BenQ’s new Joybooks

BenQ has announced its foray into the laptop segment in India with a range of sleek, designer Joybooks. The new range will offer three distinct models, BenQ S32W, BenQ R43 and BenQ Q41.

The S32W model has a silver strip with a diamond-cut logo on the outside to match the artistic POP art pattern, 3D image embedded in the svelte aluminum body and a ripple textured touchpad.

The Q41 Joybook has an auxiliary 2.5 inch screen on the outer panel that allows users to view photos, play games and listen to music even when the Joybook's lid is closed. The R43 comes with a polished deep black lid and a band with an inscribed laminar film that shines, to give the Joybook a shimmering appearance.

BenQ's patented UltraVivid technology increases the brightness of the screen by using the DBEFTM (Display Brilliance Enhancement Film) technology and provides vibrant and sharp quality pictures even in variable lighting conditions.

The Joybooks incorporate Intel Core 2 Duo Processor and Windows Vista Premium. In addition the laptops come with wireless connectivity, built-in Bluetooth, speakers, microphones and one touch back-up process for data security

The Joybooks range is priced at Rs 30,000 onwards.

Indian-origin boy wins Spelling Bee in US

A 13-year-old Indian-origin boy, Sameer Mishra, won the 81st annual Scripps National Spelling Bee on Friday. Mishra took home a cash prize of $35,000, while winning more than $5,000 in other prizes. ( Watch )

The boy from West Lafayette, Indiana, who often had the audience laughing with his one-line commentaries, aced "guerdon" - a word that appropriately means "something that one has earned or gained" - to win competition.

This was Sameer's fourth year in the competition. His previous attempts saw him finish at 98th, 14th and 16th places in 2005, 2006 and 2007 respectively.

The second spot was bagged by Sidharth Chand, 12, of Bloomfield Hills, who stumbled on "prosopopoeia" (a word describing a type of figure of speech). This was Sidharth's first year at the bee.

A record 288 spellers were entered in this year's bee; the 45 semifinalists were the survivors from Thursday's preliminary and quarterfinal rounds. Twelve spellers advanced to the finals, which was aired live on ABC .

Born outside womb after nine months

urga, an Australian baby has baffled doctors after she survived outside of the womb for a full-term pregnancy, a medical phenomenon believed to be the world's first.

Durga Thangarajah was delivered by obstetricians at the Darwin Private Hospital in Australia's northern territory on Thursday after a delicate caesarean operation that lasted for two hours.

Doctors and obstetricians at the hospital, who helped deliver Durga from her mother's right ovary, are baffled at the phenomenon, saying an ovarian pregnancy is one of the rarest variation of ectopic pregnancies and generally have life-threatening complications. They have dubbed Durga a "miracle baby".

The parents, Ravi and Meera Thangarajah, both Sri Lankans, had migrated to Australia over two decades ago.

Because of the high risk, expecting mothers who were examined by hospital in the early stages with an ectopic pregnancy are advised to abort. Meera's case was identified in late stages as earlier examinations were not abnormal.

Obstetrician Andrew Miller said he was stunned when he found the baby squeezed into Meera's right ovary.

He said she was lucky the ovary had not ruptured as the baby grew and stretched the skin. He said the skin was so thin that he could see the baby's facial features through it.

"It could have ruptured at any moment, leaving both mother and baby's lives at risk," the Australian doctor said.

Miller termed it as a medical phenomenon. "This form of pregnancy is rare enough, but to have it go full term is unheard of," he said.

"I have never come across it in any hospital. It truly is a miracle she got a living baby out of it she's extraordinarily lucky," Miller told the Northern Territory News .

Miller said Meera's egg didn't travel down the fallopian tube and into the uterus, instead staying in the ovary for the full term.

'Birth defects more common in boys'

Birth defects have been found to be more common among boys than girls, according to a report.

And the most commonly occurring defect is hypospadia, an abnormally placed urinary opening in the male urethra.

Conditions that affect both sexes, but are more prevalent in boys, include congenital heart diseases, oesophageal defects and kidney cysts. Chromosomal abnormalities, such as Down syndrome, are the second-most commonly reported congenital anomalies.

"For every 10,000 babies born during 2002-2003, about 11 were born with Down syndrome," said Samanthi Abeywardana, author of the Australian report.

"When terminations of pregnancies were included, the total estimated rate for Down syndrome was just over 26 per 10,000 pregnancies - an increase from previous reports."

The risk of having a baby with Down syndrome increases with age, from one in 1,500 for mothers aged 20-24, to one in 184 for women 40 and over.

The estimated prevalence of neural tube defects was about 10 per 10,000 pregnancies, about 13 per cent less than the 1998-2001 period.

The rate of anencephaly, the most severe form of neural tube defect, which is always fatal, declined from 5.1 per 10,000 pregnancies in 1998 to 3.8 per 10,000 pregnancies in 2003 - a 25 per cent reduction.

A higher overall rate of congenital anomalies was reported for the births to indigenous women compared with non-indigenous women (356 per 10,000 births versus 308 per 10,000 births).

Amisha Patel’s skin show

All those who have seen the rushes of Thoda Pyar Thoda Magic are going gung ho about Amisha Patel.

Apparently the actress is looking wow in a glamorous new avtaar. More than her look, there’s plenty of skin show, but no one is complaining because the actress has worked on her body and is looking very hot and happening. In fact, we hear that with this film, she is planning to revamp her onscreen image from a girl next door to a sexy siren.

With a new boyfriend Kanav, who is ready to lay the world at her feet and now with her new sexy look, Amisha seems to be heading at the right direction. Now do we see Vikram Bhatt raising his eyebrows?

Tata Motors plans to raise $1.7 billion for Jaguar deal

Tata Motors Ltd, India's top truck and bus maker, said on Wednesday it plans to raise about 72 billion rupees ($1.7 billion) through three simultaneous but unlinked rights issue to help fund its purchase of the Jaguar and Land Rover brands.

The company, also India's No. 3 car maker after Maruti Suzuki and South Korea's Hyundai Motor, said it expected to complete the $2.3 billion acquisition of the two brands from Ford Motor Co shortly.

Tata Motors reported a consolidated net profit of 21.67 billion rupees in the year to March 2008.

O-ZONE: The New Sexy!

Is the new size zero Bebo sexy? Do women wearing sports jerseys look sexy — a la Katrina Kaif, Preity Zinta and Kareena Kapoor? Are cushy bums sexy or a put-off? Is a jiggly cleavage desirable or sheer desperate? Is a beefcake (heavily muscled guy) drool stuff or pukey?

Who is to take a call on what is sexy and what not? Has the definition of “sexy” changed over the years? We knew sexy as a bad word — to be sexy was to be a “bad girl” arousing forbidden urges in men. Vamps were sexy and heroines good, innocent and attractive. Much adrenaline has flown from then to today, when “sexy” is a coveted status. Today, sexy has lost its gender or sex relevance and has come to mean many things — in fact, it’s one of the most casually used words. People hail cars as sexy; bars, restaurants and cities as sexy; dogs as sexy — why even thoughts are considered sexy! An animal rights ad suggests that pasta and vegetables can be sexy! What next? Remember the Govinda-Karishma number... Mere shoes bhi sexy, meri pant bhi sexy, meri shirt bhi sexy....ye rumaal bhi sexy...? So stretched is the definition today that anything or anyone attractive can be given the epithet, “sexy”. The one big change of course is that sexy today is good news, not bad anymore...

And yet, is sexy a physical attribute or does it go beyond? Is sexy something that slams you in the gut and gets the juices flowing, or is sexy an attitude that attracts? Does the sex quotient reside in the body, face, eyes or mind? Or does it actually have nothing to do with the object, but everything to do with the beholder? Is sexy something tangible or is it a wispy imaginative quality that keeps shifting and changing with varying perspectives?
Madhubala’s slanted smile and flirtatious gaze, Nimmi’s pout and wounded eyes; Meena Kumari’s sensual voice and stricken look; Madhuri Dixit’s lip caught between her teeth and dhak-dhak bosom — and today, Kareena’s size zero jutting bones and vanished curves — some of our sexiest heroines — what’s common between them all? Physical attributes? From a Meena Kumari to a Kareena? Certainly not that! They were all beautiful women, who displayed great confidence and a certain attitude peculiar to themselves. It wasn’t so much in their curves or lack of them that they carried their sexiness, but in their attitude, and perhaps in their eyes.

Shah Rukh and Kareena have no doubt redefined fitness and thinness with their newly-sculpted figures. But even as those show boys slog it out, coaxing out a few pectorals or a perfect six-pack and the show girls starve themselves to reduce to size zeroes; even as men become more sculpted and women bid goodbye to good ole curves, one wonders if the definition of sexy is changing? No, not really. Sexy today is still as sexy does. It’s not in their thinness or form, but in something beyond that their sexiness resides.

If the new Kareena is sexy, so should be the thousands of malnourished girls whose gaunt looks, sculpted cheekbones and protruding ribs have nothing to do with power yoga, soups and salads, but a lot to do with utter poverty and lack of a good, balanced diet. So what is it that makes Kareena sexy and not those girls? It’s her attitude, her confidence, the spring in her step, the knowing look in her eyes — her come-hither attitude.

If Shah Rukh Khan with his six-pack has upped his sex quotient, how does he compare with the original six-packers — millions of labourers, rickshaw pullers and farmers whose muscles have nothing to do with workouts and hormone injections, and everything to do with sheer physical labour?

Ask around and you will discover sexy is more a matter of perspective than of rules and definition. A quick poll had different men settling for a woman’s face, legs, curves, smile, body language or bust as a quotient of her sexiness. Women went for a man’s eyes, height, intelligence, looks, sense of humour, chivalry, body smell or six packs!

And yet, ask them if anyone had these attributes but no sense of style, no confidence, no attitude — and the sexiness goes out of the window! They quickly settled for attitude over everything else! Recently, nearly 75 per cent Americans polled said that sexiness is more an attitude than in the perfect physique. More than 76 per cent even went on to say that a woman can be sexy even she was a size 14 or larger!

You either are sexy, or you aren’t. There’s nothing you can do to your body to make you sexy; but there’s plenty you can do to your attitude and your mind that makes you sexy.

A do-or-die battle

Chennai Super Kings face a do-or-die battle for a semi-final berth in the Indian Premier League as they take on out-of-contention Deccan Chargers, who are yet to post a win on home turf, at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium on Tuesday.

A loss on Tuesday would all but end Super Kings' chances of making the semi-finals after Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men narrowly lost the match against the Rajasthan Royals on Saturday.

The Chennai team has 14 points from seven wins and six defeats in the tournament so far. The visitors start favourites against the Adam Gilchrist-led hosts, who are no longer in the race for the title after losing 11 of their 13 matches and finishing last.

The hosts, however, will play for pride as they aim to post their maiden win at home

Indians largest group to get British citizenship in 2007

Indians have turned out to be the largest group of immigrants, who have been granted British citizenship during 2007, according to the official figures released this week.

Last year, a record numbers of foreign nationals, 164,635 people, were granted citizenship, a seven per cent rise in 12 months. It was the highest since the Home Office began keeping comparable records in 1997, the figures reveal.

The biggest group was from India, who made up nine per cent of the total with 14,490. Filipinos constituted seven per cent with 10,840, Afghans six per cent with 10,555 and South Africans five per cent with 8,150.

A quarter of citizenships, about 41,000 were given to children, while about 29,000 became British nationals through marriage.

Last year, 160,980 people applied for citizenship while 14,725 applications were rejected.

According to the Home Office the reasons for increase in 2007 were not clear but suggested that speedier decision making had reduced the backlog of applicants.

While record numbers of people took citizenship, separate figures released by the Office of National Statistics showed that a record 400,000 people have left Britain in 2006, of which more than half were British citizens.

Of these, almost one-third went to live in Australia and New Zealand, a quarter to Spain or France and about one in twelve to the US.

An estimated 591,000 people came to Britain, resulting in net immigration in 2006 running at 191,000. Net immigration of New Commonwealth citizens was 115,000. It was the highest of all foreign citizenship groups coming to the country. Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans made up 80 per cent of net migrants, with London being their most common destination, where they intended to stay.

Smiliey Suri won’t stand eve-teasing

Bravo! Smiliey Suri should be applauded for her guts and the strength she displayed recently when she was almost rubbed off the wrong way.

The actress was at the Mahim Church last week when she was targeted by two rowdy boys who were lurking around the holy place. “I normally go to the church in the evening but this time I decided to go in the morning instead,” says the actress, who still gets goosebumps thinking about the incident.

“I noticed that there were two guys who were staring at me. They stood at a distance and kept saying something and smiling,” says Smiliey, who found the whole thing a little odd.

The actress, however, continued to pray and left the church to get into her car which was parked on the opposite side of the road. “When I was crossing the road, one of them brushed against my back, I stopped and turned and that’s when the other man, brushed against me from the front. I was shocked for a second and didn’t know what to do. I went up to them and asked them what they thought they were doing,” says the brave girl.

The boys looked as if they were doped, she says and denied doing anything intentionally. “But I kept arguing and also removed my shoe to hit them. That’s when two elderly women intervened and told me not to create a scene and let the boys off.” Smiliey then put her shoe down but when she was about to leave, she saw the guys laughing. “It was a smile of victory, like as if they had achieved what they wanted,” says the angry actress.

“But then I lost it, I just ran up to them, kicked one guy, punched the other one hard. I kept doing this for atleast a few minutes. Then I turned back and ran to my car. The whole incident shook me up and I was sobbing, but yet I was happy that I had taught them a lesson,” says the actress, who is still nursing a bruised wrist.

She is sure that the boys must have learned a lesson and won’t try the same thing again. “Girls shouldn’t let others take advantage of them. We are not weak, we can fight back too,” she says. Girls are you’ll listening?

A song Rahman wanted to sing

We all know that AR Rahman is the most sought after music director in our country and more than that he’s often accused of keeping the best song in the film album for himself...


Whether its Khalbali in Rang De Basanti, Khawaja in Jodhaa Akbar, Tere Bina in Guru and Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na title track.
Laughs AR Rahman, "Actually that’s not true at all...Usually it is the producers or the filmmakers who insist that I should sing. In the case of Jaane Tu..Ya Jaane Na, it was the other way round.
I was very keen to sing the title track as it had a jazz ring to it and Abbas was not very keen to use a male voice.
I had to really convince him to let me sing the song. Thankfully it’s come out really well and now Abbas is very happy with the song.”
Jaane Tu..Ya Jaane Na marks the debut of Aamir Khan’s nephew and will have South Indian actress Genelia playing the female lead.
Aamir has gone all out to promote the film and has personally sat through the scripting and music sessions with Rahman.
With both Rahman and Aamir being perfectionists, this is one film to look forward to.

AIDS vaccine still out of reach

A quarter of a century since the virus that causes AIDS was identified, a vaccine against the deadly disease remains frustratingly out of reach despite a well-funded global effort to find a cure.

"Nearly a billion dollars is spent globally on HIV/AIDS research annually, and yet the sobering reality is that at present there are no promising candidates for an HIV vaccine," Bruce Walker of Harvard Medical School wrote in the May 9 edition of the journal Science.

The research community was dealt a heavy blow in September when the clinical trials of the most promising and widely tested HIV vaccine candidate were halted after it turned out to be a failure.

Early results showed that, rather than preventing HIV or reducing the viral load in people who received it, the experimental vaccine may have increased their chances of become infected.

"We share in the disappointment of the research and HIV communities today. Sadly, developing an effective AIDS vaccine remains one of the most challenging tasks facing modern medicine," Peter Kim, president of Merck Research Laboratories, which developed the candidate, said at the time.

Merck's vaccine aimed to stimulate T cells, a type of white blood cell key to the body's immune response, taking a different approach than numerous more traditional vaccines already tested without success.

"The (research) community is depressed because we see no hopeful route to success," American biologist and Nobel prize laureate David Baltimore said of the quest for an AIDS vaccine, at the opening of the latest conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, in February.

"Knowing how critical it is to get a vaccine for HIV, developers are moving ahead, even recognizing the long odds for success," he added.

The unique qualities of the HIV pathogen make developing a vaccine particularly challenging, Walker explained.

It has an enormous diversity of genetic sequences, and a great capacity to mutate and adapt, he said.

HIV strains can be divided into three different groups, of which the first, M, is itself divided into nine subtypes, with an undetermined number of variants.

One of the sub-type viruses can vary from 20 to 38 per cent in Africa, where multiple variants exist.

Moreover, the retrovirus can undergo more mutations during the infection of a single individual than the entire world flu epidemic, which requires development of a new vaccine every year, Walker said.

With 33 million people living with HIV worldwide, developing a vaccine to protect simultaneously against all the pathogen's variants is a considerable challenge, Walker said.

And the fact that HIV is an infection of the immune system makes the task even more complicated, since traditional vaccines work by boosting the immune system to fight pathogens.

"There are so many things we do not know in this field of HIV vaccines," Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said at a summit his organization hosted in March to evaluate the situation going forward following the failure of the Merck vaccine.

At the summit, leading AIDS specialists discussed avenues of research that remain largely unexplored, such as protection at the level of the mucous membranes, and the natural immunity of certain species of monkey to the primate equivalent of HIV, Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV).

Feeling depressed, get married: Study

Feeling depressed, get married. At least this is what a new study quoted by LiveScience.com suggests.

But it also concludes that marriage even if "so-so" gives a greater psychological boost to the depressed than to the happy people.

Previous studies, the website says, have suggested that the psychological perks of marriage depend upon marriage quality a happy marriage gives rise to a happy couple, and vice-versa.

Taking a cue from the earlier studies, Adrianne Frech, a sociology graduate student at Ohio State University, and her colleague, Kristi Williams, speculated that happy people would garner more psychological perks from marriage than depressed people.

In order to test the hypothesis, they looked at a sample of 3,066 men and women who had been interviewed and tested for depression once in either 1987 or 1988 and then again five years later. In the interviews, they were asked about the quality of their marriage (if they were married).

On an average, accounting for differences in depression, subjects who had got married over the five-year span between the two interviews reported improved psychological well-being in the second interview -- scoring an average of 3.42 points lower on the 84-point depression scale--than their counterparts who did not marry.

However, when they teased apart into how marriage affected those who had been depressed at the start of the study to those who had been happy, they came across something unexpected.

Preity Zinta off to Cannes

In between cheering for Team Mohali in the IPL and comforting the players, Preity Zinta has taken a few days off to attend the Cannes Film Festival as brand ambassador of a luxury watch and jewellery company.

“Can’t help it,” said Preity. “For two years now, I’ve been the brand ambassador for the company and I’ve to be at Cannes every year, come what may... ha, ha... pun intended.”

The actress has several events lined up in Cannes, but no movies. “There are no movies this year. I’d have liked to bring my film Har Pal, but it isn’t ready. If Rituparno Ghosh’s Last Lear is shown, I’ll go for it. But, my job as brand ambassador for this company will keep me busy for the next three days. I’ve a red carpet event. Then, a dinner organised by the company, followed by a picnic in the afternoon. Once I return to India, I will head immediately for my IPL commitments.”

Understandably, she’s exhausted. “But, I’m also exhilarated. The IPL has been a whole new learning experience for me,” said Preity, who is accompanied to Cannes by her cousin Inder. What about those who feel that IPL is confusing? “Not at all! It’s such an eye-opener. Players of different age groups and of different nationalities are interacting on one platform. The younger lot is learning from senior international names. Where would they get a chance to do that?”

Soha in a swimsuit

Soha Ali Khan sheds inhibitions and clothes”, says the cover page of Maxim, a men’s magazine. Well that is really a shock for her fans who love her girl next door image. Soha has surprised everyone by her sensuous side.

Her two piece bikini is a hot makeover for Soha who has been very much appreciated in her girl next door image. But don’t so be surprised by Soha’s new hot avtaar because she is not the first to show her sensuous side. Her mother, veteran actress Sharmila Tagore was known for her sensuous roles during her time. Interestingly Soha has been seen in her non glamorous roles in most of her previous films but her mother always had an extremely glamorous image.

It seems finally Soha has realized that apart from her great talent she needs to increase her glamour quotient. Maxim has given a great opportunity to Soha to flaunt her sinful side.

Maxim is a popular fashion magazine and it can be recalled that well known Bollywood actors like Bipasha Basu, Malaika Arora Khan, Mallika Shrewat, Sherlyn Chopra, Shilpa Shetty have posed for it.

Hindi Movie Rang De Basanti Deleted Scenes

Love Story 2050 - Promo - Harman Bawaje - Priyanka Chopra

WALLPAPERS

Wallpapers of some bollywood actress

Schwarzenegger is 'Sexiest Governor in the US

Actor/politician Arnold Schwarzenegger has been voted the ‘Sexiest Governor in the U.S.’ by strippers.

According to the Playboy Radio poll, the ‘Terminator’ star - who is currently serving as the 38th Governor of California - is the one strippers would most like to date, reports Contactmusic.

Schwarzenegger has beaten President George W. Bush's brother Jeb, the Governor of Florida, and Michigan's Jennifer Granholm. Former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, who resigned over a prostitution scandal earlier this year, landed at the 18th place.

According to published reports, investigators believe that Spitzer paid up to 80,000 dollars for prostitutes over a period of several years while he was Attorney General, and later as Governor.

Vidya Balan or Sania Mirza: Shahid is 'torn'

Actor Vidya Balan has been in the news for several wrong reasons, but she is going to make all the wrong right it seems. "As long as my work isn't ridiculed," says the actor, reacting to comments made on her bad sense of fashion.

Anyway, if what unit members of Kismet Connection say about hers and Shahid Kapoor's chemistry is to be believed, we may just be writing about B-wood's next big hit jodi . This good on-screen chemistry has translated into an off-screen alleged link-up. And while Vidya insists that love is still to happen to her – someone like George Clooney may just make it happen – news of Shahid's non-stop gupshup on the phone with Sania Mirza is catching many eye-balls.

So while most swore that love bloomed between Shahid and Vidya in Toranto, their tales in Mumbai nagariya aren't quite the romantic sorts. How boring! But with Kismet Connection , round the corner another pyar bhari kahani may just be on its way. Let's see if such kind of connection is really in their kismet !

Deepika: Ranbir is my boyfriend

Deepika Padukone may keep quite when asked personal questions here in India.

But she was not so silent in Dubai. According to reports, she was quite frank and forthcoming in answering the numerous questions the local Gulf press asked her.

She also denied rumours of a break-up with actor Ranbir Kapoor. She said they were still very much an item, and were currently happy with the relationship.

“Yes I have a boyfriend and we are happy,” she supposedly said during a recent visit to Dubai as the brand ambassador of a real estate company. Then why the rumours? “There is always a lot of speculation, but that is something you have to deal with. We are together and I refer to him as my boyfriend.” Deepika is currently working on Nikhil Advani’s Chandni Chowk to China, with Akshay Kumar.

No land for more KVs in Delhi

Land seems scarce for social good, as the ministry for human resources development (MHRD) is finding it difficult to get land for 10 more Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) in the Capital. In the last 20 years, the number of enrolments in KVs has risen from 4,76,584 to 9,54,551 in 2007. In comparison to the increase of 4,77,967 students in 20 years the number of schools across India increased by 292.

In 2007, Delhi saw the highest number of enrolments at 1,06,212 in its 41 KVs, of which 15 are running double shifts. In order to maintain a healthy classroom ratio and to increase the number of students, the MHRD on August 2007 wrote a letter to Sheila Dikshit, chief minister, Delhi, for land in SP Marg/ Bapu Dham, Trans Yamuna (two locations), Najafgarh, Nangloi, Mukherjee Nagar, Model Town, Chhatarpur, Dwarka and Punjabi Bagh.

According to ministry sources, Dikshit forwarded the request to Jaipal Reddy, minister for urban development. Finally, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in response to the need for at least 10 more KVs in Delhi wrote to the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) offering a two-acre land in Khichripur.

KVS officials said the Sangathan is in urgent need to have at least five more schools in the Capital to meet the increasing demand. On extending the double shifts to other schools, a KVS official and a MHRD source said: "Considering the weather condition and the safety of children, do you think it is safe for children to go to school at 1pm and return home after 6pm?"

Laxman ruled out of the remaining IPL matches

In a setback to the beleaguered Hyderabad Deccan Chargers, its captain VVS Laxman, sustaining an injury on his right wrist, has been ruled out of the remaining matches of the Indian Premier League.

Laxman said that his injured right wrist will take two weeks to heal completely, which virtually gives him no chance to play in the remaining matches as his team plays their last league tie on May 27.

"It will take two weeks for my wrist to heal completely. So, I am not playing for two weeks and (Adam) Gilchrist will lead the side," said Laxman, who met the media with straps on his injured wrist at a children's programme ahead of their match against Delhi Daredevils on Thursday.

In Hyderabad, team CEO J Krishnan confirmed that Laxman's injury has been diagnosed with a hairline fracture so he will not play in the remaining matches.

The stylish batsman injured his wrist during the match against Bangalore Royal Challengers in Bangalore on May 3, the sixth match of his team. After that Gilchrist led the side in the last three matches.

Laxman said his side was not being put under pressure from their franchise owners, the Deccan Chronicles, despite having won just two of their nine matches so far, unlike what had happened to Bangalore Royal Challengers.

"We are not being pressurised by out team owners. We are in this position (bottom) because we lost a few close games. I am very happy at the way they (the owners) are supporting the players," he said.

"They (the owners) know we are playing at our best and as long as we are doing that I think there should not be any pressure," said Laxman.

Asked what he thought of franchise owners interfering and putting pressure on the team to perform just like what had happened to Bangalore Royal Challengers, he said it "depends on the team."

"It is their (owners') team and they can tell the captain and the think-tank to do something for the betterment of the team. But what can be asked depends on the team situation. It will differ from team to team," he said.

"We are not looking up to the semifinals. We are trying to play our best in the remaining matches. We are not out of the race still," the stylish batsman said.

Asked what was the difference between playing for the country and for a franchise team, Laxman said, "You cannot compare anything in front of playing for your country. For a player, however, it is the same in one sense, you want to win whether you play for your country or for franchise team."

Stand-in captain Adam Gilchrist said the team was gelling well and his team has been in a precarious position because of some close matches which they lost.

"We gel very well as a team. The only missing thing is that we are not winning as many matches we should have won. We have lost a few close matches. That has brought us down," he rued.

The Chargers team management also announced that Rohit Sharma would be the new vice captain till the end of the season.

"Adam's contribution in all aspects of building the team has been invaluable right through the season. His positive attitude, limitless energy and astute leadership skills would make a significant impact on the team."

"Rohit has been displaying tremendous responsibility and maturity in the way he has been adapting to different situations. Rohit is being groomed for the future and he would greatly benefit by being an understudy to Adam," Krishnan added.

Terror attack in Jaipur, several killed

Terror struck Jaipur on Tuesday evening when six serial blasts rocked crowded areas including one near a temple in the space of a few minutes leaving at least 15 killed and scores injured.

Police sources said that 15 persons perished in the attack that triggered a stampede in the affected areas in the walled city which are frequented by foreign tourists. Six women were among the dead.

It is for the first time that the Pink City is coming under terror radar.

Unofficial figures put the toll at around 20. Scores of wounded people were ferried to several hospitals soon after the low-intensity blasts hit at Tripolia Bazar, where large number of devotees turned up at a Hanuman temple, Johari Bazar, Manas Chowk, Badi Choupal and Choti Choupal in the walled part of the city.

Rajasthan Director General of Police A S Gill said it was "obviously a terror attack." Police sources said the attack was meticulously planned and the first blast occurred around 7.40 PM and the remaining blasts were set off in quick succession.

The Union Home Ministry reviewed the situation while Mumbai and Delhi were put on high alert. Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel were deployed in Jaipur to help deal with the situation as security was beefed up. One of the blasts took place in a car and another near a handloom shop in Kotwali area of the city, home department sources said. There were also reports that a live bomb was defused by a bomb disposal squad.

Police sources said that cycles may have been used to trigger the blasts that occurred in the space of 12 minutes at the crowded areas.

One of the blast sites is near the famous 'Hawa Mahal'. Both President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condemned the blasts and appealed for calm. Home Minister Shivraj Patil who is touring the North-East is likely to cut short his visit to Meghalaya.

look

Red hot Priyanka Chopra

Priyanka Chopra dyed her hair red for Harry Baweja’s film Love Story 2050.


And she did this twice. She went from black to red to black and then back again to red during the making of the film. Usually actors wear wigs, but this time Priyanka chose to do otherwise. The look is the brainchild of director Baweja, make-up maestro Mickey Contractor and hair stylist Thea. Baweja says, “The idea was to have a look that people could imagine and relate to. We didn’t want the actors to look like aliens. The film is set in the future, but it’s not about space travel. It took us six months to zero in on the final look.” He adds, “The biggest challenge about coming up with Priyanka’s futuristic look was to predict fashion trends 40 years ahead.” Looks like Priyanka’s going to win over more people as a red-head.

Special suits for a virtual sexperience

No matter how graphic the sex animations may be on the virtual playground, they can't compete with the movement of the human body.

But soon people will be able to slip into motion-capture suits to capture those natural moves and engage the entire body in online sexual adventures, rather than limping along with a keyboard and mouse.

Kevin Alderman, who's already infamous for the sex animations his company Strokerz Toyz creates for Second Life, is developing a wireless, consumer-level motion-capture suit that's expected to hit shelves in 2009.

"Right now only a dozen or so sites on the web offer downloadable mocap files,"he said.

"You have to wait until some studio becomes benevolent enough to make the animations you want, or you have to engage them for your specific needs,"he added.

Personal motion-capture suits will enable residents to contribute sex animations to the world of their choice, and to develop scenarios tailored to their own deepest desires, especially if they team up with others who also have the suits.

Skoda plans small car for India

Czech auto giant Skoda is stepping on the accelerator and plans five new launches in India, including its global small car that will debut next year. These introductions will see Skoda entering into new segments like multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) and the sports utility vehicle (SUV).

Speaking to TOI, Thomas Kuehl, member of the board Skoda Auto India said, “We will launch a compact car in the Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh segment, below our existing small car offering, Fabia. India will be the first global market where the car will be launched.” The new global small car is being built on a completely new platform at the company's headquarters in the Czech Republic.

The automobile growth story has prompted many global car manufacturers to make India their launch pad before entering markets like the US and Europe.

The Zen Estilo, Swift, SX4, and Dzire from the Maruti Suzuki stable and Hyundai's i10 have all had their debut in India. Maruti Suzuki's concept A-Star, that will be rolled out by year-end, will also make India debut. Skoda will first bring in MPV offering Roomster, which will be launched by the year-end. “Next year, we will launch the new Laura, Octavia and mostly likely the Fabia Combi. In 2010, we plan to launch an SUV as well,” said Kuehl.

For Skoda, part of the Volkswagen Group, India will be a key focus market. In the next five years it plans to sell 100,000 units, up from the current figure of 13,000 units.

“We expect India to be among the top three global markets for us in the next five years. Out of the 100,000 units we plan to sell, 60% of the volumes will be driven by the small car market,” said Kuehl.
Going forward, India will also emerge as Skoda's export hub for the Asean region. “We are looking for more land in Aurangabad to expand our production facilities,” is all Kuehl revealed.

On the pricing front, the company is working towards being more competitive by increasing the localisation content. At present Skoda fleet in India has an average localisation content of 15%. The company is looking to achieve 50% localisation in the next 18 months.

No land for more KVs in Delh

Land seems scarce for social good, as the ministry for human resources development (MHRD) is finding it difficult to get land for 10 more Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) in the Capital. In the last 20 years, the number of enrolments in KVs has risen from 4,76,584 to 9,54,551 in 2007. In comparison to the increase of 4,77,967 students in 20 years the number of schools across India increased by 292.

In 2007, Delhi saw the highest number of enrolments at 1,06,212 in its 41 KVs, of which 15 are running double shifts. In order to maintain a healthy classroom ratio and to increase the number of students, the MHRD on August 2007 wrote a letter to Sheila Dikshit, chief minister, Delhi, for land in SP Marg/ Bapu Dham, Trans Yamuna (two locations), Najafgarh, Nangloi, Mukherjee Nagar, Model Town, Chhatarpur, Dwarka and Punjabi Bagh.

According to ministry sources, Dikshit forwarded the request to Jaipal Reddy, minister for urban development. Finally, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in response to the need for at least 10 more KVs in Delhi wrote to the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) offering a two-acre land in Khichripur.

KVS officials said the Sangathan is in urgent need to have at least five more schools in the Capital to meet the increasing demand. On extending the double shifts to other schools, a KVS official and a MHRD source said: "Considering the weather condition and the safety of children, do you think it is safe for children to go to school at 1pm and return home after 6pm?"

Teens in Europe turning to alcohol, drugs 'for sexual high'

More and more teenagers in Europe are turning to alcohol and drugs to improve their sex lives, a new study has revealed.

In their study, researchers questioned 1,341 young people in nine cities across Europe -- a third of men aged 16 to 35 and a quarter of females surveyed said they drank only to hit new sexual peaks.

Those who took cocaine regularly were five times more likely to have had five or more sexual partners in the last 12 months or have paid for sex. And young people who indulged in alcohol, cocaine or ecstasy before the age of 16 were more likely to have underage sex, the survey found.

Young people were also more at risk of unsafe sex while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, it revealed.

"Millions of young Europeans now take drugs and drink in ways which alter their sexual decisions and increase their chances of unsafe sex or sex that is later regretted.

"Despite the negative consequences, we found many are deliberately taking these substances to achieve quite specific sexual effects," the British media quoted the study's lead author Mark Bellis of Liverpool John Moore's University.

In fact, almost half of participants in Vienna, Austria had drunk alcohol and had sex by the time they were 16 compared with 36 per cent in Venice, Italy, 37 per cent in Palma, Spain and 30 per cent in Liverpool.

"Sexual activity accompanied by substance use is not just incidental, but often sexually motivated. Interventions addressing sexual health are often developed and implemented independently from those addressing substance use. However, young people often see alcohol, drugs and sex all as part of the same social experience and addressing these issues requires an equally joined up approach," study's co-author Amador Calafat wrote in the latest edition of the BMC Public Health journal

US govt 'gags' Congress on N-Deal: Repor

With the Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement remaining stalled, the US State Department has issued a "virtual gag order" to the Congress asking it to keep even unclassified information "secret" out of fear that public disclosure could "torpedo" the deal.

Lynne Weil, a spokeswoman for the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the State Department provided a lot of information on the deal, but the committee has agreed not to disclose the answers because "some data might be considered diplomatically sensitive."

However, the Washington Post said on Friday that the deal was in "such desperate" straits that the State Department had imposed the "unusually strict condition" asking the lawmakers to "keep secret" the answers it has provided.

The State Department made the request to Congress because though the answers were not classified, the officials fear that public disclosure would torpedo the deal, unnamed sources were quoted as saying by The Post.

Nearly 50 questions posed by Congress are highly technical, but they were carefully crafted to get to the heart of the balancing act the administration has performed between adhering to the letter of US non-proliferation law and assuaging Indian concerns that it was not being treated like a true nuclear power, the daily said.

One of the questions, it is said, pertains to whether the US would terminate nuclear trade if India resumes nuclear testing, a sensitive point in New Delhi.

Though it is required under US law, but the answer is not entirely clear from the text of the US-India agreement.

A group of prominent non-proliferation experts have decried the "virtual gag order", but so far the answers have not leaked as only a handful of lawmakers have been able to read them.

Now, gum swab to spot HIV

A simple gum swab in place of an invasive blood test can now tell whether you are HIV positive. What's even better, the test results will be out in just 10-20 minutes.

In a breakthrough that could replace the present day HIV antibody test through blood taken from the finger or the arm, a team of Indo-Canadian scientists has successfully tested the world's first saliva-based HIV test, with an accuracy rate of nearly 100%.

The final results from the study, conducted in Maharashtra in 2006, by a team from McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), Canada, and Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (MGIMS), Sevagram, were published on Tuesday in the international medical journal ‘PloS Medicine'.

This test is based on oral mucosal transudate (OMT), a fluid that is secreted at the base of the gums before it becomes saliva.

Scientists found that the level of antibodies in OMT is comparable to that of blood plasma, making it an excellent sample for HIV testing.

Lead author Nitika Pant Pai from MUHC's division of infectious diseases, said this new technique would do away with blood collection, which scares away patients from undergoing HIV test. The team now hopes that this research will pave the way for widespread use of oral HIV tests available over-the-counter.

Rai conducted clinical trials on vulnerable pregnant women in the labour ward of MGIMS. She said that extracting blood in field settings poses a logistical problem because it needs injecting syringes and trained personnel. Now, all that one has to do is rub the stick against the gum twice to collect oral fluid.

"The applicator on the stick, a strip of synthetic proteins, then detects HIV antibodies in 20 minutes or less.

Standard blood test for HIV takes up to two weeks," Dr Pai said. She added that in India, it is vital to determine the HIV status of mothers very quickly to prevent transmission to the child during delivery.

"Over 50% Indian women do not receive prenatal care and therefore don't get tested for HIV during pregnancy. Testing in the labour ward is the last chance to prevent HIV transmission to the newborn baby. Also Indian patients often refuse blood collection in fear of social ostracization, while saliva collection poses no problem.
Thanks to this test, women were enrolled, received counselling, their test results confirmed and referred for treatment when found positive, within 40-60 minutes," she said.

Globally, in 2007, about 2.1 million children were detected with new HIV infection - 90% of them having acquired it via maternal fetal transmission.

Without rapid and accurate detection of HIV, no delivery of available PMTCT interventions (prevention of mother to child HIV transmission) is possible. Without anti-retroviral drugs, the probability of transmission is 30-35%. With ART, it is reduced to 10-15%.

"In the labour room, due to inconsistent supply of blood-based rapid tests, they are often not available. Thus, many fail to get tested. In India, 4,755 infants were detected in 2005 attributed to mother-to-child transmission," Pai added.

Experts develop artificial mouth

LONDON: French scientists have reported the successful development of an artificial mouth that chews apples like humans.

Researchers led by Gaelle Arvisenet at ENITIAA in Nantes, France, have designed an artificial mouth that mimics the first vital steps of human digestion ie chewing, saliva release and the initial breakdown of food.

The team says that the development could form part of a robotic taste-tester designed to improve food quality and our understanding of flavour.

Earlier groups have developed artificial mouths that can study soft foods or sets of robotic jaws to test teeth. However, until now, none has been able to recreate what happens when a human chows down on hard foodstuffs.

In the study, Arvisenet and colleagues point out that a number of factors are involved in the release of aromatic and flavour compounds in the mouth.

Chewing, the release of saliva, the rate of food breakdown and the temperature all affect the flavour and smell of food before it's swallowed.

To accurately mimic the effects of chewing, Arvisenet's team needed to build a machine that could imitate several of these subtle processes.

"Previous models were simpler and did not take into account all processes involved in perception of food. Our artificial mouth allows the study of hard foods like apples," New Scientist magazine quoted Arvisenet, as saying.

The munching device reproduces the first steps of digestion - chewing, saliva release and food breakdown. About five times the size of a human mouth inside, the steel container is kept at a steady 37ºC by an electrical element. Its internal surfaces are coated with a chemically resistant plastic used for medical implants.

The ceiling and floor of the cylindrical chamber are attached to variable speed motors. Food is placed on the floor, which is able to revolve, while the ceiling coated spiky "teeth" moves up and down like a plunger.

The compression and rotation simulate the mechanical forces food undergoes in the mouth. The process is made more realistic by the addition of enzyme-containing artificial saliva through a pipe in the base of the chamber.

Helium supplied through another inlet flows through the "mouth" to reproduce the effect of breathing and carry volatile compounds away for analysis.

The researchers compared apples chewed by their machine and by human mouths. The resulting apple pulp was scrutinized for texture, colour and aromatic compound release. "The (results) were very close," Arvisenet said.

Actress Soha Ali Khan's arms licence cancelled

The arms licence issued to film actress Soha Ali Khan, whose rifle was allegedly used by her father and former Indian cricket captain Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi to kill a blackbuck, was cancelled on Thursday by a court in Gurgaon.

Gurgaon District Magistrate Rakesh Gupta cancelled the licence issued to Soha in November 1996 on the ground that she had not attained the mandatory age of 21 years when Soha applied for the licence.

According to the district officials, Soha was only 18 years old when she sought the licence. Under the Arms Act, a person has to be 21 years to get a weapon licence.

The DM, however, took no action against Soha. The original file relating to the licence has gone missing, the officials said.

They maintained that when she got her licence renewed in 2005, Soha did not make any reference to the weapon being allegedly used by Pataudi to hunt a blackbuck in adjoining Jhajjar district.

The District Magistrate, in his order, said that it was the "moral duty" on the part of Soha to have disclosed in whose possession the rifle was.

Soha's counsel V Bhushan Arya told mediapersons that Soha may file an appeal against the District Magistrate's order after getting its copy.

Arya claimed that she did not hide her age while applying for the arms licence in 1996 and while getting it renewed in 2005. It was the duty of the police to have verified such issues, he said.

Gavaskar quits as ICC cricket panel chief

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, who was asked to choose between his media commitments and role as the Chairman of ICC Cricket Committee, has relinquished his job with the game's world governing body.

Gavaskar conveyed his decision to the ICC on Wednesday, a day after chairing the Cricket Committee meeting which concluded here on Tuesday, ICC's acting Chief Executive Officer David Richardson said in a statement here on Thursday.

The ICC had put Gavaskar on notice after discussing the potential for a conflict of interest for a person chairing the ICC Cricket Committee while, at the same time, working for a media outlet in its meeting in March in Dubai.

Gavaskar said with more and more cricket it was not possible for him to do justice with the two jobs.

"I have thoroughly enjoyed the eight years I have held the role (of ICC Cricket Committee Chairman), which is an honorary position, and it has been extremely fulfilling to be able to give back to the game through that role", Gavaskar said.

"However, with more and more cricket being played it has become clear that it is not possible for me to do justice to two jobs, the chairmanship of the ICC Cricket Committee and my media commitments," he said.

The master bastman, who was re-elected at the high-profile post on ICC's insistence, said it was not possible for him to juggle in different responsibilities at the same time.

"As an example of that, I had to leave my professional commitments as a commentator on the Indian Premier League matches in order to come and chair this year's meeting in Dubai", Gavaskar said.

"I envisaged the potential for this sort of issue two years ago and intimated then that I was not able to continue in the role but when I was asked to do so I was honoured to be re-elected.

"Now, however, it is clear I cannot combine both roles and therefore I am relinquishing the chair of the ICC Cricket Committee," said the first cricketer to score 10,000 Test runs.

Richardson said the ICC would try to utilise Gavaskar's expertise to benefit the game in some other capacity in future.

"Having someone of Sunil's stature involved has to be of benefit to the game and given the ICC's lengthy relationship with him we hope we can still utilise his knowledge in some other capacity in the future," Richardson said

"We are indebted to the work Sunil has put into his role as Chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee. He has brought his vast experience of the game to bear, not only over the eight years of his chairmanship but also the six years prior to that, when he was a delegate on the same committee," he said.

Some of Gavaskar's critical columns had not gone down well with the ICC top-brass and his scathing attack on match referee Mike Procter after the controversial Sydney Test between India and Australia irked the game's world governing body.

Gavaskar had alleged that Procter preferred to agree with a "white player's version" than a player of Sachin Tendulkar's integrity during the racial row involving Harbhajan Singh and Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds in January.

Gavaskar had also termed some ICC member countries like England and Australia as "dinosaurs", alleging they could not stomach India's growing clout in the game.

The ICC then decided to give the former Indian captain the option of choosing between his job as a commentator and columnist and that of the chairman of the cricket committee.

China puts onus on Dalai Lama to create conditions for talks

Refusing to set a date for the next round of parleys with the Dalai Lama's envoys, China on Tuesday said that Sunday's meeting was only a "beginning" and insisted that the Tibetan leader should take "concrete actions" to create conditions for further talks.

In the first comments on the meeting between the two sides that lasted only a few hours, the Chinese foreign ministry said, "the central government's policy is consistent and clear cut. The door for dialogue is always open".

"I want to stress that the current contact is only a beginning," foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said at a regular bi-weekly media briefing.

At the meeting, the first since the unrest erupted in Tibet in March, Chinese officials talked about the riots in Lhasa and central government's policy towards the Dalai Lama and "we agreed to continue with the contact when appropriate", he said.

During the talks, officials had "clearly and comprehensively" expanded on China's position and "we believe that the Dalai's representatives have heard it very clearly", Qin said during the briefing.

Describing the current contact as "sincere", Qin said, "so long as the Dalai side exerts sincerity especially in actions, then the contact will continue".

He hoped that the Tibetan leader "will mean his words and really stop separatist activities, stop provoking violent activities and stop disrupting the Beijing Olympics so

IT stocks rise in dull market

Action was muted for equities on Dalal Street on Wednesday afternoon after a sluggish start. Uncertain of what course the market is likely to take, investors were seen churning portfolios and booking profits in stocks that witnessed a good run-up in April.

Rising crude oil prices and dwindling FII fund flows so far this month were chiefly responsible for dampening sentiment on Wednesday, analysts said. Global cues provided little support, they added.

At 1:30 pm, the Sensex was down 134 points or 0.77 per cent at 17,239.42, making a low of 17,239.17. The high was 17,413.81.

BHEL (down 3.34%), Larsen & Toubro (2.91%), DLF (2.69%), Bharti Airtel (2.6%) and Ranbaxy Laboratories (1.88%) lead the decline.

Tata Consultancy Services (up 3.01%), Tata Steel (2%), Infosys Technologies (1.3%), ITC (2.6%) and Wipro (0.49%) were the major gainers.

The Nifty was down 37 points or 0.72 per cent at 5107.45. The index touched a low of 5101.25 and high of 5159.05.

Courtesy: www.economictimes.com

HTC unveils Touch Cruise

TC has launched Touch Cruise, the third member of the HTC Touch product family.

/photo.cms?msid=3015527 The phone is the company's first to feature a built-in GPS for navigation.

Building on the popularity of HTC Touch and HTC Touch Dual, HTC Touch Cruise also supports HSDPA wireless connectivity.

Ajay Sharma, country manager, HTC (India) said, "HTC Touch Cruise is our latest offering in our continuous commitment of ushering in technologically advanced and top of the line converged devices in India. The original HTC Touch has already proved to be a phenomenal success in India, and HTC Touch Cruise with fully integrated GPS adds another dimension to our touch-screen device family."

With 3 megapixel auto-focus camera, the phone comes in black sapphire and provides one-touch access to emails, text messages, calendar appointments, contacts and weather conditions.

Also, users can sweep their finger up the display to launch an animated, 3D interface comprising three screens: contacts, media and applications.

With 2.8" screen display, Touch Cruise runs on Windows Mobile 6 Professional and comes with built-in Windows Media Player.

Other key features include FM radio, microSD memory card slot for adding to the 256MB ROM and 128MB RAM. In addition, it supports WorldCard Mobile to manage business cards.

The phone also supports mapping and navigation solutions from the MapKing R12 application and will be available for Rs 32,990.

Breast-fed kids smarter

Children who are breastfed after birth are smarter than those who aren't.

According to the world's largest study on lactation and intelligence, that followed 17,046 children for six and a half years from birth, children whose mothers exclusively breastfed them during the first year of life had consistently higher IQ and an improved cognitive (thinking, learning and memory) development.

Scientists from McGill University and the Montreal Children's Hospital conducted a randomized trial involving patients from 31 maternity hospitals in Belarus.

At age six and a half the children in the breastfeeding group scored an average of 7.5 points higher on tests measuring verbal intelligence, 2.9 points higher on tests measuring non-verbal intelligence and 5.9 points higher on tests measuring overall intelligence.

Michael S Kramer, lead author and professor of pediatrics at the university, said: "Our study provides the strongest evidence to date that prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding makes kids smarter."

Kramer was, however, unable to pinpoint what caused this association. He said: "It remains unclear whether the observed cognitive benefits of breastfeeding are due to some constituent of breast milk or are related to the physical and social interactions inherent in breastfeeding."

Reacting to the study, Dr Arun Gupta, national coordinator of the Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India, told TOI: "This study shows that if Indians can increase exclusive breast feeding rates from 25% at present to 100% in the near future, it will greatly benefit the country's intellectual capital. Unfortunately, breast feeding rates have hardly improved in India since 1992."

Dr J P Dadhisch, pediatrician and former secretary of the National Neonatology Forum, added: "India recommends breastfeeding within one hour and exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months for every child. However, just a quarter of the children born every year are fed breast milk exclusively till they are six months old.

"Two reasons could link breastfeeding and IQ. Mother's breast milk contains fatty acids like DHA and AA that play a vital role in brain development. Even thou-gh neurological cells exist in kids, its these fatty acids that help nerve cells to send signals."

The study has been published in the May edition of the ‘Archives of General Psychiatry'.

Everyone is raving over Bebo's bikini

ebo's super hot look in Tashan is bringing her super accolades.

Everyone's been trying to copy Kareena's cool look in Tashan, just like it happened with Jab We Met earlier and of course, her never forgotten style icon appearance in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham.

She wowed everyone as Poo and now she's wowing everyone all over again as Pooja in Tashan. Her red hot look has caught the eye of the industry and endorsement wallahs alike and designer Aki Narula the man behind the magic is hounded by clients asking him to give them ' the Bebo look.'

Everyone's raving about her va va voom hot bikini shot. Almost Hollywood straight out of James Bond film, Bebo positively scorched the scene in her bikini shot.

She can play the hottie and the girl next door effectively as proved by her in Tashan. And obviously Ms Kapoor's very thrilled with the response. And she's all fulsome praise for Aki.. Nirula the designer, not to be confused with her co star Akki!

"Words fall short to praise the kind of talent Aki has. He is one of the most talented designers we have.

He is just fantastic and what he has done for me in this movie is commendable he just changed my entire look; it is something that has never been seen before.

I think the whole idea of keeping it very grunge and rugged for me has really worked because I don't think an Indian actress has really done that on screen before..

We have all worked together as a team to give me a unique look.. I particularly love Pooja's signature outfit - A white shirt with nice jeans and boots. I think I live in that always and that's my style mantra!"

Tackle obesity to combat asthma

In order to combat the rising numbers of asthma cases in India, city doctors say it is important to address the problem of obesity. It is among the several medical conditions, like diabetes and sleep disorders, which play a critical role in aggravating an asthmatic attack.

A recent study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine claims a direct link between obesity and development of a phenomenon known as dynamic hyperinflation when air breathed into the lungs cannot be exhaled. It is seen in many cases where obese patients face serious difficulty in breathing and those with asthma start gasping for breath. "Due to increase in fat deposition in the abdomen, the diaphragmatic boundary is pushed upwards, and because of this the lungs' space is compromised. This obstructs lung function," says Dr Anoop Misra, director and head of department, diabetes & metabolic diseases, Fortis Healthcare.

With obesity becoming a common problem in children, there is all the more reason to worry. Doctors say it might trigger wheezing or an asthma attack. "It is often seen that obese children run short of breath if they do even a small physical exercise. These kids have lower lung reserve and are not able to exhale properly," says Dr Sanjeev Bagai, head of the department, paediatrics, and director, Rockland Hospital.

Along with obesity, it's co-morbidities like type2 diabetes, hypertension, gastroesophageal reflux etc can also result in worsening of asthma. "Diabetes and hypertension can affect any part of the body. It can also have a damaging effect on lungs because of which respiratory system can get affected," says Dr Vivek Jaggi, senior consultant, pulmonologist, Artemis Health Institute.

Asthmatic patients with sleep disorders are more prone to getting an attack. "The lower airway is as it is compromised in asthmatic patients. But due to sleep disorders, the situation becomes worse, as the upper airway also gets affected.

A lot of patients on medication for asthma complain of problem in sleeping as the medicine has stimulants. And in sleep apnea or snoring, a person's upper airway space gets narrow and this further reduces the supply of oxygen to the lungs. Decrease in oxygen level in blood can affect the sympathetic nervous control like heat rate, pulse etc.

Such patients are at a higher risk of getting a heart attack, increase in heart rate, stroke etc, as compared to other asthma patients," warns Dr Manvir Bhatia, chairperson, sleep medicine, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.

With the change in season, there are pollens and other allergens in the air. So asthma patients need to look out. But better management and precautions can certainly help.

There are a host of patient-friendly devices in asthma care that are now available in the metros. There are newer drug delivery devices, better medicines and pocket-sized oxygen cylinders that assure asthmatics of a better quality of life. Medicines for asthma used in the West now make their way to Indian shores almost simultaneously.

At the hospital end too technology promises better treatment.

Sharapova may have to fork out a million in fines

Tennis superstar Maria Sharapova could end up being fined close to a million dollars for defying the authorities running the sport.

The 21-year-old Siberian has already been docked $125,000 by the WTA Tour after withdrawing from this week's Berlin tournament, with the possibility of a further $10,000 penalty if she does not provide a medical reason for her no-show.

According to a newspaper report, she could also face a fine of up to $700,000 if she decides to boycott the WTA Tour's official promotional shoot that has been controversially planned to take place on the eve of next week's event on the clay of Rome's Foro Italico.

So, in the space of a fortnight, there is a chance that her fines could total $835,000.

The maximum fine for skipping promotional work is usually $300,000, but that increases to $700,000 for players such as Sharapova who do not wear a tour patch on their clothes.

"To ask me or any of the other players to do a long shoot like this is not right. The tour is not thinking about the players," Sharapova was quoted, as saying, adding that she has not ruled out the possibility of taking legal action against the WTA Tour.

Yahoo needs to convince investors

Yahoo Inc chief executive Jerry Yang is convinced that the company he started in a Silicon Valley trailer 14 years ago is worth more than the $47.5 billion that Microsoft Corp had offered for the Internet pioneer.

Now he may only have a few months to convince Wall Street that his rebuff of Microsoft's takeover bid was a smart move and if he can't, analysts won't be surprised if Yang is either replaced as CEO or forced to consider accepting a lower offer if Microsoft comes knocking at his door again. "This squarely puts the pressure on Jerry Yang to deliver results and shareholder value," Standard & Poor's equity analyst Scott Kessler said. "You are going to see a lot of shareholders just throwing in the towel because they are going to realize it's going to take awhile for the stock to get back to where it was on Friday."

Kessler and other analysts believe Yahoo's stock price will surrender most, if not all, of its 50% gain since Microsoft made its initial offer on January 31. The anticipated sell-off would leave Yahoo's market value hovering around $30 billion. In Frankfurt, Germany, three hours before trading opened in New York, Yahoo shares fell 18.6% to 14.74 euros ($22.79).

Most analysts believe Microsoft's stock price will rise. The shares had declined 10% to $29.24 since the bid, reflecting concerns that the proposed marriage would turn into a complicated mess that would enable Google to grow even stronger. Yahoo shares finished last week at $28.67, slightly less than the $29.40 per share that Microsoft was offering before CEO Steve Ballmer agreed to raise the offer to $33 per share in a last-ditch effort to get a deal done.

Amrita: When will Hollywood call?

After Aishwarya, many in apna Bollywood have been nurturing dreams of making it big in Hollywood.

Recently, when we asked the pretty actress Amrita Rao if LA featured anywhere on her career map and she was quick to say, “Yes, definitely. Aishwarya has set a trend and many Indian actresses want to head that way. The day isn’t far when many of us will make it big there.”

But, what about her? “Hollywood certainly features in my scheme of things. I’d love to do a good film there,” says Amrita. “The only difficult part is that we still need to be discovered,” she added. But, with Hollywood evincing interest in all things Indian, that day shouldn’t be too far, eh, Amrita?

Juhi on a new high!

Juhi Chawla, long tagged as the original Miss Bubbly, has recently discovered her sporty side .

Her new avatar as a cricket buff and promoter has meant she is taking more interest in the game than ever before.

But, Juhi is a wee bit disappointed with her team Kolkata Knight Riders’ loss in the last few games. “It is a disappointment, but ups and downs are part of the game,” Juhi says with a smile. She is quick to add, “We got off to a flying start with McCullum’s century. The team is getting along well as a unit. There are no frictions in the team. Of course, now with some of the players leaving, the composition will change a bit.”

The last time Juhi watched a match in a stadium was while she was in college, but she confesses that her knowledge of the game has increased post-IPL. “I used to watch cricket in snatches at home on TV. Now, I have become much more familiar and can recognise a lot of players,” she says.

Moving away from cricket, Juhi is busy promoting her latest film. In between, she is catching up on her ad shoots. “Also coming up is Kismat Konnection, where I have a guest appearance,” says Juhi. So, have priorities changed for her over the years? “Surely they have, with age. Previously, I was running around trees, but now every film has a different requirement. Now I first see the production house, and then who is directing it. The script is another concern. Earlier, most of the scripts were written on the sets,” says Juhi.

The moment we mention kids, Juhi’s face lights up. “Oh, they take up much of my time. But, it is nice to be around them,” she says. And, have they watched any of her films? “Shockingly enough, my kids haven’t watched any of my films. We have no TV c

China silent on reports of nuke submarine base

China on Tuesday remained silent on reports it was building a major underground nuclear submarine base but insisted its military posed no threat to any country, a day after India voiced apprehensions over the build-up.

Beijing also stoutly defended its right to protect its maritime and territorial interests.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang at a bi-weekly media briefing would not confirm nor deny the existence of the base when asked about reports in this regard but said China's military posed no threat to the world.

"There is no need for the Western countries to be worried, or concerned, or make any irresponsible accusations," Qin said, adding "China's national defence and military building will not pose a threat to any countries."

"We have a vast territorial sea. It is the sacred duty of the Chinese army to safeguard our security on sea, the sovereignty of our territorial sea and maritime rights and interests," he said.

"China follows the path of peaceful development and pursues a national defence policy which is defensive in nature. China will always be the backbone of world peace."

India's Naval Chief Admiral Suresh Mehta while reacting to the development said it was a "cause for security concern".

"It is not the nuclear submarine bases that matter, we are concerned over the number of nuclear submarines that are being built in our neighbourhood," he said on Monday.

Britain's Daily Telegraph while reporting on the base called it a "vast, James Bond-style edifice capable of concealing up to 20 nuclear-powered submarines and which will enable China to project its power across the region.

The base being built near the holiday resort of Sanya on southern China's Hainan island posed a major threat to Asian countries and US interests in the region, it said.

Lenovo laptops go red

Lenovo recently announced the launch of its IdeaPad U110 notebook PC, the star of Lenovo's IdeaPad entertainment and fashion-oriented notebook collection.

Enhanced by an 11-inch frameless screen display and weighing less than 2.5 pounds (1.13 kgs) and measuring between 0.7 and 0.9 inches, the notebook's thin and light frame caters to the highly mobile user.

Equipped with VeriFace and Face Recognition, users can quickly and easily log-in without having to remember passwords.

The inbuilt Dolby Home Theatre and the MultiMedia Control Center aim to provide better sound quality and multimedia control.

Lenovo has tailored the IdeaPad U110 for performance with a 120GB hard drive, up to 3GB of memory, Intel Centrino processor, a built-in camera, WLAN, Ethernet and Bluetooth connectivity (optional), an external DVD burner and the Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium operating system.

The U110 delivers eight hours of battery life on a single charge and incorporates Lenovo’s Active Protection System that offers extreme durability by temporarily parking the hard drive if the notebook should fall or drop.

This ultra portable will be available in red or black colour with a metal finish.

The IdeaPad U110 is available now, and starts at $1900 for the minimum configuration

Nokia's new phones

Nokia, the world's top cell phone maker, has unveiled three new phone models, targeting the highly competitive market for mid-priced phones.

Nokia said shipments of the new phones -- Nokia 6600 Fold, Nokia 6600 Slide and Nokia 3600 Slide -- would start during the third quarter.

They would sell for 175 euros ($273) to 275 euros, excluding taxes and subsidies.

Nokia 6600 fold is a compact 3G handset with 2 megapixel camera and quick access to Internet services such as Yahoo! Go.

It flips open to reveal a bright 2.13-inch OLED screen displaying up to 16 million colours. The glossy surface contains a display that lights up with two taps of the phone and also allows control of alerts and incoming calls.

The 6600 slide features a glossy, steel cover and aluminium center key as well as the same tap technology to display and control time, snoozes, alerts and incoming calls.

The handset comes with 3.2 megapixel camera with photo-sharing controls, 2.2-inch QGVA display, integrated Nokia Maps and optional Bluetooth GPS module.

The Nokia 3600 slide is a more colourful handset, using soft ceramic paint and metal combined with high gloss surfaces and gradated colours.

It's also the first Nokia product to feature background noise cancellation. Other features include built-in music player and microSD card slot, Nokia Maps, 3.2 megapixel camera and TV-out port.

Creative's MP3 player

Creative Technology Ltd, has launched an ultra compact and lightweight MP3 player, Creative MuVo T200, in India that comes with a full colour LCD display screen and a built-in USB connector that allows easy transfer of music tracks and data files without any cable or software.

Available in sleek glossy colours including black, white and pink, Creative MuVo T200 supports MP3, WMA and audible music formats.

With storage capacity of 2GB and 4GB, users can store up to 500 of their favourite music tracks and enjoy up to 9 hours of music playback with a single charge of the rechargeable battery.

The player comes in six dazzling colour themes ranging from marine blue, velvet red to forest green displayed on the colour LCD screen.

"The tiny Creative MuVo T200 functions as both a MP3 player and a USB storage device. Its ultra compact design with dimensions of only 25 x 77.7 x 11 mm and a light weight of only 20.6 grams, make it very convenient for users to bring along wherever they go", said Toh Sork Lee, Regional Sales Manager, India, Creative Technology Ltd.

Other features include: dual screen orientation to suit users' viewing preference, screensaver with date and time stamp, built-in FM radio and voice recorder.

The player is priced at Rs 3399 and Rs 4999 for 2GB and 4GB respectively.

Night club drug can ease depression

Scientists have unraveled how a horse tranquilizer and hallucinogenic night club drug known as "Special K" can ease depression, researchers said on Friday.

Ketamine, which can also cause feelings of detachment, could pave the way for new treatments for people suffering from depression, the researchers added.

Radio chips to check LPG diversion

Beware if you have multiple connections and use cooking gas cylinders to run a vehicle or a geyser. For these, you are supposed to use costlier commercial cylinders.

Similarly, unscrupulous dealers or delivery men will not be able to divert cylinders meant for domestic consumers to commercial establishments. Simply put, dealers cannot delay delivery, blaming it on short supply.

All this will be possible soon with state-owned oil marketing companies planning to tag cylinders with radio frequency ID (RFID) chips. This will help track the movement of each cylinder from the time it leaves the filling station and returns for a refill.

State-owned oil marketing companies are planning to tag cylinders with radio chips that will track the movement of LPG cylinder from the time it leaves the filling station and comes back for a refill.

After a test run, IndianOil Corporation is launching a pilot on the RFID (radio frequency identity) project in Coimbatore.

Simultaneously, it is rolling out indigenous software, IndSoft (short for Indane software), to merge all its dealers and supply points into a seamless network.

"IOC has about 5 crore cooking gas connections and 5,000 dealers serving them. Most dealers keep booking and delivery records on their own computers and the data is not transmitted to the company directly or in real time, leaving scope for diversion by unscrupulous elements. IndSoft will merge them into a common network linked to a central server. This will help monitor each dealer and detect any deviation either in delivery or use," G C Daga, IOC’s director (marketing), said.

Daga said the project would be in place by September-October, before the festival season begins when demand as well as diversions rise.

"We will then know the number of cylinders a dealer is receiving from us and delivering to customers. We will track the rollover pattern of cylinders against each consumer number. If a cylinder comes back for refill, say, in 10 days, we know there’s something amiss. With RFID, we can even identify the delivery boy for a particular cylinder. We can also detect ‘ghost’ or bogus connections or households which have multiple connections in the name of various members living together," he added.

Daga is, however, candid enough to admit that the success of RFID in detecting cylinders that have found their way into commercial establishments will depend on the number of ‘raids’ oil company executives are able to conduct. But the software will be nearly foolproof.

Red Cross rushes aid to Myanmar cyclone victims

Aid agencies on Monday rushed emergency food and water supplies to victims of a massive storm in Myanmar which killed hundreds of people and left tens of thousands homeless, a Red Cross spokesman said.

Tropical cyclone Nargis left at least 351 dead after hitting southwest Myanmar at the weekend, packing winds of 190 kilometres (120 miles) per hour, razing thousands of buildings and knocking out power lines, state media reported.

Several coastal villages had been destroyed according to a preliminary assessment by the International Federation of the Red Cross, spokesman Michael Annear said.

The villages in the Ayeyawaddy (Irrawaddy) delta bore the brunt of the storm which came in from the Bay of Bengal and combined with a sea surge before hitting the main city Yangon. State media said nearly 98,000 were homeless on the delta's Haing Gyi island alone.

Annear said teams in Myanmar were distributing essential supplies and would be bringing in more from Malaysia as soon as possible.

"We're distributing supplies for those who need shelter, plastic sheeting to cover roofs, water purification tablets, we are currently procuring 5,000 litres of water, cooking items, bednets, blankets and clothes for those in most need," he said.

"We went out as soon as possible but there were problems with mobility due to a lot of debris and power lines down. Authorities and the local community have been clearing the road networks so mobility has increased from Monday.

"Assessment teams have been a lot better getting through to affected areas but it's going to take a number of days to get an overall picture of the overall disaster," he said, adding that Yangon's airport was expected to reopen on Monday.

International Red Cross teams would be connecting with the local Myanmar Red Cross where more than 1,000 workers are trained in assessment and relief.

United Nations agencies and international charities were meeting later on Monday at the UN's Bangkok headquarters to coordinate their response to the disaster.

"We have called in the relief agencies and we will be discussing the overview of the situation, what we expect to happen over the course of the day and what activities are foreseen by the agencies," Terje Skavdal, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said.

All the major UN agencies involved in the disaster response were attending, including the World Health Organisation, the UN Children's Fund and World Food Programme, alongside the International Federation of the Red Cross and major aid organisations Save the Children and Oxfam.

Myanmar's national Red Cross was the only agency able to begin assessment of the damage on Sunday, but a number of other agencies had now started their own assessments, Skavdal said.

"Collating the data will take some time," he said. "Because of communication problems with phone lines down people will have to come back to Yangon to share their findings."

The IFRC has sent assessment teams to Yangon, the Ayeyawaddy, Karen, Bago regions and may also deploy to Mon state.

'Myanmar cyclone death toll tops 10,000'

Myanmar's military government has a provisional death toll of 10,000 from this weekend's devastating cyclone, with another 3,000 missing, a diplomat said on Monday after a briefing from Foreign Minister Nyan Win. ( Watch )

"The basic message was that they believe the provisional death toll was about 10,000 with 3,000 missing," a Yangon-based diplomat said in Bangkok, summarising a briefing from Foreign Minister Nyan Win. "It's a very serious toll."

The scale of the disaster from Saturday's devastating cyclone drew a rare acceptance of outside help from the diplomatically isolated generals, who spurned such approaches in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

The secretive military, which has ruled the former Burma for 46 years, has moved even further into the shadows in the last six months due to the widespread outrage at its bloody crackdown on protests led by Buddhist monks in September.

The official toll on state media stands at 3,394 dead and 2,879 missing, although those figures only cover two of the five declared disaster zones, where UN officials say hundreds of thousands are without shelter or drinking water.

The casualty count has been rising quickly as authorities reach hard-hit islands and villages in the Irrawaddy delta, the former "rice bowl of Asia" which bore the brunt of Cyclone Nargis's 190 km (120 miles) per hour winds.

After getting a "careful green light" from the government, the United Nations said it was pulling out all the stops to send in emergency aid such as food, clean water, blankets and plastic sheeting.

"The UN will begin preparing assistance now to be delivered and transported to Myanmar as quickly as possible," World Food Programme (WFP) spokesman Paul Risley said.

India sends 2 naval ships carrying relief

India is sending two naval ships with relief and medical supplies to Myanmar.

The ships carrying food items, tents, blankets, clothing and medicines will sail to Yangon from Port Blair, the External Affairs Ministry announced in New Delhi.

President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee have sent messages of condolence, expressing their deep distress at the devastation caused by the natural disaster.

The top leadership has also conveyed India's readiness to provide immediate emergency relief assistance and to assist Myanmar in its rehabilitation efforts.

Kate tops people's most beautiful list

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Kate Hudson. (AFP Photo) More pics

People magazine unveiled Kate Hudson as the cover girl for its list of the world's 100 most beautiful people.

People said Hudson was chosen to showcase the unranked list because the natural beauty she represents is now at the height of fashion.

Hudson "just embodies such an incredible natural beauty that is in vogue right now," People Senior Editor Galina Espinoza said on The Early Show Wednesday.

"We've gotten so accustomed to celebrities getting breast implants and nose jobs, and she will talk about being flat-chested and having a little bit of an offbeat look."

Hudson, 29, daughter of actress Goldie Hawn, told the magazine that she can't remember the last time she had a manicure or a facial. "I don't do those kinds of things. And when I do, I always think, 'I should do this more often'," she said.

Also on the list were teen pop idols Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus and Vanessa Hudgens of High School Musical, both of whom have been criticised for appearing in racy photos.

Hudgens also promoted the natural look saying "just recently I've learned to be okay with myself without wearing make up".

Among others on the list were Halle Berry, who makes a record twelfth appearance, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lopez, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Matthew McConaughey, Johnny Depp, Alicia Keys and Beyonce

What lies beneath

Successful relationships need to be worked upon. The period between the first spark to the raging fire and the embers is surprisingly short, and thereafter it’s work, work all the way.

Love may reign strong in many fortunate cases even after the spark is long gone, but passion play needs work. Also, it never hurts to mix a little passion with love for a heady cocktail, does it?

It may sound rather frivolous to people post a certain age bracket, but the role of sexy lingerie to spice things up in the bedroom cannot be stressed upon too often! If you are not used to wearing lingerie in the bedroom, it’s not too late to start. Sometimes change for the sake of change can work wonders! If you are fighting shy of a sudden makeover, choose a special occasion to start off with. Anniversaries, Valentine’s Day are good excuses.

Once you start to look, you will be surprised with the range of options available in this segment in the market! There are some lingerie that attract attention to the bust, while others to the derriere. Sexy lingerie and fantasy play go hand in hand, allowing you to play a new game with your partner every evening!

As the creative juices start to flow, include an element of drama with role-playing tactics! Men are visual creatures. You can start to build up for the evening by sending your partner messages about your underwear on his cell phone. If your man is even slightly romantic, be sure they will show at your doorstep with at least a bottle of wine in the evening after this teaser!

Remember, an ignorant buy of a smaller or bigger size can be otherwise interpreted! Also, know which parts of your body is cool so go flaunt it