Today Breaking News Of The World: January 2013

Thursday 24 January 2013

Top 10 hangover foods

Overdone it on the grog? While you may be tempted to reach for the junk food to make yourself feel better, loading your overworked liver with more toxins is actually the last thing it needs. Instead, try snacking on one of these alternative foods to aid your recovery and start feeling better in no time at all.

One reason many of us feel so bad the morning after a drinking session is because alcohol depletes your system of essential nutrients, including B vitamins. A lack of B vitamins can cause anxiety and depression, so try munching on vegemite - a rich source of the vitamin B complex - to lift your mood. As an added benefit, vegemite has a high sodium content which can help replace the salts lost through drinking alcohol. Try the savoury spread on toast for an added fix of carbs.

Hangover food 2: Watermelon

Not only does alcohol deplete your body of nutrients, it can also lead to low blood sugar levels, which may leave you feeling weak and shaky. To counteract this, try snacking on watermelon, which is not only high in fructose but is also water-rich to boost hydration. On top of this, watermelon is high in many essential nutrients, including vitamin C, B-vitamins and magnesium

Hangover food 3: Ginger

If too much alcohol has you feeling queasy, ginger is the perfect food to help settle your stomach and relieve nausea. While you may not feel much like chewing on the food in its original form, you could try adding some grated ginger to hot water for a ginger tea, blending into a fresh fruit or vegetable juice, or snacking on ginger biscuits for a stomach-soothing treat.

Hangover food 4: Eggs

Scrambled, fried or boiled, eggs are a popular hangover breakfast, and the good news is they are a great choice for beating the nastiest of hangovers. Firstly, eggs are extremely rich in protein, which helps raise mood-boosting serotonin levels as well as helping to reduce nausea. Furthermore, eggs are rich in an amino acid called cystine, which helps fight against the alcohol-induced toxins that contribute to your hangover.

Hangover food 5: Bananas

Bananas are packed with potassium and magnesium, two of the minerals often depleted in our bodies when alcohol is consumed. A lack of potassium in the body can lead to nausea, weakness and tiredness, so stocking up on bananas can help reduce these classic hangover symptoms. As an added bonus, bananas are natural antacids so great for reducing stomach acid, and are good for providing a boost of energy if you have a busy day ahead.

Hangover food 6: Soup

One of the most important steps for beating a hangover is getting your body rehydrated, and this can be done through what you eat as much as what you drink. To up your fluids and sodium levels and get a shot of nutrients all at once, try some health-boosting vegetable or miso soup. As an added benefit, soup is easy on the stomach so good if you're feeling a bit queasy.

Hangover food 7: Oats

Due to the diuretic effects of alcohol, the body loses many essential minerals and vitamins during a heavy drinking session. Luckily, oats can provide you with many of these nutrients, including B vitamins (good for the liver and mood) and essential minerals magnesium, calcium and iron. On top of this, oats can help neutralise acidity levels in the body, cleanse the liver, absorb toxins and slowly raise blood sugar levels, making a bowl of porridge the perfect hangover breakfast.

Hangover food 8: Fruit juice

If you're feeling a bit queasy at the thought of food, then this is the cure for you. While it's great to line your stomach with food if you can, to replace lost vitamins, raise blood sugar levels and rehydrate your body, you can't do much better than a glass of fresh juice. Not only is juice good for immediate relief, the fructose will also help speed up the removal of alcohol from your blood.

Hangover food 9: Sardines

If you're craving something savoury, sardines on toast could be the perfect morning-after breakfast. A major cause of hangovers is an imbalance of electrolytes, and sardines are rich in many of these vital minerals, including sodium, chloride, potassium, magnesium and calcium. In addition to this, sardines are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are great for protecting the liver as well as lifting the mood.

Hangover food 10: Coconut water

Many hangover sufferers swear by sports drinks as a way to hydrate the body and help rebalance electrolytes. However, sports drinks are often carbonated, which can irritate the stomach, and packed with refined sugars. For a natural alternative to sports drinks, try sipping on some coconut water, which contains essential electrolytes (including calcium, potassium and magnesium) to boost hydration, and is also soothing for the stomach.

Source: http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/photos/top-10-hangover-foods-slideshow/top-10-hangover-foods-photo-1705391529.html

South Korean President's brother gets two-year jail term

A South Korean court on Thursday sentenced the elder brother of President Lee Myung-Bak to two years in jail after convicting him on corruption charges.

The Seoul central district court also ordered Lee Sang-Deuk, 77, to pay fines totalling 750 million won ($701,600) -- the same
sum he was found guilty of taking in kickbacks from bankers and a businessman.

Lee, a six-term lawmaker, was arrested in July last year on graft charges and allegedly helping troubled banks avoid audits.

His activities were linked to a major corruption scandal in early 2011 when four savings banks were suspended for inadequate liquidity, triggering a wider probe.

So far 16 savings banks have been suspended and four bankers have committed suicide.

Lee was the main contributor to his brother's election victory in 2007, but critics said he tried to wield too much influence over state affairs.

The verdict is an embarrassment for the president who has already had to apologise for a series of corruption cases involving close aides.

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/RestOfAsia/South-Korean-President-s-brother-gets-two-year-jail-term/Article1-999045.aspx

Russian charged with roasting baby in oven

A 34-year-old Russian has been charged with cutting up and roasting parts of his baby niece in an oven, police said on Thursday.

Police said the man, who has just two fingers, killed the two-year-old girl after a drinking session with the child's mother - his sister - in a village
in the Oldonda Borzinsky district of Russia's Transbaikal region.

The child was killed while the mother was briefly visiting neighbours, police said.

When she returned, she was unable to locate her child, which was subsequently discovered dead in the oven.

Body parts believed to have belonged to the child were also discovered in the kitchen.

Police said the suspect had appeared "indifferent" to goings-on before and after his arrest.

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/RestOfAsia/Russian-charged-with-roasting-baby-in-oven/Article1-999114.aspx

Women In Combat: Shattering the “Brass Ceiling”

The Pentagon will declare Thursday that it is lifting a ban on women serving in combat – a decision essentially rendered a fait accompli by more than decade of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, where many women served ably under fire. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is expected to make the announcement, based on a recommendation from Army General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The historic change will open up hundreds of thousands of jobs in infantry, armor and other previously all-male units from which women have been formally barred under a 1994 Pentagon rule. Ultimately, they could even be allowed to serve in special-operations units, including the Army’s Delta Force and the Navy’s SEALs.

Women who missed the opportunity to serve in combat cheered the change. “All jobs should be based on qualifications, not gender,” says Darlene Iskra, the first woman ever to command a Navy ship, and a Battleland contributor.

(MORE: Modern Marine Couple: Let Women into Combat Units)

But the decision goes deeper than the post-9/11 wars. With an all-volunteer military, the Pentagon needs women in its ranks. Beyond that, the fluid nature of the 21st Century battlefield has rendered long-ago battle maps, with a clear demarcation between front lines and rear echelons, as dated as muskets and bayonets. Basically, it has become untenable for the U.S. military to pretend its female troops are not engaged in combat.

Many women have griped that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq essentially placed them on the front lines, without getting the combat credentials often needed for promotions. Women constitute about 14% of the U.S. military’s 1.4 million active-duty personnel. While women have totaled more than 10% of those sent to war zones, they have accounted for 1.82% of those wounded and 2.26% of those who died.

Those numbers will climb as women move deeper into the combat arms. “We’ve had over 250,000 deployed and 144 given their ultimate sacrifice,” Army General Ann Dunwoody said of the post-9/11 wars, shortly before her retirement last year. “I think some of our policies are lagging and are catching up with the current employment of women,” the U.S. military’s first female four-star general added. The change is also likely to raise questions about continuing to require only males, once they turn 18, to register with the Selective Service so they can be summoned to fight, if needed, via a draft.

(MORE: The Combat Exclusion Policy: Under Attack)

There is no law barring women from combat, and it remains to be seen if some in Congress try to fight to change. But intial reaction was largely positive. Senator Patty Murray, D-Wash., called it a “historic step for recognizing the role women have, and will continue to play, in the defense of our nation.’’ The head of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee added that since 9/11 ” thousands of women already spent their days in combat situations serving side-by-side with their fellow male service members.’’

With Panetta’s green light comes the tough part: ensuring there are sufficient women in uniform who want combat jobs, and that they are physically capable of performing them. In the past, career-minded female officers have been more interested in that option than enlisted women.

If, as appears will be the case, women will have to meet same physical standards as men, that too could whittle away at the number of females eligible for combat slots. A female Marine officer caused a stir last summer when she asserted that “we are not all created equal, and attempting to place females in the infantry will not improve the Marine Corps as the Nation’s force-in-readiness or improve our national security…” The only two female Marines in the corps’ infantry-officer training course the first time it was open to them last year dropped out.

(MORE: Viewpoint: Barring Women from Combat Is Unconstitutional)

A husband-and-wife Marine couple countered that the combat-exclusion policy “institutionalizes the concept that all male Marines, based on gender alone, are capable of performing duties in the combat arms, while all female Marines similarly are not.” Iskra warned that requirements should not be brandished to block otherwise qualified women. “The requirements need to be based on real requirements,” she says. “Too much in the past, height and weight requirements, for example, were used to exclude candidates who would otherwise be able to do the job.”

Battleland contributor Elspeth Ritchie, who has written on women at war, served as the Army’s top psychiatrist before retiring as a colonel in 2010. She suggests the policy change simply acknowledges reality. “We—female Soldiers– were in combat,” she said Wednesday. “I came under fire. I carried a weapon. I earned three different combat patches from Somalia and Iraq. It seemed a farce to proclaim that we were not.”

Nearly a year ago, Panetta signaled that he was open to allowing women into more combat slots when he decided to allow them to serve with forward-deployed combat units in support jobs. “Women are contributing in unprecedented ways to the military’s mission,” he said last February. “We will continue to open as many positions as possible to women so that anyone qualified to serve can have the opportunity to do so.”

Despite that pledge, four women recently sued Panetta and the Pentagon, saying the ban was a “brass ceiling” hindering their advancement through the ranks.

Time to move the struggle from the courtroom to the battlefield.

Source: http://nation.time.com/2013/01/24/women-in-combat-shattering-the-brass-ceiling/#ixzz2ItKLvooZ

RBI panel favours 30 year fixed rate loans

Mumbai: Seeking to encourage housing activity, an RBI committee has pitched for introduction of fixed rate loans for up to 30 years and also asked banks to explore the possibility of levying "reasonable" pre-payment penalty on the outstanding amount only.

The banks, the RBI report said, should also look at introducing fixed rate long-term loan with an option of resetting interest rates after every 7 to 10 years. This could be in addition to plain vanilla fixed rate loan products.

The report has also recommended that the banks popularise the fixed deposit schemes with tenure of above five years, which are eligible for tax exemption.

"The Indian financial system has G-Secs up to 30 years, a benchmark to issue and price 30 year bonds by banks. Banks could, therefore, make efforts to offer longer-tenor fixed rate loans, say up to 30 years which would help reduce the EMIs of the borrowers," it said.

At present, long-term credit, including home loans, are offered for a period of up to 25 years.

These initiatives would help in meeting long-term funding needs of banks, the committee headed by RBI Chief General Manager K K Vohra said.

On the pre-payment penalty issue, it said: "The penalty should be levied only on the outstanding amount on the date of pre-payment and not on the loan amount initially sanctioned. Further, the pre-payment penalty should be reasonable so that it does not act as a disincentive for the fixed rate loan borrowers."

Moreover, the pre-payment penalty could be graded based on the period after which the loan is repaid, i.E. After 5 years, 10 years or so, it added.

The RBI panel also said large institutional investors like pension funds, provident funds, insurance companies should be encouraged to invest in bonds issued by banks.

Banks may explore the option of take-out financing, in addition to promoting securitisation for better asset liability management, the report said.

Source: http://zeenews.india.com/business/news/finance/rbi-panel-favours-30-year-fixed-rate-loans_68690.html

EU referendum: David Cameron's speech was 'gutsy', says Finnish minister

David Cameron's promise of an EU referendum was a "gutsy move" that "clarifies the debate" over Britain's place in Europe, a Finnish minister has said.

Germany, France and Spain tell David Cameron: there is no room for negotiation on Europe

Prime Minister David Cameron after delivering his speech on Europe Photo: EDDIE MULHOLLAND

Alexander Stubb, the foreign affairs minister, said he thinks it will be perfectly possible for Britain to "differentiate" itself in Europe as there are lots of opportunities to "take a few raisins out of the bun".

Several EU foreign ministers were on Wednesday hostile to Mr Cameron's plans for agreeing a new relationship with Europe and calling a public vote on membership of the EU by 2017.

However, Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, struck a conciliatory note and Mr Stubb told BBC Radio Four this morning that the speech was actually "constructive".

"We need Britain in Europe and Europe needs britain as well," he said. "It's going to be a long path but it's very good for the British EU debate."

He said his views might seem surprising from a staunch pro-European, but he "wants to see the UK serious and at the of the EU debate not yapping about from the margins like Ukip."

"This really clarifies the debate and it was a gutsy move," he added.

Mr Stubb, who has previously warned Britain not to put itself on the margins, was also optimistic about the British Prime Minister's chances of achieving renegotiation with other EU members.

"There has been a lot of differentiation inside the EU over its history," he said. "A lot of countries are not in the euro, lots are not in Schengen, there are some outside defence and hundreds of directives not implemented. Of course we have stick to the bulk of it but of course we can take a few raisins out of the bun."

Last night, David Lidington, the Europe minister, said the Conservative manifesto would set out more detail on Britain's approach to clawing back powers from Brussels.

However, Chris Grayling, the Justice Secretary, told BBC Breakfast this morning that the Prime Minister "shouldn't start with a detailed list of items".

"We should start with a direction that says, look, what weﾒre trying to do here is to ensure that decisions about Britain that need to be taken in Britain can be taken in Britain," he said.

After Mr Cameron's speech, Mrs Merkel signalled she might help Britain reach a deal by saying she would be prepared to listen to Britain over its "wishes" for looser ties with the EU.

Mrs Merkel said she wants to see a "fair compromise" after David Cameron called for radical EU reforms before a public vote on Britain's membership.

"Germany, and I personally, want Britain to be an important part and an active member of the European Union," she said today.

"We are prepared to talk about British wishes but we must always bear in mind that other countries have different wishes and we must find a fair compromise. We will talk intensively with Britain about its individual ideas but that has some time over the months ahead."

Her intervention was see as the first step towards a possible victory by Mr Cameron, who has always argued it is possible for Britain to get a "fresh settlement" with Brussels.

The Prime Minister was yesterday cheered by his own party in the House of Commons, after he promised a referendum by the end of 2017.

In a move that risked infuriating European leaders, he has also called for wider reform of the EU allowing countries to define their own relationships with Brussels.

"Far from unravelling the EU, this will in fact bind its members more closely because such flexible, willing cooperation is a much stronger glue than compulsion from the centre," he said.

Ministers from the Netherlands, Czech Republic and Finland have all signalled they may be open to this idea.

However, several foreign ministers from Germany, France and Italy dismissed Mr Cameron's chances of getting a fresh settlement with Brussels or deeper reform of the whole EU.

One of Mrs Merkel's close allies also today called for immediate British referendum on EU membership because Mr Cameron is unlikely to get the new settlement he envisages.

Gunther Krichbaum, the chairman of the Bundestag's powerful European committee, told German MPs that Britain should get on with a vote.

"There's no reason to delay the decision because all the arguments are on the table," he said. "There is and can be no renegotiation in Cameron's sense."

Mr Krichbaum also attacked the PM's timing for a referendum, after 2015 during a period when the eurozone would trying to create "fiscal union".

"While others switch into fourtth gear, Cameron goes into reverse gear," he said.

A German foreign minister earlier warned Britain will not be allowed to “cherry pick” which laws it wants to follow.

Guido Westerwelle flatly rejected the Prime Minister’s demand that the condition of Britain’s continued membership was the return of sovereignty.

“Germany wants the United Kingdom to remain an active and constructive part of the EU. But cherry picking is not an option,” he said.

Mr Westwerwelle insisted that, in stark contrast to Britain, Germany is currently pushing for extra EU powers to tackle the eurozone debt crisis, a position that leaves little scope for a special deal for Britain.

"Germany wants an ambitious reform of the economic and monetary union in such decisive issues as the future of our common currency. We do not need less, but more integration," he said.

His comments echo those made by Laurent Fabius, the French foreign minister, who went further to suggest that France would “roll out the red carpet” for businesses as Britain mulls whether to leave the EU.

“We can't have Europe a la carte,” he said.

“Imagine the EU was a football club: once you've joined up and you're in this club, you can't then say you want to play rugby.”

Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo, the Spanish foreign minister, also accused Mr Cameron of playing a "very dangerous game" by feeding Euroscepticism by offering a popular vote on the EU.

“What Cameron has to understand is that you can't put the brakes on that train,” he said.

Joschka Fischer, the influential former German foreign minister, even accused Mr Cameron of living in “ideological dream worlds”.

“The belief that the EU could be renegotiated and Germany would support this borders on a belief in miracles,” writes in Süddeutsche Zeitung today.

EU officials are alarmed at Mr Cameron’s promise of a British referendum at a time when many Europeans would like a vote on developments in the EU, from imposed austerity to bailouts of Southern Europe.

"He's created a timebomb with the referendum. The clock is ticking. There is no renegotiation and no inclination to give Britain a special settlement at a time when the eurozone is having to do things that everyone dislikes," said a high-level EU official. "He has put the referendum back in European politics and no one is going to be grateful to him for that."

Martin Schulz, the German speaker of the European Parliament, said: "This was an inward looking speech that does not reflect European reality and will not impress many of the UK's European partners. The speech was more about domestic politics reflecting concerns of Eurosceptic elements of the Conservative Party.

"Prime Minister Cameron with his referendum announcement is playing a dangerous game for tactical, domestic reasons. (He) resembles the sorcerer’s apprentice, who cannot tame the forces that he has conjured – forces that want to leave the EU for ideological reasons, to the detriment of the British people."

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/9822946/EU-referendum-David-Camerons-speech-was-gutsy-says-Finnish-minister.html

Argument for taxing "very rich" should be considered: FM

Singapore: Finance Minister P Chidambaram, who has talked about a stable tax regime during his meetings with foreign investors in the last two days, has said that the argument for taxing the very rich "a little more" should be considered.

"I believe in stable tax rates. However, I must concede that there is an argument, underline the word argument, that when the economy requires, when the government requires more resources the very rich should willingly pay a little more.

"That is not to say that tax rate should not be stable. I think we should have stability in tax rates but we should consider the argument whether the very rich should be asked to pay a little more on some occasions," he told a private news channel.

However, he hastened to add, "but that is not a view I am expressing. That is simply an argument that I have heard and I am repeating."

Chidambaram said tax rates that were announced in 1997 (in the Budget he had presented then), have remained and have survived four governments and four finance ministers.

On the Budget to be presented next month, he said the Budget is not drawn up keeping an election in mind. "The election is a good 14 months away from the Budget. The Budget will be a responsible budget".

The Finance Minister said if on February 28 he could show that the government has kept fiscal deficit below 5.3 percent and if Budget estimates show that the next year's fiscal deficit will be below 4.8 percent, then he can show a healthy growth in revenues over next year.
"I think that is the time when rating agencies should consider moving us from... I mean improving the outlook and then improving the rating," he said.

Several experts including chairman of Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC) C Rangarajan have underlined the need for imposing higher rates of taxes on super rich.

Yesterday, Wipro Chairman Azim Premji had said the suggestion for taxing the super-rich was a "politically" correct thing to do, but expressed doubts whether the government will actually implement the proposal.

India taxes income at three rates - 10 percent, 20 percent and 30 percent. These rates were fixed in 1997.

Source: http://zeenews.india.com/business/taxes/tax-news/argument-for-taxing-very-rich-should-be-considered-fm_68746.html

Wednesday 23 January 2013

Ind vs Eng: India beat England by 5 wickets to clinch the 5-match ODI series

MOHALI: A rejuvenated India clinched the one-day series against England as the hosts rode on the batting heroics of Suresh Raina (89 not out) and Rohit Sharma (83) to fashion a comfortable five-wicket victory in the penultimate game and take an unassailable 3-1 lead on Wednesday.

Scorecard | Match in Pics

The Indians first restricted the visitors to 257 for seven and then overcame some anxious moments before overhauling the target with 15 balls to spare in a floodlit contest played in cold conditions at the PCA stadium.

Though the hosts had the game in control after putting England into bat, they conceded as many as 100 runs in the last ten overs with unheralded Joe Root (57 not out off 45 balls) and Kevin Pietersen (76) providing the late sparks with some lusty hits.

Captain Alastair Cook was another notable performer with a knock of 76.

But the Indians held their nerve during the run chase and it was ultimately Raina who guided the team home.

It was a creditable series victory for Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men who had come under fire for indifferent performances in recent times, which saw the team lose a Test series to England and an ODI series defeat against arch rivals Pakistan at home.

It was Rohit Sharma, rated as highly talented but one who has seldom delivered, who turned the spotlight on himself as he grabbed with both hands an unexpected opportunity to feature in the playing eleven as an opener in place of Ajinkya Rahane.

Sharma proved his class with some delightful shots to lay the foundation for the chase and his show will enhance his chances of cementing a place in the ODI team.

Ravindra Jadeja hit the winning runs by taking three off Jade Dernbach to trigger off scenes of wild celebrations in the galleries and the Indian dressing room where the players hugged each other.

The two teams will now move to the picturesque town of Dharamsala for the last and final match on Sunday, though it has now been rendered inconsequential.

India lost opener Gautam Gambhir early but the left- hander, who has been out of form for quite a while, was distinctly unlucky to have been adjudged caught behind by umpire Steve Davis as replays suggested that there was no edge.

Gambhir tried to poke at an outside-the-offstump delivery off Tim Bresnan and the English fielders appealed for a caught behind which was upheld by the umpire. Gambhir was shocked and was seen shaking his head while walking to the pavilion.

The hosts could have been in more trouble had Pietersen not spilled a difficult catch of Sharma when he was on 12, with Bresnan being the bowler.

Sharma and Virat Kohli steadied the innings with a 52-run partnership for the second before James Tredwell struck for his team in his very first over by evicting Kohli for 26.

It was a tossed up delivery and Kohli drove it straight to the bowler for a simple return catch.

Local hero Yuvraj, who joined the action after Kohli's dismissal, did not survive long as he fell prey to Tredwell, who trapped him leg before as he went for a pre-meditated sweep shot.

Sharma notched up his 13th ODI half century and celebrated the moment by spanking Tredwell for a six and a four off consecutive deliveries.

Sharma, who came into the team in place of an out-of-form Rahane, found an able ally in Raina who scored at a brisk race to put the pressure back on the visitors. The pair scored 50 runs off just 37 balls.

Just when they seemed to be going great guns, Steve Finn provided the breakthrough by sending back Sharma with a ball that dipped in sharply, trapping the batsman leg before wicket. Sharma's 83 came off 93 balls and contained 11 boundaries and a six.

Raina was lucky to get a reprieve when he was caught by Cook in the slip but Davis signalled a dead ball as the bowler Finn had knocked the stumps over on his delivery stride, much to the relief of a near-capacity crowd.

Earlier, put into bat, England lost three wickets in quick succession in the middle of the innings after a reasonably good start, but the young Root unleashed a stunning counter attack to steer the total past the 250 mark, which looked doubtful at one stage.

Root, who clobbered eight boundaries and a six during his 45-ball blitzkrieg, and Pietersen were largely responsible for England's recovery.

Spinner Ravindra Jadeja was the pick of the Indian bowlers with 3/39 while Ishant Sharma 2/47 and R Ashwin 2/63 were the other wicket takers.

England's opening pair put on 37 runs for the first wicket before Ishant provided the breakthrough by evicting Bell, who perished to a rash stroke.

Bell decided to step out against Ishant but could not get to the pitch of the ball and Kumar pulled off a brilliant diving catch at the third man region.

Pietersen, who joined the action after Bell's dismissal, started off watchfully and took some time to get off the mark.

The experienced duo of Cook and Pietersen kept the scoreboard moving with gentle nudges and pushes and did not take too many risks as they steered England past 100.

The duo stitched 95 runs for the second wicket before off spinner Ashwin came to the hosts' rescue by dismissing Cook in what appeared to be a dubious decision by Sudhir Asnani.

Cook was wrapped on the pad while trying to play forward but the ball appeared to have pitched outside the leg stump line. Cook slammed 13 boundaries during his knock which came off 106 balls.

The departure of Cook triggered off a collapse of sorts as Eoin Morgan (3) and Samit Patel (1) perished in quick succession as England slipped from a comfortable 132 for one to 142 for four.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournament/england-in-india-2013/top-stories/Ind-vs-Eng-India-beat-England-by-5-wickets-to-clinch-the-5-match-ODI-series/articleshow/18144972.cms

Tuesday 22 January 2013

How Google's 'Penguin' Update Will Change Publishing, for the Better

Over the past decade, the publishing industry been swinging on a pendulum created by the effects of search engine optimization (SEO). In the old, primarily print days, the most successful publishers were those that could produce great content for a specific audience and keep that audience engaged via subscriptions or at the newsstands. More recently, the kings of publishing were those that could best engage web crawlers and monetize their sites through a windfall of free search traffic. The focus has been less on creating great content and engaging readers than on producing lots of words on lots of pages to engage web crawlers.

But there is a silver lining to all of this. With last year's Panda release, and the more recent Penguin release, Google is going to flip SEO on its head. If Old SEO enabled some to fool a crawler into indexing borderline junk content to get high rankings, New SEO looks likely to take any notion of fooling anyone out of the equation.

New SEO will put all publishers on more equal footing, favoring those that produce quality content that is highly engaging to a certain audience. If SEO was previously a linear method of feeding a crawler with words and links, Google's results are now the result of a feedback loop: show them that you can produce quality content that people are attracted to, and free search traffic will follow.

There are two ways for a user to arrive at content -- the first is actively searching for it on a search engine like Google or Bing. The second is to discover or stumble onto it via a link on another website, an e-mail from a friend, a link shared on Twitter or Facebook, etc. "Discovery" encompasses all those times we reach a page without first typing a keyword into a search box.

To feed the search rankings with New SEO, publishers must be thinking about the discovery side. How can they get more engaged people discovering their content and engaging with it outside of Google? Ironically, a New SEO expert will probably need to focus more on Facebook than on Google to improve search rankings. The same goes for brands that are investing in content creation and content marketing. To be successful, everyone needs to play by the New SEO rules.

With New SEO, the pendulum is finally swinging back to favoring humans over crawlers. The New SEO rules point directly back to what was valued in the traditional print-dominated days -- content will not be a mechanism to convert clicks but a tool to boost awareness, increase overall engagement and offer opportunities to connect with a quality audience. And the "customer" that content is tailored for will no longer be SEO bots (the software apps that work the web automatically), as the New SEO favors the true end-user: the reader.

These are great days for publishing, and I'm very optimistic about future, weighted by quality content. Like many others, I hated much of what SEO had done to the industry, but the world of New SEO is one I'm looking forward to.

Source: http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/google-s-penguin-update-change-publishing/236580/?utm_source=Outbrain_Amplify&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=blog&utm_campaign=Outbrain_Amplify

Harry's wartime role revealed as he completes Afghan tour

LONDON – Britain's Prince Harry completed a tour of duty of Afghanistan this week, bringing to an end a four-month deployment as an Apache helicopter pilot.
The Ministry of Defense revealed on Monday that Harry, 28, who is known to his military colleagues simply as Captain Wales, served as a helicopter co-pilot in Britain's 662 Squadron, 3 Regiment Army Air Corps.
He was stationed at Camp Bastion, a British base located in Helmand province, in southern Afghanistan. He flew scores of missions.
In media interviews conducted in Afghanistan, Harry said that he had killed Taliban fighters as part of missions in support of ground troops.
"Take a life to save a life. That's what we revolve around, I suppose," he said. "If there's people trying to do bad stuff to our guys, then we'll take them out of the game."
Harry, third in line to the British throne, graduated from the Sandhurst military academy in 2006. A year later he was sent to Afghanistan to serve, but that tour had to be cut short after a magazine and websites disclosed details of his whereabouts.
British media had agreed to a news blackout on security grounds.
Harry's older brother, William, is a search-and-rescue pilot with the Royal Air Force. He, too, has expressed a desire to serve on the front line, but officials consider it too dangerous. Harry said he thought William should be allowed to serve in combat.

Prince Harry's crash helmet and personnel kit at the side of the cockpit of his Apache helicopter close to the flight-line at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan's Helmand Province, where he served as an Apache Helicopter Pilot/Gunner with 662 Sqd Army Air Corps. Prince Harry completed his tour of duty on Monday. John Stillwell, AFP/Getty

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Immediately before his second deployment to Afghanistan, Harry was pictured cavorting without clothes on in a Las Vegas hotel room. During interviews this week, Harry said he had "probably let myself down, I let my family down, I let other people down."
The British press on Tuesday ran a number of stories focusing on Harry's role in killing Taliban insurgents.

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/01/22/prince-harry-afghanistan/1854615/

Kate Upton gets job washing cars for Mercedes-Benz Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2013/01/22/kate-upton-gets-job-washing-cars-for-mercedes-benz/#ixzz2ImSQPZ8C

Mercedes-Benz is hoping its sexy new CLA coupe will attract young buyers, but to be on the safe side it’s recruited sexy Kate Upton to attract their attention.
The rarely-overdressed, all-American model is set to star in a much-anticipated ad for the car during the Super Bowl, and the automaker has released a teaser to get the ball rolling.
In it, Upton is charged with washing the four-door coupe while wearing little more than a pair of Daisy Dukes and a barely-there tank top. In slow-motion, of course.
Being the savvy siren that she is, the blonde bombshell comes up with a clever way to complete the task.

It’s certainly a far cry from the sober, John Hamm-voiced commercials Mercedes-Benz has been using recently. One can only imagine what they plan to score with at the big game.

HTC M7 pictures leaked out, resemble the Droid DNA

Looks like the pictures of the HTC M7, the supposed successor to the One X, have found their way into the open and they happen to look very similar to the Droid DNA. But of course, it is quite possible the images may not be the final ones and there’s a possibility the device might just exhibit a different look altogether.

Comparing the M7 by HTC to its predecessor, the home and multitasking key have seemingly switched places. Even the flash has taken a leap from the right hand side of the camera and landed onto the left. And presumably, the company has done away with the slight mound around the snapper. Users will notice the front-facing webcam however has decided to stay put on the top right corner.

The guys at Android Police seem a bit skeptical about the images being foolproof, considering the absence of the FCC logo along with certain product certification marks on the hardware. Apart from the phone’s pictures, their ‘tipster’ also managed to bag in some screenshots of the Sense 5.0 user interface.
What initially catches our attention is the clock widget, which is not the same as the company’s traditional time-indicator. It means if these images turn out to be the real deal, HTC may be opening up to certain changes. From the looks of it, the UI has included an all together different appearance with rectangular widgets.
There were some rumors doing the rounds about a month ago concerning the smartphone’s specifications. These spoke of a possible integration of the Android Jelly Bean OS, the Sense 5 UI, a quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor clocked at 1.7GHz, 2GB of system memory, 32GB of flash storage and a 13MP camera. Out of these, information dealing with the user interface has hit some concrete ground, but news about the rest is still a mystery.

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In any case, there is no saying whether the pictures of the HTC M7 are the final images or just another hoax. Since the handset is expected to launch this year, the full and final confirmation as well as the price and release date information should be making their way to the market soon and we intend to be around for delivering the news when that happens.

For now, take a look at the speculated specifications of the smartphone:

1.7GHz quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
Android Jelly Bean OS
4.7-inch full HD Solux touchscreen display
2GB of RAM
32GB inbuilt memory
13MP main and 2MP secondary cameras
2,300mAh battery

Source: http://www.mobiletor.com/2013/01/22/htc-m7-pictures-leaked-out-resemble-the-droid-dna/

Samsung launches Galaxy Grand

Intensifying competition in the smartphone market, Samsung Electronics has announced the launch of Samsung Galaxy Grand, a new high-end smartphone at a price of Rs.21,500.

This model will be available across India from February, and is targeted at the youth and company executives in the age group of 18 to 35 years, a top company official said. This device was being simultaneously launched in key markets across the world, the official added.

The handset is powered by Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean) operating system, and runs on a 1.2 GHz dual core processor. The device with a 5 inch screen is slim and comes with an ergonomic design which makes it comfortable to hold. It has borrowed features from Samsung’s flagship devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Note 2.

The device also sports a multi-window feature that allows seamless multitasking and running of multiple applications simultaneously without having to switch screens.

The Grand is also one of the world’s top performing dual SIM smartphones. Its smart dual SIM feature provides total communication flexibility, allowing users to manage two phone numbers from a single phone.

It is possible to receive calls on one SIM number while taking a call from the other, ensuring efficient management of personal and work commitments without ever missing a call.

“We are beginning the year 2013 with the launch of Galaxy Grand and we have lot of expectation from it. Many more launches will follow. The Galaxy Grand is revolutionary not only in terms of the great smartphone experience that it provides but also in terms of its value proposition,” said Asim Warsi, Vice-President, Samsung Mobile.

“I feel the Galaxy Grand will further fuel the growth of the smartphone market in India and will especially delight consumers looking for a great smart dual SIM phone. The Galaxy Grand best meets the growing consumer preference for a large screen device that gives them a great multimedia experience and superior performance,” Mr Warsi added. He said the device had various intuitive features that enable consumers to seamlessly engage with the device.

This launch comes days after Nokia introduced its high-end Lumia 920, 820 and 620 and announced plans to aggressively grow in the smartphone market. Apple is also aggressively promoting its iPhone 5 through various offers and it will be interesting to watch the turf war in the coming months.

Keywords: Samsung Galaxy Grand, Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean), Nokia Lumia

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/business/companies/samsung-launches-galaxy-grand/article4333198.ece

Monday 21 January 2013

Honda Gear concept unveiled

Honda Canada provided the world with its first look at the new GEAR Concept Study Model – a vehicle that demonstrates Honda’s innovative approach to providing the automotive answer for young, urban, Gen-Y lifestyles. Inspired by fixed-gear bicycles, GEAR is a concept that represents an entirely new way of looking at the sub-compact vehicle. It is simple and utilitarian, but also customizable, connected and full of personality.

Source: http://in.news.yahoo.com/photos/honda-gear-concept-unveiled-slideshow/honda-gear-concept-unveiled-photo-1550465803.html

Saturday 19 January 2013

Chintan Shivir Live: Have to win back faith in govt, says Sonia

11am: Sonia Gandhi also tried addressing issues of women’s safety, following the gang-rape incident in Delhi. To the echo of her previous statements, Gandhi added a few lines condemning public figures who have made thoughtless derogatory statements against women following the incident.
“People are right demanding action from the government. We have taken several measures to boost women’s safety in the country. The Delhi gang-rape victim embodied the spirit of aspirational India. Tragically, she embodied the kind of violence that thousands of women and children in India, suffer every day. Their lives are ruined and they are denied justice,” she said.
She added that the government has made amendments in an existing law to endure equal inheritance rights for women and has introduced new laws meant to protect women from domestic violence and sexual harassment at work.
10.55am: Though the Congress chief refused to make references to the allegations of corruption against the government, she brought up the issue in a round-about way, in a cunning attempt to address growing public resentment yet not admitting the party’s failings. Again, the way Sonia Gandhi went all gung-ho against corruption in the system and misuse of position by ministers, she was almost reminiscent of Rahul Gandhi‘s speech a few months back, which blamed the ‘system’ for corruption – as if the speaker and the party were not essentially parts of the same system they seemed to be denouncing.
“Corruption is a deep-seated malaise. We are resolved to fight against it. That is why we have passed the Lokpal Bill in the last Lok Sabha session. We have introduced the ‘aapka paisa, aapke haath’ direct cash transfer scheme to weed out middle-men from the system,” she announced. She also emphasised that the government will make the process of ‘allocation of natural resources’ far more transparent. With the coal block and 2G blot starting to dig the party’s grave, it was but natural that the chief tries of make a last ditch attempt at saving Congress from it.
10.50am: Sonia’s defence of the FDI and the price hike moves was almost identically-worded to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh‘s earlier explanations of the government’s policies. “When the rest of the world was reeling under the economic slowdown, India was hardly affected. To make sure that the safeguards to our economy remain intact, we have had to take some difficult decisions. They might cause some temporary hardships to people, but will be rewarding for all in the long run,” said Gandhi.
10.40pm: Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, summing up the Chintan Shivir meet, said that it was time to look inwards and reflect on the party and its principles. Significantly, while addressing the meet in Hindi, she admitted that there was a pressing need to win back people’s faith in the government, thereby acknowledging the growing public dissent that the party is up against. “We have to win back people’s faith and keep reinventing our policies,” said Gandhi.
10.30pm: Besides setting stage for Rahul Gandhi to take over the reins of the Congress declared its Pakistan strategy. “Dialogue with Pakistan must be based on accepted priniciples of civilised behaviour. When these principles are violated, India should not hesitate to take credible action,” came the Congress announcement.

Sonia Gandhi at the Chintan Shivir. PTI.

Congress acknowledged the fact that there is a rising educated and aspirational middle class, especially in urban areas. The party assured that they will continue to create new opportunities for them.
The party chief also exhorted “All secular and progressive forces to unite in an ideological battle against those who polarise and divide society.”
Sonia Gandhi also express concern about the structure of her own party and said that it was time for some reflection. “Nepotism in the organisation’s structure is a cause of concern. When leaders recommend a candidate they must be willing to take responsibility in case of failure,” she said.
With inputs from PTI

Source: http://www.firstpost.com/politics/chintan-shivir-live-secularism-and-womens-safety-on-congs-mind-594822.html

Friday 18 January 2013

Shakira shows off her baby bump

Singer Shakira, who is expecting her first child with footballer boyfriend Gerard Pique, flaunts her baby bump in a set of intimate pictures taken by Spanish music video director Jaume de Laiguana.

Singer Shakira, who is expecting her first child with boyfriend Gerard Pique, has launched an online baby shower and is asking fans to honour their child by supporting UNICEF in giving underprivileged babies around the globe a healthy start in life.

The singer is UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and requesting fans to buy gifts for some of the world's poorest babies. Contactmusic.com reports that the couple posted the invitation on Twitter Wednesday.

"Dear Friends, Having our first baby is such an incredibly happy time for us. That's why we want to invite you to our baby shower with a twist. Rather than asking you to give gifts to our new baby, we're asking you to honour him by supporting UNICEF in giving underprivileged babies around the globe a healthy start in life. It would really mean a lot to us," the couple said in a joint statement on Twitter.

The virtual baby shower, launched on Jan 15, invites fans into Shakira and Gerard's virtual living room. "You can choose an Inspired Gift from our registry - to give the gift of immunizations so more babies grow up healthy and disease free, rehydration salts to save children's lives and therapeutic food so babies will get enough to eat," the couple wrote.

Shakira, 35, has been dating Pique for around two years and praised him saying, "This man is the best thing that could have happened in my life. And now the baby."

Source: http://in.omg.yahoo.com/photos/shakira-shows-off-her-baby-bump-slideshow/shaks-jpg-344-13413-photo-085551028.html

Sri Lankan swingers take 2-1 series lead

Kulasekara took 5-22 as Australia were bowled out for 74; but Sri Lanka lost six wickets in the chase.

Nuwan Kulasekara tore through the heart of Australia's batting. (Getty Images)

Brisbane: Sri Lanka found prodigious swing Friday to shoot out Australia for 74 runs, their lowest one-day international total in 27 years, and take a 2-1 lead in the series.

The tourists also swung their bats at everything Australia threw at them, missing frequently and losing six wickets before struggling to 75, in a bizarre match that ended with thirty overs to spare.

Mitchell Johnson led Australia's riposte with three wickets for 11 runs off just three overs.
But the hosts put down three catches and fumbled a clear runout chance to forego any real hope of defending such a low total.
They did manage to make it tough for the tourists though.
Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene scored just one, caught brilliantly by David Warner at backward point off Clint McKay in the first over.

Lahiru Thirimanne, who made a maiden century in Adelaide on Sunday, was out for seven from a Johnson delivery that Warner snatched out of the air.

Mitchell Johnson took three wickets to give Sri Lanka a scare in their run chase. (Getty Images)

Angelo Mathews went first ball caught Mitchell Starc again off Johnson. Upal Tharanga battled to 12 before Starc had him caught by Michael Clarke and Jeevan Mendis soon top edged the same bowler to McKay for two.

It was replacement wicket-keeper Kushal Perera, showing great poise and power with the ball zipping around, who found the boundaries after tea to ensure victory.

The youngster was not out 22, the same total as Dilshan who rode his luck before edging Johnson to Clarke in the slips with the score on 33.

Man-of-the match Nuwan Kulasekara did the damage for Sri Lanka taking five wickets for 22 and Lasith Malinga picked up three for 14.

Skipper Clarke won the toss and decided to bat on what he called "a really good wicket".
However his team fell to a prolonged inswing onslaught in the third match of a series of five.
Australia's lowest ODI score of 70 came against England in 1977 at Edgbaston, with the embarrassing scoreline repeated against New Zealand in 1986 at Adelaide.

At one stage, Australia were 40-9, but ninth man Starc helped them avoid the ignominy of a new record-low with a knock of 22, when it had looked like no one would get into double figures.

"A horrible day to be honest, our batting performance was very poor," Clarke admitted. "We are really disappointed."

Warner was first to go, for four, clubbing a catch to Shaminda Eranga at mid-off off Mathews in the third over.

Phillip Hughes had made only three when Jayawardene held a slip catch off Kulasekara who was on fire.

Clarke drove for the first boundary while David Hussey followed suit with a glance for four, but it was not to last.
Hussey was given not out to a Kulasekara inswinger caught by keeper Perera, but Jayawardene won the wicket on appeal. Television replays showed a clear edge.

Australia were 21-3 in the eighth over.

The Sri Lankan swinger had George Bailey lbw first ball and then beat Clarke, one of the best Test batsmen in the world, to hit middle stump.

New boy Moises Henriques, back in the side after three years out, went two balls later with the score 6-30.

Johnson, Matthew Wade and McKay soon followed as slinger Malinga picked up quick wickets.
Starc proved batting was not impossible and clipped 22 runs off 28 balls before Xavier Doherty offered a simple catch off Eranga to put an end to the innings.

Clarke refused to make excuses.

"I think the wicket was fine, there's always a bit of pace and bounce," he said.
"We have no excuse ... our execution needs to improve in two days time. It's going to be tough. Sri Lanka are full of confidence"

The next match is at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday and the final game in Hobart on Wednesday.

Source: http://cricket.yahoo.com/news/cricket-sri-lankan-swingers-2-1-series-lead-094505047.html