BOOKS 'As a writer, I search for the truth-shomona
Winning a major literature prize, Indian-born author Shumona Sinha based her novel on her personal experience of working with refugees - and isn't afraid of violating the rules of political correctness. Author Shumona Sinha, born in Calcutta in 1973 and living in France since 2001, has been awarded the 2016 International Literature Prize of Berlin's House of World Cultures and of the "Stiftung Elementarteilchen" (Elemental Particles Foundation). Sinha shares the cash award of 35,000 euros ($39,000) with her translator, Lena Müller.
Recognizing excellent works of international contemporary literature in the German translation, the prize was awarded for "Erschlagt die Armen!" (Slay the Poor; "Assommons Les Pauvres!" in the French original), a book about the experience of an Indian-born interpretor working at a French agency where refugees apply for political asylum.
In a statement, the jury explained its decision, saying, "The first-person monologue avoids both a paternalistic view and xenophobic paranoia."
Shumona Sinha, we're meeting on a special day. Yesterday the people of Great Britain decided to leave the European Union. How would you have voted?
Shumona Sinha: If I had the chance, I would have voted to stay in Europe. It is a very complicated situation. As a writer I do not have the capacity to answer geopolitical questions. I can only have raise questions - in a very fictional form.
The French politician Marine Le Pen of the far-right "National Front" strongly advocates holding a similar referendum there too. Are you afraid of similar developments in France?
They're already going on. Marine Le Pen always capitalizes on any incident in the world, be it Orlando, Bataclan, Charlie Hebdo or the Brexit. Dishonest people will always do that to promote their ideology or propaganda.
Extremist or rightist forces are on the rise in many countries. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, from the BJP, is a force for fundamentalist Hinduism, which is responsible for the genocide of the Muslims. A former member of his party assassinated Mahatma Gandhi. We forget these things, but the rise of radical forces in the world is actually very frightening. You're here in Berlin because the "Stiftung Elementarteilchen" (Elemental Particles Foundation) and the "Haus der Kulturen der Welt" (House of World Cultures) are awarding this year's International Literature Prize to you and your translator Lena Müller for your novel "Erschlagt die Armen!" ("Assommons Les Pauvres!" in the French original, translating as "Slay the Poor!"). How do you feel about this recognition in Germany?
I'm honored, and I didn't expect it. I was so happy to be on the short list. I have just begun my career as an author in the French language, and this was only my second novel. The third one, "Calcutta," was published in 2014, and the German translation will be out in August. I think this kind of generous award means a lot to both of us, to carry on surviving as a writer and a translator.
It seems to be a very political book. It's about refugees - mainly from Bangladesh, Pakistan…
West Bengal too. Sometimes people from India will say they're from Bangladesh because then they will get the chance to apply for asylum.
But people from Bangladesh won't get asylum without political reasons.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The best faces and outfits at Euro 2016
Gaudy, playful, fun - fans at the European Championship in France are giving it their best to support their teams.Lionel Messi says he and his partner Antonella Roccuzzo are expecting a second child.Messi placed a black and white photograph of his son Thiago tenderly kissing Roccuzzo's belly on his official Instagram account.
The caption says, "Expecting you eagerly."
The Barcelona and Argentina superstar adds, "Thiagui, mom and dad, we love you."
Thiago was born to the Argentine couple in February 2012.
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Sachin Tendulkar's passion for cars
Did you know that while still establishing himself as a cricketer Sachin Tendulkar had first bought a second hand BMW. It was during those days when his pockets weren't that deep and could afford only a second hand brand then.
The cricketer said, "I have always been passionate about cars. And I remember buying this BMW. I was so excited that I zipped around town with my friends."
The cricketer has a custom made car now that has his logo too.
Cast Of New Bond Film, Title Unveiled
THE next James Bond film will have a title that nods to the series’ past: “SPECTRE.”
Director Sam Mendes announced the title overnight, along with the identity of several new cast members and a new version of Bond’s iconic Aston Martin car.
SPECTRE was the terrorist organisation headed by Ernst Blofeld in early Bond films starting with Dr. No.
*Bad guy ... Austrian Oscar winner
Christoph Waltz has also been cast, with fans hoping he plays
super-villain Blofeld. Picture: AP
Source:
*French actor Lea Seydoux (R) and
Italian actor Monica Bellucci have been cast as ‘Bond girls’ in the next
James Bond film 'Spectre'. Picture: AFP
Source: AFP
Lea Seydoux and Monica Bellucci are the new “Bond girls.”
Daniel Craig will play Bond for a fourth time, and Mendes returns as director after 2012’s Skyfall.
Returning cast members include Ralph Fiennes as spy chief M, Ben Whishaw as gadget-master Q and Naomi Harris as Miss Moneypenny.
Skyfall was the most successful Bond film yet, taking more than $1.1 billion at the global box office.
Smooth ... Craig as James Bond in Skyfall, which was the most successful Bond film ever. Picture: Supplied
Waltz said his character was called Oberhauser, but many fans will hope he is really Blofeld, one of the most enduring Bond villains.
Principal photography on the new film begins on Monday.
Filming will take place at Pinewood Studios near London and on location in Morocco, Mexico and Austria.
The movie is due for release late next year.
-Source: News Limited
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Pacquiao to sell Philippine mansion after rich neighbours complain
MANILA:
World boxing champion Manny Pacquiao said Thursday he would sell his
mansion in one of the Philippine capital's swankiest areas after his
neighbours complained of his visitors wearing shabby clothing.
Pacquiao said that as a "man of the masses", he is not finicky with his
visitors, even if they are wearing "just shorts and slippers".
The boxer's rags-to-riches story, from being a fish vendor in his
hometown to winning world titles in an unprecedented eight weight
divisions, has made him wildly popular in the Philippines.
He
used his boxing fame to get elected to Congress in 2010 and like many
wealthy Filipino politicians, he frequently has to meet with
constituents asking for hand-outs and favours.
Pacquiao said he would buy a new house where he could accomodate more visitors, who are mostly seeking financial assistance.
"If there's somebody who is willing to buy, I'm going to sell it,"
Pacquiao said of the Manila property, which he acquired for 400 million
pesos ($9 million) in 2011.
He added that he wants to make a profit from the sale as he had made renovations.
The 35-year-old said he apologised to his neighbours, though some understood why he was accommodating poor visitors.
"I may be as rich as some of them here, but my lifestyle remains the
same and so is my heart. I am just a simple man. I will never change
that," he said.
The three-storey mansion -- in a neighbourhood
that is home to Manila's old rich -- has five bedrooms, several
reception and dining halls, and an office.
Pacquiao also owns a
fleet of luxury cars, and his hometown mansion in southern Philippines
has a pool shaped like a boxing glove.
He beat American Chris
Algieri in Macau last Sunday, in a match that proved to fans that he
still has what it takes to face arch-rival Floyd Mayweather.
'I consider myself a lucky man': Indian with 39 wives, 94 children is courted by politicians
 |
| *Chana and his household |
Law Student pays For Law Degree By Stripping On The Web
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| *Vanessa |
Knowles, who had been modelling since age 18, knew she had to charge to raise the money for the two-year degree as she did not want to take out a loan.
“My lap-dancing and webcam work were already teaching me
transferable legal skills,” she said.
“I was already playing hard ball and negotiating fees with
customers, and some guys were saying they felt intimidated by intelligence.”
Knowles, who is single, said her web followers have been
supportive of her studies, with some paying her $3,300 ($6,000) for her school
books.
“My fans have paid for every one of my 100 textbooks and I
encourage them to buy me gifts from an Amazon wish list,” she said.
Knowles said she devotes up to 12 hours a week to her web
followers.
“I’ve become an internet personality and fans get upset if I
don’t reply to their messages straight away,” she said.
“During the first weeks of university some girls on my
course Googled me and tried to discredit my reputation after they discovered my
pictures.
“They looked at my accounts and were laughing at me — but I
don’t care, I’m going to graduate with a first and make the most of university,
no matter what they say.”
So will she continue to reveal her body online when she
graduates?
“When I become a full-time lawyer I will probably give up
stripping but I’ll still miss getting my kit off,” she said.
Knowles’ story mirrors that of another aspiring lawyer —
North Carolina’s Duke University
freshman known as Belle Knox.
Knox, 19, turned to porn to pay for Duke’s hefty tuition bills.
Word spread about her X-rated extra-curricular activities,
and Knox revealed herself publicly in March after a classmate outed her on
campus.
The women’s studies and sociology major has said she still
plans to go to law school and would like to be a women’s rights or civil rights
lawyer.
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Father Proud Of 12 Year Old Daughter, Who’s Now A Mum
* UK’S YOUNGEST PARENTS: Girl, 12, Has Baby With Boy, 13
THE father of a 12-year-old girl who has become Britain’s youngest mother insisted that he is proud of his daughter.
The schoolgirl, who became pregnant by her 13-year-old
‘boyfriend’ when she was still in primary school, gave birth to a 7lb 4oz girl
on Monday.
At 12 years and three months, she is five months younger
than the previous youngest UK
mother. She and the baby’s father, who are said to be ‘totally in love’ and who
have been going out for a year, are believed to be Britain’s youngest parents.
Her father, who found out she was pregnant only a month ago,
called LBC Radio.
“That little girl does not bring shame to me at all, I’m so
proud of her. Shame doesn’t even come into it,” he told LBC Radio.
“We didn’t know this was happening. Unfortunately kids this
age are going to grow up to have boyfriends and partners or whatever. If they
do things behind their parents’ back that’s something we’re never going to be
able to find out.”
The man, from North London,
no longer lives with the girl’s mother, who has become a grandmother at 27.
Describing himself as a ‘proud grandad’ and using a false name to protect the
identity of the girl, he told LBC Radio that both sets of parents were supporting
the youngsters.
He described the 13-year-old boy, whose identity has also
been withheld, as a “great kid”.
“I’d rather come home and had this, than find that she’s on
drugs at 11 or 12,” he said. “There’s plenty of routes in this day and age that
kids can go down.
“I mean, come on, she’s not the first person, she’s not the
last person. There’s other kids out there that are on drugs at this age and
doing all sorts of other stuff.
“You know what, she’s brought something beautiful into the
world and we’re all going to stand by her and support this.”
He said he would not let his three-year-old daughter and
nine-year-old son make the same mistake but denied that he could have prevented
it.
“I cannot keep her wrapped up all her life,” he said. “You
know, she goes to school, they spend time together. You can’t stop this. I
cannot go out and watch my little girl 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It’s
not possible.
“It won’t be happening again, what’s happened has happened
because you give your children a bit of slack. So now we will be keeping an eye
on people. Maybe we could of done more.
“They made a mistake and that’s the thing we’ve got to deal
with now and just be proud of what we’ve got.”
The man admitted that he cried when he found out that his
daughter was pregnant.
“I didn’t say too much really. I sort of cried, I suppose,
as any father would do. You break down with emotion,’ he said. ‘We heard four
weeks ago, so she was eight months gone when we found out. What can you say, I
suppose?”
He said his own mother, who has become a great-grandmother
at 56, was “obviously very shocked”.
“Well you know, back then ... it wasn’t heard of back then,”
he said.
The baby will not be brought up on benefits, he insisted.
“I work, I own my own business, and I’m fully going to
support them with my own money, not necessarily forking out of other people’s
pockets,” he said. “We’re not scroungers. I will sit there and support this
baby as best I can, with my own money that I earn from working.”
Tressa Middleton was previously Britain’s youngest mother. She gave
birth in Edinburgh
in 2006 aged 12 years, eight months.
Sean Stewart, from Bedford,
became Britain’s
youngest father at the age of 12 in 1998.
The world’s youngest mother was Lina Medina, from Peru, who gave
birth to a son when she was only five years and seven months old in May 1939.
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Why you should never sleep with your mobile phone
DO YOU sleep with
your mobile phone beside you? Or underneath your pillow?
You're not alone.
Eight out of ten people keep their mobile phones on
overnight and around half use it as an alarm clock, according to a new survey
from UK
communications regulator Ofcom.
But health experts warn this bad habit is ruining your sleep
and could cause long term health problems such as insomnia.
The bright light from our mobile phone screens is the main
thing keeping us from getting a decent night's sleep.
The light emitted from the screens of our phones, tablets
and e-readers contains lots of blue, which has a more stimulating effect than
regular light.
It stimulates the cells in our eyes that tell the brain what
time it is, which then tricks our bodies into believing it's daytime, according
Dr Guy Meadows, an insomnia specialist at The Sleep School in London.
And because of the way we sleep, if your phone wakes you up
in the night you're more likely to stay awake.
"We sleep in cycles of 1½-2 hours, with brief moments
of waking in between that normally go unnoticed," Dr Meadows told the Daily Mail.
"A flash of light or vibration of your phone from a
text message at the wrong moment could make you fully conscious.
"This stems from our evolutionary past when, if we
stayed fast asleep, there was a high chance we'd end up as a lion's midnight
snack. So the brain wakes to check for danger."
Your body is more vulnerable and reactive to outside
stimulants during these brief waking moments. So a midnight text could cause
you to fully wake up and make it a lot harder to get back to sleep.
Brightness, duration, time of day and distance from the light
are also key factors that can impact upon your sleep.
This is why sleep experts recommend you avoid screen time
2-3 hours before going to bed. Reading a book is a much better alternative.
But the temptation caused by a Facebook notification or a
text message is sometimes too much to resist. Four in every ten smart-phone
users say they check their phone if it goes off in the night.
"There's not always something new or interesting every
time you check your messages - but there might be," said Tom Stafford, a
lecturer in psychology and cognitive science at Sheffield University.
"So we want to check our phone more often than we
rationally know we should - just in case.'
In order to get a good night's sleep, you need to feel safe
and free from worry, said sleep expert Dr Neil Stanley.
"By having your phone close by at night, you're
subconsciously saying you wish to attend to that phone.
"The brain will monitor the situation and your sleep
will be lighter and more likely to be disturbed."
Most sleep experts recommend you leave your phone in a
different room or turn it off overnight and avoid looking at your phone right
before going to bed.
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Woman shows off her huge hips that are the biggest in the world
A woman who owns the title to the world’s biggest hips, likes her assets.
Mikel Ruffinelli, 39, of California, is a married mother of 4, who lives an active lifestyle.
Ruffinelli was an athletic teenager, who had no problems with her weight. She first began to notice that her hips were growing at age 22, just after the birth of her first child.
Ruffinelli said that with every child, her hips grew wider until she was unable to fit through a regular door. Although her waist measures 40 inches, her hips are a staggering 100 inches. It is the biggest in the world.
“When I walk on the street, people pull out their cellphone and take pictures or videos of me,” Ruffinelli said.
Some people ask if they can take a picture with her, while others just take some from her backside when she passed them.
“Some people assume that I had surgery to improve the shape of my body, but it's all natural,” she insisted. Ruffinelli has no plans to lose weight, but she admitted that her size has occasionally caused problems.
When she goes on an airplane she must buy two seats so she can fit her body, and that gets pretty expensive. She also has to go through doors sideways, and she cannot close the door of her shower because her hips are in the way.
Ruffinelli lives in Los Angeles, with her husband Reggie Brooks, and their 4 children. “I love her shape, but it was her sweet personality that first attracted me,” her husband said.
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A PILOT created a stir yesterday when he landed
his ultralight aircraft on a highway in southwest province Sichuan,
refueled at a gas station and then took off again.
Publicity officials from the Beichuan Qiang Autonomous County said the aircraft landed on the rural road in breach of rules and posing great risk.
An investigation is reported to be under way.
China News Service said the aircraft was a CH 750 “off-airport” short take-off and landing kit aircraft. They are being manufactured in China under a joint venture between the Beichuan government and US-based George Heintz Aircraft Manufacturing Company.
George Chen, president of George Heintz Aircraft China, said it was his company’s aircraft — currently undergoing trials — that made the impromptu landing.
The pilot, an American from San Francisco who gave his name as Andy, said the test crew hadn’t checked fuel levels before take-off.
Seeing that fuel was low, he decided to land, he said.
“I ensured that it was safe because this aircraft has many advantages, including short take-off and landing,” he said. “We also knew the road which was wide and didn’t have many vehicles.”
The flyer said the landing didn’t violate China’s aviation rules.
Among those who watched the drama unfold was Beichuan resident Chen Yanqiu.
“There were two men in the aircraft,” she posted on the Internet.
She and her brother saw the aircraft flying low, and then touching down and taxiing on the road. “I was curious and saw that it stopped at a gas station,” she wrote.
Gas station attendant Ma Rui said he filled the aircraft with 20 liters of gas, charging 194 yuan (US$31.31), China News Service reported. Then the aircraft took off again.
-CULLED FROM SHANGHAIDAILY
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People Shocked To See Young Tiger Walk In Public Like Dog
Woman shows off her huge hips that are the biggest in the world
 |
| *Mikel Ruffinelli |
Mikel Ruffinelli, 39, of California, is a married mother of 4, who lives an active lifestyle.
Ruffinelli was an athletic teenager, who had no problems with her weight. She first began to notice that her hips were growing at age 22, just after the birth of her first child.
Ruffinelli said that with every child, her hips grew wider until she was unable to fit through a regular door. Although her waist measures 40 inches, her hips are a staggering 100 inches. It is the biggest in the world.
“When I walk on the street, people pull out their cellphone and take pictures or videos of me,” Ruffinelli said.
Some people ask if they can take a picture with her, while others just take some from her backside when she passed them.
“Some people assume that I had surgery to improve the shape of my body, but it's all natural,” she insisted. Ruffinelli has no plans to lose weight, but she admitted that her size has occasionally caused problems.
When she goes on an airplane she must buy two seats so she can fit her body, and that gets pretty expensive. She also has to go through doors sideways, and she cannot close the door of her shower because her hips are in the way.
Ruffinelli lives in Los Angeles, with her husband Reggie Brooks, and their 4 children. “I love her shape, but it was her sweet personality that first attracted me,” her husband said.
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Plane refuels ... at highway gas station
A PILOT created a stir yesterday when he landed
his ultralight aircraft on a highway in southwest province Sichuan,
refueled at a gas station and then took off again.Publicity officials from the Beichuan Qiang Autonomous County said the aircraft landed on the rural road in breach of rules and posing great risk.
An investigation is reported to be under way.
China News Service said the aircraft was a CH 750 “off-airport” short take-off and landing kit aircraft. They are being manufactured in China under a joint venture between the Beichuan government and US-based George Heintz Aircraft Manufacturing Company.
George Chen, president of George Heintz Aircraft China, said it was his company’s aircraft — currently undergoing trials — that made the impromptu landing.
The pilot, an American from San Francisco who gave his name as Andy, said the test crew hadn’t checked fuel levels before take-off.
Seeing that fuel was low, he decided to land, he said.
“I ensured that it was safe because this aircraft has many advantages, including short take-off and landing,” he said. “We also knew the road which was wide and didn’t have many vehicles.”
The flyer said the landing didn’t violate China’s aviation rules.
Among those who watched the drama unfold was Beichuan resident Chen Yanqiu.
“There were two men in the aircraft,” she posted on the Internet.
She and her brother saw the aircraft flying low, and then touching down and taxiing on the road. “I was curious and saw that it stopped at a gas station,” she wrote.
Gas station attendant Ma Rui said he filled the aircraft with 20 liters of gas, charging 194 yuan (US$31.31), China News Service reported. Then the aircraft took off again.
-CULLED FROM SHANGHAIDAILY
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People Shocked To See Young Tiger Walk In Public Like Dog
Visitors to a zoo in Henan Province have been
startled to see a staff member out walking a 6-month-old tiger on an
iron chain leash in a public pedestrian area as if it were a dog, Dahe
Daily reported.
The man, surnamed Hu, walks the young tiger at the People’s Park zoo in Jiaozuo city in northwest Henan Province.
Curious passersby ask whether the tiger actually is a dog painted with dye, and some praise him as being “mighty and powerful” for how he handles the big cat. No one has been injured by the animal.
Hu said what he’s doing actually is therapy for the tiger, which was born with a deformity of its hind legs. Veterinarians said the weakness of its hind legs resulted from calcium deficiency.
Hu said the tiger now can walk as a result of calcium supplements, the walks that he takes the tiger on every day to strengthen its muscles, and his massaging its legs for more than three months.
Tigers are endangered animals under first-class State protection, according to a zoo official surnamed Yang. The zoo is licensed to handle and breed tigers while individual residents are not legally allowed to do so.
The man, surnamed Hu, walks the young tiger at the People’s Park zoo in Jiaozuo city in northwest Henan Province.
Curious passersby ask whether the tiger actually is a dog painted with dye, and some praise him as being “mighty and powerful” for how he handles the big cat. No one has been injured by the animal.
Hu said what he’s doing actually is therapy for the tiger, which was born with a deformity of its hind legs. Veterinarians said the weakness of its hind legs resulted from calcium deficiency.
Hu said the tiger now can walk as a result of calcium supplements, the walks that he takes the tiger on every day to strengthen its muscles, and his massaging its legs for more than three months.
Tigers are endangered animals under first-class State protection, according to a zoo official surnamed Yang. The zoo is licensed to handle and breed tigers while individual residents are not legally allowed to do so.
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