MONDAY 13 MARCH 2017

Kareena is a rock star: Neetu Kapoor

MARKETPLACE | 6 LIFESTYLE | 8Four Seasons Hotel

Doha welcomes new manager

Using Facebook may help you live

longer

Email: dohatoday@pen.com.qa

MAF

BOLLYWOOD | 11

EARLY DAYS OF EARLY DAYS OF PEARLING PEARLING

Saad Ismail Al Jassem, one of the few pearl divers in Qatar, talks fondly about the old days of pearling, when oil was not discovered.

P | 2-3

COVER STORY MONDAY 13 MARCH 201702

Fazeena Saleem

The Peninsula

As we walked on the alleys of Souq Waqif in search of shops selling pearls, met with the veteran - prob-ably the only surviving pearl diver in Qatar.

Saad Ismail Al Jassem, a multifaceted Qatari, who has a fascinating story to tell. He talked to The Peninsula about his life as a diver, a body-builder, an entertainer and a poet.

Saad is fluent in Arabic, English, Italian and

Hindi, recalls the good old early days of pearl-ing fondly.

At the age of 18, Saad became a diver, mas-tered the art of pearl diving and turned into a

‘Tawash’ – expert in the pearl trade. During the olden days, only equipment

divers like Saad used to find pearls were a nose clip, a net, which he put around his neck to place pearls in, and a weight that was tied around the diver’s foot to stop him from floating.

“In old days, before oil discovery, there was no way of income except, we go to the desert, cut wood, cook on it or sell, or cut grass and give

it to the animals and during the summer of course we go to the sea. We go in a big boat with the cap-tain, helper of the captain, the diver and helper of the diver,” said Saad.

“The diver wear three things for diving, weight put on his feet to take the diver down, second is a basket to collect the oyster and third is the nose clip to put on the nose to avoid water going into the nose.

“Divers will take a long breath and go into the sea- to the bottom of the sea. The diver stays inside water for two minutes without breathing. Then he will give a signal to the helper and the helper will pull and bring him up, then the diver will put the oyster in to the basket and from the basket to the boat. Then he will dive again,” said Saad.

While, talking to us he took out an old nose clip from his pocket, and demonstrated how he would wear it. Also a basket in which they used to collect the oysters is still hanging on the roof of his shop.

In the past divers go pearl fishing from south to the north of the Qatari waters, between 50 to 80 miles.

“We go diving daily from sun rise to sun set, our journey takes about three to four months in the sea. We eat, drink and sleep in the boat,” said Saad.

Pearl diver dives into his past

Pics: Salim Matramkot / The Peninsula

COVER STORYMONDAY 13 MARCH 2017 03

In the ancient days traders came to Qatar from India, France and Italy looking for pearls.

“The Souq Waqif was not like this before, the sea was near to the shops. Traders come in small and big boats from different countries and they buy pearls from us,” said Saad.

Asked how often would he find pearls in oysters, Saad took a pause and said, “It all depends on the Rizq

– blessings of Allah.” However, now things have

changed, but Saad’s shop is filled with countless colourful pearls – the modern day fresh water pearls. He is more a story teller of the tradition and culture of ancient Qatar, he refrains from telling customers rosy stories about the pearls he sells or do not try to somehow do business. In other words he is very straight forward, just explain customers about the nature and price of the pearls and let them free to make a decision.

Cultured freshwater pearls are pearls that are farmed and created using freshwater mussels. These pearls are produced in Japan and the United States on a limited scale, but are now almost exclusively pro-duced in China.

A string of fresh water pearls would cost between QR100 to QR1000 depending on their nature.

“Now we import fresh water pearls from India, Japan, Sri Lanka and China. But these days China is the fresh water pearl hub,” says Saad.

His shop holds a name board ‘Phalwan Saad Ismail Al Jassim :The Old pearl diver.’ ‘Pahlwan,’ an Ara-bic word referring to Saad’s admiration for body building and public performances. Bodybuilding photographs in various poses pasted near the front door and wall of the shop prove his long-term commit-ment to fitness.

Saad is nearly 80 years old and still continue to practice his ability to rest on nails.

He also showed a video and photographs of him lying on a bed of glass, holding a board with stacked boulders, as another man whacks at them with a sledgehammer.

Saad upholds a passion for liv-ing and wants to continue diving and body building as long as he can.

CAMPUS MONDAY 13 MARCH 201704

A total of 14 ‘Star Students of the Month’ along with their parents graced the Olive Inter-

national School’s (OIS) Nuaija Campus recently for an exclusive “Coffee with Principal” evening, which was cele-brated with great enthusiasm.

During this harmonious event, OIS Principal, Vice-Principal and the academic coordinators inter-acted with parents of star students as part of the school’s mission towards enhanced integration with the parents’ community. Apart from the formal award ceremony, the celebration comprised of group and family photo sessions in addi-tion to entertainment and surprises for the children and parents. In his address to the august audience, OIS

Principal Jacob KM congratulated the star students and encouraged them to extend their very best. He

also greatly appreciated the star parents for their vital contribution towards their wards and expressed

sincere pleasure to accompany them for a memorable coffee evening together.

Star students of the Month felicitated at OIS

“Go to the woods and bring me back, One: the cow as white as milk,Two: the cape as red as blood,Three: the hair as yellow

as corn,Four: the slipper as pure as gold”. And so it begins. A fairy tale with in a fairy tale. Wait, not within a fairy tale, within four of them!

Into the Woods Jr., this year’s American School of Doha’s Middle School production, is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine recounts four familiar childhood fairy tales woven together by a baker, his wife, and a witch who of course happens to be evil, although in all fair-ness, it’s partly because the baker takes her magic beans!

As it turns out, this witch needs the afore-mentioned articles in order to lift a certain curse that has left the baker’s wife barren, and so the hunt for these items begin. These characters cross paths with Jack of “Jack and the

Beanstalk” fame, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapun-zel and Cinderella.

And while everybody on stage finagles their way into going to the king’s festival, it’s such a nice feeling to know that you are already there… and you didn’t even have to sell your cow to do this. Tickets are available at the American School of Doha and please email communica-tions@asd.edu.qa for event information.

Musical show at American School of Doha

MARKETPLACEMONDAY 13 MARCH 2017 05

Skyline Automotive, the recently appointed official distribution partner of the Hyundai Motor

Company for Qatar, has supported the country’s biggest non-profes-sional basketball and volleyball championship - the W-League Qatar - in organising its most suc-cessful season yet.

The news highlights Skyline Automotive’s commitment to back-ing a wide range of programs and activities that are making a positive difference to people’s lives.

The partnership with the W-League Qatar is the first in a number of initiatives planned in support of community groups, organizations and individuals in Doha during the coming year in the areas of sport, adventure, art, inno-vation, education and health.

Skyline Automotive’s commu-nity engagement programme is inspired by the Hyundai Motor Company’s focus on enhancing peo-ple’s everyday lives. Skyline Automotive is committed to such efforts in order to drive community development and participation by

diversifying the number and types of activities available to residents in Qatar.

Describing its efforts, Skyline Automotive Marketing Manager Johan Madarasz said: “We are a local business and it is really impor-tant for us to support our community here in Qatar. Aligned with Hyundai’s vision, we want to become a long-term partner for our customers in ways that extend beyond selling top quality automo-biles. Hyundai is already involved in large-scale, prestigious sponsor-ship activities for the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games. We want to bring the same level of commitment to our partners in local communities, whether organiza-tions or individuals, and to celebrate those people making a positive dif-ference in society. We look forward to working with and welcoming anyone interested in hearing more about our engagement program and looking for ways in which we can support each other.”

As Skyline Automotive’s first community partner, W-League

received support for the 2016-2017 season, which includes Season 6 of the volleyball and basketball cham-pionship. W-League Chairmen Nur Emir Manguinao welcomed the chance to work with Skyline Auto-motive, saying: “We are excited about our new partnership with Skyline Automotive.”

Skyline Automotive has ambi-tious plans for Qatar as it embarks on engaging with customers and building brand loyalty in the com-ing months. To find out more about Skyline Automotive, its showrooms and network of aftersales centers across the country, as well as

Hyundai and Genesis models, cus-tomers can visit www.skyline-qatar.com

Skyline Automotive supports W-League

The Torch Doha and the Embassy of Belgium in Qatar teamed up to organise a Bel-

gian Chocolate Festival with the participation of Belgian celebrity chef chocolatier Laurent Gerbaud.

The event took place at the Sky Lounge of The Torch Doha from March 8 to 11. Unique Making and Tasting workshops were held on March 9, 10 and 11 for chocolate lovers who wanted to know all the secrets about chocolate.

Under the professional guid-ance of Laurent Gerbaud, they were given the opportunity to make their own chocolate and learn how to taste and appreciate the different varieties. Laurent Gerbaud is one of the most renowned chocolate makers in

Brussels whose creations are a must-try.

He belongs to the new gener-ation of Belgian chocolate makers. He studied History while taking evening classes on chocolate making.

After a long trip to China, he returned to Belgium and started experimenting with new flavours and ingredients, like spices, exotic fruits and sugar substitutes. His journey to China is also reflected in his logo and beautiful packag-ing – a red seal depicting the word

“chocolate” in Chinese. The festival was launched on

March 8 by Christophe Payot, Ambassador of Belgium to Qatar, and Sherif Sabry, General Manager of The Torch Doha, in the pres-ence of Belgian chef chocolatier

Laurent Gerbaud. Sabry stated, “We are delighted to host such an event. It was greatly anticipated and through the valuable collab-oration with the Embassy of Belgium, we have organised a fes-tival which will entertain and educate our guests equally”.

“Such an event has been requested by many in Doha. I am therefore pleased that we could launch such a festival to celebrate Belgian chocolate by giving an opportunity to the chocolate-lov-ers in Qatar to learn. I am convinced that the workshops will be an unforgettable experience for all participants” concluded Ambassador Payot.

Belgium is renowned for its chocolate; the best in the world as connoisseurs often say. While the

raw materials do not originate from Belgium, the country has developed over the years an unbeatable savoir-faire for the pleasure of our tasting buds. Using only top quality ingredients – in particular pure cocoa butter – Bel-gian chocolate is associated with high-quality gourmet specialties. With more than 500 chocolatiers and above 2,000 chocolate shops, Belgium produces almost 220,000 tonnes of chocolate every year, most of it for export. Brussels air-port is the world’s biggest shop, with over 800 tonnes sold annu-ally. Many Belgian chocolate brands are available on the Qatari market. Beyond retail products, several companies have now opened shops and even tearooms all over Doha.

The Torch Doha hosts Belgian Chocolate Festival

COMMUNITY / MARKETPLACE MONDAY 13 MARCH 201706

Qmass, a socio-cultural organ-isation functioning under the aegis of ICC, Indian Embassy

has elected its new office bearers for the term 2017-2019.

President Lilar Parambath, General Secretary Shuhaib

Kunhikkandy, Treasurer Ullahas Kayakkandy, Vice-President Ash-ique Mahe, Secretary Sreejith, Joint treasurer Faisal Kandoth, Cultural Secretary Thaju Mamas, Sports Secretary Faisal Kedaran, Joint Cul-tural Secretary Rilov Achambath,

Joint Sports Secretary Anees CH, PRO Sibeesh TK; Asst Pro Rizwan-Chalakkara, Auditors Synesh C & Lithesh K, Advisory Rijal T K, Direc-tors Q-care Manmmadhan Mambally and Mubarak Abdul Ahad; Patron M P Saleem;

Executive members, Abdul Wahid, Noufal Keloth, Ismath Kallaroth, Faisal Chalakkara, Rafath & Rajeesh TP. “A variety of socio-cultural pro-grammes are in the pipe line” said Parambath in a briefing to the gathering.

Qmass elects new office-bearers for 2017-19

Four Seasons Hotel Doha announces the appointment of Andrea Obertello as Hotel

Manager, overseeing the award-winning property in the heart of Doha’s cosmopolitan city.

A 13-year veteran of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Obertello brings a wealth of international hospital i ty experience to Qatar’s award-winning property. She joins the hotel most recently from Four Seasons Resort Marrakech in Morocco, where she served as Resort Manager.

“It’s a pleasure to welcome Andrea to Doha,” said Todd Cilano, Regional Vice-President and General Manager of Four Seasons Hotel Doha. “Andrea’s extensive international experience –now spanning five continents, along with her in-depth brand knowledge and service-driven

ingenuity, will be a valuable asset to the Hotel and in leading our talented team.” As Hotel Manager, Obertello will oversee the day-to-day operations at Four Seasons Hotel Doha, including managing the 232-room Hotel,

The Spa & Fitness Center, Ele-ments Restaurant, Shisha Terrace, and the award-winning Nobu Doha by world-renowned chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa.

Obertello has worked globally with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and has held a variety of roles ranging from reservations and front office, to Four Seasons residences. She has held manager and director roles at Four Seasons Hotel Firenze; Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts’ Palazzo Tornabuoni Pri-vate Club; Four Seasons Hotel Miami, and Four Seasons Resort Carmelo in Uruguay, where she began her career with the

company as Front Office Assist-ant Manager.

Obertello is a graduate of Glion Institute of Higher Educa-tion in Switzerland, where she earned an Associate Degree in Hospitality and Tourism Manage-ment with honors. A native of

Buenos Aires, Argentina, she speaks English, Spanish, French, and Italian. Andrea looks forward to spending her free time explor-ing Doha’s rich arts and cultural scene, along with the many off-the-beaten path adventures throughout the desert.

Four Seasons Hotel Doha welcomes new manager

CAMPUSMONDAY 13 MARCH 2017 07

An art teacher at Shatiniketan Indian School (SIS) in Doha has been creating wonders

on canvas and sharing his extraor-dinary gift of painting with the world.

Noufal is an amateur artist hail-ing from the sylvan district of Kozhikode in Kerala.

His paintings are a mono-chrome depicting his love for the people of Qatar.

Beauty is something wonderful and strange, that the artist creates in torment, out of chaos on his can-vas. It isn’t always easy to recognise at first. For that one must have knowledge, and sensitiveness, and imagination. All his paintings shows his keen observation and creative ambiance.

His art has a certain meditative quality. No human masterpiece has ever been created without great labour. He keeps his child hood days in Kerala and life in Doha side-by-side. The point of focus was to draw connections and links between these very different places and create lifelike pictures

Art has the role in education of

helping children become like them-selves instead of more like everyone else. In this noble profession of an art teacher he believes that he has the irrepressible gift for giving that drives to budding artists Curiosity about life in all of its aspects is still the secret of great creative people. This had made him take efforts to draw new attention to a markedly diverse cast of artists. So his crea-tions can be called as an evocative work of art that expresses

something very clearly and makes you have a strong reaction to it.

Drawing is still basically the same as it has been since prehis-toric times. His painting could be classified as a baroque creation as it brings together man and the world. Noufal, though he has received appreciation from many people is still looking for a platform to reach wider. He lives with his wife and children in Doha for the past eight years.

SIS teacher creates wonders on canvas with colours

Noufal

LIFESTYLE MONDAY 13 MARCH 201708

IANS

Ever wondered why you itch when another person scratches in front of you? A

new study shows that scratching, just like yawning, is socially conta-gious and not a psychological response.

According to researchers, itch-ing is highly contagious. Sometimes even its mention could make some-one scratch.

“Many people thought it was all in the mind, but our experiments show it is a hardwired behaviour and is not a form of empathy,” said lead investigator Zhou-Feng Chen, director at the Washington Univer-sity School of Medicine in St. Louis, US. In the study, conducted on mice,

the researchers found a chemical in the brain that makes them want to scratch when seeing someone else do it. Further, the findings, pub-lished in the journal Science showed that the behaviour is hardwired in the brains, rather than a form of empathy with the original scratcher.

The chemical, GRP (gastrin-releasing peptide) -- a key transmitter of itch signals between the skin and the spinal cord -- caused mice to scratch when they saw others doing it. When it was blocked, they stopped.

“The mouse doesn’t see another mouse scratching and then think it might need to scratch, too. Instead, its brain begins sending out itch sig-nals using GRP as a messenger,” Chen said.

Itching is socially contagious: Study

If you are an avid Face-book user, here is some good news. A new study

says that using Facebook is associated with living longer as it serves to maintain and enhance an individual’s real-world social ties. “Happily, for almost all Facebook users, what we found is balanced use and a lower risk of mor-tality,” said James Fowler, Professor at the University of California-San Diego, in a study of 12 million Facebook users.

Interacting online seems to be healthy when the online activity is moderate and complements interactions offline.

“It is only on the extreme end, spending a lot of time online with lit-tle evidence of being connected to people otherwise, that we see a negative association,” added William Hobbs, post-doctoral fellow at Northeastern University.

The finding showed that those who are on Facebook live longer than those who are not, and were nearly 12 per cent less likely to die than someone who doesn’t use the social networking website. People with average or large social networks, in the top 50 to 30 per cent, lived longer than those in the lowest 10.

Those on Facebook with highest levels of offline social integration -- as measured by posting more photos, which suggests face-to-face social activity -- have the greatest longevity.

With the cheetah being driven out of 91 per cent of its historic range in

Asia and Africa, the world’s fast-est land animal could soon be lost forever unless urgent, landscape-wide conservation action is taken, warns a study.

While renowned for its speed and spots, the degree of persecu-tion cheetahs face both inside and outside of protected areas is largely unrecognised, said the study that estimated the number of cheetahs left in the wild today to be just 7,100. Asiatic cheetah populations have been hit hardest, with fewer

than 50 individuals remaining in one isolated pocket of Iran, it added. Due to the species’ dra-matic decline, the cheetah should be up-listed from ‘vulnerable’ to

‘endangered’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Spe-cies, the study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, said. Typically, greater interna-tional conservation support, prioritisation and attention are given to wildlife classified as

‘endangered’, in efforts to stave off impending extinction.

Using Facebook may

help you live longer

Cheetahs sprinting towards extinction

FOODMONDAY 13 MARCH 2017 09

Maura Judkis

The Washington Post

Uyghur people are “really hospitable,” said Erkinay Abliz. So that’s why, when a recent visitor to her

brother-in-law’s District of Colum-bia restaurant, Dolan Uyghur, struggled to pull a piece of lamb off a nearly sword-length skewer, Abliz picked up her own kebab and bit the meat directly off the metal. “This is how we eat,” she said with a smile that put her visitor at ease.

“Uyghur food is going to be the next big thing in the United States,” said Yimamu Maimaiti, a partner in Queen Amannisa, the first Uyghur restaurant to open in the region.

“Uyghur food is going to be in every corner in the world.”

Halal lamb, beef and chicken are the most popular proteins, but you’ll

also see fish and shrimp on some menus.

Polow10 to 12 servingsPilaf-type dishes are found in

many cultures; this simple and hearty version with lamb is widely made in the Uyghur region of China, accord-ing to Yimamu Maimaiti, owner of Queen Amannisa.

The rice is first rinsed and soaked, and then steams atop a bubbling mixture of meat and vegetables. It is also perfumed by cumin seed, which softens and mellows in the process. Cooked chickpeas or peeled apple is sometimes added to the mix.

Serve with a salad of thinly sliced cucumber, onion and tomatoes.

From Patiguli Baikeli and chef Sayit Akhral of Queen Amannisa.

Ingredients1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 large white onion, sliced3 pounds boneless leg of lamb,

cut into 4 or 5 large pieces (fat not trimmed)

2 1/2 pounds large carrots, cut crosswise on the diagonal, then into 1/2-inch matchsticks

4 cups boiling water1 teaspoon ground turmeric1 tablespoon salt5 1/2 cups medium-grain white

rice1 tablespoon cumin seedPomegranate seeds, for garnish

(arils; optional)

StepsHeat the oil in a large, wide,

heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Once the oil shimmers, stir in the onion. Cook for about 6 min-utes, stirring a few times, or until some of it begins to get crisped on the edges. Add the meat and sear on

all sides, turning the pieces as needed; this will take 8 to 10 minutes.

Add the carrots and stir to coat, then pour in 2 cups of the boiling water and add the turmeric, using a spatula to dislodge any browned bits on the bottom. Give the mixture a good stir; once it’s boiling, add the salt. Make sure the meat is sub-merged; cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes. The liquid in the pot should be at a steady, low boil.

Meanwhile, place the rice in a large mixing bowl. Cover with cool water and rinse, drain and repeat two more times. Fill with water again, covering the rice by 1/2 inch or so. Let sit for 20 minutes.

Add the remaining 2 cups of boil-ing water to the pot.

Spread large spoonfuls of the rice carefully over the surface of the what’s in the pot, spreading it evenly for complete coverage; you don’t want the rice to mix into the bub-bling liquid at all. (The rice is going to steam atop the meat and vegeta-bles below.) Cook for 5 minutes, then scatter the cumin seed evenly over the rice. Reduce the heat to medium-low; cover tightly and cook, undisturbed, for 30 minutes until the rice is tender.

Uncover; gently stir enough to find all the pieces of meat and trans-fer them to a cutting board. Stir to incorporate the rice and vegetables; turn off the heat. The grains of rice should not be sticking together.Cut the meat into 3/4-inch pieces, dis-carding any fat that hasn’t rendered, if desired.

To serve, divide the meat atop generous portions of the polow. Gar-nish with pomegranate seeds, if using.

Nutrition | Per serving (based on 12): 710 calories, 27 g protein, 81 g carbohydrates, 30 g fat, 12 g satu-rated fat, 75 mg cholesterol, 680 mg sodium, 3 g dietary fiber, 5 g sugar.

This pilaf-type dish will win you over

HEALTH MONDAY 13 MARCH 201710

IANS

Even while you are taking rest, your brain networks may be waiting in a state of potenti-

ation to execute even the simplest of behaviours, a finding that may help in improving treatments for neuropsychiatric syndromes, an Indian-origin researcher has showed.

In the study, the researchers studied brain network interactions between two important brain regions: the dorsal anterior cingu-late cortex (dACC) -- used for control -- and the supplementary motor area (SMA) -- used for motor movements -- during a simple motor control behaviour, for exam-ple tapping forefinger to a visual

cue. The results, published in the journal PLoS One, showed that the network interactions from the SMA to the dACC increased, during the rest periods that alternated between the motor behaviour task.

“These results suggest that direc-tional interactions from the SMA to the dACC during the rest period may in fact potentiate task-related inter-actions in the opposite direction,” said Vaibhav Diwadkar, Professor at Wayne State University in Mich-igan, US. For the study, the team used a simple experimental task, having each participant perform a simple motor control behaviour -- tapping their forefinger to a visual cue -- that alternated between behaviour and rest. Brain activity was acquired using functional MRI

(fMRI). The results reveal aspects not only of normative brain func-tion but may also provide new

directions for characterising disor-dered network interactions in neuropsychiatric syndromes.

Your brain may be ready for action even at rest

High-intensity aerobic exer-cise may be the best type of training for people over 65,

as it can reverse some cellular aspects of ageing, an Indian-origin researcher has found.

The findings showed that high-intensity interval training (or cardio) like running and walking, improved muscle protein content enhancing energetic functions and causing muscle enlargement, espe-cially in older adults.

“We encourage everyone to exercise regularly, but the take-home message for ageing adults is that supervised high-intensity training is probably best,”said K. Sreekumaran Nair, Indian-origin endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic, a non-profit health care research organisation. Nair explained that this kind of training helped both metabolically and at the molecu-lar level, confering the most benefits. Decline in mitochondrial content and function are common

in older adults. The high-intensity exercise regimen significantly enhanced the cellular machinery responsible for making new pro-teins, contributing to synthesis, thus reversing a major adverse effect of ageing.

While high-intensity training reversed some manifestations of ageing in the body’s protein func-tion, adding resistance training may

also help achieve significant mus-cle strength. In the study, the team compared high-intensity interval training, resistance training and combined training. Researchers tracked metabolic and molecular changes in a group of young and older adults over 12 weeks, gath-ering data 72 hours after individuals in randomised groups completed each type of exercise.

High-intensity aerobic exercise best for people above 65

Individuals who regularly eat gluten-free foods such as starch-containing rice, cas-

sava, corn, soy among others, may be at a higher risk of devel-oping Type 2 diabetes, compared to those who eat glu-ten-rich foods, according to new research. Gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley, gives bread and other baked goods elasticity during the bak-ing process and a chewy texture in finished products.

“Gluten-free foods often have less dietary fibre and other micro-nutrients, making them less nutritious and they also tend to cost more,” said Geng Zong, research student at the Harvard University in Massachusetts, US. Individuals in the highest 20 per cent of gluten consumption had a 13 per cent lower risk of devel-oping Type 2 diabetes in comparison to those with the lowest daily gluten consump-tion (approximately fewer than four grams).

Eating gluten-free

food risks

Type 2 diabetes

BOLLYWOODMONDAY 13 MARCH 2017 11

IANS

Alia Bhatt won Best Actress Award for “Udta Punjab” and Amitabh Bachchan won Best

Male Actor award for his perform-ance in “Pink” while Kareena Kapoor Khan gave first perform-ance post motherhood at the Zee Cine Awards 2017 here in Mumbai.

Other superstars like Salman Khan, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt on Saturday spellbounded the audi-ence with their electrifying performances at the event.

Clad in a traditional saree, Alia Bhatt received the Best Actress Award for her outstanding perform-ance in the film “Udta Punjab” and later shared a picture holding the award on her Instagram account.

Amitabh Bachchan proved again that he is the megastar of Bol-lywood as he won Best Male Actor award for the film “Pink”.

Ritika Singh, who acted oppo-site R Madhavan in Saala Khadoos,

tweeted after winning the best debut female award and dedicated the award to her parents. Anushka Sharma received The Viewer’s Choice Best Actor Female award for

“Sultan” while her male counterpart Salman Khan won the award in the male category for the same film.

The producer of the film “Neerja” Atul Kasvekar tweeted that director Ram Madhvani won the Best Director Award for the film while Saiwan Quadras won the best

screenplay award.Earlier, the star-studded

evening started with celebrities, including Govinda, Raveena Tan-don, Sunny Leone, Huma Qureshi, Vidya Balan, Sridevi, Hrithik Roshan, Anushka Sharma, Fatima Sana Sheikh, Sanya Malhotra, among others walking the red carpet.

Neetu Kapoor who wore a for-mal attire said, “As my husband Rishi Kapoor received two

nominations, I am here to receive the award on his behalf if he wins. Looking forward to it tonight.”

Ace choreographer Shiamak Davar told media that he treats every award shows as a different and does not repeat anything. “I am quite excited about how Varun and Alia perform tonight because they are my students,” he said.

Govinda arrived with his daugh-ter Tina Ahuja who said, “After a long time I will watch my father perform live on the stage. I have come here especially for that.”

He performed with actress Raveena Tandon at the award cer-emony hosted by Manish Paul.

Actress Vidya Balan attended the event in a white saree and tradi-tional jewellery. She was excited on her forthcoming film “Begamjaan”.

Kunal Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Urvashi Rautela, Sophie Choudry, Rahul Bose, Javed Akhtar, Tiger Shroff, Gauhar Khan, Pritam, Sonali Bendre and Disha Patani, among others were also present at the award ceremony.

Amitabh chosen top actor at Zee Cine Awards

Actor Arun Vijay’s excitement knew no bounds when superstar Rajinikanth called

and congratulated him on his performance from latest Tamil film “Kuttram 23”. He said the appre-ciation meant the world to him. “You feel honoured when a superstar calls and congrat-ulates your work. It felt surreal and the

appreciation from Rajini sir means the world to me. I would treasure this for a long time,” Arun said. Rajinikanth watched the film at a special screening and heaped praise on the entire team. He even invited Arun, his director and the film’s producer home for a quick chat.

After choreographing for Bollywood films like

“Cocktail”, “Guzaarish” and “Dhoom”, ace choreographer Ash-ley Lobo is going to take a “step up” and “naturally” direct a dance film. The Artistic Director of Navdhara India Dance Theatre has been involved in theatre and dance for over 30 years, and now he is gearing up to direct a movie.

“I am in the process of writing a script. Right now I am very busy with my company. We are tour-ing in different countries this year. There are two new stage produc-tions as well. So, maybe next year (will make a movie),” Ashley told IANS over phone from Mumbai.

Should the audience expect a dance film from him? “Naturally. I am a choreographer. It will

probably be a drama dance film. It will be a dance film with a strong story. I’ve thought of many actors, but I’ll have to see who would be available. The script will tell me whom to cast,” said the son of popular opera singer and theatre personality Celia Lobo.

Ashley, the founder of the Danceworx Performing Arts Academy, also wants to share his experience with the world and what better way to do that than writing a book? “I’ll possibly end up writing books. I’ve been cho-reographing for so many years, teaching so many people and also learning from dance students, parents, actors and people from other professions. It would be a shame not to share that experi-ence,” said the dance expert.

Bollywood actress Neetu Kapoor said she was excited for Kareena Kapoor Khan’s post-pregnancy performance at the Zee

Cine Awards here. Neetu was present at the award ceremony as her husband Rishi Kapoor received two nominations. When asked about Kareena’s performance, she said: “I am very excited. She will be performing after sometime. She is our rock star!” Kareena is Rishi Kapoor’s niece. After delivering her first child Taimur in December last year, this was the first time she performed at an award show.

Ashley Lobo set to make dance film

Rajinikanth congratulates Arun Vijay

Kareena is a rock star: Neetu Kapoor

HOLLYWOOD MONDAY 13 MARCH 201712

IANS

Scottish DJ Calvin Harris and singer Rita Ora have reportedly buried the hatchet after he

lifted the ban preventing her from performing their collaborated material.

The Scottish DJ teamed up with then-girlfriend Ora on hit single “I will never let you down”, but follow-ing their breakup in 2014 she was not allowed to play it live, or release any of their tracks on her own album.

According to a source to The Sun newspaper, the ban has been lifted, reports mirror.co.uk. The source

said: “Late last year they got in touch and sorted things out. It was such a relief to both of them that they could move on and put things behind them. At the end of the day they had a lot of good times together and it was sad that was tainted by how bitter the split was at times.

“But things are really good now although they are not so close they’re heading out to dinner anytime soon or anything.”

The ceasefire means not only will Ora be able to work with some of Harris’ close friends in the indus-try, but “I will never let you down” can be part of her live repertoire.

DJ Calvin Harris and singer Rita Ora end feud

Joni Sledge, the singer best known for the disco anthem “We are family”, has died. She was 60.

Sledge, who formed Sister Sledge with her three siblings in 1971, was found unresponsive by a friend at her home in Phoenix, Arizona, her publi-cist said.

She had not been ill and the cause of death is unknown, reports bbc.com. Sledge, who is survived by her adult son, last performed with the band in October.

Her death was announced on social media on Saturday -- a week before the group were due to perform in Los Angeles. A statement released on Facebook read: “Yesterday, numbness fell upon our family. We are saddened to inform you that our dear sister, mother, aunt, niece and cousin, Joni passed away yesterday. We miss her and hurt for her pres-ence, her radiance, and the sincerity with which she

loved and embraced life.”Aside from the Grammy-nominated “We are

family”, the hit which sold more than a million cop-ies after it was released in 1978, the group also was known for “He’s the greatest dancer”, “Lost in the music” and a cover of the Motown classic “My guy”.

Singer Joni Sledge no more

Late singer George Michael will reportedly be laid to rest alongside

his mother Lesley Angold at Highgate Cemetery in North London.

Family members are understood to be considering the possibility of holding a service either on or close to Mother’s Day on March 26. Angold, a professional dancer, passed away aged 60 in 1997 following a battle with cancer.

The Sunday People news-paper claimed his sister Melanie, 55, is organising the

“heartfelt and intimate funeral” with flowers and catering already arranged, reports dai-lymail.co.uk

“Lesley was George’s world so it is fitting that they should now be together. George would always make a big deal out of Mother’s Day. He loved her so much and he would spend a lot of time talking to her there. The cem-etery has a very special place in his heart,” said a source.

Singer Katherine Jenkins has hit back at former foot-baller David Beckham over

his comment that she didn’t deserve to be recognised by Order of the British Empire (OBE). Jenkins says she felt hurt by Beckham’s comments, reports mirror.co.uk.

“I’m a human being. Of course something like that would be hurtful,” Jenkins told Fabulous magazine. “But at the

same time I’ve learned that when you’re famous sometimes you get dragged into things you shouldn’t be involved in. Some-times people feel like they know you, but actually they know nothing about you,” she added. Her comments come just weeks after hackers leaked emails. He had written: “Katherine Jenkins OBE for what? Singing at the rugby and going to see the troops plus taking coke.”

Jenkins slams David Beckham over nasty comment

George Michael

to be buried next

to his mother

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGYMONDAY 13 MARCH 2017 13

IANS

In a bid to increase the visibility of virtual reality (VR) content, Oculus, in a new update to its

Gear VR platform, now allows users to share live virtual moments with friends and family directly on Facebook.

The feature is currently avail-able to users with a Gear outside the US, and coming soon to every-one with the latest version of Android on their Samsung phone in the coming weeks.

Just select the “Livestream to Facebook” button from the univer-sal menu when you are in VR, and you will instantly start streaming

live to friends on Facebook.“We are also excited to

announce that Oculus Voice is roll-ing out to English speakers on both Rift and Gear VR today (Saturday). This feature lets you perform voice searches from Oculus Home to intuitively navigate games, apps, and experiences,” Oculus said in a blog post.

The company also announced Oculus Events, which makes it eas-ier to find friends and jump into an experience together in VR.

Users can find highlighted events showcased in Oculus Home and can check out a full roster of Oculus Events in the dedicated Events tab.

Oculus lets you share VR experiences on FB

Nasa has announced that its upcoming mission to explore the habitability of

Jupiter’s icy moon Europa will be officially called Europa Clipper.

The mission is being planned for launch in the 2020s, arriving in the Jupiter system after a journey of several years, Nasa said in a statement on Friday.

Europa has long been a high priority for exploration because it holds a salty liquid water ocean beneath its icy crust.

The ultimate aim of Europa Clipper is to determine if Europa is habitable, possessing all three of the ingredients necessary for life -- liquid water, chemical ingredients, and energy sources sufficient to enable biology, the US space agency said. Previously, when the mission was still in the conceptual phase, it was sometimes informally called Europa Clipper, but Nasa has now adopted that name as the formal title for the mission.

The moniker harkens back to the clipper ships that sailed across the oceans of Earth in the 19th cen-tury. Clipper ships were

streamlined, three-masted sailing vessels renowned for their grace and swiftness.

These ships rapidly shuttled tea and other goods back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean and around globe. In the grand tradi-tion of these classic ships, the Europa Clipper spacecraft would sail past Europa at a rapid cadence, as frequently as every two weeks, providing many opportunities to investigate the moon up close.

The prime mission plan includes 40 to 45 flybys, during

which the spacecraft would image the moon’s icy surface at high res-olution and investigate its composition and the structure of its interior and icy shell.

“During each orbit, the space-craft spends only a short time within the challenging radiation environment near Europa. It speeds past, gathers a huge amount of sci-ence data, then sails on out of there,” said Robert Pappalardo, Europa Clipper project scientist at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

US tech giant Microsoft has updated its digital assistant Cortana app

for iPhone with a redesigned user interface and new enhancements that offer an improved experience for the Siri competitor. Cortana helps you with tasks like sending emails, scheduling events and searching your devices, Cloud or the web. “It is certainly nice to see that Microsoft has not totally lost faith in Cortana on iOS and Android. But it is hard to imagine the new update really having much of an effect on Cortana’s overall popular-ity,” DigitalTrends.com reported on Saturday.

The new updates in version 2.0.0 include -- enhanced user experience, redesigned calling, texting, reminders, immersive full-page answers, faster page transitions and improved app responsiveness. The company is also working on a new ver-sion of its Surface Pro tablet which is set to arrive in the first quarter of 2017

Nasa’s ‘Europa Clipper’ mission to explore Jupiter’s moon

Microsoft updates Cortana app for iPhone

BABY BLUES

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE

In the aftermath of the hunt for a serial killer, an ancient curse

consumes a city, causing a series of brutal murders and pitting a

detective against the clock to save his daughter’s life.Note: Programme is subject to change without prior notice.

THE DEVIL’S DOLLS

NOVO — Pearl ROYAL PLAZA

ASIAN TOWN

MALL

LANDMARK

Logan (2D/Action) 10:10am, 12:50, 3:30, 6:10, 6:45, 8:50, 9:25, 11:35pm & 12:10amKong: Skull Island (2D/Action) 10:30, 11:00am, 1:00, 1:15, 1:30, 3:30, 3:45, 4:00, 6:00, 6:15, 6:30, 8:30, 8:45, 9:00, 11:00, 11:15 & 11:25pmGamba (2D/Adventure) 10:00am, 12:00noon, 2:00, 4:00 & 6:00pmThe Devil’s Dolls(2D/Horror) 8:00,10:00pm & 12:00midnight Akher Dek Fe Masr (2D/Arabic) 10:15am, 12:30, 2:45, 5:00, 7:15, 9:30 & 11:45pm Dog Eat Dog (2D/Drama) 10:00am, 2:30, 7:00 & 11:40pm La La Land (2D/Musical) 11:55am, 4:25 & 9:00pmKung Fu Yoga (2D/Action) 10:00am & 12:15pm Fist Fight (2D/Comedy) 2:30 & 6:45pmViceroy’s House (2D/Drama) 2:30, 8:45 & 11:00pm Rock Dog (2D/Animation) 10:45am, 12:45, 2:45 & 4:45pm Kong: Skull Island (3D IMAX/Action) 11:30am, 2:00, 4:30, 7:00, 9:30pm & 12:00midnight

Kong: Skull Island (2D/Action) 2:00, 4:15, 6:30, 8:45 & 11:00pm Badrinath Ki Dulhania (2D/Hindi) 2:00 & 11:00pmGamba (2D/Adventure) 2:15 & 4:30pm Angamaly Diaries (2D/Malayalam) 4:00 & 8:30pmThe Devil’s Dolls (2D/Horror) 6:30pm Logan (2D/Drama) 6:30 & 11:00pmViceroy’s House (2D/Drama) 9:00pm

Angamaly Diaries (2D/Malayalam) 2:00 & 11:00pmGamba (2D/Adventure) 2:30 & 6:45pm Kong: Skull Island (2D/Action) 2:30, 4:45, 7:00, 9:15 & 11:30pm Logan (2D/Drama) 4:15 & 8:30pmBadrinath Ki Dulhania (2D/Hindi) 4:30 & 9:00pmViceroy’s House (2D/Drama) 7:00pm The Devil’s Dolls (2D/Horror) 11:30pm

Kong: Skull Island (2D/Action) 2:30, 4:45, 7:00, 9:15 & 11:30pm Gamba (2D/Adventure) 2:30 & 5:00pm Angamaly Diaries (2D/Malayalam) 2:30 & 9:00pm Viceroy’s House (2D/Drama) 4:30pm Badrinath Ki Dulhania (2D/Hindi) 6:30 & 11:15pm Logan (2D/Drama) 7:00 & 11:30pm The Devil’s Dolls (2D/Horror) 9:30pm

Munthiri Vallikal (Malayalam) 9:00pm Badrinath Ki Dulhania 5:45 & 10:30pm Fukri (Malayalam) 3:30 & 6:30pm Aby 6:15 & 11:00pm Angamaly Diaries (Malayalam) 3:30, 6:00, 8:30 & 11:00pm

MONDAY 13 MARCH 2017

VILLAGGIO & CITY CENTER

CINEMA PLUS14

AL KHORKong: Skull Island 10:45am, 1:15, 3:45, 6:15, 8:45 & 11:15pm Gamba 11:30am, 1:30 & 3:30pm Logan 12:15, 5:45 & 11:15pm Angamaly Diaries 5:30, 8:15 & 11:00pm Badrinath Ki Dulhania 3:00 & 8:30pm

ROXYGamba 2:00, 4:15 & 6:30pm Badrinath Ki Dulhania 2:00, 4:50, 7:40 & 10:30pm Kong: Skull Island 2:00, 4:30, 7:00, 9:30pm & 12:00midnight Angamaly Diaries 8:15 & 10:45pm Viceroys House 2:00, 4:10, 6:20, 8:30 & 10:50pm

CROSSWORD CONCEPTIS SUDOKU

ALL IN THE MIND

08:00 News 08:30 101 East 09:00 Marco Polo: A

Very Modern Journey

10:30 Inside Story 11:00 News 11:30 The Cure 12:00 News 12:30 Witness 14:00 News 14:30 Inside Story 15:00 Snow of Andes 16:00 NEWSHOUR 17:30 Talk to Al

Jazeera 18:00 Newsgrid 19:30 Counting the

Cost 20:30 Inside Story 21:00 NEWSHOUR 22:00 News 22:30 The Stream 23:00 Occupation Of The

American Mind

13:00 Welcome To The Ronks

13:15 Gravity Falls

15:00 Bunk’d 15:55 The

Zhuzhus 18:05 Bizaardvark 18:30 Bunk’d 18:55 Best

Friends Whenever

20:15 Star Darlings

20:20 Shake It Up

20:45 Backstage 21:10 Liv And

Maddie 21:35 Cracke 21:40 Dog With A

Blog 22:05 Best Friends

Whenever 22:30 Jessie

12:00 Preposte-rous Pets

12:55 Bondi Vet13:50 Biggest And

Baddest14:45 Gator Boys15:40 Escape To

Chimp Eden16:05 Escape To

Chimp Eden16:35 Tanked18:50 Village Vets19:20 Dr. Dee:

Alaska Vet20:15 Tanked21:10 Escape To

Chimp Eden22:05 Village Vets22:30 Village Vets23:00 Dr. Dee:

Alaska Vet23:55 Gator Boys

13:05 How Do They Do It?

14:20 Alaska: The Last Frontier

15:10 The Island With Bear Grylls

16:00 Outback Truckers

16:50 Fast N’ Loud

17:40 Street Outlaws

18:30 How Do They Do It?

19:20 The Island With Bear Grylls

21:00 Gold Rush21:50 Everest

Rescue22:40 Killing

Fields23:30 Fast N’

Loud

King Features Syndicate, Inc.

BRAIN TEASERSMONDAY 13 MARCH 2017 15

Yesterday’s answer

Conceptis Sudoku: Conceptis Sudoku

is a number-placing puzzle based on a

9×9 grid. The object is to place the

numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so

that each row, each column and each

3×3 box contains the same number

only once.

AFGHANI, AURAR, BAHT, BANI,

CENT, CENTAI, CENTIMES,

DINAR, DIRHAM, DOLLAR, DRAM,

EURO, FORINT, FRANC, HALERU,

JIAO, KORUNA, KRONA,

KRONER, KRONUR, LIRA,

MANAT, PAISE, PARA,

PESO, POUND, QUINDARKA,

RAND, RINGGIT, RIYAL, RUBLE,

RUPEE, RUPIAH, SANTIMI,

SHEKEL, SHILLING, STOTINKI,

TAKA, TUGRIK, WON, YEN, YUAN.