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Suicide bomber hits European police in Kabul, one dead

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A suicide car bomber struck near the headquarters of the European police training mission in Kabul on Monday, killing one Afghan civilian and wounding five others nearby, police and EUPOL said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, the first against a foreign target in the Afghan capital in 2015.

According to a statement from the EUPOL mission, the driver of the car packed with explosives apparently targeted a convoy of mission vehicles near its headquarters on the eastern outskirts of Kabul in the early afternoon.

National law needed on conversions: Jaitley

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Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Monday said a national law must make clear how voluntary conversion can take place while he also asked people not to expect a big bang union budget.

In an interview to news channel NDTV, Jaitley admitted that the controversy over conversions was diffusing the development message of the government.

“Yes, I am concerned about headlines being hijacked. Our focus is development,” he said.

Bahrain leader to stay 15 more days in custody

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An opposition leader in Bahrain will be kept in custody for 15 more days pending investigation into charges of law violation, the prosecution announced Monday.

Ali Salman, secretary general of the Shiite Al Wefaq National Islamic Society, was detained Dec 28 after leading a protest rally against the November general elections which his party had boycotted, Xinhua reported.

He was charged with promoting political change using illegal means, explicitly inciting hatred against specific segments of society, inciting others to break the law and deliberately insulting the interior ministry.

Myanmar president hopes to sign ceasefire accord in February

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Myanmar President U Thein Sein Monday expressed hope that he would be able to sign a nationwide ceasefire accord on Myanmar’s Union Day Feb 12, after the draft accord is finalised.

The news was revealed by secretary of the ethnic armed groups’ National Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) Khun Okka in an interview with Xinhua.

Thein Sein made the remark during a meeting with representatives of 12 ethnic armed groups in Nay Pyi Taw who attended Sunday’s Independence Day military review parade in the capital at the invitation of the government.

US ambassador meets Sharif ahead of Kerry’s Pak visit

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US ambassador to Pakistan, Richard Olson on Monday met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and discussed the upcoming visit of Secretary of State John Kerry for the bilateral strategic dialogue.

Kerry will lead the US side in the strategic dialogue meeting scheduled to be held on January 14 in Islamabad.

Prime Minister’s House in a statement said that Olson discussed the visit and bilateral relations with Sharif.

“Matters relating with Pak-US relations with particular reference to the upcoming expected visit of US Secretary of State, Mr John Kerry, came under discussion,” it said.

I will continue to bat till I get out: Bihar CM Manjhi

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Using cricket parlance, Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Monday said he was playing a T20 match and would continue to bat, hitting the ball all around, till he gets out.

“Nitish Kumar chose me to bat and I am doing it honestly. I will continue to bat till I am out and another batsman sent to the ground,” Manjhi told reporters emerging from “Janata ke Darbar me Mukhya Mantri” programme.

Bills to set up military courts in Pakistan deferred

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The Pakistan government Monday deferred till Tuesday voting on two bills aimed to set up constitutionally protected military courts to try civilian terror suspects.

Members of the National Assembly had arrived in parliament Monday to vote on the two bills – the Constitution Bill and the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill, Dawn online reported.

Voting was deferred after the government fell short of the required two-third majority – 228 members – for the passage of the amendments after Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman expressed reservations on the bill.

Aviation fuel cheaper than petrol in Modi regime: Congress

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The Congress Monday accused the NDA government of “betraying” the common man as it failed to reduce prices of petrol and diesel in proportion with the drop in international crude oil prices, while the aviation fuel was cheaper than petrol.

“Narendra Modi government’s dharma (duty) of profiteering at the cost of aam aadmi eclipses acchhe din (good days). Refusal to reduce the prices of petrol and diesel by the government is a betrayl of 125 crore Indians that the BJP promised to serve,” said party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala in a statement.

Innovative heating tech from Pantheon PharmChem launched

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To bring some relief to the people in the winters, Mumbai-based Pantheon PharmChem launched WARMEE, an innovative handy self-heating pouch, a company statement said here Monday.

Priced at Rs.30 for the smaller pack and Rs.50 for the regular pack, the pouch works as an inexpensive method to stay away from the cold.

Ghani wants US to `re-examine` deadline for withdrawal of troops

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Signaling that an extended U.S. engagement in Afghanistan may be on the cards, President Ashraf Ghani has said that United States’ two-year deadline for withdrawing the last of its troops may need to be “re-examined.” Ghani remarked, “Deadlines should not be dogmas,” reported the BBC. U.S. President Barack Obama had earlier announced his decision to pull out all troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2016, as the nation looks after its own security. The statement followed a dramatic rise in the number of Taliban attacks last year.

Taliban militant makes 69 connections on LinkedIn, lists `jihad` as skill

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A former Taliban militant, who now openly promotes himself as the spokesman for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan splinter group, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, has reportedly made 69 connections on LinkedIn. Ehsanullah Ehsan, describes himself as “self-employed” and even lists “jihad and journalism” as his skill on his LinkedIn account, reported The Daily Star. Ehasan’s Taliban splinter group had threatened to attack the United Kingdom in October to retaliate against the arrest of Anjem Choudary, a radical Islamist cleric and eight other British extremists in London.

Table sugar less toxic than fructose

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All “added sugar” found typically in processed foods are bad but among them the fructose found in corn syrup may harm you more than table sugar, new research has found.

“This is the most robust study showing there is a difference between high-fructose corn syrup and table sugar at human-relevant doses,” said senior author of a new study Wayne Potts, professor at University of Utah in the US.

Rotating night shifts can be hazardous to health: Study

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Working in rotating night shifts may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and lung cancer, a new study has warned.

Night shift work has been consistently associated with higher risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer. In 2007 the World Health Organisation classified night shift work as a probable carcinogen due to circadian disruption.

Could depression be a physical illness?

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Depression may not be a mental or emotional condition but actually a result of inflammation caused by the body’s immune system, scientists say.

George Slavich, a clinical psychologist at the University of California in Los Angeles, has spent years studying depression, and has come to the conclusion that it has as much to do with the body as the mind.

“I don’t even talk about it as a psychiatric condition any more. It does involve psychology, but it also involves equal parts of biology and physical health,” he said.

Teens` love for technology responsible for addiction as adults

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Teenagers’ love for technology is the reason behind addition to it later in their lives. While over 80 percent of people admitted that they struggled to give up habits such using social media for a month, texting would be the hardest to stop followed by social networking, junk food and booze, the Mirror reported. According to a study of teenagers aged between 12 and 18, on an average, a teenager checks social media 11 times a day, sends 17 text messages and spends 62 pounds a month on technology, gambling, junk food and alcohol.

Judicial appointment panel’s validity challenged in SC

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A plea was filed in the Supreme Court Monday challenging the validity of the law setting up the National Judicial Appointment Commission to replace the collegium system for appointments to the higher judiciary on grounds it was an assault on the constitution’s basic structure and the independence of judiciary.

The petition has also challenged the Constitution (Ninety Ninth Amendment) Act, 2014, that paved the way for the setting up of the commission. President Pranab Mukherjee had Dec 31, 2014, given his assent to the provision.

Now, `modified` common antibiotic may beat risk of hearing loss

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Researchers have developed a modified version of an aminoglycoside, the most commonly used class of antibiotics worldwide, that may eliminate the risk of hearing loss. Treatment with aminoglycosides is often a lifesaving necessity. But an estimated 20-60 percent of all patients who receive these antibiotics suffer partial or complete hearing loss. Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine have conducted a study where the new version of antibiotic worked effectively in mice without the risk of causing deafness or kidney damage, another common side effect.

Abhishek forgives attacker, wishes him speedy recovery

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A day after he was slapped by a youth at a public meeting, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee Monday forgave the assaulter and appealed to Trinamool Congress workers to maintain peace in the state.

“At a personal level… let me forgive the perpetrator and wish him early recovery. Today is a new day, let us look ahead. I also urge my co-workers to maintain peace, harmony throughout the state and be restrained in their actions,” the Trinamool MP wrote on his official Facebook page.

Sri Lanka’s opposition leader calls for peaceful election

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Sri Lanka’s main opposition candidate addressed the nation Monday, appealing for a free and peaceful election, as violations increased in the run-up to the vote Thursday.

Opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena appealed to his rival, incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa, to put aside violence and allow people to make a choice, reports Xinhua.

“We have received information from reliable parties that various parties are planning to intimidate voters or mislead them. This must not be allowed. We must let democracy prevail,” he said in his short speech.

Health minister makes surprise visit to hospital in Delhi

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Health Minister JP Nadda Monday made a surprise visit to the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital here and instructed its staff to undertake proper sanitation measures and be “pro-active” during service delivery.

He also urged officials at the facility to organise motivational sessions for health workers and called upon the doctors there to be properly attired while treating patients.

“The minister stressed on (holding of) proper sanitation drives,” official sources said, adding that he had also asked the doctors to act in a pro-active manner while serving patients.

SEBI for banning wilful defaulters from accessing market and takeovers

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Indian market regulator SEBI Monday proposed to ban wilful defaulters as defined by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) from accessing the public for funds and from taking over other listed companies.

In a discussion paper on proposed amendments to regulations framed under SEBI Act, 1992 for Imposing Restrictions on Wilful Defaulters, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has suggested to expand its restrictive ambit to cover instruments like equity/non-convertible redeemable preference shares and debt instruments.

Tennis: Wawrinka cautious, but optimistic

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World No.4 and top seed here at the Aircel Chennai Open Stanislas Wawrinka hedged his bets on retaining the title that he won last year prior to winning the Australian Open.

This being the first tournament of the season, the 29-year-old Swiss was obviously cautious about his chances, though he said he was as ready for the challenges ahead as he could be.

“I am ready for the new year. Everything is going well for me for this new season so far. I will try to do my best and see what I can do throughout the year,” said Wawrinka at a media conference here Monday.

Nuclear weapons to blast dangerous asteroids?

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US researchers are looking into the possibility of using nuclear weapons to protect Earth from the threat of incoming asteroids.

Scientists at Los Alamos, the US government’s atomic weapons research centre in New Mexico, say that the threat of an asteroid impact is far greater than had been realised and research was required to work out the best way to destroy or deflect them.

NASA’s Mercury Spacecraft to attempt reboost to get bonus time

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NASA’s Mercury-orbiting MESSENGER spacecraft, which was due to end its four-year mission with a suicidal plunge into the innermost planet in March, will attempt a reboost to get bonus time for studying the planet, it has been reported.

Engineers estimate its altitude will be just 15 miles above the surface on Jan 21. But on that day, despite its empty gas tan, MESSENGER , an acronym for Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging will attempt a reboost, Discovery News reported.