Month: August 2013

Australian troops accused of cutting off dead Afghan insurgents’ hands

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An internal defence investigation is being carried out over allegations that Australian special forces soldiers cut the hands off a dead Afghan insurgent.

Australian Defence Force (ADF) chief General David Hurley revealed in May that an inquiry was being carried out, but gave no details of what was being investigated. According to the Courier Mail, Hurley referred to the episode as only an incident of potential misconduct.

Australian troops seek to identify all dead insurgents for intelligence purposes. (ANI)

Crippling Syrian cyber strike fear may make Obama re-consider military intervention: Report

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Syria and its ally Iran have been building cyber attack capabilities for years and might even use them in a hot war for the first time, cyber security experts have warned.

Former U.S. officials and cyber security scholars said Syria has a demonstrated cyber attack capability and could retaliate against anticipated Western military strikes against it. The US wants to punish Syria for its suspected chemical weapons attack against civilians in the country’s two-year-old civil war.

Going deaf from blaring earphones may soon be history for noise junkies

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Scientists have discovered a compound that could help keep the ear safe from noise-related damage.

Xiaorui Shi, M.D., Ph.D., study author from the Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery at the Oregon Hearing Research Center at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon, said that noise-induced hearing loss, with accompanying tinnitus and sound hypersensitivity is a common condition which leads to communication problems and social isolation.

Perfectionists and highly motivated people become workaholics

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A new study suggests that being a perfectionist and highly motivated at work contributes directly to being a workaholic.

Led by Dr Joachim Stoeber, Head of University of Kent’s School of Psychology, the research team set out to explore the previously under-researched reasons why some people feel the need to work both excessively and compulsively.

Microsoft in talks buy stake in start-up networking site Foursquare

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Microsoft Corp is in talks with start-up social networking company Foursquare about a possible investment. The talks are at an advanced stage, but Foursquare is also talking to other potential partners. According to Fox Business, Foursquare spokesman Brendan Lewis said via email that the talks fall squarely in the ‘rumors and speculation’ category.

Fleet of satellites over Pakistan guided US SEAL’s raid that killed Osama

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The U.S. Navy SEALs raid that killed Osama bin Laden was guided from space by a fleet of satellites collecting electronic intelligence over Pakistan.

Documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden revealed that the NSA also tracked calls from mobile phones, identified by specific calling patterns, to penetrate communications among al Qaeda operatives. One of those devices was linked to the Abbottabad, Pakistan compound where bin Laden was hiding and later killed, Fox News.

Officials say US may take unilateral action against Syria

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The United States may take unilateral action against Syria after Britain”s House of Commons rejected a government attack plan, U.S. officials said Thursday. Consultations with Britain will continue, but “President Obama”s decision-making will be guided by what is in the best interests of the United States,” White House National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said in a statement.

Learning second language as a child enhances brain development

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A new study suggests that the age at which children learn a second language can have a significant bearing on the structure of their adult brain.

According to a new joint study by the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital – The Neuro at McGill University and Oxford University, majority of people in the world learn to speak more than one language during their lifetime.

Many do so with great proficiency particularly if the languages are learned simultaneously or from early in development.

Grand Canyon found 1 mile under Greenland ice

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NASA airborne science mission has help reveal evidence of a large and previously unknown canyon hidden a mile under Greenland ice.

The canyon has the characteristics of a winding river channel and is at least 460 miles (750 kilometers) long, making it longer than the Grand Canyon.

In some places, it is as deep as 2,600 feet (800 meters), on scale with segments of the Grand Canyon.

This immense feature is thought to predate the ice sheet that has covered Greenland for the last few million years.

Surgeons use Google Glass to livestream operation

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Google Glass has recently been used to assist surgeons and medical students at the Ohio State University, and has been said to give an experience to surgeons that they never had before. According to ABC News, Christopher Kaeding, an orthopaedic surgeon at OSU, accepted the wearable computer for a standard surgical procedure, repairing a torn ACL.

Pak scores impressive 90-run victory over Zim in 2nd ODI

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Pakistan saw off a brief challenge from Zimbabwean captain Brendan Taylor to beat the side by 90 runs in the second ODI after losing the first. Mohammad Hafeez scored an impressive century for Pakistan making 136 runs, which helped set Zimbabwe a challenging target of 300 in their 50 overs.

England wins women”s Ashes with easy win in 2nd T20

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England has won the women”s Ashes after scoring an easy 5-wicket win in the second T20 played against Australia at Southampton. Lydia Greenway top scored for the home team with a knock of 80 runs off 64 balls. Earlier, Meg Lanning helped Australia to a score of 127/7 in their 20 overs, making 60 off 53 balls. England chased down the target with a full over to spare. Earlier, Australia had won the toss and chosen to bat first. (ANI)

To hunt Osama, satellites watched over Pakistan: report

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A fleet of satellites aimed dozens of receivers over Pakistan to collect “critical” information that prepared the ground for the US Navy SEALs raid that killed Osama bin Laden, a media report said today.

Top-secret documents provided to The Washington Post by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, make brief references to the bin Laden operation.

The disclosures about the hunt for the elusive founder of al-Qaeda are contained in classified documents that detail the fiscal 2013 “black budget” for US intelligence agencies, including the NSA and the CIA.

PM pep-talk lifts Sensex by 219 pts to over two-week high

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Stock markets today rose for the third day with S&P BSE benchmark Sensex jumping 218.68 points to end at over two-week high of 18,619.72 after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh assured that the rupee’s decline will be addressed without capital controls or reversal of reforms.

The currency markets also appeared to strengthen with the rupee gaining over 50 paise to trade at 66.05/06 levels against the US dollar compared to yesterday’s close of 66.55.

PM has lost his grace, tweets Swaraj

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Leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj Friday criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Twitter saying that just as the rupee has lost its value, the PM has lost his grace.

“On prime minister’s statement in parliament: The rupee has lost its value. The prime minister has lost his grace,” tweeted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader.

Indian firing kills 11, claims Pakistan

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The Pakistan parliament was informed Friday that 11 Pakistani citizens, including eight soldiers, have been killed this year in “unprovoked firing” by India across the Line of Control (LoC) in the disputed Kashmir region, reports Xinhua.

Speaking in the National Assembly, Sartaj Aziz, advisor to the prime minister on national security and foreign affairs, said that in addition, 31 people, including army troops, have been injured in the firing incidents since January.

Morsi supporters protest across Egypt

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Supporters of Muslim Brotherhood, from which ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi hails, Friday began protests across the country against the military-backed interim government, Al Jazeera reported.

The protests began amid heightened security in major towns and cities including the national capital Cairo, Alexandria, Giza, Menuofia and Dakahlia governerate in the Nile delta after Friday prayers.

Protesters also rallied in Shoubra al-Kheima in Qalyobua governerate, the home town of Morsi.

Florida schools ban cheerleader uniforms in class

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Cheerleader uniforms have been banned by some Florida schools on the pretext that they are too racy for the classroom and do not conform with the dress code.

As part of game day tradition, cheerleaders at Countryside High School have worn their cheering uniforms to class. But not anymore.

Cheerleader Jeana Fraser said she was surprised when school administrators said the traditional short skirts and sleeveless tops do not conform with the school dress code.

Teen arrested for making threat calls to KCR & AP minister

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A teenager was today arrested on charges of making threatening calls to TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao and Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, police said.

The 17-year-old, an Intermediate student of Nellore district, was arrested by the state police from Bangalore and brought to Hyderabad in this connection.

According to police, apart from KCR and Reddy, he is also accused of making threatening calls to several women.

Ask govt to hold early elections: BJP to President

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BJP today urged President Pranab Mukherjee to “advise” the government to hold early elections to end the uncertainty prevailing in the country because of its “inability” to tackle the present economic crisis.

A delegation of BJP parliamentary party led by L K Advani met Mukherjee to voice its demand that Lok Sabha elections be held with assembly elections in five states scheduled for later this year.

‘PM chor hai’ slogan by MPs hurted Manmohan singh

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A combative Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday made a scathing attack on the BJP in the Rajya Sabha, accusing them of hurting investors’ sentiment by repeatedly disrupting Parliament, triggering a war of words.

He asked the principal opposition party to recognize its responsibility of ensuring smooth functioning of Parliament asserting that it was not the responsibility of the government alone as contended by the BJP.

BJP demands White Paper on rupee devaluation

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Describing the devaluation of rupee as the darkest period of Indian economy after independence, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday demanded that the Congress-led UPA Government issue a White Paper initiate a national debate on the issue.

Justice Ramana appointed next CJ of Delhi High Court

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Justice Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana, a judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, was today appointed as the next Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court.

“…The President has appointed Justice Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana, judge of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh, as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Delhi with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office,” a Law Ministry statement said here.

Justice Ramana, 56, had enrolled as an advocate in 1983 and has practiced in the Andhra Pradesh High Court, central and state administrative tribunals and the Supreme Court.

I am not the custodian of files in coal ministry: PM

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Amid attack over missing files pertaining to allocation of coal mines, a visibly upset Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said he was not the “custodian” of files of the Coal Ministry but made it clear that no guilty person would be protected by the government.

Responding to posers by BJP members over irregularities, including in coal block allocations, he said in the Rajya Sabha that “corruption is there, has been there”.