Qatar set to host Afghan art expo

Friday 8 February 2013

Doha, Feb 8 : Qatar will this year host an exhibition of Afghan art in an apparent cultural-cum-political move as Doha prepares to mediate between the Kabul administration and the Taliban, to seek peace in the war torn country.

A top official said that the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) will organise the event in March, to let the world get a feel of the heritage of Afghanistan—a country otherwise known for Al Qaeda inspired violence and decades of deadly armed conflict.

“We look forward to it as one of our major achievements,” said Aisha al-Khater, the director of MIA. She was speaking to the media at the official launch of the first Alain Ducasse restaurant in the Middle East, IDAM, at the museum premises on the Corniche Street.

Ducasse combines world famous French Mediterranean style with Arab influences.

Aisha said the launch of the world class restaurant at the museum would give visitors a whole new feel of the traditional Arabian cuisine. “It feels we are complete today,” she added.

Though she attempted to downplay any political motive or significance of having Afghan art on display in Doha, the timing of the event suggests it is likely to be much more than just a cultural experience.

“It has nothing to do with the politics or diplomacywe started planning it almost two years ago,” said Aisha.

The announcement came amid assertions by top Qatari leaders including Prime Minister and Foreign Minister HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani, that they would facilitate the Afghan reconciliation process by allowing the militia to open a temporary liaison office in Doha.

Qatar Museum Authority (QMA) — of which MIA is a flagship project — has never organised in the past any exhibition to display cultural heritage from Muslim countries located in the neighbourhood of Afghanistan including Pakistan.

Officials from Afghanistan and Pakistan told Gulf Times over the weekend that negotiators from the Afghan Taliban ranks had already arrived in Doha to kick-start the process and the opening of the office is expected soon.

Many experts are also on record explaining that Qatar being one of the most significant players in the global arena, especially in the Islamic world, has decided to go all out to support international efforts to end the bloodshed in

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Traffic laws mostly broken by officials in Afghanistan

Kabul, Feb 8 : Kabul police officials said that a crackdown on illegal vehicles and increased enforcement of road rules has found that it is primarily top officials who ignore traffic laws.

Specifically, a presidential decree banning vehicles from having black, tinted windows is largely flouted by figures in power, despite the National Security Council urging for two years for these vehicles to no longer be used.

The police are seeking to remove the heavily-tinted vehicles from the roads while also reviewing vehicles' documents and licenses for weapons.

"We have removed the cars of two officials, of two MPs. They have to consider the laws and the president's decree," Deputy chief Gen. Zaheer of Central Police Corps 111 Kabul.

There are fears that such vehicles are used for illegal activity including transporting insurgents into Kabul.

"The enemy misuses the vehicles that are black-tinted or have no documents. We request the officials and those who carry out illegal activities to stop the enemy from doing such things," said Kabul Police HQ Deputy of Security Mohammad Amin Daoud.

It is not clear how many of these vehicles are still on the roads and how many have been removed as there are no documents recording these statistics.

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‘No numbers here’: Math museum founder Glen Whitney

New York, Feb 8 : We live in a world surrounded by numbers.

Whether we’re balancing our checkbooks, reading recipes or calculating what the best deals at the supermarket are, chances are you’re thinking, writing and communicating in numbers.

There’s now a museum in New York City that is centered on math but has very few numbers.

Glen Whitney is the executive director of the National Museum of Math in Manhattan and says there’s a lot more to math.

“Math touches on so many things in the world around us there’s a connection between mathematics and music, connection with engineering, between mathematics and business, between mathematics and art,” said Whitney. “And we want to show all those parts of mathematics here.”

A math enthusiast since the age of 14, Whitney said his love for numbers continued to grow when he realized math was more about what new things he could discover that no one had ever seen before.

After a career as a math scholar and then a professor at the University of Michigan, Whitney became involved coaching his daughter’s elementary school math league. He realized there was not a place to nurture kids’ curiosity about numbers and science.

“MoMath,” the new museum, is not the first of its kind. About 20 years ago there was a small math museum on New York’s Long Island called the Goudreau Museum. When Whitney learned it was closing in 2008, he decided there was a need for such a place in the city. During the time of development, a team of leaders led by Whitney found there was not a museum of mathematics in the U.S.

“I thought it would be an opportunity to do something new and it would be larger in scope and it would really hopefully make a difference in our country,” said Whitney. “It’s wonderful. You’re right here in the middle of Manhattan as opposed to Long Island, you can be walking down the street and discover this little gem.”

To date, the museum has raised over $22 million. It opened on Dec. 15, 2012 and has welcomed more than 18,000 visitors.

“We’re looking for somebody that is curious. We want to spark that curiosity. Maybe you think you don’t like math. That is our best customer, so to speak,” said Whitney. “Somebody who thinks they don’t like math but has the curiosity to see more and to try playing.”

The best way to do that, says Whitney, is if parents educate their children in new and unique ways.

“With young kids, just show them the shapes in the world around them,” said Whitney. “It doesn’t have to be the kind of problems that you hated when you were in high school, doing those algebra word problems or whatever. Any place where pattern comes in, where shapes come in or fitting things together. It is as simple as this.”

Aside from teaching your kids about the importance of math in everyday life, Whitney stresses the importance of knowing what jobs and careers are available to those with interests in math.

“We generally work with, at the museum, those who have also worked in the Office of Science of Technology Policy for both the Clinton and the Obama administrations, who tell us that the lack of American mathematicians is the number-one security threat to this country,” said Whitney. “Because the National Security Agency that is responsible for monitoring communications around the world, key part of our intelligence services, is the largest employer of mathematicians in the world, and they have open positions all the time.”

He said S.T.E.M. -- science, technology, engineering and math programs -- are in need of individuals who are excited to pursue a career in math.

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Two breeds make their Westminster Dog Show debut

New York, Feb 8 : At certain moments it had the air of a red-carpet event, with camera shutters clicking in rapid fire and flashbulbs igniting the room in white light.

But there were no famous celebrities here—only a pair of Russell terriers named Pepper and Madison, who grew sleepier and sleepier on their handler’s lap as photographers jostled back and forth to take their picture.

It was the dogs’ official debut as part of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, which held a press conference to show off the two new breeds competing in next month’s show. In addition to the Russell terrier, a breed called the treeing Walker coonhound—so named for its ability to run raccoons up trees—will also compete for the first time at Westminster, which kicks off Feb. 11 in New York.

Organizers announced that 2,721 dogs will compete at the show—making it the largest in 15 years—with 187 breeds vying for the ultimate title of best in show. Also for the first time in its 137-year history, the event will be split up into two venues: Madison Square Garden, and New York’s Piers 92 and 94 along the Hudson River. The additional space means more people can see the dogs up close.

Westminster has long been considered the most famous dog show in the country—a fact that was evident as dozens of reporters and photographers crammed into a tiny conference room at the Affinia Hotel across the street from Madison Square Garden to eye the new breeds.

“Now, now, play nice,” David Friel, Westminster’s communication director and longtime announcer, declared at one point as the room descended into chaos. Friel wasn’t talking to the dogs, but to photographers and videographers who pushed and shoved each other trying to get close to the dogs while the canines surveyed the scene calmly.

At one point, Meg, a brown-and-white treeing Walker coonhound from Pennsylvania, delivered an impromptu kiss on the mouth to her owner Curt Willis as Friel spoke to reporters.

“DO THAT AGAIN!” a photographer yelled, and Meg whined and promptly licked her owner’s face—resulting in a deluge of shutter clicks.

Friel was careful to note that Russell terriers and treeing Walker coonhounds aren’t exactly “new” breeds, but rather had finally met the strict qualifications of the American Kennel Club, which determines which types of dogs are allowed to compete at Westminster. Among other things, AKC weighs inclusion on the breed’s popularity and its geographic distribution around the U.S.

Fifteen Russell terriers will compete this year along with 13 treeing Walker coonhounds. But that’s a small number compared to other breeds. The golden retriever, for instance, has 61 entries, and the Labrador retriever, 54.

Asked why it took so long for Westminster to include Russell terriers, Sue Sobel, owner of Pepper and Madison, looked down at her sleepy dogs and shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said. “Just look how cute they are.”


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Florida women frighten off intruder by chanting ‘Jesus’

Washington, Feb 8  : If you ask the 15 women inside Jacquie Hagler’s house what happened, they’ll tell you it’s simple: Jesus scared a would be thief out of the Florida woman’s home.

At first, those gathered at Hagler’s house for a jewelry party thought the intruder was simply part of an elaborate gag, using a “water gun” to tease the Florida women.

"It's only a water gun," one attendee reportedly said, while brushing away the firearm allegedly brandished by Derick Lee, who entered the home wearing a ski mask and bandana across his face.

Witnesses say Lee then held the gun to the woman’s head and announced, "I'm not joking, I'm going to shoot someone, give me your money." He even showed the women some of the bullets loaded into his gun before they could be convinced the robbery attempt was real.

But what Lee didn’t know was that he was outgunned by the jewelry party attendees – at least spiritually speaking.

"When I realized what was going on, I stood up and said, 'In the name of Jesus, get out of my house now,'” Hagler told WJXT-TV. And he said, 'I'm going to shoot someone.' And I said it again, real boldly," Hagler continued. "Everybody started chanting, 'Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,' and he did a quick scan of the room, and ran out the door as fast as he could go."

Lee, 24, was arrested at his home and identified by several of the jewelry party attendees during a police photo lineup. He’s currently being held on a $200,000 bond.

I believe he saw angels,” Hagler said in a separate interview with the Christian Post. “I think he saw who was on our side, and he just turned around. The look on his face was just, like, astonishment. He was totally captivated by whatever he saw. He just turned around and ran out the door.”


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Funeral procession swings by Burger King to honor deceased

New York, Feb 8 : David S. Kime Jr. was many things. World War II veteran. Purple Heart recipient. Father. Grandfather. Husband. And, it should be noted, Burger King enthusiast.

The 88-year-old Kime died Jan. 20, and during his funeral procession a few days later, members of Kime's family took a detour to the Burger King drive-through.

Linda Phiel, one of Kime's three daughters, said her dad loved fast food and ate it daily. "He always lived by his own rules," she said. "His version of eating healthy was the lettuce on the Whopper Jr."

The York (Pa.) Daily Record spoke with Phiel, who explained that when her mother was alive, she tried to keep his eating habits in check. "When she died, for a while, he would eat with us," she said. "But he considered us health freaks because we ate things that were green, like broccoli."

After a while, Phiel stopped trying to talk her dad into eating more veggies. "When you're 88 years old, I guess you've earned the right to do what you want to do," she said.

The funeral procession ordered a whopping 40 of the Whopper Jr. burgers, including one for the dearly departed. Kime's Whopper was placed on top of his casket before burial.

The Burger King's manager, Margaret Hess, said, "It's nice to know he was a loyal customer up until the end—the very end."


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US mom missing in Turkey took several side trips

New York, Feb 8 : Sarai Sierra, the New York mother who disappeared in Turkey while on a solo trip, took several side excursions out of the country, but stayed in contact with her family the entire time, a family friend told ABC News.

Turkish media reported today that police were trying to establish why Sierra visited Amsterdam and Munich. Police were also trying to establish the identity of a man Sierra, 33, was chatting with on the Internet, according to local media.

Rachel Norman, a family friend, said the man was a group tour guide from the Netherlands and said Sierra stayed in regular touch with her family in New York.

Steven Sierra, Sarai's husband, and David Jimenez, her brother, arrived in Istanbul today to aid in the search.

The men have been in contact with officials from the U.S. consulate in the country and plan to meet with them as soon as they open, Norman said.

After that, she said Sierra and Jimenez would meet with Turkish officials to discuss plans and search efforts.

Sarai Sierra was supposed to fly back to the United States on Jan. 22, but she never showed up for her flight home.

Her two boys, ages 11 and 9, have not been told their mother is missing.

Sierra, an avid photographer, left New York on Jan. 7. It was her first overseas trip, and she decided to go ahead after a friend had to cancel, her family said.

"It was her first time outside of the United States, and every day while she was there she pretty much kept in contact with us, letting us know what she was up to, where she was going, whether it be through texting or whether it be through video chat, she was touching base with us," Steven Sierra told ABC News before he departed for Istanbul.

But when it came time to pick her up from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, Sierra wasn't on board her scheduled flight.

Steven Sierra called United Airlines and was told his wife had never boarded the flight home.

Further investigation revealed she had left her passport, clothes, phone chargers and medical cards in her room at a hostel in Beyoglu, Turkey, he said.

The family is suspicious and said it is completely out of character for the happily married mother, who met her husband in church youth group, to disappear.

The U.S. Embassy in Turkey and the Turkish National Police are involved in the investigation, WABC-TV reported.

"They've been keeping us posted, from my understanding they've been looking into hospitals and sending out word to police stations over there," Steven Sierra said. "Maybe she's, you know, locked up, so they are doing what they can."

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105-year-old woman renews driver’s license

New York, Feb 8 : 105-year-old Edythe Kirchmaier recently renewed her California drivers license (Facebook)There apparently isn’t much that can slow down Edythe Kirchmaier.

The 105-year-old California resident made headlines when she passed her driving test – continuing 86 years without a blemish on her driving record and maintaining her status as the state's oldest living driver.

"I just couldn't imagine myself without a car," Kirchmaier told FoxNews.com. "It just didn't feel very good."

And that’s far from the only bit of notoriety to crop up recently in Kirchmaier’s life. Facebook has declared her its most senior user, she's the University of Chicago's oldest living former student, last week she appeared on The Ellen Degeneres Show to celebrate her birthday and she has been a volunteer with the Direct Relief International (DRI) organization for 40 years.

To honor Kirchmaier, who says she wants to use her age milestone to help inspire volunteer efforts around the world, DRI set up a Facebook app where her fans can light a virtual candle to help celebrate her 105th birthday. The page includes a short video narrated by "Glee" actress Jane Lynch and has been making the rounds on social media circles, referenced by celebrities and other notable individuals, including Victoria Justice, Ricki Martin journalist Nick Kristof and the musical band Depeche Mode.

Kirchmaier reportedly drives herself to DRI each week, where she leads a team of volunteers.

"I think I’m a pretty good driver," Kirchmaier told Fox. "I feel safe about getting my driver's license renewed because I’ve never had an accident."

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IRS can seek UBS records for taxpayers hiding income at Wegelin

New York, Feb 8 : A federal judge authorized the Internal Revenue Service to seek records from UBS AG of U.S. taxpayers suspected of hiding their income in accounts with Swiss bank Wegelin.

Wegelin, the oldest Swiss private bank, pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court on January 3 to charges of helping wealthy Americans evade taxes through secret accounts and then announced it would close down as a result.

U.S. District Judge William Pauley in Manhattan granted the IRS's request to issue a "John Doe" summons, which seeks information about possible tax fraud committed by individuals whose identities are not known, on UBS for the names of taxpayers who may have hidden income at Wegelin and other Swiss banks.

A UBS spokeswoman declined to comment on the ruling.

When the government indicted Wegelin nearly a year ago, it alleged that the bank used a U.S. correspondent account at UBS to handle funds for American clients, a standard industry practice for foreign banks. By covertly transferring money from undeclared Swiss accounts, Wegelin allowed clients to avoid paying income taxes in the United States, the government alleged.

Wegelin became the first foreign bank in recent memory to be indicted by U.S. authorities last February, opening a new chapter in a broad probe into Swiss bank secrecy. As part of its guilty plea, the bank agreed to pay $57.8 million in fines after admitting to helping U.S. clients evade taxes on at least $1.2 billion for more than a decade.

It announced on the same day that it would shut its doors permanently after more than 270 years in operation.

In 2009, UBS entered into a deferred-prosecution agreement, turned over 4,450 client names and paid a $780 million fine after admitting it provided tax-evasion services to rich Americans. Since then, dozens of Swiss bankers and their clients have been indicted in a crackdown on the practice.

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Tesla CEO extends help to Boeing on battery issue

Detroit, Feb 8 : Elon Musk has long considered Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA) the bold, nimble answer to the auto industry's cautious culture. Now the electric car maker's top executive has extended his help to another industrial giant: Boeing Co (BA).

In a January 26 message on Twitter, Musk said he was in talks with the chief engineer of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner plane, which regulators have grounded indefinitely after a string of malfunctions ranging from fuel leaks to battery meltdowns.

"Desire to help Boeing is real & am corresponding w 787 chief engineer," Musk wrote on the social media website.

Musk, who is also the CEO of space transport company SpaceX, said in an email late that SpaceX battery packs could be helpful for Boeing.

"We fly high capacity lithium ion battery packs in our rockets and spacecraft, which are subject to much higher loads than commercial aircraft and have to function all the way from sea level air pressure to vacuum. We have never had a fire in any production battery pack at either Tesla or SpaceX," Musk said in the email.

Boeing declined to comment or confirm if such discussions were taking place.

Boeing's chief 787 engineer, Mike Sinnett, has recently made presentations about the plane and its battery technology to reporters and industry leaders.

Musk's post came a week after his first dispatch to Boeing on January 18: "Maybe already under control, but Tesla & SpaceX are happy to help with the 787 lithium ion batteries."

U.S. and Japanese authorities are investigating a fire and a smoke incident with lithium-ion batteries on two separate Dreamliners in recent weeks. The 50 Dreamliners in service cannot be flown until the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is satisfied that the problem with the batteries has been fixed. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating what caused the first battery to catch fire.

Lithium-ion batteries are widely used in phones and hybrid cars because they are lighter and more powerful than traditional batteries. But if managed improperly, lithium-ion batteries can explode or catch fire, and some pose a greater risk than others depending on their chemical make-up.

The 787 is the first passenger jet to use lithium-ion batteries for back-up and auxiliary power. Tesla began using lithium-ion batteries in its Roadster, a two-door sports car that Tesla said could go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in about 4 seconds.

In its Dreamliner, Boeing adopted a lithium cobalt oxide chemistry similar to that used in the Roadster, which Tesla produced from 2008 until last year.

Musk, a serial entrepreneur who gained fame after selling his Internet payment company PayPal to eBay Inc (EBAY) in 2002, has been quick to criticize the cultures of major car makers like General Motors Co (GM) and Ford Motor Co (NYS:F).

In a magazine interview with Esquire late last year, Musk was similarly critical of Boeing. He was quoted as saying, "You know the joke about Boeing: It puts the zero in being."

Musk later took pains to dismiss the story, written by reporter Tom Junod. "Junod's Esquire article had high fiction content," Musk wrote his January 26 tweet.

Junod said Musk's dig at Boeing was on tape and his story was "more extensively reported than any story on Elon that preceded it."

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Empire State Building investors go to court to stop deal

New York, Feb 8: A group of investors in the company that owns the Empire State Building filed a motion to block a proposed settlement of a lawsuit against a group looking to create a public company with the historic building as its centerpiece.

Several investors in Empire State Building Associates (ESBA), which owns the building, said their skyscraper and investment are vastly different than the other properties involved in the settlement. As such, they believe they should not be bound by the proposed settlement.

"The settlement is both grossly inadequate and unfairly apportioned," the filing in the New York State court said. "The ESBA investors must be treated as a separate class and must be independently represented."

Malkin Holdings LLC's plans to roll up more than 18 properties into the Empire State Realty Trust Inc, which would become publicly traded if the investors approve the roll-up.

Last year, investors in several of the properties sued to stop the plan, in part because they objected to the tax treatment they would face.

In October, Malkin Holdings and other defendants agreed to pay $55 million payment to settle the suit. Under the proposed agreement, which must receive court approval, the class participants have agreed to support roll-up and the proposed initial public offering. The payment and the settlement are conditional upon the approval of the roll-up and the IPO.

But the investors who objected to the settlement say they have different interests than investors in the other properties and should not be grouped in with them, according to court documents. They said they are being forced to trade their bond-like, low-risk participation units for high-risk equity shares. They also said the roll-up would dilute the brand of the Empire State Building, one of the world's most recognized skyscrapers.

A representative from Malkin Holdings declined to comment.

Many of the 2,800 investors in the Empire State Building are the children or grandchildren of the original investors who paid $10,000 apiece in 1961 to buy the lease on the property. The building was then subleased for 114 years to a joint venture between Lawrence Wein, a pioneer in real estate syndication ownership, and Harry Helmsley.

The Malkin Group is led by Peter Malkin, Wein's son-in-law, and Anthony Malkin, Wein's grandson. The Empire State Realty Trust was proposed after the Helmsley Trust said it needed to cash out its position.

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Retailers may add surcharge in credit card transactions

New York, Feb 8 : Retailers in 40 U.S. states can now charge up to 4 percent extra when consumers pay for goods and services with a credit card.

These so-called "checkout fees" went into effect January 27, and do not apply to debit card payments. The fees are illegal in California, New York, Texas and seven other states.

It is up to individual businesses to decide whether or not to add the fee. They also need to disclose it to consumers.

The surcharge is the result of the biggest anti-trust settlement in U.S. history. In 2005, a group of merchants claimed that MasterCard, Visa, and nine other companies including JP Morgan Chase & Co conspired to fix the fees that stores pay to accept credit card purchases.

After years of negotiations the case, which was in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, settled. The credit card companies and banks agreed to pay $6 billion to the merchants who sued.

As part of the settlement, the merchants are allowed to charge customers a fee equal to the cost of accepting cards, typically 1.5 percent to 3 percent of the purchase price.

"While it is legal to charge extra, there are still limitations," said Kathy Li, the San Francisco director of Consumer Action, a consumer advocacy agency. "For example, what kind of cards can be charged? What cards can't be charged?"

To avoid the surcharge, consumers can pay with cash or debit cards. And when shopping online, "there's always PayPal or other electronic payment options that can't charge extra," said Li.

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Amplats talks with South Africa government "constructive"

Johannesburg, Feb 8 : Anglo American Platinum Ltd (JNB:AMS) has had "constructive" consultations with the South African government about a company restructuring that could lead to 14,000 job cuts, chief executive Chris Griffith said.

The world's largest platinum producer agreed to postpone the massive job cuts to allow for more talks.

"We have had very constructive conversations. I think our relationship is sort of back where it should be. This is going to be a difficult process," Griffith told Talk Radio 702.

Mining minister Susan Shabangu said the company had betrayed government trust earlier this month by announcing a plan to mothball shafts and lay off workers under a restructuring by parent company Anglo American (AAL.L).

Griffith told the radio Amplats was trying desperately to keep the business alive given tough market conditions.

"This is not about playing games. The company is in real trouble and we have to collectively do something," Griffith said.

Last week, President Jacob Zuma said the government needed to engage with gold and platinum mining firms about proposed shaft closures and lay-offs, and was not threatening them with license reviews.

South Africa boasts 80 percent of the world's platinum deposits. Producers have been hit by rising input costs, falling prices, safety stoppages and violent labor unrest.

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Yahoo sees revenue climb this year, but long road ahead

New York, Feb 8 : Yahoo Inc forecast a modest uptick in revenue for the current year as it revamps its family of websites but Chief Executive Marissa Mayer warned it would be a long journey to revive the Internet company's fortunes.

In Yahoo's first financial outlook since Mayer became CEO in July, the company outlined a plan to trigger a "chain reaction of growth" by overhauling a dozen of its online services to increase the amount of time users spent on its websites.

It also pointed to strength in its search advertising business and progress made in improving its internal operations.

Yahoo's shares were 3 percent higher in after hours trade after the revenue projection was disclosed during an analysts conference call, shedding some ground after earlier rising as much as 4.5 percent.

But weakness in Yahoo's display ad business, which accounts for roughly 40 percent of the company's total revenue, caught some analysts by surprise.

"While the road to growth is certain, it will not be immediate," said Mayer, a former Google Inc executive and Yahoo's third full-time CEO since September 2011.

Yahoo said that revenue, excluding fees it pays to partner websites, will range between $4.5 billion and $4.6 billion in 2013, implying an annual growth rate of 0.7 percent to 3 percent.

Finance Chief Ken Goldman also warned investors to expect "an investment phase" in the first half of the year, which he said would impact profit margins.

"What was clear from the call is that this is a long-term turnaround story," said Macquarie Research analyst Ben Schachter. "We shouldn't expect anything to just snap back and correct itself."

During the fourth quarter, Yahoo's net revenue increased 4 percent year-on-year to $1.22 billion, as search advertising sales offset a 10 percent decline in the number of display ads sold on Yahoo's core properties.

Mayer said the decline was the result of less activity by visitors to its popular websites, such as its Web email service, and to a lesser extent due to users accessing the Web on smartphones, where Yahoo's ad business is not as strong.

Efforts to revamp its mobile properties, begun last year with a redesign of the photo-sharing service Flickr, remain on track, said Mayer, noting that Yahoo now has 200 million monthly mobile users.

"From a monetization perspective this is still a very nascent source of revenue for us. With any platform shift, revenue always followed users and mobile will be no different," she said.

Mayer took over after a tumultuous period at Yahoo in which former CEO Scott Thompson resigned after less than 6 months on the job over a controversy about his academic credentials and in which Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang resigned from the board and cut his ties with the company.

Yahoo's stock has risen roughly 30 percent since Mayer took the helm, reaching its highest levels since 2008.

Part of the stock's rise has been driven by significant stock buybacks, using proceeds from a $7.6 billion deal to sell half of its 40 percent stake in Chinese Internet company Alibaba Group, said Sameet Sinha, an analyst with B. Riley Caris.

Yahoo said it repurchased $1.5 billion worth of shares during the fourth quarter.

The company's fourth-quarter net income was $272.3 million, or 23 cents per share, versus $295.6 million, or 24 cents per share in the year-ago period.

Excluding certain items, Yahoo said it had earnings per share of 32 cents, versus the average analyst expectation of 28 cents.

For the first quarter, Yahoo said it expects revenue, excluding partner website fees, of $1.07 billion to $1.1 billion, trailing the $1.1 billion that Wall Street analysts expect on average.

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Youth’s electrocution triggers protest

Banihal, Feb 8 : Outraged at the electrocution of a youth, residents of Chanderkote town in Ramban district staged a protest on Srinagar-Jammu highway.  

Liyaqat Ali, 33, son of Abdul Rehman of Chanderkote died on the spot when a 33 KV power transmission line fell on him near his house.

As the word about the incident spread in the area people came out in large numbers and staged a protest. “The youth died due to the negligence of Power Development Department (PDD),” locals said. They staged a sit on the highway along with the body from 10 am to 1.00 pm.

The traffic on highway remained suspended for more than three hours.

Later MLA Ramban Ashok Dogra , police and district administration rushed to the spot and tried to pacify the protesters. They assured them that action would be taken against the erring PDD employees.

Later the district administration on the directions of Minister of State for Power Viqar Rasool suspended a JE Anees-ul-Hassan and lineman Hemraj.

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DOB fudging: SKIMS medico to face ‘premature retirement’

Srinagar, Feb 8 : A medico at the SK Institute of Medical Sciences Soura is likely to face ‘premature retirement’ as punishment for ‘manipulating his Date of Birth records with the ulterior motive to stay longer in service.’

According to a memo, copy of which is with Greater Kashmir, the SKIMS authorities have sought approval for ‘premature retirement’ of the former Medical Superintendent of the hospital Dr Syed Amin Tabish (presently under suspension) so that “it serves as deterrence for others and put at rest all speculations as the media is closely observing the stages of the case [Sic].”
The move comes after an inquiry committee—duly approved by the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who is the Chairman of the SKIMS Governing Body—indicted Tabish of “deliberately and mischievously manipulating his service book to record his date of birth as 30.3.1957 instead of 30.3.1956.”

Vide Order No. 104-SKIMS of 2012 Dated: September 22, 2012, the Government ordered sanction to recording of “actual DOB i.e. 30.3.1956 on the manipulated service book of Dr Syed Amin Tabish.” While Tabish was placed under suspension, albeit only after outcry over the issue, the Government had also initiated disciplinary proceedings against him.

As per Government Order No. 110 SKIMS of 2012 Dated: October 11, 2012, a three-member enquiry committee had been constituted to probe the matter. The Committee was headed by Prof Khurshid Iqbal, Dean Medical Faculty with Dr Gul Javid, Professor and Prof Muhammad Maqbool, HoD Radiotherapy, as member and member secretary respectively.

As per the Order, Dr Tabish was attached with the office of Director SKIMS till culmination of the disciplinary proceedings.
Fresh memo

The fresh memo reads that the enquiry report has now been received and the Committee has “finally established in toto the charge of manipulation of service book and other documents by the doctor.”

Referring to an amnesty given to state government employees in 2007 on the issue of DoB manipulation, the memo reads: “The state government had issued a circular in 2007 wherein the amnesty was extended to all such employees who had manipulated their service records. The circular was immediately circulated among all the employees of SKIMS and one faculty member also availed the amnesty on account of DoB. But in the instance case (of Dr Tabish), the doctor has failed to do so until he was caught through the medium of an RTI application.”

“The SKIMS administration has considered the case on the basis of not availing the amnesty and on available record verified by the Board of School Education and Government Medical College Srinagar, besides preparation of service book by the doctor with his own hand recording his DoB as 30.3.1956 on his personal bio-data form, is satisfied that the said doctor had with ulterior motives manipulated DOB to stay longer in service and for many other benefits,” the memo, which has been sent to the Chief Minister for approval, reads.

The memo adds: “By virtue of his misdeeds, the doctor has lost confidence, credibility to head a particular department, especially a responsible position. As such he qualifies for termination of services as per the GAD circular of 2007 for willfully manipulating DoB, particularly being himself part of the administration and holding a responsible position. In the normal course, he is likely to attain superannuation on 31.3.2016 by taking into account his original and authenticated DOB i.e 30.3.1956. However, keeping in view more than 30 years service and with a view that his family should not suffer, instead of terminating his services, it is recommended that minor penalty of premature retirement may be approved for imposition against the delinquent officer.”

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Bar report reveals pathetic condition of inmates in Jammu jails

Srinagar, Feb 8 : The held Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association has said that the condition of Kashmiri prisoners lodged in different jails in Jammu is pathetic and contrary to set guidelines laid in Jail Manual.

This was revealed in its Annual Jail Visit Report (AJVR)—2012, which was released by Bar after its team members concluded their visit to various jails in Jammu division.

“The political prisoners are jointly lodged with the convicts and other under-trial prisoners though under law the political prisoners deserve a classification for separate lodgement under the status of A, B and C category of political prisoners,” the report said.

“The political prisoners are placed with ordinary criminals which is not permissible under law,” the report added.

“The general health care is a problem inside the jails for want of sufficient reasonable and appropriate doctors, paramedical staff and general medicines”, the report said, adding that “mostly the jail inmates suffer from mental depression and skin disease which need immediate medical attention and treatment.”

“Baring Central jail Kotebalwal and district jail Amphala, in rest of the jails, there is no permanent posting of doctors inside the jails nor the minimum requirement of basic dispensary is available”, the report said.

 “The security escort is a problem which is long pending issue and the state authorities seem intentional and deliberate in not providing security escorts to the jail authorities for the purposes of production of the undertrial prisoners before the courts on due dates which leads to delay in justice and consequently denial of justice,” the team members observed.

The team members observed most of the convictions are because of the non-availability of the legal advice and services of experienced lawyers.

“The appropriate legal defence is a legal problem with the prisoners from Jammu region related to accused persons are also having a sense of isolation and unilateral attitude of the courts in Jammu region towards them which they feel an impediment in fair play of justice before the courts”, the team observed.

“The under-trial prisoners and the detainees are supposed to be lodged in the nearest jail where they face a trial but it is not understandable as to why the undertrial prisoners relating to the freedom struggle are being lodged in distant jails,” the lawyers observed.

“In all the jails in Jammu region there is a common mess in jail wherein according to the prisoners vegetarian and non-vegetarian food is prepared together and served to the inmates”, the report said.

The Bar Association team recommended separate mess for Muslims and non-Muslims inside the mess as the Muslims are non-vegetarian and some of the Hindus are vegetarian in food habits.
 The team visited district Jail Poonch, sub-jail Rajouri, Central Jail, Kotebalwal, Jammu District Jail,  Amphala Jail , District Jail Kathua and Sub-Jail, Hiranagar in Jammu division.

The team had interaction with the jail inmates and the authorities about the inside conditions of the jails and problems faced by the inmates.
The HCBA had got permission to visit the various jails of Jammu district in an interim direction on December 14, 2012 in the writ petition titled “J&K High court Bar Association versus State and others”.

The Association will file the report in held Jammu and Kashmir High Court shortly.

“The lawyers were permitted to have face to face interactions with the political detainees including those detained under preventive laws and under-trial prisoners”, the report said adding that the Bar Association had nominated a team of lawyers headed by the Vice President, Advocate Aijaz Bedar with Muhammad Ashraf Bhat General Secretary of the J&K High court Bar Association, Bilal Ahmad Wani treasurer and Advocate G. N. Shaheen and Hamid Shafi as its members.

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Why do cells age? Discovery of extremely long-lived proteins may provide insight into cell aging and neurodegenerative diseases

Islamabad, Feb 8 : One of the big mysteries in biology is why cells age. Now scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies report that they have discovered a weakness in a component of brain cells that may explain how the aging process occurs in the brain.

The scientists discovered that certain proteins, called extremely long-lived proteins (ELLPs), which are found on the surface of the nucleus of neurons, have a remarkably long lifespan.

While the lifespan of most proteins totals two days or less, the Salk Institute researchers identified ELLPs in the rat brain that were as old as the organism, a finding they reported February 3 in Science.

The Salk scientists are the first to discover an essential intracellular machine whose components include proteins of this age. Their results suggest the proteins last an entire lifetime, without being replaced.

ELLPs make up the transport channels on the surface of the nucleus; gates that control what materials enter and exit. Their long lifespan might be an advantage if not for the wear-and-tear that these proteins experience over time. Unlike other proteins in the body, ELLPs are not replaced when they incur aberrant chemical modifications and other damage.

Damage to the ELLPs weakens the ability of the three-dimensional transport channels that are composed of these proteins to safeguard the cell's nucleus from toxins, says Martin Hetzer, a professor in Salk's Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory, who headed the research. These toxins may alter the cell's DNA and thereby the activity of genes, resulting in cellular aging.

Funded by the Ellison Medical Foundation and the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research, Hetzer's research group is the only lab in the world that is investigating the role of these transport channels, called the nuclear pore complex (NPC), in the aging process.

Previous studies have revealed that alterations in gene expression underlie the aging process. But, until the Hetzer lab's discovery that mammals' NPCs possess an Achilles' heel that allows DNA-damaging toxins to enter the nucleus, the scientific community has had few solid clues about how these gene alterations occur.

"The fundamental defining feature of aging is an overall decline in the functional capacity of various organs such as the heart and the brain," says Hetzer. "This decline results from deterioration of the homeostasis, or internal stability, within the constituent cells of those organs. Recent research in several laboratories has linked breakdown of protein homeostasis to declining cell function."

The results that Hetzer and his team just report suggest that declining neuron function may originate in ELLPs that deteriorate as a result of damage over time.

"Most cells, but not neurons, combat functional deterioration of their protein components through the process of protein turnover, in which the potentially impaired parts of the proteins are replaced with new functional copies," says Hetzer.

"Our results also suggest that nuclear pore deterioration might be a general aging mechanism leading to age-related defects in nuclear function, such as the loss of youthful gene expression programs," he adds.

The findings may prove relevant to understanding the molecular origins of aging and such neurodegenerative disorders as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

In previous studies, Hetzer and his team discovered large filaments in the nuclei of neurons of old mice and rats, whose origins they traced to the cytoplasm. Such filaments have been linked to various neurological disorders including Parkinson's disease. Whether the misplaced molecules are a cause, or a result, of the disease has not yet been determined.

Also in previous studies, Hetzer and his team documented age-dependent declines in the functioning of NPCs in the neurons of healthy aging rats, which are laboratory models of human biology.

Hetzer's team includes his colleagues at the Salk Institute as well as John Yates III, a professor in the Department of Chemical Physiology of The Scripps Research Institute.

When Hetzer decided three years ago to investigate whether the NPC plays a role in initiating or contributing to the onset of aging and certain neurodegenerative diseases, some members of the scientific community warned him that such a study was too bold and would be difficult and expensive to conduct. But Hetzer was determined despite the warnings.

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Preference for fatty foods may have genetic roots

Islamabad, Feb 8 : A preference for fatty foods has a genetic basis, according to researchers, who discovered that people with certain forms of the CD36 gene may like high-fat foods more than those who have other forms of this gene.

The results help explain why some people struggle when placed on a low-fat diet and may one day assist people in selecting diets that are easier for them to follow. The results also may help food developers create new low-fat foods that taste better.

"Fat is universally palatable to humans," said Kathleen Keller, assistant professor of nutritional sciences, Penn State. "Yet we have demonstrated for the first time that people who have particular forms of the CD36 gene tend to like higher fat foods more and may be at greater risk for obesity compared to those who do not have this form of the gene. In animals, CD36 is a necessary gene for the ability to both detect and develop preferences for fat. Our study is one of the first to show this relationship in humans."

Keller and a team of scientists from Penn State, Columbia University, Cornell University and Rutgers University examined 317 African-American males and females because individuals in this ethnic group are highly vulnerable to obesity and thus are at greatest risk for obesity-related diseases.

The team gave the participants Italian salad dressings prepared with varying amounts of canola oil, which is rich in long-chain fatty acids. The participants were then asked to rate their perceptions of the dressings' oiliness, fat content and creaminess on a scale anchored on the ends with "extremely low" and "extremely high."

The team also gave participants questionnaires aimed at understanding their food preferences. Participants rated how much they liked each food on a scale anchored with "dislike extremely" and "like extremely." Foods included on the questionnaire were associated with poor dietary intake and health outcomes, such as half-and-half, sour cream, mayonnaise, bacon, fried chicken, hot dogs, French fries, cheese, chips, cake, cookies and doughnuts.

The researchers collected saliva samples from the participants to determine which forms of CD36 they had. From the saliva samples, they extracted DNA fragments and examined differences in the CD36 gene contained within the fragments.

They found that participants who had the "AA" form of the gene -- present in 21 percent of the population -- rated the salad dressings as creamier than individuals who had other forms of the gene. These individuals reported that the salad dressings were creamier regardless of how much fat was actually in them. The researchers also found that "AA" individuals liked salad dressings, half-and-half, olive oil and other cooking oils more than those who had other forms of the gene. The results are published in the journal Obesity.

"It is possible that the CD36 gene is associated with fat intake and therefore obesity through a mechanism of oral fat perception and preference," said Keller. "In other words, our results suggest that people with certain forms of the CD36 gene may find fat creamier and more enjoyable than others. This may increase their risk for obesity and other health problems."

According to Keller, having certain forms of a gene that help in the perception and enjoyment of fats in foods might once have been an advantage.

"Fats are essential in our diets," she said. "In our evolutionary history, people who were better able to recognize fats in foods were more likely to survive. Such forms of the gene, however, are less useful to us today as most of us no longer have to worry about getting enough fats in our diets."

In fact, she added, having such forms of a gene can be detrimental in today's world of fat-laden convenience foods.

"Our results may help explain why some people have more difficulty adhering to a low-fat diet than other people and why these same people often do better when they adopt high-fat, low-carbohydrate diets such as the Atkins diet," said Keller. "We hope these results will one day help people select diets that are easier for them to follow. We also think the results could help food developers create better tasting low-fat foods that appeal to a broader range of the population."

In the future, the team plans to expand the population they examine to include children.

"By the time we are adults it is very hard for us to change our eating behaviors," said Keller. "So if we can determine which children have forms of the CD36 gene, as well as other genes that are associated with greater liking of fats, we can help them develop healthier eating behaviors at a young age."

Keller also plans to incorporate novel techniques, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), to better understand why certain forms of the CD36 gene are linked to higher fat preferences.

"We plan to scan children while they are tasting high-fat foods and beverages so that we can see how their brains react to fats," she said. "By doing this, we may be able to develop foods that are perceived by the brain as palatable high-fat treats, even though in reality, they are low-fat and healthy."

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Placebos and distraction: New study shows how to boost the power of pain relief, without drugs

Islamabad, Feb 8 : Placebos reduce pain by creating an expectation of relief. Distraction -- say, doing a puzzle -- relieves it by keeping the brain busy. But do they use the same brain processes? Neuromaging suggests they do.

When applying a placebo, scientists see activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. That's the part of the brain that controls high-level cognitive functions like working memory and attention -- which is what you use to do that distracting puzzle.

Now a new study challenges the theory that the placebo effect is a high-level cognitive function. The authors -- Jason T. Buhle, Bradford L. Stevens, and Jonathan J. Friedman of Columbia University and Tor D. Wager of the University of Colorado Boulder -- reduced pain in two ways -- either by giving them a placebo, or a difficult memory task. lacebo. But when they put the two together, "the level of pain reduction that people experienced added up. There was no interference between them," says Buhle. "That suggests they rely on separate mechanisms." The findings, published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, could help clinicians maximize pain relief without drugs.

In the study, 33 participants came in for three separate sessions. In the first, experimenters applied heat to the skin with a little metal plate and calibrated each individual's pain perceptions. In the second session, some of the people applied an ordinary skin cream they were told was a powerful but safe analgesic. The others put on what they were told was a regular hand cream. In the placebo-only trials, participants stared at a cross on the screen and rated the pain of numerous applications of heat -- the same level, though they were told it varied. For other trials they performed a tough memory task -- distraction and placebo simultaneously. For the third session, those who'd had the plain cream got the "analgesic" and vice versa. The procedure was the same.

The results: With either the memory task or the placebo alone, participants felt less pain than during the trials when they just stared at the cross. Together, the two effects added up; they didn't interact or interfere with each other. The data suggest that the placebo effect does not require executive attention or working memory.

So what about that neuroimaging? "Neuroimaging is great," says Buhle, "but because each brain region does many things, when you see activation in a particular area, you don't know what cognitive process is driving it." This study tested the theory about how placebos work with direct behavioral observation.

The findings are promising for pain relief. Clinicians use both placebos and distraction -- for instance, virtual reality in burn units. But they weren't sure if one might diminish the other's efficacy. "This study shows you can use them together," says Buhle, "and get the maximum bang for your buck without medications."

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