Spices like ginseng, cinnamon, black pepper can help you to lose weight

In the opinion of expert dieticians the spices used in Indian and Asian food can help speed up the metabolic rate, suppress appetite and even stop fat cells from reappearing after weight loss. They claim a single teaspoon of cumin, eaten every day, can shift three pounds of weight. Moreover, indulging in a spicy meal made with pepper and chillies burns the same amount of calories as taking a 20-minute walk.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 2 June 2015.

Siberian ginseng root is another item that speeds up metabolism and cayenne pepper lowers fat levels to appetite controlling dandelions.
Ginseng is yet another item that helps in weight reduction. Ginseng is a staple in Korean and Chinese cuisine. Its roots can be got in specialty supermarkets and Asian grocers and can also be found in the form of capsules in health food shops. The Siberian ginseng which is classed as an adaptogen is the best variety.
Incidentally, stressful situations result in a craving for unhealthy foods and that, in turn, leads to increase in weight.
Cinnamon is yet another food item that helps in weight reduction. It is common in curries and often appears in apple pies and this super spice is a known metabolic rate booster.
One more spice useful for weight reduction is black pepper because these contain a substance known as piperine which has similar effects like capsaicin in chillies – that is what gives black pepper its heat.
Turmeric contains curcumin and this prevents the regrowth of fat after weight loss while cardamom after meals aid digestion.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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A 72-room hotel in Japan to be manned by a team of 10 lifelike robots

The hospitality industry in Japan is going hi-tech with plans to use a team of 10 lifelike robots to look after the needs of residents of the 72-room Henn-na Hotel in Sasebo. Come July and the machines would take over functions right from the reception desk.
They would be assisted by only two flesh-and-blood staff members on the premises.
This has been reported in bbc.com dated 2 June 2015.

The robots would greet the guests, carry their bags, and even clean rooms once a guest leaves. The robots would have eerily realistic female face, they would be multilingual with ability to speak a number of languages and respond to guest enquiries.
There would be facial recognition software to open doors.
Robotics is employed in many hotel around the world for specific activities but the Japan experience would be a new one, one that would be totally dependent on robotics.
This may not be good news for every receptionist or bellboy but, an imminent robot uprising appears to be certainly on the cards.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Lion kills an American tourist in a private Lion Park in Johannesburg

A 22-year-old American tourist to the Lion Park in Johannesburg was killed by a lion when she was trying to snap photographs of animals through the open window of the car. The windows were wound down and both she and her driver, who was also the tour guide, suffered injuries. Her Injuries proved fatal.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 1 June 2015.

The staff at the private Lion Park in Johannesburg, South Africa, managed to chase away the animal and an ambulance arrived promptly but paramedics could not save the woman.
Assistant operations manager Scott Simpson has clarified that they had their windows all the way down, which is strictly against policy. There are clear-cut instructions to all visitors to keep windows closed while touring the area.
In order to ensure safety, there are signs put up everywhere informing people to keep their windows closed. Flyers are also handed out as they are driving just to remind them to keep their windows closed.
Incidentally, this Johannesburg complex is a popular destination for tourists – they can drive in their own vehicles through enclosures where lions roam freely.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Maggi 2-minute noodle – Madhuri Dixit, Amitabh Bachhan and Preity Zinta had endorsed the product

The Government is widening its probe into alleged lapses of food safety standards in Maggi noodles which have been endorsed by celebrities like Madhuri Dixit, Amitabh Bachchan and Preity Zinta. The government has indicated that it is testing samples from all states and strict action would be taken in case it is established that there have been violations of safety standards.
The government has also indicated that brand ambassadors of the famous brand of Nestle would also be answerable. This has been reported in zeenews.com dated 2 June 2015.

It seems tests are being done by the central food safety regulator FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) and the reports are expected to come in the next 2-3 days.
In the meantime, a case has been lodged against Nestle India by UP food regulator FSDA in a local court at Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh over safety standards of its product Maggi. Simultaneously, Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit and Preity Zinta were also separately dragged to court because they had promoted the 'two-minute' noodles brand.
Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan has, however, said that the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) under the Consumer Affairs Department has not received any complaints from consumers on the Maggi issue. And, unless there is a written complaint, action cannot be taken.
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Prime Minister Modi to inaugurate bus service from Kolkata to Agartala via Dhaka

#NarendraModi #mamtabanerjee #sheikhhasina #nitingadkari Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be on an Indo-Bangladesh diplomatic mission when he would formally flag off a much-awaited bus service between Kolkata and Agartala via Dhaka from Dhaka on June 6 or 7. The Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as well as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee would be present on the occasion.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 2 June 2015.

The trial run of this bus service began at International Bus Terminus in Salt Lake in a 45-seater Volvo air-conditioned bus.
Once operational, the service would ease the movement of people of two Indian States that are separated by Bangladesh and will be the first bus service that will connect the two north-eastern States through Bangladesh.
The Dhaka-Kolkata service had been introduced in 1999 and the between Dhaka and Agartala in 2003. The distance by road from Kolkata to Agartala via Guwahati is 1,650-Km. However, the distance between Agartala and Kolkata via Bangladesh is only around 500-Km.
Obviously, the commencement of this bus service would drastically cut down the travel time by one third.
This service was approved at a recent meeting between Bangladesh Road Transport Minister Obaidul Quader and his Indian counterpart Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi. The service had been sought for a long time by the people of Tripura and other adjoining States because they could, then, travel through Bangladesh without changing vehicles.
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Fagin type criminals use children like Oliver Twist to shoplift and beg in Britain

This is the 21st century but, even now, in Britain, there exists characters like Fagin and Oliver Twist created by Charles Dickens nearly 200-years back. Adults are exploiting children and using them to pick pockets, shoplift and beg. This has been revealed by Kevin Hyland, the anti-slavery commissioner. He has said that youngsters were being used for criminal operations in UK cities when they should be at school.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 1 June 2015.

Kevin Hyland, the former Metropolitan Police detective, had been appointed in November. He has indicated that the number of convictions for slavery offences was ‘nowhere near good enough’. In his words, slavery can involve sexual exploitation, forced labor, domestic servitude or forced criminality.
In 2014, there were 151 convictions for slavery-related offences and the worrying factor is that the numbers of investigations are not high. Roma children are being used as thieves by ‘Fagin’-style masters.
Since the conviction rates are low, many opt for such actions to mint money. For example – in sexual exploitation, someone can make a million pounds a year out of 10 women. Girls from Eastern Europe – aged 15 to 25 – are being brought to Britain and forced into prostitution, benefit fraud or sham weddings to Asian men who are seeking a right to remain in the UK.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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The round trip to Staten Island has been free ever since 1997 but a bogus tour operator charged two unsuspecting out-of-towners $200 each-way for a ride in the Staten Island Ferry. It seems there has been an increase in Manhattan tourism scams but this one took the cake. It was described as brazenly outrageous since it involved one of New York City’s most popular attractions.
This has been reported in foxnews.com dated 31 May 2015.

The ferry leaves from lower Manhattan and takes in the Statue of Liberty as it crosses New York Harbor to Staten Island. And, cops arrested Gregory Reddick after the alert cops spotted him charging a couple of tourists $400 for round-trip tickets on the ferry.
The officer challenged the 54-year-old man for his ID and Parks permit and the man led the six officers on a chase that ended near the ferry terminal in The Battery and the man was subdued by using pepper spray. (Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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