San Francisco, May 6 (SocialNews.XYZ) Tech giant Sony has said that it will be shutting down PixelOpus, a small in-house studio within PlayStation Studios, next month.

The studio confirmed on Twitter saying, its "adventure has come to an end", reports Engadget.

"PlayStation Studios regularly evaluates its portfolio and the status of studio projects to ensure they meet the organisation's short and long-term strategic objectives. As part of a recent review process, it has been decided that PixelOpus will close on June 2," a PlayStation representative, was quoted as saying.

Moreover, the report said that the creator of the projects Concrete Genie and Entwined, PixelOpus, was reportedly said to be working on a new PlayStation 5 game with Sony Pictures Animation.

The US-based studio was founded in 2014 under the Sony Interactive Entertainment umbrella in response to the surprise success of indie studio Thatgamecompany's Journey on the PS3.

Meanwhile, Sony has announced that it will no longer offer PlayStation Plus Collection from May 8 this year.

PlayStation Plus Collection provides access to many PlayStation 4 (PS4) titles to PlayStation 5 (PS5) players who subscribe to PlayStation Plus.

Players have until May 9 to redeem the titles in the collection, "which will enable you to access those titles even after this date for as long as you remain a PlayStation Plus member", the company said in a blogpost.

Source: IANS

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By IANSlife

New Delhi, Oct 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) Skincare is considerably more than just maintaining clear, attractive skin. You may feel your best every day because you've made a holistic life decision! With the holiday season quickly approaching and with this bright outlook and optimism for the future, we welcome the good times with a huge smile and a modest prayer in our hearts: to support you in maintaining the healthiest possible skin.

Many individuals believe that proper skincare entails pounding, washing and abusing the skin until it submits. For well-nourished skin, try out this simple skincare regimen. During this holiday season, motivate yourself to begin your quest to better skin. Here is a straightforward, four-step practise by with YBP Skin that will help your skin look better from the inside out and move it closer to a more holistic state of well-being.

Exfoliating cleanser

Start with a clean slate

A good cleanser is indispensable for removing dust and oils from the day as well as any chemicals from your makeup. For this, the brand's Exfoliating Lactic Acid Cleanser is highly recommended as it is an effective cleansing and exfoliating formula made with a delicate blend of botanicals and lactic acid that will gently renew and brighten your skin.

Rebuild the (skin) barrier

Follow up the cleansing with the brand's Skin Barrier Repair Tonic. Formulated with gentle yet effective blends of acids, zinc sebum, and plant extracts that encourage cell turnaround, this will rebuild your skin.

Skin barrier repair tonic

Some Skin Salve to age gracefully

YBP Skin Salve is a rich moisturising balm that sinks deeply into the skin. It helps repair free radical damage and prevents moisture loss. Made using raw and unrefined botanicals selected to regenerate the skin, we recommend using it at night on damp skin.

Mask up once a week

A little bit of extra weekly nourishment is something that everyone needs. The brand's Vitamin C mask is a medicine created with herbs, roots, fruits, flowers and rare minerals to help regenerate the skin evenly.

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)

Source: IANS

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By IANSlife

New Delhi, Oct 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) Fans attending this year's FIFA World Cup are encouraged to familiarise themselves with Qatar's Covid-19 travel and return policy, which was updated by the Ministry of Public Health.

Below are the key points for international Hayya Card holders attending the tournament from November 20 to December 18:

• Regardless of the individual's vaccination status, the following Covid-19 testing measures are required for visitors entering Qatar for the FIFA World Cup:

• Any visitor aged six and above is required to present an official negative Covid-19 PCR test result taken no more than 48 hours before departure time or an official negative Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) result no more than 24 hours before departure time. The test result will need to be submitted at the airport check-in counter. NB: The test should be conducted at a medical centre in the country of origin. RAT self-tests are not valid for travel purposes

• Children under six are exempt from submitting a negative Covid-19 test before departure to Qatar

• People arriving in Qatar are not required to undergo quarantine, regardless of vaccination status or country or origin

• Anyone who tests positive for Covid-19 while in Qatar will be required to isolate in accordance with Ministry of Public Health guidelines

• Visitors are not required to take a Covid-19 test after arrival in Qatar

• Qatar does not require any traveller to take a Covid-19 test before departing Qatar. However, travellers should check the requirements of their destination country and follow their specific Covid-19 travel requirements

  Fans should note that masks are mandatory in the following situations:

• Within healthcare facilities

• On public transport

  EHTERAZ contact tracing application:

• All visitors to Qatar aged 18 and above are required to download and install the EHTERAZ application on their mobile phones on arrival to the country. A green EHTERAZ status (showing the user does not have a confirmed case of Covid-19) is required to enter any public closed indoor spaces

• EHTERAZ download: App Store/Google Play

  (IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)

Source: IANS

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Islamabad, Sep 25 (SocialNews.XYZ) Pakistan Information and Broadcasting Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb on Sunday said the audio leak has proved that neither an illegal act was committed nor any undue advantage was given to anyone.

In a statement, she claimed that the power plant was imported from India under a policy and law formulated during Imran Khan's tenure, Samaa TV reported.

"There is a high court order on installation of grid station on July 18, 2022," she said while clarifying the two issues discussed in the audio leak of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Samaa TV reported.

An alleged telephonic conversation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif with a Prime Minister House's official is making rounds on social media in which the latter could be heard talking with the prime minister regarding Maryam Nawaz's alleged influence in government affairs.

In the audio tape, the government official is talking with PM Shehbaz Sharif about importing a power plant from India on behalf of the son-in-law of Maryam Nawaz Sharif.

During the conversation, the PM House official could be heard advising the premier to not import a plant from India as the step will harm the reputation of government.

"The problem is that that matter will first go to AC and then to the cabinet and importing machinery from India on the instructions of the prime minister won't be easy as it can become an issue," the official could be heard replying to PM, Samaa TV reported.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan on Sunday said that Maryam Nawaz and Shehbaz Sharif's audio leaks prove that the Sharif family can illegally import machinery from India for their personal benefit, Samaa TV reported.

Talking about Maryam Nawaz and Shehbaz Sharif's alleged audio leak, Imran Khan said that Maryam wanted to illegally import machinery from India for his son-in-law's factory.

He added that Pakistan cut off all trade ties with India after it abolished Kashmiri's right to self-determination and violated the UN charter. But, this government is trying to restore ties with India, they are ready to neglect the struggle of Kashmiris for their personal benefit, he added, Samaa TV reported.

Imran Khan said that the audio leak proves that the Sharif family's only purpose is to hoard money and nothing else, adding that 60 per cent of the federal cabinet was facing corruption charges and that it had derailed the accountability process by amending the NAB laws.

He said that Rana Sanaullah used teargas shells against women and children on May 25 as they were not fully prepared. He added that the minister will not find a place to hide this time around.

Addressing the public gathering in Karak, the PTI chief said that the US carried out 400 drone attacks in Pakistan and killed innocent people but the rulers did not speak a word against it because their wealths were parked in foreign countries.

Imran Khan said that he would soon give a call to his supporters for a decisive march to get rid of the 'imported government'.

PTI chairman reiterated that the country will be stuck in a quagmire if the incumbent government's tenure is further prolonged, Samaa TV reported.

He added that PPP and PML-N had given themselves an NRO and closed down corruption cases worth billions of rupees.

Source: IANS

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By IANSlife

New Delhi, June 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) Josh, India's short-video app, concluded its one of the biggest and most exciting campaigns #RealHai which provided users with an opportunity to be at the IIFA awards in Abu Dhabi. As part of the campaign, users were encouraged to bring out the unfiltered version of themselves, not bound by views of the outside world and prioritize real over tailor-made moments through their content.

Popular actors Siddharth Malhotra and Hansika Motwani kickstarted the campaign with a music video composed by none other than Sajid of Sajid-Wajid. The video devised by Qyuki Digital Media showcased Josh influencers displaying their talents without any inhibitions, once again driving home the messaging of #RealHai. #RealHai witnessed a phenomenal 7 billion views in just one month with over 210k videos being created and 590 million hearts garnered under the campaign highlighting the importance of being your true self both on and off social media. These influencers travelled across India encouraging creators to make as many videos as possible. There were six tasks each week and creators were culling out content across genres such as dance, fashion, fitness, food, comedy or entertainment. Three winners - Akbar Ahmed, Mrutyunjaya Palai, and Aahana Varshney have been awarded with the opportunity to be a part of the IIFA Awards in Abu Dhabi.

Commenting on his association with Josh, Bollywood actor Siddharth Malhotra said "Josh's new campaign #RealHai gave an opportunity to content creators to be their true self. I really enjoyed my collaboration with Josh for this campaign."

On the success of the campaign, Sunder Venketraman Head-Creator and Content Ecosystem, Josh said, "We are overwhelmed with the response we have received on #RealHai, it has definitely become one of the most successful in-app campaigns we have done so far. Understanding the user's mindset is of the utmost importance to us, therefore our campaign communication is built in a way that creates meaningful conversations to drive awareness amongst Josh users. I personally feel that the unfiltered version of ourselves is always the best one and through this campaign, we further wanted to promote the entire concept of being comfortable in who we are and live in a real world both on and off camera."

Having been part of the creative ideation of the campaign video, Juhi Mehta, Chief Operating Officer, Qyuki Digital Media. "I have never seen a more powerful campaign that stands for the originality of content creation! #RealHai not only aims at bringing out raw and real talent to the world but has also successfully acknowledged amazing talents".

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)

Source: IANS

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By IANSlife

New Delhi, June 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival has curated some of the most heartfelt, sensitive performances in films representing the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities around the world for the past 13 years. This year's festival has grown in size and scope, with a stellar lineup of 184+ films from 53 countries, as it prepares to kick off the 'pride month' of June in grand style.

Kashish 13 will screen films at Liberty Cinema from June 1 to 5, 2022; at the Alliance Fran?aise de, Mumbai, from June 2-4, 2022; and online from June 3 to 12, 2022. Here is a list of the festival's opening, closing, and centrepiece films, which are the main highlights and should not be missed!

Opening Film

ANTHARAM (Separation)

Dir: Abhijith Pulparambath

71 min/2021/Narrative Feature/India/Malayalam, Tamil

Date: Wednesday, 1 June 2022

Time: 9:30 p.m.

Venue: Liberty Cinema

The opening film titled Antharam (Malayalam/Tamil) is about a trans woman's empowering journey of acceptance played by real life transgender actress Negha. After living with her grandparents, young Sneha is relocating to live with her father Hareendran and her step-mom Anjali, a trans woman herself, who extends her love and care for Sneha. Sneha understands Anjali well now and is in awe of the life the latter has been leading. The film focuses on the plight of a trans woman who lives as the wife of an ordinary man. 'Antharam' deals with the inner conflicts, warmth, trauma and joyous moments in the lives of these three characters - a trans woman, a woman and a man living under the same roof.

Closing Film

POTATO DREAMS OF AMERICA

Dir: Wes Hurley

95 min/2021/Narrative Feature/USA

Date: Sunday, 5 June 2022

Time: 9:30 p.m.

Venue: Liberty Cinema

The closing film is a satirical take on Russia, told from the viewpoint of a gay youth who migrated along with his mother from Russia to USA. Wes Hurley's autobiographical dark comedy is about a gay boy growing up in the collapsing USSR, his courageous mail-order bride mother and their adventurous escape to America. Full of unexpected twists, the film is an immigrant's take on the American Dream and the power of cinema, proving that life is often stranger than fiction.

Special Presentation

BADHAI DO

Dir: Hashavardhan Kulkarni

147 MIN/2022/Hindi Feature film/India

Date: Thursday, 2nd June 2022

Time: 7:45 p.m.

Venue: Liberty Cinemas

Watch out for the big ticket film Badhai Do, starring Rajkumar Rao and Bhumi Pednekar, The hindi comedy drama is about A gay cop and a lesbian teacher enter a sham marriage to pacify their families but find that relationships - both real and fake - aren't all that easy.

The Centrepiece Films

The two Indian and two international centrepiece films - one each a narrative and documentary - represents not only the unique voice of an auteur, but also presents a diverse point of view that is rarely seen, contextualizing today's urgent narratives.

Indian Narrative Centrepiece I

SHEER QORMA

Dir: Faraz Arif Ansari

30 min/2021/Narrative Short/India/English, Hindi, Urdu

Date: Saturday, 4 June 2022

Time: 4:30 p.m.

Venue: Liberty Cinema

Sheer Qorma is a story of belonging and acceptance, identity and family and how all this comes together under one roof. The film is about how resilient, queer Muslim women and non-binary characters of colour, choose to embrace love that exists beyond their personal beliefs and social moralities.

Indian Documentary Centrepiece II

TRANS KASHMIR

Dir: Surbhi Dewan, S.A. Hanan

62 min/2022/Documentary Feature/India/English, Kashmiri, Urdu

Date: Friday, 3 June 2022

Time: 2:45 p.m.

Venue: Liberty Cinema

The film is about the extreme hardships, resilience and beauty of Kashmir's Hijra (transgender) community and their growing movement for basic human rights. Once entertainers and employees of the royal courts, they were believed to have mystical powers. Today they fight for dignity in life and death.

International Narrative Centrepiece I

WILDHOOD

Dir: Bretten Hannam

99 min/2021/Canada/Micmac, English/Narrative Feature/First Feature

Date: Saturday, 4 June 2022

Time: 10:00 p.m.

Venue: Liberty Cinema

In a rural east-coast trailer park, a two-spirited Link lives with their* toxic father and younger half-brother Travis. When Link discovers their Mi'kmaw mother could still be alive, it lights a flame and they make a run for a better life with Travis in tow. On the road, the duo meets Pasmay, a pow wow dancer drawn to Link. As the brothers journey across Mi'kma'ki, Link finds community, identity, and love in the land where they belong.

International Documentary Centrepiece II

SEYRAN ATES: SEX, REVOLUTION AND ISLAM

Dir: Nefise Ozkal Lorentzen

82 min/2021/Documentary Feature/Norway, China, Germany, Spain/Arabic, German, Turkish

Date: Saturday, 4 June 2022

Time: 12:15 p.m.

Venue: Alliance Francaise

In the 1960s, the hippies championed the idea of a sexual revolution. They received neither Fatwas nor bodyguards. Today, Seyran Ates - a Turkish-German lawyer, feminist, and one of the first female imams in Europe - is fighting for a sexual revolution within Islam. In return, she was shot at, received fatwas and death threats, and now has to live under constant police protection.

(IANSlife can be contacted at IANSlife@ians.in)

Source: IANS

The post Astellar lineup at the 13th Kashish Mumbai International Queer film festival 2022 appeared first on Social News XYZ.

By N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe

New Delhi, April 15 (SocialNews.XYZ) It's all about the little things, the wise ones say. We embellish our homes with classy coffee tables, shiny sofas and dazzling drapes. We make sure every nook and corner of our humble abode is adorned by a stunning element. But, an object that lies under the radar when it comes to home decoration is our friendly neighbourhood chair.

Pritika Singh, Founder, Mohh, explains why chairs could sprinkle the finishing touch of finesse that every house needs, "Whether it is the morning newspaper ritual, evening tea session or a late-night get-together, most of our lives are spent on and around chairs and yet they never get the attention they deserve. A chair with a spectacular feel and sublime design can not only add a dash of suave appeal but also enhance the look and vibe of any space. Imagine a guest walks into your hall, spots an eye-catching piece of furniture to perch on, and can't stop raving about it once they are seated! That's the kind of value a great chair adds."

"While they can weave a spell of magic in every room, it isn't that easy to spot the perfect chair. We need to find one that blends with our aesthetic sensibilities as well as the design language of our residence. We must also make sure they are crafted for utmost ease, with cushioning that spells pure solace. Above all, any chair we choose should be built to last for a long time. So, how does one come across a chair that provides all of the above, and much more?" Pritika Singh added.

"If it's the right chair, it doesn't take too long to get comfortable in it," this quote by Robert De Niro perfectly encapsulates why we need to kindle a newfound romance with those "good old seaters". In the modern world, humans are shrouded by lifestyles that see us spending more time in chairs than ever before. Home or office, date or meeting, chairs are everywhere! An everyday companion, an absolute essential!

So, in order to make our "sitting experiences" more smooth, more memorable, and more rewarding, it is imperative that we invest in chairs that aren't just thoughtless and flimsy products, but furniture that means something.

(N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe can be contacted at lothungbeni.h@ians.in)

Source: IANS

The post Chairs, the most ignored style statement in home furnishing appeared first on Social News XYZ.

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Dewald Brevis, Kieron Pollard, Jasprit Bumrah, M Ashwin, Basil Thampi, Jaydev Unadkat, Mayank Markande, Sanjay Yadav, Ramandeep Singh, Aryan Juyal, Arjun Tendulkar, Tilak Varma, Hrithik Shokeen, Rahul Buddhi, Arshad Khan, Tymal Mills, Jofra Archer, Fabian Allen, Daniel Sams, Anmolpreet Singh, Tim David, Riley Meredith.

Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali, MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo, Robin Uthappa, KM Asif, Tushar Deshpande, Mahesh Theekshana, N Jagadeesan, Hari Nishaanth, Subhranshu Senapati, Mukesh Choudhary, Simarjeet Singh, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Bhagath Varma, Prashant Solanki, Chris Jordan, Dwaine Pretorius, Devon Conway, Adam Milne, Mitchell Santner.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Kane Williamson, Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Priyam Garg, Abdul Samad, Washington Sundar, Marco Jansen, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, J Suchith, Shreyas Gopal, Kartik Tyagi, T Natarajan, Umran Malik, Saurabh Dubey, Shashank Singh, Sean Abbott, R Samarth, J Suchith, Romario Shepherd, Vishnu Vinod, Glenn Phillips, Fazalhaq Farooqi.

IPL Mega Auction: Ambani, Iyer, Karim give perspective on building teams in high demand time for domestic pacers

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Suyash Prabhudesai, Luvnith Sisodia, Aneeshwar Gautam, Jason Behrendorff, Karn Sharma, David Willey, Siddarth Kaul, Chama Milind, Mahipal Lomror, Sherfane Rutherford, Finn Allen.

Delhi Capitals: David Warner, Prithvi Shaw, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, KS Bharat, Mandeep Singh, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Anrich Nortje, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya, Khaleel Ahmed, Ashwin Hebbar, Ripal Patel, Yash Dhull, Vicky Ostwal, Lungi Ngidi, Tim Seifert, Praveen Dubey, Rovman Powell, Lalit Yadav.

Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill, Jason Roy, Wriddhiman Saha, Abhinav Manohar, Vijay Shankar, Hardik Pandya, Rahul Tewatia, Dominic Drakes, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson, Yash Dayal, Jayant Yadav, R Sai Kishore, Noor Ahmad, Alzarri Joseph, Pradeep Sangwan, David Miller, Matthew Wade, Gurkeerat Singh, B Sai Sudharshan.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Shreyas Iyer, Sheldon Jackson, Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy, Sam Billings, Anukul Roy, Rasikh Salam, Abhijeet Tomar, Pratham Singh, Aman Khan, Ramesh Kumar, Ashok Sharma, Tim Southee, Alex Hales, Mohammad Nabi, Umesh Yadav, B Indrajith, Chamika Karunaratne.

Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Jason Holder, K Gowtham, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Mark Wood, Dushmantha Chameera, Ankit Rajpoot, Shahbaz Nadeem, Manan Vohra, Mohsin Khan, Ayush Badoni, Karan Sharma, Mayank Yadav, Kyle Mayers, K Gowtham, Evin Lewis.

Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, Prabhsimran Singh, Odean Smith, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Porel, Sandeep Sharma, Atharva Taide, Vaibhav Arora, Ansh Patel, Raj Angad Bawa, Benny Howell, Rishi Dhawan, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Baltej Singh, Writtick Chatterjee, Nathan Ellis, Prerak Mankad.

Rajasthan Royals: Devdutt Padikkal, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, R Ashwin, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna, KC Cariappa, Navdeep Saini, Tejas Baroka, Anunay Singh, Kuldeep Sen, Dhruv Jurel, Kuldip Yadav, Shubham Garhwal, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rassie van der Dussen, James Neesham, Daryl Mitchell, Karun Nair, Obed McCoy.

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By IANSlife

New Delhi, Dec 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai, has announced a solo exhibition by Viraj Khanna, titled "What My Mother Didn't Teach Me... & Some Things She Did!" From the 13th to the 16th of January 2022, the show will be on display as part of the Mumbai Gallery Weekend. The exhibition will be up until February 10th, 2022.

Viraj Khanna builds up the tale utilising varied elements from various periodicals, encyclopaedias, and other books to give it a structure, with the fundamental base being a paper collage. Different trees, sections of people's bodies, and various accessories/shapes could all be used as pictorial elements.

"When I initially met with Viraj's work, I was immediately taken in by how evocative each piece was," Sanjana Shah, Independent Curator and Creative Director - Tao Art Gallery, remarked of the upcoming show. The shapes, forms, and colours stood out sharply at first, but eventually melded together in a stunningly beautiful way. The mediums and procedures he experiments with demonstrate the level of experimentation that characterises the various thematic layers he is experimenting with.

In addition, we are ecstatic to announce the debut of the Gallery's first-ever NFT presentation, which will feature Viraj Khanna's work during Mumbai Gallery Weekend 2022. Viraj will release three NFTs particularly for this solo exhibition, in addition to the real canvas and sculptural works."

The mash-up resulted in a painting that is both a journey for the artist and a journey for the artwork! It's fluid and organic, removing any constraints from the creative process. Khanna's experiments with numerous materials and techniques demonstrate the level of experimentation that is representative of the various thematic layers he dabbles with.

Viraj Khanna said: "My sculptures and paintings with their exaggerated features and multiple faces depict this behavioural adaptation due to the influences of society." There is a constant battle between our raw, natural, and conditioned forms. Eventually, the artwork reflects my life and its influences because I have to consciously decide what works in the experiment and what does not. It has to agree with my sense of balance, colour, and taste. "

Speaking of the NFT, he adds: "They say that in a few years, we could see digital recreations of ourselves in the metaverse living there just like in the real world. So, the NFTs available now could be significant collectables or assets owned by people in the metaverse!"

Audiences will witness a magnificent deconstruction and reconstruction of identities and beliefs in What My Mother Didn't Teach Me... and Some Things She Did!

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)

Source: IANS

The post What My Mother Didn’t Teach Me… & Some Things She Did! appeared first on Social News XYZ.

By IANSlife

New Delhi, Nov 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) The festive season brings with it much cheer aside from the usual celebrations as India welcomes international travellers once again. Re-connect with friends and family you haven't had an opportunity to meet in the past year while exploring the rich heritage and diverse geographical beauty of India.

For those looking to chase the winter sun, Goa is the perfect destination for a touch of sea, sand and susegad. Bond with family in the seclusion of an exclusive heritage bungalow or villa or lounge to the sound of the waves with friends at a resort of your choice. For a taste of life like the Maharajas and Maharanis of yore, gift the memories of your loved one of a lifetime with a royal getaway to the many authentic palaces across Rajasthan.

For wellness enhanced by the crisp mountain air, head to the Yoga Capital of the world - Rishikesh or explore the rolling tea gardens of Darjeeling, where one can indulge in myriad local experiences.

From serene backwaters to coffee plantations, culinary delights and mountain adventures that will satiate thrill-seekers, delight in India's fascinating kaleidoscope of experiences, rediscover the many facets of the country.

Taj, Vivanta, SeleQtions and am? Stays and Trails feature properties across the length and breadth of the country, be it the breath-taking vistas of the snow-laden mountain ranges in Srinagar or the quaint town of Shimla, introduce your loved ones to India's white Christmas in style this December or on the sunny shores of Goa.

Source: IANS

The post Plan your winter getaway appeared first on Social News XYZ.

By Arul Louis

United Nations, Sep 9 (SocialNews.XYZ) India and Colombia have signed a memorandum of understanding on space cooperation and pledged to cooperate in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals.

The document was signed by India's Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi and Marta Lucia Ramirez, Colombia's Vice President and Foreign Minister.

During their meeting at the Palace of San Carlos they agreed that "the bilateral relationship between Colombia and India has been strengthened and diversified in the last three years, thanks to mutual learning in areas such as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, outer space exploration, science and innovation, agriculture, trade and investment", Colombia's Foreign Ministry said.

Lekhi tweeted after the meeting that they "discussed bilateral and multilateral issues of mutual interest".

With India being a powerhouse of vaccine production, Colombia is interested in getting help in producing vaccines.

The Ministry said that Ramirez will visit India at the end of this month along with Health Minister Fernando Ruiz and Science and Technology Minister Tito Jose Crissien to draw "the roadmap that will allow the production of vaccines in the country, as well as encourage research and regulatory development".

"We are committed to strengthening the pharmaceutical industry, ensuring that it is recognized worldwide for its technological and social innovation. That is why it is important to work on public policy efforts. This is why cooperation becomes an important asset to learn about the experience developed by India in this matter," the Ministry said.

The space cooperation memorandum includes "a flexible and ambitious agenda" in areas ranging from satellite applications to the launch of space vehicles, surveillance, Investigation and development, according to the Ministry.

"This memorandum of understanding is also an initiative that seeks to develop Colombia's entrepreneurship in space development, fostering diversification and value-added capabilities of our private sector," said Ramirez.

It quoted Lekhi as saying that cooperation between the two countries "began in 2018 when Colombia launched the FACTSTAT 1 nanosatellite with the support of the Indian Space Research Organization".

Ramirez said: "With India we share 62 years of strong friendship and common interests in promoting global security, stability and inclusive prosperity through trade, investment and connectivity."

During the visit, Lekhi also had meetings with the leaders of the Bogota Chamber of Commerce and India-Colombia Chamber of Commerce to discuss cooperation in trade and investment.

According to India's External Affairs Ministry, bilateral trade with Colombia was $2.27 billion during 2020-21.

It "is a significant increase from $1.85 billion over 2019-20 despite disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic", the Ministry said.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed @arulouis)

Source: IANS

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By Proma Basu Roy

New Delhi, Sep 3 (SocialNews.XYZ) Children's books in English came to being since 1475. The first books were instruction manuals, teaching good behaviour. Over the next few centuries, they graduated to include an element of entertainment, albeit under a pattern -- instruction first, entertainment second, and then progressed to morally uplifting lessons wrapped in stories, fairy tales. From the mid-nineteenth century, English books began to consider children's experiences, their desires, reading appetite and evolved with them.

In a parallel world in India, children's literature was already being nurtured. It was during the colonial regime, writings about pre-colonial times and Indian fairy tales emerged. From the late 20th century, for some Indian languages, children's books became a part of its cultural identity.

From then to now, where almost everyone's eyes are fixated on digital screens to study, work or just entertain because of the lockdown, books have taken a backseat. The simplest solution, however, to find one's way back to reading is through a good book. One that is hard to come by and even harder to let go of.

Books expand horizons, enhance communication, and initiate a deep learning journey for the young. This article helps to identify what makes children's books special and why you (a parent, sibling, or an educator) should be an advocate of reading :

Reading for pleasure, reading at leisure

Children's books are synonymous to reading for pleasure. Well-written stories make for great leisure read through engaging text and attractive visuals. Giving children access to books across genres and languages can encourage and instill reading as a habit. Reading aloud is a great way too, to rope them into the world of words early on. Indian publications have a gamut of good books available to be discovered. A few suggestions here -- Mahagiri (CBT), The Magical Web Bridge (Katha), A Pair of Twins (Karadi Tales), A Saree for Ammi (Tulika), The Mountain that Loved a Bird (Tulika).

Illustrations

Illustrations have the magical ability to draw younger children in and introduce them to various realities. Pre-schoolers learn to read pictures much before words. They become dependent on pictures for understanding the story, relating with the characters, and connecting. As they grow older, this dependency reduces because by then, illustrations have played the magnificent role of putting the child on the reading path. Once the child is there, they can travel across genres, languages, and themes, finding solace in stories. Books with outstanding illustrations -- Flitter Flutter (NBT, wordless), Ammachi's Glasses (Tulika, wordless), Pishi and Me (Pratham Books, picture book), The Sea in a Bucket (Eklavya, picture book), Indira (Context, graphic novel).

Richness and diversity

Books published in recent times have been mindful to offer stories that are diverse and inclusive. The landscape of Indian children's literature begun to present this spectrum for the younger and older children through original writings and translations. They are stories from the centre and the margins, stories of different lives and living. Reading stories of 'the other' not only breaks stereotypes but also prepares the reader to not feel threatened and instills acceptance and empathy. It opens their minds to look at the world in colour instead of glorifying black, white, and grey. Must-reads -- The Why Why Girl (Tulika), Choksi Goes to School (Tulika), Puu (Scholastic), Sadiq Wants to Stitch (Karadi Tales), Treasures from Tibet (Katha), Who will be Ningthou (Tulika), We Come from the Geese (Adivaani).

You can read them too!

Children's books are stimulating! Reading books as adults can be equally fulfilling. A book written for children acts as a gateway to newer or alternate views. For adults, in some ways, it is a reminder that there is always hope to return to. A small fraction of people into adulthood continue to read, and among them, a minor fraction continues to read children's books. It is important to realise that children's books are a place to seek and receive. There are layers to be explored with the curiosity of a child and the grounding of an adult.

(Proma Basu Roy works with the Parag initiative of Tata Trusts towards enhancing the children's literature sector)

(Siddhi Jain can be contacted at siddhi.j@ians.in)

Source: IANS

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Bern, May 28 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Swiss government announced that it will officially lift the highest alert of "extraordinary situation" on June 19 and will further ease the COVID-19 related restrictions soon.

Following a meeting on Wednesday, the Swiss Federal Council said in a statement that it has decided to downgrade the situation status from "extraordinary" to "special" from June 19, reports Xinhua news agency.

It also has decided that gatherings of up to 30 people will be allowed from May 30 and public and private events of up to 300 people will be permitted as of June 6.

According to the latest Swiss government decisions, zoos, theatres, cinemas, sports events and campgrounds will be able to re-open from June 6.

The country's borders with Germany, Austria and France will be re-opened for tourism and professional visits starting June 15.

Switzerland began to ease the anti-coronavirus measures on April 27 and further eased the restrictions on May 11.

These two steps have not resulted in an increase in epidemiological indicators, with new infections standing at around 20 per day now.

The country has so far registered 30,776 COVID-19 cases, with 1,917 deaths.

Source: IANS

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The texts available online for the first time, feature the six most-practiced faiths in the UK - Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism - as well as a number of other faiths including the Baha'i Faith, Jainism and Zoroastrianism.

Available to all, the website includes over 250 digitised collection items, short films and articles written by academics, faith leaders and practitioners, library curators and cultural leaders, it said in a statement.

On the website are: The Ramayana, an epic poem ascribed to the sage Valmiki, composed in Sanskrit in the first millennium; the Prayer Book of Rani Jindan, a manuscript including three hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib, prepared in the early 19th century; and Adhai Dvipa, a traditional Jain cosmic diagram from the 18th-19th century.

Other highlights include a copy of the Lotus Sutra in a lavishly decorated scroll from Japan, written in gold and silver ink on indigo-dyed paper dating back to 1636; the earliest surviving copy of the complete New Testament, Codex Sinaiticus, which dates from the 4th century.

Parts of the Ma'il Qur'an, one of the very earliest Qur'ans in the world, dating back to the 8th century, and a manuscript of the Hebrew Bible from the 10th century can also be viewed online.

"This site gives free access to an incredible range of texts, videos and curated articles relating to some of the world's major faiths, which we hope will provide an invaluable tool for students, teachers and lifelong learners all over the world," the library said.

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"Indeed, death by famine would threaten nearly all of the Earth's 7.7 billion people", said study co-author Alan Robock, Professor at the Rutgers University.

The study, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, provides more evidence to support "The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons" passed by the UN two years ago.

While 25 nations have ratified the treaty so far, excluding the US, it would take effect when the number hits 50.

For the study, the research team used a modern climate model to simulate the climatic effects of an all-out nuclear war between the US and Russia.

Such a war could send 150 million tons of black smoke from fires in cities and industrial areas into the lower and upper atmosphere, where it could linger for months to years and block sunlight, researchers said.

The scientists used a new climate model from the National Center for Atmospheric Research with higher resolution and improved simulations compared with a NASA model used by a Robock-led team 12 years ago.

The new model represents the Earth at many more locations and includes simulations of the growth of the smoke particles and ozone destruction from the heating of the atmosphere.

Nonetheless, the climate response to a nuclear war from the new model was nearly identical to that from the NASA model.

"This means that we have much more confidence in the climate response to a large-scale nuclear war...there really would be a nuclear winter with catastrophic consequences," said study lead author Joshua Coupe.

In both new and old models, a nuclear winter occurs as soot (black carbon) in the upper atmosphere that blocks sunlight and causes global average surface temperatures to plummet by more than 15 degrees Fahrenheit.

According to the researchers, because a major nuclear war could erupt by accident or as a result of hacking, computer failure or an unstable world leader, the only safe action that the world can take is to eliminate nuclear weapons.

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Jobs was a majority shareholder in Pixar and was credited as an executive producer in "Toy Story". Following Pixar's acquisition by Disney, Jobs also served as a member of Disney's board of directors, MacRumors reported on Monday.

The poster is 24-inches by 36-inches in dimension and was reportedly signed sometime after 1995, the year when Pixar released its first movie, "Toy Story".

"Jobs signed the poster sometime after 1995 when "Toy Story", the first computer-animated feature film, debuted. Jobs' legendary vision is evident in his backing of Pixar.

"Toy Story" was a smashing success earning three Academy Award nominations, earning $373.6 million at the box office and securing its reputation as one of the finest animated movies of all time," the auction house wrote on its website.

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"While research has identified many risk factors for diseases and premature death, we know relatively less about positive psychosocial factors that can promote healthy aging," said Lewina Lee, Assistant Professor at the Boston University.

"This study has strong public health relevance because it suggests that optimism is one such psychosocial asset that has the potential to extend the human lifespan. Interestingly, optimism may be modifiable using relatively simple techniques or therapies," Lee added.

The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was based on 69,744 women and 1,429 men. Both groups completed survey measures to assess their level of optimism, as well as their overall health and health habits such as diet, smoking and alcohol use.

Women were followed for 10 years, while men were followed for 30 years.

When individuals were compared based on their initial levels of optimism, the researchers found that the most optimistic men and women demonstrated, on average, an 11 to 15 per cent longer lifespan, and had 50-70 per cent greater odds of reaching the age of 85 compared to the least optimistic groups.

The results were maintained after accounting for age, demographic factors such as educational attainment, chronic diseases, depression and also health behaviours, such as alcohol use, exercise, diet and primary care visits.

"However, exactly why optimistic people appear to live longer is still up for debate," Lee said.

The researchers also consider that more optimistic people tend to have healthier habits, such as being more likely to engage in more exercise and less likely to smoke, which could extend lifespan.

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London, Aug 23 (IANS) Parents, please take note. Researchers have designed a smartphone app to help new parents become more 'tuned in' to what their babies are thinking and feeling.

The app, called BabyMind, prompts the parent to think about things from their baby's perspective and to consider what is going on in their baby's mind at a specific point each day.

It also provides parents with accurate information on babies' psychological development.

"There are many advantages of using apps as a means of intervention --they're low-cost, easy to use and already integrated into people's lives -- but we wanted to establish whether an app can have a demonstrable effect on the quality of parent-baby interaction," said Elizabeth Meins, Professor at the University of York.

For the study, the team recruited a group of mothers who started using the app as soon as their babies were born and followed up with them till their babies were six months of age.

The researchers observed the parents playing with their babies and assessed how attuned they were to their babies' thoughts and feelings.

The participating mothers were compared with a control group of mothers with six-month-olds who had not used the app.

Compared with the control group mothers, the app users were significantly more attuned to their babies' thoughts and feelings.

"Previous research has shown that teenage mothers show less attunement to their babies' thoughts and feelings compared with mothers in their mid-twenties or older. Our study showed that young mothers who had used BabyMind were just as attuned as the older mothers who'd used the app," Meins said.

According to the study, the young app users were more attuned to their babies than the older mothers who had not used the BabyMind app.

The research suggests that using this app is associated with younger motherhood no longer being a disadvantage.

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New York, Aug 23 (IANS) Due to climate change, conditions of heat and humidity in the areas of Saudi Arabia where the Hajj takes place could worsen to the point that people start experiencing harmful health effects, researchers said.

The study, published in the Geophysical Review Letters, shows risks to Hajj pilgrims could already be serious as the Hajj takes place in the hottest summer months.

"Each year the Hajj occurs about 11 days earlier, so there are only certain spans of years when it takes place during the hottest summer months. Those are the times that could become dangerous for participants," said Elfatih Eltahir, Professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US.

There have already been signs of this risk becoming real. Although the details of the events are scant, there have been deadly stampedes during the Hajj in recent decades -- in 1990, 1,462 people were killed and in 2015, 769 were left dead and 934 injured.

According to the researchers, both of these years coincided with peaks in the combined temperature and humidity in the region, as measured by the "wet bulb temperature", and the stress of elevated temperatures may have contributed to the deadly events.

"If you have crowding in a location, the harsher the weather conditions are, the more likely it is that crowding would lead to incidents such as those," Eltahir added.

The wet bulb temperature (TW), which is measured by attaching a wet cloth to the bulb of a thermometer, is a direct indicator of how effectively perspiration can cool off the body.

The higher the humidity, the lower the absolute temperature that can trigger health problems. At anything above a wet bulb temperature of 103 degrees Fahrenheit, the body can no longer cool itself and such temperatures are classified as a "danger" by the US National Weather Service.

A TW above 124 Fahrenheit is classified as "extreme danger" at which heat stroke, which can damage the brain, heart, kidneys and muscles, is "highly likely" after prolonged exposure.

Climate simulations considered by the research team show that the likelihood of exceeding these thresholds for extended periods will increase steadily over the course of this century.

Climate change will significantly increase the number of days each summer where wet bulb temperatures in the region will exceed the "extreme danger" limit, researchers said.

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The child was found on the A44 motorway lay-by early on Wednesday heading towards Dortmund city. He had put the hazard warning lights on and placed a small warning triangle behind the car.

The boy told the police that he "just wanted to drive a little bit", before reportedly bursting into tears.

The child, who had used go-karts and bumper cars before, took the Volkswagen Golf automatic from his home in Soest and headed towards Dortmund at high speed before reportedly feeling unwell 8 km down the road and pulling into a lay-by.

The alarm was raised by his mother at 12.25 a.m. on Wednesday. At around 1.15 a.m., the mother told the authorities she had found her child at the motorway.

No property or people were hurt during the late night excursion, the police said.

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New York, Aug 21 (IANS) Smoking e-cigarettes, also called vaping, can be harmful to the blood vessels even when the vapour is entirely nicotine-free, a new study suggests.

For the study published in the journal Radiology, the researchers performed MRI exams on 31 healthy, non-smoking adults before and after vaping a nicotine-free e-cigarette.

Comparing the pre- and post-MRI data, the single episode of vaping resulted in reduced blood flow and impaired endothelial function in the large artery that supplies blood to the thigh and leg.

The endothelium, which lines the inside surface of blood vessels, is essential to proper blood circulation. Once the endothelium is damaged, arteries thicken and blood flow to the heart and the brain can be cut off, resulting in heart attack or stroke.

"While e-cigarette liquid may be relatively harmless, the vaporisation process can transform the molecules -- primarily propylene glycol and glycerol -- into toxic substances," said Felix W. Wehrli, Professor at the University of Pennsylvania in the US.

"Beyond the harmful effects of nicotine, we have shown that vaping has a sudden, immediate effect on the body's vascular function, and could potentially lead to long-term harmful consequences," Wehrli said.

In this study, the research team examined the impact of an e-cigarette that contained propylene glycol and glycerol with tobacco flavouring, but no nicotine.

Using a multi-parametric MRI procedure, researchers scanned the large artery and vein in the leg before and after each vaping episode to see how vascular function changed.

The researchers then performed a statistical analysis to determine group differences in vascular function before and after vaping. They observed, on average, a 34 per cent reduction in the femoral artery's dilation.

E-cigarette exposure also led to a 17.5 per cent reduction in peak blood flow, a 20 per cent reduction in venous oxygen, and a 25.8 per cent reduction in blood acceleration after the cuff release -- the speed at which the blood returned to the normal flow after being constricted.

These findings suggest that vaping can cause significant changes to the inner lining of blood vessels.

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New York, Aug 20 (IANS) Even though selfies are popular, researchers say that those who post selfies are viewed as less likeable, less successful and more insecure.

Published in the Journal of Research in Personality, the scientists conducted a novel experiment with hundreds of actual Instagram users to determine if there are certain types of self-image posts that cause others to make snap judgements about the user's personality.

Their work shows that individuals who post a lot of selfies are almost uniformly viewed as less likeable, less successful, more insecure and less open to new experiences than individuals who share a greater number of posed photos taken by someone else.

"Even when two feeds had similar content, such as depictions of achievement or travel, feelings about the person who posted selfies were negative and feelings about the person who posted posies were positive," said study lead author Chris Barry, professor at Washington State University.

"It shows there are certain visual cues, independent of context, that elicit either a positive or negative response on social media," Barry said.

For the study, the research team analysed data from two groups of students. The first group, consisting of 30 undergraduates, were asked to complete a personality questionnaire and agreed to let the researchers use their 30 most recent Instagram posts for the experiment.

The second group of students consisted of 119 undergraduates. This group was asked to rate the Instagram profiles of the first group on 13 attributes such as self-absorption, low self-esteem, extraversion and success, using only the images from those profiles.

The research team then analysed the data to determine if there were visual cues in the first group of students' photos that elicited consistent personality ratings from the second group.

It was also found that the students who posted more posies were viewed as being relatively higher in self-esteem, more adventurous, less lonely, more outgoing, more dependable, more successful and having the potential for being a good friend, while the reverse was true for students with a greater number of selfies on their feed.

Personality ratings for selfies with a physical appearance theme, such as flexing in the mirror, were particularly negative, the researchers found.

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New York, Aug 20 (IANS) Binge drinking is emerging as a significant contributor to liver injury and researchers, including one of an Indian-origin, have found that it may be more damaging to women.

Published in the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, the research team from the University of Missouri discovered that female rats who were of equal age and weight to male rats were more sensitive to alcohol and experienced alcoholic liver injury at a higher rate than male rats.

"We studied the similarities and differences of gender-specific responses to repeat binge drinking. Our research showed just three binge drinking episodes triggered a response for more injury in the female rats," said Indian-origin researcher Shivendra Shukla.

During the study conducted on four male and four female rats, the researchers found statistically significant differences among the two genders, while giving them the same amount of alcohol three times at 12-hour intervals.

They discovered the blood alcohol concentration was double in female rats as compared to male rats, but not all damage in males and females reflected that ratio.

It was also found that female rats had nearly four times as much fatty build-up in the liver, a trigger for additional inflammation and damage.

"There's a protein called diacylglycerol kinase-alpha (DGKa) that has been shown in other studies to promote tumour growth and cancer. In our findings, this protein goes up 20 per cent in male rats, but increases 95 per cent in females," Shukla said.

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London, Aug 19 (IANS) Men may be more likely to victim-blame women who are sexually harassed because they have more empathy with the perpetrators, a new study suggests.

The research published in the journal Psychology of Women Quarterly, based on two studies, compared people's reactions after reading about an incident of sexual harassment.

"Despite movements such as #MeToo, women still fear negative consequences of making a sexual harassment complaint," said study lead author Renata Bongiorno from the University of Exeter in the UK.

In the first study, men and women showed equal levels of empathy for the female victim -- but men's greater empathy for the male perpetrator explained why they were more likely than women to blame the victim.

The second study was an experiment where people were asked to focus on the man's or the woman's point of view before reading the same information.

Both men and women who focused on the male perpetrator's point of view showed greater empathy for him and blamed the female victim more.

"In our research, victim blaming was not high overall -- but consistent with past research it was higher in men than in women on average," Bongiorno said.

According to the team, it is widely assumed that a lack of empathy for female victims explains why people blame them, but the study actually found that empathy for the male sexual harasser was a more consistent explanation of variability in victim blame.

"Media reports of sexual harassment -- especially involving male perpetrators -- often focus on their point of view and the potential damage to their lives for being outed as a sexual harasser, our findings point to the damaging consequences of that focus for female victims," Bongiorno added.

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New York, Aug 10 (IANS) While women have made great strides in entering the workforce and attaining economic power, there remains a persistent gender gap in attitudes about equality between men and women, a new study suggests.

The study, to be presented on Saturday at the American Sociological Association Annual Meeting in New York, looks at race, gender and education in shaping gender ideology over four decades.

"We show how labour market dynamics work hand-in-hand with social classifications by race, gender and education in shaping the contour of American gender ideology in the last four decades," the researchers from University of California said.

Although the last half of the 1900s saw much progress, the trajectory of attitudes about gender equality slowed in recent decades as men began to work longer hours and took on increased responsibilities to get ahead at work, nudging their wives into more traditional roles at home.

This influence on negative attitudes toward women's work was widespread. The decline in egalitarian attitude was starkest among highly educated, high-salaried white people in professional jobs, researchers said.

For the study, the research team looked at data from the General Social Survey for the years 1977-2016, seeking to learn how changes in the labour market affected attitudes of different demographic groups.

The sample consists of more than 26,000 US individuals, both men and women, who are both black and white, aged 16 and older, who are single, married and with or without children, of various political ideologies and religions.

Participants answered a series of questions about their attitudes about women in politics, the workplace, men's and women's social roles, and other issues.

Researchers found that college-educated respondents report more egalitarian attitudes than less-educated respondents. It was also found that women reacted more positively towards egalitarianism than men.

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London, Aug 10 (IANS) Most people find the idea of workers being replaced by robots or software worse than if the jobs are taken over by other workers. But when their own job is at stake, people prefer to be replaced by robots than by another employee, says a study.

Published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, the study aims to analyse how workers react to being replaced by technology.

For this, researchers conducted 11 scenarios studies and surveys with over 2,000 persons from several countries in Europe and North America.

"Even when unemployment results from the introduction of new technologies, people still judge it in a social context," said study researcher Christoph Fuchs, Professor at the Technical University of Munich, Germany.

"It is important to understand these psychological effects when trying to manage the massive changes in the working world to minimize disruptions in society," he said.

The study shows that most people view it more favourably when workers are replaced by other people than by robots or intelligent software. This preference reverses, however, when it refers to people's own jobs. When this is the case, the majority of workers find it less upsetting to see their own jobs go to robots than to other employees.

In the long term, however, the same people see machines as more threatening to their future role in the workforce.

The researchers were also able to identify the causes behind these seemingly paradoxical results. They said that people tend to compare themselves less with machines than with other people. Consequently, being replaced by a robot or a software poses less of a threat to their feeling of self-worth.

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New York, Aug 6 (IANS) Jeff Bezos came up with a brilliant idea that turned into a company and now a household name -- Amazon. The secret ingredient for coming up with these ideas may be something we can all tap into -- a good night's sleep.

"Entrepreneurs who consistently choose hustle over sleep, thinking that sleep comes after success, may be subverting their efforts to succeed," said study lead author Jeff Gish, Assistant Professor at the University of Central Florida.

"Everyone needs a good night's sleep, but it is especially important for entrepreneurs," Gish said.

Published in the Journal of Business Venturing, the study found that sleep plays an important role in not only identifying a good business idea but in evaluating it and believing it is viable.

The researchers also found a link between sleep and the cognitive skills needed to identify and evaluate an idea.

Entrepreneurs use experience and business knowledge to evaluate ideas that could turn into successful business ventures. But sleep appears to be an important factor as well.

For the study, researchers surveyed more than 700 entrepreneurs from around the world. The participants were asked about their sleep patterns, hours of sleep and types of sleep.

The participants were asked to review three business pitches. Those who had less sleep did not consistently pick the best pitches.

In the second part of the study, a smaller group of participants evaluated the pitches over several weeks while charting their sleep patterns.

The participants who had at least seven hours of sleep each night consistently selected the best pitches identified by an expert panel. Those who had less sleep or restless sleep did not consistently pick the best pitches.

"The evidence suggests that less sleep leads to less accurate beliefs about the commercial potential of a new venture idea," Gish said.

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Beijing, Aug 2 (IANS) Some people have inherited obesity genes which increases their risk of becoming fat. But, in a hope for such people, researchers have identified certain exercises that are effective in combating genetic effects that contribute to obesity.

Regular jogging was found to be the best type of exercise for managing obesity. Besides, mountain climbing, walking, power walking, certain types of dancing and yoga practices also reduce the Body Mass Index (BMI) in individuals predisposed to obesity.

Surprisingly, cycling, stretching exercises, and swimming did not counteract the genetic effects on obesity.

Obesity is a challenging condition to control because it results from interactions between a person's genetics and lifestyle. Doctors often recommend exercise, but it has not been clear which kinds are best for curbing weight gain in individuals whose genetics increase their risk of becoming obese.

In the study published in the journal PLOS Genetics, researchers from the National Taiwan University analysed 18,424 Han Chinese adults, aged 30 to 70. The interactions between the individuals' genetics and their self-reported exercise routines were examined.

The researchers looked specifically at five measures of obesity, including BMI, body fat percentage and waist-to-hip ratio. They also considered other measures of obesity that are closely linked to metabolic problems.

The researchers said that when it comes to obesity, genetics are not destiny, and the effects can be lessened by several kinds of regular exercises.

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"It's not just that they are using their phone a lot, but participants said they were missing school or work, or getting in trouble in classes or at work because they kept checking the dating apps on their phones," said study lead author Kathryn Coduto from the Ohio State University.

"I have seen people who use dating apps compulsively. They take their phones out when they are at dinner with friends or when they are in groups. They really can't stop swiping," she said.

For the study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 269 undergraduate students who had used one or more dating apps were analysed and their loneliness and social anxiety levels were measured.

Participants reported negative social outcomes from frequently using dating apps such as missing class or work or getting in trouble because they were on their phones.

Results showed that socially anxious participants preferred to meet and talk to potential dating partners online rather than in person. They tended to agree with statements like "I am more confident socialising on dating apps than offline."

"But that alone did not lead them to compulsively use dating apps, if they were also lonely, that is what made the problem significant, that combination led to compulsive use and then negative outcomes," Coduto added.

The study found that people need to be aware of their dating app use and consider whether they have a problem.

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Madrid, July 25 (IANS) In a good news, researchers have found that consuming 60 grams of nuts daily improves sexual functions such as boosting desire and orgasm quality.

The findings, published in the journal Nutrients, show that adding walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds to an unhealthy western diet can improve sexual desire and orgasm quality.

For the study, researchers from Rovira i Virgili University and the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute (IISPV) in Spain, conducted a nutritional intervention study with healthy participants of reproductive age in order to determine if regular consumption of nuts has any effect on sexual functions.

The researchers analysed 83 individuals for 14 weeks who were following a western diet which is poor in fruits and vegetables and rich in animal fats.

In a previous study, the same research group described how certain nuts such as walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds improved sperm quality, although then they had not established positive effects of nuts on sexual function.

According to the researchers, the prevalence of erectile and sexual dysfunction affects two per cent of men under the age of 40 years, around 52 per cent of men aged 40 to 70 years and more than 85 per cent of men aged over 80.

The risk factors associated with sexual and erectile dysfunction are smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, a lack of physical exercise, stress and an unhealthy diet.

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The study, published in the journal Autism and Developmental Disorders, also found that children with autism are more likely to be both the victims and perpetrators of sibling bullying compared to those without autism.

"Children with autism experience difficulties with social interaction and communication, which may have implications for their relationships with siblings," said study lead author Umar Toseeb from the University of York.

"From an evolutionary perspective, siblings may be considered competitors for parental resources such as affection, attention and material goods - children with autism might get priority access to these limited parental resources leading to conflict and bullying between siblings," he said.

The researchers used data of over 8,000 children, more than 231 of which had autism, to investigate sibling bullying.

For the findings, the children were asked questions about how often they were picked on or hurt on purpose by their siblings and peers and how often they were the perpetrators of such acts.

The study revealed that, at the age of 11 years, two thirds of children with autism reported being involved in some form of sibling bullying.

While there was a decrease in bullying for children in both groups by the time they reached the age of 14 years, children with autism were still more likely to be involved in two-way sibling bullying, as a victim and a perpetrator.

According to the researchers, children involved in sibling bullying, irrespective of whether they had autism or not, were more likely to experience emotional and behavioural difficulties both in the long- and short-term.

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The study, published in the journal BMJ Open, shows this trend is evident even in resource-poor countries

"The results confirm that even with a lack of resources, if a country has a strong human rights structure, the health outcomes are better," said researchers.

The study aimed to find if there might be a link between protection of women's rights, health improvement and sustainable development and if ultimately, women's rights might have more of an impact than economic and social or civil and political rights alone.

They analysed databases which held information on health, human rights and economic and social rights for 162 countries for the period 2004-2010.

Countries were grouped according to the respect they afforded to women's economic and social rights.

Analysis of the data showed that strong economic and social rights were associated with better-improving health outcomes, possibly because of the expenditure on health per head of the population.

Overall, countries with strong women's rights had better and improving health than those where women's rights were only moderately or poorly respected.

These health indicators include disease prevention, such as vaccination, reproductive health, death rates and life expectancy.

"Today, the value of human rights has often been questioned from an economic standpoint, however, our data finds that rather than limiting progress, human rights and women's economic and social rights can benefit them," the researchers concluded.

The findings are cross-country analysis from Drexel University, University of Nebraska Omaha, University at Albany in the US, the University of Oxford in the UK and Dokuz Eylul University, Turkey.

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By Jayant K. Singh

Lucerne, May 27 (IANS) It's a giant dying lion carved into the cliff face of a former sandstone quarry, above a pond and set in a landscaped garden in this medieval town. It is often referred to as the "saddest stone" as it commemorates the sacrifice of 800 Swiss guardsman in the pay of King Louis XVI during the French Revolution - but is now threatened with decay, chiefly from melting snow.

Not surprisingly, the Lion Monument, one of Switzerland's most loved icons and described by American author Mark Twain as "the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world", is visited by some 1.4 million tourists who come to gaze at the regal beast, dying from a spear wound marked by a shield bearing the mark of the French monarchy. Above it is the inscription: HELVETIORUM FIDEI AC VIRTUTI (To the loyalty and bravery of the Swiss).

The monument, ten metres in length and six metres in height, has a very emotional history. When the angry masses stormed the royal palace on August 10 1792, the 800 Swiss guardsmen stood as the defenders of the the monarchy - but in vain. Their defeat was devastating.

Surrounded by popular tourist attractions like the Glacier Garden, the Alpineum and the Bourbaki Panorama, the monument was initiated by Karl Pfyffer von Altishofen, a junior lieutenant with the Swiss guardsmen who was on leave at the time and thus escaped the massacre.

In 1793 he felt obliged to erect a monument in honour of his fallen officers, comrades and soldiers and it took almost 30 years to complete amidst of several design and architectural changes. The monument was designed by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen and hewed by Lukas Ahorn. Completed in 1821, it will mark its 200th anniversary in 2021.

"Before the Lion Monument was erected, the area had not yet been built on. However, intensive construction began in 1870. Due to the constant building activity, with numerous new buildings and conversions up to the present time, the situation of the garden with the lion monument has steadily deteriorated," Damian Suess of Lucerne Tourism told this visiting IANS correspondent.

"The Lucerne administration took over the monument in 1882 and in 1891, a report on its condition was drawn up. On the basis of that report, it was decided that the conservation of the monument, renewal of the weathered areas, preservation of the rock around the monument and the laying of a protective stiffener above the rock face would be done," Suess explained.

In 1902 construction of a new framework to protect the monument from snow in winter was planned and executed - but tragedy struck in 1950.

"That autumn, a piece of the lion's thigh, at least a meter long, detached and fell into the pond. That was a major blow for the authorities, who were struggling hard to protect the monument and restoration work immediately began," Suess said.

Rock protection measures were undertaken in 1978 and minor repair work was carried out on the lion in 1982. On the upper right side, a larger rock section of approximately 15 tonnes was stabilised and in 1990, the monument was thoroughly washed with water.

Drainage has been a perpetual problem.

The area behind the quarry is heavily forested with the temperature plunging to zero degrees Celsius in winter accompanied by snow. A series of pipes were laid to prevent the melting snow in spring from seeping into the rockface and to drain the water into the pond.

"Despite all efforts, the condition of the monument deteriorated rapidly. Taking this seriously, all copper pipes for draining the water were replaced in 2004. Further measures were taken in 2008 to improve the water flow and thus protect the monument," Suess pointed out.

So, in order to save its most beloved monument from adverse climatic conditions and erosion, the Lucerne administration has spent millions of Swiss Francs and is expected to do so for many more years because it attracts great testimonials from people around the world.

(Jayant K. Singh was in Lucerne on the invitation of Swiss Tourism. He can be contracted at jayant.k@ians.in)

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By Jayant K. Singh

Engelberg (Switzerland), May 17 (IANS) It's home to the world's first revolving cable car, a glacier cave, a Cliff Walk over Europe's highest suspension bridge, a multi-seater open-to-the-sky Ice Flyer chair lift and a glacier park - to name just a few of its attractions.

Thus, it's little wonder that over two lakh Indians contribute to the annual 1.2
India million footfalls at the Mount Titlis activity trail that stretches 3,000 metres
upwards from this village resort, some 150 km from Swiss capital Bern.

What has also contributed is that the area is also the darling of the Indian film industry.

"The Indian film industry is fond of Titlis. Bollywood and southern cinema come here to shoot. One of the biggest Bollywood hits, 'Dilwale Dulhania le Jayenge' was shot all over Switzerland including Titlis. We have preserved the cutouts of Shahrukh Khan and Kajol at Mount Titlis to celebrate the success of the movie. People from India feel very happy and proud after seeing these cutouts and strike a immediate liking for the place," Tobias Matter, Sales Director of TITLIS Engelberg a 400-employee company that manages various activities in the area, told this visiting IANS correspondent.

The ever-increasing penchant among Indians to spend more on holidays has caught the attention of the tourism industry the world over and Switzerland is no exception. Which explains why Swiss Tourism has roped in many Bollywood biggies to aid in its marketing.

"Bollywood heartthrob Ranveer Singh is the brand ambassador of Swiss Tourism. Ranveer recently visited Titlis for shooting a promotional video. Apart from Ranveer superstars like Shahrukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Sushant Singh and many more visited Titlis in recent times. Every time a star visits Titlis, my job becomes easier because this is the age of social media and with the help of different platforms, Tilis gets a lot of promotion," said Mumbai-based Rayomand Choksi, who represents TITLIS Engelberg in India, the Middle East, Japan and Australia.

"India is very important for us. Almost 10 percent of our business comes from India. Indians are fond of Switzerland and especially Engelberg for its scenic beauty and great hospitality. Unlike people from another part of world Indians come here to enjoy snowfall and we feel privileged to host them in different ways," Matter, whose company owns the 180-bed Terrace hotel and three restaurants in the area, said.

Apart from skiing, which is highly popular, what is also catching the fancy of visitors by the day is the Cliff Walk. "The Titlis Cliff Walk holds the record for being the highest suspension bridge in Europe. It is just one meter wide and over 100 metres long. The views of the abyss below are breathtaking! Everyone enjoys this adventure," Matter noted.

Frederic Fussenich, Director of Engelberg-Titlis Tourism, also believes that Indians are very important for the region.

"I firmly believe that Mount Titlis should be on the bucket list of every Indian. They should come here at least once in their lifetime. With the growing awareness about this region and wish to experience the snow, the glacier caves, go over the high suspension bridge and get the whole feeling of being on the mountain of love as it is called, it's very important to give Mount Titlis place in your travel plans." Fussenich told IANS.

(Jayant K. Singh was in Switzerland at the invitation of Swiss Tourism. He can be reached at jayant.k@ians.in)

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The archaeologists on Thursday will reveal the results of years of research into the burial site of a rich, powerful Anglo-Saxon man found at Prittlewell in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, the Guardian reported.

When it was first discovered in 2003, jaws dropped at how intact the chamber was. But it is only now, after years of painstaking investigation by more than 40 specialists, that a fuller picture of the extraordinary nature of the find was emerging.

Sophie Jackson, director of research at Museum of London Archaeology (Mola), said it could be seen as a British equivalent to Tutankhamun's tomb, although different in a number of ways.

"It was essentially a sandpit with stains," she said. "It was one of the most significant archaeological discoveries we've made in this country in the last 50 to 60 years."

The remains of the timber structure, which would have measured about 13ft square and 5ft deep, housed some 40 rare and precious artefacts, the BBC reported.

Among them was a lyre - an ancient harp - and a 1,400-year-old box thought to be the only surviving example of painted Anglo-Saxon woodwork in Britain.

Gold coins, the gilded silver neck of a wooden drinking vessel, decorative glass beakers and a flagon believed to have come from Syria were also found.

It had been suggested the remains were those of Saebert, Saxon king of Essex from AD604 to AD616

But carbon dating and other tests have indicated the tomb was constructed between AD575 and AD605 - at least 11 years before his death.

After 15 years of research, archaeologists said their "best guess" was that the tomb belonged to Seaxa, Saebert's brother.

Some of the recovered artefacts will be displayed at Central Museum in Southend from Saturday.

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