creamandcheese

North East growth rate above the UK average

2011-06-13T03:44:00.000-07:00

THE North East saw business growth slow last month despite a solid rise in new orders, according to new research.

But the growth rate is still above the UK average and output prices continued to be robust, said the latest Lloyds TSB North East Purchasing Managers’ Index.

Manufacturing remained the principal driver of growth and companies said they were growing because of a rise in demand and their own efforts to break into new markets. New order levels have now risen continuously for nearly two years.

Employment growth slowed to a three-month low in May, but remained solid. Firms stated that workers were recruited to meet the needs of higher activity levels. Manufacturers took on extra staff at a sharper rate than service companies.

Martyn Kendrick, area director for Lloyds TSB Commercial in the North East, said: “In line with the general trend seen throughout the UK, North East private sector output growth slowed further during May. “This was despite a further solid rise in new business. Companies indicated that the additional Bank Holiday at the end of April/beginning of May had contributed to the weaker rise in activity.

“Although job creation in the region also slowed since April, it is encouraging that it was still one of the most pronounced in the UK.

Mideast carriers see 12% demand growth in April

2011-06-04T04:55:00.000-07:00

Middle East carriers reported a 12.1 percent increase in international markets, more than double that seen in the previous month, according to latest data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The significant increase from the 5.3 percent growth in demand in March indicated a return of confidence to the region’s long-haul operations, IATA said.

While political unrest in Bahrain, Yemen and Syria continued through the month, the impact was small as the three markets combined account for only six percent of Middle East traffic, it added.

Globally, traffic results for April showed a rebound in international markets with 16.5 percent growth compared to April 2010.

While this is exaggerated by the comparison to April 2010 during which European airspace was closed due to the volcanic ash crisis, international travel markets in April had grown to reach a level seven percent higher than the pre-recession peak of early 2008, IATA added in a statement.

The increase in passenger demand was met by a 16.8 percent increase in capacity.

Passenger load factors fell slightly from 76.8 percent in April 2010 to 76.7 percent in April this year.

Meanwhile, international freight grew by 5.4 percent against a capacity increase of 12.3 percent, pushing the freight load factor down from 55.3 percent in April 2010 to 51.9 percent this April.

Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s director general and CEO, said: “Demand improved significantly in April. Eliminating all distortions, we are growing at 3-4 percent.

"International traffic is now seven percent above the early 2008 pre-recession levels, load factors are hovering around 77 percent and business confidence is high. Unfortunately two things are spoiling the party —demand shocks and high jet fuel prices,” he added.

Verizon MiFi's Greatness has 4G Catch

2011-06-02T05:21:00.000-07:00

I am writing this column on what is probably the only 4G small-business networking option that is at least almost worth the money: the Verizon(VZ_) Wireless MiFi 4510L 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot ($99 with a two-year contract and online discount).

This latest in LTE personal hotspots from Verizon came to market in mid-April and, like most such portable devices, connects any Wi-Fi enabled device to the Web. For sure, the unit is far from perfect. You will still taste the 4G rage of overpaying for underperformance. But in about a month of testing, which included my regular road trip of cellular death from New York to Maine and back and solid usage with Apple(AAPL_) iPhone 4 and iPad, several PCs, a Verizon Droid 2 and a BlackBerry(RIMM_) PlayBook, I found this MiFi to be useful and a reasonable way to connect to my office while on the go.

What you get
This is, without question, the smartest way as of now for a small-business owner to stay connected while out of the office.

The MiFi Mobile Hotspot is simple. It is essentially an itty-bitty cellular data connectivity appliance from San Diego-based Novatel Wireless(NVTL_) that brokers a connection between Verizon's almost hilarious mishmash of cellular standards and a dead simple WiFi connection.

Since this device is designed from the ground up to do just one thing, it does it well. So there is not of the usual 4G wireless kludgefest of handoffs, incompatible software and incomplete deployments that must be managed by already taxed PCs, smartphones and tablets.

Oil may gain this week on Asian demand: Survey

2011-05-30T03:53:00.000-07:00

Oil prices may gain this week as investors expect stronger Asian demand to pick up the slack from a slowdown in the developed market, according to the findings of the latest CNBC survey.

US crude futures last week rose as high as USD 101.90 a barrel, taking the weekly gain to 0.5%, after leaders of the Group of Eight said the global economy is strengthening, and as the dollar dropped to a one-week low against the euro.

A CNBC poll of analysts and traders highlighted a split picture for near-term outlook. Exactly half of the 10 respondents are calling for higher prices this week, three expect prices to fall and two forecast prices to hold steady.

US data will again be the main driver this week. Oil market focus will be pinned squarely on Wednesday's ISM manufacturing activity and May employment report on Friday. Economists expect both readings to show a slowdown, with higher input prices, supply chain disruption from Japan's tsunami disaster and slowing China demand putting the brakes in manufacturing activity.

Though China's demand remains a big open question - with many talking about the risk of a hard-landing there - many still expect overall Asian demand to remain robust, offsetting the torpor from the developed world.

"Even with the poor economic indicators coming out of the US, China, and the strengthening US dollar; oil was still hovering around USD 100," said Andre Julian, Chief Financial Officer at OpVest - Option Investments, Inc. "We still see Asian demand strengthening into the summer, and with Japan rebuilding demand should only increase."

Julian also offered a historical perspective, noting crude oil prices had risen in June in eight out of the 10 past years and in the two years that it didn`t, the drop was less than 10%. "Although we could see a sell-off into the USD 95 range, it is inevitable that this price point will be a key level of support and a buying opportunity," he added.

Tom Weber, Managing Director at PFGBest in Los Angeles, also referred to support at USD 95. If the market breaks below that level, prices may drop back to USD 88, he said.

"This doesn`t make me an oil bear, but we `gotta trade the chart`, Weber said. "Poor economic data, medium to heavy grade crude glut, and general trader disgust with lack of political will to fix debt problems has really cast a nasty dark cloud over most of the markets," he added.

The extended Memorial Day weekend may crimp volumes across the US markets, including oil but more importantly it marks the start of the summer driving season.

"I am not looking for any breakout, up or down," said Linda Rafield, Senior Oil Analyst at Platts. "The holiday-shortened week will keep liquidity low and the markets range bound. The real indicator is the crude options market on NYMEX-traders are betting on the market continuing to trade on either side of USD 100 and they are usually the lead indicator."

Rafield added: "I do think the downside is vulnerable-demand in the US looks dicey. But the second quarter is generally the lowest demand period of the year."

And as we head into US summer driving season, just how strong will it be especially when you consider the back-breaking price of gasoline at the pump? One indicator - US light-vehicle this Wednesday - should give us some clarity but initial forecasts don't look bright. US auto sales in May on an annualized rate are expected to total 12.2 million, down from the 13.1 million in April.

From Russia with love - 200 new jobs

2011-05-24T04:22:00.000-07:00

The GT Group, in Peterlee, has landed a deal to supply exhaust gas control systems for a new range of heavy duty diesel engines to the Russian GAZ Group.

The contract will help GT, based at Whitehouse Business Park, achieve its ambitious growth programme and increase its workforce from 300 to 500 in the next three years.

GT has worked for the last four years with GAZ, which is Russia’s largest automotive manufacturer.

The contract will see the firm producing up to 100,000 systems a year.

Group chairman Geoff Turnbull said: “This prestigious contract with Russia’s leading manufacturer will further cement GT Group’s rapid growth and its reputation as one of the principal suppliers of engine brakes and exhaust gas control systems for the heavy duty diesel engine markets.”

“It will also help the group achieve its plan to create an additional 200 jobs during the next three years. These will cover a range of disciplines focusing on research, design, manufacture and highly skilled engineers.”

The new engines will meet the latest Euro 4 and Euro 5 emissions standards and be produced at GAZ’s new world-class manufacturing facility, due to open in September on the outskirts of in Yaroslavl, in central Western Russia.

Geoff is confident GT Group’s substantial growth over the last year is set to continue.

“Our primary business objective is to meet the demands of vehicle manufacturers through the quality of our products and our extensive research and development capabilities,” he said.

“We continually strive to improve the efficiency and performance of our products to ensure they deliver the solutions required by the latest and future generation of engines.”

Southern Europe weighs on Vodafone results

2011-05-17T03:20:00.000-07:00

Vodafone Group reported robust numbers for the year to 31 March 2011, although weakness in Southern Europe is continuing to take its toll. It said that organic service revenue growth improved, with a strong result from emerging markets and signs of renewed growth in some parts of Europe. However, it also acknowledged that markets remain competitive and that the economic environment, particularly across southern Europe, is “challenging.” For the year, Vodafone reported a net profit of £7.87 billion, down from £8.62 billion, on revenue of £45.88 billion, up 3.2 percent. It also recorded an impairment charge of £6.1 billion related to its businesses in Spain, Greece, Portugal, Italy and Ireland.

The company noted “strong performance in key revenue growth areas,” with data increasing by 26.4 percent, emerging markets up 11.8 percent, fixed sales growing by 5.2 percent, and Europe Enterprise up 0.5 percent. The company also noted there had been a “successful drive to increase smartphone penetration in Europe,” which climbed to 18.7 percent from 11.6 percent year-on-year. Data now represents 12 percent of Group service revenue. It also said that 48 percent of its European smartphone customers now take some form of data plan – although this indicates there is still potential for growth, as more than half still do not.

Vodafone said its core European business exhibited “two different trends:” the more stable northern European economies of Germany, the UK and the Netherlands delivered service revenue growth of 2.7 percent, while the rest of Europe was down 2.9 percent, as a result of the ongoing macroeconomic issues. European data revenue growth continued to be strong, but was offset by continued voice price declines and cuts to mobile termination rates. It said that organic service revenue growth in emerging markets was 11.8 percent, driven by growth in India (16.2 percent), South Africa (5 percent) and Turkey (28.9 percent). The company’s share of profits at Verizon Wireless increased by 8.5 percent to £4.6 billion. It noted increased costs in this business, due to the launch of Apple’s iPhone.

Looking forward, Vodafone expects its adjusted operating profit for 2012 to be in the £11 billion–£11.8 billion range, compared with £11.82 billion in the period to March 2011, reflecting the loss of a £0.5 billion share of the profits from SFR. In addition to continued challenges in southern Europe, the company also noted that it expects further regulated cuts to termination rates to have a negative impact. Vittorio Colao (pictured), Group Chief Executive of Vodafone, said that “continuing network investment is an important differentiator for Vodafone, improving the customer experience and giving us leadership in smartphone penetration and in customer take-up of data plans. We enter the new financial year well positioned to deliver further value to our shareholders.”

Edinburgh traders count the cost of trams fiasco

2011-05-09T20:32:00.000-07:00

“I LOST £500,000,” says Sam Withall.

“It was like being in a cage with the roads fenced off and my customers couldn’t get parked to get to me.”

Clothing designer Ms Withall of Sam Brown Clothing in the west end is just one person who rues the day the trams project ever came to Edinburgh.

She says the tram works forced her out of business altogether, until she set up a scaled-down business elsewhere.

Altogether, traders say the project has cost them hundreds of millions of pounds and now, ironically, many of the worst-hit shops may never see a single customer brought to their door by the service.

The pot of cash for the project has almost run dry, and the country’s First Minister has publicly doubted it will be completed.

The latest forecast is that the line will end at Haymarket, well short of the original target, if more money cannot be found.

It will mean many firms which have suffered most will not see any direct benefit.

Problems started after Edinburgh City Council’s project leaders Tie began closing streets to prepare gas and water pipes and electricity cables, and lay tracks.

Tie and the council have now been locked in a legal dispute with contractors for two years, almost stopping progress.

A report due at the end of this month will suggest how to progress, but no timetable for resuming work has been finalised. There is an estimated £100 mil-lion funding gap and if they do go ahead, the trams are not expected before 2014.

Traders say the network of Georgian streets in the city’s west end were almost unnavigable at the height of the work. It is thought £100m was lost in that area alone.

Michael Apter, of Paper Tiger in Stafford Street and chairman of the West End Association, said: “It will certainly have cost Edinburgh’s businesses hundreds of millions of pounds.

“Many businesses that have folded are small and we may never know exactly how much it has cost the city – not least in reputation.”

Footfall for Shandwick Place, a key spot, dipped at some points in 2009 by 48% compared to 2008, equating to tens of thousands fewer potential customers. On-street parking dropped by 10%.

Mr Apter said: “It’s not just retail, it is hospitality and leisure that are also losing out if people are not coming into the city. If you put all of these factors together they all point towards a significant loss of business to the city.

“We need a full public inquiry into the trams.”

Ms Withall has now reopened in William Street. She said: “I could have survived either the trams or the economic downturn, but not both.”

Alan Rudland of Arkay Imaging, who helped set up the Leith Business Association so traders could collectively tackle tram chiefs, had to lay off staff.

He said: “There have been difficult financial times but looking carefully at it most people believed it was the tram works that have done the most damage.”

After Alex Salmond said he believed the trams would “come to nothing” amid new funding fears, Gordon Burgess, former Leith Business Association chairman, said firms there never wanted the trams but there was a “carry on regardless” attitude from project managers.

The owner of the Bed Shop said: “I have seen recessions before, but I lost 50% of my business and I know it was down to the trams. ”

Alan Myerthall, whose family have owned the Pipe Shop in Leith Walk for 50 years, said: “It has already cost us our business. The trams not coming to Leith is the best thing that could happen.”

Originally costed at £375m and due to run from Leith to Edinburgh Airport, the trams will now cost £545m and more if the line is to make it beyond Haymarket.

Any hopes of the Scottish Government giving more cash to the project appear to have been dashed by the SNP election triumph.

A spokesman for Tie said: “There have been many different and localised support measures put in place in recognition of the disruption that businesses and retailers have suffered during construction … with hindsight, our communication at that time could have been much better.”

He added: “All parties concerned in the mediation process are intent on finding a resolution which will provide absolute clarity on when the project can be delivered.”

Reserve leaves rates on hold

2011-05-07T01:32:00.000-07:00

The Reserve Bank has left official interest rates on hold at 4.75 per cent for the sixth straight month.

The decision was widely anticipated by interest rate watchers, with 21 out of the 22 financial institution economists surveyed by Bloomberg expecting no change in the cash rate target.

Many of these analysts are expecting the bank to remain on hold until the second half of the year, with August a widely-tipped month for the next move.

That is despite last week's official Bureau of Statistics inflation data showing a sharp 1.6 per cent rise in consumer prices during the March quarter - the highest quarterly jump in five years.

However, a private inflation survey released yesterday showed the pace of inflation eased in April, with a 12 per cent fall in fruit and vegetable prices offsetting an 11.3 per cent rise in March.

Many analysts have interpreted that as proof that high inflation early this year is mainly attributable to temporary cuts to fresh food supply caused by the Queensland floods and Cyclone Yasi.

Reserve Bank governor Glenn Stevens appears to agree, while sounding a note of caution about rising utility prices.

"Recent data on inflation show the effects of production losses due to the floods and Cyclone Yasi. The affected prices should fall back later in the year, though substantial rises in utilities prices are still occurring," he noted in his statement outlining the reasons for today's rates decision.

"The bank expects that, as the temporary price shocks dissipate over the coming quarters, CPI inflation will be close to target over the year ahead."

Mr Stevens did, however, warn that the fall in consumer prices which followed the financial crisis has probably finished, and inflation is now likely to be on the rise in the months ahead.

"Looking through these short-term movements, however, the recent information suggests that the marked decline in underlying inflation from the peak in 2008 has now run its course," he added.

"While the rising exchange rate will be helping to hold down prices for some consumer products over the coming few quarters, over the longer term inflation can be expected to increase somewhat if economic conditions evolve broadly as expected."

The bank's board also considered the recent fall in house prices, and weakness in household borrowing as an offset against a fledgling recovery in commercial lending, and the boom in the commodities sector.

It also noted that rises in employment had eased in recent months, and that jobs growth was likely to be at a slower pace over the rest of the year.

Mr Stevens says that means the board will "continue to assess carefully the evolving outlook for growth and inflation" over the months ahead.

Macquarie's senior economist Brian Redican says it is a very balanced statement by Glenn Stevens.

"I think the statement does shift a notch maybe in the direction of tightening [monetary policy by lifting rates], but there's certainly no sign of panic or any indication that the Reserve Bank is about to embark on a very aggressive tightening period, as some people had been suggesting," Brian Redican told ABC News.

Mr Redican says the continuing strength of the Australian dollar, the current level of interest rates, and the prospect of deep cuts in next week's federal budget are all factors negatively affecting large sectors of the economy and putting downward pressure on inflation.

He says that makes it likely the Reserve Bank will wait until August, after the next official inflation figures are released in late July, before lifting interest rates again.

The decision to stay on hold, if followed by the major banks, will leave their standard variable mortgage rates in a range between a low of 7.67 per cent at National Australia Bank and a high of 7.86 per cent at Westpac.

The Australian dollar has hovered in a fairly narrow range just above 109 US cents before and since the data was released.

Wisconsin Judge Orders 'No Further Implementation' of Budget Law

2011-03-30T03:51:00.001-07:00

A Wisconsin judge on Tuesday ordered "no further implementation" of the Gov. Scott Walker's budget repair bill that limits collective bargaining rights.

Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi said that her earlier restraining order saying the law shouldn't be enacted had either been ignored or misinterpreted.

Sumi stopped short of saying the law was not already in effect. She said she will take more testimony on that issue.

The Legislative Reference Bureau posted the law on a legislative website Friday, leading Walker's administration to declare the law was in effect.

Sumi revised her original March temporary restraining order blocking the secretary of state from publishing the law, which is typically the last step before it becomes effective.

Sumi's ruling delivers a setback to Walker and his administration while Democrats rejoiced.

Earlier Tuesday, debate raged from Wisconsin state Supreme Court justices to law professors, on whether Walker is law and is in effect.

It states the obvious to say Wisconsin is now a big convoluted, partisan mess, but it is. Here is the skinny on what is happening: Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne, who is a Democrat, and Assembly Minority Leader Pete Barca, also a Democrat, filed a court challenge to the budget relief bill. The challenge argues that Wisconsin Republicans violated the open meetings laws but since that has not entered into the argument, set that aside for the moment.

As the open meetings suit was pending, Circuit Court Judge Maryann Sumi issued a temporary restraining order that prevented Secretary of State Ken LaFollete from publishing the law, now known as Act 10. Publication of the law is the last step to putting a bill into effect, and Democrats argue that the law is not in effect until LaFollete issues the publication.

However, another outlet can publish the law: the Legislative Review Board. That is exactly what it did last Friday, leaving Wisconsin Republicans to argue that the law is in effect. The Department of Administration has even begun implementing the part of the law where deductions for health care and pensions are made from the paychecks of state employees.

Sumi ordered a hearing Tuesday morning to decide if LaFollete should be enjoined from publication until the open meetings case is decided. But if the law is already in effect, the injunction is moot. So the focus of the hearing was changed to answer the question of whether the law is in effect.

The hearing itself was pretty boring, filled with legal language and debate over the definition of publication. The most interesting moments came as LaFollete, a Democrat, argued that Assistant Attorney General Maria Lazar did not represent his office. The subtext, of course, was that she is from a Republican-run office and is on the other side of the battle line.

If Sumi enjoins the law until the hearing on the open records complaint, its status still remains uncertain because no one has ever seen a scenario in which the secretary of state does not publish the law and another body does. If Sumi vacates the injunction, the law is undisputedly in effect.

Now, back to the challenge over the open meetings law. There is already a request for Wisconsin's Supreme Court to hear the case and this is where the partisan rancor gets really bitter and political.

One of the seats on the Supreme Court is up for election. The incumbent David Prosser Jr. was a Republican when he served in the assembly. His campaign once issued a press release stating he would complement Walker as a justice on the court, meaning he is now linked to Walker in the public arena. He is also the subject of attack ads from the shadowy leftist organization Greater Wisconsin Committee.

"I really am a marked man. Not a direct target, but I am the victim of a drive-by shooting," Prosser said.

His challenger, JoAnne Kloppenburg, has the backing of the unions. "They're supporting me precisely because I will be independent and impartial on the court," she said.

The reality, however, is that conservatives hold sway in the Wisconsin Supreme Court by a margin of 4-3 on the seven-person court. Liberals are now energized to change the majority in the court in part to influence a ruling on Walker's budget and also to demonstrate an angry backlash for a law they don't like.

"It is extremely unfortunate that this has been turned into a referendum on the budget repair bill. I think that raises serious due process questions," Marquette University Law Professor Rick Esenberg said.

So the fight is energized in the courts and at the ballot box with Wisconsin voters bitterly divided, and Wisconsin liberals energized to change the make-up of a state Supreme Court in anticipation of a desired outcome for a case that has not even been accepted by the court yet.

"It is an effort by some people to politicize this court, completely change the nature of the court and if it succeeds it will destroy the judicial independence of this institution," Prosser said.

Dangerous Breach Suspected at Japanese Nuke Plant

2011-03-25T04:05:00.000-07:00

A suspected breach in the reactor core at one unit of a stricken Fukushima nuclear plant could mean more serious radioactive contamination,Japanese officials said Friday, revealing what may prove a major setback in the mission to bring the leaking plant under control.

The uncertain situation halted work at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex, where dozens had been working feverishly to stop the overheated plant from leaking dangerous radiation, officials said. The plant has leaked some low levels of radiation, but a breach could mean a much larger release of contaminants.

Officials are also grappling with a humanitarian crisis, with much of the frigid northeast still a scene of despair and devastation as Japan struggles to feed and house hundreds of thousands of homeless survivors, clear away debris and bury the dead.

Police said the official death toll jumped past 10,000 on Friday. With the cleanup and recovery operations continuing and more than 17,400 listed as missing, the final number of dead was expected to surpass 18,000.

In the devastated coastal town of Onagawa, Shintaro Kamihara and his small troop from Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force searched a debris-strewn beach long enough to serve as an impromptu coffin.

The corpse they found lay off to the side of the road beneath a wet, yellow blanket. Just beyond, a station wagon perched precariously on the roof of a hollowed-out, two-story hotel.

In the early days, he said his troops delivered goods to coastal towns with no access, but now roads have been repaired. A large boat nearby had hot water so people could take baths onboard.

Tomohiko Abe, 45, a machinist at the local atomic plant, was in Onagawa to salvage what he could from his car, which was parked in a lot near the water when the waves came crashing onshore.

"We finally got electricity a day or two ago, but water is still a problem," he said. Read more...

Economy, Gas, Partisanship and War Gang Up on Confidence in Government

2011-03-15T05:16:00.000-07:00

Confidence in the U.S. system of government has dropped to a new low in more than 35 years, with public attitudes burdened by continued economic discontent, soaring gasoline prices, record opposition to the war in Afghanistan -- and a letdown in hopes for political progress after a bout of bipartisanship last fall.

Only 26 percent of Americans in a new ABC News/Washington Post poll say they're optimistic about "our system of government and how well it works," down 7 points since October to the fewest in surveys dating to 1974. Almost as many, 23 percent, are pessimistic, the closest these measures ever have come. The rest, a record high, are "uncertain" about the system.

The causes are many. Despite a significant advance, more than half still say the economy has not yet begun to recover. And there's trouble at the pump: Seventy-one percent in this poll, produced for ABC News by Langer Research Associates, report financial hardship as a result of rising gas prices. Forty-four percent call it a "serious" hardship.

WAR -- On an equally critical front in terms of potential political impact, just 31 percent now say the war in Afghanistan has been worth fighting, a new low. Sixty-four percent call it not worth fighting, and 49 percent feel that way "strongly," both record highs in ABC/Post polls.

Two-to-one opposition for the first time puts public criticism of the war in Afghanistan at the level seen for the war in Iraq. Such views had a devastating impact on President George W. Bush, the least popular second-term president in polls since the Truman presidency. And there's danger ahead; fighting in Afghanistan, now in its winter lull, is expected to intensify come summer.

Indeed, with Gen. David Petraeus set to testify on Capitol Hill this week, a broad and bipartisan 73 percent of Americans say the United States should withdraw a substantial number of its combat forces from Afghanistan this summer. But just 39 percent think it will. (ABC News reported Monday that field commanders in fact are asking for more troops, and a senior official called a sizable reduction unlikely despite the administration's July 11 date for a drawdown to begin.)

Libyan Protesters Vow to 'Liberate' Tripoli as Army Unleashes Attack

2011-02-24T03:51:00.000-08:00

BENGHAZI, Libya -- A Libyan army unit loyal to Muammar al-Qaddafi attacked anti-government protesters holed up in a mosque in a key city west of the capital Thursday, blasting a minaret with anti-aircraft missiles and automatic weapons, a witness said.

Protesters who had been camped inside and outside the mosque suffered heavy casualties in the attack on Zawiya, 30 miles west of Tripoli, the witness said, but he couldn't provide an exact toll.

Pro-Qaddafi forces have fought back fiercely as the longtime leader has seen his control whittled away, with Zawiya and other major Libyan cities and towns closer to the capital falling to the rebellion against his rule. In the east, now all but broken away, the opposition vowed to "liberate" Tripoli, where the Libyan leader is holed up with a force of militiamen roaming the streets and tanks guarding the outskirts.

Qaddafi's use of excessive force has so far helped him maintain control of Tripoli, a city that holds about a third of Libya's 6 million population. But the protesters' determination has divided the country and threatened to push it toward civil war.

The witness, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, said the 9 a.m. attack came a day after a Qaddafi aide identified as Abdullah Megrahi came to the city and warned the protesters to"leave or you will see a massacre."

"We told him we are not leaving, either death or victory," the witness said.

He expressed disbelief the army would attack its own people. Several military units have sided with Libyan protesters since the uprising began on Feb. 15.

"What is happening is horrible, those who attacked us are not the mercenaries; they are sons of our country," the witness said while sobbing. "Now there is heavy gunfire. They bombed the minaret of the mosque."

He said the protesters were mostly youths armed only with hunting rifles. He also said protesters from Zawiya did not intend to respond to a call by the opposition movement for a nationwide march to the capital on Friday.

"We have no intention to march to Tripoli. We talked about it and we agreed to stay here," he said, adding the pre-Qaddafi flag, which was adopted after the country declared independence from Italy in 195, had been raised on top of the tallest building in town.

The witness said protesters had detained seven uniformed men who belonged to the armed forces responsible for Thursday's attack.

Thousands gathered later at a plaza known as Martyrs' Square in a show of defiance after the attack.

"People came to send a clear message: we are not afraid of death or your bullets,"the witness said. "This regime will regret it. History will not forgive them."

"People are so angry at the international community, which is watching the killings without trying to stop them," he added.

He said that there are no police in the city, which is located near a key oil port and refineries on the Mediterranean, so people had formed committees to guard their houses and buildings. He also said Qaddafi loyalists had attacked Chinese and Egyptian employees of construction companies in the city.

The report couldn't immediately be confirmed.

International momentum has been building for action to punish Qaddafi's regime for the bloody crackdown it has unleashed against the protesters.

President Barack Obama said the suffering and bloodshed in Libya "is outrageous and it is unacceptable," and he directed his administration to prepare a full range of options, including possible sanctions that could freeze the assets and ban travel to the U.S. by Libyan officials.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy raised the possibility of the European Union cutting off economic ties.

Another proposal gaining some traction was for the United Nations to declare a no-fly zone over Libya to prevent it using warplanes to hit protesters. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said that if reports of such strikes are confirmed, "there's an immediate need for that level of protection."

Italy's Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said estimates of some 1,000 people killed in the violence in Libya were "credible," although he stressed information about casualties was incomplete. The New York-based Human Rights Watch has put the death toll at nearly 300, according to a partial count.

Moammar Qaddafi's son claimed Thursday that the reported death tolls have been exaggerated, although he didn't provide his own figure. In a press conference aired on state TV, he said the number killed by police and the army had been limited and "talking about hundreds and thousands (killed) is a joke."

He also said a committee had been formed to investigate alleged foreign involvement in the protests.

Earlier Thursday, Libyan TV showed Egyptian passports, CDs and cell phones purportedly belonging to detainees who had allegedly confessed to plotting "terrorist" operations against the Libyan people. Other footage showed a dozen men lying on the ground, with their faces down, blindfolded and handcuffed. Rifles and guns were laid out next to them.

Deficit Commission Members Resume Negotiations as Budget Crisis Looms

2011-02-21T03:38:00.000-08:00

With Republicans faulting President Obama for failing to offer a deficit-reducing budget, some Democrats are defending the president while noting that half of the 12 elected members of Obama's doomed deficit commission are still on the job and looking for deeper cuts.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., was one of 18 individuals appointed to Obama's deficit commission, which failed to reach a 14-member supermajority in December to advance recommendations for Congress to consider on reducing the debt.

Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, said Sunday that some of the members of the group have reconvened to take a second look at recommendations that would make deeper cuts than Obama's proposed budget for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1.

"The good news is this. There are six of us, three Democrats and three Republicans, still meeting, looking at the deficit commission as a template or as a goal in trying to find a way to work together in a bipartisan fashion in the Senate to come up with a reasonable way to deal with this deficit," Durbin told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday.

"We can build on the president's budget into deeper cuts but we need to put everything on the table with the exception of Social Security. ... Everything else needs be on the table," he said.

It's a difficult turn for Democrats to make even as the president's proposed budget -- which would freeze current spending levels for the next five years -- was widely panned for its failure to adequately bring down deficits.

Still, lawmakers fretting over the budget for the current fiscal year -- which is already five months gone -- agree more needs to be done for the future than what the president is suggesting.

"Frankly, no matter what budget the president laid down, it was going to be attacked," Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., told "Fox News Sunday." "I think he laid down some significant cuts. I think we've got a lot more work to do and I'm willing to get at the table and get it done."

"I think that the negotiations going on among the bipartisan group of six are a very good thing, and I want them to continue, and I hope they will be successful, and I think most Democrats share that view," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, speaking on CNN's "State of the Union."

Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., chairman of the House Budget Committee and a member of the deficit panel who is still negotiating, said the president "has fallen" in his commitment to propose solutions to the causes of the nation's debt, now exceeding $14 trillion.

"The president's proposing a $1.6 trillion tax increase. He's proposing $8.7 trillion in new spending. And he's proposing to add $13 trillion to our new debt," Ryan told CBS' "Face the Nation."

"His plan locks in the high spending levels we have. His plan disavows the commission's recommendations. ... The problem is these high deficits today mean high tax increases and interest rate increases tomorrow. High deficits, uncontrolled debt, means job creation goes away today. If you actually get this deficit and debt under control, you can help jobs today," Ryan said.

Durbin said that the president's proposal lowers domestic discretionary spending to its lowest level as a percentage of GDP since President Dwight Eisenhower. But he acknowledged that it doesn't do what the deficit commission recommended.

"We said after the first two years we've got to have a 5 percent reduction in the first year and then half of the cost of living increase reduction for the next seven years. So we do achieve more through the deficit commission," he added.

But, Durbin added, the president is open to negotiation.

"After we get beyond who goes first and bragging rights about who cuts the most, the bottom line is can we reach an agreement in a bipartisan fashion with senators of both political parties and move forward," he said.

But even as the former commission members seek to work out a plan to reduce debt, target spending and increase job prospects, many lawmakers acknowledge that discretionary spending is only a small percentage of the federal government's annual obligations.

"Forty cents of every dollar we spend we borrow, and in 20 years from now, all the money we have in revenue is going to go to pay the debt -- Social Security,

Medicare and Medicaid. Nothing left for the national defense, homeland security, etcetera," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who appeared with Durbin. "We are spending money that we do not have. Even the Social Security payments, we do not have. We're borrowing that from the Treasury," said Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., w

ho was on CNN with Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.

But Schumer said including Social Security in any deficit reduction negotiations makes it harder to deal with the immediate and dangerous problem of the deficit.

"We're not going to balance the budget on the backs of Social Security beneficiaries. It is solvent, 100 percent, until the year 2037. After that, you've got about a 25 percent gap. Yes, we need to work together to close it, but we're not going to balance the budget," he said.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., the ranking Democrat on the Budget Committee, suggested instead that the revenue side of the equation get another look.

"All three of the House Republicans on the bipartisan commission voted against the commission recommendations," Van Hollen said.

"When Paul talks about the revenue components, in the president's bill, it includes efforts to shut down taxpayer subsidies to oil companies. It also says that we can no longer afford to provide the folks at the very top, the top 2 percent of Americans, with the big tax cuts. ... So that's about a trillion dollars of what Paul is talking about is the president's follow-through on the commitment to say our kids are no longer going to pay the bill for tax cuts for the folks at the very top," he added.

U.S. Military Interests at Stake in Bahraini Unrest

2011-02-16T01:33:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON -- Unrest surging through the Arab world has so far taken no toll on the American military. But that could change if revolt washes over the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom of Bahrain -- long-time home to the U.S. Navy's mighty 5th Fleet and arguably the Middle East anchor of U.S. defense strategy.

The discontent that has spilled into the streets of Bahrain's capital, Manama, this week features no anti-American sentiment, but the U.S. has a lot at stake in preserving its dominant naval presence in the Gulf.

In announcing that it is "very concerned" about violence linked to the protests, the State Department on Tuesday underscored Bahrain's strategic importance as a U.S. partner.

"The United States welcomes the government of Bahrain's statements that it will investigate these deaths, and that it will take legal action against any unjustified use of force by Bahraini security forces," said department spokesman P.J. Crowley. "We urge that it follow through on these statements as quickly as possible."

The 5th Fleet operates at least one aircraft carrier in the Gulf at all times, along with an "amphibious ready group" of ships with Marines aboard. Their presence is central to a longstanding U.S. commitment to ensuring the free flow of oil through the Gulf, while keeping an eye on a hostile Iran and seeking to deter piracy in the region.

Anthony Cordesman, a Mideast defense specialist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Bahrain has security services capable of handling protesters and potentially backed by neighboring Saudi Arabia.

Thousands of banner-waving protesters took over a main square in Manama Tuesday in a bold attempt to copy Egypt's uprising. The demonstrations capped two days of clashes that left at least two people dead, and the king making a rare address on national television to offer condolences for the bloodshed.

"It is a serious problem, but whether it's going to flare up any more seriously this time than all the other times is hard to say," Cordesman said. "The question is whether they can shake the security structure of the state."

The implications for U.S. foreign policy and national security from the pro-democracy movements that have arisen in the Arab world -- highlighted by Egypt's stunning revolution last week -- is likely to be a topic Wednesday when Defense Secretary Robert Gates testifies before the House Armed Services Committee.

Bahrain became a more prominent partner for the Pentagon after the 1991 Gulf War with Iraq; since then it has granted U.S. forces increased access, plus permission to store wartime supplies for future crises.

In the weeks leading up to popular revolts that toppled autocratic regimes first in Tunisia and then Egypt, Obama administration officials portrayed Bahrain as being on the right track toward democracy.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, during a visit to Manama in December, called Bahrain "a model partner," not only for the United States but also for other countries in the region seeking political liberalization.

"I am impressed by the commitment that the government has to the democratic path that Bahrain is walking on," Clinton told a news conference Dec. 3, with Foreign Minister Sheik Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa at her side. "It takes time; we know that from our own experience. There are obstacles and difficulties along the way. But America will continue working with you to promote a vigorous civil society and to ensure that democracy, human rights and civil liberties are protected by the rule of law."

The tiny island kingdom has been the most volatile in the Gulf. Majority Shiites have long alleged discrimination and other abuses by Sunni rulers. A wave of arrests of Shiite activists last year touched off weeks of protests and clashes -- and a highly sensitive trial of 25 Shiites accused of plotting against the state.

Bahrain has seen sporadic unrest for decades as Shiites -- who represent 70 percent of the nation's 530,000 citizens -- press for a greater political voice and opportunities. Reforms in the past decade, including parliamentary elections, have opened more room for Shiites. But they complain the Sunni-directed system still excludes them from any key policymaking roles or top posts in the security forces.

Bahrain is one of four Gulf countries with U.S. Patriot missiles based on their soil to defend against potential attack from Iran.

Back to Business for Obama and Chamber of Commerce

2011-02-07T04:02:00.000-08:00

In the months since the Obama White House began what aides describe as a "turning point" in relations with the GOP, they contend a similar turn of events has occurred with the business community.

When the president heads to the Chamber of Commerce for an economic speech Monday, he'll find a business lobby with tough questions.

"When are jobs coming back? How can we get this economy growing as it should again? How are we going to successfully compete in the world and when are going to get a handle on the growth of government and the deficits?" Chamber Director of Communications Blair Latoff asked.

Given the nation's perpetually high unemployment rate, trying to answer those questions have become a familiar routine for this president. Increasingly, he's leaning on the private sector for help. Obama has,in recent months, solicited advice from the heads of major companies and recently named General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt to head a jobs advisory board; among the efforts the White House says could spark companies to hire more workers.

"I think the relationship [with the business community] has -- you know, feels -- feels stronger going forward," National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling told reporters at the White House Friday. "But I think it's part of an overall feeling of increased confidence that people see the president willing and able to work together to help get some things done that matter on the economy and jobs."

Latoff said Obama's gestures have been noticed.

In fact, the Chamber has become so enamored of the president's efforts on infrastructure spending that it has joined forces with an unlikely liberal ally to push for the plan's success. A joint statement by the Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO issued in late January laid out their reasoning, reading, in part, "Whether it is building roads, bridges, high-speed broadband, energy systems and schools, these projects not only create jobs and demand for businesses, they are an investment in building the modern infrastructure our country needs to compete in a global economy."

However, Latoff suggested the White House and the Chamber haven't always seen eye to eye.

"The president, through his outreach, through his recent appointments, through some of his recent actions such as compromising on taxes and moving ahead on trade, has taken some welcome steps that we hadn't seen in the first two years," she said.

The roots of discord between the two can be found in the 2009 debate over the president's health-care legislation and his financial regulatory overhaul.

By mid-2010, the Chamber and the White House were openly exchanging political barbs in the thick of campaign season. The Chamber said Obama's administration "vilified industries" and the president accused the Chamber of funding political ads with foreign donations.

Latoff told Fox News the differences were never personal and the idea that drama had ensued was overblown.

"At the Chamber, we never considered ourselves feuding with the White House last year and so we don't think too much about the idea that business and the White House are 'making up' this year," she said.

Regardless of the politics, Sperling said he thinks the engagement is working.

"I think the last few months you have seen a strengthening of confidence across the board," he said." I think there's been, you know, signs of greater confidence on consumers in the consumer index, and I think there's been greater signs of increased confidence among the business community."

Aero India 2011 to take off in Bangalore

2011-02-04T03:48:00.000-08:00

India will hold its largest air show in Bangalore starting from Feb 9 to 13, where 70 delegations and 160 countries are expected to take part. The companies would bring their latest aerospace products including fighter jet transport and civilian aircraft, for sure the show is a treat for spectators eyes.Aero India show displays the civil and military aircrafts and other latest products from the Indian aviation and aerospace industry. This is the Asia's largest exhibitions, which is held once in two years. Aero India also provides a platform for business, it is eagerly awaited by the industry members and the prospective customers alike.

The state government is preparing to ink agreements with some companies to facilitate aerospace sectors in terms of investment and it also planed to set up its first special stall at the biennial event to attract the investors.

Secretary Defence Production Raj Kumar Singh Saidhere said, “The eighth edition of the biennial Aero India show is expected to surpass all previous editions of the premiere air show in terms of participation and volume.”

There will be two shows every day for general visitors at the Air Force station in Yelahanka from 10am to noon and from 2:30pm to 5pm. On Feb 9, the first day, there won't be a morning show.

The tickets will be available at the venue from the day the show begins and it can also be purchased at Garuda, Forum and Mantri malls. Weekdays the ticket cost is Rs 400 and Rs 500 on weekends.

Thousands of Foreigners Flee Cairo's International Airport

2011-02-01T04:03:00.000-08:00

CAIRO -- Cairo's international airport was a scene of chaos and confusion Monday as thousands of foreigners sought to flee the unrest in Egypt and countries around the world scrambled to send in planes to fly their citizens out.

Nerves frayed, shouting matches erupted and some passengers even had a fistfight as thousands crammed into Cairo airport's new Terminal 3 seeking a flight home. The airport's departures board stopped announcing flight times in an attempt to reduce tensions -- but the plan backfired, fueling passengers' anger.

Making matters worse, check-in counters were poorly staffed because many EgyptAir employees had been unable to get to work due to a 3 p.m.-to-8 a.m. curfew and traffic breakdowns across the Egyptian capital.

"It's an absolute zoo, what a mess," said Justine Khanzadian, 23, a graduate student from the American University of Cairo. "I decided to leave because of the protests, the government here is just not stable enough to stay."

A U.S. military plane landed at Larnaca Airport in Cyprus on ferrying 42 U.S. Embassy officials and their dependents from Egypt. The U.S. Embassy in Nicosia said at least one more plane was expected Monday with about 180 people. U.S. officials have said it will take several flights over the coming days to fly out the thousands of Americans who want to leave Egypt. Read More...

Five Reasons the Planet May Not Be Its Hottest Ever

2011-01-25T03:51:00.000-08:00

On Thursday the U.N.'s weather agency announced that 2010 was a milestone, the warmest year on record, in a three-way tie with 2005 and 1998. "The 2010 data confirm the Earth's significant long-term warming trend," said Michel Jarraud, the World Meteorological Organization's top official. He added that the ten warmest years after records began in 1854 have all occurred since 1998.

But how reliable is the data? Here are five good reasons some scientists are skeptical of these claims.

1. Where does the data come from? Average temperatures globally last year were 0.95 degrees Fahrenheit (0.53 Celsius) higher than the 1961-90 mean that is used for comparison purposes, according to the WMO -- a statement based on three climate data sets from U.K. and U.S. weather agencies. They gather readings from land-based weather and climate stations, ships and buoys, and satellites -- and they've come under dramatic scrutiny in recent years.

The land data is being challenged extensively by Anthony Watt on his SurfaceStations.org website. Watts recently graded 61% of the stations used to measure temperature with a D -- for being located less than 10 meters from an artificial heating source. Many climate skeptics also take issue with NASA and NOAA, the U.S. agencies that gather U.S. climate data, but also manipulate and "normalize" it.

Satellite data is arguably the most accurate way to measure temperature. Roy Spencer, a climatologist and former NASA scientist, takes issue with the way that data is normalized and adjusted, instead presenting raw, unadjusted data on his website. The WMO does not use this data.

Watts pointed FoxNews.com to a new, peer-reviewed paper that looks at the reliability of the land-based sensor network, concluding that "it is presently impossible to quantify the warming trend in global climate."

2. There's less ice is in the oceans. Or more. Or something. The WMO report notes that Arctic sea-ice cover in December 2010 was the lowest on record, with an average monthly extent of 12 million square kilometers, 1.35 million square kilometers below the 1979-2000 average for December. The agency called it the third-lowest minimum ice extent recorded in September.

In fact, the overall sea-ice record shows virtually no change throughout the past 30 years, argued Lord Monckton, a British politician, journalist, and noted skeptic of global warming. He points out that "the quite rapid loss of Arctic sea ice since the satellites were watching has been matched by a near-equally rapid gain of Antarctic sea ice."

When the summer Arctic sea ice reached its lowest point in the 30-year record in mid-September 2007, just three weeks later the Antarctic sea extent reached a 30-year record high, Monckton said.

3. El Niño has been playing havoc with temperatures. Over the ten years from 2001 to 2010, global temperatures have averaged 0.46°C (0.83°F) above the 1961-1990 average, the report points out, calling these measurements "the highest ever recorded for a 10-year period since the beginning of instrumental climate records." The WMO notes that warming has been especially strong in Africa, parts of Asia, and parts of the Arctic.

Of course temperatures are up, said Joe Bastardi, a meteorologist with Accuweather: It's El Niño, stupid.

"El Niños cause spikes up. La Niñas drop it down," Bastardi told FoxNews.com. "Why have we gone up overall in the past 30 years? Because we've been in a warm cycle in the Pacific," he said. "But the tropical Pacific has cooled dramatically, and it's like turning down your thermostat -- it takes a while, but the house will cool."

Japan's Meteorological Agency agrees with Bastardi's conclusion, stating recently that "it can be presumed that the high temperatures in recent years have been influenced by natural climate fluctuations with the periods ranging from several years to several decades," as well as by greenhouse gases including CO2.

"This year’s warming can also be attributable to an El Niño event which lasted from summer 2009 to spring 2010," the agency said.

4. Besides, it's getting chilly. 2010 may have been a warm year, but 2011 has been off to a very cold start -- and may be among the coldest in decades.

"December 2010 was the second-coldest December in the entire history dating back to 1659," noted Steve McIntyre, a climate scientist and the editor of climate blog Climate Audit. He bases his claim on data from the longest continuous record in the world, kept by The Met Office, the U.K.'s official weather agency.

It's an odd fact, one Bastardi thinks is telling. He said that the transition from the El Niño warming period into the La Niña cooling period will herald a crash of global temperatures, normalizing world heat levels -- especially when analyzed via Spencer's satellite data charts.

"If we look at the last 30 years, then the coming 30 years will cool back to where we were in the late 70s," he said. "Look at it this way. Suppose you didn't have a scale until 3 weeks ago. Every day for the last 3 weeks you weigh yourself and you are 175 or so. One morning you are 175.1 How much weight have you gained?"

You're the heaviest you have ever been, right? "If you weren't weighing yourself before, or were using a different scale, can you really say this is the heaviest ever?" he asked.

5. Forecasts are often wrong. Predicting the weather -- especially a decade or more in advance -- is unbelievably challenging. In 2000, a scientist with the Met Office's Climatic Research Unit declared that within ten years, snowfall would be "a very rare and exciting event."

And in 1970 at the first Earth Day event, one researcher predicted that the planet would be 11 degrees colder by the year 2000.

FoxNews.com recently compiled eight of the most egregiously mistaken predictions, and asked the predictors to reflect on what really happened.

Giant Delta IV Rocket Makes History in West Coast Launch

2011-01-21T03:58:00.000-08:00

The United Launch Alliance successfully blasted off the largest ever rocket from the West Coast Thursday evening.

At 1:10 p.m. PST, private rocket group the United Lanch aliance successfully launched a The 235-foot-tall Delta IV Heavy rocket -- one of a class of "heavy-lift" rockets designed to carry massive payloads such as satellites. It marked the largest rocket ever to lift off from the West Coast.

The launch was moved back by two minutes from 1:08 p.m. to avoid an object in space, said Michael J. Rein, spokesman for United Launch Alliance, the joint venture of rocket builders Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co.

The take-off was then a success: The booster rose into the sky over California's central coast and arced over the Pacific Ocean, a spectacle visible over a wide area. Initial reports from launch control indicated the flight was going well, with the rocket hitting speeds of 14,000 feet per second a few minutes into its launch.

The rocket carried a mysterious payload into space on the NROL-49 mission: a clandestine satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office described only as something that will "support the military's national defense mission." The NRO operates satellites that provide information to the Central Intelligence Agency and Department of Defense.

Auburn Wins BCS Title With Last-Second Kick

2011-01-11T04:08:00.000-08:00

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Auburn running back Michael Dyer never heard any whistle, so he just kept running -- past the tackler who thought he had him down and deep into Oregon territory.

Dyer broke stride, then took off on a once-in-a-lifetime run in the final minutes, setting up a field goal on the last play that led No. 1 Auburn over the No. 2 Ducks 22-19 in the BCS championship game Monday night.

The freshman running back upstaged Auburn's Heisman-winning quarterback Cam Newton with a 37-yard run, in which he appeared down but wasn't -- his knee never hit the ground -- as he rolled over Oregon defender Eddie Pleasant to put the Tigers in scoring position.

Three plays later, Dyer ran 16 yards to push the ball to the 1 and set up Wes Byrum's 19-yard field goal with no time left. It was his sixth career game-winning field goal -- the one that capped off a perfect, 14-0 season, brought the title back to Auburn for the first time since 1957 and left the Southeastern Conference on top for the fifth straight year.

"Fifty-three years, baby," coach Gene Chizik said to the cheering crowd. "This is for you. War Eagle!"

A classic sequence to close out a wild finish -- five crazy minutes of football that made up for the first 55, which were more of a bruising battle than the offensive masterpiece everyone had predicted.

The craziness began when Casey Matthews, son of the 1980s NFL linebacker Clay, knocked the ball from Newton's hands while he was trying to ice a 19-11 lead.

Oregon's offense, shut down by Nick Fairley & Co. for most of the night, moved 45 yards over the next 2:17 and Darron Thomas threw a shovel pass to LaMichael James for a touchdown. Thomas hit Jeff Maehl for the tying 2-point conversion with 2:33 left and the game was down to one possession.

And that possession will be remembered for one incredible play.

Dyer took the handoff from Newton and ran off right tackle for what looked like a 6- or 7-yard gain. Nothing routine about this one, though. He never heard a whistle, wasn't sure his knee hit the ground, so he popped up and kept going. Almost everyone on the field had stopped playing, but the referee never blew the play dead. Dyer made it to the Oregon 23. An official's review ensued and the replay showed that, indeed, his knee had never touched the turf.

"I was going out there, trying to make a play. I just kept my feet moving," he said.

The freshman finished with 143 yards and was named Offensive Player of the Game -- no small feat considering he had the Heisman Trophy winner, Newton, playing well on the same offense.

Newton threw for 265 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 64 yards, most in short, punishing bites.

It was a good performance, but not spectacular -- par for the course in a game that was projected as a possible 60-55 shootout by Steve Spurrier and a 74-point touchdown-fest by the oddsmakers who set the over-under.

Wearing white jerseys, green pants and DayGlo shoes and socks, the Ducks got only 49 yards rushing from James. An offense that had been held under 37 points only once all year managed just the two touchdowns. The last one came on a simple shovel pass from Thomas, who finished with 363 yards -- 81 of which came on a long pass to Maehl that set up the first touchdown.

Oregon was held below 37 points for only the second time all season and the fast-paced offense that turned most opponents into mush in the second half had trouble wearing down Auburn.

Fairley, Auburn's 298-pound defensive tackle, did the most damage. He lived up to his reputation as a game-changer for better, with three tackles for loss, including a sack -- and for worse, when he got a 15-yard penalty for shoving James' face into the turf after the whistle.

Newton was a game-changer as always, keeping Auburn ahead in this tight game, the final outing in a season shadowed by an NCAA investigation into his failed recruitment by Mississippi State. The governing body cleared him to play before the SEC championship but said his father, Cecil, solicited money from the Bulldogs.

Cecil, not in the stands Monday night, missed a heck of a finish.

India top Test rankings, England challenge Proteas

2011-01-07T03:26:00.000-08:00

Dubai, Jan 7 (IANS) With the series in South Africa drawn, India maintained their top spot in the latest International Cricket Council's (ICC) Test rankings. England, after the emphatic Ashes victory in Australia, are closing in on the Proteas for the second place.

India are comfortably ahead at 128 rating points with South Africa a distant second at 117 points. The men in blue, however, dropped a point from the previous rankings while South Africa gained one.

England are third with 115 points and gained three points courtesy their historic 3-1 triumph in Australia afer wrapping up the Sydney Test Friday morning.

Australia, suffering their first Ashes defeat in 24 years on home soil, have dropped to fifth in the table. The defeat cost Australia three ratings points which has put them behind Sri Lanka on 107.

Tests rankings as on January 7:

Rank Team Rating

1. India 128

2. South Africa 117

3. England 115

4. Sri Lanka 109

5. Australia 107

6. Pakistan 88

7. West Indies 85

8. New Zealand 80

9. Bangladesh 7

Indians dig their heels in at Newlands

2011-01-06T04:24:00.000-08:00

Lunch, Day 5, SA vs India, Third Test, Sahara Park Newlands: India second innings 45/1 (117.5 overs), SA second innings 279/7 (88 overs). India first innings 364 all out (117.5 overs), SA first innings 362 all out (112.5 overs). India need another 287 runs, with 9 wickets in hand, to win on the final and fifth day.

India stood firm in the face of a spirited pace onslaught from the Proteas attack in the first session on the fifth and final day of the Third and series-deciding Test at Sahara Park Newlands, on Thursday.
The touring Indians did, however, suffer a setback with the loss of opener Virender Sehwag (11) who edged a 135.7 kph delivery from Morne Morkel into the safe hands of Graeme Smith at first slip.
For several moments the Protea fielders held their breath as the umpires checked if it was a legal delivery, and the replays showed that Morkel only just had his foot in place.
Sehwag, one of the world's most prolific run-getters in all forms of the game, lost his wicket in the 12th over, with the total on 27.
It is said that wickets usually fall in groups at Newlands but fortunately it was not the case for the Indians.
Gautam Gambhir (32 not out) and Rahul Dravid (8 not out) saw the innings safely through the lunch break when the scoreboard read: India second innings 53/1 (28 overs).
Full credit to Sehwag and Gambhir for fronting up to the SA new-ball attack of Dale Steyn and Morkel. The pair is regarded as the most potent combination in world cricket presently but did not stop the Indians from doing the job, despite their injuries, which has ruled both of them out of the forthcoming T20 and ODI matches against the Proteas, later this month.

Bhajji sets the cat amongst the pigeons

2011-01-05T03:06:00.000-08:00

LATEST: Lunch, Day 4, SA vs India, Third Test, Sahara Park Newlands: SA second innings 121/5 (44 overs). India first innings 364 all out (117.5 overs), SA first innings 362 all out (112.5 overs)

Harbhajan Singh, or popularly Bhajji as he is known to India's cricket faithful, captured a wicket in each of his first two overs at the start of play on day four of the Third Test at Sahara Park Newlands, on Wednesday.

Bhajji's double blow meant that South Africa's overnight total of 52/2 (16 overs) was reduced to 64/4 (19.5 overs) after only 24 balls had been bowled in the morning session. Singh's two wickets came in the space of him sending down a mere seven deliveries.

First to perish was Petersen when Singh struck him on the pads to get his third lbw decision in South Africa's second innings. And Amla was next when he had no answer to a bouncy Singh delivery which he tried to sweep. Instead the ball castled his stumps.

Jacques Kallis was playing positive despite the fact that his captain Graeme Smith had said earlier than the team would be playing "not to lose" rather than trying to win the match.
At the other end AB De Villiers was playing sensibly and well within himself until the dreaded bad luck 13 struck. He decided to leave a fairly harmless-looking 128.9 kph delivery from Zaheer Khan and the next thing two of his three stumps were cartwheeling down to the boundary! Out for 13, off 58 balls, and South Africa were reeling at 98/8.

When the lunch dawned SA were 121/4 (44 overs) with Kallis on 33 not out and Ashwell Prince on 15 not out.
And for the statistically minded, the day 4 scoreboard reads: SA 69/3 (28 overs).
Are we heading for an early finish? Watch this space!

In Haiti, cholera could heighten quake misery

2010-10-24T21:45:00.000-07:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — A cholera outbreak that already has left 250 people dead and more than 3,000 sickened is at the doorstep of an enormous potential breeding ground: the squalid camps in Port-au-Prince where 1.3 million earthquake survivors live. Health authorities and aid workers are scrambling to keep the tragedies from merging and the deaths from multiplying.

Five cholera patients have been reported in Haiti's capital, heightening worries that the disease could reach the sprawling tent slums where abysmal hygiene, poor sanitation, and widespread poverty could rapidly spread it. But government officials said Sunday that all five apparently got cholera outside Port-au-Prince, and they voiced hope that the deadly bacterial disease could be confined to the rural areas where the outbreak originated last week.

'We can prevent it.'
"It's not difficult to prevent the spread to Port-au-Prince. We can prevent it," said Health Ministry director Gabriel Timothee. He said tightly limiting movement of patients and careful disposal of bodies can stave off a major medical disaster.

If efforts to keep cholera out of the camps fail, "The worst case would be that we have hundreds of thousands of people getting sick at the same time," said Claude Surena, president of the Haiti Medical Association. Cholera can cause vomiting and diarrhea so severe it can kill from dehydration in hours.

Doctors Without Borders issued a statement saying that some Port-au-Prince residents were suffering from watery diarrhea and were being treated at facilities in the capital city. Cholera infection among the patients had not been confirmed, however, and aid workers stressed that diarrhea has not been uncommon in Port-au-Prince since the earthquake.

"Medical teams have treated many people with watery diarrhea over the last several months," Doctors Without Borders said.

Aid workers in the impoverished nation say the risk is magnified by the extreme poverty faced by people displaced by the Jan. 12 earthquake, which killed as many as 300,000 people and destroyed much of the capital city. Haitians living in the camps risk disease by failing to wash their hands, or scooping up standing water and then proceeding to wash fruits and vegetables.

"There are limited ways you can wash your hands and keep your hands washed with water in slums like we have here," said Michel Thieren, an official with the Pan-American Health Organization in Haiti. "The conditions for transmission are much higher."

Aid groups sending soap, purification tablets

Aid workers are coaching thousands of impoverished families how best to avoid cholera. Various aid groups are providing soap and water purification tablets and educating people in Port-au-Prince's camps about the importance of washing their hands.

Aid groups also began training more staff about cholera and where to direct people with symptoms. The disease had not been seen in Haiti for decades, and many people don't know about it.

Members of one grassroots Haitian organization traveled around Port-au-Prince's camps booming warnings about cholera from speakers in the bed of a pickup truck.

"Many people have become sick," announced Etant Dupain, in front of the Champs de Mars camp by Haiti's broken national palace. "If you have a family member that has diarrhea, bring them to the hospital immediately. Have them use separate latrines."

Sharing the Google Sky

2010-10-18T03:17:00.000-07:00

Alan Boyle writes: Google and the Slooh virtual-telescope company have announced a deal to integrate tens of thousands of pictures captured by Slooh's members automatically into Google Earth's astronomical database. The arrangement could bring scientific crowdsourcing to a whole new level.

Millions of Internet users have already been participating in space-themed projects such as SETI @ Home, Galaxy Zoo and Moon Zoo, but those projects mostly involve sifting through data collected by the professionals. The collaboration announced today immediately puts images of more than 35,000 celestial objects into a Google Sky layer within the free Google Earth standalone program. New Slooh pictures will be added as soon as they're taken.

Slooh's members go on five-minute missions that put them in control of robotic telescopes in the Canary Islands, Chile and Australia. The remote-control "Space Camera" system allows them to snap pictures of the celestial objects they're seeing over the Internet. Now any Google Earth user will be able to see those pictures by clicking on a link in a data bubble, as illustrated in the screenshot above.

Slooh offers membership packages for "Mission Commanders" that range from $5.95 per month to $49.95 per year. There are also card sets for kids (available from Radio Shack and Toys 'R' Us) and a free membership level that lets you tag along on someone else's mission.

In a news release, Slooh founder Michael Paolucci said he was "thrilled" to announce the deal with Google. "Sharing the view through a live telescope is a powerful experience, one we are pleased to now share with Google's worldwide audience," he said.

In addition to serving up the pictures, Google plans to "broadcast" Slooh astronomy missions and special events such as lunar eclipses.

"Slooh's 'map the universe' layer brings a powerful educational component to Google Earth," Noel Gorelick, technical lead for Sky in Google Earth, said in the news release. "Not only does the ability to explore space live bring a totally new active dimension to the experience, but also gives Google users a deeper awareness of the positions of a myriad of celestial objects."

In a follow-up phone interview, Gorelick said the collaboration with Slooh was an example of Google's Web 3.0 philosophy. "It's live distributed content, with the ability to mash it up in ways that people have not thought of before," he told me. "That's the way Google in general is going. I'm looking forward to more projects along this vein."

Not every Slooh snapshot would go into Google Sky, he said. "Images that are blurry or have clouds in them won't make it through the process. That process will filter out bad images," Gorelick told me.

He acknowledged that the idea of astronomical photo-sharing is not new. Celestia and Microsoft Research's WorldWide Telescope are among the alternative astronomy programs that offer similar capabilities — through the Celestia discussion forums and the Astrometry Flickr WWT site, respectively. (Microsoft and NBC Universal are partners in the msnbc.com joint venture.)

"You could do the same thing, essentially, in the other things," Gorelick said. "It's just a fair amount of work to do that. The part that we've done is that it's streamlined, automatic."

More about desktop astronomy:

Ayodhya judgement: M.P. beefs up security

2010-09-17T03:59:00.000-07:00

To ensure that untoward incident follows the judgement on the Ayodhya case which is scheduled to be delivered on September 24, the ruling BJP has stepped up the security forces in the state.

Following the riots which took place after the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992, the then BJP government in the state was dismissed along with the party governments in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.

“I don’t think that communal situation like 1992 will occur in Madhya Pradesh post Ayodhya verdict, but we are not taking any chances and police is maintaining a tight vigil in the state,” Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Uma Shankar Gupta said on Friday.

“We have requested for the deployment of over 50 companies of Rapid Action Force (RAF) and Special Armed Force (SAF) in the state for maintaining law and order,” Gupta said.

“We have directed officials to deploy entire police force in the field including those who were not doing field duties at present and also called the 100 per cent Home Guard jawans in the state for maintaining communal harmony at any cost,” he said.

The Minister claimed that even though there are remote chances of communal disturbance, anybody found indulging in such activities will be firmly dealt with.

Search operation and arrest of history-sheeters and anti-social elements is already going on for ensuring peace in the state, the Minister said.

“We are also in constant touch with the public leaders, people’s representatives and other important persons of the society to maintaining peace in the state,” Gupta said.

The government has already taken the meeting of senior officials including zonal IGs, SSPs, Commissioners and Collectors through video-conferencing on Ayodhya judgement and its possible fallouts, officials said.

The police has been instructed to show zero tolerance towards the elements attempting to disturb the communal harmony post verdict, they added.

Kashmir is a tough job, Omar needs time: Rahul

2010-09-16T02:20:00.000-07:00

Amidst reports of a meeting between People’s Democratic Party (PDP) patron Mufti Mohammed Sayeed and Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh on Tuesday night that raised speculation over new political realignment in Jammu and Kashmir, All-India Congress Committee general secretary Rahul Gandhi today said Chief Minister Omar Abdullah “needs time and support“.

Addressing a press conference here, he also ruled out his intervention in affairs of Jammu and Kashmir and refused to comment on demands for withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from the state.

“The government has supported Omar Abdullah. National Conference is the party in power. He is a youngster. Kashmir is a difficult place. Omar is doing a tough job and he should be given time and support,” Mr. Gandhi told a press conference when asked whether Mr. Omar had failed.

Replying to questions on Kashmir and Mr. Abdullah, he said the Congress was supporting him and he is the leader of the NC.

“It is their decision to run Kashmir. They are in a partnership,” he said.

“I think we have to give him support. Kashmir is a sensitive job. We have to give him time and support,” Mr. Gandhi said.

He corrected a questioner to say that he did not say that the Kashmir situation was critical.

In the midst of the ongoing unrest in Kashmir, Mufti had a meeting with Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday night which led to speculation that the two parties could revive their alliance to form a government in Kashmir.

To a question on AFSPA, Gandhi said he would “defer to the Prime Minister on the subject. I would say the Prime Minister has knowledge on the subject. I would lower my head.

The Prime Minister has more knowledge on the subject“.

He said, “It is a complex issue and he would not like to say whether he wanted it or did not want. It would be unfair on my part to do so irresponsible“.

“It is for senior people like the Prime Minister to comment on that. For me to say I am for or against would be unfair or irresponsible,” Mr. Gandhi told a questioner.

When asked to comment on PDP president Mehbooba Mufti requesting his intervention in the Kashmir problem, Mr. Gandhi said, “Kashmir is not a part time problem, it is a full time problem.”

He also had a tongue in cheek that he was being offered new jobs

“If I were to get into it, I would have to give full time to it. There are many other leaders who want to give me a job. The way I have been brought up is to carry out my responsibility. I am doing a job now. It is a full time responsibility (as a leader of the Youth Congress). I have to finish it.

“Somebody wants me to take up Commonwealth Games organising job. They are others who can do it. I don’t want to look to move from one problem to another. They are others who can handle Kashmir.

“I will go to Jammu and Kashmir as my drive is to go to every party of India to bring the youth into the political system. It’s a full time responsibility to bring youngsters in politics,” Mr. Gandhi said.

Naxal issue

Noting that Naxalism was a result of complex set of circumstances, the Congress leader said political connectivity should be ensured to bring Naxals into the mainstream.

“Poverty is certainly one thing and in this country we have to ensure political connectivity so that the people can be part of the national political mainstream and efforts should be directed towards that,” Mr. Gandhi told a press conference here.

“If we give them political connectivity, they will be able to join the mainstream,” he said.

Asked if Naxals wanted to join the Youth Congress during the membership drive, he replied, “All are welcome except criminals and fundamentalists. If it is a Naxal who has killed 50 people, he is a criminal. So you get my point.

“The difference between me and the Maoists is that I don’t kill people, but the Maoists do,” he said.

To a question, Mr. Gandhi disagreed with the view that Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee had sided openly with the Maoists.

“To say that Mamata Banerjee has openly sided with the Maoists is wrong. She has struggled a lot in Bengal for a long time. And, we respect her for that,” he said.

Musharraf '200 per cent' sure of taking part in 2013 polls

2010-09-14T23:39:00.000-07:00

Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf has said he is forming a new party to return to active politics in the next election scheduled for 2013 and take his country forward on a "correct" democratic path.

"Two hundred per cent, I will participate in the next election," Musharraf, who has been living outside Pakistan since April last year, told BBC.

Asked about his plans for the next elections in Pakistan, he said he would be "standing for a party that I'll create."

Musharraf said he would stand for a seat in the next Parliament and that he hopes to become either Prime Minister or President.

"I can't be sure of becoming President again but I believe there is a good chance of my winning," he said.

"I do intend creating a new party because I think a time has come in Pakistan when we need to introduce a new political culture, a culture which can take Pakistan forward on a correct democratic path and not an artificial, make-believe democratic path," he added.

Suspect in Detroit plane attack plot hints at plea

2010-09-14T00:13:00.000-07:00

The Nigerian man, charged with trying to blow up a Detroit-bound flight on Christmas Day, has fired his lawyers saying they would be biased and opted to
represent himself.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who is arraigned on six charges including attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, indicated that he may plead guilty to some of the charges against him.

"But unexpectedly, the defendant Abdulmutallab, instead told the judge that he wished to represent himself," Rod Hansen, spokesman for the US District Court in Detroit, said.

"At that point, the judge questioned him extensively about that decision, asking if he knew the consequences, if he was familiar with federal law and at the end of it, and cautioned him against representing himself," he added.

District Judge Nancy Edmunds granted his request, but she said she would appoint a stand-by counsel to advise Abdulmutallab on legal maters, US media reported.

The Nigerian terror suspect asked the judge what would happen if he pleaded guilty to some counts?

"The judge, at that point, said, 'I can't answer that kind of question,' and indicated that this is the very reason she wanted stand-by counsel appointed, because those are the kinds of questions that obviously he needs to know the answers to," said Rod Hansen.

Abdulmutallab's former lawyers previously disclosed that they were discussing a possible plea bargain with prosecutors.

The 23-year-old engineering student from University College, London, suffered three degree burns while trying to ignite the incendiary device.

His failed attempt, however, shifted the US focus to Yemen as a new front to battle Al-Qaeda after the group claimed responsibility for the attempted terrorist attack.

Following Abdulmutallab's alleged attempt to blow up Northwest Airlines Flight 253, the US tightened security in all its airports, which eventually led to the use of body image scanners.

"At that point, the judge questioned him extensively about that decision, asking if he

knew the consequences, if he was familiar with federal law and at the end of it, and cautioned him against representing himself," he added.

District Judge Nancy Edmunds granted his request, but she said she would appoint a stand-by counsel to advise Abdulmutallab on legal maters, US media reported.

The Nigerian terror suspect asked the judge what would happen if he pleaded guilty to some counts?

"The judge, at that point, said, 'I can't answer that kind of question,' and indicated that this is the very reason she wanted stand-by counsel appointed, because those are the kinds of questions that obviously he needs to know the answers to," said Rod Hansen.

Abdulmutallab's former lawyers previously disclosed that they were discussing a possible plea bargain with prosecutors.

The 23-year-old engineering student from University College, London, suffered three degree burns while trying to ignite the incendiary device.

His failed attempt, however, shifted the US focus to Yemen as a new front to battle Al-Qaeda after the group claimed responsibility for the attempted terrorist attack.

Following Abdulmutallab's alleged attempt to blow up Northwest Airlines Flight 253, the US tightened security in all its airports, which eventually led to the use of body image scanners.

Mukesh Ambani will be the world's richest man by 2014: Forbes

2010-09-13T09:43:00.000-07:00

Boston: With a net worth of USD 62 billion, Indian business tycoon Mukesh Ambani would be he richest man on earth in 2014, according to a forecast issued by the prestigious Forbes magazine.

"One of the predictions is that Reliance Industries' chief Ambani, who currently has a net worth of 29 billion dollars, pips the world's richest man Mexican businessman Carlos Slim to top Forbes' rich list in 2014," it said.

Ambani's net worth swells to USD 62 billion while Slim is "hit hard by Mexican political, financial chaos," according to the prediction by Forbes.

53-year-old Ambani currently ranks fourth on Forbes' list of the world's billionaires.

Forbes has listed a number of events that could happen over the next 10 years in the field of politics, energy, medicine, finance, society and technology. The publication asked its staff and contributors to forecast some of the "noteworthy events" till 2020.

"A vision of the coming decade sketched from real data, projections and facts whenever possible -- though we've injected a dose of rigorous science fiction to fill the gaps," Forbes said about its special 2020 report called 'What Happens Next -- Our Look Ahead'.

Another forecast in the field of finance and economics is of fraudster Bernard Madoff's death in his prison cell in 2011. The convicted Ponzi-scheme perpetrator is found hanging in his cell and "prison officials will not rule out foul play," according to the Forbes forecast.

"Futurism favours the bold. Look more than 30 years ahead... and critics will forgive your inaccuracies. We've attempted a thought experiment with far tougher standards: predicting the future that's just around the corner," Forbes said.

In 2012, social networking site Facebook debuts on NASDAQ. Its IPOs value USD 40 billion and founder Mark Zuckerberg becomes the first 20-something who is worth USD 10 billion-plus.

Then by 2020, Wal-mart employs five million people worldwide and its sales pass the one trillion dollar mark. The company "cites successful India and Brazil expansions" for the landmark.

In 2017, Harvard endowment doubles in seven years to USD 50 billion. It offers free tuition to lure top students from China.

Suicide Bomber Strikes At Russian Market

2010-09-10T00:04:00.000-07:00

At least 17 people have died in a suicide car bombing at a market in Russia's North Caucasus region.

The bomber drove his car into a market square in the city of Vladikavkaz, southern Russia, before detonating the explosives.

Around 130 people were wounded in the attack.

No one has claimed responsibility.

Footage from the scene showed widespread damage around the market with many cars destroyed.

"The blast in Vladikavkaz has been organised by a suicide bomber who drove up to the entrance of the market in a Volga 3102 car," said Taimuraz Mamsurov, a senior North Ossetian official.

"The headless body of the presumed terrorist was found in the car which exploded opposite the central market."

Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's president, ordered his envoy for the Russian North Caucasus region, Alexander Khloponin, to urgently fly to Vladikavkaz.

He described the bombers as "bastards".

"We will do everything to capture these monsters... these bastards, who carried out a terrorist act on ordinary people," Mr Medvedev said.

"We will do everything to find and punish them."

Vladikavkaz is the capital of the North Ossetia republic, in the North Caucasus, which has been beset by Islamist and separatist violence.

North Ossetia is where 331 people died in the 2004 Beslan school siege.

The market was bombed in 1999, killing 55, in 2001 killing six people and again in 2004, with 11 people losing their lives.

It the region is north of the Georgian breakaway region of South Ossetia over which Moscow and Tbilisi fought a war in August 2008.

It is also the only majority Christian region in Russia's largely Muslim North Caucasus.

The neighbouring Muslim region of Ingushetia has been hit by a wave of deadly attacks over the last months.

However, North Ossetia has largely escaped the worst of the violence.

Megastar Chiranjeevi To Make A Comeback To Movies

2010-09-09T03:38:00.000-07:00

The Praja Rajyam party chief and megastar Chiranjeevi finds his urge to get back to the silver screen irresistible. He announced on Wednesday that he would stage a comeback to Tollywood soon. Of course, it’s not a surprise as his son Ramcharan, a few days ago, indicated that Chiranjeevi would act in films again.

Chiranjeevi said his next film would be a typical mass film with all the ingredients like his previous films. Specialty is that “I prefer my next film should be on the lines of my earlier films like Tagore and Stalin. They had a strong social message. So, this ensuing film of mine too should be so. It should entertain the masses like a pucca commercial film and at the same time produce a powerful message,” he revealed his thoughts in chitchat with the media in Hyderabad.

It is apparent that Chiranjeevi wants his reentry into films not as the result of his personal interest, but as the result of a mass hysteria and demand from his stupendous fan base in the state. His brothers – Nagababu and Pawan Kalyan – who campaigned for Praja Rajyam party actively, later turned even more active in films, and showed little concern for the party, which slipped into a third position in the 2009 assembly elections. Chiranjeevi too is wading through a tough time in politics with lack of organization in the party.

Sources said that Chiranjeevi has director Shankar in mind when he spoke of his next film. There is a strong possibility that the megastar’s venture would be with Shankar in the first quarter of 2010.

Chiranjeevi's last film was Shankardada Zindabad, released in 2007, and it turned out to be a dud. However, the megastar made a passing appearance in a song for his son Ramcharan’s industry blockbuster Maghadheera in 2009.

US to look to India for changes in Nuclear Liability Bill

2010-09-08T02:05:00.000-07:00

The United States says it will look to New Delhi to see what changes can be made to the nuclear liability bill passed by Indian parliament making suppliers of nuclear equipment also potentially liable.

In its first public reaction to the controversial provision, state department spokesman Phillip Crowley told reporters Tuesday: "I think we continue our discussions with the Indian government on this issue."

"We note that Indian business leaders are concerned about some specific aspects of the law that was just passed by parliament, and we will look to the Indian government to see what changes can be made," he said when asked to comment on reports that US business was not happy about the law in its present form.

US officials have so far refrained from offering comment on the limiting liability legislation, a key piece under US law to pave the way for the implementation of the landmark India-US civil nuclear deal, but American firms hoping to supply equipment to India have expressed concerns.

The US India Business Council, representing 300 top US companies doing business with India, wanted India to adopt a nuclear liability regime "channelling absolute and exclusive liability to nuclear power plant operators and establishing a sole remedy for compensation of claims".

"These principles are basic to international best practices as reflected in the International Atomic Energy Agency's Convention on Supplementary Compensation ( CSC)," it said in a guarded reaction to the legislation after its passage in the Rajya Sabha last week.

Aftershocks rattle Christchurch, N.Z.

2010-09-07T00:24:00.000-07:00

A sharp series of about 20 aftershocks rattled New Zealand's earthquake-hit city of Christchurch overnight, and earthquake experts warned Tuesday that another powerful tremor might hammer the region in coming days.

The weekend's powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake smashed buildings and homes, wrecked roads and disrupted the central city, though nobody was killed and only two people were seriously injured.

The city centre remained cordoned off by troops Tuesday, with only building owners and workers allowed in to begin clearing up the mess — with much of the centre taking on the mantle of a ghost town.

More than 100 aftershocks, ranging from magnitude 3.2 to 5.4, have rocked the region since Saturday's major quake.

Overnight, about 20 shocks including two of magnitude-5.4 rattled the city, and quake experts said aftershocks likely will continue for several weeks — and the worst of them may be yet to come.

"It is still possible that we'll have a magnitude-6 in the next week, and people ought to be aware of that, particularly if they are around structures which are already damaged," said Ken Gledhill, a monitor at the geological agency GNS Science. "For a shallow earthquake like this, they will go on for weeks."

Prime Minister John Key called off a planned nine-day trip to Britain and France, citing what he called the quake zone's continuing "instability."

Key, who toured the city's damaged areas over the weekend, said 430 houses and another 70 buildings, many of them older structures, were already earmarked for demolition because of damage caused by the quake. Around 100,000 of the region's 160,000 homes sustained some damage, he said.

"I was awestruck by the power of the earthquake and the damage it has caused in the city," he told reporters. "It was miraculous that nobody was killed."

New Zealand quake exposed fault line, geologist says

2010-09-05T23:29:00.000-07:00

The powerful earthquake that smashed buildings, cracked roads and twisted rail lines around the New Zealand city of Christchurch also ripped a new fault line in the Earth's surface, a geologist said Sunday.

At least 500 buildings, including 90 in the downtown area, have been designated as destroyed by the 7.1-magnitude quake that struck at 4:35 a.m. Saturday near the South Island city of 400,000 people. Most other buildings sustained only minor damage.

Only two serious injuries were reported from the quake as chimneys and walls of older buildings were reduced to rubble and crumbled to the ground. Prime Minister John Key said it was a miracle no one was killed.

Part of the reason the city escaped major injuries was because the quake happened before dawn, Key said.

“If this had happened five hours earlier or five hours later (when many more people were in the city), there would have been absolute carnage in terms of human life,” he told TV One News Sunday.

The quake cut power across the region, blocked roads with debris, and disrupted gas and water supplies, but Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker said services were being restored Sunday.

Power was back to 90 per cent of the city and water supply had resumed for all but 15 to 20 per cent of residents, he said. Portable toilets have been provided and tanks of fresh water placed around the city for residents.

Mr. Parker said it would take a long time to fully fix some core services such as water and sewage. “Our first priority is just people,” he said. “That's our worry.”

Up to 90 extra police officers were flown into Christchurch to help, and troops were likely to join the recovery effort on Monday, he said.

As the recovery work gathered pace, forecasters warned strong winds would buffet the area, creating problems with flying debris.

WeatherWatch forecaster Philip Duncan said gale force winds of 65 kilometres per hour and stronger “could cause serious issues for trees and buildings that were weakened in (Saturday's) huge earthquake.”

Specialist engineering teams began assessing damage to all central city buildings on Sunday, said Paul Burns of the city's search and rescue service. Officials said schools across the region would remain closed for the next two days to allow time to check whether they were safe.

Canterbury University geology professor Mark Quigley said what “looks to us that it could be a new fault” had ripped across the ground and pushed some surface areas up. The quake was caused by the ongoing collision between the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates, said Mr. Quigley, who is leading a team trying to pin down the source of the quake.

“One side of the earth has lurched to the right ... up to 3.5 meters and in some places been thrust up,” Mr. Quigley told National Radio.

“The long linear fracture on the earth's surface does things like break apart houses, break apart roads. We went and saw two houses that were completely snapped in half by the earthquake,” he said.

Roger Bates, whose dairy farm at Darfield was close to the quake's epicentre 30 kilometres west of Christchurch, said the new fault line had ripped up the surface of his land.

“The whole dairy farm is like the sea now, with real (soil) waves right across the dairy farm. We don't have physical holes (but) where the fault goes through it's been raised a metre or metre and a half,” he told National Radio.

“Trouble is, I've lost two metres of land off my boundary,” he added.

Experts said the low number of injuries in the powerful quake also reflects the country's strict building codes.

“Thank God for earthquake strengthening 10 years ago,” the Anglican dean of Christchurch, the Reverend Peter Beck, told TV One News on Sunday.

Euan Smith, professor of geophysics at Victoria University, speculated that the very soft soils of Christchurch had “acted like a shock absorber over a short period ... doing less damage to smaller buildings.”

Prime Minister John Key, who flew to Christchurch to inspect the damage, said the city “looks like something off a movie set,” with wrecked buildings, buckled roads, broken water mains and sewage systems and some flooding caused by broken water pipes.

Scientists from GNS Science began installing 40 portable seismographs in the region Sunday to record seismic data from the continuing stream of aftershocks. More than 60 had been recorded by mid-afternoon Sunday.

Seismologists study aftershock sequences to help learn more about the mechanics of the main quake, and to check whether stress in the earth's crust has been transferred to other faults in the region.

New Zealand sits above an area where two tectonic plates collide. The country records more than 14,000 earthquakes a year — but only about 150 are felt by residents. Fewer than 10 a year do any damage.

New Zealand's last major earthquake registered magnitude 7.8 and hit South Island's Fiordland region on July 16, 2009, moving the southern tip of the country 30 centimeters closer to Australia, seismologist Ken Gledhill said at the time.

BP’s failed oil blowout preventer removed from well

2010-09-03T23:13:00.000-07:00

BP PLC said the blowout preventer that failed to stop oil from spewing into the Gulf of Mexico was removed from the company’s well on Friday.

The process of raising it to the surface was to be painstaking because engineers want to make sure not to damage or drop the contraption. The blowout preventer wasn’t expected to reach the surface until Saturday, at which point government investigators will take possession of it.

A BP spokesman said in an e—mail to The Associated Press that the 50—foot (15—meter), 300—ton device was detached from the wellhead at 2-20 p.m EDT (1820 GMT).

Earlier in the day, a vessel had latched onto the equipment to raise it from a mile beneath the sea.

Undersea video showed the device suspended in the water. A crane on the Helix Q4000 was being used for the task.

The blowout preventer is considered a key piece of evidence in the spill investigation. Investigators will examine it and hope to gain insight into why the device failed to prevent the spill. Late Friday, the government said another blowout preventer had successfully been placed on the blown—out well.

The April 20 explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon killed 11 workers and led to 206 million gallons of oil spewing from BP’s undersea well.

Investigators know the explosion was triggered by a bubble of methane gas that escaped from the well and shot up the drill column, expanding quickly as it burst through several seals and barriers before igniting.

But they don’t know exactly how or why the gas escaped. And they don’t know why the blowout preventer didn’t seal the well pipe at the sea bottom after the eruption, as it was supposed to. While the device didn’t close - or may have closed partially - hearings have produced no clear picture of why it didn’t plug the well.

Lawyers will be watching closely, as hundreds of lawsuits have been filed over the oil spill. Future liabilities faced by a number of corporations could be riding on what the analysis of the blowout preventer shows.

The raising of the blowout preventer followed Thursday’s removal of a temporary cap that stopped oil from gushing into the Gulf in mid-July. No more oil was expected to leak into the sea, but crews were standing by with collection vessels just in case.

The government wanted to replace the failed blowout preventer first to deal with any pressure that is caused when a relief well BP has been drilling intersects the blown—out well.

Once that intersection occurs sometime after Monday, BP is expected to use mud and cement to plug the blown—out well for good from the bottom.

2010-09-03T00:16:00.000-07:00

Ashok Leyland shares hit 1-year high

Ashok Leyland, the Hinduja Group flagship company, surged over 2 per cent to hit a year high on BSE in early trade, a day after the bus maker reported robust vehicle sales for August.

Shares of the company gained 2.41 per cent to touch a 52-week high of Rs 76.30 on the Bombay Stock Exchange. The scrip witnessed a similar upmove on the National Stcok Exchange and rose 2.35 per cent to Rs 76.20 in the morning trade.

On Thursay, Ashok Leyland posted a 56.35 per cent jump in commercial vehicle sales at 7,480 units in August compared to 4,784 units in the same month last year.

Other counters in the auto sector were also trading in the positive terrain, led by the country's largest two-wheeler maker Hero Honda.

Hero Honda rose by 1.76 while Mahindra & Mahindra gained 1.74 per cent on BSE.

Among other gainerShares of the company gained 2.41 per cent to touch a 52-week high of Rs 76.30 on the Bombay Stock Exchange.

The scrip witnessed a similar upmove on the National Stock Exchange and rose 2.35 per cent to Rs 76.20 in the morning trade.

On Thursday, Ashok Leyland posted a 56.35 per cent jump in commercial vehicle sales at 7,480 units in August compared to 4,784 units in the same month last year.

Other counters in the auto sector were also trading in the positive terrain, led by the country's largest

two-wheeler maker Hero Honda.

Hero Honda rose by 1.76 while Mahindra & Mahindra gained 1.74 per cent on BSE.

2010-09-02T00:07:00.000-07:00

After Modi, Maya accuses govt of misusing CBI

After Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi accused the Congress-led UPA government of sending the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after him, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has now said that Centre was misusing the agency against her in the disproportionate assets case.

The BSP supremo charged the government of misusing the probe agency while addressing party leaders and workers at a meeting here, party sources revealed.

Mayawati questioned how CBI takes cognisance of theIncome tax report in case of leaders like Samajwadi Party's Mulayam Singh Yadav and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav but when it comes to her it was trying to "frame" her in the DA case, BSP sources said.

These comments come in the backdrop of CBI telling the Supreme Court that it had gathered "credible evidence" to prosecute Mayawati in the DA case.

Besides this, the Chief Minister has already set her eyes on the upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh in 2012.

She has cautioned BSP workers against any design or conspiracy by political opponents through several tactics like sting operations ahead of the polls.

Mayawati has also asked them to apprise the general public against any such move, sources said.

2010-08-31T03:12:00.000-07:00

iPhone app to replace the stethoscope?

The iPhone could soon replace the doctors' best friend, the traditional stethoscope, thanks to a free application created by a University College London researcher.

Peter Bentley invented the 'iStethoscope' application which monitors heartbeat through sensors in the iPhone as just a bit of fun. And, more than three million doctors across the world are signing up for the free application.

"Everybody is very excited about the potential of the adoption of mobile phone technology into the medical workplace, and rightly so. Smartphones are incredibly powerful devices packed full of sensors, cameras, high-quality microphones with amazing displays.

"They are capable of saving lives, saving money and improving healthcare in a dramatic fashion, and we carry these massively powerful computers in our pockets," the British media quoted Bentley as saying.

While he said that he had originally invented it as a fun toy, experts in the medical field have said the software is a major advance in medical technology which has saved lives and enabled doctors in remote areas to access expertise.

In fact, in the future, it could be possible for people to conduct their own ultrasounds or monitor blood pressure through smartphones, say the experts.

2010-08-30T03:18:00.000-07:00

Airhostess aspirant commits suicide in Delhi

A 22-year-old girl committed suicide in the posh Safdarjung Enclave area of south Delhi on Sunday night.

The police said Aparna was depressed as she was not getting a job after completing a course from an airhostess training institute in Delhi.

Aparna's body was found hanging from the ceiling fan in her rented flat.

"Her brother was calling her since yesterday but her cell phone was switched off. He got suspicious and decided to meet her. When he visited her accommodation at D Block in the area, he found the main door of the flat locked from inside. He knocked several times but no one answered. He then informed the cops who broke open the door to found Aparna hanging," said the officer.

Aparna was taken to a nearby government hospital where doctors declared her brought dead. No suicide note has been recovered from the crime scene. "We have taken the statement of her brother and some neighbours. So far, it seems to be a case of suicide. We are told that she committed suicide when she failed to get a job as an airhostess," the officer added.

A senior police officer said the deceased was a native of Satna in Madhya Pradesh and had been living in the area for the past one year.

2010-08-28T02:57:00.000-07:00

‘Maoist Azad shot at point-blank range’

Maoist leader Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad was shot at point-blank range by the Andhra Pradesh Police and not in an encounter, a news-magazine has claimed.

"The post-mortem conducted on the body of Maoist leader Azad categorically establishes that he was killed at close range with a handgun in a fake encounter by the Andhra Pradesh Police on July 1 at Adilabad," the Outlook news-magazine claimed in a report.

It claimed to have accessed the post-mortem report of Azad on which it sought the opinion of three experts in three different cities.

"Three leading forensic medicine and wound ballistic experts, who were given copies of Azad's post-mortem report without revealing the identity of the deceased, have come to the conclusion that the victim was shot from a distance of 7.5 cms or even less," the magazine said in a press release.

The post-mortem report records a 1-cm oval-shaped wound just a few inches above the left nipple where the bullet entered, tore through this heart and exited from the back just between the ninth and the tenth vertebrae, it said.

The wound's entry point, the doctor conducting the post-mortem records, had "darkening (and) burned edge" at the left second intercostal space (the space between the two ribs)," the release said.

The post-mortem findings do not tie up with the police version that the Maoist ideologue was killed in an exchange of gunfire with the police atop a hill, it said.

2010-08-27T03:04:00.000-07:00

Operation Samosa included contestant on Canadian Idol

An India-born man and a Pakistani contestant of Canada's version of "American Idol" were among three people arrested as part of a major Al-Qaida terror plot to bomb targets within and outside the country.

The three suspected homegrown terrorists arrested over the past two days two in Ottawa and one in London have been charged in connection with a plot with links to senior Al-Qaida figures in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region.

Misbahuddin Ahmed, believed to be born in India, and Hiva Mohammad Alizadeh -- both from Ottawa -- and Khurram Syed Sher, of London, were accused of conspiring with three others, James Lara, Rizgar Alizadeh and Zakaria Mamosta in a terror plot police traced back to Pakistan, Iran and Dubai.

Hiva Alizadeh, 30, and Ahmed, 26, appeared in court yesterday after their arrests on Wednesday in Ottawa under the project codenamed "Operation Samosa".

The trio were charged with conspiring to build bombs for attacks in Canada and raise money to fund IED attacks on Canadian troops in Afghanistan.

Police refused to identify the targets of the alleged terrorists, saying that information would come out in court.

"The arrests have prevented the gathering of bombs and the execution of one or many terrorist attacks," said Royal Canadian Mounted Police Chief Superintendent Serge Therriault.

"This group posed a real and serious threat to the citizens of the national capital region and Canada's national security," Therriault said.

Police said the accused had IED parts, including more than 50 circuit boards that could be used to remotely detonate bombs, but wouldn't say if the group had explosives.

Robert Farrell, a former Canadian diplomat who had rented his house to Ahmed, was quoted as saying that Ahmed was born in India, but had lived for a time in Saudi Arabia.

Ahmed, who works as an X-ray technician at the Ottawa Hospital, rented the home about a year ago, after responding to an ad Farrell had placed on an online rental site.

Coalition sources in Kandahar say they are aware that IED components, rocket propelled grenades, ammunition and landmines coming from Iran have found their way to insurgents in Afghanistan.

Third suspect Sher is believed to be arrested in southwestern Ontario where he recently moved. He is believed to be a doctor who graduated from McGill University medical school in 2005.

The website for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario lists Sher as practising at the Thomas Elgin General Hospital in the Department of Anatomical Pathology.

Pakistan-origin Sher appeared on the reality show "Canadian Idol" in 2008 singing a comical version of Avril Lavigne's "Complicated", complete with dance moves that include a moonwalk.

2010-08-26T23:33:00.000-07:00

Survivor Details Massacre of 72 Migrants by Drug Cartel in Mexico

A wounded migrant stumbled into a military checkpoint and led marines to a gruesome scene, what may be the biggest massacre so far in Mexico's bloody drug war: a room strewn with the bodies of 72 fellow travelers, some piled on top of each other, just 100 miles from their goal, the U.S. border. The 58 men and 14 women were killed, the migrant told investigators Wednesday, by the Zetas cartel, a group of former Mexican army special forces known to extort migrants who pass through its territory. If authorities corroborate his story, it would be the most horrifying example yet of the plight of migrants trying to cross a country where drug cartels are increasingly scouting shelters and highways, hoping to extort or even recruit vulnerable immigrants.

"It's absolutely terrible and it demands the condemnation of all of our society," said government security spokesman Alejandro Poire.The Ecuadorean migrant stumbled to the checkpoint on Tuesday, telling the marines he had just escaped from gunmen at a ranch in San Fernando, a town in the northern state of Tamaulipas about 100 miles from Brownsville, Texas. The Zetas so brutally control some parts of Tamaulipas that even many Mexicans do not dare to travel on the highways in the states. Many residents in the state tell of loved ones or friends who have disappeared traveling from one town to the next. Many of these kidnappings are never reported for fear that police are in league with the criminals. The marines scrambled helicopters to raid the ranch, drawing gunfire from cartel gunmen. One marine and three gunmen died in a gunbattle. Then the marines discovered the bodies, some slumped in the chairs where they had been shot, one federal official said.

The migrant told authorities his captors identified themselves as Zetas, and that the migrants were from Brazil, Ecuador, El Salvador and Honduras. Poire said the government was in contact with those countries to corroborate the identities of the migrants. Consular officials from Brazil, Ecuador and El Salvador said they had no immediate information on whether any of their citizens were among the dead. The marines seized 21 assault rifles, shotguns and rifles, and detained a minor, apparently part of the gang. Authorities said they were trying to determine whether the victims had been killed at the same time — and why. Poire noted that migrants are frequently kidnapped by cartel gunmen demanding money, sometimes contacting relatives in the U.S. to demand ransoms.

Poire also said the government believes cartels are increasingly trying to recruit migrants as foot soldiers — a concern that has also been expressed by U.S. politicians demanding more security at the border. The government has confirmed at least seven cases of cartels kidnapping groups of migrants so far this year, said Antonio Diaz, an official with the National Migration Institute, a think tank that studies immigration. But other groups say migrant kidnappings are much more rampant. In its most recent study, the National Human Rights Commission said some 1,600 migrants are kidnapped in Mexico each month. It based its figures on the number of reports it received between September 2008 and February 2009.

Violence along the northeastern border with the U.S. has soared this year since the Zetas broke with their former employer, the Gulf cartel. Authorities say the Gulf cartel has joined forces with its once-bitter enemies, the Sinaloa and La Familia gangs, to destroy the Zetas, who have grown so powerful they now have reach into Central America. Teresa Delagadillo, who works at the Casa San Juan Diego shelter in Matamoros just across from Brownsville, said she often hears stories about criminal gangs kidnapping and beating migrants to demand money — but never a horror story on the scale of this week's massacre.

"There hadn't been reports that they had killed them," she said. It was the third time this year that Mexican authorities have discovered large masses of corpses. In the other two cases, investigators believe the bodies were dumped at the sites over a long time. In May, authorities discovered 55 bodies in an abandoned mine near Taxco, a colonial-era city south of Mexico City that is popular with tourists. In July, investigators found 51 corpses in two days of digging in a field near a trash dump outside the northern metropolis of Monterrey. Many of those found were believed to have been rival traffickers. But cartels often dispose of the bodies of kidnap victims in such dumping grounds. The Rev. Alejandro Solalinde, who runs a shelter in the southern state of Oaxaca, where many migrants pass on their way to Tamaulipas, said the Zetas have put informants inside shelters to find out which migrants have relatives in the U.S. — the most lucrative targets for kidnap-extortion schemes.

He said he constantly hears horror stories, including people who "say their companions have been killed with baseball bats in front of the others." Solalinde said he has been threatened by Zetas demanding access to his shelters. He said the gangsters told him: "If we kill you, they'll close the shelter and we'll have to look all over for the migrants."

2010-08-25T02:08:00.000-07:00

US freezes assets of Osama son-in-law

In a continuing campaign to target Al-Qaida's sources of funds, the United States has frozen the assets of Muhammad Abdallah Hasan Abu-al-Khayr, a son-in-law of Osama bin Laden.

The assets of al-Khayr, who is considered a possible replacement for the terror group's chief financial officer, would be frozen in US jurisdictions under new sanctions imposed by the Treasury Department Tuesday. Mustafa al-Yazid, the former No. 3 Al-Qaida leader and financier, was killed in a drone strike in Pakistan earlier this year.

The Treasury's designation also prohibits Americans from engaging in any transactions with him. The UN took a similar action, which extends the sanctions against him to all member nations.

The Treasury Department says al-Khayr has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for a specific terrorist attack against US interests. He appears on a 2009 list of 85 persons wanted by the government of Saudi Arabia, in part because of his role as an Al-Qaida financial facilitator.

Al-Khayr also acts for Al-Qaida in a leadership role on the media committee, and has on at least one occasion recruited a member for Al-Qaida, it said.

His relationship with Al-Qaida began with military training the terrorist group provided him in the mid-1990s. Al-Khayr has also provided services to bin Laden as a bodyguard.

"After the death in May of Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, who essentially served as Al-Qaida's chief financial officer, we will continue to work with our allies to target those like al-Khayr who could step into al-Yazid's shoes," said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Stuart Levey.

"Today's designation of al-Khayr by the United States and the United Nations will help to ensure that that Al-Qaida remains in severe financial straits."

2010-08-24T03:09:00.000-07:00

Sensex falls 121.85 points; Realty drops 2.85%

It has been a flat end to a rangebound trade of day. The Sensex closed higher by seven points at 18,409 and the Nifty gained 12 points at 5,543.

The markets had quite a listless trading session. The Sensex opened on a good note, at 18,400, only to quickly pare its initial gains and touch the day's low of 18,371.

Thereafter, it hovered around either side of the previous day's close till closing bell.

On the global front, the Asian markets had an average session of trade.

The Hang Seng closed down 0.4% at 20,889 and Nikkei closed at 9,116, down 0.6%, amid worries that a strong yen would derail the fragile economic recovery.

On the other hand, the European markets opened flat and subsequently extended their gains. The FTSE is up 0.4% at 5,221, CAC has gained 0.5% at 3,544 and DAX has gained 0.2% at 6,021.

The smallcap index (up 0.9%) and the midcap index (up 0.8%) have outperformed the benchmark index (down 0.03%).

Of the total 534 scrips traded in the smallcap index, 322 scrips have advanced while 204 have declined. Jindal Poly Films 20% was the top gainer followed by Jindal Drill adding 16% and SEL Mfg Company gaining 14%.

In the midcap space, 157 scrips advanced while 115 declined. State Bank of Mysore 20% leads the gainers charts. State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur and State Bank of Travancore adding 19% each were the other major gainers.

Among the sectoral indices on the BSE, the day clearly belonged to Consumer Durables (up 4.3%), PSU (up 1.1%) and Teck(up 0.7%) stocks.

Shares of consumer goods and textile companies rallied around 6% after the government extended the sops for exporters hit by fragile recovery in global markets.

The government said, sops would continue for exporters in sectors such as capital goods and textiles to help them mitigate the impact of a fragile recovery in the global economy.FMCG index was in the red througout the day.

2010-08-23T04:41:00.000-07:00

Protesters in Kashmir face stones, their own bitter pill

Fed up with repeated strikes by separatists in Kashmir Valley, shopkeepers are up in arms against protestors, who are tasting their own bitter pill as locals are attacking them with stones.

Clerics have also started making fervent appeals from mosques to open shops and restore normalcy in violence affected areas.

An incident of clash was recently reported from Peerbagh in Budgham district of Central Kashmir - the scene of violent protests during the last few weeks.

As separatists and their goons reached the area to enforce the strike, they were greeted with stones. Local shopowners showered stones on these rowdy elements who tried to force them to close down their establishments.

The police could not do anything to quell the locals and shopkeepers as securitymen were outnumbered.

These shopkeepers and locals reached the police station later and filed an FIR against 10 people of neighbouring Nabir Gund village holding them responsible for spoiling peace and threatening the locals.

Far away in Anantnag in South Kashmir, an appeal for opening of shops was made as people were facing lot of hardships on account of frequent strikes during the Holy month of Ramzan.

The separatists' strike calls have hit the economy and at many a places people have been seen selling off their belongings at distress rates.

The business of shopkeepers has suffered a lot as the turmoil not only brought tourism to an abrupt halt but also forced establishments to remain closed for nearly two months now.

In Ompura area in central Kashmir, there have been instances of exchange of hot words between locals and anti-social elements when businessmen were forced to shut down their shops.

In Meehama Pulwama in South Kashmir, four men were beaten up by locals three days back when they were trying to enforce a strike in the area.

Senior police officials said people were voicing their concern and police was only intervening to prevent situation from turning worse.

These issues are not limited to villages only. In Natipora area of the city, anti-social elements ransacked a bakery shop. The owner's only fault was to supply fresh traditional Kashmiri bread in his area. The incident triggered resentment among the public against the separatist agenda.

"It is heartening that people have started coming out to register their protest against the separatists though such protests are scattered," said a senior police official.

2010-08-21T23:30:00.000-07:00

India accuses Pakistan over border firing

India's army has accused Pakistani troops of firing across the Line of Control that divides the disputed region of Kashmir. India said its troops had retaliated to the "unprovoked" firing in Poonch district. Pakistan has not commented. India says there have been over 150 ceasefire violations since 2006. The two countries struck a ceasefire in 2003.

Militants have been fighting Indian rule in Kashmir since 1989. India's army said the firing took place across the Krishnaghati sector of Poonch district early on Thursday. The Line of Control separates Indian- and Pakistani- administered Kashmir.

"The Pakistani side fired medium and small arms besides rockets and mortars," a spokesman said. He said the Indian troops retaliated to the firing. There were no casualties on the Indian side in the firing, the spokesman said. India has accused Pakistan of "unprovoked firing aimed mostly at facilitating infiltration of militants," a charge Pakistan has denied. Violence in Indian-controlled Kashmir has reduced markedly since the 2003 ceasefire. Despite the reduced violence, little political progress has been made on the future of the Kashmir region.

2010-08-21T23:26:00.000-07:00

6 Police Officers Arrested in Northern Mexico Mayor's Killing

Six city police officers were arrested Friday in the killing of a mayor in northern Mexico, as the country's escalating drug violence targets more public officials. The suspects included the officer who guarded the house where Santiago Mayor Edelmiro Cavazos was seized on Sunday. The officer said he was kidnapped with the mayor and later freed unharmed.The officers confessed to being involved in the Cavazos' killing, said Nuevo Leon state Attorney General Alejandro Garza y Garza, even though some declared their innocence while being presented to the press.

"We are still looking for others who were involved as well," Garza y Garza said. The body of the 38-year-old mayor was found handcuffed and gagged Wednesday outside of his town, a popular weekend getaway for residents of the industrial city of Monterrey. One of the officers took part directly in the kidnapping, while the others kept watch on roads surrounding the mayor's home, said Adrian de la Garza Santos, director of the state investigations agency.

Shortly after the kidnapping, the guard on duty told authorities he had been thrown in the trunk of one of the kidnappers' cars and driven around for 15 minutes before being dumped unharmed by the side of the road, De La Garza said. The guard is now accused of being involved, though he said Friday he is innocent. Cavazos' death comes amid increasing violence in the northeast of the country attributed to a dispute the Gulf cartel and its former allies, the Zetas.

Meanwhile, a federal judge presiding over the case of former Cancun mayor facing drug-related charges survived an attack Thursday in the west coast state of Nayarit, according to a federal police report. The assault killed one of two bodyguards for Judge Carlos Alberto Elorza. President Felipe Calderon is proposing that Mexico consider appointing anonymous judges for drug-trafficking trials, a change that would contradict the effort he promoted to build a more open judicial system.

Elorza is the judge in the case of Gregorio Sanchez, a former Cancun mayor who was forced out of the Quintana Roo gubernatorial campaign when he was charged with drug trafficking and money laundering. Federal police minister Wilfrido Robledo told reporters that Elorza had received threats, so his security detail was increased. He rode in an armored SUV when he came under attack. The Nuevo Leon attorney general did not indicated which gang may have been responsible in Cavazos' case, which has prompted authorities to call for more patrols by both the army and federal police in Nuevo Leon.

Mauricio Fernandez, mayor of the San Pedro Garza Garcia, another town on the outskirts of Monterrey, said Cavazos had received death threats from gangs warning him to stay out of their way and had sought advice on how to handle the threats. Officials at the state attorney general's office said Cavazos had never informed authorities about any threats. Gen. Guillermo Moreno, who commands troops in Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas states, said the army did not received complains from the mayor or requests for protection.

The leading candidate for governor in the state of Tamaulipas, which borders Nuevo Leon, was shot to death a week before the election. A mayoral candidate in Tamaulipas also was shot in May. Drug violence has killed more than 28,000 people since December 2006, when Calderon started his crackdown on the cartels.

2010-08-20T22:47:00.000-07:00

Poll shows dead heat on eve of Australian election

Australia's top candidates for prime minister campaigned furiously Friday -- election eve -- as incumbent Julia Gillard was tied with coalition challenger Tony Abbott in a national opinion poll based on the country's complicated preferential voting system.In Saturday's election, Gillard is the candidate of the left-of-center Labor Party; Abbott represents a conservative coalition.The Newspoll published Friday morning puts the two political blocs at 50-50.

"People would have seen the polls today and what the polls are telling them is there is a very, very real risk that they will wake up on Sunday and Mr. Abbott will be prime minister," Gillard told the Nine Network's "Today " show Friday morning about the choice facing Australian voters. "They've got a choice between my positive economic plan to keep investing in jobs, to keep improving schools -- people know I'm passionate about improving education -- to keep improving hospitals and to build the National Broadband Network. Or they can take a very big risk. A very big risk with Mr. Abbott for their futures. It's about work choices for Mr. Abbott. It's about a grocery tax and, of course, it's about going back to the days of cutting schools and hospitals. That's what he stands for."

Noting that Gillard's standing in the polls has eroded in recent days, Abbott said, "I think Labor has found it a bit desperate ... I think they've found it a bit shrill and I just think that they don't have a record to defend and under those circumstances I think they become very negative and very personal and I don't know that that's a good look from a prime minister." Abbott, a 52-year-old fitness fanatic, said he stayed up all Thursday night and was planning to do the same Friday night in a final push to gain the lead. He appeared at a flower market and a fish market Friday morning.

Gillard, 48 and the nation's first woman prime minister, spent Thursday night in the key southeast state of New South Wales, where she rubbed elbows with voters in a pub and entered a raffle in which she drew her own ticket -- twice. Gillard served as deputy prime minister under Kevin Rudd when he led the Labor Party back to power in December 2007. But she rose to the top job last June, when the Labor Party unceremoniously dumped Rudd, whose popularity was plummeting -- in part over his stance on how to handle global warming and a proposed system of emissions trading.

Soon after, as she appeared strong in the polls, she called the snap election for Saturday. But Abbott -- who had little national campaign experience -- emerged with surprising effectiveness and broader public appeal than many pundits had anticipated. The campaign has been marked by negative television advertisements from both sides. The economy has emerged as a key election issue, despite the fact that Rudd was able to steer Australia away from the worldwide recession that many other Westernized countries have endured. Both candidates tried to persuade the electorate that they will do the best job in reducing the $72 billion deficit.

Gillard has promised a $3.15 billion surplus by 2013; Abbott has promised a surplus of $5.58 billion by then. Australia has benefited from China's thirst for raw materials -- particularly iron ore and copper exports. Both candidates have said they will quarantine government profits from that. But tourism and manufacturing have each been struggling, said Michael Stutchbury, the economics editor of the national daily newspaper, The Australian. Both candidates have plans to expand the availability of broadband internet service, with Gillard promising a system that would serve 93 percent of the population at a cost of $38 billion. Abbott has promised a more modest program, at a more modest price -- $4.5 billion.

The downside of Gillian's plan is that it is expensive, there is no business plan, no cost-benefit analysis, "and the government is really proposing to have a wholesale government monopoly," Stutchbury told CNN. He described Abbott's plan as "more scaled down, but [offering] more competition." Regarding what to do about global warming, Gillard has proposed forming a citizens' assembly of 150 people to study the matter. Abbott, who once famously described global warming as "absolute crap," now says he will try to reduce carbon emissions by 5 percent by 2020.

2010-08-19T23:07:00.000-07:00

Actress Betty White Scores Two-Book Deal

The 88-year-old actress has a two-book deal with G.P. Putnam's Sons, starting in 2011 with "Listen Up!" The publisher said Wednesday that the book will include what White has learned over "her incredibly varied, decades-long career in Hollywood." Subjects will include life, love, sex and celebrity.

White, known for such sitcoms as "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "Golden Girls," this year became the oldest person to host "Saturday Night Live." She's starring in the newsTV Land original sitcom, "Hot in Cleveland."

2010-08-19T23:03:00.000-07:00

After Seven Years, Final U.S. Combat Brigade Leaving Iraq

The last American combat brigade is leaving Iraq, marking the start of a new phase in America's engagement in the country. About 50,000 noncombat troops are expected to remain to advise and assist Iraqi forces. The combat forces' exit comes ahead of the Aug. 31 deadline set by President Obama. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said combat operations still officially will end Aug. 31, and on that date, the mission will change names from Operation Iraqi Freedom, to Operation New Dawn.

The troops of the 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, after passing into Kuwait, will then return to the United States over the next few days. As the 4th Stryker Brigade's convoy reached the barbed wire at the border crossing out of Iraq on Wednesday, the soldiers whooped and cheered. Then they scrambled out of their stifling hot armored vehicles, unfurled an American flag and posed for group photos. Before the Aug. 31 deadline, about half the brigade's 4,000 soldiers flew out like most of the others leaving Iraq, but its leadership volunteered to have the remainder depart overland. That decision allowed the unit to keep 360 Strykers in the country for an extra three weeks.

U.S. commanders say it was the brigade's idea, not an order from on high. The intent was to keep additional firepower handy through the "period of angst" that followed Iraq's inconclusive March 7 election, said brigade chief, Col. John Norris. It took months of preparation to move the troops and armor across more than 500 kilometers (300 miles) of desert highway through potentially hostile territory. The Strykers left the Baghdad area in separate convoys over a four-day period, traveling at night because the U.S.-Iraq security pact -- and security worries -- limit troop movements by day.

2010-08-18T04:07:00.000-07:00

Facebook flooded with photos of detainees

A new Facebook page in support of former IDF soldier and photo-poster Eden Abergil was opened on Wednesday, calling on soldiers to post similar pictures from their army service.

"We're All With Eden Abergil," the new group, was created with the following description: "Eden was an excellent soldier, and now the army is throwing her to hell and putting her on trial. Whether you agree with her or not, we will not let the army who sent her [into service] to run away from responsibility." The group also declared Abergil "the most beautiful and sexy soldier in the IDF!!!" and "one of the last of the honest people in the country."

Along with photos of soldiers, the group features photographs of police investigators with a serial rapist and the following tagline: "Policemen like to take pictures as souvenirs, too, with the criminals they captured. For example, when rapist Benny Sela was caught,the policement who found him took a picture with him in the interrogation room!"

The group features a photo album titled "Not only Eden enjoyed the army," which includes photographs from Breaking the Silence's facebook group, as well as some new ones. One photo depicts four female soldiers pointing their guns at a woman who is kneeling and blindfolded, with her hands tied behind her back. Another shows a female soldier posing with a tied-up Palestinian prisoner.

A Facebook member, writing under the pseudonym "Kahane's Legacy" wrote that "we can not forget one thing: These are not just prisoners. These are not just innocent people from the street; they are terrorists who were arrested a few minutes before trying to murder these soldiers." Another commenter, Mohamad Jaber wrote: "A smart, brave and strong army does not do such things. You should be embarassed! People with out hearts - what is enjoyable about this picture?"

2010-08-17T02:26:00.000-07:00

North Korea uses Twitter to target US, South Korea

North Korea has taken its propaganda war against South Korea and the United States to a new frontier: YouTube and Twitter. In the last month, North Korea has posted a series of video clips on YouTube brimming with satire and vitriol against leaders in South Korea and the United States. In one clip, it called Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton a "minister in a skirt" and Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates a "war maniac," while depicting the South Korean defense minister, Kim Tae-young, as a "servile dog" that likes to be patted by "its American master."

Such language used to be standard in North Korea's cold-war-era propaganda. Its revival is testimony to the increased chill in relations between the Koreas in recent months.

In the past week, North Korea also began operating a Twitter account under the name uriminzok, or "our nation." Both the Twitter and YouTube accounts are owned by a user named "uriminzokkiri." The Web site www.uriminzokkiri.com is run by the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea, a propaganda agency in Pyongyang. Lee Jong-joo, a spokeswoman for the Unification Ministry in Seoul, said, "It is clear that these accounts carry the same propaganda as the North's official news media, but we have not been able to find out who operates them."

The two Koreas agreed to stop their psychological war after their first summit meeting in 2000. But South Korea resumed propaganda radio broadcasts in May, when it accused the North of torpedoing one of its warships, killing 46 sailors.

North Korea, which denies involvement, has vowed to retaliate. It appears to have found a way with Twitter and YouTube, with their intended audience clearly South Koreans. (North Korea keeps its people isolated from the outside world.)

"YouTube and Twitter gave North Korea a high-tech detour for its propaganda," said Paik Hak-soon, an analyst at Sjong Institute. "But fundamentally, it's not new technology but rather political tension that drives the North to lash out desperately in the face of mounting international pressure." During the cold war era, South Korea punished people caught listening to North Korean broadcasts. Several years ago, during the brief era of its "sunshine policy" of engaging the North, the South allowed its people access to North Korean Web sites. But today, when a computer user in South Korea clicks on an item on the North Korean Twitter account, a government warning against "illegal content" pops up.

These blocks have triggered criticism here that the Seoul government does not trust its people to form their own opinions about the totalitarian North. But the government says the North is using the Internet to spread conspiracy theories about who was behind the sinking of the South Korean warship, including one claim that an American submarine did so to foster a militant mood in the South.

The Twitter account, which provides links to the North Korean Web site, had 928 followers as of Monday. But a few YouTube video clips uploaded by the North commanded thousands of views. In one such clip, North Korea attacked Yu Myung-hwan, the South Korean foreign minister, who recently criticized "pro-North Korean youths" who voted for the opposition in the June local elections, saying, "If they like the North so much, they should go and live under Kim Jong-il."

The clip's narrator calls Mr. Yu a "pro-American flunky" and advised Mr. Yu to earn a living "mopping the floor of the Pentagon." Another clip claimed that North Korea would prevail in a war with the "American imperialists" because it was armed with nuclear-fusion technology; because of its juche, or ideology of "self-reliance"; and because of a philosophical treatise written by Kim Il-sung, the North's founding president and the father of Kim Jong-il, who died in 1994. "I don't think this propaganda from the North will have any significant impact among South Koreans," said Yoo Ho-yeol, an expert on North Korea at Korea University here. "People watch this for fun, not to be influenced."

2010-08-13T02:12:00.000-07:00

Aust should speak out on Burma poll

Australia should use its regional influence to press Burma for a free and fair election, Amnesty International says.

The country's ruling military junta has named the date for the first election in 20 years: November 7 this year.

Amnesty is concerned because the regime has detained 2200 political prisoners, including the leader of the main opposition party Aung San Suu Kyi. The prisoners are not allowed to contest the election.

Jenny Leong, Burma campaign coordinator for Amnesty International Australia, called on all world leaders to press Burma to hold a democratic poll.

"Obviously Australia is a key player in the region (and) has a specific role to play," she told AAP.

Ms Leong said Australia should use its influence over Burma's South-East Asian neighbours to encourage them to press for a free election.

Australia should call for the immediate release of all political prisoners and watch closely for any more crackdowns, she said.

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith has consistently raised concerns about Burma's government and about the prospects for a free and fair election.

Suu Kyi's party won a landslide majority in Burma's 1990 election, the result of which was not honoured by the junta.

2010-08-12T01:51:00.000-07:00

Uproar in Lok Sabha over caste-based census

The Lok Sabha was on Thursday adjourned till noon after opposition members created an uproar over caste enumeration expected to be done at the biometric phase of Census 2011, saying it was a time-buying tactic.

Samajwadi Party (SP)leaderMulayam Singh Yadav and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chiefLalu Prasad raised the issue in the house as members assembled for the Question Hour at 11 am.

They were objecting to the decision of a group of ministers headed by finance ministerPranab Mukherjee on caste enumeration expected to be done at the biometric phase of the ongoing population census.

"Are they fooling us," Mulayam Singh shouted as Lalu Prasad tried to explain that the biometric process will take "100 years and will still not be completed".

The enumeration of caste in India has been evoking polarising response even as the pressure of other backward castes (OBC) groups forced the ministerial panel's nod.

However, it has not been resolved at what stage of the census would this be done even as sources on Wednesday said the caste information could be recorded in the last stage of Census 2011 when biometric information will be gathered.

During this phase, biometric signs, including photographs, fingerprints and iris-mapping of citizens will be collected for the National Population Register (NPR) to create a multi-purpose unique identity card.

The first stage of the census - the household and family survey - is already over.

Janata Dal-United (JD-U) member Sharad Yadav also joined the protests, urging SpeakerMeira Kumar to allow the protesting members to speak over the matter and ask the government to explain its position.

The speaker urged them to let the Question Hour proceed and raise the issue in Zero Hour. However, the SP, RJD and JD-U members walked towards her podium, forcing her to adjourn the house till noon.

2010-08-11T02:42:00.000-07:00

Militants attack Army jeep in Rajouri, civilian killed

One woman was killed when militants attacked an Army jeep near Thanamandi in the Rajouri border. Over a dozen were injured including two Army jawans.

Late last night, in another fresh militant attack, three policemen were killed in Sopore.

In Rajouri on Wednesday morning, heavy firing was on between the the Army and the insurgents till reports last came in.

Deputy Inspector General, Poonch Range, S D Singh Jamwal said the woman, Kiran Bala, was travelling in a private coach along with other civilian passengers which was passing through the area at the time the militants attacked the Army jeep driving alongside. The vehicles were going to Rajouri from Poonch. Senior police officers said that militants suddenly opened fire on the Army vehicle, one kilometre before Thanamandi town. The private vehicle also came in the line of fire, police sources said.

2010-08-10T01:52:00.000-07:00

U.N. report says Afghan civilian toll up 31 percent

Civilian casualties have risen by 31 percent in the first half of 2010, the United Nations mission in Afghanistan said on Tuesday, a much sharper rise than that estimated by an independent Afghan human rights body.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in its mid-year report that 1,271 civilians had been killed in conflict-related incidents in the first six months of 2010.

The Taliban and other insurgents, described in the report as "anti-government elements" (AGEs) were responsible for 76 percent of the 2,477 deaths and injuries suffered by civilians in the period, up from 53 percent in 2009.

Deaths and injuries among children attributed to such "AGEs" were up 55 percent from 2009, the report said.

"Afghan children and women are increasingly bearing the brunt of the conflict," said Staffan de Mistura, the special representative of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.

"They are being killed and injured in their homes and communities in greater numbers than ever before," he said.

Civilian casualties caused by U.S. and other foreign forces have long been a source of friction between the Afghan government and its Western backers.

The U.N. report found that casualties attributed to "pro-government forces" fell to 12 percent, down from 30 percent. This was attributable mainly to a 64 percent fall in the number of deaths and injuries caused by aerial attacks.

The Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission on Sunday put the number of civilian deaths over the first seven months of the year at 1,325, what it said was a rise of about six percent over the same period in 2009.

Mirroring the United Nations, it said about 68 percent of those deaths were caused by insurgents and about 23 percent by Afghan and international forces.

With anger rising over civilian casualties, General Stanley McChrystal, the former commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, last year issued a new tactical directive to limit the use of air strikes after a spate of deadly incidents involving civilians.

That directive has been tightened even further since General David Petraeus replaced McChrystal in June.

2010-08-09T02:20:00.000-07:00

Cabinet approves bill to protect whistleblowers

A proposed legislation to protect whistleblowers and provide for severe punishment to those exposing the identity of people disclosing information was approved by the Government today.

The Public Interest Disclosure and Protection to Persons Making the Disclosure Bill, 2010 provides the Central Vigilance Commission powers of a civil court to hand down harsh penalty to people revealing the identity of whistleblowers, official sources said.

The bill was approved at a meeting of the Union Cabinet. The bill, which has provisions to prevent victimisation or disciplinary action against whistleblowers will cover, Central, State and Public Sector Employees.

The Bill is expected to encourage disclosure of information in public interest and people who expose corruption in government. The bill has clauses which provide fine and penalties to people, who punish those exposing corruption.

The CVC will be the nodal authority to handle complaints against the state, Central government or PSU employees. According to reports, the CVC will also have powers to punish those making frivolous complaints in accordance with the bill's provisions.

2010-08-07T03:45:00.000-07:00

Health alarm as acrid smog blankets Moscow

Wearing sanitary masks or clutching wet rags to their faces, Moscow residents struggled Saturday against the worst smog in living memory which has enveloped the Russian capital from spreading wildfires.

The concentration of toxic particles was up to five times higher than safe levels, experts warned, as the city's iconic landmarks like the Kremlin and golden church cupolas disappeared behind a layer of smoke.

The emergencies ministry warned that the wildfires which have sparked the smog were still spreading in central Russia as weather forecasters said Russia's worst heatwave in decades would continue for the next days.

The fires have raised concerns about the security of Russia's main nuclear research centre in the still closed city of Sarov, one of the areas worst hit by the blazes and where the emergencies ministry has sent thousands of workers.

The authorities were also closely watching the situation around the region of Bryansk in western Russia where the soils are still contaminated by the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

Moscow drivers put on their headlights in broad daylight to see through the acrid smog that had descended on the capital while the sun shone as a hazy disc easily viewed by the naked eye with little discomfort.

The smoke -- easily visible from space in NASA images -- penetrated into homes and offices and was even visible inside the Moscow metro, one of the deepest underground systems in the world.

"The situation is truly extreme. People are in circumstances under which they should not have to live," leading Russian doctor Ivan Yurlov of the League for the Nation's Health group told the Kommersant daily.

Flights from Domodedovo, one of Moscow's main international airports, were disrupted by the smog with several flights diverted to other airports and around 40 flights cancelled, state aviation committee Rosavitsia said.

"Visibility around Domodedovo is 325 metres (1,050 feet): it is up to the captain of the aircraft to make a decision about landing," Rosaviatsia official Sergei Izvolsky told Interfax.

The other main international hub, Sheremetyevo in the north of Moscow, was working normally.

Germany closed its embassy until further notice and advised citizens against "non-essential" travel to the affected regions while the US State Department asked nationals to seriously review travel plans.

Russia's football federation meanwhile moved a friendly match with Bulgaria from Moscow to Saint Petersburg, fearing for the health of the players.

With health experts warning that the best solution was to leave the city for the weekend, package tours abroad were completely sold out and there was a rush for seats on trains and planes out of the capital, news agencies said.

The levels of carbon monoxide in the air were five times higher than the maximum level acceptable for public health, state pollution watchdog Moseokmonitoring was quoted as saying in the Kommersant daily.

The situation with the wildfires that have sparked the smog showed no sign of abating, with blazes with an area of 193,500 hectares (478,000 acres) recorded across the country.

In the last 24 hours, 290 new fires were recorded, more than the 244 that were extinguished in the same timespan, the emergencies ministry said.

River cruises in Moscow, a popular summer pastime, were cancelled as the smog made navigation impossible while some museums were also shut down as the smog penetrated their ventilation systems.

2010-08-05T23:25:00.000-07:00

On web, wife learns of hubby's 2nd wedding

Dread of the unknown hung in the air as Lynn France typed two words into the search box on Facebook: the name of the woman with whom she believed her husband was having an affair.

Click. And there it was, the stuff of nightmares for any spouse, cuckolded or not. Wedding photos. At Walt Disney World, no less, featuring her husband literally dressed as Prince Charming. His new wife, a pretty blonde, was a glowing Sleeping Beauty, surrounded by footmen.

"I was numb with shock, to tell you the truth," says France, an occupational therapist from Westlake, a Cleveland suburb. "There was like an album of 200 pictures on there. Their whole wedding."

In October, before another trip, her husband left a hotel website up on the couple's computer screen. "So I went there to see for myself for sure," France says. He was there with this girlfriend. The woman told France that she was engaged to France's husband.

2010-08-05T03:35:00.000-07:00

IBN7 reigns as the No.1 Hindi news channel

IBN7 is the No.1 Hindi News Channel in the recent four weeks. The channel again lived up to its promise of ‘Khabar Har Keemat Par’ through its superlative line-up of fresh and innovative content. The viewership figures reveal the fact that IBN7 is the most preferred Hindi News Channel in the National Capital when it comes to its coverage on events of national importance. IBN7 captured maximum eyeballs with a market share of 16.3%, Zee News with 15.8%, India TV with 13.7%, Aaj Tak with13.2%, Star News with 12.7%, NDTV India 7.7%, News 24 with 5.7%, Live India with 4.5%, Tez with 4.4%, Sahara Samay with 4% and DD News with a market share of 1.9% (Source: TAM, Market Share (%), CS15-44 Yrs, Wk-28’10 – 31’10, 0600-2400 hrs, All Days, Delhi)

IBN7, in the cluttered Hindi news genre also stands as India’s Channel of Impact. The channel has always put the audiences first which has taken it ahead of the competition. IBN7 is also proud to dominate the heart of the Hindi belt Delhi, even in the latest week ending July 31^st 2010. IBN7 garnered a market share of 16.4%, India TV with 15.8%, Zee News with 15.3%, Aaj Tak with 14.8%, Star News with 11.3%, NDTV India with 7.2%, News 24 with 5.7%, Live India with 4.1%, Sahara Samay with 4.1%, Tez with 4% and DD News with a market share of 1.2%. (Source: TAM, Market Share (%), CS15+ Yrs, Wk-31, 0600-2400 hrs, All Days, Delhi)

IBN7 is driven with a single motive and promise to present the news in a ‘no nonsense manner’ and deliver ‘truth in context’ to the discerning viewer.

Speaking on the occasion, Ashutosh, Managing Editor, IBN7 said, “The Hindi news genre has several players, but the viewership figures reveal that viewers in Delhi have preferred IBN7 for its relentless journalism yet again. We shall continue our endeavor to provide our viewers with the best and the most updated coverage on current events.”

2010-05-19T07:19:00.000-07:00

Physical activity & mental health:

Stress can be a primary or secondary contributor to ill health. Exercise may improve mental health by helping the brain cope better with stress. There is strong evidence that exercise has an effect on depression.Source:

Daley A, Jolly K, MacArthur C. The effectiveness of exercise in the management of post-natal depression: systematic review and meta-analysis Family Practice 2009 Apr 26(2):154-162

It is important that clients adhere to exercise programmes prescribed by physical therapists, if they are to benefit. Motivation and sustainability can be built into programmes.

Source:

Rhodes RE. Fiala B. Building motivation and sustainability into the prescription and recommendations for physical activity and exercise therapy: The evidence. Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, 25(5):424-441, 2009.

2010-04-23T02:17:00.000-07:00

10 food tips for fertility:

Everyday life can eat away at fertility.

Think about it this way: in the natural world, animals will not carry young unless conditions support the survival of the young. So if there have been poor rains, and food is scarce, there's a dip in the number of young who will be borne. As time passes, and the female ages, her fertility declines because natural law dictates she may be less equipped to carry the young to term, or to feed it, or to protect it. If the panda is unhappy in the zoo, she won't mate.

Why should humans be any different?
Malnourishment isn't just for poor people, in poor countries. Middle-class malnourishment is widespread. Many working women - and men - live on a diet of cappuccino-at-the-desk for breakfast, a toasted sandwich at 3pm, a chocolate bar later, and after-work drinks with supper eaten late and hastily, standing by the fridge.

We leave it later - until we're 30 or older, even approaching 40 - before we're ready to have children.

And if the panda is too stressed in the zoo to breed, you can bet most of us are too stressed by traffic and work, money and other stuff to be that up for immediate impregnation ourselves.

Here’s what to do to at least get the malnutrition thing sorted out:

Eat greens and yellows: Stock up on fresh fruit and vegetables, especially dark green and yellow that will boost your beta-carotene or vitamin A, and vitamin C intake. Eat the following foods: cabbage, sweet green peppers, broccoli, pumpkin, paw-paw and oranges.

Something fishy: Your body needs omega-3 fatty acids, and fish is the best source.

Pump iron: Fill your body’s iron reserves, because when you’re expecting, your body has difficulty maintaining its iron stores as your baby taps your mineral resources. Iron deficiency also causes 27% of mothers-to-be to suffer from postpartum anaemia. This causes your red blood cells to fall below normal levels and drains your energy.

Exercise: This will not only keep you fit for the actual task of making a baby, but will strengthen your cardiovascular system, as pregnancy puts a huge strain on the heart. Regular exercise will also make it easier for you to get through labour, and will prepare you for the strains of pregnancy.

Fill the nutritional gaps with vitamins: Getting all the nutrients you need for boosting your fertility from food alone is difficult, so increase your chances by taking a prenatal vitamin or regular multivitamin. Ask your pharmacist for the best option available to you.

Avoid doing these:

Smoking: A study found that women who smoke, take longer to conceive, and also found that their chances to conceive are reduced by up to 40%.

Drinking alcohol: Danish researchers looked at 430 couples trying to have their first child and they found that a woman’s ability to get pregnant decreased as more alcohol was consumed.

Drinking coffee: Caffeine (found in coffee, Ceylon tea and cola drinks) constricts blood vessels, slowing blood flow to the uterus and potentially making it harder for an egg to grab hold, says Mark Leondires, a fertility specialist and medical director of Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut.

Consume too many refined carbohydrates: These include white bread, pasta and white rice. The refining process strips key nutrients from grains and a woman trying to conceive should pack her diet with as many nutrient-rich foods as possible.

Fad diets to try and keep your figure: Avoid any diet that excludes an entire food group or puts too much emphasis on one type of food, said Melinda Johnson, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.

2009-04-10T00:30:00.000-07:00

Top 10 Anti-virus Software

1. The Shield Deluxe. The Shield Deluxe 2008 combines reactive virus protection and spyware detection methods with the latest proactive technologies.

2. CA anti-virus software. CA anti-virus software has such a nice, clean interface with what seems to be a very high “install and forget rating”. There is no overload of information and choices on the interface which is good. Pretty fast.

3. BitDefender . The best way to defend your computer against computer viruses, spyware, hackers and spam is BitDefender 2008.

4. Norton Anti-Virus Software 2008 . Norton, one of the leaders in security software, offers viable antivirus protection. The software is easy to use and has wide-ranging security features to protect your PC from malicious programs.

5. Kaspersky . Kaspersky Lab, program used to identify and remove potential risks and malicious programs attempting to corrupt files and data on a computer

6. NOD32 . The NOD32 anti-virus software by ESET is a novel virus program that provides real-time protection against worms, trojans, spyware, malware, phishing and hackers.

7. Panda . Panda Antivirus making protecting your personal computer as easy as possible. Free automatic updates

8. McAfee . McAfee is an industry leader in computer protection and VirusScan is their #1 defense against viruses. This software comes with a ScriptStopper, to stop viruses to spread from one computer to another via email, and WormStopper.

.
9. TrendMicro. Anti-virus has protocols for protecting PCs against viruses, worms and trojan horses as well as spyware, rootkits and malware.

10. F-Secure Anti-Virus . Does thoroughly scan your PC for viruses, and has a built-in anti-spyware scanner. One or the other or both can be run to cut down on scan times. Moreover, the program scans outgoing and incoming email in real-time, does a great job of shielding your registry against probable hijackers and controls.

2009-04-03T04:27:00.000-07:00

Interior of the Taj

The interior of the mausoleum comprises a lofty central chamber, a crypt immediately below this and four octagonal corner rooms originally intended to house the graves of other royal family members.

In the centre are the cenotaphs of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. Shah Jahan's cenotaph is to the left and is higher than that of his beloved which rests immediately below the dome. The cenotaph of Mumtaz Mahal stands in the centre of the marble screen, it has inscribed on it in persian with texts from the Koran. The cenotaph has the single epitaph inscribed on it - "Marqad Munavvar Arjumand Ban Begum Mukhatib bah Mumtaz Mahal Tanifiyat ferr sanh 1040 Hijri" (Here lies Arjumand Bano Begum called Mumtaz Mahal who died in 1040 A.H. or 1630 A.D.).

The cenotaph of Shah Jahan is inscribed in Persian - "Marqad Mutahar Aali Hazrat Firdaus Ashiyani Sahib-qiran Saani Saani Shah Jahan Badshah taab surah sanh 1076 Hijri" (The sacred sepulchre of his most exalted Majesty, dweller of Paradise, the second lord of constellations, the king Shah Jahan, may his mausoleum ever flourish, 1076 A.H. (1666 A.D.). Above the tombs is a Cairene lamp, the flame of which is supposed to never burn out. Marble screen of trelliswork surrounds the graves. Both tombs are exquisitely inlaid with semi precious stones. The acoustics of the building are superb with the domed ceiling being designed to echo chants from Koran and musician's melodies. It is suggested that one walk around the outside of the tomb, before retrieving your shoes, to appreciate it from all sides.

2009-03-27T05:09:00.000-07:00

Paneer Butter Masala Recipe

Ingredients
paneer - 20 cubes
tomatoes - 1/2 kg (squashed)
ginger-garlic paste - 3 to 4 tsp
coriander leaves - 1/2 bunch
dhania powder - 2 tsp
cream - 1/2 cup
red colour powder - 1 tsp
ghee - 3 to 4 tsp
onions - 7 medium size
garam masala - 1 tsp
chilli powder - 2 tsp
oil and salt

How to prepare

Chopped the Paneer into cubes.
Fry paneer in ghee until it becomes golden brown and wet the paneer cubes in hot
water immediately so that they will be soft.
Fry onions in oil till golden brown and add the chilli powder, garam masala and
ginger garlic paste.
Put the dhania powder in the gravy two times now add the tomato squashed to the gravy and allow it to boil.
Now include the paneer cubes to the masala, shake over the food colour and allow it to boil for 5 more mins.
Add the coriander leaves after control the gas and decorate it with fresh cream.

2009-03-20T02:54:00.000-07:00

Hormone Replacement for Improved Health and Quality of Life

As you age, your body produces less testosterone and estrogen - essential hormones that affect many important functions of the body. And this leads to the declining health conditions that reduce your quality of life. Bioidentical Hormone Replacement therapy is an individually prescribed approach that naturally restores the right balance of hormones to reverse this trend. It's safe, reliable and clinically proven to dramatically restore vitality, energy, health and well-being.

This website is dedicated to providing you with the facts of hormone balance and its impact on health so that you can make informed decisions regarding healthcare and hormone replacement therapy options. It's also and educational resource for healthcare providers and those seeking to learn more about physical and mental health.

2008-12-16T21:01:00.000-08:00

Sun

The Sun is the Solar System's parent star, and far and away its chief part. Its large mass gives it an center density high enough to maintain nuclear fusion, which releases huge amounts of energy, typically radiated into space as electromagnetic radiation such as visible light.

The Sun is classified as a moderately big yellow dwarf, but this name is deceptive as, compared to stars in our galaxy, the Sun is quite large and bright. Stars are classified by the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, a graph which plots the intensity of stars against their surface temperatures. Usually, hotter stars are brighter. Stars following this pattern are said to be on the main series; the Sun lies right in the center of it. However, stars brighter and hotter than the Sun are rare, while stars dimmer and cooler are common.

2008-11-25T02:48:00.000-08:00

Floppy disk

A floppy disk is an out of date data storage medium that is composed of a disk of thin, flexible ("floppy") magnetic storage medium covered in a square or rectangular plastic shell. Floppy disks are read and written by a floppy disk drive or FDD, the initials of which should not be puzzled with "fixed disk drive", which is another term for a hard disk drive. Invented by IBM, floppy disks in 8-inch (200 mm), 5¼-inch (133⅓ mm), and the newest and most common 3½-inch (90 mm) formats enjoyed a lot of years as a popular and ever-present form of data storage and swap, from the mid-1970s to the late 1990s. They have now been outdated by flash and optical storage devices.

2008-07-04T02:36:00.001-07:00

Gold Jewellery

Gold-filled jewelry (also called gold overlay) is composed of a solid layer of gold bonded with heat and pressure to a support metal such as brass. Some high superiority gold-filled pieces have the look, luster, and beauty of 14 karat (58%) gold. By description, the minimum layer of karat gold in an item stamped GF must equal at least 1/20 the weight of the total item. 1/20 12kt GF is the most general stamp you will find on gold-filled jewelry. 10kt and 14kt are also common karatages. Gold filled items, even with daily wear, can last five to 30 years but will ultimately wear through. The gold layer on gold-plated jewelry varies significantly depending on manufacturer, so there is no single, simple comparison. Gold-filled items are 50 to 100,000 times thicker than normal gold plating, and 17 to 25,000 times thicker than heavy gold electroplate (sometimes stamped HGE or HGP -- usually found on flashy cubic zirconia "cocktail rings").

2008-05-07T01:07:00.001-07:00

Vitamin K toxicity, overdose and side effects

There is no recognized toxicity connected with high doses of menaquinone (vitamin K2), phylloquinone (vitamin K1), or menadione (vitamin K3) and its derivatives. High intake of vitamin K is not suggested for individuals taking anticoagulant medications for example Warfarin (coumadin).

2008-04-30T05:02:00.000-07:00

Vitamin K and blood clotting

Vitamin K's main function is to regulate normal blood clotting (because of its role in the synthesis of prothrombin). Blood clotting is a method that begins routinely when any injury produces a tear in a blood vessel. The process of blood clotting involves a set of molecules, which circulate endlessly through the bloodstream. Vitamin K regulates usual blood clotting by serving the body transport calcium. Protein Z appears to improve the action of thrombin (the activated form of prothrombin) by promoting its connection with phospholipids in cell membranes. Protein C and protein S are anticoagulant proteins that give control and balance in the coagulation cascade. Vitamin K2, not vitamin K1 (phylloquinone; phytonadione), can get better a group of blood disorders known as myelodysplastic syndromes.

2008-04-22T23:55:00.000-07:00

Benefits of Wheat Grass

The following benefits can be experienced from supplementing with Wheat Grass: antibacterial protection, carcinogen and toxin neutralization, antioxidant activity, bone growth, circulation enhancement, digestion aid, skin revitalization, hemoglobin production, blood pressure reduction, immune system support, wound healing, and more. The Wheat Grass in WIN-Daily gives very important nutrients to help make possible uptake of vitamins and nutrients in your body for optimum health.

2008-04-16T02:38:00.000-07:00

METHYLSULFONYLMETHANE

MSM is one of nature's richest sources of sulfur. MSM must not be confused with sulfa-based drugs, sulfates, or sulfites, which are synthetic and have been recognized to cause allergic and other adverse reactions. DMSO2 is one more name for MSM. It is the main metabolite of DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide), a naturally occurring sulfur compound known for its potent pain-reduction and anti-inflammatory properties. Anyone recognizable with DMSO knows is aware of its very unpleasant odor. MSM does not make this odor and is very much preferred over DMSO.

2008-04-08T23:59:00.001-07:00

Vitamin E and Fertility

Vitamin E is very necessary for fertility and reproduction. Deficiency in rats has shown that it causes to absorption in the female and loss of fertility on the male. This potent antioxidant plays vital roles in male sperm production. It is recognized that a lack of vitamin E inhibits the formation of sperm. Low vitamin E levels can reason a decline in the formation of key sex hormones and enzymes responsible for sperm production. Even though potency is not affected, fertility is improved because of its protective effect on sperm cell membranes. Supplementation with Vitamin E may as well aid in improving sperm motility. Dose: 400 IU daily. Talk to your doctor prior to starting Vitamin E, particularly if you are currently taking aspirin or other blood thinners.

2008-04-02T02:46:00.001-07:00

Blusher

Blusher gives your face few color and chiseling. Be careful where you put it. Sweep it outward to enlarge your eyes, and a little under your cheekbones gives you a chiseled impression. A dab on the chin and nose is okay too if it is a light shade. Cream blushes are additional moisturizing so they're idyllic for dry skin (oily skin -types steer clear). Blend onto your cheeks to make a just-took-a-jog flush. Powdered blushes absorb oil so they're ideal for oily and acne-prone skin. In addition, they create a matte end for a shine-free face.

2008-03-25T23:33:00.000-07:00

Smack that lyrics from Akon

(feat. Eminem)

[Akon:]

Shady
convict
Upfront
Akon
Slim Shady

I see the one, because she be that lady! Hey!
I feel you creeping, I can see it from my shadow
Wanna jump up in my Lamborghini Gallardo
Maybe go to my place and just kick it like tabo
and possibly bend you over look back and watch me

[Chorus (2X)]

Smack that all on the floor
Smack that give me some more
Smack that 'till you get sore
Smack that oh-oooh!

Upfront style ready to attack now
pull in the parking lot slow with the lac down
convicts got the whole thing packed now
Step in the club now and wardobe intact now!
I feel it down and cracked now (ooh)
I see it dull and backed now
I'm gonna call her, than I pull the mack down
Money no problem, pocket full of that now!

I feel you creeping on, I can see from my shadow
Wanna jump up in my Lamborghini Gallardo
Maybe go to my place and just kick it like tabo
and possibly bend you over look back and watch me

[Chorus (2x)]

[Eminem:]

Ooh...Looks like another club banger
They better hang on when they throw this thang on
Get a lil' drink on
They goin' flip for this Akon shit
You can bank on it!
Pedicure manicure kitty-cat claws
The way she climbs up and down them poles
Looking like one of them pretty-cat dolls
Trying to hold my woody back throuh my drawers
Steps upstage and didn't I saw her
Creeps up behind me, shes like "your"
I'm like ya I know lets cut to the chase
No time to waste back to my place
Plus from the club to the crib's like a mile away
or more like a palace shall I say
and Plus I got a pal every gal is game
In fact he is the one singing the song that's playing
"Akon!"

[Akon:]

I feel you creeping on, I can see from my shadow
Wanna jump up in my Lamborghini Gallardo
Maybe go to my place and just kick it like tabo
and possibly bend you over look back and watch me

[Chorus]

Eminem is rollin', d and em rollin' bo
And all marvelous them rolling
Women just holding big booty rollin'
Soon I'll be on Eminem throwin "D!"
Hittin on less than "Three!"
Block wheel style like "Whee!"
Girl I can tell you want me because lately

I feel you creeping on, I can see from my shadow
Wanna jump up in my Lamborghini Gallardo
Maybe go to my place and just kick it like tabo
and possibly bend you over look back and watch me

[Chorus]

2008-03-13T00:21:00.001-07:00

Fever Treatment

Fever should not inevitably be treated. Fever is an essential signal that there's something wrong in the body, and it can be used for follow-up. Additionally, not all fevers are of infectious origin.
Even when treatment is not indicated, but, febrile patients are normally advised to keep themselves adequately hydrated, as the dehydration produced by a mild fever can be more risky than the fever itself. Water is normally used for this purpose, other than there is always a small risk of hyponatremia if the patient drinks too much water. For this cause, some patients drink sports drinks or products intended particularly for this purpose.

2008-03-05T00:09:00.000-08:00

What does an SEO services company do for you?

What accurately will an SEO services company do for you? When you take on an SEO consultant, they will assist your website get more exposure from the search engines. Do you have questions regarding search engine optimization? This will help you answer some questions such as:
What this can make for you, whether or not you should pay for this kind of service and what you should watch out for or know about. A good Search engine optimization company like searchenginegenie.com will optimizes your website for the search engines. Search engines search for specific things when they decide to rank pages. They search for things such as relevant content, site indexes, relevant keywords, inbound links and more.

Its complex procedures that determine what makes you get first spot in engines like Google, MSN and Yahoo. Good SEO experts know what these rules are and what works. While the search engines don’t tell their exact formula, there are experts that make out what works through experience and knowledge.

When you get indexed for the accurate search results, this can translate to more sales or subscribers. If you’re an expert blogger with a specific niche, getting people to read your blog can carry you more viewers who might click on your ads .It can as well get you advertisers who are willing to pay big bucks for a mark on your page.

When you sell a widget and you have the great and top rankings for widgets in your city, anyone who wants to buy a widget will come across at your website before your competitors. This can translate to more sales and additional profits. Should you pay someone to assist you with this? Some companies who have websites research the top way to find results and can have some achievement with employing their own seo.

Some buy books to teach them various basic seo skills or attend seminars, webinars or download tips and tricks e-books. Others wish the expertise of a professional who can help give a great return on the marketing investment and create leads, real sales and plenty of website traffic.
When selecting a seo company, search for a company like searchenginegenie.com that guarantees results on the first page and will give you with thorough reporting and analysis. This kind of professional service is guaranteed to not use black hat seo tactics and will explain you how to increase your sales by means of organic results with seo approaches that really work.

Prefer a company with longevity in the industry. Some more winning companies will show you their BBB (better business bureau) stamp of support and a review through a third party consumer advocate / protections agency and will offer you a fixed cost. PPC can be very changeable and is proven to provide results that are inferior to seo services.

2008-02-27T01:14:00.001-08:00

Uses of fruits

Lots of hundreds of fruits, as well as fleshy fruits like apple, peach, pear, kiwifruit, watermelon and mango are commercially important as human food, eaten, fresh and as jams, marmalade and other preserves. Fruits are as well in manufactured foods like cookies, muffins, ice cream, cakes, yoghurt, and many more. Numerous fruits are used to make beverages, like fruit juices (orange juice, apple juice, grape juice, etc) or alcoholic beverages, for example wine or brandy.

2008-02-20T01:15:00.001-08:00

Function overloading in C ++

The Function overloading is the practice of declaring the similar function with different signatures. Here, same function name will be used with different number of parameters and parameters of different type. However, overloading of functions with different return types is not allowed.

Some times when these overloaded functions are called, they may cause ambiguity errors. This is because the compiler may not be capable to decide what signature function should be called. If the data is type cast correctly, then these errors will be resolved simply. Normally, function overloading is used wherever a different type of data is to be dealt with. For instance this can be used for a function which converts Fahrenheit to Celsius and vice versa. One of the functions can deal with the integer data, other can deal float for accuracy etc.

2008-02-13T02:23:00.000-08:00

HotJava Browser

Sun is providing the products obtainable below as a courtesy to developers for crisis resolution. The products obtainable here have finished the Sun EOL process and are no longer supported under normal support contracts.

These products are down-revision products that possibly will have various bugs, Y2000, and probably security issues related with them. Sun in no way recommends these products be used in a live, production environment. Any use of product on this page is at the sole discretion of the developer and Sun assumes no job for any resulting problems.

HotJava is a modular, extensible web browser from Sun Microsystems that can carry out Java applets. It was the first browser to support Java applets, and was Sun's display platform for the then new technology. It has since been stopped and is currently no longer supported.

2008-02-05T21:46:00.000-08:00

Pulses

Pulses are defined by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as annually leguminous crops yielding from one to twelve grains or seeds of variable size, shape and color surrounded by a pod. Pulses being used for food and animal feed.

The term pulses, as used by the FAO, are kept for crops harvested only for the dry grain. This so excludes green beans and green peas, which are measured vegetable crops. The barred crops which are mainly grown for oil extraction oilseeds like soybeans and peanuts, and crops which are used solely for sowing (clovers, alfalfa).

Pulses are main food crops due to their high protein and essential amino acid content. Like many leguminous crops, pulses play a key role in crop turning round because of their capability to fix nitrogen.

2008-01-29T22:16:00.000-08:00

Education

It is widely accepted that the process of education is lifelong. Studies have exposed that the child is educated by the experiences it is exposed to in the womb yet before it is born.

Individuals get relaxed education from various sources. Family members, peers, books and mass media have a strong on the informal education of the individual.

Education as well say about the discipline, a body of theoretical and applied research that draws on added disciplines such as psychology, philosophy, computer science, linguistics, neuroscience, sociology and anthropology.

2008-01-21T21:09:00.000-08:00

What are neural networks?

Neural network, as well known as a parallel dispersed processing network, is a computing paradigm that is generously modeled after cortical structures of the brain. It consists of constant processing elements called nodes or neurons that work jointly to create an output function. The output of a neural network relies on the collaboration of the individual neurons within the network to work. Processing of information by neural networks is characteristically done in parallel somewhat than in series (or sequentially) as in former binary computers or Von Neumann machines. Since it relies on its member neurons jointly to carry out its function, a unique property of a neural network is that it can still get its overall function even if some of the neurons are not functioning. In new words it is robust to tolerate error or failure. In addition, neural networks are more readily adaptable to fuzzy logic computing tasks than are Von Neumann machines.

By tradition, the term neural network has been used to refer to a network of biological neurons. In current usage, the term is time and again used to refer to artificial neural networks, which are collected artificial neurons or nodes. Thus the term 'Neural Network' has two different connotations:

* Biological neural networks are made up of actual biological neurons that are connected or functionally-related in the peripheral nervous system or the central nervous system

* Artificial neural networks are made up of interconnecting artificial neurons (generally simplified neurons) intended to model (or mimic) some properties of biological neural networks.

2008-01-08T22:28:00.000-08:00

Short note on Poppy Flower

A poppy is any of numerous jazzy flowers, unsurprisingly with one per stem, belonging to the poppy family. They consist of numerous nice-looking wildflower species with flashy flowers found rising singularly or in large groups, many species are as well grown in gardens. Those that are grown in gardens contain large plants used in a mixed herbaceous boarder and small plants that are grown in rock or alpine gardens.

The flower color of poppy species contain: white, pink, yellow, orange, red and blue, some have dark center markings. The species that have been cultivated for numerous years as well include many other colors ranging from dark solid colors to soft pallid shades. The center of the flower has a whorl of stamens bounded by a cup or bowl shaped collection of 4 to 6 petals. Before blooming, the petals are wrinkled in bud and as blooming finishes the petals often lay flat before falling away.

2007-12-25T23:26:00.001-08:00

What is Keyword stuffing in SEO?

Keyword stuffing is considered to be an unethical search engine optimization (SEO) method. Keyword stuffing happens when a web page is loaded with keywords in the Meta tags or in content. The replication of words in Meta tags may explain why many search engines no longer use these tags.

Keyword stuffing can be known to be either a white hat or a black hat tactic, conditional on the context of the technique, and the opinion of the person judging it. While a great deal of keyword stuffing is employed to help in spamdexing, which is of little gain to the user, keyword stuffing in certain circumstances is designed to help the user and not skew results in a deceptive manner. Whether the term carries a pejorative or neutral connotation is in need of whether the practice is used to pollute the results with pages of little relevance, or to direct traffic to a page of importance that would have otherwise been de-emphasized due to the search engine's inability to interpret and recognize related ideas.

2007-12-19T01:02:00.000-08:00

A short note on Railways

Rail transport is the transport of passengers and supplies by means of wheeled vehicles mainly designed to run down railways.

A railway/railroad track includes of two parallel iron rails, generally anchored vertical to beams, termed sleepers or ties, concrete, or steel to keep a steady space apart, or gauge. The rails and perpendicular beams are normally then placed on a base made of concrete or condensed earth and gravel in a bed of weight to stop the track from buckling as the ground settles over time below and under the weight of the vehicles passing above. The vehicles traveling on the rails are placed in a train; a string of individual powered or unpowered vehicles joined together, displaying markers.

2007-12-11T23:09:00.001-08:00

A short on Music

Music is an art structure that has organized sounds and silence. It is communicated in terms of and the value of sound.

Music may also engage generative forms in time through the creation of patterns and combinations of standard stimulus sound. Music possibly will be used for artistic, expansive, entertainment, traditional purposes.

In the Romantic era, music became more communicative and touching, increasing to include literature, and philosophy. Later on Romantic composers created multifaceted and frequently much longer musical works. The 20th Century saw a revolution in music listening as the broadcasting gained fame worldwide and new media and technologies were developed to record, capture, and replicate and distribute music. The 20th Century music brought a new liberty and broad testing with new musical styles and forms that challenged the accepted rules of music of previous periods.

2007-12-05T04:58:00.000-08:00

How do Lenses and frames made?

The Lenses are characteristically made from one of three materials. They comprise glass, plastic (usually acrylic), and polycarbonate. Glass lenses have the finest optical clearness and scratch resistance, but are heavier than plastic or the polycarbonate lenses. They can also shatter or break on impact. The Plastic lenses are lighter than glass lenses, but are more prone to scratching. They do on the other hand, offer more resistance to shattering than glass. The Polycarbonate lenses are even lighter than plastic lenses. They are shatter-resistant (but not indestructible) making them apt for impact protection.

The Frames are normally made from plastic, nylon, a metal or metal alloy. Nylon frames are generally used in sports for the reason that they are light weight and flexible. They are able to twist slightly rather than breaking when pressure is applied to them. This flex can also help out the glasses grip well on the wearer's face. Metal frames are generally more inflexible than nylon frames thus they can be more simply damaged when participating in sporty activities, but this is not to say that they cannot be used for such activities. For the reason that metal frames are more rigid, various models have spring loaded hinges to help them grip the wearer's face better. The end of the ear pieces and the bridge over the nose can be textured or have a rubber or plastic material to hold better. The ends of the ear pieces are generally bent so that they wrap around the ear; on the other hand, some models have straight ear pieces. Oakley, for instance, has straight ear pieces on all their glasses.

2007-11-19T20:58:00.000-08:00

Planet

A planet is a extraterrestrial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive adequate to be rounded by its own gravity, not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion in its core, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals

After stars and stellar remnants, planets are a few of the most massive objects known to man. They play an important part in the structure of planetary systems, and are also considered, along with large moons, the most feasible environment for life. Thus planetary science is crucial not only to comprehend the structure of the universe, but also to better understand the development of life, and to aid the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Additionally, the planets visible from Earth have played a vital role in the shaping of human culture, religion and philosophy in abundant civilisations. Even today, many people continue to believe true the movement of the planets affects their lives, all though such a causation is discarded by the scientific community.

2007-11-15T22:33:00.000-08:00

River

A river is a natural waterway, which moves water diagonally the land from upper to lower elevations, and is a main part of the water cycle. The water within a river is generally from rain through surface runoff and release of stored water in natural reservoirs, such as groundwater.

The beginning of a mountain river from their resource, all rivers run downhill, naturally terminating in the sea or in a lake, during a flowing together. In dry areas rivers sometimes finish by losing water to evaporation. River water may also gain access to the soil or pervious rock, where it becomes groundwater. Extreme abstraction of water for use in industry, irrigation, etc., can also source a river to dry before reaching its natural boundary.

2007-11-05T21:38:00.000-08:00

Health

Health is the intensity of functional and metabolic effectiveness of an organism at both the cellular and macro social level. In the medical field, health is generally defined as an organism's aptitude to efficiently respond to challenges and effectively restore and maintain a "state of balance," known as homeostasis.

A rising measure of the health of populations is height, which is powerfully regulated by nutrition and health care, among other set of living and quality of life matters. The lessons of human growth, its regulators and its implications are known as auxology.

Wellness is a word sometimes used to describe the psychological position of being healthy, but is most frequently used in the field of alternative medicine to describe one's state of being.

2007-10-22T21:34:00.000-07:00

Culture

Culture usually refers to patterns of human being activity and the representative structures that give such activity meaning. Different definitions of "culture" reflect special theoretical bases for considerate for evaluating, human activity. Most general, the term culture denotes entire product of an individual, group or society of smart beings. It includes technology, art, science, with moral systems and the feature behaviors and practice of the selected intelligent entities. In particular, it has exact more detailed meanings in different domains of human activities.

Many people nowadays have a thought of "culture" that developed in Europe through the 18th and early 19th centuries. This view of culture reflected inequalities within European societies, and between European powers and their colonies around the world. It identifies "culture" with "society" and contrasts it with "nature." According to this method of view, one can organize some countries as more civilized than others, and some people as more cultured than others.

2007-10-19T00:52:00.001-07:00

Flowers

A flower also recognized as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive configuration establish in flowering plants. The flower's structure contains the plant's reproductive organs, and its role is to make seeds. After fertilization, portions of the flower build up into a fruit containing the seeds. For the high plants, seeds are the next production, and serve up as the primary means by which individuals of a variety are dispersed across the scenery. The grouping of flowers on a place is called the inflorescence.

Many flowers in natural world have evolved to magnetize animals to pollinate the flower, the actions of the pollinating means contributing to the chance for genetic recombination within a dispersed plant population. Flowers commonly have glands called nectarines on their various parts that attract these birds.

2007-10-11T00:29:00.000-07:00

Cooking

Cooking is the act of preparing food for eating. The term cooking encompasses all methods of food preparation with non-heated methods. It encompasses a huge range of methods, tools and combinations of ingredients to change the taste or digestibility of food. It is the method of select, measuring and combining of ingredients in an planned procedure in an try to get the desired result. Factors affecting the finishing outcome include the inconsistency of ingredients, ambient conditions, tools, and the skill of the person doing the actual cooking.

The variety of cooking universal is a reflection of the many nutritional, aesthetic, agricultural, cultural and religious considerations that crash upon it.

Cooking frequently requires applying heat to a food, which regularly, though not always, chemically transforms it, thus varying its flavor, texture, appearance, and nutritional properties. There is archaeological proof of roasted foodstuffs, both animal and vegetable, in human campsites dating from the initial known use of fire, some 800,000 years ago

2007-09-27T21:25:00.001-07:00

Cooking apple

A cooking apple is an apple that is used mainly for cooking rather than eating fresh. Cooking apples are larger, and can be not as much of sweet and more sour than eating varieties. Some varieties have a solid flesh that doesn't smash down too much when cooked. Only the British grow a large range of apples particularly for cooking. Some apples are double purpose, often becoming sweeter and softer under storage.

Cultivars can be separated into apples which are cooked whole in the oven and become soft and fluffy and those which keep hold of their shape. These apples are often sweet-smelling. A baked apple is one that has been parched in an oven until it has become soft. The core is generally removed and often stuffed with fruits, brown sugar, raisins, or cinnamon.

2007-09-21T01:14:00.001-07:00

Natural Environment

The natural environment generally referred to only as the environment, is a word that comprises all living and non-living things that take place naturally on Earth. This term includes a little key component:

Complete scenery units that gathering as natural systems without huge human involvement, including all plants, animals, rocks, etc. and natural phenomena so as to occur within their borders.
Entire natural resources and phenomena that lack boundaries, such as air, water and climate.
Natural features which happen within areas heavily partial by man (such as wild birds in city gardens).
The natural surroundings are contrasted with the built environment, which comprises the areas and components that are closely influenced by man. A geographical area is regarded as a natural environment, if the human force on it is kept under a certain limited level. This level depends on the particular context, and changes in different places and contexts.