Ex-wife of EgyptAir hijacker says he's 'abusive, dangerous'

(Reuters)
Marina Paraschou said Mustafa used her as an "excuse" to seek asylum in Cyprus.

The Cypriot ex-wife of an Egyptian man who authorities say hijacked a domestic Egyptair flight and threatened to blow it up with a fake suicide belt said her former husband is an "extremely dangerous man" who used drugs, terrorised his family and beat her and their children.

Marina Paraschou strongly rejected some media reports that suggested 59-year-old Seif Eddin Mustafa hijacked the Airbus A320 with 72 passengers and crew onboard as a desperate man who acted out of love and had wanted to see her and his children.

In an interview published today in leading Cypriot daily Phileleftheros, Paraschou said it's a "lie" that Mustafa asked to speak to her and that police who brought her to Cyprus' main Larnaca airport where the plane was diverted only asked her to identify his voice.

Cypriot officials, who described Mustafa as "psychologically unstable," said he had asked police negotiators during Tuesday's hijacking to deliver a letter to Paraschou in which he demanded the release of 63 dissident women imprisoned in Egypt. The six-hour ordeal ended peacefully when police arrested Mustafa after all passengers and crew were released.

During a court hearing on Wednesday, a police prosecutor said Mustafa told authorities after his arrest, "What's someone supposed to do when he hasn't seen his wife and children in 24 years and the Egyptian government won't let him?"

But Paraschou suggested in the interview that it was all a ruse. "This man never cared for his children for one minute, either when he lived here or when he went away," Paraschou is quoted as saying. "He only offered pain, misery and terror. And even now when he's in police custody, my children and I are afraid."

In a separate interview with daily Politis also published on Thursday, Paraschou said Mustafa used her as an "excuse" to seek asylum in Cyprus. Paraschou told Phileleftheros she married Mustafa in 1985 when she was 20. The couple divorced five years later and since then had only once made contact when she called him several years later to say that their teenage daughter — one of four children the couple had together had been killed in a car accident. "What do I care? It doesn't matter she was killed," Paraschou said Mustafa had told her.

She said while married, the couple lived in her parents' home and that Mustafa never held down a job, beating his children when he couldn't support his drug habit.

Paraschou said Mustafa was a "fanatical" Palestine Liberation Organization supporter who bragged about participating in the killing of three Israeli soldiers and was jailed for four years in Syria.

Should Kids Play Football? Page 2

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Researcher Stefan Duma, who oversaw the recent studies about the severity of hits, agrees.

“I always tell parents that there is risk in any sport, and that riding bicycles is the number one cause of head injuries in children -- and we are not taking away all the bikes,” he said, who runs the School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences at Virginia Tech. “So, you  have to be aware and involved in whatever sport your children play. My son likes soccer and basketball, but perhaps when he is in high school if he really wanted, we could have that discussion then.”

Duma believes the best protocol is to work with youth leagues to continue reducing practice exposure (the bulk of hits come during practice, not games) and design better helmets.

“Overall, our goal is to help work with the league to reduce some of the practice exposure and also how we can design better helmets,” he said. “Our ultimate goal is to reduce the risk of concussion and make it more equal to other sports.”

In the latest set of studies, Duma’s team found that kids as young as 7 were receiving blows of a similar magnitude to much older players. The initial studies were small; Duma’s team looked at 12-25 kids in each age category for one or two seasons. The researchers are expanding the studies and also hope to include other sports and female athletes.

“We were surprised about the number of hits that the players were taking at a young age, and especially the magnitude of the bigger hits was more than we expected,” he said. “You’re looking at 100-200 impacts at the entry level.”

It’s findings like those that make even the game’s elite wrestle with the question of kids playing the game they love. Former NFL player Scott Fujita recently admitted that he has no good answer.

“Everyone is smarter about limiting in-practice contact,” he wrote in The New York Times. “But once the games start, football is football. And nothing is ever going to change that unless you drastically change the game. I hate to say it, but no 'Heads Up' campaign or the threat of a penalty or a fine will reduce football’s inherent violence.”

Egypt: 2 killed, 1 injured in North Sinai explosion

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Lead Poisoning in Michigan: How It Harms Kids

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2013 Top 20 Earth Images Contest: Photos

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The Citadel of Aleppo, a medieval fortified palace, in Aleppo, Syria on May 26, 2013.

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Pakistan's new island off the Gwadar coast imaged on Sept. 29, 2013. See more images of the earthquake-induced island here .

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Manam Volcano in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea, March 22, 2013.

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The Great Barrier Reef in Australia on April 22, 2013. Australia is struggling with port development that risks putting the already damaged reef in further endangerment. Analysis: Australia's Great Barrier Reef On Watch

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The Sossusvlie area in the Namib Desert, Namibia, May 13, 2013.

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Site of 2014 winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, March 17, 2013.

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The large-scale art work “Wish” in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Nov. 3, 2013. Analysis: Largest Land Art 'Wish' Comes True In Ireland

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This year marks the 400th anniversary of André Le Nôtre, the gardner that first revolutionized France with his lush landscape at Nicolas Fouquet's Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte and then went on to design the gardens for King Louis XIV at the Palace of Versailles, imaged here on Aug. 20, 2013. The young king, 22, enjoyed the luxury that Fouquet's gardner produced, but was so jealous of the proprietor of Vaux-le-Vicomte, and fearful of his ambitions that he had Fouquet imprisoned for life with the Man in the Iron Mask.

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Where's Gulliver? How quickly can you find the trapped fiberglass model of Lemuel Gulliver shown here in the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia and Gulliver Park in Valencia, Spain? Image captured on July 19, 2013.

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Check out Hong Kong, China, imaged here on May 9, 2013. Did you spot the giant rubber duck?

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The Cambambe Dam along the Cuanza River in Angola on April 28, 2013.

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The mayor of Flint, Michigan, declared a state of emergency last week after elevated levels of lead were detected in the city’s drinking water. Experts say that young children are especially susceptible to even low levels of lead because their brains are still developing.

Ingesting the metal can lead to neurological problems in children, studies have shown. A recent report from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) identified 27 children with blood lead levels greater than or equal to 5 micrograms per deciliter(an amount used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to identify levels “much higher than most children’s levels”) since Oct. 1.

Flint changed its water source in 2014, disconnecting from Detroit’s water supply and instead drawing water from the Flint River, according to the MDHHS. Unfortunately, the water wasn’t properly treated, and had absorbed lead from the pipes. Flint has since switched back to using the Detroit water, which includes anti-corrosive chemicals to keep the lead from leaching, according to an advisory issued by the City of Flint. [ 9 Weird Ways Kids Can Get Hurt]

Does the saying that you need eight glasses of water a day actually hold water?

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However, until these chemicals have time to take effect, the water will continue to contain elevated levels of lead, the mayor’s office told ABC News.

Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said that by declaring a state of emergency, she hopes to acquire federal funds to help people suffering from the effects of lead exposure, ABC News reported.

Lead can interfere with proteins in the body, and mimic the actions of calcium at a molecular level, which means the substance can affect many crucial cellular processes.

Dr. Alex Kemper, a professor of pediatrics and community and family medicine at Duke University in North Carolina, has conducted research with Michigan local public health departments about preventing lead poisoning. He published his findings in the journal Public Health Reports in 2007. Of the 45 local public health department zones in Michigan, 42 participated in the research study, and 74 percent reported that”lead poisoning is inadequately addressed within area,” Kemper’s study said. However, the state and federal governments set up initiatives to help eliminate lead poisoning, and by 2013, only 3.9 percent of tested children had elevated blood lead levels, compared to 13 percent in 2007.

“The key thing to know is that even at low levels, leadcan be dangerous, and most of the time there are no symptoms,” Kemper told Live Science.

For affected individuals in Flint, Dr. Kemper suggested reaching out to local health authorities for treatment. Certain medications are effective at chelating, or removing, lead from the body, but these are used only on individuals with very high lead levels, because the treatments can induce side effects, Kemper said. Germaine Vazquez, a representative for the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, emphasized that no safe blood level of lead has been identified for children, and that the effects of lead exposurecannot be corrected.

The best way to protect yourself and your children from lead poisoning is to avoid exposure in the first place, Vazquez said. According to a report issued by the MDHHS, free water filters and replacement cartridges are available to Flint residents, and tests are being administered to identify residents with blood lead levels greater than 5 micrograms per deciliter. The MDHHS is working with its local partner, the Genesee County Health Department, to help families when elevated blood levels are detected. The City of Flint also recommends flushing pipes before drinking, and using only cold water for cooking and drinking, because hot water is more likely to contain high levels of lead. [ 16 Oddest Medical Cases]

Lead in the water supply is a relatively uncommon problem, but there are other sources of lead exposure. The CDC estimates that children in at least 4 million U.S. households are exposed to high levels of lead, but in most of these cases, the exposure is due to environmental contaminants, such as paint and gasoline.

Lead-based paint was banned in the United States in 1978, but can still be found in some older homes. Kemper said that in these older homes, young children might lick or eat paint that still contains lead. Vazquez explained that “the normal hand-to-mouth activity of young children makes them more likely to absorb lead than adults.”

States maintain databases that track child-specific elevated blood lead levels, including follow-up medical treatment, environmental investigations and potential exposure sources. These databases are compiled, but because data-collection methods vary among states, the CDC doesn’t provide national data analyses.

Ultimately, lead toxicity can affect every organ system, with neurological effects being the most pressing concern. Some studies have found that for every increase of 10 micrograms per deciliterin blood lead level, children’s IQs were lower by 4 to 7 points, according to research published in the journal American Academy of Pediatrics in 1993.

Lead exposure can also damage kidneys and inhibit the production of hemoglobin,the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen, according to the CDC. The blood lead levels for individuals in Flint will likely need to be closely monitored, and the long-term effects will depend on both the amount of lead and the duration of exposure.

Original article on Live Science .

Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Narendra Modi is taking same decisions as Congress: Raj Thackeray

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray
Speaking at the Shivaji Park grounds after seven years, Raj Thackeray scoffed at Modi’s foreign tours, the ‘Acche Din’ slogan and promise to get back black money from abroad.

Lashing out at the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre and the BJP-Shiv Sena dispensation in Maharashtra, MNS chief Raj Thackeray said that the BJP and RSS were using the nationalism and 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' debates as tactics to divert attention from their failures.

Positioning himself as the natural heir to his late uncle and Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, Raj — who was speaking at his party’s Gudi Padwa rally on Friday — accused the Sena of lacking confidence and trying to act like the opposition while being in power.

Speaking at the Shivaji Park grounds after seven years, Raj also tried to shore his diminished support base before the 2017 BMC polls by rejecting accusations they had not taken their agitations to their logical end. Attacking Fadnavis, Raj opposed the demands for creating separate states of Vidarbha and Marathwada and pointed to deepening agrarian distress and farmer suicides in Maharashtra.

ALSO READ Raj Thackeray attacks PM Modi, dares Shiv Sena to quit BJP-led govt

He also raised his pet anti-outsider plank — accusing migrants from northern states of snatching jobs meant for locals and straining civic infrastructure. “(Modi) changed after becoming the Prime Minister. What happened suddenly? You are taking the same decisions as the Congress. What is the difference between you and them,” questioned Raj, while scoffing at Modi’s foreign tours, the ‘Acche Din’ slogan and promise to get back black money from abroad.

“You promised a miracle... the people are abusing the BJP because these were not fulfilled,” Raj said, alleging that hence, the RSS was being used to raise the nationalism bogey to gloss over these failures and “distribute certificates of patriotism.” Moreover, the BJP was also in power in Kashmir with the pro-separatist PDP.

ALSO READ Why Raj Thackeray's MNS needs a new strategy for political survival

Noting that 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' was a slogan given out only on occasions, he accused the Hindu right-wing of trying to drive a wedge between Hindus and Muslims. “This 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and 'Vande Mataram' is childish. Do you have the guts to touch the crux of the matter?” Raj asked, why the “dens of traitors” in cities like Pune and Mumbai were not destroyed.

He pointed out that not just perpetrators of bomb blasts but also those who indulged in corruption and siphoning off public funds were also anti-national.

He also accused the BJP of giving up on the Ram Mandir agitation which it once used to come to power and the Sena for going soft on its opposition to the Jaitapur nuclear power project.

7 Year Old Soccer Prodigy Signed to Real Madrid

No adventurous parent wants to drop a boatload on a family vacation that only caters to the kids, or, worse, deal with little monsters whining about how bored they are.

Aug 12, 2011 05:37 PM ET //

Mar 15, 2012 03:38 PM ET //

No adventurous parent wants to drop a boatload on a family vacation that only caters to the kids, or, worse, deal with little monsters whining about how bored they are. To plan the perfect spring break for families with adults who like to venture deep into the great outdoors but still want to spend...

Nov 26, 2012 02:45 PM ET //

The increase could be attributed, in part, to the rising popularity of bounce houses.

Sep 25, 2012 10:28 AM ET //

A pediatricians' group says kids risk serious injury from jumping on trampolines and shouldn't do it, period.

Nov 2, 2012 01:59 PM ET //

Fewer boys than ever are signing up to become sumo wrestlers. Experts are wondering why. Really.

Aplam Chaplam: When C Ramchandra composed Azaad’s score on a short notice!

Screengrab of Dilip Kumar and Meena Kumari in 'Azaad'
C Ramchandra took on the challenge and composed all 10 songs from 'Azaad' in two weeks.

In author Ganesh Anantharaman’s National award winning book, Bollywood Melodies: A History of the Hindi Film Song , there is an interesting anecdote about the music score for the 1955 Dilip Kumar film Azaad . The producer SM Naidu wanted the famed composer Naushad to compose the music for the film initially, but since shooting was already underway, Naidu wanted the entire soundtrack in a fortnight. Anantharama wrote, ‘Naushad retorted that he was not a factory, and he couldn’t promise even one song in such short a time. Naidu then approached C Ramchandra, who gamely took on the challenge and composed all 10 songs in two weeks! Here was a man who could deliver quality with amazing speed.’

For Azaad , C Ramchandra once again forged a winning combination with lyricist Rajinder Krishan. The film had a cheerful, frothy score as evident in the songs, ‘Aplam chaplam’, ‘Na bole na bole re’ and ‘Kitna haseen mausam’. This was the pair’s strength, with Ramchandra and Krishan having combined successfully for the music of fun films like Shehnai (1949), Sargam (1950), Albela (1951) and Aasha (1957) for which they gave some real chartbusters: ‘Aana meri jaan Sunday ke Sunday’, ‘Main hoon ek khalasi’, ‘Shola jo bhadke’ and ‘Eena Meena Deeka’. But the pair could also produce music and lyrics of a more profound and intense nature as seen in some of the best songs of Anarkali (1953).

The lyricist Hasrat Jaipuri was another man, who was generally associated with lighthearted, romantic songs with a distinct Urdu flavour. In his long career in films, Jaipuri wrote a number of popular songs, including ‘Jiya beqaraar hai’ ( Barsaat – 1949), ‘Dheere dheere chal’ ( Love Marriage - 1959), ‘Sau saal pehley’ ( Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai – 1961) and ‘Aye gulbadan’ ( Professor – 1962). But in 1955, Jaipuri showcased his versatility in Jhanak Jhanak Paayal Baje . The film’s songs, which included memorable compositions like ‘Nain so nain naahin milaao’ and the title track, were written in a more pronounced Hindi language idiom than what was normally characteristic of Jaipuri’s work. In the upcoming episode of The Golden Years: 1950-1975 on Sunday at 8 pm, Javed Akhtar will tell us more about Jaipuri’s songs in the film and how Jhanak Jhanak Paayal Baaje played a vital role in refashioning an interest in Kathak among Indian viewers.

ALSO READ Bollywood Retrospect: Composer C Ramchandra's 10 most memorable songs

Songs in Hindi cinema have worked towards a variety of purposes. In some places they can advance the film’s narrative while in others they play an important part in establishing a character and telling us about his/her background. Consider Shailendra’s ‘Mera joota hai Japaani’ from Shree 420 (1955). The song, with lines like, ‘Nikal padey hain, khuli sadak par, apna seena taaney / Manzil kahaan, kahaan rukana hai, upar waala jaane’, tells us so much about the character Raj (played by Raj Kapoor), the journey he has set out on and his aspirations.

Something similar happens in Bimal Roy’s Devdas , which also released in the same year as Shree 420 . The doomed disposition of the lead protagonist (played by Dilip Kumar) is so beautifully articulated in the song, ‘Kisko khabar thee, kisko yakeen thaa’. On the other hand, Chandramukhi’s affections (played by Vyjayanthimala) for Devdas are best understood in the lines ‘Tujhe aur ki tamanna hai, mujhe teri aarzoo hai / Tere dil mein gham hi gham hai, mere dil mein tu hi tu hai’ from the song, ‘Jise tu qabool kar le’. There are lighter moments in these songs, too. In Mr. & Mrs. ’55 , the song ‘Jaaney kahaan mera jigar gaya ji’ is an absolute delight. Johnny Walker and his co-artiste enact the entire picturisation with such terrific chemistry that even though they aren’t the film’s lead pair, audiences remember them several decades after the film was released.

ALSO READ Bollywood Retrospect: Top 10 picks from the powerful collaboration of Mohammed Rafi and Naushad

Mr. & Mrs. ’55 ’s composer was OP Nayyar, who had hit the big league the previous year with Guru Dutt’s Aar Paar (1954). Then with Mr. & Mrs. 55 , C.I.D. (1956), Tumsa Nahin Dekha and Naya Daur , both of which released in 1957, he cemented his place among the industry’s leading composers. Nayyar’s music had the verve and energy of Punjabi folk in it. His music was generally upbeat. He was also known for his ‘tonga’ beat songs as they are heard in his compositions like the title track of Tumsa Nahin Dekha , ‘Banda parvar’ ( Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon - 1963), ‘Kahin na kahin’ ( Kashmir Ki Kali - 1964) and ‘Jaiye aaph kahaan’ ( Mere Sanam – 1965). ‘Piya piya piya’ from Baap Re Baap (1955) was among Nayyar’s earlier compositions which had the protagonists (Kishore Kumar and Chand Usmani) serenading each other in a tonga.

You can get to know more about the many fine Hindi film songs from 1955 in 'The Golden Years: 1950-1975' with Javed Akhtar this coming Sunday at 8 pm on Zee Classic.

Angst as Adolf Hitler's 'Mein Kamf' first reprints hit German bookstores

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Too Much TV Can Dull Your Brain

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It's easy to mistake this photo for some kind of surreal landscape painting, but this image in fact shows off the imagination of Google's advanced image detection software.

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See the Dreams of an Artificial Brain: Photos

It's easy to mistake this photo for some kind of surreal landscape painting, but this image in fact shows off the imagination of Google's advanced image detection software. Similar to an artist with a blank canvas, Google's software constructed this image out of nothing, or essentially nothing, anyway. This photo began as random noise before software engineers coaxed this pattern out of their machines. How is it possible for software to demonstrate what appears to be an artistic sensibility? It all begins with what is basically an artificial brain. When Art Meets Science: Photos

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Artificial neural networks are systems consisting of between 10 and 30 stacked layers of synthetic neurons. In order to train the network, "each image is fed into the input layer, which then talks to the next layer, until eventually the 'output' layer is reached," the engineers wrote in a blog post detailing their findings . The layers work together to identify an image. The first layer detects the most basic information, such as the outline of the image. The next layers hone in on details about the shapes. The final output layer provides the "answer," or identification of the subject of an image. Shown is Google's image software before and after processing an image of two ibis grazing to detect their outlines. How Face Recognition Tech Will Change Everything

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Searching for shapes in clouds isn't just a human pastime anymore. Google engineers trained the software to identify patterns by feeding millions of images to the artificial neural network. Give the software constraints, and it will scout out patterns to recognize objects even in photos where the search targets are not present. In this photo, for example, Google's software, like a daydreamer staring at the clouds, finds all kinds of different animals in the sky. This pattern emerged because the neural network was trained primarily on images of animals. Cloud-Gazing: Learn Your Cloud Types

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How the machine is trained will determine its bias in terms of recognizing certain objects within an otherwise unfamiliar image. In this photo, a horizon becomes a pagoda; a tree is morphed into building; and a leaf is identified as a bird after image processing. The objects may have similar outlines to their counterparts, but all of the entries in the "before" images aren't a part of the software's image vocabulary, so the system improvises. Facial Recognition System Detects Pain

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When the software acknowledges an object, it modifies a photo to exaggerate the presence of that known pattern. Even if the software is able to correctly recognize the animals it has been trained to spot, image detection may be a little overzealous in identifying familiar shapes, particularly after the engineers send the photo back, telling the software to find more of the same, and thereby creating a feedback loop. In this photo of a knight, the software appears to recognize the horse, but also renders the faces of other animals on the knight's helmet, globe and saddle, among other places. Photo First: Light Captured as Both Particle and Wave

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Taken a step further, using the same image over several cycles in which the output is fed through over and over again, the artificial neural network will restructure an image into the shapes and patterns it has been trained to recognize. Again borrowing from an image library heavy on animals, this landscape scene is transformed into a psychedelic dream scene where clouds are apparently made of dogs. Plants Thrive in Psychedelic, Underground Farms

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At its most extreme, the neural network can transform an image that started as random noise into a recognizable but still somewhat abstract kaleidoscopic expression of objects with which the software is most familiar. Here, the software has detected a seemingly limitless number of arches in what was a random collection of pixels with no coherence whatsoever. Digital 'Head Dome' Immerses You in Art

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This landscape was created with a series of buildings. Google is developing this technology in order to boost its image recognition software. Future photo services might recognize an object, a location or a face in a photo. The engineers also suggest that the software could one day be a tool for artists that unlocks a new form of creative expression and may even shed light on the creative process more broadly. New Google Initiative Targets Classical Music Lovers

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More bad news for lying supine on the sofa and watching television: doing a lot of it as a young adult is linked with worse cognitive function later in life, according to new research.

Specifically, young adults who were physically inactive, as measured by duration and intensity of exercise, and watched three or more hours of TV each day had slower cognitive processing and poorer executive functioning 25 years down the road.

All manner of research has been done on the dangers of TV viewing, from looking at how it affects children’s brain developmentto how it raises the risk of type 2 diabetes. While other recent researchhas connected too much TV and increased risk for Alzheimer’s, relatively few studies have looked at its long-term cognitive effects.

“Participants with the least active patterns of behavior — i.e., both low physical activity and high television viewing time — were the most likely to have poor cognitive function,” note the researchers.

In an era of superlative television programming — and whole seasons being made available at once, enabling marathon viewing sessions — these findings are a good reminder to limit TV time.

Your future self, and her whip smart brain, will thank you.

Republicans More Likely to Let Kids Play Football: Poll

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Football and politics don’t always mix, but according to a new poll, they are often linked.

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Football Uniforms Throughout History

A recent pollconducted by the RAND Corporation for The Upshotasked people about their attitudes toward allowing their children to play football.

The poll was conducted on the heels of a spate of reports linking football and concussions and brain damage. Most recently, the National Football League stated in federal court that they expect nearly a third of retired players to develop long-term cognitive problems at a “notably younger age” than those in the general population.

It seems those reports are starting to affect parental decisions. In the poll 55 percent of those surveyed said they would be fine with their sons playing football. That may be more than half, but it’s significantly lower than the average 90 percent of adults surveyed who said they would be comfortable with their sons playing baseball, basketball, soccer and track.

The pollsters also asked people who they voted for in 2012 and found that those who voted for Obama were about half (48 percent) as likely as Romney voters to be OK with their sons playing football.

There was no significant difference in results when Obama and Romney supporters were asked about other sports for their sons.

Whether or not parents had a bachelor’s degree also seemed to factor into people’s responses. People who earned a college degree or higher were 29 percent less likely to be comfortable with sons playing hockey and about half (46 percent) as likely to be comfortable with sons playing football, relative to adults without college degrees.

Could these numbers be highlighting the beginning of a decline for high school football? It just might be. According to a recent New York Times article, high school games and seasons have been canceled across the country this season as interest dwindles and health concerns rise.

-- via New York Times .