THURSDAY 16 FEBRUARY 2017

A R Rahman to perform in UAE

CAMPUS | 7 FOOD | 10 BOLLYWOOD | 11DPS-MIS

felicitates support staff

Who says a winter salad has to be

heavy?

Email: dohatoday@pen.com.qa

CA

su

D | 11

The final hold-outs of China’s “last cave-dwelling” village have had modern conveniences, like electricity, for years. But their only access to the outside world is a footpath winding through Guizhou province’s rugged mountain terrain.

HARD ROCK

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LIFE

CAMPUSTHURSDAY 16 FEBRUARY 2017 03

The staff of Shantiniketan Indian School (SIS) exhibited enthusiastic participation in

various Sport and Games competi-tions organised by the Department of Physical Education in connec-tion with National Sport Day (NSD) celebration.

The staff experienced a cheer-ful environment while taking part in various competitions which exhibited high sportsman spirit and inspired on following a healthy lifestyle.

The female staff actively engaged in Throw ball, Badminton and running race whereas male staffs took part in Badminton,

Cricket and Football competitions.SIS students participated in the

competitions conducted by the Indian Sports club. Kushi Mishra of class VI attained first position in ball throw and Syeda Siddra and Mohammed Afras of class IX attained third position in Ball throw and 100metre race respectively.

SIS students also participated in the sports competition organised by Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue. SIS also partic-ipated in the walkathon to mark the launching of Indian Sports Centre. Students walked with the Indian Ambassador, P Kumaran and ICC president Milan Arun.

SIS holds competitions as part of NSD

DeBakey students (Grades 6 –12) were recognised during the Cycle

3 Awards Assembly for having received a high amount of merits for

positive behaviour throughout semester 1.

Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) is hosting its biannual Qatar Media Industries Forum (QMIF), which brings together top representatives in the local com-

munications industry in a discussion to assess the present and future of Qatar’s media landscape.

The forum, “Sports Media and Qatar’s Future,”will be held on February 27 at the Shangri la Hotel in Doha.

NU-Q Dean and CEO, Everette E Dennis, will host the event, while NU-Q professor and sports media expert, Craig La May, will moderate the discussion. Participating in the panel discus-sion will be Nasser Al Khater, Assistant Secretary General, Tournament Affairs, Supreme Committee for Delivery & Leg-acy; Nigel Rushman, founder of Rushmans Consultancy and Jackie Brock Doyle OBE, Executive Director for Communica-tions at IAAF and former director of communications and public affairs for London Olympics 2012. “This will be the ninth edi-tion of NU-Q’s biannual QMIF,” said Dennis.

The session will focus on Qatar as a growing hub for inter-national sports tournaments, exploring the marketing needs and development strategies of the sports media industry in Qatar.NU-Q established the QMIF in 2012 and has held a series of forums.

NU-Q forum to discuss sports

media development in Qatar

COVER STORY THURSDAY 16 FEBRUARY 201704

China’slast cave dwellers

AFP

High in the m i s t y hills of

southwestern China, an hour’s hike from any road, the lowing of l ivestock echoes through Zhongdong village, where a group of 18 families live inside an enormous natural cave.

The final hold-outs of the country’s “last cave-dwelling” village have had modern conveniences, like electricity, for years.

But their only access to the outside world is a footpath winding through Guizhou province’s rugged mountain terrain.

Now a local tourism development company has built a 15m yuan ($2.2m) cable car that residents will be allowed to use for free. The funicular will make their daily lives easier and furnish new business opportunities, it says. It will go into operation May 1.

Currently, villagers must haul in all food and products that they can’t make or grow themselves -- even large items like furniture -- from the nearest town, a three hour commute each way. While some residents are excited by the economic prospects of more tourists, others are unconvinced that

the new transport will improve their lives in one of China’s poorest regions.

The cable car isn’t convenient for the rural people of Zhongdong, said 22-year-old Wang Xingguo, since poultry and unwieldy cargo will not be allowed in cabins.

“They said they’d build us a road 15 years ago, but then they discovered this was a place they could make money off and so chose not to build it,” he said, ushering a herd of goats into a pen near the mouth of the nearly 200-metre deep cave.

He added: “When authorities decide to develop a scenic spot, only they get rich.”

T h e n a m e Zhongdong literally translates to “middle cave”, a reference to its position between two s m a l l e r b u t uninhabited caverns.

Beneath the high ceiling, thatch-walled homes, piles of firewood, and domestic bric-a-brac l ike washing machines and bamboo posts hung with clean laundry surround a central square, fashioned into a d i r t - f l o o r e d basketball court.

There is no consensus as to when people first moved into the cave, but some families say they have lived there for generations. Most are of the Miao ethnic minority.

COVER STORYTHURSDAY 16 FEBRUARY 2017 05

Wang’s father, Wang Hongqing, said their family moved into the cave when he was just a baby, not long after the founding of the PRC in 1949.

The cave was previously occupied by bandits. But when the People’s Liberation Army drove them out, Wang’s family seized the opportunity to make it their home.

Twenty years ago, he became the first in Zhongdong to convert a portion of his home into a small guesthouse and now makes some 18,000 yuan ($2,600)a year housing tourists.

New visitors brought by the cable car will make it “easier to make money” but there are downsides, he concedes.

For almost a decade, the government asked villagers to move out, but Wang refused, afraid of losing such an important

supplement to his income from growing corn and raising free-range chickens.

There are concerns too that if they leave, and the area is formally incorporated into the nearby Getu River Park for ticket-paying visitors, they would be unable to return -- or even visit.

Wang explained: “When they make this a tourist site, they’ll charge entrance fees, and I wouldn’t even be able to afford to get into the place that used to be my home.”

- living in a zoo -Wang’s neighbour, Wei

Xiaohong, hopes the improvements will bring the young people back from the cities where they have gone to find jobs.

Hundreds of millions of rural migrants have moved to urban areas since China began economic reforms in the late 1970s, hollowing

out large swathes of the countryside.The cave once housed a vibrant

school with more than two hundred students from the broader region

-- roofless, like a number of other structures inside with no need of protection from rain.

But it was shuttered by authorities some time ago, and now Wei’s 12-year-old son must walk two hours to class.

The development company manager, surnamed Luo, said the project would revitalise the village, gutted by the rural-to-urban migration.

Zhongdong’s houses would be repaired, the primary school restored, and “the mess of dirty things inside” the cave cleared out, he said.

“In five years, we will have reproduced some of the original buildings and recreated the

primitive life of the men out farming and the women at home doing housework for the tourists to visit,” he added.

But a hiker visiting the cave said he would not take the cable car once it was finished, saying it

“damages this place and its original style”.

The younger Wang agreed. He missed the cave while working his factory job in southern China’s industrialised, prosperous Guangdong province, where he spends most of each year, but is concerned about its future.

“We don’t live in an actual zoo, but it’s more or less the same thing,” he said as a dozen loud tourists in athletic gear trooped in to snap selfies.

He turned back to his goats. “I don’t dare imagine what this

place will be like in the future.”

COMMUNITY THURSDAY 16 FEBRUARY 201706

Sheraton Grand Doha Resort motivates and inspires residents’ health and fitness aims with a fun-filled fitness day and exclusive

promotional discounts as part of Qatar National Sport Day (NSD). The iconic hotel welcomes people to try a wide range of classes including yoga, Zumba and outdoor spinning classes amongst a number of other activities that chal-lenge people’s perceptions of exercise: through its dynamic, supportive environment and friendly group classes, Sheraton Fitness Center proves that exercise is fun and makes you feel good.

Once people have gained a taste of what’s on offer they can keep up their new healthy habit and make fitness part of their daily lives with spe-cial Qatar Sport Day promotional offers, which are valid till February 28. Ladies Annual Mem-bership gives members unlimited access to the resort and gym, and boot camp classes. New member can enjoy 50% off joining fees and two months’free. Couples, and Family Annual mem-bership gives members unlimited access to the resort and gym. New members get 25% off on fee.

Special offers at Sheraton

Grand Doha Resort till Feb 28

Aligarh Muslim University Alumni Association Qatar (AMUAAQ) welcomed Padma Shri Zafar Iqbal,

an AMU Alumni who was India’s famous hockey player and a member of Indian hockey team, which won last Gold Medal for India in 1980 in Moscow.

Iqbal is in Qatar as Chief Guest for the event organised by the Sports club under the Indian Embassy. Patron of AMUAAQ, M S Bukhari, Chief Advisor, Habib un Nabi Zama, Advisor, Shahid Yar Khan, and Ali Imran were present to honour Iqbal.

AMU alumni body honours Zafar Iqbal

Consistently with National Sport Day celebrations, Qatar Steel organised fun filled

sport activities at MIC Sports Com-plex in Mesaieed. Employees and their families were invited to par-ticipate in different sport activities planned for the day.

The programme consisted of a number of sport competitions and tournaments; football, basketball, handball, volleyball, cricket, tennis, short-distance running races. In addition to that, some other fun competitions were also held, such as tug of war, recreational games for children like rope skipping etc.

“Assigning a special day for

sport stems from its belief in the benefits of sport and its positive impact on both the individual and the community. Our celebration would contribute to promote the sports culture among our employ-ees, encourage them to do physical exercise on a regular basis, and make them indulge into sport as a routine and daily lifestyle. No doubt, this would consequently improve their physical fitness, work per-formance and mental agility, as a sound body lies in a sound mind”, said Ali bin Hassan Al Muraikhi.

“Our country’s interest in sports indicates how much the Qatari com-munity has progressed and prosper

in various fields; social, cultural, educational or artistic, besides wit-nessing a great economic boom in all domains.” Al Muraikhi added that the day gives the people from

different walks of life the chance to gather in one place, strengthen their personal relations, develop inclina-tion towards sports and consolidate their social and friendly ties.

Qatar Steel holds fun-filled sport activities

CAMPUSTHURSDAY 16 FEBRUARY 2017 07

DPS-Modern Indian School (DPS-MIS) organised ‘Support Staff Felicitation’

function, on February 9, to acknowledge and appreciate the immense contribution of its support staff, comprising of members of the housekeeping, transport and security departments, for the smooth functioning of the school.

The occasion was graced by

the President of DPS-MIS Executive Committee, Hassan Chougule, Vice-President and Director IT, Yasir Nainar and Director of Administration, Rocky Fernandes.

President of DPS-MIS, Hassan Chougule, highlighted the quintessential role played by the support team in dealing with safety, security and hygiene, and praised their laborious and

tireless efforts in maintaining the positive ambience of the school. Director of Administration, Rocky Fernandes, congratulated the support staff for a smooth year and stressed the need of team spirit. Yasir Nainar underscored the importance of honesty and a strong character to achieve success and respect in the society.

Asna Nafees, Principal, appealed everyone to work hand

in hand to make a differenceEach member of the support

staff was presented with a token of appreciation. Members of Support Staff were also felicitated for 100% attendance and their long association with the school. The evening ended with cultural performances presented by some of the support staff and dinner hosted by the management.

DPS-MIS felicitates support staff

MES Indian School celebrated Qatar National Sport Day on February 14 at its campus. Various sport activities and

competitions, such as football, volleyball, tug-of-war and badminton, were organised as part of it.

In the sport activity organised by Indian Sports Centre, Embassy of India, Mishal Moham-med Riyas and Gopalan Sunil of MES Indian School won first and second positions respec-tively in the boys’ Under-14 category of Table Tennis. Kashif Minhaz secured first in under -18 category.

In the Girls’ under-14 Table Tennis, Stacy R Singh won the first place, while Afyia Haroon secured second place. In the Boys’ under-18

100metre race, Tamim Iqbal won the Gold medal. Madhubala and Suhana secured first and sec-ond positions respectively in the Girls’ under-14 event, while Miss Jinsa won the first position in under-18 category of the event.

In the Girls’ under-18 Ball Throw event, Jinsa secured first place, whereas Suhana and Miss Angelica won second and third places

respectively. In the women’s 30 and above 100 metre. race the teachers of the Physical Educa-tion Department Gigi P Abraham, Sumitha Nasar and Shikha Rana clinched first, second and third positions respectively. Whereas, Gigi P Abraham and Shikha Rana won first and second positions respectively in Ball Throw event for the same category.

MES Indian School marks sport day

HEALTH THURSDAY 16 FEBRUARY 201708

IANS

People living in areas with win-ter snow may be at increased risk of heart attack after a

heavy snowstorm, suggests new research. The risk was found to be particularly higher for men and researchers believe that shovelling is the main mechanism linking snowfall with heart attack, or myo-cardial infarction (MI).

“Men are potentially more likely than women to shovel, particularly after heavy snowfalls. Snow shov-elling is a demanding cardiovascular exercise requiring more than 75 per cent of the maximum heart rate, particularly with heavy loads,” said study co-author Nathalie Auger

from University of Montreal Hos-pital Research Centre in Quebec, Canada.

The team of researchers looked at data from two separate admin-istrative databases on 128,073 individual hospital admissions and 68,155 deaths from heart attack (MI) in the province of Quebec between 1981 and 2014.

They restricted analysis to months in which snow falls, November to April, and obtained detailed weather information from Environment Canada for each health region included in the study.

About 60 per cent of hospital admissions and deaths due to heart attack were in men, showed the study published in the Canadian

Medical Association Journal. The day after a snowfall had the strong-est association. “Quantity of snowfall was associated with an

increased likelihood of hospital admission or death due to MI the following day among men,” the study said.

Snowfall linked to higher risk of heart attack

Re s e a r c h e r s have identified more than 200

genetic markers that may help predict a man’s chance of severe hair loss, in a study over 52,000 males. Male pattern baldness can have substantial psychosocial effects and it has been phenotypically linked to adverse health outcomes such as prostate cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Based on the presence or absence of certain genetic mark-ers, the researchers from the University of Edinburgh in Britain, created a formula to try and predict the chance that a person will go bald. The findings, published in PLOS Genetics, pin-pointed 287 genes, many of which are related to hair structure and development, and could provide possible targets for drug development to treat baldness or related conditions.

Further, the study showed-in line with a previous study, but with much greater precision that a substantial proportion of individual differences in hair loss patterns can be explained by common genetic variants on the autosomes as well as on the X chromosome -- the gene for the androgen receptor, which binds to the hormone testosterone.

“We identified hundreds of new genetic signals. It was inter-esting to find that many of the genetics signals for male pattern baldness came from the X chromosome, which men inherit from their mothers,” said Saskia Hagenaars, doctoral student at the University of Edinburgh.

Children who regularly intake fructose present in soda, sweet-ened beverages, pizza and salty

food, biscuits, yogurt may be be prone to liver disease, researchers warn.

According to a study, led by researchers from Bambino Gesu Hos-pital in Italy, dietary fructose increases serum uric acid concentrations.

Both uric acid concentration and fructose consumption may be high in individuals with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) -- a condition where extra fat is accumulated in liver cells in people who drink little or no alcohol.

It is estimated to affect up to 30 per cent of the general population in Western countries and up to 9.6 per cent of all children and 38 per cent of obese children across a spectrum of liver disease, including NASH (defined as steatosis, hepatocyte ballooning and inflammation).

Although NASH is a less aggres-sive form of NAFLD, it can progress to severe fibrosis and cirrhosis, with development of hepatocellular car-cinoma in adults.

The findings suggested that fruc-tose consumption was independently associated with high uric acid, which occurred more frequently in patients with NASH than in not-NASH patients.

“It is plausible that dietary fruc-tose intake and uric acid concentrations are potential risk fac-tors for liver disease progression in NAFLD,” said Valerio Nobili from Bambino Gesu Hospital in Italy.

Soda, pizza and salty food up

liver disease in kids: StudyOver 200 genetic markers

linked to baldness found

FOOD THURSDAY 16 FEBRUARY 201710

Joe Yonan The Washington Post

For us Mid-Atlantic folks, this has been a strange winter, weatherwise. Overall, it has

been much milder than usual (with the exception of a frigid week in December). Then last week, we saw 70 degrees one day - and 30 the next.

That can do a number on you in the kitchen, or you can consider it liberating. I’m going to go with the latter, focusing on the welcome fact that my body craves much more variety than the soups, stews and casseroles typical at this time of year.

Even, say, a salad doesn’t have to have “winter” written all over it, bulked up by grains and cheeses (as wonderful as those are), but can instead be on the lighter side, even in February. The trick, of course, is to go with produce that’s at its peak

- or at least not looking too sad.I found a good one in “The Yoga

Kitchen” by Kimberly Parsons. She has you roast fennel wedges, whose anise flavour then mellows into something wonderfully delicate and subtle. Also into the roasting pan go thin lemon slices, which add a spark of acid. My favourite touch: walnut halves that have been quickly candied with a little honey and turmeric, the latter bumping up the good-for-you quotient.

Roasted Fennel and Lemon Salad With Turmeric Walnuts

4 servings: You’ll need three rimmed baking sheets.

MAKE AHEAD: The roasted fen-nel and lemons can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. Let them come to

room temperature before assem-bling the salad. The turmeric walnuts can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Adapted from “The Yoga Kitchen,” by Kimberly Parsons (Quadrille, 2017).

Ingredients1/4 cup honey1/4 teaspoon crushed red pep-

per flakes1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric1/2 teaspoon fine sea saltWater (optional)1 cup raw walnut halves2 lemons4 medium fennel bulbs, a few

fronds reserved for optional garnish

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

1 cup loosely packed baby

spinach leaves (may substitute pea shoots or watercress)

1/4 cup fresh tarragon leaves, chopped

Sherry or red wine vinegar, for serving

Flaky sea salt, for serving

StepsPreheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Line three rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk together the honey, crushed red pepper flakes, turmeric and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt in a medium bowl to form a thick paste, adding a splash of water, as needed, to help loosen it. Stir in the walnuts until well coated, then spread them out one of the lined baking sheets. Roast until bronzed and crunchy but still a little sticky, 15 minutes. Let cool.

Increase the oven temperature

to 425 degrees.Cut the lemons in half length-

wise. Remove as many of the seeds as you can, then cut the halves crosswise into 1/8-inch slices. Remove the stems and fronds from the fennel bulbs, trim the bulbs, then cut each bulb into 8 wedges (without removing the cores). Reserve some fronds for garnish, if desired.

Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil over high heat, then add the lemon slices and boil (blanch) for 2 minutes. Drain well, then com-bine the lemon slices and the fennel wedges in a large bowl. Add 1 table-spoon of the oil and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, tossing gen-tly to incorporate. Divide the mixture between the remaining two baking sheets, spreading it evenly. Roast until the lemons have dried out and started to brown on the edges and the fennel is just cooked through (but not mushy), 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool.

Return the roasted fennel and lemons to the same large bowl, scraping in any pan juices, too, then add the spinach and tarragon and toss to incorporate. Drizzle in another 1 tablespoon of the oil and toss to distribute.

Divide the mixture among indi-vidual plates. Scatter the turmeric walnuts on the salads. Drizzle with a little more oil and sherry vinegar, and finish with the flaky salt. Gar-nish with fennel fronds, if you’d like.

Nutrition | Per serving: 370 cal-ories, 7 g protein, 42 g carbohydrates, 24 g fat, 3 g satu-rated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 400 mg sodium, 10 g dietary fiber, 28 g sugar

Who says a winter salad has to be heavy?

BOLLYWOODTHURSDAY 16 FEBRUARY 2017 11

IANS

Actor Narendra Jha, who played pivotal roles in Bol-lywood superstar Shah Rukh

Khans “Raees” and Hrithik Roshan-starrer “Kaabil”, says he feels blessed that both the films received positive response despite clashing at the box office.

“Raees” and “Kaabil” released on January 25 and went on to mint

over `100 crore each at the box office. While “Raees” featured Narendra as Musabhai, the actor played the character of police officer Chaubey in “Kaabil”.

“I am blessed that 2017 is doing good for me. By God’s grace, my both films ‘Raees’ and ‘Kaabil’ did well at the box office. People dis-cuss about my work as well and are giving me credits too,” Narendra said in a statement.

“It’s always a great feeling when your hard work is appreciated. It feels good to hear people talking about me,” he added.

Talking about working with Hrithik in “Kaabil”, Narendra said:

“We did tremendous hard work for this film and that seriousness can be seen in Hrithik. He supported me a lot and is very much down to earth. He is a great human before being a star.”

Blessed that ‘Kaabil’ & ‘Raees’ did well: Jha

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan will not be a part of “Baahubali: The

Conclusion”, the film’s makers have said.

According to reports, Shah Rukh had been roped in to play a cameo in the S.S. Rajamouli directorial. “We would have loved to have SRK in our movie! Who wouldn’t? But unfortu-nately it’s a rumour! Not true!

‘Baahubali 2’,” read a post on the official Twitter page of the film on Tuesday.

“Baahubali: The Conclusion”

is the continuation of “Baahu-bali: The Beginning.” The film features Rana Daggubati, Sath-yaraj, Tamannaah Bhatia and Ramya Krishnan.

SRK not part of ‘Baahubali

Oscar winner A R Rah-man will stage a live concert in UAE on

March 17 after a gap of seven years. Media house Mathrub-humi Group will host the event at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. M V Shreyamskumar, Director

- Marketing and Electronic Media of Mathrubhumi Group, said that they are excited about getting Rahman to perform, especially as he will take to the stage in UAE after so long. “The show will be staged using the most modern electronic gadgets and would be technically superior,” said Shreyamskumar, a former legislator in the Kerala Assembly.

A R Rahman to perform in UAE

Actor Suriya has confirmed he will reunite with director Hari for the fourth instal-

ment in the “Singam” franchise, but the process will take time.Suriya’s

“Si3”, the third instalment in the “Singam” franchise, released last week.

At the success meet of “Si3”, Suriya said: “Hari and I will reunite for ‘Singam 4a’. It is definitely on the cards. But we might do a film before that. We will do ‘Singam 4’, say, after five years.”

Suriya popularised the character Durai Singam, a duty-fearing, uptight police officer in the “Singam” franchise. Along with the character, he also made his handlebar mustache a rage among his fans.

“Si3” also stars Shruti Haasan, Anushka Shetty and Thakur Anoop Singh in pivotal roles.

‘Singam 4’ is on the cards

Actor Shahid Kapoor, who has a daughter with wife Mira Rajput, finds women supe-rior to men in many ways. “No man can

match up to what a mother does. Women are superior to men in so many ways. Let’s learn to appreciate them. And learn to show them love. Every day,” the 35-year-old actor tweeted on yesterday. The actor welcomed daughter Misha on August 26 last year. On the film front, Shahid is working on filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Padmavati” along-side Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh. He will also be seen in

“Rangoon”, which has been directed by Vishal Bhardwaj.“Rangoon”, which also stars Saif Ali Khan, is set during World War II.

Co-produced by Viacom 18 Motion Pictures and Sajid Nadiadwala under his banner Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment, “Rangoon” is slated for release on February 24.

Women superior to men

in many ways: Shahid

HOLLYWOOD THURSDAY 16 FEBRUARY 201712

AP

Nasa has been part of “Hidden Figures” screenwriter Allison Schroeder’s (pic-tured) life for as long as she can

remember. Not only did a childhood near Cape Canaveral mean that the space program was an ever-present reality — fire drills in school were timed so the kids could see the launches and the Challenger explosion was one of her earliest memories — it’s also in her DNA.

Her grandfather had uprooted his family from Iowa to move to Florida to work on the Mercury prototypes, and then, almost by acci-dent, her grandmother was delivering lunch to him at work one day and saw a sign advertising lessons in a new technology: Computers.

“She signed up for classes and ended up work-ing at Nasa long after him,” Schroeder said recently. “She became a software engineer and a programmer and she ended up on the shuttle

missions.” Schroeder even participated in a Nasa mentorship program throughout high school.

None of the producers knew this, however, when Schroeder was sent the proposal for Mar-got Lee Shetterly’s in-progress book “Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race” as a possible project. Even with her extensive background with Nasa, it was a story Schroeder hadn’t heard of. “Nobody had!” she said.

“History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit and you discover a whole new side of it.”

Schroeder hadn’t yet written a produced fea-ture film, but it was a job she knew she was meant to do. She pitched producer Donna Gig-liotti the end of the film where Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson) crunches numbers for the imminent launch of John Glenn’s Friendship 7 mission.

Schroeder had Nasa in her blood

Mark Boal, who won an Oscar for writing “The Hurt Locker”, is teaming

up with producer Megan Ellison to tell the tale of the 2016 US pres-idential election. The political drama will be in the longform for-mat, a television event series that Boal and Ellison are aiming to be in the eight to 10-hour range, reports hollywoodreporter.com.

The project is being developed

through Boal’s Page 1 production banner, which is financed by Elli-son’s Annapurna Pictures. Ellison was instrumental in the making of

“Zero Dark Thirty”, the Boal-writ-ten, Kathryn Bigelow-directed Osama bin Laden thriller, acting as a producer on the 2012 movie, and is also producing Boal and Bigelow’s latest venture, a drama based on the Detroit race riots. Former New York Times Magazine

and Hollywood Reporter editor Hugo Lindgren, who is president of Page 1, is said to be assembling a group of journalists who will act as investigative reporters for the project, which Boal will write.

The 2016 election, which ulti-mately came down to the face-off of candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, remains a very contentious topic in America three months after it was held.

Boal & Ellison to tell tale of US polls

Actor Hugh Jackman, who has recently got his sixth treatment for skin cancer, has urged people to use sunscreen. The 48-year-old “Wolverine” star

took to Instagram on Monday to share a selfie of him-self after being treated for skin cancer on his nose, reported etonline.com.“Another basal cell carcinoma. Thanks to frequent checks and amazing doctors, all’s well. Looks worse with the dressing on than off! Wear sunscreen,” he captioned the image. The actor was first treated for basal-cell carcinoma in November 2013. He posted a photo online, saying his wife, Deborra-Lee Fur-ness, had encouraged him to get the ‘mark’ checked.

US tech giant Apple unveiled the first glimpse of the future of series-TV programming on Apple Music with

trailers for its first two series. Footage of both unscripted series was unveiled. Offi-cials said they are planning a spring launch date.

Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior Vice-Presi-dent of Internet Software and Services, said

“Karaoke” will premiere in April, while no specific date has been set for “Planet”, reports variety.com. “Four years from now,

I don’t know where we’re going to be in relation to this (Apple’s strategy with regard to Hollywood),” said Cue.

“We’re trying different things. How fast it grows or where it goes remains to be seen,” he said. “Karaoke”, in each episode, will feature celebrities such as John Leg-end with Alicia Keys and Billy Eichner with Metallica. There are rumours that Apple is already producing “Vital Signs”, its first scripted series with Dr. Dre, Cue made no mention of the series.

Jackman urges use of sunscreen Apple unveils two TV series

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGYTHURSDAY 16 FEBRUARY 2017 13

Anatolia

Genetically engineered babies should be allowed in the future when the technology

becomes available, according to a report released by a committee comprised of 21 leading scientists.

However, human gene editing must be restricted to only prevent-ing diseases or disabilities in babies, the panel argued. The policy group behind the 261 page report pub-lished on Tuesday was put together by the National Academy of Sci-ences and the National Academy of Medicine.

Essentially, the group contends that gene-editing using new tech-nologies could be allowed in human embryos, eggs and sperm, but not to create “designer” children.

“Human genome editing holds tremendous promise for under-standing, treating, or preventing

many devastating genetic diseases, and for improving treatment of many other illnesses,” Alta Charo, co-chair of the study committee and a bioethicist at University of Wisconsin-Madison, said.

“However, genome editing to enhance traits or abilities beyond ordinary health raises concerns about whether the benefits

can outweigh the risks, and about fairness if available only to some people.”Regulations on studying gene editing need to be especially stringent for changes to “germline” genes, i.e. genes that are inherited from parents to children. Studies of multiple generations would have to be conducted in order to fully understand the implications of edit-

ing germline genes. A global prohibition on human

gene editing is not practical, the sci-entists concede, when access to CRISPR gene editing tools have become so cheap in the past two years. Scientists in China, for exam-ple, are already using the technology on human cells.

“Genome editing research is very much an international endeavor, and all nations should ensure that any potential clinical applications reflect societal values and be sub-ject to appropriate oversight and regulation,” said committee co-chairs Richard Hynes, of Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Dan-iel K. Ludwig, of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said.

“These overarching principles and the responsibilities that flow from them should be reflected in each nation’s scientific community and regulatory processes.”

Human gene editing approved by US panel

An extraordinary fossil unearthed in southwestern China shows a pregnant long-necked marine

reptile that lived millions of years before the dinosaurs with its developing embryo, indicating this creature gave birth to live babies rather than laying eggs.

The fossil of the unusual fish-eating reptile called Dinocephalosaurus, which lived about 245 million years ago during the Triassic Period, changes the understanding of the evolution of vertebrate reproductive systems.

Mammals and some reptiles including certain snakes and lizards are viviparous. Dinocephalosaurus is the first member of a broad vertebrate group called archosauromorphs that includes birds, crocodilians, dinosaurs and extinct flying reptiles known as pterosaurs known to give birth this way, paleontologist Jun Liu of China’s Hefei University of Technology said.

It boasted one of the longest necks relative to body size of any animal that ever existed.

A HTTPS-based website is a safer way to pro-tect users from possible security attacks, the security director at Google has said, empha-

sising that major South Korean search engines do not support this system. “Top websites in (South) Korea that don’t support HTTPS are Naver and Daum. It’s not just a problem for (South) Korea but a chal-lenge for the world and the developers,” said Parisa Tabriz. Tabriz heads the team who protects Google Chrome and its billions of users from criminal hack-ers, Yonhap news agency reported.Fossil shows sea monster

with developing embryo

Google pushes HTTPS for web security

Facebook is soon rolling out an update to all its users that would autoplay the sound of a video on News Feed, without users having to tap on

it. In a blog post yesterday, Facebook said that as people had begun watching more video on phones, they expected sound when the volume on their devices was turned on.

“After testing sound on News Feed and hearing positive feedback, we’re slowly bringing it to more people. With this update, sound fades in and out as you scroll through videos in News Feed, bringing those videos to life,” Facebook said.

However, if the phone is on silent mode, videos will not play with sound. Users can also disable the feature of autoplay in Settings.

FB videos now autoplay with audio

BABY BLUES

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE

Indian Malayalam domestic drama film directed by Jibu Jacob and

written by M Sindhuraj, loosely based on the Malayalam short story

Pranayopanishath by V J James. the film stars Mohanlal and Meena. Note: Programme is subject to change without prior notice.

MUNTHIRIVALLIKAL THALIRKKUMBOL

NOVO - Pearl ROYAL PLAZA

ASIAN TOWN

MALL

LANDMARK

John Wick 2 (2D/Action) 11:30am, 1:30, 2:00pm, 4:30, 6:30, 7:00, 6:00, 8:30 9:30, 11:30pm & 12:00amFist Fight (2D/Comedy) 11:00am, 12:30, 3:30, 5:00, 7:40, 9:30 & 11:00pmGold 10:00am, 11:00am, 2:30, 4:00, 7:00, 9:00pm & 11:30pmThe Lego Batman (3D Imax/Animation) 10:00am, 10:30am, 12:10, 12:40, 2:20, 2:50, 4:30, 5:00, 6:40, 7:10 & 9:20pmSplit (2D/Thriller) 11:30pm The Last Face (2D/Drama) 10:30am, 12:40, 2:30, 7:00. & 11:30pm The Lady Bloodfight (2D/Action) 12:30, 5:00, & 9:30pmThe Remains 12:40, 5:20 & 10:00pm Kung Fu Yoga (2D/Action) 11:00am, 3:20pm & 12:00MidnightRings 3 (2D/Drama) 1:10, 5:30, 9:50pmFein Qalby (2D/Arabic) 10:00am, 12:20, 2:40, 5:00, 7:20, 9:40pm & 12:00midnight La La Land (2D/Musical) 6:40, 9:10, 11:40pm

Munthirivallikal (2D/Malayalam/Comedy) 2:15 & 11:00pm The Lego Batman Movie (2D) 2:30 & 4:30pm Irada (2D/Hindi) 2:30 & 6:45pmFist Fight (2D/Comedy) 5:00 & 8:15pm The Last Face (2D/Drama) 4:30pm The Remains (2D/) 6:30pm; My Ex And Whys (2D) 6:30pmSingam 3 (2D/Tamil) 8:45pm John Wick 2 (2D/Action) 11:30pmFein Qalby (2D/Arabic) 9:00pm The Lady Bloodfight (2D/Action) 9:45pm; Gold (2D/Thriller) 11:30pm

Running Shaadi.Com (2D/Hindi/Comedy) 2:00 & 11:15pmMunthirivallikal (2D/Malayalam/Comedy) 2:00 & 8:30pm The Lego Batman Movie (2D) 3:00 & 5:00pm Gold (2D/Thriller) 4:15pm Fist Fight (2D) 4:45 & 10:00pmThe Last Face (2D/Drama) 6:15pm My Ex And Whys (2D Tagalog) 7:00pm; John Wick 2 (2D/Action) 9:15pm Singam 3 (2D/Tamil) 11:15pm The Remains (2D/Tamil) 11:30pm

Munthirivallikal (2D/Malayalam/Comedy) 2:30 & 10:45pm Fein Qalby (2D/Arabic) 5:15 & 9:15pm The Remains (2D) 7:30pm Irada (2D/Hindi) 9:15pm Singam 3 (2D/Tamil) 11:00pm The Lego Batman Movie (2D) 2:00 & 4:00pm John Wick 2 (2D/Action) 6:00pm My Ex And Whys (2D/Tagalog) 8:15pm Fist Fight (2D/Comedy) 3:00pm The Lady Bloodfight (2D/Action) 5:00pm Gold (2D/Thriller) 7:00pm The Last Face (2D/Drama) 11:15pm

Munthirivallikal (Malayalam) 12:30, 3:15, 4:30, 6:00, 7:00, 9:00, 10:30pm, 12:00am & 1:30am; Jolly LLB 2 (2D/Hindi) 5:45pm; Irada (Hindi) 3:15, 8:30 Singam 3 3:30& 9:30pm; Jomonte Suvisheshangal (Malayalam) 12:30, 6:30pm & 12:30am

THURSDAY 16 FEBRUARY 2017

VILLAGGIO & CITY CENTER

CINEMA PLUS14

AL KHORSingam 3 11:00am, 2:00, 5:00, 8:00 & 11:00pm Jolly LLB 2 12:30, 3:15, 6:00, 8:45 &

11:30pm Jo Monte 11:15am, 5:15 & 11:15pm Balu Mahi 2:15 & 8:15pm

ROXYThe Lego Batman 2:00, 4:00 & 6:00pm Singam 3 2:00, 5:00 & 11:30pm John Wick 2 (2D/Action) 2:00, 4:30 & 7:30pm; Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol (Malayalam) 2:00, 12:30, 5:00, 8:00, 9:30 & 11:00pm

CROSSWORD CONCEPTIS SUDOKU

ALL IN THE MIND

6:00 News7:30 The Stream8:00 News8:30 Witness9:00 The Boy Who

Started The Syrian War

10:30 Inside Story11:30 The Stream12:00 News12:30 People & Power13:00 NEWSHOUR14:00 News14:30 Inside Story15:00 Witness16:00 NEWSHOUR17:00 News17:30 The Stream18:00 newsgrid19:00 News19:30 Walls of Shame20:00 News20:30 Inside Story21:00 NEWSHOUR22:00 News

09:35 Wizards Of Waverly Place

10:25 A.N.T. Farm13:00 Welcome

To The Ronks16:45 Elena Of

Avalor17:10 Stuck In

The Middle17:40 Girl Meets

World18:05 Bizaardvark18:30 Bunk’d19:20 Disney

Mickey Mouse19:25 The Next

Step19:50 Austin & Ally20:15 Star Darlings20:20 Shake It Up20:45 Backstage21:10 Liv And

Maddie21:35 Cracke21:40 The Next Step

10:10 Call Of The Wildman

10:35 Call Of The Wildman

11:05 Tanked12:00 Groomer

Has It15:40 Call Of The

Wildman16:05 Call Of The

Wildman16:35 Tanked17:30 River

Monsters18:25 The Lion

Queen19:20 The Vet Life20:15 Tanked21:10 Call Of The

Wildman21:35 Call Of The

Wildman22:05 The Lion

Queen23:00 The Vet Life

08:00 How Do They Do It?

09:14 Mythbusters10:02 Alien

Encounters10:50 How Do

They Do It?13:14 Mythbusters14:02 How Do

They Do It?14:26 Food

Factory15:38 How Things

Work18:50 Da Vinci’s

Machines19:40 Mythbusters20:55 You Can’t

Lick Your Elbow

21:20 How Do They Do It?

22:10 Alien Encounters

23:00 You Can’t

King Features Syndicate, Inc.

BRAIN TEASERSTHURSDAY 16 FEBRUARY 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.

ALEXANDER SEVERUS,

ANTONIUS PIUS, AUGUSTUS,

CALIGULA, CARACALLA,

CLAUDIUS, COMMODUS,

DOMITIAN, GALBA, HADRIAN,

HELIOGABALUS, JULIUS

CAESAR, LUCIUS VERUS,

MACRINUS, MARCUS AURELIUS,

NERO, NERVA, OTHO, PERTINAX,

TIBERIUS, TITUS FLAVIUS,

TRAJAN, VESPASIAN, VITELLIUS.