Obama orders US flag at half mast after gurdwara killing

Washington, Aug 7: As federal investigators searched for a motive for Sunday’s attack on a Sikh gurdwara in Wisconsin, President Barack Obama ordered the US flag to be flown at half mast until August 10 in honour of the victims.

He also called for a “soul searching” to find ways to reduce violence in America as these kinds of terrible, tragic events were happening with too much regularity.

“All of us are heartbroken by what’s happened,” Obama told reporters on Monday after a bill signing ceremony at the Oval office when asked if he would push for further gun control measures in the wake of the killings at the gurdwara in Oak Creeks. “I think all of us recognize that these kinds of terrible, tragic events are happening with too much regularity for us not to do some soul-searching and to examine additional ways that we can reduce violence,” he said.

While, it was not yet fully know what motivated the gunman to carry out this terrible act, Obama said Americans would “recoil” in shock if it turns out, as some early reports indicate, that it may have been motivated in some way by the ethnicity of the worshippers.

“I think it will be very important for us to reaffirm once again that, in this country, regardless of what we look like, where we come from, who we worship, we are all one people, and we look after one another and we respect one another,” he said.

Earlier, at a White House briefing Press Secretary Jay Carney also parried a question about the push for gun control recalling that Obama had made clear that his administration will provide all necessary support in response to the incident. Carney acknowledged that “Sikhs have been targeted in America in the past, since 9/11, because they have been believed to be Muslims” and said violence “whether it’s against Sikhs or Muslims, this is clearly horrible and unacceptable.”

At the State Department Spokesperson Patrick Ventrell said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who is currently in South Africa had spoken to Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna over the phone on the gurdwara shooting.

US Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman also telephoned India’s Ambassador Nirupama Rao “to condemn this tragedy and convey our deep sympathy and condolences” ( IANS)

Sikh Americans show solidarity after gurdwara tragedy

Washington, Aug 7: Deeply shocked by the killing of six Sikh worshipers in a gurdwara in Milwaukee, the anguished community has sought concrete action to ensure that such tragedies don’t repeatedly come back to haunt them.

United Sikhs, a UN affiliated non-profit organization, has sent a task force to Milwaukee to support the impacted families and work with law enforcement agencies in the United States to ensure that the Sikh community is reassured of its safety.The organization has also called on the interfaith community to show solidarity by holding prayer vigils in places of worship and is releasing a community safety kit for Sikh gurdwaras on how to handle such disasters, according to United Sikhs director Jatinder Singh. It has also set up a national helpline for the victims of the tragedy, who may call 1-855-US-UMEED for help.

The community group has advised Sikhs and all other minorities who suffer racial profiling and hate crimes to immediately report these incidents.

The group said it has and will continue to push for funding and creation of programmes that allow the American communities at large to be educated on the diaspora of immigrant communities like the Sikhs.

Several Sikh organizations like the Sikh Coalition, Sikh American Legal Defence and Education Fund (SALDEF), United Sikhs, and Sikh Research Institute are coordinating their efforts to provide a unified response.

A fund to help the affected has been initiated. The local Wisconsin community will be leading the distribution of funds directly to families most impacted, the Sikh Coalition said.

The coalition has proposed that Sikh-Americans across the nation organize interfaith candlelight vigils within their respective communities in remembrance for the victims and their families on August 8. The Sikh Coalition has also put on its website talking points about Sikhism, post 9/11 incidents and what people can do to help the victims and their families and asked the community members to talk to neighbours, friends, neighbourhood groups, colleagues, and local media about issues affecting the community. (IANS)

US cannot prevent citizens from gun crime: China

Beijing, Aug 7: A state-run Chinese daily on Tuesday criticised America for the deadly shooting at a gurdwara, saying that despite having the most advanced defence ability, “the US government cannot prevent its citizens from falling victim to domestic gun crime”.

An article in the Op-Ed section of the Global times stressed that repeated incidents also offer lessons to developing countries, which tend to model their social governance on developed states.

Two weeks after a shooting rampage in Aurora, Colorado, left a dozen people dead, six people were gunned down in a Sikh gurdwara in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Sunday morning, said the daily. The gunman was also killed.

The daily criticised Washington for failing to effectively address the holes in the gun law.

“After the latest carnage, the American public has started speculating about when the next tragedy will happen. To politicians, gun ownership is an explosive issue,” it said.

“Despite having the most advanced defense ability, the US government cannot prevent its citizens from falling victim to domestic gun crime. Freedom is an important element of US soft power, but the freedom to own a gun probably has the opposite effect,” it added.

Pointing out that the US is among the world’s top countries in terms of casualties of gun-related incidents, the daily said that as the debate over gun and firearms ownership continues and politicians dodge the issue, “more innocent lives have been claimed”.

“The shooting also highlighted domestic hatred, another nagging issue in US politics. The shooter, launching his attack at a congregation in a Sikh temple, was thought to be venting his anger toward Muslims or immigrants,” it noted.

The daily went on say that though religious and racial inclusiveness have long been lofty goals of the US, “in reality, discrimination among different religions, races and social classes has never been resolved, constantly fuelling serious social incidents”.

“The repeated incidents also offer lessons to developing countries, which tend to model their social governance on developed states.” (IANS)

When haircut threatened to overshadow Mars landing

London, Aug 7: A NASA technician’s haircut has become an instant hit on internet and overshadowed the Mars landing of the Curiosity rover, Daily Mail reported. Bobak Ferdowsi became an internet sensation as viewers became captivated by his red-tinged mohawk haircut, the yellow stars dyed above his ears, and his big beaming smile following the landing of Curiosity. Within minutes, satirical posters went up online, his name began trending on Twitter, and tributes and even artwork flooded in to celebrate his new instant celebrity. Bobak acknowledged his new-found fame and said he changes his hair for every mission. Tumbler, a website dedicated to “internet memes” - of quick cultural phenomenon which, thanks to internet, explode overnight, already has a “Bobak” page, as users submit graphics and jokes based around NASA’s brightest star, the newspaper said on Tuesday. The rover, which landed on Mars on Monday, will beam high-definition footage back to the Earth, while scanning the Red Planet in a bid to find evidence of microscopic life. (IANS)

OMG, it's almost 100 years old

London, Aug 7: It’s one of the most common phrases among British and US teenagers today, but it seems OMG (Oh! My! God!) was first used almost 100 years ago, the Daily Mail reported on Tuesday. British Admiral John Arbuthnot Fisher first penned the acronym in a letter to Winston Churchill in 1917. He used it in a letter to the famous wartime prime minister about some “utterly (upsetting)” World War I newspaper headlines. He wrote: “I hear that a new order of Knighthood is on the tapis - OMG (Oh! My! God!) - Shower it on the Admiralty!!” The phrase, added to the Oxford English Dictionary last year, is the colloquial abbreviation for “Oh My God”, generally used in conversations to express surprise, embarrassment, excitement and disgust, according to the Urban Dictionary. It’s normally associated with teenage girls and the phrase was thought to have originated from online chat rooms, most commonly used in online games, web chats and in text messages. (IANS)

Infants of obese mothers slow developers

Washington, Aug 7: Pregnant women who are overweight or obese affect how their children grow up and develop, at least initially. A team led by a University of Iowa researcher compared the weight and height of babies born to overweight and obese mothers with those born to normal-weight mothers. Contrary to expectations, babies of overweight/obese mothers gained less weight and grew less in length than babies of normal-weight women from just after birth to three months. The overweight/obese mother babies also gained less fat mass than those born to normal-weight mothers. Fat mass in infants is widely considered to be crucial to brain growth and development. (That may explain why humans have the fattest newborns of any mammal), according to an Iowa statement. “We’ve found these children are not growing normally,” says Katie Larson Ode, assistant clinical professor in paediatric endocrinology and diabetes at Iowa, who led the study. “If what we have found is true, it implies that the obesity epidemic is harming children while they are still in utero (womb) and increases the importance of addressing the risk of obesity before females enter the child-bearing years, where the negative effects can affect the next generation,” said Ode. Six in 10 women of childbearing age in United States are overweight or obese, according to a 2010 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Children of overweight or obese mothers, in general, catch up to their normal-weight-mother peers at some point, according to studies. Unfortunately, they also have a higher risk of continuing to rapidly gain weight in adolescence and becoming fat themselves, triggering health problems throughout their lifetimes. (IANS)

Weight training cuts diabetes risk by 34 per cent

London, Aug 7: Regular weight training can cut the chances of developing diabetes in men by up to 34 percent, a study showed. Adding aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking or running, can lead to even greater benefits. Scientists has analysed data on 32,000 Americans taking part in the study that looked at lifestyle effects on health. During the study period from 1990 to 2008, a total of 2,278 participants developed Type 2 diabetes. Lead scientist Anders Grontved, from the University of Southern Denmark, said: “Previous studies have reported that aerobic exercise is of major importance for Type 2 diabetes prevention. But many people have difficulty engaging in or adhering to aerobic exercise. These new results suggest that weight training, to a large extent, can serve as an alternative to aerobic exercise for Type 2 diabetes prevention.” (IANS)

Fainting may be 'hereditary

Washington, Aug 7: Fainting has a strong genetic predisposition, a new study has revealed. Fainting, also called vasovagal syncope, is a brief loss of consciousness when your body reacts to certain triggers, such as emotional distress or the sight of blood. “The question of whether fainting is caused by genetic factors, environmental factors or a mixture of both has been the subject of debate,” said study author Samuel F Berkovic, MD, FRS, with the University of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. For the study, 51 sets of twins of the same gender between the ages of nine and 69 were given a telephone questionnaire. At least one of the twins had a history of fainting. Researchers also gathered information about any family history of fainting. Of the 51 sets of twins, 57 per cent reported having typical fainting triggers. The research found that among twins where one fainted, those who were identical (from the same fertilized egg) were nearly twice as likely to both faint compared to fraternal twins (those from two different fertilized eggs). The risk of fainting not related to outside factors (such as dehydration) was also much higher in identical twins compared to fraternal twins. Identical twins were much more likely to both experience fainting associated with typical triggers than fraternal twins. The frequency of fainting in non-twin relatives was low, suggesting that the way fainting is inherited is usually not by a single gene. “Our results suggest that while fainting appears to have a strong genetic component, there may be multiple genes and multiple environmental factors that influence the phenomenon,” Berkovic said. (Agencies)

Elderly director sues woman over 'faked romance'

London, Aug 7: An elderly theatre director has sued his young ex-girlfriend, claiming she had tricked him into buying her a $775,000 apartment. Natasha Diamond-Walker (27) was accused in court documents of pretending to be in love with Italian director Antonio Calenda and then dumping him once he had paid for her Manhattan home, the Daily Mail reported on Tuesday. Diamond-Walker, who performs with the Martha Graham Dance Company and studied at Fordham University, was painted as a gold-digger in the lawsuit. The suit was filed on Monday in Manhattan Supreme Court for the cost of the one-bedroom condo plus seeking an extra $1 million in damages. The couple met while working on a project in Italy together last year. They began a 10-month romance where the young woman was showered with expensive gifts by the experienced director, who separated from his wife 10 years ago, according to the newspaper. (IANS)

Russian faces jail for internet sex talk with minor

Moscow, Aug 7: A Russian faces life in jail after he had a “cynical sex-related correspondence” on internet with an 11-year-old girl. The offence by the man from Tomsk region, in west Siberia, has been taken as “sexual assault”, the regional investigation department said on Tuesday. The man, a resident of Seversk, corresponded with the minor girl on internet, and offered her a sexual relationship. Officials said that in the correspondence, he committed actions aimed at forming an indecent behaviour, affecting the girl psychologically. The suspect has been arrested and will face charges, and may be jailed for 15 or 20 year, or even a life sentence. (IANS)

Man beheads wife, two daughters for ?honour? in Pakistan

Islamabad, Aug 7: In another case of ‘honour killing’, a father, with the help of his two sons, slaughtered his wife and two daughters in Basti Sardar. Muhammad Hanif and his sons, Ahmed Ali and Hakim Ali, slit the throats and beheaded the woman and her two daughters, as one of the daughters, Pathani, had allegedly had an affair with a neighbour, Muhammad Afzal, reports The Nation. After murdering the women, the trio stormed the house of Afzal and attacked his family, injuring them critically. Police rushed to the location on being informed took the bodies into their custody and left the injured at a hospital in Bahawalnagar, where one of the injured succumbed to his wounds. (Agencies)

Woman faces jail for sex with teenage boys

London, Aug 7: A mother of four in Britain is facing jail after admitting to a sex session with her daughter’s schoolboy friends. Kelly Baker (35) was warned by a judge that she could be jailed for up to seven years after the drunken fling which led to a threesome with two boys aged 14 and 16. The schoolchildren were amongst 10 youngsters invited to Baker’s house in April 22 in Tadworth, Surrey, by her eldest daughter. Baker allegedly drank three bottles of wine before having a suggestive dance with the older boy in the kitchen of her home. The pair then went to the bathroom where she performed a sex act on the 16-year-old. After being repeatedly disturbed by the boy’s friends, however, she subsequently took him into her bedroom where they were joined by a 14-year-old boy. The trio then reportedly had a sex session using a sex toy. (IANS)

Britons jailed for brutal 'punishment rape'

London, Aug 7: A woman and her boyfriend in Britain were jailed for “punishing” a teenage girl by raping her after they mistakenly thought she had stolen 100 pounds from them, Daily Mail reported on Tuesday. Elizabeth Seagrove (40) was jailed for 12 years and six months and Matthew Costello (31) was jailed for nine years and four months. They denied carrying out the attack on October 30, 2011, near Amersham, Buckinghamshire. The pair drove their terrified victim around for more than an hour in the night in her dressing gown, to find a secluded place. Seagrove then ordered her to strip and held her hair as she instructed her “reluctant” Costello to violate the 18-year-old. It was only later, on returning home, that the duo realized it was someone else who had taken the missing money from them. Judge Francis Sheridan described the attack as “unspeakable” and praised the victim’s family and the police for their efforts in securing convictions of the woman and her boyfriend. (IANS)