GLOBAL SCENES

In pictures: Christians celebrate Easter around the world Pictures from around the world capture Christians celebrating Easter, their holiest time of year.                                                                                                                                                                                                    See more...

Arnold Schwarzenegger in stable condition after heart surgery Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is in stable condition Friday after undergoing emergency open-heart surgery during a procedure to replace a valve in his heart, according to his spokesman. Schwarzenegger, 70, went to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Thursday for a planned procedure to replace a pulmonic valve that was originally installed in 1997 due to a congenital heart defect, Schwarzenegger's  spokesman Daniel Ketchell said in a statement. Schwarzenegger opted for a less-invasive catheter valve replacement but during that procedure an open-heart surgery team stepped in to replace the valve due to complications. His pulmonic valve was successfully replaced after open-heart surgery and he is currently recovering from the surgery and is in stable condition, Ketchell said in a statement.                                                                                      

Good Friday message reflects the beliefs of Grandmothers Against Detention of Refugee Children It’s Good Friday . Which is good because most people get a day off. Except us. But we had a day off on Wednesday, so we’re not complaining. As most people know, Good Friday is a Christian holiday that marks the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The Wikipedia entry on Jesus kicks off by saying he was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. It goes on to say that Jesus is the central figure of  Christianity and that some people believe him to be the  son of God and the  messiah, as written in the Old Testament. But for the purposes of this article, let’s call him an ancient philosopher. That’s not because we think he is or isn’t the messiah. It’s just that we’re not too keen to start a religious debate in the Topics column. Who knows where that might end. It might never end. Anyhow, our reason for writing about Jesus on Good Friday is that he

Maundy Thursday 2018: Wishes, Quotes, Whatsapp Status, Images & Meaning Maundy  Thursday   also called Holy Thursday is celebrated a day before  Good Friday  which is observed by Christians in the United States. The day commemorates Jesus Christ’s institution of the Eucharist during the last supper, as described in the Christian Bible. There are many other names given to the day including Paschal Thursday, Sheer/Shere Thursday and Passion Thursday. This year, Maundy Thursday is falling on March 29, 2018. On this day, Christian people in Catholic churches offer Eucharist to the gathering. The word Maundy comes from Latin word ‘ mandatum ’, which means command. The day commemorates the last supper of Jesus, where it is believed he shared bread and wine with his disciples . It is said he also washed the feet of his followers and commanded them to love each other. Well, now we know why the day has been named so. This Holy day marks the beginning of the three-day celebr

No charges against officers in Alton Sterling death; other videos are coming No charges will be filed against two Baton Rouge police officers in the 2016 shooting death of Alton Sterling, after an investigation determined that the shooting was justified, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said Tuesday. Police shootings: Trials, convictions are rare for officers "We have concluded that the officers in question acted as reasonable officers under existing law and were justified in their use of force," Landry's   written report on the investigation   reads. But his decision is not the last chapter of the case, as the police department plans to hold hearings on whether to discipline the officers, and says it intends to release four videos that have yet to be made public.                                                                                           Read more...

Syndicate Bank PO 2018 results declared at syndicatebank.in Syndicate Bank results :  The Syndicate Bank has released the results for admissions to the one year Post Graduate Diploma in Banking and Finance (PGDBF) course for probationary officers at syndicatebank.in. The PO exam was held on February 25, 2018. The PGDBF 2018-19 will be conducted by the Manipal Global Education Services Pvt Ltd Bangalore and Nitte Education International Pvt Ltd (NEIPL) Greater Noida/Mangalore. After a candidate successfully completes the course within the stipulated time period, he/she would be offered appointment in the bank as Probationary Officer (PO) in junior management grade/scale-I. While the website is running slow, candidates can later check their scores and cut-off from the official website by following the steps written below:                                                                                                                                   Read more...

Exclusive Joseph Parker interview: 'I'm not scared of anything - apart from my parents' J oseph Parker is afraid of no man in a ring, and certainly not Anthony Joshua . "That's not how I'm made," explained Parker, as he contemplated  Saturday's world heavyweight title fight in Cardiff. "I am Samoan and we are a warrior nation, with different ways. We think differently." You believe him, too.  This might be the biggest bout of Parker's life  - with  80,000 fans expected to fill Cardiff's Principality Stadium and three of the world heavyweight titles on the line - but there is a quiet authority in his voice which brooks no dissent. It helps explain his record of 24 victories, 18 of them knockouts, with no defeats, and why he wears the World Boxing Organisation heavyweight belt. In fact,...                                                                                                             Read more...

AirAsia offer: Domestic flight tickets to start from Rs 850, international at Rs 1,999  AirAsia today announced fares as low as Rs 850 to domestic destinations and Rs 1,999 to international destinations, if tickets are booked from its website or mobile app between March 26 and April 1.  The fares would be applicable for travel between October 1 to May 28, the airline said in a statement.  "The promotional one way all-in fares start from Rs 850 and the discount applies to all bookings made through airasia.com and the AirAsia mobile application," it said.  Tickets to international destinations such as Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Phuket and Melbourne can also be booked at as low as Rs 1,999, the statement said.  AirAsia has services to domestic destinations such as Bengaluru, Ranchi, Jaipur, Bhubaneswar, Visakhapatnam, Nagpur, Indore, Kochi, Hyderabad, Pune, Guwahati, Chennai and Kolkata, it said. 

Review: ‘The Terror,’ or ‘Alien’ in the Arctic The biggest name attached to   “The Terror,”  a new series on AMC , is that of the executive producer Ridley Scott . And the show has some Scott trademarks. It’s about a dangerous expedition to what might as well be a distant planet (unless you’re an Inuit) — the Canadian Arctic in the 1840s. And along the way there’s a monster that hides in the shadows and picks off the crew in a notably violent and bloody manner. Created by David Kajganich , a screenwriter (“A Bigger Splash”) and former wilderness guide, the show does not, unfortunately, display Mr. Scott’s ruthless talent for putting the viewer’s guts in a knot. “The Terror,” which begins its 10-episode run on Monday, is like many polar expeditions: long, educational, full of interesting things to look at and not completely successful. “ The Terror ” is based on a best-selling 2007 novel by Dan Simmons , which was in turn based on the fate of the Franklin expedition of 18

Greece Changes to Daylight Savings Time Time changes in Greece in the early hours of Sunday . 3 a.m. clocks will turn to 4 a.m. as Daylight Savings Time goes into effect. Most countries in Europe spring forward 1 hour at 01:00 UTC . Local time for the change is different in each time zone. Each year, Daylight Savings Time goes into effect on the last Sunday of March, to turn back again on the last Sunday of October. There is discussion in the European Union to abolish DST . In February, the European Parliament voted to re-evaluate DST in Europe urging the EU Commission to consider putting an end to adjusting the clocks back and forward 1 hour. The majority of European Parliament Members voted for the abolition of DST and it is now up to the European Commission to decide whether Europeans will continue springing the clock one hour forward and backward each year.

I Kill Giants  Is a Strange, Moving Tale of Childhood Grief and Fantasy I Kill Giants  feels secret and dangerous, like a VHS tape dug out of a dusty crate at a yard sale; it’s the kind of movie you ended up watching every week as a kid just because of how weird it made you feel. The debut feature of director Anders Walter is based on the graphic novel of the same name by Joe Kelly (who also adapted the screenplay), and it’s at once familiar and unsettling, with shades of  Pan’s Labyrinth  and  Return to Oz.  But what gives it its chills has less to do with its freaky creatures, and more with the troubled state of its young heroine. Young protagonists escaping into fantasy in the face of traumatic reality is a common theme in children’s fiction, but few films take their heroine’s mental state seriously enough to interrogate it the way  I Kill Giants  does. Barbara Thorson (Madison Wolfe) is a wild, moody tween living with her older sister and brother in a state of not-quite-c

Santa Clarita   Diet  introduces Joel and Sheila's real estate nemeses After the slam-bang season two premiere where the  Santa Clarita Diet -ers had to solve some serious problems, it’s back to business as usual for the Hammonds. But a couple new wrinkles are teased that should provide plenty of wacky hijinks and fun storylines for the season. For Joel and Sheila, they have their eyes on a new housing development that would be a serious get for our resident real-a-tors (solidarity with Sheila, even if it’s incorrect). Their boss (the always-delightful Andy Richter) says that development is on hold since Gary’s disappearance, but if the Hammonds can land a fancy-pants listing for the firm, he’ll let them move forward with the development. The wealthy seller in question is ... well, it doesn’t really matter what her character name is because I shouted “Markie Post!” as soon as she came on screen and I shall continue to do so for the duration of this review. Big  Night Cou

Alberta budget 2018: Post-secondary students applaud continued tuition freeze Thursday’s budget contained few surprises for universities, colleges and post-secondary students since the province delivered on its promise to freeze tuition in Alberta for a fourth consecutive year. Provincial government coffers will soften the blow of lost revenue for universities and colleges by handing over $17 million to backfill the cost of the freeze. They’ll also continue with a promised two per cent funding increase to post-secondary institutions. “Affordability of post-secondary education is a key priority for us,” Advanced Education Minister Marlin Schmidt told reporters Thursday. A tuition freeze is a double-edged sword, United Conservative Party whip Ric McIver said Thursday — a relief for students, and a burden for post-secondary institutions.                                                                                                                      Read more...      

Great Pacific Garbage Patch now three times the size of France A huge, swirling pile of trash in the Pacific Ocean is growing faster than expected and is now three times the size of France. According to a three-year study published in  Scientific Reports  Friday, the mass known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is about 1.6 million square kilometers in size -- up to 16 times bigger than previous estimates. Ghost nets, or discarded fishing nets, make up almost half the 80,000 metric tons of garbage floating at sea, and researchers believe that around 20% of the total volume of trash is debris from the 2011 Japanese tsunami. The study -- conducted by an international team of scientists with  The Ocean Cleanup Foundation , six universities and an aerial sensor company -- utilized two aircraft surveys and 30 vessels to cross the debris field.                                                                                                       Read more...

Bhagat Singh was hanged on March 23, 1931 - His memorable quotes Every year, on March 23, Martyr’s Day or Shaheed Diwas is observed in memory of three freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives for the country. Every year, on March 23, Martyr’s Day or Shaheed Diwas is observed in memory of three freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives for the country. Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev were hanged till death on March 23, 1931, in Lahore jail by the colonial British. Born on September 28, 1907 in Punjab in British India, Bhagat Singh is a well-known freedom fighter who was a revolutionary socialist and played a crucial role during the Indian freedom struggle. Remembering the Indian freedom fighter on his 87th death anniversary, we bring you some of his famous quotes that continue to inspire the nation.                                                                                               Read more...    

Katsuko Saruhashi turned radioactive fallout into a scientific legacy Today’s Google Doodle celebrates Japanese geochemist  Katsuko Saruhashi , whose research helped reveal the insidious spread of radioactive fallout from the US nuclear testing ground in the Pacific. If she were still alive, today would have been her 98th birthday. In 1957, Saruhashi became the first woman to  receive a PhD in chemistry in Japan . Her work focused on measuring the molecules in seawater — like carbon dioxide,  oxygen , and also radioactive molecules like  cesium-137 . Just twelve years before she received her PhD, the United States dropped atomic bombs that devastated the cities of Hiroshima and Nagaski, and the US continued to unleash a torrent of radioactive fallout in the Pacific as it tested bigger and bigger bombs. By 1958, the US had exploded  67 nuclear devices around the Marshall Islands — leaving a long legacy of contamination behind. Saruhashi worked at the Central Meteorological O

NJ Weather: School closings and delays for Monmouth, Ocean counties for March 22, 2018 While it was slow to get going, the nor'easter has definitely delivered on its promise of heavy snow. With that in mind, school districts late Wednesday announced delayed openings for Thursday. Several districts said they would continue to evaluate conditions overnight into Thursday morning, so check back for updates. If you don't see your school district here, it's because no information was readily available about its status Thursday. Here's what we know as of very early Thursday morning: Monmouth County Schools Asbury Park Schools: Two-hour delayed opening. Atlantic Highlands Elementary School: Two-hour delayed opening. Avon School: 10:05 a.m. opening. Belmar Elementary School: 10 a.m. opening. Bradley Beach Elementary School: A delayed opening is planned; but school district officials were non-committal and evaluating conditions overnight. Check with the school di

25 Things You Never Knew About Britney Spears' Ex Kevin Federline Think you know everything about  Kevin Federline ? Think again! While it's been several years since the backup-dancer and rapper was married to  Britney Spears , the man also referred to as K-Fed continues making news. In fact, the former  Britney & Kevin: Chaotic  star has found himself in the headlines as he continues  negotiations  with his ex-wife over child support. For today, however, Kevin is celebrating his 40th birthday and gearing up for a big weekend celebration in Las Vegas. More on that fun later. In honor of the big day, we decided to find some surprising facts about the DJ's career, love story with Britney and life in the spotlight. Dare we say you may learn a thing or two.                                                                                                                                                          Read more...

Google marks 102nd birth anniversary of shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan with a doodle Google today celebrated the 102nd birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna awardee and Shehnai maestro  Ustad Bismillah Khan . To mark the occasion of maestro's 102nd birth anniversary, Google dedicated its fun doodle to him where Khan can be seen playing his shehnai while casually lounging in his trademark posture. The doodle has been illustrated by a Chennai-based illustrator, Vijay Krish, according to the Google. Born in 1916, Khan hailed from a family of musicians. His ancestors were court musicians who used to play in Naqqar Khana (an orchestra pit in Mughal-era monuments) in the princely state of Bhojpur, Bihar. His father was a well-known shehnai player who performed in the court of Maharaja Keshav Prasad Singh of Dumraon Estate, Bihar. At the age of six, he moved to Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi, where he received his formal training under his uncle, Ali Bux 'Vilayatu',