LONDON: Mandy Rice-Davies, a model implicated in the Profumo affair that scandalised 1960s Britain and almost brought down the government, has died of cancer at the age of 70, a spokesman said on Friday.
Allegations by Rice-Davies, who became known by her married name Marilyn Foreman, were part of a wave of lurid disclosures that threatened Harold Macmillan’s Conservative administration in 1963.
“It is with deep sadness that the family of Marilyn Foreman, also known as Mandy Rice-Davies, have confirmed that she passed away yesterday evening,” a spokesman for the Hackford Jones PR agency said.
The nightclub dancer was friends with the main figure in the scandal Christine Keeler, who was alleged to be sleeping with British Secretary of State for War John Profumo and a Russian defence attache.

GUWAHATI, India (AP) — An explosion in the parking lot of a bus station early Sunday killed three people and wounded five others in India’s remote northeastern state, where several separatist groups operate, police said.

The homemade bomb went off in Imphal, the capital of Manipur state, killing three construction workers, said police Superintendent Ibomcha Singh.

Five other men were hospitalized.

No one has claimed responsibility for the blast.

Imphal is about 550 kilometers (340 miles) southeast of Guwahati, the biggest city in the region.

At least 17 separatist groups are active in Manipur state and often stage hit-and-run attacks on government forces. Their demands range from greater autonomy for the state to an independent homeland for the people of Manipur.

An “alarming” number of pre-school children are being prescribed drugs to treat hyperactivity – contrary to medical guidelines that say they should not be used on children under six – because overstretched health workers go straight to medication rather than offering psychological interventions.

More than a fifth of educational psychologists say they know of preschool children who are being given medication such as Ritalin even though the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) recommends psychological interventions should be tried first.

The survey, which aimed to investigate the medicalisation of childhood behaviour, also found there was an “intolerance of difference”, so children not conforming to the norm were increasingly being seen as having something wrong with them.

One educational psychologist who took part in the study, which was carried out by the University College London Institute of Education (IoE) and the British Psychological Society, wrote: “Our biggest difficulty is that children’s and adolescent mental health services and paediatric teams are so short-staffed they go straight to medication and completely ignore Nice guidance.”

Ritalin, which is the most commonly used trade name for methylphenidate, is a central nervous system stimulant used to treat attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

The Nice guidelines, which were amended in 2013, state: “Parent-training/ education programmes are the first-line treatment for parents or carers of pre-school children … Drug treatment is not recommended for pre-school children with ADHD.”

The findings are part of a survey of 136 educational psychologists from 70 local authorities across the UK, seeking their views on the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of ADHD.

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The report found that medication was seen as the main solution in the treatment of ADHD. “Medication was felt to be the predominant form of treatment for ADHD despite Nice guidelines that psychological interventions should be implemented first,” the report said.

“Multiple systemic factors” were creating a “pressure for increasing rates of diagnosis and medication”.

The survey, which will be formally published next year, said there was an “urgent need to examine local policies regarding the effective prevention and intervention in cases of pre-school behavioural, emotional and social difficulties”.

Vivian Hill, director of professional educational psychology training at the IoE, who conducted the research with Horatio Turner of UCL, said: “It is very alarming to discover that terribly young children who often have not had access to alternative treatments are being put on medication.

“It is almost certainly to do with the fact that the whole of children’s mental health services is incredibly underfunded. It’s quick and easy – one off the waiting list, one intervention in place.

“To work with a child or a young person and their family over time is much more costly, but much safer and likely to have much better results. Medication has a short-term impact. It will not make the difference long-term.”

Educational psychologists who took part in the survey said “intolerance of difference” affected the way adults viewed children’s learning and behaviour. One wrote: “There is an increasingly prevalent view in society that people who do not fit a particular environment must have something wrong with them.”

The report said “within-child” factors were emphasised too often, rather than environmental factors, “due to families and schools wishing to abdicate responsibility for children’s behaviour and systemic failings in current diagnostic procedures”. One participant said: “It’s an easy explanation, which is convenient and comforting and absolves everyone of blame by locating the problem within the child.”

Educational psychologists said they were frustrated by factors that limited their ability to care effectively for children with ADHD. “Usually when [we] get involved the die is cast and is predominantly problem-focused, so much so that the only perceivable solution is medication,” one wrote.

The report concluded that educational psychologists should be involved in developing a broader understanding of contextual perspectives of ADHD among families and recommended establishing a multi-agency approach for its assessment and treatment.

One EP said: “My local authority has a behaviour pathway that includes ADHD.” Following its introduction one of the survey participants said that behavioural observation by an educational psychologist led to a significant fall in the diagnosis and medication of ADHD.

A Department of Health spokesman said: “Prescribing decisions are for doctors to make, but there are clear independent guidelines for the treatment of ADHD, which only recommend the use of drugs in severe cases and as part of a comprehensive treatment plan.

“Children’s mental health is a key priority, which is why we’ve formed a taskforce to look at how we can provide the best possible care and have invested £54m in improving access to psychological treatments.”

Private steel major Tata Steel was conferred the prestigious Certificate of Recognition by the Institute of Companies Secretaries of India (ICSI) for its excellence in corporate governance.

The steel giant, chosen among the top 5 companies in the country, was conferred the Certificate at a ceremony in New Delhi on Friday, a company release said on Saturday.

Chanakya Chaudhary, Group Director, Corporate Communications and Regulatory Affairs, Tata Steel, received the Certificate from Union Minister for Law and Justice Sadananda Gowda.

Earlier, Tata Steel had received the ‘2nd National Award for excellence in Corporate Governance’ issued by the Institute in year 2002.

It was such an honour to be at the St Elias School  Evolution Exhibition along with Principal Sister Philomena, Father Milton Gonsalves ,who were celebrating 175 glorious years . Amazing  creativity by the children of kindergarten, primary and secondary section was on display . The event was inaugurated by Shri Ashish Shelar  ,(MLA)Mrs Alka Kerkar (dy. Mayor of Mumbai),dignitaries and  guard of honour was given to the dignitaries .

Islamabad, Dec 20 (PTI) Pakistan forces have killed 28 militants in the restive north-western tribal region, intensifying the campaign against them after the Peshawar school massacre that left 148 people dead, mostly students.

A security official today said that jet fighters targeted militants in Tirah valley of Khyber, which killed 21 militants and destroyed their seven hideouts.

Private TV channels reported that Peshawar attack “mastermind” Umer Naray was also killed in the attack but it was not confirmed.

Separately, the security forces killed five terrorists in Darra Adam Khel near Peshawar in a targeted operation.

Also, the police and paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) attacked a Taliban facilitator Sayyar Khan in Machini area near Peshawar, leading to a gun battle with the militants.

Senior police officer Ijaz Ahmad told media that Khan and another militant were killed while a policemen and an FC soldier embraced martyrdom in the fight.

So far 152 militants have been killed in counter-terror operation since the Peshawar attack on Tuesday.

Army chief General Raheel Sharif last evening visited Khyber and met the troops on the front lines.

He also met with Special Services Group (SSG) soldiers or Commandos who are spearheading the targeted operations.

Army said Gen Sharif told the soldiers that fight against militants would continue till last of the rebel was eliminated.

The security forces have launched hunt for rebels after the Peshawar attack.

Army has vowed to take out Tehreek-e-Taliban chief Mullah Fazlullah nicknamed the “Radio Mullah”, who is said to be in contact with the Peshawar school attackers during the assault.

Pakistani security forces yesterday killed at least 67 militants in a countrywide swoop.

Indian-American Richard Rahul Verma has been sworn in as the US Ambassador to India by Secretary of State John Kerry.

46-year-old Verma is the first ever Indian-American to be the top US diplomat in New Delhi.

He is scheduled to arrive in India ahead of Kerry’s visit to Delhi next month. US President Barack Obama will arrive in late January to attend the Republic Day Parade on January 26 as the Chief Guest.

He was confirmed by the US Senate by a voice vote last week. Last week he met Obama at the White House.

Verma, who quietly played an important role in the Congressional passage of civil nuclear deal with India, had advocated for strong Indo-US ties when in the administration and recently started “India 2020” project at Centre for American Progress — a top American-think tank.

He will replace Nancy Powell, who resigned in March after a damaging row over the treatment of diplomat Devyani Khobragade over visa fraud charges.

The US Embassy in New Delhi is currently headed by a charge d’affaires, Kathleen Stephens.

Verma’s association with Obama goes back to 2008 when he worked on presidential debate preparations for the then Illinois senator.

His parents came to the US in the early 1960s.

“It is a day of celebration for Indian Americans,” said Dr Sampat Shivangi, national president of Indian American Forum for Political Education.

“Verma deserves this worthy appointment due to his dedication and well deserved respect he commands from President Obama and entire US Congress and the nation,” said Shivangi, one of the few Indian—Americans invited to attend the swearing in ceremony at the State Department yesterday.

The event was closed for the press.

CAIRNS (Australia): Australian police said on Saturday they had arrested the mother of most of eight children reportedly stabbed to death in the northern city of Cairns, as vigils were held to mourn the tragedy.

Officers have not revealed the cause of death of the children, aged between 18 months and 14 years, but said knives were found at the house where the bodies were discovered on Friday morning.

READ ALSO: Eight children found dead in Australia home
Flowers and teddy bears were laid near the crime scene and church services were held overnight in Cairns for the killings, which have shocked the community.

“The 37-year-old mother of several of the children involved in this incident has been arrested for murder overnight and is currently under police guard at the Cairns Base Hospital,” detective inspector Bruno Asnicar told reporters.

The woman, believed to be the mother of seven of the children and the aunt of the eighth, has not been charged, but Queensland Police said she was assisting them with their inquiries.

Flowers and stuffed toys are laid opposite the scene where eight children ranging from babies to teenagers were found dead in a house in the northern Australian city of Cairns early on December 20, 2014. (AFP Photo)

“She’s stable and being looked after,” Asnicar said, adding that the woman, who has stab wounds to her upper body, was “awake … lucid and speaking”. He could not say whether her wounds were self-inflicted.

“At this stage we’re not looking for anybody else. We’re comfortable that the community at large is safe,” he added.

The murders have rocked Australia, which is still reeling from a dramatic siege in a central Sydney cafe this week that left two hostages and a gunman dead and prompted a huge outpouring of emotion.

The dead children were reportedly discovered by the mother’s 20-year-old son when he arrived at the house in the Cairns suburb of Manoora on Friday morning.

The deaths have come as a shock to police, who said the house was not known as a “problem house”.

“This is just an ordinary neighbourhood,” Asnicar said. “A lot of good people, a lot of kids in the area and this is just something that has caught everybody by surprise. It’s absolutely tragic.”

Candlelit vigils and church services took place in Cairns overnight, and police said they are working closely with the indigenous Torres Strait Islander community to which the family belonged.

Torres Shire Council Mayor Pedro Stephen told Australian Associated Press that the entire region was grieving.

“It’s like a bomb has gone off,” he said. “Everyone is in shock.” Acting Assistant Police Commissioner Paul Taylor said the impact of the deaths would be felt across Australia.

“There will be people who have never, ever been to Cairns who will be touched by this tragedy,” he said.

Reports said a woman was heard screaming in the house on Thursday night, with Brisbane’s Courier-Mail saying she was heard to shout: “Don’t let them take away from us. God bless us. Forgive me for what I’ll do.”

One neighbour told the paper the woman was having “a bad night” on Thursday.

“I heard her fighting with someone this morning about 4:00 am” on Friday (1800 GMT Thursday), she said. “I last saw her about 6:00 am, then it was quiet.

“I saw her moving stuff out of the house yesterday. She was putting furniture and stuff out the front on the street, giving stuff away to family and friends.

“She said she was changing her life. She wasn’t well but she loved those kids.”

A 13-year-old girl who is friends with one of the children that lived in the house said she had walked her friend home on Thursday night after shopping and had met the mother, who had given her money for a taxi ride home.

“She was saying stuff about God and other stuff,” she told Australian Associated Press. “She said: ‘Papa God gave me the power to do anything’.”

Nagapattinam: An engineer was missing after a barge carrying 60 tonnes of essential commodities and diesel to a ship engaged in exploration activities off Nagapattinam coast sank in the sea, Coast Guard officials said.

The CG managed to rescue seven workers on board but the Engineer Ranjith Singh, who was in command of the barge, was missing.

They had set sail from Karaikal port on Thursday to ferry the items to the ship owned by a Mumbai-based firm, officials said.

Last evening, the barge developed a problem when it was off Nagapattinam coast with workers spotting an oil leak. When the engineer was trying to set things right, a glass pane of the barge broke and sea water started getting in following which it started sinking.

The seven workers managed to jump into the sea.

On information, Indian Coast Guard, Karaikal Station Commander Uddhal Singh deputed a vessel to the spot which rescued the workers struggling in the water and brought them to shore. They were given first aid and admitted to Karaikal Government Hospital last night.

However, the team could not trace the engineer, a native of Mumbai, Singh said, adding, search operations were still on.