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All this blossoming usually takes months to fully develop, sometimes as long as 11 months, but it's usually set in motion during the winter for their spring appearance. The male reproductive parts are the pollen-laden stamen; the female parts their egg-holding pistils. It's not often a scientist reaches into fantasy literature for the perfect analogy. "Usually trees take a long time to respond to their environment," said botanist Jennifer Blake-Mahmud. "Remember the Ents in Lord of the Rings? It takes them a long time to say anything in Entish!" Some things - or people or Ents - just don't want to rush it. Most trees don't rush anything, especially when it comes time to bloom. A lot of trees have some type of flower, which contains their sexual organs. The showier plants, like cherry, magnolia and dogwood, flaunt their sexuality. But for many trees, you can barely notice or see their blossoms. All this blossoming usually takes months to fully develop...

The 37-nation FATF at its plenary meeting in Paris last week placed Pakistan on a watch list of the countries where terrorist outfits are still allowed to raise funds. China said it highly recognises Pak's measures to combating financing for terrorism. (File) BEIJING :  China today said global community should shed bias and take an "objective" look at Pakistan's efforts on counter terrorism, days after it backed out from supporting its all weather ally at the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meeting which placed Islamabad on terrorist financing watch list. The 37-nation FATF at its plenary meeting in Paris last week placed Pakistan on a watch list of the countries where terrorist outfits are still allowed to raise funds. Though Pakistan has not been named, it has to submit the action plan to implement UN Security Council resolutions on anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism by April, failing which it would figure in the list. "Pakistan ...

Pyongyang has not confirmed the offer, but it has often said it is willing to talk without any preconditions. Ivanka Trump, Moon Jae-In and Gen. Kim Yong-Chol at the closing ceremony of Winter Olympics (Reuters) SEOUL :  North Korea is willing to hold talks with the US, South Korea says. The announcement came after Gen. Kim Yong-Chol, who headed North Korea's delegation to the closing ceremony of Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, met South Korean President Moon Jae-In before the closing ceremony of Olympics, BBC reported on Sunday. The US state department responded by saying nuclear disarmament must be the end goal of "any dialogue". "We will see if Pyongyang's message today, that it is willing to hold talks, represents the first steps," it said in a statement. Pyongyang has not confirmed the offer, but it has often said it is willing to talk without any preconditions. US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump also attended the closing ceremony, bu...

Being on the FATF’s watchlist means Pakistan can be placed in either the “black list” or the “grey list” of countries with strategic deficiencies posing a risk to the international financial system. As of now, Pakistan does not feature on the FATF’s updated grey list, which was issued on Friday along with the FATF statement. (Representational photo) Pakistan found itself on the watchlist of the global terror financing watchdog on Friday evening after a dramatic volte face by two of its three principal backers. After the United States negotiated with China, and got Saudi Arabia to lean on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on Thursday, only Turkey was left standing with Pakistan as the plenary meeting of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) ended in Paris. Being on the FATF’s watchlist means Pakistan can be placed in either the “black list” or the “grey list” of countries with strategic deficiencies posing a risk to the international financial system. The FATF is an intergovernmental ...

After nearly two years of frustration and anxiety, a consultation with a physical therapist ultimately led to a diagnosis, followed by treatment that has helped alleviate Laura Hsiung's unusual disorder. Laura became a physical therapy assistant after developing a condition that hampered her ability to walk. "What are you doing?" Laura Hsiung's friends asked as she slowly loped across a Maryland handball court, her ankle off-kilter so that she was walking on the outside of her left foot. Hsiung recalls wondering the same thing. One minute she was walking normally, and then all of a sudden, she wasn't. "I couldn't figure it out," Hsiung said. "I hadn't rolled my ankle. But my left foot just would not function normally." For the next two years, Hsiung consulted specialist after specialist - orthopedists, a podiatrist and a neurologist - each of whom was unable to explain what was causing her weird walk. She underwent surgery which didn...

Defender of the Fatherland Day is a holiday observed in Russia, Turkmenistan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.   Vladimir Putin presented a Gold Star medal of the Hero of Russia to the family of Major Roman Filipov. MOSCOW :  Russian President Vladimir Putin has paid tribute to the Russian military at a ceremony for presenting national awards on the occasion of the Defender of the Fatherland Day, the Kremlin has said. "We honour those for whom military service became a mission and the meaning of life - true patriots, who reliably guard the sovereignty and security of Russia, and secure the peace of our citizens," Putin said at the award ceremony held at the Kremlin Palace on Friday, Xinhua reported. The national awards were presented "to soldiers who have committed a heroic deed in the name of the Fatherland and to the best units and formations of the Army and the Navy", according to the Kremlin. Defender of the Fatherland Day is a holiday observed in...

Washington has been talking to regional partners, including Japan, South Korea, Australia and Singapore, about coordinating a stepped-up crackdown that would go further than ever before in an attempt to squeeze Pyongyang's use of seagoing trade to feed its nuclear missile program, several officials told Reuters. US has also sought greater cooperation from Southeast Asian countries (File) WASHINGTON :  The Trump administration and key Asian allies are preparing to expand interceptions of ships suspected of violating sanctions on North Korea, a plan that could include deploying U.S. Coast Guard forces to stop and search vessels in Asia-Pacific waters, senior U.S. officials said. Washington has been talking to regional partners, including Japan, South Korea, Australia and Singapore, about coordinating a stepped-up crackdown that would go further than ever before in an attempt to squeeze Pyongyang's use of seagoing trade to feed its nuclear missile program, several officials told R...

Deadly new strikes hit the enclave as the UN Security Council prepared to vote on a ceasefire resolution, while more bodies were recovered from the rubble from previous raids, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.  At least 121 children have died in the air strikes on the Syrian rebel enclave, it said. (AFP) BEIRUT:  Air strikes and artillery fire on the Syrian rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta have killed 500 civilians in seven days, 121 of them children, a monitor said on Saturday. Deadly new strikes hit the enclave as the UN Security Council prepared to vote on a ceasefire resolution, while more bodies were recovered from the rubble from previous raids, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said

During investigation, it came to light that the woman had lied down on the girls during one of her so-called "divine visitations" on Monday night. The girls got smothered because of her weight on them, police said. Police said that the father of the victims was asleep during the incident (Representational) NEW DELHI :   Two minor girls were found smothered to death in the Moti Nagar area of west Delhi and their mother was named as the prime suspect in the case, according to police. The bodies of Nandini (5) and Akansha (six months) were found on Tuesday morning, they added. The autopsy report pointed at smothering as the cause of the deaths, a senior police officer said. The mother, Suman, allegedly suffered from mental illness and claimed to have "divine visitations", he added. "She is the prime suspect in the case and is presently undergoing counselling," the officer said. During investigation, it came to light that the woman had lied down on the girls d...

The White House was put on lockdown following the incident, which occurred shortly after a meeting there between President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull, who was still at the White House. The driver was reportedly known to Secret Service and drove into the barrier intentionally (Reuters) WASHINGTON :  A passenger vehicle struck a White House security barrier on Friday but did not breach it, and the female driver was immediately apprehended, the U.S. Secret Service said. No shots were fired and no law enforcement personnel were hurt, the Secret Service said in a series of tweets. "This minivan came and crashed into the barricade and tried to push through the barricade and his tires were burning rubber and a lot of smoke was coming up," eyewitness Chris Bello, 50, of New York, told reporters near the scene. "And then about 30 seconds after that the two security guards that were in the booth, you know, ordered him to stop doing what he was doin...

The CBI has booked Dwarka Das Seth International Pvt Ltd for the alleged fraud. CBI registered the case after six months Oriental Bank of Commerce complained about it NEW DELHI :  After Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi, the CBI has registered a case against a Delhi-based diamond jewellery exporter for an alleged bank loan fraud to the tune of Rs. 389.85 crore towards Oriental Bank of Commerce. The CBI has booked Dwarka Das Seth International Pvt Ltd for the alleged fraud. Six months after the public sector bank filed a complaint with the CBI, the agency booked the company, and Sabhya Seth, Reeta Seth, Krishna Kumar Singh, Ravi Singh - all directors of the firm - and another company named Dwarka Das Seth SEZ Incorporation. The company has availed various credit facilities from OBC between 2007-12, which swelled to Rs. 389 crore during the period. It was found by the bank that the company was using Letters of Credit (LoCs) to pay off other creditors against the purchae of gold and other p...

On June last year, President Trump had announced to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement on climate change and renegotiate the deal that was agreed upon by over 190 countries during the previous Obama administration. Donald Trump said his country is in favour of his decision to pull out of Paris climate deal (File) WASHINGTON :  US President Donald Trump has once again named India and China to defend his policy on climate change and reiterated that these countries and some others benefited the most from the Paris agreement while America didn't get any advantage. "We knocked out the Paris Climate Accord. It would have been a disaster. Would have been a disaster for our country," President Trump said in his address today to the Conservative Political Action Committee. He was referring to his decision last year to withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change. On June last year, President Trump had announced to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement on climate c...

A n officer started campaigning for the law to change after his police dog was stabbed by a suspected robber and nearly died. Finn was stabbed in the head and chest by a robbery suspect By Ceren Senkul, News Reporter A bill could be passed on Friday which would make it an offence to attack service animals, including police dogs and horses. The Service Animals Offences Bill will have its second reading following the Finn's Law campaign. PC Dave Wardell and his police dog Finn were chasing a robbery suspect in 2016 when they were attacked with a knife. The suspect injured PC Wardell's hand, but he stabbed Finn in the head and chest as the German Shepherd tried to stop him from getting away. Finn was very badly hurt While the suspect was charged with actual bodily harm for his injuries to PC Dave Wardell, he was only charged with criminal damage for almost killing Finn, as dogs are considered property in the eyes of the law. Criminal damage is currently the only available charge f...

RPSC 2nd grade teacher marks for various senior level competitive exams have been released on the official website The results of RPSC grade 2 teacher exams are available on the official website. NEW DELHI :  RPSC 2nd grade teacher marks for various senior level competitive exams have been released on the official website. Candidates who have appeared in Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) 2nd grade teacher exams may check their marks now from the official website of the commission. The commission has so far released the marks of Social Science, English, Science, Punjabi, Urdu, Mathematics, Sanskrit and Hindi subjects today. The commission had released the results and cutoff marks of all these exams recently. The results of RPSC grade 2 teacher exams are also available on the official website.   RPSC 2nd Grade Marks: How to check Follow these steps to check your marks: Step One: Go to the official website of RPSC Step Two: Click on the marks link given on the news and e...

Texas governor spares convicted killer from execution Thomas Bartlett Whitaker was 23 when he arranged the murder of his mother and brother By Alison Chung, News Reporter A man who hired a gunman to kill his mother and brother has had his death sentence commuted, less than an hour before he was set to be executed. Texas governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, commuted Thomas "Bart" Whitaker's sentence to life in prison without parole. The last-minute reprieve came after the death row inmate's family pleaded with the state to grant clemency. In a proclamation explaining his decision, Mr Abbott wrote: "Mr Whitaker's father, who survived the attempt on his life, passionately opposes the execution of his son. "Mr Whitaker's father insists that he would be victimised again if the state put to death his last remaining immediate family member. "The totality of these factors warrants a commutation of Mr Whitaker's death sentence to life in prison withou...