Month: August 2015

Slow poison in our fruits

Editor

It’s not just Calcium Carbide, banned chemical Oxytocin is secretly being injected into fruits and vegetables. The next time you go to the market, do not be carried away by the big, shiny lustrous fruits on display. They may well have been pumped up with a chemical called oxytocin. Horticulture experts admit that oxytocin is now increasingly used to promote artificial growth in fruits and vegetables and to enhance their texture, aroma and skin colour. Along with calcium carbide and ethephon, oxytocin is fast turning into a health hazard. Doctors…

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Top 18 iron-rich foods to boost haemoglobin

Editor

Low haemoglobin, anaemia, hair loss, tiredness and headaches are some of the symptoms and health problems associated with lack of iron in the body. Iron deficiency can affect your life adversely and can lead to serious health problems. Following are top 18 ingredients that can boost your iron intake; just add these healthy foods rich in iron to prevent diseases related iron deficiency. Daily recommended dietary intake Women above 19 to 50: 18 mg Men above 19: 8 mg * Australian Recommended Dietary Intake (RDI) Liver: Liver is the powerhouse…

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14 uses of microwave no one told you

Editor

If you have been using your microwave only for heating food, you probably don’t know the multitude of uses it can be put into. So before buying a new gadget for your kitchen, make sure you are making the optimum use of your microwave which alone can do the work of a number of expensive kitchen appliances. – The freshness of cereals and crackers can be restored by heating them in full power for 30 seconds. – Stale bread can be made soft and fresh again in the microwave by…

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In Kralsangri potters shift to other jobs

Editor

Sonaullah Kumha, 75 , who started as a potter in his teenage to carry forward the tradition of his forefathers, how¬ever couldn’t draw his sons into the work. He is helped out by his daughter in making clay utensils and has been witness to the down¬turn of the trade here at Kral Sangri- which got its name as it was inhabited largely by Krals (potters)- in the outskirts of the Srinagar city near Nishat. Kumhar started at the age of 8 and is among the few remaining potters here and…

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Cement shortage hits Kashmir

Editor

Work on many projects comes to halt: Contractors In a concern, work on many developmental projects in Kashmir has come to a halt due to decline in the supply of locally manufactured cement. As the state-owned JK Cements Limited— which was earlier the main supply of the cement to the government projects, is witnessing decline in its production, the Valley has largely become dependent on the imported cement. “The shortage of cement has forced contractors stop work on various projects, be it in government or private sector,” chairman, Jammu and…

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Lack of dumping facility poses health risk in Sopore

Editor

The failure of District Administration to construct a garbage dumping facility in Sopore has evoked widespread resentment among the locals as heaps of domestic and market waste lies scattered across the town. In the absence of solid waste management facility  the garbage heaps are a common scene here and local residents allege that the Municipal Council is doing nothing to address the problem. The solid waste including plastic bags and polythene and hospital waste is being thrown on the roads and also into the drains leading to their blockade. Mounds…

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Aborted NSA talks put fresh spotlight on Kashmir

Editor

The National Security Advisor-level talks between India and Pakistan—which have now been called off—put a fresh spotlight on Kashmir, after the recent issue of killings along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. While the US urged India and Pakistan to resolve all bilateral issues, including “disputed” Kashmir, in a direct manner and come up with a “common approach to resolve them”, the UN chief asked both nations to “address their differences through dialogue.” ‘KASHMIR A DISPUTE’ On Thursday, few days before the scheduled NSA talks in New Delhi—which…

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India-Pakistan peace talks collapse, deadlock sours relations

Editor

The collapse of planned peace talks between India and Pakistan hours before they were to start on Sunday has raised questions about the arch-rivals’ willingness to overcome mutual mistrust, built since their separation almost seven decades ago. This is the second time the nuclear-armed neighbours have cancelled talks since Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in May last year, with both sides choosing to engage in a war of words ahead of the planned two-day meeting of their top security advisers. Since Modi and his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif,…

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50 colleges in JK without buildings

Editor

Belying the tall claims of successive regimes of Jammu and Kashmir over upgradation of infrastructure in education sector, as many as 50 percent colleges in the state are without buildings. Around 41 degree colleges have been approved under different centrally sponsored schemes and state plans from 2008 and 2011. However all of them are without government building facilities and are functioning from makeshift structures. The Government of India in year 2008 approved ten colleges for the state under Prime Minister’s reconstruction Plan (PMRP) phase II. However the buildings of all…

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India says no peace talks with Pakistan if Kashmir separatists involved

Editor

India will cancel planned peace talks with Pakistan if their top security adviser insists on meeting separatist leaders from the disputed Kashmir region, India’s foreign minister Sushma Swaraj told reporters Saturday. The national security advisers (NSA) of the nuclear-armed neighbours were scheduled to meet in New Delhi Sunday and Monday, but with both sides trading charges, talks were increasingly looking doubtful. Earlier in Islamabad, Sartaj Aziz, adviser to the prime minister of Pakistan on national security and foreign affairs, said he was “still prepared to go to New Delhi for…

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