Assaulted Indian student in Australia remains critical

The condition of 20-year-old Indian student, who was brutally attacked on December 29, remains critical but was responding to medicine well, according to his brother.

Manrajwinder Singh from Reservoir was standing with his other two friends near the footpath east of Princess Bridge when they were approached by eight men of African appearance and a woman at about 4.15am (local time) on Sunday.

The trio was attacked by the gang who fled away with their mobile phones, according to a police statement.

Mr Singh, a student of accounting course in Cambridge college in Melbourne, remains in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Alfred hospital after being operated once for serious head injury.

The victim's brother Yadwinder Singh said his brother was still in induced coma but was responding well to medicines.

"He is not out of danger but he is responding well to the medicines," he said.

Yadwinder praised the hospital staff and the prompt work of Victoria police in nabbing the culprits.

"The hospital is giving the best medical treatment to my brother and I am satisfied with the way Victorian police has responded to this incident," he said.

"However, right now our main concern is the recovery of our brother," Yadwinder said.

While the investigations were still on, Victoria Police has already arrested three attackers.

A 17-year-old Sydenham boy was charged with intentionally causing serious injury, robbery and theft and has been remanded in custody to appear at a children's court today.

Earlier, a 16 year-old St Albans boy was charged with serious assault and remanded in custody.

The third arrest in the case, a 15-year-old Ascot Vale boy has been released and is expected to be charged on summons.

Officials at the Indian consulate in Melbourne are also in regular touch with the victim's family.

"We are in regular touch with the Singh's family and have extended all the support we can offer" Nirmal Chowdhry at the Indian Consulate in Melbourne, who visited the victim at the hospital, said.

The Indian consulate is helping out the family to speed up the visa process of Mr Singh's parents who are currently in India.

Yesterday a group of Indian community members including Councillor and former Darebin mayor Tim Singh, and Australian Labour Party member Manoj kumar visited the victim's family to show their support and express sympathy.

Mr Kumar said "safety is a biggest concern in nearby CBD area especially for students who work late night for their expenses and this is one of the example of safety failure."

More: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/assaulted-indian-student-in-australia-remains-critical-465954

Can Narendra Modi win BJP allies? Three southern parties to decide soon

The BJP's ability to win over new allies highlighting its prime minister candidate Narendra Modi will taste its first success when a few parties in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh join the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

The first expansion of the NDA after Nitish Kumar-led JD(U)’s exit in July is expected mid-January, which marks the festivities of Pongal and Sankranti in the twosouthern states.

Vaiko-led MDMK and S Ramadoss-led PMK in Tamil Nadu and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh are set to join the NDA.

The BJP also hopes it will successfully woo Tamil actor-turned politician Vijayakanth, who leads the DMDK and is assiduously bei

ng wooed by the Congress and the DMK too.

To try its luck in coastal areas, the saffron party finally decided to stay hitched to the TDP led by Chandrababu Naidu than with Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSR Congress in Andhra Pradesh. Naidu was with the NDA till 2004.

Senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu, who is keen for a tie-up with the TDP, is counting on some Union ministers from Seemandhra region to contest under the BJP banner.

In Tamil Nadu, the PMK and the MDMK will formalise their decision to support Modi this week. Vaiko and Ramadoss concluded parleys with central BJP leaders a few days ago.

Vaiko confirmed that he had held talks with BJP leaders, saying his MDMK's main objectives were to remove the Congress-led government at the centre and also prevent formation of any other Congress-supported government.

According to Vaiko, support for the BJP was gaining and a "Modi wave" was visible across the country.

In fact, both Vaiko and Ramadoss had welcomed the BJP’s announcement of Modi as the PM candidate. While Vaiko has pockets of influence in southern Tamil Nadu, Ramadoss' party influence is over the Vanniyar community in northern part of the state.

Besides the MDMK and the PMK, the BJP hopes it could stitch a rainbow alliance by including regional outfits like Kongunadu Munnetra Kazhagam and Thevar Paervai.

The BJP's decision to leading a front of smaller parties came after Modi addressed a huge rally in Tiruchi in September. Its leaders decided against aligning with the DMK due to its image as a corrupt party. Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK made it clear that it was not keen for any alliance with a national party.

The saffron party eyes Kanyakumari, Coimbatore, Tiruchi, Tirupur and the Nilgiris Lok Sabha constituencies it had won in the 1998 and 1999 Lok Sabha polls.

Already, BJP cadres are on village-to-village campaign called "Veeduthorum Modi, Ullamthorum Thamarai (Modi in every household and lotus in every heart)".

It seeks to highlight Modi’s achievements and corruption under the UPA.

More: http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/can-narendra-modi-win-bjp-allies-three-southern-parties-to-decide-soon/article1-1168371.aspx

Justice Ganguly case: Centre likely to decide on Presidential reference today

The Union Cabinet is likely to take a decision today on sending a Presidential reference to the Supreme Court for conducting a probe into allegations of sexual harassment against Justice AK Ganguly, who is accused of sexually harassing a young law intern.

"The Home Ministry will place a note before the cabinet tomorrow. The cabinet will take a call," Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said yesterday.

Sources said once the Cabinet clears the proposal, it will be sent to President Pranab Mukherjee for approval. Since the President can only act on the advice of the Cabinet, he had referred the matter to the government.

Once the Cabinet gives its nod, the reference will be sent to the President, who will then send the matter to the Chief Justice of India seeking a probe into the issue based on the points raised in the reference.

Sources said the Home Ministry will also place before the Cabinet views of Attorney General GE Vahanvati, who had noted that a case can be made out against 66-year-old Justice Ganguly following allegations of "unwelcome behaviour" towards the law intern.

The Attorney General's suggestions came after his views were invited in a letter to the President by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee seeking Justice Ganguly's removal from the chairmanship of West Bengal Human Rights Commission.

Justice Ganguly has strongly denied the charge and refused to quit despite massive outrage against him holding on to the post.

Last week, the law intern had hinted at filing a police complaint against Justice Ganguly after he wrote to Chief Justice of India, claiming that "powerful interests" against whom he had ruled as a judge were tarnishing his image.

More: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/justice-ganguly-case-centre-likely-to-decide-on-presidential-reference-today-465871

Police bust gang of inter-state vehicle lifters, recover six vehicles

Police on Wednesday claimed to have busted an inter-state gang of vehicle lifters with the arrest of five persons in the district.

The accused were arrested frin Lisadi police station area of the district and six vehicles were recovered from their possession late Tuesday night, police said.

The vehicles included a Honda City, three motorcycles and a scooty, they said.

Police bust gang of inter-state vehicle lifters, recover six vehicles

Acting on a tip-off, police raided a hotel on Hapur road and arrested Krishna, Ramavtar, Afzal, Pappu and Nitu, SSP Omkar Singh said.

Gang leader Krishna told the police that he had stolen a two-wheeler from near the Ghaziabad bus terminus three-four day ago, Singh said.

Other members of the gang are being traced, the police said.

More: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/police-bust-gang-of-interstate-vehicle-lifters-recover-six-vehicles/442835-3-242.html

India scraps AugustaWestland VVIP chopper deal on New Year's Day

Apparently not satisfied by the explanation provided by officials of AugustaWestland over bribery charges, Indian government on New Year's maiden day ordered the Rs 3,600 crore scandal-tainted VVIP chopper deal to be cancelled, reports quoted defence sources as saying.

The decision by Ministry of Defence came after a meeting between PM Manmohan Singh and Defence Minister AK Antony on Wednesday morning.

The scrapping of the deal with AugustaWestland – the British arm of Italian firm Finmeccanica - could now open the doors for fresh contract with other chopper companies like United Technologies Corp's Sikorsky Aircraft, EADS' Eurocopter and Lockheed Martin.

Casting aspersions on the cancellation of the deal, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party leader Prakash Javadekar tweeted that it was an act done to avoid embarrassment to the "first family".

He further questioned what penalty will India pay for the cancellation.

On the other hand, Communist Party (Marxist) (CPI-M) leader Sitaram Yechury welcomed the move saying, "Finally they have realized that there is something fishy in this deal. But it shouldn't just stop here. I think there are people who are involved in this sort of graft in the defence deals. This is not an isolated incident".

"Mere cancelling of deal... is not sufficient," reports quoted him as saying.

The deal struck with AugustaWestland for procuring 12 AW101 choppers for transporting top political officials came under scanner in February when the chief executive of Italian firm Finmeccanica was arrested by the Italian police under charges of paying bribe of Rs 360 crore to secure the deal.

Subsequently, the Indian government froze the payments on the Rs 3,600 cr deal.

Ex-IAF chief SP Tyagi also came under cloud in connection with the kick-back charges.

The Defence Ministry in October had issued a showcause notice to AugustaWestland, seeking to cancel the deal and had offered the company time till Nov 26 to reply.

Defence Minister AK Antony too, remained firm on Indian stance, reiterating that the company had violated the integrity pact, by paying bribes and hence the deal must be cancelled.

However, AugustaWestland had denied any wrongdoings in its reply.

Earlier, fearing the cancellation of the deal, AugustaWestland had attempted to invoke the arbitration clause of the contract. However, the Indian Defence Ministry poured cold water on the company's hopes and ruled out any such arbitration, saying that it was not possible as there had been a violation of the integrity pact.

More: http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/india-scraps-augustawestland-vvip-chopper-deal-on-new-year-s-day_900793.html

A decent year, but don't mention the bowling

India have lost a home Test series to England to go with the 4-0 whitewash in Australia earlier in the year. They have lost an ODI to Pakistan, and are about to go down in the home ODI series. Forget a season full of home Tests and only two away, if somebody had told you it would take India a poor session on their final day of international cricket in 2013 to lose their first Test of the year, you would have kissed the hands of that somebody if you were an India fan. Add to it the Champions Trophy, the only ICC prize missing in captain MS Dhoni's cabinet, and you could be looking at a great year.

It was always going to be a year of repair for India. They were struggling with the grammar of Test cricket, had too many slow legs and tired minds, and had about a year of rebuilding before they went into big tests away from home. In a way, the wins at home would lose half their sheen if they didn't compete against South Africa in the last 15 days of the year. Before those 15 days, though, India had to go through a lot of tough decisions.

Towards the end of 2012, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh, important parts of India's No. 1 Test side, left the selectors no option but to drop them. That it came to this says a lot about the previous selection committee. The new players who came in brought freshness and hunger. Those qualities alone do not cut it, though. These new players also brought basic skill, and India kept winning, even as the expectations stayed reasonable.

Before the last 15 days of the year, India won everything that was really important. Australia were blanked 4-0 at home, but the players who had said to the Australians, "We'll see you at home", when losing Down Under were not around to enjoy the win. India were outsiders when they went to England for the Champions Trophy, but somehow managed to pull off a heist despite a thin bowling attack. Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma scored centuries on their Test debuts, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami were revelations with the ball, and Ajinkya Rahane capped off the year nicely in South Africa.

In between those two events came the IPL, which continued to rob India of young fast bowlers. The list of promising quicks who are content with playing just the IPL is getting way too long. One fast bowler lost more: Sreesanth and the whole IPL spot-fixing scandal was the biggest story in Indian cricket in 2013. It was against the backdrop of this scandal that India went to the Champions Trophy. That win was all the reassurance the desperate Indian cricket fan needed. MS Dhoni had now managed the improbable: won a world event with a young batting line-up and an attack about as reliable as a sombrero in a storm.

The rest of the year built up to India's big tour of South Africa. "Big" is a misnomer here because administrative tussles between the BCCI and CSA turned it into a little big tour. Virat Kohli began to dream of scoring a century in South Africa even as he prepared for the ODI feast against Australia at home. Others felt the same. They might not have got much time to get acclimatised in South Africa, but India went mentally charged up.

Just before those last 15 days began, though, India found their bowlers putting the side under so much pressure, they couldn't bat properly, and they lost both the completed ODIs in South Africa. In the two Tests, though, the batsmen played with such maturity and assuredness that you felt the future of the batting was in safe hands. That with at least two of them - Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara - you could expect a certain degree of consistency. Predictable standards from at least two batsmen is what every Test side needs in a batting line-up.

In the Test series, India showed they can compete with the best in the world; this ability had begun to be questioned towards the end of 2012. They lost 1-0 in South Africa, but they did better than expected. They also pushed the best side in the world hard in the first Test.

There were gains to be looked at towards the end of a year during which India won 29 of the 43 international matches they played. However, all that can't paper over the lack of bowlers who can stay fit, intense and skilful for a considerable period of time.

High point
You might want to go with the Champions Trophy win or even the draw at the Wanderers, but the efficiency and ruthlessness with which India beat Australiaat home should take the honour. There was a synergy in the effort: the curators gave India the home advantage they asked for, India in turn asked their young batsmen to work hard on difficult pitches, and the young spinners all delivered. It is up for debate whether this will work as a long-term strategy, and if it will affect the development of fast bowlers for overseas tours, but this was a time when India needed a win badly; they needed the youngsters to know what it feels like to win a Test series. Any win would have done; 4-0 was an absolute bonus.

Low point
The fact that even 350 didn't seem a safe total against a half-decent batting side in an ODI. India will need to do something about that before they go to the World Cup in early 2015.

New(ish) kid on the block
This was not an arrival but a comeback. There aren't many who didn't scoff a little at the prospect of Jadeja playing Test cricket as a designated allrounder, coming in ahead of R Ashwin. By the end of the year, he was the one doing the laughing, having taken30 wickets in five Tests at an average of 19, including the first Indian spin five-for away from home in three years. Jadeja showed that he merited a place in the side as a spinner alone. He also reiterated that our sport takes all sorts. His fast, unsubtle but accurate spin might just have as much of a place in Test cricket as the classical, more beautiful flight and drift and dip do.

What 2014 holds
A sterner test. Eleven Tests out of Asia. This is a year when India will continuously be on the road, when their batting skill and bowling endurance will be tested. Two in New Zealand will be a tight affair, but five and four in England and Australia will push India - for whom two Tests right now seem the ideal duration of a Test series - further. You shudder to imagine what shape their attack would have been in for a third Test, had there been one in South Africa. The core of the batting, though, has been put in place. It's only the bowling that will need big decisions: Ashwin and Jadeja can manage the away spin load between them, Shami should be persisted with, Zaheer Khan will need to be constantly reassessed, but where is the third seamer? The same question will trouble Dhoni and Duncan Fletcher in the ODIs too, this being the year before the World Cup.

Before that, though, there is a World Twenty20, most likely in Bangladesh. Another ICC trophy can't be ruled out.

More: http://www.espncricinfo.com/review2013/content/story/706091.html?CMP=OTC-RSS

Why Devyani Khobragade didn’t tell NY cops she had diplomatic immunity

Several crucial questions still remain unanswered in the Devyani Khobragade incident. The million dollar question is this: why she did not tell the police officers who came to arrest her in New York on 12 December that she enjoyed full diplomatic immunity? Devyani was actually covered under full diplomatic immunity at the time of her arrest and it turns out there are documents to prove it. (Please see the attached document) The reason the diplomat didn't disclose it was that she herself was not aware of the fact she had been actually accredited as an “Advisor” to the Permanent Mission of India (PMI) in New York with effect from 26 August 2013. Inquiries conducted by this writer from diplomatic channels have revealed that neither Devyani nor the Ministry of External Affairs was aware of this vital fact on 12 December, the day of her arrest. The diplomat realised only later that she enjoyed complete immunity. 

PTI She had registered with the UN for her PMI accreditation and forgotten about it. The MEA too did not discover this till the incident exploded in the face of the Government of India after her arrest. After the high-octane diplomatic spat that was triggered between India and the United States, the Government of India promptly issued an executive order transferring Devyani to the PMI so that she gets full diplomatic immunity. This was New Delhi’s desperate fire-fighting measure to respond to the American provocation. But till this time, neither Devyani nor the MEA seemed to be aware that her earlier registration with the UN had already met with success and she was covered by complete diplomatic immunity at the time of the ignominious developments on 12 December. Insiders reveal that after the Indian government transferred her to the PMI (so that she can get complete diplomatic immunity) she went about the task of doing the paper work. At that stage, she realized that she had already sent in an application for the same purpose several months before and her photo and her coordinates should be in the UN database. 

It was at that point of time that Devyani realised that not only she had applied to the UN but the fact that her application had been already accepted. This explains why Devyani did not claim full diplomatic immunity at the time of her arrest and subsequent incarceration. The diplomat's second big mistake was that she did not carefully study the form her domestic help Sangeeta Richard had submitted wherein she had filled $ 4500 as her monthly salary, whereas this figure was meant to represent Devyani’s salary. In retrospect, Devyani finds herself in the snake pit because of these two mistakes which eventually cost her dearly. It is thanks to these mistakes that her passport is deposited with the New York court, which means that though she is free to travel anywhere in the US, she cannot leave the country.

 The incident also throws up important lessons for the Indian government. Perhaps the most important lesson is that the Government of India needs to work out an institutionalised mechanism ensuring that all domestic helps and non-diplomatic staff are hired by the Indian government rather than by individual officers. This is the most effective solution, but it does not find favour with the Ministry of Finance which has been blocking it. The finance ministry’s objection is that if the Government of India were to enter into contracts with non-diplomatic staff meant to serve Indian diplomats abroad, then this might lead to a situation where these employees would extract their pound of flesh and press claims for facilities that are for full-fledged Government of India servants. In such a scenario, there seems to be confusion all around on the status of India Based Domestic Assistants (IBDA).

Read more at: http://www.firstpost.com/world/why-devyani-khobragade-didnt-tell-ny-cops-that-she-had-full-diplomatic-immunity-1318705.html?utm_source=ref_article

Arvind Kejriwal govt to face crucial trust vote today; Congress says firm on support

Five-day-old Kejriwal government faces the crucial vote of confidence in the Delhi assembly on Thursday which it is expected to sail through with the help of the Congress -- acrimony between the two sides notwithstanding.

While inviting the Aam Aadmi Party to form the government, Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung had asked it to prove majority within a week.

Delhi is vital to AAP’s national designs as it can showcase its “achievements” in the Capital during the Lok Sabha elections due April-May. If the government falls, AAP can gain sympathy, blaming the Congress.

In the 70-member Delhi assembly the majority mark is 36. AAP has 28 members and the Congress, which has extended “outside support” to its government, has eight. Lone Janata Dal (United) MLA Shoaib Iqbal and Independent MLA Rambir Shokeen, too, are expected to vote in favour of Delhi’s first minority government. With 31 members, the BJP is the single largest party in the House.

There was no threat to the government, Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh said on Wednesday. “Our stand is clear. We had offered our support to the AAP government on December 13 and we are not reviewing it,” he said.

A floor test, or the vote of trust, is a simple way of proving that the government enjoys the confidence of the House. If more than half the number of members present in the House backs it, the government wins the confidence vote.

HT Analysis: Aam Aadmi Party on the rise but is it on the right path

The AAP and the Congress have publically taken on each other, raising concerns about the longevity of the government. The vote on Thursday would be closely watched.

Reflecting the unease, Kejriwal had said on Tuesday he was not sure of the Congress or the BJP and was working assuming the government had just 48 hours.

The CM or one of his colleagues will move the motion and the outcome will be decided by a voice vote.

Though eight Congress MLAs are divided on the issue of support, party general secretary Shakeel Ahmed, who is also in charge of Delhi, said there was no change in the party stand.

“The Congress MLAs will support the confidence motion to be moved by the AAP government and this support extends to the election of the speaker also,” Ahmed said.

“We will issue a whip tomorrow (Thursday), if required,” another senior Congress leader said on condition of anonymity.

Once it wins the vote of confidence, the government can go ahead with its plans for Delhi. Even if the Congress doesn’t agree with it, it will not be able to withdraw support, as a no-confidence motion cannot be moved within six months of another.

Last month, AAP announced itself on the political scene in a spectacular fashion by a strong showing in the Delhi polls barely a year after its launch.

More: http://www.hindustantimes.com/specials/coverage/myindia-myvote/chunk-ht-ui-myindiamyvote-leadingstories/kejriwal-govt-to-seek-crucial-trust-vote-today-in-delhi-assembly/sp-article10-1168389.aspx

First In Net - Ajith's Veeram Official HD Trailer

Jahnabi could almost be Microsoft Word processor speaking Assamese

A bunch of volunteers from Assam have banded together to build Jahnabi, a Microsoft Word processor clone that can do Assamese. It is basically a tool which allows people to type out the aforesaid language while employing the Unicode method. And best of all, it’s free to download and use.

The processor integrates an auto-suggestion feature for words it thinks the user wants to punch in. You’d obviously expect such a program to incorporate a dictionary and it does, no surprises there. Jahnabi also has idioms at its figurative fingertips and will serve as a spell-checker too.



You can choose to add words to this dictionary and allot shortcuts for idioms or sentences you fall back on frequently. In the future, the developers behind this software intend to add an Offline Digital Dictionary carrying descriptions of important areas and historical monuments in Assam.

The minimum system requirement for installing the word processor is Windows XP (SP 2)/Vista/7/8. The Assamese Unicode font must be pre-loaded onto the PC and 200MB RAM is also needed. Pr-installed Microsoft .NET 4.0 or above is another condition on the roster.

If you have anti-virus software on your desktop (and hopefully, you’re not one of those people who ignores the security of their PC), then it needs to be disabled. Once Jahnabi has been installed, you can include it in your anti-virus program’s exclusion or white list.

If you’d like to install Jahnabi on your PC, here’s a link to a YouTube video which should be of help. Mind you, the voiceover is in Assamese. This should suit just fine those who understand the language.

More: http://www.mobiletor.com/2013/12/31/jahnabi-almost-microsoft-word-processor-speaking-assamese/

FBI's most wanted woman fugitive was in Mysore between May and November

A 40-year hunt for a fugitive woman activist, wanted by both the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and US police for murder in the US, seems to have reached the state’s doorsteps.

Joanne Chesimard, 66, member of now defunct radical Left-wing groups Black Liberation Army (BLA) and Black Panther Party (BPP), who has been on the run for 40 years for killing a New Jersey state trooper and seriously injuring another in 1973, was reportedly last seen in Mysore.

The deceased trooper was identified as Werner Foerster and while the injured one was James Harper.

Chesimard, also known as Assata Shakur, carries a reward of $2 mn reward and this became the first woman to be placed by the FBI on its most wanted terrorist list. In 1977, Chesimard was convicted of first-degree murder, armed robbery, and other crimes and was sentenced to life in prison. In 1979, she escaped from prison and surfaced in Cuba in 1984, where she was granted political asylum and was thought to residing till now.

Highly placed sources in the Intelligence Bureau (IB) said Chesimard surfaced in Mysore city between May and November this year. According to the IB sources, the agency acted on the information passed onto them by the CBI and the US Embassy in India, who were inturn appraised of the sudden developments by the FBI which has been tracking Chesimard’s movements. Chesimard was reportedly last seen in May in Mysore at Easy Day Mall and was in Mysore till the beginning of November this year.

IB sources say that Chesimard would be taking shelter in Karnataka and would be using buses or trains to travel since she can’t travel by air, as Look Out Notices have been issued at all airports in the state.

In May, the month she allegedly surfaced in Mysore, the FBI placed her in its most wanted terrorist list and offered a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to the arrest of Chesimard.

Additionally, the state of New Jersey is offering an independent reward of up to $1 million, bringing the total reward to $2 mn.

More: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-dna-exclusive-fbi-s-most-wanted-woman-fugitive-was-in-mysore-between-may-and-november-1943012

Revealed: Why smoking is so terribly addictive

Researchers have tried to explain how nicotine exploits the body’s cellular machinery to promote addiction.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, nicotine activates receptors known as nAChRs and, remarkably, unlike most other drugs of abuse, it acts as a “pharmacological chaperone” to stabilize assembly of its receptors within the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) and increase their abundance at the cell surface (up-regulation).

Up-regulation of nAChRs plays a major role in nicotine addiction and, possibly, in the decreased susceptibility of smokers to Parkinson’s disease.

Receptors containing an alpha6 subunit (alpha6* nAChRs) are abundant in several specific brain regions.

Researchers from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena used mice expressing alpha6 labeled with a fluorescent protein to show that exposure to nicotine—at a level comparable to that in human smokers—up-regulated alpha6* nAChRs in these areas of the brain.

The study has been published in The Journal of General Physiology.

More: http://www.dnaindia.com/health/report-revealed-why-smoking-is-so-terribly-addictive-1943217

Peer pressure may influence food choices

Obesity may be a "socially transmitted disease," suggests a new study which found that social norms influence our food choices.

Researchers conducted a systematic review of several experimental studies, each of which examined whether or not providing information about other peoples' eating habits influences food intake or choices.

After examining the data, investigators found consistent evidence that social norms influence food choices.

This meta-analysis found that if participants were given information indicating that others were making low-calorie or high-calorie food choices, it significantly increased the likelihood that participants made similar choices.

Also, data indicate that social norms influence the quantity of food eaten.

Additionally, the review indicated that suggesting that others eat large portions increased food intake by the participants. There was also a strong association between eating and social identity.

"It appears that in some contexts, conforming to informational eating norms may be a way of reinforcing identity to a social group, which is in line with social identity theory," said lead investigator Eric Robinson, from the University of Liverpool in UK.

"By this social identity account, if a person's sense of self is strongly guided by their identity as a member of their local community and that community is perceived to eat healthily, then that person would be hypothesised to eat healthily in order to maintain a consistent sense of social identity," said Robinson.

The need to solidify our place in our social group is just one way investigators found social norms influence our food choices.

The analysis also revealed that the social mechanisms that influence what we decide to consume are present even when we eat alone or are at work, whether or not we are aware of it.

"Norms influence behaviour by altering the extent to which an individual perceives the behaviour in question to be beneficial to them. Human behaviour can be guided by a perceived group norm, even when people have little or no motivation to please other people," said Robinson.

"Given that in some studies the participants did not believe that their behaviour was influenced by the informational eating norms, it seems that participants may not have been consciously considering the norm information when making food choices," said Robinson.

The study was published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

More: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/peer-pressure-may-influence-food-choices/1213314/0

What NASA Can Teach Enterprises About Redundancy

Disasters and equipment failures can happen at any time, anywhere, and enterprise IT administrators need to properly prepare for them. This past week, NASA fixed an equipment failure aboard the International Space Station (ISS), and while it operates in a very different environment from data centers here on Earth, its operations can serve as a guide to terrestrial best practices.

NASA astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins exited the ISS on Dec. 21 for a five-and-a-half-hour spacewalk to remove a faulty ammonia pump. On Dec. 24, the two astronauts took another spacewalk, this time installing a new ammonia pump to restore the ISS to full operations.

What's interesting to note here is that the new ammonia pump was already aboard ISS as a spare part. In the hostile environment that is space, redundancy isn't an option, and spare parts aren't easily sourced from a remote location. In the case of the spare ammonia pump, there's also the question of how NASA and its ISS partners could have ferried a new ammonia pump to the station. Much of the ISS, including the ammonia pumps, were originally carried to space by way of the NASA shuttle fleet, which was decommissioned in 2011 with the final flight of the Shuttle Atlantis.

From a disaster recovery and redundancy perspective, NASA and its ISS partners had to plan from the beginning to have lots of options for repair and replacement of station components. Simply put, without the on-board ability to deal with certain types of equipment failure, the ISS would not be the success it is today and lives would be at risk.

Securing Cloud Computing for Enterprise Collaboration

Bringing the same message down to Earth, data centers and even branch IT and small offices can learn from NASA's example. While humans on Earth likely don't need to keep an extra ammonia pump onsite, it does make sense to have other types of spare equipment on premise.

Mission-critical servers and networking components can and should have redundant power supplies and fans for cooling. Power supplies and fans do break down and, even here on Earth where an extra power supply or fan can easily be sourced, it still takes time, which a mission-critical environment likely can't afford.

Automatic failover is another commonly deployed feature in enterprise IT today. Clustered and mirrored server deployments that automatically take over for a failed component is a must-have in modern data centers.

Actually keeping extra equipment on hand, like NASA does, might seem like a luxury, but it also makes sense. For smaller branch and office IT environments, simply keeping an extra (perhaps older) WiFi access point or router on hand for emergencies isn't a bad idea. In the modern era, where the cloud exists for backup and application delivery, it's important to remember that you still need access to the cloud and you still require some form of on-site or mobile equipment to do that.

Planning for failure means that you have options. Without redundancy and spare parts, equipment failure is an option that is more likely than not. - 

See more at: http://www.eweek.com/cloud/what-nasa-can-teach-enterprises-about-redundancy.html/#sthash.qlaPkmCT.dpuf

Scientists Petition U.S. Congress for Return to the Moon

China’s Chang’e 3 robotic landing on the moon has helped spur a political crusade in the United States to more aggressively explore and utilize the moon.

At the heart of the campaign is the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG), a group chartered by NASA Headquarters to assist in planning the scientific exploration of the moon. LEAG is organizing a letter writing campaign to Congress to underscore the importance of the moon.

The LEAG scripted strategy is being orchestrated under the banner “Destination Moon” with a key, straightforward goal highlighted in a flyer: “Use the moon to create a sustained human space-faring capability, advancing exploration of the Solar System.”

The flyer is to be sent, along with a cover letter, to all members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate committees that have influence on NASA funding, and to all the lawmakers of the LEAG executive committee members.

Gateway to the solar system

“We were waiting to see if Chang’e 3 landed successfully and it did! Now we want to champion the moon from the U.S. side,” Clive Neal, a leading lunar scientist at the University of Notre Dame’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences told SPACE.com. He is a member of LEAG’s executive committee.

The Destination Moon movement is predicated on the value of exploring the moon, from opening the gateway to the solar system, pioneering development of new technologies, as well as advancing economic expansion, enabling new scientific discoveries and promoting international partnerships.

“The moon is the most accessible destination for realizing commercial, exploration, and scientific objectives beyond low Earth orbit,” the flyer reads.

Destination Moon supporters are rallying around other key points:

* Lunar resources can be used for fuel and life support for operations in Earth-moon space as well as for voyages to Mars and beyond.

* America can still lead the world beyond low Earth orbit by forging collaborations to make the frontier of space accessible to all.

* Scientific investigations on the surface of the moon uniquely support studies of early Solar System events that have been erased from Earth’s record.

Nearest near-Earth object

Stephen Mackwell, director of the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, advocates a return to the moon.
“The brief Apollo missions were terminated before we could start investigating the requirements for longer term missions away from Earth,” Mackwell told SPACE.com.

“Before we set off to distant destinations, like Mars, it makes sense to use our nearest near-Earth object — the moon — as a test-bed to see how humans will cope with longer duration periods distant from Earth, including on the surface of another planetary body, and how effectively we can make use of in-situ resources to sustain our presence elsewhere,” Mackwell said. 

Political boost
Independent of the LEAG letter writing campaign, a U.S. return to the moon is getting a political boost from Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA).

In a Dec. 19 letter to President Barack Obama, the lawmaker calls on the president to hold a White House conference early in 2014 to develop a mission concept for a U.S.-led return to the moon within the next 10 years. The conference would bring together “the best minds from around the country and among our international partners” to forge the initiative, Wolf said.

“As China prepares to send a series of increasingly advanced rovers to the moon in preparation for what most observers believe will ultimately be human missions, many are asking why the U.S. is not using this opportunity to lead our international partners in an American-led return to the moon,” Wolf said.

Wolf’s letter said that the Obama administration’s “recalcitrance in leading a lunar mission is creating a crisis of confidence in the U.S. space program, both at home but also among our partners, including Europe, Canada, Japan and Russia.”

In his three-page letter, Wolf urges Obama to direct the U.S. space program toward a “lunar-focused human exploration program that will reaffirm America's space leadership for the 21st Century.”

Lunar development

How United States politics and China’s moon landing of Chang’e 3 play together is far from clear, said Mike Gold, director of Wash., D.C. Operations and Business Growth for Bigelow Aerospace, a private space firm eager to kick up its own commercial lunar dust.

“The success of this mission was yet another victory for long-term Chinese aerospace planning, progress, and execution,” Gold said. “Chinese leadership clearly understands the importance and potential benefits of lunar activities and we here at home ignore the moon at our own peril.”

Gold told SPACE.com that it’s not a matter of ifthe moon will be utilized for commercial activities, it’s a matter of when and who will enjoy those benefits.

“The moon represents an unparalleled commercial opportunity, and Congress should be looking for ways to expand commercial space operations beyond low-Earth orbit," Gold said. "I hope Chang’e 3inspires a renewed effort for commercial lunar development but I’m afraid the lack of reaction in Washington speaks volumes."

More: http://news.sudanvisiondaily.com/details.html?rsnpid=230591

Yuvraj dropped from ODI squad for New Zealand

The 32-year-old left-hander, who was man of the series during India’s triumph at the 2011 World Cup at home, did not figure in the 16-member squad after scoring only one half-century in his last 12 one-day innings and also having little success with the ball.

Yuvraj has been having a turbulent time since the World Cup as he fought off a rare germ cancer to make a comeback last year.

A surprise entry in the one-day squad was 29-year-old allrounder Stuart Binny, the son of former India player Roger Binny, who was a member of the World Cup winning squad of 1983 and is presently a national selector.

In what was the only change to the Test squad that toured South Africa, left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha made way for Pandey.

More: http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-10-223679-Yuvraj-dropped-from-ODI-squad-for-New-Zealand

When Shah Rukh Khan invited Amitabh Bachchan to play video game

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan and superstar Shah Rukh Khan are on top of the Bollywood scene, but they aren't as competent when it comes to competing with their grandchildren and children at video games and adventure sports.

Amitabh, who is busy spending the New Year with his family, shared his experience of a Jet Ski adventure with his grandchildren. The 71-year old actor has three grandchildren - Agastya, Navya Naveli and Aaradhya.

"The Panama...the sea...and after getting beat on Jet Ski by grandchildren," Amitabh posted on the microblogging site on Tuesday (December 31, 2013).

Shah Rukh Khan, who enjoys playing a video game version of FIFA invited Amitabh for a friendly game as he is tired of being 'beaten at all games' by his kids.

"Sir, take out time tomorrow (January 1)...let's do a little FIFA...I am also tired of being beaten at all games by kids since last few days," SRK posted on Twitter on Tuesday (December 31, 2013).

SRK, who is married to Gauri Khan, has son Aryan, daughter Suhana and surrogate son AbRam.

More http://movies.ndtv.com/bollywood/when-shah-rukh-khan-invited-amitabh-bachchan-to-play-video-game-465425

Rani Mukherji's wedding in February 2014???

This might be a wonderful news to end this year with... Hot buzz is that the 'Ghulam' beauty Rani Mukherji would probably marry her long-time and secret 'Saawariya', producer Aditya Chopra in coming February.



After playing games with media, by going hush-hush over their relationship, Rani and Aditya has finally said to have agreed to get married. While it was a known fact that the actress and producer are very much a couple, they had maintained a high secrecy about their affair; given the fact that Rani had been a frequent guest at the Chopra's house and was also close to Aditya's father, legendary filmmaker Yash Chopra. Speculations were also rife that they had got engaged when Rani was spotted with a huge diamond ring on her finger.

And now, if sources are to be believed, then Rani and Aditya will tie the knot on 10th February at Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur. Talks are that Rani was very impressed with the venue when she first visited it for Nita Ambani's grand birthday that was hosted there this year. And thus, Rani decided to have her wedding at this place.

It is said that the wedding will be a very private affair and both the families are expecting complete privacy.

More: http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/telugu/article/101752.html

Shaam in Purampokku

The stills of Purampokku are doing the rounds on the internet. This film starring Vijay Sethupathi and Arya is directed by S.P. Jananathan. Now, the latest addition to the film is Shaam. Yes, Shaam is set to don the role of a cop in Purampokku. Shaam had already teamed up with the director for Iyarkai.

This upcoming film is set to be shot around Himachal Pradesh, Chennai and Rajasthan. Purampokku is produced by UTV Motion Pictures and S.P. Jananathan’s production house Binary Pictures.

More: http://www.galatta.com/tamil/news/shaam-in-purampokku/74982/

Samsung's New `Stay New' Ad Campaign

Samsung has a new ad campaign entitled "Stay New" which is geared towards customers in India, focused on pushing the purchase of their latest phones.

Samsung has recently launched an advertising campaign in India to try not only to win over new customers, but to encourage existing Samsung users to buy the newest phones and models. The program "Stay New" allows user to purchase a phone in several payments, but also then upgrade their device after six months to a newer model. This is similar to ad campaigns launched by other phone companies in the past which are always encouraging the user to have the very latest phone from the company. "We are targeting a significant number of new users joining the Samsung family," stated Vineet Taneja, Samsung India's Mobile and IT head, "This not only offers an 18-month EMI programme but also an Easy Buy Back, which will help users upgrade to newer models."

As new devices are constantly pouring out of major phone companies, it is in their best financial interest to keep users purchasing the latest smartphones. But for Samsung, this program will be rolled out temporarily. Beginning on January 1, the campaign will last until March 31. The program was made possible by Samsung's distributor Ingram Micro, which enables Samsung's customers to upgrade after six months, and up to twelve months, to a newer phone. Currently, the gadgets for which this program applies inclue the Galaxy Tab 3 and 10.1, the Galaxy Note 2 and 3, and the Galaxy S3, S4, and S4 Mini.

More: http://en.kioskea.net/news/24430-samsung-s-new-stay-new-ad-campaign