Lakshadweep

One of the union territories of India, Lakshadweep, formerly Laccadives, is a group of islands situated 200-440 km off India's west coast in the Arabian sea. They are India’s only coral atolls and geologically a part of the same chain as the Maldives.

Lakshadweep is India’s smallest union territory with just 32 square kilometres, and one of only two Indian administrative divisions with a Muslim majority (sharing that distinction with the state of Jammu and Kashmir). The name literally means “a hundred thousand islands” in Sanskrit (‘laksha’ = lakh or a quantity of 100,000, ‘dweep’ = island). It has ten inhabited islands, 17 uninhabited islands with attached islets, four newly formed islets and five submerged reefs.

Lakshadweep is one of the most beautiful destinations that you could visit during your holidays with beautiful marine life, relaxed village life, some tourist resorts and cherished mosques.

There are basic leisure tours together with sea and lagoon based tours. There are plenty of opportunities for scuba diving, yachting, pedal boating, kayaking, canoeing, swimming, snorkelling and sunbathing. One may also visit local houses, the Marine museum, Lighthouse and a few local industries.

Remember, consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited in all islands except Bangaram. Picking up corals is a punishable crime.

Lakshadweep is tucked away at 220-440Kms off the Kerala Coast. The islands offer a precious heritage of ecology and culture. The unique feature of the Islands is its coral reef, making it a pristine leisure spot to come back to 4200 sq kms of lagoon, rich in marine wealth, is spread over 36 islands in an area of 32 sq kms. The underwater view at Lakshadweep is kaleidoscopic and breathtaking. The lagoon offers excellent potential for water sports like swimming, wind-surfing, diving, snorkeling and kayaking.

Each island is fringed by snow white coral sands. The crystal clear water and the abundant marine life enhance the beauty of these islands. Against the vast expanse of the blue sea, the island look like emeralds. The huge shallow calm lagoon on one side with wall like reef made of marine live coral boulders blocks the incoming swells of the outer sea.

Lakshadweep was given the National Eco-Tourism Award 1997.

Places of interest in Lakshadweep are Minicoy, Kavaratti, Kadmat Island and Bangaram Atoll, etc.

Peak season is December to May, when it is cooler and drier. May to September is the main (southwest) monsoon season, but the October-November northeast monsoon can also be rainy.

Michael Phelps Becomes First US Male Swimmer To Make Five Olympics

Rio de Janeiro: Phelps became the first U.S. male swimmer to qualify for five Olympics with a victory in the 200-meter butterfly at the U.S. swimming trials Wednesday night, another huge milestone in the water but even more significant, given what has happened away from the pool.

“With everything that’s happened and being able to come back, that was probably harder than any swim I've had in my life,” Phelps said.

With seven-week-old Boomer in the arms of his mother at the CenturyLink Center, Phelps cruised to a victory that meant as much personally as all those triumphs that came before. The infant wore noise-canceling headphones adorned with American flags so he wouldn’t be startled by the huge roar that went up when his daddy touched the wall first.

Phelps reflected on his stumbles since London, most notably a second drunken driving arrest that prompted him to take a whole new look at his life. He reconnected with his long-estranged father, got engaged, gave up alcohol and committed himself to closing his career with a flourish.

Missy Franklin turned in one of the gutsiest performances of her career to earn a spot for Rio in the 200 freestyle. One night after she struggled to seventh in the 100 backstroke, an event she won four years ago in London, there was plenty of speculation that she'd be hard-pressed to qualify for any individual events at these Games.

Phelps held off a stiff challenge from Tom Shields to win the 200 fly, the first event Phelps ever swam at the Olympics, 16 years ago in Sydney. For now, Phelps sounds like an Olympic rookie talking about the thrill of going back to the Olympics, where he’ll get a chance to add to the already staggering amount of hardware he has accumulated at the last four Summer Games: 18 golds and 22 medals overall.

He also joined a pretty exclusive group with Dara Torres, who made five Olympics on the female side.

Brexit: Singapore Bank UOB Suspends London Property Loans

Singapore City: United Overseas Bank (UOB), Singapore’s third-largest lender, has suspended its loans programme for London properties in the wake of uncertainties caused by Britain’s vote to leave the European Union.

UOB would be among the first banks in Singapore to turn cautious on such lending, even though it is not a large amount, as Brexit spooked global markets and pushed the pound to multi-year lows.

“We will temporarily stop receiving foreign property loan applications for London properties,” a UOB spokeswoman said in an email. “As the aftermath of the UK referendum is still unfolding and given the uncertainties, we need to ensure our customers are cautious with their London property investments.”

Singapore’s biggest lender, DBS Group Holdings, said it continued to provide financing for property purchases in London but was advising its customers to be cautious.

“For customers interested in buying properties in London, we would advise them to assess the situation carefully before committing to their purchases as there could be potential foreign exchange and sovereign risks,” Tok Geok Peng, executive director of secured lending, consumer banking group (Singapore) at DBS Bank, said in an email.

The Singapore dollar has gained about 10 percent against the British pound since the referendum.

“There have been London properties available for the last few months before the Brexit. The question is whether these properties can still continue to receive buyers in the short-term,” said Ms Alice Tan, head of consultancy and research at Knight Frank Singapore.

Property consultants say data on the number of properties purchased by Singaporeans in the United Kingdom is not tracked that closely. Banks do not disclose lending data for UK property purchases.

UOB said it was monitoring the market environment closely and would review it regularly to determine when it could resume its property loan offering.

Academy Awards To Promote Diversity With Expanded Roster Of New Members

Los Angeles: In order to reaffirm its commitment to diversity in the wake of the #OscarsSoWhite controversy, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has extended invitations to 683 members, which would grow the organization by 10 percent.

A breakdown provided by the academy noted that 46 percent of those being offered membership are women and 41 percent are people of color, which will raise the percentages within the organization to 27 percent and 11 percent, respectively.

Within the actors branch — which includes some of the most recognizable members to the public —the list includes John Boyega (of Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Idris Elba, Anthony Anderson, Regina King, Michelle Rodriguez, Daniel Dae Kim, Freida Pinto and America Ferrera.

The roster also includes 28 Oscar winners, and 283 international members, representing 59 countries overall.

In the directors branch, those invited include Creed’s Ryan Coogler, and Lana and Lilly Wachowski, the siblings responsible for The Matrix trilogy.

In a statement, Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs said the new members “know they view this as an opportunity and not just an invitation, a mission and not just a membership”.

The academy’s overwhelming white, male makeup has come into question because of the lack of minority nominees in any of the acting categories the last two years.

Amid criticism and threats of an Oscar boycott, Isaacs pledged in January to take steps to foster greater diversity within the group and the awards, maintaining that the peer group is “going to lead” on the issue. Toward that end, the number offered membership more than doubles those admitted in 2015.

The academy is currently holding elections for a third of its 54-member board. That process will conclude on July 12.

Supreme Court Rejects PIL Seeking Ban On WhatsApp

New Delhi: In what could have been a blow to tech-savvy people, the Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea seeking ban on WhatsApp and other communication applications on security grounds and claiming that these services violated the law.

Petitioner Sudhir Yadav said these messenger services violated the provisions of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, and Information Technology Act, 2000. Other than WhatsApp, the petitioner had also named over dozen other messaging platforms like Hike, Viber, Signal, Telegram and Secure chat.

In his petition, Yadav said that terrorists and criminals could easily communicate on WhatsApp and make plans which are impossible to access even by supercomputers as decrypting a single 256-bit encrypted message would take hundreds of years.

“Even if WhatsApp was asked to break through an individual’s message to hand over the data to the government, it too will fail as it does not have the decryption keys,” Yadav said in his petition.

WhatsApp had introduced end-to-end encryption with their updated version from April 2016.

The bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur and A M Khanwilkar, however, granted liberty to the petitioner to approach appropriate authority in the government with his grievances.

It said the petitioner could also approach Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) with his plea.

However, WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption might still be a contentious issue. End-to-end encryption means encryption at the device level and thus your chats, messages, videos are not stored on WhatsApp’s servers at all. The only way to access this data is if your device is compromised and the messages have not been deleted. This encryption is designed to keep out man-in-the-middle attacks. Given WhatsApp has over a billion users, this end-to-end encryption is a big deal.

Turkey Declares National Mourning Over Airport Attack

Istanbul: Turkey has declared a day of national mourning after three suicide bombers attacked Istanbul’s Ataturk airport killing at least 41 people and wounding 239.

The attackers arrived at Ataturk, Europe's third-busiest airport, late on Tuesday evening where they opened fire before blowing themselves up.

The Turkish government ordered flags to be flown at half-mast on Wednesday, as investigators pored over video footage and witness statements. Turkish officials said that 23 of the dead were Turkish, and 13 were foreign, including five Saudis and two Iraqis. Citizens from China, Jordan, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Iran and Ukraine were also among the 13 foreigners killed. The Istanbul governor’s office said 109 of the 239 people hospitalised had since been discharged.

“This attack, targeting innocent people, is a vile, planned terrorist act,” Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters at the scene in the early hours of Wednesday morning. “The findings of our security forces point at the Daesh organization as the perpetrators of this terror attack,” he said, using the Arabic acronym for ISIL. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack and Yildirim said efforts to identify the attackers, who arrived at the airport in two taxis, were continuing.

The attackers opened fire at airport guards at the terminal entrance, and a shootout erupted before they blew themselves up one by one at around 10pm (19:00 GMT), authorities said. Security camera footage shared on social media appeared to capture two of the blasts. In one clip, a huge ball of flame erupts at an entrance to the terminal building, scattering terrified passengers.

Another video shows a black-clad attacker running inside the building before collapsing to the ground - apparently felled by a police bullet - and blowing himself up.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a “joint fight” against terror after the attack.

Ataturk Airport is one of the busiest ports in the world, serving more than 60 million passengers in 2015.

There has been a string of bombings around Turkey over the past year, some of them blamed on ISIL, others claimed by Kurdish groups.

7th Pay Commission Recommendations Cleared By Government

New Delhi: The recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission got the Cabinet nod on Wednesday, which will benefit over one crore government employees and pensioners.

The pay panel had recommended a 14.27 percent hike in basic pay — the lowest in 70 years. The previous 6th Pay Commission had recommended a 20 percent hike, which the government doubled while implementing it in 2008.

The recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission got the Cabinet nod today, which will benefit over one crore government employees and pensioners. 

The pay panel had recommended a 14.27 percent hike in basic pay — the lowest in 70 years. The previous 6th Pay Commission had recommended a 20 percent hike, which the government doubled while implementing it in 2008.

The pay panel had in November last year recommended 14.27 percent hike in basic pay at junior levels, the lowest in 70 years. The commission has recommended a minimum pay of Rs 18,000 per month, fixed an upper ceiling at Rs 2,25,000 per month for Apex Scale and Rs 2,50,000 per month for Cabinet Secretary and others at present at the same pay level. The date of implementation for the recommendations is January 1, 2016.

The previous sixth Pay Commission had recommended a 20 percent hike which the government doubled while implementing it in 2008. After considering the increase proposed in allowances, the hike in remunerations comes to nearly 24 percent. While the Budget for 2016-17 did not provide an explicit provision for implementation of the 7th Pay Commission, the government had said the once-in-a-decade pay hike for government employees has been built in as interim allocation for different ministries. A secretaries' panel, headed Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha, has already vetted the seventh Pay Commission recommendation.

The total financial impact of implementing the pay commission recommendations in the 2016-17 fiscal is likely to be Rs 1,02,100 crore, as per government estimates. The pay panel also recommended 'one rank one pension' kind of set-up for the central government's all civil employees, Central Armed Police Forces as well as defence personnel to bring “parity between past pensioners and current retirees with the same length of service” who retired before January 1, 2016.

Lady Gaga Angers Chinese Fans With Dalai Lama Meeting

Indianapolis: American singer and actor Lady Gaga has angered her legions of Chinese fans after meeting with the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader.

Thousands of Chinese Internet users flooded Lady Gaga’s Instagram account with angry comments after she posted photos of the meeting. Others voiced their outrage on Chinese social media.

The pop star and the Dalai Lama appeared together at a conference in the U.S. on Sunday to talk about the benefits of compassion. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Hong Lei declined to comment on reports that Beijing had placed a ban on her music, which is hugely popular in China.

But he noted the strong public reaction to the news online and said the international community is “well aware of what kind of person the Dalai Lama truly is.”

Forced into exile after a failed uprising against Beijing’s rule in 1959, the Dalai Lama — a Nobel peace laureate — is despised by China’s Communist leadership as a separatist who is trying to split Tibet from China.

A long list of Western celebrities have been banned by China thanks to their supposed connection to the Dalai Lama — from Hollywood actor Richard Gere to musicians Bjork, Bon Jovi and Maroon 5.

As China fast becomes a big market for Western artists, more and more of them are learning they may have to toe the Communist Party line to maintain their presence and popularity here.

For Lady Gaga and throngs of her Chinese fans, tricky international politics means they are suddenly caught in a Bad Romance.

2016 Wimbledon Open: Serena, Murray Advances Into Second Round

Wimbledon: Serena Williams and Andy Murray have made their way into the second round of 2016 Wimbledon Open Women’s and Men’s singles respectively.

On Tuesday, defending champion Serena Williams reached the Wimbledon second round with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Swiss qualifier Amra Sadikovic as her mother watched from the front row of the Royal Box. The 34-year-old world number one, chasing a seventh Wimbledon title and record-equalling 22nd major, took her Grand Slam career record in first rounds to a formidable 63 wins against just one defeat.

She next faces fellow American Christina McHale for a place in the last 32. “My mom was up there in the Royal Box, so that was nice,” said the American star after giving mother Oracene Price an afternoon to remember on Centre Court. “I will have to get my dad out here now.” Williams claimed victory over world number 148 Sadikovic on a second match point courtesy of a successful Hawk-Eye challenge.

“I never underestimate any opponent. I always expect the best of myself,” added Williams, who won 12 straight points at the start of the match to open a 3-0 lead. However, not everyone gave her the royal seal of approval. “It was one of the worst serving efforts I’ve seen from Serena. This is what is giving other players hope,” said US legend John McEnroe, commentating for the BBC. Meanwhile, Andy Murray made a flying start to his bid for a second Wimbledon title as the world number two crushed British wildcard Liam Broady 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 on Tuesday.

Murray has lost successive Grand Slam finals to Novak Djokovic this year, but the 2013 Wimbledon champion believes he can end that frustrating run now he is reunited with coach Ivan Lendl after a two-year hiatus in their partnership.

After world number one Djokovic, the Wimbledon champion for the last two years, cruised past Britain’s James Ward to open his campaign on Monday, Murray was in equally ruthless mood 24 hours later. Meanwhile, Nick Kyrgios was back in trouble on his return to Wimbledon as the Australian rowed with umpire Mohamed Lahyani and told his entourage to get out during a stormy 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (9/11), 6-1 win over Czech veteran Radek Stepanek.

36 Killed, 147 Wounded In Suspected Islamic State Suicide Bombings At Istanbul Airport

Istanbul: Three suicide bombers opened fire then blew themselves up in Istanbul’s main international airport on Tuesday, killing 36 people and wounding close to 150 in what Turkey’s prime minister said appeared to have been an attack by Islamic State militants.

One attacker opened fire in the departures hall with an automatic rifle, sending passengers diving for cover and trying to flee, before all three blew themselves up in or around the arrivals hall a floor below, witnesses and officials said.

The attack on Europe’s third-busiest airport was one of the deadliest in a series of suicide bombings in Turkey, which is part of the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State and is struggling to contain the spillover from neighboring Syria's civil war. It is also battling an insurgency by Kurdish militants in its largely Kurdish southeast.

Police fired shots to try to stop two of the attackers just before they reached a security checkpoint at the arrivals hall, but they detonated their explosives, a Turkish official said.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said: "This attack, targeting innocent people is a vile, planned terrorist act.”

“There is initial evidence that each of the three suicide bombers blew themselves up after opening fire,” he told reporters at the airport. Yildirim said the attackers had come to the airport by taxi and that preliminary findings pointed to Islamic State responsibility.

Two U.S. counterterrorism officials familiar with the early stages of investigations said Islamic State was at the top of the list of suspects even though there was no evidence yet.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the use of suicide bombers against “soft” targets was more typical of Islamic State than the other obvious suspect, Kurdish PKK militants who generally attack official government targets.

One of the officials also said that, while Islamic State had recently stepped up attacks in Turkey, the group rarely claims responsibility because Turkey remains one of the main corridors for its fighters traveling from Europe to Syria and Iraq.

No group had claimed responsibility more than nine hours after the attack, which started around 9:50 p.m. local time (1850 GMT).

The attack bore similarities to a suicide bombing by Islamic State militants at Brussels airport in March that killed 16 people. A coordinated attack also targeted a rush-hour metro train, killing a further 16 people in the Belgian capital.

Most of those killed were Turkish nationals but foreigners were also among the dead, a Turkish official said.

Ali Tekin, who was at the arrivals hall waiting for a guest, said the roof came down after an “extremely loud" explosion. “Inside the airport it is terrible, you can't recognize it, the damage is big,” Tekin said.

A woman named Duygu, who was at passport control after arriving from Germany, said she threw herself to the floor after the explosion. "Everyone started running away. Everywhere was covered with blood and body parts. I saw bullet holes on the doors," she said.

Paul Roos, 77, said he saw one of the attackers “randomly shooting” in the departures hall from about 50 meters (55 yards) away. “He was wearing all black. His face was not masked,” said Roos, a South African on his way home after a holiday in southern Turkey.

Brexit Lost Virgin A Third Of Its Value As 3000 Jobs Deals IS Scrapped: Richard Branston

On Tuesday, Richard Branston revealed that his businesses have lost a third of their value after Brexit, adding that the decision to leave the EU has cancelled a deal worth 3,000 jobs.

The Virgin founder has called on Parliament to take a second look at the referendum and believes that those who voted Leave did not realize ‘what a mess’ the move would cause.

He claimed Brexit campaigners misled the public over the consequences of leaving and said the UK is ‘heading towards a disaster’ — insisting people deserve the chance to vote again.

Branston, 65, told ITV’s Good Morning Britain today: “I don’t believe the public realised what a mess their vote would cost.”

Speaking to presenters Susanna Reid and DailyMail.com U.S. Editor-at-Large Piers Morgan about his companies, Branston added: ‘We’re not any worse than anybody else, but I suspect we've lost a third of our value which is dreadful for people in the workplace.”

He continued: 'We were about to do a very big deal, we cancelled that deal, that would have involved 3,000 jobs, and that’s happening all over the country.'

Prime Minister David Cameron’s spokesman has said that last Thursday’s vote, which produced a 52-48 majority for Brexit, was ‘decisive’ and that the Government's focus was on delivering on it.

Branston has already warned that the Leave vote has ‘opened a Pandora’s Box of negative consequences’ for Britain.

A petition on the parliamentary website calling for a second referendum has attracted more than 3.9 million signatures, though it was revealed on Sunday that nearly 80,000 names have been struck off after being found to be fraudulent.

Two Government Engineers Held In Kolkata Flyover Case

Kolkata: Even as the Kolkata police filed charge sheet against 10 people in the flyover collapse case on Tuesday, two senior government engineers were arrested.

“Priyatosh Bhattacharyya (Chief Engineer AD Sector) and Santanu Mandal (Executive Engineer, AD Sector) of Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) were arrested on Tuesday,” the police said. The KMDA is the main supervising agency of the related project.

In the charge sheet filed in a city court, the accused are charged under several Sections of the IPC including 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention). A section of the Vivekananda flyover collapsed in the city on March 31, killing 28 persons.

As for the reason of withdrawing the murder charge (Section 302 of the IPC), Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime-Additional Charge) Vishal Garg refused to comment on the matter saying that the matter was “sub judice.” He also said that no one had been mentioned as absconding in the case. There are 241 witnesses in the case so far.

Legal experts are of the opinion that by withdrawing the murder charge in the case the police has seemingly admitted that the “intention” of the accused to kill anybody can not be established in court.

“By withdrawing the murder charge the police has prima facie admitted that the accused did not have any direct intention to kill anybody in this case,” senior lawyer Anirban Guhathakurta told The Hindu.

In April, amid rising public discontent, police slapped murder charge against the officials of IVRCL, a Hyderabad-based company contracted to build the flyover. Earlier, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said that “stringent action” will be taken against the owners of IVRCL, which was allegedly blacklisted.

Pointing out that the project started in 2008 during the Left regime, she blamed the Left Front government for awarding the contract to a “blacklisted” company.

However, the former Urban Development Minister in the Left Front Ashok Bhattacharya denied the allegation.

National Commission For Women To Submit Report Today On Motihari Gangrape

Motihari: The National Commission for Women will today submit to the Prime Minister’s Office its report on the alleged gangrape of a 21-year-old in Motihari in Bihar’s East Champaran district.

The women’s body has also sought an appointment with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in this regard.The Commission had instituted an inquiry into the gangrape and one of its members had visited the town as part of a fact-finding mission.

“In the report we have mentioned that doctors in Bihar still continue to use the two finger test, which has already been banned. We have also sought details from the doctor who carries out medical tests on rape survivors because we suspect that several rape cases are simply brushed aside. We will also summon the civil surgeon on July 1. We also have several issues specifically about the local police and we will be sharing those with the Home Minister,” Sushma Sahu, the National Commission Women member who travelled to Motihari said.

It may be noted that already there have been two medical examination conducted over the rape survivor in last one week and both pointed towards the fact that there girl was not subjected to rape. However, deputy medical superintendent of Motihari Hospital, Dr Manoj Kumar contradicted the first medical board report of which he was also a part and claimed that the girl was indeed raped.

The incident took place nearly a week ago. Five men who had stormed into the woman’s hut, dragged her out and gangraped her in front of her parents and neighbours. The accused had allegedly inserted a pistol and a wooden stick in her private parts.

All India Forward Bloc, Congress Call For Liquor Ban In West Bengal

Kolkata: Citing the example of Bihar which banned liquor in April, the All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) and the Congress on Tuesday sought to make West Bengal also a liquor-free state.

Raising the matter in the assembly, AIFB legislator Ali Imran Ramz said making Bengal a dry state will bring down crime though he conceded that the state revenue will take a beating in the process.

It will also save the state’s youth and contribute towards West Bengal's progress, the legislator said.

“Liquor ban in Bihar has led to development in industry, education and infrastructure sectors. The Chief Minister (Mamata Banerjee) should declare the state liquor-free,” Ramz later told the media.

As per EXIN Times, his suggestion was supported by the Congress, including Leader of Opposition Abdul Mannan. “The Bihar Chief Minister (Nitish Kumar) has shown the path. He made Bihar liquor-free despite loss to the state exchequer as he wanted to give a healthy ambience to his people,” said Mannan.

Addressing the media, former state Congress President Manas Bhunia too supported the idea. “I don’t know whether West Bengal Finance Minister (Amit Mitra) has the power to do so but if Bengal can emulate Bihar in this respect, the state can be uplifted from the degradation it has suffered,” said Bhunia.

Bihar was on April 5 this year declared a dry state with the Nitish Kumar government imposing a total ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol including India Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) with immediate effect.

US Supreme Court Supports Abortion Law with 5-3 Ruling

Washington: On Monday, the United States Supreme Court has ‘handed a victory to abortion rights advocates,’ and nullified strict regulations on abortion. The law imposed yesterday also incorporated doctors and abortion facilities following its critics ‘contended specifically designed to shut down the clinics.’

Reports are that the 5-3 ruling was an end of the 2013 law placed over the women of the country saying that ‘women exercising their constitutional right to end a pregnancy established in the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.’ The nine member court was a member short on Monday and has seen a controversial death of Justice Antonin Scalia on February 13, this year, who consistently opposed the abortion law.

We conclude that neither of these provisions offers medical benefits sufficient to justify the burdens upon access that each imposes. Each places a substantial obstacle in the path of women seeking a previability abortion, each constitutes an undue burden on abortion access… and each violates the Federal Constitution,” said the writing by Justice Stephen Breyer.

Justice Breyer was later joined by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Anthony Kennedy, which also decided the ruling of the court.

Tusshar Kapoor Becomes A Single Father Via Surrogacy

Mumbai: On Monday, actor Tusshar Kapoor became one of the first mainstream Indian celebrities to become single father as he announced the welcome his son into the world.

Tusshar’s son, who has been named Lakshyaa, was born last week through IVF and surrogacy.

“I am thrilled to be a father! The paternal instincts in me have been overpowering my heart and mind for some time now. Therefore, I am thrilled beyond words to have Laksshya, now the greatest source of joy in my life,” Tusshar, son of Bollywood veteran Jeetendra, said in a statement.

Proud grandparents, Shobha and Jeetendra, have also extended their support to the 39-year-old actor. “We could not be more excited to be grandparents to Laksshya, and are completely supportive of Tusshar’s decision. This is certainly a tremendous blessing, and an exciting time in our lives. Tusshar is a wonderful son, and he has proven with responsibility, independence, and kindness that he will be a great father to Laksshya,” they said in a joint statement.

The IVF treatment was led by Firuza Parikh, Director of IVF and Genetics at the Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre. Appreciating Tusshar’s decision and dedication, Parikh said, “I am impressed with Tusshar’s determination to be a father. He maintained a keen interest in the baby’s health at every stage. He will surely be a sensitive and nurturing parent.”

Parikh added that recently they have we have had many single men and women approved for parenthood. “As a public figure, Tusshar’s brave and bold decision will open the field of assisted reproduction making it accessible to not just single parents, but also to many who fervently desire to have a baby.”

There are many stigmas associated with being a single parent in India. Tusshar’s bold and brave step might help in eradicating many of the misconceptions in the society.

On Monday, ICMR director general Dr Soumya Swaminathan told TOI, “The draft guidelines are yet to be passed, but they say that surrogacy is only for married, infertile couples.” This rule is only meant for Indians as surrogacy in India is no longer an option for foreigners or overseas citizens of India.
A senior doctor said that in Kapoor's case “no law has been broken because there are none here”. Subramanian felt that any ART legislation should consider single-parent families. “Single people cannot be denied parenthood. While traditional families have been heterosexual couples, new age families can have a single parent or gay parents. This isn't about being accepted by society, but it's about a basic right,” said Subramanian, adding that the law should also have safeguards for the child's rights as well.

Earlier, superstar Aamir Khan and his wife Kiran Rao had son Azad Rao Khan through surrogacy and even Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan’s third child AbRam was born via surrogacy.

Euro 2016: Italy beats Spain 2-0, Iceland beats England 2-1

Washington DC: On Monday, Italy defeated Spain 2-0 to reach the quarter finals of Euro Cup 2016. On the hand, the same night saw Iceland defeating England 2-1 to reach the quarter finals.

It took the Italians 33 minutes to open the scoring on Monday through Jorjo Kellini who smashed home from close range, making it 1-nil.Graziano Pellè then scored a late goal to double Italy’s advantage and send his side into the last 8.

The holders last time defeated Italy at Euro 2008, as well as thrashing them 4-nil in the 2012 final. But this time they had no answer to Antonio Conte's men, who recorded a deserved victory. The Italians will face Germany for a place in the semifinals.

Meanwhile, England crashed out of Euro 2016 following a shock 2-1 defeat to newcomers Iceland in the last 16 at the Allianz Riviera in Nice.

Captain Wayne Rooney sent the Three Lions into a dream start by converting a penalty as early as the 4th minute. However, England’s lead was short-lived! Iceland wasted no time in getting back on track as Ragnar Sigurdsson prodded the ball home following a long throw in the 6th minute.

The surprise package of the tournament took the lead in the 18th minute through Kolbeinn Sigthorsson. Roy Hodgson’s men never managed to recover and Iceland held on to pull off one of the greatest shocks in the tournament. They will face hosts France in the quarter-finals.

Brexit: British PM To Face EU Leaders In Brussels

London: Prime Minister David Cameron is heading to Brussels to meet with European Union (EU) leaders for the first time since Britain voted to leave the bloc. 

He is expected on Tuesday to discuss the vote at an EU summit, while the other 27 leaders will gather for the first time without him on Wednesday morning to plan their next moves. Cameron will first sit down with EU President Donald Tusk, before the European Council meets later in the day. Later, the British Prime Minister will “explain the situation” to his fellow leaders over a dinner, according to an invitation letter from Tusk.

The EU leaders are likely to stress a willingness to negotiate, but only after London binds itself to a tight two-year exit timetable. The leaders of France, Germany and Italy met in Berlin on Monday and said Europe needed to respond to its people’s concerns by setting clear goals to improve security, the economy and prospects for young people.

Cameron’s trip comes amid deep political uncertainty in Britain, sparked by Thursday’s EU referendum in which he failed to convince Britons to vote to remain in the EU.

Shortly after the results were announced on Friday, he promised to resign by October — opening the way for a leadership contest within the ruling Conservative Party.

The decision for a Brexit — or British exit — also caused global markets to sink, sterling to drop to its lowest level in more than three decades, and it threw the opposition Labour Party into crisis.

Many expect a general election in the near future, following Cameron’s resignation and as several Labour MPs have resigned, citing ineffective leadership by Jeremy Corbyn.

The political, economic and regulatory uncertainty is being felt across the globe at a time when economies are still slowly recovering from the 2008 economic crisis, interest rates are close to zero, and central banks have fewer tools than normal to revive demand if countries enter recession.

Amazon Unveils Online Education Service for Teachers

On Monday, Amazon launched a new online portal with thousands of free education resources such as worksheets and lesson plans, its biggest move yet into the lucrative and growing industry that is using technology to change how students learn and teachers teach.

Called Amazon Inspire, the new service is meant to provide teachers with students anywhere from kindergarten to 12th grade a place to find and share free education materials. 

General Manager of Amazon K-12 Education, Rohit Agarwal said, “Amazon joins educators from around the country in recognizing the power of digital learning to transform the classroom, by creating a personalized, engaging learning environment for all students.”

The tech portion of the education industry (sometimes called EdTech) is sizable, having hit around, $8.4 billion in 2014with Google and Apple already heavily involved. The program also has some buy-in from the federal government. The U.S. Department of Education is providing some materials from its College Scorecard, which helps students decide which university is right for them

The Inspire service retains much of Amazon.com’s core functionality, including being able to search for and then review products. Teachers will be able to upload materials that can then be used in other schools.

“To truly transform learning in our schools and ensure educational equity for all students—regardless of grade level or zip code—it is crucial that we put high quality, open educational resources at teachers’ fingertips,” said Joseph South, director for the Office of Technology at the U.S. Department of Education.

Amazon Inspire already has a variety of school districts using the platform, including districts in Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts and Vermont, among others. Among the resources will be the Folger Shakespeare Library, which will eventually include more than 2,000 pieces of educational material including classroom instruction. 

Among the resources will be the, Folger Shakespeare Library, which will eventually include more than 2,000 pieces of educational material including classroom instruction.

The program isn't entirely open yet, with teachers having to request access for now. Schools, districts and even states can also reach out to gain access to the program.

Narada Sting: CEO Mathew Samuel Urges Police To Withdraw Summons

Kolkata: Narada news CEO Mathew Samuel has requested Kolkata Police to withdraw its summon in connection with the West Bengal government’s probe into the Narada sting operation saying the matter is still sub-judice.

Samuel has e-mailed on Monday requesting, “I have not received any letter from them. So, I have replied to the mail from where the summon was sent to me on June 23,” Samuel said. “In regard with the instruction to appear before the assistant police commissioner, I have not yet received any physical copy of communication from you through post. Nor have I have received any phone call from Kolkata Police in this regard,” Samuel wrote.

The mail further read, “I seek to ask how did you attempt to contact me. I humbly state that the matter is still pending in the honourable Calcutta High Court and I have submitted all documents, materials, original footage and all equipment used during the sting operation to the honourable High court as per its directions.

On June 24, the Honourable Calcutta High Court has directed Hyderabad forensic lab to send all material to Chandigarh forensic lab. Honourable High Court had earlier on June 20 directed that its verdict will be final and binding on all parties after, on June 17, the West Bengal CM ordered an inquiry into Narada News Sting X Files.

In view of the above, I request you to withdraw the instruction as mentioned in the email as the matter is sub judice.”

Samuel said “It will be contempt of court if I go to meet Kolkata Police officers as per their directive. I am just following what the court has said that its verdict will be the final. For this decision I have consulted my lawyers.”