Government to curb antibiotic abuse

New Delhi: To our special focus on People First - how can we stop the abuse of antibiotics and who's responsible for it - patients who take it without prescription or doctors who overprescribe strong medication?

The Drug Controller General of India on Friday brought in new rules to buy antibiotics. You will need two copies of a prescription - one which will be in the chemist’s custody. And two, a new schedule called HX will soon be added to the drugs and cosmetics act to keep a check on antibiotics and habit forming drugs.

Airports across the United States on high alert

Washington: Airports across the US are on high alert after two parcel bombs heading for the US from Yemen were intercepted in Britain and Dubai.

Both parcels contained an explosive called PETN. It is the same material used in the Christmas Day and shoe bomb attempts. The discoveries have prompted US authorities to screen cargo planes more thoroughly and tighten security at all US airports. US President Barack Obama has called this a 'credible terrorist threat'. The involvement of the Al Qaeda is being probed.

One of the suspicious packages was found at East Midlands Airport, about 160 miles north of London. The other was discovered at a FedEx Corp facility in Dubai.



Security officials in Britain and Dubai intercepted parcel bombs being sent from Yemen to the United States in a "credible terrorist threat," Obama said on Friday.

He said the parcels were bound for "two places of Jewish worship in Chicago."

Suspicion fell on Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, based in Yemen, which took responsibility for a failed plot to blow up a US passenger jet on Christmas Day in 2009.

"Initial examinations of those packages has determined that they do apparently contain explosive material," Obama told reporters in a televised briefing, calling it "a credible terrorist threat against our country."

The White House said earlier that "both of these packages originated from Yemen" and that Obama was notified of the threat on Thursday night.

One of the suspicious packages was found on a United Parcel Service cargo plane at East Midlands Airport, about 160 miles north of London. The other was discovered at a FedEx Corp facility in Dubai.

"As an additional safety measure, FedEx has embargoed all shipments originating from Yemen," said Maury Lane, a spokesman for the world's largest cargo airline. "The package never was on a FedEx aircraft. We don't fly to Yemen."

British police said an item found on the UPS plane was sent for further testing. CNN said it was an ink toner cartridge converted into a bomb.

Before Obama spoke, an FBI source had said that initial tests in Britain revealed no explosives.

An official source in the United Arab Emirates said, "An explosive device was found in the package that originated in Yemen" and that the parcel was similar to the one found in Britain.

In the United States, UPS planes were checked in New Jersey and Philadelphia. The Transportation Security Administration said they were searched "out of an abundance of caution."

Some analysts and US officials speculated that the suspicious parcels may have been a test of cargo screening procedures and the reaction of security officials.

"One possibility, if this is terrorism related, is that this may be a trial run," one US official said.

Intelligence about the possible plot had come from an ally abroad, the official said, without elaborating.

The US Department of Homeland Security said it was stepping up aviation security measures as a result of the scare. The British government said it was "too soon to say" whether it would follow suit but was "urgently considering" what steps to take about freight coming from Yemen.

The man accused of the failed Christmas Day bombing, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, has told US investigators he got the device and training from Al Qaeda militants in Yemen.

Religions and spirituality

Religions and spirituality

Close-up of a statue depicting Maitreya at the Thikse Monastery in Ladakh, India. Dharmic religions, such as Hinduism and Buddhism, are indigenous to India.[5]Main articles: Religion in India and Indian religions
India is the birth place of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, collectively known as Indian religions.[6] Indian religions, also known as Dharmic religions are a major form of world religions along with Abrahamic ones. Today, Hinduism and Buddhism are the world's third- and fourth-largest religions respectively, with over 2 billion followers altogether,[7][8][9] and possibly as many as 2.5 or 2.6 billion followers.[7][10] India is also the birthplace for the Sikh, Jain, Lingayat, and Ahmadiyya faiths.
India is one of the most religiously diverse nations in the world, with some of the most deeply religious societies and cultures. Religion still plays a central and definitive role in the life of most of its people.
The religion of 80% of the people is Hinduism. Islam is practiced by around 13% of all Indians.[11] Sikhism, Jainism and especially Buddhism are influential not only in India but across the world. Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Judaism and the Bahá'í Faith are also influential but their numbers are smaller. Despite the strong role of religion in Indian life, atheism and agnostics also have visible influence along with a self-ascribed tolerance to other people.

According to Eugene M. Makar, traditional Indian culture is defined by relatively strict social hierarchy. He also mentions that from an early age, children are reminded of their roles and places in society.[12] This is reinforced by the fact that many believe gods and spirits have an integral and functional role in determining their life.[12] Several differences such as religion divide the culture.[12] However, a far more powerful division is the traditional Hindu bifurcation into non-polluting and polluting occupations.[12] Strict social taboos have governed these groups for thousands of years.[12] In recent years, particularly in cities, some of these lines have blurred and sometimes even disappeared.[12] Important family relations extend as far as gotra, the mainly patrilinear lineage or clan assigned to a Hindu at birth.[12] In rural areas & sometimes in urban areas as well, it is common that three or four generations of the family live under the same roof.[12] The patriarch often resolves family issues.[12]

Main articles: Hindu joint family, Arranged marriage in India, and Women in India

A bride during a traditional Punjabi Hindu wedding ceremony.Family plays a significant role in the Indian culture. For generations, India has had a prevailing tradition of the joint family system. It is a system under which extended members of a family – parents, children, the children’s spouses and their offspring, etc. – live together. Usually, the eldest male member is the head in the joint Indian family system. He makes all important decisions and rules, and other family members abide by them.
For centuries, arranged marriages have been the tradition in Indian society. Even today, the vast majority of Indians have their marriages planned by their parents and other respected family-members, with the consent of the bride and groom. They also demand dowry, which has been outlawed by the Indian government, but Indian society and culture still promotes and maintains it. They get around by not letting the authorities know the arrangements of money. [13] Arranged matches are made after taking into account factors such as age, height, personal values and tastes, the backgrounds of their families (wealth, social standing), their castes and the astrological compatibility of the couples' horoscopes.
In India, the marriage is thought to be for life,[14] and the divorce rate is extremely low — 1.1% compared with about 50% in the United States.[15] The arranged marriages generally have a much lower divorce rate. The divorce rates have risen significantly in recent years:
"Opinion is divided over what the phenomenon means: for traditionalists the rising numbers portend the breakdown of society while, for some modernists, they speak of a healthy new empowerment for women."[16]

Cows depicted in the decorated goppuram of the Kapaleeshwarar temple in Chennai.See also: Wildlife of India, Animal husbandry in India, and Cattle in religion
The varied and rich wildlife of India has had a profound impact on the region's popular culture. Common name for wilderness in India is Jungle which was adopted by the British colonialists to the English language. The word has been also made famous in The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. India's wildlife has been the subject of numerous other tales and fables such as the Panchatantra and the Jataka tales.[17]
In Hinduism, the cow is regarded as a symbol of ahimsa (non-violence), mother goddess and bringer of good fortune and wealth.[18] For this reason, cows are revered in Hindu culture and feeding a cow is seen as an act of worship.[19]

Namaste, Namaskar or Namaskara or Namaskaram, Vanakkam or Sat Shri Akal is a common spoken greeting or salutation in the Indian subcontinent. Namaskar is considered a slightly more formal version than namaste but both express deep respect. It is commonly used in India and Nepal by Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs, and many continue to use this outside the Indian subcontinent. In Indian and Nepali culture, the word is spoken at the beginning of written or verbal communication. However, the same hands folded gesture is made usually wordlessly upon departure. Taken literally, it means "I bow to you". The word is derived from Sanskrit (namah): to bow, obeisance, reverential salutation, and respect, and (te): "to you". As explained by an Indian scholar, in literal terms Namaste refers to 'That which is of God in me bows to that which is of God in you'.

Radha and gopikas celebrating Holi, known as the "festival of colors".Main article: Festivals in India
India, being a multi-cultural and multi-religious society, celebrates holidays and festivals of various religions. The three national holidays in India, the Independence Day, the Republic Day and the Gandhi Jayanti, are celebrated with zeal and enthusiasm across India. In addition, many states and regions have local festivals depending on prevalent religious and linguistic demographics. Popular religious festivals include the Hindu festivals of Navratri, Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi, Durga puja, Holi, Rakshabandhan and Dussehra. Several harvest festivals, such as Sankranthi, Pongal and Onam,"Nuakhai" are also fairly popular.
Certain festivals in India are celebrated by multiple religions. Notable examples include Diwali, which is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains, and Buddh Purnima, celebrated by Buddhists and Hindus. Islamic festivals, such Eid ul-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and Ramadan, are celebrated by Muslims across India. Sikh Festivals , such as Guru Nanak Jayanti, Baiskhi are celebrated with full fanfare by Sikhs and Hindu. Adding colors to the culture of India, the Dree Festival is one of the tribal festivals of India celebrated by the Apatanis of the Ziro valley of Arunachal Pradesh, which is the easternmost state of India.
Indian names are based on a variety of systems and naming conventions, which vary from region to region. Names are also influenced by religion and caste and may come from the Indian epics. India's population speaks a wide variety of languages.

Main article: Cuisine of India

Chicken tikka, a popular tandoor dish.The multiple varieties of Indian cuisine are characterized by their sophisticated and subtle use of many spices and herbs. Each family of this cuisine is characterized by a wide assortment of dishes and cooking techniques. Though a significant portion of Indian food is vegetarian, many traditional Indian dishes also include chicken, goat, lamb, fish, and other meats.
Food is an important part of Indian culture, playing a role in everyday life as well as in festivals. Indian cuisine varies from region to region, reflecting the varied demographics of the country. Generally, Indian cuisine can be split into five categories — northern, southern, eastern, western and north-eastern. India is known for its love for food and spices. India has some of the best restaurants and cafes which can be easily explored at Foodiebay.com.
Despite this diversity, some unifying threads emerge. Varied uses of spices are an integral part of food preparation, and are used to enhance the flavor of a dish and create unique flavors and aromas. Cuisine across India has also been influenced by various cultural groups that entered India throughout history, such as the Persians, Mughals, and European colonists. Though the tandoor originated in Central Asia, Indian tandoori dishes, such as chicken tikka made with Indian ingredients, enjoy widespread popularity.[20]
Indian cuisine is one of the most popular cuisines across the globe.[21] Historically, Indian spices and herbs were one of the most sought after trade commodities. The spice trade between India and Europe led to the rise and dominance of Arab traders to such an extent that European explorers, such as Vasco da Gama and Christopher Columbus, set out to find new trade routes with India leading to the Age of Discovery.[22] The popularity of curry, which originated in India, across Asia has often led to the dish being labeled as the "pan-Asian" dish.[23]


North Indian women wearing sari. Consisting of three parts — a blouse, a petticoat and a long cloth — the sari is worn by women all over India.[24]Traditional clothing in India greatly varies across different parts of the country and is influenced immensely by local culture, geography and climate. Popular styles of dress include draped garments such as sari for women and dhoti or lungi for men; in addition, stitched clothes such as salwar kameez for women and kurta-pyjama and European-style trousers and shirts for men, are also popular.
In India, a person's social status is perceived to be symbolized by his or her attire. Indian dress etiquette discourages exposure of skin and wearing transparent or tight clothes.[25] Most Indian clothes are made from cotton which is ideal for the region's hot weather.[24] Since India's weather is mostly hot and rainy, majority of Indians wear sandals.[26]
Worn by women on their forehead, the bindi is considered to be a highly auspicious mark in Hindu religion.[27] Traditionally, the red bindi (or sindoor) was worn only by the married Hindu women, but now it has become a part of women's fashion. Some Indian traditions consider the bindi to be representative of the third eye.[28]
India's clothing styles have continuously evolved over the course of the country's history. Ancient Vedic texts mention clothes made from barks and leaves (known as phataka). The 11th century BC Rig-veda mentions dyed and embroidered garments (known as paridhan and pesas respectively) and thus highlights the development of sophisticated garment manufacturing techniques during the Vedic age.[29] In 5th century BC, Greek historian Herodotus describes the richness of the quality of Indian cotton clothes.[30] By 2nd century AD, muslins manufactured in southern India were imported by the Roman Empire and silk cloth was one of the major exports of ancient India along with Indian spices.[31] Stitched clothing in India was developed before 10th century AD and was further popularized in 15th century by Muslim empires in India.[31] Draped clothing styles remained popular with India's Hindu population while the Muslims increasingly adopted tailored garments.[32]
During the British Raj, India's large clothing and handicrafts industry was left paralyzed so as to make place for British industrial cloth. Consequently, Indian independence movement leader Mahatma Gandhi successfully advocated for what he termed as khadi clothing — light colored hand-woven clothes — so as to decrease reliance of the Indian people on British industrial goods.[33] The 1980s was marked by a widespread modification to Indian clothing fashions which was characterized by a large-scale growth of fashion schools in India, increasing involvement of women in the fashion industry and changing Indian attitudes towards multiculturalism. These developments played a pivotal role in the fusion of Indian and Western clothing styles.[34]
 Languages and literature
History
Main article: Indian literature

Rabindranath Tagore, a prominent Bengali novelist and poet and Asia's first Nobel laureate.[35]With its oldest core dating back to as early as 1500 BC,[36] the Rigvedic Sanskrit is one of the oldest attestations of any Indo-Iranian language, and one of the earliest attested members of the Indo-European language family, the family which includes English and most European languages.[37] Sanskrit has had a profound impact on the languages and literature of India. Hindi, India's most spoken language, is a "Sanskritized register" of the Khariboli dialect. In addition, all modern Indo-Aryan languages, Munda languages and Dravidian languages, have borrowed many words either directly from Sanskrit (tatsama words), or indirectly via middle Indo-Aryan languages (tadbhava words).[38] Words originating in Sanskrit are estimated to constitute roughly fifty percent of the vocabulary of modern Indo-Aryan languages,[39] and the literary forms of (Dravidian) Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.[38] Part of the Eastern Indo-Aryan languages, the Bengali language arose from the eastern Middle Indic languages and its roots are traced to the 5th century BC Ardhamagadhi language.[40][41]
Tamil, one of India's major classical languages, descends from Proto-Dravidian languages which was spoken around the third millennium BC in peninsular India. Tamil literature has existed for over two thousand years[42] and the earliest epigraphic records found date from around the third century BC.[43] Another major Dravidian language, Kannada is attested epigraphically from the mid-1st millennium AD, and literary Old Kannada flourished in the 9th to 10th century Rashtrakuta Dynasty. Pre-old Kannada (or Purava HaleGannada) was the language of Banavasi in the early Common Era, the Satavahana and Kadamba periods and hence has a history of over 2000 years.[44][45][46][47] The Ashoka rock edict found at Brahmagiri (dated to 230 BC) has been suggested to contain a word in identifiable Kannada.[48]
According to 2001 India census, Hindi is the most spoken language in India, followed by Bengali, Telugu, Marathi and Tamil.[49] In contemporary Indian literature, there are two major literary awards; these are the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship and the Jnanpith Award. Seven Jnanpith awards each have been awarded in Tamil, Kannada, six in Hindi, five in Bengali, four in Malayalam, three each in Marathi, Gujarati, Urdu and Oriya.[50]
Poetry
Main article: Indian poetry

Illustration of the Battle of Kurukshetra. With more than 74,000 verses, long prose passages, and about 1.8 million words in total, the Mahābhārata is one of the longest epic poems in the world.India has strong traditions of poetry ever since the ancient Rigveda (ṛgvedá), as well as prose compositions dating back to the Vedic civilization. Poetry is often closely related to musical traditions, and much of poetry can be attributed to religious movements. Writers and philosophers were often also skilled poets.
Throughout India's history, poetry has not only served spirituality and social reform goals, but has also served as a non-violent tool of nationalism and freedom. These traditions can be traced back to influential medieval Indian poets such as Basaveshwara (vachanas) , Kabīra and Purandara Dāsa (padas and devaranamas). Examples of influential poets during the modern era include Rabindranath Tagore, Kuvempu and K. S. Narasimhaswamy.
 Epics
The Rāmāyaṇa and the Mahābhārata are the oldest preserved and well-known epics of India. Versions have been adopted as the epics of Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. The Ramayana consists of 24,000 verses in seven books (kāṇḍas) and 500 cantos (sargas),[51] and tells the story of Rama (an incarnation of the Hindu preserver-god Vishnu), whose wife Sita is abducted by the demon king of Lanka, Ravana. This epic played a pivotal role in establishing the role of dhárma as a principal ideal guiding force for Hindu way of life.[52] The earliest parts of the Mahabharata text date to 400 BC[52] and is estimated to have reached its final form by the early Gupta period (ca. 4th c. AD).[53] Other regional variations of these, as well as unrelated epics include the Tamil Ramavataram, Kannada Pampa Bharata, Hindi Ramacharitamanasa, and Malayalam Adhyathmaramayanam. In addition to these two great Indian epics, there are five major epics in the classical Tamil language — Silappatikaram, Manimekalai, Civaka-cintamani, Valayapathi and Kundalakesi.
 Dance
Main article: Dance in India

A kuchipudi performer from Andhra Pradesh.Indian dance too has diverse folk and classical forms. Among the well-known folk dances are the bhangra of the Punjab, the bihu of Assam, the chhau of Jharkhand and Orissa, the ghoomar of Rajasthan, the dandiya and garba of Gujarat, the Yakshagana of Karnataka and lavani of Maharashtra and Dekhnni of Goa. Eight dance forms, many with narrative forms and mythological elements, have been accorded classical dance status by India's National Academy of Music, Dance, and Drama. These are: bharatanatyam of the state of Tamil Nadu, kathak of Uttar Pradesh, kathakali and mohiniattam of Kerala, kuchipudi of Andhra Pradesh, manipuri of Manipur, odissi of the state of Odisha and the sattriya of Assam.[54][55]
[edit] Drama and theater
Main article: Theatre in India
Indian drama and theater has a long history alongside its music and dance. Kalidasa's plays like Shakuntala and Meghadoota are some of the older plays, following those of Bhasa. One of the oldest surviving theatre traditions of the world is the 2,000 year old Kutiyattam of Kerala. It strictly follows the Natya Shastra.[56] Nātyāchārya Māni Mādhava Chākyār is credited for reviving the age old drama tradition from extinction. He was known for mastery of Rasa Abhinaya. He started to perform the Kalidasa plays like Abhijñānaśākuntala, Vikramorvaśīya and Mālavikāgnimitra; Bhasa's Swapnavāsavadatta and Pancharātra; Harsha's Nagananda.[57][58]
 Music
Main article: Music of India
The music of India includes multiple varieties of religious, folk, popular, pop, and classical music. The oldest preserved examples of Indian music are the melodies of the Samaveda that are still sung in certain Vedic Śrauta sacrifices. India's classical music tradition is heavily influenced by Hindu texts. It includes two distinct styles: Carnatic and Hindustani music.

Panchavadyam temple music in Kerala.The earliest account of Indian musical hymns is found in the 1000 BC Sāmaveda.[59] It proposed a tonal structure consisting of seven notes, which were named, in descending order, as Krusht, Pratham, Dwitiya, Tritiya, Chaturth, Mandra and Atiswār. These refer to the notes of a flute, which was the only fixed frequency instrument. Both the Hindustani classical music and the Carnatic classical music systems are based on the melodic mode (known as Rāga), sung to a rhythmic cycle or tala. These principles were refined in the nātyaśāstra (200 BC) and the dattilam (300 AD).[60]
Purandaradasa is considered the "father of carnatic music" (Karnataka sangeeta pitamaha).[61][62][63] He concluded his songs with a salutation to Lord Purandara Vittala and is believed to have composed as many as 475,000 songs in the Kannada language.[64] However, only about 1000 are known today.[61][65]
Prominent contemporary Indian musical forms include filmi and Indipop. Filmi refers to the wide range of music written and performed for mainstream Indian cinema, primarily Bollywood, and accounts for more than 70 percent of all music sales in the country.[66] Indipop is one of the most popular contemporary styles of Indian music which is either a fusion of Indian folk, classical or Sufi music with Western musical traditions.[67]
 Visual arts
Main article: Indian art
[edit] Painting
Main article: Indian painting

The Jataka tales from Ajanta Caves.The earliest Indian paintings were the rock paintings of pre-historic times, the petroglyphs as found in places like Bhimbetka, some of which go back to the Stone Age. Ancient texts outline theories of darragh and anecdotal accounts suggesting that it was common for households to paint their doorways or indoor rooms where guests resided.
Cave paintings from Ajanta, Bagh, Ellora and Sittanavasal and temple paintings testify to a love of naturalism. Most early and medieval art in India is Hindu, Buddhist or Jain. A freshly made coloured flour design (Rangoli) is still a common sight outside the doorstep of many (mostly South Indian) Indian homes. Raja Ravi Varma is one the classical painters from medieval India.
Madhubani painting, Mysore painting, Rajput painting, Tanjore painting, Mughal painting are some notable Genres of Indian Art; while Nandalal Bose, M. F. Husain, S. H. Raza, Geeta Vadhera, Jamini Roy and B.Venkatappa[68] are some modern painters. Among the present day artists, Atul Dodiya, Bose Krishnamacnahri, Devajyoti Ray and Shibu Natesan represent a new era of Indian art where global art shows direct amalgamation with Indian classical styles. These recent artists have acquired international recognition. Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai, Mysore Palace has on display a few good Indian paintings.
 Sculpture

The 5th century Buddhist vishvakarma cave at Ellora, Maharashtra.Main article: Sculpture in India
The first sculptures in India date back to the Indus Valley civilization, where stone and bronze figures have been discovered. Later, as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism developed further, India produced some extremely intricate bronzes as well as temple carvings. Some huge shrines, such as the one at Ellora were not constructed by using blocks but carved out of solid rock.
Sculptures produced in the northwest, in stucco, schist, or clay, display a very strong blend of Indian and Classical Hellenistic or possibly even Greco-Roman influence. The pink sandstone sculptures of Mathura evolved almost simultaneously. During the Gupta period (4th to 6th century) sculpture reached a very high standard in execution and delicacy in modeling. These styles and others elsewhere in India evolved leading to classical Indian art that contributed to Buddhist and Hindu sculpture throughout Southeast Central and East Asia.
Main article: Indian architecture

Considered to be an "unrivaled architectural wonder",[69] the Taj Mahal in Agra is a prime example of Indo-Islamic architecture.Indian architecture encompasses a multitude of expressions over space and time, constantly absorbing new ideas. The result is an evolving range of architectural production that nonetheless retains a certain amount of continuity across history. Some of its earliest production are found in the Indus Valley Civilization (2600–1900 BC) which is characterised by well planned cities and houses. Religion and kingship do not seem to have played an important role in the planning and layout of these towns.
During the period of the Mauryan and Gupta empires and their successors, several Buddhist architectural complexes, such as the caves of Ajanta and Ellora and the monumental Sanchi Stupa were built. Later on, South India produced several Hindu temples like Chennakesava Temple at Belur, the Hoysaleswara Temple at Halebidu, and the Kesava Temple at Somanathapura, Brihadeeswara Temple, Thanjavur, the Sun Temple, Konark, Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam, and the Buddha stupa (Chinna Lanja dibba and Vikramarka kota dibba) at Bhattiprolu. Angkor Wat, Borobudur and other Buddhist and Hindu temples indicate strong Indian influence on South East Asian architecture, as they are built in styles almost identical to traditional Indian religious buildings.

The Umaid Bhawan Palace in Rajasthan, one of the largest private residences in the world.[70]The traditional system of Vaastu Shastra serves as India's version of Feng Shui, influencing town planning, architecture, and ergonomics. It is unclear which system is older, but they contain certain similarities. Feng Shui is more commonly used throughout the world. Though Vastu is conceptually similar to Feng Shui in that it also tries to harmonize the flow of energy, (also called life-force or Prana in Sanskrit and Chi/Ki in Chinese/Japanese), through the house, it differs in the details, such as the exact directions in which various objects, rooms, materials, etc. are to be placed.
With the advent of Islamic influence from the west, Indian architecture was adapted to allow the traditions of the new religion. Fatehpur Sikri, Taj Mahal, Gol Gumbaz, Qutub Minar, Red Fort of Delhi are creations of this era, and are often used as the stereotypical symbols of India. The colonial rule of the British Empire saw the development of Indo-Saracenic style, and mixing of several other styles, such as European Gothic. The Victoria Memorial or the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus are notable examples.
Indian architecture has influenced eastern and southeastern Asia, due to the spread of Buddhism. A number of Indian architectural features such as the temple mound or stupa, temple spire or sikhara, temple tower or pagoda and temple gate or torana, have become famous symbols of Asian culture, used extensively in East Asia and South East Asia. The central spire is also sometimes called a vimanam. The southern temple gate, or gopuram is noted for its intricacy and majesty.
Contemporary Indian architecture is more cosmopolitan. Cities are extremely compact and densely populated. Mumbai's Nariman Point is famous for its Art Deco buildings. Recent creations such as the Lotus Temple, and the various modern urban developments of India like Chandigarh, are notable.

Main article: Sports in India

The annual snake boat race is performed during Onam Celebrations on the Pamba River at Aranmula near Pathanamthitta.India's official national sport is field hockey and the Indian field hockey team won the 1975 Men's Hockey World Cup and 8 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze medals at the Olympic games. However, cricket is by far the most popular sport; the India national cricket team won the 1983 Cricket World Cup and the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, and shared the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy with Sri Lanka. Domestic competitions include the Ranji Trophy, the Duleep Trophy, the Deodhar Trophy, the Irani Trophy and the Challenger Series. In addition, BCCI conducts the Indian Premier League, a Twenty20 competition.
India is the host of 2010 Commonwealth Games, played in New Delhi. It hosted a spectacular display of Indian culture and heritage to the entire world during the opening ceremony of the games.
Chess is commonly believed to have originated in northwestern India during the Gupta empire,[71][72][73][74] where its early form in the 6th century was known as chaturanga. Other games which originated in India and continue to remain popular in wide parts of northern India include kabaddi, gilli-danda, and kho kho. Traditional southern Indian games include snake boat race and kuttiyum kolum.
Main article: Indian martial arts

Kalarippayattu, one of the oldest and most prominent forms of Indian martial arts.One of the best known forms of ancient Indian martial arts is the Kalarippayattu from Kerala. This ancient fighting style originated in southern India in 12th century BC and is regarded as one of the oldest surviving martial arts.[75] In this form martial arts, various stages of physical training include ayurvedic massage with sesame oil so as to impart suppleness to the body (uzichil), a series of sharp body movements so as to gain control over various parts of the body (miapayattu) and complex sword fighting techniques (paliyankam).[76] Silambam, which was developed around 200 AD, traces its roots to the Sangam period in southern India.[77] Silambam is unique among Indian martial arts because it uses complex footwork techniques (kaaladi) including a variety of spinning styles and a bamboo staff is used as the main weapon.[77] The ancient Tamil Sangam literature mentions that between 400 BC and 600 AD, soldiers from southern India received special martial arts training which revolved primarily around the use of spear (vel), sword (val) and shield (kedaham).[78]
In northern India, the musti yuddha evolved in 1100 AD and focussed on mental, physical and even spiritual training.[79] In addition, the Dhanur Veda tradition was an influential fighting arts style which considered the bow and the arrow to be the supreme weapons. The Dhanur Veda was first described in the 5th century BC Viṣṇu Purāṇa[75] and is also mentioned in both of the major ancient Indian epics, Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata. A distinctive factor of Indian martial arts is the heavy emphasis laid on meditation (dhyāna) as a tool to remove fear, doubt and anxiety.[80]
Indian martial arts techniques have had a profound impact on other martial arts styles across Asia. The 3rd century BC Yoga Sutras of Patanjali taught how to meditate single-mindedly on points located inside one's body, which was later used in martial arts, while various mudra finger movements were taught in Yogacara Buddhism. These elements of yoga, as well as finger movements in the nata dances, were later incorporated into various martial arts.[81] According to some historical accounts, Indian Buddhist monk Bodhidharma was one of the main founders of the Shaolin Kungfu.[82]

Main article: Television in India
See also: List of Indian television stations
Indian television started off in 1959 in New Delhi with tests for educational telecasts.[83] Indian small screen programming started off in the mid 1970s. At that time there was only one national channel Doordarshan, which was government owned. 1982 saw revolution in TV programming in India, with the New Delhi Asian games, India saw the colour version of TV, that year. The Ramayana and Mahabharat were some among the popular television series produced. By the late 1980s more and more people started to own television sets. Though there was a single channel, television programming had reached saturation. Hence the government opened up another channel which had part national programming and part regional. This channel was known as DD 2 later DD Metro. Both channels were broadcasted terrestrially.
In 1991, the government liberated its markets, opening them up to cable television. Since then, there has been a spurt in the number of channels available. Today, Indian silver screen is a huge industry by itself, and has thousands of programmes in all the states of India. The small screen has produced numerous celebrities of their own kind some even attaining national fame for themselves. TV soaps are extremely popular with housewives as well as working women, and even men of all kinds. Some lesser known actors have found success in Bollywood. Indian TV now has many of the same channels as Western TV, including stations such as Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, HBO, FX, and MTV India.

Main article: Cinema of India

Shooting of a Bollywood dance number.Bollywood is the informal name given to the popular Mumbai-based film industry in India. Bollywood and the other major cinematic hubs (in Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Punjabi and Telugu) constitute the broader Indian film industry, whose output is considered to be the largest in the world in terms of number of films produced and number of tickets sold.
India has produced many critically acclaimed cinema-makers like K.Vishwanath, Bapu ,Jagdaman Grewal, Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Guru Dutt, K. Vishwanath, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Girish Kasaravalli, Shekhar Kapoor, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Shankar Nag, Girish Karnad, G. V. Iyer,etc. (See Indian film directors). With the opening up of the economy in the recent years and consequent exposure to world cinema, audience tastes have been changing. In addition, multiplexes have mushroomed in most cities, changing the revenue patterns.

Culture of India

India's languages, religions, dance, music, architecture and customs differ from place to place within the country, but nevertheless possess a commonality. The culture of India is an amalgamation of these diverse sub-cultures spread all over the Indian subcontinent and traditions that are several millennia old.[2]
Regarded by some historians as the "oldest living civilization of Earth", the Indian tradition dates back to 8,000 BC[3] and has a continuous recorded history for over 2,500 years.[4] Several elements of India's diverse culture — such as Indian religions, yóga and Indian cuisine — have had a profound impact across the world.

Dubai In 1960

The Mysterious Socotra Island (Indian Ocean)

The Worlds most expensive Car Maybach Exelero

The Maybach Exelero was first introduced by German car manufacturer Maybach in 2005. This two-seater vehicle is said to be the fastest car in the world with a top speed of 351 km/hr. This luxury car is priced at a whopping $8,000,000 USD. At that price it can be safely assumed that you have to be unbelievably wealthy to even fathom buying this baby. If you just happen to win the lottery over and over and think that you can finally lay your hands on a Maybach, I’d suggest you spend that money in acquiring a vacation home in at least three continents along with a Mercedes S-class sedan to accessorize each home. But, if you happen to be P. Diddy, then nothing should stop you from buying this insanely expensive beauty for your 16 year old son’s birthday! However, you do not need to have any money to enjoy these beautiful photos of the Maybach Exelero and I’d suggest a good nap after to drive this dream car.

Paris picture special: Hot new cars coming soon

Audi A1 1.4 TFSI S Line
On sale date: 2011
We thought it would be called the S1, but Audi proved us wrong. The hottest A1 yet is known as the A1 1.4 TFSI S Line - which is a bit of a mouthful. Even so, it features a 183bhp 1.4-litre engine, which makes it capable of 0-62mph in 6.9 seconds, and a top speed of 141mph.


BMW X3
On sale date: November
The latest BMW X3 impressed us when we drove it earlier in the year in pre-production format. It's much more spacious than the outgoing model and better looking. Prices are lower, it's better to drive and you get more for your money.

Pakistani office-goers waste maximum time on Facebook

Facebook is right on top of the list of activities on which office-goers in Pakistan waste their time, a survey said on Friday. The Daily Times undertook a survey to find out how Pakistanis kill time in office. It showed that besides gossiping on the office premises, there are a slew of web-based applications that people are hooked to.
Among these, Facebook tops the list of office time wasters, the survey showed.
Earlier, people wasted time through the MSN Messenger. But over the years other chatting softwares have been developed.
Now, Twitter, online video games and popular video search engine Youtube are among the top office time wasters.
With the advent of mobile internet and BlackBerry phones, accessing these web applications is not difficult at all, the media report said.
Employees, who admitted that they use Facebook, said there was no harm in it as long as they did their work on time.
Khurram Fayyaz, an employee at an advertising agency, said Facebook had become as important as checking email.
"I myself play video games when I feel bored and check my Facebook account and almost all of my colleagues do the same, except for the ones that are above 50," he was quoted as saying.
Choreographer and painter Shiraz Malik said that Facebook isn't just a tool to remain connected with friends or to socialise.
Facebook is the first to come up with an interface that allows users to chat, post comments, upload pictures and form a network of friends depending on their hobbies and similar characteristics due to which people are turning towards it, he said.

NASA finds new hot spot near exoplanet

In a new study by the NASA team operating the infrared Spitzer Space Telescope a warm spot has been seen in the atmosphere of a ‘hot Jupiter’ exoplanet. The gas-giant planet, named upsilon Andromedae b, orbits tightly around its star, with one face perpetually boiling under the star’s heat. It belongs to a class of planets termed hot Jupiters, so called for their scorching temperatures and large, gaseous constitutions.
One might think the hottest part of these planets would be directly under the Sun-facing side, but previous observations have shown that their hot spots may be shifted slightly away from this point. Astronomers thought that fierce winds might be pushing hot, gaseous material around.
But the new finding may throw this theory into question. Using Spitzer, an infrared observatory, astronomers found that upsilon Andromedae b’s hot spot is offset by a whopping 80 degrees. Basically, the hot spot is over to the side of the planet instead of directly under the glare of the Sun.
“We really didn’t expect to find a hot spot with such a large offset,” said Ian Crossfield, lead author of a new paper about the discovery appearing in an upcoming issue of Astrophysical Journal. “It’s clear that we understand even less about the atmospheric energetics of hot Jupiters than we thought we did.”
The results are part of a growing field of exoplanet atmospheric science, pioneered by Spitzer in 2005, when it became the first telescope to directly detect photons from an exoplanet, or a planet orbiting a star other than our Sun. Since then, Spitzer, along with NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, has studied the atmospheres of several hot Jupiters, finding water, methane, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide

Quick Tips to Quit Smoking

According to a recent report by the Times of India, 275 million Indians are hooked on to tobacco. What's more, one in every four female smokers smokes her first stick before she turns 15. Shocking, isn't it?

If you are one of those who's struggling to kick the butt for a while, here are a few tips you can use to quit smoking:
Believe in yourself. Being positive about your ability to quit is half the battle won. Your confidence and willpower will help you stay away from the stick when temptation strikes.
Take up healthy habits like working out and meditation. This will help you de-stress, improve your focus and help you stick to your goal.
Kick the butt gradually. Don't buy a pack. Buy cigarettes as and when you feel the urge to smoke. If you buy a pack, you will end up smoking it all even if you don't want to.
Rope in a friend to quit with you and make a pact with him/her. Quitting with someone you know is effective as you can motivate each other and monitor each other's progress.
Eat small meals through the day so that you are not hungry for long and stay slim too! A lot of smokers turn to smoking to kill hunger. It is important to keep yourself hydrated too. So gulp down at least eight glasses of water and other fluids like juices and buttermilk.
Keep yourself busy. You are more likely to go for a ciggie-chai break either when you have too much to do or nothing at all. So strike a balance and keep yourself occupied, but don't overdo it.
Chew mint/gum when you feel the urge to light up. Opt for sugar free ones to keep your pearly whites healthy. Psst…chewing gum gives your facial muscles a workout and keeps those wrinkles away!
If you have friends who smoke, ask them not to smoke when you are around. Or don't join them when they step out to smoke. Social smoking makes you want to smoke more.
Do you have any more tips on how to quit smoking? Leave us a comment and let us know.

China unveils its own version of Google Earth

Fri, Oct 22 08:10 AM
A Chinese government body has released its own online mapping service, designed to compete with Google Earth's popular satellite mapping service, that could spell more trouble for Google's services in the mainland.
Google and China have been at odds since last year, when a serious hacking attack originating from China prompted Google to ultimately withdraw its search service from the mainland.
"Map World" was unveiled by the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping on Thursday, and can be accessed via http://www.tianditu.cn/. The home page features an expansive view of the Great Wall of China, capped by clouds in the shape of the continents.
Google had not applied for a Web mapping licence in China, the English-language paper said, but Google's mapping service is accessible from computers on the mainland.
Regulations issued by the bureau in May required companies providing online map and location services to apply for a licence. In order to apply, firms would have to keep map servers storing data within the country.
Google said at the time that it was studying the new rules, which gives China the right to shut down providers that fail to qualify for a licence.
Google's video-sharing site YouTube and photo service Picasa are both blocked in China, and its Google docs application is sometimes difficult to access. Searches originating in China are now directed to its search engine based in Hong Kong.
Google does not keep servers in mainland China.
At least some of Map World's high-resolution images of central Beijing appear to have been taken on Oct 1, 2009, when streets were cleared for the tanks and floats of the National Day Parade, which are visible on the street.
Map World only provides high-altitude images outside China, with the other side of the Chinese-North Korean border a stark white blank once a certain resolution is passed. Other countries also turn up a blank page at close resolution.
Taiwan, which China claims as a renegade province, cannot be viewed at the same resolution as the mainland.
Much mapping in China is still subject to state-secrecy restrictions, creating headaches for mining companies unable to source high-resolution deposit maps, and even for hikers

BCCI should have shown ''little more fairness'': Shilpa

Thu, Oct 21 09:05 PM
Mumbai, Oct 21 (PTI) Bollywood actress and Rajasthan Royals co-owner Shilpa Shetty today said the BCCI should have treated them with "little more fairness" before taking the decision to terminate the franchise and made it clear that they are ready to face any enquiry in this regard. A distressed Shilpa, who ownes Indian Premier League''s first edition''s champion Rajasthan team along with husband Raj Kundra, questioned the BCCI''s move and said they would be more than happy to know if there was any mistake on their part.

"We don''t want to hurl stones and have not done something wrong. Even if we have done something wrong, I think, as a franchise.

the passion we have done it with, we need to be treated with a little more fairness," Shilpa said. "In any business if you have defaulted, you have to pay for that and compensate.

Just throwing us is not a solution. If we have irked (anyone), we are willing to face the consequences.

But you can''t just cancel us out," Shilpa told Times Now. Royals, along with Kings XI Punjab, was expelled from the IPL last Sunday for alleged violations of rules, with seven years of their 10-year contract still to go.

Shilpa also demanded a fair probe into the whole incident and said they would extend every help in this regard. "There has to be a transparent enquiry.

We will be more than happy to do all it takes to help the ED (Enforcement Directorate) to come up with a solution. So we are not running away from that.

We have invested so much time, money and passion to bring the brand upto a certain level. "We have a lot of respect for BCCI, they are a charitable institution, the members are doing their best for cricket.

But we also don''t want our brand to be affected," she said. Asked about the alleged irregularities in their ownership pattern, Shilpa said that the BCCI was fully aware about her husband Raj Kundra''s introduction into the franchise.

"When you buy into a team, five per cent of the money goes to the BCCI and they have accepted Raj''s money. And if there was a problem with the owner, why would they accept the money?" she asked.

"Why this question is coming up after two years?" The actor said that they had already discussed the matter with the Board but chose not to reveal any detail. "We had our dialogue directly with the BCCI and we like it to be private.

We are shocked and taken aback with the whole fiasco that has happened with us," said Shilpa, who tweeted earlier today to express her feelings.

Demand for too much sex is cruel, grounds for divorce: SC

NEW DELHI: Persistent demand for excessive sex causing injury can be ground for seeking divorce, the Supreme Court has ruled.
Dealing with the undefined term "cruelty" under Section 13 of the Hindu Marriage Act, which provides grounds for divorce, a Bench comprising Justices P Sathasivam and B S Chauhan said the onus was on the one seeking divorce to prove with evidence that a particular conduct of the other partner had caused him/her cruelty.
The ruling came on a plea by an aggrieved husband.
While dealing with the whole gamut of what can be called "cruelty", entitling a spouse to move court for divorce, the Bench said even a single act of violence which was of grievous and inexcusable nature could fit the definition.
"Persistence in inordinate sexual demands or malpractices by either spouse can be cruelty if it injures the other spouse," said Justice Sathasivam, who wrote the judgment for the Bench.
However, a few isolated instances of cruelty over a certain period of time would not amount to cruelty as married life should be assessed as a whole, the Bench said while rejecting one Gurbux Singh's appeal seeking divorce on the ground of cruelty.
"Making certain statements on the spur of the moment and expressing displeasure about the behaviour of elders may not be characterised as cruelty. Mere trivial irritation, quarrels, normal wear and tear of married life which happens in day to day life in all families would not be adequate for grant of divorce on the ground of cruelty," the Bench clarified.
Having failed to prove cruel behaviour of his wife, Singh tried to impress the apex court to grant him divorce saying the marriage had broken down irretrievably as he and his wife were living separately since 2002 and there was no chance of their reunion.
The Bench said divorce has to be granted strictly under the grounds provided in Section 13 of Hindu Marriage Act though the apex court might have dissolved marriage on account of irretrievable breakdown in one case.

Five New Frightening Types of Cyberattacks

Oct. 18) -- Worried about e-mails that appear to be from your bank but could well be part of a phishing scam? That may soon be the least of your problems. With concerns about cyberattacks on the rise, computer security experts are looking ahead to what they think might be the next wave of attacks.
What they find is that everything from your car to your computer webcam is vulnerable to attack. Here are five new types of attacks:
1) Social Network Attacks: Malware that steals your e-mail contacts, passwords and other personal information is old news. But a new technical paper by a group of Israeli researchers says the cybersecurity community is ignoring a new, more insidious type of attack: one that preys on your entire social network, working to slowly pilfer information about your behavior and life.
Dubbed "stealing reality," these types of attacks, the researchers argue, are more insidious because the "victim of a 'behavioral pattern' theft cannot easily change her behavior and life patterns."
"Most likely those attacks are currently happening," lead author Yaniv Altshuler, a research scientist at Ben Gurion University, told AOL News.
Altshuler says the market for this sort of information already exists. "And If there is a buyer, there is a seller," he added.
2) Attacks on Cars: Today's automobiles often come equipped with the equivalent of advanced computer systems, which means that like your home computer, they could be vulnerable to attack. In a new paper, researchers at the University of Washington and the University of California, San Diego, say they have demonstrated "the ability to adversarially control a wide range of automotive functions and completely ignore driver input -- including disabling the brakes, selectively braking individual wheels on demand, stopping the engine, and so on."
Everything from your car's wireless tire-pressure sensors to its stolen-vehicle tracking and recovery system provides opportunities for hackers to gain control of your vehicle without you even knowing.
3) Medical Devices: Today, wireless pacemakers can send your doctor or hospital real-time data on your heart, showing just how far medical devices have come with the help of modern electronics. But with that new technology comes a new threat: the possibility of someone hacking into your medical device or injecting malicious code that disrupts the lifesaving device. Prosthetic limbs, wireless pacemakers and other implantable medical devices might all be at risk.
"This is very real -- the bad guys would buy the pieces and just work on them a little bit," Greg Hoglund, who heads HBGary, a computer security company, told an audience earlier this year at a Northern California Hospital Cyberterrorism Seminar. "It's amazing someone hasn't pulled this off yet."
4) Hacking Your Webcam: Watch out for the light on your computer that shows the webcam is on, even after you think you've turned it off. It could be a Trojan computer program operating the camera, taking pictures or even video, and sending it over the Internet without your knowledge. For those who leave their laptops on and open, that's the equivalent of having Big Brother in your bedroom or office without you knowing.
There are already cases of this happening, for example, in Germany. "A man has been arrested for spying on more than 150 girls in their bedrooms by hacking into their computers and using their webcams to watch them, provoking warnings that others will be doing the same thing," DPA, the German press agency, reported earlier this year.
5) Smart Phone Attacks: Most consumers worried about cyberattacks associate the threat with their home PCs or laptops. So they often think nothing of downloading applications to their smart phones, which often contain just as much personal information as their home computers.
"Nobody's making money at the moment with mobile security," said Mikko Hypponen, the chief research officer of Finland's F-Secure, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. "But all the players assume that sooner or later we will see a major outbreak or some other major event that will change the situation forever."

2012 Apocalypse -- Postponed

The end of the world is coming! Or here, maybe. Or did it already happen?
It's a good news/bad news situation for believers in the 2012 Mayan apocalypse. The good news is that the Mayan calendar may not end on Dec. 21, 2012 (and, by extension, the world may not end along with it). The bad news for prophecy believers? If the calendar doesn't end in December 2012, no one knows when it actually will -- or if it has already.
A new critique, published as a chapter in the new textbook "Calendars and Years II: Astronomy and Time in the Ancient and Medieval World" (Oxbow Books, 2010), argues that the accepted conversions of dates from Mayan to the modern calendar may be off by as much as 50 or 100 years. That would throw the supposed and overhyped 2012 apocalypse off by decades and cast into doubt the dates of historical Mayan events. (The doomsday worries are based on the fact that the Mayan calendar ends in 2012, much as our year ends on Dec. 31.)
The Mayan calendar was converted to today's Gregorian calendar using a calculation called the GMT constant, named for the last initials of three early Mayanist researchers. Much of the work emphasized dates recovered from colonial documents that were written in the Mayan language in the Latin alphabet, according to the chapter's author, Gerardo Aldana, University of California, Santa Barbara professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies.
Later, the GMT constant was bolstered by American linguist and anthropologist Floyd Lounsbury, who used data in the Dresden Codex Venus Table, a Mayan calendar and almanac that charts dates relative to the movements of Venus.
He took the position that his work removed the last obstacle to fully accepting the GMT constant," Aldana said in a statement. "Others took his work even further, suggesting that he had proven the GMT constant to be correct."
But according to Aldana, Lounsbury's evidence is far from irrefutable.
"If the Venus Table cannot be used to prove the FMT as Lounsbury suggests, its acceptance depends on the reliability of the corroborating data," he said. That historical data, he said, is less reliable than the Table itself, causing the argument for the GMT constant to fall "like a stack of cards."
Aldana doesn't have any answers as to what the correct calendar conversion might be, preferring to focus on why the current interpretation may be wrong. Looks like end-of-the-world theorists may need to find another ancient calendar on which to pin their apocalyptic hopes.

Jean Claude Van Damme Reportedly Hospitalized After Minor Heart Attack

Movie action hero Jean Claude Van Damme suffered a heart attack Tuesday on the New Orleans set of his latest film "Weapon," Twitchfilm reported.
The 50-year-old Belgian was taken to the hospital after suffering a "minor heart attack," and it appears he will make a full recovery, the website reported.

Too Little Too Late: Obama's Proposed $250 Rebate to Seniors Unlikely to Sway Election, Analysts Say

President Obama and Democrats have proposed a $250 rebate to seniors who are not getting a cost-of-living increase in their Social Security benefits for the second year in a row, but critics are suggesting the promised pay-out is merely intended to sway the senior vote -- and likely won't even succeed in that, with the midterm election two weeks away.

 

Iran Gets 'Role' in Afghan Talks Despite Alarm Over Weapons

Two weeks after Afghan authorities intercepted a shipment of Iranian weapons meant for the Taliban, the Obama administration invites diplomats from Iran to NATO conference in Rome to discuss way forward in Afghanistan.

Gold vending ATMs may become a reality in India

Sun, Oct 17 10:09 AM
New Delhi, Oct 17 (PTI) Indians might soon get a chance to buy gold from ATMs, as Germany's Ex Oriente Lux AG is in talks with Indian entities for setting up gold dispensing automated machines in India.
Ex Oriente Lux AG, which also operates an online shop for the yellow metal, is the maker of gold vending machines.
A company official said that talks are going on with interested entities in India to set up gold dispensing ATMs in the country.
"We are currently in talks with many interested parties from all over the world, also from India... the door is still open for further applications," the Ex Oriente Lux AG's Director (PR & Marketing) Joe Dreixler told PTI from Germany.
However, the official did not provide details about the ongoing talks.
The Gold ATM, known as 'Gold to go', made its debut in Abu Dhabi earlier this year. It can issue up to ten different products and their real time prices are updated every ten minutes, according to the company's website.
Other features include the option to see a selected product before making the purchase decision.
Currently, such ATMs are there in four countries -- the UAE (Abu Dhabi), Germany, Italy and Spain. Most of these machines are located in Germany.
"At this stage, we have nine machines on air (in use). Further, locations to be opened soon," Dreixler said.
Going by the website, "Gold to go originated as an opportunity born out of the turmoil of the financial crisis".
Ever since the global financial meltdown in 2008-09, gold prices have been on the rise, as more investors are seeing the yellow metal as a safe investment.
According to the official, response to these ATMs have been overwhelming.
"Thomas Geissler's -- inventor of the world's first gold vending machine and CEO of Ex Oriente Lux AG -- motivation is to make it easier for normal consumer to purchase precious metals in safe and easy way and at fair prices," Dreixler added.'

Kasab throws tantrums in court, wants to attend personally

Tue, Oct 19 03:22 PM
Mumbai, Oct 19 (PTI) Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving Pakistani terrorist involved in the 26/11 attacks, today threw tantrums by making angry gestures at policemen during hearing in the Bombay High Court on confirmation of his death sentence. A smiling Kasab suddenly got angry with policemen at Arthur Road jail and was seen on the video screen put up in the court arguing with policemen.
23-year-old Kasab could not, however, be heard as the audio system was not working. Towards the end of the first session, Kasab spat at the camera and said in an aggressive tone "Main aana chahata hoon (I want to come to the court).
" The division bench, comprising Justice Ranjana Desai and Justice R V More, had left the court room by then for lunch. Earlier, after the hearing began, Kasab urged the Judges to allow him to attend the court personally instead of appearing through video conference.
"Madam, main court mein aana chahata hoon" (Madam, I want to come to the Court), Kasab said after seeking permission to go to the washroom. Justice Desai told him that the bench would hear him later and asked him to leave for the washroom.
However, after some time Kasab grew restless and picked up an argument with policemen which was not audible because of fault in the audio system

Love is a powerful painkiller

London, Oct 14 (IANS) Intense romantic love is like a drug and can be as effective as morphine in relieving pain, says a new study.
Passions triggered by the early flushes of a relationship block physical pain in a similar way to painkillers and drugs.
Scientists in the US tested the theory on a group of male and female university students who were in the passionate early stages of a love affair.
They were shown photos of their partners while a computer-controlled heat probe placed in the palms of their hands delivered mild doses of pain, reports The Telegraph.
At the same time, the students had their brains scanned by a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine.
The study showed that feelings of love, triggered by seeing a photo of one's beloved, acted as a powerful pain killer.
Focusing on a photo of an attractive acquaintance rather than a relationship partner did not have the same benefit.
The scans revealed that the effects of love could be compared with those of morphine and cocaine, both of which target the brain's 'reward centres'.
Sean Mackey, study leader at Stanford University Medical Centre in California, said: 'When people are in this passionate, all-consuming phase of love, there are significant alterations in their mood that are impacting their experience of pain.

ANIBin Laden, deputy, living in luxury in northwest Pak protected by ISI: NATO official

Mon, Oct 18 03:45 PM
Kabul, Oct 18 (ANI): The world's most wanted terrorist and Al-Qaeda's top leadership, Osama bin Laden, and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, are believed to be hiding close to each other in houses in northwest Pakistan, but are not together, a senior NATO official has said.
"Nobody in al Qaeda is living in a cave," the CNN quoted the official, as saying, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the intelligence matters involved.
Rather, they are believed to be living in relative comfort, protected by locals and some members of the Pakistani intelligence services, the official added.
The official said that the general region where Laden is likely to have moved around in recent years ranges from the mountainous Chitral area in the far northwest near the Chinese border, to the Kurram Valley which neighbours Afghanistan's Tora Bora, one of the Taliban strongholds during the US invasion in 2001.
He also confirmed the US assessment that Mullah Omar, the leader of the Taliban, had moved between the cities of Quetta and Karachi in Pakistan over the last several months.
However, he would not discuss how the coalition had come to know any of this information, but he had access to some of the most sensitive information in the NATO alliance, the channel said.
Meanwhile, responding to the report, Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said that similar reports of Laden and Omar's whereabouts had proven false in the past.
Malik denied that the two men were on Pakistani soil, but added that any information about the contrary should be shared with the country's officials so that they can take "immediate action" to arrest the duo.
Pakistan has repeatedly denied protecting members of the al Qaeda leadership. (ANI)

Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai among world's fastest-growing cities

Fri, Oct 15 11:10 AM
Washington, Oct 15 (IANS) Three Indian cities - Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Chennai - have been listed among the world's fastest-growing cities by Forbes magazine. It also called Gujarat the 'most market-oriented and business-friendly' among Indian states.
'The urban powerhouses of the next decade aren't behemoths like New York or Mumbai, but smaller cities like Chongqing, China; Santiago, Chile; and Austin, Texas,' it says shifting its focus from established global centres like New York, London, Paris, Hong Kong or Tokyo.
While 'China's bold urban diversification strategy hinges both on forging new transportation links and nurturing businesses in interior cities,' Forbes says 'India, although not by plan, also is experiencing a boom in once relatively obscure cities.'
'Its rising urban centers include Bangalore (home of Infosys and Wipro), Ahmedabad (whose per-capita incomes are twice that of the rest of India) and Chennai (which has created 100,000 jobs this year). Many of India's key industries - auto manufacturing, software and entertainment - are establishing themselves in these cities.'
'The growth of India and China also creates opportunity for other emerging players, particularly in Southeast Asia by creating markets for goods and services as well as investment capital.'
Forbes describes Ahmedabad as 'the largest metropolitan region in Gujarat, perhaps the most market-oriented and business-friendly of Indian states.'
Noting that Gujarat's policies helped lure away the new Tata Nano plant from West Bengal to Sanand, one of Gurajat's exurbs, it cites one Indian academic, Sedha Menon, as comparing the state - which has developed infrastructure more quickly than its domestic rivals - with Singapore and parts of Malaysia.
Many big players in tech and services - Goldman Sachs, Cisco, HP as well as India-based giants like Tata - have located operations in Bangalore, notes Forbes.
'But the city also boasts home-grown tech giants Infosys and Wipro, which each have over 60,000 employees worldwide.'
But with Bangalore's population projected to reach 9.5 million by 2025, 'maintaining Bangalore's advantage over smaller, less congested cities could prove a challenge,' it says.
Chennai, projected to reach a population of 10 million by 2025, 'has so far this year created over 100,000 jobs - more than any other Indian city outside of the much larger Delhi and Mumbai,' Forbes says.
'Chennai's metropolitan area is taking full advantage of India's soaring industrial sector, particularly the booming automobile sector. Electronics, led by Dell, Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Siemens, Sony and Foxconn, are also booming. Chennai is home to India's second-largest entertainment industry, behind Mumbai.'

China knocks at India’s door with rail link

ew Delhi: China last month began work on extension of the world's highest rail link, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, to Xigaze, the second largest city in Tibet.
The move has caused unease in New Delhi, as the rail link would now be closer than ever to China’s border with Nepal.
As per a report in a leading daily, the Chinese establishment, side-by-side, is also working on extending the rail link upto Nyangtri, which is situated on the border with Arunachal Pradesh. Beijing has long been claiming this area as its own.
 
While staking claim to some parts of Arunachal Pradesh as part of the Nyangtri or Nyingchi prefecture, the Chinese are also planning to build the largest dam in the world here, apart from diverting the Brahmaputra northwards.
As per the plan, China will extend the rail link to Xigaze near Tibet's border with Nepal south-west from Lhasa, while the line to Nyangtri will extend towards Arunachal in the south-east.

Why is New Delhi particularly concerned about the rail link extension upto Arunachal? The reason: China reportedly earlier this year, for the first time ever, transported "combat readiness material" meant for the PLA Air Force to the Tibet region through the rail link. According to the PLA Daily, Beijing carried out its first major parachute exercise in Tibet to demonstrate its capability to rapidly send troops on the world's highest plateau.

Team India banking on crowd support to win hockey gold

New Delhi : Already assured of their maiden medal in the Commonwealth Games, a confident India will be hoping to ride on home support to seek a major upset against world champions and three-time gold medallists Australia in the final of the men`s hockey event at the Commonwealth Games, here Thursday .
The Indians have already scripted history by ensuring themselves at least a silver medal since hockey`s introduction in the Games in the 1998 Kuala Lumpur edition after beating
England 5-4 via tie-breaker in a dramatic second semi-final Tuesday.
Thursday title clash also gives India a great opportunity to avenge their identical 2-5 loss to the mighty Kookaburras during the pool stages as well as during the World Cup held at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here, earlier this year.
A win on Thursday will not only give eight-time Olympic champions India it`s first-ever Commonwealth Games gold but will also do wonders for the national game, which is battling hard to redeem its lost pride.
The Indians are also on a roll as, after being piped to the corner in the preliminary stage, they made a remarkable comeback and defeated Pakistan 7-4 in their must-win final pool match to make it to the semis.
In the semifinal against ever-improving England, India displayed a lion-hearted performance and came back from two goals deficit to win the encounter 5-4 in the penalty shoot out.
In both the crucial matches against Pakistan and England, the Indians were helped by a packed, vociferous crowd who screamed their heart out to support the home team. And
Australia too, India would be hoping a similar atmosphere if not less which will give them that extra advantage.
Even India coach Jose Brasa admitted that crowd support will play a big role in deciding India`s fortune in this tournament.
"It is incredible to play in front of such a crowd. People here understand their hockey. They know when to cheer and shout," Brasa had said.
England captain barry Middleton after their semifinal defeat had said, "Crowd or no crowd, Australians are too strong for any other teams in this competition."
When Brasa was told about English captain`s remark, he gave a curt reply. "I don`t agree with him."
Talking about the Australia game, Brasa had said on Tuesday , "We take one match at a time and cross the bridge when it comes."
However Brasa was quick to caution after England victory that it`s too early to say that Indians are right up there among the top nations.
"Our first aim is to be among the top six hockey playing nations in the world. And yes, we are improving and climbing up the ladder gradually," Brasa said.
In both their last two matches, the Indians displayed smart, fast-paced hockey with their midfield and forwardline combining well to create chances.
The Rajpal Singh-led side also used the flanks to perfection in both the matches. However, defence still remains a major concern.
In a nutshell, India will have to dish out a far-more improved performance against the Kookaburras, who, if given a chance, will not waste a single opportunity to kill their
opponents.
What is most heartening for India is that against England India?s all three goals came from field play. But star-dragflicker Sandeep Singh once again disappointed with
short corners and against Australia, he cannot afford to misfire.
But all said and done, Australia belong to a different league and are enjoying a dream run under coach Ric Charlesworth as they have won every major international tournament this season, including the World Cup held at the same venue and Champions Trophy in Germany.
The Kookaburras are the hot favourites to clinch the gold and their dominance can be gauged from the fact that they have not lost a single match in the Commonwealth Games since hockey`s debut in 1998.
And going by their reputation, Australia would be determined to make it four gold in a row, which will stamp their authority among the Commonwealth nations which plays
hockey.
With a mixture of youth and experience in their ranks, the Australians sailed into the final of the Delhi Games with comfortable victories over their opponents, barring a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Pakistan in the pool stages.
However, one thing which might go against the Aussies in the summit clash is heat. To the dislike of Australia coach Charlesworth, the gold medal match would be played during the daytime under sweltering weather conditions.
India have got fair amount of rest compared to us. We have played four matches in five days time under these extreme conditions but India is yet to play during the day time,?
Charlesworth had said.
It is very hard to be consistent in those conditions but we have the fitness to counter these conditions,? He concluded.

India wins UNSC seat with highest votes in 5 yrs

New York: With 187 votes in its bag, India has received the highest number of votes for getting into the United Nations Security Council in the past five years, according to Indian diplomat.
Hardeep Singh Puri, India's envoy to the UN, described this as a "ringing endorsement".
"This is the highest vote that any country has got in the last five years," he said. "Now that's saying a lot."
 
Out of the 190 countries that voted, India received 187 votes.
After the vote in the General Assembly last morning, the diplomats of the Indian mission to the UN celebrated by opening a couple of bottles of champagne and serving a lunch of spicy Chinese food.
India, which is a founding member of the UN, is returning to the Security Council after a gap of 19 years.
It has been on the Council six times before, having last served in 1992.
Other countries to be elected are South Africa, Colombia, Germany and Portugal.
Canada, which was also contending, received the least number of votes and eventually withdrew after the second round of voting.
The five new countries will be replacing Austria, Japan, Mexico, Turkey and Uganda.
Three of the new members are part of the G4 (India, Brazil, Japan and Germany), which want to become permanent members.

After the vote, India made it clear that it would be pushing for change in the next two years as it serves out it term as a non-permanent member.
"Not only are we entering the council but we're entering the council when inter-governmental text based negotiations are underway and those text based negotiations are expected to progress for a final outcome in the next twelve months," Puri said.
The Indian envoy asserted that countries like Brazil and South Africa "are expected to utilise their tenure as non-permanent members in order to facilitate longer-term permanent membership for themselves while their serving this terms."
While India, South Africa, and Colombia were not challenged by any other country from their region, the two seats of the Western European and Others Group were contested between Portugal, Germany and Canada.
Germany made it in the first round of voting with 128 votes, just enough to scrape through, while Canada received the least number of votes and eventually withdrew after the second round of voting.
Puri did not comment on Canada's performance except to draw a parallel between the 1996 vote when India failed to make the cut and was trailing behind the Japan in the election.
"It took us more than a decade to overcome the trauma of our experience in 1996," he said.
"In successive rounds of voting Canada realised that it was not mustering the votes...it did what was honourable... it withdrew... what the impact of that is going to be I really don't know... lets wait and see."
Without answering which countries India voted for, Puri said that New Delhi was happy that Portugal and Germany had joined the Council.
Also present in the General Assembly Hall during the vote was veteran Congressman, Vidya Charan Shukla, who also served as India's Foreign Minister.
Shukla also asserted that the vote today indicated that India enjoyed support for a longer stint on the Council.
"I felt very elated and happy because this will show how strong we are as a candidate for the permanent membership," he said. "The way people voted for us, it strengthens our case for permanent membership."

Responding to Germany's performance, which just made the cut, Shukla said, "Germany is also candidate for permanent membership but this kind of victory weakens their case for permanent membership."
Pointing out that UN member-states know about India's aspiration for permanent membership, Puri noted that the high number of votes indicated widespread support for its presence on the international stage.
"That is a clear and unmistakable signal that India and its role is not only acknowledged but respected by the international community," he said, adding "what is important is that you win the election not by a comfortable margin but by a massive margin."
India will begin serving its two year term in January 2011.
PTI

 New York: With 187 votes in its bag, India has received the highest number of votes for getting into the United Nations Security Council in the past five years, according to Indian diplomat.
Hardeep Singh Puri, India's envoy to the UN, described this as a "ringing endorsement".
"This is the highest vote that any country has got in the last five years," he said. "Now that's saying a lot."
 
Out of the 190 countries that voted, India received 187 votes.
After the vote in the General Assembly last morning, the diplomats of the Indian mission to the UN celebrated by opening a couple of bottles of champagne and serving a lunch of spicy Chinese food.
India, which is a founding member of the UN, is returning to the Security Council after a gap of 19 years.
It has been on the Council six times before, having last served in 1992.
Other countries to be elected are South Africa, Colombia, Germany and Portugal.
Canada, which was also contending, received the least number of votes and eventually withdrew after the second round of voting.
The five new countries will be replacing Austria, Japan, Mexico, Turkey and Uganda.
Three of the new members are part of the G4 (India, Brazil, Japan and Germany), which want to become permanent members.

After the vote, India made it clear that it would be pushing for change in the next two years as it serves out it term as a non-permanent member.
"Not only are we entering the council but we're entering the council when inter-governmental text based negotiations are underway and those text based negotiations are expected to progress for a final outcome in the next twelve months," Puri said.
The Indian envoy asserted that countries like Brazil and South Africa "are expected to utilise their tenure as non-permanent members in order to facilitate longer-term permanent membership for themselves while their serving this terms."
While India, South Africa, and Colombia were not challenged by any other country from their region, the two seats of the Western European and Others Group were contested between Portugal, Germany and Canada.
Germany made it in the first round of voting with 128 votes, just enough to scrape through, while Canada received the least number of votes and eventually withdrew after the second round of voting.
Puri did not comment on Canada's performance except to draw a parallel between the 1996 vote when India failed to make the cut and was trailing behind the Japan in the election.
"It took us more than a decade to overcome the trauma of our experience in 1996," he said.
"In successive rounds of voting Canada realised that it was not mustering the votes...it did what was honourable... it withdrew... what the impact of that is going to be I really don't know... lets wait and see."
Without answering which countries India voted for, Puri said that New Delhi was happy that Portugal and Germany had joined the Council.
Also present in the General Assembly Hall during the vote was veteran Congressman, Vidya Charan Shukla, who also served as India's Foreign Minister.
Shukla also asserted that the vote today indicated that India enjoyed support for a longer stint on the Council.
"I felt very elated and happy because this will show how strong we are as a candidate for the permanent membership," he said. "The way people voted for us, it strengthens our case for permanent membership."
Responding to Germany's performance, which just made the cut, Shukla said, "Germany is also candidate for permanent membership but this kind of victory weakens their case for permanent membership."
Pointing out that UN member-states know about India's aspiration for permanent membership, Puri noted that the high number of votes indicated widespread support for its presence on the international stage.
"That is a clear and unmistakable signal that India and its role is not only acknowledged but respected by the international community," he said, adding "what is important is that you win the election not by a comfortable margin but by a massive margin."
India will begin serving its two year term in January 2011.
PTI

Top 5 women's health concerns

Blame it on changing lifestyle or lesser body resistance; women's growing health issues are catching everyone's eyes. And while there's li'l that's being done to avoid them, we look at five of the most common health problems that women today are dealing with:
1. Breast Cancer: One of the most growing problems among women, which is responsible for 1 per cent of deaths worldwide, is breast cancer.
Says Dr Ashok Vaid, senior oncologist, Medanta Medicity, " Breast cancer is definitely one of the most common problems with women today. While there's no one cause that can be ascertained as to why it hits one, science does understand some issues related with it. The main reason is the paradigm shift in lifestyle. Things like late marriage, delay in having the first child, less breast feeding, problems of over-weight and genetic factors, all make for a variety of reasons that heighten the risk of breast cancer in women."
"So while timely regular check-ups could help one detect it fast, to avoid it completely, a change in lifestyle is recommended. Like breast feeding should be promoted, regular exercise to keep weight under control, eat fruits that produce antioxidants – basically have a healthy lifestyle to avoid any health problem."

2. Stroke: Women today are affected with strokes.
Dr YK Jalote, physician and cardiologist, explains, "Diabetes and hypertension are the two most common causes of stroke. Also junk food, lack of exercise, excessive work pressure and no-diet control are the other reasons. As to why women are getting affected with it, is because in households where women are not working, their health is usually ignored till an emergency comes up. While working women get so busy juggling home and careers that they give but li'l attention to their health leading to problems like hypertension."
As for the cure, Dr Jalote, says, "While there's nothing that one can do to avoid acquiring the problem of hypertension, proper medication, diet control and exercise definitely help one in controlling it. Also, regular check-ups can avoid any untoward health issue."
3. Polycistic Ovarian Disease: Polycystic ovary disease is yet another issue that has come up to be one of the most common female endocrine disorders affecting about 5 to 10 per cent of women of reproductive age, which is anything between 12-45 years. It is a condition in which there are many small cysts in the ovaries, which can affect a woman's ability to conceive.
Says Dr Sushma Dhawan, gynecologist, "I have so many women right from adolescents to women in their 40s coming with this problem. The foremost symptom of one acquiring this problem is irregular, light or no periods. Others could be acne, excess growth of hair on the body, hair loss, infertility, weight gain or obesity and high insulin. Timely check-ups can prevent this from increasing. Right medical treatment can treat this disease and women can conceive."

4. Female Sexual Arousal Disorder (FSAD): Sex is an important part of one's life. But often the common problem shared among women is the issue of no sexual arousal despite their wanting to have sex.
Explains Dr Rajan Bhonsle, Hon Prof and HOD of Sexual Medicines at KEM Hospital and GS Medical College, Mumbai, "It's a common problem but reasons could lie in any of the four stages of sex. The four stages broadly are: desire at the brain level, erection or arousal at the body level, penetration and lastly, the orgasm. Problem at any of these stages may lead to what we call FSAD.
In the first stage, the problem could be woman suffering with very low or very high sexual desire, or perverted desire which could lead to a mismatch between the levels desired by the man and woman and hence the problem in arousal.
In the second stage, one could face the problem of body not responding to the sexual desire. There's no lubrication, perhaps because the glands are infected or damaged. Or may be the man is not giving a proper foreplay to his woman. Direct penetration will never allow any lubrication. Also, painful penetration prevents lubrication too.
In the penetration stage, the probable issue is that of an intact hymen, very narrow vaginal canal, inborn penetration phobia, vagina going into high spasms as soon as penetration happens.
Lastly, in the orgasm stage, there are cases where all the above three stages are being fulfilled and yet the woman is unable to reach an orgasm. Here too, the problem lies all in the art of making out. More than often, the woman is not totally involved or she believes that the man is the active partner who will make her reach the orgasm stage, while she's the passive. But that's a myth. Sex is like a buffet and it's meant for both the partners to take part in it equally. Besides this, other common reasons could be her man using shabby ways to make out, man's body not being attractive, he perspires a lot, she dislikes him, or she believes sex is dirty. Not just these, any issue bothering a woman which could even be related to her work place or relatives, would mean a disturbed mind and hence lack of involvement in the act of sex. All of this amounts to no orgasm.

5. Weight gain : A woman is always fat by her standards. Leaving that aside, the tendency of most Indian women to put on weight easily, especially after marriage is something that needs a low down.
"Lack of exercise and heavy binging is all that one needs to check to stay in shape," says Dr Rajan Bhonsle, on this. "Married or unmarried, a proper diet and exercise is the only key to good body. As for the most cited reason for women putting on weight after marriage – that is sex, it's a complete myth. The reasons lie in the complacency that sets in women. Marriage is a new feeling, they are in a happy state, husband gives them too much attention and all this excitement leads to women secreting the 'feel good' hormones that lead to weight gain. It's easier for working women to stay fit and shapely due to the running about that they need to do. Housewives, who're mostly relaxing and enjoying at home, are bound to be complaining of the weight gain problem."

All About The New Nokia C7

General 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 
3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 
Announced 2010, September
Status Available. Released 2010, October
Size Dimensions 117.3 x 56.8 x 10.5 mm, 64 cc 
Weight 130 g
Display Type AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 360 x 640 pixels, 3.5 inches
  - Nokia ClearBlack display
- Proximity sensor for auto turn-off
- Accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate
Sound Alert types Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
Speakerphone  Yes
  - 3.5 mm audio jack
Memory Phonebook Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall
Call records Detailed, max 30 days
Internal 8 GB storage, 256 MB RAM, 1 GB ROM
Card slot microSD, up to 32GB, buy memory
Data GPRS Class 32
EDGE Class 32
3G HSDPA, 10.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 2 Mbps
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth Yes, v3.0 with A2DP
Infrared port No
USB Yes, microUSB v2.0, USB On-the-go support
Camera Primary 8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, fixed focus, dual-LED flash
Features Geo-tagging, face detection
Video Yes, 720p@25fps, video stabilization
Secondary Yes, VGA
Features OS Symbian^3 OS
CPU ARM 11 680 MHz processor, 3D Graphics HW accelerator
Messaging SMS, MMS, Email, Push Email, IM
Browser WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML, RSS feeds
Radio Stereo FM radio, FM transmiter
Games Yes + downloadable
Colors Charcoal black, Frosty metal, Mahogany brown
GPS Yes, with A-GPS support; Ovi Maps 3.0
Java Yes, MIDP 2.1
  - Web TV
- TV-out
- Digital compass
- Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
- MP3/WMA/WAV/eAAC+ player
- MP4/H.264/H.263/WMV player
- Quickoffice document viewer (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF)
- Adobe Reader
- Flash Lite 4.0
- Voice memo/dial/command
- T9
Battery   Standard battery, Li-Ion 1200 mAh (BL-5K)
Stand-by Up to 552 h (2G) / Up to 648 h (3G)
Talk time Up to 9 h 30 min (2G) / Up to 5 h (3G)
Music play Up to 54 h

Pooniya leads clean sweep of discus medals, Vijender shocked

New Delhi: The much-hyped Indian boxing squad, led by Olympic medal winner Vijender Singh, flopped but the unheralded athletics contingent exceeded expectations when Krishna Pooniya led an unprecedented clean sweep of all the women`s discus medals in the Commonwealth Games on Monday.
Pooniya led a historic Indian 1-2-3 by hurling the disc to 61.51m and became the country`s first woman in 52 years to win the gold on a day the Games was rocked by its first doping scandal when woman`s 100m champion gold medallist Osayemi Oludamola of Nigeria returned a positive test for a banned stimulant.
Pooniya is the second Indian athlete after Milkha Singh (1958, Cardiff) to garner a gold in track and field events and her title enabled the country to equal its previous-best gold medal haul in Games history. The country had won 30 gold at Manchester eight years ago.
She swept the discus event with Harwant Kaur (60.66m) and national record holder Seema Antil (58.46m) bagging the silver and bronze to lift the host country`s tally in athletics to a record seven.
However, the story that emerged from the boxing ring was disappointing with Vijender and three others biting the dust in the semis and settling for the bronze.
The consolation was the entry of southpaw Suranjoy Singh (52kg), Manoj Kumar (64kg) and Paramjit Samota (+91kg) into the finals after winning their semi final bouts.
Suranjoy reached the gold medal round defeating Haroon Iqbal of Pakistan, Manoj Kumar made the title round edging out Valentino Knowles of Bahamas and Samota outpunched F A Junior of Tonga.
The shock defeat of hot title favourite Vijender led the Indians to lodge a protest with the event`s officialdom after the referee penalised the Indian star towards the fag end of the bout when he led narrowly.
Amandeep Singh (49kg), Asian champion Jai Bhagwan (60kg) and Dilbag Singh (69kg) also lost their semi final bouts and had to be content with bronze medals.
Women rifle shooters Tejaswini Sawant and Meena Kumari also grabbed the bronze in the women`s 50 metres rifle prone event after logging one point less than the gold and silver medalists.
World champion Tejaswini and her partner combined forces to aggregate 1168 points and stood one behind Scotland pair Jen McIntosh-Kay Copland as well as England duo Michelle Smith-Sharon Lee.
The tie between the two British teams for the top spot was separated by the count-back method with the Scots hitting the bull`s eye more times than the English girls.
Tejaswini, India`s first world champion in shooting on the distaff side, shot 583 while Meena accumulated 585 to help India gain their 25th medal from the Dr Karni Singh range. The shooters` gold tally stood at 13.
The other major story of the day was the positive dope test, the first of the Games, by Nigerian Oludamola who tested positive for stimulant methylhexaneamine and was placed under provisional suspension pending a test of her `B` sample.
CGF President Michael Fennell announced in the morning press conference that it was the first positive dope case to have come out here and that under anti-doping rules of the Games she had been handed a provisional suspension.
"Under anti-doping procedures she has been notified and she has requested for a `B` sample testing. The `B`sample testing will be done today and her hearing will also be held today," Fennell said.
Asked whether the gold medal has been taken back from the Nigerian, the CGF chief said, "At the moment no decision has been taken about the medal. She has been put under provisional suspension."
The gold Oludamola won came in dramatic circumstances when Australian Sally Pearson was stripped of her medal in the women`s 100m sprint for a false start.
The Nigerian had crossed the finish line in second place behind the Aussie woman and was later awarded the gold when Pearson was punished for jumping the gun.
Pooniya`s epoch-making athletics gold, the three silver and six bronze medals won today boosted India`s tally to 30-23-27 which kept the host nation firmly entrenched in the no. 2 spot behind Australia.
In third spot were England, who did not add to their overnight gold haul of 26 and have also scooped up 47 silver and 34 bronze medals. Canada (23-15-26) were in fourth position.
India have aimed to end the Games on October 14 in second place.