A Pakistani-American girl, Amna Farooqi, who is a senior at the University of Maryland has been elected as president of the national student board of a pro-Israeli group called J Street U.

The girl was elected as the president during the group’s ‘Summer Leadership Institute’ in Washington. The four-day event was attended by around 120 U student leaders. The group consisits of 4,000 active participants from almost 75 campuses in the United States.

Talking about the Palestine-Israel conflict and how the issue personally affects her, Farooqi during the conference said, “Growing up in a household sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, the Palestine-Israel conflict was always the elephant in the room. This conflict evoked a level of anger and emotion in me, and I needed to learn more. Everything I was learning about the conflict made me not want to be pro-Israel. … As someone who wanted to contribute to ending this conflict I knew I needed to understand all sides.”

She also said that she “fell in love with Zionism” while taking up a course in college which dealth with issues in Israel. Further commenting obout Zionism she added, “ecause Zionism became about taking ownership over the story of one’s people. If Zionism is about owning your future, how can I not respect that?”

Amna Farooqi is a local resident of suburban Washington DC and has grown up in a ‘fairly religious Muslim home’ with several Jewish friends.

NEW DELHI: Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen’s visa was today extended for a year by the home ministry.

The decision has been taken following an intervention of home minister Rajnath Singh as Taslima has been requesting the Indian government to further extend her visa.

The 52-year-old writer’s visa was granted for a year with effect from July 23, a Home Ministry official said.

Reacting to the decision, Taslima told PTI that she was very happy even though she was expecting her visa to be extended by more than a year.

“Anyway, this is always a welcome news. I am yet to be officially conveyed (the government decision) and you are the one who broke the news to me,” she said.

Taslima, living in exile since she left Bangladesh in a cloak of secrecy in 1994 in the wake of threats to her by fundamentalist groups, was given a one-year visa by the government in 2014.

Taslima, a citizen of Sweden, has been getting Indian visa on a continuous basis since 2004.

She has also stayed in the US and Europe in the last two decades. However, on many occasions she had expressed her wish to live in India permanently, especially in Kolkata.

The writer had to leave Kolkata in 2007 following violent street protests by a section of Muslims against her works.

Taslima said if she is not able to stay on in India she will suffer from an “identity crisis” which will affect her writings and championing the cause of women’s rights.

NEW DELHI: The NIA on Friday arrested the truck driver who had allegedly helped Pak terrorist Naved Yakub, involved in Udhampur terror attack.

Naved, alongwith an accomplice, had attacked a BSF convoy in J&K’s Udhampur.

While the accomplice was killed by a BSF jawan, Naved was captured alive by villagers as he fled after the terror attack.

Naved, was brought to Delhi by NIA and made to polygraph test.

He was also taken to various places during which he identified some of the people who had helped him during his stay in the Valley.

NIA has also released two sketches of LeT terrorists, who were claimed to have infiltrated Jammu & Kashmir’s Gulmarg sector with Naved.

NIA has also taken DNA and voice samples of Naved. Sources said the DNA sample would come in handy to prove the militant’s Pakistani nationality.
While Naved has told his interrogators he is from Faislabad in Pakistan’s Punjab province, Islamabad has been insisting he is not a Pakistani national.

Is Pakistan being pushed into a corner by China with regard to the recently signed bilateral economic corridor deal? It certainly appears to be so, with highly placed sources saying the pact has run into rough weather.

According to them, China has reportedly placed Pakistan in a financial bind, with the latter apparently failing to comprehend the finer aspects of the agreement linked to the landmark project.

These highly placed sources say that to begin with, the funding from China will be in the form of loans offered at very high rates of interest, in most cases, higher than other commercially available options.

ppears to have been overwhelmed by real politick.

The sources further state that China not only wants better than market returns for the money being invested in the proposed China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), but also wants Islamabad to select only Chinese firms for all CPEC-related contracts.

For instance, business rivals of China are being quoted, as saying that Beijing is putting pressure on Pakistan to make sure that work related to the Gwadar Port Development Project is given only to a Chinese company selected by Beijing.

Officials in Pakistan have reportedly railed against such interference, but the missive from China appears to be clear, no Chinese company means no project, and therefore, no money.

According to the highly-placed sources, Pakistan, as a result, has been left with no option except to hold up the tendering process which was to conclude on July 30.

With the process halted because of the Chinese firms only clause, the other contenders for the proposed economic corridor, including those from the United States, the Gulf and South East Asia, are in commercial limbo not of their making.

The sources say that Pakistan has lost face in the matter is of no consequence to China, and it is more than obvious that Beijing won’t countenance the possibility of a likely American presence at the strategically important Gwadar Port. Pakistan, therefore, can be expected to nominate a Chinese company sooner than later.

The CPEC was announced by China and Pakistan with much fanfare in April this year, during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The CPEC is a 3000-km-long network of roads, railways and pipelines that will eventually link China’s Xinjiang Uygur region with Pakistan’s Gwadar Port.

This Belt and Road initiative is aimed at reviving the ancient trade routes that once spanned Asia, Africa and Europe.

Then, the leaderships of both countries were being wholeheartedly praised. China, especially, was being looked upon with awe for committing over $45 billion for the project.

India, on the other hand, was worried about projects in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Prime Minister Modi is reported to have mentioned his concerns with President Xi Jinping when he visited Beijing in May 2015.

Among the questions doing the rounds is why will a wily China commit such a huge amount of money with a country as unstable as Pakistan.

If looked at from Beijing’s perspective for instance, its access to the deep sea port of Gwadar in Balochistan, which is located at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, just outside the Strait of Hormuz, is beneficial, as it serves as the gateway for about 20 percent of the world’s oil.

Through Gwadar, China gains access to oil from the Middle East, and would be in a position to transport it via land or railway to the northwestern Chinese city of Kashgar, which located about 3000-kilometers away.

China has secured the right to operate the Gwadar Port for 40 years, and observers here are of the view that this has strong military possibilities for Beijing.

Operating out of Gwadar, also gives China access to Gulf countries, and a chance for it to consider building a naval base on the Arabian Sea in the future, sources have said.

BJP President Amit Shah and three other senior leaders were trapped in the lift of the state guest house here for around 40 minutes, throwing the security and party officials into a tizzy.

“The lift got stuck between the two floors and its metal doors also got jammed at around 11.30 PM last night. There was no lift operator or person capable of handling such emergency around. The mobile phones of those trapped inside were also out of range as they were in a closed box,” BJP state President Mangal Pandey said. The incident happened when Shah was going from the ground floor of the state guest house to the first floor along with party in-charge for Bihar Bhupendra Yadav, Secretary Nagendra Ji and General Secretary Saudan Singh and a couple of security personnel.

He was ultimately rescued by CRPF personnel who were present there as part of his Z+ security cover. They had to tear apart steel doors of the elevator to pull out Shah and other leaders trapped inside. Recounting the horror, Pandey said all attempts to open the doors of the lift failed. The caretaker of the place was also not of much use in the situation and people waiting on the ground and first floors of the guest house became anxious about the condition of those trapped inside.

“Nothing worked and around 40 minutes passed. It was then that CRPF was asked to break open the doors. It did so and Shah and other leaders were rescued,” Pandey said, adding “Once the doors were broken, the trapped persons came out”. “It is a gross dereliction of duty and irresponsibility shown by the people responsible for facilities at the state guest house. There was nobody present there to deal with such emergencies despite the fact that a person having Z+ security cover was staying there,” he said.

No government officials are available for comments. Meanwhile, Shah left for New Delhi by flight this morning. He came to Patna on Thursday to participate in a forum organised by a vernacular daily. He was staying at the state guest house and was conducting meeting with party leaders in view of the forthcoming Assembly polls in Bihar.

Google announced at its I/O earlier this year, that they would be looking to add features that cater to countries where fast internet connections are not the norm, and they officially demonthe fruits of that effort at their Google House event earlier today.

As Sandeep Menon, Google Country Marketing Director explains “Indians are coming online from mobile devices at an incredibly rapid rate — six to seven million new mobile internet users every month. Today’s event is about showcasing how we’re working to make our products relevant and useful for India, and how smartphones have evolved to become the best personal assistant you’ve never had.”

One demonstration was that of the new instant translation feature in Google Translate. Recently launched in Hindi as well, it helps you instantly translating printed text like, street signs or ingredient lists, by opening the app on your phone and pointing your camera at the text. There was also a deeper look at the new Google Photos app, which automatically backs up photos and videos across all your synced devices. Google Photos also offers unlimited, free storage for life, and automatically organises your folders.

There have been recent updates to Search as well, like faster and lighter search results for people accessing the web from a mobile device with a slow connection like 2G, and voice search updates to the Google app which has been optimised for English in the Indian accent and in Hindi. In addition, there are a few offline features as well, like the ability to save Maps for when you don’t have an internet connection available, or YouTube Offline, which gives you a way to possibly download videos over a WiFi connection, and later watch them without chewing through your phone data.

MUKESH SHARMA| Kalimpong: The Nepali Language Bhasa Manyata Diwas was today observed all across the Hills. Different school, organisation and political parties of the Hills today assembled to mark the completion of the 20years of the recognisation of the Nepali language. The Bharitya Gorkha Parisangh Kalimpong Branch under the Chairmanship of President Dr.Saroja Rai today celebrated the day where the Gorkha Dukh Niwarak Sammelan, Nepali Sahitya Adhyan Samiti, Kalimpong Sanrakshan Samiti and the representatives of the other several organisations were also present.The day stressed on the use the language in the Governmental offices which has got its constitutional recognisation long back. The language from today has to be used in every offices said that BGP President Dr Anos Das Pradhan. He also said that a clear definition of being a Gorkha and Nepali has to be sort out first. Slamming the Government, he said that the Nepali Language which got its recognisation in the Indian Constitution has not been used practically in every sphere. He also appealed that the newly formed Gorkhaland Territorial Administratio (GTA) Sabha to emphasis on the matter thereby adopting all the documentation and all forms of work in Nepali language. They have sent a memorandum to the GTA Executive Chief Bimal Gurung through the Sub Divisional Officer on the regard. Further the party has appealed the setting up of Nepali Bhasa Cell.Stressing more he also went back to the history that agitated for the recognisation of the language, which today has been enshrined in the Indian Constitution.Similarly Kalimpong Primary Government School at Chandralok also observed the day where the former Principal BR Chettri was present as the Chief Guest. Different programmes relating to the Nepali languages were staged on the day. The day was observed at different places in Kalimpong Sub-division is learnt.

An auto ride in Mumbai turned into a nightmare for 23-year-old Srishti Singh on Tuesday night when the auto driver started masturbating in front of her. The incident comes on the heels of similar one that took place in Colaba on Monday.

At about 8.20 pm, when Singh was travelling in an auto from Malad station to Rizvi Colony, after reaching the destination, the driver stopped the auto and masturbated in front of her.

“At first, when I was in the rickshaw, I saw him doing something, I thought something must be itching. But what I saw after I got down is the most torturous thing and probably every girl’s nightmare,” said Singh.

Singh had walked out of the station from a side where not a lot of share rickshaws were present. After being refused by 4-5 drivers, this man agreed to take her.

Singh claims that the auto driver purposely took her on a longer route. “He took me from the Raheja’s Govind Nagar road, which is usually dimly lit and deserted. He said he did it to avoid traffic, but after the incident I realise what he was actually trying to do,” she said .

On reaching Rizvi Colony, Singh got down and looked for money in her purse. It’s when she looked up, she saw what the driver was up to all this while. “As soon as I started yelling at him, he hurriedly turned his rickshaw, threw the money out, almost dashed into a wall and fled.” said Singh, who has managed to note down the number of the plate. In an attempt to stop him, Singh almost got run over.

In the morning when Singh tried to find the guy through a government website, it crashed. “The website showed errors. So I will go to the police station. I will not at any cost let him get away with this. I will file an FIR and make sure he gets due punishment,” Singh said.

Though Singh’s friends have raisesd concerns over taking action, she refuses to be cowed. “My friends tell me that sometimes these people take revenge by throwing acid and all. But I’m determined. I will make sure others stand against such heinous incidents, which all the girls go through but never complain about,” she said.

LOS ANGELES, CA – Playboy magazine today released its list of “America’s 25 Sexiest Cities,” as featured in its September 2015 issue.

New York took the list’s top spot, and was described by the magazine as a city where “the people are hot, the sex is prime quality and the frequency is high, averaging 138 times per year.” NYC was also recognized for having “the best and most nightlife” of the ranked cities, and for having “a touch of the forbidden.” In the magazine’s survey of the top five cities, New York respondents were the most interested in kink, with nearly two thirds open to experimentation and almost a quarter into BDSM.

The following is Playboy magazine’s complete list of “America’s 25 Sexiest Cities”:

1. New York
2. Los Angeles
3. Chicago
4. Miami
5. San Francisco
6. Boston
7. Seattle
8. Las Vegas
9. San Diego
10. Portland
11. Dallas
12. Philadelphia
13. Austin
14. Minneapolis
15. Denver
16. Tampa
17. Atlanta
18. Phoenix
19. Washington, D.C.
20. Charlotte
21. Orlando
22. Houston
23. Pittsburgh
24. New Orleans
25. Santa Barbara

Playboy’s list was determined by results from two customized polls conducted exclusively for the magazine and other metrics such as “hot locals, cool nightlife, a great setting and an undercurrent of desire.”

Survey results voted Detroit the “unsexiest city in America.”

Bollywood celebrities Shekhar Kapur, Rajat Kapoor, Hansal Mehta and Resul Pookutty criticised the arrest of five students of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) from its campus on charges of rioting.

The arrest comes after a group of striking students had on Monday gheraoed the institute director, Prashant Pathrabe, protesting against “irrational and unjustified” assessment of the incomplete diploma projects.

Filmmaker Shekhar took to Twitter and wrote, “There was a time #FTII was considered one of the best film schools in Asia and produced some brilliant talent. What happened?.” Oscar-winning sound engineer Pookutty, who earlier expressed his displeasure over appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as FTII chairman, said, “Police arrive in the middle of the night at #FTII, arrest 40 students. So are they really anti nationals?!or are Police implementing orders.” “