It’s one of the most common dermatological conditions, with 7.8% of the Australian population suffering in the last 12 months1. The infection may begin as a white or yellow spot under the tip of your nail. As it spreads, the nail may discolour, thicken and develop crumbling edges. If left untreated, nail infections are highly contagious, and generally don’t resolve themselves without treatment.

What Is Nail Fungus?

Onychomycosis better known as nail fungus, is a fungal infection of the nail plate.
In 80% of cases, nail fungus occurs in the toenails.2 This is due to the environment inside your shoes – a
dark, warm moist environment where fungi can thrive. Nail infections can often occur due to increased use
of communal change rooms in gyms and pools.

Fingernail and toenail fungal infections occur when the nail bed is invaded by various types of fungi. Fungal
infections of the nails, also referred to as onychomycosis, account for almost half of the common nail
disorders. Lack of treatment can worsen the condition and make it difficult to treat. Fungal nail infections can
also be highly contagious. Listed below are some causes, symptoms and treatment for fungal toenail and
fingernail infections.

Causes for Fungal Nail Infections:

Fungal fingernail and toenail infections are caused due to fungi that don’t require sunlight to survive. A group
of fungi referred to as dermatophytes causes nail fungal infections. These fungal infections can be caused
due to some yeasts and molds.

Although Trichophyton rubrum is the most common dermatophyte which causes fungal nail infections,
Trichophyton violaceum, Trichophyton interdigitale, Microsporum gypseum, Epidermophyton floccosum,
Trichophyton soudanense and Trichophyton tonsurans may also cause infections. Common molds that
cause infections include Aspergillus, Neoscytalidium and Scopulariopsis.

Pathogens which cause nail infections enter the skin through small cuts between the nail and the nail bed.
They grow when the nail provides a warm and moist environment.

Symptoms of Fungal Nail Infections:

Discoloration: Discoloration of the nails is the most common symptom of fungal nail infections. The nail turns
yellow, brown or purple in color. The fungus lodges itself on the tip of the nail and then works its way to the
root.

Flaky Nails: Brittle, flaky and chipped nails are also a sign of fungal infections of the nails.
Patches on the Nail: Back or white patches start to appear on the infected nails. Sometimes it becomes
difficult to identify whether the white color on the nail is a fungal infection or an indication of the nail not
being attached to the skin.

Thickened Nails: If a nail becomes thick and causes discomfort while cutting, it is a symptom of fungal nail
infections. Thick nails become tender and cause pain. They become thicker due to the layers of fungi which
grow under the nail.

Itchiness: Fungal infections of the nails cause an itching sensation under the nails. The itching sensation
causes a lot of discomfort because it is difficult to reach under the nail.

Distorted Nails: Due to fungus under the nails, the nails lose their shape. The distortion of the nails could
also be caused because the nails are detached from the nail bed.

Bumps under the Nails: In cases of fungal nail infections, you may notice small bumps under the nails, which might be filled with pus. Pus is also an indication of fungal infections.

Google has released its Maps app for the iPhone, in the wake of complaints about Apple's software.

Apple controversially replaced the search giant's mapping service with its own when it released its latest handset, the iPhone 5.

The move was widely criticised after numerous mistakes were found in Apple Maps's search results.

Google's app introduces functions previously restricted to Android devices.

One analyst said it would prove popular, but added that Nokia still posed a challenge.

The Finnish company recently launched its own free maps app for the iPhone.

The firms are motivated in part by a desire to gather data automatically generated by handsets using their respective software, as well as users' own feedback.

This allows them to fine-tune their services and improve the accuracy of features such as traffic status updates.
Android's advantage

Features Google has introduced that were not available in its earlier iPhone app include:

    Voice guided turn-by-turn directions, with estimated travel times.
    Indoor panoramic images of buildings that have signed up to its Street View Business Photos service
    3D representations of the outlines of buildings that can be viewed from different angles
    Vector-based graphics based on mathematical lines and points rather than pre-created bitmap graphics, making it quicker to zoom in and out of an area.

Among the facilities Google's iPhone app lacks that are present in its Android equivalent are indoor maps, the ability to download maps for offline viewing, and voice search.

However, over time, project manager Kai Hansen told the BBC that what was on one platform should be on the other.

"The goal is clearly to make it as unified and consistent an experience as possible," he said.
Ground Truth

One area Apple's own software still has an edge is its integration of Flyover which offers interactive photo-realistic views of selected cities using 3D-rendered graphics within its maps app.

Google offers a similar facility via Google Earth which is promoted in its main maps app, but involves switching into a separate program.

However, for many users the key feature will be the level of accuracy that Google offers.

Since 2008, the firm's Ground Truth project has mashed together licensed data with information gathered by its own fleet of Street View cars and bicycles.

The images and sensor data they collect are analysed by computers and humans to identify street signs, business names, road junctions and other key features. To date, more than five million miles (eight million km) of roads across 45 countries have been covered.

This information is supplemented by the public filing their own reports. iPhone users are encouraged to do likewise by shaking their handsets to activate a feedback function.

"Google Maps, as much as any other map application, lives from the data that we receive," Mr Hansen explained.

"If a road is closed for the next six months, or a road was opened two days ago - these are things that somebody who lives next to the road immediately notices, but if you're not in the area it becomes hard to know.

"The more we can give you the ability to let us know about things that are changing on the map, the more other users will benefit from that corrected information."

He added that once operators verify these reports, changes can be made "within minutes, rather than hours".

Apple is also seeking to improve its own data through user feedback, but risks having less to work with if iPhone users switch to another product.

There had been speculation Apple would reject Google's app from its store for this reason.

But since iPhone sales are at the heart of Apple's fortunes, it may have felt it had more to lose than gain by allowing rival Android handsets to offer a popular app it lacked.
'Neutral' Nokia

Google's launch will also have consequences for Nokia, which recently launched its own Here Maps app on iOS.

The European firm's location division is decades older than Google's, and also has a strong reputation for accuracy.

However, the Here app has had a shaky start with many users complaining about problems with its interface - a consequence of it being written in the HTML5 web language rather than as a native app, specifically for the iOS system.

Even so, one telecoms analyst said it would be premature to write the company out of the game.

"I'm not convinced Nokia as a brand for maps will become a big thing in the consumer consciousness, but what I think is going to happen is that more businesses are going to quietly do deals with it for maps," said Ben Wood from CCS Insight.

"Because of the issues that Apple had, people have suddenly understood the importance of quality mapping and they may also say they don't want to go to Google as all of the data then runs through the search firm, strengthening it as a competitor. Nokia is more of a neutral partner.

"Amazon has already done a deal with Nokia on its Kindle tablets, and I wouldn't be surprised if RIM's new Blackberry devices and Facebook follow."

sorce: BBC

There is a reason why Yash Chopra and Shah Rukh Khan are called the Kings of Romance, they have managed to weave one unforgettable love story after the other that remains etched in our memories. 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan', Yash Chopra's last directorial venture had created ample pre-release buzz and the anticipation in the theatre was palpable. 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan' is yet another impossible love story made believable by the conviction of the makers.
Samar Anand (Shah Rukh) does odd jobs in London for sustenance, needless to say our quintessential Bollywood hero is multi-faceted; he croons, he grooves, he has a heart of gold and he is charmer all the way. On a cold London night, while cleaning snow from the sidewalks, Samar falls for the beautiful Meera (Katrina Kaif), Indian billionaire's daughter who is always negotiating with God and cutting deals to accomplish her unfulfilled wishes. Quite obviously their love for each other is mired by impossibilities.
Yash Chopra romances are historically high on sacrifices and the two besotted lovers are driven apart by circumstances. Our suave odd-job man is now Major Samar Anand, nicknamed 'The man who cannot die' because of his daredevil acts of courage. Rookie documentary filmmaker, Akira (Anushka Sharma) wants to film the fearless bomb squad head and needless to say, the feisty kudi soon finds herself falling hook, line and sinker for our intense army man.
Unrequited love and loyalty, pangs of separation and characters with a propensity for sacrifice; these are all familiar tropes in Bollywood but Yash Chopra has his way of creating the perfect mise-en-scène and converting you into a believer. For die hard romantics, philosophies like 'There is a time for every love story' is sure to become a mantra, much like, 'Someone somewhere is made for you'.
At 47, Shah Rukh, still strikes the right notes as the typical romantic hero. Anushka essays her part with ease but Katrina still needs to work on getting the emotional parts right. Rahman's music too doesn't really grow on you after you have watched the film.
JTHJ doesn't quite stand out like some of Yash Chopra's previous works and the pace of the second half seems to drag a bit. It's just that when you watch the film, the canvas is picturesque, the characters are gorgeous and the story restores your faith in good, in love and in impossible relationships.

 NEW DELHI: Thirteen years after the mutilated body of Captain Saurabh Kalia of the 4 Jat Regiment was handed over to Indian authorities, his father Dr NK Kalia has approached the United Nation Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for justice as the family wants the ghastly act to be declared a war crime.

The petition has been filed by Dr NK Kalia, Rajya Sabha member Rajeev Chandrasekhar and Flags of Honour Foundation.

The petitioners urged the UNHRC to ensure a full and independent investigation is opened immediately, justice is achieved and also to conduct enquires into this matter and takes appropriate steps to urge the Government of Pakistan to conduct an enquiry into the matter and ascertain those responsible for the torture and death of Captain Kalia.

Saurabh Kalia and his five men of the 4 Jat regiment were taken captive by Pakistani troops in the icy hills of Kargil and barbarically tortured for over 22 days.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, an active voice in urging the government to take up the issue with the UN Human Rights Council, said: "I am supporting this petition to UNHRC filed by Flags of Honour Foundation and Dr. N.K. Kalia to seek justice for the family of Capt Saurabh Kalia who was tortured and shot dead performing his duty - a clear case of war crime and violations of Geneva conventions.

This is about principles of natural justice and laws being violated against Indians anywhere in the world and about men and women in uniform who serve the nation and expect the nation to back them and take care of their families."

Saurabh's parents NK Kalia and Vijaya have been raising their voice against human rights violations and pleading with the government to take up the issue of war crimes at the international level.

Dr Kalia who has been running from pillar to post to fight for justice for his son, said: "This matter is about dignity and honour of Capt Saurabh Kalia and five soldiers and a national issue where country's prestige was slighted due to such heinous crimes which go unchallenged."

Saurabh Kalia of 4 Jat Regiment, who was the first army officer to report incursion by the Pakistani army on Indian soil, had along with five soldiers - Sepoys Arjun Ram, Bhanwar Lal Bagaria, Bhika Ram, Moola Ram and Naresh Singh - went for a routine patrol of the Bajrang Post in the Kaksar sector when they were taken captive by the Pakistani troops on May 15, 1999.

The making of B grade erotic movies are no more popular nowadays, strict rules from censor board and easy availability of sizzling stuff on internet led to decrease B-Grade craze, even the producers who were interested in making hot B-Grade films once upon a time, are not willing to take any risk fearing the financial Loss as there will not be any satellite rights issued for the film, and lack of theaters willing to project, so very rarely we are finding the stuff nowadays on the street end walls, in that availability this Seductress From Hyderabad is grabbing all the chances to act in erotic B-grades .
Tamil , Malayalam and Telugu are the rest house for this stumbling girl according to the sources. Waheedha started her career in a local channel as an anchor was caught suddenly on city posters posing horny.
Wheeda is not that sexy or she does not have much Tempting assets but  as there is not much competition in this line may be she is trying to reach the level of b-grade film queens  like Shakeela ,Ramya sree , babylona etc.
But the current busy generation is not having enough time to encourage B- grade stuff as they got more than that on internet if they want. This bold girl was starred in ‘Anagarikam’ part 1, 2 and many more films are ready to wet the screens. There are few more such films getting ready to divert the eyes on the street walls. So let’s wait and see whether this south Indian temptress can reach a level of a star or will she degrade herself to scandals and much more..?

Lovemaking is the most painful activity on the planet. On film. Whenever I read “…and they make love” in a script, I wince. Memories of Aparna Sen saying, during the filming of 15, Park Avenue: “Relax your head to the side an inch” or “move your upper arm two inches left and tilt your neck a little lower” return with remorseless clarity.

Fact is, when it comes to lovemaking on film, you can never get it right. It’s nothing like the rest of acting. Emoting, dancing the bhangra, shooting old men, sobbing over a dead brother’s grave, masturbating, even dying – they’re all things one can do reasonably well with lots of practice, either by getting under the skin of the character or by sheer instinct. Lovemaking laughs at all these attempts. You can try all you will to use your 27 years of experience in the activity, your ease with your character or your ability to make the mojo flow at will, but nothing will work. Finally, your confidence broken, your sexiness evaporated, your inhibitions reminding you of the time you were 16, you will be reduced to a quivering heap of discomfiture, meekly following orders barked at you by an exasperated director.

So what makes lovemaking so painful? First, the scene has to be broken down into a series of shots that suggest passionate, uninhibited sex, an activity that, unlike filming, say, a game of badminton with your grandmother, cannot be “played” out for real. It all starts off rather inauspiciously with you seeing yourself with your receding hairline unfailingly noticeable in every storyboard frame thanks to a passive-aggressive sketching artist who hates the fact you’re going to be fondling Laila Rouass/Mallika Sherawat/Any Other Unfortunate. As each frame details, in desultory pencil strokes, where her lips will be in relation to yours, how her back will arch as you touch her neck, and finally a close-up of your buttocks, you realize this may as well be a science experiment in school.

Next, the actual shooting of the scene. Before anything can start, the director asks all female crew to leave the set, lest they get maddeningly aroused at the sight of two pretend-naked bodies and start ripping their clothes off. So now you have six, bored Malayali lightmen resetting their unforgiving lights as you and your co-star fake-banter your way on to a bed that’s as rickety and noisy on the inside as it is plush and silk-robed on the outside. Once all lights have been focused, the lightmen are asked to leave and the first AD shouts for the wardrobe and make-up persons. The heroine’s body is re-moisturized, and foundation reapplied to her cleavage, legs and face, in that order. Her hair is teased to lust-maddened untidiness. The sheets are adjusted so a heartstopping curve of her back-to-bum is made visible. Everybody is herded off the sets and it’s locked down. A closed set. And, we begin.

No, we don’t. It’s personal hygiene time. Time to check the breath. Check. Body odour. Check. Pieces of spinach stuck in the teeth. Removed. Out come a hail of mints, elaichi, mouthwash, deodorant, perfume, and then, just to be on the safe side, a few breath-freshening sheets tucked away under the pillow for takes three and four. And then we’re off. A few tentative sniffs; lip brushes; the first half-kiss; but then our noses knock and the director yells “cut!” and there’s nervous giggles all around. The director indulges us this once and pretends to be amused.
The camera rolls again. Somehow, the kissing and initial fondling is done with and we come to the business end of things. That’s when it gets harder. The man’s on top, so how does one do that without making any contact? How do we make sure the camera catches her desire-drenched face if she’s buried under me? Here’s how: I am on top of her, balancing on my toes and palms, arching my back, craning my head, smiling into her eyes and thrusting with gentlemanly passion into a cubic foot of air. She writhes, her nails tightening on my triceps, and all I can think of is, “God, get me out of here. I’m in physical pain, her mints are losing the battle to garlic prawn, the bed’s going to break and we’re losing the sunset light.”

Lovemaking on film is forcing two human beings who’ve never come within smelling distance of each other, to take off their clothes in front of 10 strangers, under hot lights, in an airless room, with the body odour of unwashed director’s assistants and the manic tension of a director thickening the air, and then asking them to simulate the most uplifting, ecstatic copulation ever known to man. Pain. Pure pain.

Looks like lip lock trend is gonna hit Tollywood also. After Samantha had it with Naga Chaitanya in ‘Yem maya chesave’, Kajal did it with Mahesh babu in Businessman. And now Samantha is again doing it with Nani in the upcoming film ‘Eto vellipoyindi manasu’ directed by Gautham Menon.

One side Bollywood is following Tollywood in grabbing masala scripts and our Tollywood is taking Bollywood culture.  Earlier Pawan Kalyan and Trisha took the pleasure of lip kiss in the movie ‘Teenmaar’.  How ever Venkatesh, Nagarjuna, Balakrishna and Chiru never got this lucky chance in their  30 years industry experience.

 I was sitting in a restaurant the other night,” Sunny Leone giggled, her brightly-coloured fingernails curling in her palms, “and aunties and uncles with their kids came looking for an autograph! I’ve never had nine- and ten-year-old boys ask me for an autograph before.”

Leone is right to be surprised. She has, after all, built her name and reputation as a porn star. And when Leone became a household Indian name last winter, thanks to her participation in Bigg Boss 5 (a reality show structured around the format of the Dutch-created, mega-franchise Big Brother), a public controversy erupted over her supposed “past”. It was enough to incite the Press Council of India (PCI) to weigh in on her growing popularity.

“My opinion is that Sunny Leone was earning her livelihood in America in a manner acceptable in that country, though it is not acceptable in India,” read a statement by Markandey Katju, the PCI chief. “There is no saint without a past, and no sinner without a future,” he added. But what was striking about Katju’s statements, and the debate surrounding Leone at large, was the expressed interest in her supposed past and future. Sunny Leone “was earning her livelihood”: the implication being that Leone somehow arrived on Indian shores seeking an entirely new life. Leone’s extremely popular website, however, broadcasts a different narrative to the millions of men (and perhaps women) who actively visit it: “Goddess”, a clickable icon proclaims in reference to Leone, “Watch Sunny’s first B/G [Boy/Girl] anal scene.”

Leone’s future, it would seem, does not involve any deliberation about whether she wants to be a sinner or a saint. What is most fascinating about the story that’s being told about her rise to mainstream Indian stardom – including the rash of rumours about Bollywood castings, and asinine celebrity gossip linking her romantically to Indian male celebs (Leone is, in fact, a married woman) – is that it misunderstands the obvious truth: Leone is exploiting her ethnicity (and, for that matter, cultural issues of Indian male sexual repression) for money. According to an article inMint, Leone’s X-rated website saw an increase in traffic numbering somewhere around 630 per cent during the run of Bigg Boss 5. Her website was (at the height of the show’s popularity) ranked at 296 in terms of viewership in India. (As a comparison point, the paper notes, the website for The Indian Express fell 15 slots behind it.) Charging over `1,000 in monthly subscription, Leone’s foray into the consciousness of Indians has earned her a lot of money, perhaps more than she could have earned as a B-grade Bollywood actress.

Strikingly attractive in person, Leone’s brown eyes brim with the confidence of a woman who has been told her entire life that she is good-looking, and been paid well for it. When asked about how active she is in the porn industry, Leone is completely forthright. “Oh, I’m not done,” she smiles, “I’m going home now to [host] the AVN [Adult Video News] awards in Las Vegas.” The AVN awards, heavily protested against in America by feminists and Christian groups, and referred to affectionately by insiders as the “Oscars of porn”, is hardly the place to go when a woman wants to escape her promiscuous past. It’s also located not too far from Leone’s wealthy and comfortable life in California.

A strong earthquake centred off the coast of northeastern Japan shook buildings as far away as Tokyo on Friday and triggered a one-metre tsunami in an area devastated by last year's Fukushima disaster. The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.3, the U.S. Geological Survey said, adding that there was no risk of a widespread tsunami. There were no immediate reports of death or injury.

Thousands of children lined up the streets, clapping and waving the different national flags, as the ASEAN-India car rally reached the capital city of Cambodia after covering a total distance of 3,232kms across four nations on Wednesday.

Organised by the CII and MEA, the rally, which was flagged off from the Angkor Wat temple, the largest Hindu temple in the world, was given a rousing welcome by the Cambodians.

 Elders and school children lined up the streets throughout the highway to welcome the 124 participants, who had set out to cover around 8,000kms across nine nations from Yogyakarta, Indonesia on November 26.

As the 31 cars moved past the highway, children were seen waiting for the convoy. With paper flags of different countries in their hand, they waved, clapped and even stretched out their hands to greet the participants.

The participants also had a rare chance to cross the Kampong Kdei bridge, which is located in Doeumpor village in Chi Kreng district of Siem Reap province.

Erected in the 12th century, the bridge is 80m long and 14m wide with four naga heads on both its ends. It was a great experience for the participants as they clicked pictures and also marvelled at the archaeological sophistication.

The historic rally, which covered a distance of 322km on Wednesday from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, made a stop at Solar Cafe, where the participants were served deep fried spiders and crickets for lunch and they savoured them with pleasure.

The rally will cover around 250 km on Thursday and make its entry to Vietnam through the Babet border.

A five-storey house, which was marooned in the middle of a new road in China for more than a year because its owner refused to leave, has finally been demolished. The road, in China's eastern Zhejiang province, was built around the house because duck farmer Luo Baogen was holding out for more compensation, reports the BBC. Luo, 67, said he had just finished the home at a cost of 95,000 dollars and had been offered only 35,000 dollars to move. Officials said Luo and his wife had accepted a new compensation offer of 41,000 dollars, and moved to a relocation area with the help of relatives on Saturday morning. The house had earned the nickname "nail house" because, like a stubborn nail, it was difficult to move. "It was never a final solution for us to live in a lone house in the middle of the road. After the government's explanations, I finally decided to move," Luo said. The road is a key infrastructure project - linking the city to a new railway station on the outskirts. Luo was the only owner of 459 households to reject the relocation plans.The case has highlighted what is a major cause of unrest in China, as huge infrastructure and real estate developments spark hundreds of thousands of re locations.

How about using your mobile phone to beam an image or a presentation? There are phones that can be used as mini projectors. This is an emerging technology and is catching on fast. However, big companies are yet to invest in this segment, save for Samsung. There are many options from small handset companies such as Maxx, GFive and Intex. They may offer cheaper alternatives but they are not built very well. Here are some of the good options in this segment.

New drugs could be developed to treat hardening of the arteries, say American scientists. Hardening of arteries - atherosclerosis - a major cause of heart disease, has been thought to be caused by complex interactions between excess cholesterol and swollen heart and blood vessels.

But now scientists from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, along with other American colleagues, believe a forerunner to cholesterol subdues inflammatory response genes.

This precursor molecule could be targeted by atherosclerosis drugs, according to the study published in the Cell medical journal.

In our arterial walls are immune system cells called macrophages (which means "big eater" in Greek) that consume other cells or matter that are believed to be foreign or dangerous.

Senior author Christopher Glass, MD, PhD, a professor in the Departments of Medicine and Cellular and Molecular Medicine and senior author says, "When they do that, it means they consume the other cell's store of cholesterol. As a result, they've developed very effective ways to metabolize the excess cholesterol and get rid of it."

Some macrophages do not adequately dispose of the excess cholesterol and allow it to build up as foamy lipid (fat) droplets, hence their name, macrophage foam cells.

These foam macrophages generate molecules that call other immune cells and release molecules, signalling some genes to launch an inflammatory response. It assumed that atherosclerotic lesions - areas of fat-laden foam cells in arterial walls - are caused by a link between unregulated cholesterol accumulation and inflammation, says Christopher Glass.

The researchers set out to discover how cholesterol accumulation causes inflammation, and why macrophages perform. Using modelling based on mice that produce many macrophage foam cells, they had two unexpected discoveries.

"The first is that foam cell formation suppressed activation of genes that promote inflammation. That's exactly the opposite of what we thought happened. Second, we identified a molecule that helps normal macrophages manage cholesterol balance. When it's in abundance, it turns on cellular pathways to get rid of cholesterol and turns off pathways for producing more cholesterol."

That molecule is desmosterol - the last forerunner in cholesterol production, which cells create and use as a structural component of their membranes. In atherosclerotic lesions, the ordinary function of desmosterol seems to be "crippled."

The next area of research is to discover why that happens, says Christopher Glass. It may be connected to overwhelming, pro-inflammatory signals from proteins called Toll-like receptors on macrophages and other cells that are vital parts of the immune system.

Discovering desmosterol's ability to cut macrophage cholesterol gives researchers and drug developers a new target to cut the risk of atherosclerosis.

Christopher Glass says a synthetic molecule much the same as desmosterol already exists, which offers an immediate test-case for new studies.

Scientists in the 1950s developed a drug called triparanol that reduces cholesterol production, effectively boosting desmosterol levels. It was sold as a heart disease drug, but was later found to cause severe side effects, including blindness, so it was abandoned.

"We've learned a lot in 50 years. Maybe there's a way now to create a new drug that mimics the cholesterol inhibition without the side effects," concludes Christopher Glass

New Delhi: After 65 years of independence, the present Congress-led government is pushing the media to not speak the truth and to gag it. It is practically the Emergency revisited in India on November 27, 2012, a day that will also be known as a black day in Indian history.

While the matter is sub-judice before the honourable High Court of Bombay, to circumvent the judicial process and the orders of the honourable High Court, the Delhi Police, at the behest of a Congress MP, orchestrated the arrests of two senior editors of Zee News, Samir Ahluwalia and Sudhir Chaudhary, on the basis of a fraudulent and contrived complaint filed on behalf of his company, Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL).

The arrests have been made to sensationalise the issue and to lend a cover to the coal scam and in particular to favour Naveen Jindal, Congress MP, and his company JSPL.

This is a crude attack on the freedom of the press, a constitutionally enshrined right. JSPL is using the state machinery, controlled by the Congress both at the Centre and in Delhi, to muzzle voices of dissent and to interfere with the legitimate rights of the media in an attempt to divert attention from its illegalities and misdeeds, which the Zee News editors had sought to highlight in the public interest.

The first information report (FIR) registered against the two editors and others is nothing but a clever attempt to divert attention from JSPL's own role in the coal scam, which was exposed by the CAG and is being investigated by the CBI.

The channel vehemently denies all allegations levelled against it. The channel strongly condemns the arbitrary and illegal action of the Delhi Police in arresting its two editors and for initiating a malicious, illegal and motivated prosecution. We wish to reiterate that no offence has been committed by members of the Zee News staff.

Another fire in a Bangladeshi garment factory, over 120 lives lost and more than a hundred injured - the only difference this time from the many other factory fires in the past 30 years is the scale of the deaths and human suffering. It is this that makes it 'worthy' of comment, for a brief moment, in the international media. But fire is an occupational hazard for both bosses and workers in this industry(1). For employers - and their foreign buyers whose brand names are on the labels - it is merely part of a cost and profitability equation and an element of Corporate Image management. This particular death-trap factory was operated by Tazreen Fashion Ltd in the Dhaka industrial suburb of Ashulia and supplied, among other major brands, C & A in Europe and Walmart in the US.

 That factory fires have for decades been such a common occurrence in the ready made garment (RMG) industry means that fire risk is, in effect, factored in as an influence on decisions on how production is organised. With fast turnaround times demanded by buyers for foreign orders in the highly competitive global fashion retail markets, time is always tight and any production stoppages edge businesses ever-closer to invoking contractual financial penalty clauses for late delivery. Inevitably, corners are cut and workers' health & safety is a low priority(2). (Employers claim that fires have been reduced in recent years. But it may only be that - as production models develop and their scale increases - that though there may be less fires, bigger factories will mean their death count becomes larger when fires do occur.)
In this case the fire began at around 6.45 on Saturday evening, for reasons that remain so far uncertain, on the ground floor and quickly swept upward through the nine storey block. Survivors report hearing a fire alarm and beginning trying to leave the building; but workers claim that management told them to return to work, saying there was no fire and that the alarm was simply malfunctioning.
This lie was shortly revealed; as fire began sweeping up the stairwells of the building it ignited piles of fabric and yarn stored in corridors. Over a thousand workers were trapped in the building; trying to escape, with only three staircases and no safety exits, many found themselves trapped by locked grills separating the floors.

Workers were forced to leap from windows in trying to escape the heat, smoke and flames, many jumping to their deaths trying to reach roofs of surrounding buildings. Some managed to find their way to upper floors from where they were rescued by firefighters. Others created improvised bridges to nearby buildings or rope ladders from rolls of fabric. The rest were trapped by locked exits and the advancing fire... Dozens of bodies were recovered from various upper floors, many so charred as to remain unidentifiable.

Locked gates are another common danger workers repeatedly complain of in relation to factory fires. For security reasons - to guard against theft of fabric stock and to control movement of workers - exits are often kept locked. That this has repeatedly been noted for decades as a major contributing factor in fire deaths has made little difference to factory bosses; it remains a cost-effective measure and that's what counts. For the Tuba Group (a major garment exporter of which this factory was a subsidiary) this is probably a relatively minor set-back and temporary embarrassment. Basic factory start-up costs are low and, in one of the world's poorest countries, labour power is easily replaceable. Lost productive capacity will soon be re-established. A few cosmetic crocodile tears will be shed by employers; 

This is business as usual for the garment industry; compensation at the rate of $1200 a life will be paid out by the garment bosses and production is likely to carry on much as before.
The country is a major clothing exporter, second only to China. There are around 4 million workers in 4,000 Bangladeshi RMG factories earning the bosses up to $20 billion a year and these profits are built on these conditions. RMG workers earn some of the lowest industrial wages in the world. Exporting cheap clothing to the West has its price, cheap or dear depending on your viewpoint and material interests.
As part of maintaining the Global Brand Image, corporations employ compliance officers to check the working conditions of their factory suppliers. All sides know how this game is played; a minority of workplaces largely comply with minimum standards while the rest make some show of doing so, knowing that an attractive sale price trumps all other issues and that international brands will not let the necessary image of compliance inspection to interfere too much with the reality of a regular supply chain. Model compliant factory areas may be maintained as showpieces for compliance officer visits - while actual daily factory conditions bear no resemblance to this. A separate set of compliant books, showing fictitious higher rates of pay and safety expenditure may be kept. Compliance visits can be simple audits of paperwork rather than effective inspection. Equally, government-employed safety inspectors - who are paid lower wages on the tacit understanding that income can be 'topped up' - are easily bribed to turn a blind eye.

This shows how easy it is for RMG suppliers to appear to comply with the minimum asked of them by foreign buyers - even when concerns have been flagged up. This was not some back street hole-in-the-wall fly-by-night marginal operation. It was a major exporter's large factory supplying leading international brands; making clear how prevalent these deadly conditions are, forming the basis of the $450 billion global clothing industry. It also shows, once again, that these fires are known by workers, bosses and foreign buyers to be both entirely predictable and, if desired, largely preventable.
One might assume that such horrific scenes could become a tipping point where the demands for significant lasting safety improvements in the industry becomes irresistible; but there have been many other horrific scenes, other "worst ever fires" before this one. Meanwhile the profits keep growing.
Today, Monday 26th, there was another factory fire in Ashulia, this time with no reported injuries. 200 factories in Ashulia are closed and roads have been blockaded as thousands of workers have walked out to march to the factory ruins to protest the deaths and demand improvements in conditions.
Initial assessments by local police and fire services have stated there is no evidence for deliberate arson, suggesting that an electrical fault in the basement is a likely cause. Firefighters have also noted the absence of safety exits and that they had to cut through locked gates, verifying workers' claims.
But Bangladeshi politicians on all sides have never been slow to shamelessly mobilise the dead in the service of propaganda gains. (This is rooted in the conflicting loyalties of the nation's War of Independence that have continued to divide the society ever since(3).) The latest reports are that the government is claiming the fire as an act of sabotage by political opponents - yet with no evidence so far produced to support such a claim. Two garment workers who were arrested on Sunday at nearby Debonair factory in Ashulia have confessed to an act of attempted arson. Released factory CCTV footage shows a woman, Sumi Begum, setting fire to clothing at Debonair - which was quickly spotted and dowsed by other workers; she is reported to have later confessed that a fellow worker, Zakir Hossain, paid her TK20,000 [$246] to set the fire. But, though Prime Minister Hasina is linking the arrests with the deadly Tazreen Fashion fire, those arrested have not confessed to any involvement in it and no evidence has so far linked them.

 sorce:

Bangalore: Vimochana, a Women rights group today protested in Bangalore demanding action against the chief administrative officer (CAO) of Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, one of the prestigious management college, after a lady doctor accused him of alleged sexual harassment. The lady, a medical officer of the institute has alleged that the CAO had been harassing her since 2009. Member of Women Rights' Group, Vimochana, Dona Fernandes said the business school failed to take action despite repeated complaints by the lady doctor.

‘Drama Queen’ Veena Malik is once again making news headlines for wrong reasons. An MMS video, allegedly featuring Rajan Verma and Pakistani actress, has gone viral on You Tube these days.

Microsoft has jumped on the visual device bandwagon and now plans to create their own eyeglasses.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin has touted their company's innovative product at star-studded events
throughout the year and in July, news emerged that Apple had received a patent for a wearable display device -- seemingly bearing a close resemblance to Google's Project Glass.

Not to be left behind, sketches filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office show the Redmond,
Washington company has plans to create its own head-mounted display device. Though the patent application was sent on May 20, 2011, it was only recently discovered on fie at the US Patent & Trademark Office. Microsoft's product is described as being distinct from Google's device and Apple's planned version
as Microsoft's 'head mounted display...would provide supplemental information when viewing a live
event,' according to the patent application.

'A user wearing an at least partially see-through, head mounted display views the live event while
simultaneously receiving information on objects, including people, within the user's field of view.'
A drawing of a potential scene shows a user watching a baseball game and how the device could
provide statistics and additional details to enrich the viewing of the sporting event.

At least in the patent application, it doesn't appear that the device would be intended for everyday use - like walking down the street. 'The information is presented in a position in the head mounted display which does not interfere with the user's enjoyment of the live event,' the description added.

It's expected that the device would be operated by either a wrist-worn computer, eye movements or
voice commands. The discovery of Microsoft's foray into the eye wear field comes amid the massive publicity drummed up by the Mountain View, California based company for their Project Glass.

The pet project of Sergey Brin has been marketed as a fashionable yet fully functioning device that
even made its way to the runway in designer Diane von Furstenberg's show at New York Fashion
Week in September. Brin has sported the sci-fi looking accessory throughout 2012 but it isn't expected to be sold as a consumer product until 2013 or even 2014.

The very sight of the Google Glasses and the prospect of incorporating the technology into every day
life has sparked excitement among the industry. The wraparound frame has a tiny display over the left eye, that lets the wearer surf the web, make video calls, listen to music and even take notes.
The user won't even even have to lift a finger since the screen is controlled by voice commands and
even is sensitive enough to respond to the the tilt of the head. A prototype is currently being tested and reviewed by Google employees before the device will be presented to the public.

In a promotional video for the new technology, a person wearing the device walks down the street
and instantly helpful neighborhood tips and information on surrounding landmarks appear on the screen before their eyes.

Additionally, the screen will alert the user to their friends and family in the environs so the person can
pop in and surprise someone they know. Apple is also said to be scurrying its engineers to get its own eye wear available in the near future. Reports emerged in July that the Cupertino based company had filed a patent application for a 'head-mounted display apparatus for a user,' according to the application.

According to early diagrams for the device, the accessory would include one or two LCDs.
Though it is difficult to understand fully how the device would operate, according to the patent
description it would be a 'full immersion' device, not a 'walk around' device like the one developed by
Google. Apple's would likely be easily embedded in anything from a helmet, a pair of glasses, or a visor.

According to the New York Times, the company has been working on projects that could become
'wearable computers' and even hired a wearable computing engineer in 2011.

On the eve of his 100th Test match, swashbuckling batsman Virender Sehwag declared that his goal
is to play in the 2015 World Cup, and that the thought of retirement hasn't crossed his mind as yet.
"My target is to retire only after playing in the next World Cup, to be held in Australia and New
Zealand," Sehwag told Mail Today in an interview on Thursday.

Sehwag, who would become only the ninth Indian to appear in a century of Tests on Friday when he
plays in the second Test against England, said that there'd be no dearth of motivation to play in his
fourth World Cup.

"To participate in a World Cup is a great honour and achievement. I've played in three World Cups.
The whole world watches you during a World Cup and expects you to play innings to win games for
your country," said the 34-year-old batsman.

The only Indian triple Test centurion said that he was not feeling nervous on the eve of his milestone.  "I don't think I am nervous; I was waiting for this moment."

"When I was a kid my first dream was to play Test matches and the second one was to play 100 Test
matches because there are very few people who have played 100 Tests for India," he emphasised.
"And I am the luckiest one, though there a couple of my colleagues who too are close to the mark.
Zaheer Khan (86 Tests) and Harbhajan Singh (98) will, hopefully, also play their 100th Test matches
very soon. So, I'm very happy and waiting for this Test match," he said.

Sehwag's wife, two sons and a few friends have confirmed to be at the Wankhede Stadium on
Friday. The Delhi dasher's has been a roller-coaster Test journey that began when captain Sourav
Ganguly prevailed upon the selectors to include him in Tests.

Sehwag lived up to Ganguly's expectations and hammered a century on debut and went on to score
two Test triple tons. Sehwag says it was comforting to find Sachin Tendulkar at the pitch when he
went in at No.6 in Bloemfontein on his Test debut.

"The first highlight of my career is the hundred on my debut. I'll never forget that moment when I went in and Tendulkar was batting at 30 or 40-odd."

"He asked me in Hindi if I was having gudgudi [nervousness] in stomach. I said 'yes'. He then said it
happens with everybody and asked me to enjoy the game and bat the way I do," he said.

"It [Sachin's presence] helped me a lot because the bowlers were concentrating on him. They wanted
Tendulkar to get out; they were not worried about Sehwag at the time."

"When we were building our partnership, he was guiding me. I was lucky as my role model was
playing with me in the first innings of my first Test," he said. Sehwag disclosed that he and Tendulkar came closer when they returned to South Africa for the 2003 World Cup.

"Before that I was very shy. We used to go to gym together in South Africa. When he asked me to go
with him for dinner or gym sessions, it gave me a lot of confidence and comfort. That shows that he's
also a very very good human being, and not just a good player," he said.

Some former cricketers have at times opined that Sehwag tends to become complacent because he
seemed to have achieved much more than he had perhaps set out for. "If I had become satisfied I would have retired. When a person becomes satisfied, he doesn't run after things, doesn't worry about it, and doesn't make efforts.

Everyone has his opinion. Whatever one wants- whether he is a big player or a small one- he can
write and say. Everything has his own thinking, but the person concerned [player] actually knows the reality," he said.

On the occasion of his 100th Test, Sehwag remembered his late father, who wanted him to play well
for India, his coach since childhood, Amar Nath Sharma, and late Satish Sharma, who gave him an
opportunity when he picked him for his Madras Club in Delhi league cricket.

Sehwag considers the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where he hit 195 in 2003-04, and the Mohali
Stadium, where he has scored two centuries, as his favourite venues.