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New York: German scientist Albert Einstein’s most famous letter about his views on God and religion, written just a year before his death, has been sold for a whopping $2.89 million at an auction here. The two-page letter, dated January 3, 1954, was written to German philosopher Eric Gutkind, who had sent Einstein a copy of his book “Choose Life: The Biblical Call To Revolt”. “The word God is for me nothing but the expression and product of human weakness, the Bible a collection of venerable but still primitive legends,” Einstein wrote in the letter. “No interpretation, no matter how subtle, can (for me) change anything about this,” he wrote. PTI
Sarah Hyland takes social media break amid trolling
Los Angeles: Days after her cousin was killed in a car crash, actor Sarah Hyland is distancing herself from the social media for a while. The “Modern Family” star was trolled with respect to the 14-year-old Trevor Canaday, who was killed late Saturday night in Omaha, Nebraska, in an alleged drunk driving accident. Hyland said she was stepping away from the internet due to the “horrible negative ignorant words”. “You guys finally did it. Your horrible negative ignorant words have broken me. Happy? Staying offline for a while. I have a special announcement and video releasing on Wednesday I believe. So. There’s that,” Hyland, 28, wrote on Twitter. PTI
Pak govt to impose ‘sin tax’ on tobacco
Islamabad: Pakistan will soon impose a ‘sin tax’ on cigarettes and sugary beverages and that fund would be diverted to the health budget, Minister for National Health Services Aamer Mehmood Kiani has said. Kiani said the government was committed to increasing the health budget by 5 per cent of GDP, Dawn reported. “Various routes will be used to increase the health budget,” he said, adding “and one of them is imposing a sin tax on tobacco products and sugary beverages. That sum will be diverted to the health budget.” Currently, the government spends a mere 0.6 per cent of GDP on health. PTI
Indian-origin woman is S Africa’s top prosecutor
Johannesburg: Prominent Indian-origin lawyer Shamila Batohi has been appointed to head South Africa’s prosecuting authority, the first woman to head the agency facing criticism for its handling of the investigations against former president Jacob Zuma over corruption charges. Batohi will start her new role as the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) in February 2019. Batohi, who shot to fame as the evidence leader during the King Commission that probed the Hansie Cronje match-fixing saga of 2000, was selected from a shortlist of 11 candidates who were interviewed for the high-profile position. PTI