Miracle World

Time Tellers

2011-11-08T11:03:00.001-08:00

The following are some landmarks in the history of telling the time.

1500-1300 BC

Sundials are used in egypt: as the earth rotates,the genomon-the upright part of the sundial-casts a shadow which moves to indicate the time.

c 400 BC

Water clocks are used in greece:

Know Your Pregnancy Week By Week

2011-11-08T11:03:00.000-08:00

For the majority of females, pregnancy is a time of ecstasy, pleasure and hope. Pregnancy is a time of bodily as well as emotional transformation when heaps of changes take place physically inside your body. Pregnancy is a time to pay proper attention to your body – it’s not a time to be dieting, and trying to shed weight. The early development of pregnancy week by week can be a stage crammed with fear and anxiety. It is vital for you to keep an eye on pregnancy weeks to manage your gestation period in the right manner. Knowing the basic principles during pregnancy will assist you calm down and monitor your pregnancy as it develops each week. To start with, did you cognize that your gestation period begins even before you conceive.

Symptoms Of Pregnancy
1. Food hungers
2. Blackening of your areolas
3. Implantation bleeding or cramping
4. Repeated urination
5. Tiredness
6. Tender, puffy breasts
7. Changed sense of taste
8. Morning sickness
9. A missed menstrual period

Based on the genetic maturations, the nine months of gestation can be divided into stages of three months. While you monitor your pregnancy week by week your physical structure, per se, stays unaware of the transformation for the initial three weeks. It is the fourth week, which marks the introduction of the elaborate symphony blossoming within your body. That is when you begin feeling the sickness during the morning, which is said to be the preliminary sign of pregnancy. Females need to take proper care of them during pregnancy.

The initial trimester of gestation is the riskiest to get along with the most sensible alterations occurring during the pregnancy weeks. The 5th as well as 6th pregnancy week, for example, see vital events like development of the embryo's head and beginning of its pulsations etc. By the 10th week, the fertilized egg simply qualifies for being called an infant. Its neural structure is in position and the sexual organs are also there. As the primary trimester finishes, your infant has its own unique musculature. It is only after the initial two months of gestation that your morning sickness starts declining and your hunger may augment. During pregnancy, you need to keep an eye on many important things.

Precautions To Be Taken During Pregnancy
1. During gestation, you should not travel in the bad manner.
2. You are suggested not to breathe in any gas or smoke while you are expecting.
3. Never take any medication without the direction of a medical expert.
4. Avoid smoking and taking alcohol during pregnancy.
5. Eat well-cooked and healthy food.
6. Don’t follow strict exercise plan.

There are many precautions and treatment is taken during pregnancy. Follow the guidelines given by your doctor for pregnancy weeks to enjoy a healthy pregnancy week by week.

Author is providing best information about pregnancy week by week symptoms and pregnancy stages. How you can care of pregnant lady of during pregnancy.

Deepika Padukone Breast Surgery Pic And Videos

2011-08-14T01:10:00.000-07:00

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Deepika is showing her new fresh look much time in front of the camera. Also you will know in a few days when so many photographs will come in quick time.

But according to the next source, around 50 percent of people are saying that Deepika Padukone is looking like because of weight down. Weight loss workouts, it also may be one of them. Then it is clear that either she got breast surgery or have weight loss.

Apart from these there are many Bollywood actresses who have accepted the path of breast enlargement surgery. Perhaps you will remember better that the last time Kangana Ranaut had support of breast surgery.

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Deepika Padukone Breast Surgery, Deepika Padukone breast implants is latest Bollywood surprise for followers. The much talked news of the week is Deepika Padukone breast surgery. See the latest photos here; you can see clearly that she has made breast surgery.

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Deepika is showing her new fresh look much time in front of the camera. Also you will know in a few days when so many photographs will come in quick time.

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2011-08-14T01:08:00.000-07:00

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Pakistan quizzes suspects over abducted American

2011-08-14T01:06:00.000-07:00

Pakistani police have detained a number of people for questioning in connection with the kidnapping of an American development expert in the eastern city of Lahore, investigators said on Sunday.

In a pre-dawn raid on Saturday, six to eight assailants broke into the house of the man, identified by the U.S. State Department as Warren Weinstein, and abducted him after overpowering security guards.

"We have detained a few people for questioning, including guards posted at the house," Lahore police chief Ahmed Raza Tahir told Reuters.

"We hope to recover him soon," he added, without giving further details.

U.S. embassy spokesman Alberto Rodriguez said they had not yet been informed about any progress in the case. "Police are investigating. We are waiting."

No one claimed responsibility for the abduction.

Kidnapping for ransom is relatively common in Pakistan, although foreigners are not often targets. Militants also occasionally take foreigners hostage but these incidents have taken place in the volatile western regions bordering Afghanistan, where Islamist insurgents are very active.

Weinstein has been identified as working for J.E. Austin & Associates, an Arlington, Virginia-based consulting firm, on a development project in lawless tribal areas where Pakistani troops have been battling Islamist insurgents for years.

Police said the gunmen barged into house on the pretext of sharing a meal with the guards, a common practice during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which started early this month. The attackers then forced Weinstein's driver to knock on his bedroom door. When he opened it, they took him.

The victim, in his 60s, had been living in Pakistan for five to six years, according to police. He mostly lived in Islamabad but had been traveling to Lahore.

Relations between Pakistan and the United States have sharply deteriorated since January, when a CIA contractor killed two Pakistanis in Lahore, and worsened after U.S. Navy SEALS killed al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in a raid in northwestern Pakistan that Islamabad termed a breach of its sovereignty.

Pakistani Taliban, linked to al Qaeda, have claimed responsibility for kidnapping a Swiss couple in July in the volatile southwestern province of Baluchistan.

Eight Pakistani employees of a U.S.-based aid organization, American Refugee Committee (ARC), were kidnapped in Baluchistan last month.

2011-08-14T01:02:00.000-07:00

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Bollywood Actress Katrina Kaif slams birthday

2011-08-14T00:58:00.000-07:00

In 2008, it was a public spat between Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan. This year it's a much-criticised party and reports of meeting ex-Salman Khan and could-be lover Ranbir Kapoor at midnight. Katrina Kaif, it seems, cannot have a normal birthday party.

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She also faced flak for partying at Sah Rukh Khan's bash on Friday.

"Nope. No celebrations for me. I guess it's not meant to be. No party for mybirthdays. I was with my Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara team on Friday night. We did nothing to bring in my birthday. My friends Arjun Kapoor, Kabir Khan etc. had a quiet dinner at a Chinese restaurant," the Namaste London actor told Subhash K. Jha at Bollywoodhungama.com,

"In any case, I don't believe in bringing in birthdays. My birthday was on Saturday. I spent it quietly with my mother. And I did not meet Ranbir or Salman on Friday night."

After the fiasco of 2008, Katrina is reported to have been put off by birthday parties, until this year. She had planned a bash for friends, but could not see it through because of the Mumbai blasts on Wednesday.
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"She was promoting her new film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara with the cast and crew on Friday until midnight when everyone decided it was time to bring in her birthday. Katrina refused, arguing that any kind of celebration at this time would be odd. Someone pointed out to her that it was a very private get-together and not a party. But Katrina refused outright arguing that it wasn't about right or wrong but about not feeling up to it," a source explained to Bollywoodhungama.com.

"She did put an appearance at Shah Rukh's home since Shah Rukh had thrown the party for the Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara team... it'd have looked odd if she went missing," the source added.

Shah Rukh has faced his fair share of criticism for partying so close to the horrific Mumbai blasts from none other than Bal Thackery himself.

"The best birthday gift I can hope for? To find love this year, and for my films to do well. And also to keep Mumbai free of attacks," said Katrina,

"We can't ever begin to feel normal and do normal things like celebrate birthdays or even go out with friends if we have the fear of violence hanging on our heads all the time," believes the actor.
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I am single now and I don't know about 'him': Katrina

2011-08-14T00:49:00.000-07:00

Katrina Kaif’s success story is a combination of hard work and a heavy dose of luck. Criticised for acting, diction and language at the beginning of her career, Kaif today is in an enviable position having signed three movies with Yashraj Films, and might grab that coveted role opposite Aamir Khan in Dhoom 3. She tells Priyanka Pereira about her journey to the top and pairing with Salman Khan, though this time just on screen.

After a rather unconventional role in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobaara , will Mere Brother Ki Dulhan take you a notch higher?

It was a very risky role because the character Dimple did not fit in as the traditional Bollywood heroine. We had this joke going on where people told me, that after watching this film my fans are going to send me 'Get well soon' cards--they are either going to think I am crazy or simply love the character.

People are already talking about your grunge look in the song Dhunki .

All the college kids are loving it. They love dressing up that way and it is an easy look to achieve.

Your Hindi seems to have improved a lot of late. Are you still continuing with your training?

Of course, I am. I still practise Hindi. I have tutors on every film, who help me with the diction and language.

Imran Khan said in an earlier interview that MBKD will silence those who doubt your acting abilities. You think so?

Imran meant it in a nice way but I told him I did not think anyone doubted my acting credentials (laughs). So then Imran became silent.

SBI net profit down by 45.7% to Rs1,584 crore

2011-08-14T00:48:00.000-07:00

On the back on higher provisioning for bad loans and investment depreciation, State

Bank of India’s (SBI) net profit fell by 45.7 per cent to Rs 1,584 crore in the April-June quarter of 2011-12 compared to Rs 2914 crore in the previous quarter. However, the bank’s net interest income (NII) rose nearly 33 per cent to Rs 9,699 crore.

Provisions for non-performing assets (NPA) increased by 75 per cent to Rs 2,782 crore compared to Rs 1,733 crore in the same period previous year. Total income for the quarter increased by 25 per cent to Rs 27,732 crore (Rs 22,142 crore). Net NPAs of the bank has come down to 1.61 per cent in April-June 2011-12 compared to 1.70 per cent in the previous year.

Net interest margin (NIM), which is key driver of profitability of banks, improved to 3.62 per cent in April-June quarter 2011-12 compared to 3.18 in the corresponding period in the previous year. SBI expects to maintain the NIM at 3.5 per cent level for rest of the financial year.

Talking about fresh slippages coming from across sectors such as iron and steel, mining, infrastructure, textile, gems and jewellery, Choudhuri said that it is indicative of overall stress in the economy. Bank is also looking at additional capital from the government to strengthen its capital adequacy ratio. “The government is committed to a well capitalised SBI. It will put in substantial money for rights issue. We expect the government to infuse Rs 5,000-9,000 crore worth of capital into SBI,” Choudhuri said.

The bank’s market share in advances has increased, while its market share in deposits has decreased on quarter-on-quarter basis. Current account savings account (CASA) ratio of the of the bank improved to 47.89 per cent compared to 47.51 per cent in corresponding period in the previous year.

Total deposits went by 16.5 per cent to Rs 9,50,072 crore. Advances increased by 18.7 per cent to Rs 7.88,153 crore.

SBI is expecting deposit growth of 20-21 per cent and credit growth of 16-18 per cent in 2011-12. The bank expects operating profit of Rs 7,000 crore and net profit of Rs 2,500 crore in In July-September quarter of 2011-12.

SBI net drops 46% in Q1 on higher bad loan provisioning

2011-08-14T00:45:00.000-07:00

Higher provisioning for non-performing assets (NPAs) and depreciation on investments dented State Bank of India's net profits for the first quarter ended June 30, 2011 to Rs 1,584 crore, down 46 per cent decline over Rs 2,914 crore recorded in same period last year.

The sharp fall was despite a 32-per cent increase in net interest income (NII) at Rs 9,700 crore (Rs 7,304 crore) and an 18 per cent increase in operating profit at Rs 7,242 crore (Rs 6,134 crore). However, the latest quarterly net profit was much higher than the Rs 20.88-crore recorded in the last quarter of fiscal 2010-11.

NIM GUIDANCE

The net interest margin (NIM) stood at 3.62 per cent (3.18 per cent). “I had at the beginning of this fiscal given an NIM guidance of 3.5 per cent. We have done better at 3.62 per cent in the first quarter.

Now that we have hiked our base rate to 10 per cent, I am tempted to raise my NIM guidance for the fiscal to 3.6 per cent,” the Chairman, Mr Pratip Chaudhuri, told reporters at a press conference here on Saturday.

Mr Chaudhuri, who assumed charge in April, said that he expects an NII of Rs 10,000 crore and a net profit of Rs 2,500 crore in the second quarter of this fiscal.

SBI's bottomline performance in the first quarter was weighed down by a 60-per cent increase in provisioning for NPAs at Rs 2,782 crore (Rs 1,783 crore).

The Reserve Bank of India's recent move to impose stiffer prudential norms for sub-standard and doubtful assets compounded the problem for SBI as it had to make an additional one-off provision of Rs 995 crore (part of Rs 2,782 crore) for the quarter under review.

Also, an additional provision of Rs 550 crore was made towards the shortfall in countercyclical provisioning buffer which is to be met by September 30, 2011.

Besides provisioning for NPAs, the bank also made a provision of Rs 1,048 crore towards depreciation of investments in government securities and equity portfolio.

Of this Rs 1,048 crore, the provision for depreciation in Government securities stood at Rs 450 crore, diminution in value of SBI Bonds (Government contribution for bank's 2008 rights issue) at Rs 218 crore and equities portfolio at Rs 300 crore.

On a consolidated basis, SBI's net profit for the first quarter stood at Rs 2,770 crore (Rs 3,447 crore) on a total income of Rs 39,126 crore (32,808 crore).

COST OF DEPOSITS UP

Mr Chaudhuri said the average cost of deposits for the quarter under review was up 39 basis points at 5.66 per cent as on June 2011 from 5.27 per cent as on June 2010 and by 40 basis points from 5.26 per cent as on March 2011.

On the other hand, the yield on advances was up by 113 basis points at 10.43 per cent as on June 2011 from 9.30 per cent as on June 2010 and by 87 basis points from 9.56 per cent as on March 2011.

Recalling When a Wall Split a City Apart

2011-08-14T00:43:00.000-07:00

Günter Schlusche stood in what was once the foundation of Bernauer Street 10A, right in front of the cinder blocks and mortar that remained, just as they had half a century earlier, when East German workers bricked up the house’s windows the day the Berlin Wall went up.

“This is like a sunken ship that has surfaced to tell its story,” Mr. Schlusche said of the border house, evacuated on Sept. 24, 1961, and demolished less than four years later. The foundation was recently unearthed as workers expanded a section of the Berlin Wall Memorial that will be unveiled on Saturday to commemorate the 50th anniversary of its construction.

“Although it may not be a Greek temple, this is archaeology,” Mr. Schlusche said, shouting to be heard over the din of landscapers running mowers and leaf blowers to prepare for the arrival of Chancellor Angela Merkel, who will attend the ceremony.

Two years ago, the 20th anniversary of the fall of the wall was celebrated by the German government with guests from all over Europe. A ceremonial toppling of giant dominoes was meant to represent the fall of Communism across Eastern Europe.

This is a darker moment to recall, the morning of Aug. 13, 1961, when Berliners awoke to find that soldiers had erected barbed-wire barricades, closed down road traffic and sealed off rail links between East Berlin and West Berlin. To this day, the memory dredges up unresolved issues. Germans have never quite come to terms with the building of a wall that sundered their city for 28 years, forging a border where Germans shot Germans for trying to travel across town.

The degree of ambivalence about the fall of Communism and the end of the East German state was evident in a survey published by the daily newspaper Berliner Zeitung, in which a third of Berliners thought that the building of the wall was either justified or partly justified to stem the tide of refugees leaving for the West.

The task has fallen to Mr. Schlusche, the Berlin architect who coordinated the construction of the Holocaust Memorial not far from the Brandenburg Gate, to act as the conductor of the orchestra of builders, landscape architects, designers and painters to create a fitting monument on nearly a mile of land here that could finally help Germans come to terms with this element of their complicated past.

The problem that confronted Mr. Schlusche and the team from the Berlin Wall Memorial was how to evoke the ominous feelings of a wall that is now mostly gone. Work crews demolished large sections of the wall after it was finally opened on Nov. 9, 1989, while individuals chiseled away pieces for souvenirs. Within a few years visitors could no longer tell in many cases where this relic of the cold war once stood.

The incomplete memorial is like a park, with peaceful fields of grass punctuated with information stands. Famous pictures are reproduced on the sides of adjoining buildings, such as the photographer Peter Leibing’s iconic image of a young East German soldier in his metal mushroom-shaped helmet making a balletic leap over the barbed wire to freedom. It is striking as a 20-foot-tall, black-and-white painting.

But sections of the wall itself remain the focal point. Alongside original sections of the barrier, workers erected metal poles of the same height — roughly 12 feet — made from red-rusted steel that is often used in sculptures.

“A reconstruction is never authentic,” Mr. Schlusche said. “We are preserving the authentic.” The metal poles represent what he calls a “remapping” of the wall, not an attempt to recreate.

Ingrid Böttcher, a Berlin resident for 46 years, said she was uncertain about the steel poles when she read about them in the newspaper. But standing in front of them she declared, “It works.” She was hosting visitors and had just come from showing them the famous border crossing called Checkpoint Charlie, which she said was “just a carnival,” with actors in old military uniforms posing for photographs in a sea of tourists.

Bernauer Street is more reflective. The displays include photographs of the victims, including small children, killed trying to cross the border. Visitors listen to audio testimony and watch videos as they walk along the former death strip, the no man’s land on the eastern side of the wall where guards shot to kill.

“You would be dead and he would be dead, and I would have quickly ducked over there,” said Axel Marquardt, 46, who grew up in the former East Germany near Magdeburg.

Mr. Marquardt recalled the first time he saw the wall. It was winter and he could see the prints from the guard dogs in the snow. He said he watched the patrols go by and thought to himself, “You could never make those 10 meters,” or roughly 30 feet.

Disagreements over the wall’s place in history are usually descried in terms of East Germans versus West Germans. But the lingering animosity today is mostly among East Germans, pitting the victims of the government against those who worked for the system, said Hope M. Harrison, a professor of history and international affairs at George Washington University. She was in Germany this month promoting the translation of her book detailing how the Soviets tried to resist the demands of the East German leader, Walter Ulbricht, to seal off Berlin.

“Among German historians and German experts it’s now taken for granted that Ulbricht wanted to close the border and the Soviets didn’t,” Ms. Harrison said. “But most Germans still put it off on the Soviets and the cold war and the U.S.-Soviet conflict.”

Mr. Schlusche said despite the remaining disagreement, the project was in many ways less controversial than the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, designed by the New York architect Peter Eisenman and made up of 2,711 gray concrete slabs of different heights, placed not far from the Brandenburg Gate.

“That was a symbolic location whereas here we have the original location,” Mr. Schlusche said. Beneath his feet, strips of metal marked where tunnels to freedom were dug under the wall by escaping East Germans, and a few feet away where a tunnel by the Stasi, the East German secret police, was dug to prevent them.

The memorial is half a mile long right now and will ultimately stretch to four-fifths of a mile. “Our job,” Mr. Schlusche said, “is to make the terrain speak for itself.”

Libyan rebels' key town battle

2011-08-14T00:41:00.000-07:00

Libyan rebels have been involved in a gun battle in the key town of Al Zawiyah just 18 miles (30km) from the capital Tripoli.

The rebels claim they have reached the centre of the town, but the Gaddafi regime says it remains in control.

A plume of smoke could be seen rising to the north of the town, close to the Mediterranean coastline, and there was sporadic gunfire to the south.

Ian Woods, Sky News senior news correspondent, was with two colleagues from other media organisations, travelling along the main coast road towards Tripoli along with two Libyan government minders, when their minibus became caught up in the firefight.

He reported: "We were making the regular journey from the Tunisian border to Tripoli to be based at the government supervised Rixos Hotel in the city.

"Earlier in the day several members of the media travelled in the opposite direction without incident.

"But at around 5pm, the minibus was waved to a halt by soldiers on the outskirts of Al awiyah and was forced to take a detour through the northern suburbs.

"However, as it did so, gunfire could be heard and government soldiers were seen retreating down side streets, waving the minibus away."

Al Zawiyah was the scene of fierce fighting five months ago, witnessed by Sky's Alex Crawford.

She and her colleagues filmed 2 days of artillery assault by government tanks, attacking rebels who were trying to defend the town.

It was eventually recaptured, but many civilians were killed.

It has been held by the regime ever since, but it's strategic location on the coast makes it a prized target for the National Transitional Council because it would cut the regime's supply lines to the west of Tripoli.

PM asks Anna to take grievances to Delhi police

2011-08-14T00:39:00.000-07:00

A fresh standoff on Saturday appeared to be brewing between Anna Hazare and government with the Gandhian seeking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's intervention over the strict conditions imposed for his indefinite fast from August 16 but was sternly told by him to approach the Delhi police

In a late night response to Hazare who rejected Delhi police conditions to limit his protest to three days and 5,000 people, Singh told the social activist that his grievances needed to be "addressed by the statutory authorities who have taken the decision".

"My office does not in any way get involved in the decision-making process", the Prime Minister said.

Hazare accused the government of "deceit" by putting conditions on his agitation and sought the intervention of the Prime Minister asking him to "show courage" and protect his fundamental rights.

Singh said "the terms and conditions on which you are entitled to carry on with your protest are decided by the statutory authorities concerned taking into account the prevailing circumstances and other relevant factors".

The Prime Minister went on to add "we are all committed to the Constitution of India and to uphold it in both letter and spirit".

Address

ing a press conference after Delhi Police sent a letter carrying 22 conditions, Hazare made it clear that he was ready for any eventuality in case government decides to crackdown on his protest, saying he would not mind going jail or beaten up by police.

"Fast will take place in Jai Prakash Narain Park. We will continue with the protest beyond three days...the government is scared that its corruption will be exposed," said a defiant Hazare whose fast in April had forced the government to come out with a lokpal bill with which he is not satisfied.

The government introduced lokpal bill in Lok Sabha which has been referred to Standing Committee of Parliament and is expected to be taken up in the winter session.

The ambit of the proposed legislation excludes the Prime Minister, the higher judiciary and the conduct of MPs inside Parliament but Hazare wants the Bill to cover them besides the entire bureaucracy.

Lawyer Shanti Bhushan said they agree with almost all the conditions laid by Delhi Police for the protest but would not give an undertaking that the protest will end by the third day and the number of protesters will not go beyond 5,000. termning it "unconstitutional".

UN chief urges Assad to end Syria crackdown

2011-08-06T20:23:00.000-07:00

In a telephone call to the Syrian leader, Mr Ban also said the use of mass arrests against protesters must be stopped, the UN said.

It was the first contact between the two men since April.

President Assad is facing increasing international condemnation for using troops and tanks to quell protests.

Activists say about 1,650 civilians have been killed and ten of thousands arrested since the anti-government demonstrations began in March.

The UN Security Council recently issued a statement condemning the crackdown.

"In a phone conversation with President Assad of Syria today, the secretary-general expressed his strong concern - and that of the international community - at the mounting violence and death toll in Syria over the past days," said UN spokesman Martin Nesirky.

He said Mr Ban "reflected to the Syrian president the clear message sent by the Security Council and urged the president to stop the use of military force against civilians immediately".

Turkish concern

Mr Nesirky said the UN leader also renewed calls for Syria to allow missions from international humanitarian agencies and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

There has so far been no response from the Syrian government.

In another development, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu would visit Syria on Tuesday.

He said Turkey could not "remain a spectator" to events across the two countries' long shared border.

"We have reached the end of our patience and that is why I am sending the foreign minister to Syria on Tuesday," Mr Erdogan was quoted as saying by the Anatolia news agency.

"He will have talks there during which he will convey our messages with determination," he said.

He added: "We do not consider the problems in Syria a question of foreign policy but a domestic matter."

On Friday, the US, French and German leaders condemned Mr Assad's use of force to quell unrest and said they were discussing "new measures" against Damascus.

The statement followed further bloodshed across Syria as security forces cracked down hard on protests following Friday prayers.

SEAL Team 6 members among 38 killed in Afghanistan

2011-08-06T20:21:00.000-07:00

Their name conjures up the most celebrated moment of America's post-Sept. 11 military campaigns. Now the Navy SEALs belong to a grimmer chapter in history: the most deadly incident for U.S. forces in the 10-year Afghanistan war.

Three months after they killed Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in neighboring Pakistan and cemented their place in military legend, the SEALs suffered a devastating loss when nearly two dozen of the elite troops were among 30 Americans who died when their helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan early Saturday.

It was the largest number of American troops killed in a single day in the war. U.S. officials said the helicopter appeared to have been felled by enemy fire, and the Taliban quickly claimed responsibility. Seven Afghan commandos and a civilian interpreter also were killed, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said.

No member of the Bin Laden raid team was among the dead, said a Pentagon official briefed on the casualties who was not authorized to speak publicly while families still were being notified. But he said 22 of the 30 were Navy SEALs, and a significant number were members of SEAL Team 6, the unit that conducted the Bin Laden raid and is made up of just a few hundred of some of the best-trained fighters in the U.S. military.

The loss of so many represents a significant blow to a tightknit group that is involved in some of the most sensitive U.S. counter-terrorism operations around the world.

There was no indication that insurgents knew that many aboard the doomed Chinook were Team 6 members. But the Taliban and its allies are likely to reap an enormous propaganda boost from the deaths. The Taliban often seeks to appeal to the country's folkloric sensibilities by depicting battlefield exploits in florid fashion; videos and songs trumpet various successes against foreign "invaders," and any victory against NATO forces is held up as proof of divine inspiration and guidance.

The downing of the U.S. helicopter in mountainous Wardak province comes at a crucial juncture of the war, as the U.S. begins a drawdown in troops in a prelude to a full-fledged withdrawal.

The episode could embolden the insurgency at a time when Western and Afghan officials have been hoping a weakened Taliban movement can be lured to the bargaining table. Like the assassination last month of Karzai's powerful half brother, it will be viewed by many as a sign of the insurgents' reach and power.

A statement from Karzai's office offered condolences to President Obama and the families of the Afghan troops who died.

In the early hours Saturday, the SEALs joined other U.S. Special Operations forces on a raid in Wardak province, west of Kabul, the capital. Such is the clockwork regularity of these nighttime raids that they have become almost routine.

But this one went horribly awry.

A Western military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the twin-rotor CH-47 helicopter had apparently been brought down by a rocket-propelled grenade moments after takeoff from the raid, when it was most vulnerable to attack.

White House national security advisor Tom Donilon notified Obama of the incident shortly after 8 p.m. Friday, said a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly.

"Their deaths are a reminder of the extraordinary sacrifices made by the men and women of our military and their families," Obama said in a statement Saturday. "We will draw inspiration from their lives, and continue the work of securing our country and standing up for the values that they embodied."

Marine Gen. James N. Mattis, commander of U.S. Central Command, said: "We grieve for our lost comrades and especially for their families, yet we also remember that the lads were doing what they wanted to be doing and they knew what they were about. This loss will only make the rest of us more determined, something that may be difficult for those who aren't in the military to understand."

The SEALs and their special operations counterparts "conduct these missions night after night knowing that every mission could be their last," said a Special Operations officer who asked not to be identified. "And despite this tragic loss for the units and our nation, tonight their brothers will board helicopters and go out and do the work our country has asked of them. And they will continue to do so without hesitation or mental reservation as they go after the enemies that would do us harm."

Team 6, known officially as the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, is overseen by the Joint Special Operations Command, which also supervises the Army's Delta Force and other elite units.

Those commandos, working closely with the CIA and other intelligence agencies, have embarked on a significant increase in nighttime raids over the last year in Afghanistan, targeting Taliban leaders, bomb-makers and other key adversaries. It is one of the little-known stories of the Afghan war, because the raids are secret and the results are rarely announced.

Those strikes have been the single most successful tactic employed by the Western military over the last two years, U.S. officials say, significantly damaging the field-command structure of the Taliban and affiliated insurgent groups.

More than 300,000 Israelis protest against high living costs

2011-08-06T20:19:00.000-07:00

More than 300,000 Israelis took to the streets across the country Saturday night to protest against high living costs.

Some estimated 200,000 people flooded the streets of Tel Aviv, the country's business hub, chanting "the people demand social justice," and holding signs calling for cabinet members to resign.

This is the largest rally since hundreds of young Israelis set up a tent city at the northern end of Tel Aviv's Rothschild Boulevard last month to show their anger over unaffordable housing.

The tent protests have quickly spread to other cities, and evolved into a popular outcry against the spiraling cost of living. The protests have encompassed a host of grievances over soaring housing costs, prices of basic foodstuffs, child-care costs and gasoline taxes. Over 100,000 people participated in the demonstration Saturday.

Also, the country's doctors, specialists, and medical residents have been leading an on-and-off campaign of their own for the past six months, calling for higher wages and better working conditions.

The protest, which was launched on Facebook nearly three weeks ago, is being led primarily by middle-class Israelis, disgruntled with what they perceive as a gradual erosion of their economic standing.

Noga, a female protester in her 50s, told Xinhua that they are not particularly against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, but want to reshape Israeli society, in which the rich enjoy life while the middle class shoulders nearly all responsibility.

"The country needs to take care of its people, there should be some steps taken to break the monopoly," she said.

Sources close to Netanyahu told local media earlier this week that the prime minister is formulating a major social welfare plan, which he reportedly said will "change the face of the country."

The plan includes legislation aimed at breaking cartels, enabling more market competition, and cutting indirect taxes.

Despite a recent dive in his approval ratings, Netanyahu does not view the protest that is sweeping the country as a danger to his coalition government, saying he plans to tackle the problems head on.

Varun offers house to Anna for protests

2011-08-06T20:18:00.000-07:00

With the Delhi Police denying permission for Anna Hazare's month-long protest at Jantar Mantar, BJP MP Varun Gandhi today offered him his official residence at 125 South Avenue here.

Stating that the "refusal of permission for a public demonstration" is "indicative of an elected government's readiness to wage war with its own electorate over the Lokpal institution," Varun said "if the government does not offer a public place for Anna Hazare's fast, I am proud to offer him my house and official residence as MP and I hope he will avail of the offer."

Praising Hazare, the Pilibhit MP said his proposed agitation was a "pro-India initiative". He said Hazare "is not just a man. He is a movement, a way towards honesty and accountability, a way towards a clean and prosperous India."

While the BJP had supported Hazare's earlier campaign at Jantar Mantar, it did not agree with many of the suggestions made by his team in their version of the Jan Lokpal Bill. For instance, it did not favour inclusion of the higher judiciary under the ambit of the Lokpal.

Shocked Wall says no more ODIs after this

2011-08-06T20:16:00.001-07:00

In the morning, it seemed like it was truly a second lease of life for Rahul Dravid. After coming into his own in the first Test at Lord's, he reached sublime form in the second at Trent Bridge only to be rewarded with a place in the one-day side.

But, by the end of the day, it turned out to be an anti-climax, if not a farce.

Dravid, addressing the media, said that the recall had taken him by total surprise. "I was not considered for one-dayers for two years. So, I was not expecting this. This has come as a surprise. I am honoured and privileged to be chosen," he said, politically correct as always.

He went on to add that he would do his best under the circumstances but his body language suggested that there was more to it. Maybe, he wasn't up to it. In fact, he showed the BCCI and its selectors in a totally poor and unprofessional light by saying that this would be his last one-day series.

"I am announcing my retirement from one-dayers and T20," he declared. "I will play this series, of course, but I won't be available after that." He was visibly shocked by the development, rather than pleasantly surprised as many had expected. Dravid made it clear that he simply wanted to focus all his energy on Test cricket.

"I hadn't communicated my intentions to the Board," he said, trying to save the day for the BCCI. "But I am going to play only Tests from now on," he said. "I will try and do my best in these tough conditions," he added.

Dravid, it may be recalled, had last played for the Indian one-day side in 2009. That time too, he had been sent an SOS as the team was preparing for the Champions Trophy in South Africa despite being off the radar since 2007.

With the rest of the batting looking brittle, it was felt that his experience and technique would come in handy. But six months into the experiment, he was shown the door. Since then, it has been a tough ride for him. More importantly, the side went on to win the World Cup, too, virtually sealing his fate. At the same time, he didn't seem as solid as he is wont to be.

Dravid, however, has been the master on this tour, tackling the conditions and the seam, swing and pace of England dexterously. His two centuries stood out, especially, with most of the others at their wits' end. But, clearly, even he has been taken by surprise.

India need not panic over US rating: Pranab Mukherjee

2011-08-06T20:15:00.000-07:00

Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday described the downgrading of the US government's credit rating from triple A to double A on Friday as a grave situation. But he said, “I am not unnecessarily worried, there is no point in pressing the panic button”

“There is no reason to worry. It would not have too much impact on the (Indian) economy,” Adi Godrej, chairman of Godrej Group and president designate of CII, told reporters on the sidelines of a CII function.

On Friday, credit rating agency Standard and Poor's, or S&P as it is better known, downgraded the US as a long-term borrower — for the first time in US history — saying the deal on raising the government’s debt ceiling earlier this week did not quite make the cut.

Earlier, S&P said the debt limit must be raised and the long-term deficit must be reduced by $4 trillion over the next decade, while the deal cut the debt by $ 2.1 trillion.

S&P is the last of the three credit agencies whose rating was widely awaited as a mark of approval - or disapproval - of the deal. The two others —Moody's and Fitch — had retained their triple-A ratings.

The downgrade announcement came on a day of mixed tidings for the US and President Barack Obama, a day after he turned 50. It started badly as the market kept on its downward spiral, then picked up on the jobs announcement. S&P dropped the bomb, after hours of rumours, just as the markets closed.

The credit agency's issues were essentially two: the debt deal of a $2.1 trillion cut falls way short of the required amount and the preceding controversy showed the chances of reducing public spending would remain contentious.

But it saw the main problem thus: “The political brinksmanship of recent months highlights what we see as America's governance and policymaking becoming less stable, less effective, and less predictable than what we previously believed.”

The deal was signed hours ahead of the deadline of August 2 for the US to start defaulting on its financial borrowings.

Apple Lawsuit Puts Samsung Tablet Sales in Australia on Hold

2011-08-02T22:23:00.000-07:00

Apple Inc. won an agreement from Samsung Electronics Co. that the South Korean company won’t sell the newest version of its tablet computer in Australia until a patent lawsuit in the country is resolved.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 infringes 10 Apple patents, including the “look and feel,” and touchscreen technology of the iPad, Steven Burley, a lawyer for Apple, told Federal Court Justice Annabelle Bennett in Sydney yesterday. The Cupertino, California-based company sought an Australian injunction and also wants to stop Samsung from selling the tablet in other countries, Burley said without specifying where.

Samsung, based in Suwon, South Korea, agreed to stop advertising the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia and not to sell the device until it wins court approval or the lawsuit is resolved, according to an accord reached by lawyers during a break in the hearing. Should Apple lose its patent infringement lawsuit, it agreed to pay Samsung damages, which weren’t specified.

The dispute between the companies began in April when Apple sued Samsung in the U.S., claiming the Galaxy products “slavishly” imitated the designs and technologies used for its iPad and iPhone. Samsung, which supplies memory chips for Apple, retaliated with lawsuits in South Korea, Japan, Germany and the U.S.

Imminent Launch

The Australian injunction is necessary because Samsung has had “announcements of an imminent launch of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 device ongoing since July 20,” Burley said before the agreement was announced.

Apple is basing yesterday’s claim on a U.S. version of the Galaxy tablet, which is different from the one that will be sold in Australia, Samsung’s lawyer Neil Murray said.

Samsung had no plans to sell the U.S. version of the Galaxy tablet in Australia, the company said in an e-mailed statement today.

The agreement to halt advertising and sale of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 doesn’t affect any other Samsung tablet or smart phone available in Australia, or other countries, the company said.

Samsung agreed to provide Apple three samples of the Australian version of the computer tablet at least seven days before it planned to start distributing it so the U.S. company could review it, according to the agreement submitted in court.

Bennett scheduled a hearing for Aug. 29 to review the status of the case and set a trial date if necessary.

Google+ attracts 25 million visitors

2011-08-02T22:22:00.000-07:00

Google+, launched in late June, had 25 million unique visitors as of July 24 and is growing at a rate of roughly one million visitors a day, comScore noted in a presentation.

In contrast, it took Facebook about three years to attract 25 million visitors, while Twitter took just over 30 months, according to comScore.

While the data show Google's latest attempt at breaking into social networking has started strongly, it may not mean the project is a long-term success. MySpace grew to 25 million unique visitors in less than two years -- faster than Facebook or Twitter. However, it's lost a lot of visitors in the past year, comScore data show.

The United States had more than 6 million unique visitors, and India more than 3.6 million, the data show,

Canada and the UK had around 1 million unique visitors each, Germany over 920,000 and Brazil just over 780,000. France and Taiwan each had around 500,000.

Gurgaon traffic police click offenders' pictures

2011-08-02T22:20:00.000-07:00

In an initiative to track traffic offenders in Gurgaon, traffic policemen might be taking the perfect shot with help of cell phones, the next time one jumps a red light. The pictures will then be uploaded onto a police website.

The latest weapon of Mukesh Kumar of the Gurgaon Police against crime is his cell phone. Over the past one month, instead of running after traffic offenders, Kumar has been simply clicking their photos.

"It's effective. I just quietly click snaps. It helps when the violator is a politician or one of those guys who'll keep calling our superiors. This spares us a lot of headaches," Kumar said.

Kumar's photos are instantly uploaded on the police website, along with hundreds of others from his mates on the force. They're digitally stamped with the date, time and location of crime and are used by the police officials to issue challans.

Fifty police men in Gurgaon now have the Nokia E 5 phones and use them with great relish. Similar schemes with Blackberry phones had been implemented earlier in Bangalore and Kerala. But the Gurgaon effort is slightly different.

Nokia

Director Suresh Vedula said, "The Gurgaon force didn't have too many personnel authorised to issue a challan on the spot. So we decided to go in for a server system, where photos can be stored and paper challans issued eventually."

There is one tiny loophole though. What if your car is photographed. But it was borrowed and driven by a friend? Who pays up then?

BJP leader VK Malhotra 'applauded' Suresh Kalmadi

2011-08-02T22:17:00.000-07:00

As the NDA slammed the government for the appointment of Suresh Kalmadi as the head of the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, we revisited an RTI application which revealed how in a 2008 meeting, BJP leader VK Malhotra "applauded" Mr Kalmadi for the "excellent services rendered by him." Mr Malhotra also proposed Mr Kalmadi's re-election as Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President.

As the Chairman of the Organising Committee, Mr Kalmadi led a team of men whose biggest trademark became bare-faced corruption. He was arrested in April. So whoever picked him chose unwisely. (Read: Who made Kalmadi chairman? Many denials, mystery deepens)

A report by the government's auditor blames the Prime Minister's Office for Mr Kalmadi's elevation to head of the committee that stole crores from the country.

"In our opinion, the decision of the PMO for appointing Suresh Kalmadi as Chairman of the OC facilitated the conversion of the originally envisaged government-owned OC into a body effectively outside the government control," writes the Comptroller and Auditor General. The report will be presented soon in Parliament.

But the Prime Minister's Office blames Atal Behari Vajpayee's government which was in power when India bid for the Games in 2003 - a claim repeated in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday by Sports Minister Ajay Maken. The BJP has, however, denied this.

But documents obtained through Right To Information (RTI) by activist Subhash Agarwal show that ironically, it was senior BJP leader VK Malhotra who had proposed the re-election of Suresh Kalmadi as the president of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) in 2008.

According to the minutes of that 2008 meeting to elect the IOA chief, "While applauding the excellent services rendered by Mr Suresh Kalmadi as the President of the IOA and Chairman, Organising Committee Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010, Mr Malhotra proposed the re-election of Suresh Kalmadi as President of Indian Olympic Association."

Mr Kalmadi was elected unanimously. In return, he proposed the name of VK Malhotra for the post of senior Vice-President.

After the CBI arrested Kalmadi on charges of corruption in April this year, Mr Malhotra was appointed as the acting President of the IOA.

Parliament to finally do business, debate inflation today

2011-08-02T22:14:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, BJP members led by M Venkaiah Naidu called for suspension of Question Hour in Rajya Sabha to discuss price rise. In the Lok Sabha, SP members trooped into the well seeking dismissal of the Uttar Pradesh for committing atrocities against farmers. BSP members carried placards, blaming the centre for the poor conditions of the farmers. They demanded immediate passage of the land acquisition bill.
The disagreement between the government and the NDA was on whether the inflation debate in the Lok Sabha should be under Rule 184 that entails voting or Rule 193, which does not entail a vote, as the government wanted.

Parliamentary affairs minister Pawan Kumar Bansal met leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and worked out the compromise. Both sides agreed to the debate under Rule 184, with a notice that does not indict the government over price rise.

The notice will now say the burden of price rise on the common man is continuing, and that the House expresses deep concern and calls upon the government to take immediate steps to check inflation.
Apart from BJP's Yashwant Sinha and JD(U)'s Sharad Yadav, Congressman KS Rao has moved a resolution on price rise.

Bansal said, "There was a feeling from both sides that Parliament should function. That helped us arrive at a common ground."

The Congress and the BJP also arrived at an informal arrangement that the resolution on corruption will not directly try to indict the PM or any UPA minister.

The Rajya Sabha will take up a short discussion on internal security with reference to the recent terror attacks in Mumbai under rule176 (without voting)

Gowda or Shettar? Decision on next Karnataka Chief Minister likely today Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/gowda-or-shettar-decision-on-next-karnataka-chief-minister-likely-today-123903&cp

2011-08-02T22:13:00.000-07:00

BS Yeddyurappa vows he shall be back soon. But that's for later. Karnataka needs a Chief Minister immediately and the BJP is expected to decide today on who that person shall be. By vote. The two men said to be forerunners for the post: Mr Yeddyurappa's man Sadanand Gowda and Jagadish Shettar, who belongs to the rival camp of Ananth Kumar.

Mr Yeddyurappa had quit as Karnataka Chief Minister reluctantly on Sunday, days after the Santosh Hegde report on illegal mining severely indicted him and his family. His resignation was accompanied by the usual political drama - clinging to the chair till he could, then picking a propitious time to resign and finally, a massive show of strength as he walked to the Raj Bhawan flanked by 70 MLAs. In all that, Mr Yeddyurappa also made clear that while he was acceding to party wishes that he quit, only a person of his choice should be his successor.

But three days later, as the BJP heads into a meeting on Wednesday to pick the new CM, there is clearly a battle ahead. The two rival BJP groups are huddled in two different luxury hotels of Bangalore and each insists that their man will be the next CM. Mr Yeddyurappa's group claims to have the support of about 70 MLAs and are quite sanguine that Sadanand Gowda will be picked.

Not so fast, says the Ananth Kumar camp. The BJP General Secretary has had a troubled relationship with Yeddyurappa, who is said to have shot down the proposal that Ananth Kumar take over as Chief Minister. Now this camp wants to ensure that one of them makes it to the chair. "Central leaders have taken the opinion of both sides. First we thought of myself, Eshwarappa and Jagadish Shettar. After that we sat and talked - along with Ananth Kumar - and we believe it will be Jagadish Shettar, said R Ashok, the Karnataka Home Minister.

But, as the home minister says, "ultimately it is the MLAs who will decide."

Caste equations, which matter much, too are at the heart of this fight for the top position. Mr Yeddyurappa belongs to the powerful and dominant Lingayat community. The Ananth Kumar camp wants Jagadish Shettar, also a Lingayat, to be CM to neutralise Mr Yeddyurappa's indubitable influence. On the other side, the Yeddyurappa camp is pushing for Sadanand Gowda, who is a Vokkaliga, another dominant community. Gowda in the saddle would also mean that Mr Yeddyurappa would remain the Lingayat strongman.

Who is Sadanand Gowda?

Sadanand Gowda, 58, is an MP from Udupi Chikmagalur. He has been BJP state president and a non-controversial one - a considerable feat in a unit that has several power centres. Gowda has also been an MLA and deputy leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly. The Vokkaliga leader has a law degree and was a sportsman in college.

The affable Gowda lists chatting with family and friends among his interests. He has one son - and has so far had no allegations against him of corruption or nepotism. Issues that led to Mr Yeddyurappa's ouster.

Who is Jagadigh Shettar?

Jagadish Shettar is 55 and comes from north Karnataka. He too trained as a lawyer and has been politically active ever since he was a student. He was and active part of both the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishat, the BJP's student wind, and the RSS.

Mr Shettar has been leader of the opposition in the state Assembly and he too has been president of the state unit of the BJP. Shettar was also the BJP's first Speaker in the Karnataka Assembly.

This Lingayat leader has had a rocky relationship at times with Mr Yeddyurappa, who picked him as Revenue Minister only after some pressure. He was most recently Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj. Mr Shettar has two sons.

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