India, Canada reach civil nuclear agreement

India and Canada today concluded negotiations on a civil nuclear cooperation with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper describing the development as a "milestone" opening up "tremendous opportunity" for the two countries.

The negotiations were firmed up at a meeting between Singh and Harper here on the sidelines of Commonwealth Summit.

Canada, which is the world's largest producer of uranium, has become the eighth country with which India has reached civil nuclear agreement since the NSG lifted a 34-year-old ban on India to join global nuclear trade in September last year.

The other countries with which India has already signed the civil nuclear deal are the US, France, Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Argentina and Namibia.

The Canadian Prime Minister was in New Delhi on November 17 when the two countries had announced that they are working to complete the civil nuclear deal.

Singh said "the civil nuclear agreement is a very important step forward, a milestone for the development of our relationship."

Pointing out that the civil nuclear agreement with Canada was hanging fire for sometime, he said Harper "proved to be absolutely true to his words" as he had said the negotiations should be complete in a short period of eight to ten days.

"I thank the Prime Minister (Harper) from the core of my heart for having expedited this process beyond my expectations. It augurs extremely well for the development of our relation," Singh said.

Harper pointed out he had discussed the civil nuclear agreement issue with Singh when he was in Delhi earlier this month.

"Prime minister and I agreed that it should be brought to a conclusion very rapidly," he said.

Singh said "we have discussed ways and means of expanding the content of our relationship, to widen it and to deepen it in every possible way."

He said "India's needs for nuclear energy are enormous and we need a lot more energy to make our development process a success."

Harper said "increased collaboration with India's civil nuclear energy market will allow Canadian companies to benefit from greater access to one of the world's largest and fastest expanding economies".

"We have now got an agreement which means this is a tremendous opportunity for both countries," he said.

The agreement will allow Canadian firms to export and import controlled nuclear materials, equipments and technology to and from India, a statement issued by Harper's office said.

"We will be seeking a little bit of time to complete the normal legal text and the ratification process. But this is a tremendous economies step forward and tremendous step forward in our relationship," Harper said.

Next Tata group head could be an expat

According to Ratan Tata

Could India's most respected corporate group, a brand name synonymous with economic nationalism, come to be headed by an expatriate? It's possible, acording to Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata.

In an interview to US daily Wall Street Journal, the 71-year-old Tata said he didn't rule out a foreigner as his successor. "It would certainly be easier if that candidate were an Indian national. But now that 65% of our revenues come from overseas, it could also be an expatriate sitting in that position -- with justification, now that we are a company that has global reach and global presence," he said. Tata is due to retire in 2012.

"We are in the process of formalising a successor to me. We have some outside consultants and a formal search process is on. There are no constraints. We are looking both within the organization and outside. The successor, I would hope, would have integrity and our value systems in the forefront and... carry on the path that we have tried to set for the company's growth," he added.

Tata expressed the hope that "there would not be a major disagreement in the way that we have operated... In terms of who that successor might be, it could be he or she, it could be an internal or an external candidate."

The question of a possible successor for Ratan Tata has often cropped up. He has consistently said that he would like a younger person, ideally in his 40s, who should get at least 18 months to two years as the designated successor before taking over.

At one stage, there was talk that Ratan Tata might be succeeded by Keki Dadiseth, then chairman of Hindustan Lever, which was belied after Dadiseth went on to become a director at Unilever. Since then, there has been speculation about the prospects of Noel Tata, Ratan Tata's half-brother, with Cyrus Mistry -- the son of construction magnate Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry -- also being mentioned as a possible contender. However, Ratan Tata's interview would seem to have introduced a whole new dimension to the succession race.

The Tata group has 98 companies with combined annual revenues of $71 billion (about Rs 350,000 crore) and 357,000 employees. Set up in 1868, it has only once been headed by a non-Tata -- Sir Nowroji Saklatvala, who joined the group as a clerk in 1899 and rose through the ranks to eventually head it.

The single largest shareholder in Tata Sons, the group's holding company, is Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry, who has an over 18% stake. The reclusive billionaire gave up his Indian citizenship in 2007 to become an Irish citizen. His son, Cyrus Mistry, 41, serves on the board of Tata Sons, while his son-in-law, Noel Tata, is CEO of Tata Group company Trent.

Reeling in top netbooks

It’s the hottest tech sector around, but which of these five extra-portable laptops should you not throw back? From the Godfathers of the netbook market to the latest entrant, five of them have shown up for in our nets

Aspire One 531

A big leap forward from the original Aspire One and still decent value

The original Acer Aspire One was one of the best value netbooks around, with a few shortcomings that you overlooked because it cost about the same as a packet of Pop

Tarts. With the new Aspire One 531, Acer has planed off the rough edges and trimmed the device down to a svelte and streamlined finish, without having to raise the cost to

any outrageous degree. Boasting Intel’s newer Atom N280 CPU and a larger, brighter 10.1-inch screen than its predecessor, the 531 pulls away from the netbook throng, but

there’s still evidence of Acer’s budget thinking. The keyboard, one of the original Aspire One’s strongest features, is now a sore point. The keys are generally cramped, with

some squashed to microscopic proportions. It doesn’t leave it unusable, but it does leave it short of its test rivals here. As a minor consolation, the trackpad has received a much needed overhaul and now offers exactly the kind of precision and speed that you need from such a diminutive laptop. Acer has also loaded the 531 with plenty of connectivity. As well as three USB ports, G-class Wi-Fi, ethernet and Bluetooth, you get integrated GPRS and 3G, allowing for on-the-go browsing. Like several other netbooks here, the 531’s Achilles’ heel is its feeble, three-cell battery, which serves up three hours of use per charge. Using the 3G modem a lot runs it down even quicker, which is poor. What’s the point of being able to surf on a mobile data connection if you’re tethered to the mains? That aside, though, a fine effort.

LOVE Sleek, streamlined look. Quality trackpad. 3G connection built in. Still reasonably priced despite upgrades

HATE Cramped keyboard. Weak battery life reduces its portability greatly

WE SAY This skinny netbook is a perfect upgrade to the original Aspire One, with

improvements on almost every front

Samsung N310

Superb design and keyboard outweigh a slightly older processor Samsung’s latest is by far the most distinctivelooking netbook to date. With Japanese artist Naoto Fukasawa lending his hand to the aesthetics, this bubbly little device will certainly get noticed.

There’s a practical side to the design too, with the rubbery outer shell able to laugh off a few knocks and scrapes, saving you the cost and faff of a fiddly protective case.

Beneath that iconic exterior there’s a rather more bog-standard mix of tech, with an Intel Atom processor – an N270 rather than the more modern N280 – 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive. The mediocre, 10.1-inch, 1,024×600-pixel screen lacks much of the vibrancy and gloss of rival netbooks, with colours looking a little bleached. On the other hand, blacks are deep and dark, making this a good one for reading text. Reinforcing the feeling that this is one for the networkers and bloggers, the “pebble” keyboard on the N310 is second to none. Spanning the full width of the case and offering few concessions

to its reduced size, the keys have an excellent travel and feel. The Samsung N310 is also fully loaded with three USB ports. You’d better be reasonably practiced at typing without seeing what’s coming up on screen, though. The clam-like casing prevents the screen from tilting back as far as we’d like, making viewing tricky in more cramped

confines such as public transport. Despite that, if you’ve fallen in love with the N310’s look, you needn’t let the old school processor and poor battery put you off. For cool kids of all ages, this is an eye-catching option in more ways than one.

LOVE Brilliant keyboard. Head-turning design. Good contrast on screen, although colour reproduction is poor

HATE The price seems a trifle high, given the below-par spec

WE SAY This netbook looks and feels great, but it’s not one for those addicted to high specifications

Sony Vaio W Series

A Vaio that can actually be described as good value, with a superb screen. Sony sat out the first year of the low-cost laptop explosion, and then launched the P-Series, an “ultraportable” PC that cost a bomb. The plan didn’t work out, as it’s now launched the W Series, the first Vaio to admit to being a netbook. The awesome, X-Black LCD screen is what sets the W Series apart. This 10.1-incher is by far the

best on test, offering deeper blacks and richer colours than you’ll fi nd on any other netbook. The 1,366×768 resolution adds enough detail to make browsing websites

and documents easy, slashing the amount of scrolling you have to do. Under the bonnet, an Atom N280 processor and N, high-speed Wi-Fi inch it toward the upper

end of the netbook scale, before the paltry three-cell battery drags it back to the middle of the road. You’ll struggle to get three hours of battery life out of the W. The absence of the P-Series’ Xross Media Bar, instant-on boot mode is a confusing missed

opportunity too. Being able to get right at your media files without having to wait for Vista to open was great. Perhaps Sony just forgot the P-Series’ best feature?

Thankfully, it remembered to bring the excellent keyboard from the P Series, this time with a proper trackpad rather than a rubber nipple. Mac-style, isolated keys are an

increasingly common feature on new netbooks and laptops, and it’s easy to see why. Even though this one’s slightly short of full size, typing seldom feels cramped. With

a few minutes of practise you’ll be firing emails off in an eye-watering display of textual acrobatics.

LOVE Stunning X-Black screen. Well designed, practical keyboard. Slick, minimalist design. 802.11n Wi-Fi

HATE Middle of the road spec, the screen aside. Poor battery life. The P-Series’ quick-boot mode is missed

WE SAY Sony’s first proper netbook is a solid all-rounder, set apart from the

pack by an excellent, high-res screen

TOSHIBA MINI NB200

Solid build, sensible design, low price: the quintessential netbook.

From its 160GB hard drive to its 1GB of RAM and 10.1-inch, moderately hi-res screen, this is every inch your standard-issue netbook. Only the textured outer edge and metallic effect keys give any clue that it might have been designed by humans rather than by ticking a series of boxes. And frankly even with those little flourishes, the NB200 is nobody’s idea of exciting looking. What sets this apart is that for less than £350 online, you get a six-cell battery as standard. This means that the battery life goes up to a whopping nine hours – although it’s more like about six hours if you cane your applications the way we do. It does make this so-called “Mini” decidedly lumpy, though. You’re also furnished with a cutting-edge N280 processor. It runs Windows XP, which is less cutting-edge but a better netbook option than sluggish Vista. The 10.1-inch screen has a snazzy gloss finish. This looks the business when you’re under artificial lighting or in dull daylight. As ever with these gloss jobs, though, put it under the sun’s steely glare and you’ll struggle to see much of anything, apart from your own face gawping back at you. The keyboard is a slightly ropey, faux-metal affair on closer inspection, but the keys are as close to full size as you could hope for in something that’s just 263mm across. They span the full width of the device, are well segregated and offer luxuries such as full-sized shift keys and separate cursors. The trackpad is something of a travesty. Ultimately, while the NB200 won’t set your eyeballs tingling, it is a solid, practical netbook at a price that’s very reasonable indeed.

LOVE Large keyboard. Very long battery life, making this ideal for life on the

road. Price is as sensible as the spec

HATE Overly glossy screen. Hopeless trackpad. Boring, slightly shonky look

WE SAY Value and practicality won out flair here, but as a result this is a

sensible choice with great battery life

ASUS EEE PC 1008HA SEASHELL

In the kingdom of the netbook, the Asus-owning man is still king

Asus started the craze for tiny, cheap laptops, and ever since the world and his dog have been fighting for a piece of the pie. Despite this, the Taiwanese tech giant has stayed ahead of the imitators, with tweaks such as smarter looks, better keyboards,

bigger hard drives, and what can only be described as “not actually being all that cheap”. The Eee PC 1008HA, aka the Seashell, continues that trend. Looking swish enough to turn any head, this is also packing full N-standard, high-speed wireless and a Li-Polymer battery that pushes useful life up to an impressive six hours. Like Apple’s new MacBook batteries, it’s a permanent fi xture, hidden away inside the Seashell’s guts, which rules out any chance of upgrading or hot-swapping between spares, but how many of us actually bother with that? There’s also a similarly Apple-styled multi-touch trackpad to raise the bar still further. This lets you zoom in and out of text and images by pinching and drawing apart your fi ngers. The keyboard is good but not great. A bank of wide, flat keys makes typing easy and reasonably fluid, but it lacks both the aesthetic pleasures and the functionality of Vaio or MacBook-style isolated keys. Our conclusion? Asus is still leading the charge. This Eee PC’s looks ace the stylish Samsung; its battery wallops the similarly priced Vaio; it’s slimmer and lighter than the notably svelte Acer One 531. The only notable shortfall is its screen, where the Vaio steals a march, but even bearing that in mind, as an allrounder the Seashell is exceedingly hard to beat.

LOVE Skinny, sexy and light. Very impressive battery life. Multi-touch trackpad. Proper, 802.11n Wi-Fi

HATE Non-removable battery. Only two USBs. A little pricier than the norm

WE SAY Despite fearsome competition, Asus remains ahead of the game, and

the Seashell is the best Eee PC so far

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Bihar Government tackles infant mortality rate

Reduce the infant mortality rate in Bihar, the State Government has started an initiative of sending greeting cards to the families of newborns with a message stating the significance of breast-feeding for mother and child.
Health Minister of Bihar Government Nand Kishor Yadav said that the infant mortality rate would drop by 22 percent, if the mothers breastfed their babies.
“The mortality rate of the mother and the child is very high in India. So, in order to promote breast-feeding, we can drop the infant mortality rate by 22 percent and for this effort we have been praised by United Nations Children''s Fund (UNICEF),” Yadav said.
“We want to spread the message of breast-feeding even in the remote villages through these cards which had the name of children written on them. Generally it is observed had we printed the brochures the parents would have thrown them away, but the cards they will preserve and through the card the message of breast feeding is being spread,” he added.
The greeting card advises the mothers to breastfeed their newly born babies during the first six months.
Families have appreciated the initiative saying that it was a good method to educate them about the advantages of breast-feeding.
“We are very happy on being given this card on the baby''s delivery. The message on the card informs how to keep the baby healthy and the mothers are advised to breast feed the children for six months,” said Rinku Devi, mother of a newborn baby.
India has the highest infant mortality rate in the world, a nationwide survey reveals. According to a United Nations Human Development report, India has slipped from 128th to 134th rank in 2009.

Shocker: Terrorists may attack five Indian cities

The government of India has issued advisories to the cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, Agra and Ahmedabad for an impending terror strike on 26th of this month, the first anniversary of Mumbai terror attacks.
The alert came following the interrogation of American terrorist David Headley who was nabbed by the FBI earlier this month. Headley was boarding a flight from Philadelphia to Pakistan when he was arrested at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. FBI also arrested his accomplice Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 48, who is a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin.
Headley, who was involved in a conspiracy with the LeT to carry out terror strikes on India and the US, had allegedly the NDC in Delhi on his radar. Haldey was also recruiting fresh blood for Pakistan-based terror group Lashker-e-Taiba, for sending them to a Gulf country using the services of his immigration business set up in Mumbai. It is suspected that Healdey has established sleeper cells in the above states, and it was revealed that 50 terrorists could be targeting various Indian cities to launch multiple attacks from the Western coast of India.
Headley had visited Mumbai several times before, and according to Home Minister P Chidambaram, it is still being investigated if he had any links with the 26/11 attacks in the city last year. According to an official 'A similar warning was issued last week but it was not specific. This time, sources say, the intelligence is very specific and the Government has asked all the above cities to remain on alert against any mysterious activities.'
The other reveal is that that Pakistani nationals in the guise of local fishermen are trying to infiltrate into India. Reports have also revealed that during the past one month, they have tried four times to penetrate the borders albeit in vain.

India to attract $50 billion FDI per year

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma on Tuesday said that the country would be able to attract 50 billion dollars Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) annually from 2012.
Addressing the media on the sidelines of the state industries ministers meeting in the national capital, Sharma said that the Government is creating an investor friendly environment to attract more FDI.
“We are creating the investor friendly environment bringing about a greater degree of uniformity, predictability and rationalization across the country. We hope that we will be able to attract 50 billion dollars annually,” Sharma said.
“India is a big country, it can absorb that and let us not forget that the projections of the next one decade for Indian infrastructure alone, is absorbing investments of one and a half trillion dollars. So, what I have said are very conservative numbers,” he added.
Sharma further said that in order to take the growth to double digits, more FDI is required.
“I am talking of 2012, if we have to take a growth to double digit, if we have to meet our objectives, we need to attract more FDI,” he added.
Between April and September, the first half of the 2009/10 fiscal year, FDI was in excess of 15 billion dollars and portfolio investments were almost the same.
The influx of foreign funds is also pushing up the rupee. The Reserve Bank of India has said if it raised interest rates ahead of other central banks, that there was a risk that it could attract more inflows and complicate policymaking.
India''s economy expanded by 6.7 percent in 2008-09, after growing at 9 percent or more in the previous three years. And, it also remains an attractive destination for foreign investments.
As per the World Bank''s reports, the returns on investment made in India are the highest in the world. (ANI)
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma on Tuesday said that the country would be able to attract 50 billion dollars Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) annually from 2012.
Addressing the media on the sidelines of the state industries ministers meeting in the national capital, Sharma said that the Government is creating an investor friendly environment to attract more FDI.
“We are creating the investor friendly environment bringing about a greater degree of uniformity, predictability and rationalization across the country. We hope that we will be able to attract 50 billion dollars annually,” Sharma said.
“India is a big country, it can absorb that and let us not forget that the projections of the next one decade for Indian infrastructure alone, is absorbing investments of one and a half trillion dollars. So, what I have said are very conservative numbers,” he added.
Sharma further said that in order to take the growth to double digits, more FDI is required.
“I am talking of 2012, if we have to take a growth to double digit, if we have to meet our objectives, we need to attract more FDI,” he added.
Between April and September, the first half of the 2009/10 fiscal year, FDI was in excess of 15 billion dollars and portfolio investments were almost the same.
The influx of foreign funds is also pushing up the rupee. The Reserve Bank of India has said if it raised interest rates ahead of other central banks, that there was a risk that it could attract more inflows and complicate policymaking.
India''s economy expanded by 6.7 percent in 2008-09, after growing at 9 percent or more in the previous three years. And, it also remains an attractive destination for foreign investments.
As per the World Bank''s reports, the returns on investment made in India are the highest in the world.

Say what? Bill Gates praises Steve Jobs!

There are a few things that happen once in a lifetime, like the blessed 09-09-09 date, and the day when Microsoft founder Bill Gates pays a compliment to Apple co founder Steve Jobs.

The latter actually happened on Saturday on a CNBC television program entitled "Warren Buffett and Bill Gates: Keeping America Great". The program had both Steve Jobs and Bill Gates pitched up against a Q&A session, answering questions coughed up by members in the audience. During the session one man asked Bill Gates what he thought about Steve Jobs and his accomplishments as the CEO of Apple.

Much to the shock of the audience, and the entire world, Gates more than politely gave a big compliment to his rival. "Well, he's done a fantastic job," Gates said. "Apple is in a bit of a different business where they make hardware and software together. But when Steve was coming back to Apple, which was actually through an acquisition of NeXT that he ran, Apple was in very tough shape. In fact, most likely it wasn't going to survive."

What's more, the affection didn't stop here, Gates continued to add, "And he brought in a team, he brought in inspiration about great products and design that's made Apple back into being an incredible force in doing good things," Gates added. "And it's great to have competitors like that. We write software for Apple, Microsoft does. They compete with Apple. But he, of all the leaders in the industry that I've worked with, he showed more inspiration and he saved the company."

And here is the bonus - it was announced that next year Microsoft will release Office 2010 for Mac, with a new version of Outlook based on Cocoa, the development layer of Mac OS X.

What next? The AMD CEO saying sweet nothings to the Intel CEO? After all Intel did give AMD a big gift of $1.25 billion just three days ago, AMD should be tickled pink.

Pak 'to submit proof' on India's involvement in Balochistan

According to Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, proof will soon be presented regarding 'India's involvement in Balochistan'.
Reportedly, the issue had been brought up for the first time during his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh and was made part of the joint statement. Gilani stated that Pakistan wants good relations with its neighbours and that composite talks are a must to cement relations with India. Gilani added that the ongoing operation in Southern Waziristhan will soon end, and that there is no military operation under way in Balochistan.
Pak Interior Minister Rehman Malik had earlier claimed that India is funding Taliban fighters that are based along the border of Afghanistan, a situation which is leading to unrest within Pakistan. Malik went on to add that he is 'absolutely convinced' that India is a certified hostile agency that is shelling out millions to Taliban in order to buy weapons and cause unrest in Pakistan.
Asked during an interview to a TV news channel as to who was backing the Taliban, he said: "There are certain hostile elements against Pakistan and there are certain hostile agencies which do not want Pakistan to be (stabilised)." When asked if India is indeed a hostile agency, Malik said, "Yes, of course, I am convinced. I have no doubt about it. I was very open. I have given the full details. If the interior minister of India or anyone else wants to confront me, I will be very happy to confront them because I know what I am saying," he added.
Malik said that India has performed all kinds of clandestine operations in Balochistan and threatened to put all the damning evidence on display much to the shock of the entire world. "I invite their interior minister or anyone else (to come to Pakistan) and I will put on record all the material about India's interference in Balochistan. I'll prove it to the world," he added.

BREAKING: Google Wave gets 'Follow' Feature

What would social networking be without a good dose of Twitter? Facebook got status updates, Youtube got trending topics, now Google Wave, inspired by the micro blogging site has incorporated the 'Follow' feature in Google Wave.

Google Wave will have the trusty 'Following' and 'Unfollowing' feature for public Waves. Public Waves are the ones that are visible to everyone included in the Wave. And its always frustrating to see an unwanted public Wave that keeps updating in your inbox. Earlier you could knock the Wave off by clicking on the 'archive' button, and then wait for hundreds of seconds while Google Wave hangs, refreshes, fails to display anything and then finally obliges.

All that can be avoided now as you can simply click on the 'unfollow' button to stop that Wave annoying you further. Here's the official statement from Google, 'When you see a public wave that you would like to get updates on, you can chose to follow it by hitting the follow button in the wave panel toolbar. You can remove these waves from your inbox by hitting the “archive” button, but when there is an update they will pop back in. You can switch between following and unfollowing a wave as much and as often as you like.'

As mind blowng as Google Wave is, there is always the trouble of information overload. The new 'follow' feature is a welcome change as the product continues to come out of its Beta preview stage. In fact the 'follow' feature is quite like the 'Lists' feature in Twitter, all you have to do is find the Wave containing info that you're interested in, and follow it to get real time updates. According to Google the 'follow' concept is just one of the many things Wave will feature in the coming months. 'Following is the first step towards a set of new tools for managing waves in your inbox … We’re also thinking of expanding the following concept to let you follow people, groups, and searches.'

Steam miffs Modern Warfare 2 buyers

November 10th was the official release day of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the 'biggest entertainment launch of all time', but those who had pre ordered the game on Steam were left disappointed.
Anyone who purchased Modern Warfare 2 for the PS3 or Xbox 360 were overjoyed with their copy of the game, and went on to play the game late into the night but all the PC users could do was mope about in frustration. Why? Steam users have to wait even longer to play as the game is locked until Thursday.
Valve today confirmed that those who purchase the game on Steam will have to wait two days before being allowed to play. The worst part? Even if you had purchased Modern Warfare 2 on Saturday or Sunday, you still couldn't play because of Steam's U-turn. Hundreds of forums on the web are swarmed with people steamed about the dumbing down of the PC version. Why, infinity Ward, is there disinterest in releasing the PC version? First, they don't give us the cool versions with NVG like the Xbox 360, then they take away dedicated servers, and now they keep it locked for some unfortunate people.
Some users claimed that they are being punished for pre-purchasing and pre-downloading the game. The message boards of Steam's Modern Warfare is full of cheesed off gamers swearing they will never pre-order through Steam again. According to some rumours, Valve has some some sort of a deal with retailers. And since the company distributes games that people can die for, it can pretty much do what it wants.

According to former Jharkhand Chief Minister, he is still innocent and that he is being framed, completely denying any involvement in the Rs 540 crore

Trinamool Congress and BSP emerged victorious in the West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh Assembly by-elections, with the Congress claiming the all important Firozabad Lok Sabha seat from Samajwadi Party.

As a result the Left and Smajwadi Party took quite a beating; Congress took eight of the ten seats in Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, Kerala and Chhattisgarh while the BJP took the remaining two. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) clearly had the advantage as it took eight of eleven Assembly seats in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Incidentally the BSP in Uttar Pradesh had faired badly in Lok Sabha elections in May.

Congress retained all three seats up for grabs in Kerala, and the party could very well topple the CPM in mid 2011 during the state polls. In Kannur, AP Abdulla Kutty, who is the former CPI-M Lok Sabha member beat MV Jayarajan of the CPI-M by over 12,000 votes. In Ernakulam, Dominic Presentation defeated CPI-M's PN Seenulal by more than 8,000 votes. In Alappuzha, AA Shukur defeated G Krishnaprasad of the Communist Party of India (CPI) by over 5,000 votes.

Mayawati emerged as a big winner in the UP as she bagged eight of 11 assembly seats. Mulayam Singh was the biggest loser as SP rebel and former actor Raj Babbar won by a thumping 85,000-odd votes, beating Dimple Yadav, the daughter-in-law of the SP leader. Raj Babbar had quit the Samajwadi Party to join the Congress.

In West Bengal, Trinamool won seven seats and Congress one. In Rajasthan the Congress and BJP each won one seat. But in Assam the Congress won both the seats, and the party is also leading Jawali, even though Rohru seems to be going BJP’s way.

Babies as young as seven months can read

Aussie parents believe that babies as young as seven months can learn to read with a help of a novel program involving DVDs and word cards.
US founder of ‘Your Baby Can Read’, Dr Bob Titzer, claims that the program, which costs 219.95 dollars, is fun and infants who use it do better at school.
However, some experts have condemned the concept calling it "absurd" and potentially damaging, reports the Daily Telegraph.
Titzer said virtually all babies could learn to read.
Viktoria Andreeva started teaching her son Artem to read at 2 1/2 months, showing him Your Baby Can Read videos for five minutes at a time and now at seven months, he can identify words like bellybutton, lion and blanket.

Microsoft's Project Natal beats the Wii

Nick Summers of Newsweek got jiggy with his keyboard and wrote an interesting piece on Microsoft's Project Natal, and how it would outdo Nintendo's Wii console.
As you already know, Natal eliminates the controller entirely, and instead of a player holding a gadget, a special device mounted beneath the TV uses a video camera, an infrared sensor, and software to identify a player's motions. The gamer's actual silhouette, not a generic avatar, can then be inserted directly into games. Below is an extract of Summers' post.
'I played an early prototype of Natal in May, and it makes the Wii controller's capabilities, once a breakthrough, seem crude. To win at Wii tennis, you basically just need to swing your wrist back and forth. In contrast, the Natal camera detects the subtle movement of your limbs. I tried a game called Ricochet, where you punch, kick, and head-butt a ball down a corridor to break apart bricks at the far end. It sounds simple, but because the Natal camera tracks the exact movement of each limb going after the careening ball, I really needed to reach for each shot. Microsoft isn't exactly known for simple products that work seamlessly--but the Xbox has been an exception, and if the final product delivers on what the prototype promises, Natal may be Microsoft's most graceful step forward in gaming yet.
Sony has a motion controller in the works, too: a handheld, wandlike device that pairs with a camera, splitting the difference between Wii and Natal. It doesn't have a name yet--but it does have an expected release date of spring 2010, earlier than Natal. Beating Microsoft to market is Sony's best chance at bringing the PlayStation 3 out of third place in the console wars.Advertisement
Sony and Microsoft desperately need big hits. Both companies cut prices on their consoles by $100 this summer to pump up sales--an acknowledgment that the videogame industry is not, after all, recession-proof. Emphasizing platforms with intuitive, motion-based controls over those with complicated controllers is crucial to helping the videogame market expand beyond its base of young men. Nintendo is already there with games like Wii Fit, which appeals to families and adults.
At $50 billion and climbing, the global gaming market can accommodate all three big console makers. Until the new products--and the games that best exploit them--are out, it's impossible to say which will be the biggest winner. The smart bet, though, is on Microsoft and Sony to take a greater share of the videogame market. That's a perilous prospect for Nintendo, which doesn't have the same diversity of products and revenue streams to fall back on. Microsoft has Windows, Sony has its movie studio (and much more), while Nintendo is just a videogame company. And if it wants to remain the biggest, it had better get moving.'

Rediscover the magic of 'tulsi'Vishwa has been finding it difficult to breath for the past two days. He had got drenched in the rain and since then, h

Vishwa has been finding it difficult to breath for the past two days. He had got drenched in the rain and since then, has been incessantly sneezing Magic of tulsi (Getty Images)
and coughing.

Antibiotics didn’t work and Vishwa started looking for alternate solutions. That’s when his neighbour suggested the ‘wonder drug’. Two days of this medicinal herb in his tea and steam inhalation not only cleared the congestion in his lungs, but also refreshed and rejuvenated him. And what was the magical herb? None other than the humble Tulsi or Basil.

The holy plant has always played a vital role in the traditional system of holistic health. “Tulsi is a one-stop shop. It is believed to cure respiratory disorders and heart diseases. The antioxidants in Tulsi soothe the nerves and reduce pressure. It also facilitates dissolution of kidney stones. Tulsi leaves play a vital role in arresting bad breath and in treating teeth disorders — be it inflammation of gums or pyorrhoea.

It is also an effective remedy for aching eyes. In a nutshell, Tulsi boosts the immune system,” explains Ayurvedic doctor, Ammu Ravindran.

Agreeing with Ammu is actor-director Suhasini Mani Ratnam who recalls, “My son was born during the Iran-Iraq war. Children born during those times suffered from wheezing problems. My son Nandan was no exception. I was quite upset. That’s when my grandmother recommended that I start giving my son Tulsi on a regular basis. He recovered soon enough.” And that’s not all, Tulsi also helps people quit smoking. So, those of you who have been smoking like chimneys and want to quit, you know what to do.

Talking about Tulsi, how can beauty be left out? If your beauty regimen comprises Henna and Aloe Vera, why not include Tulsi too? “It does wonders for the skin. It will keep your skin blemish-free and free of all infections,” says Prema Srinivasan, founder of an environmental society. Agreeing with her is Nirmala S, who uses Tulsi on a regular basis in her beauty regime. “A daily bath with Tulsi in water or applying Tulsi paste on the infected areas of skin can do wonders. It is a natural antibiotic and disinfectant, and has a soothing effect on the skin. In ancient times, it was also used as a tonic to retain youthfulness and to delay aging.”

With so many merits, Tulsi definitely deserves a top spot! “The best things in life come free. Be it air, water or Tulsi. So, make the best use of them and also protect them,” sums up Lalitha Ramakrishna, author and scholar of traditional Indian wisdom.

Babies as young as seven months can read

Aussie parents believe that babies as young as seven months can learn to read with a help of a novel program involving DVDs and word cards.

US founder of ‘Your Baby Can Read’, Dr Bob Titzer, claims that the program, which costs 219.95 dollars, is fun and infants who use it do better at school.

However, some experts have condemned the concept calling it "absurd" and potentially damaging, reports the Daily Telegraph.

Titzer said virtually all babies could learn to read.

Viktoria Andreeva started teaching her son Artem to read at 2 1/2 months, showing him Your Baby Can Read videos for five minutes at a time and now at seven months, he can identify words like bellybutton, lion and blanket. (ANI)

No More Terrorism in India!

Why is India being knocked down by terrorists over and over and over again? Why is the government allowing such terrorists to cross over and bomb cities? And why hasn't there been any retaliation by the ruling Congress?
Heck, Pakistani terrorist Kasab, who took headshots at hundreds of Indians on 26/11 is cooling his heels in prison even at this moment; and India cannot use him as proof that Pakistani soil was used to train him, because Pakistan simply denies it!
Let me give you a brief outline of these terrorists' recent vacations to India: On March 7, 2006 triple bombings in Varanasi killed 23 people and injured 68 others at an ancient temple and crowded railway station. On May 21, 2006 seven people including two guerrillas were killed in Srinagar as militants attacked a Congress party rally, three days ahead of the prime minister's visit for the second Kashmir roundtable. On July 11, 2006 eight people, including tourists and pilgrims, were killed in five hand grenade attacks in Srinagar. The same day 135 were killed in Mumbai in serial blasts in suburban trains at during rush hour in the evening.
On February 19, 2007 68 people were killed in Panipat after two bombs went off on the Samjhauta Express. On May 18, 2007, 12 people were killed in historic Mecca Mosque in the Charminar area of Hyderabad. On Aug 25, 2007 42 were killed in two blasts at Gokul Chat and Lumbini Park at Hyderabad. On May 13, 2008 : 80 people killed in serial bomb blasts in Jaipur. On July 25, July 26, 2008 57 people killed after 18-odd synchronised bombs went off within less than two hours in Ahmedabad.
On September 13, 2008, 26 people killed in six serial bomb blasts at Karol Bagh, GK-II and Connaught Place in New Delhi. On September 27, 2008 three people were killed after a crude bomb exploded in Mehrauli. On September 29, 2008 five people died after a bomb went off in a crowded market at malegaon. On October 01, 2008 two people killed and 100 injured in serial bomb blasts in crowded market places in Agartala. On Oct 14, 2008 eight people injured after bomb planted on a rented bicycle went off in the Colonelganj market in Kanpur. On Oct 30, 2008 at least 50 killed in serial bomb blasts across Assam.
And the biggie - on Nov 26, 2008 183 killed and over 300 injured in a daring terror attack at Hotel Taj, Nariman House, Hotel Trident Oberoi and other places in the city. It was the worst-ever terror attack in India which lasted for 59 hours. Nine terrorists were gunned down, while one (Dear Kasab) was caught alive. 20 policemen and 2 NSG Commandos were killed, while 23 foreign nationals were among the dead.
Was that a tedious list to read? Get a load of this - the terrorists at the Taj on 26/11 were constantly in touch with their handlers back in Pakistan, and everytime they got tired of shooting Indians in their heads, they got boosts and pep talks from their handlers over the phone. A few CDs were produced in a Mumbai court on Wednesday which contained recorded conversations between the attackers and their handlers. Here is an example of the morale boosting lines given to the attackers: "Fight like a lion! If you see movements (of armed forces) then you fire!" Yes, India did allow perpetrators of terror attacks to go scot-free.
Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, and even Pakistan's ISI was involved with the terrorist attacks. Yet India has absolutely no power or will to do anything about it. To add the bitter salt, the Pak Interior Minister Rehman Malik claimed that India is funding Taliban fighters to cause unrest in Pakistan. And to add in the guffaws Pakistan set free Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. What can we do? The least India could have is a conceived and conceptualised security architecture. Thankfully the Indian armed forces have embarked on their 'modernisation drive' and will benefit from the emerging technologies like the IT sector.
A top brass military man stated today: "US has not allowed a second 9/11 to happen, Indonesia has not allowed a second Bali-bombing to happen. India has allowed people to get away after the Parliament attack, Delhi blasts and finally the 26/11 incident. The time for all of us has come to say no more." I wholeheartedly agree with Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor. Enough is Enough.

Save the Economy by buying Windows 7!

In a bizarre new marketing strategy, software giant Microsoft has claimed that if everyone buys their new Windows 7 operating system, the global economic slowdown nwill finally end.
The news first appeared in the tabloid 'Boston Globe'which paid money to beancounters at IDC to conduct a study of the ripple effect of the Windows 7 launch. According to the study, American companies could hire an estimated 25,000 additional workers to cope with the Windows 7 launch, including about 2,500 new jobs in Greater Boston, through the end of 2010. "There is a bounce effect based on the introduction of Windows 7," said Amie White, vice president for global research at IDC.
Moreover, Microsoft stated that both software and hardware firms will make an extra $110 billion if they sell Windows 7 related products and services in the remainder of 2009 and the whole of 2010. The companies will invest close to $41 billion to develop, sell, and support new products for Windows 7 users, a move which will effectively boost the economy. Will Windows 7 be the savior of Microsoft and the world? Vista was after all a bomb. Vista "just disappointed everybody," said IDC’s chief research officer, Frank Gantz. "There were a lot that were turned off." However, Gantz believes IDC’s estimates for Windows 7 are on firmer ground, because early reviews of the new software have been overwhelmingly favorable. “That gives us faith that we haven’t been sabotaged by a product that didn’t live up to expectations,’’ Gantz said.
It was also announced today that Microsoft will release Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 shortly. If all goes as scheduled, we could see the first public beta of Windows 7 SP1 during CES 2010.Windows 7 Service Pack 1 RTM is scheduled to be released in mid 2010, likely around the end of Q2 or early Q3. Interesting news indeed, considering Windows 7 is just 14 days old.

Goodbye, Nokia N-Gage

Nokia has announced that it will kill off its popular N-Gage games service in 2010, no new N-Gage games will be released and existing games will be available for sale till September 2010.
The N-Gage community website will also expire at the end of 2009. However, that doesn't actually mean that Nokia will pull out of the mobile gaming space altogether, as the Finnish mobile giant plans to release games via Ovi Store. Only trouble is, Nokia's Ovi Store isn't doing too well either, at least not when you compare it to Apple's app store. N-Gage also had trouble finding market share when it launched back in 2003.
"It's much more convenient to have one place to get all your mobile games, and this it what Ovi Store provides," said Nokia on the N-Gage blog. "Mobile gaming is one of the most popular activities in the Ovi Store, with games being the second most downloaded category for premium content." Did Nokia pull the plug on N-Gage because of its less than spectacular 2009? The company reported a loss of 1,377,023,154 USD ($1.3 billion) between July and September 2009. To add fuel to the fire, Nokia had made a profit of the same amount last year during the same period.
There are fifty-eight full game titles available for N-Gage. On the bright side the hideous N-Gage phones will disappear. The taco-shaped design of the handset was clumsy, to insert a game, users had to remove the phone's plastic cover and remove the battery compartment as the game slot was next to it. Another clumsy feature was the speaker and microphone being located on the side edge of the phone. This often resulted in many to describe it as if one was talking into a "taco phone" or "Sidetalking", or simply that they had one very large ear, because the user held the edge of the phone against the cheek in order to talk into it.
Despite the criticism, it is thought that the speakers were there for a practical reason: if placed elsewhere, the screen would get in contact with the cheek and become smudged. However, almost all other cell phones have the screen against the cheek when the user is talking. Despite the questionable practicality, gamers were still unwilling to talk in such an awkward manner.

World''s first person undergoes heart op using radiation

A 67-year-old British man has undergone a successful heart surgery using the revolutionary Cyberknife technology for the first time ever.
Michael Kilby, who comes from Moreton in Marsh, Glouchestershire, was told by doctors that he wouldn''t live beyond Christmas this year, until he agreed to give radiation surgery a chance.
The businessman''s death was a surety because of the tumor, larger than a golf ball, found inside the right chamber of his heart.
However, radiation scalpel, called the Cyberknife, became Kilby''s lifesaver.
The highly focused radiation, like a ''scalpel,'' was used to cut away the tumour inside his beating heart. The radiation beams were controlled by a robotic with an accuracy of one millimetre arm attack the tumour.
Also pieces of gold were aligned to Kilby''s heart for protection.
The operation has been called successful as the tumour has already shrunk by 40 per cent and is expected to shrink further over the next three to four weeks.
"My options were to give the Cyberknife a go or I was going to die by Christmas. I talked to my wife and the children who said they did not want any inheritance so we went for it," the Telegraph quoted Kilby as saying.
He added: "I was treated for five days with each session lasting for about an hour and a half. You cannot feel anything at all, its just like radiotherapy.
"Before the Cyberknife I couldn''t speak in long sentences because I would get out breath, but now I can walk a few holes of the golf course."
Dr John Coltart, consultant cardiologist at the Harley Street Clinic, in London, said: "Three months ago his prognosis was terrible, now he may live for a good while yet.
"No one had ever done this before, it was a bit of innovative thinking to give this gentleman a chance. All our expectations have been realised."
Kilby had previously undergone conventional surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, which were all unfruitful. (ANI)

New IIT commitee for incentive scheme for Faculty

The IITs have set up a committee to evolve a performance-related incentive scheme (PRIS) to encourage well-performing teachers by giving them special incentives as available to ISRO scientists.
The committee, headed by IIT Madras Director Prof M S Ananth, comprises six members, including two from the IIT Faculty Federation. It is expected to submit its report by December 15, an IIT Director said.
The committee will study the existing PRIS in Indian Space Research Organisation where the scientists are rewarded with 20 to 50 per cent of their basic salaryper month as incentive for their performance at organisation, department and individual levels.
"We hope the committee to submit its report before December 15. It will take into account the performance of teachers in terms of research work and publications and suggest a suitable incentive scheme," the director said.
The IITs have also set up a separate committee to suggest criteria for promotion of professor to senior grade. This committee comprises of deputy directors of four IITs besides representatives from the faculty.
The recommendation of this committee will form the basis on which a professor will move from Rs 10,500 academic grade pay to Rs 12,000 academic grade pay.
The IIT Faculty Federation, which accepted the new pay structure from this month, has expressed displeasure over certain provisions in the package. It has opposed the 40 per cent cap on promotion of professors to the senior grade.
The federation met Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal last month who had assured them that the norms could be relaxed for exceptional cases and that the government would start the PRIS to encourage teachers who are performing well.
Sibal had asked the IIT directors to prepare the details of PRIS.
The IIT faculty has been saying that the provision for contractual appointment at entry level will not attract young people to join the faculty.
The PRIS scheme is expected to attract young talents to the IITs. (ANI)