Malala Yousafzai to receive honorary Canadian citizenship

 

OTTAWA (Agencies) - Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai will receive her honorary Canadian citizenship in Ottawa next week. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau s office says the presentation will take place April 12, when the 19-year-old Pakistani woman will also address Parliament.

Former prime minister Stephen Harper was to have presented the award in Toronto on Oct. 22, 2014. But the event was cancelled because that was the day a gunman attacked Parliament Hill after killing a soldier at the National War Memorial.

Yousafzai became an international symbol for girls  rights after surviving a 2012 attack by a Taliban gunman, who shot her in the head while she was riding a bus home from school in Pakistan.

Trudeau s office says he wants to discuss "girls  empowerment through education and how they can actively contribute to the sustainable development of their communities and countries."

Yousafzai is one of six people to have been awarded honorary Canadian citizenship, joining Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma, and the Aga Khan.

"The people of Canada are leading the world in their response to the refugee crisis," Yousafzai said in a statement.

"I am honoured by Parliament s invitation and look forward to visiting this great nation of heroes."  

Rakhi Sawant's arrest warrant issued

 

(Web Desk) – Arrest warrant of Rakhi Sawant was issued on Monday by an Indian Punjab court after she failed to appear for hearing of a case against her over alleged derogatory remarks aimed at Ramayana author.

Hearing of the case has been adjourned until April 10 while arrest warrant issued.

She had allegedly passed derogatory remarks against Valmiki who authored Ramayana about the Hindu God, Lord Rama.

Sawant has had a showbiz career peppered with controversies with many claiming that to be her claim to fame and way to remain relevant.

Babies cry more in UK, Canada and Italy, less in Germany: study

 

(Web desk)

LONDON: Babies cry more in Britain, Canada, Italy and Netherlands than in other countries, while newborns in Denmark, Germany and Japan cry and fuss the least, researchers said on Monday.

In research looking at how much babies around the world cry in their first three months, psychologists from Britain have created the first universal charts for normal amounts of crying during that period.

“Babies are already very different in how much they cry in the first weeks of life,” said Dieter Wolker, who led the study at Warwick University.

“We may learn more from looking at cultures where there is less crying — (including) whether this may be due to parenting or other factors relating to pregnancy experiences or genetics.”

The highest levels of colic – defined as crying more than three hours a day for at least three days a week – were found in babies in Britain, Canada and Italy, while the lowest colic rates were found in Denmark and Germany.

On average, the study found, babies cry for around two hours a day in the first two weeks. They then cry a little more in the following few weeks until they peak at around two hours 15 minutes a day at six weeks. This then reduces to an average of one hour 10 minutes by the time they are 12 weeks old.

But there are wide variations, with some babies crying as little as 30 minutes a day, and others more than five hours.

The research, published in the Journal of Pediatrics, was a meta-analysis of studies covering some 8,700 babies in countries including Germany, Denmark, Japan, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands and Britain.

Wolker said the new crying chart would help health workers reassure parents whether their baby is crying within a normal range in the first three months, or may need extra support.

 

Saudi scholar's fatwa allows women to marry of their own will

JEDDAH (web desk)- A Saudi religious scholar has issued a fatwa that women were free to marry of their own free will.

According to Saudi newspapers, member of Council of Senior Scholars Sheikh Abdullah Al Menia has said in his fatwa that women above 25 years of age possess the right to marry of their own free will.

He said that the main thing is to document the marriage contract and if the Justice department permits then no obstacle remains in the case.

It is pertinent to mention here that Sheikh Abdul Minai also issued a fatwa in September last year according to which women are their own mentors and have the legal right to manage all her matters except those of marriage.  

Travelling to Dubai? read these new baggage rules

 

DUBAI (Web Desk) - Dubai Airports will soon introduce new baggage rules in order to enhance service quality, lessen the danger of mishandlings, enhance the performance of its check-in and baggage operation.

New rules for passengers are as follow:

1. No round bags

2. No bags without flat surface

3. No irregular shaped bags

4. No oversized bags

5. Bags that do not meet the criterion will have to be repacked in boxes for a fee

Vice President of Terminal Operations at Dubai International Ali Angizeh said Dubai Airports deploys latest and sophisticated baggage system in the world. He said oversize bags have capacity to disrupt or deceive even the latest technology available.

Angizeh stated that round bags or those which are not flat often cause baggage jams and these jams can possibly shut down systems apart from several other technical issues.

After implementation of new law on 8th March 2017, passengers would not be able to carry round bags anymore. Dubai Airports has updated its website, mobile app and signage across in this regard whereas all airlines have been made aware of changes in the baggage rules.  

No difference between Punjabi theatre mujra, item numbers: Hamza Ali Abbasi

 

LAHORE (web desk)- Actor Hamza Ali Abbasi has said that no one has the right to criticize on other person’s personal life.

During an interview, Abbasi suggested that Punjabi theatre mujras and item numbers hold no difference and are the same in nature.

The actor says that he is against item numbers in the film but do not oppose songs as they are the part of the culture.

'Maldivian Girl With Aqua Blue Eyes' commits suicide

  

(Web Desk) – Fashion model and a medical student who rose to prominence after a striking photo titled ‘Maldivian Girl With Aqua Blue Eyes’, committed suicide in a hostel in Bangladesh, DailyMail reported on Friday.

21-year-old Raudha Athif was a second-year student in Islami Bank Medical College in Rajshahi of Bangladesh. She was found dead by her classmates on Wednesday in her dormitory.

According to warden of the hostel, the late model never appeared to her as someone who’d end her life.

Officer-in-charge has said that no statement can be made for sure prior to autopsy report. The body was transferred to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital for autopsy.

She went on to work with Vogue India in 2016 after her breakthrough photograph in 2014.