Tuesday, August 22, 2017

BEGUM KULSOOM NAWAZ SUFFERING THROAT CANCER

 Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, wife of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, has been diagnosed with throat cancer, doctors in the United Kingdom told Geo News on Tuesday.
According to British doctors treating the former premier’s wife, her cancer can be treated.
Kulsoom’s treatment will begin in a few days, sources told Geo News.
Maryam Nawaz, daughter of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, will run the election campaign in Begum Kulsoom’s absence.
Sources added that the PML-N will be running the campaign on a daily basis and Maryam would be available for campaigning activities as and when needed.
The Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) candidate for NA-120 won’t participate in the initial campaigns for the constituency, as per some sources.
Kulsoom filed nomination papers for NA-120 after the seat fell vacant following her husband Nawaz Sharif’s disqualification to hold office by the Supreme Court on July 28.

Nomination papers of Begum Kulsoom Nawaz accepted for NA-120 by-election

Nawaz won the seat by a substantial margin in 2013’s general elections, defeating Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Yasmin Rashid, who is again contesting for the seat this time around.
The former premier’s wife suddenly left for London for medical checkups at the time when nomination papers for NA-120 were being scrutinised.
The Lahore High Court Appellate Tribunal, on August 21, rejected all appeals filed against the nomination papers of PML-N candidate Begum Kulsoom Nawaz for the NA-120 by-poll.
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MASCRADE 2017 – MOVEMENT AGAINST SMUGGLING AND COUNTERFEIT TRADE 

August 22, 2017
Mr. Naresh Kumar sagar
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Dear Mr. sagar,
Illicit Trade in terms of counterfeiting, smuggling and piracy are highly pervasive across countries and sectors, representing a multi-billion-dollar industry that continues to grow and impact commerce and industry, governments, economies and the society at large.
FICCI Committee Against Smuggling & Counterfeiting Activities Destroying Economy (CASCADE) is organizing its flagship annual event under the title: MASCRADE 2017 – Movement Against Smuggling and Counterfeit Trade on 12-13 October, 2017 at ITC Maurya, New Delhi. The theme of this year’s conference is Protect Your Brand Globally: Fight Counterfeiting, Smuggling and Piracy.
The conference is structured to ensure that national and international stakeholders can dialogue and deliberate to identify opportunities for joint action between governments, private sector, and enforcement machinery to combat illegal trade. The conference will also aim to design tangible solutions to countering illicit trade in global markets.
We wish to cordially invite you to join MASCRADE 2017. Enclosed is the agenda and brochure for your reference.
Mark your attendance early, before you lose out a chance to be @ MASCRADE 2017. Fill in the attached registration form with necessary formalities to book a seat.
We look forward to your presence.
Warm regards,
Dipankar Barkakati
Additional Director & Head
IPR & FICCI CASCADE
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry
Industry’s Voice for Policy Change
Federation House, 1, Tansen Marg, New Delhi 110001, INDIA
T: +91-11-23487368           F: +91-11-23765477
M: 9560052173
ISO 9001:2008 certified
FICCI Corporate Identity Number (CIN) : U99999DL1956NPL002635
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EVERYDAY JOURNEYS OF URBAN WORKING MOTHERS: EVIDENCE FROM FRANCE AND INDIA

Aug
29
CPR and CSH are pleased to invite you to a workshop on
Everyday journeys of urban working mothers: Evidence from France and India
Vandana Vasudevan
Tuesday, 29 August 2017, 3:45 p.m.
Conference Hall, Centre for Policy Research
Image Source
This paper looks at the daily mobilities of urban working mothers as they manage the double burden of their wage earning and household responsibilities. Using secondary data sources the study attempts to deconstruct the spatial and temporal characteristics of their journeys. It supplements this with narratives from personal interviews conducted with a sample of this cohort in the in three cities-Grenoble (France), Jalandhar and Trichy (India). While doing so it demonstrates the distinction between the mobility that the women manage to achieve versus spatial accessibility to destinations.  It dwells on the role played by urban policies in women’s quotidian life, their daily journeys and eventually, on their overall well-being.
Vandana Vasudevan is doing her doctorate from the University of Grenoble , France on the topic of everyday mobilities of urban working mothers and the role of urban policies in shaping their experiences in the city.  She is an alumna of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and Lady Shriram College prior to that. She completed a Masters in Urbanism from the Institute de Urbanisme, Grenoble, France in 2014. She is the author of the book “Urban Villager: Life in an Indian Satellite Town” (SAGE publications 2013) and is a writer/columnist for leading dailies on urban issues.
This workshop is free and there is no registration. Find all the videos of our previous workshops, here.
This is the ninety-first in a series of Urban Workshops planned by the Centre de Sciences Humaines (CSH), New Delhi and Centre for Policy Research (CPR). These workshops seek to provoke public discussion on issues relating to the development of the city and try to address all its facets including its administration, culture, economy, society and politics. For further information, please contact: Christine Ithurbide at christine@csh-delhi.com, Partha Mukhopadhyay at partha@cprindia.org or Marie-Hélène Zerah at marie-helene.zerah@ird.fr
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MAGMA FINCORP & PCRA TRAIN 1 LAKH TRUCK DRIVERS

Magma Fincorp & PCRA train 1 lakh truck drivers to make the environment and highways a safer place
Targets to a total 2.5 lakh drivers in the next 5 years

New Delhi, 22nd August 2017– Magma Fincorp Ltd., a premier Mumbai based NBFC along with Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA), a Govt of India body, today announced the successful completion of the first phase Highway Heroes, a CSR programme where they have trained 1 lakh truck drivers. The movement was initiated in 2015 to achieve three unique feats – Reducing environment pollution, increasing fuel efficiency and profitability of the truckers’ community and imparting safe driving skills.

The press meet was addressed by Mr. Alok Tripathi, Executive Director, PCRA and Mr. Kaushik Sinha, Vice President – Communications, CSR & Admin.

In the first phase, permanent Porta cabins and E-toilets have been installed in 8 high traffic transport nagars across the country. The Porta Cabins are being used to hold workshops for drivers on improving driving habits for better mileage and fuel conservation and their regular medical checkup and posture correction. Over 60,000 drivers have benefitted directly through the medical camps conducted in these porta cabins.

The workshops conducted jointly by Magma and PCRA for the truckers well-being has made significant social, economic and environment impact:

  • Fuel saved: 2 crore litres approximately
  • Reduction in CO2 emission : 6 crore kg approximately
  • Certified number of Drivers as on 31 July 2017: 1,00,699
  • Clean sanitation drive has benefitted : 5,00,000 people
  • Total number of centres active : 160

Motivated by the positive impact and the huge potential of the movement, Magma and PCRA now aim to take this initiative to more transport nagars and train another 1.5 lakh drivers in the next 3 years.

Appreciating Magma’s initiative and talking about the workshops, Mr. Alok Tripathi, Executive Director, PCRA said, “Since its inception, PCRA (Petroleum Conservation Research Association under the aegis of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural gas) engaged in promoting fuel conservation and its efficient utilization in major sectors of economy namely Agriculture, Transport, Domestic, Industry and Commercial through its various activities. It helps the government in proposing policies and strategies for petroleum conservation, aimed at reducing excessive dependence of the county on oil requirement. Over the years, PCRA has enlarged its role in improving productivity in use of various sources of energy, for the purpose of achieving environment protection and sustainable development. As far as Transport sector is concerned there is a saving potential of about 20 % in this sector. He appreciated the joint initiative of MAGMA & PCRA for conducting Drivers training Workshops at various Transport Nagar locations across India, covering about 100000 drivers under the program till July, 2017.”

Kaushik Sinha, Vice President & National Head- Corpcomm and CSR, Magma Fincorp Ltd, said, “The partnership with PCRA has enabled Magma to offer structured and qualified driving habits training to over 1 lakh truck so far. Magma has been working with this sector for a long time and has been continuously working for the well-being of the truckers. The skills imparted also allow the Truckers to be profitable. As we launch the second phase of the initiative, we urge the other stakeholders to also come forward and join the movement. The Truckers community is very important to the society and the economy and their wellbeing is critical to the growth of the economy”.  The workshops, he mentioned also impart basic knowledge on hygiene, safety and fuel conservation to the truck drivers.

There is another issue that we have to look at; there are reports of a dip in the number of truck driver’s year on year in India which is alarming. One possible reason is that truck drivers are not getting due respect from the society and hence their next generation do not wish to join this profession. We urge the citizens to accord due respect this fraternity and acknowledge their role in building our country, added, Mr Sanjiv Jha, Business Head- North, Magma Fincorp Ltd.

India has approximately 2 million drivers of medium and heavy trucks. On an average a driver drives about 10000-12,000 kilometres per month, becoming vulnerable to eye sight issues, unhealthy eating habits, posture problems, common ailments of cough and cold due to fatigue, and the danger of HIV. Club this with poor highway safety conditions and the highways become most vulnerable to accidents. In India, drivers’ fault account for 78.5% (3, 81,648 accidents) of total accidents and more than 30% of the total road accident deaths are associated with trucks annually. Magma at these Porta cabins is also organising regular bi-monthly free consultation, diagnosis and basic medication, well being, posture correction and de-stress workshops for the drivers.

About Magma Fincorp Limited
Magma Fincorp Limited (“Magma”) is a non-deposit taking non-banking finance company (NBFC), registered with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as an Asset Finance Company. The Company, having started operations over two decades back, is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange Limited and the National Stock Exchange in India.

Magma provides a bouquet of financial products including financing of Utility Vehicles & Cars, Commercial Vehicles, Construction Equipment, Used Commercial Vehicles, Tractors and SME Loans. It also operates in Affordable Housing Finance and General Insurance segments. Magma has a dedicated base of around 5 Lac active customers. The company operates through 297branches in 25 states / UT and employs around 9000 people.

About PCRA
Petroleum Conservation Research Association, under Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has been aggressively working on spreading awareness about the urgency of conserving petroleum products since 1978. They have the depth of experienced and trained staff. Magma Fincorp has tied up with Petroleum Conservation Research Association and the training sessions are being conducted by Petroleum Conservation Research Association certified trainers to small batches of drivers. Trucker drivers get a ‘Certification of participation’ on behalf of Petroleum Conservation Research Association and Magma.

For media related queries, please contact:
Blue Lotus Communications
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 2ND EDITION OF THE “LONAVALA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL INDIA”

  •  2nd Edition of the “Lonavala International Film Festival India” ( LIFFI), which will be held  from 1st to 3rd September, 2017 at Triose Plaza, Ryewoods, INS Shivaji Road, Lonavala.
 
The 2nd edition of “Lonavala International Film Festival India” ( LIFFI)  is all set to enthrall audiences once again from 1st to 3rdSeptember, 2017 at Triose Plaza, Ryewoods, INS Shivaji Road, Lonavala.
  • The theme this year is “Family Entertainment” & “Edutainment”. 
  • 32 well  known Hindi & English films across various genres will be screened during the festival
  • With the Objective of educating core family & moral values to Children through Cinema. Schools, Orphanages &  NGO’s in and around Lonavala are invited to send their children to enjoy the experience free of cost.
  • The Opening films of the festival will be the family entertainer “ Hum Saath Saath Hain” & a children’s film  “Happy Mother’s Day”  which will be screened simultaneously in 2 different screens
  • Actor Mukesh Khanna- best known for portraying memorable characters like “Shaktiman” and “Bhishma Pitamah”  & who also is the  Current  Chairperson of  Children Film Society Of India will be the Guest of Honour for the festival
August 2017, Lonavla :  After an overwhelming response to the 1st  edition of the festival held last year, It’s time once again to enchant audiences with a wide range of entertaining films in the mystic valleys of Lonavala. This year as well, LIFFI has set the right tone to offer its visitors and patrons a completely different and a memorable “Cinematic Experience”.
Cinema lovers shouldn’t miss this treat of watching 32 entertaining national and international films across various genres that will be screened in the “state of the art” Triose Plaza”. Each film will be a one of its kind experience for each and every person.
Amongst some of the well-known films that will be screened this year are : Hum Saath Saath Hain, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, I am Kalam”, Andaz Apna Apna, Jalpari – The Desert Mermaid, Swarg, Chota Sipahi , Russell Madness, Monkey Up, The Goal, My Lucky Elephant & many more
The official content partners onboard for “LIFFI 2017” are Ultra Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, Rajshri Productions, Children Film Society of India, K Sera Sera, Vinay Pictures and Smile Foundation.
Various public & private schools, Orphanages & NGO’s in and around Lonavala have been approached to send their children to watch films at the festival free of cost. The Objective behind this is to provide a unique & an everlasting experience to these children and also enlighten them through an entertaining medium
Like last year, this year too, many visitors are expected to watch path breaking films in this festival at the scenic hill station of Lonavala over the weekend.
Last year, several esteemed artists and film makers from the Indian film industry like Shyam Benegal, Naseeruddin Shah, Ketan Mehta, Govind  Nihalani, Sudhir Mishra, Anant Mahadevan, Deepa Sahi, Rajit Kapoor and many more graced the event. Veteran filmmaker Govind Nihalani was presented the “Lifetime Achievement Award” by ace filmmaker Shyam Benegal. Other than the internationally acclaimed films like Pyaasa, Tamas, ArdhSatya, Drohkaal many commendable short films and documentaries were also screened. Interactive question and answer sessions were conducted and moderated by eminent personalities on various aspects of cinema and filmmaking. Visitors flocked in from all corners of the country to cherish the experience.
“Lonavala International Film Festival India” is organised by Triose Plaza and the festival Director is Mr. Madhav Todi. The Chief Patron for the festival is Mr. SushilKumar Agrawal, Managing Director, Ultra Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd.
So, mark your calendars and join us to experience an entertaining and edutaining weekend with your family at Lonavala international Film Festival India 2017 from 1st to 3rd September at Triose Plaza, Lonavala  !
For further Information, Please contact  : Prajakta Kute : 8976001704 & Vivek Kotian on : 9820310487
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ANTIMICROBIALS FOUND IN HUMAN BREAST MILK

PETER DOCKRILL
22 AUG 2017
The looming threat of antibiotic resistance means we desperately need new remedies to counter deadly superbugs, and researchers could have just found one in the most natural food source of all: breast milk.
Scientists have long known that, in addition to general sustenance, breast milk offers babies vital nutrients to build up their immune systems. Now, researchers have discovered a new mechanism behind this antibacterial boost – in breast milk sugars.
Contrary to the understanding that antibacterial defences are passed from mothers to their babies solely through proteins in breast milk, a team from Vanderbilt University says sugars – or carbohydrates – also demonstrate properties that can protect against bacterial infections.
“This is the first example of generalised, antimicrobial activity on the part of the carbohydrates in human milk,” says chemist Steven Townsend.
“One of the remarkable properties of these compounds is that they are clearly non-toxic, unlike most antibiotics.”
The most prominent infection that affects newborns is called Group BStreptococcus (GBS), which can lead to babies developing sepsis or pneumonia before their immune systems are strong enough to fight off the bug.
Luckily, while GBS can be deadly for babies, most newborns don’t get infected by it, and the team wanted to investigate whether those infants might be getting protection courtesy of their mothers’ milk.
“We wondered whether [GBS’s] common host, pregnant women, produces compounds that can either weaken or kill strep, which is a leading cause of infections in newborns worldwide,” Townsend explains.
To find out, the researchers took human breast milk carbohydrates from five human donors and isolated complex sugars from them (called oligosaccharides), before introducing the oligosaccharides to strep cultures in the lab.
Analysing the interaction under microscope, the team found the carbohydrate could both kill the bacteria as well as weaken its natural defences – by preventing it from forming a protective biofilm to fend off threats.
23948 breastmilk 1Steven Townsend/Vanderbilt
In the image above, that biofilm can be seen on the left – but it’s prevented from forming in the presence of the carbohydrates (on the right).
“When bacteria want to harm us, they produce this gooey protective substance,” Townsend explains, “which allows them to thwart our defence mechanisms.”
In one sample, the sugars killed the strep entirely. In another, they were moderately effective at killing the strep, while in the remaining three samples the carbohydrates weren’t very effective.
To help explain what’s going on here, the team is currently conducting another set of tests.
In new research not yet published but presented this week at a meeting of the American Chemical Society in Washington, DC, Townsend’s group again found a mix of results.
These included two cases where breast milk sugars broke down the biofilm and killed the bacteria; four where the biofilm was broken but the bacteria survived; and two where the bacteria died, but the biofilm persisted.
It’s early days, and it’s clear that more research will be needed to figure out the spectrum of these outcomes.
But if the team can solve the puzzle, it could lead to the beginnings of a new class of antibiotics, now that we know how these carbohydrates function in the presence of bacteria.
“[T]hese sugars have a one-two punch,” says Townsend.
“First, they sensitise the target bacteria and then they kill them. Biologists sometimes call this ‘synthetic lethality’ and there is a major push to develop new antimicrobial drugs with this capability.”
In addition, the team says its preliminary, still-in-progress data indicates that milk sugars can make bacteria more susceptible to common antibiotics – such as penicillin and erythromycin.
We shouldn’t get too carried away until the team has more to show, but if those results pan out, it’s possible that the carbohydrates might be able to one day lessen our reliance on these kinds of common antibiotics, and in doing so help to unravel a big part of the resistance problem.
We won’t know more until the latest research is complete, but it’s a hugely promising direction to investigate further – and one that, one day, could reap benefits for everybody.
“If you can figure out how the sugars are acting, then you can justify attempting to make large-scale amounts of them,” Townsend says, “and then putting them in humans.”
The findings are reported in Infectious Diseases.
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DARE ACADEMY PROTOTYPES TO BE UNVEILED AT MAJOR SCOTTISH GAMES FESTIVAL

A diverse range of six new prototype games created at this year’s inaugural Dare Academy competition will be publicly showcased together for the first time at the UK’s newest games festival next month.
Ranging from a slick virtual reality stealth shooter, to a game focusing on dementia, the games have all been created by student teams from Abertay University in Dundee competing for international work placements to China, India and the US.
Each of the studios – Pocket Sized Hands, Bit Loom, 8Bit10, Hypnotic Pigeon, Wee Door and Lavalamp Games – will have professional stands at the fantastic West Ward Works exhibition space in Dundee during THIS Festival – a four-day city celebration of all things games.
The festival comes as Abertay celebrates 20 years since becoming the first in the world to offer degrees in computer games and the Dare involvement is part of a wider programme of celebrations that has been running since January.
Festival-goers and industry professionals will have the chance to try out the games, speak to the creators and give their feedback on each of the prototypes.
The Dare stands will be among a host of others involved in the exhibition element of the festival, which runs from September 8-10.
David Gray of Pocket Sized Hands, whose game Honeypot Espionage has also been nominated in the THIS Festival Design Awards, said everyone on the team was excited to part of the event.
He added: “Dare Academy has been a great experience for us. It’s going to be exciting to see how Honeypot Espionage develops in the next few months. We have a lot planned and we are looking forward to showing off more soon.”
Abertay is backing all of the Dare teams, who have each been given a £1,000 working budget and will also travel to games conference EGX in September.
The University’s Clare Brennan, curator of the Hannah Maclure Centre and a lecturer in Visual Arts Practice is coordinating the Dare stands.
She said THIS Festival would be a great opportunity for the students to get consumer feedback on their games.
“All of the students who have been part of Dare Academy have worked really hard to create, refine and polish their games and THIS Festival will be the first opportunity to showcase these to the public.
“I’ve been blown away by the quality of the games this year and I urge anyone interested in seeing an array of high quality and thoughtful indie games to come along and check out the Dare Academy stands.”
For more information and bookings visit https://www.dctevents.com/event/this-festival/
For more information on Dare Academy visit dareacademy.co.uk
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