Pakistan wants good ties with India: Fazl

KARACHI: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman Saturday, appreciating Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s decision to visit India, said that Pakistan would have to be cautious about the Indian new government’s move, Geo News reported.

Talking to media here, Maulana Fazlur Rahman responding to a question said that he had already expressed his reservations about the mode of talks with the Taliban.

Kashmir Committee chairman, Maulana Fazlur Rahman said that Pakistan sincerely wanted good relations with India through peaceful resolutions of all contentious issues.

Diabetes research: good news for caffeine addicts?

PARIS: People who boosted their coffee intake by "moderate to large" doses in a US-based study had a lower risk for adult-onset diabetes than those with stable consumption, researchers said Friday.

An analysis of studies that tracked the diet and lifestyles of more than 120,000 health sector workers, showed that those who increased their daily caffeine dose by about 1.5 cups a day over a four-year period had an 11-percent lower chance in the subsequent four years of developing type 2 diabetes, the team found.

This was in comparison to those whose intake remained constant.

"Furthermore, those who had moderate to large decreases in intake (about two cups a day) had an 18 percent higher risk," a research team in Diabetologia, the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes.

"Changes in coffee consumption habit appear to affect diabetes risk in a relatively short amount of time," concluded the team led by Shilpa Bhupathiraju of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.

Those with the highest coffee consumption, three cups or more per day, had the lowest risk of type 2 diabetes -- 37 percent lower than those who consumed a cup or less per day, said the paper, backing other studies that linked coffee to lower diabetes risk.

The findings were based on monitoring more than 95,000 women enrolled in two nurses´ health studies in the United States, and nearly 28,000 male participants in a separate health professionals´ study.

It measured their consumption patterns for four years, and then looked at subsequent diagnoses of type 2 diabetes.

The outcome may reflect a "true change in risk", but may also be explained by people cutting out coffee after being diagnosed with conditions like high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol associated with risk for type 2 diabetes, said the study authors.

Experts who analysed the new research for the Science Media Centre, said the team had merely evaluated potential short-term benefits and provided no evidence that long-term coffee intake lowered diabetes risk.

The research measured changes in consumption rather than absolute intake, said the analysts.

"No recommendations for coffee intake can be derived from this paper," said a summary, adding the statistical analysis of the data was "potentially misleading".

The researchers had found that neither changes in consumption of tea, nor of decaffeinated coffee, was associated with risk of type 2 diabetes -- a high blood sugar disease often linked to obesity. (AFP)

Review: Youngistaan has good party music

Youngistaan soundtrack doesn't have any dull moments, says Joginder Tuteja.

The biggest hit of Jackky Bhagnani's career so far is Chaar Baj Gaye (F.A.L.T.U.). So, when another film starring him is titled Yongistaan, one expects yet another ‘Party all night’ album that targets the youth.

Jeet Gannguli, who was one of the major forces behind the music of Aashiqui 2, brings in some more good tunes with Suno Na Sangemarmar.

With the backdrop of the Taj Mahal, the song has man-of-the-season, Arijit Singh, doing the honours even as the sound of the flute and overall arrangement reminds one of Zara Zara, the popular number from Jackky's dad, Vashu Bhagnani's, Rehna Hai Terre Dil Mein.

This Kausar Munir number takes some time to grow on you but once it does, you do not mind its remix version. However, the original version scores more.

Shiraz Uppal is the composer and singer for Mere Khuda which is set in Pakistani pop mode and does well for the four minute long duration that it plays.

A situational song that has good arrangements backing it, Mere Khuda has the kind of lyrics by Shakeel Sohail that fit well into the scheme of things. Even though the overall sound is quite contemporary, one does feel the absence of a catchy hook.

The song that does boast of an immensely catchy hook is Tanki. Rest assured, the song has enough ammunition to take it comfortably into the Chaar Baj Gaye zone.

Composer Sneha Khanwalkar surprises here with the kind of range that she demonstrates. Associated with music with a rustic flavour, she goes full-on techno with this foot tapping number that maintains a good tempo right through its five minute duration.

Written by Syed Ahmad Afzal along with Jackky Bhagnani himself, the song arrives in two versions, led by Mika and Bhaven Dhanak respectively.

While Apeksha Dandekar is the common element in both the songs along with Sneha who is also heard as a singer, Hard Kaur appears in the second version. The song has the potential to become popular with time.

Shiraz and Shakeel return with a qawalli titled Daata Di Diwani. The number holds your attention from the very beginning. It’s a complete shift from Mere Khuda.

It has a soothing appeal, with just a tabla playing in the background. This easy-on-the- ears number has Rafaqat Ali Khan joining Shiraz behind the mike and lending an overall smooth feel to this classy-sounding number.

The sound of Youngistaan is heard at the end, with Shree D-Ishq Bector coming up with Youngistaan Anthem. The song has the feel of a theme song and though music and lyrics are just about okay, there is a good hook that comes once the key word 'youngistaan' arrives.

In fact, the way this Siddharth Banerjee written number is sung by Shree D and Ishq Bector, its obvious this theme will be played in multiple instances. It should fit in well with the film's narrative.

Overall, Youngistaan doesn't have any dull moments.