A Lone Stranger

If you are an Indian without passport just because the cumbersome formalities to file for one is not your cup of tea, here comes the good news for you. Taking ahead the excellent workmanship, Sushma Swaraj led Ministry of External Affairs made some amendments in the passport rules in order to liberalize and streamline the process by easing some complexities. The revised regulations would be soon published via an Official Gazette though the same has been directed to the Passport Issuing Authorities in Indian and overseas. Here are all the amendments done in 2016-2017 that have made filing for a passport much easier – comparative mode I Date of Birth Proof Old Rule: Any Indian resident born on or after January 26, 1989, had to submit their Date of Birth Certificate as a proof of Date of Birth. New Rule: As per the new rule Date of Birth Certificate is not a mandate. Any individual born on or after January 26, 1989, may present below-mentioned documents as a proof of Date...

MUMBAI: A promise to marry cannot be considered an inducement in every rape case, the Bombay high court has ruled while granting pre-arrest bail to a 21-year-old youth after his former girlfriend lodged a case of rape following their break-up. Justice Mridula Bhatkar held that an educated girl who has consented to have pre-marital sex should take responsibility for her decision. "In the event of consent obtained by fraud, inducement is a necessary ingredient. There should be some material on record to believe prima facie that the girl was induced to such an extent that she was ready to have sexual intercourse. Promise to marry cannot be said to be an inducement in these types of cases," said Justice Bhatkar. The judge said that though society was changing, it carries the baggage of morality. "Since generations, there is a moral taboo that it is the responsibility of a woman to be a virgin at the time of marriage. However, today, the young generation is exposed to diff...

Dear All, This is just a way that banks brings up frauds and later blame it on mischievous people, I, Irfan Alavi holder of a current & Savings account in SBI Sarai Khwaja Faridabad SBIN0003245 lost my debit card in July 2015 and since then have made 5 Applications to the bank for the debit card, now today(30-04-2016) when I visited the branch and was told to look in their register I saw a name Irfan Aali written in very poor handwriting and hard to read, Approached the cashier lady and she took out a packet, verified my credentials with account number Aadhar Card & Company ID Card handed me the packet and asked me to collect pin, the same verification process was repeated by counter#9 Mr Chandan and after proper verification(as they call it) I was finally given the pin envelope. Wow I had accomplished the impossible and got my  debit card & pin from a Government Bank...excited I was. Then I opened the card only to feel that my name is misprinted as Irfan Ali, Oki...

Long-term vegetarian diet can lead to a genetic mutation that may increase the risk of cancer and heart disease in Indians, a new study by Cornell University researchers has claimed. The gene identified by scientists helps those who eat plant-based diets to process omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids into compounds that help the development of the brain and control inflammation in the body. The gene could cause a spike in the production of arachidonic acid, which makes the body prone to inflammation and has been linked to heart disease and cancer. This can be harmful if a person with the gene has a diet high in certain vegetable oils, such as sunflower oil, as the body will metabolise the fatty acids into arachidonic acid more quickly . The discovery by researchers, including Kumar Kothapalli from Cornell University in US, provides the first evolutionary work that traces a higher frequency of a particular mutation to a primarily vegetarian population from Pune (about 70%), when compared t...

This is a purely fictional story written with a reason however bears no resemblance to any person living or dead. Fear, loneliness, sadness. They all dwell inside my body, swirling with the waves of hope. They all tear me down, break my soul and they never let me go back. Where am I? I look at the grey sky, but the tears roll down my eyes so I look towards the ground. My tear drops hit the soft soil, and get absorbed in; telling me that all my sadness, all my tears will get absorbed into the cold world like everybody else’s. Showing me that no one cares, the world is cruel, and humans are selfish. If someone is hurt then we say how we should be hurt worse. You’re not asking for pity, you’re not asking for it to go away, you’re simply asking for someone to listen and possibly help you feel better so you can help them when they are down. But it’s always the same. You help them, time after time again, but they never help you, instead they make you feel worse. Please, if you don’t ca...

Lifestyle awareness: Migraine do's and don'ts (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images) A kind of vascular headache, migraines are caused by nerve swellings that result in expansion of blood vessels in the brain. Inflammation leads to further enlargement of arteries, which in turn escalates into debilitating pain. Usually accompanied by nausea and photophobia, it is one of the most under-diagnosed and under-treated problems. Today we have, Dr Praveen Gupta, Consultant, Neurology at Artemis Health Institute, Gurgaon take us through the top 12 list of do's and don'ts when you are suffering from migraines. - Patients, who have been diagnosed with migraine, should continue to take the prescribed medication. - Migraine patients should avoid exposure to frequent temperature change. - Avoid any alternative treatments at home. - It is important to remember that migraines, at times, can be fatal. So, it is advisable to seek medical advice. - Ensure that you get 6-8 hrs of sound sleep....

The horrific attacks in Paris on Friday have, predictably, led to much over-reaction and demands that we do more of the exact things that radicalize people and make them want to attack us. The French military wasted no time bombing Syria in retaliation for the attacks, though it is not known where exactly the attackers were from. Thousands of ISIS fighters in Syria are not Syrian, but came to Syria to overthrow the Assad government from a number of foreign countries -- including from France and the US. Ironically, the overthrow of Assad has also been the goal of both the US and France since at least 2011. Because the US and its allies are essentially on the same side as ISIS and other groups – seeking the overthrow of Assad – many of the weapons they have sent to the more “moderate” factions also seeking Assad’s ouster have ended up in the hands of radicals. Moderate groups have joined more radical factions over and over, taking their US-provided training and weapons with them. Ot...