High-altitude living cuts diabetes risk

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A major risk factor for development of heart diseases, strokes and diabetes is lower in people who live at higher altitudes, says a new study that suggests that something as simple as the geographic area in which you live contribute to your risk of developing these diseases.

"We found that those people living between 457 to 2,297 metres, had a lower risk of developing Metabolic Syndrome than those living at sea level (zero to 121 metres)," said Amaya Lopez-Pascual, who conducted this research as part of her PhD thesis at University of Navarra, Spain.

Metabolic syndrome is the medical term for the combination of high blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol levels, as well as excess body fat around the waist, and contributes to serious health problems.

While the reported increase in the metabolic syndrome is principally blamed on higher obesity rates, smoking and increasingly inactive lifestyles, less is known about the effect our environment may have on us.

"Living or training at high altitudes or under a simulated hypoxic (oxygen deficient) environment seems to help with heart and lung function, losing weight, and improves insulin sensitivity," co-senior author of this study Pedro Gonzalez-Muniesa, Associate Professor at University of Navarra, noted.

The researchers used data from a Spanish project, where participants have been voluntarily submitting information about their health twice-yearly since 1999.

Information from thousands of initially healthy participants were used to investigate the development of metabolic syndrome in relation to the altitude of where they lived.

The results, published in the journal Frontiers in Physiology, were quite clear - the higher the altitude, the less likely you were of developing metabolic syndrome.

Interestingly, using information about the participants' family history, the researchers could also assess if those more prone to this health problem also saw these benefits.

"We found our results were independent of the genetic background of the individuals," Gonzalez-Muniesa noted.

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Popping balloons can cause hearing loss

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If you thought bursting balloons at a birthday party is plain fun, think again! Researchers have found that popping balloons can be louder than shotgun blasts -- and can lead to permanent hearing loss.

"We are not saying don't play with balloons and don't have fun, just try to guard against popping them. Hearing loss is insidious -- every loud noise that occurs has a potential lifelong impact," said one of the researchers Bill Hodgetts from University of Alberta in Canada.

The researchers measured the noise generated by bursting balloons and were startled to find that the impact, at its highest level, was comparable to a high-powered shotgun going off next to someone's ear.

Wearing ear protection and using a high-pressure microphone and a preamplifier, the researchers measured the noise effects by busting balloons three different ways: popping them with a pin, blowing them up until they ruptured and crushing them until they burst.

The loudest bang was made by the ruptured balloon at almost 168 decibels, four decibels louder than a 12-gauge shotgun, according to the study published in the journal Canadian Audiologist.

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety recommends that the maximum impulse level any Canadian should experience should not exceed 140 decibels. Even one exposure could be considered potentially unsafe to hearing for both children and adults.

"It's amazing how loud the balloons are," Dylan Scott, also of University of Alberta, noted.

"Nobody would let their child shoot something that loud without hearing protection, but balloons don't cross people's minds," Scott pointed out.

The results for the other two methods were slightly lower, but still a concern, he said.

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Indian train kills 3 elephants

Three elephants have been killed after being hit by a passenger train in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal. Photo: BSS

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Three elephants have been killed after being hit by a passenger train in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal, a senior railway official said on Saturday.

The incident took place when the three—two female adults and a calf—were crossing railway tracks near Bishnupur in the state’ s Bankura district Friday night, the official said. Train movement in the area was affected for hours before being finally restored this morning, he said, adding a probe has been ordered into the incident.

Elephants often die of accidental electrocutions, poaching, poisoning by farmers to prevent them from damaging crops and after being run over by trains across India.

While elephants are worshipped by many in India, shrinking habitat has led to increased conflict with people and the deaths of many of the protected animals.

There are around 26,000 wild elephants in India, where it is a heritage animal.

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I don’t want my daughter to grow up: Jessica Simpson

Jessica Simpson. Photo: Reuters

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Singer Jessica Simpson says she doesn’t want her daughter to grow up.

The fashion mogul, who has two children, Maxwell, three, and Ace, two, with husband Eric Johnson, admits she has no desire to pass on any of her wardrobe to her eldest child, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Asked what item of clothing she can’t wait for her daughter to fit into, she said: “I don’t want her to fit into anything. I don’t want her to grow up.”

Simpson, who claims “chasing my kids” is her favourite form of exercise, also hinted she doesn’t like getting older either.

“The best thing about being 35 is not being 36,” she said.

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Human forebear a bag-like beast

Graphic illustrating that our earliest known relative was likely an egg-shaped creature that ate and expelled from the same gaping orifice some 540 million years ago. Photo: AFP

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Humans’ earliest known relative was likely an egg-shaped creature that ate and expelled from the same gaping orifice some 540 million years ago, scientists reported Monday.

Startlingly well-preserved fossils of the tiny beast, dubbed Saccorhytus, were discovered in central China’s Shaanxi province, they reported in the journal Nature.
Several major branches of evolution-one of them eventually leading to humans-began from this inconspicuous, sea-dwelling organism, they speculated.
“This may represent the primitive beginnings of a very diverse range of species, including ourselves,” said co-author Simon Conway Morris, a professor at Britain’s University of Cambridge.
Saccorhytus belongs to a broad category of organisms called deuterostomes, and is the most ancient specimen unearthed so far.
Indeed, all deuterostomes-vertebrates (animals with backbones), echinoderms (starfish and sea urchins) and other distinct groups-are thought to have derived from this common ancestor, the study concluded.
To the naked eye, the fossils look like black grains of sand.
“But under the microscope, the level of detail is jaw dropping,” Morris said.
The sack-like animal’s most distinctive feature is a large-relative to the rest of its body-mouth ringed by concentric circles of raised bumps.
It probably ate by engulfing food particles and microscopic creatures.
No eyes
Intriguingly, the researchers did not find anything corresponding to an anus, leading them to conclude that waste was expelled through the same hole.
The tiny beast also featured eight cone-like structures on its body that may have allowed the water it swallowed to escape-probably “precursors to gill slits,” Morris told AFP.
“But we have no evidence for eyes.”
The researchers also suspect Saccorhytus had thin, flexible skin, along with a primitive musculature that allowed it to move around by wriggling.
Finding the creatures was not easy.
“We had to process enormous volumes of limestone-about three tonnes-to get to the fossils,” said lead author Jian Han, a professor at Northwestern University in the city of Xian who made the discovery.
Once isolated, the samples were analysed with an electron microscope and a CT scan, allowing the team to build up an image of how the animal looked and lived.
The fossils date from the beginning of the 53-million year Cambrian period, which witnessed a dramatic burst of evolution and biological diversity known as the “Cambrian Explosion”.
The period-during which all life existed in the oceans-ended with the first of five major extinction events over the next half billion years.
Scientists say that Earth is now experiencing a sixth mass die-off, caused by human impacts such as climate change.

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Saudi singer in rare concert

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Saudi Arabia’s “Paul McCartney” took to the stage in Jeddah late Monday for a rare concert in a kingdom seeking to boost entertainment despite religious warnings of “depravity.”

The performance by Mohammed Abdu, a mustachioed singer popular throughout the Arab world, was the first major concert in seven years in Jeddah, the kingdom’s second city, according to Arab News.

About 8,000 enthusiastic and mostly young fans—all male—filled an indoor sports venue for Abdu’s romantic and patriotic songs, an AFP photographer said.

He was backed by an Egyptian orchestra and performed alongside another Saudi artiste, Rabeh Sager, and Iraqi-Saudi singer Majid al-Muhandis.

Abdu was to sing in Riyadh last September but the show was cancelled without explanation. It would have been the first live concert held in the capital in 24 years, local media said.

The Islamic kingdom bans alcohol, public cinemas and theatres, and normally segregates men and women in public.

But as part of wide-ranging economic and social reform efforts started last year, a new entertainment authority has already brought in some foreign shows, seen by limited audiences.

Those reforms are led by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 31, who faces resistance from religious conservatives.

Saudi Arabia’s highest-ranking cleric warned in early January of the “depravity” of cinemas and music concerts, saying they would corrupt morals.

“We know that singing concerts and cinemas are a depravity,” Grand Mufti Abdulaziz al-Sheikh said, quoted by online newspaper Sabq which is close to the authorities.

Eman al-Nafjan, a veteran blogger on Saudi society, culture and women’s issues, in 2008 compared Abdu to the legendary British musician and former Beatles member Paul McCartney.

“What also made Abdu such a hit is his clean reputation for being a family man,” Nafjan wrote.

Jeddah, on the Red Sea, is widely considered somewhat more liberal than the capital in the kingdom’s centre.

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Main line-up at Berlin film fest

Berlinale director Dieter Kosslick speaks during a press conference prior to the 67th Berlinale film festival in Berlin on 31 January, 2017. Photo: AFP

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The 67th Berlinale, Europe’s first major film festival of the year, opens in February with 24 international productions screening in the main showcase.

Eighteen pictures will vie for the Golden Bear top prize at the event which runs from 9 to 19 February, with a jury led by Hollywood director Paul Verhoeven (“Basic Instinct”, “Elle”) selecting the best film. Twenty-two of the 24 features in the main showcase are world premieres and two are directors’ feature debuts.

The Berlinale Special sidebar section features other notable films that are given gala screenings.

Here is the complete list including the official English title, director, well-known stars and countries where the films were produced:

• Main showcase -

“Ana, mon amour”, Calin Peter Netzer, winner of the 2013 Golden Bear, Romania/Germany/France

“Bamui haebyun-eoseo honja” (On the Beach at Night Alone), Hong Sang-soo, South Korea

“Beuys”, Andres Veiel, Germany (documentary on controversial 20th century German artist Joseph Beuys)

“Colo”, Teresa Villaverde, Portugal/France

“The Dinner”, Oren Moverman starring Richard Gere, Steve Coogan, Laura Linney and Rebecca Hall, US

“Django”, Etienne Comar, France (debut feature, opening film, biopic on the life of Gypsy jazz great Django Reinhardt)

“El bar” (The Bar), Alex de la Iglesia, Spain (out of competition)

“Felicite”, Alain Gomis, France/Senegal/Belgium/Germany/Lebanon

“Final Portrait”, Stanley Tucci starring Armie Hammer, Geoffrey Rush and Clemence Poesy Britain/France (out of competition, biopic on Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti)

“Hao ji le” (Have a Nice Day), Liu Jian, China (animated feature)

“Helle Naechte (Bright Nights), Thomas Arslan, Germany/Norway

“Joaquim”, Marcelo Gomes, Brazil/Portugal

“Logan”, James Mangold starring Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart and Richard E. Grant, US (out of competition, latest Wolverine instalment of the X-Men superhero series)

“Mr Long”, Sabu, Japan/China/Taiwan/Germany

“The Party”, Sally Potter starring Patricia Clarkson, Emily Mortimer, Bruno Ganz and Kristin Scott Thomas, Britain

“Pokot” (Spoor), Agnieszka Holland, Poland/Germany/Czech Republic/Sweden/Slovakia

“Return to Montauk”, Volker Schloendorff starring Stellan Skarsgard, France/Germany/Ireland

“Sage femme” (Midwife), Martin Provost starring Catherine Deneuve, France/Belgium (out of competition)

“T2 Trainspotting,” Danny Boyle starring Ewan McGregor and Robert Carlyle, Britain (out of competition)

“Testrol es lelekrol” (On Body and Soul), Ildiko Enyedi, Hungary

“Toivon tuolla puolen” (The Other Side of Hope), Aki Kaurismaki, Finland/Germany

“Una mujer fantastica” (A Fantastic Woman), Sebastian Lelio, Chile/US/Germany/Spain

“Viceroy’s House”, Gurinder Chadha starring Hugh Bonneville, Gillian Anderson and Manish Dayal, India/Britain (out of competition)

“Wilde Maus” (Wild Mouse), Josef Hader, Austria (debut feature)

• Berlinale special highlights -

“the bomb”, Kevin Ford, Smriti Keshari, Eric Schlosser, US (multimedia installation)

“Es war einmal in Deutschland...” (Bye Bye Germany), Sam Garbarski, Germany/Luxembourg/Belgium

“In Zeiten des abnehmenden Lichts” (In Times of Fading Light), Matti Geschonneck, Germany

“La libertad del diablo” (Devil’s Freedom), Everardo Gonzalez, Mexico (documentary)

“La Reina de Espana” (The Queen of Spain), Fernando Trueba starring Penelope Cruz and Mandy Patinkin, Spain

“Le jeune Karl Marx” (The Young Karl Marx), Raoul Peck, France/Germany/Belgium

“The Lost City of Z”, James Gray starring Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson and Sienna Miller, US

“Masaryk” (A Prominent Patient), Julius Sevcik, Czech Republic/Slovakia

“Maudie”, Aisling Walsh starring Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke, Canada/Ireland (biopic on Canadian artist Maud Lewis)

“The Trial: The State of Russia vs Oleg Sentsov”, Askold Kurov, Estonia/Poland/Czech Republic (documentary)

“Ultimos dias en La Habana” (Last Days in Havana), Fernando Perez, Cuba/Spain

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Dylan plans latest Sinatra album

Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize for Literature for his rock poetry, but he is returning to classics with his new album which marks his latest collection of Frank Sinatra standards.

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“Triplicate,” which will come out on 31 March, will be Dylan’s first three-disc album and his third successive album consisting of covers of tunes performed by Sinatra.

Dylan released a first track from “Triplicate”—a take on “I Could Have Told You,” originally released by Sinatra in 1954, with the rock legend’s grainy voice over a melancholy slide guitar.

Other songs Dylan covers on “Triplicate” include “The Best Is Yet To Come,” one of Sinatra’s most famous songs whose title is inscribed on his tombstone; “As Time Goes By,” best known for the piano scene in classic film “Casablanca”; and “Stardust,” a perennial American favorite since Hoagy Carmichael’s 1927 original.

While Sinatra is the common thread on “Triplicate,” Dylan’s 38th studio album, the 30 songs come from a range of songwriters. Dylan picked the selection and recorded them with his touring band at Capitol studios in Hollywood, his label said.

At 75, Dylan has shown no sign of slowing down. He plans a tour of Europe in April and May and was recently announced as a headliner of the Firefly festival to take place in June in the eastern US state of Delaware.

But Dylan was characteristically reticent in October when he was the surprise winner of literature’s most celebrated prize, with the Nobel Committee hailing his unique rock voice.

He did not show up to the prize ceremony in Stockholm in December, although he sent a speech read by the US ambassador in which he said he was “honored” to receive the award.

It was unclear when Dylan recorded “Triplicate,” although he cited pre-existing commitments for his failure to attend the Nobel ceremony.

Dylan released a first album of Sinatra covers in 2015, “Shadows in the Night,” and a second one last year, “Fallen Angels.”

His last album with newly written songs, “Tempest,” came out in 2012 and was tinged with dark lyricism and Irish roots music. The critically acclaimed work had initially triggered speculation it would be Dylan’s last owing to the title, as Shakespeare’s final play was “The Tempest.”

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Farhan to play Homi Adajania's character

Farhan Akhtar

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Actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar is set to play director Homi Adajania's character in the quirky comedy "The Fakir of Venice".

According to a source in the know of developments, the real life portrayal of the unusual experiences and life events of Adajania, who has helmed films like "Finding Fanny" and "Cocktail", will be shown in the upcoming film.

Directed by Anand Surapur and produced by Punit Desai (October Films), the film also stars Annu Kapoor, Kamal Sidhu, Italian actress Valentina Carnelutti and German actor Mathieu Carriere.

In the movie, Farhan, as a production executive, gets an unusual assignment to find an Indian holy saint who could stay under sand with only his hands visible outside.

He accepts the impossible task of finding one and ends up meeting Annu's character for the task and thus, begins a journey to Venice. How the drama unfolds in this journey, forms the main premise of the film.

It is about intense human behaviour, strong relationships regardless of language barriers, humour, conspiracy, lies and truth.

The film was shot in Mumbai, Banaras, Ladakh and Venice.

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Andre Russell banned for one year over doping breach

West Indies all-rounder Russell sits at a desk during a meeting of an independent anti-doping tribunal at the Jamaica Conference Centre, in Kingston. Photo: ReutersWest Indies all-rounder Andre Russell was banned on Tuesday for one year for a doping whereabouts rule violation.

Russell appeared to be in tears when the decision was announced at the Jamaica Conference Centre in Kingston.

The two-times Twenty20 World Cup winner was revealed to have committed the violation 11 months ago after registering three filing failures in 2015. That constitutes a failed drugs test under World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules.

“Mr Russell was found guilty of a doping violation,” Hugh Faulkner, chairman of the independent anti-doping tribunal that handed out the punishment, said in a statement.

The 28-year-old Jamaican, who helped the West Indies win their second World T20 title in 2016, will be banned for a year from 31 Jan.

WADA rules state that athletes across all sports must inform their local anti-doping agencies where they will be for at least one hour each day to facilitate drug tests.

A visibly upset Russell did not comment on the ruling, but his lead attorney, while disappointed his client did not beat the case, took comfort that Russell avoided a maximum two-year ban.

“Relieved it’s one year, but not two years. But I genuinely thought given the circumstances and the evidence that was before the panel that he would have been exonerated,” Patrick Foster told Reuters.

The attorney has not ruled out Russell lodging an appeal to the Court of arbitration for Sport within the allowed 21 day period.

“Haven’t made a decision like that as yet. We have considered it but we wouldn’t really consider that seriously until we have had a chance to speak with the client and look at the (written) decision,” Foster said.

Russell’s ban means he will miss a lucrative year of T20 cricket, including the Indian Premier League, where he plays for the Kolkata Knight Riders.

The 28-year-old Jamaican earlier this month completed a stint with the Sydney Thunder in the Australian Big Bash league.

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Slum catches fire in Dhaka

A fire broke out at a slum in the capital’s Nakhalpara area on Tuesday night, reports news agency UNB.

Palash Chandra, duty officer of Fire Service and Civil Defense, said the fire erupted around 11:03pm at a room of the slum and soon engulfed the adjacent rooms.

On information, nine units of fire fighters rushed to the spot and were working to put out the flame till filing this report at 12:20am, Palash added.

However, it is not still clear what exactly cause the fire.

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Trump picks judge Gorsuch for US Supreme Court

Judge Neil Gorsuch ® speaks with US President Donald Trump after he was nominated for the Supreme Court, at the White House in Washington, DC. Photo: AFPPresident Donald Trump nominated federal appellate judge Neil Gorsuch to the US Supreme Court Tuesday, as the new Republican leader seeks to tilt the balance of the court back in the conservatives’ favor.

In a prime-time address that was part jurisprudence and part reality TV, Trump tapped the 49-year-old Gorsuch from Denver, Colorado to fill the bench slot made vacant by the death of Antonin Scalia nearly a year ago.

Like Scalia, Gorsuch is considered to be an “originalist”—guided in his legal reasoning by what he believes to be the constitution’s original intent and meaning.

The elegant, silver-haired 49-year-old with a flair for writing incisive rulings is the youngest nominee in a generation.

If confirmed by the Senate, his appointment could have a major impact on cases ranging from education to gender rights to gun control.

For Trump, the selection is payback to evangelical and conservative Republicans who backed his bit, sometimes reluctantly, for the presidency.

“Millions of voters said this was the single most important issue to them when they voted for me for president,” Trump said.

“I am a man of my word. I will do as I say—something that the American people have been asking for from Washington for a very, very long time.”

He hailed Gorsuch as a man who has “outstanding legal skills, a brilliant mind, tremendous discipline, and has earned bipartisan support.”

After hyping the announcement in way that commentators described as “unprecedented,” Trump invited Gorsuch and his wife to come up to the podium in the East Room of the White House.

“Here they come. Here they come. So was that a surprise? Was it?” said Trump, ever the showman.

Job for life

The Supreme Court is the final arbiter of many of the most sensitive issues of American life and law.

Its members are named to life terms so their influence is long-lasting.

Gorsuch painted himself as someone who is fair-minded and self-deprecating.

“A judge who likes every outcome he reaches is very likely a bad judge, stretching for results he prefers rather than those the law demands,” he joked.

Given the advanced age of several sitting justices, Trump could potentially make several appointments during his term, shaping the court’s direction for a generation.

Once confirmed, however, justices enjoy independence and some have proved politically unpredictable.

Scalia’s Supreme Court seat has been vacant since his death on February 13, 2016.

For the better part of a year, Congressional Republicans refused to give then president Barack Obama’s pick a confirmation hearing.

‘Very serious doubts’

Democrats, who are in a minority in both chambers of Congress, are still smarting from Republican treatment of Obama’s pick, Merrick Garland.

Garland has since returned to his old job as chief judge of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in Washington, but Democrats could yet pick a fight.

And although Republicans hold 52 seats in the Senate, they need 60 to confirm a nominee.

That means Gorsuch must be someone capable of winning some Democratic votes—a tough task amid the row over Trump’s ban on travelers from several Muslim countries.

“A little more than a week into the Trump presidency, the new administration has violated our core values, challenged the separation of powers, and tested the very fabric of our Constitution in unprecedented fashion,” said Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer.

Schumer said it was up to Gorsuch to “prove himself to be within the legal mainstream” and “vigorously defend the Constitution from abuses of the Executive branch.”

But he added: “Given his record, I have very serious doubts about Judge Gorsuch’s ability to meet this standard.”

Unsurprisingly given Washington’s hyper-partisan nature, Republicans welcomed the decision.

“He has an impressive background and a long record of faithfully applying the law and the Constitution,” said Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell.

“When the Senate previously confirmed him to the appellate court, the bipartisan support in the Senate was so overwhelming, a roll call vote was not even required,” he added.

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4 ‘JMB men’ held in Dhaka

Member of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested four suspected members of a faction of banned militant outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) from Jatrabari area of Dhaka Wednesday early morning.

According to RAB, the four members of the 'Sarwar-Tamim' group, including the IT head of the faction Ashfaque-e-Azam, were arrested in a raid in a Jatrabari house.

RAB in a mobile message also claimed that they had seized arms, bullets, and explosives from the spot.

A press briefing will be held later on the day to give details of the raid, the SMS further said.

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A fantasy phone call between Trump and the police

Photo: Reuters

Donald Trump: Hello, this is Donald Trump from USA. I am calling from the White House. Is that the police?

Police: My God! Is it really you? Unbelievable! We are honoured! Yes , sir, we are the police, the friend of people (excluding journalists).

Trump: Warmest greetings, friend of people! Hats off,  buddy. I wish I could fly to you to give you a bear hug for what you have done.  Bravo! Bravo!

Police:  Sorry, sir, I don't understand why you're so excited. Would you please explain?

Trump: Oh, please, stop being so modest! You are indeed great. You are the real police. The rest are just black sheep. Shame on them.

Police:  Now we are really confused. Would you explain...

Trump: You beat up few representatives of dishonest peoples.

Police: Now I get it. You are probably talking about journalists.

Trump: Don't call them journalists. They are dishonest people. They are wicked.  You taught them a good lesson.  They wrote stupid things about me, didn't you notice?

Police:  I know, sir. They want to poke their noses into everything. Look at the power plant issue. It is being constructed near a forest. So what? They are going all berserk over this issue. I don't understand why care so much about some plants and animals. They crossed the line and we... 

Trump: You did the right thing. Plants and animals are cheap stuff compared to  electricity worth millions of dollars. If they are so compassionate about the forest, they could just pack their bags and go live there.

Police: Ha! Ha! Ha! You are right. They go on blabbering on and one at the slightest chance. They cannot accept the fact that the nation is developing.

Trump:  Exactly. I will teach these yellow journalists a good lesson. The sand truck idea I borrowed from you was a big hit. I think I should try this beating up thing too.

Police: You are right. Give us a call if you need any help. We are pros in this department.

Trump: Of course. Please, pay a visit to White House. We could talk over this issue.

Police: I will.

Trump: Okay, bye now. Make America...sorry, make the police great again.

Police: Sir, the police don't have to be made great. WE ARE ALREDY GREAT.

(This is a satirical write-up)

**The write-up originally published in Prothom Alo print edition is rewritten in English by Kohinur Khyum

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Priyanka says India will always be her identity

Priyanka Chopra. Photo: AFP

On Republic Day, actress Priyanka Chopra, who has been juggling work between the US and India, says wherever she lives, her identity will always be connected to her country.

“Happy Republic Day India! No matter where I am... You will always be my identity. Proud Indian...Army beti (daughter),” tweeted Priyanka, whose late father Ashok Chopra was a doctor in the Indian Army.

Priyanka is currently in New York to shoot for the second season of American drama series “Quantico”. She will also be seen with Hollywood stars Dwyane Johnson and Zac Efron in the upcoming film “Baywatch”, a movie adaptation of the hugely popular eponymous TV series.

The film is slated to release in May.

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