bones together as they
were in thousands of pieces," Nesbitt said.Although a large number of
skeleton bones were found, most of the skull was not recovered despite three
trips to the site and more than 1,000 hours spent painstakingly piecing the
bones back together and cleaning them.
Nundasuchus
was found in southwestern Tanzania, while Nesbitt and a team of researchers
were looking for prehistoric relatives of birds and crocodiles, but not really
expecting to find something entirely new."There's such a huge gap in our
understanding around the time when the the common ancestor of birds and crocodilians
was alive -- there isn't a lot out there in the fossil record from that part of
the reptile family tree," Nesbitt said. "This helps us fill in some
gaps in reptile family tree, but we're still studying it and figuring out the
implications."The find itself was a bit of a "eureka moment" for
the team. Nesbitt said he realized very quickly what he had found.
"Sometimes
you know instantly if it's new and within about 30 seconds of picking up this
bone I knew it was a new species," he said. "I had hoped to find a
leg bone to identify it, and I thought, This is exactly why we're here' and I
looked down and there were bones everywhere. It turns out I was standing on
bones that had been weathering out of the rock for hundreds of years -- and it
was all one individual of a new species."Nesbitt says he has been very
lucky to put himself in the right position for finding bones, but it also takes
a lot of work doing research on what has been found in various locations
through previous research; what type of animals were known to inhabit certain
areas; and research into the geological maps of areas to determine the most
likely places to find fossils.Nesbitt has been involved in naming 17 different
reptiles, dinosaurs, and dinosaur relatives in the last 10 years, including
seven of which he discovered.
6) Live
broadcast from inside the nerve cell:
Nurodegenerative
diseases like Alzheimer's, Huntington's or Parkinson's are caused by defect and
aggregated proteins accumulating in brain nerve cells that are thereby paralyzed
or even killed. In healthy cells this process is prevented by an enzyme complex
known as the proteasome, which removes and recycles obsolete and defective
proteins. Recently, researchers in the team of Wolfgang Baumeister at the Max
Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried near Munich were the first to
observe and structurally characterize proteasomes at work inside healthy brain
cells. "When we saw the proteasomes on our screen, we were immediately
aware of the major importance of the results," remembers Shoh Asano, first
author of the study. The study has now been published in the journal Science.
Scientists
estimate that our brain consists of about ten to one hundred billions of nerve
cells. In order to fulfill their respective tasks as long as possible, these
cells have to constantly control their internal proteins with regard to quality
and functionality. Otherwise the proteins might clump together and thereby
paralyze or even kill the cells. Once the cell recognizes a defect protein,
this is marked for degradation and a kind of a molecular shredder, the
so-called proteasome, chops it into pieces that are eventually recycled.For the
first time now, researchers have succeeded in visualizing this process in
intact nerve cells, which previously could only be investigated in the test
tube. Electron cryo-tomography was essential for obtaining the described
images. Hereby, cells are cooled down to minus 170°C in a fraction of a second.
In a consecutive step, pictures of the interior of the cells are taken from
many different angles, which then are merged computationally into a
three-dimensional image.
"First
time in intact cells"
In the
current study, the use of specific technical innovations allowed the
researchers to achieve a unprecedented imaging quality, enabling them to
distinguish single proteasomes within the cell. "For the first time it is
possible to qualitatively and quantitatively describe this important enzyme
complex in intact cells," Asano classifies the results. In the following
experiments, the scientists focused on the activity of the proteasomes. For the
interpretation of the single particles it is important to know that there are
cap-like structures, the so-called regulatory particles, attached to the ends
of proteasomes (see picture). They bind proteins that are designated to be
degraded and thereby change their shape. The scientists were able to
distinguish these states and consequently could deduce how many of the
proteasomes were actively degrading proteins.
New
prospects for the future
The
conclusion of the researchers: in quiescent nerve cells like the ones used in
the actual experiments, only a minority of the proteasomes is active. In
detail, the results showed that only every fourth proteasome was actively
degrading proteins while the rest idled at the same time. In the future, the
scientists want to address the structural changes of the proteasomes under
cellular stress as it occurs in neurodegenerative diseases. "This study
shows the new possibilities to resolve protein complexes in their entirety in
the cell and to study their mutual functional dependencies," Wolfgang
Baumeister determines the agenda for the future.
Movie
Release This Week:
Shortly
after her divorce, a woman falls for a younger man who just moved in across the
street, though their torrid affair takes an obsessive, dangerous turn.
Juggling
some angry Russians, the British Mi5, his impossibly leggy wife and an
international terrorist, debonair art dealer and part time rogue Charlie
Mortdecai (Johnny Depp) must traverse the globe armed only with his good looks
and special charm in a race to recover a stolen painting rumored to contain the
code to a lost bank account filled with Nazi gold.
Strange
Magic,” a new animated film from Lucasfilm Ltd., is a madcap fairy tale musical
inspired by “A Midsummer Night's Dream.” Popular songs from the past six
decades help tell the tale of a colorful cast of goblins, elves, fairies and
imps, and their hilarious misadventures sparked by the battle over a powerful
potion. Lucasfilm Animation Singapore and Industrial Light & Magic bring to
life the fanciful forest turned upside down with world-class animation and
visual effects. Directed by Gary Rydstrom (“Toy Story Toons: Hawaiian
Vacation,” “Lifted”) from a story by George Lucas, “Strange Magic” will be
released by Touchstone Pictures on Jan. 23, 2015.
A
suspenseful adventure thriller directed by Academy Award winner Kevin
Macdonald, centering on a rogue submarine captain (two-time Academy Award
nominee Jude Law) who pulls together a misfit crew to go after a sunken
treasure rumored to be lost in the depths of the Black Sea. As greed and
desperation take control onboard their claustrophobic vessel, the increasing
uncertainty of the mission causes the men to turn on each other to fight for
their own survival.
Dr. Henry
West founded The Atticus Institute in the early 1970s to test individuals
expressing supernatural abilities – E.S.P., clairvoyance, psychokinesis, etc.
Despite witnessing several noteworthy cases, nothing could have prepared Dr.
West and his colleagues for Judith Winstead. She outperformed every subject
they had ever studied – soon gaining the attention of the U.S. Department of
Defense, who subsequently took control of the research facility. The more
experiments they conducted on Judith, the clearer it became that her abilities
were the manifestation of evil forces within her, prompting the government to
take measures to weaponize this force. But they soon discovered there are
powers that exist in this world that simply cannot be controlled. Now the
details of the inexplicable events that occurred within The Atticus Institute
are being made public after remaining classified for nearly forty years.
Four
young scientists work to craft a machine to reanimate deceased organisms. As
the project develops, the machine exceeds their wildest expectations, creating
boundless possibilities that challenge the very nature of human existence.
However, success with this experiment comes at a price, as ulterior motives and
reckless abandon lead to consequences none of them could predict. As their time
and resources fade, this team of visionary scientists must face the realities
of the task they have set out for themselves, bringing the dead back to life.
For Pablo
Escobar (Benicio Del Toro), family is everything. When young surfer Nick (Josh
Hutcherson) falls for Escobar’s niece, he finds his life on the line when he’s
pulled into the dangerous world of the family business.
Political
News This Week:
1)
Sunanda's laptop, phones sent for forensic analysis:
Delhi
Police has handed over the laptop and mobile phones of Congress MP Shashi
Tharoor’s deceased wife Sunanda Pushkar to Gandhinagar-based Directorate of
Forensic Science, to retrieve crucial data, which could help the ongoing probe
into her death.
After
Tharoor was questioned on Monday by the Special Investigation Team to probe the
circumstances leading to the mysterious death of Sunanda a year back, the Delhi
Police on Tuesday handed over her laptop and four mobile phones to DFS for
further analysis.“Officials of Delhi Police came to DFS yesterday and handed
over one laptop and four mobile phones, which were used by Pushkar before her
death, in a sealed cover,” DFS Director J M Vyas said.
“We have
been given the task to examine them and extract crucial information to help the
ongoing investigation by the police,” Vyas said.
“We have
not been given any time frame to give our final report, but we will do it as
soon as possible. DFS is equipped with technology to extract information from
such gadgets, even if it is deleted,” he said.“We can find out with whom she
was in contact and what kind of communication she had before her death. Such
insight can prove crucial for the police,” he said.On Monday, Tharoor was
questioned for about four hours by the SIT of Delhi police in connection with
Pushkar’s mysterious death, nearly three weeks after a case of murder was
registered on the basis of a medical report that concluded that she died of
poisoning.Sunanda, 52, was found dead in her suite at LeelaPalace HOTEL IN
DELHI on January 17 last year, a day after she was involved in a spat with
Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar on micro-blogging website Twitter over the
latter’s alleged affair with Tharoor.
2) Cong
unhappy with Sibal for appearing for WB in Saradha scam:
Congress
on Wednesday made known its unhappiness over its senior leader Kapil Sibal
representing West Bengal government in the multi-crore rupees Saradha scam in
the Supreme Court, two days after its state unit expressed objection to it.
"I
fully endorse the views expressed by the West Bengal Congress," said C P
Joshi, party general secretary in-charge of the state, making clear the
unhappiness over the former Union Minister appearing in the SC for the
government of rival Trinamool Congress.
West
Bengal Congress President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, on Monday said, "Sibal
is a known face of the Congress and a former Union minister. He is representing
the state government in the Saradha case in the Supreme court. We feel
bad."
Joshi
said he has conveyed the sentiments of the state Congress unit to the party
high command.At the AICC briefing, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh
Surjewala said Sibal, a prominent lawyer, should take note of the sentiments of
the party unit in West Bengal.Chowdhury, a former Union minister had said,
"As long as I am the state Congress president, I can say that Sibal will
not be invited to any programme of the party here."
Asked
whether he informed the party high command about this, the WBPCC president had
said, "It has been communicated to the AICC leadership
informally."West Bengal and its ruling party Trinamool Congress on Monday
moved the Supreme Court seeking a court-monitored CBI probe into the
multi-crore rupees Saradha scam, alleging that the agency was acting as an
"instrument" of the Centre and targeting the TMC leaders.
3) Delhi
polls: Kejriwal has assets worth Rs 2.09 cr; Maken Rs 12.34 cr, Bedi 11.65 cr:
Out of
three chief ministerial aspirants in Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party’s Arvind
Kejriwal ranks lowest with assets worth Rs 2.09 crore while Congress leader
Ajay Maken tops the chart with Rs 12.34 crore followed by Rs 11.65 crore of the
Bharatiya Janata Party’s Kiran Bedi.As per the affidavit Kejriwal filed along
with nomination papers for the New Delhi constituency, he and his wife-owned
assets have gone down by Rs five lakh compared to the total assets of Rs 2.14
crore he declared during last year's Lok Sabha election.
The
former chief minister declared movable assets at Rs 2.26 lakh while his wife
has a total of Rs 15.28 lakh including 300 gm of gold worth Rs 9 lakh and 24 gm
silver worth Rs 24,000.The total worth of Congress leader Maken and his wife's
movable and immovable assets stands at Rs 12.34 crore, more than double from
his declaration last year during the Lok Sabha polls.Maken and his wife
declared total assets worth around Rs 5.76 crore in his Lok Sabha elections
affidavit last year. According to details provided by Maken in the latest
affidavit to the Election Commission, Maken has movable assets worth Rs 2.99
crore while his wife has a total of Rs 1.20 crore.
During
the Lok Sabha elections, Maken had declared movable assets worth Rs 2.68 crore
and Rs 88.22 lakh of his wife. The value of their immovable assets, which
include a
residential
property and land in Haryana and Delhi, have increased to Rs 8.14 crore as
compared to Rs 2.21 crore last year.
Maken,
the Congress' Campaign Committee chief is contesting from the Sadar Bazar
assembly seat. The former Union Minister has one pending case against him
similar as last year.Kejriwal also mentioned that 10 cases are pending against
him in different courts compared to seven cases mentioned by him in the last
affidavit. The AAP leader in the affidavit said he has two flats -- one at
Indirapuram, Ghaziabad and another at Sivani in
Haryana.
The value of the flat at Indirapuram has been put at Rs 55 lakh while the flat
at Sivani is worth Rs 37 lakh.
Kejriwal's
wife Sunita has a 2,244 sq feet flat in Gurgaon worth Rs 1 crore. In the
affidavit, he has mentioned that he has Rs 15,000 in hand and while his wife
has Rs 10,000 in cash.Kejriwal had declared a total income of Rs 2.07 lakh in
2013-14 while his wife's income in that period was Rs 11.83 lakh.Bedi, who owns
a Maruti 800 car, has agricultural land in two locations -- one in Pune and
another in Gurgaon. The value of the land in Pune has been put at Rs 1.60 crore
while the one in Gurgaon at Rs 25 lakh.
Bedi's
husband owns an agricultural land in Amritsar worth Rs 28.50 lakh, according to
the affidavit. In the affidavit, she has mentioned cash Rs 55,750 in hand and
while her husband has Rs 15,500 in cash.The affidavit also said she has a fixed
deposit worth Rs 2.10 crore while she has Rs 25,43,852 in her four saving bank
accounts.She has declared a total income in 2013-14 at Rs 67,15,464 while her
husband's income in that period was not shown as it was below taxable income.
4)
Ex-telecom minister Maran says CBI trying to fix him:
A day
after Central Bureau of Investigation arrested his close aide and 2 others in
illegal telephone exchange case, former Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran on
Thursday charged the agency with trying "to fix" him to please an
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader from Tamil Nadu.
"CBI
should be a fact-finding machine and not a fixing one.... I am being singled
out. CBI is fixing me to please an RSS ideologue from Tamil Nadu," a
combative Maran told reporters in Chennai after briefing Dravida Munnetra
Kazhagam chief M Karunanidhi on the developments. He, however, did not name
anyone.Maran, who is facing CBI heat, alleged that the investigating agency was
compelling the 3 arrested persons to complain against him and that they were
even tortured to give "false statement".
CBI had
on Wednesday arrested V Gowthaman, then additional private secretary of
Dayanidhi Maran, and two others in connection with alleged allotment of more
than 300 high-speed telephone lines to the former telecom minister's residence
in Chennai which were extended to his brother's TV channel.CBI had named Maran
and BSNL officials, including the then Chief General Manager K Bramhanathan and
MP Veluswami in the FIR filed in October 2013."...after eight years, they
are just fixing this case. They have arrested three people. Irony is they have
been ill-treated and were forced to give false statement. When they refused,
they were arrested. They were compelled to complain against me. Third degree
treatment was meted out to them," Maran alleged.Asserting that he would
fight out the case, Maran hit out at CBI, saying "Is CBI trying to impress
the RSS ideologue from Tamil Nadu? The telephone line still functions in my
residence....CBI wants to pass the buck, I have no choice but to fight it
out.""CBI has filed FIR against me alleging when I was the telecom
minister and there was excess use of telephone connection. I have explained.
This investigation has been going on for eight years", he said.He said for
the last 18 months the arrested people have been called by CBI and they cooperated
in all the investigation procedures.The arrested persons included Chief
Technical Officer S Kannan and electrician L S Ravi of Sun TV
network."They were also promised if they give such a statement against me,
they will be allowed to go," Maran claimed."The case was foisted
against me during the UPA regime. The intellectual from Tamil Nadu fixed it, it
was done by him," he said.
"There
is only one telephone connection.... I will be writing to the CBI on this
matter", he said.CBI has alleged that nearly 323 residential lines were
allegedly in the name of the BSNL General Manager connecting the Boat House
residence of Maran with the office of Sun TV through a dedicated underground
cable during his tenure as telecom minister.
5) Delhi
cops to quiz journos whom Sunanda talked to day before her death:
The
Special Investigation Team probing the mysterious death of Shashi Tharoor’s
wife Sunanda Pushkar will soon interrogate journalists who claimed that she had
talked to them the day before her death.
Delhi
Police Commissioner B S Bassi on Thursday said, “Some journalists have in past
openly talked about how Pushkar had called them the day before her death. So,
talking to them will be a relevant step for us. We would surely like to take
help of these journalists to reach the root of this case. The SIT will likely
be talking to them in a day or two."
He also
confirmed that certain electronic equipments related to the death probe of
Sunanda are being examined by experts.
"Any
electronic equipment which we seize during our investigation is always examined
by the experts. This case is not a unique case, so in this case also we are
getting certain equipments examined by the experts," Bassi added.The
police chief said his team was investigating the case with 'an open mind' and
nothing 'relevant' would be left out.
"I
don't have the minute to minute update of the case. We are investigating this
case with an open mind. So, anything relevant that comes our way is not going
to be left out," he added.Earlier this week, Tharoor was interrogated at
the Vasant Vihar police station in South Delhi.
According
to media reports, he was asked over 50 questions by a team of four officers in
the first of likely three rounds of interrogation.Earlier this month, the
police had said that based on available evidence, Sunanda, 51, was poisoned. A
case of murder was registered on January 6.She was found dead in the five-star
Leela HOTEL IN DELHI on January 17, 2014.
Initially,
her death was debated as a possible suicide for months, and it was only this
month, that a murder theory began to be considered seriously after doctors at
the All India Institute of Medical Sciences maintained that her demise was
unnatural.Tharoor has been demanding that the investigation must be "free
of political pressure or a pre-determined outcome."
6) Meet
Saudi Arabia's new ruler, King Salman:
The death
of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah on Friday morning has placed the crown in the
hands of his younger half-brother King Salman. But who is he? Salman bin Abdul-Aziz
Al Saud, born December 31 1935, is a veteran of the country’s leadership.
1) Salman
is the 25th son of the desert kingdom’s founder Abdulaziz bin Saud and a
prominent member of a formidable bloc of brothers known as the Sudairi seven,
after their mother Hassa bin Ahmed al-Sudairi. He is the sixth son of Abdulaziz
to become king of the arid, oil-rich nation.
2) In
1963, Salman became the governor of Riyadh and continued in the post for the
next 48 years, till 2011. The role also meant he was responsible for
arbitrating disputes between quarreling members of the ruling family, putting
him at the center of the kingdom's most important power structure.
3) He was
appointed Minister of Defence in 2011. As defence minister he oversaw Saudi
Arabia joining the United States coalition of airstrikes against Isis, also
known as Islamic State, in 2014.
4) Salman
controls one of the Arab world’s largest media groups.
5)
Salman’s first order after assuming the throne was to appoint his youngest
brother, Prince Muqrin, as the new crown prince.
6)
Salman’s sons include the first Muslim astronaut, Prince Sultan, and the governor
of Medinah, Prince Faysal. Another son, Prince Khaled, is a fighter pilot in
the Royal Saudi Air Force and led the first RSAF mission against Islamic State
targets in Syria last year.
7) Salman
has his own health issues and has suffered from a stroke.
7) The
Obama Interview: 'Modi has a clear vision for India'":
United
States President Barack Obama is impressed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's
vision of the big things he wants India to achieve.
In an
interview to India Today Group vice-chairman Shekhar Gupta, Obama said he was
impressed with Modi's energy and readiness to address many of the barriers that
have stood in the way of greater economic growth.He also echoed India's stand
on terror activities being harboured by Pakistan. He reiterated that even as
Washington was working with Islamabad to meet the threat of terrorism, safe
havens within Pakistan were unacceptable and that those behind the Mumbai
terrorist attack must face justice.
On
relations with Modi:
'Prime
Minister Modi's historic election clearly reflects the desire of many Indians
for economic growth that is inclusive, good government that serves citizens,
and education that delivers the skills Indians seek. And his remarkable life
story -- from tea-seller to prime minister -- is a reflection of the
determination of the Indian people to succeed."
'I
invited him because I felt that it was important for us to meet early in his
tenure so that we could take full advantage of the new energy and new hopes
surrounding his election. He has a clear vision of the big things he wants
India to achieve, and I have been impressed with his energy and his readiness
to address many of the barriers that have stood in the way of greater economic
growth'
On
Indo-US relationship:
'No two
nations agree on everything, and so of course sometimes India and the United
States will disagree. But I believe that we can work through any differences in
a spirit of mutual respect. When those of us at the leadership level agree on a
course of action, our governments have to actually implement our decisions. We
have to make sure that words are matched by deeds.'
'We can
work together to support Modi's efforts to uplift Indian communities with
cleaner air, more water, and more electricity, including under our civil
nuclear agreement. We can deepen our security cooperation, including on
maritime security in the Asia-Pacific. And I believe that part of being global
partners means working together to meet one of the world's urgent challenges --
climate change.'
On
terrorism:
'Indians
were tragically killed on 9/11, as were Americans on 26/11. On my previous
visit to India, my first stop was the memorial at the Taj hotel to pay my
respects to the victims, meet with survivors and send a strong message to the
Indian people that we stand together in defence of our security and our way of
life.'
'I have
made it clear that even as the United States works with Pakistan to meet the
threat of terrorism, safe havens within Pakistan are not acceptable and that
those behind the Mumbai terrorist attack must face justice.'
On the
ISIS threat:
'The
emergence of ISIL in Syria and Iraq is another manifestation of the threat I
have been focused on-the evolving nature of terrorism. Today, the greatest
threat comes from Al Qaeda affiliates, violent extremist groups and individuals
who have succumbed to terrorist ideologies.
'So we
are meeting this threat on many fronts. We are helping nations go after
terrorist groups within their borders, whether on the Arabian Peninsula or
North Africa. We are leading the international coalition to destroy ISIL. We
are working with many nations to prevent foreign terrorist fighters from
crossing borders and attacking our citizens.'
Areas of
Indo-US cooperation:
'I pushed
for elevating the role of the G-20 to give emerging economies -- including
India -- a greater voice in global economic decision-making. And it is why I
believe that a reformed United Nations Security Council should include India as
a permanent member.''Technologies pioneered by Indians and Americans, often
through joint collaborations, give us unprecedented opportunities to improve the
lives of people around the world.'
'I am
convinced that we can do even more together to promote agricultural development
in Africa, fight diseases like Ebola and improve global health, and achieve our
ambitious goal of ending extreme poverty.''In the Asia-Pacific, we can work
with regional organisations to ensure that all nations abide by the same rules
of the road. We need to sustain our efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear
weapons and technologies.'
8) Ahead
of Obama visit, 150 terrorists trying to infiltrate LoC:
The
Indian Army on Saturday said the announcement of the ban on Hafiz Saeed-led
Jamaat-ud-Dawa by Pakistan were “good moves” but the effect of these steps
needs to be gauged on the ground.
“It is a
significant move by Pakistan. We are waiting and watching as to how the ban on
JuD would manifest on the ground,” General Officer Commanding of Army’s
Srinagar-based 15 Corps, Lt General Subrata Saha said.He said all necessary
precautions have been taken in view of the high profile visit of US President
Barack Obama. “Adequate care is being taken to foil all (nefarious) designs in
view of the visit of the US President,” Lt Gen Saha said.He said while security
forces had good success against militants during the last year, there were
reports of over 150 militants waiting at various launch pads on the other side
of the Line of Control to infiltrate in the Valley.
“According
to our assessment, there are 150 to 160 militants waiting at launch pads to
sneak in ... there are around 17 launch pads,” he said.Security has been beefed
up across the Valley, especially in the summer capital of the state, to thwart
any militant attacks ahead or during the visit of the US president, who will be
arriving in New Delhi on Sunday.Large number of police and paramilitary forces
have been deployed around sensitive installations to ensure peaceful conduct of
Republic Day celebrations and an incident-free Valley during Obama’s stay in
India.
Special
security check points have been set up at all entry and exit points into the
city and major towns of the Valley, where random frisking of pedestrians and
checking of vehicles are being conducted to keep militants at bay.Police and
other security forces have been asked to intensify area domination patrols
especially during the night hours to check the movement of suspected persons.In
addition, sharp shooters are being deployed in the close vicinity of Bakshi
Stadium, the main venue of Republic Day function in the Valley.
9) J-K
govt formation: PDP chief hints at alliance with BJP:
Putting
an end to speculations on government formation in Jammu and Kashmir, Peoples
Democratic Party patron and former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed on
Saturday said “track two” dialogue with the Bharatiya Janata Party is in
progress.“Track two dialogue with BJP over the formation of government in Jammu
and Kashmir is in progress,” he said while addressing party leaders.
Sayeed
said that once the dialogue gets some direction, a structured dialogue with BJP
would be initiated. “Once the track two dialogue gets some direction, a
structured dialogue of the track one dialogue on the formation of a common
minimum programme will be initiated,” he said.
The PDP
patron said that his party is not “power hungry” and will in no way resort to
the “sell-out” of its core ideology.
“PDP has
its conditions and there will be no sell-out of our core ideology including the
time bound revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and initiation of
dialogue with Pakistan,” he said.Sayeed said that the party would want a
special package for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, especially the youth, who
are facing problems due to unemployment.He said that PDP would also demand the
transfer of NHPC-run power projects in the state to the government of Jammu and
Kashmir.
Sayeed
said that the state was going through a critical phase and people need a strong
and stable government that can deliver on the promises made to them during the
assembly elections.
10) Obama
to skip his date with the Taj Mahal:
US
President Barack Obama “regrets” that he will not be able to visit Agra during
his three-day stay to India starting on Sunday, the White House said on
Saturday.“President Obama and the First Lady will travel to Riyadh on Tuesday,
January 27 in order to pay respects to King Salman bin Abdulaziz and the family
of the late King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz.”
.jpg)
“Accordingly,
we adjusted the schedule in coordination with the Indian Government so that the
president would be able to depart India following his speech on Tuesday to stop
in Riyadh during the return trip to meet with King Salman and other Saudi
officials and offer his condolences on behalf of the American people. The
President regrets that he will be unable to visit Agra during this trip. The vice president will remain in
Washington,” a White House statement said.
The
statement, issued in New Delhi by the US embassy, also mentioned that the US
vice president was originally to have led a delegation to Saudi Arabia on the
President's behalf.“As the president’s and vice president’s travel schedules
became clearer, we determined that the window when the vice president would be
on the ground in Riyadh coincided with the president’s departure from India,”
it said, noting that accordingly Obama’s schedule was adjusted.
Meanwhile,
after Americans informed about the change in the programme of the President,
all concerned security agencies and local administration has been conveyed the
same.He was scheduled to visit the city of Taj with his wife Michelle Obama on
Tuesday for which elaborate security arrangements had been made.
The US
President, who will be arriving in New Delhi on Sunday for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi
and be the chief guest at the Republic Day, will leave India on January 27.
Sports News
This Week:
1)
Williams sisters lead Americans into fourth round:
Top seed Serena Williams and her older sister Venus led a foursome of American women into the Australian Open fourth round on Saturday, while men's top seed Novak Djokovic survived a nervous start to overcome a feisty Fernando Verdasco.It is the first time four women from the traditional tennis powerhouse, which has relied on the Williams sisters for much of their grand slam success in the past decade, have made the last 16 at a major since Roland Garros in 2013.The sisters were joined in the last 16 by the two Madisons - Brengle and Keys - who will play each other - with the 19-year-old Keys upsetting twice Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova 6-4 7-5 in the last match of the day.
"I
think my hands are still shaking," said Keys, who is coached by former
number one Lindsay Davenport. "I'm excited to play Maddie in the next
round."Twice champion Victoria Azarenka also advanced after a 6-4 6-4
victory over 25th seed Barbora Zahlavova Strycova and will now meet last year's
beaten finallist Dominika Cibulkova.
FEDERER
SHADOW
With
Roger Federer's surprise exit on Friday still hanging over the tournament, the
men's favourites had some nervous moments in their third round clashes on
Saturday.
Djokovic
was forced into a first set tiebreak by former top-10 player Verdasco, while
fifth seed Kei Nishikori also dropped the first set tiebreak before he beat
Steve Johnson.Johnson and 19th-seed John Isner, who was beaten by Luxembourg's
Gilles Muller, were the last American men in the singles competition, though
North America will be represented in the fourth round by Canada's Milos Raonic.
Djokovic's
match, which was temporarily halted before the third set as Verdasco took a
timeout, did have another distraction with a marriage proposal in the stands
that the world number one applauded when the woman accepted."I'm sure he
was very happy when she said yes," a smiling Djokovic said. "It's
nice to see this moment."
Men's
champion Stan Wawrinka, pleased to be out of the glare of many people, also
continued his quiet progression with a clinical victory over tricky lefthander
Jarkko Nieminen."I'm not the focus on the tournament because there's
Novak, Rafa coming back from injury, Roger also just lost, there's Kyrgios,
Tomic still playing," Wawrinka said."For me, doesn't matter."
OMINOUS
PORTENT
While
Azarenka continues to lurk as a danger to anyone in the top half of the draw,
an ominous portent developed over the rest of the women's field with the
Williams' sisters success.The last time the siblings reached the last 16 at
Melbourne Park, Serena went on to win her fifth Australian Open title.It was
also the last time the 18-times grand slam winner lifted the Daphne Akhurst
Memorial Cup.
The world
number one beat Ukraine's Elina Svitolina 4-6 6-2 6-0, while 18th seed Venus
also needed a set to get going before she beat Italy's Camila Giorgi 4-6 7-6(3)
6-1 to make her first grand slam fourth round since Wimbledon in
2011."That feels fantastic especially when things happen in your life that
are not in your control," said Venus, who struggles with Sjogren's
syndrome, an auto-immune disease that can cause joint pain and
fatigue."But I don't want to stop now, I want to keep it going.
"This
little cat has a few tricks up her sleeve."The 34-year old will now meet
women's sixth seed Agnieszka Radwanska who also continued her largely
untroubled progress with a 6-0 7-5 win over another American Varvara Lepchenko,
while Serena will play the enigmatic Garbine Muguruza.
The
hard-hitting Spaniard beat Serena last year in the second round at Roland Garros
and the tall right hander said that victory, while a 'perfect game', was not a
factor on the Melbourne hard courts."I think I don't have nothing to
lose," the 21-year-old said. "Just another match, same game, same
concentration.
2)
Brisbane ODI: India vs England:
England
defeated India by nine wickets in Brisbane on Tuesday, in their second outing
of a one-day international tri-series after India's decision to bat first
backfired. Catch all the highlights of the match here. In reply to India's 153 from
39.3 overs, England lost just one wicket while scoring 156 runs in 27.3 overs
3)
Australian Open: Madison Keys ends Petra Kvitova’s campaign; Novak Djokovic,
Serena Williams advance:
Novak
Djokovic fine-tuned his voice and his game at the Australian Open on Saturday,
advancing to the fourth round with a straight-sets win over Fernando Verdasco
and then urging the crowd of 15,000 to sing Happy Birthday to his mother back
home.After his 7-6 (8), 6-3, 6-4 win, the four-time Australian champion had a
lengthy on-court interview with Jim Courier discussing a range of topics
including his childhood memories of tennis, when “I was constructing little
trophies out of plastic and pretending I was a Wimbledon champion.”
The
flashback jogged his memory. It was Jan. 24, his mother Dijana’s birthday.“It’s
my mom’s birthday, can you sing happy birthday?” he asked the crowd, before
singing the whole song live on camera. The Williams sisters had their own
celebration of sorts, progressing together to the fourth round of a Grand Slam
tournament for the first time since Wimbledon in 2011. Two other Americans
joined them, with 19-year-old Madison Keys upsetting two-time Wimbledon
champion Petra Kvitova with a 6-4, 7-5 victory and Madison Brengle beating Coco
Vandeweghe 6-3, 6-2 in an all-U.S. match. The two Madisons will meet in the
fourth round, meaning one will become a first-time major quarter-finalist. When
18-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams noticed that older sister Venus was
advancing to the second week, it inspired her own 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 win over No.
26-ranked Elina Svitolina.When top-ranked Serena walked onto Rod Laver Arena,
Venus was already down a set and a break on Margaret Court Arena. Venus, who
was diagnosed with an auto-immune condition called Sjogren’s syndrome in 2011
and has struggled at the highest level ever since, rallied for a 4-6, 7-6 (3),
6-1 win over Camila Giorgi, and that inspired her younger sister.
“I
thought, ‘Wow, she’s been through so much with her illness, with everything
that she’s had to do. Gosh, if she can do it, I’m perfectly healthy, I’m fine.
I should be able to do it, too,” the five-time Australian Open champion said.
“It just got me so motivated, really helped me push through those next two sets
at a rapid rate.”She’ll have to be at the top of her game in the next round she
meets No. 24 Garbine Muguruza, who beat her in the second round at the French
Open last year. Muguruza defeated Timea Bacsinszky 6-3, 4-6, 6-0.In the other
fourth-round match in that quarter, two-time champion Victoria Azarenka will
meet 2014 finalist Dominika Cibulkova.
4) Saina
Nehwal, K Srikanth reach Syed Modi International Grand Prix finals
Defending
champion Saina Nehwal is just one step away from retaining her women’s singles
title, while world No. 5 Indian K Srikanth too reached the finals of the USD
120,000 Syed Modi International Badminton tournament, in Lucknow on
Saturday.Olympic bronze medallist Saina didn’t have to break much sweat as she
disposed off fourth seed Nichaon Jindapon of Thailand 21-10 21-16 at the Babu
Banarasi Das Indoor Stadium.
The
24-year-old will take on the winner of the match between two-time World
Championship bronze medallist P V Sindhu and reigning World Champion Carolina
Marin of Spain.
World No.
5 Srikanth also continued his rampaging form and entered the finals for the
second successive time with a hard-fought victory over compatriot H S Prannoy,
who had clinched the Indonesia Masters last year.The top seed Indian dropped
the opening game before beating Prannoy 12-21 21-12 21-14 in a match that
lasted for an hour and four minutes in the men’s singles competition.In
doubles, it was curtains for fifth seeds Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy as they
were defeated by fourth seeds Vladimir Ivanov and Ivan Sozonov of Russia 12-21
18-21.
5)
Manchester United held to goalless draw by fourth-tier Cambridge :
Manchester
United were held to a 0-0 draw at fourth tier Cambridge United in the FA Cup
fourth round on Friday after another embarrassing outing against lower league
opposition.Cambridge, promoted from the minor leagues into the professional
pyramid last season, gave the Manchester millionaires a lesson in terms of
desire and defensive organisation.
The home side
even had the best opportunity in the first half when Josh Coulson headed over
from close range as the visitors, with Wayne Rooney rested, were reduced to
half chances.Louis van Gaal’s side, dumped out of the Capital One (League) Cup
4-0 in the second round by third tier Milton Keynes Dons in August, improved
after the break with Radamel Falcao going close but they had to settle for an
Old Trafford replay.
6) Former
administrators and players hail Supreme Court verdict :
Former
cricket administrators on Thursday hailed the Supreme Court verdict of barring
N Srinivasan from contesting any BCCI election on grounds of conflict of
interest, saying that it will end malpractices while bringing transparency in
the running of the game in the country. Delivering its long-awaited verdict,
the court held that the allegation of betting against Gurunath Meiyappan, a CSK
team official and son-in-law of the BCCI President-in-exile and Rajasthan
Royals co-owner Raj Kundra stands proved while the charge of cover up against
Srinivasan “is not proved”. The SC also set up a judges committee under a
former Chief Justice of India to decide on the punishment in the IPL scam that
can threaten the future of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR).
Former BCCI and ICC chief Sharad Pawar said the SC decision will bring to an
end to all the unwanted things that have been happening in Indian cricket for
some time. “I am happy Srinivasan is out. Many things have been happening in
cricket for so long and this verdict will help in ending them. The need of the
hour is to bring a change in cricket set-up,” he said. Pawar, however, ruled
himself out of taking up responsibility to lead the Board. “Whether me or
(another former BCCI president) Shashank Manohar are not personally interested
but interested in helping the administrative set up of cricket,” added Pawar,
also a former Union Minister. Another former BCCI chief AC Muthiah asked
Srinivasan to quit as ICC President also. “He (Srinivasan) has to come out of
ICC. How can he be there in ICC when he is not wanted in his own country?”
asked Muthiah who had filed cases on conflict of interest in the BCCI in the
courts. “It’s a landmark judgment. I find I have been vindicated for fighting
the conflict of interest case for the last six years in Madras High Court and
Supreme Court. This decision by the Supreme Court will bring in structural
changes in the BCCI which would definitely result in the improvement of the
gentleman’s game,” he added. IS Bindra, another former BCCI President, said
that the current office bearers of the Board should also be taken to task. “The
court showed no faith in BCCI and set up its own inquiry committee. All of them
are guilty. People who did not take action for last — months are equally
responsible.
7) N
Srinivasan can’t contest BCCI elections, board functions public and amenable to
judicial reviews, says Supreme Court :
Observing
that “individuals are birds of passage while institutions are forever” and
underlining the principles of “institutional integrity” and “public policy”,
the Supreme Court Thursday quashed a rule allowing BCCI administrators to have
commercial interests in formats like IPL and Champions League T20, and barred
its ousted chief N Srinivasan from contesting elections. The bench of Justices
T S Thakur and F M I Kalifulla held that conflict of interest had arisen in
Srinivasan’s case since he played a role in organising and managing events like
the IPL in which Chennai Super Kings, a team owned by his company India Cements
Ltd, participated while he took part in decisions concerning the team.It asked
the BCCI to conduct within six weeks its election in which “no one who has any
commercial interest in BCCI events, including Srinivasan, shall be eligible for
contesting the elections for any post whatsoever”. The court, however, cleared
Srinivasan of alleged cover-up in the IPL corruption case, underlining that the
charges against him could “at best raise a suspicion” but did not stand proved.
8)
Extremely happy with Supreme Court judgement, says Lalit Modi
Claiming
to have been vindicated after the Supreme Court barred N Srinivsan from
contesting BCCI Presidential elections owing to conflict of interest, sacked
IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi on Thursday said the verdict will clean up
corruption in the game.“Extremely happy with the Hon. Supreme Court judgement
on #srinivasan.. always believed that I would be vindicated #IPLVerdict,” Modi
said in a series of tweets after the apex court disallowed Srinivasan from
fighting the BCCI Presidential election due to his stake in IPL team Chennai
Super Kings.
“Decision
by Hon. SC to disallow any administrator from having any commercial interest in
cricket is bang on #IPLVerdict #SriniGameOver,” he added.
Delivering
its long-awaited verdict, the Supreme Court held that the allegation of betting
against Gurunath Meiyappan, a CSK team official and son-in-law of the BCCI
President-in-exile, and Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra stands proved
while the charge of cover up against Srinivasan “is not proved”.Striking down
rules that permitted BCCI office bearers to have a commercial interest by
owning teams in the hugely-popular Indian Premier League and Champions League,
at two-member bench of Justices T S Thakur and F M I Khalifulla, said,
“Amendment in the BCCI rules allowing Srinivasan to own IPL team is bad as
conflict of interest in cricket leads to great confusion.”Modi said
his position on conflict of interest has been proved right by the apex court.
Books Of
This Week:
1) When
She Smiled by Ritoban Chakrabarti:
Mrityunjoy
Roy is a fifteen year old Bengali who has spent the last ten years of his life
growing up in Shimla. While his family is completely academically oriented, he
wants something more.
Finally
he meets Akanksha in school, who turns his world upside down with her gorgeous
looks and mind boggling smile. As fate would have it, she joins his tuition,
and thus begins the torrid year of puppy love, romance, heartbreak, tragedy,
and self discovery. Set among the scenic Shivalik hills of Shimla when mobile
phones and internet were non-existent, this is a story of how an average young
teenager comes to terms with his destiny.
Ritoban
Chakrabarti:
Ritoban is an entrepreneur who ran an internet marketing company for five years, before trying his hand at writing. His first novel, When She Smiled, a coming-of-age fiction released in 2014. He is an avid traveller, and believes in a life without boundaries.
2) The
Same Sky by Amanda Eyre Ward :
In this heartrending and poignant novel, award-winning author Amanda Eyre Ward tells the story of Alice Conroe, a forty year old Texas barbecue owner who has the perfect life, except she and her husband long for a child. Unable to conceive, she’s trying desperately to adopt but her destiny is quickly altered by a young woman she’s never met.
Fearless
thirteen-year-old Carla Trujilio is being raised by her grandmother in Honduras
along with her four year old twin brothers. Her mother is sending money home
from Texas where she’s trying to make a better life for her family, but she
only has enough to bring one son to her. When Carla’s grandmother dies, Carla
decides to take her fate into her own hands and embarks on a dangerous journey
across the border with Junior, the twin left behind.
Two
powerful journeys intersecting at a pivotal moment in time: Alice and Carla’s
lives will be forever and profoundly changed. Heartbreaking, emotional, and
arresting, this novel is about finding the courage to trail blaze your own path
in life with faith, hope and love, no matter the struggle or the tragedy
Amanda
Eyre Ward:
Amanda Eyre Ward was born in New York City in 1972. Her fifth novel, THE SAME SKY, will be published on January 27, 2015. She lives in Austin, TX with her family.
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