Month: February 2014

AAP’s opinion different from Madhu Bhaduri’s, says Ashutosh

by

Commenting on miffed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) founder member Madhu Bhaduri, AAP leader Ashutosh on Sunday said that there is a difference in opinion between her and the party. “Bhaduri had raised some questions. But there is a difference in her opinion and the party’s. She has been given a chance in the National Council meet. The party addressed her questions,” said Ashutosh. “Afterwards she was the only member who was called on the stage to place her views forward.

AIADMK, CPI join hands to fight upcoming general election

by

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) chief Jayalalithaa on Sunday announced that her party has entered into an alliance with the Communist Party of India (CPI) to fight in the upcoming general elections. Announcing her party’s decision, Jayalalithaa said, “We have decided to work together. Other things will be worked out later. “Our aim is to work together and win all the 40 constituency seats in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. As I have already said our election plank is peace, prosperity and progress,” she added. CPI general secretary A.B.

Jairam says equate wages rate in MNREGA with minimum wages in states

by

Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on Sunday backed the proposal to equate the wages for works under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MNREGA) scheme with the minimum wages prevailing in states. The minister said minimum wages in 14 states was more than remuneration paid for the work under the MNREGA scheme “There should be uniform minimum wage across the country. If the minimum wage under the MNREGA scheme is less, then it should be raised to the level of minimum wage as per the Minimum Wage Act of 1948,” Ramesh told media here today.

Recent events in Delhi have made us feel ashamed: Modi

by

Taking a jibe at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led Delhi Government, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Sunday said the incidents that took place in Delhi have made the entire country feel ashamed of them. “Delhi needs to be seen as a global city but in the last few days, the kind of language being used and actions that are being seen, our heads are bowed in shame,” Modi said while addressing his Vijay Shankhnad rally here today.

Omar raises Pathribal closure case with PM

by

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Sunday raised the issue of closure of the alleged Pathribal fake encounter case by the army with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and demanded justice for the kin of the victims.

The prime minister arrived here Sunday afternoon on a two-day visit. He is scheduled to inaugurate the 101st session of the Indian Science Congress at Jammu University Monday.

Abdullah called on Manmohan Singh at the state Raj Bhawan.

KCR fortify support for Telangana Bill

by

Telangana Rashtra Samithi president K Chandrasekhar Rao has intensified efforts to ensure that the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill gets tabled and passed in the ensuing session of Parliament.

AP proposes to invest Rs 30,695 Cr for urban infrastructure

by

As part of efforts to face the challenge of steep rise in population in urban areas with growth pegged at 33.5% against the national average of 31%, the Govt. of AP is contemplating to take up a massive programme for Urban Infrastructure Development (UID) for improving the living standards of low income groups and their economic development. The urban population in AP is projected to increase to 45.5 million or 4.55 Crores by the year 2030 constituting 46 percent of total population.

Presidential poll campaign starts in Afghanistan

by

A two-month campaign started Sunday for the upcoming presidential election slated for April 5 in Afghanistan, where security remains a major challenge.

“The presidential candidates’ political campaign officially started Sunday and will close April 2 or 48 hours before the election day,” an official of the Afghan Election Commission told Xinhua.

Afghanistan’s third presidential and provincial councils polls are slated for April. So far, eleven candidates have registered their names to contest for the presidental post.

Syrian Electronic Army hacks eBay and PayPal in ‘hacktivist operation’

by

The Syrian Electronic Army claimed it hacked ecommerce companies eBay and PayPal on Saturday.

The SEA’s access on PayPal could put millions of peoples’ bank information at risk, but the group said it was a ‘hacktivist operation’, and they did not target account information.

According to Mashable, the SEA claimed it was able to replace the homepages of eBay and PayPal in France, Israel and the UK with its own logo.

SEA member Th3 Pr0 said the group compromised eBay’s domains manager, which allowed the hackers to shut down the website or redirect it another server.

Apple sued for $840 million over ebooks price fixing

by

A lawsuit filed against Apple has reportedly claimed damages worth 840 million dollars, for allegedly conspiring with publishing companies for e-book price fixing.

The lawsuit that was filed in New York by Steve Berman, an attorney leading a class action lawsuit on behalf of ebooks customers in 33 states, argued that Apple owed American ebooks customers a bare minimum of 231 million dollars in damages for raising the price of e-books across the industry for its own benefit.

Girl set ablaze after iPhone catches fire

by

An eighth-grader in Maine suffered burn injuries after her iPhone that was kept in her pant’s back pocket, reportedly caught fire on its own.

The girl was sitting in class during school hours when she suddenly heard a popping sound and found her rear pocket with the iPhone on fire.

A teacher came to the rescue of the girl and helped her douse the flames with a blanket, as she fell off her seat and rolled on the floor in an attempt to get out of her pants.

Viral infections may soon be history

by

Scientists have identified a mechanism how some viruses protect themselves from the immune system’s efforts to stop infections.

This new finding could pave new ways to treating viral infections.

Viruses have well-known strategies for slipping past the immune system. These include faking or stealing a molecular identification badge that prevents a cell from recognizing a virus.

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and elsewhere have found some viruses have another trick. They can block the immune system protein that checks for the identification badge.

How sleep duration can up depression risk

by

A genetic study of adult twins and a community-based study of adolescents have linked sleep duration with depression.

“Healthy sleep is a necessity for physical, mental and emotional well-being,” American Academy of Sleep Medicine President Dr. M. Safwan Badr, said.

“This new research emphasizes that we can make an investment in our health by prioritizing sleep,” Badr said.

A study of 1,788 adult twins is the first to demonstrate a gene by environment interaction between self-reported habitual sleep duration and depressive symptoms.

China confirms six new H7N9 bird flu cases

by

China has confirmed six new human cases of H7N9 bird flu and one death case.

According to China Daily, the flu has infected two boys in Guangdong province, who are in stable conditions now, two in the Zhejiang province, and two from the Fujian and Hunan province.

Health authorities also confirmed the death of an 82-year-old H7N9 patient in Guangdong. (ANI)

Hiring older staff is good for Company: Study

by

A new study has revealed that hiring older workers might actually be good for a company.

According to the study, older staff not only serve as mentors to younger staff, but they also don’t call in sick as much and have a great track record for showing up for work on time, the Huffington Post reported.

The study, which was conducted by the Nationwide building society, found that older workers are just as technologically savvy as their younger counterparts.

Katie Couric set to get married in summer

by

Veteran journalist Katie Couric has revealed that she will tie the knot with her fiance John Molner in summer.

The 57-year-old talk-show host confirmed the news to Howard Stern at his 60th birthday bash, People Magazine reported.

Couric, who ot engaged over Labor Day weekend after nearly two years of dating, added that only family members will be invited to her wedding. (ANI)

Why Woody Allen wasn’t prosecuted for sexually assaulting daughter

by

State’s Attorney Frank S. Maco has opened up about why he decided not to prosecute Woody Allen after his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow ‘s sexual abuse allegations were filed against him in 1992.

Maco had announced in 1993 that while he found a probable cause to prosecute the Hollywood director, he was dropping the case because Farrow was too fragile to deal with the trial.

Maco told People magazine last fall that Farrow was traumatized to the extent that he did not have a confident witness to testify in any court setting, be it a closed or open courtroom.

Kiwis planning to ‘bounce’ India out with ODI-style ‘short-pitched barrage’ in Tests

by

New Zealand is reportedly planning to bounce India out in the upcoming two-Test series with another short-pitched barrage similar to the one responsible for their 4-0 ODI series romp.

Although momentum between series is an over-used and oft-questioned phrase, but the recent matchups and New Zealand dominance must have an effect on the teams’ respective confidence levels, with the promise of bouncy, seaming pitches in Auckland and Wellington.

PCB chairman warns cricket will be ‘ruined’ if ICC ‘goes after money’ in proposed changes

by

Pakistan Cricket Board ( PCB) chairman Mohammad Zaka Ashraf has warned that cricket will be ruined if ICC ‘goes after money’ in the proposed changes.

Pakistan, along with Sri Lanka and South Africa, has sought time to consider radical changes to the ICC proposal by the rich boards of India, England and Australia, for which the world cricket governing body delayed any decision on reforms in its recent meeting.

NZC pockets whopping 35 mln-dollar ‘payday’ from India tour

by

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has reportedly pocketed a whopping 35 million dollars with broadcast rights from this year’s Indian tour, which is the biggest payday among the country’s sports.

The amount surpasses the 25 million-dollar profit reaped by the New Zealand Rugby Union for all revenues including broadcasting, attendance and sponsorship from the 2005 British and Irish Lions tour and makes the NZC deal the biggest broadcast windfall ever achieved by a national sport organisation.

Pak Taliban nominates leaders to hold peace talks with government

by

The Pakistan Taliban has reportedly nominated five political and religious leaders to hold peace talks with government authorities.

The militant outfit came out with the names after Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s stated last week that despite the recent spate of attacks, the government was willing to pursue peace talks with the Taliban.

Karzai says Pakistan rocket attacks in Afghanistan will negatively impact bilateral relations

by

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has reportedly warned Pakistan against rocket attacks into Afghanistan territory, saying that it will have a negative impact on bilateral relations between the two countries.

Karzai made the comments after the governor of Kunar province Shuja Malek Jalala alleged that a rocket from Pakistan had hit a house in Marwari district on Jan 31, killing three and wounding five others, including children.

Settled for over six decades, but still ‘Refugees”

by

In the immediate vicinity of Vijaypur, near Jammu, is a 12×12 room outside which scores of people make a beeline every day. The sparse room has a wooden table laden with piles of files, a few plastic chairs, a couple of cabinets and a squeaky ceiling, fan spinning slowly. This is the office of Labha Ram Gandhi, President, West Pakistani Refugee Action Committee, a virtually invisible, singular effort fighting for the rights of the refugees living in wretched conditions for sixty five years now.

AAP is on a dangerous path, says founder member Madhu Bhaduri

by

After rebel MLA Vinod Binny, founder member of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Madhu Bhaduri on Sunday said humanity does not exist in the AAP and it is heading towards a dangerous direction.

Claiming that the AAP is on ‘dangerous path’ Bhaduri said, “The direction in which the party is heading, we will not go there. A party which kicks out humanity, then why would we work for it? And now, what is the difference between them and other parties?”