Saturday 30 November 2013

Trending: Brazil's controversial World Cup substitution



The choice of who presents the World Cup draw in Brazil has proved highly controversial - with a heated discussion on social media over race.

Lazaro Ramos and Camila Pitanga are two well-known and well-loved Brazilian stars - they played the leading couple in the soap Lado a Lado (Side By Side). And they were expected to play a key role in the World Cup group stage draw on 6 December, in the state of Bahia - the historic heart of African-Brazilian culture. When news emerged that the draw would instead be led by the blond, white couple, Fernanda Lima and Rodrigo Hilbert, there was outrage on blogs, forums and social media in Brazil.

"Fifa, we want Lazaro Ramos and Camila Pitanga, ok? They are our face, our people, and we love them!" was one tweet. "As if we weren't already self-sufficient when it comes to racism, Fifa comes over to lend us a hand," was another. US film director Spike Lee even chimed in with criticism of Fifa's power over the game. Many demanded an explanation - and in the absence of one, were quick to come to their own conclusions.

"I was trying to tell people 'Hold your horses'‏, it could be racism, but we don't know," says Guilherme Pinheiro, a film and TV producer in Sao Paulo, who joined the Twitter discussion to call on people to cool down. There could be other explanations, he says - to do with sponsorship or standard of English, for example.

Fifa says the choice of who presents the World Cup draw is not theirs, but one made by the host nation - in this case by GEO and TV Globo who are producing the show. Fifa has announced a line-up of musicians for the World Cup draw which includes a significant number of Afro-Brazilian artists.

The story hit such a nerve, because many in Brazil are resentful of the money being spent on World Cup preparations, and feel Fifa is trying to dictate how Brazil comes across on the world stage, says Sergio Charlab, of the Twitter-based English-language news service Brazil Character Lab. There have been similar controversies before. When women in Bahia were told they could not sell acaraje - a traditional dish with African origins - at World Cup stadiums, there was outrage on social media.

125 firefighters at the scene

 

A police helicopter has crashed into a busy pub on the banks of the River Clyde in Glasgow.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said it had a specialist urban search and rescue crew at the scene.

Assistant chief officer Lewis Ramsay said: "Our officers are working very hard in what is a very complex and hard environment for them.

"We are in the process at the moment of making the building stable. It is very unsafe".

Sunday 17 November 2013

Here Are The Spectacular Plans For A Floating Airport In London

London's Heathrow is the fourth busiest airport on the planet, and it's not nearly big enough to handle the doubling in traffic the UK's Department for Transport predicts will hit by 2030.

Some want to construct a third runway, but that would likely require the demolition of entire villages, as Heathrow is in a dense area outside London.

There is a more outlandish idea that takes advantage of unused space: Build a new airport, and make it float on the estuary of the Thames River. One group pushing for this option, the Thames Estuary Research and Development Company (Testrad) has released new plans for its "innovative and spectacular" London Britannia Airport.

It certainly is spectacular. Here's the view from the air:


Saturday 16 November 2013

Cannot imagine Sachin Tendulkar without cricket: Anjali Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar has been playing cricket for close to 24 years and wife Anjali said on Saturday - last day as a cricketer for Sachin - that after his retirement, things at home are going to be a whole lot different.

Explaining how much the sport has meant to her husband, Anjali said that Sachin has always worshiped cricket and that not playing anymore will be a emotional not just for him but the entire family. "I can imagine cricket without Sachin but I cannot imagine Sachin without cricket," she said. "I don't know what will take the place of cricket in his life."

Anjali however did add that Sachin is not someone who shows his emotions although the maestro did have tears in his eyes after his final match . "Sachin is really good at hiding his emotions. He has never shown he's facing the pressure. Even at home, he does not show his emotions," she said, adding that daughter Sara is also like her father. "Sara's been OK, she doesn't show lot of emotion. Kids are getting to realise now what their father meant to fans and cricket." 

Anjali said that the decision to retire after his 200th Test was arrived at after Sachin discussed his future with her. "He's always said, the minute he feels he can't give a 100 per cent, that will be the time. One day he told me and took the decision. When we were discussing, everything fell in place with the tours in India."

Rohit, Pujara impress with attitude and maturity

Rohit Sharma was on 96. He had been farming the strike in a 55-run last-wicket partnership until then. Mohammed Shami had scored just one of those 55. Such was Rohit's control of the strike. Now all nine men were back near the boundary. Rohit punched the third ball of a Shane Shillingford over straight to deep cover. And he set off. It was surprising because he had been taking singles only on the fourth ball of the previous overs or even later. Had the proximity to the hundred, which could be his second in as many Tests, got to Rohit?

No. Rohit had seen something we hadn't. The ball was hit towards Chris Gayle. In that split second, Rohit's mind calculated that he had played this towards the slowest man on the field, who would have had to come in a little to prevent the second. Gayle couldn't. And the next ball he placed for a single, leaving Shami only two to face. In those two balls, moving from 96 to 99, Rohit displayed his manoeuvring skills and confidence as a No. 6 batsman who will need to bat with the tail a lot in the future.

 Rohit did enjoy some luck no doubt - he was caught off a no-ball, he benefitted from a player not picking the ball and getting lobbed at the boundary and, most importantly, he was up against a clueless attack - but he showed both the hunger and the willingness to take on the responsibility of doing all the scoring. Rohit was on 45 when the ninth wicket fell so the hundred couldn't have been a motivation. It would have been easy to throw his bat around or take the singles and let Shami go after the bowling and take a not-out against his name.

However, he chose to take as many runs as he could without taking risks. India were only 233 ahead when Shami joined Rohit, and being asked to bat again was a distinct possibility. By the end of the partnership, India had left West Indies needing their best effort of the series to deny India a second innings victory and three-day finish of the series. Rohit did most things in the partnership: turning down singles in the first half of the over while finding gaps for couples, taking singles towards the end, finding a boundary if the single became elusive. He once even chipped nonchalantly when long-on was back to the last ball of an over.



Saturday 26 October 2013

7.3magnitude quake rocks Japan-; no damage reports

The epicenter of the quake was about 290 kilometers off Fukushima, and it was felt in Tokyo, 300 miles away

Tokyo: A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck offshore of Japan’s crippled nuclear power plant early Saturday, triggering small tsunamis but causing no damage.

An earthquake official with the Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake was an aftershock of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that struck the same area in 2011, killing about 19,000 people and devastating the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant.

There was no damage and only one minor injury was reported, the national Fire and Disaster Management Agency said. Tsunamis of up to 40 centimeters (15 inches) hit four areas along the coast, but a tsunami advisory was lifted less than two hours after the quake.

The epicenter of the 2:10 am Tokyo time (1710 GMT) quake was about 290 kilometers (170 miles) off Fukushima, and it was felt in Tokyo, 300 miles (480 kilometers) away.

“It was fairly big, and rattled quite a bit, but nothing fell to the floor or broke. We’ve had quakes of this magnitude before,” Satoshi Mizuno, an official with the Fukushima prefectural government’s disaster management department, told The Associated Press by phone. “Luckily, the quake’s center was very far off the coast.”

Mizuno said the operator of the troubled Fukushima plant, Tokyo Electric Power Co., said no damage or abnormalities had been found.

Japan’s meteorological agency issued a 1-meter (3-foot) tsunami advisory for a long stretch of Japan’s northeastern coast. It put the quake’s magnitude at 7.1, while the US Geological Survey recorded a magnitude of 7.3. The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not post warnings for the rest of the Pacific.
The meteorological agency reported tsunamis of 40 centimeters in Kuji city in Iwate prefecture and Soma city in Fukushima, as well as a 20-centimeter tsunami at Ofunato city in Iwate and a 30-centimeter tsunami at Ishinomaki in Miyagi prefecture.

All of Japan’s 50 nuclear reactors remain offline as the government decides whether they meet more stringent requirement enacted after the 2011 quake, which triggered multiple meltdowns and massive radiation leaks at the Fukushima plant about 250 kilometers (160 miles) northeast of Tokyo.

A string of mishaps this year at the Fukushima plant has raised international concerns about the operator’s ability to tackle the continuing crisis.

Nuclear Regulation Authority chairman Shinichi Tanaka has scheduled a Monday meeting with Tokyo Electric’s president to seek solutions to what he says appear to be fundamental problems. 

Thursday 24 October 2013

Another minor girl gang-raped in moving car in Delhi

 Innocence was once again torn to pieces when a 17-year-old student was gang-raped in a car by three men she thought she could trust.

NEW DELHI: Death penalty to four convicts in the December 16 gang rape case has failed to act as a deterrent as rapes continue to haunt the national capital.

Innocence was once again torn to pieces when a 17-year-old student was gang-raped in a car by three men she thought she could trust.

The incident took place on Tuesday in Safdarjang Enclave area of south Delhi but the incident came to light only after a case was registered in this regard on Wednesday.

The police officials said, a resident of Humayurpur village the victim knew all the accused, who are in their early 20s, as they lived in her locality.

Explaining the sequence of events, a police officer said: “ On Tuesday evening, her neighbour asked the victim to go for a drive with him to which she agreed.

After they reached a certain point, two of his other friends also joined them in the car. Later, the accused offered her soft drink laced with sedatives.

“After having the drink when the girl went dizzy the accused drove the car to an isolated parking lot in Pilanji village.

They then took turns to rape her and dumped the girl near her house,” a senior police officer said.

The victim studies in a private school in south Delhi. According to the victim’s family, she went back home at around 8.30 pm but was too scared to tell anything to them. It was only after her parents consoled her that she narrated her ordeal. Her father then pursued her to file a complaint in this regard.

Police received the complaint on Wednesday afternoon after which they immediately sent her to a nearby government hospital for a medical examination which confirmed rape.

“The accused have been identified as Rohit, Tinku and Narender. She has provided some crucial information about the accused and their hideouts.

The car used in commission of the crime has been impounded,” the police official added.

A team comprising of senior police officers has been pressed into service to nab the absconding accused.

On the basis of the victim’s complaint, a case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Safdarjung Enclave police station of south Delhi.

“Further investigation is underway,” the police officer added.

Monday 14 October 2013

Penguin 2.1: What Changed Since 2.0, and How to Recover

On Friday, October 4, 2013, Google released the fifth edition of its Penguin update. If this latest version of Google’s web spam hunting algorithm has you concerned, you’re not alone.

What is Google Penguin?

Penguin’s job, in the most basic sense, is to devalue manipulative links. It does this to penalize websites that use one or more of the following tactics that Google has stated are against the Webmaster Guidelines.

Examples of Penguin bait include:

* paid backlinks
* low quality backlinks (typically generated using automated tools)
* large numbers of links with optimized anchor text
* excessive link exchanges
* text advertisements that pass PageRank
* other types of links listed on the link schemes webpage

Over time, since the initial launch of the Penguin algorithm in April 2012, Penguin has been improved. This is the fifth update, which Google calls Penguin 2.1. This is a minor release after the major Penguin 2.0 update that launched in May 2013.

A Summary of Penguin Releases

      * Penguin 1.0: April 24, 2012 (impacted around 3.1% of queries)
      * Penguin 1.2: May 26, 2012 (impacted less than 0.1%)
      * Penguin 1.3: Oct. 5, 2012 (impacted around 0.3% of queries)
      * Penguin 2.0: May 22, 2013 (impacted 2.3% of queries)
      * Penguin 2.1: Oct. 4, 2013 (impacted around 1% of queries)

A Brief Overview of Penguin 2.0

Google said Penguin 2.0 was a “next-generation change” in its Penguin algorithm. At the time, Penguin 2.0 was said to affect roughly 2.3% of web queries, which had the biggest impact since the initial Penguin hit on April 24, 2012.

After releasing Penguin 2.0, Matt Cutts, head of the Google web spam team stated, “So this one [2.0] is a little more comprehensive than Penguin 1.0, and we expect it to go a little bit deeper, and have a little bit more of an impact than the original version of Penguin.”


From Penguin 1.0 to Penguin 2.0, the main change was the depth of the algorithm. Whereas Penguin 1.0 only looked at homepages of offending sites, Penguin 2.0 introduced the ability to crawl internal pages and identify manipulative links and on-page spam.

Penguin 2.1

After announcing Google Penguin 2.1 on Friday, Matt Cutts stated that the new version of Penguin should affect roughly 1% of searches “to a noticeable degree”. While the latest release may not have as big of an effect as the 2.0 release, it still has a significantly larger impact than the previous minor refreshes.


Matt Cutts Penguin 2.1

So, what changed? While it’s still too early to tell definitively what changed, Glenn Gabe has posted an analysis that details some of his findings. My conclusion from reading his article is that Penguin 2.1 still targets all the same types of links that previous iterations have targeted.

The likely difference between Penguin 2.0 and Penguin 2.1 is simply a deeper level of analysis; the ability to crawl and analyze even deeper-level pages to identify spam activities happening at a deeper page-level. Glenn Gabe’s recommendations for recovery remain unchanged since Penguin 1.0, as do mine.

How Does Google Hummingbird Fit In?

Many folks that follow Google know that they recently released Google Hummingbird. Does Hummingbird replace Google’s Penguin and Panda? The short answer is no.

Hummingbird replaced Google’s old search engine algorithm. The new Hummingbird is designed to improve Google’s search algorithm so it can handle more complex queries in a conversational manner (think voice requests from a mobile device). Google Penguin is being incorporated as part of Hummingbird but does not replace it. Google Penguin will continue to be updated to augment Hummingbird as they enhance the algorithm.

Has My Website Been Hit by Penguin 2.1?

I recommend that you monitor your organic search engine traffic for at least two weeks after a Penguin update. If your traffic dramatically drops during this time, it’s likely due to a Penguin update. I recommend Google Analytics for monitoring your organic search engine traffic.

Also, be sure to check your Google Webmaster Tools notifications to see if you have any manual penalties applied to your website. If you don’t have a Google Webmaster Tools account, set one up here.

How to Recover from Penguin 2.1

Step 1) Identify the offending backlinks

If you think your website has been hit by Penguin, the first step is to identify inbound links which may have been targeted by Penguin. I wrote an article here on how to do that, but this process is for advanced webmasters only, and is quite time-consuming.

If you’d rather have a professional audit your inbound link profile and identify bad inbound links for you, look into a professional link profile audit.

Step 2) Remove as many of the offending links as possible

Once these bad inbound links have been identified, you will then need to remove as many of them as possible. If you have access to any of the sites on which they reside, log in and remove them.

For most of the links, you’ll likely need to contact each website owner and ask them to remove the links from their sites. I’ve found that a typical success rate is between 5-20% for link removal requests. Google is looking to see that you’ve made an effort to remove as many links as you can, so this step is necessary.

Step 3) Disavow the remaining links

After you’ve removed as many bad links as possible, disavow the remaining ones using Google’s disavow tool. Here’s an overview on how to do that.

Step 4) File a reconsideration request

If you have a manual penalty, it should show up in your Google Webmaster Tools account. In this case, a reconsideration request will be necessary. However, if you have only an algorithmic penalty, then this step won’t help you.

Step 5) Execute a quality, strategic content marketing campaign

Some website owners, after being hit by Google Penguin and losing most (if not all) of their website traffic, tend to shy away from link building campaigns. Once you start removing large numbers of links, Google is going to notice. The trick is not to abandon link building; inbound links are still the most important piece of the ranking algorithm. Instead, you must replace them with high-quality, authoritative links that you earn.

One of the best ways to build these backlinks is through guest blogging. I’ve written an in-depth guide on how to execute a guest blogging campaign here: “The Ultimate, Step-by-Step Guide to Building Your Business by Guest Blogging.”

In addition to building links through guest blogging, you’re going to need a quality on-site content strategy. Your goal should be to fulfill the 3 Pillars of SEO: Content, Links and Social Media.

Social media sends a great sign to Google that your business and website is legitimate. Becoming active on sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google plus, LinkedIn, and others will show Google that your website has a broad audience.

Conclusion

Having your website penalized by Google’s Penguin algorithm can devastating. It can take your website’s traffic and revenue and make it disappear overnight. One thing for certain is that Google will continue updating its Penguin algorithm as it attempts to identify and remove webspam.

The sites that have the right types of inbound links will win out in the long run, while avoiding penalization. Make sure you have a long-term plan that includes periodically auditing your links along with executing a high-quality content marketing strategy to build relevant links which will support your website in the rankings. Most importantly, stay away from low-quality link building tactics that do nothing more than create spam.

Friday 27 September 2013

Google Updates Search Algorithm

Google Inc recently announced that it has updated its search algorithm to provide better results for all the increasingly challenging and complex search queries posted by web surfers.

The Hummingbird algorithm, introduced almost a month ago, impacts 90% of the searches made on Google. The update is aimed at giving the search engine a better understanding of concepts rather than words alone. Google is trying to better understand complicated search queries as traditional keyword based-systems give way to systems that can identify concepts and meanings in addition to words.

Google’s search engine has become an integral part of people’s lives and they often tend to insert phrases in the searchbox instead of just words, a fact which underlies the update. Also, the new search algorithm is expected to impact traffic to websites. The outcome of this new algorithm is not the way in which Google searches the web but it lies in the results of the searches instead. In fact, this is the most significant update that Google has made to its search engine since it redesigned the way in which websites were indexed through the Caffeine update.

Google continues to innovate. With an upcoming update to Google’s search application for devices running APPLE’s mobile operating system, people will be able to avail a unique facility by which they can set reminders on an android device at home and later receive them on an iPhone.

Google recorded a profit of $3.23 billion or $9.54 a share in the second quarter of 2013, up from $2.79 billion or $8.42 a share in the year-ago period. Total revenue grew to $14.11 billion, up about 19% year over year. The search ads and other commercial products related to Web content account for most of Google's revenue, which is expected to approach $60 billion this year. The company has expressed its intention of increasing investment in its core products in the future.

Google Turns 15 With 'Hummingbird' Algorithm Update

Google (GOOG) is celebrating its 15th anniversary with an big update to its search algorithm and, of course, one of its "doodles" on Google.com.

Google updates its algorithm hundreds of times each year, but executives have been touting the new update called "Hummingbird," which the company quietly rolled out earlier this month.

"When Google switched to Hummingbird, it's as if it dropped the old engine out of a car and put in a new one," wrote SearchEngineLand.com blogger Danny Sullivan. "It also did this so quickly that no one really noticed the switch."

The new algorithm should help users who prefer "conversational search," says Sullivan. Google's mobile software, Android, and other Google products let users search by speaking to their devices — the new update reportedly will better focus results based on speech patterns.

The update comes in concert with Google's 15th anniversary as a company. Google incorporated in California on Sept. 4, 1998, and started working in a garage in Menlo Park, Calif., near Stanford University, where founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin were Ph.D. students. (Google hasn't responded to our question about why Sept. 27 and not Sept. 4 is the preferred birth date.)

Wall Street expects Google's 2013 revenue to rise 40% to $59.6 billion. Not bad for a company the same age as the average high school sophomore. The company's market cap is fast approaching $300 billion. On the Nasdaq, only Apple (AAPL) has a higher valuation.

Google is, of course, having some fun on its birthday. It posted a game on Google.com where users can spend time trying to smash candy out of a pinata. And if you search for "Google in 1998," you'll get a look at what search results used to look like.

To mark the birthday, the Pew Research Center on Friday released information from a poll of Internet users that it conducted in April and May. Pew found that 56% of Internet users have used a search engine to look up their own name to see what information is available about them online. Seems low to us, but that is up from 22% the first time Pew asked that question, in 2001.

That percentage, says Pew, has been pretty steady since at least 2009, when 57% of Internet users said they had searched for results connected to their name online.

Friday 6 September 2013

Syria crisis: No clear winner in Russia-US G20 duel



Both sides have claimed victory in this G20 gladiatorial contest over Syria, but identifying who is on which team is not straightforward.

So who backed Russia and who backed the United States?

According to President Vladimir Putin, the outcome was not a 50/50 split, but a balance of opinion in Russia's favour.

He claimed that, at the G20 dinner on Syria, only four countries - France, Turkey, Canada and Saudi Arabia (plus a British prime minister rebuffed by his own parliament) - had backed America.

Whereas siding with Russia in rejecting military strikes on Syria, he says, were seven nations: China, India, Indonesia, Argentina and Brazil, as well as South Africa and Italy.

Yet not all the Russian president's views on Syria were endorsed by other G20 leaders.

Who else in St Petersburg publically declared, as he did, that Syria's "so-called chemical weapons attack" was in fact "a provocation staged by rebels, in hope of winning extra backing from their foreign backers"?

In making that categorical claim, the Russian leader left little room for compromise and ended up looking, perhaps, somewhat isolated.

Saturday 31 August 2013

Earthquake strikes southwest China, killing 4

A 5.9-magnitude earthquake killed at least four people Saturday morning in southwestern China, state media reported.

Officials reported 10 injuries as emergency teams began to respond, the Xinhua News Agency said.

The state-owned news agency quoted Yunnan provincial officials as saying that 600 residential units collapsed. An additional 55,000 residential units were damaged, and 9,200 people had been forced to relocate, Xinhua reported.

The quake -- with a depth of 10 kilometers -- hit in remote areas near the border of the Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Roads were blocked in some villages by boulders rolling down mountains, and 17 people on three tourist buses were trapped by landslides, Xinhua said.

The Civil Affairs Ministry in Yunnan province was sending tents and clothing, Xinhua said.

The epicenter was near Benzilan Township, the USGS reported.

"We are heading to Benzilan," Liao Wencai, vice secretary of the Deqen County Committee of the Communist Party of China, told Xinhua. "The telecommunication there has been cut off, and many residents cannot be reached by mobile phone."

Xinhua reported it reached a Benzilan resident who said people "rushed outdoors hastily" because of the strength of the quake, but houses there did not collapse.

On Wednesday, a 5.1-magnitude earthquake hit the same region.

UN investigators leave Syria as Obama plans strike over chemical weapons


 UN experts investigating a suspected chemical weapons attack have left Syria, opening a window into a possible US strike after Washington concluded the Damascus regime unleashed poison gas on civilians.

The 13 inspectors, led by Ake Sellstrom, left their Damascus hotel before dawn and crossed early morning into Lebanon at the town of Chtaura in a convoy of vehicles.

They are due to report back immediately to UN chief Ban Ki-moon, who has appealed to the West to allow time for their findings to be assessed.

Their departure heightened expectations of a US-led military strike on the Syrian regime, after Barack Obama gave his clearest indication yet that an attack was imminent.

"We cannot accept a world where women and children and innocent civilians are gassed on a terrible scale," Obama said at the White House.

"We are looking at the possibility of a limited, narrow act."

Saturday 17 August 2013

As CEO, Are You Putting Your Best Face Forward?


Spanx Founder and Owner Sara Blakely
 Your product or service isn’t the only thing you need to be promoting. As a CEO, one of the most powerful exposure and revenue-building tools your company has is, in fact, you.

CEO branding is the new corporate branding. People want an emotional connection to the brands they are invested in, so it’s important for those brands to have a face — and that’s where CEO branding comes in.

CEO branding is the process of aligning your face with your corporate brand. This process includes public relation activities, media interviews, philanthropy, articles, books, speaking engagements and employee treatment. It requires integrating the CEO’s brand DNA into how the company is viewed publicly. In a competitive marketplace, it is a differentiating factor. Though it happens naturally, CEOs need to be forward-looking in strategizing their brand — or reactive in managing it.

Consider these survey results compiled by Burson-Marsteller, one of the world’s largest PR firms. that illustrate the importance of a CEO’s reputation to the success of the company. The results indicated that, based on a CEO’s reputation:


Read More Article : http://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2012/08/08/as-ceo-are-you-putting-your-best-face-forward/

Top Lashkar terrorist Abdul Karim Tunda arrested by Delhi Police

New Delhi: One of India's 20 most wanted terrorists, Abdul Karim Tunda, was arrested by the Special Cell of Delhi Police from the Indo-Nepal border last night. The Delhi Police has been given a three-day custody of the wanted Lashkar-e-Taiba man, arrested with a Pakistani passport issued in January this year.

Tunda, around 70 years old and wanted in 21 cases, is accused of masterminding over 40 bomb blasts in New Delhi, Panipat, Sonepat, Ludhiana, Kanpur and Varanasi between December 1996 and January 1998 that left 21 dead and over 400 injured. He is also accused of involvement in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case.

In the dossier handed over to Pakistan after the 26/11 attacks, Tunda ranks number 15 among the men wanted by India. The dossier claims he is close to Jamat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed, the alleged mastermind of the Mumbai terror attacks. Delhi Police also hinted at his association with Mumbai underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's gang.
According to sources, Tunda was allegedly indoctrinated into terrorist activities by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence or ISI in the eighties, which also trained him in making improvised explosive devices.

After the serial blasts, Tunda allegedly fled to Bangladesh where he came under direct command of Lashkar chief Zaki ur Rehman Lakhvi. He soon became LeT's top bomb maker.

The hunt for Tunda died down in 2000 when Indian intelligence agencies believed a news item that he has been killed. He returned to the surveillance radar in August 2005 when Abdul Razzak Masood, an alleged LeT chief coordinator in Dubai arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi police, disclosed that Tunda was alive and had met him in Lahore in December 2003.

Tunda's name surfaced again in July 2006 when Kenyan police claimed to arrest him. But it turned out to be a case of mistaken identity with the arrested person being a UK national.

Sources said Tunda had been guiding the banned Students Islamic Movement of India, which later turned into Indian Mujahideen. He is also accused of motivating the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar to perpetrate attacks against the Buddhists there.

Friday 9 August 2013

Is Durga Shakti Nagpal really wanted in Punjab?



 She opted for a change from her parent IAS cadre Punjab and shifted to Uttar Pradesh. Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Durga Shakti Nagpal, who recently hit the national headlines after the Uttar Pradesh government unceremoniously suspended her for taking on the sand mafia, can perhaps draw solace from the Punjab government going on record to say she will be welcome if she opted to return.

But is she, or officers like her, really wanted in Punjab or any other state?

Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has said that Durga Shakti would be "welcome to come back if she wished to".

The young IAS officer, who served out her probationary period in Mohali, adjoining Chandigarh, from June 2011 to August 2012, had opted for a cadre change after getting married to Uttar Pradesh cadre IAS officer Abhishek Singh.

But the question being asked in political and other circles in Punjab is whether the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal bosses would really like to have an officer who showed courage to go after the politically well-connected and moneyed sand mafia in Uttar Pradesh. If Durga Shakti comes back to Punjab and starts doing the same things that she was doing as "part of duty" in Uttar Pradesh, it could spell trouble for many influential people in Punjab.

Illegal sand mining in Punjab is rampant and the Punjab and Haryana High Court is seized of the matter. Leaders of the opposition Congress have been shouting from the rooftops that the Parkash Singh Badal government and some of its ministers are openly running or supporting the sand mafia. Just how effective will be the ban imposed by the National Green Tribunal remains to be seen.

In Punjab, by conservative estimates, the illegal mining and monopolisation of sand is worth several crore rupees on a daily basis. The money is being allegedly pocketed by influential people, especially from the ruling elite. A public suit before the high court has pointed out that illegal mining in Punjab is worth Rs.10,000 crore annually.

Wednesday 15 May 2013

Britain's oldest pet dies as tortoise that survived two world wars passes away aged 130 after being bitten on the leg by a rat



Thomas, born in 1882, bitten on leg by rat and wound became infected

Tortoise outlived five monarchs and survived both World Wars

Survived Blitz attack and was pulled from rubble of bomb-hit house in Essex

He survived the Blitz, five monarchs and both World Wars.

But Thomas, who was Britain's oldest resident, has died aged 130 - after being bitten by a rat.

He was born in 1882 and was pulled out of the rubble of a bomb-hit house in Essex in 1945.

The reptile had to be put down by owner June Le Gallez after being attacked by a rat in the back garden of her home in Guernsey.

Moscow holds talks with US ambassador over spy scandal


The US ambassador to Russia met foreign ministry officials in Moscow to discuss the case of a US diplomat accused of trying to recruit a Russian agent.

Michael McFaul was summoned after Russia said on Tuesday it had detained Ryan Fogle for "provocative actions".

Mr Fogle was declared "persona non grata" and told to leave the country.

The incident did not contribute to "strengthening mutual trust between Russia and the US", a spokesman for President Vladimir Putin said.

However, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he did not bring the matter up with US Secretary of State John Kerry, when they met at a conference in Sweden on Tuesday.

"I decided that talking about it would be superfluous, since it is already made public and everyone already understands everything," he said in comments published on the foreign ministry's website.

Mumbai: How an MBA and his friend kidnapped, burnt cousin to death

Mumbai: The Mumbai Police has revealed shocking details of how an MBA hatched a plot to kidnap his 13-year-old cousin after losing money in an IPL bet and then got him hacked and burned to death by his friend when the police got to know of the case. "The 13-year-old was attacked on his head. He was taken in a car, which the police have recovered," Mumbai Police Additional Commissioner Krishna Prakash said.

Thirteen-year-old Aditya Ranka from South Mumbai was allegedly kidnapped by his cousin Himanshu and then brutally murdered by his friend. The cousin had reportedly lost Rs 10 lakh over betting on IPL matches.

He and a friend, Vijay Singhavi, then allegedly hatched the plot to kidnap the young boy and made a Rs 30 lakh ransom call. But when Aditya's family discovered Himanshu's hand in the kidnapping, the 13-year-old boy's wrist was slashed and he was later set ablaze in a secluded area in Panvel. 

"Since Friday, when Himanshu was in Rajasthan, the planning was on. They had Rs 10 lakh pending over the betting. They had decided that they would kidnap someone and seek ransom to pay for the betting loss. When the accused came to know that his uncle was expecting Rs 30 lakh, he decided to kidnap the 13-year-old," Prakash said.

"When he realised that the police was in action and the case is being taken up by crime branch, local police, they got nervous and then brought weapons and match box to kill Aditya," Prakash added.

Aditya's father came to know of Himanshu's involvement after he saw Aditya's slippers in his car, the police said. "The complainant was called in at the police station when we did not get any update on the boy. The complainant came in the same car that was used in the crime. One of the slippers of the boy was found in the car," Prakash said.

Both the accused were arrested by the police and have confessed to the crime. "The accused later revealed the details of the crime based on which Himanshu and his friend were arrested. Himanshu took the child out of the house. The calls at home were made by Vijay, the friend, and later on carried the crime. The two MBA graduates gave shape to the crime," Prakash added.

Friday 22 March 2013

Apple makes iPhone, iPad more secure: Report

WASHINGTON: Tech giant Apple has added a new level of security to iCloud and for Apple ID users. The new two-step-verification will require users to verify their identity when they sign into account from a new device.

Verification will be done using another one of users' devices, such as iPhone, Mashable reports.

For example, if you buy a new computer and sign into iCloud on it, Apple will send a numerical code to your iPhone to verify that it is in fact you trying to access your account.

The extra level of security makes it more difficult for hackers to gain access to your account, the report said. If your password falls into the wrong hands, the new system is a roadblock preventing that person from signing in and accessing your data, it added.

Tuesday 26 February 2013

Egypt: Balloon crashes near Luxor killing 18 tourists

British, French, Hong Kong and Japanese nationals are among at least 18 tourists killed in a hot air balloon crash near the Egyptian city of Luxor.

The balloon was at 1,000 ft (300m) when it caught fire and plunged onto fields west of Luxor, officials said.

At least two people, including the balloon's pilot, survived, reportedly by jumping out of the balloon before it crashed.

Luxor is home to some of Egypt's most famous pharaonic-era ruins.

It lies on the banks of the River Nile in the south of the country, and has long been a popular tourist destination.

British tour operator Thomas Cook confirmed that four of its clients were on board the balloon - two had died and two were in hospital.

"We have a very experienced team in resort with the two guests in the local hospital, and we're providing our full support to the family and friends of the deceased at this difficult time," Peter Fankhauser, CEO of Thomas Cook UK and Europe, said.

The Chinese embassy in Egypt has confirmed that nine Hong Kong tourists died in the balloon crash.

Egyptian police have said the other tourists include four from Japan and two from France. At least one Egyptian also died.

Earlier reports suggested 19 people had been killed.

Sunday 24 February 2013

Oscars 2013: 'Argo' wins best film award, Ang Lee best director


Ben Affleck's Iran hostage drama "Argo" took home the Oscar for best picture, in a unique presentation done by Jack Nicholson in Hollywood and First Lady Michelle Obama by videolink.

"Argo" bested eight rivals for the top prize: "Amour," "Beasts of the Southern Wild," "Django Unchained," "Les Miserables," "Life of Pi," " Lincoln," "Silver Linings Playbook," and "Zero Dark Thirty."

On Nicholson's cue, Obama -- in a glittering silvery gown as stunning as any worn by the stars inside the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood -- opened the envelope at the White House and declared "Argo" the winner.

"I want to thank Canada. I want to thank our friends in Iran, who live under terrible circumstances," said Affleck, a co-producer of the film, speaking at top speed in the very last minutes of the live prime-time Oscar broadcast.

"Argo" recounts how a group of US diplomats who took refuge in the Canadian embassy in Tehran during the Iran hostage crisis were spirited out of the Islamic republic as members of a bogus movie crew.

Putting all speculations to rest, director Ang Lee has won the best director award second time at the 85th Academy Awards. His 'Life of Pi', a fantasy adventure drama widely shot in India, has also won four Oscars, including best cinematography, best visual effects and best original score.

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Friday 22 February 2013

Bhandara rape case: School headmaster failed to alert family about missing girls, suspended

Bhandara: Eight days after the shocking incident of rape and murder of three minor girls in Bhandara district in Maharashtra, the government finally acted and suspended the headmaster of the school where two of the sisters studied.

The school headmaster was suspended as he failed to alert the family and police when the girls went missing on February 14. The two girls were not present at the time when the mid-day meal was being served, though their bags were in the class.

Three sisters, all minors were allegedly raped and murdered in Bhandara and their bodies were dumped in a well. Preliminary post-mortem report had confirmed that the girls were raped before being murdered.

Enraged villagers demanding a swift probe blocked the National Highway 6 for over four hours on Wednesday, while a bandh was called in the district. Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh and senior police officials have been rushed in to oversee the investigation.

Wednesday 20 February 2013

8.2% of Indian Americans live below poverty line, reveals US survey

WASHINGTON: Boasting of having the highest per capita income among all the major ethnic groups, more than eight per cent of the nearly three million Indian Americans are living below the poverty line in the US, a latest Census report revealed on Wednesday.

According to the 2007-2011 American Community Survey, 42.7 million people in the United States had income below the poverty level. The national poverty rate is 14.7 per cent.

With 8.2 per cent of poverty rate, Indian Americans are far less poor than other ethnic groups and the national average, the Census Bureau report said.

The Japanese Americans too have a 8.2 per cent poverty rate. For the Asian population, poverty rates were higher for Vietnamese (14.7 per cent) and Koreans (15.0 per cent), but the Filipinos have the lowest poverty rate of 5.8 per cent.

Poverty rates for Vietnamese and Koreans were not statistically different from each other.

According to the report, for Asians, nine states had poverty rates below 10 per cent (Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Virginia and South Carolina).

Among Hispanics, national poverty rates ranged from a low of 16.2 per cent for Cubans to a high of 26.3 per cent for Dominicans.

In its report the Census Bureau said two race groups had poverty rates more than 10 per centage points higher than the national rate of 14.3 per cent: American Indian and Alaska Native (27.0 per cent) and black or African- American (25.8 per cent).

Rates were above the overall national average for Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders (17.6 per cent), while poverty rates for people identified as white (11.6 per cent) or Asian (11.7 per cent) were lower than the overall poverty rate.

Poverty rates for whites and Asians were not statistically different from each other.

The Hispanic population had a poverty rate of 23.2 per cent, about nine per centage points higher than the overall US rate.

The US government's definition of poverty is based on total income received. For example, the poverty level for 2012 was set at an annual income of $23,050 (nearly Rs 12 lakh) which for a family of four.

AirAsia joins hands with Tata to start airline in India


New Delhi: Asia’s largest low-cost airline AirAsia Bhd is planning to start an airline in India with the Tata Group Joint venture. 

The airline has filed an application with India’s Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) for proposed joint venture with Tata Sons along with Arun Bhatia of Telestra Tradeplace. Once the FIPB approves the proposal, AirAsia will reportedly make an application for the air operator’s permit before the Indian aviation regulators.

The move comes months after the Indian government eased FDI rules in the aviation sector. Last September the UPA government had allowed 49 percent FDI in aviation sector thereby opening doors for foreign players to invest in India. 

Monday 18 February 2013

Internet rates may go up


NEW DELHI: Industry body ISPAI said that rates of internet and broadband services may go up under new licenses framework due to high entry fee proposed by Department of Telecommunications (DoT).

DoT has proposed to charge one-time entry of Rs 15 crore for a national level Unified Licence compared to Rs 30 lakh which companies pay for internet services at present.

"DoT has not done anything new as per the proposed format for Unified Licence regime. They are going ahead with option to continue the old licence format along with a new national level Unified Licence (UL) that will cost Rs 15 crore.

"If internet service providers opt for UL, then cost of internet and broadband services will go up," Internet Service Provider Association of India's (ISPAI) President Rajesh Charia told PTI.

In the new licencing regime, DoT should allow internet telephony which would lead to low cost call service that would benefit even rural area the country where illiteracy is very high.

"VoIP is widely accepted application. Foreign companies who are not registered with DoT are providing voice calling service both between Computer to Computer and Computer to landlines.

"They don't even have licences. We pay annual charges to DoT and should be allowed to provide voice services across networks," he said.

A DoT internal committee has recommended to allow ISPs with wireless broadband spectrum (BWA) to provide voice telephony service using these airwaves. In 2010, six private players including Reliance Jio Infocom, formerly Infotel Broadband, Tikona Digital and Augere had won BWA spectrum.

The committee has left it for higher authorities to decide if players who won BWA spectrum in 2010 should be asked to make additional payment of Rs 1,658 crore which was charged from telecom players till 2008 for providing mobile telephony.

The licence issued to mobile telephony operators for Rs 1,658 crore had 4.4 Mhz spectrum bundled with it but government has announced to provide no spectrum with UL. 

Thursday 14 February 2013

Google Android, Apple iOS power over 90% smartphones in Q4: IDC


WASHINGTON: Android-powered smartphones and Apple's rival iPhone have extended their near duopoly with a whopping 91 percent of the global market in the fourth quarter, a survey showed on Thursday.
Google's Android system was used on 70.1 percent of smartphones shipped in the quarter, while Apple held 21 percent, according to research firm IDC.

"The dominance of Android and Apple reached a new watermark in the fourth quarter," said IDC analyst Ramon Llamas.

Over the full year, this gave the two platforms 87.6 percent of the world smartphone market, and underlined the challenge facing smaller players in trying to break their dominance.

Llamas said Android benefitted from "a broad selection of smartphones, and an equally deep list of smartphone vendor partners" while Apple got traction from its new iPhone 5 and lower prices on its older models.

IDC said the global market for smartphones grew 46 percent last year with 722 million units shipped -- some 227 million of them in the fourth quarter alone.

The report highlighted the tough task for other smartphone vendors, including BlackBerry and those using the Microsoft Windows Phone platform.

BlackBerry remained the number three platform but its market share slid to just 3.2 percent in the fourth quarter, and 4.5 percent for the year. That compared with 10.3 percent for 2011.

The Windows Phone platform grew some 150 percent year-over-year in the fourth quarter, helped by the introduction of the Windows Phone 8 platform and new models from Nokia and HTC.

But the platform accounted for just 2.6 percent of the market in the fourth quarter.

"With the recent introductions of two new smartphone platforms we expect some ground to be made by the new entrants over the coming years," said Ryan Reith, another IDC analyst.

"There is no question the road ahead is uphill for both Microsoft and BlackBerry, but history shows us consumers are open to change. Platform diversity is something not only the consumers have asked for, but also the operators." 

Samsung launches Rex 90, 80, 70 and 60 feature phones; prices start at Rs 4280


Samsung has announced the launch of its new range of smart feature phones under the Samsung Rex series. The four new phones unveiled at an event at New Delhi are the Rex 80, Rex 80, Rex 70 and Rex 60.

The price range of the four new Samsung Rex phones are from Rs 4280 to Rs 6490.

Samsung Rex series of phones are being launched globally from India. Samsung says the phones have been developed in India and will be introduced across a number of markets beginning with India. 

The Rex 90 has a 3.5-inch capacitive display, with dual-SIM support, a 3.2 megapixel camera, WiFi with up to 15 hours of talktime. The dual-SIM Rex 80 has a 3-inch capacitive screen and also includes WiFi support and comes with a 3 megapixel camera. The Rex 70 has a similar screen as the Rex 80 but has a lower 2 megapixel camera. The starting model, the Rex 60 has a 2.8-inch display (not capacitive) and a 1.3 megapixel camera.

The Rex 90 has 7 customisable homescreens while the other models have 8.

Tuesday 12 February 2013

India wrestlers shocked at Olympics move to drop sport


India's wrestlers have expressed shock at the recommendation of International Olympic Committee (IOC) that the sport be dropped from the 2020 Games.

Four out of India's 24 Olympic medals are from wrestling. Wrestling also gave India its first individual Olympic medal in 1952.

Two of India's six medals at the 2012 London Olympics were won by wrestlers.

The IOC recommended its dismissal after assessing the performance of all 26 sports at the London Games.

There is a slim chance that wrestling may win a reprieve when the IOC meets in September to ratify its choice.

Correspondents say the decision will come as a big blow to Indian wrestlers who have been making a mark internationally.

"It's a huge setback. I can't believe that IOC can take such a harsh decision about one of the oldest Olympic sports," Sushil Kumar, who has won two medals at Olympics, was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times newspaper.

"At the Beijing Olympic Games, my aim was to win a medal and I succeeded. For London, my target was gold, but I could manage a silver. So I am determined to make up for the London loss at Rio [games]."

Senior wrestling official Raj Singh said the recommendation was a "huge loss for the country".

"But I am sure that the international wrestling body will not let the sport be shown the door from the Olympics," he said.

Senior coach Yashvir told The Indian Express that young wrestlers at his camp were stunned by the news.

"They all seem defeated," he said.

Mr Yashvir said he was now worried about the future of wrestling in India.

"Why will children want to take up wrestling now? People will rather have their children train for other games like boxing. This will directly impact our talent pool."

Thursday 7 February 2013

Freedom of expression was intact', says Kamal Haasan

Kamal Haasan's Tamil movie Vishwaroopam was released today in theatres across Tamil Nadu sending his fans into a delirious mood after a fortnight-long suspense as the actor insisted his freedom of expression was 'intact' with only a few scenes muted.

"Thank you India. Thank You Tamil Nadu. See to it that artistes like me don't get into trouble again," said a hugely-relieved actor as the film opened to packed houses with his fans bursting crackers and pouring milk over his cut-outs.

Today's release capped a two-week long drama with many a twist and turn that saw opposition by theatre owners over the actor's plan to release it on DTH platform, protests by Muslim outfits that led to a two-week ban by Tamil Nadu government, court battle and threat of self-exile by the actor.

As the ban evoked national outcry, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa stepped in, paving the way for its release. Actor agreed to mute scenes that Muslim outfits found offensive in the government brokered meeting.

Haasan wished Jayalalithaa, who recently said she no longer watched movies, would break "her vow" for his sake as he wanted to screen the movie for his "peer and senior" in the Tamil film industry.

"I like her to see the film. Now she is a Chief Minister. But she is (also) a peer and senior. I very much like her to watch my film and hope she breaks her vow of not watching movies," a smiling Haasan told reporters.

The actor insisted that his freedom of expression was 'intact' since only a few scenes had been muted.

Fans celebrate ‘Vishwaroopam’ release in Tamilnadu

Overcoming a fortnight-long suspense and drama, Kamal Haasan’s Vishwaroopam finally hit the screens across Tamil Nadu to packed houses, amid celebrations by delirious fans.

It was a jamboree of sorts as elated fans danced to drum beat and burst crackers as they thronged cinema houses since early morning, some pouring milk over the cut outs of the 58-year-old actor.

“We are very happy with the response and shows have been booked till Monday. Kamal has done a brilliant job,” a theatre owner said.

Haasan’s fans said the technically advanced film could match up to any Hollywood production.

“It is like a Hollywood movie,” said a fan outside a theatre. “Hats off to Kamal. He has taken Indian cinema to a new height,” said another.

The film, originally scheduled for January 25 release, started screening in some theatres as early as 6 a.m.

Its release was delayed in the wake of protests by some Muslim outfits, prompting the Tamil Nadu government to ban it for two weeks.

The movie was cleared for release after the makers agreed to make changes to seven scenes following a State government-brokered meeting between Haasan and the outfits.

The State ban on the spy-thriller triggered a nationwide condemnation and support for Haasan, who had threatened to go on a self-imposed exile following the politics over his film.

Prior to the protests by Muslim outfits, the film had faced problems with the actor insisting on release on the DTH platform before showing it in theatres. The theatre owners’ opposition had forced him to delay the release.

Wednesday 6 February 2013

Bikaner baby who was bitten by her father on nose, lips dies in hospital

Five days after she went through plastic surgery to reconstruct her face, a five-month-old baby girl, whose nose and lips were bitten off by her abusive father, died in a hospital in Jaipur today.  The father will be charged with murder, the police said. 

The baby and her older sister were both assaulted by their drunk father in Bikaner, about 400 kms from Jaipur, on the night of January 26. The mother filed a police case, leading to her husband's arrest, and her in-laws punished her by throwing her out of the house they shared.

After NDTV reported on the family, viewers and NDTV.com surfers donated generously. 

"The condition of the baby deteriorated last night after she was breastfed by her mother. The milk entered into her lungs following which some complications developed and she was put on ventilator support but she died," said a spokesperson of the Sawai Man Singh Government Hospital in Jaipur.

The baby was scheduled to undergo another operation in a fortnight.

Monday 4 February 2013

‘Vishwaroopam’ to be released in Tamil Nadu on February 7

A day after the two-week ban was revoked on the controversial film “Vishwaroopam”, Kamal Haasan on Monday, announced that his film will hit across the theatres in Tamil Nadu on February 7.

“The film will release all over Tamil Nadu on February 7,” said Kamal in a statement.

Following the tripartite talks on February 2 in the presence of Home Secretary R. Rajagopal, Mr. Haasan had agreed to edit a few scenes from the film, thus bringing to an end the protests by some Muslim organisations.

The Rs. 95-crore espionage thriller was set for release in Tamil and Telugu on January 25, but a day before the release the Tamil Nadu government imposed a two-week ban fearing protests by Muslim groups.

Written, produced and directed by Mr. Haasan, who also plays the title role, “Vishwaroopam” also features Andrea Jeremiah, Pooja Kumar, Rahul Bose, Shekhar Kapur and Jaideep Ahlawat.

The film’s Hindi version “Vishwaroop” was released on February 1 across the country and has raked Rs.7.56 crore in its opening weekend.

Keywords: Vishwaroopam ban, Tamil Nadu government ban, tripartite talks, Muslim body protests, Muslim organisations

Wednesday 30 January 2013

‘Vishwaroopam’: Kamal Haasan reaches truce with Muslim community

Chennai: Kamal Haasan has agreed to edit certain objectionable portions from his film ‘Vishwaroopam’ and has said that the film is in no way Anti-Indian Muslims. 

Emphasising on the fact that the film is Pro-Indian Muslims and that he does believe that he is a victim of somebody’s confusion over what he is trying to convey through his film.

The actor is believed to have held a meeting with Muslim leaders and the two parties have mutually arrived at a consensus.

The actor has said that it is now the government and the Police’s duty to maintain law and order pertaining to the violence triggered because of the film.

Sunday 27 January 2013

'Amanat' case: Fast track court to hear framing of charges against five accused


Defence lawyers in the Delhi gang-rape case will today argue on framing of charges at a fast track court in the Saket District Court complex in Delhi against the five accused who brutally gang-rape 'Amanat' (NOT her real name) on December 16 last year.

The trial in the case will begin once charges are framed against the five accused.

One of the five accused has claimed that he is below 18 years of age and should be tried in a juvenile court. As per police records, the gym instructor is 20 years old.

The court is likely to pass an order today, on whether a bone marrow test should be conducted on the fifth accused to determine his exact age.

The barbarous assault prompted weeks of angry protests by thousands of people in Delhi and other cities, who demanded swift justice for Amanat, faster trials for rape cases, and harsher punishment for sexual crimes.

The 23-year-old medical student and her boyfriend boarded the bus, after they were led to believe that it was a charter bus, used commonly in Delhi as public transport.  They were then assaulted with an iron rod before the men allegedly took turns raping her, the police says. The couple was later thrown from the bus, and managed to escape an attempt by the men to run them over. 'Amanat' died two weeks later from the horrific injuries of her attack.

A committee of legal experts set up by the government to suggest amendments to existing laws submitted its report last week.  The commission, headed by Justice JS Verma, has asked for sweeping changes, but has not recommended the death penalty for rapists.  Instead, the panel suggests that the maximum sentence for rapists should be life imprisonment "which shall mean for the rest of the convict's natural life." Currently, convicts sentenced to life in prison are often released after 14 years in jail.

Wednesday 23 January 2013

Apple's iPhone disappointment fans doubt on growth

San Francisco: Apple Inc missed Wall Street's revenue forecast for the third straight quarter after iPhone sales came in below expectations, fanning fears that its dominance of consumer electronics is slipping.

Shares of the world's largest tech company fell 10 per cent to $463 in after-hours trade, wiping out some $50 billion of its market value - nearly equivalent to that of Hewlett-Packard and Dell combined.

On Wednesday, Apple said it shipped a record 47.8 million iPhones in the December quarter, up 29 per cent from a year earlier. But that lagged the 50 million that analysts on average had projected.

Expectations heading into the results had been subdued by news of possible production cutbacks by some component suppliers in Asia, triggering fears that demand for the iPhone, which accounts for half of Apple's revenue, and the iPad could be slowing. But some investors clung to hopes for a repeat of years of historical outperformance, analysts said.

"It's going to call into question Apple's dominance in the space. It's still one of the strong players, the others being Samsung and Google. It's still a two-horse race, but android continues to grow rapidly," said Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu.

"If you step back a bit, it's clear they shipped a lot of phones. But the problem is the high expectations that investors have. Apple's conservative guidance highlights the concerns over production cuts coming out of Asia recently."

Apple is forecasting revenue of $41 billion to $43 billion in the current, second fiscal year quarter, lagging the average Wall Street forecast of more than $45 billion.

Fiscal year first-quarter revenue rose 18 per cent to $54.5 billion, below the average analyst estimate of $54.73 billion, though earnings per share of $13.81 beat the Street forecast of $13.47, according to Thomson Reuters.

Apple also undershot revenue targets in the previous two quarters, and these results will prompt more questions on what Apple has in its product pipeline, and what it can do to attract new sales and maintain its growth trajectory, analysts said.

The net income of $13.07 billion was virtually flat with $13.06 billion a year earlier on higher manufacturing costs. The year-ago quarter also had an extra week compared to this year. Gross margins consequently slid to 38.6 per cent, from 44.7 per cent previously.

"You can't just keep rolling out iPhones and iPads and think that everybody needs a new one," said Jeffrey Gundlach, who runs DoubleLine Capital LP, the $53 billion bond firm. "The mini? What is that all about? It is a slightly smaller iPad - so what? So that is our new definition of innovation?"

"There are plenty of competitors like Samsung and other legitimate competitors like them," added Mr Gundlach, one of the highest-profile Apple bears. He maintains a $425 price target.

Taking into account the drop in shares in Wednesday's after-hours trading, Apple's stock is now down 34 per cent from its September record high and the company has lost about $227 billion in market value.
The shares of several of Apple's suppliers crumbled. Chip suppliers Skyworks and Cirrus Logic both fell more than 6 per cent. Qualcomm Inc slipped 1.8 per cent.

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Delhi gangrape impact: Justice Verma Committee to submit report on reform in anti-rape laws today

More than a month after the horrific Delhi gangrape-cum-murder, the Justice Verma Committee will submit its recommendations on reform measures in Indian anti-rape laws.

Shaken by the fury of the capital's angry youth and apparently needing promptings of Sonia Gandhi, a clueless Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde had announced the setting up of a three-member committee of eminent jurists to review the country's rape laws. The committee, comprising Justices (retd) J.S. Verma and Leila Seth and noted jurist Gopal Subramaniam, was to submit its report in 30 days.

The Committee was given a mandate to review existing legal options and suggest measures to strengthen such legislation to check crimes against women. The Committee was also asked to invite the views of citizens, NGOs, rights groups, activists and other stakeholders.


Keeping in mind the current case, the Committee was asked to review if enhanced punishment for aggravated or extreme assaults fell withing judicial bounds.

The Committee was also to recommend the validity of death sentences in rape cases and the increase of rape sentences to life.

Tuesday 22 January 2013

Google may soon replace passwords


LONDON: Search giant Google is set to kill off passwords and is experimenting with USB keys, mobile phones and even jewelry that can act as a physical 'key' to give users access to their account.

The firm's security experts including an Indian are set to publish their findings next month, the 'Daily Mail' reported.

In the upcoming issue of IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine, Google Vice President of Security Eric Grosse and engineer Mayank Upadhyay will detail what is basically a physical key with a 'smart chip' embedded inside it.

"Along with many in the industry, we feel passwords and simple bearer tokens such as cookies are no longer sufficient to keep users safe," the pair write in their paper, according to Wired.

To log, users simply place the tiny Universal Serial Bus (USB) drive into their computer.

The firm is also believed to be experimenting with wireless chips that are already built into some mobile phones, and can even be built in jewelry.

"We'd like your smartphone or smartcard-embedded finger ring to authorise a new computer via a tap on the computer, even in situations in which your phone might be without cellular connectivity," the team writes.

"One option uses a tiny USB key called a YubiKey. When the user plugs the key into a latop, they are automatically logged into all of their Google accounts - without ever having to type in a password," they explain.

"Another option uses a 'smartcard-embedded finger ring to authorise a new computer via a tap on the computer," they said.

The firm is also believed to be addressing the obvious problem with the system users losing their 'key' and is thought to be developing a simple system to replace them.

However, the pair admit that they will have to rely on websites to support the scheme.

"Others have tried similar approaches but achieved little success in the consumer world," they write.

"Although we recognise that our initiative will likewise remain speculative until we've proven large scale acceptance, we're eager to test it with other websites," they say.