WASHINGTON: Patients who successfully battled cancer during childhood face an extraordinarily high rate of chronic illness during their grown-up years, according to study published Tuesday. The research released by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) tracked 1,700 adult survivors of childhood cancer, and found that the vast majority were combating one or more chronic ailments.
Proposed tax on foreign films seen as threat to cinema revivalProposed tax on foreign films seen as threat to cinema revival
KARACHI: The government’s proposal in the new budget to impose a ‘new adjustable withholding tax’ on foreign films and teleplays on Wednesday sent gloomier signals to local exhibitors who see it as a huge blow to an industry which had just started to revive. Critics say Pakistani cinema houses have seen themselves wrecked and broken to make way for commercial plazas since the 1980s.“There were 115 cinemas in Karachi alone in 1970 and now you may find a matching number in the entire country,” said Adeel Imtiaz, who owns Bambino Cinema, one of the half-a-dozen theatres ransacked and burnt during violent protests against an anti-Islam American movie in September last year.
Bravo ramps up pressure on ‘chokers’ South Africa
CARDIFF: West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo hopes that South Africa’s habit of ‘choking’ at major tournaments will work in his side’s favour when they meet in a winner-takes-all Champions Trophy clash on Friday. Whichever team comes out on top in Cardiff will join already qualified India as one of the two semi-finalists out of Group B in a competition featuring the world’s top eight one-day nations.
Syria death toll more than 93,000: UN
GENEVA: More than 93,000 people, including over 6,500 children, have been killed in Syria’s civil war, which has grown increasingly deadly over the past year, a United Nations study said on Thursday. The skyrocketing death toll, along with documented cases of children tortured and entire families massacred, “is a terrible reminder of just how vicious this conflict has become,” UN rights chief Navi Pillay said in a statement.
Will increase salaries next year: Finance Minister
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Ishaq Dar has said that austerity measures would save Rs40 billion. Addressing a post-budget press conference here on Thursday, the minister said that the government was going to tax Haj operators instead of pilgrims, adding that the government had put the country on the right path from day one.He said that the government would increase the salaries of government employees next year.
Petroleum ministry increases prices
ISLAMABAD: The Petroleum Ministry has approved an increase in the price of petroleum products following an increase in the sales tax. The price of petrol has been raised to Rs100.63 from an earlier price of Rs99.77. The price of diesel has been increased by 90 paisas to Rs105.50.
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg kill friends in “This is the End”
LOS ANGELES: Actor Seth Rogen and writer-producer Evan Goldberg, known for R-rated stoner comedies such as “Superbad” and “Pineapple Express,” make their debut as directors this week with “This Is the End.”Rogen, 31, and Goldberg, 30, told Reuters that they wanted to push the boundaries of comedy by having actors play themselves dealing with an apocalypse in the film, which will be released in North America on Wednesday.”It always seemed weird for all of us to all be in a movie and not acknowledge that we all somehow know each other, because we’ve been in so many movies together already. To me it was almost distracting that we didn’t play ourselves,” Rogen said.
The Future of the European Defence
François Fillon
The ongoing debate about the possibility of a European defence is as old as Europe itself.During the past 4 decades, the subject has been discussed at length, but in fact, very few steps forward have been taken.During the Cold War, the European defence has been reigned back by the existence of the NATO, which appeared to many Europeans as the most reliable and efficient structure.
An eye view of Iranian presidential elections
Mohsen Milani
In normal presidential elections, it is only the candidates and their platforms that matter. Not so in Iran. There, the key player in the upcoming presidential elections is the septuagenarian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is constitutionally barred from running for the office. He recognizes that the election result will have a profound impact on his own rule and on the stability of the Islamic Republic.
New health threats for China as it grows richer: Lancet
BEIJING: The Chinese are increasingly facing diseases of affluence such as cancer, according to a study to be published Saturday in a leading medical journal, with threats to health including diet, pollution and city living. The trends identified in The Lancet, mined from data from 1990 to 2010, illustrate the human impact of China’s speedy development and urbanisation.
