Month: March 2015

Best employee we ever had: Jihadi John’s former boss

by

In fresh revelations about the journey from normality to infamy of the man known as “Jihadi John”, it has come to light that Mohammed Emwazi, the Briton identified as an Islamic State (IS) executioner, was once a star salesman for a Kuwaiti IT company.

Emwazi, the Kuwaiti-born but London-raised graduate who features in IS videos apparently beheading hostages in the Syrian desert, was quiet and rather withdrawn but had a natural gift for his work, a former boss in Kuwait City told the Guardian.

“He was the best employee we ever had,” the former boss said of the then 21-year-old.

‘Red hot’ Starc insists Johnson still Oz’s ‘pace spearhead’

by

Fast bowler Mitchell Starc might have proven himself as the World Cup’s most crucial bowler, but he doesn’t believe that he is Australia’s pace ‘spearhead’ yet and insists that Mitch Johnson is definitely the leader.

The left-arm paceman has dominated with the white-ball all summer but Starc is adamant namesake Johnson is still the undisputed leader of the one-day attack.

Starc stood up as man-of-the-series when Johnson took an extended break during the one-day tournament against England and India in January, Stuff.co.nz reported.

Egypt parliamentary elections delayed post SC deeming part of election law ‘unconstitutional’

by

A delay in parliamentary elections in Egypt looks inevitable after the Supreme Court struck down a part of an election law after deeming it unconstitutional, a report said.

The law pertained to the definition of electoral districts, reported the BBC.

Voting was due to start on March 21 and run into April. However, an electoral commission spokesman said that a “new timetable” was now being drawn up in the wake of the recent ruling.

Egypt’s main assembly was dissolved in 2012 and the election is widely expected to be the final transition from military rule.

Jamuda assumes charge as Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries

by

Ranglal Jamuda on Monday assumed charge as the Secretary of Ministry of Food Processing Industries , succeeding Siraj Hussain who has been transferred to the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation.

Jamuda, a 1981-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Odisha cadre, was earlier the Special Secretary of Department of Agriculture and Cooperation since December 31, 2014.

Prior to that, he was the Additional Secretary in Department of Agriculture and Cooperation.

Unseasonal rain has increased risk of H1N1, says Fadnavis

by

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday declared next 15 days critical for the state, saying unseasonal rain has increased the risk of H1N1virus.

“The unseasonal rain has increased risk of H1N1. The next 15 days are critical for us, have directed collectors and Health Secretaries,” Fadnavis told the media here.

“90 percent of swine flu cases have been observed in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Latur and Aurangabad. We are vigilant and looking into it,” he added.

Mozilla announces ‘flip and slider’ phones at Firefox OS press event

by

Mozilla has announced flip and slider phones at the Firefox OS press event that will be most likely launched in 2016.

According to the Verge, Mozilla’s vision for Firefox OS has focused on the capabilities of smartphones ever since it was announced four years ago.

Mozilla’s vision has taken various forms since its announcement.

In 2016, the company will leverage new partnerships with KDDI, LG U+, Telefonica, and Verizon Wireless to launch the flip and slider phones with Firefox OS. (ANI)

No reason to maintain sanctions: Rouhani

by

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said that the basis for nuclear talks is to try to find common grounds and mutual confidence-building and that there is no reason to maintain sanctions.

Rouhani made the remarks in a meeting with Italian Foreign Minister Paulo Gentiloni on Sunday, state run IRNA news agency reported on Monday.

Referring to the constructive role of Italy in the course of nuclear talks with the Western governments, Rouhani underlined that unfortunately in recent years sanctions with unjustified basis have damaged everybody, including the European Union countries.

Lifelong accumulation of amyloid molecules may contribute to Alzheimer’s

by

A new study has shown that are lifelong accumulation of amyloid, which are insoluble fibrous protein aggregates, in neurons of people as young as 20.

The study conducted at Northwestern University suggested that this is the first time amyloid accumulation has been shown in such young human brains. It’s long been known that amyloid accumulates and forms clumps of plaque outside neurons in aging adults and in Alzheimer’s.

Jagmohan Dalmiya elected BCCI president

by

Jagmohan Dalmiya on Monday was formally elected as the Board of Control for Cricket in India president by the body’s annual general meeting held here.

According to reports, Anirudh Choudhary has been elected as treasurer of the body, with Anurag Thakur nammed as BCCI secretary.

Further details are awaited. (ANI)

AAP lacks internal democracy: Shazia Ilmi

by

Taking a jibe at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) following reports that senior members Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan have offered to opt out of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shazia Ilmi on Monday said the Arvind Kejriwal-led party lacks internal democracy.
“AAP lacks internal democracy, AAP is pretty much like any other party and it is very sad that senior leaders who have contributed to the party like Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav, Shanti Bhushan, Admiral L Ramdas who were actually the Lokpal of the party have to say this,” said Ilmi.

Vistara to have fleet size of 20 aircraft by 2018

by

Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, today said its fleet size will be increased to 20 by 2018, from five at present. Phee Teik Yeoh, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara (Tata SIA) Airlines Ltd also said that the aviation industry in India is facing challenges such as high fuel cost and a high tax regime. “By April, we will have 6 aircraft and gradually increase to 9 by the end of this calendar year. Eventually, we will grow to 20 brand new A320 by 2018,” Yeoh told reporters in a press conference.

A glass of tomato juice daily can help rid you of your beer belly

by

A new study has found that drinking a glass of tomato juice daily helps in reducing the weight around the waist without making any other changes to diet or lifestyle.

The study conducted at China Medical University in Taiwan explained that women who drank almost half-a-pint of tomato juice daily for eight weeks, lost nearly an inch off their waistlines, and drops the cholesterol by about 10 percent, the Daily Express reported.

Mudassar Nazar believes Shoaib Akhtar ‘merely exaggerating’ problems in Pak cricket

by

Former Pakistan Test all-rounder Mudassar Nazar believes that although their squad has been under-performing at the Cricket World Cup, fast bowling great Shoaib Akhtar is merely exaggerating the problems in the nation’s game.

Pakistan have reportedly been far from impressive in this World Cup and the squad has come under some scathing criticism for the same.

Akhtar has been one of the team’s strongest critics slamming the system, but Nazar reckons that though the squad has been under-performing, things are not as bad as the former fast bowler thinks, The Dawn reported.

add add 167 terrorists held in two months in Assam: Governor

by

Security forces have arrested at least 167 terrorists and linkmen allegedly involved in the serial attacks on Adivasi people in many districts across Assam in the last two months.

“The intensive operations by security forces in the aftermath of this gruesome killing has resulted in arrest of over 167 members and linkmen of the terrorist outfits,” Assam Governor Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya said in his written speech on the first day of the Budget Session of the Assembly.

—PTI

DNA may predict when and how we’re going to die

by

The DNA strands on the end of chromosomes may help predict when people are going to die.

BYU biologist Jonathan Alder stated that, DNA end caps, called telomeres, are the great predictors of life expectancy: the shorter your telomeres, the shorter your lifespan.

But that’s not the only thing these fascinating strands of DNA predict. Shorter telomeres also indicate a greater chance for bone marrow failure, liver disease, skin disease and lung disease.

Egyptian President Sissi calls for pan-Arab army to protect nations from threats

by

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi has said that Arabs should work together to form a pan-Arab army to protect the Arab nations from the threats that target them.

According to Gulf News, Sissi’s statement came before he departed for Saudi Arabia where he will be discussing a proposal for joint anti-terrorism military force.

Sissi said that the army will not be used to attack other nations or for any form of invasion or occupation.

He insisted that they only want to protect the Arab nations’ security and defend the nations.

Govt, BJP dissociate with Mufti statement; Oppn walks out

by

Opposition in Lok Sabha today lambasted Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed for giving credit to Pakistan, Hurriyat and militants for the smooth conduct of elections in the state, forcing the government and the BJP to “fully disassociate” themselves with the controversial statement.

—PTI

PDP-BJP alliance an ‘unnatural marriage’, says Tharoor

by

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Monday said that Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s statement crediting Pakistan for peaceful polls was ‘uncalled for’, adding that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)- People’s Democratic Party (PDP) alliance seemed to be an unnatural marriage.

“The Congress party feels strongly that the statement by the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, essentially giving credit for the peaceful elections there to the militants and separatists, was completely uncalled for, indeed was a disgrace,” Tharoor told ANI in New Delhi.

Sonam Kapoor recovering well after contracting swine flu

by

Actress Sonam Kapoor, who has been admitted to a hospital for the treatment of Swine flu, is showing improvement in her health.

The 29-year-old actress, who is said to have contracted Swine flu here, tested positive for the virus in Rajkot, where she was shooting for her upcoming Salman Khan starrer ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’.

She was then taken to Mumbai, where she is undergoing treatment.

Girl molested by youth in Thane

by

A 19-year-old girl was allegedly molested by an unidentified youth who also bit her when she resisted his move, police said on Monday.

The girl was walking on a bridge in Ambernath township of Thane district last night at around 8.45 PM when the youth, aged around 20, came near her and tried to hug her, Shivaji Nagar police station inspector Vishwas Walvi said.

When the girl tried to resist his move, the accused allegedly bit the girl on her lips and finger and also scratched her face and neck with his nails, he said.

Cong to gherao DGP office on March 4 in Odisha

by

Opposition Congress in Odisha is planning to stage a demonstration in front of the office of the Director General of Police here on March 4 to protest what they called ?unlawful arrest of youth leaders in connection with hurling eggs at Chief Minister’s convoy on February 19 at Bhubaneswar.

Barley futures gain 2.55% on rising domestic demand

by

Barley prices gained 2.55 per cent to Rs 1,205 per quintal in futures trade today as participants created speculative positions following rising domestic demand and positive global cues.

At the National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange, barley for June contracts gained Rs 30, or 2.55 per cent, to Rs 1,205 per quintal, with an open interest of 1,230 lots.

Also, May contracts shot up by Rs 24, or 2.10 per cent, to Rs 1,169 per quintal, having an open interest of 10,580 lots.

‘Normalisation of ties between India-Pakistan urgently needed’

by

The Pakistani prime minister’s key advisor, Sartaj Aziz, has said normalisation of Indo-Pakistan relations is urgently needed to reduce tensions on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.

“It is premature to predict the outcome of foreign secretary level talks between Pakistan and India scheduled for March 3, but chances of a decision to resume a composite dialogue are likely either in the upcoming or the follow-up meetings,” Dawn Monday quoted Aziz as saying.