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DELHI THE HINDU 22 LIFE TUESDAY, JUNE 4, 2019 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE IN BRIEF J.K. Rowling to release four Eminent actor­singer Ruma Harry Potter e­book shorts Guha Thakurta passes away An icon of Bengal’s glorious cultural past, she was 87 The series delves deeper into the history of magic and offers Hogwarts lessons Google server trouble Special correspondent However to Bengalis, she snarls YouTube, Snapchat Press Trust of India The eBook shorts will also Kolkata will be remembered for her WASHINGTON London feature notes, manuscript Eminent Bengali musician, on­screen performance. Congested Google servers in British author J.K. Rowling pages and sketches as pre­ singer, dancer and actor Ru­ Ms. Guha Thakurta’s act­ the eastern U.S. caused has revealed she is expand­ viously seen in Harry Potter: ma Guha Thakurta passed ing career predates her ca­ problems for users of ing her wizarding world of A History of Magic. away on Monday in her reer in music; she per­ Snapchat and YouTube on Harry Potter with four new south Kolkata residence. She formed in her first film in Sunday, with complaints on eBook shorts. First pair on June 27 was 87. 1944, guided by the legen­ social media that the popular The author said the digital The four titles read — Harry In her career spanning dary actress, Devika Rani. apps weren’t accessible. short stories would be more than six decades, Ms. She started her film career Google acknowledged the Potter: A Journey Through issue affecting multiple themed around the curricu­ Charms and Defence Against Guha Thakurta worked with Ruma Guha Thakurta from Prithvi Theatre in services in Google Cloud, G lum Harry Potter, Hermione the Dark Arts; Harry Potter: many eminent filmmakers, Mumbai in the early 1940s as Suite and YouTube. “Users Granger and Ron Weasley A Journey Through Potions from Satyajit Ray to Tapan biggest achievement was set­ a child artist —much before may see slow performance or follow at the Hogwarts and Herbology; Harry Pot- Sinha and Mira Nair. She was ting up of the Calcutta Youth she stepped into her teens— intermittent errors,” it said. School of Witchcraft and ter: A Journey Through Divi- 87. Choir, known for Ganasan- and went on to act in more Wizardry. Set for charms: The series will be accompanied by line nation and Astronomy; and geet or Bengal’s version of than 100 films. Ms. Guha “Prepare to delve deeper drawings from artist Rohan Daniel Eason. * WWW.POTTERMORE.COM Harry Potter: A Journey Tagore’s influence protest songs and songs of Thakurta dominated the into the rich history of magic Through Care of Magical Named by Rabindranath Ta­ social awareness. Bengali theatre and screen with this new series of eBook bitesize reads, each themed Potter stories, accompanied Creatures.” gore, Ms. Guha Thakurta Founded in consultation for six decades. shorts, inspired by the Brit­ by Hogwarts lessons, and by some new, gorgeous line The first two books will be was one of the icons of Ben­ with Ray and music maestro Married once to singer ish Library exhibition and its will take you back in time drawings from London­ published on June 27. The gal’s glorious cultural past. Salil Chowdhury, she re­ Kishore Kumar, Ms. Guha companion books, Harry once again to learn about the based artist Rohan Daniel books will be published in Groomed in an atmosphere mained the central figure of Thakurta mostly spent her Potter: A History of Magic. traditional folklore and mag­ Eason,” the announcement English, French, Italian, and deeply influenced by Ta­ the choir, which had per­ last days with her son Amit “The series features four ic at the heart of the Harry on website Pottermore read. German languages initially. gore, Ms. Guha Thakurta’s formed nationally. Kumar in Mumbai. Sephora to shut to train staff on racial profiling LOS ANGELES CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC High street makeup powerhouse Sephora has Mutation that protects Stalk and strike announced it will close all its U.S. stores, distribution centres and corporate office for employee training after a against HIV raises death rate racial profiling incident involving Grammy-nominated singer SZA. She had tweeted Study suggests that tinkering with gene may cause problems that security was called “to make sure I wasn't stealing”, while she was at a store. AFP Associated Press thing, his study focussed on Mr. Nielsen and Xinzhu New York a sample of people in the Wei, also at UC Berkeley, stu­ People with a DNA mutation U.K. who may have different died data on about 4,00,000 that reduces their chance of genetic backgrounds than people. HIV infection may die soon­ the Chinese girls. About 4,000 participants er, according to a study that In addition, the people he carried the mutation in both suggests tinkering with a studied had inherited a spec­ copies, of whom 151 were gene to try to fix one pro­ ific mutation. The Chinese dead. Analysis focused on blem may cause others. scientist tried to create the deaths between ages 41 and The study authors cited same mutation, but failed. 76. Russia requires Tinder to the case of the Chinese re­ The girls now carry different The study found that par­ provide data on its users searcher who tried to pro­ alterations in the same gene. ticipants with the mutation MOSCOW duce this mutation in twin in both copies had a death Dating app Tinder is now girls before their birth, to re­ Heightens risk rate about 20% higher than required to provide user data duce their risk for HIV. The gene is called CCR5. that of the others. A second to Russian intelligence “You should consider all When it is working normally, analysis showed that at the agencies. The app was the effects of mutations you it lets certain cells of the im­ time participants signed up included on a new list of online services operating in induce,” said Rasmus Niel­ mune system display a pro­ for the databank, when their Russia that are required to sen, senior author of the tein on their surfaces. HIV average age was about 57, provide user data on demand paper, published on Monday has co­opted that protein to there were fewer people to authorities, including FSB in Nature Medicine. use as a doorway to infect with the mutation in both security agency. Russia Mr. Nielsen acknow­ those cells. The mutation copies of the gene than one has adopted a flurry of ledged that his result cannot prevents that protein from would expect. That’s anoth­ legislation in recent years to be applied directly to the appearing, and so reduces er sign of a higher death Day’s catch: A painted stork with its catch in Oussudu Lake near Puducherry. * S.S. KUMAR control online activity. AP two girls in China. For one the risk of HIV infection. rate. CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC Scientists edit chicken genes to Prankster in soup for offering cookie make them resistant to bird flu filled with toothpaste to homeless man

The development is a key step in preventing spread of the disease to humans He shot a video of the incident and challenged followers to carry out the prank

Reuters DNA inside the lab­grown protein called ANP32, on Raphael Minder Ren, who was 19 at the again and offered him anoth­ London cells, researchers from Im­ which all flu viruses depend MADRID time, filmed himself in early er €20 bill. According to pol­ Scientists in Britain have perial College London and to infect a host. Lab tests of It was a humiliating video 2017 replacing the cream in­ ice, he later offered €300 to used gene­editing tech­ the University of Edin­ cells engineered to lack the that fuelled outrage on social side the cookies with tooth­ the daughter of his victim in niques to stop bird flu burgh’s Roslin Institute pre­ gene showed they resist the media. A YouTube prankster paste after being challenged return for not filing a lawsuit. spreading in chicken cells vented the bird flu virus flu virus by blocking its entry filmed himself offering a by one of his 1.2 million fol­ In his defence, Ren said grown in a lab — a key step from taking hold in the cells and halting its replication homeless man in Barcelona lowers to carry out the that the video was just a bad towards making genetically and replicating. and spread. an Oreo cookie filled with prank. He gave them to the joke. “I do things to mount a altered chickens that could The next step will be to try The death toll in the last toothpaste rather than homeless man outside a su­ show: People like what is halt a human flu pandemic. to produce chickens with the flu pandemic in 2009/10 — cream. permarket, along with a €20 morbid,” he told the court. Bird flu viruses currently same genetic change, said Viruses spread swiftly in wild caused by the H1N1 strain Now the prankster, bill. The homeless man was But the judge noted that spread swiftly in wild birds Mike McGrew of the Roslin birds and poultry. and considered to be rela­ known as ReSet to his follow­ identified only as Gheorge Ren had earned more than and poultry, and can at times Institute, who co­led the re­ * GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO tively mild — was around half ers on YouTube but whose L., a man in his early 50s €2,000 from advertising re­ jump into humans. Global search. The findings were a million people worldwide. real name is Kanghua Ren, who was born in Romania venues generated by the vi­ health and infectious disease due to be published in the any birds yet and we need to The historic 1918 Spanish flu has been handed a 15­month Kanghua Ren and who once worked as a deo, one of several he filmed specialists cite as one of their scientific journal eLife on check if the DNA change has killed around 50 million prison sentence and must shepherd before migrating in response to various chal­ greatest concerns the threat June 4. any other effects on the bird people. pay €20,000 compensation ish law normally allows to Barcelona, according to lenges received from his of a human flu pandemic “This is an important ad­ cells before we can take this Wendy Barclay, professor to his victim. sentences of less than two the newspaper El País. The followers. caused by a bird flu strain vance that suggests we may next step.” and chair in influenza virolo­ years for first­time offenders homeless man vomited after “This was not an isolated that makes such a jump and be able to use gene­editing In the further work, the gy at Imperial who worked First­time offender in non­violent crimes to be eating the cookie. act,” Judge Rosa Aragonés mutates into a deadly and techniques to produce chick­ team hopes to use the gene with Mr. McGrew, said the Ren was found guilty of vio­ suspended. After the posting of the vi­ concluded. In other videos, airborne form that can pass ens that are resistant to bird editing technology, known idea behind developing flu­ lating the moral integrity of The court also ordered deo prompted widespread Ren also displayed “cruel be­ easily between people. flu,” Mr. McGrew said in a as CRISPR, to remove a sec­ resistant chickens is to be the homeless man. He is un­ Ren’s YouTube and other so­ condemnation, Ren re­ haviours” toward “easy or In the latest study, by edit­ statement. tion of the birds’ DNA res­ able “to stop the next flu likely to serve any time be­ cial media channels to be placed it with one in which vulnerable victims,” the rul­ ing out a section of chicken “We haven’t produced ponsible for producing a pandemic at its source”. hind bars, however, as Span­ shut down for five years. he visited the homeless man ing added. NY TIMES By a thread: Thai Muslim family keeps silk weaving heritage alive Thousands of reptiles The craft boomed after Second World War thanks to “Silk King” Jim Thompson, who is credited with taking the country’s silk global rescued in global police op

Agence France-Presse veted across the world. in Malaysia led partnerships her hijab in the mirror be­ Agence France-Presse Bangkok Silk weaving boomed after to shrivel, while production fore going outside. The Hague Over the click­clack of the Second World War thanks to gradually moved to the Though Thailand is over­ Police have rescued thou­ teak loom, Niphon Manuth­ American “Silk King” Jim north of the country from whelmingly Buddhist, about sands of live snakes, lizards a’s family laments the lack of Thompson, who is credited Bangkok. seven million Muslims make and geckos and stopped apprentice weavers at his with taking Thai silk global. Ms. Niphon survived by up the country’s largest reli­ some 20 crocodiles and alli­ Bangkok silk shop, as moder­ Thompson’s house is one switching to a custom­order gious minority, and like the gators from becoming high­ nity lures young Muslims of the most visited tourist model, relying on his faithful everywhere they are end fashion products, Euro­ away from a trade their com­ sites in Bangkok today, but it daughter to run a website ad­ observing Ramadan this pol said on Monday, after a munity has dominated for was across the canal in Baan vertising bright­coloured month. coordinated global police generations. Krua where he first found his scarves, bags and elegant Ms. Niphon’s shop has no operation. They say they are the last suppliers among the Muslim napkins. traditional silk weavers un­ During “Operation Bliz­ of the Muslim weavers of Preserving a craft: Rampai Sripetch, 65, weaving silk fabric at weavers. “He came here ev­ But with just a handful of der 60. “Our staff are getting zard”, police from 22 coun­ Police from 22 countries Baan Krua, a storied neigh­ a workshop in Bangkok. * AFP ery morning,” Ms. Niphon older working weavers left in older and older,” said Ni­ tries, including the Euro­ targeted the illegal reptile bourhood of dilapidated said, showing a photo of Baan Krua the expertise phon’s daughter Pattramas, pean Union, Australia, trade. * REUTERS wooden houses and a mos­ A typed letter from Robert down through generations of Thompson standing next to from his corner of Bangkok 40, bemoaning the “disap­ South Africa and the U.S., que in downtown Bangkok, Kennedy on the wall of his ethnic Cham Muslim women his mother at a loom. is fading. pearance” of hand­driven targeted the illegal reptile 1059 snakes, 512 lizards and nearly engulfed by the city shophouse attests to that li­ who migrated from Cambo­ At its peak Niphon’s fami­ crafts to easier salaried jobs. trade between mid­April to geckos and 20 crocodiles creep of condos and sky­ neage — a gift to Ms. Niphon’s dia centuries ago and per­ ly employed 50 people, pro­ Traders and courtiers Thailand still exports May 22. Twelve suspects and alligators. scrapers. “This is Muslim parents after the then­US at­ fected the art of turning the ducing thousands of metres “It’s a shame the young gen­ around $15 million­worth of were arrested. Authorities also confiscat­ heritage... Baan Krua silk is torney general visited in cocoons made by Thai silk­ of silk a month. eration is not interested,” silk, but Vietnam and China Globally, police seized ed 152 handbags, wallets, very famous,” Niphon Ma­ 1962. worms into metres of soft But Thompson’s myste­ said Ms. Niphon’s sister now provide fierce competi­ 4,419 live animals including watchstraps, medicines and nutha, 71, said. The craft was passed cloth with a unique sheen co­ rious disappearance in 1976 Natcha Swanaphoom, fixing tion. 2,703 turtles and tortoises, taxidermies.

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