London: Researchers found that artificial sweeteners may disrupt the bacteria in some people and make them fat. Their findings may shed light on why studies often contradict one another, with some finding that people who drink lots of diet drinks are more likely to be obese, with others finding they may help people keep weight off.
India ‘loses file’ on Britain's Hawk trainer jet deal
New Delhi: Britain's £200 million deal to supply 20 British Hawk trainer jets to India was in trouble after Indian defence officials admitted the file on the planned sale was “lost.” India’s ministry of defence said the paperwork relating to the file had gone missing and that the deal could not be completed until the documents were found or redrafted. The blunder has caused acute embarrassment to the government of India and threatens to delay the delivery of the jets and payments to Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems, the British firms that supply its engines and hardware.
The Hawks were earmarked for India’s 'Red Arrows’, the Surya Kiran aerobatics team, which has been grounded since its own ageing aircraft were deemed unsafe three years ago. They are an addition to one of Britain’s largest defence deals, worth £1.6 billion, to supply 113 Hawks to train India’s air force and navy combat pilots. A spokesman for India’s ministry of defence declined to comment on the matter but officials privately confirmed the loss of the file.
Fiji's military ruler sworn in as elected leader
Suva (Fiji): Fiji's military ruler Voreqe Bainimarama was sworn in as the South Pacific nation's elected leader on Monday after results confirmed his big win in the first election since he led a coup eight years ago. Bainimarama was sworn in as prime minister-elect during a ceremony and said he planned to travel to the UN General Assembly in New York, where he would describe his nation's move to democracy. "I will tell the world what we have just accomplished in Fiji," he said. "It will be a landmark occasion." Bainimarama and his Fiji First party won an outright majority in the Parliament by taking 32 of 50 seats, according to results released by the Fijian Elections Office. The opposition Social Democratic Liberal Party (Sodelpa) won 15 seats and the National Federation Party won three. Last week's election was the first since Bainimarama seized power in a 2006 coup. Bainimarama defended the coup and thanked the military, whom he credited with creating the conditions for democracy. "I am greatly honoured and humbled that the Fijian people put their trust in me to lead them into our new and true democracy," he said. "My absolute promise is that we will govern for the wellbeing of all Fijians. The elections office said voter turnout was 84 per cent with almost 500,000 ballots cast. Bainimarama alone won just over 200,000 votes, and, when other candidates from his party were added, Fiji First won 294,000 votes, or 59 per cent of the total. Sodelpa candidates won 140,000 votes, or 28 per cent of the total. Parliamentary seats are allocated under a proportional system.
Chinese TV newsreaders fined for slip of tongue
Beijing: Chinese TV newsreaders who make mistakes while reading the news is fined. If the number of errors over the three-month period is between 60 and 90, the fine is RMB300 (£30) per word. If they commit more than 120, the fine rises to RMB500 per word. Chinese Central Television (CCTV), which is directly controlled by the government and delivers an unremitting stream of carefully sterilised historical dramas and blunt-edged propaganda, is by far the most powerful mouthpiece for the Communist Party. For that reason, a newsreader who makes an appearance at 7 pm is watched by around 250 million people. So the newsreaders spend hours to rehearsing before the broadcast. Senior CCTV managers keep a minutely detailed tally of the number of on-air errors that are made. Tiny mis-readings of the autocue, a wrongly placed pause, an infinitesimal stumble with an unfamiliar name or a slight mistake with the four tonal accents of spoken Mandarin are all officially logged. At the end of each quarter, the anchors and their production teams are presented with the grim evidence of their verbal delinquency. If the number of errors over the three-month period is between 60 and 90, the newsreader is fined RMB300 (£30) per word. If they commit more than 120, the fine rises to RMB500 per word.
GCHQ harnessing dyslexic spies
London: Britain's intelligence agency is harnessing the minds of more than 100 dyslexic and dyspraxic spies to combat terrorism and foreign espionage. Using their ability to analyse complex information in a “dispassionate, logical and analytical” way, Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) employs 120 “neuro-diverse” intelligence officers. While many of those with dyslexia find it hard to read, write or interpret words, they often have an extraordinary aptitude for deciphering facts from patterns or events.
World population to touch 12.3 bn by 2100
London: According to latest predictions world’s population will keep growing and by 2100 it could reach 12.3 billion from the current 7 billion. The experts behind the new findings warned that population should be put back on the world’s agenda after previous forecasts put the total at the end of the century at about two billion fewer.
Temperatures to drop across Britain
London: The Met Office has warned that a cold spell is due to hit Britain and night temperatures will drop below freezing point this week. While the warm weather enjoyed so far this month will continue by day, with highs of around 68F (20C), the temperature will plummet by as much as 59F (15C) in some areas of England and Scotland. A Met Office forecaster said: “There will be a significant change in the weather, with temperatures in some parts of the UK dropping to 30F (-1C).
Universities still recruiting students
London: More than a month after the publication of A-level results, a vast majority of universities – including many leading institutions – are still recruiting students. Universities are advertising clearing vacancies on almost 22,000 degree courses even though the academic year has already started for large numbers of undergraduates. Figures show that a quarter of members of the elite Russell Group, including Southampton and Queen Mary, University of London, had availability for British and European students at the end of last week.
Sex disease tests for school-going teenagers
London: A number of secondary schools in Brighton are offering teenage pupils tests for sexually transmitted diseases. But parents have criticised the scheme with some claiming they were unaware that tests are being offered to their children. One parent said that her daughter felt uncomfortable when offered the test. Brighton and Hove Council said the scheme was "entirely consistent with government guidelines".
Royal Mint encouraging people to become gold investors
London: The Royal Mint which has provided gold coins for kings, queens and governments for hundreds of years, is opening its services to the general public with a new trading website. It is encouraging members of the public to become gold investors, claiming that the precious metal is now “relatively affordable.”
Court clarification over flight delay compensation
London: New figures show that nearly 10,000 passengers who inquired about compensation for delayed flights have been wrongly advised that their claim was invalid. Under European law, passengers delayed for more than three hours can claim compensation of up to €600 (£472) unless the airline can claim the hold-up was due to an “extraordinary circumstance” such as terrorism or a strike. But amid confusion about which precise situations qualify as “extraordinary”, the Civil Aviation Authority had also included aircraft technical problems on an unofficial list of disqualifying circumstances which was issued to thousands of passengers. Its guidance was found to be wrong in May when Court of Appeal judges ruled that most technical problems should not disqualify passengers from receiving compensation, following a legal challenge brought by a passenger against Jet2.
Bangladesh top court commutes Islamist leader's death sentence
Dhaka: Bangladesh's Supreme Court has commuted to life imprisonment a death sentence of a top Islamist leader convicted of war crimes during the country's war of liberation in 1971. The decision against Delawar Hossain Sayedee, a leader of the main Islamist party, the Jamaat-e-Islami, prompted strike calls by his party, and provoked scattered violence in the capital, Dhaka, and the northern district of Rajshahi. Sayedee, 73, had appealed against the decision by a war crimes tribunal over crimes of arson, looting, murder and rape, and the top court ordered that he spend the rest of his life in prison. Health Minister Mohammad Nasim, spokesman of the country's ruling 14-party alliance, called the verdict a disappointment. "But since the verdict is from the top court, so we have to accept and honour it," he said.
Indian charged with leaking exam papers in UAE
Dubai: An Indian technician has been charged with leaking examination papers to a university student in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a media report said. During proceedings at the Dubai Criminal Court, the accused Indian, identified only as R.K., 29, denied taking cash for divulging the questions to the Oman national, identified as A.A., 32, while the latter denied a charge of criminal complicity, The National reported. The court charged R.K., who worked as an information technology technician in the university, that was not named in the report, with leaking the questions of 15 tests in different subjects to A.A. in return for 7,500 dirhams ($2,042). The Indian man was approached by A.A., who is a media and journalism student, in June. A.A. offered him 500 dirhams for every question paper he leaked.
Liberal Islamic professor gunned down in Karachi
Karachi: A professor of Islam known for his liberal religious views was shot dead in Pakistan's port city of Karachi, officials said. Mohammad Shakil Auj, the 54-year-old dean of Islamic Studies at the prestigious University of Karachi was gunned down in his car while on his way to an Iranian cultural centre where he was invited as a guest of honour. His car was being driven down a ramp from a flyover, when "bullets were fired, one hit the professor in the head and he died", a senior police officer said. Auj, a recipient of a presidential medal of distinction, was known for his unorthodox views. The professor was known for issuing controversial fatwas - for example that a Muslim woman could marry a non-Muslim man, and that women need not remove lipstick or nail polish before saying their prayers. Such views can cause serious offence to some conservative Muslims in Pakistan, which has been battling a homegrown Islamist insurgency for more than 10 years.
Pakistan appoints Rizwan Akhtar new ISI chief
Islamabad: Lieutenant General Rizwan Akhtar was appointed as the new chief of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The announcement was made on Twitter by Major General Asim Bajwa, director-general of Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR). In other promotions, Major General Hilal Hussain has been promoted Corps Commander Mangla, Ghayur Mahmood Corps Commander Gujranwala, Navid Mukhtar Corps Commander Karachi, Hidayat Ur Rehman Corps Commander Peshawar, and Nazir Butt in charge of Communications and Information Technology (C&IT), General Bajwa announced. The announcement comes as current ISI chief Lt. Gen. Zaheerul Islam and five other lieutenant generals are scheduled to retire from service in the first week of October.
Storm leaves 200,000 displaced in Philippines
Manila: Storm Fung-Wong churned towards Taiwan on Saturday after killing at least five people in the Philippines, and forcing some 200,000 people into temporary shelter, including in the capital Manila, to escape massive flooding. Most schools on the main island of Luzon remained closed for a second day as a huge mopping-up operation began. Some public offices have reopened. "Some of our things are buried in mud, it will take awhile to clean up," a resident in Marikina City said while clearing up layers of mud and debris inside their residence. Fung-Wong, with winds of 95 kph (59 mph) and gusts of 120 kph, slammed in the northern tip of the Philippines on Friday, cutting power in many areas and soaking rice and corn farms and bringing the capital to a near standstill.
