Employment news 19 September 19, 2013

Employment news 19 September 19, 2013

Miss Muslimah takes on Miss World

AP World Muslimah 2012 Nina Septiani of Indonesia crowns Obabiyi Aishah Ajibola of Nigeria after being named World Muslimah 2013 during the third Annual Award of World Muslimah in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Wednesday.

The contestants are between 18 and 27 years old, come from six Muslim countries — Indonesia, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Malaysia, Brunei and Iran.

To qualify, they must be proficient in reading the Koran and have some academic, sports and cultural achievements. They must wear a hijab in their daily lives and even submit an essay titled “My hijab experience”.

Though, the contest is going ahead, the protesters succeeded in persuading the government to order the entire pageant confined to the Hindu-majority island of Bali. Originally, the final was to be held in capital Jakarta, on the Muslim-dominated island of Java. 

Eka Shanthi, founder of the Miss Muslimah contest, says rather than protests and bans she believes holding an alternative contest for Muslim women that poses no contradiction between their religion and their participation, to be the correct way of countering Miss World.

In India, the future Miss Muslimah will attend the Nirvanavan Foundations’ Art Mela for World Peace, which will raise money for the schooling of the children of women driven into prostitution, many of whom come from local Muslim communities.

Dutch cyclist breaks world land speed record 

A 23-year-old Dutch cyclist has pedalled his way to a world record, hitting more than 133.78kph as he sped through a US desert, to become the planet's fastest cyclist.

Sebastiaan Bowier reached a rip-roaring 133.78 kph in the high-tech recumbent bike developed by students from Delft University of Technology and VU University Amsterdam.

This set a new world record, making him the world's fastest cyclist travelling 0.6 kph faster than the previous record holder, Canadian Sam Wittingham.

The speeds were achieved on a 200 metre stretch of road, with a run-up of 8 km across a totally straight route in the Nevada desert, US.

Central Goernment Employees will get 10% DA

केंद्र सरकार शुक्रवार को महंगाई भत्ते में दस फीसदी के इजाफे को मंजूरी दे सकती है।

अभी अस्सी फीसदी तक महंगाई भत्ता लोगों को मिल रहा है, जिसके 90 फीसदी करने का प्रस्ताव सरकार के पास विचाराधीन है।

अगर मंजूरी मिल जाती है तो इससे 50 लाख केंद्रीय कर्मचारियों और 30 लाख पेंशनभोगियों को फायदा पहुंचेगा। यह बढ़ोतरी 1 जुलाई, 2013 से प्रभावी मानी जाएगी।

हालांकि बढ़ोतरी से सरकारी खजाने पर हर साल 10, 879 करोड़ रुपए का बोझ बढ़ जाएगा।

Himachal to launch Food Security programme from 20th Sept 

Himachal Pradesh government is all set to launch the Food Security programme in the state from 20th September and all arrangements are in place for the big event, state Food and Supplies minister G S Bali said on Saturday.

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh would launch the programme at historic Ridge maidan by distributing subsidised ration kits to beneficiaries under Antyodaya Ann Yojana, the minister said.

Meanwhile, Bali has directed the state Civil Supplies Corporation to provide 2-kg sugar per ration card to each ration card holder during October through its godowns, retail and all fair price shops keeping in view the ensuring festival season.

World’s Best Dressed Woman to Actress Kerry Washington

Actress Kerry Washington, who scored an Emmy nomination for her role in the ABC television drama ‘Scandal,’ is the “World’s Best Dressed Woman.

Washington, 36, headed a list of style icons that included AcademyAward-winner Jennifer Lawrence, singer-songwriter Solange Knowles and actresses Jenna Dewan-Tatum.

 New Zealand opens embassy in Myanmar

New Zealand has opened its embassy in Myanmar, Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully announced Wednesday.

This new office in Yangon reflects Myanmar's remarkable progress in implementing political and economic reforms over the past two years," Xinhua quoted McCully as saying in a statement.

New Zealand has substantially increased its development assistance to Myanmar, with major commitments to dairy cooperation and capacity building. There is also considerable scope for New Zealand companies to invest," he said.

The opening of this office comes as the region focuses its attention on Myanmar, which as the next chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, will host a number of ministerial and official level meetings throughout 2014, culminating in the East Asia Summit."

New Zealand has moved to normalise relations with Myanmar following reforms under the government of President Thein Sein, which has been in place since March 2011.

The country is due to hold general elections in 2015.

Google to unveil new health company named Calico led by Genentech chairman

Google co-founders Page Sergey Brin

Google Inc said it plans to set up a new company called Calico, headed by Apple Inc and Genentech chairman Art Levinson, to develop technologies to tackle health issues related to aging.
The new company will be run separately from Google, the world's largest internet search company, with a focus on issues including life-threatening diseases and problems affecting mental and physical agility due to aging.

Google, which makes more than 90 percent of its revenue from advertising, has invested in numerous so-called moonshots since co-founder Page reassumed the role of CEO in 2011.

The company is working on self-driving cars, wearable computers, and air balloons that beam wireless Internet access to remote regions of the world.

Google previously tried to get involved in the healthcare business with limited success.

Google Health, which provided consumers with a way to store their medical records online, was shuttered in 2011 after three years.

Page said at the time that the service had failed to catch on with the general public.

Tigmanshu Dhulia wins Best Director at Norway Bollywood film festival

Tigmanshu Dhulia was presented the best director award for Paan Singh Tomar at the 11th Norway Bollywood Film Festival at a packed Loreskog cinema center in Oslo on Tuesday. 

While filmmaker Rahul Mittra bagged the Best Producer award for his last year's hit Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns, Jimmy Sheirgill got the best actor award for the same film. 

The festival is one of the biggest film festivals in Scandinavia, attracting hundreds of Indians, Pakistanis and Norwegians each year, apart from top names from Bollywood. 

Mittra and Dhulia also announced the date of their upcoming film Bullett Raja starring Saif Ali Khan, Sonakshi Sinha and Jimmy Sheirgill which is releasing on November 29.

BlackBerry may lay off up to 40% of its staff

Its lay-offs will happen across the board, in areas including sales and research and development.
BlackBerry had 12,000 employees as of April, 2013.

While the report did not state whether the job cuts would affect its India employee base, the company had opened a BlackBerry Innovation Zone in India last year.