{ "p244729": { "id": "244729", "title": "Flight safety briefing with Eminem-style rap", "shortDescription": "", "description": "
Bored of hearing safety briefing again and again?
\r\nDelta Airlines has introduced a unique way to deliver safety briefing.
\r\nJust to make it all more interesting for the customers, a steward of the airline decided to shake up his demonstration and offer travellers something a little different - a briefing delivered in an Eminem-style rap.
\r\nAs seen in the video, the member of cabin crew, who introduced himself as 'Jym with a y' even added a pair of dark sunglasses to complete his look.
\r\nSpeaking about the importance of fastening your seatbelt, he raps: \\\"So snap it in place around your waist like it's going out of fashion, unexpected rough air, it could happen, even if the seatbelt sign is off, leave it on with a passion.\\\"
\r\nLater, he adds: \\\"There's four exits, two at the front, two over wing, it's time to bring.
\r\n\\\"That's how we ride, fly, high up in the sky, mark all exit signs.\\\"
\r\nHe ends his rap with: \\\"It's true, I'm here for you, now you're a part of my honorary crew.\\\"
\r\nThat’s all folks!!
", "image": "http://www.thenews.com.pk/assets/uploads/updates/2017-11-16/l_244729_021359_updates.jpg", "postedOn": "5 minutes ago", "postTime": 1510823340, "reportBy": "Web Desk", "categoryName": "Lifestyle", "videoURL": null, "archivedVideos": [ ], "relatedStories": [ ] }, "p244452": { "id": "244452", "title": "India gives 'king of sweets' a geographical tag to end bitter rivalry", "shortDescription": "", "description": "KOLKATA: India has awarded a “geographical indications” tag to rasgulla, the king of Indian sweets, after a years-long battle between two neighboring states over the ownership rights.
\r\nLuscious rasgulla, or sweet cheese balls dripping with sugar syrup, have long been a favorite dessert across the Indian subcontinent and among the diaspora.
\r\nBut two eastern states, West Bengal and Odisha, have been arguing over the origins of rasgulla, which means a ball of sweet. They consulted historians and produced old documents to support their claims.
\r\nOn Tuesday, the federal commerce and industry ministry ruled that the sweet originated from West Bengal, giving it the coveted “geographical indications” tag.
\r\nThe World Trade Organisation says “geographical indications” defines a good as originating in a particular territory of a member, or a region or locality in that territory, where a given quality, reputation or other characteristic of the good is available.
\r\nWest Bengal’s chief minister Mamata Banerjee welcomed the decision saying in a Twitter post it was “sweet news for us all”.
", "image": "http://www.thenews.com.pk/assets/uploads/updates/2017-11-15/l_244452_094056_updates.jpg", "postedOn": "1 day ago", "postTime": 1510720620, "reportBy": "REUTERS", "categoryName": "Lifestyle", "videoURL": null, "archivedVideos": [ ], "relatedStories": [ ] }, "p244246": { "id": "244246", "title": "Largest diamond ever auctioned to go under hammer in Geneva", "shortDescription": "", "description": "Geneva: The largest diamond ever offered at auction is set to go under the hammer in Geneva Tuesday evening, with bids expected to top $25 million.
\r\nThe \\\"sensational\\\" 163.41-carat flawless diamond, suspended from an emerald and diamond necklace called The Art of Grisogono, will be one of the highlights at the Christie´s autumn jewel auction.
\r\n\\\"To date, this is the largest D flawless diamond ever to appear for sale at auction,\\\" Christie´s said when it first announced the gem would be part of its annual Magnificent Jewels sale.
\r\nThe auction house said it expected the \\\"masterpiece of unparallelled beauty and exquisite workmanship\\\" to fetch around $25 million (21.2 million euros), with other experts saying it could rake in double that amount.
\r\nThe flawless, D colour 11A type diamond was cut from a 404 carat rough rock which was discovered in February 2016 in the Lulo mine in Angola -- the 27th biggest rough white diamond ever discovered.
\r\nThe rough was analysed in Antwerp and cut in New York, where a team of 10 diamond-cutting specialists were involved in mapping, plotting, cleaving, laser-cutting and polishing the giant rough rock into a polished, flawless diamond.
\r\nA team from Swiss luxury jeweller de Grisogono then created 50 different designs around the 163.41-carat diamond, before opting for an asymmetric necklace with the stone as its centrepiece.
\r\n\\\"It took over 1,700 hours to create this unique jewel and involved a team of 14 craftsmen,\\\" Christie´s said.
\r\nThe left side of the necklace is made up of 18 emerald-cut diamonds and the right side composed of two rows of pear-shaped emeralds.
\r\n\\\"The Art of de Grisogono is one fabulous Christmas present and wallflowers need not apply,\\\" Tobias Kormind, head of the 77 Diamonds firm that tracks the global diamond market, said in a statement.
\r\nHe pointed out that when rival auction house Sotheby´s sold an 118.28-carat flawless D diamond in 2013, it was sold for $30.6 million.
\r\nThe stone up for sale Tuesday is meanwhile a \\\"much larger diamond, and its title of the largest perfect stone could see it attract a winning bid of over $50 million,\\\" he suggested.
\r\nAnother highlight of Tuesday´s auction is the \\\"Le Grand Mazarin\\\", a 19.07-carat light pink diamond, which was once set in the crowns of numerous French kings and emperors, including Napolean.
\r\nThe gem was named after Cardinal Mazarin, an Italian cardinal and diplomat, as well as a great art collector, who served as chief minister under Louis XIII and Louis XIV, and who bequeathed it and other diamonds to the Sun King in his will.
\r\nChristie´s described the stone as \\\"a timeless symbol of beauty\\\" and said it hoped to rake in $6.0-9.0 million (5.1-7.7 million euros) for the diamond.
", "image": "http://www.thenews.com.pk/assets/uploads/updates/2017-11-14/l_244246_104435_updates.jpg", "postedOn": "1 day ago", "postTime": 1510681320, "reportBy": "AFP", "categoryName": "Lifestyle", "videoURL": null, "archivedVideos": [ ], "relatedStories": [ ] }, "p243958": { "id": "243958", "title": "Chinese Kimchi takes over Korean dinner tables", "shortDescription": "", "description": "Kimchi is a staple Korean dish that involves fermentation of cabbage and pickling it. Despite of its Korean roots, the dish is imported by Korean restaurants from China.
\r\n“Almost every woman of Chaoxian ethnicity knows how to make kimchi,” says restaurant owner Piao Lina. “It’s a family tradition. Around this time of the year, the whole family gathers and makes kimchi together.”
\r\nBut this tradition has resolved over the years as large scale production of kimchi is on the rise.
\r\nKimchi is a staple dish with a very extensive preparation process.
\r\nCabbages are cut in halves and coated with salt for 16 hours, before being rinsed off. A secret sauce is prepared involving several Chinese spices and is rubbed onto the cabbage with bare hands. The cabbage is then left to ferment for 10 days.
\r\nThe popularity of Chinese Kimchi in Korean restaurants is attributed to strict Chinese regulations on bacteria inspection and use of additives.
", "image": "http://www.thenews.com.pk/assets/uploads/updates/2017-11-13/l_243958_015053_updates.jpg", "postedOn": "3 days ago", "postTime": 1510562820, "reportBy": "Web Desk", "categoryName": "Lifestyle", "videoURL": null, "archivedVideos": [ ], "relatedStories": [ ] }, "p243744": { "id": "243744", "title": "Sights and sounds of China’s Muslim majority Xinjiang province", "shortDescription": "", "description": "Chinese province of Xinjiang mostly features in the news for violence and repressive measures against Muslims but for 21-year-old Dilshad, an ethnic Uighur, life is as good as it could be in any area of the world.
\r\n“Look at me, do I look like an oppressed person?” he said in broken English while speaking to this correspondent outside a cinema hall. Clad in a stylish shirt and jeans, Dilshad was there to watch a new movie along with five other friends including two girls, all appeared to be of same age. They look like a happy group.
\r\n“Trust me! We (Muslims) are having a good life here,” he said annoyingly after my repeated prodding. Initially, Dilshad was reluctant to talk about problems of Muslims in the largest province of China which borders five Muslims countries including Pakistan.
\r\n
Uighur Muslims performing Zuhar prayer at a Mosque in Urumqi. Photo by author
Western media often reports discrimination against Muslims in this part of China which is home to the Turkic-speaking Muslim Uighur minority who make up about eight million of the province's 19 million people.
\r\nEarlier this year, some media reports also mentioned that Chinese government is barring Muslims from performing religious duties such as praying in mosques, fasting in Ramazan or even using Islamic names for their children.
\r\nBut Dilshad and his friends insisted such media reports are incorrect. They pointed towards several mosques in downtown Urumqi and traditional Uighur areas where Muslims can be seen offering prayers and performing their religious duties.
\r\n“Most of our mosques have been built with government donations. If the reports that China wants to curtail our religious freedoms are true why would they fund our mosques?” Tahir, who was accompanying Dilshad, asked rhetorically.
\r\n
Food in Urumqi has a taste similar to Pakistan and Central Asia.
However, the presence of large number of security guards and frequent barricades in this remote city indicate all is not well in the city.
\r\nAccording to local and international media, hundreds of people have been killed in terror attacks and clashes between police and separatists in the region prompting heavy security at public places.
\r\nVisitors are frisked and identified outside the busy places, markets, hotels and even the mosques by the armed security guards appointed by the government.
\r\nWhile global social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Google are banned in the city like the rest of China, the internet is painfully slow in the provincial capital and there is no 4G service available on smartphones.
\r\n\r\nXinjiang is considered a less developed province of otherwise thriving China. But even this less developed province could be easily compared with Pakistan’s most developed province in terms of infrastructure and facilities had it not been troubled with such heavy security arrangements.
\r\nBut local residents say heavy security is the cost they are happy to pay for peace in the region. Dilshad, who studies forensic, wants to join police service after graduation.
\r\n“I want to be a good cop and prove that Muslims are playing role in China’s development,” he said, asking this correspondent to write good things about China.
\r\nAt a nearby restaurant, three Muslim waitresses were busy serving customers with delicious lamb friend rice and other local dishes while donning Muslim headscarves.
\r\n“Assalam-o-Alikum” I greeted them while entering the restaurant located near the International Grand Bazaar Xinjiang. “Walikum Salam” they replied with pleasant surprise and immediately asked where I am from? Knowing that I am from Pakistan, they bowed their heads with respect and started taking orders. There are two mosques near the Grand Bazaar.
\r\nAbout a dozen local Muslims are seen offering Zuhr prayer behind the Imam. The mosque is equipped with all the facilities that are available in Islamabad mosques.
\r\n[post_gallery]
\r\nA nearby Jamia mosque is bigger in capacity but the main gate was locked on Saturday. However, Muslims can enter the mosque through a small gate, equipped with security machines.
\r\nInside the Bazaar, Uighur Muslims are seen selling dried fruits, warm shawls and hand-made souvenirs for the visitors and tourists.
\r\nMuslims can be distinguished with their beards and scarves while some ethnic Han Chinese are also selling indigenous items alongside.
\r\n\r\nThis correspondent tried to speak to about a dozen Muslims in the Capital but none spoke about repression or any kind of restriction on their lifestyle. Some politely changed the topic. One can imagine that even if their life is difficult, they are not willing to talk about it.
\r\nAnother pleasant surprise for a Pakistani is the fact that the green passport is given utmost respect by local police officials at almost all security check points. While all locals have to go through eye-scanning machines after handing over their identity cards at the check points, Pakistanis are greeted with smile and asked to pass without any extra check-up after showing their passports.
\r\n“We call Pakistanis ‘Pa Ties’ in Chinese which could be translated as ‘iron brothers’” said a Chinese official at one of the check posts. He said there is a joke in China that Pakistan is only friend Beijing could cultivate in last 70 years.
\r\n“We share the same joke about China,” I told him while mentioning that China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) may further strengthen the bond between the two nations.
\r\nVideo & pictures by author
", "image": "http://www.thenews.com.pk/assets/uploads/updates/2017-11-12/l_243744_123601_updates.jpg", "postedOn": "4 days ago", "postTime": 1510469700, "reportBy": "Waseem Abbasi", "categoryName": "Lifestyle", "videoURL": null, "archivedVideos": [ ], "relatedStories": [ ] }, "p243061": { "id": "243061", "title": "Guinness world record: 100 couples exchange vows in air", "shortDescription": "", "description": "BEIJING: 100 Chinese couples have their weddings in the hot balloons in 2017 World Fly-in Expo of the World Air Sports Federation in Wuhan, Hubei province, earlier this week.
\r\nThe attempt was to make a new Guinness world record for the number of the participated couples exchanging vows in the air, according to Global Times.
\r\nAll the hot-air balloons were securely tethered, allowing them to float just a few metres above the ground.
\r\nAfter the airborne ceremony, one unnamed bride told Chinese media CGTN that it had been really romantic to get married along with another 99 other couples. Her partner quipped that it felt great to ‘scatter dog food’ from the sky - meaning a ‘public display of affection’ because single people in China are jokingly called ‘single dogs’.
", "image": "http://www.thenews.com.pk/assets/uploads/updates/2017-11-09/l_243061_095245_updates.jpg", "postedOn": "1 week ago", "postTime": 1510202880, "reportBy": "Web Desk", "categoryName": "Lifestyle", "videoURL": null, "archivedVideos": [ ], "relatedStories": [ ] }, "p242371": { "id": "242371", "title": "Extreme dining in Shanghai: French chef´s twist on haute cuisine", "shortDescription": "", "description": "SHANGHAI: A van spirits ten guests to a secret location in Shanghai, where they enter a non-descript industrial building as Strauss´s theme from \\\"2001: A Space Odyssey\\\" fills the air.
\r\nInside is avant-garde restaurant Ultraviolet, the city´s newest three-star Michelin eatery, where adventurous gourmands happily pay up to 6,000 yuan ($900) per head and the waitlist for a seat is three months.
\r\nThe group dines on 22 courses -- each one served in an atmosphere tailored to that dish and created by video and other images projected on the walls, pumped-in aromas, and its own soundtrack.
\r\nFrench chef Paul Pairet, 53, says the aim is to \\\"connect the dots\\\" between the mind and palate by triggering \\\"the right atmosphere, linked to the right plate,\\\" which he believes helps to enhance the flavours of each dish.
\r\nGuests take a culinary world tour, while mood music ranges from Claude Debussy to AC/DC: Pairet´s take on fish-and-chips comes in a London rainshower to the Beatles´ \\\"Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da\\\", while lobster is served as footage of ocean waves crashes on the walls and the scent of sea air is blown in.
\r\n\\\"You are using all your different senses to feel this experience,\\\" Cheryl Chen, a Shanghai consultant, dining at Ultraviolet, explains.
\r\n\\\"It´s multi-dimensional versus others that probably have good food and a good environment, but this is one of a kind,\\\" she adds.
\r\nPairet, who already has two other highly regarded ´traditional restaurants´ in Shanghai, first made his name as a chef at Cafe Mosaic in Paris in the 1990s before stints in Istanbul, Hong Kong, Sydney and Jakarta.
\r\nUltraviolet was more than two decades in the making, he explains.
\r\nIts continued success, five years after it first opened, is testament to Shanghai´s burgeoning food scene -- Michelin launched a dedicated guide for the city in 2016 -- the only one in mainland China.
\r\nIt also indicates the growing disposable income and culinary curiosity of Shanghai citizens.
\r\nPairet says consumer interest actually increased after he put up Ultraviolet´s prices to cover costs.
\r\nHe explains: \\\"When we increased the price of Ultraviolet -- we needed to sustain the whole project, there was no other way -- after a certain level of price at 6000 RMB, we had an increase of Chinese customers.\\\"
", "image": "http://www.thenews.com.pk/assets/uploads/updates/2017-11-06/l_242371_114324_updates.jpg", "postedOn": "1 week ago", "postTime": 1509993420, "reportBy": "AFP", "categoryName": "Lifestyle", "videoURL": null, "archivedVideos": [ ], "relatedStories": [ ] }, "p242344": { "id": "242344", "title": "Dolce & Gabbana switches on the Christmas lights at London's Harrods", "shortDescription": "", "description": "Italian fashion design duo Dolce & Gabbana switched on the Christmas lights at famous department store Harrods in Knightsbridge in central London.
\r\nThe two also teamed up with the store to carefully create detailed window displays featuring different scenes from Italian life. The displays showcase stuffed animals, a hair salon, a disco, a tailor and a Dolce & Gabbana-themed fridge.
\r\nThere are also mannequins dressed in classic Dolce & Gabbana outfits as well as puppets. Their designs can also be seen around the store, with features including an Italian street market with lighting and carousels. However, the main attraction is likely to be the Dolce & Gabbana Christmas Tree.
\r\nLast year the pair of designers partnered with fashion brand Burberry for their 'A Very British Fairy Tale', for a more quintessentially British set of decorations.
\r\nThis time the tone is more European. Dolce & Gabbana's Italian Christmas will be on display at Harrods until December 28.
", "image": "http://www.thenews.com.pk/assets/uploads/updates/2017-11-06/l_242344_040011_updates.jpg", "postedOn": "1 week ago", "postTime": 1509965820, "reportBy": "REUTERS", "categoryName": "Lifestyle", "videoURL": null, "archivedVideos": [ ], "relatedStories": [ ] }, "p241712": { "id": "241712", "title": "Sculptures made of cans offer creative solutions for hungry New Yorkers", "shortDescription": "", "description": "A design competition is hoping to feed over one million hungry New Yorkers in a creative way this Thanksgiving season. Canstruction, the annual competition challenges designers, architects and engineers to build giant sculptures out of unopened cans of food.
\r\n\\\"Canstruction, this is our 25th year. It was founded by the Society for Design Administration,\\\" said Jennifer Greene, founding member of Canstruction New York.
\r\n\\\"We actually borrowed this idea from the Seattle chapter, they had built the Space Needle out of cans and we thought, 'oooh, let's do Canstruction,' and that's how it became. And that was 25 years ago.\\\"
\r\nThis year 27 teams transformed about 80,000 cans into gravity-defying masterpieces, such as dice, a giant lotus flower, Pac-Man, and an 8-foot by 8-foot pineapple structure. The contest's top honor, the \\\"Best Meal\\\" award, will be given out on November 6.
\r\n\\\"We donate the food to City Harvest and one in four New Yorkers are hungry, which is sad,\\\" said Greene. \\\"So our food will feed 45,000 families, but that's like a drop in the bucket for New Yorkers.\\\" Canstruction will be on display at Brookfield Place New York through Nov. 15.
", "image": "http://www.thenews.com.pk/assets/uploads/updates/2017-11-03/l_241712_125730_updates.jpg", "postedOn": "1 week ago", "postTime": 1509695700, "reportBy": "REUTERS", "categoryName": "Lifestyle", "videoURL": null, "archivedVideos": [ ], "relatedStories": [ ] }, "p240992": { "id": "240992", "title": "History behind Kate Middleton’s engagement ring", "shortDescription": "", "description": "When Prince William proposed Kate Middleton in 2010, he brought the world in a sapphire frenzy by using a 12 carat Sapphire ring.
\r\nKate’s ring is an oval Ceylon encrusted with 14 solitaire diamonds bordering it. It was created by British jeweler Garrard 1940.
\r\nIt’s interesting how the Britain’s royals are obsessed with diamonds.
\r\nThe blue colored sapphire which got passed down from Queen Victoria I to Queen Victoria II then Princess Diana and eventually reached the lucky finger of Kate Middleton.
\r\nUpon the untimely death of Princess Diana, her two sons got to pick her valued possessions in which Prince William took his mom’s gold Cartier watch while Prince Harry took the diamond brooch.
\r\nBut when Prince William developed a liking for Middleton, Harry volunteered to give the ring to William to propose to the love of her life with it.
\r\nIt’s interesting to think how far the legacy of the precious stone will go in the Royal family.
\r\nThe engagement ring cost £28,000 back in the 1980’s. It’s currently estimated to be worth over £300,000, i.e. a crass amount of money. Although the ring will never be sold – it could reach up to a million pounds at an auction – it’s still interesting to note that Kate Middleton’s finger is worth so much money.
", "image": "http://www.thenews.com.pk/assets/uploads/updates/2017-10-31/l_240992_074013_updates.jpg", "postedOn": "2 weeks ago", "postTime": 1509460680, "reportBy": "Web Desk", "categoryName": "Lifestyle", "videoURL": null, "archivedVideos": [ ], "relatedStories": [ ] } }