The Indian Panorama

Month: September 2012

  • Soon, slap your cellphone to turn it silent

    Soon, slap your cellphone to turn it silent

    LONDON (TIP): Engineers are developing a new technology which would allow you to ‘smack’ the screen of your mobile and silence its ringing.

    Software giant Microsoft has patented the idea, suggesting it will find its way onto Windows Mobile phones soon.
    The ‘whack-based audio control module’ sits at the centre of the phone, and awaits a suitable ‘whack’, to tell it to be quiet, the Daily Mail reported.

    Microsoft’s method is that, when your phone rings, it will turn on the ‘accelerometer’, which tells the phone which direction it is pointing in and can spot sudden movements.

    “There are a variety of circumstances under which it may be desirable to quickly control a device without having to interact with a traditional user interface,” Microsoft was quoted by the paper as stating in the patent. “For example, often mobile device users forget to set their mobile devices in a silent or vibrate mode and the device rings or makes sounds at an inopportune moment,” it added.

    The feature can been used if someone’s phone starts ringing during a big presentation or the final part of the wedding vows, instead of scrambling for the ‘off’ switch or the volume button, one can simply smack the screen and silence the phone.

    Microsoft said the whack could silence ringtones, an accidental button-press, which turns the music on, an alarm or a text message sound.

  • Create illusion of space in your small home

    Create illusion of space in your small home

    Most people feel that when you live in a small room, it is impossible to decorate it well. But the truth is, despite having limited space, there are many a tricks you can use to make your house look spacious and pretty.

    It’s just how you use your interior decoration skills to give an illusion of more surface area. By using the right kind of furniture and the current amount of lighting, one can provide an illusion of space. Even, colors of rooms for that matter, can do the deed. Here are some tips to decorate you little room to make it look both spacious and pretty.

    • The right kind of lighting in rooms can help create illusion of space. When living in a relatively smaller room, avoid using ceiling lights. These light up such that they tend to cut the height of the room. Use lamps such that they do can eliminate shadows. Natural lighting is another great option. Keep your windows open during the day, as this will create a look of more space. If you can, try varying the sizes of the lamps used in the room. This will add a feeling of more space.
    • Furniture are a pivotal part of home decor. Using the wrong furniture can make your home look cramped. Avoid bulky furniture. For instance, large sofas, big chairs etc. are a no-no. Instead, furniture like an ottoman (both multipurpose as it serves as a seating, a coffee table and a foot-rest) can be best used for small rooms. If you want a sofa for the TV room, invest in one which has a bed as an extension. In this way you can use it whenever and fold it when not required. Always place the bulkiest furniture of your home against the longest wall. Avoid placing furniture near to pathways, this can be inconvenient. In case you have wooden trunks which have an ancient feel to it, decorate them well. You can do this by either placing funky table lamps or vases on it, or by covering it with a prettily-printed cloth. You can use it as a seating too.
    • Built-ins furniture is a must for small homes. For instance, having built-in cabinets is quite normal for houses be it small or big. You can have drawers, bookshelves which are also built-in. The idea is to avoid as many furniture on the floor space.
  • SAFETY MEASURES WHILE USING PLASTIC PACKAGING

    SAFETY MEASURES WHILE USING PLASTIC PACKAGING

    Plastics are now being extensively used for the packaging of foods and beverages. This is evident on the supermarket shelves: Cooking oil is packed in plastic packets, water in plastic bottles stacked up on store shelves, and meats are packaged in plastic-wrap film on trays.

    It is therefore crucial that consumers do not misuse packaging materials in an unplanned or unexpected manner as this may result in greater amounts of chemical migration. The following are some guidelines for safe use of plastic food packaging and containers.

    Plastics and oven

    Plastic packaging used for commercial packing of food is not suitable for use in ovens. They may catch fire or melt and result in chemical transmission into foods.
    Reheating pre-cooked foods in ovens is desirable only if food is packed in oven-friendly packaging.

    Plastics and microwave

    Use plastic containers that are tagged as microwave-safe for microwave cooking. Ice-cream tubs are not meant for reheating or cooking food in a microwave or conventional oven. They are not heat protected and chemicals from the plastic may migrate into the food during heating.

    Plastic cling films

    Avoid using plastic cling films in ovens, as the films may melt into the food and cause harm or just catch fire. Prefer using cling films which are specially designed for microwave oven use.
    When re-heating or cooking food in a microwave oven, ensure that the microwave-safe cling film does not touch the food. If the film touches the food, the film could get overly hot and possibly melt or may transfer chemicals into
    the food.

    Freezing and defrosting in commercial plastic packaging

    It is harmless to freeze meat directly in its original commercial plastic wrapping. For long storage, over-wrap the meat tightly with damp proof freezer bags to maintain the quality of the meat.
    Do not defrost or cook the meat in its original commercial packaging in a microwave oven, as the plastic packaging may not be microwave-safe.

  • Ways to boost your brain

    Ways to boost your brain

    If nuts can help stave off Alzheimer’s, what else is good for your mind? Here are some ways to keep your brain healthy

    It is the ticking timebomb that will affect 1.7 million of us in just 40 years. But can you stave off Alzheimer’s with a healthy diet? This week scientists said eating chicken, oily fish and nuts may help stop it developing. So what do the experts say about the other claimed methods of beating the disease?

    Eat berries

    A study of 16,010 female nurses in the US suggested that eating greater amounts of blueberries and strawberries is associated with a slower rate of cognitive decline. Strawberries and blueberries are rich in a group of naturally occurring antioxidants called flavonoids, which scientists suggest may help to delay cognitive aging by protecting brain cells from chemical stress which can build up as we age. Population studies like this can provide useful clues about the effects of lifestyle and diet on cognition, but we must be sensible when interpreting the results. The study suggests a link between eating berries and slower cognitive decline, but there could be many factors at play. Previous evidence has shown that eating fruit as part of a healthy diet in midlife could help to reduce our risk of dementia.

    Clean the house

    A study which measured the activity of older people over a four year period, showed that daily physical activity such as cooking, cleaning and playing cards could help to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s.

    Scientists recruited 716 volunteers with an average age of 82 years.

    There is already some evidence that exercise in midlife can help to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s. This study adds to this by suggesting that daily physical activity like doing household jobs or playing cards could have benefits into older age.

    Learn another language

    A recent article found some evidence to suggest that speaking more than one language may help to boost our ‘cognitive reserve’ – the ability of our brain to resist damage.

    It is thought that this could help protect our brains from decline and may bolster our brains against the damage which causes dementia.

    More research is needed to tease apart the most beneficial aspects of bilingualism – whether it is the age we starting learning, how fluent we are or how much we use the language in everyday life.”

    Drink green tea

    Scientists have found that green tea compounds could protect the cells in rats from the harmful effects of amyloid – the toxic protein that builds up in the brain during Alzheimer’s.

  • Mass graves found after tribal fighting in Kenya

    Mass graves found after tribal fighting in Kenya

    MOMBASA (TIP): Two mass graves were found in Kenya’s coastal Tana River region and 20 people were charged with murder, police said, after a wave of inter-tribal fighting that killed more than 100 people over the past month.

    The scale of the recent unrest has left many Kenyans convinced it was politically instigated and it has raised fears of serious tribal fighting before elections next March.

    The graves were discovered in the village of Kilelengwani, where raiders shot, hacked and burnt to death 38 people last week, including nine police officers.

    On Tuesday, police charged 20 people with murder in connection with the killings. It was not immediately clear if they all came from one particular tribe or village.

    “The men, while armed with weapons, listed as guns, machetes, knives, bows and arrows, attacked villages namely Kilelengwani, Kipini and Ozi and set houses ablaze as they killed up to 108 local innocent citizens,” the charge sheet read.

    David Kiprotich, a local government official, said the suspects were found hiding in a forest in possession of crude weapons, military uniform and binoculars.

    President Mwai Kibaki imposed a curfew last week and sent extra security forces to the area to try to end the violence, intensified by an influx of weapons in the last few years.

    Regional police chief Aggrey Adoli said the bodies would be exhumed from the mass graves once the courts gave approval. “We don’t know yet whether they are attackers who died while in confrontation with security personnel, or were just victims killed by attackers during the clashes and buried,” Adoli said.

  • Anti-Islam film: Protesters storm diplomatic enclave in Islamabad, army called in

    Anti-Islam film: Protesters storm diplomatic enclave in Islamabad, army called in

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Hundreds of demonstrators protesting against the anti-Prophet Muhammad film stormed the diplomatic enclave in Islamabad, Pakistan on Thursday. Authorities were forced to call in the army to control the situation which threatened to escalate into violence. Hotels frequented by foreigners were also attacked by the demonstrators. This was the most violent show of anger in a day that saw smaller demonstrations in Indonesia, Iran and Afghanistan.

    The vulgar depiction of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad in an American-made movie has angered Muslims across the world, with many taking to the streets to rally against the film. In recent days, the decision by a French satirical magazine to release cartoons crudely depicting the prophet as added to the tension .Riot police used tear gas and batons to keep stone throwing demonstrators away from the enclave, and hundreds of shipping containers were lined up to cordon off the area. Some protesters were students affiliated with the Islamist hard-line Jamaat-e-Islamic party. The demonstrations are expected to grow in Pakistan on Friday, the traditional day of prayer in the Muslim world. The Pakistani government has called a national holiday for Friday so that people could come out and demonstrate peacefully against the film. That decision drew rare wordsof praise from the Pakistani Taliban, which is usually at war with the government.

  • Islamic body warns of turmoil over French cartoons

    Islamic body warns of turmoil over French cartoons

    JEDDAH (TIP): The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation has warned that cartoons of the Prophet Muhammed published in France will trigger a new wave of anti-Western violence. In a statement, OIC chief Ekmeledd in Ihsanoglu” expressed shock and dismay over” the depictions and warned they would “further exacerbate the on going turmoil and violence created by the release of the anti-Islam film (Innocence of Muslims)”.Angry protests linked to the movie has left more than30 people dead since last week, with much of the violence targeting the United States where the film was produced. French ministers fear the focus could now shift to Paris’s overseas outposts following the publications of the cartoons in the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo.

    “The French weekly should pay heed to the concerns of the international community on incitement and intolerance of religious beliefs,” said Ihsanoglu, calling on the political and religious “leadership of the world and all stakeholders to take a united stand against fanatics and radicals.”He said it was time the international community took” serious note of the dangerous implications of hate speech and inciting publications and come out of hiding behind the excuse of freedom of expression.”The film and the cartoons constituted a “deliberate, motivated and systematic abuse” of freedom of speech and “posed a clear and present danger to peace, security and stability in the region as well as the global context.”He further called on Muslims worldwide “to exercise restraint in testing times.”Embassies, consulates, cultural centers and international French schools in around 20 Muslim countries will be closed on foreign ministry orders tomorrow for fear of retaliatory violence following weekly prayers

  • Libya attack ‘terrorist’ but likely opportunistic: US

    Libya attack ‘terrorist’ but likely opportunistic: US

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Last week’s deadly assault on a US diplomatic mission in the Libyan city of Benghazi was a “terrorist attack” but probably not a pre-planned operation, a senior US official said.

    The attack, which left four Americans dead, including US Ambassador Chris Stevens, was carried out on the 11th anniversary of the September 11 attacks and amid protests in the Muslim world against an anti-Islamic film.
    In Washington, where President Barack Obama’s election rival Mitt Romney has criticized the response to the attack, there has been keen interest in whether the attackers were simply an angry mob or an organized gang.

    On Wednesday, the director of the US government’s National Counterterrorism Center told lawmakers that, while many questions remain to be answered, he was prepared to describe the killings as “a terrorist attack.” But the director, Matthew Olsen, immediately qualified that statement. “The best information we have now, the facts that we have now indicate that this was an opportunistic attack on our embassy,” he told the Senate Homeland Security Committee, under questioning from Senator Joe Lieberman.

    “The attack began and evolved and escalated over several hours at our embassy — our diplomatic post in Benghazi,” he said, emphasizing that a US investigation was continuing.

    Fox News meanwhile cited “intelligence sources” as saying that former Guantanamo detainee Sufyan Ben Qumu — transferred to his native Libya in 2007 and released the following year — was involved in the attack.

    US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was due to address lawmakers on Thursday at a closed door secret intelligence briefing, but in the meantime Olsen confirmed that Al-Qaeda was among the suspects.

    “At this point, what I would say is that a number of different elements appear to have been involved in the attack, including individuals connected to militant groups that are prevalent in eastern Libya,” he said.

    “We are looking at indications that individuals involved in the attack may have had connections to Al-Qaeda or Al-Qaeda’s affiliates, in particular, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb,” the global network’s North Africa franchise.
    Benghazi was the cradle of last year’s Libyan revolt that ousted strongman Moamer Kadhafi, and the region is still prey to several loosely-organized militia groups with varying degrees of ties to the interim government. Initial reports into Tuesday’s attack on the US consulate suggested that it had been assaulted by protesters angered by an amateur video produced by private US Christian groups deemed insulting to the Prophet Mohammed.

  • Army chief opposes PM’s trip to Pak

    Army chief opposes PM’s trip to Pak

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Any hope Pakistan may have nurtured that a visit by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh could open the door for a “deal” on Siachen has been dashed, with Army chief Gen Bikram Singh being as opposed to the idea as all his predecessors before him.

    In his maiden interaction with the press, Gen Singh clearly stated the ground rules on a border agreement. And they don’t include any troop withdrawal from the Siachen heights. “There is no change in our view at all. We must continue to hold that area…We have lost lot of lives and shed a lot of blood there. The positions are of strategic importance to us. We have conveyed our concerns to the government,” he said. It will be difficult for the Indian government to accept anything less. Pakistan is hopeful of Singh’s visit before it goes to the polls. Singh himself is keen to visit Pakistan, and has not shied away from making his interest known. With this in mind, Islamabad has pushed New Delhi hard this year to do a deal on Siachen. Pakistan has even delayed talks on the Sir Creek issue in order to mount pressure on India for a Siachen pact.

  • Protest marks souring of Chinese democracy experiment

    Protest marks souring of Chinese democracy experiment

    WUKAN (TIP): One of China’s most celebrated experiments in grass-roots democracy showed signs of faltering on September 21, as frustrations with elected officials in the southern fishing village of Wukan triggered a small and angry protest. On the first anniversary of an uprising that gave birth to the experiment, about 100 villagers rallied outside Wukan’s Communist Party offices to express anger at what they saw as slow progress by the village’s democ atically elected governing committee to resolve local land disputes. “We still haven’t got our land back,” shouted Liu Hancai, a retired 62-year-old party member, one of many villagers fighting to win back land that was seized by Wukan’s previous administration and illegally sold off for development. The small crowd, many on motorbikes, was kept under tight surveillance by plain-clothed officials fearful of any broader unrest breaking out. Police cars were patrolling the streets. “There would be more people here, but many people are afraid of trouble and won’t come out,” Liu told Reuters. A year ago, Wukan became a beacon of rights activism after the land seizures sparked unrest and led to the sacking of local party officials.

  • Queens couple accused of scamming city Day-care program allegedly faked attendance records for $35,000

    Queens couple accused of scamming city Day-care program allegedly faked attendance records for $35,000

    NEW YORK (TIP): A Queens couple scammed the city out of more than $35,000 by faking attendance records at their publicly funded day-care program, the special schools investigator announced September 18.

    Nareesa and Saied Mohammed overbilled the city roughly $3,500 for each of about a dozen kids at the Beanstalk and Nareesa’s Day Care programs between 2009 and 2011, the investigation revealed.

    The findings were sent September 18 to the Queens District Attorney for possible criminal prosecution.
    Education Department officials discontinued working with the two day-care operators last year.

  • Egypt’s mufti urges Muslims to endure insults peacefully

    Egypt’s mufti urges Muslims to endure insults peacefully

    CAIRO (TIP) – Muslims angered by cartoons mocking the Prophet Mohammad should follow his example of enduring insults without retaliating, Egypt’s highest Islamic legal official said.

    Western embassies tightened security in Sanaa, fearing the cartoons published in a French magazine on September 19 could lead to more unrest in the Yemeni capital where crowds attacked the U.S. mission last week over an anti-Islam film made in America.

    In the latest of a wave of protests against that video in the Islamic world, several thousand Shi’ite Muslims demonstrated in the northern Nigerian town of Zaria, burning an effigy of U.S. President Barack Obama and crying “Death to America”.

    In the Pakistani capital, about 1,000 stone-throwing protesters clashed with police as they tried to force their way to the U.S. embassy on Thursday and the government shut down mobile phone services in more than a dozen cities as part of security arrangements ahead of protests expected on Friday.

    The U.S. embassy in Pakistan has been running television advertisements, one featuring Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, emphasising that the U.S. government had nothing to do with the film.

    The U.S. and French embassies were closed on Friday in Jakarta, capital of Indonesia, which has the world’s biggest Muslim population, and diplomatic missions in the Afghan capital, Kabul, were on lock-down.

    The cartoons in France’s Charlie Hebdo satirical weekly have provoked relatively little street anger, although about 100 Iranians demonstrated outside the French embassy in Tehran.

    In Tunisia, the birthplace of the Arab Spring revolts, the Islamist-led government decreed a ban on protests planned on Friday against the cartoons. Four people died and almost 30 were wounded last week when protesters incensed by the movie about the Prophet Mohammad stormed the U.S. embassy.

    An Islamist activist called for attacks in France to avenge the perceived insult to Islam by the “slaves of the cross”.

    Mu’awiyya al-Qahtani said on a website used by Islamist militants and monitored by the U.S.-based SITE intelligence group: “Is there someone who will roll up his sleeves and bring back to us the glory of the hero Mohammed Merah?”
    He was referring to an al Qaeda-inspired gunman who killed seven people, including three Jewish children, in the southern French city of Toulouse in March.

    Condemning the publication of the cartoons in France as an act verging on incitement, Egypt’s Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa said on Thursday it showed how polarised the West and the Muslim world had become.

    Gomaa said Mohammad and his companions had endured “the worst insults from the non-believers of his time. Not only was his message routinely rejected, but he was often chased out of town, cursed and physically assaulted on numerous occasions.

    “But his example was always to endure all personal insults and attacks without retaliation of any sort. There is no doubt that, since the Prophet is our greatest example in this life, this should also be the reaction of all Muslims.”
    His statement echoed one by Al Azhar, Egypt’s prestigious seat of Sunni learning, which condemned the caricatures showing the Prophet naked but said any protest should be peaceful.An official at the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt, whose population of 83 million people is 10 percent Christian, also condemned the cartoons as insults to Islam.

  • Buddhists do battle in world’s highest horse race

    Buddhists do battle in world’s highest horse race

    UPPER DOLPA(Nepal) (TIP):The clansmen and monks of the mystical land of Upper Dolpa first gathered eight centuries ago to pray, feast, fight over property and vie for the title of fastest horseman in the Himalayas. They have met every 12 years since in the Tibetan Year of the Dragon for a festival in modern-day Nepal centred around the world’s highest horse race, although these days they ride for honour rather than land. Around 50 cavaliers who have come from tiny villages dotted all over the Himalayas prepare to run the perilous course, a narrow strip of rocky river bed 4,300m (14,107 ft) above sea level in the rarified air of the world’s tallest mountain range. A horn signals the start and men in silk head dresses, leather coats lined with yak fur, golden chains and icons of the gods of animistic folk religions swinging from their necks gallop away on their ornately adorned ponies.

    Thousands of monks and other devotees who have walked for days to the Shey Dragon Festival roar on their favourites and wave the flags of their gurus. The eight furlong (1.6 kilometre) course is essentially a ravine studded with boulders, ditches and a not inconsiderable stream of treacherously cold water. It is not long before the riders succumb to the hazardous terrain. After the half-way turn three of the runners lose their balance, stumbling on the rocks along the jagged bed of the stream before a pile-up takes out another five near the end. One horse tumbles to an almighty splash after clattering into a felled co-competitor, braying loudly as if to let the crowd know straight from the horse’s mouth how unpleasant the icy stream feels. The winner, by a clear distance, is a 23-year-old farmer named Tenzin Gurung from the neighbouring former kingdom of Mustang, whose mount, a chestnut brown Tibetan pony called Tika, has ridden the race of her life. The organisers consider the idea of gambling and big cash awards somewhat “un-Buddhist” but Gurung’s prize is to run Tika in a meadow dotted with around half a dozen 1,000-rupee notes ($11.50), provided by the organisers.

  • Nasa’s data hints at ‘dry ice’ snowfall on Mars

    Nasa’s data hints at ‘dry ice’ snowfall on Mars

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Scientists have found the clearest evidence yet of carbon dioxide snowfalls on Mars, based on the data provided by Nasa’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. This reveals the only known example of carbon dioxide snow falling anywhere in our solar system, Nasa said. Frozen carbon dioxide, known as “dry ice,” requires temperatures of about -125 °C, which is much colder than needed for freezing water.

    “These are the first definitive detections of carbon dioxide snow clouds,” said the report’s lead author, Paul Hayne of Nasa’s jet propulsion laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. Carbon dioxide snow reminds scientists that although some parts of Mars may look quite Earth-like, the Red Planet is very different.

    “We firmly establish the clouds are composed of carbon dioxide – flakes of Martian air – and they are thick enough to result in snowfall accumulation at the surface,” Hayne said. Nasa described that as the only known example of carbon dioxide snow falling in our solar system. The snowfalls occurred from clouds around the Red Planet’s south pole in winter.

    “One line of evidence for snow is that the carbon dioxide ice particles in the clouds are large enough to fall to the ground during the lifespan of the clouds,” co-author David Kass of JPL said. Just how the carbon dioxide from Mars’ atmosphere gets deposited has been in question, Nasa said

  • More planets could host alien life

    More planets could host alien life

    LONDON (TIP): There could be many more habitable planets in the universe than previously thought, suggest new computer models. It is believed that for water to exist in its life-giving liquid form, a planet had to be at the right distance from its sun – in the habitable zone. But a new model allows scientists to identify planets with underground water kept liquid by planetary heat, the BBC reported.

    “It’s the idea of a range of distances from a star within which the surface of an Earth-like planet is not too hot or too cold for water to be liquid,” explained Sean McMahon, the PhD student from Aberdeen University who is carrying out the work. “So traditionally people have said that if a planet is in this Goldilocks zone – not too hot and not too cold – then it can have liquid water on its surface and be a habitable planet,” he stated. But researchers are starting to think that the Goldilocks theory is far too simple.

    Planets can receive two sources of heat – heat direct from the star and heat generated deep inside the planet. As you descend through the crust of the Earth, the temperature gets higher and higher. Even when the surface is frozen, water can exist below ground. Prof John Parnell, also from Aberdeen University, who is leading the study, noted: “There is a significant habitat for microorganisms below the surface of the Earth, extending down several kilometres. And some workers believe that the bulk of life on Earth could even reside in this deep biosphere.”

    So the Aberdeen team are developing models to predict which far-flung planets might harbour underground reservoirs of liquid water with the possibility of alien life. Explaining their rationale, McMahon said: “If you take into account the possibility of deep biospheres, then you have a problem reconciling that with the idea of a narrow habitable zone defined only by conditions at the surface.” As you move away from the star the amount of heat a planet receives from the star decreases and the surface water freezes – but any water held deep inside will stay liquid if the internal heat is high enough – and that water could support life. Even a planet so far from the star that it receives almost no solar heat could still maintain underground liquid water. So McMahon suggested, “There will be several times more [habitable] planets”.

  • WE GAVE IT EVERYTHING Leander Paes after US open loss

    WE GAVE IT EVERYTHING Leander Paes after US open loss

    NEW YORK (TIP): He missed out on a third US Open men’s doubles title but Indian tennis star Leander Paes was far from dejected as he insisted that he and his Czech partner Radek Stepanek gave all that they had in the final clash against champions Mike and Bob Bryan.

    Fifth seeds Paes and Stepanek lost 6-3 6-4 to the second-seeded Bryan brothers in the summit clash Friday night. Paes was equally complimentary of both his partner and his opponent. “Even though we got beaten today by one of the greatest teams of all time, my team and Radek’s team came out and brought everything they had to this tournament,” Paes said.

    “I can guarantee you we will be giving it everything we have every single day for the rest of the year,” he added. Paes felt the Bryans produced a magical performance to clinch the title. “These guys always bring magic to the court,” said 39-year-old. “But we put it on the line today and we will come back and keep doing it.

    ” Paes has won two US Open men’s doubles title in 2006 (with Martin Damm) and 2009 (with Lukas Dlouhy), as well as a mixed doubles title in 2008 (with Cara Black). The win was a measure of revenge for the Bryans who lost to Paes-Stepanek in the finals of the Australian Open earlier this year. “I think they started really well,” Stepanek said.

    “They were all over our serve from the beginning and making life very difficult for us out there. They were the better team today, so they deserve the win.” The Bryan brothers won their previous US Open titles together in 2005, 2008 and 2010. In addition, Bob has won four US Open mixed doubles title while Mike has one to his name. The brothers will now head to Spain with the rest of the US Davis Cup team to do battle next weekend against David Ferrer and the rest of the Spanish Cup team in a semifinal tie.

  • 314 perish in twin blazes in Karachi garment factory & Lahore shoe unit

    314 perish in twin blazes in Karachi garment factory & Lahore shoe unit

    Karachi/Islamabad (TIP): Two devastating fires engulfed a garment factory in Karachi and a shoe unit in Lahore killing at least 314 persons, including women and children, in one of the worst industrial accidents in Pakistan.
    The fire in the multi-storey garment factory in Baldia Town area of Karachi broke out at 6 pm local time yesterday, hours after 25 persons were killed in a blaze in a shoe factory in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, officials said today.

    Rescue workers had pulled out 289 bodies from the Karachi factory till late this afternoon and the toll could rise as the rescue operation was continuing, Karachi Commissioner Roshan Ali Shaikh told reporters.
    Another 31 people were injured, he said. Karachi police chief Iqbal Mahmood told the media that rescue teams were yet to gain access to several parts of the gutted factory.

    Shaikh too said some people could be trapped in cabins and the basement, which are yet to be cleared. “Rescue workers are proceeding carefully as huge cracks have appeared in the building, which could collapse at any time,” Shaikh said.

    He said the owners of the factory had gone into hiding and raids were being conducted to arrest them. Sagheer Ahmed, the Health Minister of Sindh province, said scores of people were injured. Women and children were among the dead and injured.

    The Abbasi Saheed Hospital alone had received 95 bodies, he said. Only about 55 bodies had been identified so far as many of them were badly charred, officials said.

    When the fire engulfed the second and third floors of the factory in Karachi yesterday, several workers jumped out of windows in desperation. Others used the lights of their mobile phones to signal their location to fire fighters. Special ladders were used to bring down people who gathered on the roof.

    Fire fighters said they could not enter the factory for several hours because of the intensity of the blaze. They called in additional fire fighters and special squads from the navy. At least 40 fire tenders were used to put out the flames. Karachi’s Chief Fire Officer Ehtishamuddin Siddiqui said the factory could collapse at any time as it had been weakened by the fire.

  • Act against Hafiz Saeed, Krishna tells Pak

    Act against Hafiz Saeed, Krishna tells Pak

    Lahore (TIP): Continuing to exert pressure on Pakistan to act against terror, India has conveyed to Chief Minister of Punjab province in Pakistan that Jamat-ul Dawa Chief Hafiz Saeed, a mastermind behind the Mumbai terror attacks, remains free and and sought action against him.

    The issue was broached by External Affairs Minister SM Krishna during his interaction with the Chief Minister Shahabaz Sharief. The minister said that Saeed was known to be staying in the city, the capital of Punjab province whose government is headed by Sharief’s party, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz).

    On his part Sharief told Krishna that being a provincial government, he could act only after the issue is referred to his government by the Federal Government in Islamabad. He, however, stated that there is nothing like a good terrorist or a bad terrorist and underscored the stand taken by the party against such activities. The Chief Minister drew the attention that the PML(N) chief Nawaz Sharief had got into trouble for his observations on terrorism and its impact.

    Two days ago, Pakistan media carried a statement from Lahore quoting Saeed at a public meeting in which he alleged that Krishna’s visit was aimed to detract from the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and reiterating his organisation’s support for it.

    At the meeting and the lunch, he hosted in honour of Krishna, the Chief Minister dwelt at length on how trade and business with India would benefit the country in general and Punjab province in particular. Also present at the meeting were a large number of business representatives signalling immense interest in Pakistan over expanding trade and business ties with India.

    Yesterday, India and Pakistan signed a new liberal visa regime introducing a new category for business persons that would make travel easier with lesser restrictions, including exemption from police reporting in certain cases.
    The External Affairs Minister arrived here for a day-long visit from Islamabad on the way back home. Besides meeting the Chief Minister, he also called on Punjab Governor Latif Khosa. As part of the tour, the minister also paid respects at the 11th century shrine of Sufi saint Daata Ganj Baksh in the walled city area of Lahore. Krishna also visited Minar-e-Pakistan that symbolises the place where Muslim League passed a resolution in 1940 for a separate state. Wishing the people peace and process, the minister said he believes India and Pakistan can and need to live respectfully.

  • Indian American director’s thriller wins another US

    Indian American director’s thriller wins another US

    Washington (TIP): “9 Eleven”, a Bollywood-style thriller by Indian American director Manan Singh Katohara, has won the Best Narrative Feature Award at the 2012 Third World Independent Film Festival (TWIFF).

    The San Francisco festival celebrates established and emerging filmmakers from third world countries and filmmakers from developed countries whose topics deal with issues of the developing world.

    The film, which earlier won the Best Feature and Best Director awards at the 2012 World Music & Independent Film Festival (WMIFF) in Washington, is set for its West coast premiere Sep 22.

    Written and directed by Katohora, who also won the 2012 Rising Star Award for the film at Canada International Film Festival, the fast paced thriller with undertones of terrorism, poses the question how does one survive collectively in meeting the growing phenomenon of terrorism head on.

    It portrays the life of 11 people terrorised to the core by an unknown entity in an unfamiliar place. Each individual is petrified and is hesitant to talk or take each other into confidence for one simple reason: The fear of the unknown!
    Earlier “9 Eleven” won the Best Feature Film award at the Peoples Film Festival (TPFF) in New York showcasing extraordinary films using different media formats.

    Silicon India has listed it as one of the 10 outstanding movies by Indian American filmmakers.

  • Qaida posts online video of two 9/11 hijackers

    Qaida posts online video of two 9/11 hijackers

    DUBAI (TIP): Al-Qaida on September 13 posted an online video of two plane hijackers of the September 11, 2001 suicide attacks, which they said were part of a war to drive US forces out of the Arabian Peninsula.

    Salim al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdar, two of the 19 extremists who hijacked the four airliners, appeared reading their wills, in the video titled ‘The Emerging Sun of Victory Over the Victorious Ummah and the Vanquished Crusades’ produced by As-Sahab media arm of al-Qaida and provided by the US-based SITE Monitoring Services.

    Mihdar, dressed in a military jacket and white turban, with a machinegun to his left, said he was reading his will on 21 Safar 1422, on the Islamic calendar, which was April 26, 2001. Mihdar is believed to have landed in the US in January 2000. “Arab leaders… have gone far in betraying their nation and have permitted Christian Americans into the land of the two holy sites” of Mecca and Medina, he said.

    The operation was “part of jihad campaign against the US and its supporters,” said Hazmi. “It is to restore dignity for Muslims and to drive you out of the Arabian Peninsula,” said Hazmi, who appeared with a patchy beard, wearing a brown thawb garment and a black turban.

  • India beats China on Internet user additions

    India beats China on Internet user additions

    New Delhi (TIP): A report by industry body Assocham along with independent research firm comScore said that among the Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) nations, India has been the fastest growing market adding over 18 million Internet users during the last one year.

    The report said the Internet users’ base in the country is growing at an annual rate of 41 per cent to reach 124 million users in July. The time spent has increased by 33 per cent over the past one year with the user base spending 48 billion minutes online in a month. The consumption of content has grown to 70 billion pages a month from 54.6 billion pages in July 2011.

    This is expected to be a continuing trend in coming years, given the age distribution in India. The top five popular categories accessed online are social networking, e-commerce portals, search, entertainment and news sites, the study titled ‘State of e-Commerce in India’ said. In comparison, China added over 14 million users to reach 336 million Internet users by July-end, followed by Russia and Brazil with 10 million and 3.1 million additions, respectively.
    According to Assocham, the e-Commerce revenues in India will increase from $1.6 billion in 2012 to $ 8.8 billion in 2016.

  • Iraq VP Tariq al-Hashemi sentenced to death in absentia

    Iraq VP Tariq al-Hashemi sentenced to death in absentia

    BAGHDAD (TIP): Iraq’s fugitive vice-president Tariq al-Hashemi has been sentenced to death in absentia after a court found him guilty of running death squads.

    The ruling came as at least 92 people were killed and more than 350 injured in more than 20 attacks across Iraq.
    Hashemi was the most senior Sunni Muslim in the predominantly Shia Iraqi government until he was charged last December and went on the run.

    The charges against him sparked a political crisis in Iraq.

    Hashemi declined to comment on the court ruling after talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Ankara, according to the Associated Press news agency.

    The vice-president said in a statement that he would soon “tackle this issue”.

    Other Sunni politicians have denounced Shia Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki – who issued the warrant for Mr. Hashemi – as a dictator, accusing him of deliberate provocation that risked plunging the country back into sectarian conflict.
    Correspondents say the fragile coalition government of Sunnis, secularists and Shia has appeared to be in danger of collapse ever since.

    Sunni insurgents linked to al-Qaeda have been blamed for much of the recent violence in Iraq.
    The Iraqi government issued the warrant for Hashemi’s arrest on 19 December 2011, the day after the last US troops left the country.

    He fled first to the largely autonomous Kurdish north of the country, and from there to Qatar and on to Turkey.
    Prosecutors said Hashemi was involved in 150 killings. During his trial in absentia in Baghdad, some of his former bodyguards said Mr. Hashemi had ordered murders.

    He says the charges against him are politically motivated and has accused Mr. Maliki of fuelling sectarianism. On Sunday, September 9, an Iraqi court found Hashemi and his son-in-law guilty of two murders and sentenced him to death by hanging. The judge dismissed a third charge for lack of evidence.

    Although violence has decreased since its peak in 2006 and 2007, attacks have escalated again after the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq at the end of last year, amid increasing political and sectarian tensions. The Iraqi government has been hampered by divisions between Sunni, Shia and Kurdish political groups. The Iraqi government said July 2012 was the deadliest month in nearly two years, with 325 people killed. Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was a Sunni, and many Sunnis believe they are being penalized by Shias, who have grown in influence since the US invasion. Sunnis have accused Mr. Maliki of taking an authoritarian approach to government.

  • ‘FDI IN INSURANCE, RETAIL TO CREATE LAKHS OF JOBS’

    ‘FDI IN INSURANCE, RETAIL TO CREATE LAKHS OF JOBS’

    MUMBAI (TIP): Opening up retail and insurance sectors will generate lakhs of additional jobs in India, global human resource consultancy Mercer has said. According to the firm, labour statistics continue to be positive in the country, although not as positive as a year and a half ago.

    Speaking to TOI, Mercer’s newly appointed growth markets head Gaurav Garg said, “If retail foreign direct investment gets through, it will start a whole new industry and generate huge employment and bring in investments without eating into anyone’s share. The domino effect will be such that it will create lakhs of ancillary jobs from rural employment to jobs in cold chains and transportation,” he said.

    Similarly in insurance, the passage of the bill amending the act would result in new companies setting up shop. “The insurance amendment bill also allows foreign reinsurers to start operations here. This will again result in the creation of a new industry,” he said.

    Garg, who has taken charge as region leader, growth markets, incorporating Mercer’s businesses in Asia, Middle East, Africa and Latin America — where Mercer has operations in 20 countries at present — said that India continued to be seen as a high growth market in terms of jobs. “India has this huge demographic advantage, which will result in a lot of investments coming in.

    Although growth in India is less than what was expected, a 7% growth would be still better than most other markets,” he said. In India, the hiring is expected to be industry specific. In sectors such as life insurance, some of the large companies have reduced staff but general insurance industry is bouncing back into profitability and is expanding.

    Similarly, in telecom, the established players are still trying to grow market share. “Going ahead, the challenge for companies will be, how to keep young employees motivated, as the choices before them will only increase,” he said.

  • Kerala may get an IIT during 12th Plan, says Prime Minister

    Kerala may get an IIT during 12th Plan, says Prime Minister

    KOCHI (TIP): Kerala may get an Indian Institute of Technology during the 12th Plan. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said here on Wednesday that the Centre is seriously considering a proposal to set up an IIT in the State. He was inaugurating Emerging Kerala 2012, a State government initiative to showcase potential projects to private investors.

    Over 1,800 delegates from India and abroad are participating in the three-day event. The proposed IIT will be in Palakkad and could be included in the 12th Plan, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy later clarified. The land owned by Instrumentation Ltd in Palakkad may be used to locate the IIT. An IIT requires a minimum of 300 acres. Promising Central support to Kerala’s efforts to become an industrial hub, the Prime Minister asked the State Government to use to utmost the National Skill Development Mission.

    “This would go a long way in tapping the energies of the Kerala’s educated unemployed,” he said. Referring to the government decision last week to grant Cabotage relaxation for Vallarpadam Container Transshipment Terminal in Kochi, Manmohan Sigh said the government’s vision to see this port, inaugurated by him last year, becoming a transshipment hub will materialise soon.

    The Prime Minister, who will in the State for two days, will lay the foundation stone for the Kochi Metro Rail Project on Thursday. The Rs 5100-crore, 25-km project linking Aluva to Pettah is being implemented with equity participation from the Centre. The Prime Minister said the LNG re-gasification terminal coming up in Kochi will increase natural gas supply to power, fisheries and food processing units in the State. Referring to the contribution of Non Resident Keralites, he said they bring in around $11 billion a year, which is 22 per cent of the State’s GDP.

  • Price of diesel hiked by Rs 5, subsidized LPG restricted to 6 cylinders a year per family

    Price of diesel hiked by Rs 5, subsidized LPG restricted to 6 cylinders a year per family

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Biting the bullet, the government Sept 13 hiked diesel prices by a steep Rs 5.62 per litre and restricted the supply of subsidized cooking gas to 6 cylinders per household in a year to fetch an additional Rs 20,300 crore. It, however, left kerosene rates untouched and spared an increase in petrol price by cutting excise duty by Rs 5.50 per litre.

    Reeling under the criticism of a policy paralysis and facing an urgent need to cut down the ballooning oil subsidy of Rs 187,127 crore, the cabinet committee on political affairs chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh took the decisions which have come under strong attack from allies like TMC and SP. TMC and DMK ministers kept away from the meeting. The biggest-ever hike of Rs 5 hike in diesel prices excluding VAT or local sales tax will make the commodity sell at Rs 46.95 per litre from tomorrow in the national capital as against Rs 41.32 a litre currently.

    The CCPA decided that each household will get 6 cylinders of 14.2-kg per annum at the subsidized rate of Rs 399 and any requirement beyond that would have to be procured at the market rate of Rs 746 per bottle. Diesel prices were last hiked by Rs 3.37 per litre in June last year. State-owned oil firms were losing about Rs 6 per litre on petrol, a commodity which was deregulated in June 2010 but rates of which have rarely moved in tandem with cost. Even after the hike and restrictions on LPG, the government will be left with an under-recovery of Rs 167,000 crore this fiscal which is more than Rs 138,541 crore of 2011-12.

    The decisions to increase price of diesel and capping of LPG cylinders were taken in the backdrop of projected massive under-recoveries of Rs 1.87 lakh crore for the current fiscal on account of high international crude oil prices and sharp depreciation of rupee against US dollar. As regards petrol, the release said, “No increase in the price of Petrol, although the current under-recovery on petrol is about Rs 6 per litre. The consequent loss to the oil marketing companies will be offset through reduction in excise duty on petrol by Rs 5.30 per litre.”

    The capping of subsidized LPG cylinder to six in a year, it said, will help in reducing the under-recovery by about Rs 5,300 crore for the remaining part of the financial year. However, it added that the underrecovery on sale of LPG during 2012-13, even after the cap, is estimated to be above Rs 32,000 crore. The release further said that PDS kerosene, which is being sold at Rs 14.83 per litre (at Delhi), will result in under-recovery of Rs 32,000 crore in the current fiscal.

    The parliamentary standing committee on petroleum & natural gas had earlier suggested capping of subsidized LPG cylinders to 6 per annum. The capping supply of subsidized LPG cylinders at six per annum, it added, “will lead to saving of subsidy on one third of the total LPG cylinders. Two third of the total cylinders will still be supplied at subsidized rate”.

    About 44 per cent of the total LPG users, who consume six or less cylinders per annum, will not be affected by the government’s decision. Capping of cylinders, it added, “will also lead to reduction in misuse/diversion of subsidized cylinders”. The decisions, the release added, will still leave an under-recovery of about Rs 1.67 lakh crore in the current fiscal, up from Rs 1.38 lakh crore in the previous fiscal.