Indian Wonderland

Aggressive kids born of poor parenting

2013-12-03T02:27:00.000-08:00

Kozhikode: Poor parenting and changes in lifestyle brought about by the new socio-economic realities are also to blame for the increasing aggressiveness displayed by children and their use of abusive language today, believes noted psychiatrist, Dr S. Santhakumar.

“Changes in the socio-economic profile of the state during the past three or four decades have to be taken into account while addressing the issue,” he says.

While agreeing that the language used by the new generation cinema and on television has a big influence on children who are at an impressionable age and scores of studies have established the negative influence of television on them, he says this alone cannot be blamed for the foul language used by many of them today.

“We have to look at the larger picture as in most families parents don’t have enough time for their children as they are both working. They may think that by working hard to make a living they are providing for their children’s future, but unfortunately it is not so simple. Children have their own fantasies and desires and if parents are unable to devote more time to listening to them, they will try to fulfill them through other sources,” he warns.

“This is especially important in the age of the Internet and mobile phones. I am not saying parents should spy on their children, but they should have a clear understanding about the kind of networking they have, “ he underlines.

Although in most cases children can be cured of aggressive behavior if the problem is addressed, in some cases they are beyond help, he says. “ I feel sad for such children and their parents,” he adds.

2013-12-03T02:23:00.002-08:00

Irfan Pathan all set to become first Indian cricketer to have personal physio

Left arm seamer Irfan Pathan, out of international cricket action for last few months due to a hip injury, is all set to do something never done by any Indian cricketer before.

"Yes, I am going to hire a full-time personal physio very soon. I have lost quite a lot of playing years due to injury. I made a few comeback, in and out of team. I hope this is my last injury break," Irfan told Headlines Today in an exclusive interview late last night.

Irfan is not the only cricketer whose career has been affected by injuries. Quite a few Indian cricketers specially seamers and medium pace bowlers like Ashish Nehra's career have been marred by injuries.

"Off course, having a personal physio will help me stay fit and strong. I know I will be the first cricketer to do so," observed Irfan.

He was all praise for his fellow teammates. "Bhuvaneshwar has been playing brilliantly and others are also chipping in. It's quite a balanced side. I think it will be great contest. I hope and pray that India emerge victorious. This team is world beater and on any given day beat any team".

"Just look at the batting line up. It's the best in the world. Rohit and Shikhar are brilliant upfront. With Virat, Yuvraj, Raina and Dhoni, this team bats quite deep," he said.

Positive parenting won't make up for yelling, insulting

2013-12-03T02:23:00.000-08:00

Young adults who had been criticized, insulted or threatened by a parent growing up were more likely to be anxious or depressed, in a new study.
Even when the same or another parent expressed plenty of affection, researchers found the apparent harmful effects of having a verbally aggressive mother or father persisted.
"There's a fair amount of data out there that says that parental verbal aggression toward a kid is very damaging," Byron R. Egeland said.
"In many instances, people find it to be as damaging as actual physical abuse," he told Reuters Health.
Egeland has studied child maltreatment and development at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and was not involved in the new research.
Past research has linked verbally aggressive parenting to changes in children's brain development and to personality disorders later in life, researchers led by Ann Polcari write in the journal Child Abuse & Neglect.
Polcari, from Northeastern University in Boston, and her colleagues wanted to see whether also receiving affection from parents would lessen those impacts.
Their study included about 2,500 young people, ages 18 to 25. They each took a series of online surveys as part of being screened for in-person tests and interviews for other research.
Participants reported both on their current mental health and wellbeing and on their experiences with their parents growing up.
They rated each of their parent's verbal aggression on a scale from zero to 105, based on how often mothers or fathers yelled at, scolded, insulted and blamed them as kids. More verbally aggressive parents got higher scores.
Study participants gave their mother's verbal aggression an average score of 22. They scored fathers between 26 and 29.
Verbal affection was measured from zero to 84, with higher scores reflecting a parent who expressed more affection and engaged in more meaningful conversations with the child.
Participants scored their mothers between 65 and 66 on that scale, on average, and their fathers between 54 and 55.
Young adults tended to have more psychiatric symptoms like anxiety and depression when either their mother or their father was verbally aggressive.
What's more, although having a verbally affectionate parent seemed to have a positive impact on young people's wellbeing, it didn't make up for having a second parent who was verbally aggressive, Polcari's team found.
And having one parent who was both affectionate and aggressive wasn't any better for a young person's psychiatric health than if that parent was only aggressive.
"It isn't as if one cancels the other," Timothy Moore, from York University in Toronto, told Reuters Health.
"Whatever the benefits of positive expressions may be, the negative association between verbal aggression and adjustment persisted," Moore said. He has studied the effects of verbal aggression in childhood but wasn't involved in the new study.
"It certainly is important that there be somebody there that the kid can count on, starting at an early age," Egeland said.
"But a large amount of verbal abuse or for that matter having a parent who is emotionally unavailable or physically abuses the kid - those kids will grow up with the idea that they can't count on others. Those are kids that oftentimes don't benefit from the support of a neighbor or coach or relative," he said.
"If the abuse starts at a very early age, it's likely that kid is not going to have trust in much of anybody."
Egeland said the fact that verbal aggression is more common in poor families means children who experience it are also more likely to have single parents and lower quality schools - compounding their risks.
One limitation of the study, the researchers noted, is that participants recalled their parents' verbal aggression from years earlier to the best of their memories. They also reported their own symptoms and weren't checked by a doctor for psychiatric illness.

Pranab makes way for Modi's rally in Patna, to cut short his Bihar trip

2013-10-10T01:54:00.002-07:00

Pranab makes way for Modi's rally in Patna, to cut short his Bihar trip

Narendra Modi and Pranab Mukherjee

The BJP claimed a shot in the arm claiming that President Pranab Mukherjee has agreed to cut short his visit to Bihar by a day in the wake of its rally in Patna on October 27.

BJP leaders Shahnawaz Hussain and Rajiv Pratap Rudy called on the President at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday. Even though they called it a "courtesy call", they told reporters after the meeting that he has told them that he would not stay in Bihar on October 26 night, as scheduled originally.

"It was a courtesy call since he is coming to Bihar and our rally is on the 27th. The President is coming to Bihar on October 26 and he has cancelled his night halt. He will return the same day. Now he will arrive at Patna airport and go directly to convocation and return," Hussain said after coming out of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

"We were concerned that he doesn't have to face any problem due to the BJP rally... It is great that the prime minister-in-waiting is visiting a day after the President," he added.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who is also the NDA's prime ministerial candidate, is scheduled to address the Patna rally on October 27.

The BJP had accused the ruling Janata Dal-United of deliberating scheduling the President's visit to Bihar to clash the date with its rally. The JD-U, however, had rubbished the charge saying it had no say in the President's trip plan.

The BJP and the JD-U had snapped ties earlier this year after it became evident that the BJP would declare Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's bete noire Narendra Modi as its prime ministerial candidate.

World's 10 safest and unsafest airlines

2013-01-23T04:26:00.000-08:00

World's 10 safest and unsafest airlines

1.Finnair

Finnair has been rated the safest airline in the world, based on the study that monitors plane crashes around the world.

2.New Zealand

Air New Zealand has been rated as the world's second safest airline.

3.Cathay Pacific

According to the report, none of the top nine ranked airlines had lost an aircraft or had a fatality during the 30-year period. Cathay Pacific is ranked at No.3 in terms of safety.

4.Emirates Airline

Dubai-based Emirates Airline is ranked at No.4 for safety.

5.Etihad airways

Another airline from the United Arab Emirates; Abu Dhabi-based Etihad airways comes in next in the rankings.

6.EVA Air

Rank 6: EVA Air is an airline based in Taiwan, operating passenger and dedicated cargo services to over 40 international destinations in Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. It is the second largest Taiwanese airline, next in size to its main rival, China Airlines.

7.TAP Portugal

Rank 7: TAP Portugal, founded 1945 as Transportes Aéreos Portugueses, SGPS, S.A., commonly known as TAP, is the national airline of Portugal.

8.Hainan Airlines

Rank 8: Hainan Airlines is the largest privately owned air transport company and the fourth largest airline in terms of fleet size in the People's Republic of China. It operates scheduled domestic and international services on 500 routes from Hainan and nine locations on the mainland, as well as charter services.

9.Virgin Australia

Rank 9. Virgin Australia: formerly Virgin Blue Airlines, is Australia's second-largest airline as well as the largest by fleet size to use the Virgin brand. Now based in Bowen Hills, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, the airline was co-founded by British businessman Sir Richard Branson and former Virgin Blue CEO Brett Godfrey. It was established in 2000 with two aircraft operating on a single route, and suddenly found itself catapulted to the position of Australia's second airline after the collapse of Ansett Australia in September 2001. The airline has grown to directly serve 29 cities in Australia from hubs in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, using a fleet of narrow-body Boeing and Embraer jets; and Airbus and Boeing widebody jets.

10.British Airways

British Airways has been ranked as the tenth safest airline in the world.

Opening Brief in Supreme Court Gay Marriage

2013-01-23T03:39:00.001-08:00

Opening Brief in Supreme Court Gay Marriage Case

Let the filing of the gay marriage briefs begin! On Tuesday, proponents of Proposition 8 — the controversial California ballot initiative that defines marriage as between a man and a woman — filed their opening briefs with the Supreme Court, urging the justices to reverse a lower court decision that struck down the state’s ban on gay marriage.

Arguments in the case will be heard at the end of March, and briefs from the opponents are due in about a month.
“By adopting Proposition 8,” Charles Cooper, a lawyer for ProtectMarriage.com, writes, “the People of California demonstrated their belief that this matter is best resolved by the People themselves, not by their courts. The Equal Protection Clause does not prohibit the People of California — or any State — from making this choice. To the contrary, it leaves them free to do what they are doing — debating this controversial issue and seeking to resolve it in a way that will best serve their families, their children, and, ultimately their society as a whole.”
ProtectMarriage.com, the original sponsor of Prop 8, is defending the law because California’s elected officials refused to do so. The group argues that preserving traditional marriage furthers society’s “existential interests in responsible procreation and childrearing.”
“An animating purpose of marriage is to increase the likelihood that children will be born and raised in stable and enduring family units by their own mothers and fathers,” Cooper writes.” Because relationships between persons of the same sex do not have the capacity to produce children, they do not implicate this interest in responsible procreation and childrearing in the same way.”
Cooper criticizes a federal appeals court that struck down Prop 8 on narrow grounds tailored closely to California and its history with gay marriage.
For a few months in 2008, gay couples in California were able to obtain marriage licenses after a ruling from the California Supreme Court. Some 18,000 same sex couples obtained marriage licenses in the state before Prop 8 was passed in November 2008.
In February of 2012, a panel of judges on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Prop 8 “stripped same-sex couples” of the right to use the designation of marriage to describe their relationships and that Prop 8 “serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California and to officially reclassify their relationship and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples.”
In his brief, Cooper points out that there was only a brief period of time in California’s history when same-sex marriage was allowed. He writes, “it is difficult to think of a law with deeper roots in California’s and our Nation’s history, practices, and traditions than one defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman. That definition has prevailed for all but 142 days of California’s 162 year history, and it continues to prevail in federal law and in the overwhelming majority of the States, most often through constitutional provisions much like Proposition 8. ”
Cooper makes a veiled reference to the fact that President Obama has only recently come out in support of gay marriage. He writes, “The Ninth Circuit’s charge thus impugns the motives of over seven million California voters and countless other Americans who believe that traditional marriage continues to serve society’s vital interests, including the citizens and lawmakers of 40 other states, the Members of Congress and President who supported enactment of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, the large majority of state and federal appellate judges who have addressed the issue, an until very recently President Obama. ”
Cooper points out that prop 8 left “undisturbed” other laws, including domestic partnership laws available to gays and lesbians in the state.

'UN mission in Kashmir can be terminated only by UNSC'

2013-01-23T03:10:00.001-08:00

'UN mission in Kashmir can be terminated only by UNSC'

As India and Pakistan clashed in the Security Council over relevance of the UN observer group at the LoC, a spokesperson for UN chief Ban Ki-moon said the force can be terminated only by a decision of the 15-nation body.
The United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) was "established in 1948 by the Security Council. The Secretary-General's position has always been that UNMOGIP can only be terminated by a decision of the Security Council," Ban's spokesperson Martin Nesirky said in an email said.
During a UNSC open debate on peacekeeping organised by Pakistan yesterday, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Hardeep Singh Puri had said that UNMOGIP's role had been "overtaken" by the 1972 Simla Agreement, which was signed between India and Pakistan.
Following the Simla pact, the two countries had resolved to settle their differences by "peaceful means through bilateral negotiations," Puri said.
The Indian envoy had also suggested that it would be better to spend the resources allocated for UNMOGIP in other areas or missions to ensure the finances are better utilised elsewhere in times of austerity.
Rejecting any suggestion of winding down the UN mission in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN Masood Khan said UNMOGIP continues to monitor the ceasefire in accordance with Security Council resolution and its mandate is "therefore fully valid, relevant, and operative".
Khan said no bilateral agreement between the two nations has "overtaken or affected" the role or legality of the observer group adding that "the fact is that both India and Pakistan are hosting UNMOGIP".

Facebook shares rise in buildup to mystery event, earnings

2013-01-15T06:42:00.000-08:00

Facebook shares rise in buildup to mystery event, earnings

(Reuters) - Facebook Inc's stock opened on Monday above $32 for the first time since July as anticipation about upcoming products and financial results underscored Wall Street's renewed confidence in the online social network.

Facebook will on Tuesday host its first major press event at its headquarters in Menlo Park, California, since its troubled initial public offering in May, triggering a guessing game among technology observers and online blogs about what it could unveil - everything from a smartphone to a search engine.
"There's a lot of speculation. Nothing to me seems to be that certain," Jefferies & Co analyst Brian Pitz said.
"If I were to bet, I'd think it was something that was ad-platform related. I'm not convinced on the phone," said Pitz, citing previous comments by Facebook's leaders including CEO Mark Zuckerberg that making a smartphone would be the "wrong strategy" for Facebook.
In an email to reporters last week, Facebook invited the media to "come and see what we're building" without providing details.
Some analysts said the stock's recent gains - shares are up roughly 17 percent since the start of the year - may have more to do with the company's upcoming fourth-quarter financial results, slated for January 30.
"The stock is up because they have driven a dramatic increase in the ad load of their mobile app which is giving investors hope that they exceeded expectations," BTIG analyst Richard Greenfield said.
Shares were down about 1.3 percent to $31.30 in mid-afternoon trading.
The world's No.1 social network with 1 billion users, Facebook became the first U.S. company to debut on stock markets with a value of more than $100 billion. Its value subsequently plunged by more than 50 percent on mounting concerns about slowing revenue growth and the challenges of making money as users shift from personal computers to mobile devices.
Facebook surprised Wall Street in the third quarter by announcing that mobile ads accounted for 14 percent of its total ad revenue. Some analysts expect the company to report further growth in its nascent mobile ad business for the fourth quarter.
Zuckerberg, who founded Facebook in his Harvard dorm room, has said that mobile is the "most misunderstood aspect" of Facebook. But he has repeatedly poured cold water on rumors that Facebook would build its own smartphone to compete against Apple Inc's iPhone and smartphones based on Google Inc's Android operating system.
During an on-stage interview at a conference in September, Zuckerberg said that he believed search could be a ripe area of growth for Facebook.
"Facebook is really uniquely positioned to answer a lot of the questions that people have," Zuckerberg said, such as finding a good restaurant or learning more about a job opportunity.
Still, many technology observers believe that Facebook is more likely to improve the search capabilities within Facebook than to develop a full-fledged search engine that indexes all the Web's content and competes head-on with search leader Google.
Among the other items that technology blogs and analysts speculate might be unveiled on Tuesday were new standalone apps for Apple's iPad tablet, new features to display video ads and even a new wing of corporate headquarters.
Some cautioned that expectations of a game-changing new product were likely to cause disappointment.
"There's no way they're announcing anything that has financial impact, or they wouldn't do it now, they'd wait two weeks," said Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter, citing Facebook's upcoming earnings

In southern Delhi, a slum lives in fear and uncertainty

2013-01-15T06:22:00.000-08:00

In southern Delhi, a slum lives in fear and uncertainty

(Any opinions expressed here are those of the author, and not necessarily of Thomson Reuters)

Raju Saini appears fidgety and nervous as he talks about his cousin. He speaks matter-of-factly, but there is a hint of caution in his voice, as if he is wary of what we might think about him and the place where he lives. Fifteen minutes into the conversation, he says what has been on his mind.
“We know what we are going through. Now even if people don’t say it out openly, they know we are from Ravidas camp, and eye us with suspicion whenever we go to work. This incident has given us a bad name,” said the 40-year-old man. Saini is tall and lanky with salt-and-pepper hair and a thin moustache, and was wearing grey thermals on the day we met in the slum.
Saini’s cousin is Ram Singh, probably the most hated man in the country. He is the main accused in the assault and rape of a 23-year-old physiotherapy student in a moving bus in Delhi on Dec. 16. The woman died two weeks later after being moved to a hospital in Singapore. The assault, along with four other adults and a juvenile, shocked India and the world, and renewed public debate over the failure of authorities to stem violence against women.
Raju and his wife Asha live in a small one-room dwelling in a slum in the southern part of New Delhi. The slum, known as Ravidas camp, is where four of the six accused in the crime were living before being arrested. It is nestled between a derelict medieval tomb and a temple. Like many slums, dark, narrow lanes snake through shabby quarters, communal taps and open sewers. And like many slums in India’s cities, it squats amid a largely middle-class neighbourhood.
The neighbourhood, RK Puram, is dotted with shopping complexes and government-owned apartments for the many employees who run the national capital’s bureaucratic machinery. It is a well planned locality with wide streets and tree-lined boulevards.
Raju, Asha and many inhabitants of Ravidas camp speak in hushed tones about what it’s like living in a place made infamous by the blanket coverage that Indian and international media have devoted to the attack and its aftermath. It is apparent that their hitherto unnoticed existence on the fringes of India’s economic boom has been intruded upon, and thrust them unwillingly into the public eye, sometimes at a risk to their lives.
On Dec. 31, a man walked into the slum and threatened to blow up Ram Singh’s dwelling. Singh’s neighbours recall that the person claimed to be a soldier, and screamed at everyone to vacate the locality before he would lob crude bombs into Singh’s house.

“He screamed ‘Get out. I am going to destroy this house. I have orders from the government.’ That seemed strange to us as he was asking for directions to Ram Singh’s place. One of the children dialled 100 and called the police,” said one of Singh’s neighbours.
Inhabitants say there is heavy police presence outside the slum at night, and the police keep paying visits to speak to families of the accused as part of their investigations.
At the other end of the slum, some 50 yards from Singh’s dwelling, is a one-room house with a tin roof. This is where Vinay Sharma lived before the police picked him up. His three younger siblings and parents, along with a TV, an air cooler and all their other belongings, fit into a space the size of an average office cubicle.
His mother Champa Devi tries to hold back tears as she describes what she has gone through since Sharma was arrested. She did not know about the heinousness of the crime until she saw the reports on TV. She says she fainted and her husband has taken ill since their son was taken away.
“I have experienced things which I never thought I would. Every day the police and people from the media land up, asking the same questions,” she said, maintaining that if Sharma was guilty, he should be hanged.
When I spoke to Raju Saini, he asked me for a favour. “When you report, please take care not to say anything which might damage the situation even further. We are scared … Ever since that person threatened to blow up Ram Singh’s house, we have been scared.”

6 security personnel killed in militants' attack in Pakistan

2013-01-15T06:09:00.000-08:00

6 security personnel killed in militants' attack in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Six security personnel were on Tuesday killed and 16 others injured when militants attacked a check post in the restive Khyber tribal region of northwest Pakistan.

Militants attacked a check post in Shalobar area in Khyber Agency.

State-run Radio Pakistan quoted officials as saying that six security personnel were killed and 16 others injured.

Security forces retaliated against the attack and forced the militants to retreat, the officials said.

TV news channels reported that militants attacks four check posts in Shalobar area.

The reports said personnel of the Frontier Corps and Khasadar militia were among those killed in the overnight clash.

The militants attacked the troops with heavy weapons that damaged one of the check posts.

The attacks occurred in an area dominated by the Lashkar-e-Islam group led by warlord Mangal Bagh Afridi.

Meet India at the U-19 World Cup

2012-08-06T22:18:00.000-07:00

Unmukt Chand — Captain, right-handed batsman and off-break bowler. He's the mainstay of the India U-19 batting line-up, having scored important hundreds for them in Australia and the Youth Asia Cup this year. Born March 26, 1993, Delhi. He has played 11 Ranji Trophy matches for Delhi. He had played two IPL games this year for Delhi Daredevils.

Akshdeep Nath — Right-hand batsman and medium pace bowler. He is the vice-captain of the team. Born May 10, 1993, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. He has played three one-dayers for Uttar Pradesh.

Akhil Herwadkar — Left-hand batsman and right-arm off-break bowler. Born October 31, 1994 in Sangli, Maharashtra.

Ravikant Singh — Right-hand batsman and medium pacer. Born March 18, 1994, Kolkata, West Bengal.

Vijay Zol — Left-hand batsman and right-arm off-break bowler. Born November 23, 1994, Jalna, Maharashtra. He has represented Maharashtra and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Sandipan Das — Right-hand batsman and medium pacer. Born November 29, 1992, Kolkata, West Bengal. Has played for Cricket Association of Bengal XI.

Harmeet Singh — Left-arm batsman and slow orthodox bowler. Born September 7, 1992, Mumbai. He has played three Ranji Trophy matches for Mumbai.

Smit Patel — Right-hand batsman and wicketkeeper. Born May 16, 1993, Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Has played one one-dayer for his home state.

Hanuman Vihari — Right-hand batsman and off-break bowler. Born October 13, 1993, Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh. He has represented Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Kamal Passi — Right-hand batsman and medium pacer. Born November 30, 1992, Amritsar, Punjab. He has played for India U-19s in Australia.

Sandeep Sharma — Right-hand batsman and medium pacer. Born May 18, 1993, Patiala, Punjab. He has played three Ranji games for his home state.

Vikas Mishra — Right-hand batsman and slow-left arm bowler. Born December 27, 1992, Delhi. He has played 15 Ranji Trophy matches for Delhi.

Baba Aparajith — Right-hand batsman and off-break bowler. Born July 8, 1994, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He has played for his home state four times.

Prashant Chopra — Right-hand batsman and leg-break bowler. Born October 7, 1992, Solan, Himachal Pradesh. He has played six First Class games for HP.

Rush Kalaria — Right-hand batsman and left-arm medium pacer. Born January 16, 1993, Rajkot, Gujarat. He has played one one-dayer for Gujarat.

Vijay wins silver for India at London Olympics

2012-08-04T05:39:00.000-07:00

India's silver medal winner Vijay Kumar poses with his silver medal won in the men's 25m rapid fire pistol shooting event at the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Royal Artillery Barracks

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 03: Vijay Kumar of India celebrates winning the silver medal in the Men's 50m Rifle Prone Shooting final on Day 7 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at The Royal Artillery Barracks on August 3, 2012 in London, England

Olympics hockey: India suffer another reverse, lose 1-3 to Kiwis

2012-08-01T23:49:00.000-07:00

London, Aug 1 (IANS) New Zealand chalked up a 3-1 win over India who thus slid to their second defeat in as many matches in the Olympic men's hockey competition here Wednesday.

India, after a sensational start when Sandeep Singh converted a second minute penalty corner, faded away as the Kiwis came storming back with goals by Andrew Hayward (13th), Phillip Burrows (24th) and Nicolas Wilson (29th), and then nursed the lead to the end.It was a very disappointing performance by the Indians who just did not have the pace or power to overwhelm the Kiwis. Rather, age-old errors seemed to creep into India's game with badly positioned forwards inside the striking circle, over-dribbling and lack of variety in their attacks.

In the deep defence, too, the Indians looked a step slower than the Kiwis and, more often than not, struggled to get the ball away from the danger zone. So much so that for the second-half coach Michael Nobbs replaced captain and goalkeeper Bharat Chetri with Sreejesh, who justified the substitution with a couple of good saves.In contrast, the Black Sticks, who had beaten India 5-1 en route to winning the Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia earlier this summer, appeared better organized in the midfield and deep defence while the forwards bided time for the long balls to counter attack.

In fact, the Kiwi defenders seemed to read the Indian attacks rather well and had enough men behind the ball to stall the rivals.India, who went down 2-3 to the Netherlands Monday, promised a lot in the opening minutes when they forced a penalty corner that Sandeep Singh converted, picking a brilliant angle and height to slot the drag-flick into the net.

However, the Kiwis kept their composure and gradually came back into the match while the Indians backpedalled at the first sign of counter-attack and provided a lot of space for the Black Sticks to make their moves.The Kiwis, who lost 0-2 to Korea in their opening game, accepted the invitation and began to attack in waves and forced two penalty corners, the second of which Hayward converted for the equaliser.

The Kiwis sustained the pressure and, with their forwards slipping through a rather porous Indian defence, it was only a matter of time before they scored. Another Hayward penalty corner attempt saw the ball deflecting on to defender Birendra Lakra's body off goalkeeper Bharat Chetri's stick resulting in a penalty stroke that Burrows converted.

The pattern continued and the Kiwis scored again on a counter-attack from the right wing as Wilson put Shea McAleese through and then was on hand to put home the return pass to put New Zealand 3-1 up.The Indians, apart from their opening spell, were hardly in the frame except during some sporadic raids that were easily repelled by a well-structured Kiwi defence.

The second-half was rather scrappy with the Kiwis more intent on pegging the opponents inside their own half while the Indians seemed to wilt under ceaseless pressure, unable to put together an effective attack.

Also, two yellow card suspensions in this session, first Sardar Singh for retaliation and Manpreet Singh for deliberate infringement, did not help India's cause while Sandeep Singh failed to convert two back-to-back penalty corners in the last quarter while Raghunath's attempt came off the post in the dying minutes.The Kiwis had a few chances to add to their first-half tally, notably three penalty corners, but Sreejesh brought off some fine saves to peg the score-line.

Olympics: BWF rejects India's appeal, Jwala-Ashwini out

2012-08-01T22:15:00.000-07:00

London, Aug 2 (IANS): It was finally the end of the road for India's top women's doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa in the 2012 London Olympics after their appeal was shot down by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) here Wednesday.

The Indians had accused the Japanese pair of Mizuki Fujii and Reika Kakiiwa of "wanting to lose" a Olympic Games group match against the Chinese Taipei team. India's appeal of a re-look at the match came after the BWF suspended four female pairs for "not using one's best efforts to win a match".

The suspended pairs are Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang of China; Greysia Polii and Meiliana Jauhari of Indonesia; Jung Kyung Eun and Kim Ha Na of South Korea; and Ha Jung Eun and Kim Min Jung, also of South Korea.

However, they were not from Group B, of which the Jwala and Ashwini were a part of. The Indians finished third in their group.

A disappointed Jwala said that they were not angry but disappointed.

"We are not angry, but disappointed. It was unfortunate. But we gave our best. Fixers should not be allowed to take part in the Olympics," said Jwala.

Ashwini told IANS that they had given their best.

"We have given our best and that is all we could do. Some things are not in our control," she added.

India coach Pullela Gopichand, a former All-England champion, said match-throwing does not stop there.

He claims that once China lost to Denmark in Group D Tuesday, Japan "wanted to be second" in Group B.

The No.4 seeds Fujii and Kakiiwa went down 19-21, 11-21 to the unseeded Cheng Wen Hsing and Chien Yu Chin of Chinese Taipei at the start of the afternoon session, and despite Gutta/Ponnappa winning against the Chinese Taipei pair and Singapore, the Indians failed to qualify.

"In Group B, (Chinese) Taipei had to and wanted to win, but Japan wanted to lose to be second in the group to avoid China," said Gopichand.

"We put in an appeal protest this morning and the BWF has come back saying they didn't find any bias or anything beyond the ordinary in the matches. We've filed an appeal to review that decision."

"Just because it's subtle and the crowd didn't make a noise, the TV didn't make a noise, doesn't mean it didn't happen. In this match only one team wanted to lose."

London Olympics chief organiser Sebastian Coe described the incidents as "depressing", saying "who wants to sit through something like that".

International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams said that such incidents were "not acceptable".

5 Secrets to a Happy Marriage: Revealed by Divorce

2012-07-31T23:09:00.000-07:00

In 25 years of studying marriage, Dr. Terri Orbuch, research professor at the University of Michigan and author of the new book "Finding Love Again: 6 Simple Steps to a New and Happy Relationship," has found that some of the best relationship advice comes from people who are actually divorced.

WATCH: Is this the Most Epic Marriage Proposal?

In 1986, Orbuch embarked on a long-term study, supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which followed the relationships of 373 newlyweds. By 2012, 46% had divorced, about the same as the national average.

In interviews with Orbuch, people who had divorced or ended a serious relationship over and over again brought up the same five issues that they would improve if they had the chance to do it all again.

1. Money. Over the course of her research, one the biggest surprises for Orbuch was the role money played in marital strife. “Many divorced singles say that money was the number one source of conflict in the early years of marriage,” she tells Yahoo! Shine. She also found that, “6 out of 10 said they would not share living expenses in their next relationship.” She recommends that each partner evaluate their own approach to spending and saving money and discuss with their spouse early on. She says there is no one-size-fits-all-financial plan, but couples need to determine their own rules and adhere to them.

2. Affection. Another surprise was that men crave affection—but not necessarily sex—more than women. “It’s counterintuitive,” says Orbuch, “but men crave feeling special and being noticed by their wives.” She adds that men who report not getting enough nonsexual affection were twice as likely to ask for a divorce, but the reverse was not true for women. “Women are fortunate. We get this kind of affirmation from more people in our lives, our mothers, children, our best friends”—so women tend to need less from husbands. She recommends carving out time for regular cuddling, kissing, hand holding, and saying “I love you.”

3. Blame. “When divorced couples found fault with their relationship using ‘we’ statements, they were significantly more likely to find love than those who used ‘I’ or ‘you’ statements.” Those who found blame in factors such as being incompatible or too young experienced less anxiety, insomnia, and depression than those who blamed their former partner or themselves for a break-up. Examine what went wrong in the relationship instead of assigning individual blame, suggests Orbuch, and think about how you can resolve conflict better next time.

4. Communication.

Orbuch says a trap many couples fall into is “maintenance” rather than true communication. She suggests having a “10 minute rule” every day when you, “Talk to your partner about something other than work, the relationship, the house, or the children.” The key is revealing something about yourself and learning something about your spouse. “Forty-one percent of divorced people say they would change their communication style,” says Orbuch,“and, 91% of happily married couples say they know their partner intimately.”

5. Move on.

Letting go of the past is a key to being in a happy relationship. This is true for people who are currently married as well as those seeking love. If you are irked by thoughts of your partner’s old boyfriend or girlfriend or of a fight that happened weeks ago, you might not be interacting in a healthy, positive way. “That animosity prevents you from being fully present,” says Orbuch. She also points out that people who felt neutral toward their ex were significantly more likely to find love after a divorce. If you can’t let go of your anger, her book outlines a number of exercises including writing a detailed letter to the person you are angry at—and burning it.

7 things men find unattractive about women

2012-07-31T23:00:00.000-07:00

Unattractive female habits

Too much makeup, talking about bodily functions, and belittling the opposite sex are just a few of the female habits that men find unattractive about women. We know that not all women are like this, but when we meet them, boy do we know about it. Here are seven things men find unattractive in a woman:

Unattractive female habit 1: Being too drunk

We all love a girl who knows how to have a good time but when she’s had such a good time that she’s slumped over a bar with her knickers tucked into her skirt and toilet paper trailing from her shoe, it’s not attractive and it doesn’t make us want to walk over and kiss you in a “hands off folks – she’s mine” kind of manner. You ladies also have the tendency to speak so loud that you drown the music out in a loud bar when you’re drunk. There’s nothing wrong with getting merry, but when everyone starts looking at us because we’re with “that drunk woman” who is putting her skirt over her head and laughing hysterically, it’s embarrassing.

Unattractive female habit 2: Talking about bodily functions

Yes, we know we agreed not to keep secrets from each other but can we skip that rule on this occasion? The day we realised that women do ‘number twos’ was the day our world came crashing down, bringing all our sexual fantasies down with it. When you’re spending a long time in the bathroom, we like to think that it’s because you’re refreshing your makeup and hair. We could possibly – emphasis on the word “possibly” – stretch our imagination to think that you may be going for a tinkle, but we’d rather not. Please don’t talk about any of your bodily functions; leave topics about “the time of the month” and your bowel movements for your girl friends.

Unattractive female habit 3: Excessive body hair

We associate body hair with testosterone and testicles so seeing it in excessive amounts on a woman can be quite a turn off. We know it’s painful to go through the rigmarole of waxing, plucking, epilating, and whatever other fancy hair removal systems you use (notice how we know all about this stuff because it’s one of those things you nag about?) but at least keep it trimmed so it looks presentable.

Unattractive female habit 4: Too much makeup

It’s great to take pride in your appearance and that goes for clothes, hair, and makeup too. If this is a first date, wearing minimal makeup to enhance your looks is sexier than the overdone look, in our opinion. If we’ve been together for a while, we love you no matter how much makeup you wear, but we’d prefer it if you kept it to a minimum. Purple, pink and green eye shadow with red lips? Someone pass my sunglasses. We go in for a kiss and end up looking like a clown from the circus and it isn’t a good look for either of us. Ladies, if you insist on wearing that much makeup, please refrain from snuggling up on our shoulders – that’s my favourite white shirt you just stained with your makeup.

Unattractive female habit 5: Belittling us

We can just about cope with being called “snuggle bunny” and “baby boy” but when you belittle us to the point that we look stupid in front of other people, that’s one step too far. Don’t correct everything we do and say as if we don’t know anything. Just because we do things differently to you, that doesn’t mean that your way is right.
Unattractive female habit 6: Swearing

We can forgive you the odd cheeky swear word, but when you’re effing and jeffing like there’s no tomorrow it can be a real turn-off for some men. We like our ladies with a touch of class and cramming your vocabulary with swear words doesn’t quite ooze sophistication. What’s wrong with using normal words to express your feelings? Dictionaries and thesauruses are brimming with options – take your pick. We’re not suggesting that you express your feelings using sentences such as “I am feeling ever so disenchanted” or “I’m awfully embittered by this” but saying something along the lines of “I am flipping angry” or “this is blimming frustrating” are much nicer replacements for sentences packed with foul words.

Unattractive female habit 7: Nagging

We’ve spent long enough silently moaning to ourselves about how annoying women are when they nag, that we’re taking this opportunity to get it off our chests once and for all. We can’t usually raise it in conversation you see, because no matter how delicately we approach the idea that you might possibly annoy us when you nag, we will be sentencing ourselves to even more endless nagging about pointing out that your nagging is getting too much. You nag at us for leaving the toilet seat up, you nag at us for “not caring”, you nag at us for not shaving for a few days... sheesh. Would you prefer us to go to the toilet sitting down? Would you prefer us to be over emotional? And perfectly groomed? Then you’d nag at us for not being manly enough. Three words: we can’t win. Don’t mess with how nature intended men to be, and we won’t mess with ho

Gatecrasher Madhura Strikes Again

2012-07-31T22:35:00.000-07:00

Madhura Honey seen walking alongside India's flag bearer Sushil Kumar at the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games July 27, 2012.

She's seen at the Royal Wedding...

and having lunch atop a skyscraper...

and then stealing Neil Armstrong's thunder...

and watching Osama die...

and celebrating Tendulkar's 100th hundred...

and seen with the Oscar winners...

and celebrating with the Indian team at the Wankhede Stadium

and attending Congress Party's general meetings...

and seeing Obama being sworn in...

and also seen by Michael Phelps' side when he created history at the Beijing Olympics.

5 Ways to Avoid Getting Ripped Off at the Doctor's Office

2012-07-31T22:13:00.000-07:00

5 Ways to Avoid Getting Ripped Off at the Doctor's Office

Most of us can think of at least a few times when we took our car to the mechanic and got the sense they were trying to sell us services we didn't need, or worse yet, overcharging us for the ones we do receive. And most of us can't deny that we've felt a similarly nagging feeling from time to time while sitting on the doctor's examining table, or in the dentist's chair. But we don't like to believe our intuition. It's been ingrained that our doctor knows what's best for us, and that their services are required and worth the money we pay.

So when a special advisory medical panel met last April, they cited up to 45 overused medical tests and procedures that should be used less in doctors' offices and hospitals. From that extra set of x-rays that isn't needed, to pointless stress tests for perfectly healthy people, or certain questionable prescription medications, the recommendations from the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation brought to light something we've hardly had the courage to express, but always wanted to: Sometimes we're just sick and tired of getting ripped off at the doctor's.

The costs are staggering: According to the Washington Post, A National Academy of Sciences report from 2005 found that 30 percent of U.S. healthcare spending was either unnecessary, wasteful, or both, and that some more recent studies revealed that the spending amounted to $600 billion to $700 billion annually.

Discussion forums across the Web are filled with complaints from people who criticize their dentist or primary care physician for trying to "up sell" them with products that are not only unneeded, but costly. According to Blisstree and other sources, when our doctor is insistent on giving us extra tests or exams, it's not to make more money, in fact, but to avoid a malpractice suit. Still, it's not much consolation when a dentist appears more eager to push their expensive tooth whitening package than to fill your painful cavity; or when a specialist insists on the most expensive prescriptions when a cheaper, over-the-counter alternative works just as well.

If you feel that you're paying more than you need to at the doctor, you can take control of your health (and the health of your savings account) by considering a few choices:

1. Seek out a second opinion.

Your dentist tells you that you need 10 cavities filled, seven root canals, and a new mouth of crowns--after insurance, it'll still cost you thousands of dollars. Yet another, separate dentist may find that all you need is some minimal dental work, saving you money, time, and physical discomfort.

The good news about healthcare is that you're not under contract or obligated to see just one doctor. If you're unhappy with the service you've received or price you've been quoted, it's perfectly acceptable to seek out another opinion from another doctor. Doctors are also required by law to forward your patient files or x-rays to other physicians. Don't feel guilty to shop around. Check with your insurance carrier--they'll be able to tell you which doctors in your network are board certified. Don't be afraid to refer to word-of-mouth websites like Yelp.com to see how some local specialists are rated. And when researching new physicians, see how much your co-payments will be stacked up against other doctors providing the same services.

2. Opt for medical schools and clinics.

Consider visiting a university dental or medical clinic for a checkup or exam. The cost is significantly cheaper and the care, very often, surpasses that of a regular medical practice. Most college clinic care is carried out by students under the supervision of a faculty M.D. Often, student doctors at specialty clinics, like those for chiropractic care or periodontal dental work, for example, have already received their full medical licensing.

Also consider visiting a low-cost medical clinic in your neighborhood. It's a cost-effective way of saving money while not skimping on the level of medical care you may need. It's a good option for the uninsured patient who can't afford to pay full cost, out of pocket, at a conventional medical practice.

3. Group exams and medical procedures together.

Say you've got three cavities that need filling, and you've scheduled three appointments for each--but you're unaware that there's a new co-payment for every visit. Now you may owe hundreds of dollars out of pocket. Work with your doctor or dentist to see their availability, and group major medical procedures into a plan that's physically, and financially, manageable for you. You can even do one better: If you're a prospective patient, schedule a consultation with the practitioner you've got in mind. Take a tour of their offices, ask about their rates, and see if you can receive an estimate of the services you may need. This can be an initial, low-cost way of diagnosing what kinds of medical services you may be in need of.

4. Avoid the up sell.

The Archives of Internal Medicine reported in 2011 that 40 percent of doctors polled, according to the L.A. Times, said that they ordered more tests and consultations than were necessary because they didn't get to spend enough time with their patients to make a proper diagnosis. Depending on your insurance plan, an extra test or three can come at a huge cost to you as the patient. If you're skeptical about a certain procedure, ask your doctor straight away if it's absolutely needed.

And like expensive cosmetics and other top-dollar products, which claim to perform better than their cheaper contemporaries, don't be swayed by a medical practitioner into buying pricey medicines or other items. Unless it's prescription, there's little reason to buy the tube of $30 toothpaste at the dentist's front counter when a generic $1.99 brand from the store works just as well. The same goes for prescriptions on everything from pain medication to back braces to contact lenses--your doctor may be able to prescribe you a generic brand at a savings to you.

5. Preventive care is the best medicine.

They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It can also be worth a lot to your finances, too. It goes without saying that eating right, exercising, and getting enough sleep keeps you healthy and prevents illness and disease. Some lifestyle changes may be all the treatment that's needed to avoid costly doctor visit or exams, even those that rightly justify a high price tag. The first step in avoiding a medical rip-off is to ensure that we're not just being honest with our choices we make in physicians and services, but the ones we make with our health.

Make 1 SIMPLE Change and Lose Weight

2012-07-31T22:04:00.003-07:00

Make 1 SIMPLE Change and Lose Weight

We all know that losing weight requires some changes in our eating habits. But many of us avoid making those changes for one obvious reason: It seems too darned hard.

Well, here's a simple, novel approach endorsed by top nutritionists: Make just one change. For the next month, focus on a single improvement, whether it's doubling your fruit intake, adding some protein or switching to nonfat milk.

"Small changes can make a big difference," says Melanie Polk, M.S., R.D., director of nutrition education at the American Institute for Cancer Research. For instance, if you drink 3 cups of milk a day for a month, the switch from reduced-fat to nonfat will save you 3,000 calories -- nearly enough to lose 1 pound!

What's more, changing one habit at a time gives you a sense of success: You'll see results and be able to stick to your plan. Soon, the habit will be second nature. Then you'll be inspired to add another change, and another. This works far better than a drastic dietary overhaul, which leads to feelings of failure and deprivation. "People end up regaining all the weight they've lost, often even more," says Jonelle Rowe, M.D., a physician with the Office on Women's Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

When you make dietary changes step by step, you lose weight at a sensible pace and develop habits you can keep. "Dieting for weight loss shouldn't be an event," says Seattle nutritionist Susan Kleiner, Ph.D., R.D. "It's not something you gear up for, do for an intense period of time and then you're done. You need to make lifestyle changes that will be yours for the rest of your life."

Here are two simple dietary changes with big payoffs, both for weight control and good health. Start with the one that seems most feasible to you.

Schoolgirls skip meals to be thinner

2012-07-23T23:46:00.000-07:00

A new study has revealed that schoolgirls as young as 12 are unhappy with their weight and some are skipping meals in an effort to be skinnier.

Half of girls in year eight - who are aged 12 and 13 - said they wanted to be thinner.

And 58 per cent of girls in year ten, aged 14 or 15, said they wanted to lose weight, according to the study by the Schools Health Education Unit.

In the research, 31,354 boys and girls aged ten to 15 were questioned about their eating habits and body image.

A quarter of year ten girls skipped breakfast on the morning they were questioned and 20 per cent had skipped lunch the day before.

Of those who had skipped breakfast, 36 per cent had avoided eating lunch on the previous day.

Meanwhile experts have warned that if many of the girls keen to lose weight started dieting they could be putting their health at risk.

"An analysis of the characteristics of the year ten females shows that most of those wanting to lose weight are within the limits of 'healthy' weight, and some are already underweight," the Daily Mail quoted the researchers as saying.

The survey also found that while around 16 per cent of children thought that their health was down to luck, three-quarters of pupils in years eight and ten said they felt 'in charge' of their health.

Health campaigners said the results were unsurprising considering young people's exposure to airbrushed images of celebrities in magazines.

The same survey found that many teenagers feel they are not getting enough sleep to concentrate at school.

Twenty-eight per cent of girls and 22 per cent of boys in year ten thought they needed more sleep.

Tough road ahead for Indian hockey team: Pargat Singh

2012-07-23T23:39:00.000-07:00

The Indian hockey team is riding on the wings of hope once again. Back in the Olympic line-up after missing out of the Beijing Games in 2008, India are again where they ought to be and the entire country's best wishes are with our players as they look ahead to the stiff test that the Olympic Games will provide.India's performance has shown signs of promise, but a realistic assessment is essential for the boys to look at the challenge ahead. India's hopes of producing a fine show will depend upon how well the defenders cope with rival strikers and penalty corner specialists.

The Indian strikers always fancy themselves in creating chances upfront, but it is the defenders whose performance will be the key to what the team manages to achieve in the end. As always, it will be sustainability of the Indian defence coming into focus from the moment the team enters the hockey arena at London's Olympic Park. Let us not get overawed by slogans or boastful claims that may tend to convey that the Indian team is in the hunt for a gold medal. Where we stand at the moment, every small success is welcome.

There is a tough road ahead for the Indian team as it There is a tough road ahead for the Indian team as it strives to regain some of the lost prestige of Indian hockey. Success never comes easily. Having played in three Olympic Games, I consider myself competent to talk about the challenge ahead. When the Indian team's defence comes under pressure, its sustainability becomes critical to the end result. The situation is going to be no different.

The pressure will be acute and it will be a test of the team's mettle. Looking back at the draw, the pattern indicates that India tends to get a stiff opening match at the Olympics. The situation will be no different this time as one of the strongest European teams, The Netherlands will open the Olympic campaign against India on July 30. The Netherlands may not be the same force they once were, but the Dutch are always a formidable opposition. One must also not forget that India's international ranking is not something we can boast of in the hockey circles.

The Netherlands have, in recent years, not been able to reproduce their best, which was evident in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics and yet their strikers tend to produce dazzling stickwork. The opening outings tend to provide an indication of where teams are headed. During my Olympic days, it was the opening match against Germany that delivered a big blow to us in 1992, while four years later we missed qualifying for the semifinals essentially due to the shock defeat we suffered in the opening outing against Argentina. After that, it was a tough climb and we just fell short of securing entry into the semifinal. A spot in the semifinal has continued to remain elusive for India.

India has not just failed to win a medal since clinching India has not just failed to win a medal since clinching men's hockey gold at the 1980 Olympic Games, but it has not secured passage to the semifinals in seven Olympics thereafter. That, of course, included the 2008 Olympic Games where India was not even in the starting lineup of nations. Everyone connected to sport in India is hoping for a good show from our hockey team. For that to materialise, the Indian team needs to produce its finest display against the Dutch team, which can set us up nicely in the Olympic hockey competition. There are no easy opponents these days.

Look at who we have in our group. Defending Olympic champions Germany and The Netherlands are both multiple time Olympic gold medallists, while New Zealand and South Korea are equally strong. Belgium is the only team India could trouble, but the way they rallied from a two-goal deficit to draw parity in the dying minutes underscored their newly found confidence. A medal of course will be wonderful, but we must be realistic.

London Olympics: Brand wars gather pace on streets of London

2012-07-23T23:35:00.000-07:00

LONDON: In the shadow of London's gleaming Olympic venues, a quiet battle is under way over who gets to cash in on the Games.

Olympic organisers have enforced strict rules to protect official trademarks, deploying about 250 uniformed "brand police" on the streets of the capital to ensure businesses do not piggyback off the world's biggest sporting event.

The rules are simple: no one outside a small band of official sponsors such as McDonalds or Adidas is allowed to make a profit by creating an association with the Games.

It is not the rules themselves that have irked some Londoners but their stringent enforcement and phrases such as "absurd" and "police state" - often used jokingly but with a shade of resentment - frequently crop up in conversation.

"It's mad. It just seems... that corporations are being looked after but not the people," said Lewis Parrin, 22, who runs a stall selling jewellery and watches in London's eastern district of Stratford where the main Olympic venues are located.

"It's quite scary, really. It's like a police state." Another vendor nearby, when asked about a display of Olympic mascots on his makeshift stall, choked on his sandwich and removed them hastily. "I am glad you reminded me," he said.

London is buzzing with curious stories of those who have found themselves on the wrong side of the brand police such as a stall owner who was told off for displaying the London 2012 logo and a butcher in a town hosting sailing events who had to remove a sign showing the Olympic rings made from sausages.

On a quiet side-street within walking distance of the Olympic stadium where the Games open officially on Friday, a cafe called Olympic has had to paint over the letter "O" to comply with the rules.

Some have taken a more radical approach with a subversive new campaign mocking the policing and the brands themselves - a theme that has struck a chord with many in London's eastern areas where unemployment and social resentment run high.

On Monday, a pair of activists calling themselves guerrilla artists chose a busy street in east London to put up a giant protest billboard showing rows of police lined up against a dark background, and a slogan reading "INSPIRE A GENERATION".

Some passers-by paused to look, bewildered. An Olympic-style logo in the bottom right corner of the billboard read: "Official Protester of the London 2012 Olympic Games".

"The problem with Olympic advertising is that there is no ethics. It's supposed to be about excellence but it's not reflected in their branding partners," said one of the activists, who asked to be identified only by his nickname Del.

"Local businesses have been there for generations (but) they can't even promote things made locally. How is London supposed to prosper, really? It's sucking out their sense of pride and enjoyment."

Is Kareena Kapoor’s 'Heroine' poster copied?

2012-07-23T23:31:00.000-07:00

Do you find similarities between Heroine poster and the cover of Siddharth Dhanvant Sanghvi's book?

For all the puffs director Madhur Bhandarkar has been getting for the poster of his next film Heroine, here’s a little dampener.

It appears that the poster that has Kareena Kapoor lolling on a bed has been inspired, if not blatantly copied. The inspiration, as you can see above, seems to the book cover of Siddharth Dhanvant Sanghvi's The Lost Flamingoes Of Bombay.

The similarity doesn’t end here. Even the protagonist of Sanghvi’s book is a film heroine named Zaira. And do we need to tell you that in Heroine, Kareena Kapoor plays a silver screen diva.

The first poster of Heroine was unveiled recently by Madhur Bhandarkar himself and it got positive feedback.

“Thank you for the enormous & overwhelming response for the posters. Promo to be launched online on 25th evening,” Madhur tweeted.

However, the filmmaker hasn’t yet responded to the allegation of the poster being copied.

Comparing the two posters above, though it may not be ruled out that Heroine poster could be inspired, but to call it a blatant copy would be unfair.

The first trailer of Heroine comes out on Wednesday. We will share it with you as soon as it is out.

Petrol price up by 70 paise/litre; Mamata demands rollback

2012-07-23T23:22:00.000-07:00

After two rounds of rate cuts last month, petrol price was on Monday hiked by 70 paise per litre on firming international oil rates. Petrol in Delhi will cost Rs 68.48 per litre with effect from Monday midnight as compared to Rs 67.78 a litre now, state-owned oil companies announced on Monday.
The marginal hike in rate follows reductions last month - Rs 2.02 per litre on June 3 and Rs 2.46 a litre on June 29. The twin price cuts followed the massive Rs 7.54 per litre increase in rates, the biggest in the history, effected in May.

Monday's increase was "necessitated due to increasing international oil prices and movement in INR-$exchange rate," Indian Oil Corp, the nation's largest fuel retailer, said in a statement.

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Monday slammed the latest hike of petrol price "without consulting allies" and demanded its immediate rollback till a long-term policy evolves after consulting all political parties.

"We have learnt from news reports that there has been a fresh hike in petrol prices. We do not support this. We are deeply unhappy. TC will protest it," Banerjee said.

She said "we think that instead of putting burden on the common people this way, a specific long-term policy should be evolved after consulting all political parties in this regard."

The Trinamool Congress chief said such a hike in the price was done without consulting the UPA allies. TC opposes this and will take it up with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, she said.

Average price of Indian basket of crude is $101.28 per barrel while international petrol price is $111.59 a barrel. The Rupee-$exchange rate is around Rs 55.36 to a dollar.

"At these levels, the oil companies are incurring losses of about Rs 1.41 per litre on petrol sales in the domestic market. However, as the price movement is quite volatile, it has been decided that an increase of Rs 0.70 per litre...," it said.

In Mumbai, petrol price has raised by Rs 0.88 to Rs 74.24 per litre, while it will cost Rs 73.61 a litre in Kolkata from Tuesday compared to Rs 72.74 per litre currently. Chennai saw a hike of Rs 0.89 per litre in price to Rs 73.16 a litre.

State-owned oil firms have now abandoned the practice of revising rates of petrol on 1st and 16th of every month and from now on will do so on a random date so as to deter petrol pump dealers building positions.

Petrol pumps at some places run dry as owners stop taking supplies from companies if a reduction in price is anticipated. Similarly, if an increase in rate is expected, pump dealers start hoarding supplies.

IOC said the three state-owned oil marketing firms are projected to lose a record Rs 160,000 crore in revenue on sale of diesel, domestic LPG and kerosene, whose rates have not been revised in over a year now.

Monday's price hike was necessitated as international rate for gasoline, against which domestic petrol prices are benchmarked, has risen from $106.93 a barrel at the time of last reduction to $111.59 per barrel.

Value of rupee against the US dollar has also been a big dampener. Rupee has devalued to Rs 55.36 to a US dollar from Rs 54.96 to a US dollar, making imports costlier.

IOC said the company had lost Rs 1,053 crore during current fiscal on not being able to raise petrol rates in line with the cost in the first two months of current fiscal.

For industry (IOC plus Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum) the loss comes to Rs 2,323 crore on a commodity whose pricing was freed by the government in June 2010.

"In addition, oil marketing companies are suffering high level of revenue losses on the three sensitive petroleum products, namely diesel, kerosene and cooking gas (LPG)," IOC said in the statement.

Oil firms are losing Rs 10.01 a litre on diesel, Rs 27.20 per litre on kerosene and Rs 319 per domestic LPG cylinder.

"At these rates, it is estimated that under-recovery (or revenue loss) on sale of sensitive products during 2012-13 shall be around Rs 86,000 crore (for IOC) and Rs 160,000 crore for the industry," it added.

Rupee opens at 56.10 against dollar

2012-07-23T23:20:00.000-07:00

Mumbai, July 24:

The rupee today opened lower at 56.10, lowest against the dollar this month, due to a weaker euro and global risk assets that remained under pressure after ratings agency Moody’s downgraded Germany and Netherland’s sovereign outlook to negative.

At 9.50 am, the Indian unit was trading at 56.04 against the dollar trading after touching 55.99 in the early trade.

It had closed at 55.98 on Monday as global risk aversion as pressure mounted on Greece to exit the euro zone. Moody’s has also cited an increased chance of Greece leaving the Euro Zone.

Call rates and G-Secs

The interbank call rates were trading steady at 8 per cent. The call money market had opened at 8.05 per cent from yesterday’s close of 8 per cent.

The 9.15 per cent government bond maturing in 2024 was trading lower at Rs 106.59 (yield: 8.28 per cent) from Monday’s close of Rs 106.74 (yield: 8.26 per cent).

The 8.15 per cent bond maturing in 2022 was trading at Rs 100.48 (yield: 8.07 per cent) from Rs 100.55 (yield: 8.06 per cent) yesterday.