THIS DAY IN HISTORY
War in Iraq begins
On this day in 2003, the United States, along with coalition forces primarily from the United Kingdom, initiates war on Iraq. Just after explosions began to rock Baghdad, Iraq’s capital, U.S. President George W. Bush announced in a televised address, “At this hour, American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger.” President Bush and his advisors built much of their case for war on the idea that Iraq, under dictator Saddam Hussein, possessed or was in the process of building weapons of mass destruction.
Hostilities began about 90 minutes after the U.S.-imposed deadline for Saddam Hussein to leave Iraq or face war passed. The first targets, which Bush said were “of military importance,” were hit with Tomahawk cruise missiles from U.S. fighter-bombers and warships stationed in the Persian Gulf. In response to the attacks, Republic of Iraq radio in Baghdad announced, “the evil ones, the enemies of God, the homeland and humanity, have committed the stupidity of aggression against our homeland and people.”
Though Saddam Hussein had declared in early March 2003 that, “it is without doubt that the faithful will be victorious against aggression,” he went into hiding soon after the American invasion, speaking to his people only through an occasional audiotape. Coalition forces were able to topple his regime and capture Iraq’s major cities in just three weeks, sustaining few casualties. President Bush declared the end of major combat operations on May 1, 2003. Despite the defeat of conventional military forces in Iraq, an insurgency has continued an intense guerrilla war in the nation in the years since military victory was announced, resulting in thousands of coalition military, insurgent and civilian deaths.[sc:afterFooterAd]
After an intense manhunt, U.S. soldiers found Saddam Hussein hiding in a six-to-eight-foot deep hole, nine miles outside his hometown of Tikrit. He did not resist and was uninjured during the arrest. A soldier at the scene described him as “a man resigned to his fate.” Hussein was arrested and began trial for crimes against his people, including mass killings, in October 2005.
In June 2004, the provisional government in place since soon after Saddam’s ouster transferred power to the Iraqi Interim Government. In January 2005, the Iraqi people elected a 275-member Iraqi National Assembly. A new constitution for the country was ratified that October. On November 6, 2006, Saddam Hussein was found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to death by hanging. After an unsuccessful appeal, he was executed on December 30, 2006.[sc:afterFooterAd]
#THISDAYINHISTORY
#EpicStories
Friday, 18 March 2016
THIS DAY IN HISTORY - GoFrnzy.com
61 killed as plane crashes during landing in Russia - GoFrnzy.com
61 killed as plane crashes during landing in Russia
MOSCOW: All sixty-one people on board a flight from Dubai were killed when their plane crashed and burst into flames as it was landing in Rostov-on-Don, in Southern Russia, on Saturday morning, a local official said.
"A Boeing 737 crashed as it was coming into land. There were 61 people on board. They are all dead," said a spokesman from the local ministry, quoted by the official TASS news agency.[sc:afterFooterAd]
There were 55 passengers and six crew members on the plane, the official added.
The accident happened at 00:50 GMT, according to an official statement from the emergencies ministry.
"The Boeing 737 on the Dubai to Rostov-on-Don route caught fire (after crashing)," said the statement, adding that it took an hour to bring the fire under control.
The plane hit the ground a few hundred metres (yards) from the runaway as it was making its second attempt to land in poor visibility, Russian news channel LifeNews reported.
It was raining hard and a strong wind warning had been issued by the local emergencies ministry, TASS said.Emirates-based Flydubai said it was aware of an "incident" involving one of its planes, but did not give any further details.[sc:afterFooterAd]"We are aware of an incident involving our flight FZ981 from Dubai to Rostov-on-Don. We are investigating further details and will publish an update once more information is available," the airline said in a post on its Facebook page.[sc:afterFooterAd]
#61KilledAsPlaneCrashesDuringLandingInRussia
#Business
Warning — Hackers can Silently Install Malware to Non-Jailbroken iOS Devices - GoFrnzy.com
Warning — Hackers can Silently Install Malware to Non-Jailbroken iOS Devices
Just recently, two severe vulnerabilities in Qualcomm Snapdragon chip and Stagefright were spotted on the Android platform, affecting more than a Billion and Millions of devices respectively.
Hackers have discovered a new way to install malicious apps onto your iPhone without your interaction.Researchers at Palo Alto Networks have uncovered a new strain of malware that can infect Non-Jailbroken (factory-configured) iPhones and iPads without the owner's knowledge or interaction, leaving hundreds of millions of Apple iOS devices at risk.[sc:afterFooterAd]Dubbed AceDeceiver, the iPhone malware installs itself on iOS devices without enterprise certificates and exploits designing flaws in Apple's digital rights management (DRM) protection mechanism called FairPlay.What's more concerning about this malware:Unlike most iOS malware, AceDeceiver works on factory-configured (non-jailbroken) iOS devices as well.FairPlay is an Apple's software program that prevents people from stealing purchased apps from its official App Store.However, with the help of AceDeceiver's "FairPlay Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) technique," hackers can install malicious apps on your iPhone even without your knowledge, simultaneously bypassing Apple's other security defenses.According to researchers, the FairPlay Man-In-The-Middle (MITM) technique has been in use since 2013, as a way to distribute pirated iOS apps."In the FairPlay MITM attack, attackers purchase an app from App Store then intercept and save the authorization code," Claud Xiao from Palo Alto Networks explains in a blog post. "They then developed PC software that simulates the iTunes client behaviors, and tricks iOS devices to believe the app was purchased by the victim."However, this is the first time the FairPlay technique has been used to spread malware on iOS devices, as the creator of the pirated software can install potentially malicious apps without your knowledge.[sc:afterFooterAd]Currently, the malicious behaviors related to AceDeceiver has been spotted in China, but researchers warn that the malware could be easily configured to target iPhone users of other geographic regions as well.
#WarningHackersCanSilentlyInstallMalwareToNonJailbrokenIOSDevices
#Technologies
World T20: Eye on sky in trans-Tasman battle - GoFrnzy.com
World T20: Eye on sky in trans-Tasman battle
DHARAMSALA: Rains in the mountains make for an exotic sight. But not when there is a marquee cricket game waiting to be played out. In this case, while you admire the cloud laden glory of the mountains, you also hope that the weather would relent and let the game happen.
It drizzled, sometimes poured, almost through the day here in Dharamsala on Thursday, the eve of the WT20 clash between Australia and New Zealand. The majestic Dhauladhar mountain range, which surrounds the HPCA Stadium, virtually disappeared behind the clouds which had set in the morning itself. With periods of rain forecast for Friday too, the weather has become a major factor in the high-octane clash.
For both Australia and New Zealand, the pitch here remains a mystery. After what happened in the India-New Zealand match at Nagpur on Tuesday, they are wary - Australia more than the Kiwis, of course.
The Australians, who had a light, curtailed practice session on Thurs day morning, left the ground without a final look at the track as it was under covers. In fact, the entire ground was covered to somehow keep it match-fit for Friday. The Kiwis, who landed in the city on Wednesday evening, came to the stadium for an afternoon training session but were forced to remain indoors.
Since this is a day game, HPCA officials were hoping for a full game, even if in bits and pieces. However, as Aussie skipper Steve Smith said, his side will be ready for a truncated affair. "We can't control the weather. We will have to adapt to whatever the situation is," he remarkeD
Incidentally, these arch-foes have a piece of T20 international history to their name: The first-ever T20I was played between them, on February 17, 2005 at Auckland. After that, however, they have contested only four more T20Is, the last one way back in February 2010. And this is the first time they are squaring off in the World T20.On paper, the Aussies have more firepower, especially in batting. They bat deep and a majority of their batters have good experience of Indian conditions, courtesy the IPL. However, New Zealand, who are no longer the easy pushovers for their trans-Tasman 'Big Brother,' have spunk, skill and, notably, spin and will be more than a match for the Aussies.[sc:afterFooterAd]Both Australia and New Zealand are teams which seldom give a match away. A team has to play better than them to beat them. Thus, a game between these two outfits is always intensely competitive. And then there is a bit of history between the two. Some needling and sledging is par for course.Shane Watson has already said his team wouldn't mind reminding the Kiwis about the 2015 World Cup (50 over) final flop. Kiwi batsman Ross Taylor responded by saying that while the Aussies did enjoy a better record against the Kiwis, these were foreign conditions. "This is not Eden Park or MCG where they have a superior record," Taylor remarked.[sc:afterFooterAd]
#WorldT20EyeOnSkyInTransTasmanBattle
#Cricket, #Sports
Thursday, 17 March 2016
Hrithik Roshan: Breach of ethics to reveal contents of legal notice - GoFrnzy.com
Hrithik Roshan: Breach of ethics to reveal contents of legal notice
Breaking his silence on ongoing war with Kangana Ranaut, superstar Hrithik Roshan today said he resorted to legal recourse only to resolve the dispute even as he termed as "breach of ethics" by the actress to reveal contents of the private legal notice he had served on her.
Breaking his silence on ongoing war with Kangana Ranaut, superstar Hrithik Roshan today said he resorted to legal recourse only to resolve the dispute even as he termed as "breach of ethics" by the actress to reveal contents of the private legal notice he had served on her.
The 'Bang Bang' star underlined that an e-mail id that does not belong to him and has been used by an unknown impostor to communicate with his fans, is the "crux" of the matter. Both the actors had served legal notices on each other. Hrithik had accused the 'Queen' actress of sending up to 50 e-mails a day, some of them explicit in nature, whereas Kangana has alleged that he had hacked into her email account to delete mails that could have complicated his divorce proceedings with his then wife Suzanne Khan.
After maintaining a silence for months, Hrithik today issued a statement, saying, "Anything private that becomes public gives rise to speculation and unnecessary controversies simply because the general public are not privy to the whole truth". Hrithik, 42, had issued the legal notice on February 16 seeking an apology from Kangana for referring to him as her "silly ex". Hrithik feels it was not right to reveal things from the legal notice that both of them have served on each other. "Out of respect for everyone involved, I followed the legal path to resolve the matter in question so as to keep it private. It was a breach of ethics to reveal the contents of a private legal notice".
"Dignified silence is dignified up to a point, but there comes a time when the silence needs to be broken to protect one's name, family and image," he added. The 'Bang Bang' star insists the root cause of the matter is the impostor who has been talking to his fans from the email address hroshan@email.Com. "The crux of the matter is that the mail id hroshan@email.Com (which) does NOT belong to me. I had filed a complaint in this regard with Mumbai Cyber Crime cell on 12 December, 2014 when I learnt of this impersonator communicating with said person," he said without taking Kangana's name.The 'Bang Bang' star underlined that an e-mail id that does not belong to him and has been used by an unknown impostor to communicate with his fans, is the "crux" of the matter. Both the actors had served legal notices on each other. Hrithik had accused the 'Queen' actress of sending up to 50 e-mails a day, some of them explicit in nature, whereas Kangana has alleged that he had hacked into her email account to delete mails that could have complicated his divorce proceedings with his then wife Suzanne Khan.
After maintaining a silence for months, Hrithik today issued a statement, saying, "Anything private that becomes public gives rise to speculation and unnecessary controversies simply because the general public are not privy to the whole truth". Hrithik, 42, had issued the legal notice on February 16 seeking an apology from Kangana for referring to him as her "silly ex". Hrithik feels it was not right to reveal things from the legal notice that both of them have served on each other. "Out of respect for everyone involved, I followed the legal path to resolve the matter in question so as to keep it private. It was a breach of ethics to reveal the contents of a private legal notice".
"Dignified silence is dignified up to a point, but there comes a time when the silence needs to be broken to protect one's name, family and image," he added. The 'Bang Bang' star insists the root cause of the matter is the impostor who has been talking to his fans from the email address hroshan@email.Com. "The crux of the matter is that the mail id hroshan@email.Com (which) does NOT belong to me. I had filed a complaint in this regard with Mumbai Cyber Crime cell on 12 December, 2014 when I learnt of this impersonator communicating with said person," he said without taking Kangana's name.
#HrithikRoshanBreachOfEthicsToRevealContentsOfLegalNotice
#Entertainment, #Movies
BJP MLA Ganesh Joshi arrested for beating up Shaktiman, denies charges - GoFrnzy.com
BJP MLA Ganesh Joshi arrested for beating up Shaktiman, denies charges
A BJP legislator accused of brutally beating up a prized Uttarakhand Police horse and breaking its leg was arrested on Friday morning, a day after the animal underwent an operation to replace the damaged limb with a temporary prosthetic one.
Mussorie MLA Ganesh Joshi was facing three separate police cases for allegedly breaking 14-year-old Shaktiman’s leg on Monday but the police didn’t arrest him, picking up one other man, despite nationwide condemnation of the incident.
The BJP leader has denied the charges.[sc:afterFooterAd]
The beloved police horse, Shaktiman, became a household name after a viral video clip showed Joshi brandishing a stick and appearing to strike the horse during a BJP protest rally. The incident triggered criticism from activists and rival parties as photographs of the injured animal spread on social media.
The video ended with the horse on its back and apparently in pain with a policeman trying to get it back on its feet.
Senior superintendent of police Sadanand Date told HT on Thursday a team of veterinarians amputated the horse’s damaged hind limb amid fears of spreading gangrene – a decomposition of body tissues.
“A permanent prosthetic leg will be fixed after a few days. Doctors believe the horse can lead the rest of his life normally,” Date added.
On Tuesday, veterinarians fixed a steel structure on the fractured limb during a surgery that lasted for five hours. They later decided to amputate the leg after failing to restore blood supply to the limb.
Police, however, said the horse will remain with the force despite offers for adoption poured in.
Date said Shaktiman has served Uttarakhand police for 10 years and therefore “police will prefer to keep Shaktiman in his home (stable)”.[sc:afterFooterAd]
Caretaker Shyam Singh Chauhan said the force is hopeful that Shaktiman, now kept in isolation, will soon be able to stay with its partner Aayesha and two “friends” Veru and Shamsher.
Gauri Maulkhi of People for Animal (PFA), a NGO working for animal rights, said it was if police agree, it was ready to keep the horse at their equine centre, the only such facility in Dehradun.
Police has so far arrested two people over the incident but yet to act against the MLA, whom the party has defended. Union minister and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi too has called for his expulsion from the party.
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#BJPMLAGaneshJoshiArrestedForBeatingUpShaktiman, #DeniesCharges
#Business
Afghan captain Stanikzai appeals for more opportunities - GoFrnzy.com
Afghan captain Stanikzai appeals for more opportunities
Growing in confidence with every opportunity that has come their way, Afghanistan cricket captain Asghar Stanikzai said his team knows how to beat the big guns of the game but the ICC has to give it enough chances.
"You can make a comparison between Afghanistan and other associates. Many associates have been playing for last 30-40 years. They have been participating in World Cup tournaments. If you see our history, at the elite level we're playing only recently. We have really done well something other nations could not do it in 30-40 years," Stanikzai said.
"It shows how much talent we have to play at the elite level. Definitely we need big games with full members to increase our experience level.
“If you play within the Associates we will get experience from each other. But if we take on Full Members it will help us more," he added referring to their 3-2 win in ODIs and 2-0 win in the T20Is in October last year.
Afghanistan won the ODI series against Zimbabwe 3–2 and became the first Associate side to beat a Full Member nation in a multi-game ODI series and followed it up with a 2-0 win in T20Is.
"We know how to beat Full Members at the Elite level. We have got that experience. As long as we play more games with Full Members, we will get that experience and the distance between the associates and full members will definitely go away," he said on the eve of their World Twenty20 opener against Sri Lanka in the Super 10s.
Sri Lanka survived a scare in the 2015 World Cup before winning narrowly by four wickets and the Afghanistan skipper said they have it in them to upset the defending champions. [sc:afterFooterAd]
"We have players who can perform and change the game at the end of the day. We are not only participating but looking forward to beat some big teams," he said.
In the Asia Cup, they failed to make the main round after losing to UAE in a qualifier but the skipper said they've sorted out the mistakes.
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"We fielded poorly in the Asia Cup, dropped six-seven catches against UAE. any team can beat you if you drop six seven catches...We have had good preparation in the last two months. We went to Gujarat and had a two-week camp. We played five T20 games then we were in the Asia Cup. We won three in qualifying ground."
The newly-built Greater Noida cricket stadium is the home ground for Afghanistan cricketers after the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in December last year.
"We appreciate BCCI and the Greater Noida to give us the home ground. It's so useful. It is not only helping infrastructure also helping in other sport. They proved the friendship."
#AfghanCaptainStanikzaiAppealsForMoreOpportunities
#Cricket, #Sports
Vijender Singh heads to London for next professional fight - GoFrnzy.com
Vijender Singh heads to London for next professional fight
With four professional wins in the bag already, Indian boxing sensation Vijender Singh returns to action on April 2 -- against a yet to be named opponent -- at the Harrow Leisure Centre in London.
Vijender blew away Hungary’s Alexander Horvath at the Liverpool Echo Arena on Saturday night to record his fourth successive professional victory. The undefeated pugilist now heads to London for his fifth fight as he closes in fast on a title challenge later this year, planned for his homeland. This will be an eight-round fight for Vijender. His last fight was a six-rounder.
“London here I come! I can’t wait to fight at Harrow and show London fans what Vijender is all about. I’ve fought in Manchester, Dublin and Liverpool and now I’m heading to the English capital for my fifth professional fight. I have started working hard for my fight which is just two weeks away and aiming at a fifth knockout-win in a row,” said the Rewari-born.
The 30-year-old will feature in a six-round contest in Harrow which is headlined by the showdown between Liam Williams and Nav Mansouri for the British and Commonwealth Super-Welterweight titles. Welshman Williams headlines the show when he defends his titles against Rotherham’s Mansouri.[sc:afterFooterAd]
“I had a good win in Liverpool last week and I want to continue my unbeaten run in London. Whoever I fight, they’re are going to be in trouble. I thought that Horvath was going to give me something different but he only lasted three rounds,” said the 2008 Beijing Olympics bronze medallist.
“I know that the fans in London are looking forward to me coming to fight there and there is a big buzz already. This is now a big push before returning home in the summer to challenge for my first pro title so it’s crucial that I win these fights.”[sc:afterFooterAd]
#VijenderSinghHeadsToLondonForNextProfessionalFight
#Boxing, #Sports
Wednesday, 16 March 2016
Pakistan need 49-off-19-2-for-27 Shahid Afridi in all their ICC T20 World Cup 2016 matches - GoFrnzy.com
Pakistan need 49-off-19-2-for-27 Shahid Afridi in all their ICC T20 World Cup 2016 matches
Shahid Afridi is a person who makes his presence felt whether or whether not he performs. His quotes, his captaincy, his performance — they have all been scrutinised over time. Being the senior-most player of the Pakistan side and the captain is something that ought to be taken seriously. One needs to perform to retain his spot in the team, but Boom Boom has more work to do. There is more to crash, bang and wallop when you are leading a side. Whether a side wins or loses, a lot of the praise or flak comes on the captain. But is it not too cruel, too unfair to blame the captain at times for the particular, thereby curbing his natural game? Full Cricket Scorecard: Pakistan vs Bangladesh,14th T20 Match, Super 10 Group 2, ICC T20 World Cup 2016
Afridi had been out of form for a long time. Asia Cup 2016 demanded a standout performance from the captain. He failed, but he was not the only one to do so, nor was his failure the only reason behind Pakistan’s poor show. One evident point was their unstable top order. Following Ahmed Shehzad’s axing Pakistan tried several options, based a lot upon their PSL performances. The scenario went on to turn bizarre and unsuccessful, thereby compelling selectors recall Shehzad. Throughout this period, Pakistan top-order had failed time and again. None of the players in particular were consistent in every single match, Mohammad Hafeez was the only constant option.
The middle-order, largely Shoaib Malik and Sarfraz Ahmed, did some justice to Pakistan’s reputation. Not Afridi. It did not help when Pakistan kept losing in Asia Cup 2016. People drew comparison with the likes of MS Dhoni, who successfully leads their sides and scores runs. Afridi is 36. People say he is experienced. They say he should use his experience to improve the performance. Unfortunately, they do not realise that age often drains one of his abilities.
All these are mere words. If one is in the international circuit, one cannot block a youngster’s place. At 36 one needs to deliver consistently. It used to be “if he still can do what he used to do” till yesterday; the performance against Bangladesh (49 off 19, 2 for 27), has probably changed that to “Yes, he can, and needs to.” No player intends to score a duck or go wicketless. Having said that, he has been doing that far too often now. The team needs a mentor after the already disturbed balance; following the bowling ban on Mohammad Hafeez, they lacked the leader, the match-winning all-rounder.[sc:afterFooterAd]
It is up to Afridi now, whether he would deliver more often, or give in to temptations time and again. There will be some calling for his head even now. But… does the team have someone who can take on all the blame games and reply with such a performance? Can Pakistan find an all-rounder to replace him? Pakistan have won ICC World T20 just once, in 2009, where Afridi took an important wicket and scored 54 not out in the final to take his side to victory. He will have to repeat that in this season as well.
But, the question is, who after Afridi?[sc:afterFooterAd]
#PakistanNeed49Off192For27ShahidAfridiInAllTheirICCT20WorldCup2016Matches
#Cricket, #Sports
Save money on those pills: Mindfulness meditation can replace painkillers - GoFrnzy.com
Save money on those pills: Mindfulness meditation can replace painkillers
Meditation can come to rescue chronic pain sufferers.[sc:afterFooterAd]
According to a new study, mindfulness meditation provides opioid-free pain relief.
Team leader Fadel Zeidan from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center said that their finding was surprising and could be important for the millions of chronic pain sufferers, who are seeking a fast-acting, non-opiate-based therapy to alleviate their pain. To determine if meditation uses the body's opioids to reduce pain, the researchers injected study participants with either a drug called naloxone, which blocks the pain-reducing effects of opioids, or a saline placebo.[sc:afterFooterAd]
Zeidan found that the participants' pain ratings were reduced by 24 percent from the baseline measurement in the meditation group that received the naloxone. This is important because it showed that even when the body's opioid receptors were chemically blocked, meditation still was able to significantly reduce pain by using a different pathway, he said. Pain ratings also were reduced by 21 percent in the meditation group that received the placebo-saline injection.
Zeidan noted that this study adds to the growing body of evidence that something unique is happening with how meditation reduces pain. These findings are especially significant to those who have built up a tolerance to opiate-based drugs and are looking for a non-addictive way to reduce their pain.
The study is published in the Journal of Neuroscience.[sc:afterFooterAd]
#SaveMoneyOnThosePillsMindfulnessMeditationCanReplacePainkillers
#HealthTips
